29: Chapter 29 Usurpation, Demons Enter the City

The entrance checkpoint for Viridian City was brightly lit.

Barricades were layered one after another.

Searchlights swept back and forth through the curtain of rain.

Special police held their guns, while Arcanine and Growlithe sniffed around the traffic, white steam puffing from their nostrils.

Every driver hunched their shoulders, terrified of being implicated by that S-Class wanted poster.

The black SUV waited quietly in line.

Inside the car, Lynn turned off the radio.

He picked up a dark green military coat from the back seat. It was a uniform Lt. Surge had worn in his youth—thick material, sharp shoulder lines, and a faint scent of gunpowder lingering at the collar.

Lynn put on the coat and fastened the brass buttons.

The hem hung down, covering his mechanical left leg and suppressing the scent of blood he had brought with him from the battlefield.

He donned a black wide-brimmed fedora, pulling the brim low, transforming himself into a somber, cold-hearted military consultant.

Porygon-Z spoke in his earpiece.

[Biological scanning and iris verification ahead. The fake identity has been written to the inspection terminal.]

"Make it clean."

The traffic moved forward.

Soon, it was his turn.

"Stop! Kill the engine! Submit to inspection!"

The sergeant knocked on the car window, his hand resting on his gun.

The Growlithe beside him suddenly lowered its body.

It smelled the scent of scorched earth and blood inside the car, along with something that made its fur stand on end.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

The Growlithe barked frantically.

A dozen red laser dots landed on the car body.

"Get out of the car! Hands on your head!"

The car door opened. Black military boots stepped into the stagnant water.

Lynn stepped out, slowly adjusted his cuffs, and then looked up at the Growlithe.

His gaze was very calm.

So calm that the dog shut its mouth immediately.

The Growlithe tucked its tail and whimpered, hiding behind the sergeant's legs.

The sergeant was stunned.

Lynn produced a deep blue ID card.

"Silph Co. technical consultant, Lister."

"I am under orders to escort a shipment of important materials back to the Viridian branch."

The sergeant took the ID and swiped it on his handheld terminal.

The PDA in his pocket lit up briefly. Beep. The green light turned on.

Information popped up on the screen.

Name: Lister.

Position: Silph Co. Special Consultant.

Clearance Level: A.

Remarks: Executing confidential mission, exempt from inspection during wartime.

The sergeant's expression changed immediately.

In Kanto, Silph Co. meant money, technology, and connections. They provided much of the equipment, communications, and urban security.

"So it's Consultant Lister!"

The sergeant hurriedly saluted and returned the ID with both hands.

"Apologies, we are under orders to hunt for Lynn. High command has issued strict orders—we'd rather check wrongly than let him slip through."

"Lynn?"

Lynn took the ID and turned to look at the pitch-black forest behind him.

"I hear he's a cruel man."

His tone carried a hint of regret.

"I hope you catch him soon."

The sergeant immediately waved his hand. "Let him through!"

The barricade slowly opened.

Lynn sat back in the car and rolled up the window.

The SUV growled as it passed through the defensive line.

In the rearview mirror, the sergeant was still saluting the rear of the car.

It was ironic to the point of being comical.

After entering the city, the rain eased up a bit.

Viridian City was heavy and gloomy, with grey buildings lining the streets, like a fortress pressing down on the ground.

Refugees huddled under the eaves.

Some held their children.

Some were wrapped in blankets.

Some stared at the wanted poster on the advertising screen, their faces turning pale.

"Fifty million?"

"Just how many people did that Lynn kill?"

"I heard he can summon monsters and even hung Gym Leader Lt. Surge from a tree..."

Lynn parked the car in an inconspicuous alley.

This car was too conspicuous, and it still carried the scent of Lt. Surge; continuing to drive it would only invite trouble.

He blended into the stream of refugees, pulled his hat brim low, and walked past a few young people discussing the wanted poster.

Those people looked up at the screen, never imagining that the demon in the photo had just brushed past them.

"Porygon-Z, route."

[Viridian Gym, 2.5 kilometers away. Recommend taking alleys or underground drainage channels.]

"No."

Lynn looked up.

In the center of the city, that massive gym loomed in the rainy night like a silent, black mountain of rock.

Viridian Gym. Giovanni's territory. The face that Team Rocket hid on the surface.

"I'm here to visit the master, why should I hide?"

He walked through the crowd, step by step toward the gym.

The League speaks of fig leaves; the underworld speaks of price tags.

In his hands, Lynn held the materials left by Lt. Surge, a Pupitar, a Gengar, a Porygon-Z, and a patch of scorched earth he had just claimed.

To Giovanni, he was dangerous. And very valuable.

Half an hour later, he stood before the Viridian Gym.

Roman columns supported the dome, and the Ground-type badge was carved into the main door, as heavy as a seal pressing down on the city.

Late at night, the gym was still lit.

Two rows of bodyguards in black stood at the entrance.

Their eyes were completely different from the League police. Colder. Dirtier. More like blades.

Team Rocket.

Lynn stopped in the shadows, where the streetlights couldn't reach.

Porygon-Z reported in a low voice:

[There is a massive hollow underground. Many armed personnel.]

"I know."

Lynn smelled conspiracy, money, and the immense power trapped underground.

A bodyguard spotted him.

"Who's there? The gym is closed, get lost!"

Lynn stepped out of the shadows.

The dark green military coat was soaked by the rain, and the black fedora pressed down over his eyes.

The light illuminated his face. That face was currently hanging on advertising screens all over the city. Worth fifty million.

The bodyguard's pupils shrank, and he scrambled to reach for his communicator.

"It's him! S-Class—"

"Shh."

Lynn raised a finger.

The shadow stretched.

Gengar appeared silently behind the bodyguard, its Shadow Claw pressing against his waist.

"Don't be nervous."

Lynn spread his hands, his smile very faint.

"I'm here to talk business."

He looked up at the black floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor.

"Tell Giovanni."

"Lynn is here."

"Bringing the draft of Project M, and a blade capable of stabbing through the League."

Lightning flashed across the sky.

The gym gates slowly opened.

The darkness inside spilled outward, as if it were a giant mouth.

Lynn stepped onto the stairs.

The bodyguards at the gym entrance froze in place.

Hearing the words "Project M draft," his face turned from white to green.

Such things should have rotted underground; they should never have been shouted by an outsider standing at the door.

Yet Lynn had shouted it very softly.

Softly enough that only the two rows of men in black at the door could hear it clearly.

And softly enough that the master behind that floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor could just hear it.

A burly bodyguard stepped forward, his Poké Ball already popped open by half an inch.

Lynn didn't even look at him.

Gengar's shadow stretched from the ground, coiled around that wrist, and twisted gently.

Snap. Bone dislocated.

The bodyguard was covered in cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and didn't cry out.

"Better quality than the League soldiers."

Lynn commented.

A low bell rang from inside.

All the men in black withdrew their hands simultaneously and returned to their original positions.

The gate opened completely.

A middle-aged man in a silver-grey suit walked out, wearing a formulaic smile.

"Mr. Lynn."

"The Boss invites you in."

When he said the word "invites," his gaze remained fixed on the shadow at Lynn's feet.

Clearly, he was also afraid that the shadow would suddenly bite someone.

Lynn stepped inside.

The gate closed behind him. The sound of rain outside was cut off by the heavy door panels.

The interior of the gym was surprisingly spacious.

The floor was polished to a shine, and statues of Rock and Ground-type Pokémon stood on both sides.

Security cameras were hidden in the eyes of every statue, and armed bodyguards stood behind every pillar.

On the surface, this gym was a competition venue registered with the League.

Below, it was the real nest.

As Lynn passed through the front hall, he saw several people in white coats pushing sealed crates as they hurried by.

A faint thumping sound came from inside the crates. A Pokémon was struggling inside.

Lynn paused for a breath.

The man leading the way immediately explained:

"Ordinary research materials."

Lynn smiled.

"I like ordinary."

The man leading the way broke into a sweat and quickened his pace.

They walked into a private elevator. The door closed.

The elevator descended all the way. The floor display jumped rapidly.

Porygon-Z reported in a low voice in Lynn's ear.

[Third underground floor, armory.]

[Sixth underground floor, Pokémon cages.]

[Ninth underground floor, experimental area.]

[Continuing descent.]

Lynn tapped his cane with his fingertips.

Giovanni invited him in. He was also showing off his muscles.

Very good. Showing blades before negotiation meant the other party was serious.

The elevator continued to descend. The metal walls reflected Lynn's face.

Pale, calm, like a guest who had just walked out of a funeral.

The man leading the way wanted to speak several times but swallowed his words.

Lynn suddenly asked:

"Does Giovanni usually host guests like this?"

The man's back stiffened.

"The Boss values people of worth."

"People of worth are usually dangerous as well."

"Only dangerous people are worth taking this elevator."

Lynn smiled. That answer was very Team Rocket.

Blunt, prickly, and probing.

"Then how much do you think I'm worth?"

The man hesitated for a moment.

"The League's offer is fifty million."

Lynn shook his head.

"That's the price they put on me for dying."

"A living me is worth more."

The air in the elevator grew heavy.

Sweat beaded on the man's forehead.

He finally realized that when this person stepped in here, he had already placed himself on the shelf.

And he intended to raise the price himself.

Ding. The elevator stopped.

Before the door cracked open, Lynn straightened his military coat.

He knew a tiger was sitting outside the door.

But he held bloody meat in his hands.

Tigers bite. But they also smell the meat first.

The demon enters the city.