Sealed

After Joseph announced Nick's Successful bidding, Yuga and their group immediately became the center of attention, truly "under the spotlight."

"As we conclude this auction here, I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to all of you who have acquired your desired Pokémon..."

After a passionate speech by Joseph, the auction officially ended. Nick, accompanied by Yuga and Malva, followed the instructions of a staff member to claim the young Larvitar they had won.

All the Pokémon auctioned at the event had been tightly secured by the Five Giants, and not even Nick, the host, knew their exact locations.

Once they were led into a small room, the staff member produced a Poké Ball and released the young Larvitar.

"Mr. Nick, this is the young Larvitar you've won. Please inspect it, and if everything's in order, we'll hand the Pokémon over to you."

The young Larvitar, still trembling slightly upon seeing so many strangers suddenly appear, looked around with timid eyes.

After confirming that this was indeed the Larvitar he had won, Nick signed the transfer agreement under the supervision of the staff member.

Meanwhile, in other small rooms, guests who had won Pokémon at the auction, just like Nick, were also completing their transfers.

As soon as the transfer agreements were signed, Nick had barely returned the young Larvitar to its Poké Ball when alarms started ringing throughout the entire venue.

Upon hearing the alarms, both Nick and the Five Giants' staff members immediately understood what it meant.

"I can't believe someone managed to breach our security!"

Nick cursed under his breath and then apologized to the Five Giants' staff members before leaving the small room with Yuga and Malva.

"It appears there has been an intrusion here. It's up to the two of you now," Nick said as they walked. He was just a businessman and had no combat abilities, so he had to rely on Yuga and Malva.

Yuga: "Of course, we'll do our best."

Malva: "Don't worry."

Both Yuga and Malva had received benefits from Mr. Lysandre, so they were determined to fulfill their duties.

With two Elite level Trainers providing protection, Nick felt considerably reassured.

The venue had already descended into chaos, with hurried footsteps echoing everywhere.

Nick's immediate priority was to quickly leave the area with the young Larvitar. As long as he handed it over to Mr. Lysandre, they would be safe.

However, as they were halfway to their destination, a staff member dressed in Aurora Day Care attire rushed over in a panic and whispered a few words in Nick's ear, causing his expression to darken.

"Damn it!" Nick became increasingly agitated.

"What's wrong?" Malva asked.

"The security system of the venue has been breached, and all the exit doors have been sealed shut. It's going to be difficult for us to come and go now," Nick replied.

Yuga and Malva both had worried expressions upon hearing this news.

The security system here was not weak, and infiltrating it was no easy task. It seemed that someone had already planted an insider among the Aurora Day Care or the Five Giants' staff.

Nick was now realizing the gravity of the situation.

It appeared that the intruders had planned for this.

"However, they probably didn't expect that we were prepared. The venue's doors have likely been sealed shut by now. Even though we can't get out, those people won't be able to leave either," Nick said determinedly.

"But what if they have Pokémon capable of using Teleport?" Yuga furrowed his brow as he asked.

"Indeed, if the other party has Pokémon with the ability to use Teleport, it may be impossible to stop them here. We just don't know how many of them there are," Malva added, her expression growing more serious.

Yuga and Malva's words only fueled Nick's agitation further. Indeed, this sealed venue wouldn't be able to contain Pokémon capable of Teleport.

They had considered installing devices to suppress Psychic-type Pokémon within the venue, but since the attendees were all influential figures with their own Psychic-type Pokémon, such installations were impossible.

Just then, from an unknown location, there was a sudden explosion, followed by a golden beam of light appearing out of thin air, heading straight for Nick.

In the nick of time, Yuga's Gengar materialized in front of Nick, intercepted the energy gem, and sent a Daek Pulse back in response.

Nick had just been startled nearly out of his wits, but upon seeing the Gengar in front of him, his complexion returned to normal, and he shot a grateful look toward Yuga.

Under the attack, the hidden Pokémon in the corner revealed its form, which turned out to be a Persian.

The Persian moved stealthily, its steps soundless, only its sharp gaze fixed on Nick, Yuga, and their group.

"The one hiding should come out now," Yuga said in a low voice toward the direction of the Persian. Following his words, a person dressed in a tight black suit, with an attractive figure, walked out without saying a word.

"Persian, Power Gem," this person ordered as soon as they appeared, and the Persian launched an attack on Gengar without hesitation.

A golden beam of light approached Gengar, but Gengar's eyes flickered with a blue light. Under the influence of its psychic power, the Power Gem from Persian instantly dissipated.

Because the person was wearing a mask, Yuga couldn't see their facial expression.

However, seeing that Persian's Power Gem had no effect on Gengar, both the person in black and Persian involuntarily stepped back, clearly astonished by Gengar's strength.

"Who are you, sir?" Yuga inquired.

But before Yuga could finish his question, a thread shot from the ceiling, targeting Nick once again.

"We've been waiting for you!" Malva sneered, summoning a Chandelure beside her.

A scorching pillar of fire erupted, incinerating the thread and causing the lurking Ariados on the ceiling to fall.

Accompanying the smoking Ariados was another person dressed in black, with a similar build to the previous one, both of them being women.

In this world, even women are turning to thievery.

The smoky Ariados didn't completely lose its combat ability; it struggled for a moment and managed to get back on its feet.

Seeing Ariados still able to stand, both Yuga and Malva were somewhat surprised. Malva's Chandelure was a true Elite level Pokémon, skilled in the attacking type, while Ariados seemed to have just reached the pseudo-Elite level.

"So, they sent just the two of you to deal with us? It seems they underestimated us!" Malva said icily.

The two black-clad individuals on the other side exchanged glances upon hearing this and simultaneously commanded Ariados and Persian to launch an attack once again.

However, before those two Pokémon could strike, they were both simultaneously knocked aside by the twin columns of fire unleashed by Malva's Chandelure.

At the same time, Gengar's psychic power took hold of the two black-clad individuals.

Bang, Bang!

The two individuals were flung against the wall, producing two muffled impacts.