"No! What are you doing?!"
Dalton hurriedly blocked the hands of the two company staff and shouted in panic.
"You're from Macro Cosmos. You can't just grab people like this."
One of them snapped back, "Interfere again and we'll arrest you too! Let go!"
Dalton obediently released his grip and explained with a bitter face, "Sirs, that really is my friend. It can't be him."
He then pointed toward the Ballonlea Gym Trainer not far away.
"Seriously, even if it were that... person, it still couldn't be my brother!"
His voice was loud enough to draw attention. People around them were pulled into the scene and many stood up to look.
The Gym Trainer was still confused when the two staff members couldn't hold back any longer. Work was urgent, and their superiors were pressing them hard…
They suddenly reached out and yanked at the black cloak beside Dalton.
The hood slipped off in one pull, revealing what was underneath.
A pink head shaped like a swollen onion, covered in bumps, turned back halfway between fear and shyness. It looked like a young girl whose clothes had just been pulled away.
"Tyrooo..."
The Tyrogue shrank into Dalton's arms.
The two company staff and the nearby onlookers froze. Silence fell over the area.
"I told you it wasn't him, didn't I?" Dalton said helplessly. "This is my favorite Pokémon. How could it be a criminal?"
* * *
Inside the garden of the Rose Tower.
Hidden by thick shrubs, Shiro appeared instantly beside a tree and looked toward the towering building ahead.
Thankfully, he carried many Pokémon taken as spoils before. He had not sold them all on the company black market. He planned to sell them in another region later for Pokédollars.
"A, let's move," he called quietly.
Unown A had already recovered in those few seconds and released Teleport again.
* * *
At the basement of the Rose Tower.
Inside a blue white steel alloy corridor, space flickered. Shiro appeared in his black cloak.
He did not hesitate and sprinted forward.
At the end of the corridor, a laboratory glowed with a striking pink light.
Before he even reached it, the calm psychic field inside began to boil. The psychic power sensed an intruder and forcefully formed barriers to block his advance.
Unown A appeared on his left shoulder. Its dark body shifted into a bronze like color, flickering as if it was slipping away from this world.
Shiro's body suddenly felt light. He took a few steps and broke into the lab.
At the center stood a massive machine stretching from floor to ceiling. In its middle section was a transparent glass container.
Mesprit floated inside, curled up and sleeping quietly.
Unown G appeared on his right shoulder and in the blink of an eye moved outside the container.
Its black body also changed, just like Unown A, revealing a mysterious bronze gold form. Strange markings flickered across its surface.
Boom!
As Shiro stared at the mysterious patterns, the entire lab shook.
The psychic field covering the lab fell into chaos. It seemed to lose its control and rushed wildly in all directions.
The container imprisoning Mesprit began to crack.
Cracks spread as Mesprit stretched its body. When it tried to open its eyes, the container shattered. Pale purple liquid poured out.
Shiro stepped back a few paces and looked at Mesprit as it opened its yellow eyes.
Mesprit slowly floated upward. Its two split white tails shone brightly. The four pink crest like strands above its head drifted upward.
Unown A and Unown G circled it, then returned to normal and flew back to Shiro's shoulders.
His gaze was locked onto Mesprit's eyes. He could not look away.
He felt every desire in his heart freeze. His thoughts stalled.
In ancient Sinnoh legends, Mesprit was the Lake Guardian of Emotion. All joy and sorrow were given or taken by it.
The shaking grew stronger.
Mesprit released a powerful wave of psychic energy and carried Shiro and the two Unown away, vanishing instantly from the lab.
He saw a wide white floor bathed in blinding light. Rows of cylindrical containers filled with liquid stood upright. Each held what looked like a dead human.
Some containers were empty. Those people had likely been teleported to black market rooms to be disguised as merchants.
Above every container floated Psychic-type Pokémon.
Countless tubes suspended them in midair as psychic power constantly poured from their bodies.
Now, that power was restless and violent.
The Pokémon wore expressions of pain, as if recalling forgotten memories.
Mesprit floated among them, closed its eyes, and returned all the emotions that had been taken away.
An Alakazam closest to Shiro screamed in agony. The tubes behind it snapped as it struggled.
It remembered its last moments. It had been traveling toward Wyndon with its trainer. On the way, they met someone who claimed to be Macro Cosmos staff. They were led into a small room inside the tower.
"Alaka..."
Its body twisted as it fell to the floor. Its claw still gripping a spoon clutched its head tightly.
It and its trainer had been hypnotized. After that...
The Alakazam abruptly opened its eyes. Lost memories and crushing grief flooded back.
The first thing it saw was the human in the nearby container. The body was shriveled like a dried corpse.
The young trainer who once had a bright future was already gone.
Agonized cries echoed across the floor. One Psychic-type Pokémon after another vanished from their places.
The Rose Tower trembled.
In a very short time, Psychic-type Pokémon appeared across the building, releasing their power without restraint.
Company staff panicked. Those who had been teleported into black market rooms were even worse off. The merchants collapsed without warning and the entire tower shook like an earthquake.
Mesprit carried Shiro away.
* * *
Outside Wyndon, inside a forest.
Looking at Mesprit floating calmly before him, Shiro was still in a daze.
'Wake up, Shiro.'
Unown A jumped in front of him. It stepped back on its thin legs and tapped his face twice with its sharp head.
After the two taps, he finally snapped back to himself. A strange sense of loss lingered in his chest.
'The emotions I returned affected you.' Mesprit's voice was soft and delicate, like that of a very young girl.
Returned emotions. Those of the Psychic-type Pokémon.
Shiro slowly calmed down.
He checked his surroundings and took out his communicator to look at the time.
There were only ten minutes left before the Champion Cup final.
**
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