Pokémon Legendary: An Adult Pokémon Story
Copyright© 2025 by Subconscious_P
Chapter 12
Action/Adventure Sex Story: Chapter 12 - An adult semi-erotic Pokémon story set in a more realistic and brutal Pokémon world. Follow a Pokémon Region Champion as he and his rivals race to unlock the secrets of Legendary and mythical Pokémon while facing an unknown threat unlike anything he's faced before. Our champion and rivals will put their lives on the line as they face lethal puzzles, god-tier Pokemon, a deadly stalker, an evil alliance, and the the most powerful trainers in the world.
Caution: This Action/Adventure Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Romantic Heterosexual Fiction Fan Fiction Cheating Polygamy/Polyamory Interracial Black Male White Female Hispanic Female Oral Sex Public Sex
The press room at Amanecer City Cerebral Gym was packed to the walls, still buzzing from the historic match. Reporters leaned forward in their chairs, recorders and cameras aimed at the podium. Ace had just finished his questions a few minutes ago and had left the room. When Lucy Simon entered, the atmosphere shifted.
She was still wearing her battle outfit, but her usual sparkling grin was noticeably thinner. She set her notes down, adjusted the mic, and crossed her legs sharply as she sat. The applause was polite and respectful but nowhere near as thunderous as what Ace had received moments earlier.
Lucy’s blue eyes swept the room, unreadable. “Alright,” she said smoothly. “Let’s get this over with.”
The first reporter, a man in his forties with salt-and-pepper hair, stood.
“Ethan Marks, Calypso Daily News. Lucy, you had Ace down four to two. Then his dragons turned the tide. How are you processing that collapse?”
Lucy’s lips pressed into a tight line before she answered. “Processing? That’s a kind word. I’m furious. I had control. I had momentum, and I let it slip. That’s not the standard I built here, and it’s not the standard I accept for myself. He took advantage of one opening, and in this business, sometimes that’s all it takes, but believe me, blowing a lead like that? It will keep me up tonight.”
The next question came from a younger woman near the front.
“Marisol Vega, Trainer Channel. You Mega Evolved Alakazam, something we’ve almost never seen you do. Was that respect for Ace’s skill or desperation?”
Lucy’s laugh was short, but brittle. “Both. You don’t bring out Mega Alakazam for show. Ace pushed me there. I wasn’t holding back, because I couldn’t afford to. That said, Mega Evolution doesn’t guarantee victory. If you think it does, ask him how his Venusaur looked standing toe-to-toe with Mega Mawile in his last match.”
Cameras flashed rapidly. Another hand shot up.
“Jared Cole, Hoenn Battle Weekly. You’re known for psychological warfare; banter, baiting, breaking trainers mentally before the battle’s even halfway done, but Ace never flinched. Did that surprise you?”
Lucy exhaled through her nose, her smile tilting wry. “He annoyed the hell out of me, if that’s what you mean. Most trainers crack when I laugh at them. He didn’t. He looked me dead in the eye and played the long game. I’ve built a career on reading opponents before they read me, but Ace ... He’s harder to read than most, and that, yes, surprised me.”
A hand shot up in the back row.
“Hi Lucy, Naomi Richter, Pidgeot Gazette. A lot of people are saying you ‘choked’ this match, that you had him cornered and failed to close. What’s your response to that?”
The press room buzzed at the bluntness of the question. Lucy’s eyes sharpened, but she didn’t flinch.
“Choked? No. I fought, I pressed, I played to my strengths. He just adapted faster than I did in the final moments. That’s not choking. That’s the risk of battling someone who refuses to quit, but let me be clear: I don’t lose easily, and I sure as hell don’t vanish because of one stumble. The next time someone underestimates me because of this? They won’t make it out of the gym with their confidence intact.”
The next reporter was a tall man with glasses.
“Daniel Price, Battle Strategy Weekly. You’ve mentored plenty of trainers who failed here. What makes Ace different from those who didn’t win?”
Lucy hesitated a moment, then leaned closer to the mic. “He doesn’t play scared. Most challengers, even the strong ones, they hesitate when the weight of this battle sinks in. You can see it in their eyes. Ace doesn’t blink. He trusts his Pokémon, and that conviction? That’s not something you can coach. That’s ... different.”
Finally, a woman in the third row stood, voice sharp.
“Lucy, last one. Do you think Ace Tomlinson can actually go all the way? Can he win the Divine Challenge?”
The room fell into silence, every lens and microphone trained on her. Lucy’s jaw tightened. For the first time, her playful veneer slipped completely.
She exhaled slowly, tapping her manicured nails once against the desk. Then her eyes lifted, hard and piercing.
“ ... He’s dangerous enough to make me believe it’s possible, and that scares me more than I’d like to admit.”
The room erupted in murmurs and shouts, flashes exploding as Lucy rose. She didn’t wait for another question. She adjusted her blazer, gave one sharp nod, and walked briskly out of the press room, leaving the reporters buzzing in her wake.
PokéNet Live Feed
#DivineChallenge #AceVsLucy
@CalypsoNewsNow BREAKING: Ace Tomlinson defeats Lucy Simon in Amanecer City after one of the greatest comebacks in Calypso Island history. Being down 4-2, Tomlinson battles back and Dragonite’s Extreme Speed seals the win against Mega Alakazam. #AceVsLucy Comments (12.7k):
@psychicDawg_1994 HE DID IT AGAIN!!! HOW THE HELL DID HE PULL THAT OFF?! #ChosenOne
@BattleNet88 Lucy didn’t just lose ... she BLEW a 4-2 LEAD. That’s gonna haunt her. #LucyChoked
@DracoTheGOAT DRACO IS HIM Multiscale shrug Dragon Dance spin Extreme Speed clap LEGEND.
@iLuvLucy Stop with the “Lucy choked” memes. She had him cornered. Nobody else pushes Ace that far. Respect her name.
@SportsMemes247 This is worse than when the Lilycove Pelippers blew a 3-1 game lead over the Saffron City Kinetics. Tough to live this one down, Lucy.
@ProfRowanLeaks Not saying Ace is the Chosen One, but ... He’s now beaten TWO mega evolutions in a row. Both leaders forced to go full power. Both lost. Think about that.
@LeagueJournalist_Dan Odds makers just shifted Ace’s Divine Challenge chances from 10% → 40% after tonight. Unprecedented movement. Bookies are SHOOK.
@MemeFACT0RY Image of Draco standing tall after Sandstorm KO “When HR tries to Destiny Bond you but you call in sick.”
@BreederSeleneOrtiz Watching closely. If he makes it to Solamira, he better bring more than luck. #SteelStrong
@ScytherBlade26 Y’all worshipping him like he’s Arceus’ gift, but remember: if Lucy’s Thunderbolt crit Horus earlier, this match was over. He’s more lucky than good.
@YoungsterIan12 DADDY BUY ME A DRAGONITE PLZ?? I WANNA BE LIKE ACE!!!!
@Wallace_Official Still can’t believe what we witnessed. Lucy had momentum, control, and Ace found the one path out. That’s greatness.
@Who’sNextPoll Who’s next for Ace?
1. Gianna Mercury (Steel)
2. Chelsea Gomez (Water)
3. Malinda Olivares (Dark)
4. Surprise challenger
Votes: 112k (still live)
@ArceusBlessed Mark my words. He’s going ALL the way. #ChosenOne
“Live from Maria Bella on Calypso Island! Welcome to the Calypso Battle Analysis Show! I’m your host Rita Davis and with me as always is Professor Morales!
“Good morning!” The professor said waving to the camera.
Rita beamed as she continued. “Wallace will be joining us remotely in a moment, but whooooo! Professor! We gotta talk about that battle last night!”
“One for the books!” Professor Morales said excitedly. “If you missed this, then you missed one of the most epic battles in Pokémon history!”
“Let’s recap the match.” Rita said. “Lucy came out with Bronzong, and Ace opened with his Scizor. Looked like a good matchup on paper, but it went downhill fast for Ace.”
Professor Morales took a breath before responding. “Exactly, Rita. Lucy set the tone with Reflect, Trick Room, and then Sunny Day into Weather Ball. That turned Bronzong into a fire-spewing fortress. Ace’s Scizor never had a chance, down in just minutes. That’s Lucy Simon at her best: control the tempo, punish the obvious counters.”
Rita’s voice became more spirited. “And then Ace answered right back with Houndoom, Flamethrower in the sun and boom, Bronzong was gone. For a moment, it looked like Ace was back in it, but then Lucy unveiled Gardevoir...”
Professor Morales put his hands out to emphasize his point. “That Gardevoir was lethal. Focus Blast to wipe Houndoom, then Thunderbolt coverage to clip Ace’s Pidgeot out of the skies. Two of Ace’s Pokémon fell in quick succession, and suddenly Lucy had an early two Pokémon lead. The building was shaking. People thought Ace was finished right there.”
“And then the twist. Ace reveals Dragapult for the very first time.” Rita responded, smiling. “Specter looked incredible out of the gate, even scored a knockout on Mr. Rime, but Lucy countered with her Paldean surprise: Armarouge.”
Professor Morales smiled back. “Right, and Armarouge proved Lucy was ready for anything. Calm Mind into Armor Cannon, and Lucy anticipated Phantom Force perfectly. Dragapult was erased. At that point, Ace was down to his final two against Lucy’s four. That’s the kind of deficit almost nobody comes back from.”
Rita gave the professor a knowing look. “But then came the moment, the Hydreigon reveal.”
Professor Morales nodded. “Ghidorah was the turning point. Dark Pulse to take out Gardevoir, Draco Meteor to bring Gallade down in a double knockout. Ace sacrificed Hydreigon to reset the board. That was bold, that was calculated, and that kept him alive.”
Rita exhaled. “And then the anchor ... Dragonite.”
Professor Morales folded his hands. “Draco was the hero. With Multiscale intact, Dragon Dance stacking, and Sandstorm breaking Lucy’s Destiny Bond strategy, Dragonite dismantled Armarouge, and then that final exchange ... Rita, I’m still speechless.”
Rita Davis grinned. “You and the rest of the world! Lucy unveils Mega Alakazam, sets Trick Room, and pummels Dragonite with psychic attacks, but Ace pulls Extreme Speed out of nowhere, cuts straight through Psyshock, and one-shots her Mega. Ace Tomlinson completes one of the greatest comebacks we’ve ever seen!”
Professor Morales sat up straighter. “A four-to-two deficit against Lucy Simon, one of the most cerebral trainers in Calypso, and he wins it with his last Pokémon standing. Rita, this wasn’t just luck. This was composure, creativity, and conviction. Ace forced Lucy into her Mega, and still found a way to win.”
Rita Davis nodded. “So, the big question, Wallace will weigh in on this when he joins us, but Professor, right here, right now: does Ace Tomlinson look like someone who can actually go all the way in the Divine Challenge?”
Professor Morales paused for a moment, smiling. “Two battles in, he looks less like a dreamer ... and more like destiny.”
“Let’s bring in former Hoenn Region Champion and battle analyst, Wallace, who now joins us remotely. Good morning, Wallace!” Rita said, turning to the screen where Wallace’s face was projecting.
A moment passed and then Wallace answered smiling. “Good morning, Rita! Good morning, Professor!”
“Wallace, you were there with Dan Stevens calling the match.” Rita said. “Can you give your take on how that match turned out?”
Wallace nodded, his smile soft but his tone serious.
“Of course. What we witnessed last night was one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent memory. Lucy Simon had Ace in a stranglehold. She was up four Pokémon to two. At that stage, with her control of the field and Mega Alakazam still unrevealed, most trainers would have folded, but Ace didn’t panic. He adapted.”
Professor Morales leaned in, eyes sparkling. “And that’s the mark of a true champion! Think about the sequence. He sacrificed Hydreigon in that double knockout against Gallade. If he hadn’t made that call, Lucy’s Gallade could have swept the rest of his team with its boosted attack. That was gutsy.”
“Exactly,” Wallace agreed, gesturing with one hand. “It was a calculated risk. By forcing the double KO, Ace reset the board. Then he sent out Dragonite, and that’s where the tide shifted. He leveraged Multiscale to absorb a hit, stacked multiple Dragon Dances, and completely flipped the momentum, and then that Sandstorm call against Armarouge’s Destiny Bond? Absolutely brilliant. That’s textbook awareness under pressure.”
Rita grinned, pointing at the screen. “Wallace, I think the entire crowd lost their minds when Draco survived that Armor Cannon and just shrugged it off.”
“Oh, no doubt!” Wallace laughed. “That was a masterclass in timing abilities. Multiscale cut the damage in half, and from there Ace was playing three steps ahead. You could see it in Lucy’s eyes, she thought she had him locked, and he refused to give her the checkmate.”
Professor Morales added, “And then that ending! Extreme Speed versus Psyshock. We’ve seen hundreds of dramatic finishes, Wallace, but this one? Dragonite cutting right through Mega Alakazam’s strongest blow? That’s the stuff legends are made of.”
Wallace’s smile turned thoughtful. “It was more than just a win. It was a statement. Ace is not only strong, he’s proving that he can outthink, outlast, and outfight the best gym leaders Calypso has to offer. Mikaela fell, now Lucy fell, and both were forced to reveal their Megas just to try and stop him. That tells you something.”
Rita leaned forward at the desk. “So, Wallace ... the big question. Can Ace go all the way in this Divine Challenge?”
Wallace hesitated, then smiled knowingly. “It’s still a long road, six leaders remain, each with unique strengths and tactics, but if Ace keeps battling with this level of composure and resilience? Yes, I believe he can. Last night proved it.”
On the Calypso gym leader text thread, the ladies were going back and forth after witnessing the battle between Ace and Lucy. Lucy was noticeably not responding.
Gianna Mercury: Yoooo I’m actually speechless...
Mary Mortima: Yeah, I still can’t believe Ace pulled that off.
Malinda Olivares: Getting by on the skin of his teeth again...
Gianna Mercury: Lucy, girl, what happened?? You had a 4-2 lead!! You don’t blow that!
Chelsea Gomez: Comon, Gianna. She probably feels shitty enough as it is ... Don’t pile on.
Amber Pennebaker: Still though, Lucy usually finishes those matches in her sleep. What’s with this Ace guy?
Angelina Rohan: He’s different. That’s what it is.
Chelsea Gomez: Lucy? Sweetie? You okay?
Mikaela Faye: Probably doesn’t want to be bothered y’all ... I would know...
Gianna Mercury: Still, I’m shook. I thought it was OVER when Mega Alakazam hit the field.
Mary Mortima: Same. Ace looked dead in the water. One Psyshock away.
Malinda Olivares: Let’s not rewrite history. He WAS dead in the water. That Extreme Speed was a coin flip miracle.
Amber Pennebaker: Call it luck all you want, but he set that up with all those Dragon Dances. He made his own miracle.
Angelina Rohan: Exactly. That wasn’t luck. That was preparation meeting the one opening he needed.
Gianna Mercury: Ugh, fine, but Lucy STILL had him. I don’t get it.
Chelsea Gomez: Gianna, enough. She’s not answering because she’s rattled. You’d be rattled too if someone just ripped a win out of your hands like that.
Mikaela Faye: ... Yep. Trust me. It doesn’t feel good. Cameras in your face, reporters dissecting every mistake, the whole island suddenly acting like you’re washed. Sometimes silence is the only way to survive the first wave.
Angelina Rohan: Spoken like someone who knows.
Gianna Mercury: Sorry, Luce ... I didn’t mean it like that.
Chelsea Gomez: She’ll bounce back. She always does, but this Ace guy? He’s not like the challengers we’re used to.
Malinda Olivares: No kidding. He’s not just trying to win battles. He’s trying to rewrite the script.
Amber Pennebaker: Which means if any of us underestimate him ... we’ll end up the same way.
Mikaela Faye went to visit Lucy Simon at her mansion on the outskirts of Amanecer City.
Mikaela buzzed the call box from her sports car at Lucy’s gate multiple times, but there was no answer at first. After a few minutes pleading for Lucy to let her in, the gate suddenly opened.
Mikaela drove up the driveway, parked near the front door and hopped out of her car not even bothering to lock it. When she knocked on the double front doors, the butler, James, opened it.
“Good evening Madam Faye, I must advise that Madam Simon has requested no visit-”
“I need to talk to her.” Mikaela interrupted pushing past James.
Mikaela eventually found Lucy sitting by the pool in a robe and sweatpants. Her eyes were red and puffy, and there was a mounted television on nearby with pundits talking about her match with Ace.
“Mikaela, I want to be alone.” She said somberly as Mikaela walked up and sat on the pool chair next to her.
Mikaela glanced at the TV. The headline underneath the pundits that were talking said, “Ace Tomlinson upsets Lucy Simon in Divine Challenge. Simon blows 4-2 lead in loss.”
Mikaela turned back to Lucy.
“Luce, I understand how you feel.” She said softly.
“Do you?” Lucy responded bitterly. “It’s not just losing, Mikaela. All everyone’s talking about is that stupid 4-2 lead I blew, and now suddenly my whole career and legacy is being questioned.”
She turned away and starting sniffling. “All these years I’ve been an elite, calculated, master-level trainer. I’ve won at least a thousand battles in my career with minimal losses. I have careers outside of my gym leader duties. Great careers. I’m a legend in more ways than one, and now after this one loss, people seem to have forgotten all of that.”
Mikaela’s heart ached for her. She leaned back in the chair, folding her arms as she studied her friend.
“They haven’t forgotten, Lucy. They just ... smell blood in the water. That’s how the media works. One slip and suddenly you’re not brilliant anymore, you’re ‘exposed.’ Believe me, I’ve lived it.”
Lucy laughed bitterly, her voice hoarse. “Yeah, you and I have matching scars now, don’t we? They’re going to say I cracked. That I can’t handle pressure.”
Mikaela shook her head firmly. “No. What happened out there wasn’t you cracking. It was him.”
Lucy turned her red-rimmed eyes toward her, doubtful. “Him?”
“Ace,” Mikaela said, her tone steady. “That man isn’t like the others. He doesn’t play our game. You had him dead to rights. Four to two, and he still found a way. Do you realize what that means? It means you didn’t collapse. He forced you out of your comfort zone and then punished you for it. The same way he did me.”
Lucy stared at her for a long moment, her lip trembling. “But I was supposed to be the one exposing him. I was supposed to show the island that his match with you was a fluke, and instead ... look at me. Sitting here in sweatpants, crying by the pool like some washed-up has-been.”
Mikaela leaned forward, her voice quiet but sharp. “Luce. Stop. You’re not washed-up. You’re Lucy freaking Simon. You’re still one of the most brilliant trainers this island has ever produced. Don’t let one loss erase all that in your own head.”
Lucy swallowed hard, her eyes brimming again. She wiped at them with the sleeve of her robe. “Then why does it feel like everything I built just collapsed in one night?”
“Because it was Ace Tomlinson,” Mikaela said simply. “And whether you want to admit it or not ... we might be looking at the guy who’s going to run this entire gauntlet.”
Lucy blinked, startled by the seriousness in Mikaela’s tone. “You really think he will?”
Mikaela gave a faint, almost rueful smile. “I don’t know if he will, but I think he has the best shot out of anyone before him, and that’s what scares me. That’s what scares all of us.”
For the first time that night, Lucy didn’t argue. She just stared into the glowing reflection of the pool, the sound of the pundits still echoing from the mounted TV, her hands clasped tightly together.
Mikaela sat there with her, silent now, simply keeping her company. The two of them Calypso icons, stars, reduced, if only for one night, to women nursing the sting of defeat, wondering if a single challenger was about to change everything they thought they knew about themselves.
Back at the underwater fortress, several miles beneath the ocean surface. The automatic doors to the Command Boardroom hissed open. Inside, only two figures were present: Ghetsis and Giovanni.
The room was quiet except for the faint pulse of machinery. Giovanni stood near the long window that overlooked the abyss, his reflection merging with the dark sea. Behind him, Ghetsis entered, his steel cane tapping once on the metal floor before the doors closed behind him.
“You’re late.” Giovanni said evenly without turning around.
Ghetsis smiled. “I was overseeing the final synchronization of the control wave. It’s performing beautifully.”
Giovanni turned slightly, a rare smile ghosting across his face. “So, I’ve heard. The reports from your engineers claim total obedience across multiple test subjects. That’s impressive ... considering it’s just an evolution of something my team already built.”
Ghetsis chuckled quietly.
“Ah yes, the radio signal experiment in Johto. Ingenious for its time, but crude. Limited range, unstable resonance, and worst of all, temporary control. My men studied your work extensively, refined the signal’s harmonic structure, and perfected its amplitude feedback loops. What you began ... I completed.”
Giovanni’s smile faded. He folded his arms.
“And I should trust that? You’ve brought together every failure this world’s ever produced, and now you expect me to believe you’ll succeed where everyone else fell?”
Ghetsis stepped closer, the light glinting off his red monocle.
“Oh, Giovanni ... you misunderstand. They fell because I wanted them to.”
Giovanni’s brow twitched. “What?”
Ghetsis slowly circled the table. “I never told the others this, not Maxie, not Archie, not Cyrus, not Lysandre, but you deserve the truth. After all, you were the first among the others to establish yourself.”
He stopped beside Giovanni, eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction.
“It was I who whispered to Dr. Fuji in his grief of losing his daughter. It was I who suggested he partner with you, leading him to spearhead that excursion to find that fossilized eyelash of Mew. You thought it was destiny that created Mewtwo? No. It was design ... my design.”
Giovanni’s eyes narrowed.
Ghetsis continued. “It was I who leaked to Maxie the coordinates of the ancient texts describing Groudon. I stoked his pride until obsession consumed him, and when his ambition birthed Team Magma ... I applauded.”
He continued pacing, voice low, rhythmic like a sermon.
“It was I who fed Archie tales of Kyogre sleeping beneath the waves, knowing it would pit him against Maxie for eternity. It was I who, wearing another face, whispered to Lysandre that humanity was a disease. He believed he was acting on philosophy, when in truth, he was acting on my words.”
Ghetsis stopped right beside Giovanni. They were fully facing each other now.
“And it was I who financed the Galactic Corporation through dummy investors, giving young Cyrus the means to build his machines ... and his god complex.”
Giovanni remained silent, his jaw tightening.
“Every world-changing event, every cataclysmic release of legendary power, Mewtwo, Groudon, Kyogre, Dialga, Palkia, Yveltal, Xerneas, they all trace back to me. I was not a participant in history, Giovanni. I am history’s architect.”
Giovanni exhaled slowly, his tone icy. “You’re telling me you’ve been pulling strings for decades. Manipulating every syndicate from the shadows. So, tell me ... why bring us all together now?”
Ghetsis smiled, slow and predatory. “Because now ... it’s time for the final act.”
He pressed a button on his cane. The holographic projector at the center of the table flickered to life, displaying a massive diagram. There were rows of captured Pokémon restrained in containment pods, each connected to a glowing array.
“The perfected control wave. Based on your technology, stabilized through resonance algorithms from Kyurem’s DNA. It no longer merely influences Pokémon, it binds them. Their will becomes mine.”
Giovanni studied the hologram, and the faint shimmer of captured legendaries within it.
“So that’s how you controlled Kyurem before.”
Ghetsis nodded once. “Yes, and now that same wave can locate, awaken, and enslave any Pokémon on this planet. We have their energy signatures. We have the means. Soon, we will have the army.”
Giovanni crossed his arms again, skeptical. “An army of gods. To what end?”
Ghetsis’ smile returned, faint and chilling. “To conquer what lies beyond them.”
Giovanni tilted his head slightly. “You mean Arceus.”
“Precisely.” Ghetsis answered. “And should the Original One refuse subjugation ... this army will serve as the failsafe to bring it to its knees.”
Silence filled the boardroom. The only sound was the hum of the fortress around them. Finally, Giovanni spoke, his voice low.
“You’re either a genius ... or the most dangerous lunatic alive.”
Ghetsis smiled wider. “Why not both?”
The holographic map on the table suddenly expanded glowing red dots marking every region.
Ghetsis gripped his cane with both hands. “We will begin the harvest soon. Every legendary, every Titan, every so-called god ... will kneel.”
The reflection of the map painted Ghetsis and Giovanni in blood-red light.
Giovanni’s eyes narrowed, his reflection framed against the red holographic light of the map.
“I need to see for myself.”
Ghetsis blinked, faint amusement flickering behind his monocle.
“Forgive my confusion, Giovanni, but you already did see for yourself, with Lugia.”
Giovanni’s tone cut through the hum of the room. “No. I need to see that you can truly control them in the field. I need to see obedience. Proof that your so-called perfected wave doesn’t just influence ... but commands.”
Ghetsis let out a low, knowing laugh. His cane tapped the floor once.
“Ahh ... I see. You’d like a true demonstration of their loyalty.”
He turned, walking several steps toward the panoramic window that overlooked the abyss. The silhouettes of massive creatures drifted faintly in the deep, leviathans bound by unseen chains. Then Ghetsis stopped, pivoted slowly back toward Giovanni, his grin spreading like a crack across glass.
“Very well. We will deploy Lugia.”
The words hung in the cold air. Giovanni’s smirk returned, slow and deliberate.
Ghetsis continued. “Let it demonstrate its power to the public ... and show them that it bends to our will.”
Giovanni’s expression hardened into something between approval and hunger.
“Good.” He paused before ending with, “And I know the perfect place to send it.”
Ghetsis tilted his head slightly, intrigued, but not questioning. “Then consider it done.”
He pressed a button on his cane, and the holographic map zoomed into Lugia’s containment chamber illuminating deep beneath the fortress. The faint echo of its cry reverberated through the steel walls, distant but thunderous.
The two men exchanged looks like predator and serpent.
Twenty-four hours later, Ace was in the back of a rideshare vehicle when he pulled up to Mikaela Faye’s front gate leading to her luxury villa on the coast of Calypso Island about two miles from Maria Bella. Mikaela had sent him a message asking for him to come by to discuss something she deemed important.
The cloudless sky was lit up by the full moon. The waves crashed against the rocks below. The gate opened almost immediately. Mikaela was clearly waiting for Ace. The SUV proceeded inside to the front door where Ace hopped out. As he approached the door, the door opened and one of Mikaela’s maids appeared.
“Hi Mr. Tomlinson. Please follow me. Ms. Faye is expecting you.”
“Thank you.” Ace said politely.
Ace followed her through the fancy marble villa and out the back door where Mikaela waited in the back yard of her house overlooking the ocean. The air smelled of salt and jasmine. The waves below crashed rhythmically against the cliffs, a lullaby for anyone who wasn’t about to be told they were marching to their death. The maid gestured Ace toward Mikaela who was standing there, arms folded wearing a simple black jacket over a pink tank top, fitted black jeans and black stylish boots with heels on them.
The maid left them and went back inside, shutting the door behind her. Mikaela’s face was expressionless when Ace approached.
“Hey.” Ace said, walking up to her.
“Hey.” She responded simply, her arms hugging themselves.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
“So ... You wanted to talk?” Ace asked uncertainly. “Your text sou—”
“Ace, you need to withdraw.” Mikaela suddenly said cutting him off.
Ace was caught off guard not expecting that statement.
“Wait ... what?” He said, shaking his head, still processing what she just said.
“The Divine Challenge. Quit before it kills you.” She repeated.
Ace stared at her for a second.
“Why? What’s this about, Mikaela?”