Chapter 657: Nimbasa City
~Third POV~
[Unova Region, Meanwhile, Castelia City – Interpol Temporary Base]
The salt-heavy air of the Castelia City harbor clung to the cobblestones of the narrow alleyways, mingling with the scent of roasted Castelia Cones and the metallic tang of industrial machinery. Above, the skyscrapers of Unova's crowning jewel pierced the night sky like jagged glass shards, their neon lights flickering in a rhythmic dance of blues, pinks, and yellows.
But deep within the bowels of the lower districts, far from the bustling tourists of Mode Street, a different kind of energy hummed. An unassuming warehouse, marked only by a faded logo of a long-defunct shipping company, served as the temporary nerve center for Interpol.
*Clack-Clack-Clack*
The sharp, measured sound of polished dress shoes echoed against the concrete as Grimsley, the Dark-type specialist of the Unova Elite Four, strolled toward the entrance. His posture was characteristically slouched, a gambler's lean that suggested he was perpetually bored, yet his eyes—sharp as a Bisharp's blade—missed nothing.
Behind him, a line of Interpol agents marched a group of disheveled Team Plasma Grunts, their white-and-grey uniforms stained with the dust of the Relic Castle. Among them was Sage Ryuko, his face a mask of pinched fury, his hands bound in high-tension magnetic cuffs.
Grimsley murmured, his voice like velvet over gravel, "Easy now. The sand of the desert is quite a nuisance to get out of silk, Ryuko. You should be grateful we've brought you somewhere with... running water."
*Pshhhhhhh*
The warehouse doors hissed open, revealing a high-tech command center. Monitors lined the walls, scrolling through red-and-black data streams. Standing at the center were three figures who commanded the room with their mere presence.
Looker, the seasoned Interpol veteran, adjusted his tan trench coat, his brow furrowed in a permanent state of concern. Beside him stood Lance, the Dragon Master with his iconic red-and-black cape billowing slightly in the draft of the air conditioning. And leaning against a computer terminal, looking far more relaxed than the situation warranted, was Leaf Green—the Kanto Dex Holder known as the 'Evolver.'
Lance stepped forward, his eyes locking onto Ryuko. The air in the room seemed to grow heavy, the sheer pressure of a Champion-level aura settling over the prisoners. Lance said, his voice a low rumble, "Sage Ryuko… You've caused quite a lot of trouble for Interpol. Attempting to disturb a Protector of the Desert is a high-level offense."
He reached out, his gloved hand gripping Ryuko's shoulder with bruising force, and began to lead the Sage toward the interrogation wing. Lance thanked Unova's Elite Four, "Thank you, Grimsley. We'll take it from here. I have a few questions that need answering—and I'm not known for my patience."
*Skreeeeee*
The Sage was dragged away, his boots scuffing harshly against the floor. Grimsley sighed, reaching into his waistcoat and producing three Poké Balls. They were cold to the touch, vibrating with a sickly, frantic energy.
He handed them to Looker.
Grimsley stated in a dismissive tone, "The spoils of the skirmish. A Mandibuzz, a Druddigon, and a Chandelure. All three were heavily drugged with high-potency stimulants. They were being used as blunt instruments to batter the Volcarona into submission."
Looker took the balls, his face darkening as he looked at the readings on a nearby handheld scanner. The scanner took a bit before…
*Bip-bip-bip*
Looker muttered, his voice shaking with a mix of anger and disbelief, "These readings… these Pokémon are at Champion levels. Sixty, maybe sixty-five. To drug creatures of this caliber… It's a death sentence for their nervous systems."
Green walked over, crossing her arms.
Her eyes softened with sympathy for the Pokémon, but she quickly turned her gaze to Grimsley, a playful yet analytical smirk dancing on her lips as she asked, "Drugged Pokémon at the Relic Castle. Sounds like a mess. Tell me, Grimsley, did you manage to secure the Volcarona? Or did the bug fly the coop when things went down?"
Grimsley shook his head dismissively, flicking a stray piece of lint from his sleeve. He said casually with a composed smile, "I didn't have to. The Volcarona was captured by a young man named Black—a loud, hyper-focused boy with a penchant for shouting his dreams at the sky. And the egg it left behind? That went to his companion, White. Quite a capable pair for Unova. Black has the soul of a high-stakes gambler, even if he doesn't realize it yet. He knew exactly when to push his hand."
Looker let out a long, weary sigh of relief, rubbing his temples, muttering to himself in a tired tone, "At least the Volcarona is in safe hands. If Plasma had gotten their hands on a sun-beast of that age…"
He trailed off, then frowned.
ealization hit him as he asked Grimsley in a surprised tone, "Wait. Black and White? You let teenagers handle a Sage and drugged Champion-level Pokémon?"
Green let out a bright, melodic chuckle, "Hahaha!"
And patted Looker on the arm. Green said casually, "Oh, relax, Looker! My boyfriend is already out there dismantling criminal organizations with a new generation of kids. It's the Kanto way! Besides, Azure was there, wasn't he? If Azure is involved, those kids were probably safer than we are in this base."
Looker didn't look convinced.
He once again scolded his partner in a tired tone, "That is exactly the problem, Green! Teenagers should be worrying about Gym Badges and school, not acting as a frontline militia against a radicalized cult! It's an Interpol failure that we must rely on minors."
Green rolled her eyes, ignoring the lecture she'd heard a thousand times before. She turned back to Grimsley, her eyes narrowing with curiosity.
She couldn't help but ask Grimsley in a curious tone, "Yeah, yeah… What I'm more interested in is you, Grimsley. You're the laziest Elite Four member in the Unova region. Your M.O. is usually sitting in your room, betting on how long it takes for a challenger to cry. Why are you suddenly playing bounty hunter? It doesn't fit your style."
Grimsley's expression didn't change, but a cold glint entered his eyes. He explained himself, "Normally, you'd be right. I find effort to be a tedious investment with diminishing returns. However, the Unova League has reached a point of... stagnation."
He began to pace, his voice dropping an octave. He began listing events in a dismissive tone, "The upper echelons of the League are still calling Team Plasma 'activist protesters.' They see the theft of the artifacts in Nacrene City, the Dreamyard incident, the kidnapping here in Castelia, and the Liberty Garden hostage crisis as 'isolated incidents' by overzealous followers. Team Plasma is clever; they discard their members the moment they're caught, claiming they 'took the message too far.' It's a convenient lie that lets the organization remain 'legal' in the eyes of the politicians."
Looker gritted his teeth. His fist clenched tightly as he muttered, "We know. Our hands are tied until we can prove Ghetsis is directly ordering these hits. Until then, we can only arrest the ones caught in the act."
Grimsley said sharply, a sharp, toothy grin appearing, "Exactly. But while the League must play by the rules, an Elite Four member has a bit more... leeway. Especially when a crime is committed in his presence. And why am I specifically involved?"
Grimsley stopped pacing and looked directly at Green. He stated bluntly with a feral grin, "Because those self-righteous mongrels made the mistake of stealing from me. They 'liberated' the Pokémon Casino prizes from my establishments across Unova. They took my money, my assets, and my peace of mind."
*Zzt-zzt*
He pulled out his Rotom Phone and showed them a screen.
It was a PokeTube video, uploaded by an account linked to Azure Sky. It showed hidden camera footage of Team Plasma grunts looting a back room of a casino, claiming they were 'saving' the Pokémon held as prizes.
Grimsley said, his voice dripping with venom, "Azure was kind enough to send me the link. No one messes with my business. I'm looking forward to a very comfortable retirement, and if Team Plasma thinks they can mess with my lifestyle to fund their 'liberation,' then I will hunt them down with a brutality they aren't prepared for."
He turned to leave, his cape-like coat fluttering. He added, "I have to check my casinos here in Castelia. I suspect there are more 'plants' among my staff."
He paused at the door, his hand on the handle. Suddenly, he let out a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush, saying aloud, "And that brat, Azure! I owe him a Keystone and a Mega Stone set because I lost a damn bet to him during the Relic Castle mess. And worse he doubled it! Why the fuck would that guy even need more stones?! To one-up his bestie Steven fucking Stone boytoy in grabbing stones between those rich bastards!! Why I ever agreed to a man who can see the future is beyond me!"
Looker blinked. He asked, confused, "Aura and Psychics?"
Grimsley barked, his composure cracking for a split second, "Banned! Ever since Azure cleaned out the Casino in all 3 regions, we of the International Gambling Association had to pass a regional law. No Aura users or Psychics allowed within 50 feet of a roulette wheel. Cursed cheaters... reading the cards before they're even dealt."
With a final huff of indignation, Grimsley disappeared into the night.
Green shrugged, a smirk on her face. She said in a casual tone, seeing Grimsley's retreating figure, "Well, at least his reasons are honest. A Dark-type specialist motivated by greed and spite? That's as legit as it gets."
Looker sighed, the sound heavy with the weight of the world. He turned to their base, muttering aloud, "I suppose. But if we're relying on gamblers and teenagers to save Unova, we're in for a very long war."
/////
[Unova Region, Meanwhile, Team Plasma Castle – Ghetsis's Chamber]
The air inside the hidden fortress was freezing, a sterile, oppressive cold that seemed to emanate from the very walls. In the room's center, surrounded by flickering monitors and ancient tapestries, stood Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius.
His ornate robes, draped in gold and shadow, rustled as he paced. Usually, Ghetsis was a man of calculated poise, but today, his face was a mask of twitching, unbridled rage. He began throwing a tantrum.
*CRASH*
With a roar, Ghetsis backhanded a crystalline vase, sending it shattering across the floor. He screamed, his voice echoing through the vaulted ceiling, "Raaaaagh!! Incompetence! Fools and children surround me!"
A large screen in front of him displayed the latest reports from his spies within the Unova League. The news was disastrous. Sage Ryuko had been captured. The strike team at the Relic Castle had been neutralized.
But worse than the loss of men was the loss of the narrative.
Ghetsis grabbed his Rotom Phone, his fingers trembling as he scrolled through a popular Unova community forum:
====
Comment Section:
SMACK_Da: Did you see the latest PokeTube upload from AzureSky? Plasma grunts were caught drugging a Druddigon!
CAPTAIN_obvious: I thought they were about 'liberating' Pokémon? That Mandibuzz looked like it was dying out there!
Freedom_of_Unova!: Team Plasma are just thugs in fancy clothes. Look at what they did in Nacrene!
====
The comments section was a battlefield, and Team Plasma was losing the moral high ground. The "activist" facade he had spent years carefully constructing was being eroded by a systematic campaign of exposure.
Ghetsis hissed, the name tasting like poison with a maddening expression, "Azure Sky… the 'Uncrowned Champion.' He isn't just fighting my men; he's filming them. He's turning the public against the truth!"
He looked at the images of Black and White, the two teenagers who had assisted in the Relic Castle failure. Then, his eyes moved to the report on Grimsley. Ghetsis muttered, his breathing ragged, "And now the Elite Four moves. The gambler has left his den. He knows we hit his casinos. He knows we used his prizes to bolster our ranks."
*THUD*
Ghetsis stood in the ruins of his chamber, his chest heaving as he slammed his fist onto the table. He was the mastermind behind the greatest revolution in history. He was the man who would separate humans and Pokémon and rule over the void left behind.
And yet, he felt like a cornered Liepard.
Ghetsis whispered hatefully, his voice cracking with a promise of violence, "Azure Sky… you fucking brat! You think you can play the hero? You think you can use the internet and the League to stop the inevitable? I will tear your world down until there is nothing left but the silence of the void."
He turned back to the screens, his eyes fixed on the footage of Azure, Black, and White. He muttered in a confident delusion, "If you want to play with the Elite Four, Azure, then I shall give you a game you cannot win. I will not just defeat you; I will erase you from history! And then the WORLD!!!"
/////
[Unova Region, Meanwhile, Nimbasa City]
Meanwhile, miles away from the dark depths of the Plasma Castle, the blazing heat of Route 4 finally gave way to the glittering, electric spectacle of Nimbasa City.
The transition was staggering. One moment, the travelers were trudging through miles of blinding, golden desert sands; the next, they were enveloped in a towering forest of neon lights, digital billboards, and the rhythmic, bass-heavy thumping of carnival music. The night sky above Nimbasa was painted in vibrant streaks of magenta, cyan, and gold from the Ferris wheel and the massive Amusement Park domes.
At the city limits, Azure let out a long, contented breath, shaking the residual dust from his black jacket. Perched securely on his shoulder, Pikachu gave a cheerful "Pika-chu!" while Eevee, resting like a furry crown atop his head, stretched her paws out lazily.
Azure muttered aloud to the air, "Well, that was a lovely walk."
A voice echoed directly inside Azure's mind—sharp, haughty, and dripping with defensive indignation: 'Lovely? You call marching through a sandstorm for three hours 'lovely'?'
Floating invisibly beside his head, Meloetta crossed her tiny arms, her ribbons twitching with annoyance. She continued, 'My hair is full of sand, Azure! Do you know how hard it is to wash desert grit out of musical notes? I demand compensation!'
Azure thought back with an amused mental smirk, 'You were floating inside my psychic barrier the whole time, Meloetta. You didn't touch a single grain of sand.'
Meloetta pouted as she argued back, 'That is entirely beside the point! The psychic resonance of the sand was abrasive to my aura!'
A tiny, holographic Rotom popped its head out of the Arc Phone screen. Rotom chimed in a synthetic, chipper voice from his pocket, "Aura doesn't have skin, Meloetta. According to my diagnostics, Meloetta is simply throwing a tantrum because Azure didn't buy her roasted Lum Berry treats at the last rest stop! Bzzzt!"
Meloetta shrieked mentally, her face flushing bright pink as she turned invisible entirely, though her indignant telepathic sputtering gave away her position: 'I am NOT throwing a tantrum, electric bot!'
*THUD*
Beside them, a heavy, ground-shaking thud echoed as Azure recalled his massive partner. Azure said softly, tapping a heavy Poké Ball, "Thanks for the cover, big guy. You can rest now."
*Flash*
With a flash of crimson light, the towering form of Tyranitar dissolved into the sphere. The Sand Stream ability that had shielded the trio from the howling desert gales instantly dissipated, replaced by the warm, humid air of the Nimbasa streetlamps. Tyranitar let out a contented, muffled roar from within the ball before Azure clipped it back to his belt.
A few paces away, Black was kneeling on the pavement, grinning ear-to-ear as he unlatched a heavy-duty containment ball. Black cheered, his hot-blooded enthusiasm radiating off him like heat from an engine. Black said excitedly, "Come on out, girl! Look—we made it!"
*Whoosh*
A magnificent, amber-winged insect materialized in a burst of sparkling golden scales. Volca, Black's newly acquired Volcarona, fresh from Relic Castle, fluttered her massive, sun-like wings, blinking against the dazzling neon lights of Nimbasa City. She let out a soft, melodious hum of awe, dipping her head affectionately against Black's chest.
Black laughed, scratching under her furry mandibles, saying happily, "See? Isn't it amazing? No more old ruins and dusty sand. This is Nimbasa! We're gonna train hard, win our next badges, and take the Unova League by storm!"
Beside him, White stood with her hands on her hips, a protective, maternal smile gracing her lips as she carefully cradled the heavy, warm Larvesta egg she had secured from the ruins.
White scolded playfully, though her eyes were shining, "Don't get too carried away with your grand speeches, Black! You still need to register for your Gym match with Elesa. And as for me, I have actual business to attend to. The Nimbasa Musical staff reached out about scheduling a joint promotional showcase for the BW Agency."
She shifted the egg carefully in her arms, ensuring it was snug against her coat. White announced, turning on her heel with practiced executive efficiency, "I'm going to head ahead, book a proper hotel suite for us, and sort out the agency paperwork. I'll ping the location to your Xtrancievers. Don't do anything reckless, Black!"
Black grinned, saying in a casual tone with an excited expression, waving as she strutted down the glowing avenue toward the entertainment district, "Aw, come on, White! When am I ever reckless?"
Azure commented with a grin, "I can name a few—"
Black shot him a glare and said, "Not. A. Word."
Azure chuckled, shaking his head. With White peeling off, Black turned back to Azure, his eyes burning with competitive fire. He asked curiously, turning to him, "Well! That leaves us. What's the plan, Azure? You going to challenge the Gym too, or are you just here to sightsee?"
Azure adjusted his jacket, a calm, cryptic smile playing across his lips. Hidden inside his jacket pocket, a small Pichu (Mew) shifted slightly, letting out a quiet, mischievous squeak that only Azure could hear. Azure replied out loud, hands sliding into his pockets, "Sightsee for now, Black. Though knowing this city, something interesting is bound to cross our path before the night is over."
Zorua, using illusion to remain unseen, trotted alongside Azure's left boot and chimed in, 'Oh, absolutely! And if nothing interesting happens, I'm going to use my illusions to make every vending machine in Nimbasa dispense max revives instead of soda.'
Azure thought back with a mental sigh, "Don't you dare! We already paid fines in Castelia for the Voltorb soda prank.'
Zorua laughed mentally, darting ahead into the neon crowd, 'Boring!'
As the two trainers walked side by side into the glittering heart of Nimbasa City, the city's electric pulse beat in time with their footsteps…
/////
A/N: Hope you like the chapter!