A/N: Hey time I'm seeing you all again this year. It's DrPhill26 bringing you all another chapter of Evolution for you to enjoy... is what I would be saying if I hadn't started a new story at the start of the year :D
Tyler: Wait what? New story?
DrPhill26: That's right. It's about-
Tyler: What do you mean new story?! I'm not getting replaced am I?
Wendy: Relax Cutie-Ty. You're not getting replaced.
DrPhill26: Yeah, even though it's a new story, it's a spin-off to our main story here.
Wendy: And it's staring me, so you know it'll be full of all the good stuff our readers know and love already.
Tyler: Oh... good. You had me worried for a moment there.
DrPhill26: That being said, you're taking a back seat in this next chapter for the time being.
Tyler: Say what now?
DrPhill26: Start the new chapter :D
Tyler: What do you mean I'm in the backseat?!
(-o-) Seven hours ago (-o-) Eric's Perspective (-o-)
Even after flying virtually nonstop at a breakneck pace for almost two hours, Eric and Fluffy still didn't entirely know why they were flying above the treetops of Route 210 in the wee hours of the morning. Eric's original plan for the night was to take a nice long shower after getting off his shift taking care of Masuda University's "Rental Pokémon" for their standardized battle exams and go to bed. And considering how "extra friendly" the infamous Braixen twins had been with him the past three nights, he'd more than earned an easy night. But as Eric was strolling across the quad and enjoying the starry night with his Ninetales Amaterasu, he received a rather urgent text message from his tournament partner William.
"Eric I know it's late but we need your help immediately at the Solaceon Daycare it's an emergency!"
Without hesitating, Eric grabbed Fluffy's Ultra Ball and released her, while also grabbing at the bracelet on his left wrist. Fluffy was one of only a handful of Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution owned by a student attending Masuda U, and as such, she was subjected to having limiters placed on her ball to hinder her power and speed should Eric decide to use her in a battle exam. However, this was not one of those situations, and Eric knew he'd need Fluffy at her fastest in order to help Will with whatever emergency required his summon.
It did beg the question though, what kind of emergency would require Will asking for Eric's help in the first place? Perhaps the widowed Salamence had gotten out of its cage and was on a rampage? Though Eric shook his head at that idea. Surely at least one of Will's other friends had a Fairy type that could handle an enraged Dragon, or at least an Ice type that could chill its fiery temper. Didn't that redhaired friend of Will's have a Glaceon? Furthermore, wasn't that Salamence being kept at the ranch owned by Will's parents? So why then did Will mention the daycare instead of the ranch?
Two hours later and Eric did at least get an answer to that particular question. As he was approaching the daycare, Eric saw the occasional red beam of energy shooting up from the ground on the horizon, as well as a trio of intense explosions of white light with concussive blasts that he could feel even from as far away as he was. It looked like he was flying into a war zone, and on landing, those words proved that much more accurate a description.
Battle-craters were everywhere, broken branches, collapsed trees, there was even a pile of rubble that Eric assumed used to be part of the daycare. And this wasn't even counting the incapacitated humans he saw. Almost every person he saw on arriving at Solaceon Town was either prone on the ground or being tended to by someone else. Even Will, a golem of a man compared to Eric's fun-sized stature was loosely cradled in the arms of his teary-eyed fiancée with a shredded jacket showing a few streaks of red across his muscular form. And before he'd even had a chance to ask one question as to what the literal hell was going on, Eric was once more on Fluffy's back, chasing after the commander of the Sinnohan Rangers and his Noivern.
"How you holding up Fluffy? Tired?" Eric yelled over the wind to his Salamence. She didn't look back at him, but Eric saw her shake her head with an amused growl. "I didn't think so, though it's been a while since we needed to cut loose like this." Another growl, this time of affirmation as Eric turned his attention back to Mr. Weiland and his Noivern. The two of them were in front of Eric, both of them pressing north in the direction Eric had seen the streak of white light going on his approach.
Eric watched as the Noivern shot a trio of circular waves out of the two speaker-like ears atop its head, aiming them down towards the assorted trails on Route 210 below. The Noivern had done this about once a minute for the past few minutes now, descending lower to the ground with each pulse it sent out. Eric knew from his studies that Noivern were often used by Rangers internationally, not just in their native Kalos for specifically this reason, their ability to use long range echolocation to track prey across vast distances. Combined with their natural speed, they were an ideal choice for reconnaissance. And with even Eric's Mega Evolved Salamence was having to push herself to keep up, this particular Noivern was clearly well trained.
Atop the Noivern, Eric saw Mr. Weiland turn around and appear to signal him with a flashlight, flicking it on and off three times. Eric didn't have a flashlight to signal back with, so he simply waved a response over his head. The man nodded under the moonlight and reached into his red vest pocket, pulling something out and fastening it to his ear. A moment later, the Noivern let out a grunt and drifted back so that it was flying above Eric and his Salamence. The Ranger on its back then reached into his pocket a second time and pulled out another something, then looked at Eric.
"CATCH!" Eric heard him yell as he motioned his arm that had the something inside of it. Eric nodded and held his arms out expectantly. "OKAY, READY?! ONE… TWO… THREE!" Eric saw Mr. Weiland drop the something towards him and eventually grasp it after almost bobbling it. He looked down at his hands and saw what looked like a white earpiece.
"PULL THE BOTTOM PART OUT, PUT THAT IN YOUR EAR AND PRESS IT WITH YOUR FINGER TO MAKE IT TALK!" Mr. Weiland shouted again as he and the Noivern flew back in front of Eric and Fluffy. Eric did as he was instructed and fastened the device into his right ear. He was wondering if he'd done it correctly when he heard a voice in his ear.
"Okay, testing one-two. You hear me Eric?" Mr. Weiland's voice played in his ear.
"Yeah, loud and clear." Eric responded, looking over at the Commander to his right. There was a bit of a silence between the two for a while before Eric heard the commander's voice.
"Good." The Commander spoke seriously. "Also, good that you didn't drop that. I only have the one pair."
"Yeah, so do you mind telling me what the hell is going on tonight?" Eric cut straight to the chase, having grown sick of being left in the dark.
"How much do you know about what happened tonight?" The Commander deferred with a question.
"Not much. Will only told me there was an emergency and to come ASAP."
"Well, I'm afraid I don't know all the details myself. But I'll get you up to speed as best I can." Mr. Weiland paused as his Noivern fired another circular pulse. "Earlier tonight, some Pokémon poachers raided the Solaceon Daycare and stole most of the Pokémon there."
"Oh my God, that's awful!" Eric voiced his outrage as Fluffy grumbled the same beneath him. But there was a more pressing question in Eric's mind that demanded it be asked. "But hold on, if what happened tonight was just Pokémon poachers, why did it look like a bomb went off when I go to Solaceon Town?"
"Because these weren't just average poachers." The Commander's voice lowered gravely. "I managed to catch a pair of grunts as they were fleeing. One of them let slip that they were part of a greater criminal syndicate, the likes of which Sinnoh hasn't seen since the Red Chain Saga."
"Red Chain Saga... You don't mean Team Galactic is back, do you?" Eric asked with continued shock. Although he himself was from Slateport City in the Hoenn region, even Eric knew what Team Galactic tried to do seven years ago. While the Primordial War of Teams Aqua and Magma and their legendary beasts from ten years ago may have rung closer to home, both of their severely misguided endgames were born of a desire to ultimately benefit Pokémon. Team Galactic meanwhile wanted to literally end the world and start over without any emotion whatsoever, a truly despicable act in Eric's book. If these bastards had come back in any capacity, they needed to be stopped immediately.
"You picked up on that too huh?" The Commander brought Eric back to reality. "Yes, I fear that Team Galactic has come back, though they now call themselves Team Eclipse."
"Is that who we're chasing?" Eric asked as the Noivern fired another locating pulse.
"That's correct. My Gallade Pendragon and I forced them into a hasty retreat after they'd come back to admire their handiwork. And I intend to make them pay for their arrogance."
"So, once they clear the forest, we swoop in and let justice rain from above!" Eric clenched his fist with excitement. He'd always wanted to say that line in the appropriate real-world context before.
"Negative." The Commander's firm denial stunned Eric yet again. "For now, our only objective is to observe their retreat."
"With all due respect Mr. Weiland, this is an odd time for a joke."
"I'm not joking." The Commander held fast again.
"But… but why?" Eric asked, greatly confused at the Commander's words. "You were there, you saw what they did! How can you just let these Team Galactic or whatever people off the hook like that?!"
"It is not a matter of letting them off the hook Eric, it is a matter of not being reckless." The Commander explained. "Firstly, we don't know their strength in numbers. Orion here may be tracking them, but there could still be more waiting for us in an ambush if we get too close. Secondly, while I may be the Commander of the Sinnohan Rangers, you yourself are not a Ranger. And although Will has spoken highly of your ability as a trainer, I would feel better waiting for proper backup before making any form of engagement with the enemy. Lastly, and most importantly, even if we were to stop these two tonight, the greater threat of Eclipse may still remain. So, if we keep out of sight and play our cards right, we can track them to their base, gather valuable information to their strength, their resources, et cetera, and return with an appropriate response at a later time."
"I guess that makes sense." Eric clicks his tongue as he concedes all three points to the much more experienced Commander.
"I also wish to see whether or not a hunch of mine is also correct." Commander Weiland continued. "This attack, I believe it may be linked to the one in Sunyshore City a few weeks ago."
"What?! But that's not-" Eric stopped himself from finishing his thought. He'd wanted to argue that what happened tonight was a much smaller scale operation compared to the raid of the Pokémon Center in Sunyshore City with its use of hovercrafts and the volume of Pokémon stolen. But each point of reason behind the Commander's cautious approach was logically sound, and he'd just said this with the same matter of fact tone.
"…And what makes you so certain the Sunyshore attack and this one are linked?" Eric finally asked the Commander.
"I've read the reports on the attack in Sunyshore and seen the security footage. The majority of people involve wore these white suits of armor beneath them while the ringleaders wore black. I've seen both the men in white and the men in black tonight personally. Furthermore, the Pokémon belonging to the ringleaders are one in the same. Pendragon detected traces of an aura belonging to a Weavile and a Darmanitan when we arrived at the daycare, the same two Pokémon the ringleaders at Sunyshore City used in their raid. Some may see that as mere coincidence. But in my forty years as a Ranger, if I've learned one thing, it's that there's no such thing as coincidence."
"That might be true, but that doesn't explain what I saw on the way in." Eric's mind recalled the red beams of energy and those white explosions of light on his approach with Fluffy. "There's no way a Darmanitan and a Weavile by themselves could cause that much damage, no matter how strong they were."
"You're right about that. But they weren't alone in spreading chaos tonight. There was another… thing with them. A monster."
"A monster?" Eric blinked at the peculiar choice of word. There were nearly 800 known and categorized species of Pokémon in the known world. And with his experience, Eric figured that if anyone had seen most of them, it'd be someone like Mr. Weiland. But to specifically use the word monster? "What do you mean monster?"
"It is as I say, this creature they used was nothing short of a monster." The Commander's voice growled ominously. "I can truly say that I've never seen a creature like the one I saw tonight, and I never hope to again."
"Wha – what kind of monster are we talking about here?" Eric's nerves forced their way out of his throat.
"If my eyes didn't deceive me, it looked like these fiends had somehow cobbled together different body parts from Pokémon and put them together, and then brought it to life like some sort of Frankenstein's monster."
"WHAT?! That's… That can't be possible!" Eric physically recoiled from the Commander's explanation. Granted, it wasn't an impossible task on its own to artificially create a Pokémon in a laboratory. The Porygon evolution line was famously created in that exact scenario almost 20 years ago, and was a monumental achievement in nearly every field of science imaginable. But Porygon was essentially computer code given a physical body in the real world, it had more in line with a robot than it did other species of Pokémon. What the Commander was describing, fusing body parts of different Pokémon and of different types no less; genetic engineering of that magnitude just was not possible, could not be possible… wasn't it?
"If I hadn't seen it myself, I would agree with you… As it stands, I saw a four-legged monster tonight, with talons from a Skarmory, and a tail from a Gyarados among other things.
"Oh… oh my God." Eric suddenly started to feel overwhelmed, like he shouldn't be out here with the Commander chasing after bad guys like he was. This was definitely not the night he had planned for. Hell, he'd even take another night with the Braixen twins as much as he couldn't stand their randy behavior towards him over chasing monsters with the head Ranger of Sinnoh. His Salamence seemed to sense her trainer's unease, looking back up at Eric with concern.
"The route is starting to open up, get ready!" The Commander's voice snapped Eric from his haze, as did his Noivern firing off another trio of echolocating pulses. The bat-like Dragon flapped its wings and climbed even higher. Eric and his Salamence followed suit, gliding up behind their allies as Eric surveyed the land below. The lush tree coverage was opening up into a more open field, roughly a half-mile in length north to south by Eric's best guess. The two Dragons held their positions above, them and their trainers watching the southern edge of the field for movement.
They didn't have to wait long as a bullet of white shot out from the bottom and ran towards the center of the field. These must have been the two ringleaders Mr. Weiland was talking about. And as much as Eric wanted to chase after them straight away, fulfilling his burgeoning sense of justice, he held firm with the Commander and watched. It appeared as though the ring leaders were slowing down slightly as they entered the field, perhaps trying to observe if they were being followed. Eric shifted his gaze towards a singular tree in the center of the otherwise open plain, where curiously enough he saw a large semi-truck parked nearby. Even more curiously, it appeared as though the white bullet was heading towards the truck.
"Hey, take a look over there, at the base of the tree." Eric alerted the Commander of his discovery.
"I see it too. Orion?" Another pulse, a singular one this time shot from the Noivern's ears in the direction of the truck. There was a pause, then the Noivern made three quick, quiet rumblings. "Three men by the truck, five in total then counting the ringleaders."
"That's not so bad." Eric remarked. "We might be outnumbered, but with our power and the element of surprise, we could-"
"Only observe, at least for now." Commander Weiland silenced Eric again. The youth ground his teeth as he continued to watch. Suddenly the white blur disappeared, but given where they were headed, Eric and the Ranger shifted their attention to the clearing around the truck. Eventually they saw the three men Orion had detected by the truck stand to the side of it as they saw the two ringleaders approach. Like the Commander had mentioned before, Eric could see the three truck-men were wearing white colored armor while the other two were wearing black. One of the three truck-men appeared to rush forward to the ringleaders, but was halted by something and held his place.
"What do you think is going on?" Eric asked the Commander.
"Perhaps they're regrouping, maybe debriefing." Both ringleaders dismounted the Pokémon they were riding, an Arcanine by Eric's observation, though stood together as they approached the truck-man who rushed forward. "Though it looks like they may be trying to give the one ringleader first aid."
"First aid?"
"Before they left for good, the two of them tried to steal Tyler's Glaceon from him."
"WHAT?!"
"Shhhh…" The Commander quickly silenced Eric's outrage. "The two of them are fine. Pendragon teleported in and put a stop to them. And in the process, he might have claimed one of their eyes as well."
"Jesus…" Eric gasped though the Commander didn't even so much as flinch. Sure enough, the other two truck-men ran to the back of the semi and opened the trailer's back door. One of the truck-men came back with a box in his hand and dropped to a knee before the two ringleaders, one of whom had also dropped to a knee as the truck-man looked through the box for supplies.
"Hold your position Eric, I'm going to try and peer inside the truck." The Commander said as his Noivern glided stealthily away from Eric and his Salamence. Eric kept his eyes on the men down below. The kneeling ringleader now sat up against the tree as his partner looked at him and the other man gave him something that was quickly pressed to his face, probably a bandage or cloth. The other two truck-men in white stayed by the truck itself, most likely talking about what they were seeing before them.
Eric's gaze shifted across the sky towards Commander Weiland and his Noivern. They'd lowered their altitude slightly as they looked down at the men below them, using the towering tree as cover to prevent themselves from being spotted. The way they moved so effortlessly through the sky showed just how experienced the Commander was at doing this kind of surveillance. Another drop in elevation and then the Noivern held firm, flying in place maybe a hundred yards above the ground.
"There's definitely Pokémon in the back of this truck." Eric heard through his communicator. "Some of them in cages no less."
"Can you tell if they were from the daycare?"
"I have no way of knowing for sure. But…" The Commander's voice growled with anger yet again. "The simple fact that some of the Pokémon in that truck are in cages, that's enough for me to call this in."
"And how are you going to do that?" Eric asked though as soon as his question ended, he heard an audible click from his headset. He looked to the Commander, seeing him holding his own communicator in his hand and pulling something from the top of it, probably an antenna. As the Commander refastened the device to his ear, Eric heard a pair of low-high beeps in his ear before the Commander's firm voice played behind it.
"This is Commander Thomas Weiland to any and all listening Rangers along Routes 209, 210 and 211. I have a firsthand report of an attack on the Solaceon Daycare Center. A third party and I have chased some of the perpetrators northward into the heart of Route 210. I need an immediate response team to cut off a large semi-trailer carrying stolen Pokémon. My current coordinates are as follows…" Eric then heard the Commander list off a series of numbers and Pokémon names that must have translated into something relevant to the listening Rangers. Though to him it sounded like random gibberish.
"There may be other rendezvous points with additional semis across this area. Be on the lookout for men wearing white armor as well should you find another trailer. These men have very dangerous Pokémon at their disposal. I am authorizing the use of force should you make contact with them, but no one is to engage without backup or engage alone." Eric only heard silence in response though it was apparent the order was sent. Justice was about to be served.
"What should we do in the meantime?" Eric asked through his communicator.
"As long as we hold our position and don't get spotted, we should be fine." The Commander replied. Looking at the situation, Eric was completely exposed in the air right now, so he told Fluffy to make her way over to where the Noivern was above the tree. So she did, the Salamence stealthily soaring over the silent night's sky and rejoining her ally.
And there they waited, minutes passing by with nothing said between the two of them as they observed the men they'd been chasing below. The two ringleaders and the apparent medic hadn't moved much at all, staying focused on providing first aid to the injured one. But none of their collective attentions were focused anywhere near the dragons on overwatch. It was the other two truck-men in white that Eric kept his laser focused vision on.
While it didn't seem like they were doing much, the two men had moved back towards the trailer itself, appearing to be smoking and talking with each other from their body language. The one on the left took a healthy drag from his cigarette while the other one lit up what was now his second cigarette of their smoke break.
Suddenly something jumped out the back of the trailer and made a move for the forest. Eric saw that it was a Ponyta, its fiery mane burning in a panic as it ran without looking back. Both of the white truck-men sprang into action, the first throwing a Poké ball and releasing an Electabuzz while the second climbed the trailer and closed the door before more could escape. The Electabuzz fired off a bolt of lightning that struck the panicked Fire Horse Pokémon, making it whinny in pain that could be heard even up where Eric was. He ground his teeth as he saw the attack happen and watched the one truck-man approach the now immobilized horse and throw a net over its body.
As the victorious truck-man turned with his captured Ponyta slung over his shoulder, he turned back towards the tree only for him to stop after a couple steps and look directly at Eric.
"Eric!" The Commander's voice snapped him back to the moment and Eric noticed for the first time that the Ranger was not next to him like he had been. He'd apparently shifted positions back a bit after the Ponyta had escaped. But Eric was too caught up in the moment and his disgust at the poachers that he'd forgotten to stay hiding. Now the truck-man was looking right at him!
"Oh crap! Did we just get spotted?"
"I think we might have." The Commander growled as the man who'd spotted Eric motioned for his partner to come over and look at what he was seeing. "Orion, fly around in front of Eric's Salamence. Act like you're courting her." With an affirmative growl, Orion flew in front of Fluffy and began darting around in front of her like he was trying to show off his agility.
"Fluffy, watch everything the Noivern does." Eric quickly followed suit, though his eyes were trained on the two men down below. Clearly, they were talking about the two Dragons they'd seen overheard. Eric just had to hope though that their impromptu charade of a courtship dance would be enough to fool the two truck-men into dismissing their presence.
"Is it working?" Tom asked as his Noivern flew around in a pair of low circles beneath the Salamence.
"I can't tell." Eric replied. Tension rapidly built up with Eric's increasing heartbeat as the two men continued to stare at them. The one on the right suddenly jumped back, pointing accusatorily at the two Dragons. "I don't think it's working."
"Dammit." Eric watched as the other man turned towards the jumper, then looked back at Eric's direction and he too jumped back. The two of them both then jumped for the truck, forgetting their captured Ponyta and Eric heard one of them yelling from below.
"Shit! Yeah, they spotted us alright!"
"We can't afford to lose them! Divebomb Orion!" With a swift 180-turn, Orion dropped out of the sky and descended swiftly towards the ground beneath them.
"Let's go Fluffy!" Eric spurred his Salamence on as well, both Dragons diving towards the tree only for the Arcanine to race ahead of them and fire a cloud of smoke in their direction.
"Orion use Air Slash!"
"You too Fluffy!" Both Dragons pulled up and flapped their wings downward, creating blades of wind to slice into the thickening smoke cloud and cut it to ribbons of ash and soot. Eric suddenly felt a rush of hot air from beneath him and saw a pillar of flames shooting up from below. The two Dragons quickly pulled away from the oncoming Flamethrower as they circled back around the tree, only to see not just one Arcanine but five standing in front of the truck.
"What?! But there was only one when they came in!"
"They're trying to use Double Team to aid their escape." The Commander quickly explained. "But they won't get far with a weak tactic like that. Orion, Draco Meteor!" The Dragon type looped around the tree once more as an orange aura enveloped its body. With a shrill cry, the Noivern's aura condensed and shot up into the sky before bursting open like a firework and raining a meteoric storm around the group of Arcanine. Immediately another explosive dust cloud surrounded the base of the tree but before Eric could tell Fluffy to blow it away, he saw a pair of headlights turn on from inside the cloud.
"The truck's trying to leave!" Eric shouted.
"Try to immobilize it. Orion and I need a moment to recover!" The Commander quickly replied as the truck emerged from the cloud.
"Okay Fluffy, use Dragon Pulse!" Eric's Salamence reared its neck back and fired a beam of purplish-blue energy down towards the truck. The beam missed, crashing into the right side of the truck. "Again!" A second beam of energy, this time pummeling the ground to the left as the truck swerved to avoid the attack. "Again!" A third time, yet it found the same result as the truck swerved back right and started to pick up speed.
"Take out its tires if you can Eric!" The Commander stated before spurring his Noivern down towards the cloud.
"Alright." Eric leaned into Fluffy and tightened his grip on her neck. "Get as low to the ground as you can Fluffy, then use Dragon Claw!" With an affirmative grunt, Fluffy flapped her wings and then fell to the ground. Eric heard the wind screaming in his ears and felt his stomach float into his chest as the grass became dangerously close with each fraction of a second. He braced himself just as Fluffy pulled up and Eric's stomach dropped into his hips and his vision narrowed into a black cone in front of him for a brief moment. When his vision recovered, Fluffy was now closing in on the truck from behind, just barely above the ground with her claws glowing bright green.
Another brace from Eric as Fluffy caught up to the truck and slashed at the back tires with her claw, shredding them to rubber ribbons in an instant. They pulled away as the truck began to wobble, eventually jackknifing to the left while the driver tried to correct the dangerous swerve.
"Dragon Pulse!" Another purplish-blue beam of energy fired from Fluffy's maw, this time hitting the semi cabin itself and pushing it up on its left-side wheels. The Salamence flew closer to the truck, focusing her attack on the now exposed underside in an attempt to flip the semi on its side. It wasn't long until she succeeded, Eric watching as the now crashing semi carved through the meadow, kicking dirt and mud up everywhere. Fluffy pulled up and circled back in time for Eric to see the hydraulic links to the trailer fail, and with a metallic groan the trailer detached from the cabin and carved up its own path across the meadow. Unfortunately, the trailer also flipped once over on its side as well, no doubt injuring some of the Pokémon inside. Though considering the alternative, a bruise or two was a small price to pay to avoid being captured by this group of poachers.
"Truck's down for the count!" Eric announced through his communicator.
"Nicely done!" The Commander replied and Eric heard the same low-high beeps from before. "This is Commander Weiland! The truck at my previously mentioned coordinates has been immobilized. I need a medical re- Orion! Pull up!" The Commander cut off his orders as the Noivern dodged an oncoming attack, a swirling pillar of flames that Eric saw the attack from the corner of his eye. Even so, it was already a fair ways northwest of where he and the crashed semi were. "I need a medical response team immediately to those coordinates!"
"What happened to the ringleaders?" Eric asked as he flew towards the previously seen pillar of flames.
"The ringleaders are headed northwest on the back of an Arcanine! I'm in pursuit with my Noivern Orion and-" Eric saw another pillar of flames erupt from the forested horizon and flew towards them. "And a third party with a Mega Salamence. Rangers near Celestic Town are to reroute to the western edge of Route 210 and prepare for intercept."
"Come on Fluffy, we gotta help the Commander!" A quick grunt and Fluffy sped ahead, watching the Noivern dodge yet another blast of flames fired in its direction. The bat-like Dragon retaliated by molding a turquoise ball of energy in its mouth and firing it down into the forest, followed by another as Eric heard the first attack's explosion in the distance.
"I take it we're no longer just observing them?" Eric asked as he and Fluffy finally caught up with their ally.
"Now we stop them from running." The Commander responded. "I will not let these two get away with what they've done tonight!"
"Sounds like a plan to me. Fluffy use-" Now it was Eric's turn to cut himself off as Fluffy veered to the right to dodge another pillar of flames from down below. Eric looked down and saw the streaking white bullet of an Arcanine racing at top speed over the forest floor. "Damn, that Arcanine is good."
"I'd have to agree. It gives my boy's Kacela a run for her money."
"Got any ideas on how we can slow it down?"
"There's not much we can do with the forest providing cover for him." Eric frowned, looking ahead of the Arcanine's path. Nothing but trees as far as he could see. Where was another nice open meadow when they needed one?
"Hang on a sec… I got an idea." Eric said as the gears in his head began to spin at a fever pace. "Can you keep those guys busy?"
"Easily." The Commander replied. "Orion fire a barrage of Dragon Pulses!"
"Fluffy, get down low, just above the tree tops." As Eric put his plan into motion, the nearby Noivern began firing a constant stream of the turquoise balls of energy Eric had seen earlier. Good, a steady rain of attacks like that should keep the Arcanine and the ringleaders occupied.
"What kind of plan are you working on boy?" The Commander asked over his Noivern's assault.
"I'm making you an opening to strike them with, just keep them going straight!" Eric turned his attention back to Fluffy. "Okay Fluffy, use Dragon Dance." An affirmative growl and Fluffy's body began to glow with an aura of deep scarlet inside of a thin golden edge. After a moment, the aura vanished and Fluffy lurched forward with an increase in speed. But it wasn't so much the speed boost that Eric was looking for. "Dragon Dance again!"
"I see what you're getting at." The Commander seemed to be on the same train of logic as Fluffy's body glowed a second time. Eric looked back and saw yet another stream of Dragon Pulses rain on the forest behind him. Fluffy suddenly lurched forward a second time and now Eric really had to fasten his grip around her neck. It was necessary for his plan to work, but this speed boost could just as easily backfire in lethal ways if he wasn't careful.
"Okay Fluffy, land over there!" Eric pointed to a slight opening in the tree line that the Commander was herding the Arcanine towards. She quickly landed, turning in the direction of the fleeing perpetrators. Hopefully the Commander had kept them busy enough to not notice his sneak attack.
"I'm in position. Wait for my signal." Eric said to the Commander.
"Standing by." The Noivern fired off its last Dragon Pulse for the time being, leaving Eric and Fluffy to focus on the approaching white bullet. They were maybe a hundred yards ahead of the brief opening to the forest and the Arcanine was heading straight towards him. If this plan went perfectly, both the Arcanine and his handlers would have no time to react to Eric's trap. He didn't have to wait long, as the rustling of the brush ahead of him told Eric just how close he was to seeing justice delivered.
"Fluffy, use Earthquake!" As soon as the Arcanine entered the clearing, Eric sprang his trap and his Salamence whipped its tail to the ground. The earth erupted around it, jagged chunks of rock flying up in every direction as the destructive shockwave spread. Trees around them started to tremble and fall, the sheer devastative force of Eric's attack on full display as mighty oaks fell over like they were mere toothpicks.
"THERE'S THE FUCKING FOURTH ONE!" Eric heard a clearly irate scream, most likely from one of the ringleaders as the Arcanine was now heading straight into exploding chunks of earth before it. A smile forced its way to Eric's face, this was it. There was no escape for the Arcanine or these Team Eclipse guys after this. They were going to crash, the Commander would arrest them, all the Pokémon would then be saved. Game Over.
Or so Eric thought. Instead of slowing down in a panic to try and dodge the sinkhole that threatened to swallow it and its two riders whole, the Arcanine actually sped up, somehow running faster still as it entered the minefield. Then it jumped up, launching itself into a larger chunk of flying debris and proceeded to jump off that towards another large piece of rock, and another and a fourth until it eventually cleared Fluffy and Eric completely overhead and landed behind them without even breaking stride.
"WHAT?!" Eric and Fluffy turned around in a mixture of outrage and disbelief. No! That did not just happen! The trap was sprung and they'd won! You can't just deflect their ultimate attack and sprint away unscathed like a goddamn ninja! Eric needed answers, and he and Fluffy both shot after them howling with anger.
"I can't tell from up here, all I see is a massive dust cloud. Did that work?" Eric heard the Commander through his headset.
"NO! IT SHOULD'VE, BUT IT DIDN'T!" Eric screamed back. "THEY JUST RAN OVER IT LIKE THEY WERE FLYING!"
"Damn."
"I'M NOT LETTING THEM GET AWAY FROM ME!" Eric added on before the Commander had a chance to say more. "DRAGON DANCE!"
"Eric wait! But Eric didn't even hear the Commander's words as Fluffy glowed scarlet once more, and began her pursuits anew. The wind stung across his body and his vision narrowed down to a cone of blurred objects and shapes, but Eric's mind still had focus on one thing. Capturing the two bandits ahead of him.
Though even with Fluffy's third speed boost of the night, Eric still found it hard to catch up to the Arcanine. Being grounded appeared to give the Arcanine an advantage as it could still read its path going forward without ducking or weaving too much. Eric and his bulkier Dragon on the other hand had to make a nearly constant amount of micro-adjustments to their flight path to chase the nimble Fire type down.
After a minute of their high-speed chase, Eric was finally starting to close in on the ringleaders. He saw one of the ringleaders look over his shoulder back at Eric and wave at him with a cocksure grin on his face. And it was at that time that Eric saw the answer to his question as to how the Arcanine had dodged his attack. On the ringleader's right wrist was some sort of device, mostly rectangular with a screen that had an LED layout broadcast on it, and a pair of pincer-like extensions sticking out from the top of it over the wearer's hand.
It was a Wonder Launcher! Eric's dormmate from Unova had one of these devices himself. He told Eric that it fired disc-like objects from it that attached themselves to a Pokémon. Then the discs would release a stream of chemicals into the Pokémon's body to give it a variety of effects based on the disc that was used, such as boosting offense, defense or speed. These guys must have used a speed boosting disc on their Arcanine at some point tonight.
Eric was about to spur Fluffy on to close the gap on the two to the point where he could attack, but the man looking back at him turned his hand into a single finger pointing right. Instantly he and the Arcanine slowed down, with both Fluffy and Eric shooting over them in the blink of an eye. Eric looked over his shoulder and saw the edge of the forest solidify and expand outward, and the Arcanine stop at the edge of it. The night sky was once again visible overhead, as was a steep decline of a rocky ravine beside where the Arcanine stood. Apparently they'd made it to the mountainous zone on the western edge of Route 210. But that didn't matter to Eric. What did matter was that the Arcanine had once again donned its speedy white aura and was sprinting along the cliffside away from Eric.
"That way Fluffy!" Eric shouted over the wind as Fluffy threw her wings out and made a sharp turn towards the poachers… but Eric didn't turn with her.
"ERIC!" The sheer velocity of Fluffy's turn was too much for Eric's grip on her to hold him in place atop her back. He was thrown from her back, and was now in free fall above the ravines of Route 210.
The world froze to a crawl as Eric realized the gravity of his situation. He saw himself reach out for Fluffy, but she was already long out of his reach in just a fraction of a second. By the time she realized Eric wasn't on her back, he had to be a football field's length from her, and another by the time she'd turned around. Eric looked down. There was a river the width of the ravine beneath him. Even so, that fact didn't bring Eric any comfort. He knew from this height that he was basically looking at blue concrete. And if he didn't do something fast, the next thing he'd be looking at would be his life flashing before his eyes.
Eric looked back at Fluffy as she dove towards him. She was fast, but he was going the same speed as she was when he fell. Eric couldn't count on her being able to catchup to him in time, and there was always the chance of him being unable to successfully grab onto Fluffy at these speeds. Eric looked down again and felt the Poké balls on his trainer's belt. He had one other Flying type besides Fluffy, but there was no way that his Talonflame Pyrahh could catch and support his frame enough to slow him down. No other Dragon types to catch him, no Psychic types to slow him down with telekinesis, no Grass types capable of catching him with vines and reeling him in that way. But what he did have was…
"Revera! Use Hydro Pump on me!" a Water type Pokémon, his Milotic burst out of her ball and landed in the ravine beneath him. The instant her first scale touched the water, Revera shot a full-powered torrent of water up towards her master. Eric threw his arms out wide and Revera's move hit him perfectly in the chest. Most of the air was quickly punched from his lungs, but Eric could feel himself slowing down ever so slightly. It was helping, but Revera's efforts weren't enough by themselves for Eric to relax for even a fraction of a second. Did he have anything else that could reasonably slow his descent even a little bit more? Amaterasu being a Fire type couldn't help him at all, and Seijun the Pachirisu would only make things worse. The only other Pokémon he had with him was…
"Nymphia! Use Helping Hand!" With the last of his current breath, Eric called upon his cheerleader of a Sylveon to help Revera slow his descent even more. She landed beside her teammate at the river's edge and started dancing as a pink aura overcame her body. Revera's body also became shrouded in the same pink aura and Eric saw the column of water suspending him above the river widen at the base for a moment before blasting Eric with even more force from below. Eric could feel just how powerful an assist Nymphia was providing as he felt himself slowing down even more. But with how close the river itself was approaching, Eric wasn't sure if it was enough, and he was out of Pokémon that could help him.
"Venator! Whirlwind!" Eric heard this voice not from himself, but inside his headset as he saw another silver form morph into existence beside his two Pokémon. A hulking ogre of purple standing on four legs with a scorpion-like tail and two more from the side of its head. A Drapion? But how? Eric saw a blur of black and blue briefly fly into and out of his vision just as quickly until it pulled up at the base of the river and he saw a Noivern.
"Orion use Gust! Both the Drapion and Noivern fired a swirling vortex of wind up at Eric as well It now felt like he was falling into a hurricane with wind and water whipping and swirling everywhere around his body. But at the same time, it also felt like someone had finally put the brakes on his descent. Certain doom was now becoming probable doom, more-than-likely doom, but it was still too close to doom in general. There was more work to be done, so Eric tried straightening himself out and stiffening his limbs. He had to hit the landing perfectly in the water if he had any chance of not breaking every bone in his body at once.
The pillar of water suddenly stopped and Eric was completely free falling again, though as he looked down he felt somewhat relieved at what he saw. Revera had jumped out of the water and was flying towards him. Eric slammed into Revera's serpentine body, and although she let out a pained groan, she coiled herself completely around Eric's body from head to toe as the two of them now fell together towards the water. With one last moment before impact, Eric took as deep a breath as he could get, clenched his teeth and braced himself for the impact he knew was inevitable.
The weight of the world pressed down on and around Eric as he and Revera crashed into the frigid waters of Route 210. Even though Revera had coiled around him, Eric couldn't help but squirm at his natural response to climb back to the surface as they sunk deeper into the river. He couldn't hear or see anything; all Eric could feel was the feeling of being constricted and dragged deeper into the abyss. That and pain. Pummeling, stinging pain as the force of his impact finally caught up with him again. There was ringing in his ears, and the coiling feeling around his body slipped away. Was this the end?
Eric's body broke the surface of the river as Revera lifted him out of the water. The breath of life flowed back into his lungs over and over as Eric was placed on the edge of the roaring rapids by his Milotic. He rolled over on his hands and knees and coughed up an ocean's worth of water before collapsing prone on the ground.
"ERIC!" He heard a voice and felt himself get rolled over on his back a second time. He felt his shirt ripped off his body in a second. It felt so cold, like walking into a blizzard without any protection at all. His body was already so numb that he didn't feel the object placed on his now bare chest until he looked down and saw red cloth in the shape of a vest. It felt so warm. Eric wanted to hug the warmth into him, but his body didn't want to move. Everything hurt.
"Unghhh…" Eric wheezed as he rolled onto his side and curled up into a ball.
"Eric! Are you okay son?" The voice asked him again.
"C-cold…" Eric shivered.
"Let's fix that then. Uh… Ventaor, bring that driftwood over here!"
"Drapion." Eric felt the ground shake as something scuttled away from him, only to return a moment later with an accompanying thud nearby.
"Orion, use Flamethrower on the driftwood."
"Noivern!" Warmth, glorious beautiful heated warmth! Eric felt his right side heat up from the nearby warmth and he instinctively rolled back towards it. A hand and a soft tendril of fur held grabbed him by the shoulders and helped him to a seated position as the stars began to fade from his vision and the ringing in his head softened.
"Are you okay Eric?"
"Ow…" It was all Eric could get out as he started to regain his bearings. There were a Drapion and a Noivern behind the fire that was burning in front of him. A concerned brush of fur stroked Eric's right side. He turned towards it and saw Nymphia his Sylveon with an overjoyed smile on her face as she wrapped her ribbons around him in a hug. To his left was a sturdier more human grip, and Eric saw a shirtless Commander Weiland to his left, feeling the man's strong comforting hand holding the small of his back. Revera the Milotic was still floating in the river beside him, a concerned look on her face. Eric heard another rumbling from behind him and turned to face it, only to meet Fluffy's now non-Mega evolved face rubbing against his chest
"Fl – Fluffy cut it out. I'm okay." Eric said as he hugged the Dragon's head, seeing tears in the corner of her eyes. Eric felt the same way though. Tonight was supposed to be a simple night of relaxation and rest for him and his Pokémon. Instead, Eric felt years of his life literally slip away from him tonight. He was simply happy, overjoyed even to be alive after experiencing such an accident. And sure, the Eclipse people may have gotten away because of his recklessness in the heat of the moment. But, even though he was freezing cold outside, his heart inside was warm with the adoration of his Pokémon. And at the end of the day, that's all that really mattered to Eric.
(-o-) Present Time (-o-) Tyler's Perspective (-o-)
"Holy shit Eric." Tyler was stunned. He wasn't sure what to say as Eric's Ninetales licked his cheek again. How do you respond to hearing the kind of story that you just did?
"Yeah. I can't believe it all myself." Eric lightly pet his Ninetales' head, earning a yawn from the sleepy Fire type. "Will's dad chewed me out pretty good afterwards, mostly about how reckless I was being with Fluffy. But in the end, he was just glad I was okay."
"Well he's not the only one dude. We don't need another one of us in the hospital after tonight."
"Speaking of that, how's everyone doing? Is Will okay?"
"Sorta. He's spending the night in Hearthome City, but they said he and Jason will be fine. Madison on the other hand…" Tyler explained to Eric what happened to her and he thought he saw the color drain from Eric's face for a moment.
"Man, and I thought I had a hard night… I hope she's okay."
"We all do." Tyler's frowned as his thoughts lingered with the injured Kalosian.
"Well… I dunno about you, but I need sleep." Eric finally broke the awkard silence that had held the room hostage for the moment and laid down in his bed, only for another sneeze to jerk him right up again. "Ugh… I swear if I catch a cold from this."
"Ninetales Ni~ne." Amaterasu poked her head up from beneath the covers again.
"I know. I'll be fin- ACHOOO!" Eric sneezed again, this time unguarded into his Ninetales' face. She didn't say anything in response, but did whip one of her tails out and bop Eric on the head. "Ow! Cut me some slack Ama, I'm sick."
"Ninetales…" Amaterasu took the same tail and began wiping Eric's sneeze from her muzzle.
"I'm sorry. *sniff* I can't help ih- ACHOOO!" A second sneeze and a second bop on the head from the now frustrated Ninetales. "It's not my fault!"
*Knock-knock-knock* Over his amused chucking, Tyler heard a noise from the door to their room.
"Ninetales – tales!" Amaterasu huffed in annoyance as the two of them continued their disagreement. Tyler shook his head and got up, walking over to the door and opening it, though was surprised to see who was standing there.
"Rose?"
"Hey Tyler…" Rose bashfully waved a greeting at Tyler, then timidly grabbed her wrist as her hand lowered in front of her. Tyler followed her hand and saw that she was wearing a dark blue bathrobe over her body, one that was clearly too large for her though as her arms disappeared back into the sleeves. "You guys are still up?"
"Yeah, Eric was telling me what happened to him last night while we were in Hearthome City."
*ACHOO!*
*THWAP*
"Ow! You did that one on purpose!" Eric half-shouted, half-yawned behind Tyler, getting another amused chuckle from the redhead.
"And now they're arguing like an old married couple."
"They're do seem really close." Rose agreed with Tyler.
"So, what are you doing here? Are you trying to sleep and we're too loud?"
"Well, yes and no." Rose answered softly. "Actually, I came up here to ask you a favor."
"A favor?" Tyler raised a curious eyebrow to Rose.
"Yeah. See I can't sleep like you thought. Whenever I close my eyes, all I can see is Will lying on the ground hurt, and all the destruction those Team Eclipse guys caused tonight. I can't get my mind off any of it. And since I can't get my mind off it, I can't fall asleep."
"Uh-huh."
"Well, so whenever something like this would happen in the past, I could just turn to Will and he'd take care of it. He'd lie down in bed with me, wrap his strong protective arms around me and I could finally feel safe and get my mind off everything."
"Okay."
"But, as you know. Will's in the hospital tonight. So I went and grabbed his robe thinking that might help me." Tyler looked over the robe a second time. He could definitely see that robe fitting Will a lot better than it could Rose. "I thought maybe since its his robe, it'd have his scent and would be warm to wear but… it's just not the same as physically being there with him."
"Yeah, I bet." Tyler nodded in agreement.
"So… if you're okay with it, I was kinda hoping that I could borrow you tonight and do the same thing. See if that helps me fall asleep instead." Rose looked up at Tyler with a shy but hopeful grin.
"You want to… sleep with me? Like literally sleep with me?" Tyler blinked his confusion.
"If you're okay with it that is." Rose blurted out her reply. "I mean, you don't have to if you-"
"Nah, it's not a big deal. I mean…" Tyler felt heat rise into his cheeks as he stood aside and held the door for Rose. "We've already been in bed together before."
"Hehe, I guess you're right." Rose giggled as she stepped into the room and Tyler closed the door behind him.
"You uh… don't mind if I sleep in this do you?" Tyler gestured to the fact that he was only wearing his shorts. "Sleeping in clothes feels kinda weird to me."
"That's fine with me." Rose smiled as she pulled at the drawstring on the robe and opened it. The oversized garment fell to the floor to show Rose in yet another oversized piece of clothing underneath it. It was a blue t-shirt with a stenciled outline of some stag-like Pokémon Tyler didn't recognize, though he could see the horns on its head reminded him of a tree. Though Tyler's eyes were also drawn to the hemline of said shirt, and more importantly how it hung just beneath Rose's butt to show off the lower half of her glowing alabaster form.
"Um…" Tyler's head heated up another level. "There's – you have something on under that still… right?"
"Maybe, maybe not." Rose giggled coyly at Tyler as she flirtatiously grabbed the bottom of the oversized shirt and pulled it away from her body. She bent over at the waist though as she looked at him, keeping the answer to Tyler's question from his sight. "If you're a good boy tonight though, maybe I'll let you find out when we wake up?"
*Ahem!* Eric coughed from his bed. "Other person in the room. Don't do anything you don't want me to see… or hear for that matter."
"That would make for a pretty short list actually…" Rose said absentmindedly.
"What?" Both Eric and Tyler gasped together.
"But this is a big house Tyler," She continued anyway. "There's plenty more empty rooms if you wanted to get more… intimate with me tonight."
"That won't be necessary!" Eric quickly stood up, grabbing clothes and walking briskly to the door. "You two can have this room, I'll go find a new one. Preferably on the other side of the house."
"Nine Nine taaaaii~iiillss." Amaterasu followed suit, an amused grin on her face as she followed her trainer.
"Oh no, don't you get any ideas from the two of them. That's not happening either." Eric's voice trailed off as the two of them left the room, leaving Tyler and Rose standing together in the center of now their room.
"Oops. I wasn't trying to make him leave." Rose frowned slightly as she grabbed her wrist again.
"He's probably just shy. That and he really needs the sleep." Tyler wrapped his arm around Rose's shoulder and gently pulled her to his side. "He had a long night just like we did."
"Okay." Rose stifles a cute yawn as she nuzzles her cheek against Tyler's chest.
"Shall we go to bed Rose?" Tyler can hardly contain the stupid grin on his face as the words leave his mouth. Even if it wasn't meant in a suggestive way, the memories of the last time he'd slept with this auburn-haired beauty came back to him in a way that made more than just his cheeks hot-blooded.
"Yes please." She smiles warmly at Tyler as she pulls him by the arm, leading the two of them to Tyler's bed.
"So… I'll get in first then?" Tyler says as he climbs into the bed. He scoots all the way to the other side of the bed and holds the covers up, inviting Rose to join him. She does so, climbing in herself and scooting right up against Tyler, with her back pressed up against his chest.
"Nn – now what?" Tyler asks a bit nervously as his heartbeat goes up a few ticks from Rose's closeness to him.
"Sleep, duh." Rose giggles as she smiles up at Tyler. "In spite of my flirting with you, I'm really not in the mood for anything more than cuddles tonight. I just wanted to tease you for a bit." Rose giggled again as she looked back over her shoulder at Tyler. "Seeing your innocent face light up like a firework every time is so much fun."
"Gee, glad I could help." Tyler rolled his eyes as Rose giggled some more at his expense.
"You could be even more helpful if you wrapped yourself around me." Rose pointed out and stunned her redheaded boytoy for a moment. But he quickly slid his arms around her body, clasping them lightly over her stomach. Rose purred with content almost immediately, pushing herself even closer to Tyler's body and started giggling some more.
"Wh – what?" Tyler asked anxiously.
"Oh nothing. I'm just enjoying how warm you are to cuddle with… I bet Wendy loves it too."
"She uh… yeah. I like it too." Tyler relaxed a bit as he pulled Rose closer to him.
"My desert fireball…" Rose purred and Tyler felt his heart skip a beat at Rose's pet name for him. But his heart wasn't the only thing that skipped a beat, and Tyler knew that Rose knew it as well as she teasingly pressed her butt against his now hardening groin. He wanted to say something in protest, but Rose seemed to read his mind and stopped her teasing… for now. She yawned another of her cute yawns and placed both hands under her pillow, drifting off to sleep in the arms of her desert fireball. Tyler meanwhile was now left wondering if he'd be able to get any sleep at all given his current state. He let out a sigh and placed his head on the pillow, trying his best to fall asleep and not prick Rose with his growing thorn.
A/N: And there you go guys, that makes Chapter 50 in the books. I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter of Evolution. And I certainly hope that user ThePokemonOtaku enjoyed this chapter as he was the one who submitted Eric back in the day, especially given the lengthy delays I've had with getting this specific chapter out. I don't know really think there was any particular reason why it took so long. It just ended up taking me a really long time to get this chapter to a point where I was satisfied. But we finally did reach that point of satisfaction, so here we go. I hope you guys enjoyed yourself, and that I'll see you all again next time. This is DrPhill26 signing out, and have a good one you guys :D