Chapter 10 - Trouble Strikes

In a pandemonium of rising tension, trainers flitted about in utter confusion, their hearts pumping fast, exacerbating the turmoil already set off by the cut-off warning.

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Security staff in the Pokemon Center were frantically erecting makeshift barricades, heaping chairs atop tables in a desperate bid to fortify the entryways.

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Amidst the chaos, the unmistakable cries of Pokemon echoed through the air, punctuating the urgency as security personnel summoned their trusted companions, steeling themselves for an imminent invasion.

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And then, with a seismic "BOOM," the door splintered open, catapulting the assembled furniture into the air like wooden missiles.

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The debris collided with both trainers and security staff, knocking them off their feet.

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"Hahaha!" A feminine voice cackled.

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The floor was pockmarked with cracks, the epicenter being a damaged Voltorb that materialized from a haze of smoke and rubble, its shell barely intact.

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"I told you that using a Voltorb was the best way to enter!" A female Team Rocket member gloated sadistically, her eyes narrowing with glee. "Look at this, we've already dealt with so many!"

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Drops of sweat trickled down Noah's face like tiny rivulets as he took stock of the unfolding catastrophe.

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Team Rocket had effectively sealed the only exit, and he found himself woefully under prepared to take them on.

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Suddenly, a gruff, mountainous man barked, "Charge!"

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Noah's face paled; an overwhelming battalion of Team Rocket grunts surged into the Pokemon Center like a tsunami of malice.

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"Bullshit!" Noah couldn't help but exclaim. He counted at least fifty grunts, each brandishing a Pokeball, ready to wreak havoc.

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Though the Pokemon Center was teeming with people, the majority were caught off-guard, rendered defenseless while waiting for their Pokemon's check-up to be complete

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Panic morphed into bedlam as the crowd splintered in all directions, Team Rocket grunts indiscriminately attacking anything that moved.

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"Quick, to the bunker!" Nurse Joy, her face a mask of determination, tried to guide the frightened crowd toward a far-flung door.

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Her heroics were short-lived. Almost immediately, an opportunistic grunt commanded their Ekans to strike.

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The snake lunged, sinking its fangs deep into Nurse Joy's calf, injecting venom into her veins.

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She let out a pained groan before crumpling to the ground, overcome by the poison.

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The chaos was so blinding that no one even noticed Nurse Joy's downfall; people continued to scramble, trampling over one another in a mad dash toward the promised safety of the bunker.

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People pushed and shoved, stumbling atop one another as they scrambled in the direction of the bunker.

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"Ruff!" Riolu barked insistently, tugging at Noah's sleeve.

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Noah was in a trance, having never seen such a gruesome scene before; the lives of people were dropping like flies, and explosions echoed throughout the structure incessantly.

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"RUFF," Riolu shouted, snapping Noah back to reality.

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"Sorry," A sudden wave of calm washed over him, somehow feeling reinvigorated.

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Locating a secluded corner shielded by two structural columns and a conveniently placed bush, they held their breath, praying to go unnoticed.

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The overwhelmed security forces fought valiantly, but the numerical disadvantage was too great. The Team Rocket grunts had an army of Pokemon, each running amok.

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"Enough dilly-dallying, grab the Pokemon!" The brutish mastermind bellowed, cutting through the cacophony.

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With their initial havoc-wreaking deemed sufficient, the grunts' focus shifted to this mission's real objective: stealing the stored Pokeballs.

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"Jessie and James have already infiltrated the storage," an accomplice informed the ringleader.

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"Excellent, we'll rendezvous shortly. Law enforcement is closing in, move!" He commanded.

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Vaulting over the disarray they'd masterminded, the Team Rocket squadron broke into a sprint, making a beeline for various doors behind the counter, while any remaining staff was met with unrelenting brutality.

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Once they'd vanished into the bowels of the Center, Noah exhaled a sigh of relief.

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"Thankfully, they didn't check here," he whispered, crouched in his hideaway, barely a stone's throw from the front door.

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"They're gone, let's go-" As he was about to make a dash for the front door, a familiar face caught his eye.

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Long, raven-black hair and a Pokemon Center staff uniform. It was the same girl who'd served him earlier that day.

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The girl was pinned under a rock, likely the aftermath of a Pokemon attack gone awry. Her eyes were glassy, blood smeared across her lips, yet unlike the lifeless bodies strewn around, she was very much alive.

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Her outstretched hand trembled as it reached for him; her eyes brimmed with tears, her lips quivering as if about to speak her final words.

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Noah found himself in a crossroad. He was torn between saving himself, or save the girl and risk the chance of having his cover blown.

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"Ah, fuck it!" Noah growled. Double checking his surroundings that there were no straggling Team Rocket grunts, he bolted towards her, ignoring Riolu's astonished gaze.

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"RUFF!?" Riolu gaped at Noah, flabbergasted, as he watched him waste their perfect opportunity to escape.

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"Get over here and help me, Riolu!" Noah gripped the rock, straining to lift it off her.

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Though baffled, Riolu complied, and together they managed to hoist the boulder enough to free her.

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"Hold it here," Noah ordered, letting go of the rock and crouching down, hauling her out from her stony entrapment in a seamless move.

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"Let's get out of here!" Noah said, hoisting the girl onto his back.

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"Ruff," Riolu barked in agreement, gently dropping the slab of rock onto the floor.

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With the extra weight put on him, Noah had a harder time running, but they were thankfully able to make it out without notifying any Team Rocket members.

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It was eerily quiet outside, a stark contrast to the chaos within the Pokemon Center.

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The sky was dark, and the moon peeked out from behind a cloud.

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"Shit, doctor, I have to find a doctor!" Noah frantically scanned his surroundings.

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"STOP! YOU THERE!" A voice rang out, carried by the wind. Blue-uniformed officers on motorcycles and Pokemon were closing in.

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But before Noah could react, an electrical cacophony emanated from the Pokemon Center, followed by an explosion so massive it was as if the night sky itself had been ripped asunder.

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Before he could process what had happened, a wave of darkness swallowed him whole.