Lian surged forward at full speed, doubling his velocity to rapidly chase after the Swoobat. Although Swoobats have high base speed, they couldn't match Lian's impressive 150 speed stat.
With double speed activated, Lian swiftly closed the distance and spotted the Swoobat with a gray fossil wrapped around its tail.
"A fossil?" Lian found it peculiar that the bat would steal a fossil. What could be so special about this particular one?
"Hey, little bat up ahead, halt!" Lian shouted in Pokemon language, having now caught up to the Swoobat. He aimed to intimidate it, hoping to make it stop and retrieve the fossil without further conflict.
The Swoobat startled upon hearing Lian's voice, surprised by how quickly another Pokemon had pursued it. It tried to accelerate, but there was no way it could outpace Lian's speed.
Extending his claws engulfed in flames, Lian gave a powerful wing flap and unleashed a Fire Punch towards the Swoobat.
Sensing danger, the Swoobat attempted to dodge but failed. Lian's fiery punch struck it, sending it flying away.
"Don't hit me, please don't hit me," Swoobat hastily pleaded, fearing another attack from Lian.
Lian caught up swiftly and extended his claws, grabbing one of Swoobat's wings. Due to its small size, once captured, Swoobat couldn't break free easily.
He noticed that Swoobat seemed unwilling to struggle, continuously begging for mercy, "I was forced into this, let me go, I'll return the fossil to you."
"Why did you steal this fossil?" Lian asked. Swoobats are typically warm-hearted Pokemon and rarely resort to stealing; it suggested someone must have coerced them.
"Somebody made me do it. They brought me into the museum, then had me take this fossil and fly away through the window," Swoobat explained, looking quite pitiful.
"Was it your Trainer?" Lian inquired further.
"No, he kidnapped my companion and threatened me with a Poké Ball, but he isn't my Trainer. I don't have a Trainer," Swoobat quickly shook its head.
Lian temporarily believed Swoobat, though not entirely. He then turned his attention to the fossil attached to its tail.
"Give me the fossil, and you can leave." Lian retrieved it from Swoobat's tail; at first glance, it appeared as just a round, gray fossil.
Suddenly, a dark shadow swooped down from the sky, aiming directly at Lian.
Unfortunately for the attacker, Lian noticed and swiftly evaded by flapping his wings, feeling only a gust of wind brush past him.
He looked towards the assailant and identified another Flying-type Pokémon, this time a Staraptor.
Could it be the Dark Guild again?
Whenever Lian encountered a Staraptor, he immediately associated it with the Dark Guild. It seemed members often had one, almost like a standard issue.
Scanning the area, Lian found only the single Staraptor present, but suspected others might be lurking nearby.
Holding onto the fossil tightly, Lian addressed the Staraptor, "Don't mess with me! Get lost!"
However, the Staraptor was undeterred by Lian's threat and charged forward, unleashing Wing Attack. Its wings glowed with white light, resembling sharp blades slicing through the air.
Lian flew backward, realizing the Pokémon wouldn't back down, and launched a Fire Punch towards the Staraptor.
Boom!
Lian's fist collided fiercely with Staraptor's wing, causing him pain and sending him flying.
Crack!
Oh no.
Lian looked at the gray fossil still clutched in his claws, realizing he had forgotten about it during the collision with Staraptor, resulting in the fossil shattering.
Hastily distancing himself, Lian examined the remnants of the gray fossil but was immediately taken aback by what he saw next.
The gray color wasn't the true appearance of the fossil; beneath the shattered shell lay a red gem emitting a radiant glow, adorned with mysterious patterns.
"Is this the Red Orb?" Lian was stunned. While others, whether Pokemon or humans, might not recognize the red gem, having been transported to this world, Lian knew exactly what it was.
There was no time to ponder further as Staraptor charged again, exuding an intimidating aura.
Lian didn't want to continue battling Staraptor, especially since a group of Pokemon and Trainers were approaching from afar, clearly intent on reclaiming the gray fossil.
As Staraptor charged, Lian swiftly evaded its attack, simultaneously placing the Red Orb in his mouth and leaving behind only fossil fragments in his hand.
Kalia and Julian also caught up, albeit not as quickly. With two people on board, Julian's Charizard seemed unsteady, still mastering the skill of carrying passengers.
Lian flew towards Kalia, ignoring Staraptor, confident that the museum staff would handle it.
Sure enough, the museum personnel pursued both Swoobat and Staraptor, engaging them in battle. However, one Trainer broke off and headed directly towards Lian.
Since Lian was the first to give chase, they needed to investigate further. The theft of fossils from the museum was no trivial matter.
"Charizard, are you okay?" Kalia asked with concern, but it appeared he wasn't harmed.
Lian shook his head and then extended his claws, revealing a pile of fossil shards. During the battle, the fossil had accidentally broken, regardless of whether or not the Red Orb was found; the fossil itself was now shattered.
"You broke the fossil?" Kalia was unaware that this particular fossil was the one she had admired earlier. Seeing it shattered, she exclaimed in shock.
The museum's Trainer approached and immediately noticed the broken fossil in Lian's claws. They began contemplating how to discuss compensation with Kalia, as the fossil was damaged by Charizard and considered museum property, thus requiring restitution.
Suddenly, an urgent cry echoed from afar: "It's not good! Something happened at the museum!"
"What?!"
Realizing it was a diversion tactic, both the museum staff and Trainers sprang into action. Clearly, the adversaries used a decoy fossil to distract them, then struck the museum while they were away.
The Trainer disregarded Kalia entirely; compared to a shattered fossil, securing the museum took precedence.
In no time, everyone rushed back towards the museum, leaving only Kalia behind. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Swoobats and Staraptors also managed to escape.
"Charizard, let's go check it out." Kalia leaped onto Lian's back, sensing that the museum had likely been targeted in a well-planned attack, and wanted to investigate further.
Lian felt bewildered; weren't they from the Dark Guild? Did they not intend to steal the Red Orb?
Could it be that they simply seized any fossil on hand, and their true objective was other valuable items within the museum rather than specifically targeting this particular fossil?
It seemed too coincidental. If they had successfully stolen the fossil and discovered the hidden Red Orb inside, wouldn't they have been ecstatic?
Of course, this assumes they knew the purpose of the Red Orb. Without knowledge of its significance, it would merely appear as an ordinary red gemstone, likely kept as a collectible or sold.
With Kalia aboard, Lian flew towards the museum, curious to see who dared to rob it using such a cunning diversion tactic.