Pokemon-The Lost Master

Chapter 24

A gasp greeted 'Champions' last words. There had been speculation about who might have launched the attack but nothing was confirmed.

"The organisation is one that many will be familiar with. They have been subdued in recent years after an attack on their headquarters, an attack that very nearly resulted in the capture of their leader. In the years since that attack, they have rebuilt. They are larger than before, and far more sinister.

Years ago they were concerned with merely stealing Pokémon and running tests on them to enable them to make money. Shortly before their decline that desire for money had started to lead to a desire for power. And that desire for power led to ideas for revolution. Since their rebuild they have undertaken different projects. They no longer merely thirst for money. They want control. The organisation in question is known as Team Rocket."

There was instant uproar. Team Rocket were well known for their petty crimes, but they had never appeared capable of more than that. Reporters were on their feet throwing questions at 'Champion' who stood silent in front of the crowd. After a few minutes of noise, he held up one hand. The reporters completely ignored him. 'Champion' spoke into the microphones, but despite the number of loudspeakers around, he was hard to make out over the noise of hundreds of people shouting. 'Champion' stepped away from the microphones and released his strength and anger.

"ENOUGH." He thundered into the hurricane of noise in front of him. The power of his words actually caused the nearest people to stumble backwards, and a gust of wind swept across the field as his anger finally showed. The assembled journalists were stunned into silence as 'Champion' returned to the microphone and the wind began to die down.

"Thank you." The Pokémon Master said, his calm exterior in complete contrast to the anger he had just shown. "Please attempt to refrain from interrupting. I will take questions at the end, but until then remain quiet so I can continue." After a pause, where the silence prevailed, 'Champion' continued.

"I have known about the return of Team Rocket for some time. I have eliminated many of their bases around the four regions, but their main headquarters has thus far eluded our attempts to find it. I cannot go into any further detail, because of the nature of the situation. With respect to the attack, Silver Stadium is badly damaged, and large parts are no longer structurally sound.

My Pokémon attempted to reinforce the structure during the attack which saved it from complete collapse. The quantity of explosives used were more than sufficient to completely level the stadium. I owe my Pokémon thanks for the lives that they saved. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't completely contain the attack. As a result, I must stand here and reveal the scale of the tragedy."

Silence reigned. Silver Stadium had a capacity of nearly fifty thousand. While the full extent of the damage hadn't been officially revealed, satellite images had helped show the damage to the building. One of the stands had almost completely collapsed, while many other parts had melted under the heat of the explosions. The field was completely destroyed. Bodies had been pulled out of the stadium for more than 36 hours afterwards, despite the number of Psychic Pokémon that were involved in the rescue operation.

"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that two thousand, seven hundred and nineteen people were killed in the attack." 'Champion' said. "A further six thousand have been spread between medical facilities to be treated with any injury that is more than minor. More minor injuries have been treated by paramedics at the scene."

The Pokémon Master gave the crowd a moment to absorb the numbers. It was difficult for him. When the decision to make the Pokémon Master the head of state had been taken, there had never been a national emergency quite like this. In fact, throughout all of history, there hadn't been a situation like this. 'Champion' knew; he had checked. However, he knew what he had to do. It was a job he had trained for.