Transmission 3 - 12-27-2145
Okay, I gotta talk to someone about this... I know I'm not supposed to but... wait 'til you hear this. The Underground Attic isn't just a hacking group. They're activists. When they want something to happen, they make it happen. And they're teaching me how to do it!
Get this. A few days ago, the Blue Light City representatives proposed a law saying that corporations could hold an unlimited number of Pokémon as if they were people. The average person can only hold like what... 2? Obviously, it's about making money off Pokémon stock.
The attic didn't like that so we sent over a dozen politicians' dirt that they don't want anyone to know... like career-ending stuff. We told them if they voted the law in? We'd release it. The next day they voted their own proposition down! I was a part of that! How crazy is that!
I'm not supposed to talk about any of this to anyone. Not even to you. But I'm upping your encryption right now, so don't worry... we won't get caught. *chuckle* Talk later!
The crowd roared, a ravenous beckoning that in effect, either galvanized or panicked those who had come with the intention to show their might tonight. Unlike the official Pokémon League with its rigid rules and tests, trainers in venues like this one did not have to qualify, nor did their Pokémon have to be subjected to the physical, mental, and pseudo-arcanic testing that determined their "level," so to speak.
In places like the Eon Flux, anyone could battle with any Pokémon and the best of them were often called "Zero Trainers." Some of them reached similar levels of fame as some the official masters, albeit without the lucrative benefits of sponsorships and funding. Although, they could still submit their Pokémon for stock options that could generate interest... just not at the same levels as league mons.
Iono remained standing in front of the crowd, smile wide and giddy, eyes gleaming with expectation. As always, the potential contenders feigned apprehension. In reality, they reveled in the growing anticipation. No one wanted to appear to be too anxious. "Come on Zeros! I know you aren't shyyyy are you?" she said, teasing any who wanted to make a move, but were simply too afraid to.
Finally, A small woman with dark hair and equally dark make-up stepped forward. She wore a confident smirk on the lips of a piercing-speckled face. Behind her, the Incineroar that had blocked Trev's path earlier followed on hind legs.
Black and gold piercings lined its ears in rows and similar jewelry adorned its fingers and wrists. Even its tail had rings around it, giving him the visage of a feline warrior king of sorts. He stalked forward and then lowered into quadruped footing. The dark mane of hair on its head and neck seemed to sprout upwards as he crouched in the battle stance that dared any challengers to step forward.
Iono gave the girl a smile of recognition before addressing the audience again "You know my rules! One 'mon against another. The fight's over when I say it's over... or when one of the combatants is dead." She grinned, broad and sinister. "But don't worry. I call them before it comes to that... usually."
In actuality, while some battles did leave Pokémon seriously injured, none hosted by her had actually been killed. But at the same time, these weren't like surface battles. Here, the trainers didn't hold back. "No attacking anything that isn't the opposition and no trying to kill the other 'mon... but remember if someone dies, no one's liable. Got it? Now... who's taking on my girl Lilah tonight?"
She paused a moment, letting her words settle. It was apparent that Lilah was a regular competitor at these kinds of events and judging by the calm composure of the Incineroar, he was likely as formidable a combatant as he looked.
Trev and Kofi scanned the room as murmurs rose amongst the crowd. Initially, no one had budged to approach the clearing that had formed around Iono and Lilah, and for a moment Trev wondered if perhaps the latter was so good that no one would battle at all.
"Oh don't tell me you're going to force me to compete tonight. Are you all that scared of Incineroar?" Iono's voice taunted through the speakers. "Or are you just that ready to see a real battle? I bet Lilah doesn't even think I can beat her. Should I prove her wrong?"
Lilah's face scrunched into a pseudo-frown that suggested her disagreement with that statement even as the crowd roared their interest in that idea. But Just as Iono was reaching for a Pokéball on her belt to make good on her claim, a man emerged from the crowd, holding his own Pokéball in hand.
Violet blue hair framed his porcelain, aquiline face and spilled down his back in a long, straight-haired ponytail. His lips were a thin, apathetic line, as he approached the floor's center with the expression that suggested that he was perpetually unimpressed.
What was most remarkable about him, aside from the luxurious hair, was the pristine white three-piece suit that he wore in a setting that encouraged its occupants to wear distinctly the opposite. He was classy opulence while his audience was rebellious apathy. To say that he was out of place would be a glaring understatement.
Trev blanched at the sight of him. Though most in the room wouldn't readily recognize him, Trevor knew a member of Team Rocket when he saw one. Their ranking lieutenants dressed in the impressive ivory garb like this one did.
He'd been found already. One day. One day, and deep down in the dredges of the city, they had found him. Rocket did not stoop this low. Ever. If they were here, it was because he was here.
He turned to Iono, who was still smiling, none the wiser. Level Zeros didn't know much about Rocket... not really. Not enough to know what their top members looked like. They dealt with a different breed of gang, and they looked nothing like this one did.
"And it looks like we have our challenger!" Iono announced, her voice resonating over the speakers. "May we have your name sir?"
He leveled his gaze at her while Trev tried to angle his own face away. Still, he felt the man's eyes on him like insect legs on the back of his neck. "Just... James," the man replied, his voice like pressed velvet.
Trev kept his voice as low as possible as he whispered into Iono's ear. "We have to go... now. That's Rocket."
Iono only gave him an annoyed perfunctory glance before speaking back into her microphone. "Well, 'just James...' let's see what you've got. Let's party!"
At that, the crowd cheered as the Incineroar stalked forward, confident and cunning. He did not yet know what opponent he faced.
James held his Pokéball up between his fingers like a wine glass, before gracefully flicking it towards the floor. The capsule opened up with that distinct pop of decompressing energy, and before them in a bathing of light and power, a gargantuan beast emerged, forcing the crowd to spread for its girth.
The creature stood seven meters in height, the scales on its body a coarse mauve. Rows of jagged spines and horns jutted from its back, though none more prominent than the primary one crowing its head. Large, grasping claws transformed his large hands into weapons and his tail was nearly twice as long as his body.
A low groan rumbled in its throat and vibrated through the room as keen reptilian eyes searched out its surroundings. The oversized creature towered over the Incineroar in the same way that it did everyone else in the room. But its eyes were not locked on its opponent. Instead, when its gaze settled... it was set directly on Trev and Iono.
Only then did Iono register an ounce of alarm. Because even if she didn't recognize a random member Rocket, the entire world knew the beast that stood before them. That was Nidoking... specifically Giovanni's Nidoking. A Pokémon so large and devastating that Giovanni himself- when he'd participated as a Pokémon Master in the league- decided to retire him, citing him as "too powerful for fair competition."
The room was speechless. No one knew what this meant. Not even Iono had the words to explain this new development. And now that she knew that Trev's fear was warranted- that Rocket was sent down here for them- She didn't know whether to fight or flee. On Trev's shoulder, Kofi's feathers began to puff angrily as if ready to fight. Trev was just about to tell him to stop, not wanting to piss off Nidoking, if at all possible, when Incineroar pounced.
Steam trailed from the feline Pokémon's nostrils, as he sailed towards the Nidoking. Flames wrapped his fists like blazing torches. But Incineroar never met his target and was instead dispassionately backhanded by a huge scaled hand.
"Time to go!" Trev shouted at the same time that Kofi unfurled his wings and took the air. Iono moved with him, seeming to truly recognize the danger he'd been trying to warn her about in their initial conversation. The Nidoking, as expected, moved after them. The rest of the room broke into complete chaos.
If the audience wasn't aware of what was going on before, they got a good idea when Nidoking's massive tail struck out in an impossibly wide sweeping arc across the room. The appendage was easily a few meters in length on its own. When it struck bodies, bones cracked in the dozens.
Several more screams were cut short when the tail crushed them with a sickening crunch against the club walls. The music was curtailed when the DJ's Booth was hit and no longer were the cries and blood-curling screams of partygoers drowned out by heavy bass. The horror became a deafening reality.
Several trainers threw Pokéballs at the kaiju, releasing their own creatures in an attempt to fight it back. Some even had formidable, fully evolved Pokémon, and should the foe have been anything less than this Nidoking, they may have stood a chance.
Instead, they did nothing but serve as fodder for the physical proof as to why Giovanni's Nidoking had been heralded as the most powerful Pokémon Blue Light City had ever seen. Battle as they might, all fell before him. There was nothing Trev could do but run.
He, Kofi, and Iono took to halls that were expressly too small for the Nidoking to traverse. While this "James" had chosen an unbeatable choice, it perhaps was not the most practical one. Trevor and Iono found their way outside in minutes. "I told you this would happen!" He shouted as they ran.
"Yeah well, how was I supposed to know they'd be this crazy? I'm a journalist. A story like that drops on my lap there's no way I'm not writing it!" She shouted over the cacophony.
"You don't think before you post!? What the hell is wrong with you bloggers?" They were a good 20 meters from the building when they slowed to a moderate jog, Kofi floating just above them. "Okay, now tell me. Who told you?"
"This again? You think this the time to ask about this!?" she asked as she flailed her arms in disbelief."
"Yeah, now is the time. I almost died coming down here for this!" he said jabbing an accusatory finger at her. "You did this to me. I don't get involved in shit like this... ever!"
"Oh yeah? Iono asked, spinning on him. "Fine, I picked up way more than I could carry with this one, and now Rocket is after me, but you know what I'm going to do? Figure out how to stop them instead of bitching over shit I can't change."
She was breathing hard, partially from shouting, partially from running, and partially from pure adrenaline-soaked fear. "You want an apology?" She threw her hands up. "Alright, I'm sorry. Now you wanna keep crying or work together to fix it?"
Trev shook his head at her, his entire body trembling with a cocktail of fear and rage. It was these kinds of people he hated the most. People who irresponsibly created problems for other people and then just apologized like that would fix everything. "I need to know."
Iono opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a thundering crack! that sounded like the very earth was splitting in two. Both turned towards the building and jutting from its side was Nidoking's enormous head. It had torn through the wall. James was perched up his back. They spotted Iono and Trev immediately.
"I'll handle this!" Iono shouted. "Don't go anywhere until I say, you got it?"
"Don't go anywhere? Are you crazier than you look? That thing will be on us in seconds!" Trev yelled.
Iono held a Pokéball aloft, "Yeah? So, a couple of steps give us a couple more split seconds to live? Nah. Trust me on this."
It took every nerve in his body for Trev to stay himself, but he did as he was told. Why not bank on her plan? Chances were, they were dead anyway.
Iono tossed her Pokéball and what emerged looked like it had ripped itself directly out of a horror flick. Cast in a dark orchid, the creature was draped in a cloak of smoke and shadow. In the dark, it hardly looked to be there, but its mere presence inspired a bone-tittering chill that more than substantiated its existence.
A cone-shaped headdress covered its skull and crimson eyes lurked beneath its brim. While it did not appear to have arms or legs, elusive tendrils vermiculated about it, as it hovered above the ground. This was a ghost-type Pokémon to be sure- Incredibly rare and incredibly difficult to catch.
"This is Mismagius," Iono said. The Mismagius floated next to its trainer and was essentially her opposite- a black mirror to the vlogger's rugged, neon beauty. The Nidoking burst through the wall with a single, heavy shove, tearing through the metal and bright fluorescent lighting that had been illuminating the outside walls of the Eon Flux.
Trev tensed, his stomach clinging to the walls of his insides.
Iono didn't budge. Instead, she spoke two definitive words to her elusive ghost Pokémon:
"Trap it."