Chapter 12 : The Purple Fog
"Ash... that potion," Professor Toren stammered, adjusting his glasses as he stared at the fully recovered Zeraora. "What on earth was that? I've never seen a recovery agent work so instantly on such severe, decades-old trauma!"
I kept my expression neutral, though internally I winced. 'That cost me 1,000 Purchase Points. It was expensive, but worth it.'
"It's a secret recipe," I said with a mysterious smile, deflecting the question. "Let's just say it's very rare and leave it at that."
Before Toren could press for more scientific details, a sudden, ominous vibration rippled through the air.
'VMMMMMM...'The ground beneath us trembled slightly. We all turned toward the source of the disturbance—the deeper part of the forest.
"What was that?" Risa asked, clutching Eevee tightly.
"Look!" Margo pointed toward the canopy.
In the distance, a massive, billowing cloud of purple smoke was rising rapidly above the trees. It wasn't natural smoke;
it was thick, heavy, and moving with terrifying speed, rolling over the forest like a tidal wave.
"That smoke..." Risa's voice wavered. "Where is it coming from?"
'Flap-flap-flap...'
Suddenly, three Pidgey flew out from the direction of the smoke, squawking in panic. But as they crossed into the clearing, their movements became sluggish.
'Thud. Thud. Thud.' One by one, they dropped from the sky, landing on the grass, completely unconscious.
"Pidgey!" Toren rushed forward. He pulled out a scanner and waved it over the fallen birds. The device beeped frantically.
'Beep-beep-beep.' Toren's face went pale. "I knew it. These symptoms... this is the Effect Spore concentrate.
"Effect Spore?" Mayor Oliver frowned.
"Chansey, quickly!" Toren shouted to his partner. "Use Aromatherapy!"
"Chansey!"
'Shimmer... Ting!'
The pink Pokémon waved its hands, releasing a soothing, sparkling fragrance over the birds. Within seconds, the Pidgey shook their heads and woke up, chirping confusedly before flying away.
"It worked," Toren sighed, but he looked terrified.
"Professor," Mayor Oliver stepped forward, his voice stern. "What exactly is this 'Effect Spore'?"
Toren swallowed hard. "It's a chemical compound I synthesized based on a Pokémon's ability. If a Pokémon or human breathes it in, it induces immediate paralysis and unconsciousness. I... I was researching it to create anesthesia for medical surgeries to help humans."
"If it was for medicine," Risa asked, "why did you look so scared when you found the empty container?"
"Because the research wasn't finished!" Toren admitted, hanging his head. "I hadn't stabilized the formula yet. In its current state, it's a potent toxin."
'Riiiing! Riiiing!'
Suddenly, a phone rang, breaking the tension. It was Mayor Oliver's cell. He answered it immediately.
"This is the Mayor... What?!"
Oliver's face hardened as he listened to the voice on the other end—his secretary back at City Hall.
[ "Mayor! Emergency! A strange purple smoke is flooding the city streets! It's spreading incredibly fast. People and Pokémon are collapsing everywhere! We're trying to evacuate the affected sectors, but the wind is carrying it everywhere! You need to come back, now!" ]
Oliver lowered the phone slowly. "The smoke has reached Fula City. It's engulfing the town."
Toren fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands. "No... This is all my fault. I created it. I let it get stolen. I've doomed the city."
"Stand up, Professor!" Mayor Oliver commanded. His voice wasn't angry, but firm. "We don't have time for self-pity. You had good intentions—you wanted to save lives. That is enough. Right now, what we need is a solution, not an apology."
He looked Toren in the eye. "Can you create an antidote?"
Toren blinked, wiping his glasses. "Yes... Yes, I can! I have the raw materials at the lab. But the smoke is spreading too fast. Even if I make the antidote, how can I disperse it over the entire city in time?"
The group fell silent. The city was huge. Spraying it manually would take days.
"The wind," a raspy voice spoke up.
We turned to see Old Lady Harriet staring at the distant mountain peaks.
"Can we use the wind?" Harriet asked. "We have a wind-powered plant on the mountain. If we activate the main turbine, the fans could blow the antidote across the entire city in minutes."
"But Harriet," Margo interjected, "Dad said that power plant has been shut down for years. It's abandoned!"
"Margo is right," Mayor Oliver said, looking skeptical. "It's likely rusted over. Will it even work?"
"Watch your tone, Oliver," Harriet snapped, her eyes narrowing. "I'm the one who built that plant forty years ago. If anyone knows if it will work, it's me."
Risa gasped, her eyes shining with admiration. "Granny... you built that? You're amazing!"
Harriet huffed, looking away. "Don't get too excited. There's only a fifty percent chance it will start. It's covered in moss and rust."
"Fifty percent is better than zero," Mayor Oliver decided. "We have to take the risk."
The Plan of Action
I stepped into the center of the group. "Alright, here is the plan."
I looked at Toren. "Professor, you and I are going to the lab. We need to synthesize that antidote immediately."
I turned to Risa. She was holding the lantern containing the stolen Eternal Flame.
"Risa, you have the most important job," I said seriously. "Take the Eternal Flame back to the tower. We need to light it. If Lugia sees the flame, maybe it can help us with the wind."
"Me?!" Risa took a step back, shaking her head. "Why me? I can't do that alone! The tower is... it's really high up!"
"Risa," I said, locking eyes with her. "You didn't tell us, but I know you used to be a track athlete. You hurt your leg, and ever since then, you've been afraid to run."
Risa froze. "How did you..."
"Today is the day you break that fear," I said with a grin. "If you manage to run back to the tower and light that flame, I promise I'll give you a special reward."
Risa's eyes sparked with curiosity. "A reward? What kind of reward?"
"I'll tell you when this is all over," I teased. "But trust me, it's worth it."
Risa took a deep breath. She looked at Eevee, then at her own legs. She clenched her fist. "Okay. I'll do it. I'll get the flame to the tower."
"Good." I turned to the others. "Mayor Oliver, you go with Harriet to the Power Plant. Get those turbines spinning."
Harriet looked at the group of wild Pokémon that had been following her all day because of the accidental Sweet Scent on her clothes—a Totodile, a Togepi, a Marill, and a Heracross.
"Hey, you little rascals," Harriet grumbled at them. "I need some muscle. You lot are coming with me."
'Toto-dile!'
'Toge-pri!'
The Pokémon cheered, happy to finally have a mission.
"Alright, let's move out!" I shouted. I grabbed a Pokéball from my belt.
"Come out, Charizard! We have work to do!"
'ROAAARRRR!'
In a burst of flames, my massive Charizard appeared, stretching its wings wide. The sheer size and power of the Pokémon left everyone stunned.
"Incredible..." Mayor Oliver whispered. "You have a Charizard of this caliber?"
"Hop on, Professor," I said, climbing onto Charizard's back. Toren scrambled up behind me, holding onto my waist for dear life.
"Charizard, to the lab! Fly!"
'Whoosh!'
With a powerful flap of its wings, we shot into the sky.
As we flew over the city, the view was terrifying.
The sun had set, and under the cover of darkness, the purple fog glowed eerily. It had already consumed the lower districts. The streetlights flickered in the haze.
We landed on the roof of the Research Lab.
"Hurry!"
We rushed inside. The lab lobby was already filled with people—refugees who had fled the lower levels just in time. They were coughing and scared.
"Professor Toren!" a nurse cried out. "Thank goodness you're here!"
"Everyone, stay calm! Seal the vents!" Toren shouted, his timidness replaced by scientific focus.
We burst into the main laboratory. Toren immediately began grabbing beakers and mixing chemicals.
'Bubble... Fizz... Clink.'
"Ash, hand me the Chesto Berry extract! Now the Lum Berry powder!"
I moved fast, grabbing the ingredients he pointed to. Toren's hands moved like lightning, mixing, heating, and stabilizing the solution.
Minutes felt like hours. Outside, the purple smoke was pressing against the reinforced glass windows, trying to get in.
Finally, Toren held up a flask containing a glowing blue liquid.
"I did it!" Toren gasped, wiping sweat from his forehead. "The antidote is ready! Now we just need to get this to the Power Plant!"
"Professor Toren, give it to me," I said, thumping my chest confidently. "I'll take the responsibility of getting this to the plant."
Toren looked at me,
his eyes filled with desperate hope. "Please, Ash. Be quick. Once you get there, pour it into the main turbine housing immediately!"
I grabbed the heavy capsule filled with the glowing blue antidote and turned sharply toward the exit.
"Charizard, I need you again!"
CLICK... PING!
With a thunderous roar, Charizard materialized in the lab courtyard, shaking the ground as he landed. I leaped onto his back, clutching the antidote tightly against my chest.
"Let's go, Charizard! To the Power Plant!"
WHOOSH!
Charizard's massive wings beat against the air with a deafening snap as we soared upward. Below us, the city was almost entirely swallowed by the purple haze.
The toxic fog began to swirl around us, trying to clog our path like a living beast.
"Charizard, use Gust! Keep the smoke away from us!"
ROOOAAARRR!
Charizard flapped his wings with incredible force, creating powerful whirlwinds that ripped through the sky. The wind howled, pushing the purple clouds aside and carving a clear tunnel through the smog.
Within minutes, the rusted silhouette of the mountain Power Plant loomed ahead. I could see Harriet and Mayor Oliver working frantically. Even Callahan was there, alongside his Sudowoodo, straining with every ounce of strength to turn a massive, corroded iron lever.
CREEEEAK... GROAN!
The sound of stressing metal echoed through the mountains.
"Ash!" Harriet shouted, her grey hair whipping in the wind. "Is the antidote ready? Throw it into the intake fan, quickly!"
"It's ready! I shouted back over the roar of the machinery. I pulled the capsule from my pocket and grabbed another Poké Ball from my belt. "Shiny Bellsprout, I need your help!"
POP!
My golden Bellsprout appeared, its metallic leaves shimmering brilliantly under the plant's emergency lights.
"Bellsprout, I'm going to throw this capsule toward the turbine. I need you to break it at the perfect moment with Acid Bullet!"
Bellsprout nodded, its small body tensing in concentration. I wound back my arm, took a deep breath, and hurled the glass capsule toward the center of the giant, spinning blades.
"Now!"
"Bell-sprout!"
PFFT!
Bellsprout spat a high-pressure orb of acid like a sniper's bullet.
TING... SMASH!
The acid struck the glass perfectly. The capsule shattered just as it entered the turbine's intake. The blue liquid was instantly vaporized by the high-speed fans and propelled into the sky.
FWOOOOOOOOSH!
The wind caught the blue mist, carrying it down the mountainside like a massive wave of purity. The antidote swept through Fula City with incredible speed.
Where the blue mist touched the purple smoke, the toxins simply vanished into nothingness.
HISS...
The sound of the dissipating gas filled the air. Within moments, the sky was clear. Down in the streets, people who had been unconscious began to stir, rubbing their eyes and coughing as they woke up from the nightmare.The crisis was finally over.
A few hours later, we were all gathered at the Pokémon Center. The city lights were back on, humming with life, and the festival's atmosphere had returned—this time filled with a sense of deep,
relief-filled gratitude. Risa was there too; she had successfully returned the Eternal Flame to the tower with her brother's help, finally conquering her fear of the track.
"Ash, if it weren't for you, this city would have been lost," Mayor Oliver said, placing a grateful hand on my shoulder. "No amount of thanks can ever be enough."
"Actually, Mayor Oliver," I said, leaning in slightly with a serious expression. "There is one thing you could do to help me."
"Anything," the Mayor replied instantly, his voice sincere. "We will do whatever is in our power."
"Can you search your town and the surrounding mountains for these Evolution Stones and rare colored shards?" I asked, pulling out a list of the specific materials I needed for my System and showing it to him.
"The more you can find, the better. And I won't take them for free. In exchange, I'll give the city three 100% Recovery Potions and one Legendary Potion for your emergency reserves."
The Mayor looked surprised at the generosity of the offer but nodded firmly. "If you insist on an exchange, I cannot refuse. By tomorrow morning, everything we find will be yours."
To be continued...