"Third Elder, why?! Why would you betray your own blood?"
Second Elder Yuan Tian roared, his fist slamming onto the heavy council table with such force that the wood splintered and collapsed into a pile of debris.
"Heh... 'Betray'?" The Third Elder, Yuan Jin, let out a sinister, rasping chuckle. The sniveling facade he had worn for years vanished, replaced by a cold, predatory gaze. "I've always been a man of the Temple. The real Yuan Jin died a long ti ago."
He stood tall, his aura shifting. "Since you've seen through , I suppose I'll just have to send you all to the afterlife. Without the Gracidea flowers, Shaymin is nothing but a toothless tiger. It has no real power left."
"Go, Infernape! Burn this pathetic guardian to cinders!"
A red-brown primate burst from the Poké Ball, the crown of fire atop its head erupting into a pillar of white-hot fla. It wore gold, swirled armor on its chest and shoulders, and its eyes burned with battle-lust.
"A Heaven-tier level... you hid your strength this deeply," Second Elder Tian muttered, his face grim as the Infernape exhaled a massive sea of fire that swallowed the center of the room.
"Shaymin," Feng Che said from the sidelines, his voice casual. "A re monkey is looking down on you. Are you going to take that?"
Sky Form Shaymin let out a sharp cry. Its hooves struck the remains of the wooden table, and translucent green ripples pulsed through the air. Suddenly, massive, gnarled roots erupted from the broken wood, forming a multi-layered shield of Hard Plant that snuffed out the flas. Without pausing, the reinforced vines whipped toward Infernape with the speed of a thunderbolt.
Sensing the overwhelming power of the Mythical Pokémon, the fake Elder paled. "Curse you! Staraptor, get out of here!"
He released a bird and scrambled onto its back, attempting to fly through the high windows of the hall.
"He's escaping!" Yuan Xiong shouted.
"He won't get far," Feng Che said calmly. "Shaymin doesn't like let-offs."
Infernape was instantly cocooned by the sentient roots, its fire unable to burn through the life-energy-reinforced wood. High above, the traitor urged his Staraptor to fly faster, but when he looked back, his soul nearly left his body.
Sky Form Shaymin was gliding right behind him, her wings beating lazily as if she were out for a stroll. She opened her mouth and spat two glowing green Seed Flares. The traitor felt his body go numb as vines erupted from his own clothes, binding him and his bird together in a leafy net.
THUD.
Shaymin dived back into the hall, dropping the bundled traitor and his bird onto the floor in front of Feng Che.
"Now," Feng Che said, standing up and looking at the remaining Council mbers. "Does anyone else object to becoming the new Head?"
The Elders bowed their heads in unison. Even the hot-headed Second Elder didn't dare speak a word.
"I've investigated every one of you," Feng Che continued, his voice echoing in the silent hall. "I have the evidence of your corruption, your embezzlent, and your side-deals. However, your sins are minor compared to this spy. Return the stolen funds to the clan treasury, and I will let the past be the past."
"The Gardenia clan is now in a State of War," he declared, his tone turning sharp.
"Second Elder Tian, take a squad and solve the Mothim infestation in the orchards. Seventh Elder Qi, you are a master of pharmacy second only to Kumamoto—find out why the dicinal fields are wilting. Fourth Elder, organize the combat units; I want them drilled to perfection."
"Yuan Xiong, Yuan Na—you will visit Celestic Town. We need to repair our relationship with the Draconid clan. Take a shipnt of top-grade Dragon-blood Berries and specialized Dragon Energy Roots as a peace offering. We need an alliance."
The Elders nodded fervently, eager to prove their loyalty.
"One more thing," Feng Che added, a small, dangerous smile playing on his lips. "My true identity stays in this room. To the world, Yuan Xiong is still the Head. I am rely a 'consultant.' And because I am a Master-rank Psychic... I have placed a ntal seal in each of your minds."
"If you even think about betraying the clan, you will feel a migraine that will make you wish for death. If you speak of my secrets to an outsider, the seal will detonate. If you don't believe ... feel free to try."
The Elders scrambled out of the room, leaving only Xiong and Na behind.
"He is just like the old Patriarch, Yuan Ba," the Second Elder whispered as they walked down the hall. "The way he controls Shaymin... the Guardian hasn't listened to anyone like that in decades."
Back in the hall, Feng Che looked at the bound traitor. "Now, 'Third Elder'... let's see what secrets you're hiding."
Feng Che used his psychic power to invade the man's mind. wtwo, help break through his ntal firewalls.
With wtwo's raw power assisting, the traitor's mind was laid bare. The man scread as his mories were harvested. When Feng Che finished, the spy slumped into a coma.
"I see now," Feng Che muttered. "He caused the internal rebellion twenty years ago. He's the one who burned the Gracidea fields. He isn't Yuan Jin; he's Akayuki, a Priest of the Silent Moon from the Sinnoh Temple."
"But if he's a Temple Priest," Yuan Na asked, confused, "why did the Temple send him such a massive 'bribe' of credits recently?"
_______________________________________________________
Read Advanced chapters on → patreon/Bagga_10
• Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus chapter...
• Push this Story forward with your [Power Stones]
User Comments
0 comments from readers