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Allen followed Trevor's finger to the listing on his phone.
[Species: Flaaffy]
[Ability: Static]
[Rank: Pro-Level Ace]
[Moves: Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Hidden Power (Dragon), Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore, Charge, Thunder Punch, Magnet Rise, Take Down]
[Evaluation: Exceptional battle instincts, outstanding Electric-type talent]
[Rental Cost: 100 Points / Week]
"Whoa…" Allen whistled under his breath. "A Flaaffy with Pro-Level Ace strength… that's no joke. I bet even most Ampharos can't match it."
Trevor leaned over. "And look it knows [Magnet Rise]. Against Flying-types, that'll take away almost all its disadvantages."
Allen nodded. "Price looks good too. So… we renting this one?"
"Yeah. This is the one."
Allen set the rental period and tapped the confirmation button. His points dropped instantly, making him wince.
Trevor unzipped a black backpack and pulled out a strange square device. It was about the size of a shoebox, with a small monochrome screen on the front, a keypad underneath, glowing crimson circuit lines, and a deep round socket on the bottom.
Taking it, Allen typed in a long code from the Dark Star platform.
Click. Click. The keypad's crisp sound filled the room.
Once he was sure there were no mistakes, he hit "Confirm."
Bzzz… The device vibrated, the crimson lines glowing brighter and brighter until—
Ding!
It went still.
Trevor quickly flipped the lid open, puffing away the faint white smoke inside. His eyes lit up. "Whoa, Allen, check this out! I've never seen a Poké Ball like this before!"
Just as he reached inside, a tiny jolt of electricity zapped his fingers. "Ow!" He yanked his hand back, shaking it with a laugh. "Man, even the Poké Ball's charged!"
Curious, Allen looked inside. A black-and-yellow Poké Ball rested there, faintly glowing. Tiny arcs of lightning danced across its surface, the center button stamped with a lightning bolt.
Allen carefully reached in, feeling the faint sting of static as he lifted it.
Trevor's eyes were practically sparkling. "Do you know what kind of Poké Ball that is?"
"No idea," Allen said, his expression turning serious, "but it's definitely high-grade. This Flaaffy's background must be something else."
"Come on, let it out! I want to see it!" Trevor urged.
Allen nodded, tossing the Poké Ball gently upward.
Bzzt!
Instead of the usual red light, the ball hovered in midair and released thick black mist, streaked with flickers of yellow lightning like a brewing storm cloud.
The mist expanded, filling half the room. Then—
Thud!
Something landed within it, and the lightning surged wildly.
Crack!
A blinding yellow flash cut through the darkness.
Boom!
A magnetic shockwave blasted outward, scattering the mist and shorting out the TV with a loud pop.
ZRRRRRRRRRR!!!!
Hair blowing from the force, Allen squinted against the light as the Poké Ball dropped to the floor.
Standing in the center of the room was a Flaaffy, its chest glowing faintly green, its fur bristling with stored electricity. It opened its eyes.
"Th-That's so cool!!" Trevor shouted, practically starry-eyed.
Kael just gave a half-smile. 'Great. The clients are either overexcited or suspicious.'
Allen discreetly wiped sweat from his forehead, then crouched down in front of him. "Hello, Flaaffy. We're your clients for this mission. I'm Allen, this is Trevor. We're counting on you."
At least this one seemed somewhat normal, Kael thought, nodding back.
Trevor, however, circled him, peppering him with random questions. Kael just nodded absentmindedly in response.
Knock knock knock!
"Sir? Is everything alright?" came a voice from the hallway.
Realizing the noise had drawn attention, Allen hurriedly recalled Kael into the Poké Ball. "Everything's fine just tripped over something!"
"Alright. If you need anything, just call the front desk."
"Will do, thanks!"
Once the staff left, Allen exhaled in relief. Looking down at the black-and-yellow Poké Ball in his hand, a confident smile spread across his face. This mission was going to be a success.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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