Chapter no.361 Giovanni's Headache

[ POV Change ]
[ Pallet Town ]
The night had blanketed Pallet Town in a cloak of darkness, punctuated only by the flickering streetlights and the occasional passing car. A gentle breeze carried the scent of freshly cut grass, while crickets chirped in the background. A lone figure walked down the quiet street, the tap-tap of their footsteps echoing in the stillness.
As they approached the edge of town, the figure caught sight of a small, cozy house nestled among the trees. The windows were aglow with warm light, and the sound of laughter drifted out into the night.
Inside the house, Delia Ketchum was helping Daisy Oak set up her podcast studio. Daisy was fussing over a tangle of wires and microphones, while Delia patiently walked her through the setup process.
"Okay, so this cable goes into the mixer, and then this one goes into the laptop," Delia explained, pointing to each component in turn. "And then you just hit record and you're good to go!"
Daisy nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Okay, got it. And what about the headphones? Do I need to wear them?"
Delia smiled. "No, those are just for me. I'll be monitoring the audio to make sure everything sounds good."
As the two women chatted, Professor Oak sat on the couch, his eyes fixed on the TV which showed quite the footage from Celadon City.
The police barricade loomed before the intrepid reporter, its grimy metal surface gleaming in the harsh fluorescent light. Beyond it, the figures of Thunderbolt and Lightningstrike loomed, flanked by Giovanni and Looker. The reporter's heart raced as he raised his microphone and called out to them.
"Excuse me, Thunderbolt, Lightningstrike, can I ask you a few questions?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty street.
Thunderbolt turned his head and narrowed his eyes, while Lightningstrike flinched at the sudden noise. Giovanni and Looker exchanged a glance, but said nothing.
The reporter took a step closer, his hand outstretched through the metal bars. "I'm from the Daily Bugle. We've been following your exploits for weeks. Can you give us a comment on the recent attacks?"
Thunderbolt scowled, his arms crossed over his chest. "No comment," he growled.
"Maybe we should at least hear what he has to say," she said, her voice soft and hesitant.
Thunderbolt snorted. " No"
The reporter shook his head, a look of frustration crossing his face. "I'm just trying to get the truth out there. The public has a right to know what's going on."
Giovanni stepped forward, his eyes cold and calculating. "I think it's time you left, Mr. Reporter. You're not welcome here."
The reporter's hand tightened around his microphone, his knuckles turning white. "I'm not leaving until I get a statement from them," he said, his voice rising.
Looker stepped forward, his hand on his hip. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Mr. Reporter. This is a restricted area, and we can't allow you to interfere with an ongoing investigation."
The reporter glared at them, his eyes blazing with defiance. "Fine," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'll leave. But mark my words, the truth will come out one way or another."
Austin in his thunderbolt costume scowl deepened, and he took a step forward. "You want a comment? Here's your damn comment." With lightning-fast reflexes, he snatched the camera out of the reporter's hand and crushed it in his palm.
As the TV screen went black, Daisy Oak's jaw dropped.
" Grandpa, did you see that ?"
" Yes."
" I think I found my first guest on my podcast." Daisy exclaimed with a smile while Professor Oak and Delia looked at each other with a sweatdrop.
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The group moved through the dimly lit alleyway in silence. Giovanni's frustration was palpable as he glared at Thunderbolt. "Your reckless actions are making it difficult for us to achieve our goals. We need to maintain a positive image in the media."
Thunderbolt's eyes rolled in response. "Whatever, old man. I can sense her aura from downtown. Let's go."
Looker nodded in agreement. "Understood. Let's move out."
Lucario led the way as they rushed towards the downtown area, with Thunderbolt in the lead. As they got closer, he slowed to a stop, scanning the streets. "She's close," he said in a low voice.
Following his lead, they turned down a dark alleyway where Lucario led the way. Thunderbolt pointed to a small pile of debris in the corner, and Giovanni sneered, "What is this? This is a waste of time."
Looker picked up a headband, narrowing his eyes as he inspected it. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt ignored Giovanni's comment, instead focusing on a security camera mounted on the wall. "We can check the footage. Maybe she was caught on camera," he suggested.
Giovanni's frustration boiled over as he rounded on Thunderbolt, his voice laced with anger. "Don't you dare disrespect me like that again, Thunderbolt. We are a team, and we need to work together if we're going to succeed."
Thunderbolt simply shrugged, unfazed by Giovanni's outburst. "Whatever you say, boss. But I'm still the one who can sense her aura, so maybe you should listen to me for a change."
Looker interjected, his tone calm and measured. "Let's focus on the task at hand, gentlemen. We need to find Erika before it's too late."
They quickly made their way to a nearby security office, where they found a few police officers reviewing the footage. "Did you see anything?" Thunderbolt asked, his eyes scanning the screen.
One of the officers nodded. "Yeah, we spotted her. She was here about half an hour ago."
Thunderbolt grinned, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "That's all I needed to know. Let's move out."
They quickly made their way back to the alleyway, where they found Lightstrike sleeping on the ground. Thunderbolt approached her, nudging her awake. "Did you purify the headband?" he asked.
Lightstrike rubbed her eyes, yawning. "Yeah, I did. Why?"
Thunderbolt grinned. "Good. I can properly pinpoint Erika's location now."
Giovanni scowled, shaking his head. "That's not how Aura works, Thunderbolt. You're just making this up as you go."
Looker shot him a stern look. "That's enough, Giovanni. We need to focus on finding Erika."
Thunderbolt stood in the middle of the room, a headband clutched in his hand. He closed his eyes, focusing on the energy pulsing through the object.
As he swayed to an unheard beat, his movements became more fluid, more rhythmic. His body moved with an otherworldly grace, as if he was being guided by a higher power.
With each step, the aura around him grew stronger, pulsing with an electric energy that crackled in the air. He twirled and spun, his movements becoming more intricate as he channeled the energy of the headband.
For a moment, he seemed to disappear into his own world, lost in the dance as the world around him faded away. But then, with a sudden burst of energy, he leaped into the air, his feet leaving the ground as he let out a triumphant yell.
As he landed, the headband glowed with an intense energy, and Thunderbolt grinned, his eyes shining with excitement. "I've got her," he said, his voice ringing with confidence.
" Where ?" Looker asked while Giovanni's eyes scanned the glistening aura around the headband.
Thunderbolt nodded, his eyes scanning the area. "She's at the landfill outside of Celadon City," he said, pointing towards a nearby map.
Giovanni's jaw dropped, his eyes widening in shock. Lucario shook his head, his expression pained. "He's enjoying this way too much," he muttered to himself while Yellow aka thunderstrike was sleeping while using his arm as a pillow.
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[ Omake Paragraph ]
It is said that whenever we play catch, we are playing a game older than humanity, a game which dates to when our ancestors lived in trees. Others disagree, citing the many fundamental differences between Aipom catch and our own game. For instance, Aipom catch is typically played not with the hands, but with the tail; the hands being used more often to hold onto branches although occasionally lifted to catch a low throw. Aipom catch resembles dodgeball as much as catch, as the items thrown are not Flaaffyballs, but iron balls, king's rocks, and other heavy objects which can send an Aipom plunging to the ground.
The rules of the game are as follows: Players start on opposite trees at equal height. One Aipom throws the ball or rock at the opponent, who attempts to catch it. If they miss, the opponent is allowed to continue making throws until one is caught. Because the game is played in trees, multiple items are typically collected for use in this game, although some games require any Aipom who misses to retrieve the item and make a gentle toss back to the opponent. When a catch is made, play reverses, with the other Aipom being given the chance to throw until it is caught. The object of the game is not to make an easily caught throw, but to hit the opponent with one sufficiently fast enough to knock the other Aipom out of the tree. Players are allowed to grab onto branches when falling, but may not climb back up; whatever branch they land on is their perch until knocked down lower.
The first Aipom to hit the ground loses, and the other will do a victory dance to celebrate their triumph; the fun, however, is in simply playing the game.