Everything—every last detail—was seen by Nemona.
Eyes wide, heart thumping, she felt something tighten in her chest. It wasn't fear this time, nor awe alone.
It was a spark—ignited by the sight of that overwhelming Dragonite and Akira's unshakable calm.
So this... this is what it means to be a real Pokémon Trainer?
The memory of being kidnapped surged into her mind again, the helplessness of that moment still vivid. And then, just like that, a decision was made deep inside her.
Unaware of her emotional shift, Akira Hayashi glanced at his phone, confirming the emergency message had successfully gone through to the Medali Police Department.
He looked toward a warehouse not far off and muttered, "All wrapped up here. Luxray and the others should be finishing on their end too."
He hopped off Dragonite's back and gently helped Nemona down.
Her chin brushed his shoulder, and her ears turned a little pink. He felt safe. Unreasonably so.
But just as Nemona was melting into that fleeting moment of security, she noticed something strange—something wrong. From beneath Akira's shadow, sharp, spectral claws, tinged in eerie purple, crept out and reached toward his legs.
Her pupils shrank. Panic.
Neither Akira, who was focused on the warehouse, nor Dragonite, circling lazily overhead, seemed to notice.
Just a little earlier…
The five Pokémon under Luxray's command had split up with military precision the moment they sprang from their Poké Balls.
Luxray's golden eyes flared as it ran, glowing until they shone like molten sunlight. The species' unique ability—X-Ray Vision—activated. Brick walls and rusty metal siding became irrelevant. To Luxray, the entire warehouse was now an open book.
Inside, it saw:
— Several Pokémon guarding the east and west windows.
— Five people in the center.
— Three children, collapsed on the ground, clearly exhausted.
— Two adults—no question, the kidnappers.
Luxray narrowed its eyes, calculating. How to secure the kids without triggering chaos?
A full-frontal charge would be obvious. Their bodies were far too large to sneak in unnoticed.
They could always do what Dragonite did—roll in with raw intimidation. But one slip of pressure could cause more trauma than rescue. These kids were already terrified.
No… they'd need to direct that pressure surgically.
But Luxray, Swampert, and Ceruledge lacked that level of emotional finesse. Only one of them might pull it off.
Luxray lowered its head and growled quietly, communicating its plan.
Serperior, already coiled near the warehouse edge, flicked its tail and hissed in reply: "Ssssure thing!"
Luxray nodded. Ceruledge and Swampert moved to flank the western window while Luxray made its way to the east.
The plan was simple: the second their break-in drew attention, Serperior would unleash pressure precisely at the kidnappers—not the children—then use Vine Whip to yank them to safety.
No need for further talk. They moved like professionals.
Luxray, cloaked in electric fury, rammed through the wall in a blaze of sparks. Three Golbat never stood a chance—KO'd in seconds.
Swampert flexed its thick arms, bracing as Ceruledge leapt up and was hurled like a javelin through the air.
Its flaming swords came to life, blue fire crackling with regret. One swipe—Shadow Sword—sent the trio of Raticate and the entire west wall tumbling. They were out cold, but alive.
Every move was precise. Brutal, but not lethal.
Serperior struck next, pressure washing over the two remaining adults like a tidal wave of raw instinct. The bearded one froze. The lanky one dropped whatever he was holding. Perfect.
No damage to the kids.
Green vines lashed out, sweeping up the terrified children from the kidnappers' grasp and gently cradling them away.
Everything was going smoothly.
Except for one small thing.
The forgotten one.
The invisible one.
Standing cluelessly by the warehouse door, Mimikyu blinked.
Again.
It had been left out.
Again.
Not on purpose, of course.
Luxray and the others never meant to ignore Mimikyu. It just kind of… slipped their minds. A side effect of its painfully weak presence.
Still, Mimikyu peeked out from under its homemade Pikachu disguise. Shadow claws emerged from beneath the plush fabric, flexing sadly.
Left out again.
With a little huff, it sank into the shadows.
"Fine," it muttered. "I'll just go find Akira. He always notices me."
And besides, the others had this handled.
Using the cover of tall grass, Mimikyu slipped between shadows, traveling through the network of silhouettes until it found Akira's.
Then it rose.
Shadow claws slowly crept up from the base of his figure, reaching for his capri pants to tug gently for attention.
And that's when it saw her—Nemona.
Her expression was frozen in horror, eyes locked on the shadowy claws. Mimikyu tilted its head.
"...Mimii?"
"Eh? Mimikyu?! What are you doing here?"
Akira turned at the exact moment Mimikyu squeaked. He instantly understood.
"Ah. Shadow stowaway again, huh?"
Nemona's horror short-circuited into blank confusion.
This… this spooky plushie… was his Pokémon?
So… she'd just panicked… over nothing.
Great. Fantastic.
Thankfully, Akira hadn't noticed her face going through the five stages of embarrassment. That would've been mortifying.
Nemona clenched her fists.
It was official.
Akira Hayashi had just joined her list of top-tier idol-tier humans—right up there with her dad, her mom, and her big sister.
Mimikyu, meanwhile, had quietly retracted its claws and climbed up onto Akira's left shoulder.
There, it melted. Quite literally. It drooped over him like a lazy pancake, soaking in the delicious energy that only Akira's unique "Trainer Aura" could provide.
Sweet. Comforting. Safe.
But then, it noticed something odd.
Nemona was holding onto Akira's right arm, sneaking little side glances at it. At Mimikyu.
That made something stir in its tiny ghostly heart. Something it didn't understand.
It blinked.
Wait.
Dragonite only noticed it when Akira called out earlier.
But Nemona… she saw it from the very beginning?
Weird.
Not long after Akira had taken down the three kidnappers—men who only had the guts to prey on kids in the shadows—sirens began to wail in the distance.
The police had arrived—fashionably late.
Right behind them came a luxury car, gleaming and obnoxiously expensive, like something out of a Galarian auto expo.
Akira smiled as he watched Nemona gently comfort the rescued children.
Then he looked over to the three kidnappers, now cocooned in Frenzy Plant vines by Serperior, trussed up like criminals from a Saturday morning cartoon. Their mouths were even wrapped to prevent them from yelling anything unpleasant.
Serperior had a flair for presentation.
Akira couldn't help himself. With a grin, he turned towards the kidnppers, he quipped:
"Congrats, gentlemen. Complimentary silver bracelets—courtesy of the Paldea League!"
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Author's Note:
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
+50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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