"Oo-oo-oooo."
Inside its cage the Zorua still would not submit, even after going hungry so long. There were a good many wounds on its body, and some of them were fresh.
That was another of the means being used to force it.
"You're a capable little thing, aren't you. Well, well. Since you won't let me catch you, I've found you a good place to go instead."
Delaney said it coldly. After all this time, with every kind of method tried, he still could not catch it, and his patience was at an end.
So he had turned to other ideas. Through certain channels he had got in touch with a man of consequence, sent over the particulars of the thing, and laid stress on the Legendary Pokémon's power it carried inside it.
That had caught the great man's interest, sure enough: he was to send this Zorua with its Legendary Pokémon's power across, and if the great man was satisfied he would see him repaid for it — even a pseudo-legendary was not out of the question.
That had Delaney enormously excited. Even at his present standing, getting hold of a pseudo-legendary was a very hard thing; he had neither the connections nor the channels for it.
His birth was on the low side, that was the trouble.
"Such a pity. They say a pseudo-legendary went missing off the S.S. Anne a few months back. No knowing which lucky man ended up with it."
Delaney said it regretfully, then gave the Zorua a rough tidying-up and drew it into a Poké Ball.
"That gentleman likes to keep his head down as well, so the official line will do — safe, dependable, and unobtrusive with it."
That was how Delaney reasoned, and then he handed the Poké Ball over to the logistics service under the League and had them send it on.
Once it was confirmed, Delaney could set his mind at rest. He would have to keep his own head down too; a great many eyes were on him now, and not only political enemies like Wycliffe — the Godbeast Gang were watching him as well.
Better to go quietly and stay in Dark City.
"Once my position is secure and this business is behind me, I'll set to and raise my Pokémon properly. Get their strength up first, and the rest becomes easy."
Delaney thought it over. His present Gym-class strength was not quite enough to be going on with.
As for raising it, he felt that was very hard indeed; he had no notion where to begin.
Perhaps it was a question of his Pokémon's aptitude. It was a pity that the Zorua would not let him catch it; there was no telling what was the matter with the thing.
It did not take to him, perhaps. Delaney felt he had shown all the sincerity anybody could ask for; in that case there was nothing for it but to send it away like this.
It might yet be traded for a pseudo-legendary.
And failing that, it would put him on terms with that man of consequence — something to call on when it mattered.
............
"Roar—"
Overhead the Aerodactyl went past in flight, a Gym-class aura showing off it.
It had made the breakthrough this time.
After the failure of the last attempt, the Aerodactyl had settled its mind and ground away at itself, and, just as Vance had said, the breakthrough had taken.
It was Gym-class now as well.
As things stood: the Gyarados at level 57, the Slaking at 54, the Zweilous at 54, the Aerodactyl at 51, the Blaziken at 48, the Kirlia at 21.
"One more Gym-class Pokémon."
Vance murmured it. A Pokémon breaking through always put him in a good humour.
"Come on, Aerodactyl. Let's go out and look round."
Vance Teleported onto its back.
"Roar, roar."
The Aerodactyl beat its wings and flew off into the distance. It had only just broken through, and wanted an opponent to try its hand against.
It was another fine day, a mild breeze and a clear sky.
Up in the air the Aerodactyl found even the air sweet, and was full of delight.
It flew for a good while, and then came upon something suitable to fight.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
The Aerodactyl dived past, and Rock Slide after Rock Slide struck the Steelix below with perfect accuracy, doing it a great deal of damage.
"Roar, roar—"
Then wave after wave of Supersonic struck the Steelix, until its head was swimming.
A last Giga Impact came down and settled the fight.
The Steelix, Gym-class itself, was beaten by the Aerodactyl without the least power to strike back.
"Roar, roar—"
When the Steelix went down, the several Onix that remained called out together; the Aerodactyl was not going to indulge them, and a few more attacks reaped them wholesale.
Off in a corner, Vance watched the defeat notices on the system panel and the Battle Points climbing steadily.
"Bang, bang, bang—"
After a spell of wild bombardment there was not an Onix left standing on the ground; the Aerodactyl had dealt with the lot of them.
The gap in strength was so wide that the Battle Points they yielded were not many — a few points from some, a dozen or so from others.
It was the Gym-class Steelix that gave the most: 50 Battle Points.
"Ding. Defeat mission complete. Please claim your reward."
Just as Vance was looking at the panel, the chime sounded in his ear.
"The defeat mission. Reached it without noticing."
Vance remembered it then: the defeat mission was to defeat a thousand Pokémon.
And today it had come round at last.
There was nothing to think about; Vance chose to claim it straight away, hoping as he did so that the reward would be a strong one, which would be splendid.
"Ding. Congratulations. You have obtained the Advanced Viridian Power."
The reward was the Advanced Viridian Power. Not what he had wanted most, but acceptable.
"The Advanced Viridian Power. That will do well enough."
A denser mass of life force appeared in Vance's hand; the healing, and the strengthening effect with it, had gone up a grade on what it had been.
Vance now carried two powers, both at Advanced level. Said aloud, it would not be believed.
Nothing short of a genius of the age could have achieved as much — and so young a practitioner of two powers at that.
A slight movement of his arm sent the Viridian Power across into the Aerodactyl.
The Aerodactyl was restored on the instant, and in better condition than before.
Seeing how well the healing worked, Vance laid the strengthening side of the power on it as well.
The effect was marked there too: the Aerodactyl at level 51, with his boost on it, went straight to level 54.
A very encouraging thing.
"The Viridian Power. There's no end to what it's good for."
Vance felt his way carefully through it and said it with feeling.
Carrying the Viridian Power, Vance felt he could go a very long while yet, free of illness and pain and in good health; at a conservative estimate, a hundred and twenty or thirty years was no trouble at all.
He had another feeling about it as well: the deeper the level of the Viridian Power, the longer the life.
And it could be given to Pokémon besides. Nourished by the Viridian Power and carefully raised, they could have their lifespans lengthened and their aptitude improved, and more with it.
Having tidied up, Vance left the place and went back to the base. As for the Onix he had in hand, he could ask Ambrose and the others whether they wanted them, or hand them out to somebody as a reward.
Used as rewards they would bring him a return to match, so he would not be out of pocket.
As for raising them himself, he had no mind to; the affinity was not there yet, he felt.
Vance had taken the elite road. He was thoroughly easy-going about catching Pokémon; what it came down to was affinity.