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Tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed faintly as Nurse Joy's consciousness began to fade.
Am I… dying?
That final thought echoed in her fading mind.
The man in the black cap stepped over the bodies of Joy and her Blissey, walking calmly into the inner chambers of the Pokémon Center.
Inside the storage room, he began pulling Poké Balls off the racks one by one, slipping them into the grey duffel bag slung across his back.
Once the bag was nearly full, he handed it to his [Gengar], who disappeared into the shadows with it. The man glanced toward the steel vault door at the end of the room locked with a digital code.
'A shame... If we had more time, I'd love to see what they're hiding in there.'
—
In the control room, the blue-haired young man stood up, stretching with a yawn.
He tapped the earpiece on his left ear.
Beep.
"Captain, mission complete."
"Copy. Begin extraction."
The reply was firm and dry.
He recalled the dream-mist Pokémon hovering beside him, then tossed its Poké Ball lazily and strolled out of the security room.
—
Outside, Stoneridge Town was quiet, peaceful, its surface calm, belying the chaos hidden within.
Shhhk!
The Center's automatic doors opened, and the two operatives emerged one wearing a black cap, the other with striking blue hair.
They got into a black sedan waiting along the curb. As the doors closed, pink dreamlike mist drifted from the vehicle, slowly cloaking it in an eerie shimmer.
"You're late," came a stern voice from the driver's seat.
"You know how it is, Captain. My Musharna's teleportation isn't exactly built for hauling passengers across half the region. I'm just glad we didn't crash mid-jump."
"Hurry up."
"Relax. Musharna's mist field around the Center will keep us hidden for at least twenty more minutes. No one's noticing anything."
Still, the middle-aged man in the front seat frowned. Something didn't sit right.
The man in the black cap remained silent, staring out the window.
As the seconds ticked by, the unease in the air grew thick.
"…Now."
"Teleport."
The pink mist flared, shimmering with psychic energy as Musharna prepared to warp the entire vehicle away.
Just as the light began to envelop them—
BOOM!
A radiant green beam of energy slammed down from above, scattering the mist like leaves in the wind.
"You…"
"Going somewhere?"
The voice was cold, crisp, and unmistakably feminine. It echoed inside the car like ice cracking under pressure.
The Captain stepped out with a grim smile.
"Knew it wouldn't be that easy…"
He turned to his subordinates. "Keep prepping the jump. I'll buy time."
"I'm going too!" the black-capped Trainer snapped, jumping up.
"You're no match for her. You'll only get in the way."
"But—!"
"That's an order. Sit down!"
Grumbling under his breath, the Trainer slumped back into his seat, arms crossed.
—
Outside, the once-busy street was now completely empty.
Standing calmly in the center was a woman dressed in an elegant lace-trimmed gown, her long green hair flowing gently in the breeze. At her side stood a regal Grass-type Pokémon with a humanoid figure and piercing eyes Tsareena.
The green energy beam from earlier had come from her.
"Well, well," the Captain said, smirking. "Never expected a big shot like you to get involved, Lady Lancia."(OC)
"I'm not here to chat, Louis. This ends now."
With a sharp nod, she commanded, "Tsareena Solar Beam!"
A blinding golden beam tore through the air, searing a molten path across the pavement as it shot toward Louis.
He sighed, disappointed. "No warm-up, huh?"
With a flick of his wrist, a transparent barrier shimmered to life.
"[Protect]."
The Solar Beam slammed into the shield, exploding like a miniature sun. The roar echoed down the empty streets. Louis squinted against the flash.
Before the dust even settled, Tsareena had leapt above him, forming a glowing blade of energy from her leg and diving downward.
From Louis's shadow, a jet of blue flame erupted upward forcing Tsareena to abort her strike and throw up a [Light Screen] just in time to deflect the blast.
From that same shadow, a ghostly, streamlined shape emerged.
Its head was sharp and triangular like a fighter jet, its body long and fading to translucent. Red highlights glowed along its edges. Its piercing yellow eyes scanned the battlefield with contempt.
Dragapult.
"Dragapult?" Lancia blinked, taken aback. "That's a Galar-region Dragon. How did you even get one?"
She frowned. Galar had only recently started cooperating with Unova. For someone like Louis, a known criminal, to own one was deeply unsettling.
He grinned.
"[Phantom Force]."
Dragapult faded, vanishing into thin air.
Lancia remained calm. "Tsareena, use [Aromatic Mist] to scan the field."
She knew this was bad. She didn't have her main team with her just Tsareena, a new capture she was still bonding with. But she was an Elite Four member for a reason.
Pink mist wafted around Tsareena, creating a sensory field.
A ripple in the air appeared.
"There! [Leaf Storm]!"
Tsareena spun, launching a whirlwind of razor-sharp leaves at the distortion.
"Tch… figures."
Louis grimaced. He could already hear helicopter blades in the distance. Reinforcements were closing in.
"[Agility], dodge it!"
"[Dragon Rush]!"
Dragapult emerged in a flash of teal energy, rocketing forward as a savage dragon-shaped aura formed around it. Its roar cut through the air as it charged straight at Lancia.
"[Protect]!"
Tsareena dove in front of her Trainer, forming a barrier just in time but at a cost.
The moment the shield went up, Louis had already leapt back into the car with Dragapult.
WhrrrRRRRRRMMM…
The mist shimmered violently.
With one last pulse of pink light, the entire sedan vanished.
"Damn it!" Lancia's voice rang down the empty street, equal parts fury and frustration.
The raid had failed.
But the hunt had only just begun.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Thank you so much for reading!