c137: The Tragedy of Pokémon
"Come out, Noctowl!"
At the critical moment, Brother Dong released one final Flying-type Pokémon and leaped onto its back. Noctowl flapped hard, lifting off just as the earth began to shake.
RUMBLE!
With Metagross as the epicenter, shockwaves radiated outward across a 200-meter radiusna concentrated Earthquake technique designed for surgical impact.
Chen Xiaoxiao had secretly instructed Metagross to compress the quake's area, limiting collateral damage. If the range had been wider, it might've endangered surrounding residential areas. Luckily, they were in the outskirts of Guancheng, and the nearest homes were safely distant.
Without that caution, the League would have never approved such a large-scale attack.
Under the Earthquake's violent tremors, the remaining Pokémon from the poaching gang already exhausted from earlier combat were knocked out instantly, their weakened bodies unable to resist the seismic force.
Even Brother Dong's own Pokémon, worn down from his prolonged fight against Lin Yi, collapsed, defeated.
Chen Xiaoxiao took this opportunity to earn the final takedown, marking a clean sweep.
"Damn it! It's all over Noctowl, go! Fly faster!"
Though defeat was inevitable, Brother Dong still clung to a sliver of hope, urging Noctowl to flee with him.
"Hah! Still trying to run? Kartana, Sacred Sword!"
Gym Leader Lin Yi would never let the ringleader escape.
Upon Lin's command, Kartana's bladed arms gleamed. With its origami-like body stiffening for precision, it summoned a glowing Sacred Sword, slashing through the air toward the fleeing Noctowl.
"Damn! Noctowl, quick! Use Air Slash!"
Brother Dong panicked. His Noctowl hastily launched a curved Air Slash to counter.
But the difference in power was insurmountable.
Kartana, a near-Champion-level Ultra Beast, cleaved straight through the airborne Air Slash like it was nothing, its Sacred Sword pierced through Noctowl's wing with a violent flash.
BOOM!
The Flying-type cried out and dropped midair, spinning uncontrollably. Brother Dong screamed as they plummeted together.
"Aerodactyl, now!"
Lin Yi reacted quickly. As Gym Leader, he couldn't risk the leader of a criminal syndicate dying in the fall.
His Aerodactyl, already in flight nearby, surged forward and snatched Brother Dong from mid-air just before impact.
"Aerodactyl, land gently."
Aerodactyl touched down with its claws wrapped around the stunned poacher. A League officer stepped forward, snapped magnetic cuffs onto Brother Dong's wrists, then applied ankle shackles as well.
Special criminals required special restraints.
Nearby, the other Gym Trainers marched over with the remaining arrested gang members, lined up in rows, their heads bowed in defeat.
"Xiaotian," Lin Yi turned to his acting deputy, "have your team confiscate all their equipment, return any stolen Pokémon, secure their Poké Balls, and run a full ID scan. Cross-reference with League records."
"Yes, Master Lin!"
Xiaotian saluted and quickly dispatched the squad for inventory and interrogation.
"Kartana, Venusaur, Sceptile, Lilligant you four stand guard here."
With his team now managing the site, Lin Yi rode Aerodactyl toward the truck in the clearing where Chen Xiaoxiao had just landed.
"Xiaoxiao, you've worked hard. You have my deepest thanks."
Lin Yi jumped off Aerodactyl and gave a slight bow. He meant it.
If Chen Xiaoxiao hadn't discovered the anomaly in time, the poachers might have escaped without a trace. Worse, if she'd reported the incident directly to higher-ups without involving Lin Yi, he'd have been severely reprimanded.
After all, a Gym Leader is responsible for maintaining order in their city.
Not only had she helped eliminate a major threat, but she'd also handed Lin Yi a rare political advantage.
"Don't mention it, Master Lin," Chen Xiaoxiao replied. "Let's check the Pokémon inside the truck first. The real problem might be what's hidden there."
Lin Yi nodded grimly.
Both of them knew behind every poaching gang was a larger syndicate. This was far from over.
Chen Xiaoxiao glanced at the covered container on the truck bed. Its tarp was dirty and heavy. She sighed.
It wasn't exactly elegant to climb up in a skirt.
With a brief smirk, she took Gardevoir's hand, and together they Teleported directly into the truck's container.
Inside, beneath the fabric, was an overwhelming sense of dread. Gardevoir had already warned her the aura here was filled with pain and fear.
Chen Xiaoxiao approached the cloth and gently peeled it back.
She was mentally prepared… but her heart still clenched.
Underneath were dozens of small cages, each one housing a Pokémon. Their eyes were dull some glazed over, others eerily unfocused. Many of them didn't even blink in the sudden light.
Even after being covered for hours, deprived of light and air, none reacted to the change.
Not a single sound escaped them.
Gardevoir's red eyes trembled, shimmering with barely suppressed tears.
"Are they… still alive?" Lin Yi had just arrived, peeking into the truck. His voice was quiet, almost afraid of the answer.
"They are," Chen Xiaoxiao replied gravely.
She could sense it faint, weak heartbeats, almost imperceptible.
If not for her heightened senses and psychic bond with Gardevoir, even she might have assumed they were corpses.
BOOM!
Lin Yi slammed a fist into the metal container.
"Damn it! Just how much sedative did they use?! You're not training them you're killing them!"
"Gardevoir, heal them as much as you can. Latias, come help."
Chen Xiaoxiao turned to her Pokémon. She knew these creatures were not just unconscious they'd been forcibly shut down with illegal suppressants. No healing move could undo the mental trauma, but physical recovery was the first step.
Outside, Latias, who had just finished aerial recovery operations, flew in through the opening.
When she saw what lay within the caged Pokémon, broken and unmoving her eyes turned crimson.
Memories surged: the ambush in her past… her brother Latios shielding her, giving his life…
Tears welled in her eyes.
"Latias…" Chen Xiaoxiao whispered, gently pulling the trembling Pokémon into her embrace.
"We're here now. You're not alone."
Latias buried her face into Chen Xiaoxiao's shoulder and trembled. Slowly, she nodded.
She floated forward, joined Gardevoir, and opened her wings.
An emerald light began to pulse from her chest soft, warm, radiant. The glow enveloped the cages, bathing the Pokémon within in waves of healing life energy.
They didn't stir yet but the flickers of life inside them pulsed a bit stronger.
For now, that was enough.
They were still breathing.
They still had a chance.
And someone… finally cared.
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