Seeing Reina's stunning victory against the Gym Leader, Kumiko was left awestruck by how amazing her fiancee was in her battles. As Reina stepped up to receive her Gym Badge, Kumiko knew she would soon need to match her fiancee's greatness once the time came to challenge the Gym Leader herself. After all, Reina would not expect anything less.
Once Reina came back, she gave Kumiko a kiss right on the lips. Kumiko assumed this romantic gesture was meant to both encourage her and for Reina to celebrate her own victory, but she couldn't help but think Reina also did it to spite Shuichi. From the corner of her eye, Kumiko could see Reina triumphantly glaring at Shuichi as he squirmed uncomfortably in his ice block, confirming that hypothesis.
After Reina broke off their kiss, she hugged Kumiko tightly while leaning up to whisper in her ear. With each word, the repeated impacts of soft air from Reina's breath sent shivers down Kumiko's spine, scaring yet entrancing her. "Go on, my love. I know you can do this."
My love. Even though she and Reina had repeatedly declared their love to each other many times before, this was the first time Kumiko had ever heard her fiancee call her like that. Her cheeks quickly turning red upon comprehending what Reina just told her, Kumiko could only nod as Reina let go, patting her on the shoulder as a sign of reassurement. That one gesture steadied Kumiko's nerves more than anything else.
Ready to take on her upcoming challenge with newfound confidence, Kumiko went over to the challenger's side of the battlefield right as the Gym Leader finished healing his Pokémon. Once the referee stepped up onto the podium, the Gym Leader sent out his first Pokémon. "Denki, shine like the north star!"
Seeing the Gym Leader's Amped Toxtricity emerge from its Pokéball, Kumiko realized she didn't have many options to deal with its unique typing. Since she thought some of her team members would be more suited for facing off against the Gym Leader's other Pokémon, this left Kumiko with few choices. Considering all of them for a short moment, Kumiko made her final decision. "Trip, on my count!"
"Battle begin!" the referee announced after Trip was on the battlefield. Unlike Reina with Demi, Kumiko was unable to change the conditions she battled in to her advantage, so she went for an all-out assault right from the start. Despite his small size, Trip was easily one of the strongest Pokémon she had in terms of raw strength, which meant Kumiko considered him to be the best choice for leading her Gym battles.
"Use Dragon Rush directly in front of you!" Kumiko instructed. Dragon-type energy cloaking his body, Trip then blitzed towards the Gym Leader's Toxtricity in a straight line. The speed at which Trip ran was enough to make his target stagger backwards upon impact, but the Gym Leader's Toxtricity managed to stand up even after that powerful hit.
"Overdrive!" Plucking the organs on its chest, the Gym Leader's Toxtricity sent electrically-charged soundwaves coursing through the battlefield in all directions. Due to him lacking the sense of sight, Trip was only able to dodge some of the pulses upon hearing Kumiko's orders. The tips of Trip's fur lightly singed from brushes with electricity, Kumiko was nonetheless impressed he had managed to react in time.
"Turn and run 45 degrees to the left, and go for a Crunch!" Darting ahead again, Trip swiftly sunk his jaws into the right arm of the Gym Leader's Toxtricity. Flailing its arm around in an attempt to get Trip off it, the Gym Leader's Toxtricity howled in pain, light streams of electricity flickering through its body uncontrollably. Thinking of a way his Toxtricity could hurt Trip without harming itself, the Gym Leader found a solution.
"Use Thunderbolt, but don't fire it out!" Amplifying the voltage of its charge, the Gym Leader's Toxtricity electrified its entire body, causing Trip to be shocked as well. Seeing Trip trying his best to hang on even as he was constantly being electrocuted, Kumiko was worried about his condition. As she thought of how Trip could recover from this, Kumiko remembered something Reina once told her.
Hoping Reina's advice could work in this context, Kumiko then realized that leap of faith wasn't even necessary at all. With Reina being the person she trusted the most, Kumiko innately knew she could believe whatever her fiancee said. By now, any second-guessing just came from her own insecurities. "Add a Thunder Fang to your Crunch!"
About to fall off the Gym Leader's Toxtricity after being on the end of its current, Trip instead bit back with double the force upon hearing Kumiko's words. His own teeth coursing with electricity, Trip's Thunder Fang acted as a lightning-rod for the charge the Gym Leader's Toxtricity was emitting, sapping the figurative juice out of its attack.
This element-absorbing technique also had the side effect of redirecting all that electricity to Trip's teeth, powering-up his own attack. Though its own Electric typing meant it was resistant to Electric-type moves, the raw amount of damage didn't stop the Gym Leader's Toxtricity from being on the receiving end of a world of hurt. Not letting go even as he was being shaken around, Trip's bite only softened once he was sure his target was unconscious.
"Toxtricity is unable to battle." As the Gym Leader recalled his own Pokémon, Kumiko did the same to Trip as well. While Reina's advice had worked wonders in turning the tide, it was obvious to Kumiko that Trip had already been through a lot during this battle, so she decided to give him a rest.
"Chili, let's have some great days!" With the Gym Leader sending out his Pom-Pom Oricorio, Kumiko already had a counter for it in mind after seeing Reina's battle earlier. Determined to exploit her opponent's weaknesses and prove her worth to her fiancee, Kumiko was confident with her choice of who would battle next.
"Mitsuke, don't hesitate anymore!" Though he wasn't a straight-up attacker, Mitsuke's strengths would definitely prove to be useful in this fight. Using a Grass-type Pokémon against a Flying-type seemed like an elaborate form of suicide, but Kumiko was confident Mitsuke was able to avoid any attacks coming his way, and deal out his own brand of damage in turn.
"Use Hurricane!" A spiral of wind whipping up around him, Mitsuke then sent it flying towards the Gym Leader's Oricorio. Drawing on what she observed during Reina's fight with it, Kumiko knew the Gym Leader's Oricorio needed solid ground in order to execute its attacks through dances. It would be impossible to gain stable footing in the air, so Kumiko planned to cut off all avenues of attack for the Gym Leader's Oricorio through Mitsuke's Hurricane.
As the Hurricane sucked up the Gym Leader's Oricorio, Kumiko saw it using its wings to try and stabilize itself amidst the strong winds. Despite its attempts to pull off a dance in midair, any movements the Gym Leader's Oricorio made were restricted by the surrounding air currents. With it being trapped, Kumiko thought her opponent had no way of attacking anymore until the Gym Leader issued his next command. "Air Slash!"
Slamming its wings together, the Gym Leader's Oricorio produced a blade of air which pierced through the Hurricane, completely destroying it in the process. Barely avoiding the attack by floating out of the way, Mitsuke finally descended closer to the ground again after the Air Slash had run its course. Looking at Kumiko for a hint on what to do next, it seemed Mitsuke was just as confused as his Trainer was.
With this mid-battle revelation, Kumiko was sent right back to square one. The main strategy she was hoping to rely on had fallen into disarray, as the Gym Leader revealed he already had a counter in mind. Gritting her teeth, Kumiko was now forced to rethink how she would approach this match.
Switching out Mitsuke for another one of her team members would only serve to derail the rest of her strategies, so that clearly wasn't an option. This meant the only choice left for Kumiko was to change up her existing tactics for a better chance at winning. Her mind racing to find a way she could salvage the current situation, Kumiko then realized she forgot something.
When she had initially thought out the strategies she would be using in her upcoming battles, the thought of using Z-Moves had slipped Kumiko's mind for some reason. With none of them playing any part in her plans, Kumiko decided now was as good a time as any to use one.
Inserting her Grassium Z into her Z-Power Ring, Kumiko then let the sensation of flowing energy take over her. Feeling her body move through a funky dance, Kumiko mused how ironic it was that her plan to defeat the Gym Leader's Oricorio involved what it did best. Completing her routine, Kumiko thrust her hand out at Mitsuke, who then proceeded to use the Z-Move on his opponent.
The resulting impact launching the Gym Leader's Oricorio into the air, Kumiko decided to follow that up with another Hurricane from Mitsuke. Those two moves combined prolonged the time the Gym Leader's Oricorio was airborne, preventing it from dancing at all. However, the damage they dealt was already enough to knock it out anyways, and the Gym Leader's Oricorio limply fell to the floor once the Hurricane ended.
"Oricorio is unable to battle." the referee announced. Having to improvise quite a fair bit during the last two battles, Kumiko could only hope the remaining three matches could be more straightforward in terms of general strategy. With no way to outmatch the Gym Leader's other Pokémon with either raw power or other methods, Kumiko withdrew Mitsuke as the Gym Leader sent out his third Pokémon.
"Enel, let's dream on!" Despite having seen Reina's battle with it, the Gym Leader's Eelektross was one of the Pokémon Kumiko didn't have a plan for. All her team membering being saved for future battles or having battled their share already, Kumiko settled on who to use through the process of elimination.
"Orpheus, let's raise hell!" After sending him out, Kumiko internally remarked that this would be the first battle in a long while where Orpheus wouldn't be Mega Evolved. Wanting to save that chance for Sparkle during her match later on, Kumiko reasoned Orpheus was now strong enough to hold his own without Mega Evolution.
"Use Close Combat!" Quickly dashing forward, Orpheus then unleashed a series of swift sword strikes at the Gym Leader's Eelektross, all of them hitting with unrivalled force and accuracy at such a close distance. However, this rapid chain of attacks left Orpheus momentarily exhausted, allowing his opponent to take advantage and counter at close range.
"Crunch!" Slithering around Orpheus, the jaws of the Gym Leader's Eelektross soon found their way into his torso from behind. With no way to get at his opponent from that angle, Orpheus was now left yelping in pain as Kumiko looked on. It wasn't until a while later that Kumiko realized Orpheus didn't need to attack the Gym Leader's Eelektross if he wanted to break free.
"Teleport away!" Disappearing from between the maw of the Gym Leader's Eelektross, Orpheus materialized a short distance away. Facepalming at how she didn't think of that earlier, Kumiko's thoughts soon returned to the battle at hand. Narrowly avoiding disaster just moments before, Kumiko couldn't afford to be distracted by her own shortcomings. She had to make up for them in battle.
"Try a Psycho Cut this time!" With how Close Combat left Orpheus vulnerable to counterattack, Kumiko decided to switch up her tactics and prevent that from happening again. His arm-blades glowing pink with Psychic-type energy, Orpheus launched himself forward and sliced the Gym Leader's Eelektross twice. Immediately after landing his hits, Orpheus quickly jumped back to prevent himself from getting hit.
"Get close and land a Thunder Punch!" Though Orpheus had managed to avoid the pitfalls of remaining close to his opponent this time, that didn't mean he was automatically safe from any attacks the Gym Leader's Eelektross threw his way. As his opponent closed in, Orpheus hoped Kumiko had a trick up her sleeve to get out of this. Fortunately for him, Kumiko was already at the ready with something in mind.
"Counter with your own Thunder Punch!" Both arm-blades crackling with electricity this time, Orpheus managed to block the attack coming his way from the Gym Leader's Eelektross. As both attacks were Electric-type, they cancelled each other out. This allowed Orpheus to escape unscathed from what would have been a strong attack, though this applied to the Gym Leader's Eelektross as well.
Their Pokémon back where they started, Kumiko now had a better idea of how to deal with the Gym Leader's Eelektross. She judged that it was possibly a couple of hits away from fainting based on its movements, or possibly even one if Orpheus used a well-placed Close Combat. Kumiko weighed the pros and cons of both options in her mind, and came to a conclusion. "Finish this with a Close Combat!"
Heeding his Trainer's orders, Orpheus made a run for the Gym Leader's Eelektross again. Before it could react in time, Orpheus' arm-blades had already done their damage, landing blow after blow as they repeatedly extended and retracted in quick succession. Once he finished his attack, Orpheus saw that the Gym Leader's Eelektross was in no shape to respond, having already crumpled to the floor.
"Eelektross is unable to battle!" the referee announced. With another one of the Gym Leader's Pokémon now soundly knocked out, Kumiko was relieved she got through this match without much trouble. The two remaining Pokémon she had to face were the ones she had the most detailed strategies for battling against, so Kumiko was now more confident in her prospects.
"Kakashi, don't leave a silhouette!" After the Gym Leader sent out his Zebstrika, Kumiko recalled Orpheus and prepared to send out her next team member. Despite Reina countering it using her own methods, Kumiko was confident who she sent out soon could evenly match and possibly surpass its speed.
"Marcato, hit it hard!" Doing a twirl as he sprang out from his Pokéball, Kumiko's starter Pokémon looked around the battlefield before coming face-to-face with his opponent. With not a moment to waste, Kumiko gave out her first order to Marcato, though this time with a twist.
"Use Second Valve!" Upon hearing Kumiko say that out loud, Shuichi immediately recognized it as the nickname he gave Marcato's sunlight trick after their battle yesterday. As Shuichi smiled in relief at Kumiko remembering the name, his good mood was immediately cut short by Reina glaring daggers at him. Squirming reflexively in his ice block, Shuichi turned his attention back to the battle, not wanting to be further traumatized by Reina.
On the battlefield, Marcato's body was currently flowing with the rush of energy from absorbing so much concentrated sunlight, causing a faint green aura to glow around him. With this trick increasing Marcato's speed to extreme levels, Kumiko was now ready to face the Gym Leader's Zebstrika head-on. "Fire out a Solar Beam!"
Rapidly charging up a sphere of sunlight in front of his right arm, Marcato then blitzed forward before appearing right in front of the Gym Leader's Zebstrika. Firing out his loaded Solar Beam at point-blank range, Marcato's powerful attack sent his opponent flying backwards, though the Gym Leader's Zebstrika managed to dig its hind legs into the ground and stall itself.
"Wild Charge!" Cloaking its body in electricity, the Gym Leader's Zebstrika rebounded forward right at Marcato, charging towards him at a frightening pace. However, Marcato's own speed boost meant that dodging the incoming attack was like second nature for him. With the movements of the Gym Leader's Zebstrika looking sluggish from his perspective, Marcato had already moved behind it in an instant.
"Use Solar Beam again!" Even as the Gym Leader's Zebstrika did a full 180 degree turn on its front legs to face him, Marcato already finished charging his attack. Aiming his right arm directly at his opponent, Marcato blasted the Gym Leader's Zebstrika with a beam of concentrated sunlight straight at its face, knocking it back a second time.
By now, the Gym Leader was simultaneously impressed and terrified at Marcato's insane speed. There had been very few cases where an opponent's Pokémon had managed to outspeed his Zebstrika, but this was the first time it was by such a significant margin. Being used to having the speed advantage when fighting with his Zebstrika, the Gym Leader was now on the receiving end of the non-stop blitzes he frequently dealt out.
"Discharge!" If his Zebstrika couldn't keep up speed-wise, then the Gym Leader had to negate that advantage for his opponent's Pokémon. Slamming down its front legs, the Gym Leader's Zebstrika sent out a wave of electricity in all directions, which Marcato quickly dodged by jumping upwards. Turning before he shot out another Solar Beam, Marcato propelled himself right towards the Gym Leader's Zebstrika.
"Alright! One more Solar Beam!" Ready to deal the finishing blow, Marcato spun himself around again before charging up another attack. Fresh off of finishing its Discharge, the Gym Leader's Zebstrika had no time to dodge what would soon come. Using the electricity produced from Wild Charge to cloak itself in a last-ditch effort, that proved futile as the Gym Leader's Zebstrika was swiftly knocked out.
"Zebstrika is unable to battle." the referee announced. The Gym Leader down to one Pokémon now, Kumiko withdrew Marcato in preparation for her final match. While she had already planned out this switch in advance, Kumiko knew from experience that Marcato wasn't in any shape to continue fighting after using Second Valve. Not wanting to place any more strain on his body, Kumiko thought Marcato deserved a break.
"Misaka, pass your judgement!" When the Gym Leader's Vikavolt appeared on the battlefield, Kumiko took a deep breath. This was the Pokémon Reina had the most trouble with, so Kumiko naturally felt nervous about fighting it. Hoping the plan she thought of could hold up, Kumiko threw out her Pokéball.
"Sparkle, it's your turn!" Knowing that she had the most raw power when it came to ranged attacks, Sparkle was Kumiko's choice for fighting against the Gym Leader's Vikavolt. Mega Evolving her, Kumiko was confident Sparkle's increased firepower in this state was strong enough to counter the Gym Leader's Vikavolt.
"Thunderbolt!" Shooting out a beam of lightning from the jewel on her head, the coat of wool on Sparkle's back crackled with electricity as she did so. Kumiko saw earlier that the Gym Leader's Vikavolt used its naturally-generated electricity to power up its Flash Cannon, so she thought an Electric-type attack would mess up that process.
"Bug Buzz!" Knowing that using a Railgun now would only lead to failure, the Gym Leader decided to go for a safer option instead. A low hum coming from its wings, the Gym Leader's Vikavolt sent the resulting vibrations at Sparkle. While her movement speed already wasn't spectacular by any measure, the extra weight Sparkle gained from all the wool on her back slowed her down even more, making her unable to dodge the incoming attack.
Being directly hit by the Bug Buzz knocked Sparkle back, though her bulk prevented too much damage from being done. Coming to a stop after sliding a short distance, Sparkle looked none the worse for wear once she regained stable footing. Relieved that it wasn't one of those powerful Railguns which hit Sparkle, Kumiko was thankful she could continue fighting the Gym Leader's Vikavolt on even footing.
"Use Thunderbolt again!" Not wanting the Gym Leader's Vikavolt to fire out a Railgun, Kumiko reckoned the only way was to disrupt any opportunity it had for doing so. Even as the second attack hit its mark, the Gym Leader's Vikavolt simply responded by firing out another Bug Buzz, pushing Sparkle back yet again. This made Kumiko realize the entire battle was starting to turn into a back-and-forth.
Since Electric-type moves weren't as effective on Electric-types such as the Gym Leader's Vikavolt, Sparkle's Thunderbolts only dealt an average amount of damage despite their overwhelming base power. Conversely, the Bug Buzzes of the Gym Leader's Vikavolt were strong, but Sparkle's defenses were strong enough to tank any hits coming her way without much trouble.
With both sides dealing as much damage as the other, it was now a race to see who would fall first. Seeing as she didn't want to lose the match, Kumiko needed to find a way she could break this loop. However, the only way of doing that was to use another move instead of Thunderbolt, which obviously ran the risk of allowing the Gym Leader's Vikavolt to successfully charge up and use a Railgun.
As there wasn't any other way she could think of, Kumiko decided to gamble on the chance that one of Sparkle's other moves could knock out the Gym Leader's Vikavolt in a single shot. If she couldn't, then Sparkle would definitely suffer the same fate from the Railgun inevitably coming her way. Finally making up her mind, Kumiko was filled with certainty about what to do next. "Sparkle, use Dragon Pulse!"
Even as the Gym Leader seized this opportunity to have his Vikavolt charge up a Railgun, Sparkle's Dragon Pulse had finished forming in front of her mouth. Expelling it at her opponent, all the Dragon-type energy Sparkle was spewing out quickly overwhelmed the Gym Leader's Vikavolt. Once Sparkle's attack ended, the battle's final results were immediately apparent.
"Vikavolt is unable to battle. The challenger emerges victorious!" the referee announced. Once she recalled Sparkle, Kumiko went up to the Gym Leader and prepared to receive her badge. As she walked over, Kumiko wondered what Reina thought of her Gym Battle. Was she proud of Kumiko's resounding victory, or did she expect better?
"Congratulations on winning. For winning against your sixth Gym, you get the Aeolian Badge." Presenting her with the metallic token, Kumiko took the Gym Badge from the Gym Leader's hand. "Speaking of which, which Gym are you heading to next-"
Whatever the Gym Leader was about to say had been interrupted by the familiar sound of Teleportation. Looking in its direction, Kumiko saw that a Gallade had materialized in the middle of the battlefield. Confused as to who its Trainer was or why it was here, Kumiko could only watch as the Gallade went over to where the Gym Leader was. Standing in silence for a few moments, it wasn't until a few moments later that the Gym Leader nodded and continued to address Kumiko.
"Excuse me for a moment. I've got something important to discuss here." Upon hearing the Gym Leader's tone becoming more serious, Kumiko immediately got the message. Going back to where Reina and Shuichi were standing at the sidelines, Kumiko noticed that the Gym Leader had motioned for his girlfriend to come over. A short while later, the two of them were Teleported away by the Gallade.
"Kumiko, do you have any idea what happened back there?" Reina asked her fiancee, who shook her head in dumbfoundment. Seeing Kumiko's lackluster reaction, Reina could only guess that there were things afoot which went far beyond their heads.
A problem which required a Gym Leader's presence was certainly nothing good indeed.
"Miss Tanaka, it appears everyone we summoned has now arrived. Would you please have the pleasure of taking over?"
After Taki took one last glance, he shifted his gaze towards Asuka. The room they were in being a bit on the small side, it was starting to get cramped with so many people present. However, it was the only room League headquarters could offer up on short notice, so they had no other choice.
"I understand." Asuka replied, turning her attention towards the assembled crowd. There were a few faces she didn't recognize, but it wasn't something she was concerned about. As long as they could pull their weight, Asuka could care less about where they came from.
"Good afternoon, everyone." she began, her crisp tone of voice drawing the audience's attention. "I suspect all of you are wondering why we called you over out of the blue. As everything was only finalized this morning and we don't have much time, the sudden invitation was the best we could do. Simply put, the League's got a hot-button issue to deal with: what's going on with Houkago Records."
"Wait, isn't that the record label HTT created to manage their brand?" Natsuki asked. While she had been abruptly whisked here along with Yuuko and Nozomi, Natsuki was surprised that Mizore had tagged along as well. She suspected it was because Mizore wasn't about to let go of Nozomi anytime soon. "What's that got to do with us? Are they throwing a special concert we're invited to or something?"
"Let me continue, Nakagawa-chan." Asuka chided her aide. "To oversimplify things, this all started a year ago when Aoi-chan was tasked with investigating the speed metal band Death Devil. Because of their machinations, Ultra Beasts began to appear around the Opéra region, which poor Aoi-chan was roped into fighting off on her own for six months on end."
"Unfortunately, we were unable to apprehend any members of Death Devil due to situational circumstances." Asuka pressed on, ignoring Aoi's reaction. "After Aoi-chan's heroic exploits in fending off the Ultra Beasts, nobody paid any attention to Death Devil until we saw a familiar name pop up on Houkago Records' invoices."
"Those invoices were for the purchase of wormhole creation equipment from the Aether Foundation, an organization in Alola which first discovered the Ultra Beasts using that technology." Aoi clarified further. "As for the name we noticed, it was that of Sawako Yamanaka, alias Catherine of Death Devil."
"So what you're saying is that Houkago Records acts as a front for Death Devil's activities, and they're planning to repeat what happened with the Ultra Beasts here. Am I correct?" Tomoe recounted. Despite being one of the only people to know about this meeting in advance, Tomoe was still very much in the dark about most details.
"Not quite." Asuka answered. "That was what set off our alarms in the first place, but we suspect it's only one part of an even larger plan. A while ago, a little birdie told me HTT was up to some fishy business involving the Messa di Voce. For those of you who aren't history buffs, it's a device used by an ancient civilization to harness the melodies sung by the Mythical Pokémon Meloetta as a form of mass mind control."
"Ultra Beasts and Mythical Pokémon… just what could HTT's end goal be here?" Mamiko mused, processing what she just heard. As her friend Izumi dealt with Ultra Beasts for a living, Mamiko considered asking her for more details about them. Each thing she learnt making the situation more and more ominous, Mamiko needed as much information as she could get. Things were not looking good.
"We're not sure, but it appears to be starting soon." Kaori picked up where Asuka left off. "After we discovered Ms. Yamanaka's name on the invoices, Haruka volunteered to periodically check up on Houkago Records and make sure they weren't up to anything suspicious. What she reported back matched our own findings, but she hasn't been in contact with us since her last visit two days ago. We suspect HTT are now onto us while expediting their plans, while Haruka herself may be compromised."
"Compromised? But how?" Mirai Sezaki was shocked by what she just heard. The idea that a member of the Elite Four could have been subdued was completely unthinkable to the Eigve City Gym Leader. "Don't tell me they've somehow been amassing powerful Pokémon all this time as well!"
"We sadly have no clue either, which brings us to our final point." Asuka pushed up her glasses. "Aoi-chan and I ran into three members of HTT at Termezzo Town two days ago, where they were apparently collecting calibration data from the Ultra Wormhole which appeared there. They barely managed to escape with the help of a Teleporting Pokémon, but the fact that HTT now has the necessary information to control an Ultra Wormhole means they can activate one at any time."
"With both the ability to unleash Ultra Beasts on the region and the strength to defeat even our precious Haruka-chan, HTT's got a lot of unregulated firepower on their side." Her glasses now shining eerily, everyone took that as a sign Asuka was getting serious. "That's why all of you are here now. To prevent that metaphorical powder keg of unrestricted power from exploding and rescue Haruka-chan, we're going to raid the headquarters of Houkago Records tomorrow morning."
"Wait, isn't it illegal to punish someone before they actually commit a crime?" Nozomi interjected, pointing out the hole in Asuka's plan. "If all of us suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began besieging their building, we could cause a huge controversy. Especially with the Gym Leaders and Elite Four involved, that's definitely going to make a lot of people angry."
"We've got that covered." Asuka swiftly replied. "Seeing as Death Devil is still designated as a criminal organization, and one of their members is explicitly helping HTT acquire dangerous goods, we definitely have good reason to stage a raid. Besides, they've also captured Haruka-chan on a perfectly authorized visit, which counts as a kidnapping-slash-hostage situation by any measure."
"I see." Nozomi noted. With how Asuka framed the disappearance of her mentor, she was now determined to help with Haruka's rescue. The combined strength of three Elite Four members, their aides, and all the Gym Leaders plus a few special guests was definitely more than enough to oppose what HTT had up their sleeves.
"Now that we've got our context out of the way, let's get into the details of the operation." Asuka began. "While Gotou-kun and Riko-chan hand out the dossiers we've compiled on HTT, here's what you need to know about the layout of their headquarters…"
"Reina, what do you think we should have for lunch today?" Kumiko asked her fiancee as they exited the Gym building. "I saw several restaurants when we were walking here earlier. Should we take a look at them again, or go over to another part of the city?"
"As long as we're both happy with the food, I don't really mind." Reina answered, then glared menacingly at Shuichi, whose block of ice was being levitated by Eurydice again. "But first, we've got a load to ditch. Give me five minutes and we'll be free to go wherever we want."
Sending out Ai, Reina then continued the process of defrosting Shuichi as Kumiko looked on. While he waited for the rest of his body to be freed from the ice block, Shuichi's eyes caught notice of something happening. "Wait, what is that?"
About to dismiss his shouts as nothing more than incoherent babbling, Reina then heard the sound of many footsteps coming their way from where Shuichi was gazing towards.
Looking in that direction herself, Reina saw a small crowd of people and Pokémon coming their way. The mob was led by a magenta-eyed young woman with scruffy brown hair tied into two short twintails, who wore a kunoichi outfit with blue highlights and a familiar emblem emblazoned on its left chest area.
Raising up the loudspeaker she carried in her right hand, the young woman began speaking. "Kumiko Oumae, Reina Kousaka. As my friends at HTT want to meet with you, I, Jun Suzuki, will personally escort you to the headquarters of our record label. Failure to comply will result in you being forcibly taken there by Bomber Squad, my personal hit team. Resistance is futile. Prepare to face the music."
A/N: Moral of the story: if you're doing something shady, don't put it on your invoices. You'll thank yourself for that later.
