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Pokemon: Resurgence Chapter 31
🕑 Added 2024-02-28 09:30:35 +0000 UTCHi all,
Here’s the next chapter. Lucas speaks with the prime minister, and his relationship with Sabrina deepens.
Chapter 31
Lucas paused to think about his words before responding to the prime minister's question. What argument could he use to convince the man that he was right for his niece? Depending on his response, he may gain the man's approval or leave such a negative impression that Shichiro actively works against him to end his and Sabrina's relationship.
From a certain perspective, he could see why Shichiro was concerned about who his niece was dating, and he had more right to be concerned than any of the other busybodies. He was not only Sabrina's uncle, but also the prime minister, so the public and Shichiro's political opponents would pay special attention to her. Even so, dealing with people who couldn’t seem to mind their own business was aggravating.
"Because I make her happy and have helped her come out of her shell," Lucas finally said. He continued, recognising that this was insufficient to persuade the man based on his expression. “And I have Bree’s approval.”
Shichiro’s eyes widened, It appeared that he had truly shocked the man. Lucas felt a sense of accomplishment after getting one over on him. Before Shichiro could respond, Salem appeared, which didn't seem to surprise him at all.
“Hello, Salem,” Shichiro said. “Or am I speaking to Bree? Have you placed Lucas under your protection?"
Salem nodded and showed a creepy smile.
“You knew Salem was here?” Lucas asked, surprised.
"I am the prime minister, so my security is extremely important," Shichiro explained. "If I didn’t know how to detect ghost-type Pokemon, my opponents could use them against me. Even though I knew Salem was here, I didn’t know the reason.”
“Mind sharing how you can detect ghost-type Pokemon?” Lucas glanced at Salem as he asked this question.
Shichiro smiled. “And spoils Bree’s fun? Not a chance.”
Lucas shrugged. There were probably methods that were available if he wanted badly enough to know how to detect them, but he had gotten so used to Salem appearing out of nowhere that he didn’t feel that it was necessary.
"Sabrina has been distracted of late," Shichiro said. "She has also begun to express her emotions more. I never expected her to open up so much. I guess I have you to thank for it.”
"So what is the point of this interrogation?"
Shichiro's expression turned fierce. "Other than my own family, she is the only thing I have left from the Kuroi name. She is like a daughter to me. You can be certain that I will meet her boyfriend and remind him what will happen to him if he hurts her."
Lucas nodded. "So, what do you have?"
“What?”
“How were you going to scare me?”
“It no longer matters,” Shichiro sighed. "It is hard to intimidate you when you have Bree on your side. If I do anything egregious, she is going to find a way to punish me for it. Besides, if you hurt Sabrina, you will have to be more concerned about what she does to you than I would."
“Banette,” Salem chuckled.
Lucas shuddered. He could almost imagine Bree sitting in her room, planning how she was going to hurt him if he ever messed up. Was there something worse than being turned into a doll?
"Sabrina has already suffered because she is related to me," Shichiro said, his voice rough. "It is because of me that she was suspended as a gym leader, and someone tried to get her into trouble by sending her on a mission to Pallet Town. My opponents would use anything against me, including making my niece appear bad."
"I hope you took care of the clown who assigned her the mission.”
Shichiro smiled tightly. "I made him regret his mistake. There is also the church, which is a major issue in and of itself. They regard Sabrina as an abomination, even though they are unaware that she has lost her psychic abilities. I don’t like how the church's influence has spread around the world in recent decades, but controlling them is nearly impossible."
"They have no influence in the Rota kingdom," Lucas reminded him.
“Yes. That would be an excellent place to retire with my family, wouldn't it?” Shichiro remarked. "There was another reason I wanted to meet with you. I don’t want to scare you off, but are you aware of the ramifications of dating my niece? You are going to come under a lot of scrutiny.”
“Nobody’s going to scare me away.”
“You say that with such confidence,” Shichiro said, shaking his head. "How wonderful it must be to be your age again and feel as if nothing can touch you."
This could not be further from the truth, because he had already died once, and it was partially his fault for being so damn curious. He now had a healthy sense of self-preservation.
Shichiro continued. "It’s fortunate that you have no criminal record and already have a promising career ahead of you, as it will make it more difficult for my opponents to spin it in the wrong way. Being an orphan is also a positive aspect because it demonstrates that you aren’t defined by your upbringing.”
"I feel extremely honoured," Lucas said dryly.
"It won’t be long before the word spreads that Sabrina has a boyfriend," Shichiro said, ignoring him. “So we need to get ahead of it and prevent any bad rumours from spreading.”
“What are you getting at?”
"I have prepared a news article that will be published tomorrow, revealing your relationship to the public. I wanted to meet with you first before I gave the final go-ahead."
Lucas groaned. “Have you told Sabrina?”
“Yes. She wasn’t very happy with me, but she understands that it's necessary.”
“Well, if it’s okay with her,’ Lucas said. “I knew it would get out sooner or later. We haven’t exactly been discrete.”
Shichiro stared at him intently. “You're taking this better than I imagined.”
"I know what I am getting myself into."
"No, you don’t,” Shichiro corrected him. "The next few months will be turbulent times for us, and you're going to get caught up in them."
“That sounds ominous.”
Shichiro leaned back in his seat, looking tired all of a sudden. “Has Sabrina told you about the work she is doing for me?”
Lucas shook his head.
"We are working to bring down the people responsible for her parents' murders," Shirchiro explained. "You might be wondering why I have not taken care of them yet after all this time. But proving they did it has been a long and difficult road, and I also have responsibilities to my family. That is going to change in the coming months, and it will be bloody.”
“Is it one of your political opponents?” Lucas asked.
"Yes, but he is merely a puppet for the real culprit," Shichiro said, leaning forward with a determined expression. "Team Rocket has been a thorn in my side for far too long. They are difficult to deal with because they have shady political connections and a vast amount of resources. But the latest incidents with Pallet Town and the cruise ship are just another nail in their coffin. I am no longer willing to look the other way."
That would certainly result in some bloodshed. He had to have a pair of brass balls to take on Team Rocket.
“What happened with the cruise line? Have you finished your investigation?”
“Not yet,” Shichiro replied. "However, we have enough information to make multiple arrests. The government will take over the operation of the cruise line."
"So, Team Rocket really had a stake in the company," Lucas mused.
"Did Sabrina tell you about that?" Shichiro inquired, before waving his hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. I suppose I can’t stop her from revealing some secrets. I heard that you are returning to Viridian City soon.”
“Yes. For the time being, it will serve as my base of operations."
At that point, Lucas realised he might have to reveal the truth about the mines. Because selling unrefined evolution stones was illegal, he would have to do so on the black market. If he told the government, he would lose half of his profits, but he would not have to mine them himself. Because of the growth potion, it was no longer his main source of income.
Now that he was dating Sabrina, he needed to be above reproach or it would harm her reputation. There was also the issue of having to deal with Team Rocket if he used the black market, and since the prime minister was about to declare war on them, he didn’t want to have any association with them.
"It is probably best for you to leave Saffron City," Shichiro told him. "It will allow things to settle down after the news of your relationship gets out. Sabrina will follow you in a few weeks. She will not be involved in the main conflict if I have anything to say about it."
The discussion was concluded, and Shichiro directed the driver to drop him off at Sabrina's apartment block.
Lucas walked up to Sabrina's flat, reflecting on his meeting with the prime minister. He felt the conversation with her uncle went much better than he had expected. It was clear that the man truly cared about his niece and only wanted the best for her. Although, he imagined he would be a formidable adversary if he ever hurt her.
Lucas entered Sabrina's flat using a key. She had given it to him last night, and he felt honoured by her trust in him. Sabrina was in the living room, and he nearly swallowed his tongue when he saw her wearing one of her kimonos. He was certain that she knew what that outfit did to him, and now she was deliberately teasing him.
“How did your conversation with Uncle go?” Sabrina asked.
Lucas sat down on the sofa, reached out, and lifted her onto his lap, causing her to gasp. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled her scent, completely intoxicated. She tilted her head to give him more access, and he gently pulled her kimono aside to kiss the hollow that ran from her neck to her shoulder. She squirmed on his lap, eliciting the expected physical reaction from him.
"Surprisingly well," Lucas replied, fighting the urge to groan as her bottom brushed against his arousal. "He told me about the news article."
“Are you okay with it?”
"I understand the need," Lucas said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Bree was there to provide support. I believe her presence convinced him that I could be trusted more than anything else.”
"Hmm," Sabrina replied, nodding. "That, and the background check he ran on you."
Lucas wasn’t surprised. A man in his position of power needed to be cautious, so he wasn’t particularly offended. "He told me what he was planning as well in regards to Team Rocket."
“He did?” Sabrina twisted around to look at him, surprised. It allowed him to plant a kiss on her lips, which she eagerly accepted. She then pushed against his chest, causing him to release her. “Don’t distract me. I am surprised my uncle confided in you.”
"I guess I just have a trustworthy face," Lucas joked before turning serious. "Having said that, there are a few things I should tell you. If I am going to look squeaky clean in your uncle's eyes.”
Her face took on a wary expression. “What is it?”
"I found mine a while ago," Lucas explained. "I stumbled upon it while exploring Viridian Forest. I realised I should have informed the government sooner, but I was too greedy at the time."
Sabrina relaxed. "Have you started mining it yet? Does anyone else know about it?”
“No. I only explored a part of it once and haven’t returned since."
"When you return to Viridian City, you can simply claim that you discovered it there and then," Sabrina said. "Are you upset that you have to give up half your profits to the government?"
“After hearing how your uncle is going head to head against Team Rocket,” Lucas asked. “Not really. Besides, I have another revenue stream that I need to speak about. But I need you to promise me not to say anything until I figure out what to do next.”
“I promise. What is the big secret?”
“You know that I am practising alchemy, right?” Lucas asked and continued when she nodded. “Well, I stumbled upon a recipe that everyone is now wanting to get their hands on after I sold it at the auction.”
“The growth potion?” Sabrina pulled back in surprise. “Your Enigma? My uncle has been going crazy trying to figure out who you are.”
“Would he try and take the recipe from me?”
Sabrina shook her head. “He isn’t like that. He would try to work out a business arrangement to have the potion manufactured and sold to everyone. It would provide a significant boost to the region's economy. But this is your creation, so use it however you want. I will not tell him that you are the one who made the potion."
"I always knew I could not keep the potion forever," Lucas said. "Having it manufactured and sold to everyone would result in significantly higher profits in the long term. But I think I will keep auctioning the potion for a while and take advantage of the interest that’s been generated to earn some easy pokedollars."
“That sounds smart.”
Lucas, no longer able to resist, moved his hand to the belt that held Sabrina's kimono closed. Sabrina shivered, letting out a small breath as the cool air of the room caressed her skin. As Lucas pulled back the fabric of her kimono, he caught a glimpse of her flawless form. Sabrina was stunning, a work of art that he couldn’t help but admire. She was wearing a set of lavender-coloured lingerie, and the delicate silk cups cradled her rounded breasts in a way that made Lucas's heart race.
With a low groan, Lucas pushed Sabrina onto her back, his body following hers as he slowly explored every inch of her. His hands moved across her body, tracing the curves and contours with a gentle touch that caused her to press up against him with increasing urgency.
“Are there any other secrets that you need to share before we go all the way?” Sabrina asked breathlessly.
"Only the fact that Meowth speaks like a human."
“What?”
==-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=
The next morning, Lucas awoke to a naked Sabrina beside him, her head tucked into his shoulder. He smiled and ran a hand gently over her body, causing her to squirm in her sleep. Even though they had sex several times late at night, he still couldn’t get enough of her. He felt slightly guilty for pushing her body so far since she was a virgin. But she was so sexy and insatiable that he couldn’t help himself. He had technically been a virgin as well; at least in this body.
Their relationship had reached a new level of intimacy, which only served to highlight how great they were together. He was tempted to stay in the city, but he knew he needed to deal with the mine. Besides, with the teleport towers, they were never too far apart, and one of them could visit the other if they had time.
He checked his watch and noticed that it was just past dawn. He got out of bed and headed to the shower. It served to wake him up and go over what he needed to do over the next two days. Before leaving for Viridian City, he wanted to make some more growth potions to sell, and he needed to find a safe way to get them to Jasper. He also wanted to compete in a match against the arena's representative.
Lucas grabbed the harness and the Vulpix egg and went into the kitchen. He was halfway through his breakfast when he remembered he needed to release Meowth from his pokeball. To increase his affinities, he had Meowth spend some time in his habitat each day.
"It is about time you let me out," Meowth said before noticing where he was standing. "Oops, you didn’t say you were going to be staying here."
"It’s okay," Lucas replied. "She knows you can communicate like a human."
“Well, dat’s good,” Meowth said, as he walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. “Sabrina has salmon! What a great gal.”
Lucas sighed in exasperation as Meowth took the package out and tore it open. He would have to pay her back for the food later, not that he thought she would mind.
While he waited for Sabrina to get up, he looked through his menu. With eight skill points at his disposal, he felt he had a lot of options for skill upgrades.
He didn’t hesitate to max out his bountiful gains skill, which cost him five skill points. But the cost was well worth it. He would now receive three pokedollars per level of the Pokemon he defeated. More importantly, his Pokemon gained two effort values per battle, which meant non-participants would now receive one. This would speed up the process of grinding for stats in the future.
After some consideration, he improved his Egg Insight skill as well. The second level showed him some additional information on the egg’s parameters. There were only two additions, but one of them was something he hadn’t expected.
=========
Pokemon Egg: Vulpix
Gender: Female
Parents: Ninetails (female), Ninetails (male).
Potential Inherited: 60%
Quality: High
Initial Level: 5
Time until hatching: 3 days
Are there any special requirements? Yes. The requirements have been met.
Bonded? Yes
Favorability: Liked 100/2000 (+10% stats)
Condition: Perfect
Experience: (0/10000)
===========
Lucas looked through the additional information. He was pleased to see that he had already bonded with Vulpix and that his favorability had reached the Liked stage. This was the advantage of developing a bond with an egg in its early stages.
The next bit of information confused the hell out of him, though. Why would the egg have an experience requirement? Could a Pokemon earn experience when they were still in their egg? What purpose would it serve? Perhaps it was to raise the Pokemon's initial level, but that didn’t make sense. There would be no benefit to gaining more levels before the Pokemon hatched.
Lucas retrieved the guidebook so he could understand the new addition. When he read up on it, he cursed himself for not increasing the skill sooner. The system was a troll that locked new mechanics behind higher skill levels. It felt like a game where the developer locked content behind a paywall.
If he managed to max out Vulpix’s experience, then he would gain some random benefits, such as an increase to a hidden stat or an extra trait. It was different for every Pokemon and it could be influenced by the quality of the egg.
To gain experience, he could apply the experience share patch to the egg, which would automatically transfer to the Pokemon when they hatched. The problem was that he only had three days until Vulpix hatched, so he would have to grind for more experience points.
Then a thought occurred to him, and he realised that he didn't need to exert any effort at all. He still needed to feed Icaria the two rare candies as part of her evolutionary bonus requirements. That was worth twenty thousand experience points, half of which would be shared with her teammates. So long as all experience counted and wasn’t limited to Pokemon battles, then he was golden.
Sabrina entered the room and greeted him with a shy smile. He opened his arms, and she slipped into his embrace.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Lucas asked.
"I am sore," Sabrina complained. "Someone kept me awake all night and wouldn’t let me rest."
"You were an eager participant," Lucas countered. “I didn’t hear any complaints at the time.”
Sabrina was distracted by Meowth and the three open packets of salmon on the table. “Did he just eat all of my salmon?”
"Hello, Mistress," Meowth said with a charming smile. "We are all part of the same family now, so you should share the wealth."
Sabrina raised an eyebrow at Lucas.
“Don’t worry. I will give him to you so he can work off the debt.”
“Meowth!”
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Lucas spent the day with Brock, showing him the basics of making gels and producing some more growth potions to sell. When he called Jasper about supplying him with more potions, the owner of the auction house was all too eager to accommodate his demands. Jasper would send one of his Pokemon to pick up the potions in secret. All of his earnings would be deposited directly into his bank account.
The trouble hit the fan when they emerged from his room and went down for dinner in the dining room. Since Sabrina had called him to tell him she was working late, he decided to spend the evening with Brock.
"Those people at the other table are staring at you," Brock told Lucas as he perused the menu.
Lucas looked up and spotted the people he was talking about. One of them was waving a newspaper around, and pointing at him. He knew what it was about immediately.
“Did you happen to read the paper today?” Lucas asked.
“Nope. You kept me busy making potions, remember?”
"Well, there is an article about Sabrina and my relationship in it. I imagine I will be getting a lot of attention from now on, and now they know where I’m staying.”
“Surely it can’t be that bad,” Brock reassured him. “It’s not like a reporter is going to come here to interview you.”
He wished Brock had kept his mouth shut and maybe those words wouldn’t have come true. He noticed that the dining room became crowded as he was eating his meal, but he paid no attention to the stares. But when there was a commotion at the door, he looked up and saw a woman enter, followed by a man with a camera on his shoulder.
“You're on your own, boss!” Brock rose from his seat and quickly left the dining room.
"Do you want me to scare the lady away, partner?" Meowth whispered to him as he noticed the reporter and her cameraman approach Lucas’ table.
‘It’s fine,” Lucas said, wiping his mouth. "I already have someone else for the job if she gets out of line.”
"Mr Walker," she said, sitting at his table without his permission. Everyone in the dining room fell silent as they watched the unfolding scene with interest. "Hi, my name is Irene from the Saffron Daily Dispatch. May I ask about your relationship with Miss Kuroi?"
Lucas pretended to give the question some thought. “No, I think I’m good.”
Irene’s eye hardened, but she retained an amiable smile. “Come now, Lucas. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are interested in the details of your relationship. How did you meet? What attracted you to her? Is it her relationship with the prime minister?”
“Didn’t you read the newspaper?” Lucas asked. “It has all the details that you need to know. Anything else is private. Can I get back to my dinner now?”
Irene didn’t leave and continued to pester him with questions. The cameraman got up close and shoved the camera in his face. Lucas was about to shove the man away when he was rescued.
Salem appeared in front of the camera lens, frightening the man so much that he fell on his arse. Meanwhile, Meowth had picked up the cold soup and proceeded to tip it over Irene’s head. She screamed and jumped to her feet, now drenched in green liquid. Irene was about to scream at him when she noticed Salem, who gave her a creepy smile, and she bolted for the door. Her cameraman followed her as she fled.
There was a brief period of silence before the dining room erupted in applause, and Meowth bowed with a flourish. Deciding that he had enough, Lucas grabbed Meowth and left the dining room. He would head over to Sabrina’s and wait for her there. At the very least, her apartment building was protected by security.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Lucas entered the arena to fight the representative. Every time you advanced to a higher rank, you were allowed to fight a representative. They were typically strong trainers with impressive arena records who were difficult to defeat. Even if he didn’t think he was ready, he didn’t want to leave the city until he had tried, at least. He had no idea who the representative was, but he didn’t doubt in his mind that his opponent had studied his battles and devised counter-strategies.
The audience cheered from the stands as Lucas took the stage. This was Arena Two, which was significantly larger than Arena One, where he used to compete at the lower rank, so the atmosphere was livelier. In addition, an announcer called out your name as you entered the stage, which added to the atmosphere.
“I think the crowd is here mainly to cheer on your opponent,” Meowth mocked him.
“That’s okay. I’m sure they will cheer for me by the end of the match.”
“You think you have a chance of winning, partner?”
"If all else fails, I can throw you into the fight. Who knows? Perhaps you can win based purely on the surprise factor, and you get your five minutes of fame."
"Not funny, Meowth."
His opponent stepped up onto the stage as he announced his name. “Please welcome Black Belt Shiro to the stage. He is the son of Master Kiyo, the leader of the Saffron City Fighting Dojo. He boasts a record of eighty-seven percent, and is about to rise to the next rank. Will Lucas be able to defeat his might?”
His opponent was dressed in a white gi with a black belt, which showed off his massive frame. What truly caught the eye, though, were his thick brows that looked like large, hairy caterpillars.
“At least you are more handsome,” Meowth whispered in his ear.
Lucas ignored him and waited as the referee went through the pre-match preparations. Just as the match was going to get started, someone came rushing into the arena and spoke to Shiro. The man frowned and shook his head in response to what the newcomer said, but the man became even more insistent.
Lucas' brows furrowed. What the hell was going on?
Eventually, it appeared as if Shiro conceded to the man’s demands, and he headed over in Lucas’ direction.
"Sorry, but it appears that another representative is interested in fighting you," Shiro said. He leaned forward, whispering. "You are Sabrina's boyfriend, correct? You should exercise caution when dealing with Zero. He is a Church of Arceus fanatic, and the way he is pushing me out to fight you doesn’t bode well."
“Who would call themselves Zero?”
Shiro shrugged and moved off the stage. Lucas’ new opponent arrived, but his name wasn’t announced, nor did the crowd clap for him. It didn’t seem to bother the man, and he headed straight for Lucas.
“What a creep, Meowth.”
Lucas couldn’t deny Meowth’s observation. Zero was undeniably unusual in appearance—extremely pale, slim, and completely bald. What stood out the most were the tattoos on his face and head, which Lucas identified as depictions of the legendary Pokemon.
"Peace to you, my friend," Zero said with a blank expression. He bowed slightly. “I am sorry to interrupt your match with Shiro, but I couldn’t wait to meet you.”
Lucas felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Despite the polite greeting, he was getting a bad vibe from Zero. Meowth seemed to feel the same way, as he drew closer to Lucas.
"I am curious why you would want to meet me," Lucas replied. "I do not believe we have met before."
"We have not met," Zero stated, his face breaking into a benevolent smile. "But when I heard about your relationship with Miss Kuroi, I couldn’t wait to meet you."
“What the hell are you talking about?”
"I understand that Miss Kuroi has led you astray, and I am determined to guide you back onto the right path. Miss Kuroi isn't someone you should be associating with.”
“Are all the members of the church as crazy as you?”
Zero kept smiling, but his blue eyes bore into him with unusual intensity. "I would like you to let this audience know that you are breaking up with Miss Kuroi. Rest assured, I am doing this for your own good."
“And if I don’t?”
"Then I must use force. Unfortunately, sometimes an iron hand is required to bring wayward sheep back into the flock."
He was done talking to this creep. “Let's just get this match started.”
Zero returned to his side of the stage, and the referee had to go over the match preparations again. An Alakazam raised a barrier above the stage, and the match began. It would be a two-on-two battle, and you would lose if either of your Pokemon became incapacitated or you forfeited the match. Zero didn’t wait for the referee to flip a coin to determine the order; instead, he reached for a pokeball and released his Pokemon onto the stage.
>Species: Mienfoo
Level: 27
Condition: Excellent
Threat Level: High<
Lucas used Insight on the Pokemon. He appeared to be a well-trained Pokemon with some impressive parameters. Still, Mienfoo had an obvious disadvantage against flying types, so his choice should be obvious. So, why was he hesitating?
He reached for a pokeball and summoned his companion onto the stage. He needed to stop letting this creep get into his head and focus on the fight.
"This wacko is going to cause some trouble," Meowth declared.
So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Lucas has a hard match on his hands, and he returns to Viridian City.
Thanks for reading.
