Want to read ahead. You know where.
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"I didn't expect a small fry like you…"
Sam's lips curled slightly, his tone calm, but his words laced with a chill.
"…to trigger a system task."
There was a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
The bald man standing across from him shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, a strange unease crawling down his spine.
Sam wasn't doing anything threatening, he was looking at him.
But somehow, it felt suffocating.
Still, the bald man gritted his teeth and suppressed the creeping discomfort. He had a job to do.
"Get him."
He waved his hand, and the surrounding grunts stepped forward, each releasing their Pokémon.
Their movements were sharp, trained, but none of them expected what came next.
Sam casually flicked his wrist, a Luxury Ball slipping from his fingers.
"Luka~!"
With a flash of light, Lucario emerged, eyes narrowed and alert, reading the situation instantly.
His stance radiated quiet menace.
Sam didn't pause.
"Darkrai."
The single word sent a ripple through the air.
His shadow twisted unnaturally, stretching, deepening, until it peeled off the ground like a living thing.
From within it, Darkrai rose like a phantom, the dark energy clinging to him like smoke.
The two Pokémon stood side by side, an overwhelming aura flooding the area.
Even those who didn't understand levels could feel the pressure.
Champion-level pressure.
"Wh-What…?" the bald man stammered, eyes wide.
"You… you have two champion-level Pokémon?!"
He stepped back instinctively.
"Aren't you just a historian?!"
In his mind, historians were supposed to be bookish, harmless.
Quiet researchers. Not battlefield monsters with terrifying Pokémon.
And Darkrai, just the way it emerged, was something out of a nightmare.
That thing wasn't just powerful, it was unnatural.
Sam didn't waste time arguing.
"Luca, Darkrai," he ordered, his voice low and cold.
"Take him out."
A hiss escaped Darkrai as waves of dark energy surged outward.
Shadows coalesced behind the bald man, black hands clawing into existence.
They struck fast, lifting him by the neck like a predator snatching prey.
"Salazzle!" he choked out, panicked.
"Help me!"
His Salazzle snapped into action, moving to defend her Trainer, but Lucario was faster.
With a burst of speed, Lucario closed the distance and delivered a brutal blow.
Bang!
The lizard-like Pokémon was flung back like a ragdoll, crashing into the ground with a pained screech.
Crack.
Darkrai's shadowy grip tightened.
The bald man went limp, his neck snapped cleanly.
The surrounding soldiers froze in horror.
Their leader, just like that, was dead.
Then panic set in.
They scattered. Some dropped Poké Balls. Others bolted for the treeline without a second thought.
Still not running? What are you waiting for, death?
Two Pokémon, Lucario and Darkrai, weren't just powerful.
They were champion-level.
The difference in strength was insurmountable.
Sam didn't bat an eye.
"Luca. Darkrai."
He didn't need to say the rest.
"Luka~!"
Lucario darted forward, targeting the nearest man with silent precision.
"Hiiisss~!"
Darkrai surged with malevolent energy, slipping into the shadows and chasing after the rest like a hunter stalking prey.
"Master Faba…!"
"No, this is bad!"
"The target… his strength is insane!"
" he has two champion-level Pokémon!"
"We're not even close to being a match!"
The soldier's voice was shaky, shouting into the communicator while sprinting for his life.
His footsteps pounded against the ground, each one more frantic than the last.
"What?!!"
Faba's voice exploded from the other side of the call, incredulous.
"He has two champion-level Pokémon?!"
"Wasn't he just a historian?! What the hell is going on?! Explain, clearly!"
But I didn't hear back from you.
All that followed was the soldier's panicked breathing, then the sharp clatter of the communicator hitting the ground.
Faba stood frozen, gripping the device tightly, staring at it like it might suddenly start explaining everything.
But it didn't need to.
He already knew what had happened.
"…Miscalculation."
"That Prof… he's that strong?"
For the first time in a long while, panic crept into Faba's chest, real, cold panic.
And then,
A calm voice echoed from the communicator, smooth and unhurried.
"Faba, is it?"
"The Aether Foundation's branch director."
"I'll remember you."
Faba jerked backward as if the voice had slapped him across the face.
Sam's tone wasn't loud, but it pierced straight through his confidence.
He stumbled, dropping the communicator.
It clattered uselessly to the ground.
"No!"
"Retreat! Get out of there, now!"
...
...
Elsewhere.
Lucario and Darkrai finished clearing out the remaining soldiers.
The battlefield quieted.
In Sam's mind, the system's crisp chime echoed.
[System Task Complete.]
[Reward: Lucarionite has been delivered.]
[Please retrieve it from your backpack.]
Sam opened the interface with practiced ease.
A small, glowing stone appeared in his hand, a megastone radiating with quiet power.
A soft smile tugged at his lips as he turned his gaze northward.
"Aether Foundation…"
"Lusamine…"
His voice was barely above a murmur.
"You thought you could kidnap me?"
"Without consequences?"
He chuckled, low and cold.
"Interesting."
"If I had the time," he said, twirling the Mega Stone between his fingers, "I'd pay a visit to your precious facility in Alola."
He closed his hand around the prize.
"But I should thank you."
"Getting Luca's Mega Stone couldn't have been easier."