Chapter 170: Counter-Strike[1]
As Nurse Joy and Professor Oak departed for the award ceremony preparations, Xiu found himself alone in the control room with another assistant of Nurse Joy – the same young woman he'd briefly spoken with earlier.
"Aren't you going down for the ceremony?" she asked curiously, noticing he remained seated.
Xiu glanced away from the monitor wall, his expression neutral. "Someone needs to keep an eye on things up here, wouldn't you say?" He returned the question casually, "Aren't you needed down there?"
The assistant offered a polite, professional smile, not taking the bait. She turned her attention back to the main screen, which was replaying highlights of Kiba's final match. "I noticed you watching Kiba quite intently earlier," she remarked conversationally. "What's your impression of him?"
Xiu hesitated, unsure of her angle, opted for a safe, noncommittal answer. "I don't know him personally. His Pokémon seem well-raised, though."
To his surprise, the assistant chuckled softly, a hint of derision entering her tone. "Oh, those Pokémon aren't truly his. They're registered to his management company. Most of them have been with the company longer than Kiba himself has been a trainer."
Xiu couldn't help a faint, internal smile at the gossip. So, he's more of a figurehead, using company-owned Pokémon? Interesting. He kept the thought to himself, offering no outward reaction or agreement. He was currently operating under the guise of Oak's assistant; expressing strong opinions or engaging in gossip could reflect poorly or be misinterpreted, potentially dragging Oak into unwanted drama.
His silence seemed to bore the assistant. After another moment of watching the screen, she excused herself politely and left the control room, leaving Xiu alone with the technicians.
Xiu wasn't in a hurry to leave either. The control room offered a unique vantage point. He stood up and walked closer to the monitor wall, using the multiple camera angles to observe the broader situation unfolding in the arena.
Down on the field, Kiba was doing a victory lap, shaking hands with fans in the front rows, basking in the adoration. Staff were busy setting up a small podium and preparing medals for the award ceremony. Xiu's attention, however, wasn't on the spectacle below. His eyes scanned the crowded stands methodically, section by section.
His intense scrutiny didn't go unnoticed by the technicians seated at the consoles. They felt a prickle of awareness, like a supervisor unexpectedly observing their work. They straightened unconsciously, focusing intently on their monitors, feigning diligence.
Suddenly, Xiu's gaze locked onto a figure moving inconspicuously along an upper walkway near the edge of the stands. He leaned forward, tapping one of the technicians on the shoulder. The technician jumped slightly, startled, then immediately recognized Xiu.
"Brother," Xiu said quietly, pointing to a specific window on the monitor wall, "zoom in on that individual. Maximum magnification."
"Yes, sir!" The technician complied instantly, manipulating the controls, directing a high-powered camera towards the figure and adjusting the focus.
Even zoomed in, the image remained somewhat grainy, the distance and lighting limitations apparent. Xiu studied the figure – male, average build, unremarkable clothing, moving with purpose towards a restricted access area near the venue's upper structure. "Where does that walkway lead?" he asked the technician.
"Uh, nowhere specific, sir," the technician replied, consulting a schematic. "Just some utility access points, maintenance catwalks..."
"Isn't there an iron access gate up there?" Xiu pressed, recalling the venue layout. "Leading to the rigging, the dome structure above the arena?"
"Well, yes," another technician chimed in, confused. "But there's nothing up there but lights and support beams... why would anyone go up there now?"
Xiu's eyes narrowed. He looked up instinctively, visualizing the high, domed ceiling far above the arena floor. Lights... support structure... perfect vantage point for... A sudden, chilling thought struck him. "Hey!" he cursed under his breath.
He snatched the nearby communications handset from the console. "Patch me through to security dispatch," he ordered curtly. After a brief click, he spoke into the handset, his voice low but urgent. "Control room reporting. Suspicious individual spotted moving towards upper catwalk access, section G-9. Male, nondescript clothing. Keep visual track via internal cameras. Report his exact location and movement immediately."
His abrupt shift in demeanor, the urgent command, snapped the technicians to full alert. "Yes, sir!" the lead technician responded immediately.
Xiu waited, tense. After a moment, the technician reported back, his voice strained. "Sir, we've lost visual. There are blind spots in camera coverage on those upper access ways."
Damn it. Xiu didn't hesitate. He dropped the handset and bolted from the control room, running full tilt down the empty service corridor towards the location of the iron access gate the technicians had mentioned.
He reached the heavy iron gate within moments. It should have been locked. He pushed. It swung open easily.
He's definitely up there. Xiu grabbed the handset from his belt clip. "Control, this is Xiu. Access gate to upper structure at G-9 is unsecured. Subject confirmed heading into the dome structure. Inform Nurse Joy immediately. Lock down all main entrances and exits to the arena. Secure the main power conduits and broadcast equipment. I suspect accomplices might target those next."
He paused, then added, "Deploy immediate response team to my location. Subject is likely armed and equipped for sabotage. I am proceeding upwards." He clicked off the transmission before waiting for acknowledgement. Earlier, he'd hesitated to voice suspicions. Now, with confirmation, there was no time to hold back. He pushed through the gate into the dark space beyond.
Down near the stage, Nurse Joy was maintaining her serene public facade, waiting for the award ceremony to begin. Her assistant discreetly approached and whispered urgently in her ear. Nurse Joy's polite smile didn't falter, but a subtle hardening entered her eyes. She murmured a brief instruction back. The assistant nodded curtly and slipped away towards an exit. Nurse Joy remained in place, watching the preparations, her outward calm betraying nothing.
Moments later, a highly trained, five-member tactical team arrived swiftly and silently at the unsecured iron gate. They were clad in dark, non-reflective gear, moving with practiced efficiency. The team leader, scanning the darkness beyond the gate, gave a series of rapid hand signals. The team froze, alert.
"Target profile: Male, approx twenty years old, 177cm, wearing..." The leader quickly relayed the description provided by control. "Be advised, one friendly operative, 'Xiu', is already inside, pursuing the target. Maintain fire discipline. Avoid friendly fire."
The team members nodded almost imperceptibly. The leader unclipped a Poké Ball. "Go, Rattie!"
A surprisingly ordinary Rattata emerged, but its eyes gleamed with intelligence, and it moved with unnatural speed and silence, darting into the darkness beyond the gate, clearly trained for reconnaissance in tight spaces.
The team followed, melting into the shadows, leaving only one member – accompanied by a powerful Machoke – to guard the entrance. The space beyond the gate was a messy labyrinth of catwalks, support beams, wiring conduits, and ventilation shafts – areas rarely accessed except for maintenance.
Dust lay thick, and discarded equipment created numerous obstacles. The team navigated the treacherous environment with practiced ease, moving steadily upwards towards the main dome structure, following the faint trail left by their Rattata scout. They climbed ladders, crossed narrow beams, their movements disciplined and silent.
Yet, as they ascended towards the stairs leading to the highest levels, they found no sign of the target, nor of Xiu.
"Proceed," the leader whispered into his comm unit, his voice barely audible. The team continued their methodical ascent into the shadowy heights above the cheering crowd.
Down below, the host, oblivious to the drama unfolding high above, finished his recap of Kiba's tournament performance, whipping the audience into a final frenzy of excitement. "And now, give it up for your Viridian Invitational Champion... Kiba!"
Head Nurse Joy clapped politely along with the crowd, her smile fixed, betraying none of the tension tightening her shoulders. She subtly vacated the center stage position as Kiba swaggered out to accept his trophy, soaking in the roar of the crowd, the sound echoing powerfully enough to almost shake the very structure where, unseen, a deadly game of cat and mouse was playing out.
[1] Rainbow Rocket is scary bro fr