The Golden Throne

Chapter 25: Prodigy

When Hilbert woke up, the first thing he felt was the pulsing pain at the back of his head. "Ugh..." he groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He was sitting on a chair and his hands were bound behind his back. He tried to struggle free but it was no use.

"So you're finally awake," a voice spoke. A voice Hilbert knew too well at this point.

"Lucius!" Hilbert growled. Lucius stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself to Hilbert. "Where's Hilda?!" Hilbert demanded. Lucius silently dragged a chair in front of Hilbert and took a seat on it.

"Your precious flower is still breathing. For now." Lucius' lips twisted into a smirk. "Let me guess, Ripley sent you? I should have known," he shook his head sadly, "turning against her own. That traitor."

"Don't make me laugh, if anyone's a treacherous bastard, it's you!" Hilbert tried to jump out of his seat but his bindings kept him in place.

Lucius watched Hilbert struggle helplessly with a smug look on his face. "I'm impressed. Hilda put up quite a big fight. You should have seen how hard she fought for you when you lay unconscious. But, she was no match for my Aggron."

"Where is she?" Hilbert demanded again.

"And if I tell you, do you really think you can save her? Look at yourself," Lucius laughed. "I've stripped you of your belongings and Pokemon. Good luck getting out."

If there was any time Hilbert felt like punching himself the most, it was now. This wasn't the first time something like this happened. "Why are you doing all this? Why would you betray your Empire?"

"My Empire?" Lucius scoffed. "More like the Empire who stole me from my home. There are countless atrocities your precious Empire has committed, and in the name of the Zaff, they will pay. Tonight, I will use this city's radio tower to spread thousands of false threats to every emergency service in the Empire. Murder, fire, domestic violence, robberies- they will be forced to investigate each false threat, leaving real people in real danger. And that is when we strike." Lucius stood up from his seat and adjusted his glasses.

"Are you too blind to see that many innocent lives will be lost?!" Hilbert shouted.

Lucius walked towards a nearby window and looked outside of it. It was dusk now. He glanced at the radio tower which was located at the highest point of the city. "And you think the Empire hasn't used the radio tower to do the same? I grew up in this city, and I've always admired the Skywatch Radio Tower. Such an amazing weapon, sitting there abandoned and unused," Lucius sighed nostalgically. He leaned against the window with one arm. "Since I was a child, I've felt a strong sense of destiny towards it. And now, I see how." He turned to Hilbert and the two made eye-contact, "goodbye Hilbert. Listen to your precious Empire bleed from here." Lucius said and walked towards a door which was the only visible exit.

"Lucius, No!" Hilbert shouted at the top of his lungs, but the door shut, silencing him from the outside world.

***

The blistering cold winds were blowing strongly now. Kye sat on a bench, his entire body trembling in the frigid air. He looked at his watch. Where are they? Lock-down was 30 minutes ago and still they haven't showed up.

In front of him were rows of shops. They were closing early today and people in the streets were rushing to get home. There weren't many people outside now, and all transport at the cable-car station has stopped. The lock-down was making everyone nervous. He remembered that earlier, he got bored of the bookshop and went outside to look for Hilbert and Hilda, where he caught sight of them following some guy. He decided to leave them be and resumed checking out the shops in the area. Now, he was getting worried.