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From within the Trainer's shadow, a pair of eerie crimson eyes flickered open burning with malevolent intent.
The man reached up and pulled the brim of his black baseball cap lower, concealing his face in darkness. A wicked smirk curved at the corner of his mouth.
"[Hypnosis]."
From those sinister eyes buried deep in shadow, pale lavender waves of psychic energy pulsed outward unseen to the average human. Like ripples on still water, they spread across the Pokémon Center in complete silence.
It was as if time itself had paused.
One by one, Trainers in the center froze mid-step… and collapsed with dull thuds to the floor.
This Pokémon Center in Stoneridge Town was filled mostly with rookie Trainers resting before their Gym challenge. Against the powerful [Hypnosis] cast by a high-level Pokémon, they didn't stand a chance.
Behind the counter, Nurse Joy felt the sudden weight of drowsiness cloud her mind. Her eyelids drooped. Her vision blurred.
Then her Poké Ball burst open with a sharp crack.
A blinding red light surged out.
A soft pink Pokémon leapt free from containment, breaking out on its own.
Egg-shaped and cheerful under normal circumstances, this Pokémon had a pink upper body, white lower body, tiny arms with stubby fingers, and short, wing-like growths at its sides. On its round belly sat a pouch containing a single precious egg.
It was a Blissey, a Normal-type Pokémon, so rare in the wild that only the Joy family was known to have access to its breeding habitat and care methods.
Renowned for their gentle disposition and powerful healing abilities, nearly every Nurse Joy across the world was bonded with one.
Clearly, this Blissey had been with Joy for a long time it had evolved from [Happiny] to [Chansey], and finally to this final form through deep affection and trust.
But today, that warm smile was gone.
Blissey's eyes were serious.
Without hesitation, she raised her stubby arm toward her fallen partner. A soothing pink aura shimmered around her.
"[Heal Pulse]!"
A surge of restorative energy washed over Joy, clearing her foggy mind and reviving her awareness.
Terror hit her like a brick wall.
The Center's under attack.
She turned around in a panic and gasped.
Where once Trainers were chatting and checking in, now they all lay motionless on the floor.
And standing among them, perfectly relaxed and completely untouched… was the man in the black baseball cap.
"Well, this got interesting."
He glanced at her, mild surprise in his voice.
But he didn't plan to drag this out. The quicker the hit, the more time they had to vanish before the League arrived.
From behind him, a thick, ominous presence began to rise.
A shapeless, ghostly shadow peeled itself from the floor, growing taller, darker… until it became solid.
A Pokémon emerged.
Round and deep purple in color, its body radiated a smoky, dark mist that coiled around it. Jagged spines ran down its back. Its crimson eyes gleamed with chaotic energy. A wide, mischievous grin split its face.
"[Gengar]," Joy whispered, a bead of cold sweat forming on her brow.
"Hehehehehehe~"
It was a powerful one well-trained, full-sized, with an unusually potent aura of dark mist swirling from its core. The shine of its fur and the crackling energy around it spoke of refined training and brutal efficiency.
Stay calm… The security team should have noticed by now. Help from the League should be coming. I just have to hold him off.
Joy braced herself, heart pounding, eyes narrowing with resolve.
---
Meanwhile, in the Center's security room…
The room was dim, lit only by the quiet hum of screens showing every inch of the facility.
A young blue-haired man lounged in a chair, spinning the Center's master key around one finger. He watched the monitors with a lazy, amused look.
Beside him floated a mysterious Pokémon.
Small, almost childlike in size, its light pink head had long lashes that curved into closed eyes, giving it the appearance of being asleep. Its soft lavender body curled midair like it was dreaming.
Pale pink mist drifted from its head like incense smoke, ethereal and slow.
Below it, the security guards dressed in League uniforms lay on the ground, faces peaceful as if trapped in a perfect dream.
From each of their heads, thin wisps of the same pink mist drifted upward and funneled directly back into the mysterious Pokémon.
Outside, more of that dreamlike mist spread in quiet patterns around the Center's perimeter. Any passerby who got close simply… turned away, forgetting what they were doing.
A black car sat parked near the edge of the road, unremarkable in every way.
In the front seat, a stern-faced man sat with his eyes closed, seemingly napping.
From the shadow by his feet, something shifted. Then went still.
---
Back inside the Center, the standoff had begun.
The Trainer lowered his head again, voice raspy and cold.
"[Gengar], end this quickly."
"Geh-heh-heh…"
The Gengar let out a mocking laugh and vanished into the shadows.
Joy's eyes widened. She shouted instinctively:
"Blissey, [Defense Curl]!"
If she was going to stall, she needed to buy time with defense. The battle would be about survival nothing more.
Across from her, the man tilted his head in disappointment.
"…Just a flower raised in a greenhouse."
Joy blinked in confusion.
Then pain.
A tearing sensation exploded through her abdomen.
SHRRIP!
Hot blood sprayed across the pristine white floor like red petals in bloom.
A short, razor-sharp purple claw burst out from her midsection, dripping with crimson.
"Ghhkk—!"
Joy collapsed to her knees, gasping, blood spilling from her mouth.
Blissey turned in horror, trembling.
She ignored everything else, her own safety, the enemy, nothing mattered but Joy.
She unleashed [Heal Pulse] after [Heal Pulse], wave after desperate wave, toward her partner.
"Geh-heh…"
Gengar looked on calmly, flicking the blood from its claw with a grin.
A mass of dark energy began to form in its palm.
"[Dark Pulse]."
With a low hum and a burst of malicious force, a deep black wave erupted from its hands consuming the crying Blissey in a surge of shadow and pain.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Thank you so much for reading!