Chapter 14: The Celestial King

Chapter 14: The Elite Four

Sharp footsteps echoed nearby as Joey’s consciousness faded into a haze.

“Am I… going to die?” his last thought reverberated in his mind.

The trainer in the black hat stepped past Joey and his Chansey, both lying in a pool of blood, heading deeper into the Pokémon Center. Entering a storage room for Pokémon, the black-hatted trainer systematically removed Poké Balls from the shelves, dropping them into a gray sack slung over his shoulder. When the bag was nearly full, he handed it to Gengar, who melted into the shadows with it. The man in the black hat glanced up at the steel door with an electronic lock standing silently at the back of the room and sighed inwardly.

“What a pity—if only there were more time, I’d have liked to see what’s hidden inside.”

In the surveillance room, a handsome man with blue hair stood up, stretched, and yawned. He tapped his earpiece with his left hand. With a soft beep, he spoke.

“Captain, the task is complete!”

“Copy that. Prepare to withdraw!” came the stern, heavy reply.

The blue-haired man recalled the strange Pokémon, which exuded a dreamy pink mist, into its Poké Ball. Opening the door, he tossed the ball lightly in his hand and strolled out, casual and unhurried.

……………………………………………………

Stoneedge Town was as peaceful and serene as ever, as if no one realized the immense danger lurking within.

Swish! The glass doors of the Pokémon Center slid open. Two trainers emerged, both at ease—one wore a black baseball cap, the other had striking blue hair and refined features.

The pair went straight to a black sedan by the roadside. Soon, a faint pink mist began to seep from the car, gradually enveloping the entire vehicle.

“Why is this taking so long?” came a severe voice.

“Captain, you know my Dreamshade isn’t great at instant teleportation. Now it has to carry all of us such a distance—it’s a miracle we haven’t crashed.”

“As quickly as possible.”

“Don’t worry, Captain. The illusion Dreamshade cast around the Pokémon Center will last at least another twenty minutes; no one will notice a thing.”

The stern, middle-aged man frowned, an uneasy premonition creeping into his heart. The man in the black hat said nothing, quietly lost in thought.

Minute by minute, the Captain’s sense of danger intensified.

“All set, Captain.”

“Teleport!”

The pink mist that had engulfed the car shuddered violently, pulsing with an eerie glow, about to transport the three members of Team Darkstar.

Boom! Suddenly, a vibrant green beam, brimming with the energy of new life, shot down from above, scattering the pink smoke in an instant.

“You…”

“Where do you think you’re going?” A cool, clear voice echoed in the ears of everyone in the car.

The middle-aged man curled his lip into a cold smile, opened the car door, and stepped out.

“So, it won’t be that easy after all.”

“You two keep preparing to move. I’ll stall her and be back soon.”

The man in the black hat’s eyes flashed with excitement and he also rose to his feet.

“Captain, let me help!”

“You’re no match for her. You’d only get in the way.”

“But—”

“No buts. Sit down! That’s an order!”

Reluctantly, the man in the black hat slumped back into his seat, arms folded, sulking.

Stepping from the car, the captain looked up to find the once-busy street completely deserted.

Not far away stood a cool, ethereal woman in a lace-trimmed gown, her long green hair draped over her shoulders. Beside her stood a humanoid green Pokémon—the very one that had fired the green beam atop the car.

“Well, well… who would’ve thought the illustrious Grass-type Elite, Lady Lancy, would personally intervene for small fry like us?”

“Enough talk, Louis. You’re not escaping this time!”

“Syrup Queen, go!”

At her command, the Syrup Queen at her side gathered golden energy in its hands, releasing a dazzling light.

“Solar Beam!”

A searing, blinding beam tore along the ground toward Louis, leaving deep scorches in the asphalt as it passed.

“You’re awfully impatient…” Louis quipped, as a translucent shield materialized abruptly before him.

“Protect!”

The blinding beam clashed fiercely with the shield—like a miniature sun erupting on the street—its thunderous roar echoing as Louis narrowed his eyes.

The moment the attack faded, Syrup Queen appeared above Louis, her right arm morphing into a massive blade of light, stabbing down at him.

A surge of wild blue energy erupted from Louis’s shadow, forcing Syrup Queen to withdraw and raise a shimmering wall of light to barely block the attack.

A strange Pokémon slowly emerged from Louis’s shadow.

Its black, triangular head was shaped like a rocket, the red-edged contours glinting ominously sharp. Narrow eyes gleamed with cunning and a proud, innate arrogance. Two odd little creatures were loaded into launchers on the ends of its lateral horns, ready to fire. Its sleek black body faded into transparency from head to tail, drifting like a ghost in midair.

“Dragapult?” Lancy exclaimed. As a member of the League’s Elite Four, she naturally recognized this rare Dragon-type from Galar. Yet even the League had only recently begun to encounter Galar Pokémon—how had Louis managed to obtain such a prized specimen? Doubt clouded her mind.

Louis’s lips curled with satisfaction, clearly pleased by her reaction.

“Phantom Force!”

Dragapult’s form shimmered, turning translucent, then vanished outright.

“Don’t panic! Use Sweet Scent to sense your surroundings!” Lancy ordered, seeing her Syrup Queen momentarily at a loss.

Lancy hadn’t expected Team Darkstar to strike again so soon, and hadn’t brought her main battle Pokémon—only the Syrup Queen she’d recently caught for training. Their teamwork was lacking, but her experience as an Elite gave her a formidable edge.

A cloying, rosy aroma wafted from Syrup Queen, rippling through the air. A faint shimmer revealed a disturbance.

“There! Leaf Storm!”

Razor-sharp green leaves spun and whirled through the air, forming a terrifying tempest that swept toward Dragapult.

“Tch… so this is the League’s Elite,” Louis muttered, biting his lip. In the distance, the chop of helicopter blades grew louder. Realizing it was time to go, he commanded,

“Dodge with Agility! Then Dragon Darts!”

Dragapult’s body flared with azure light, its speed increasing dramatically. Wild, deep blue energy coalesced before it, forming a ferocious dragon shape that surged toward Lancy with terrifying force.

Desperate to protect her trainer, Syrup Queen used Protect—a move with a long cooldown—casting a translucent shield before Lancy.

“Wait!” Lancy realized her mistake, but was too late to stop Syrup Queen.

As Syrup Queen activated her move, Louis had already returned to the car with Dragapult.

A strange buzzing resonated as the car was bathed in a seductive pink flash from the mystic smoke—and the entire sedan vanished from the street.

“Damn it!” Lancy’s furious, icy voice echoed through the empty streets.