Pokémon: My Name is Lucario

Chapter 23: The Arrival of Takuma

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Inside a Mysterious Facility…

The once bustling research facility now lay eerily silent.

The scientists that once filled the halls had vanished without a trace.

The cloaked figures, once standing guard at every exit, had disappeared from their posts.

The only figure remaining was a thin, hooded man, his pale face barely visible beneath his cloak.

In his hands, he clutched a small, black mist-shrouded sphere.

"Soon… very soon… it will finally be mine."

His steps echoed through the empty corridors as he ascended to the top floor of the building.

Left in his wake were scattered piles of blackened ashes, vaguely resembling humanoid figures.

A gust of wind swept through the structure, sending the ashes whirling into the air—until they dispersed into nothingness.

The building stood in absolute silence.

---

Back at the Hidden Treehouse…

One human child.

Three Pokémon.

"Hello, I'm Riolu! These are Machoke and Poliwhirl," Riolu introduced himself.

"Whoa! Riolu? I've never seen a Pokémon like you before!"

The boy, Takuma, was brimming with curiosity. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he bombarded Riolu with questions.

"Where are you from? Are you a Fighting-type? Do you evolve? Can I catch you?—Ah! This translator headset… is it using frequency modulation? Does it convert sound waves into digital signals for interpretation? What's the range? Does it allow manual threshold adjustments…?"

Riolu's ears drooped in frustration.

His head was starting to hurt from Takuma's endless chatter.

But to his surprise, Machoke was completely engaged in the conversation.

Kneeling beside Takuma, Machoke eagerly discussed the science behind the translation device, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

"...@!?"

Riolu turned toward Poliwhirl, hoping for some support—only to find the blue frog Pokémon sitting in a corner, eyes closed, pretending to nap.

Riolu sighed. This guy really couldn't care less…

After a while, Riolu couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, okay, you two can talk later! Right now, we need to know—Takuma, how did you end up here?"

Hearing this, Takuma's excitement faded slightly. His expression turned serious as he recalled his ordeal.

"I was kidnapped by a group of black-cloaked people and taken to a research facility. They locked me in a room, and the only time I saw them was when they brought me food three times a day.

"But yesterday… something felt off. No one came to bring me food. And when I checked the door—it was unlocked.

"So… I escaped!

"I ran as fast as I could, but I was so hungry… I guess I passed out.

"When I woke up, you guys were here!"

Takuma glanced around, then suddenly spotted his backpack lying nearby.

"Ah! That's the bag I 'borrowed' from the facility!"

Takuma snatched it up, hugging it tightly.

"I bet there's good stuff inside! Those bad guys stole me away, so taking their things is just payback! I'm definitely not a thief!"

Takuma grinned sheepishly as the Pokémon gave him skeptical looks.

---

"A research facility…"

Machoke's expression darkened.

"Takuma, did you see a man in a white coat, with gray hair, black-framed glasses, and a mustache shaped like a 'V'?"

"A scientist?"

Takuma furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

After a moment, his eyes lit up.

"Oh! There was an old man like that!

"When I was escaping, I saw him running into another room.

"He helped me unlock the facility's front doors, but instead of running away with me, he kept saying something like 'I can't let this mistake continue.'

"Then he ran upstairs."

Machoke's eyes widened in shock.

His hands clenched into fists.

"That's him! That's the Professor!"

For a moment, Machoke looked ready to dash out the door.

Riolu quickly stopped him.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Riolu grabbed his arm. "Let's think this through first!"

"We've spent so long searching for him, Riolu!" Machoke's voice trembled with urgency.

Riolu took a deep breath, trying to calm his friend.

"Takuma, where exactly is this facility?"

"Hmm…" Takuma stood up, walking toward the treehouse's leaf-covered walls.

He peeked through a small opening in the foliage, pointing toward the east.

"I think… that way? It's pretty far. The whole place is surrounded by mountains."

---

"East…"

Machoke's eyes fell to the map he had been carrying.

Riolu leaned in, studying it closely.

Then—

"Wait—what's this huge red circle?"

Riolu's paw pointed to a marked region on the eastern side of the forest.

Machoke's expression hardened.

"That's the Toxic Marsh."

Riolu stiffened.

"The place where all the Poison-type and Ground-type Pokémon live…?"

"Yeah," Machoke confirmed. "If we want to reach the research facility, we'll have to go through it."

Riolu's fur bristled.

Poison…

One of the most terrifying status effects.

In games, being poisoned caused gradual HP loss over time.

In real life?

Poison could be deadly.

Riolu felt a shiver run down his spine.

---

"Hold on—Takuma, how did you escape then?"

Hearing Riolu's question, Takuma grinned proudly.

He reached up to his collar, pressed a hidden button, and—

"Pssh—!"

A gas mask inflated from his jacket, covering his face.

"This is my custom-built All-Environment Adaptation Suit!"

Takuma posed dramatically.

"It has a built-in gas mask, underwater breathing apparatus, night vision mode… and—"

Takuma tapped his right shoe.

"Also, check this out—"

With a click, a set of roller wheels popped out from the bottom of his sneakers.

Then—

"FOOSH!"

A burst of compressed air blasted from the back of his shoes.

Takuma shot backward—

"AAAAAHH—!"

CRASH!

He slammed straight into the wall of the treehouse.

Luckily, the soft leaves and vines cushioned the impact.

"…Oops."

Takuma laughed nervously.

---

Riolu stared in disbelief.

This kid is literally a walking gadget factory.

"…Can I borrow that?" Machoke asked, intrigued.

"Sure!" Takuma agreed without hesitation.

---

Suddenly—

"SHH!"

Poliwhirl snapped to attention.

"Quiet!"

The room fell silent.

From outside, the sound of flapping wings approached.

"They're searching for something…"

The birds circled overhead, scanning the treetops.

Then—

They flew away.

"Phew—"

Just as Riolu exhaled in relief—

"SKREEEEEEEE!!"

A piercing screech shook the entire treehouse.

Suddenly—

A massive, razor-sharp claw tore through the wall of leaves—

Slashing directly at them!