Chapter 9: The City in Chaos and the zeraora curse
I decided to check its status again.
'System, show me its stats.'
'Ding!'
A holographic screen appeared before my eyes.
[ Shiny Bellsprout ]
[ Type: Grass / Poison ]
[ Skills: Sleep Powder, Paralysis Powder, Poison Powder, Slam, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip ]
[ Egg Moves: Synthesis, Weather Ball, Encore ]
[ Shiny Skills: Acid Bullet, Acid Control ]
My eyes widened in surprise. The System had updated! Not only could I see standard moves, but now I could see Egg Moves and unique Shiny Skills. It was incredible that such a small Pokémon had learned so many advanced techniques. I also learned something new—Shiny Pokémon possessed unique "Shiny Skills."
"Return, Bellsprout. Get some rest," I said gently.
'Zwoop!'
I recalled the golden Pokémon back into its ball.
When I walked back to the bench, I found Risa staring at me. Her eyes were narrowed, burning with a mix of jealousy and disbelief.
"What's wrong, Risa? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked innocently.
"Ash... do you have the nerve to ask that?" Risa huffed, her voice dripping with envy. "You just casually caught a Shiny Pokémon! And your Pikachu used a move I've never even seen in any textbook! How is that fair?!"
I shrugged. "Well, I guess it's just my luck," I said with a grin.
Risa glared at me, clearly not buying the "luck" excuse, as if I expected her to be a gullible child.
'Vroom! Vroom!'
Suddenly, the sound of a revving engine broke the tension. We turned to see Officer Jenny speeding down the path on her motorcycle, heading straight toward the city center with her sirens blaring.
"Is there an emergency?" Risa asked, her expression turning serious. "Ash, we should head back to town."
I nodded in agreement. Pikachu hopped onto my shoulder, and Risa picked up her Eevee, cradling it in her lap. Together, we hurried back toward Fula City.
Chaos in Fula City
When we arrived in the city, the atmosphere was tense. We stood in front of a large outdoor screen broadcasting the news. A reporter was speaking urgently.
[ "Breaking News: The Wind Festival has been temporarily suspended! Someone has sabotaged the city's transport lines. Small boulders have been placed on the bus tracks, and detergent has been spilled all over the main corridors and roads!" ]
"What?!" Risa gasped, covering her mouth. "Who would do something like that? Why would anyone want to stop the festival?"
I stayed silent for a moment, watching the screen. "Risa... whoever did this probably had a reason. Maybe they felt they had no choice," I said quietly.
I knew exactly who did it. It was Margo.
The chaos had started because of a rumor spreading through the town about a "Rare Pokémon" in the nearby mountains.
And ironically, that rumor started because of Callahan. In the original story, Callahan had lied to Risa, telling her she could find her brother's Pokémon in the forest just to get rid of her. His niece had overheard this lie.
If Risa didn't find the Pokémon, Callahan would be exposed as a liar. But then, to make matters worse, during a stage interview, he publicly announced that there was a rare Pokémon in the jungle. He did it to create an alibi—if everyone went looking, he could claim someone else caught the Eevee before Risa could.
But his lie had spiraled out of control. Now, Pokémon Hunters were flocking to the forest.
Margo knew a secret that no one else did: the legendary Pokémon Zeraora was living in those mountains.
Years ago, hunters had invaded the forest, and their carelessness caused a massive fire. Zeraora, the forest's protector, saved the wild Pokémon from the flames. But in the process, a burning tree collapsed on him, leaving him severely injured and distrustful of humans.
Zeraora was still recovering in the forest. Margo had discovered him and visited him every day, bringing him food and keeping his existence a secret.
But with the sudden influx of people hunting for a "Rare Pokémon," Margo realized Zeraora was in danger again. Desperate to protect him, she decided to sabotage the festival. She hoped that if the festival was canceled, the tourists and hunters would leave, keeping Zeraora safe.
We arrived at the monorail corridor, which was currently a chaotic scene. The floor was slick with soapy foam, and the tracks were blocked. Mayor Oliver, Margo, and Officer Jenny were standing in the center of the commotion, while police officers investigated the area.
The Mayor was addressing the restless crowd. "Please, everyone, forgive us. Due to some unforeseen technical problems, the festival has to be paused temporarily. But don't worry! We will have everything back to normal in no time."
Risa and I walked up to them.
"Hello, Margo," I called out.
The Mayor turned at the sound of my voice. He looked from me to his daughter. "Ash? Do you know my daughter?"
"We met yesterday," I explained briefly. Then I looked at the mess on the floor. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
The Mayor's face softened with relief. "If you are willing to help, we would be very grateful."
'Nudge.'
Suddenly, I felt a sharp elbow in my ribs.
"Ow," I muttered, looking at Risa.
"By 'we,' you mean me too, don't you?" she whispered aggressively.
I just nodded with a grin. She rolled her eyes but accepted her fate.
Just then, a small, cheerful voice rang out from behind us. "We want to help too!"
We turned around to see a little girl—Kellie—pulling her uncle by the hand. It was Callahan.
Callahan looked hesitant. "Uh, well..." He looked at his niece's hopeful face, and then at his sister (Kellie's mom), who was smiling encouragingly.
I knew Callahan didn't actually want to be here. In the original timeline, he was supposed to be helping the timid scientist, Toren, with his presentation research right now. The deadline was approaching fast. But he couldn't say no to Kellie.
"Alright, alright," Callahan sighed, forcing a smile. "We'll help."
Suddenly, Risa's eyes widened as she got a good look at him. She marched right up to him, furious.
"Hey! You!" she shouted. "You're the guy from yesterday! Because of your bad directions, I got lost in the jungle all night!"
Callahan's face turned pale.
'Zip!'
Before she could say another word, Callahan clamped his hand over her mouth.
"Mmph?!"
"Shhh! Please!" Callahan begged in a desperate whisper, glancing nervously at Kellie. "Don't say anything in front of my niece! She thinks I'm a top-tier trainer. Please don't ruin my image!"
Risa pulled his hand away, glaring at him. But seeing his desperation, she sighed. "Fine. I'll let it slide for now."
The Cleanup Begins
Soon, everyone was hard at work. We grabbed buckets of water and brushes to wash away the detergent and clear the tracks.
'Splash! Scrub! Swish!'
While we worked, the Pokémon were having the time of their lives. Pikachu and Eevee were chasing each other through the puddles, and Kellie was laughing along with them.
Nearby, the three boys from yesterday—Miles, Hoyt, and Townes—were also scrubbing the floor with their Phanpy.
"This is all because of the Zeraora curse," Miles grumbled as he scrubbed. "That's why everything is going wrong."
As he said that, he stepped on a slick patch of soap.
'Splat!'
"Whoa!" Miles slipped and fell flat on his back. His friends immediately burst into laughter.
Risa, who was mopping nearby, looked up. "The 'Zeraora Curse'? What's that?"
Miles groaned, picking himself up from the wet floor. "It's an old story. Fifty years ago, there was a massive fire in the mountains. That was when Zeraora vanished. People say the curse started then. Anyone who steps foot into that forest will be met with disaster."
"That's not true!"
A sudden shout silenced the group. We all turned to look at Margo. Her fists were clenched, and her face was red with frustration. "That's a lie! Zeraora isn't a curse!"
"Margo?" Risa looked at her, surprised by the outburst. "What's wrong?"
Margo froze, realizing she had yelled in front of everyone. She quickly lowered her head. "Nothing..."
She fell silent, but I knew the truth. She was defending Zeraora because she knew he was actually the victim, not a monster.
'Ding-Dong!'
Suddenly, the speakers overhead crackled to life.
[ "Attention everyone! Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, the cleanup is complete! The Wind Festival will resume immediately!" ]
A wave of relief washed over the group.
"Oh, thank goodness," Risa sighed, slumping against a wall. "Finally, it's over."
To be continued...