Chapter 1077: Encirclement of Geosenge Town

Eternal Floette's ability is Symbiosis. At the moment it was resurrected by the ultimate weapon, its Symbiosis ability mutated.

Due to its bond with AZ, Eternal Floette's mutated Symbiosis ability affected AZ, causing them to share life and granting them immortality.

As a result, Eternal Floette, now drawing closer to AZ, sensed AZ's presence.

From Eternal Floette's reaction, Yuga speculated that the place where the Flare Team was hiding AZ might be among the piles of rocks outside Geosenge Town.

"Absol, let's go check it out," Yuga said to the Absol beneath him.

"Absol!" Absol responded softly and began running towards the pile of rocks.

As Yuga approached the pile of rocks, he discovered that this area seemed to have been developed into a tourist attraction. Although there weren't many people around, the various visitor facilities among the rocks indicated that it must have been quite popular.

Just as Yuga was about to ride Absol into the area, he was stopped by a middle-aged man with a short stature and a full beard.

"Sorry, sir, but we are currently closed for maintenance. The area is not open to the public," the man said.

Yuga, puzzled, asked, "I haven't heard of any restrictions on entering this area. Why the sudden closure?"

The middle-aged man smiled and replied, "You probably haven't visited Geosenge Town in a few years, have you? This place was bought by me long ago and is now private property.

Two years ago, I transformed this place into a tourist spot, hoping to make some money. But recently, some of the equipment has aged and needs repair, so it's temporarily closed.

It's a mess here right now, and it's not safe for visitors. It would be bad if someone got hurt. You should leave quickly."

Yuga nodded and said, "I see. I won't bother you, then." With that, he decisively guided Absol away from the pile of rocks.

After watching Yuga leave, the bearded man turned back and returned to the pile of rocks. However, before he left, a few Diggersby appeared, patrolling the area as if monitoring the surroundings.

After getting out of the bearded man's sight, Yuga used Gengar's invisibility ability to return to the pile of rocks. He observed the stone gate at the front and sneaked in with Gengar, unnoticed by the patrolling Diggersby.

Since Eternal Floette sensed something here, Yuga couldn't just give up the investigation due to a minor obstacle. Besides, the bearded man seemed suspicious, as if he was very afraid of Yuga getting close to the pile of rocks.

If it was just about repairing old equipment, there was no need for him to be so nervous about outsiders arriving, to the point of being jumpy.

As Yuga entered the outskirts of the pile of rocks, he saw many workers busily repairing facilities, just as the bearded man had said.

But as he went deeper inside, the situation changed. People in red uniforms were running around with all kinds of strange machines, engaged in some mysterious activities.

Red uniforms were the hallmark of the Flare Team, and Yuga didn't expect to find something so quickly upon arriving in Geosenge Town.

The bearded man was now speaking with a woman with short purple hair.

"Tell them to speed up and not delay the task. If someone else comes and accidentally intrudes, it'll be troublesome!"

"Understood, Lady Celosia! I'll hurry them up!" the bearded man replied, nodding and bowing.

"Make sure they follow instructions strictly. If anything goes wrong due to negligence, there will be consequences," the woman, whom the bearded man called Celosia, said.

"Yes, yes... I'll keep an eye on them," the bearded man said before hurriedly turning away.

According to the information from Malva, Yuga knew that the Flare Team had five core scientists: Aliana, Bryony, Mable, Celosia, and Xerosic. The woman before him must be Celosia.

From his observations, Yuga noticed that everyone from the Flare Team was focused on a large black rock in the center of the pile of rocks. What they were doing there, Yuga couldn't tell.

"I can sense a huge energy hidden within that rock. It feels so familiar..." Eternal Floette's voice suddenly echoed in Yuga's mind.

"Is there some unknown energy in that rock?" Yuga suddenly realized something.

At that moment, Celosia walked around for a bit before Yuga noticed her heading towards a large, upright rectangular stone. Suddenly, a door opened in front of the stone, and she stepped inside.

As the stone door was about to close, Gengar, quick-witted as ever, grabbed Yuga and slipped inside.

Looking at the stone door closing behind them, Yuga patted his chest in relief and let out a long breath. "Good thing you were quick, Gengar."

"Gengar, geng!" Gengar scratched its cheek and chuckled, but realizing it was in enemy territory, it quickly covered its mouth with its hands.

Behind the stone door was a long corridor. The walls of the corridor were brightly lit, seemingly made of some special glass. Yuga tiptoed through, careful not to alert any guards or set off alarms.

After passing through the long corridor, Yuga and Gengar entered a research facility as large as the one beneath the Lumiose City café. There, they immediately spotted AZ.

AZ's height of three meters made him stand out so much that Yuga couldn't have missed him even if he wanted to.

At that moment, AZ was speaking with some Flare Team members. Yuga, too far away to hear, could only see the person nodding repeatedly and taking notes.

It was clear that AZ held a central position in the research facility. The others not only followed his commands but also treated him with great respect.

It seemed that Lysandre had completely convinced AZ to help him build the ultimate weapon! Yuga speculated.

Just then, AZ seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head towards Yuga's direction. However, seeing nothing, he frowned deeply.

The AZ that Yuga encountered in the Mirage Tower is now completely different. His long, messy hair has been neatly trimmed, his beard is gone, and his tattered clothes have been replaced with new ones. He looks rejuvenated and full of energy.

The moment AZ looked over, Eternal Floette suddenly tightened its grip on Yuga's shoulder, feeling extremely anxious.

Eternal Floette had a subtle connection with AZ, and AZ felt it too.

"Lord AZ, is something wrong?" Celosia walked over and asked when she noticed AZ's unusual expression.

AZ relaxed his furrowed brow, shook his head, and said, "It's nothing." With that, he continued focusing on his work.

Seeing that AZ hadn't noticed anything, Yuga breathed a sigh of relief. Not daring to stay in the research institute any longer, he quickly followed one of the Team Flare members who was leaving the institute.

Now that he had located AZ, Yuga knew he needed to prepare thoroughly before taking him away.

After quietly leaving the rubble, Yuga went to Geosenge Town, found a place to stay, and then contacted Mr. Ramos.

After reaching out to Mr. Ramos, Yuga quietly waited in Geosenge Town for two days. During this time, he didn't just sit idle; instead, he disguised himself and explored Geosenge Town.

Through careful observation, he discovered that besides a few locals, a large number of Team Flare members were mixed in among them. It was clear that Geosenge Town had become a stronghold for Team Flare.

Two days later, Yuga secretly met with Elite Four Siebold and Mr. Ramos, who had quietly arrived in Geosenge Town.

In a small inn room, Yuga addressed Elite Four Siebold and Mr. Ramos, saying, "This time, we'll split into two teams. Elite Four Siebold, you and I will head to the rubble research institute, while Mr. Ramos will lead a team to take down the Team Flare members hiding in Geosenge Town."

Mr. Ramos assured him, "Don't worry, leave Geosenge Town to me. Just make sure you bring AZ out safely."

Hearing this, Yuga asked, "Do you have enough people this time? If we can't wipe them all out, it could alert Lysandre in Lumiose City."

Elite Four Siebold replied, "Rest assured, we have the entire area around Geosenge Town under control. Not even a single Zubat from Team Flare will be able to escape."

"Then I'm relieved."

Yuga then shared the intelligence he had gathered in Geosenge Town with Mr. Ramos before heading to the rubble outside the town with Elite Four Siebold.

As they approached the rubble, Yuga said to Elite Four Siebold, "I'll go in first and see if I can persuade AZ to leave with us willingly. If I can, we'll act after I bring him out." With Eternal Floette by his side, Yuga believed there was a good chance he could convince AZ.

If persuasion failed, they would have no choice but to use force.

Yuga's instincts told him that AZ was a very dangerous individual.

Elite Four Siebold nodded and said, "Go ahead. Our people are all around, so nothing will go wrong."

With the plan in place, Yuga once again sneaked into the research institute with Gengar and Eternal Floette.

The situation inside the research institute was similar to when Yuga had visited two days earlier. The league's encirclement hadn't alarmed the people inside, but Yuga didn't see AZ this time.

After some searching, he finally found AZ in a hidden room, seemingly resting.

Having found AZ, Yuga didn't reveal himself immediately. Instead, he noticed a camera in AZ's room, indicating that AZ's every move was being monitored.

However, just as Yuga reached the door, AZ, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked toward the door.

"Mr. AZ." Yuga's voice echoed in AZ's ear.

"Who's there?" AZ looked around warily but saw nothing.

"Don't bother looking; you won't be able to see me," Yuga's voice continued to echo.

"What do you want?" AZ wasn't panicked. He knew that since Yuga hadn't revealed himself, there must be something to discuss.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm from the League, and I'm here to stop you from creating the Ultimate Weapon. I hope you'll leave with me."

AZ refused without hesitation, "I'm sorry, but I can't leave." He knew about the Pokémon League, but he hadn't expected them to find him so quickly or to sneak into the institute so silently.

Yuga asked, "Why? Do you not realize the devastation the Ultimate Weapon will cause once it's activated?"

AZ lowered his head, his voice heavy, "I know, but this is my promise."

Seeing AZ's unwavering attitude, Yuga reluctantly played his trump card.

"Eternal Floette is with me. It's pleading with you to leave with me. Won't you do it for Eternal Floette?"

"Eternal Floette?!" AZ's voice suddenly rose. Knowing that the room was under surveillance, he quickly calmed down and said, "Is it true? Eternal Floette is with you?"

"Floette, Floette."

At that moment, Eternal Floette' voice echoed in AZ's ear.

"Eternal Floette, is it really you?" AZ's tears began to flow instantly.

Seeing AZ's emotional reaction, Yuga quickly reminded him, "Mr. AZ, please control your emotions. You're being monitored."

AZ, who had lived for over 3,000 years, quickly regained his composure after Yuga's reminder.

"Mr. AZ, I want to know why you're helping Team Flare create the Ultimate Weapon," Yuga asked, voicing the question that had been bothering him.

Perhaps Eternal Floette' appearance had made AZ lower his guard, so he revealed the reason.

It turned out that over 3,000 years ago, the Ultimate Weapon not only ended the war but also destroyed AZ's homeland. At that time, everyone in the kingdom perished except for AZ and one other person—AZ's brother.

Out of guilt, when AZ left, he took off his crown and left it with his brother, promising that if his brother or his descendants ever needed his help in the future, they only needed to present the crown, and he would help them unconditionally.

Lysandre was a descendant of AZ's brother, and he possessed the crown that AZ had left behind.

It was precisely because AZ wasn't willing to help Lysandre create the Ultimate Weapon that, after discovering Yuga, he hadn't alerted Team Flare.

"So, you're willing to create the Ultimate Weapon just because of a promise made over 3,000 years ago?" Yuga asked incredulously. Keeping promises was important, but one needed to assess the situation.

"So, you're determined to create the Ultimate Weapon for Lysandre?"

Yuga's question left AZ silent.

"Floette, Floette..." At that point, Eternal Floette patted Yuga on the shoulder, signaling him to leave the matter to it.

Yuga could only hope for the best. He called out Mismagius from the Shadow Space, and it took Eternal Floette, now invisible, into AZ's room, leaving them to talk.

More than ten minutes later, after Eternal Floette said something to AZ, he finally agreed to leave with Yuga. Yuga noticed that the atmosphere between AZ and Eternal Floette had become strange after their conversation, so strange that Yuga didn't dare to ask.

After persuading AZ, Yuga wanted to leave the institute quickly before the other Team Flare members noticed and then inform Elite Four Siebold, who was waiting outside, to launch the raid.

As they exited the institute, AZ passed by a large black monolith in the middle of the rubble. He did something that caused the monolith to reveal a transparent cylindrical object about the length of an arm, which glowed with a strange light.

He handed the object to Yuga and said, "Since I can no longer create the Ultimate Weapon, I'll give this to you."

"What is this?" Yuga asked curiously as he took it.

AZ just shook his head without saying a word.

The subsequent raid on the research institute went smoothly with Yuga and Elite Four Siebold involved. Not a single person managed to escape.

However, no secret is ever truly secure. Although Yuga and his team acted discreetly, Lysandre still found out.

Two days after the raid in Geosenge Town, a Team Flare grunt hurried into Lysandre's office and whispered something in his ear, causing Lysandre's expression to change.

"When did this happen?" Lysandre asked.

"Two days ago. It was Elite Four Siebold who led the team."

Lysandre was about to leave when Diantha and her team pushed open the door and entered. She held up an arrest warrant and said,

"Lysandre, you are under arrest."

Previously, they didn't have enough evidence, but now, with the items found in the research institute in Geosenge Town, there was more than enough to arrest Lysandre.

(End of Chapter)