The heroes freeze, their triumph dissolving into a chilling dread. Mole Man's device pulsates with a malevolent energy, the cracks in the pavement widening like hungry mouths. Civilians caught in the blast zone scream, scrambling to get away, but the earth itself seems determined to swallow them whole.
Mole Man's eyes blaze with a mad gleam. "You thought you could stop me?" he sputters, clutching the device tighter. "You'll all go down with this city!" The hum of the Subterranean Sinker escalates to a deafening whine, the very air vibrating with its power.
Suddenly, a streak of yellow flashes through the chaos.
Faster than the eye can follow, Pikachu zips between Mole Man's legs. ZAP! A quick, precise jab from its tiny paw strikes Mole Man's hand. The Subterranean Sinker clatters onto the pavement. Before Mole Man can react, Pikachu snatches the device with its mouth, a determined glint in its beady eyes.
The heroes stare, mouths agape.
"What the…?" Franklin stammers.
"Was that… Pikachu?" Valeria questions, her voice laced with disbelief.
Ms. Marvel's eyes widen. "If that little guy's here…"
"Then he must be too," Squirrel Girl finishes, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper.
Orion Oak arrives, not with a thunderous entrance, but with a gentle descent. He rides atop Latias, who glides through the sky with an ethereal grace, her red and white form a beacon of calm amidst the dust and debris. The assembled heroes, still reeling from Pikachu's audacious move, look up as Orion, clad in his signature green and white suit, offers a serene smile.
"A rather unfortunate situation, wouldn't you agree?" Orion's voice, though soft, carries clearly through the din. He glances at Mole Man, his expression one of genuine concern. "My apologies for the intrusion, but it appears my… associate… took something of yours."
Mole Man, sputtering, points a trembling finger at Pikachu, who still clutches the Subterranean Sinker. "That rodent! And you! You dare steal from the King of Subterranea?" His face contorts with rage, the previous bravado returning with a vengeance. "Hand over my device, interlopers! You'll pay for this insolence!"
Orion gently pats Latias's neck. "I'm afraid I can't do that," he says calmly, his eyes never leaving Mole Man's. "That device… it poses a significant threat. Not just to the city, but to Pokémon Home, and to all the Pokémon under my care. It's a place where they are safe, where they can thrive. And I cannot let that be jeopardized." He holds the Sinker just out of Mole Man's reach, a silent, unyielding barrier.
"Pokémon Home?" Mole Man scoffs, utterly bewildered. "Safe? Thrive? What gibberish is this? That place is an affront to my power! It will be buried beneath the earth, just like this pathetic city!" He takes a step forward, his eyes narrowed in fury.
Mole Man's face contorts with a fresh wave of fury. He's been ignored, outmaneuvered, and now his prize toy has been pilfered by a rodent. This simply will not stand. With a guttural roar, he turns his attention back to his subterranean minions.
"Moloids! Get that rodent! Get that… that trainer!" he bellows, his voice cracking with pure, unadulterated rage.
A fresh wave of Moloids, a grotesque army of scuttling, leathery-skinned creatures, surge from the fissures in the street. They surge towards Orion and the tiny, yellow creature who dared to defy their master.
Orion remains remarkably calm, the chaos swirling around him like a distant storm. He glances down at Pikachu, who, still clutching the Subterranean Sinker, bobs its head expectantly. A gentle smile touches Orion's lips.
"Alright, partner," Orion says, his voice barely audible above the din. "Let's show them what you've got. Dodge."
WHIZZ!
Pikachu, with impossible speed, sidesteps a lunge from a hulking Moloid, its tiny body a blur of yellow. It pivots, the Sinker still firmly in its grasp, and leaps onto the back of another attacker. A playful grin spreads across its tiny face, its tail twitching with anticipation. It's less a fight and more a whimsical dance, the Moloids lumbering giants against Pikachu's effortless agility.
"Now, counter!" Orion calls out.
Pikachu darts forward, a streak of lightning. A swift, precise jab with its tail sends a Moloid sprawling. Another leap, another flick of its tail, and a third creature stumbles. Pikachu is having the time of its life, each movement fluid, joyful, and utterly devastating. It looks less like a battle for survival and more like a game of tag, with the Moloids desperately trying to catch a foe who's already ten steps ahead.
"This is too easy," Franklin mutters from the sidelines, impressed despite himself.
"He's barely even trying," Valeria adds, a flicker of respect in her eyes.
Mole Man watches in disbelief as his army, his pride and joy, is systematically dismantled by a creature no bigger than a house cat. His jaw hangs open, his grand pronouncements forgotten.
Orion raises a hand. "Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!"
The air crackles with anticipation. Pikachu drops the Subterranean Sinker at Orion's feet and leaps into the air. It spins, its cheeks glowing with an incandescent power, and unleashes a wave of pure, unadulterated electricity.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
"PIKA—CHUUUUUU!!!!"
A blinding flash engulfs the battlefield. The wave of electricity washes over the remaining Moloids, a silent, invisible force. One by one, they stiffen, their eyes rolling back, before collapsing in a heap, completely incapacitated. The city street, moments before filled with the sounds of battle, falls into an eerie, sudden silence.
Mole Man stares, mouth agape, at his fallen army. His reign of terror, his grand entrance, all reduced to a pile of stunned creatures thanks to a tiny yellow mouse.
"Impossible…" he whispers, his voice a dry rasp. "My Moloids… defeated by… that?"
Pikachu, with a cheerful Pika!, bounces over to Orion, nudging the recovered Subterranean Sinker with its nose. Then, with a mischievous glint in its eye, it turns its attention to the sputtering Mole Man.
Pikachu darts forward, a yellow blur. It zips around Mole Man's feet, a taunting dance. Mole Man swings his staff wildly, a desperate, clumsy attempt to swat the electric Pokémon away. WHOOSH! The staff misses, whistling through empty air. Pikachu ducks and weaves, a master of evasion, its small size a significant advantage. It taps Mole Man's knee with a paw, then zips behind him, leaving the subterranean king dizzy and disoriented.
"Stay still, you little… pest!" Mole Man roars, his face flushed crimson with embarrassment and fury. He swings his staff in a wide, desperate arc, trying to corner the agile Pokémon.
Orion watches, a slight smile playing on his lips. He knows Pikachu is toying with him, enjoying the chase. But the show must end.
"Pikachu," Orion calls out, his voice calm and clear, cutting through Mole Man's blustering. "Iron Tail."
Pikachu's ears perk up. It leaps into the air, its tail hardening, shimmering with an almost metallic sheen. It spirals downwards, a focused, unstoppable force.
WHAM!
The impact is clean, precise. Mole Man's staff shatters, and he crumples to the ground, unconscious before he even hits the pavement. The sound of the impact is sharp, definitive.
Silence descends once more, broken only by the distant sirens of approaching emergency vehicles.
The heroes stare, mouths agape, at the fallen Mole Man and the tiny yellow Pokémon who'd single-handedly ended the threat. Pikachu, after a quick lick of its paw, chirps happily and bounces back to Orion's side, nudging the recovered Subterranean Sinker.
"Did you see that?" Kamala whispers, eyes wide as she looks at Doreen. "One little Pokémon just took down an entire army and then beat that… that mole guy. And he was barely even trying!"
"Seriously!" Doreen exclaims, her usual bubbly demeanor replaced with sheer awe. "We had to team up just to handle the basic ones, and that thing… it was like playing a video game on easy mode."
Valeria, ever the analyst, narrows her eyes. "That wasn't just strength. It was speed, strategy… its power output was off the charts. It's on a completely different level than Beldum, or even Ralts."
Robin, usually stoic, lets out a low whistle. "Never thought I'd see a mouse take down a supervillain that easily. Definitely not something you see every day, even in this business."
Starfire, however, looks at Pikachu with pure wonder. "That creature… it is so very small, yet it holds such immense power! It is like a tiny star, burning so brightly!"
Orion Oak, standing calmly amidst the fallen Moloids and the defeated Mole Man, simply smiles. He pats Pikachu gently, a silent acknowledgment of a job well done. He'd wanted to show them the magic of Pokémon, and Pikachu, in its own uniquely powerful way, had certainly delivered. This was just the beginning of what they could discover.
***
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Advance chapters in P@T0n Najicablitz.