"They're here!"
"Be on guard! Cynthia and that kid from yesterday are here!"
"Close the gate! Summon the Pokémon!!"
Yesterday, when Riku and Cynthia arrived at Eterna City, there was an entrance and exit. But since a town's entrance and exit are quite large, it's impossible to set up a massive gate to block traffic entirely.
When Riku came over during the early hours of the night, the gates of Eterna City were still wide open. Who would have thought that just a few hours later, Team Galactic would have already installed an alloy gate there?
"As expected of an evil organization. Their speed is insane,"
Riku muttered to himself, as Team Galactic members quickly summoned more than a dozen Pokémon.
For the sake of unified management and streamlined operations, an organization like Team Galactic usually sticks to certain types of Pokémon. Their regular roster includes: Zubat, Stunky, Skuntank, Purugly, Bronzor...
These Pokémon—aside from the rare few that are top-tier—aren't really noteworthy. Champions like Cynthia or elite trainers wouldn't even glance at them.
---
"Come out, Eelektross!"
Seeing the group of Team Galactic members summon over a dozen Pokémon, Cynthia frowned and released an Electric-type Pokémon she rarely used. When facing a mob, using an Electric-type was a wise choice.
"Everyone, be careful! Don't gather too closely!"
The one leading the defense at the Eterna City gate was a Team Galactic Commander—Saturn. She was one of Cyrus's four Commanders and was stronger than Mars and Jupiter, who had been defeated by Riku the day before.
At this moment, Saturn remained vigilant. The moment she saw Cynthia summon an Electric-type Pokémon, she immediately commanded her subordinates to disperse their Pokémon, trying to avoid electrical conduction between them.
---
"Too late!"
Cynthia sneered coldly.
"You're underestimating my Champion-level Pokémon far too much."
"Eelektross, Discharge!"
"Chaa—"
"Zzzzz—"
A crackling yellow current instantly enveloped Eelektross's entire body. The electric glow was visible to the naked eye, and Riku's skin crawled just from watching it.
Quickly, he took out his Pokédex and aimed it at the rare Eelektross.
"Beep..."
"Eelektross, the Electric Eel Pokémon."
"Eelektross has a gray-blue body and is a voracious Pokémon. It attacks upon spotting prey. It can use its 'wrist-like' arms to crawl ashore and strike targets near the water. Its sucker-like mouth can emit electricity to paralyze prey."
"Eelektross has no gender differences."
"Note: In terms of ability, the Eelektrik family is the Pokémon with the fewest weaknesses. Without considering opposing abilities, it has no elemental weaknesses."
Holy crap!
This Eelektross is absurdly strong—it's basically the Pokémon with the fewest weaknesses!
No wonder Cynthia's team is terrifying—none of her Pokémon are weak.
As Riku reviewed the data, Eelektross launched its attack.
Yellow lightning bolts, each about the size of a thumb, instantly covered a hundred-meter radius. Despite the Team Galactic Pokémon being scattered, they still managed to conduct the electricity between each other—thanks to Cynthia's precise control of her Champion-level Pokémon.
Even more surprising was that the nearby Team Galactic members were untouched by the electricity, and Cynthia, standing calmly behind Eelektross, didn't even blink—as though the chaos had nothing to do with her.
"Cynthia, you're going too far!"
Saturn's heart was in a panic.
More than a dozen Pokémon, summoned by seven or eight of her subordinates, had all been electrocuted—without even scratching Cynthia?
Was the strength gap really that ridiculous?
"I'm going too far?" Cynthia sneered.
"In the world of Pokémon, is there a force more excessive than your Team Galactic?"
"Spare me the excuses. Bring your boss out here and immediately hand over Darkrai—you forced it!"
Wait—how did Cynthia know Darkrai was forced?
Riku, who had just arrived at the gate, wore a surprised expression.
But then, he understood. Cynthia probably framed it as being forced on purpose—to benefit both herself and Darkrai's reputation.
After all, ever since the great battle five years ago, rumors about Darkrai had worsened. Even the Champion-level trainer known as the "Legendary Beast Man" now avoided using Darkrai publicly.
"You're pretending to uphold justice, but you're just after Darkrai, aren't you?"
Saturn suddenly calmed down and even chuckled.
"Too bad, you're too late."
"This morning, Darkrai fled for some unknown reason."
"It also injured two of our Commanders. They're still unconscious."
Unconscious?
Phew. Lucky!
Riku instantly let out a sigh of relief.
The thing he feared most was Mars and Jupiter showing up and pointing fingers at him—exposing everything that had happened the night before.
Cynthia was too sharp. If she learned about that, and with the suspicious purchase of a Great Ball, she'd surely piece things together.
They were supposed to be teammates now. This kind of awkward scenario was better avoided.
"You think I'll believe that so easily?"
Cynthia frowned.
"I'll say it one more time:"
"Either bring out Cyrus or hand over Darkrai."
"You only have two choices. Otherwise, you're going to get a taste of Eelektross's high-voltage discharge."
Despite her usual grace and elegance, Cynthia was utterly domineering when confronting Team Galactic.
"Clap clap clap..."
Just as Saturn stealthily reached for her Poké Ball—ready to fight Cynthia to the death—a slow round of applause echoed from the gate.
"Bang..."
The alloy gate opened. A middle-aged man with spiky blue hair and a fake smile walked out, surrounded by Team Galactic members.
"Miss Cynthia, long time no see."
The man narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If I recall, the last time we met was six years ago, when you were still—"
"Cyrus, don't act familiar with me."
Cynthia cut him off coldly.
"Don't pretend we know each other well. You're the leader of Team Galactic—
the evil that corrupts the Pokémon world. I stand for the League. There's nothing but animosity between us!"
"Still as fiery as ever, Miss Cynthia."
Cyrus chuckled, but his eyes flashed coldly.
"Since we're not friends, why are you here?"
"Do you realize you're interfering with a Team Galactic mission?"
"I don't care about your so-called mission, but your occupation of Eterna City does concern me."
Despite Cyrus's pressure, Cynthia stood firm.
"If you withdraw immediately, I'll let you go—for now. But Darkrai must be handed over!"
"Whether you believe it or not, Darkrai has already left," Cyrus said seriously.
"And you don't have the authority to demand that Team Galactic withdraw. Eterna City was always a cursed place."
"Isn't it better that we help the citizens move elsewhere to start fresh?"
"Don't worry, I'll give them fair compensation to ensure a peaceful life."
Forced eviction?
The thought immediately flashed through Riku's mind.
But he quickly shook it off—Team Galactic's behavior was way worse than that.
They didn't notify anyone. They just forced people out like it was their turf.
"Stop spewing nonsense!"
Cynthia's anger was palpable.
Suddenly, she turned to the surrounding Galactic members.
"Where is your scientist Charon? Why haven't I seen him?"
"I see!"
"You're stalling for time!"
"What's Charon doing in there? Is Darkrai inside?!"
"Eelektross, Discharge!"
"Clear them out—I'm going into Eterna City!"
"Miss Cynthia, you're being unreasonable!"
Cyrus frowned and threw a Poké Ball.
"Weavile, come out!"
"Subdue Eelektross!"
"Bang..."
A humanoid Pokémon sprang out of the Great Ball.
Riku's eyes lit up when he saw it.
Cool!
It looked like a mischievous troublemaker. He immediately pulled out his Pokédex:
"Beep..."
"Weavile, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. A Dark and Ice-type."
"Weavile has a fearsome appearance with a yellow forehead gem, sharp fangs, and claws that can cause frostbite."
"Female Weavile have smaller ear feathers."
"They hunt in packs and use claw marks to communicate, with over 500 distinct patterns recorded."
Predator.
That word came to Riku's mind immediately.
Delicate girls might shy away from such a ruthless Pokémon, but he genuinely admired it.
The world of Pokémon is, after all, a survival-of-the-fittest domain.
Battles in the wild often end in death or serious injury. Sometimes, Pokémon even eat each other.
Think it's not brutal?
Then you're clearly confusing it with a fairy tale.
"Weavile, Icy Wind!"
"First, slow down Eelektross's attacks!"
"Everyone else, summon your Pokémon and gang up on Eelektross!"
"Am I just going to sit here?"
Seeing that Cynthia's Pokémon was about to be ganged up on, Riku felt annoyed and directly threw a Poké Ball in front of Eelektross.
"Metagross, come out!"
"Hold off all attacks and let Eelektross successfully discharge!"
------------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter