Chapter 12: The Attack
Chapter 12: The Attack
Lu Yun felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he found himself inside a semi-transparent red and white spherical space. He floated at the very center, stretching his body, and discovered his tail could just touch the edge of the sphere.
“So this is the inside of a Poké Ball, huh? It’s so small—no wonder Pikachu in the anime from my previous life disliked staying inside.”
Lu Yun looked up, peering out through the translucent wall. It was as if he had stepped into the realm of giants: lush, tender grass now towered like ancient trees, and the tiny insects that once crawled below now roamed like monstrous creatures.
“Well…this is quite interesting.” Lu Yun found that, from this new perspective, everything took on a unique flavor in his eyes.
Suddenly, darkness fell overhead. He looked up to see a rough, large hand reaching down from above. Lu Yun felt a slight tremor as he was picked up.
He looked ahead—it was Barry’s weathered, rugged face. At this moment, every pore was crystal clear to Lu Yun’s eyes.
Lu Yun’s lips curled, and he shifted his gaze away.
Soon after, Barry tucked the Poké Ball containing Lu Yun into a pouch at his waist. Lu Yun’s vision was engulfed in darkness.
Bored, Lu Yun yawned, sleepiness washing over him.
“So Poké Balls have a hypnotic effect as well…”
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In a dimly lit small room, three figures sat or stood, engaged in a heated discussion.
The cacophony of voices was blocked by the faint, dark purple glow of energy shimmering along the walls, not a single sound leaking out.
“Captain, the latest message from the organization!”
“Hm?”
“The League has dispatched Lan Zi, the newly appointed Grass-type Elite from two years ago, to investigate our whereabouts!”
“Oh? Lan Zi is indeed troublesome. They even sent an Elite…”
“Heh, they truly think highly of us.”
“So Captain, our plan…”
“We proceed as usual. The League’s investigators have already scattered in every direction. They would never imagine we’d launch another attack nearby.”
“Captain, you’re brilliant!”
“Hehehe…”
The eerie laughter echoed within the room.
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Ten years ago, Stoneedge Town was nothing more than a small town barely sustaining its finances through livestock farming. In recent years, thanks to its location along the new road constructed by the League between Summer Maple City and Prosper Fields City, its commerce and tourism began to flourish.
Recently, the establishment of the Summer Maple Gym led to a surge in trainers passing through Stoneedge Town.
In the world of Pokémon, Pokémon are the heart of everything. Anything even remotely associated with them becomes wildly popular, and trainers sit at the very center.
Powerful trainers are coveted by every major faction in the world. The dark powers aside, even the League and the great families often place their strongest trainers at the core of their authority.
Thus, the importance of trainers in this world is evident.
In Stoneedge Town stood a grand three-story building, its red and white color scheme radiating simplicity and elegance. Through two automatic glass doors, a steady stream of trainers came and went. The classic red-and-white Poké Ball emblem above signaled its strong connection to the League.
This was the only Pokémon Center in Stoneedge Town.
Pokémon Centers are special facilities established by the League, combining healing, storage, and exchange functions for Pokémon. They also provide extremely affordable lodging for League trainers.
Widely distributed, even the most remote and impoverished areas receive League-sponsored centers.
As one of the pillars of the League’s rule over the Pokémon world, the heads of Pokémon Centers are almost always appointed from one of the League’s most mysterious core families—the Joy family.
At this moment, a striking figure was busy in the Stoneedge Town Pokémon Center.
Her silky pink hair was tied into two round braids, topped with a white hat bearing a red cross emblem. Her face, radiant with youth, was adorned with bright, twinkling eyes, and her smooth skin seemed flawless. Beneath her pale pink dress, her long, beautiful legs were clad in pure white stockings.
This was Miss Joy of Stoneedge Town, presently attending to trainers registering for lodging.
Since the number of trainers passing through Stoneedge Town had increased, her previously leisurely life was no more. Yet she was delighted; she had not been valued in her family, which was why she’d been assigned to this remote town.
Now, with her performance rising, her status could gradually improve. Perhaps she might eventually be stationed in a Pokémon Center in a bustling city.
Thinking of this, Miss Joy was filled with motivation, her signature smile seeming even sweeter.
“Shhh!”
The glass doors of the Pokémon Center slid open, and a trainer wearing a black baseball cap walked inside.
His appearance, unremarkable and lost in a crowd, was matched by cheap, widely sold trainer attire—a clear sign of a poor, ordinary trainer.
With professional grace, Miss Joy smiled and greeted him warmly.
“Hello, how may I assist you?”
“Lodging.”
A hoarse voice came from the shadow cast by the baseball cap.
“Certainly, please fill out this registration form.”
Miss Joy replied as usual. Having worked at the Pokémon Center for years, she’d met all sorts of trainers; this type was nothing unusual.
“Joy! This batch of Poké Balls needs to be sent to the League—you need to enter the password.”
A voice called from the back.
As the head of the Pokémon Center, she possessed many important privileges: the exclusive password for transferring Poké Balls to the League, the method for unlocking the electronic lock on the storage room, and so on.
Just yesterday afternoon, a batch of high-quality Pokémon had arrived for distribution to headquarters. They usually came from nearby breeding centers or Pokémon professors.
Occasionally, remarkable Pokémon would be discovered by civilians, but such cases were rare.
“Alright, coming!”
Joy responded loudly.
“My apologies, please wait just a moment. I’ll be right back.”
She apologized to the trainer in front of her, then hurried toward the back office.
What she didn’t notice was that, as she turned away, the trainer in the black baseball cap behind her curled his lips into a dangerous smile.
“Get ready…”
A faint voice issued from the headset concealed beneath long hair.
Under the bright lights of the Pokémon Center, the slanting shadow behind him revealed a pair of sinister, purple-red eyes gradually emerging.