TEAM: Twigs (Rillaboom) & Zap (Toxtricity), Spike (Drednaw) & Tilda (Vileplume), Hook (Galarian Slowbro) & Cress (Vikavolt)
Author's POV
It took only a second of wondering where the gathering of trainers near Spikemuth went until the ground shook again. Flare and Marnie both sped through the tunnel, steps echoing off the walls as the sounds of distant battle grew louder. The shortcut was not built to accommodate large crowds, so the two trainers had to push through and weave away from the rows of people running the opposite direction.
"It'll be safe here, everyone this way!"
"What's going on, what's with the giant Pokémon?!"
"There shouldn't even be a Power Spot here! What about Hammerlocke, will Hammerlocke be okay?"
Sounds of screams and fleeing echoed as the bad omen was confirmed in Flare's head several times over. Whizzing, calls of fear, the sound of a falling tree, all of it pieced the picture of a horrific disaster before she could even come into view of it. The ground only shook more the farther she ran, but she willed herself to stay her course despite her sinking heart. She had to step past panicked construction workers and occupied police officers before emerging from the shade of the tunnel, but the crimson clouds didn't leave the scene any brighter.
The simple grassy path was rendered indistinguishable from the cracks that littered the ground. Craters were strewn about that were either footprint or body sized, the aftermath of the latter still motionless where they lay. Giants stomped about, dark beams and bolts of lightning being shot at anything that moved near them. Their manic eyes were set towards the largest things nearby as if to expand their reach of destruction, be it at the nearby ruins or the gates to the city. Several trainers have already called to arms and were fighting these Pokémon back, but it was clear one side outnumbered the other in power.
Flare bit back a gasp when her eyes landed on a young trainer kneeling over a motionless Skwovet, briefly recalling that dark night and that fluttering white scarf. She shook away her plummeting emotions and reached into her bag, all six of her Pokéballs gravitating towards her hand as if they knew she was calling for her.
Marnie gasped beside her, speechless eyes flitting about the scene. "This is…"
"It's another Dynamax Storm." Flare nodded with a pained look. "And I'm going to stop it."
"I…" Marnie hesitated, but she steeled herself as a Dusk Ball already appeared in her hand. "I'm goin' with you, then."
Flare's heart tensed, but seeing that hint of Marnie's encouraging smile eased her enough to get herself moving. She blazed ahead, Pokéballs in each hand, feeling the heat in her palms as if each and every one of them shared the same burning motivation that she did. A glance at her dim Dynamax Band showed that things were the same as last time, but she was confident that she wouldn't let it end the same way.
Her sights were set on a massive Perrserker. She stared it down right as its massive red eyes bore through her, and it intended to do the same with its claws.
The Perrserker stopped mid-swing when a pillar of rock emerged from the ground near its face, and a Vileplume stood atop it.
"'Ello there!" Tilda greeted it with a smile before bowing, revealing the glowing light from her flower as she did. "And goodbye!"
The glowing pink projectile blasted in the Perrserker's face as a burst of mist, disorienting it and leaving it hissing. Tilda leapt off of the pillar as a claw swipe cleaved through it, landing on Spike's shell where he waited. As the Perrserker shut its eyes and continued swiping at mist, Flare sent Cress and Hook forth as they swooped between the giant's legs.
The mist cleared right as a giant wave of water formed behind the Perrserker, electricity crackling from Cress nearby. Hook and Cress both unleashed their attacks as an electrified Surf that washed over the Perrserker's back as a ruthless wave. Spike stood on the opposite end and reared back to send a Liquidation shockwave towards the Perrserker's feet, and the two attacks struck to leave the foe staggering.
Flare saw her opening, feeling the fire of adrenaline as if she was riding the raging surge her team pushed. Everything was going surprisingly well for a plan she quickly came up with on the fly. "Let's maximize our opening!"
On her command, two long roots shot out from the ground, wrapping themselves around the Perrserker's ears. Twigs stood with her drum at the ready, and as she thrust her sticks downwards, the Perrserker's face was slammed into the ground. The Rillaboom kept her roots bound as much as she could as Zap sped ahead. The Perrserker dug its claws into the ground and tried its best to lift its head from the dirt, only to come face to face with an eagerly strumming Toxtricity.
"Pbthis one's for you."
The point blank Overdrive riff shredded through the air as a deafening shockwave, and the Perrserker's face was back in the dirt. The crackling electricity lingered for a second, and then came a brief moment of silence.
Flare blew out a heavy sigh and wiped her forehead. "I can't believe that worked… Commanding several Pokémon at once is more exhausting than Pokémon Contests make it look…"
Taking another sigh, Flare called for her team to take five, up until she heard a vicious growl coming from the fallen Perrserker. They all looked towards it to see the furious glare of the Pokémon, and energy coursed through the shaking ground around them.
Flare dove out of the way right before a giant spike burst forth from the ground, shredding through the dirt with a glinting metallic sheen. She stumbled across the ground, trying to shield her face from the incoming debris as her eyes froze at the steel spike that impaled the dirt just inches where she once stood. As she lay there breathless, Hook and Tilda hurriedly took it upon themselves to rush up to the Perrserker, subduing it with a combined Yawn and Sleep Powder attempt.
The beast let out a faint huff as it fell once more, leaving Flare's panicked breathing to take over. Her hand rested on where her heart beat rapidly, quivering eyes fixated on the disappearing steel spike that threatened to pierce her breath away just a second before. It vanished into pieces that crumbled into chunks, then degraded into fleeing shiny flecks, and then nothing.
Twigs was the first to reach her, delicately helping her up to her feet the best she could. When Flare's legs weren't steady enough to let her stand, Twigs wrapped her large arms around her and pulled her close.
"It's too dangerous here, lass…" Twigs spoke softly. She paused, the sounds of falling landslides crashing in the distance. "It's your call."
Flare wanted to retreat further into her Pokémon's protective hug, as if doing so would emerge her from this nightmare, yet the darkness that was cast by her eyelids was not reassuring. Her eyes suddenly shot open when a scream rang through the air. A colossal Seismitoad bellowed near a corner of a field, spewing blasts of water to barrage a retreating Toxicroak.
Marnie cursed as she retreated for cover from the incoming splashes, angrily slapping at her unlit Dynamax Band. "Come on, stupid thing! Why can't I Dynamax?!"
Flare wriggled herself out of Twigs' arms as she saw the Seismitoad closing in. The fire that was simmering from her tears roared back to life as her steps were carried by the urge to help. Some of her team stood stunned at Flare's sudden boldness, sharing glances between each other before hurrying after her.
Flare held an arm behind her, holding back her Luxury Ball so its beam recalled one of her Pokémon, then threw the ball ahead in one swift motion. Her steps were steady despite the quaking ground that coursed with the violent energy of the Seismitoad's next move. The Luxury Ball sailed through the air before bursting in front of the Seismitoad's face. While Zap felt briefly disoriented to be present midair, Flare's confidence quickly caught on to him and he shredded his hardest riff with both hands. The Boomburst shockwave rocked through the air like an explosion, stunning the Seismitoad and allowing Jamico the opening for a Revenge uppercut.
As Flare watched the massive Pokémon fall backward, she breathed out a sigh of relief as Jamico caught Zap on his way down. She resumed her pace and hurried ahead to check on Marnie.
Marnie's eyes were wide as Flare helped her back to her feet. "Thanks for that…" She heaved out a breath. "How'd you get here so fast?"
"Er…" Flare glanced behind herself, only just noticing the far expanse she somehow willed herself to traverse. "I guess I just… did." She suddenly became aware of the pain that shot through her legs from pushing herself too far.
But despite the distant booming crackle, Flare found herself staring back at Marnie's grateful smile and felt the tension of the situation soften. Her fingers still tingled after she helped her up, and Flare wondered why the air around them felt oddly electric. It wasn't until she looked down that she realized the atmosphere wasn't because of her beating heart, but because of a nearby Max Lightning that caused electricity to course through the ground. Her alarmed eyes followed the subtle yellow shockwave as it traveled past her, past her team that were still trying to catch up to her, and past the angry Perrserker that jolted awake.
"No!" Flare cried out. She frantically scrambled back to a spontaneous pace, desperate to reach her Pokémon before the Perrserker could. But she tripped on a layer of loose ground, lacked the strength to pull herself back up, and reached for her bag. She really didn't want this to end like last time.
With quivering fingers, she tried her best to take their Pokéballs out and recall them as the Perrserker drew closer. It didn't matter whose Pokéball she used, she just kept herself focused on making sure those beams hit. Tilda, then Cress, then Spike, Hook, Twigs. All saved by the beam as giant claws and stomping feet barely missed their mark. Flare blew out what breath she still had as she clutched all her Pokéballs close to her, and she collapsed helplessly onto the dirt.
They were all shaking under her grip, and she couldn't tell if that was because they were quivering in fear or if they were in an uproar to get back out and fight. It didn't matter to her either way. All she cared about was that they were still there, still moving, still with her.
The reassurance of their safety cast away all shadows of doubt, particularly the awareness of the shadow the giant Perrserker cast over her.
Flare's POV
The world was shaking, and that was fine.
My cheek tingled where it touched the Electric Terrain, and that was fine.
The ground shook again, as if it was going to open up and swallow me whole, and that was fine.
My team was all with me, safe and sound, and that was fine.
I stayed silent, and I shut my eyes, because I knew that everything was fine.
"Meteor Assault!"
… wait, that voice!
It had that heroic tone that felt familiar but distant, like a forgotten memory of an old cartoon or something, but whatever it was, I seemed to recognize it. My eyes shot open to see the shining glint of something, not of steel, but the raised weapons of a Sirfetch'd in front of me. I saw its smug glance for only a second before it lunged forward with its massive leek sword, engulfed in blinding brilliant energy. It shot up, contesting the imposing Dynamaxed glow of the Perrserker, the clash of red against gold lasting for only a second before the giant beast shrank with an explosive flourish.
For a moment, as I watched the Sirfetch'd land by its defeated foe, I was in awe. It seemed to bow towards me, as if it was showing off. It was then promptly returned by a nearby Pokéball beam, and I followed it to see the hidden stare of its trainer. And then I saw that large black helmet that covered most of his head.
"W-Wait, it's you!" I managed to throw all my thoughts aside and hurriedly got to my feet. There was no mistaking it. His significantly taller figure, that weird looking helmet, and especially those blue sporty glasses. He was wearing some sort of black hoodie instead of the Grass Gym uniform, but there was no mistaking it.
"I've… I've got you now, mystery man!"
His eyes were covered up, but I could see how startled he was when I called after him. He turned tail and ran, rather clumsily at that, but I was just about ready to take pursuit. Of course, I did want to thank him properly, but something about how he happened to be here at just such a moment made me think I'd finally get some answers once and for all-
"Flare, help!"
I stopped in place and looked in the complete opposite direction. The Seismitoad had gotten back up. I had to go help Marnie. But if I did that then I'd lose sight of mystery man and see him again Arceus knows when. But if I ran after him then Marnie will…
I shook my head, disgruntled, but I knew what I must do. I scrambled my Pokéballs back into my arms as I ran, sights set on answering Marnie's call. One Grass type move would do it.
"Ok, Twigs, use-" But Tilda was the one who popped out.
I stared at my hands for a second, wondering if I threw the wrong Pokéball or something, until I realized I must've accidentally recalled everyone in the wrong ones. Dumbfounded, I stared at how Zap was still out on the field, while his Luxury Ball still had someone inside it. Fortunately, I didn't have much reason to panic, because Tilda quickly caught on and Giga Drained the Seismitoad back into shrinking down.
Okay, that did the trick...
"There, there." She also skipped back to my side and reached up to pat my leg while wafting her Aromatherapy around, that part also helped.
At least I arrived just in time and made sure Marnie was okay. Running into mystery man reminded me that I needed to actually make sure the wild Pokémon return to normal before taking a breather. I took a moment to make sure nothing left around us was moving, relishing another second of Aromatherapy as I did.
Marnie stepped closer to my side, clearing her throat for a second before giving me a little smile. "So I wasn't sure just how long Jamico's Dry Skin would hold until that thing used somethin' else. I really owe you plenty at this point. So thanks. Again."
"It's my pleasure." I was grateful I made it in time, but I still let out another sigh, looking back the way I came. If I'm quick enough, maybe I can still track down that-
I didn't get much time to think before the sky crackled even louder. It still swirled above us with a violent red. I just realized that we went through all that work just to take down two wild Pokémon, in a place filled to the brim with even more giant versions of them. Huge Galvantula and Thievul and even another Perrserker started prowling towards us, and this time I was backed in a corner with Marnie too.
My panicked breaths came back as I looked down at the Pokéballs I still carried. My thoughts were racing too quickly to think of who to send out, and even if I did, I wouldn't even know which Pokéball has who. I was too overwhelmed in more ways than one.
Twigs would be good, maybe, but that Galvantula is a huge problem, so maybe I could use Spike? But what am I going to do if I accidentally send out Hook instead?! Wait, Zap and Tilda are still out, I need to make sure they're safe too!
We were all stuck in a tight squeeze as the Pokémon surrounded us, and I felt the even tighter squeeze in my breathing. And then over my breathing, I could hear the incoming crackle of thunder, the razing energy of darkness, the coursing of steel through the ground, the flapping of wings alongside the breathing of fire… wait, fire?
I was almost tempted to look away as the air grew several times hotter from blasts of fire sailing down from the sky. The attacks came down and struck the Dynamax Pokémon one by one, instantly knocking them out with each blow. And if it wasn't fire, there were rocks sailing through the air, green beams charging up, and slashes that cleaved through the clouds.
Charizard sped through the sky, taking down Pokémon one by one, dispelling the dark clouds above every time it succeeded. It was a recognizable speed and efficiency, but when the clear sky was visible again, I had to stare in astonishment as Leon descended in the light like a hero. The cheering that erupted from everyone else there and the way he checked on everyone definitely helped give off that image.
The skies were bright again, and I could breathe. Okay, whew, it's actually over this time.
Marnie and I shared relieved glances as I took this chance to recall Tilda and Zap in whatever empty Pokéballs I was holding. I looked around, seeing the groups of people and trainers leaving the scene much calmer now, clamoring for Leon's attention on their way out. I didn't blame them, I would've done the same. I squinted, wondering if there was still any sign of that mystery man, but nothing.
"Flare! Marnie!"
For a moment, I saw a flash of something familiar as Leon made his way through the crowd, cape flowing as he ran to us. With worried eyes, he placed his large hands on our shoulders and held us still as if he expected us to shiver. "You two aren't hurt, are you? How're your Pokémon?"
"I'm...fine, barely." I looked at the six Pokéballs I was still awkwardly cradling and quickly shoved them back into my bag.
"Mine are too, luckily." Marnie's voice was a tad higher pitched than before. Her gob looked smacked as she stared at Leon. "I'm real surprised you've, erm, heard of me, Mr. Champion."
"Of course!" Leon put his hands on his hips and had a bright proud smile. "Raihan's gone on and on about how strong a trainer Piers is, let me tell you. And I couldn't forget seeing you and Flare joining Hop during his Motostoke Gym Challenge! It's not often my brother makes new friends, so thanks for looking out for the little guy."
Little? Marnie and I both shared awkward glances at each other. Last I checked he's taller than both of us.
"And I guess his ability to get into trouble must've rubbed off on you too." Leon laughed again before his grin faded. "It's a good thing I arrived when I did to put things back under control. A lot of Gym Challengers dropped out because of the first Dynamax Storm, and I didn't want that happening again. I know what you two did was really brave, and it helps that I'm looking for strong trainers to challenge, but danger like this is a completely different story. It's my duty as the unbeatable champion to handle things like this, just so trainers like you don't have to endanger yourselves with it."
He did have a point, but even knowing the danger, as if some instinct came over me, I took a step forward. "But I didn't just get stronger for nothing, right? I'd still want to use my team's strength for good, at least!"
My response got a bit of a smirk out of him. "I appreciate the thought. But all I could ever ask of you would be to use that strength to keep on doing your part by winning your way through the Gym Challenge!"
His signature grin had a comforting familiarity with it. I may have been caked in dust and dirt and felt completely worn out after what just happened, but Leon's confidence was so contagious I managed to feel a little bit better about it.
Leon quickly turned away with his phone in his hand, and when he turned back to us, his smile was gone. "There it is again. Sorry, but I suppose this is no time for me to be stopping for a chat. The chairman probably thinks I'm meddling in some of his affairs and wants to bother me with another meeting. He specifically mentioned he doesn't want the rest of the league to get involved in any of this. Guess that's more trouble with my name on it."
I didn't understand what he meant by any of that, but before I could ask, he grinned again.
"But don't you worry about a thing! Just focus on your Gym Challenge, because the next time I see you, it better be in Wyndon!" He turned away with a noticeable cape flourish before running off. "And don't forget to have a champion tiiiiiime!"
I smiled as Leon's voice echoed while he bolted off, then I laughed when he ran back the other way because his Charizard was busy dealing with a crowd of fans. There was a humbling lack of finesse, but with everything I knew, I still found that worth admiring.
"Bit starstruck, are ya?" Marnie leaned into my view with a giggle.
"Oh, come off it, you." I gave her a little nudge. "Don't act like I didn't notice you squeaking over how he knows you."
"I quickly got over it. Once he started soundin' all protective and stuff he just started resemblin' Piers to me." She held her clenched fist. "Just reminds me there's two big brothers I gotta beat for my Gym Challenge."
"At least I don't have any family ties I need to worry about… for the most part." I was still a bit troubled about my last phone call with Mom, among other things.
But rather than dwell on that, I thought back to the Gym Challenge part, the part I was supposed to be focusing on. That meant it was back to Hammerlocke for us, at least for a bit of recuperation. As we left, we walked past groups of trainers who were also dusting themselves off and making their way out, and I kept my eyes peeled for any black helmets or sporty shades. I had no idea why he was here in the first place, or why he was hiding from me, but I still couldn't help but wonder about him.
Just who are you, mystery man?
Author's POV
"Mine's the one with the berry stashes. Alright, who had the books?"
"Ooh, that one's mine!"
"The one I was in had… playing cards, I think."
"Those are mine."
While Flare was getting cleaned up in the hotel bathroom, she let her team relax in the main room to unwind and reorient themselves. And by relax, she mainly left their Pokéballs strewn about on the bed, so her team took it upon themselves to fix their Pokéball mixup from earlier. It didn't help that most of them were caught with identical looking ones.
Cress rolled Spike's Pokéball over to him with a nudge. The Drednaw held it protectively under his foot for a second as he rolled a different Pokéball back to her.
Hook levitated a distinctly pristine Luxury Ball over his hand, pausing before floating it back to Zap. "As much as it pains me to say this, you can have this back now."
"Pbth, pbthank you, Mr. Hook and Shell." The little Toxtricity caught it in both hands, hugging it excitedly before retreating into it.
Hook let out a long sigh as his Pokéball was returned to him. "The kid's lucky. I thought the talk of a Luxury Ball's magic wonders were exaggerated, but for a whole hour, I got to experience just how wrong I was."
There were a few chuckles around the group before Tilda's eyes lit up. "Oh, I've read about this! Luxury Balls are personalized to which Pokémon is inside, so now I'm wondering if what you experienced was still catering to Zap, or to you."
"Hmm…" Hook scratched his chin. "Difficult to say considering the feeling was very abstract rather than physical. Could go either way if you ask me."
"I've always wondered what kept the little lad so chipper." Twigs paused for a thought. "How'd you feel in there?"
"That's…" Hook cleared his throat. "...that's a secret. A good secret, but still a secret."
"Aww." Tilda backed off, as did everyone else, though her excited gaze still lingered. "Maybe if I ask real nice, Zap will let me borrow that space of his."
Spike raised an eyebrow with a chuckle. "Getting into someone else's personal space? I'm not surprised to hear this coming from you. Count me in."
"Look who's yapping, I thought you were supposed to be the self aware one."
"That's fair. Not as fair as me cutting in line because of my 'above average' speed, however you put it."
"And I'm the Grass type here!"
Twigs watched as the two slapped each other with retorts and actual slaps, shaking her head with a smirk. "One at a time, you lot."
While the others were huddled around Zap's Luxury Ball, Cress discreetly hovered onto Hook's head.
"Bzzt, what's the Luxury Ball like?" She peered down at him with a cheeky tone. "A full stomach? Feeling well rested? World destruction or whatever? Come on bud, you can tell me."
Hook thought it over, not looking away from her gaze. His expression slowly shifted into a fond smile, recalling the inner peace he felt in his heart not too long ago. "... fulfillment."
"Heh." Cress sounded satisfied. "Nice."
A door swung open, letting a bit of steam out, and from it, Flare stepped out with a fresh change of clothes, damp hair, and a phone to her ear.
"... mom, yes, mom, we're okay. Leon was there and everything, you'll probably see that on the news when it airs." She paused. "... I just got done showering and everything actually, yep. I'm wearing new clean clothes right now."
Twigs looked her way raised an eyebrow at her. "Your clothes look the same as the ones you wear every other day."
Flare covered her phone's speaker and tugged at her collar with a whisper. "I have spare identical jumpers and trousers, it's just my shirt that's different."
"Oh." Twigs nodded, going along with it, until she narrowed her eyes for a confused second at how she couldn't see Flare's shirt anyway.
"... I know, I'll be more careful. Love you too." Flare hung up with a 'whew' and flopped over onto the bed face first, exhaling into the sheets.
Twigs chuckled as she inched over to lean against the mattress. "A lot of excitement today, wouldn't you say?"
"No kidding." Flare lifted her head with an exasperated sigh, dry and raspy, reaching over to the nightstand to fetch her glasses. "I almost slipped in the shower when I heard my phone ringing!"
"You ken I was talkin' 'bout earlier, too." Twigs' stare softened. "I dinnae know if that stunt you pulled back there was foolish or brave."
"Oh, that…" Flare turned so she was lying on her back. Her eyes wandered to the ceiling as she frowned. "I'm just… really afraid of losing you guys, you know? Especially with what happened last time and all that."
"I know." Twigs carefully climbed onto the bed with her legs crossed. "The rest of us do too, lass. We don't want to lose you either." She stared down at Flare with a tender smile. "Were you betting on that Sirfetch'd swooping in?"
"Well… no." Flare hesitated. There was a repressed fear in her voice that started to bubble back up. "I just… acted on instinct. I really didn't want a repeat of the first incident, and I would've done whatever it takes for that. I wanna protect you guys too."
"I'm real sure I can speak for the lot of us when I say we're not afraid to fight for you, no matter what." Twigs slowly brought her hand to Flare's face, combing away a strand of hair that blocked her eyes. "You might've already heard this from someone else, but I'm worried about you takin' it too far, lass. I hope you see that you're a part of this team too, you don't have to shoulder everythin' on your own."
Flare sat up, a grateful smile forming as she looked back at her Rillaboom. She crawled into her arms, leaning into an embrace as she tried to catch her breath. "I was just… so afraid."
"But you were brave for that." Twigs held her close. "It's a good thing to keep fighting for the people you love, but you need to make sure to keep taking care of yourself too." There was a sentimental glint to her stare as she looked back towards the others. "You're just as worth fightin' for as everyone else is."
Flare remained in her spot for a while, and after wiping her eyes, she looked up. "Thanks, Twigs."
"Don't mention it." Twigs had a soft grin. "Here's to keeping each other safe."
Flare chuckled. "Aye, aye." She paused for a relaxed second before continuing. "I didn't expect a lecture like this first thing out of the shower. You're like my mom… well, but with muscles."
Twigs snorted. "I'll take that as a compliment then. Chloe didn't raise me to be no quitter, and I can tell your ma Judy raised a fine young lass too."
"I thought I was the one who was supposed to take care of you guys. You know, like a parent would and stuff."
"The way I see it, it goes both ways, Goldilocks."
Flare rested like that for a good few minutes, indulging in some well needed safety. That, and she realized her throat was growing sore from all the screaming she did in Spikemuth and Route 7 combined. When she decided to get up from her bed to get a glass of water, her eyes darted over to where the rest of her team was. They were huddling around a Luxury Ball on the carpet in silence, as if anticipating something.
Tilda eventually spoke up. "... I think he's asleep." She sighed, then continued watching.
Flare raised an eyebrow at the weird display. "So… what's going on over there?"
"Oh, you've noticed." Twigs chuckled. "Ever since you mixed up our Pokéballs they've been wondering how it feels to be in that there Luxury Ball. Wanna join us? I dinnae know if you can fit in one o' those, but maybe you can think of what your luxury would be like."
"Maybe." Flare got up from the bed, following Twigs' lead. Her comforted smile carried her glance to the rest of her team. "But I already have a good idea."