Pokemon: Radical Redux-Chapter 327: Clear Bell stolen

A long time ago, there were two brothers, Sorin and Luno. Between them, they founded the Eclipse Castle, which became an important place in Ecruteak.

But then the day came when they needed to elect a leader, and the people chose Sorin. He was more respected. This democratic choice left Luno feeling betrayed and alienated.

Sorin tried to reassure his brother, telling him he'd pass on the title and that he'd be the second liege. He was just as capable a leader, probably even a better leader than Sorinl, and Sorin would have agreed.

But people trusted Luno less. They always called Sorin 'the little sun' It wasn't about capability, just who they liked more, and that wasn't Luno.

So, feeling like he was betrayed of what should have been his, he did something in his own desperation, he betrayed his brother and tried to assassinate him.

That attempt failed, and Luno took his clan and left. Centuries later, the newest member, Ilunas, became the head of his clan. But he was always haunted by the shame of the failed coup, and for that, he and his family had been living in secret the whole time.

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In his rage, Ilunas decided he would finish what his ancestors started, but this time, he wouldn't fail. He wouldn't just go in and attack.

So he did something he wasn't really proud of, but it was something he had to do. It was all for his end goal, the ends justify the means, after all.

While that was happening, he spied on the castle and saw what looked like Soleil, the next in line, going outside unprotected, without her Espeon or Umbreon, just some kids. He couldn't waste this chance.

He tried to execute his plan, throwing a kunai connected with his Ariados' web. But to his surprise, the boy next to her grabbed her and caught it, in the process exposing him.

He had no choice. He ran away to regroup, cursing himself and Soleil for having such a non-threatening-looking bodyguard.

But no matter, he thought as he ran away. The people he hired had gotten him what he wanted.

At his clan's headquarters, deep in the forest, he met up with them.

When he got there, he saw the group he hired, one had blue hair, the other had red, and there was a cat in the center. Team Rocket: Jessie, James, and Meowth, with a Wobbuffet in the back.

"Did you get it?" Ilunas asked, not caring for formalities.

"Of course we did," Jessie said smugly. "Who do you think we are?"

"We're not exactly sure why ya only wanted one, but here. Jimmy, give it to the man!" Meowth commanded.

"Alright, alright, here," James said, walking up with one of the Clear bells from the Bell Tower in his hand. "It wasn't easy getting this, you know. All those Ghost-types almost alarmed everyone, but we did it. You better be thankful."

Ilunas took the bell. "Good. With this, I will take over..."

"How about our payment~" Jessie said, rubbing her hands together. Sure, they still had a lot of money from when they robbed James's parents' house, but more money never hurt.

"I told you, once I become the liege, you can take your pick from the treasury. You'll be paid your weight in gold."

Jessie, James, and Meowth pumped their arms in victory, giving each other a high five as Ilunas held the bell in his hand. He shook it, creating a soft chime that rang through the forest.

Suddenly, the forest around them began to tremble, as if something was approaching. No, it wasn't just one thing, it was multiple. Jessie, James, and Meowth exchanged nervous glances, instinctively huddling closer together, while Ilunas stood his ground.

From every corner of the forest, Pokémon began emerging. Butterfree, Beedrill, Parasect, Tangela, Spinarak, Ariados, Gligar, Gastly, and Noctowl marched forward, their eyes burning with anger, all of them glaring directly at Ilunas.

Ilunas remained unfazed. He grabbed a katana and pressed its tip against the bell, his gaze locked onto the advancing Pokémon.

"You're all here for the bell. If any of you take one more step, I'll shatter it," he warned, and he meant it.

The Pokémon flinched, their fury momentarily subdued. They knew the significance of that bell; it was one of the few things connected to Ho-Oh, and they couldn't risk it being destroyed. So they stopped, waiting to see what Ilunas would do next.

"Good," Ilunas continued. "Now listen up. We are going to take over Eclipse Castle until I become the liege. Once I am the liege, only then will I return the bell. And if any of you try anything, I'll shatter it. Got it?"

The Pokémon had no choice. As much as they despised this, they couldn't risk losing the bell. Begrudgingly, with anger still in their eyes, they nodded.

Ilunas smirked. "Good. Now prepare for battle, we strike during the eclipse."

Jessie, James, and Meowth exchanged glances, debating whether they should join in or just kick back and enjoy the show. After all, it might be nice to watch someone else do the work for a change.

—---

{Meanwhile}

Morty stood outside the Bell Tower, his eyes closed as he waited for someone. He was meditating, honing his Hex skills, while his Gengar lingered in his shadow, ever watchful.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and glanced to the side, spotting his approaching friend, the legendary Pokémon researcher, Eusine.

Eusine smiled as he walked up. "Hey, Morty, miss me around here?"

Morty returned the smile and clasped Eusine's hand. "Eusine, it's been a year, hasn't it?"

"I think exactly today," Eusine said, his gaze drifting toward the distant Burned Tower. "Yeah... a year..."

Morty noticed the look in his friend's eyes. "Hey, what's up, man? You look like something's on your mind."

"Nah... I guess I was just remembering a girl I met last year."

"Ohhh, do you have a crush?" Morty teased.

Eusine quickly shook his head. "No! She was too young for me, eleven, I think. So no." He sighed. "It's just... we met in the Burned Tower, and some stuff happened. But it's nothing important now. She's probably not even here anymore."

"Ahh, right, I get it," Morty said, shaking his head. "But I swear, one of these days, we need to get you a girlfriend."

"Oh, you wanna help? How about sending one of the Kimono Girls my way?" Eusine smirked. "You can't be that greedy~" he joked. Of course, he wouldn't actually ask Morty that, he knew full well that Morty was dating all of them.

Morty laughed. "I'm afraid even if I wanted to, they wouldn't be too keen on that."

"Ahh, shame. Then I guess it's the bachelor life for me," Eusine said, dramatically feigning sadness.

"Truly a shame," Morty said with mock pity, shaking his head.

"Anyway, why did you call me over? You know I'm always busy with my research," Eusine asked. It wasn't often that Morty, of all people, asked for help.

"Oh, well, you see, I want you to tell me about Ho-Oh, anything you know," Morty said. But this wasn't the first time; Morty asked about Ho-Oh a lot, and Eusine knew it.

Eusine sighed. "I still only know the same stuff, Morty. This isn't easy to find. I barely know this much, dude."

"I know, but it's not about Ho-Oh specifically. What do you know about the Rainbow Hero? And more specifically, has there ever been anything about a ring?" Morty asked with a smirk.

Eusine's eyes widened in surprise. This was new. Morty had asked about the Rainbow Hero before, once even entertaining the idea that he could become one. But never about a ring.

"Why are you asking about a ring? As far as I know, the legends never say anything about a ring," Eusine said, his curiosity piqued.

"It's because—" Morty was about to explain when suddenly, the bells in the Bell Tower started ringing.

Immediately, they looked at each other and took off running up the tower, not even wasting time talking or asking questions. This could only mean one of two things.

They sprinted past the golden bells and reached the top, where the four Clear bells were supposed to be, except there were only three.

"Where is the bell!?" Morty yelled in panic.

Eusine sputtered. "How am I supposed to know!?"

Morty clutched his head, his mind racing. This place had been guarded for centuries, his ancestors had taken care of this tower. If he let anything happen to it, they would probably crawl out of their graves just to slap him.

Eusine grabbed Morty by the shoulders and gave him a good slap across the face. "Listen to yourself, man! Did you forget your power? Use that!"

Morty blinked, feeling the sting on his cheek. "You're right, how could I forget!?"

He quickly got on the ground, pressing his fingers to his temples. Taking a deep breath, his vision expanded across town. He remained silent, focusing, then he found it. Along with something more.

"I found it! Whoever has it is heading toward Eclipse Castle!" Morty said frantically.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's move!" Eusine said, not even bothering with the stairs. He released his Jumpluff. "Let's go!"

Eusine and Morty grabbed onto one of Jumpluff's feet as it lifted them into the air, soaring toward the castle. But Morty's face remained tense.

"That's not all," he said grimly. "There's an army of Pokémon following whoever has the bell, and they're heading straight for the castle, where everyone is!"

"What!? Why would they do that!?" Eusine gritted his teeth.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to wait around and ask! Gengar!" Morty called.

From his shadow, Gengar emerged, eyes glowing.

"Go to the castle and protect everyone until I get there! Hurry!"

Gengar nodded and vanished into the shadows, speeding toward the festival.

Meanwhile, Eusine and Morty could only hope they would get there in time.

—

In the festival Chloe and Regina ran out to look for the group, Ash told Chloe to look for Yellow and Green since those were the only people from the group that she recognised, and he gave her Pikachu for protection in case whoever attacked her tried again, meanwhile Ash ran back to the castle to get to Soleil,

Chloe and Regina scanned the crowd, with Eevee, Mirche, and Pikachu helping in the search.

Pikachu suddenly stopped, sniffed the air, then pointed to the left. "Pika!"

"They're over there? Okay!" Chloe nodded, trusting the Electric-type's instincts.

Pikachu darted ahead, weaving through the dense festival crowd. Chloe and Regina struggled to keep up, dodging people as they ran, careful not to lose sight of the yellow mouse.

Then, Pikachu leaped into the arms of a girl in a white kimono and bright yellow hair, it was Yellow.

Yellow blinked in surprise but quickly smiled, holding Pikachu close. "Pikachu! You're here! Does that mean Ash is around too?"

Chloe and Regina finally caught up, relieved to see both Yellow and Green. Green was holding a little girl, and behind her stood several other familiar faces, people Chloe had only briefly seen at the dance hall but hadn't spoken to.

Green looked at Chloe with concern. "Chloe? What's wrong? And where's Ash?"

Chloe took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Something's happening! Someone attacked me, thinking I was someone else, and—"

Brock immediately cut her off. "Wait, wait, wait, you got attacked!?"

"That's serious! What happened!?" Kris added, her voice sharp with concern.

Chloe nodded quickly. "Okay, okay, I'll explain everything!"

—--

Ash was running through the halls of the castle, activating his Aura. His eyes glowed faintly as he scanned his surroundings and located where Soleil and Helia were.

Without hesitation, he bolted in their direction, barging into the room where Soleil was already dressed in her festival kimono and getting ready.

They looked over at Ash, and Helia smiled, clapping her hands. "Perfect! You're here, just the prince we need~" she said, grabbing Ash's hands and placing a ring in his palm. The ring looked like two smaller rings connected into one.

"Once the eclipse passes, you will put the ring on Soleil, and she'll be crowned the new liege. After that, the Kimono Girls have prepared a special dance to celebrate. Oh, this is quite exciting!"

Ash nodded. "Right, sure, I can do that, but there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it? The eclipse is going to start soon," Soleil asked.

"You know how Chloe accidentally kept your kimono and ended up looking like you?" Ash said, holding up the kunai from earlier and showing it to them. "Someone attacked her, thinking she was you."

The happy atmosphere suddenly turned cold, "...What...?" Soleil's voice was barely above a whisper.

Ash could see the guilt in Soleil's expression as she was about to ask about Chloe, so he quickly shook his head. "Chloe is fine. I protected her, but it looks like someone is after you."

Soleil and Helia looked at each other with urgency, "This is bad. We need to do something," Helia said. "Maybe we should call off the festival and send people away. This could be dangerous!"

Before Ash could respond, they heard it, the ringing of a bell in the distance.

Their heads turned toward an open window, and in the distance, they saw an army of Pokémon emerging from the forest, led by a hooded figure.

Ash clenched his fists, "Looks like it's too late to run."

---

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