Chapter 479: Ambushed Brawl (2)
~Third POV~
[Sinnoh Region, Route 209 – Lost Tower (Entrance)]
Saturn's voice spat through the flying speaker, "Tch. Useless grunts! Croagunk, Sucker Punch!"
The Croagunk landed, coiled its muscles, and exploded forward with grim efficiency. It aimed right for Absol's flank as the white Pokémon landed from its previous attack.
*BAM*
The Sucker Punch connected with a dull thud. Absol was sent skidding across the grass, slamming into the stone foundation of the tower with a heavy crack.
Azure called out, though his pulse remained steady, "Absol!"
The Grunts saw their opening as they roared, "Now! Get the trainer!"
*ZAP—ZAP*
They rushed Azure, their electric swords crackling, aiming to pin him down. But despite the danger, Azure merely grinned, anticipating them…
/////
[Sinnoh Region, Meanwhile, Route 209 – Lost Tower (Top)]
High above, on the fourth floor of the Lost Tower, Platinum Berlitz paused. The floor vibrated slightly, she asked, her hand clutching the ribbon of her hat, "Did you hear that? It sounded like... an explosion."
Pearl jumped in front of her, waving his arms frantically. He tried to distract her in a frantic tone, "Explosion? No! No way! That's just... uh... the wind! Yeah, Route 209 is famous for its 'Booming Gales'!"
Diamond, who was busy munching on a rice ball, nodded solemnly and added, "Mmph. Very loud wind. Also, probably wild Pokémon. This is a tower for the dead, right? Maybe the ghosts are having a party. A... Grave-y Party."
Pearl face-palmed as he uttered, "A Grave-y party? Really, Dia?"
Platinum frowned, her eyes narrowing as she asked, "Mr. Azure is still down there. I should check on him."
Pearl shouted, perhaps a bit too loudly, as he quickly explained, "No! I mean... he's a professional! He told us to stay here. Look, Chatler is happy, see?"
His Chatot chirped a mocking, "'Stay here! Stay here!"
Platinum sighed, turning back to the memorial stone as she replied, "I suppose you're right. It would be an insult to his skills to interfere."
As she turned her back, a brief, blinding flash of yellow light illuminated the windows from below. Pearl and Diamond shared a look of pure terror. Diamond whispered, "He's really going at it, isn't he?"
Deep in the shadows of the corner, a pair of red eyes flickered. Darkrai watched them, its presence a silent promise of protection—or a nightmare for anyone who dared enter. But for now, it remained in the shadows…
/////
[Sinnoh Region, Route 209 – Lost Tower (Entrance)]
Back at the entrance, the scene was a chaotic mess and scorched earth. Five grunts lay in a heap, their electric swords shattered. Azure stood in the center of the ring, his hands still in his pockets.
Pikachu was now standing in front of him, its cheeks sparking with violent, rhythmic pop-pop sounds as Eevee was asleep on Azure's head. Azure yawned, the sound intentionally loud and insulting, "Is that the best the 'new world' has to offer? I've fought gym leaders back in Kanto who had more bite than your entire squad."
The speaker drone hovered closer, the camera lens zooming in on Azure's face, and roared frustratedly, "You arrogant brat! You're just a bodyguard! You have no idea the scale of Team Galactic's ambition!"
Azure countered dismissively with a bored expression, "Ambition is just a fancy word for a midlife crisis, Saturn."
The speaker swiveled as it momentarily froze from the other end, Saturn thought, 'The hell?! How does he know it's me – Huh?'
That was when the camera caught a glimpse of a silhouette through a high window of the tower—Platinum, looking down. Saturn hissed, "There she is! Croagunk, ignore the dog! Use Sludge Bomb on the window! Bring the tower down on them!"
The Croagunk, recovering from its earlier scuffle, puffed out its cheeks, bubbling purple toxic waste forming in its maw. Azure's eyes turned cold.
The 'bored' facade evaporated, replaced by the sharp, lethal focus of a Champion. He ordered, "Pikachu. Flash."
Pikachu grinned evilly and cried out, "PI-KAAAA! (SOLAR FLARE!)"
*FLASH*
The mouse Pokémon let out a burst of light so intense it felt like a magnesium flare had ignited in the center of the clearing. The grunts screamed, clutching their eyes. The Croagunk's Sludge Bomb went wide, splashing harmlessly against a tree, which immediately began to sizzle and melt.
Even the camera on the drone whirred in protest as its sensors were overloaded by the sheer lumens. Then Azure followed up, "Now, Absol. Finish the toy."
Absol, who had been waiting in the shadows of the tower wall, leaped. It didn't go for the Pokémon. It went for the drone.
*SHINK*
*KLANK*
The scythe-horn sheared through the metal casing of the flying speaker like it was wet parchment. Sparks flew, a series of short-circuits bzzzt-ing as the device plummeted to the ground.
With the mental link to its trainer severed and the drone destroyed, the Croagunk hesitated, blinking its eyes to clear the spots from the Flash. Azure commanded softly, "Let's end this. Discharge."
Pikachu didn't just release electricity; it unleashed a dome of crackling, blue-white lightning. Then it burst out as Pikachu cried out, "CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
*KRA-KOOOOM*
The ground groaned. The remaining grunts and the dazed Croagunk were swept up in the electrical storm. The smell of burnt smoke filled the air as they were blasted backward, their bodies twitching as the high-voltage current locked their muscles.
Silence followed, broken only by the crackle of a few small fires and the distant caw of a Murkrow. Azure walked over to the wreckage of the drone. He looked directly into the cracked camera lens, knowing Saturn was watching the feed from somewhere.
Azure said calmly to the dead camera, "Veilstone City is a nice place this time of year. I think I'll visit you soon. Make sure you have enough bail money."
He crushed the lens under his boot…
*Crunch*
Absol trotted over, shaking its fur. Azure reached down and scratched the Pokémon behind its ears as he praised her proudly, "Good job. Go back and rest."
He recalled the Disaster Pokémon into its ball. Above, the trio was descending the stairs of the Lost Tower. Azure quickly smoothed his jacket and wiped a smudge of soot from Pikachu's forehead.
Platinum emerged from the tower, looking slightly ruffled as she asked, "Mr. Sky! Is everything alright? We heard... quite a lot of noise."
Azure looked at the scorched grass, then back at her with a perfectly crafted, innocent smile. Azure said smoothly, "Wild Pokémon. A pack of Geodude got into a territorial dispute with some Skuntank. It got a bit heated, but I cleared them out. No harm done."
Pearl stared at the unconscious men in spandex suits being dragged into the shadows by what appeared to be sentient darkness (Darkrai was being thorough). Pearl gulped as he moved on, "Uh... yeah! Geodudes! Very... uh... aggressive ones!"
Platinum looked at the charred ground suspiciously, then at Azure's calm demeanor. Ultimately, she replied innocently, "I see. Well, the tribute is paid. We should move on toward Solaceon Town."
Azure said, gesturing toward the path, "Agreed. Lead the way, Lady Platinum."
As they walked away, Azure felt the Pichu (Mew) in his jacket chirp a tiny, mischievous laugh. Eevee, meanwhile, snored asleep as Darkrai slipped back into his shadow as the group left the area.
As Azure gathered his still-conscious Pokémon, a shadowy ripple emanated from the Lost Tower's entrance. Darkrai, its ethereal form coalescing from the darkness, moved with silent efficiency among the unconscious Grunts.
One by one, their forms seemed to shimmer and dissolve into the pervasive shadow, absorbed into Darkrai's Dark Void. It was a swift, silent, clean-up operation.
Darkrai's thought resonated clearly in Azure's mind, 'They have been deposited at the nearest Pokémon Police Station in Hearthome City, Master, along with evidence of their Galactic allegiance…'
Azure mentally replied, already pulling out his sleek Arc Phone, 'Excellent, Darkrai. Good work. Now I'll have to make a small message…'
With practiced ease, he tapped out a quick message.
====
To: Leaf Green (Interpol)
Subject: Galactic Grunts – Hearthome City
Message: Package delivered to Hearthome City PD. Standard Galactic insignia. Looks like they're getting restless in Sinnoh. And make sure you clean up the grunts Green. Also keep an eye out.
====
*Beep*
Almost instantly, his Arc Phone buzzed with a reply. He smiled as he read the message in his head.
====
From: Leaf Green (Interpol)
Subject: Re: Galactic Grunts – Hearthome City
Message: Received, Azure. Thanks for the heads-up. Looker will be pleased. Stay safe out there, hotshot. Don't cause too much trouble.
====
Azure allowed a small, wry smirk to play on his lips. He muttered under his breath, sliding the Arc Phone back into his pocket, "Never."
His gaze drifted towards the looming mass of Mt. Coronet in the distance. The real trouble, he suspected, was only just beginning.
/////
[Sinnoh Region, Meanwhile, Veilstone City – Team Galactic HQ]
*SLAM*
Saturn's fist hit the control console with enough force to crack the plastic housing. Screens flickered, showing only static where the Route 209 feed had been seconds before. Saturn screamed, his face contorted in a mask of pure rage, "DAMN HIM! Who is he?! That wasn't just a bodyguard. He handled a battalion of my grunts like they were toddlers!"
*HISSS*
The automatic doors hissed open. A woman with voluminous, crimson hair stepped into the command center, her heels clicking rhythmically on the metallic floor.
She was followed by a massive, crackling Electivire that seemed to pulse with stolen energy. Mars asked, her voice dripping with mock sympathy, "Losing your temper again, Saturn? I could hear your tantrum from the hangar."
Saturn pointed at the static screen as he screamed childishly, "That brat humiliated me! He knew I was watching! He mocked the mission!"
Mars leaned against the console, looking bored as she replied, "Well, you were trying to kidnap a Berlitz. They don't hire amateurs. But it doesn't matter now."
She gestured to the Electivire behind her as she continued in a nonchalant tone, "The Valley Windworks job was a success. We have more than enough power to fuel the next phase of the project."
Saturn took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He smoothed his bowl-cut hair and straightened his uniform as he said, "The Galactic Bomb?"
Mars confirmed in a nonchalant tone, "Near completion. But Cyrus wants no more distractions. If this 'Azure Sky' is as dangerous as you say, we don't fight him in the open. We lure him."
Saturn's eyes narrowed, a cruel glint returning to them as he muttered coldly, "They're heading toward Mt. Coronet. They'll have to pass through Veilstone or go around through the Celestic ruins."
Mars said, a predatory smile stretching across her face, "Then we make sure all roads lead to us. I'll set the perimeter. Let him come. My Electivire has been itching for a real fight after snacking on those weaklings at the Windworks."
Saturn looked back at the shattered remains of his drone's feed. He could still see Azure's smirk in his mind's eye.
Saturn whispered, his voice trembling with malice in a frustrated tone, "I don't just want him defeated, Mars. I want him broken. I want him to watch as we take the girl and everything he's sworn to protect. He thinks he's a champion? I'll show him what happens when a champion meets a god."
Outside, over the neon-lit skyline of Veilstone City, the clouds began to gather—heavy, dark, and pregnant with the coming storm. The hunt for the Berlitz heir had moved from a simple kidnapping to a personal vendetta, and Azure Sky was right at the center of the vortex.
But as Azure walked Route 209, sharing a laugh with Diamond and Pearl while the Pichu (Mew) in his pocket played with his collar, he didn't look like a man worried about gods. He looked like a man who was just getting started.
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A/N: Hope you like the chapter!