[TL/N: Read my new work - Detective Conan: I'm a Succubus?!]
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"So, you're Articuno? You're quite the sight to behold," Esdeath said, her tone calm yet commanding as she stared at the legendary Pokémon before her. Without hesitation, she pulled out a Poké Ball.
From a distance, Lorelei, watching the scene unfold, grew curious. "Who is this woman? I've never seen her before. But what kind of Pokémon will she use against Articuno?"
Lorelei had reason to be intrigued. Even a relatively weaker Articuno was capable of taking on most Gym Trainers with ease. But this one was clearly at its peak, a divine beast at full strength. Lorelei herself wasn't confident that any of her Pokémon could easily subdue it.
However, what happened next made her doubt her eyes.
To her utter disbelief, Esdeath didn't release a Pokémon from the Poké Ball. Instead, she charged straight at Articuno herself!
"A human? Taking on Articuno barehanded? Has she lost her mind?" Lorelei gasped, utterly stunned.
While humans in the Pokémon world are known to possess superior physical abilities compared to ordinary people, this was no ordinary Pokémon—it was a mythical creature of immense power. Lorelei quickly acted.
"No! I have to save her! Go, Lapras!" Lorelei released her Lapras, ready to intervene. But before she could act, Esdeath's next move left her questioning everything she knew about the world.
Articuno unleashed a blizzard of unimaginable power, creating a towering, sky-reaching tornado of ice and snow. In the mountainous terrain, Ice-type attacks were significantly amplified, making the blizzard even more formidable.
The winds howled as the icy storm threatened to consume everything in its path.
But then, in an instant, the tables turned.
"Freeze!"
With a sharp movement, Esdeath conjured an enormous icicle, transforming it into a colossal ice blade. With a single strike, she cleaved through the raging tornado, splitting it cleanly in two. The force of the attack barely diminished as it continued its trajectory.
Then, as if time itself had frozen, Esdeath appeared atop Articuno's back. Her movements were swift and precise, like a predator claiming its prey. With a mere wave of her hand, a series of razor-sharp ice spikes rained down from above, encasing Articuno in a crystalline prison of solid ice.
"What... what just happened?!" Lorelei's voice trembled with shock. "Is she even human? How can a person unleash such devastating Ice-type attacks? She didn't even use a Pokémon!"
Lorelei's disbelief grew as she watched the scene unfold. A human had defeated a legendary Pokémon barehanded. It was unthinkable, an event that defied everything she knew about the balance of power between humans and Pokémon.
"Am I even worthy of being called the Ice Elite? Compared to her, I'm nothing," Lorelei muttered, shaken to her core.
Esdeath, standing amidst the frozen aftermath, calmly approached the trapped Articuno. She gazed at it coldly.
"Well? Do you surrender? If you give in now, I'll let you off easily. Otherwise…" Her voice carried a chilling promise of further punishment.
Articuno's sharp, defiant eyes seemed to glare at her in response. But before it could muster another protest, Esdeath's expression hardened.
"Still stubborn, huh?" she said icily. Above her, dozens of massive ice spikes materialized, hovering menacingly.
Articuno, recognizing its predicament, gave in. In the Pokémon world, the strong command respect. And here was someone who had defeated it—using its own Ice-type strength. There was no choice but to comply.
With a reluctant cry, Articuno allowed itself to be captured. The Poké Ball closed with a soft click, confirming the capture.
Esdeath, however, didn't look particularly pleased. She glanced at the Poké Ball in her hand, her expression almost disappointed.
"Is that all it took? How dull…" she muttered. Then, reaching into her cloak, she produced a small device. A flash of light surrounded her, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished without a trace.
Lorelei, still in shock, tried to stop her. "Wait! Who are you? How did you do that?!"
But it was too late. Esdeath was gone, leaving behind only silence and a sense of unease.
"This… this is impossible," Lorelei whispered to herself. "No human should be able to wield power like that…"
Snapping out of her daze, she quickly grabbed her communicator.
"This is Lorelei. I have to report something urgent."
To her surprise, the communicator displayed only a single message: "Emergency. Return immediately."
"What's going on now?" Lorelei murmured, her confusion deepening.
Whatever it was, she had no choice but to comply. A heavy sense of foreboding settled over her. Somehow, she knew the strange woman she had just encountered was at the heart of whatever was about to unfold.