Aerodactyl was quick about it, and the outline of the town was already in Vance's view.
"Roar—"
As they came near he heard Raikou give a low roar, and Wren and Raikou appeared together.
"Brother Vance. Elder Vayne sent me to meet you. This way, please."
Wren said it politely. He did admire this opponent who had been able to beat him; and at the same time he was glad in his heart at what was coming to the man.
Be as fine as you like — it ended today all the same.
"Mm. Lead on."
Vance nodded slightly as he said it, and followed him to a manor outside the town. On the ground below, Elder Vayne was already waiting for him with a smile.
"Whoosh, whoosh—"
Aerodactyl folded its wings. Vance sprang down from its back and looked about him, taking the place roughly in; a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and with a fair idea of how things stood he came over to stand before Elder Vayne.
"Ha ha ha. You are here at last, Champion Vance."
Elder Vayne laughed as he said it, that clouded face full of smiles, and looking a great deal kinder for it.
"Mm. If there is something to discuss, you may say it. I am here."
Vance said it flatly. He should like to see what business it was that could not be discussed with him over at the Indigo Plateau.
"That Gerald Farrow is, say what you will, a man of some name in Saffron City, and he holds a title within the League besides; naturally he was awkward to carry over there, and misunderstandings might have arisen. So it had to be you coming here."
Elder Vayne explained it unhurriedly, and then took out a Poké Ball and held it out to Vance.
"This is the Darkrai's Poké Ball. It is a token of the Sacred Order's good faith as well."
"Isn't this Darkrai your Pokémon, Wren? How is it you're willing to give it up? A Legendary, no less."
Vance looked at Wren with a smile, and saw him laugh lightly and shake his head, saying nothing.
"Elder Vayne. Your good faith falls short."
Vance turned his head back and said it heavily.
"And how does it fall short?"
"If it didn't, wouldn't Gerald Farrow be a corpse by now? How is it he's still alive and kicking?"
Under the sensing of the Master-class Viridian Power, the breath of life in Gerald Farrow was still there, in that specially built house at the back, with a shielding device set up outside it. An Elite-Four-class psychic would not have found it; it was no trouble at all to him at Master-class.
"And the state of this Darkrai you're giving me isn't right either."
"Darkrai, take him!"
The Poké Ball in his hand opened of itself.
"Haaah—"
In an instant the manor was wrapped in a black hole, shut off from the world outside.
Darkrai's blood-red eyes appeared above the black hole, its aura far stronger than before, close to Near-Champion-class; looked at through the system, it stood at level 69.
Vance saw as well that Darkrai's life energy was bleeding away faster now, and in greater quantity.
"Heh heh heh — so you found it out. Then there is nothing more to say. Come quietly. You cannot resist."
Now Elder Vayne dropped the pretence; at a wave of his hand three Legendaries, Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos, came at him in a triangle.
All around was Darkrai's black hole still, like a barrier, trapping him inside it with no way out.
"Be easy. We shall not kill you. You are worth more alive than dead, and there are certain matters besides that we want you to handle."
Elder Vayne said it to please himself; and seeing Vance throwing himself this way and that, he did not stop him, but laughed instead, without the least concern.
Never mind that Darkrai's black hole could not be broken open in a hurry; even if it were broken open, could the man escape out of the hands of the three legendary birds?
Far too young, he was.
"Save yourself the trouble. You cannot esc......"
Elder Vayne stopped short and his eyes went wide.
He had been about to say, you cannot escape — and then he saw Vance find a weak point and break out through it, and now there was no sign of him inside the black hole at all.
"After him! Don't let him get away!"
Elder Vayne said it beside himself. A miscalculation indeed. But no matter; his three Legendaries would go to work.
At the moment the man broke out the three Legendaries were already after him, and Gerald Farrow held the line towards the Indigo Plateau besides. He could not get away.
"Go!"
Aerodactyl burst out at its highest speed and flew off in the direction away from the Indigo Plateau.
If he could not get back that way, this way would do.
"Kreee—"
Behind them the three Legendaries came on without let-up, with Elder Vayne, Wren and Gerald Farrow following at the back.
"Whoooosh—"
A few flickers aside, and then a flame grazed it, and Aerodactyl went down towards the wooded hills below.
Once on the ground Vance travelled on by psychic power, shifting his position,
"Psychics really are a nuisance. Still, that is all there is to it."
A dozen seconds later, on a clifftop, Elder Vayne and his party caught Vance up.
"Ha ha ha. Where do you think you're going now!"
Elder Vayne laughed in triumph, and Wren and the other man beside him laughed as well. What a joke — to think of getting out of their hands like that.
"Aren't you afraid of the League?"
"Ha ha. We should hardly be acting if we were afraid. Besides, once we have taken you we shall not kill you; we shall only have you do certain things of your own accord. On what grounds would the League come?"
Of his own accord, the man said; Vance knew well enough that it meant they intended to control him. And the certain things would rest on his standing as Conference Champion, no doubt.
He looked at the several Pokémon eyeing him hungrily. Four Near-Champions, and several of Elite-Four-class.
Under the sensing of the Viridian Power there was nothing stronger left; had there been, even inside a Poké Ball he would have caught some sign of it.
All at once Vance smiled. He had only just come by the Master-class Viridian Power, and now here was a use for it.