Chapter 653: Victory Pokémon
~Third POV~
[Unova Region, Later, Castelia City – Liberty Garden]
The salt tang of the Unova harbor hung thick over Liberty Garden, riding the crests of the white-capped waves that battered the ancient granite breakwaters of Castelia City. Farther inland, the colossal glass-and-steel monoliths scraped a smoggy belly against the gray afternoon clouds, casting long, geometric shadows over the shipping lanes.
But here, on the private islet dedicated to a single, mythical breath of flame and hope, the air tasted clean—if heavily scarred by the recently departed boots of Team Plasma. Black said, his hand dropping from the screen of his Xtranciever after a long, intense pulse of data transmission via his Pokedex, "It's all logged, then…"
*Clack-click*
His brow was furrowed. He turned to White, who was busy organizing witness testimony forms with the sharp, rhythmic sound of a mechanical stapler against a wooden crate. Black said to White casually, "Juniper's got the full report on the grunt interrogation. She's particularly interested in the historical logs about the millionaire."
*Swish-scratch-fold*
White didn't look up from her stack of papers, though her pencil danced across the margin with practiced efficiency. She asked, her voice carrying that sharp tone, "And the research data on Victini's?"
*Kreeee-clack*
Black muttered, though his attention was already drifting toward the base of the island's brick lighthouse, where the rusted iron door groaned in the stiff coastal draft, "Confirmed. She said she'd cross-reference it with the records from the 200-year-old Unovan unification wars. Apparently, the old texts suggest Victini isn't just a localized anomaly; its internal reactor functions more like a perpetual motion core."
A new voice drawled, "A core that half the criminal underworld and three different regional syndicates would kill to exploit."
Azure stepped out from the shadow of the lighthouse archway, his boots crunching on the gravel path. Perched casually on his right shoulder, a Pikachu gave a high-pitched pika-pi of greeting while polishing its cheeks with a tiny paw, while a sleeping Eevee draped itself like a heavy fur collar around the back of his neck.
Tucked securely inside the front zipper of his jacket, a small Pichu (Mew) twitched. Mew's telepathic voice tickled the edges of Azure's mind, sharp and faintly mischievous: 'Is the weird lady with the glasses done shouting at the glowing rectangle yet? Because my paws are falling asleep, and I want a berry.'
Azure thought back with a silent mental nudge, 'Be patient, kiddo. We're closing the loop on this sector.'
Out of the Arc Phone resting in Azure's breast pocket, a digital face popped up with a cheerful cry. Rotom's orange holographic avatar spun a 360-degree loop in the salty air and said excitedly, "Hey! Don't forget about me, Master! I cross-checked Juniper's firewall! Her security is about as tough as wet tissue paper! Bzzt! I could hack her coffee maker by Tuesday if you wanted!"
Azure chuckled before reaching down to unclip a heavy, crimson-banded sphere from his belt and said, "Play nice, Rotom. We've got more pressing concerns than the professor's caffeine intake."
*Hisss—POP*
With a soft, pneumatic hiss, the Master Ball released a burst of white-gold light that smelled faintly of ozone and old, sweet honey. When the light cleared, the tiny, rabbit-eared sprite known as Victini hovered three feet off the ground, its russet-orange body trembling slightly.
It looked exhausted—its enormous blue eyes rimmed with the hollow shadows of three days spent running from grunts who wielded electrified nets and suppression collars. The moment the chill sea breeze hit its fur, Victini let out a pathetic, shivering "vrr-chur."
Azure murmured, his hand moving with the slow, deliberate grace of someone who had once hand-fed an enraged Rayquaza at the edge of the stratosphere, "Easy there…"
From a side pouch, he produced a heavy-duty container filled with custom-made Poké Blocks—a thick, gelatinous blend of Fire-type chili extract and Psychic-type honey that he'd whipped up the previous night in the Castelia Pokémon Center kitchen.
*Squish-slurp*
He held out a single red cube on his palm.
Victini's nose twitched. The creature's ears—shaped like stylized 'V's—pricked up. Cautiously, as if expecting the metal floor to drop away beneath its paws, it drifted closer. Its small pink nose tested the air, smelling the rich, caramelized sugar mixed with the sharp sting of heat.
*Chomp*
Victini's eyes dilated to the size of teacups. Its small tail began to wag so fast it blurred into a ginger-colored fan. A sharp, bell-like telepathic broadcast echoed directly inside the skulls of everyone standing within twenty yards: 'More! Give me more of that magic sugar-fire!'
It wasn't a low, rumbling psychic wave; it sounded like an excited toddler who had just discovered the concept of birthday cake: 'My tummy is making angry growling noises like a wild Bouffalant! Please! Don't stop!'
Black staggered back half a step, his jaw dropping so low it nearly hit his collarbone. He asked in a tone of disbelief, "Wait. Did—did it just talk? Inside my head?"
Azure said smoothly, dumping half the container into the air, "Telepathy is kind of its default setting when it's hungry."
*Munch-munch-gulp*
Victini caught them with the dexterity of a circus performer, stuffing its cheeks until it looked like a furry orange melon. Azure continued in a mischievous tone with a sly grin, "If you spent 3 days dodging plasma grunts through damp basements without a decent meal, you'd be yelling at people's brains too."
*Ting-a-ling-ling*
Before Black could recover his equilibrium, a soft, melodic chime rang out from the overhead oak branches. Meloetta drifted down from the canopy, her delicate, pirouette-like descent accompanied by the faint scent of rain and wild mint. She floated over to Victini, hovering nose-to-nose with the shivering mythic.
Her hair-ribbons shifted into a sharp, judgmental angle as she crossed her arms over her chest. Meloetta's telepathic voice arrived with a heavy, dramatic sigh that practically dripped with teenage exasperation: 'Honestly. You look like a drowned Patrat. Making all that fuss about being chased by people in plastic pajamas when you could have just kicked them into the bay three days ago. Honestly, where is your backbone?'
Victini sputtered, a bit of sticky Poké Block flying from its mouth. Victini said in a hurried tone, exaggeratedly waving its arms, 'They had nets! Electric nets! And big scary machines that smelled like burnt toast!'
Meloetta sniffed, though she reached out with one slender hand to pat Victini's head patronizingly. Meloetta scolded Victini, 'Excuses, excuses! Well, at least you have good taste in snacks. Azure's cooking is the only reason I tolerate staying in that ridiculous red ball half the time anyway.'
From Azure's shadow, a pair of glowing red eyes peered out. Gengar materialized halfway, its ghostly form flickering through the air, and said aloud with a raspy chuckle, "Ke-ke-ke! That's right, little 'V'! If you don't eat your share, I'll sneak into your dreams and replace your chili-cubes with spicy Pecha berries!"
*Thunk*
Azure scolded lightly, giving the ghost's head a firm flick that resulted in a hollow thunk sound. Azure said coolly, "Gengar, stop terrorizing the new guy."
Gengar dissolved back into the shadows with a muffled snicker. Black finally managed to close his mouth, though his eyes remained fixed on the floating sprite as he warned him in a concerned tone, "... you realize what you're holding, right? That's not just a rare Pokémon. That's Castelia's oldest legend. Trainers with Victini never lose. The old books say its body generates an infinite reserve of thermal-psychic energy and shares it with whoever touches it. That's why people started the war two centuries ago in the first place!"
Azure replied quietly, "I know…"
His gaze drifted across the harbor, where the distant skyline of Castelia seemed to shimmer in the late-afternoon haze. Azure stated calmly, "A wealthy eccentric bought this island specifically to bury Victini in the basement so the fighting would stop. And it worked—until the old man died, and the modern world forgot the lesson, leaving the vault door unlocked for men in white hoods to come sniffing around."
White stepped up beside Black, her arms crossed, her expression serious as she looked at Azure. She couldn't help but ask in a cautious tone, "And you think you can just... keep it? With all the baggage attached?"
Azure reached down, his fingers gently scratching behind Victini's long, V-shaped ears. The mythic leaned into the touch, letting out a soft, purring hum that vibrated through Azure's palm, liking the headpat.
Azure said, his voice dropping into that quiet confidence, grinning, "Look at my team list, White… Between the Regi squad, Rayquaza currently orbiting somewhere over the ozone layer, Mewtwo sleeping in my home, and four complete championship rosters from Kanto to Sinnoh sitting back home... do you honestly think some second-rate grunts in matching uniforms are going to make it past my front gate?"
Black let out a dry, incredulous laugh. He said in a calmer tone, "When you put it like that... no. Probably not. Anyone dumb enough to try would probably end up getting punted into the next region by a Regigigas kick."
Azure knelt until he was eye-level with the stuffed-cheeked sprite as he said casually, "Exactly. So here's the deal, little gal. The basement is old, damp, and full of dust. The people outside want to use you as a battery. But if you come with me..."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, foil-wrapped object—a vanilla-frosted cupcake topped with a single, glittering blue sugar crystal that he'd bought from a street vendor near the Castelia Pier twenty minutes before the raid.
*Rip-crackle*
The sweet, buttery aroma of vanilla and baked sugar cut through the salt air instantly. Victini's nose gave a violent twitch. Its eyes locked onto the cupcake with the intensity of a starving Houndoom spotting a Tauros steak.
Azure finished softly, holding out the treat to Victini with a kind smile, "...I can show you what the rest of the world's greatest food and treats taste like. No basements. No cages. Just open skies, new food every single day, and enough power to make sure nobody ever tries to hunt you like an animal again."
Victini stared at the cupcake. Then it looked up at Meloetta, who gave an approving nod and a flick of her hair. Finally, it looked into Azure's eyes—eyes that held the weight of a dozen saved worlds, yet felt entirely steady, warm, and safe.
*Chomp-munch-gulp*
The cupcake vanished in three seconds flat.
Victini let out a long, shuddering sigh of pure, unadulterated bliss. A golden aura flared around its small body for a fraction of a second, sending a wave of warm, tingling energy rippling through the clearing that made Black's hair stand on end.
Victini's telepathic voice rang out, bright and ringing like a silver bell, being convinced, 'Okay! I live with the food-guy now! If anyone tries to put me back in the box, I'm going to turn their hair into fried noodles!'
With a decisive little nod, Victini floated forward and tapped its small, glowing fist gently against the center of Azure's belt buckle—the manual acceptance protocol of a mythic choosing its master. A soft click-snap of digitized light sealed the bond as Azure saw the text-box screen and checked Victini's status screen.
[Victini has joined the Party!]
[Victini the Victory Pokémon. Though timid, it is a caring Pokémon; it will fight if its friends are in danger. Victini is said to bring victory to the Pokémon Trainer that befriends it. It produces an infinite amount of energy within itself that it can share with others by touch. It can also become invisible. It's stated that people who believed the legends of Victini's power waged war to get their hands on it.]
|Name: Victini (Victory Pokémon)
|Type: Fire/Psychic
|Tera: Fire
|Level: 15
|Gender: Female
|Held Item: None
|Ability: Victory Star (Telepathy)
|Nature: Quirky
|Moves: Focus Energy, Endure, Telekinesis, Incinerate, Flame Charge, Flame Burst, Inferno, Overheat, Flare Blitz, Zen Headbutt, Stored Power, Double-Edge, Quick Attack, Headbutt, Reversal, Final Gambit, V-Create (IM),Searing Shot (IM)
Azure took a moment observing Victini's status info as he pondered, 'Okay… another female Mythical. And she's… so low level. At least she isn't limited to move pools, but I got a LOT of work to do with her…'
Black and White stared in absolute, unmoving silence.
Black blinked, his brain visibly short-circuiting as he tried to reconcile centuries of historical mythology with the fact that a legendary engine of war had just been bribed with bakery goods. He couldn't help but ask in disbelief, "Did... Did you just catch a Mythical Pokémon with a cupcake?"
Azure stood up, dusting a few crumbs from his coat sleeves while Pikachu gave a triumphant "pika-pika!" from his shoulder. He flashed a wide, blindingly white grin that showed all his teeth. Azure laughed, turning toward the path back to the ferry dock as he said in a carefree tone, "Professional courtesy. Now come on! If we miss the four o'clock boat, we'll have to walk across the Skyarrow Bridge in the dark, and Gengar smells like swamp gas when the night dew gets to him."
Behind them, Victini hovered proudly in the air beside Meloetta, holding up two fingers in a cheerful, victorious peace sign toward the two stunned trainers as they trudged down the gravel path.
/////
[Unova Region, Later, Nuvema Town – Prof. Juniper's Lab]
A hundred miles to the north, where the salty bite of Castelia's harbor gave way to the quiet, wind-swept meadows of Nuvema Town, Professor Juniper's laboratory smelled of ozone, old paper, and stale instant coffee.
*Click-clack-whirrrr*
The automated diagnostic tray on her central worktable hummed as it spat out the final diagnostic sheet for Black's returned Pokédex. Juniper leaned over her microscope, her glasses slipping slightly down the bridge of her nose as she scanned the data lines scrolling across the curved glass monitor.
*Tap-tap-tap*
She murmured to the empty room, her pen tapping a rhythmic tattoo against the stainless-steel counter, "Incredible… The data synchronization rate is up by forty percent compared to last month. The boy really is a natural."
She straightened up, rolling her shoulders to work out the kinks from four hours of hunching over circuit boards. A faint smile touched her lips as a memory surfaced unbidden. Cheren's serious, lecturing voice echoed in her mind from their last call: 'You know, Professor, if you want someone who actually treats field research like an extreme sport instead of a desk job, you should look at Black.'
The boy had been practically desperate, practically shaking the phone in his eagerness to get his friend out into the wider world of Unova. Juniper muttered to herself, adjusting her lab coat, "They're close friends, true. Though Black's obsession with his dreams is going to give him an ulcer by the time he hits Nimbasa City. Still... the boy's got iron in him."
*Creeeeak*
The heavy front door of the laboratory swung open, admitting a gust of cool rural air and the heavy, familiar tread of rubber-soled boots.
"Working late again, I see, Aurea?"
Professor Cedric Juniper walked into the main hall, carrying a canvas tool bag that clanked with screwdrivers, soldering irons, and spare logic gates. His hair was slightly disheveled from the wind off Route 1, and his face bore the weather-beaten lines of a man who had spent forty years chasing rare species through tall grass.
Juniper said, a look of genuine relief washing over her features, "Dad! I thought you were still down in Accumula reviewing the regional fossil finds."
*Thud*
Cedric grunted, dropping his tool bag onto the nearest workbench with a heavy thud. He said calmly, "Finished early. Heard from the Castelia station that you had a run-in with some aggressive elements near Liberty Garden. Thought my Auera might need a hand fixing up the battered hardware those kids keep sending back."
*Sip*
Juniper sighed, walking over to the coffee machine and pouring two mugs of dark, bitter brew. She handed one to her father, who took it with a grateful nod. Juniper explained to her father, "You have no idea. Team Plasma is getting bolder, Dad. It's not just street-level posturing anymore. They're actively hunting mythic signatures. The assault on Liberty Garden wasn't a random protest; they were trying to extract Victini."
Cedric's bushy white eyebrows drew together. The lines around his mouth hardened into something sharp and dangerous. He muttered seriously, "Victini... the energy-generator of the old myths. If those zealots get their hands on a perpetual thermal source, the balance in Unova won't just tip—it'll shatter."
Juniper added solemnly, her voice dropping into a somber register, "And that's not half of it, Father…"
*Tap-tap-tap*
She tapped a key on her terminal, bringing up a secure police file stamped with the seal of the International Police. She continued, "The local precinct confirms it's the same cell that assaulted Bianca during that kidnapping case that happened in Castelia. The one Black and his new traveling companions managed to crack wide open before things went entirely south."
Cedric didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached down to his belt and unclipped a single, well-worn Poké Ball. His thumb traced the central button—a polished metal surface that had been worn smooth by decades of handling.
Inside that sphere rested his longtime partner, Samurott—a massive, battle-scarred water-type whose shell armor had seen more campaigns than most active gym leaders. But as Cedric looked at the ball, his thoughts drifted away from current crises, tumbling backward down the dark corridor of the past.
Cedric murmured, his voice barely audible over the hum of the incubator lamps, "It's been a full year…"
Juniper stopped mid-sip, looking at her father with sudden, quiet understanding. She asked softly, "Since the 'that' incident?"
The old professor whispered, his eyes distant as he muttered, "Aye… Since that strange boy with the green hair walked into the lab... talked about 'liberating' Pokémon from the chains of human ownership. I still remember the look in his eyes—not angry, just... chillingly certain."
*Clink*
He set his coffee mug down on the counter with a dull clink. Cedric let out a long, ragged breath that sounded like a sigh of dry leaves.
He said helplessly, reminding the event, "He didn't use force, Aurea. He just spoke, and my starter trio—Tepig, Oshawott, and Snivy—they listened. They walked right out of the containment pens and into the tall grass beside him, choosing a path I couldn't follow. Oshawott stayed by my side as Samurott, thankfully... but I still wonder about the other two. Where is that little Tepig now? How is that Snivy handling the wild? Did that young man's dream of a world without balls save them... or just leave them out in the cold?"
*Tick-tock*
The laboratory fell silent, save for the rhythmic tick-tock of an old brass wall clock and the soft, steady breathing of the incubator systems behind the glass partition. Outside, across the quiet fields of Nuvema Town, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the Unovan sky in shades of bruised purple and burning gold—the kind of twilight that promised a long, cold night, and dawn that would test every trainer from one end of the region to the other.
/////
A/N: Hope you like the chapter!