Chapter 10: The Truth Revealed and a Crystal Bargain
Suddenly, Callahan turned and began to sprint away from the scene.
"Look! He's running away!" Risa shouted, pointing an accusing finger at his retreating figure. "I knew it! I was suspicious of him from the very beginning. He must be the one behind all this."
Kelly shook her head frantically, her eyes wide with denial. "No! My Uncle Callahan wouldn't do something like that!"
I stepped forward, raising a hand to calm the situation. "Kelly, don't jump to conclusions just yet. We can't judge him without proof. Let's follow him first—then we'll know the truth."
"Right," Risa nodded.
Without wasting another second, we chased after Callahan.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
After a short pursuit, we arrived at the location Callahan had been heading toward. It was the main stage of the festival. A crowd had gathered, waiting for a presentation. Standing on the stage was the scientist, Toren. He looked terrified, trembling as he prepared to give his speech.
With shaking hands, Toren took a flash drive and plugged it into the console connected to the massive smart screen behind him.
Beep!
As soon as the chip was inserted, a video began to play.
It wasn't a research presentation. The footage clearly showed Callahan helping Toren capture a Pokémon. Toren's voice rang out from the speakers, nervously explaining the Pokémon's weakness to Callahan, guiding him on how to catch it.
The crowd murmured. The fraud was exposed.
"I... I'm late," Callahan muttered to himself, trying to back away.
He turned around to leave, only to freeze. Standing right behind him were me, Risa, Mia, and Kelly. We had seen everything.
Callahan stepped back, unable to face the disappointment in his niece's eyes. But in his panic, he stumbled.
Clatter!
A Poké Ball fell from his pocket and hit the ground. The mechanism popped open.
Hiss...
Nothing came out. The Poké Ball was completely empty.
The silence was deafening. Everyone realized the truth instantly: Staryu was never Callahan's Pokémon. He had been lying the entire time.
"Uncle..." Kelly's voice broke. Tears streamed down her face. "You lied to me? I... I hate you!"
Sobbing, Kelly turned and ran, her small feet pounding against the ground as she fled toward the stairs.
"Kelly, wait! I was going to tell you!" Callahan shouted, chasing after her.
But the emotional toll was too much. Kelly's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto her knees, breathless and heartbroken. Callahan caught up, kneeling beside her, asking about her health with desperation in his voice.
Fwoooosh!
Suddenly, a thick cloud of purple smoke erupted on the stage.
"What is that?!" someone screamed.
Through the haze, three familiar figures emerged—Team Rocket. They had snatched a container from the stage and were making a run for it.
"I'm going after them!" I yelled to Risa.
I bolted toward the exit, leaving the drama behind.
Dash!
I sprinted through the festival grounds, locking onto the trio. But Team Rocket, being the veterans they were, spotted me quickly.
"Oh great," James groaned, looking over his shoulder. "It's the Twerp. The loser who always ruins our plans."
"Yeah, Meowth," Jessie added, scowling. "This kid is like bad luck stuck to the bottom of our boots. He just won't let go!"
"Stop yapping, you two!" Meowth hissed. "Just run! We're almost in the clear with the loot!"
"Stop right there, Team Rocket!" I shouted.
They didn't slow down. I knew I had to block their path.
"Come on out, Crystal Onix! Block their way!"
I grabbed the heavy Poké Ball and hurled it into the air.
Pop!
SHIIING!
A brilliant white light exploded, refracting like a prism. From the light, the massive, translucent body of the Crystal Onix materialized, slamming into the ground in front of Team Rocket.
ROAAAR!
"What?!" James skidded to a halt, his jaw dropping. "Is that... an Onix? I can't believe my eyes... it's made of crystal!"
"It's beautiful..." Jessie stared, mesmerized.
"That little devil!" Meowth gritted his teeth, his eyes turning into dollar signs. "He was hiding such a huge secret from us? He has an Onix made of solid crystal! If we steal that, we'll be richer than the Boss!"
"We've been chasing that electric rat for years," Jessie said, "but we never knew he had this treasure hidden away!"
"Crystal Onix," I commanded. "Wrap them up!"
Rumble...
Onix nodded. It swung its massive, glass-like tail.
Whoosh!
In one fluid motion, the tail encircled the trio, trapping them.
"It's real..." Jessie gasped, reaching out to touch the cold, hard surface of the Onix. "It really is made of crystal."
I walked up to them, crossing my arms. "Alright, Team Rocket. Hand over what you stole."
"Never!" James declared dramatically. "Thieves' honor! What we steal is ours! No one takes it back!"
"James is right!" Meowth agreed. "Finders keepers!"
"You three are really stubborn, aren't you?" I sighed.
They tensed up, expecting a battle. Pikachu sparked his cheeks, ready to unleash a Thunderbolt. They knew it was coming—their usual 'blasting off again' routine.
But I had a different idea.
"I'll give you a crystal rock," I said calmly. "Will you give me the item for it?"
Silence.
Team Rocket and Pikachu both looked at me, stunned. They weren't expecting a bribe.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked.
"Ahem! Cough!" Meowth cleared his throat loudly, trying to regain his composure. "No way! We want... uh... five crystal rocks!"
"Fine," I said instantly. "I'll give you five."
Meowth's jaw hit the floor. He had expected me to haggle. He thought I'd offer three. He felt a sudden pang of regret—he should have asked for ten!
"Crystal Onix," I ordered. "Make five rocks."
Cling... Cling... Cling...
Onix nodded. Five glittering chunks of crystal separated from its body and fell to the ground with a melodic chime.
"We're rich!" Team Rocket cheered in unison, their eyes sparkling. "No more poverty! We're finally going to live the high life!"
"Now," I held out my hand. "Give me what you stole."
"Right, right," James said, distracted by the gems.
The three of them began patting their pockets. They searched their uniforms, their bags, everywhere.
"Uh..."
"Where is it?"
"I thought you had it!"
After a minute of frantic searching, they froze. They looked at each other with dread.
"We lost it..." James whispered.
I sighed, shaking my head. I understood what had happened. I expected this. Fate is a stubborn thing. Even if I try to stop it, what is written in the future will happen. I can delay it, but I can't completely change the timeline.
The item was gone, likely dropped in the chaos of the smoke.
"You know what? Keep the rocks," I said, recalling Crystal Onix. "I'm leaving."
Zap!
Onix returned to its ball. I signaled Pikachu, and we turned to walk away.
"What?" Meowth blinked in disbelief. "Is this Twerp actually being generous?"
"Who cares why!" Jessie laughed. "We're rich!"
"We're filthy rich!" James cheered.
They hugged each other, celebrating their victory. But their joy was short-lived.
Flap... Flap... Flap...
A shadow passed over them. A Pokémon descended from the sky, landing softly in front of them. It was a red, Santa-like bird Pokémon—Delibird.
"Delibird! Delibird!" it chirped.
Team Rocket froze. They knew this bird very well.
Delibird didn't waste time. It reached out and began picking up the crystal rocks one by one, stuffing them into its tail-sack.
"Wait!" Meowth translated, his face pale. "You mean... the money we borrowed from the Boss... he decided to collect the debt now?"
"Delibird!" the bird nodded cheerfully.
"No!" Jessie and James screamed. "We just became rich a second ago! And now we're poor again?!"
Delibird finished collecting the payment, gave a polite bow, and flew away into the sky.
Flap... Flap...
Team Rocket collapsed into a heap, hugging each other and crying rivers of tears as I walked away into the distance.
To be continued...