POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
Welcome back!
Alright, guys, I'll make it really short this time: our heroes are in trouble! Moltres has awakened, and Knot Island is in terrible danger... but just when things look bleak, a couple of old acquaintances, the ever-popular Charizard and Charla, come to help Ash and his friends in this struggle! Will their aid manage to win the day, and will J be denied her prize?
And what will Brock, Dawn and the others do, in the meantime?
To know that, just keep reading!
Oh, and by the way... the title for this chapter is probably a little lame! But as a Gundam fangirl, I just couldn't pass up this chance!
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Chapter 17 - Charizard's Counterattack
The entire tract of land around Mt. Ember was being shaken by the earthquake, and glowing red-hot magma was flowing from the crack in the ground, making the whole zone more and more dangerous by the minute. The Pokemon who, up until a few moments before, were peacefully going about their lives in the forests and the prairies, were now trying to run away and scattering in all directions... and among these, the Rhyhorn who had tried to attack Ash and his friends, who was now smashing down any obstacles in his way to safety with his mighty horn. Even the other Pokemon were taking care not to approach him too much, knowing that the fierce rhino would not have taken kindly to any distraction.
However, just when it seemed that Rhyhorn was going to get away, a splash of boiling lava coming from a nearby crack hit his rear right leg. His rocky skin spared him from fatal damage, but Rhyhorn widened his eyes and bellowed in pain as he began to drag the injured leg in a desperate attempt to regain the lost advantage. He grit his teeth angrily as more chunks of red-hot magma rained down around him, missing him by only a few feet and making him feel an annoying wave of heat... if he hadn't been able to get away somehow, he would have soon been buried in lava...
By sheer luck, among the smoke and the flames, the near-sighted rhinoceros Pokemon managed to make out an opening in the rocky cliff he had been running along, which looked like a possible way to safety, or at least a stable shelter. The Ground / Rock Pokemon dragged himself to that safe spot and managed to slip into the opening, trying to get as deep inside as possible...
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Ash and Pikachu couldn't believe it... Charizard was back! One of his first and dearest Pokemon had come back, joined by his beloved Charla, to help them out in that difficult moment! The young boy felt tears of joy sting at his eyes... but a deafening blast, coming from a rocky cliff that had just fallen to Moltres' Flamethrower, quickly shook him out of his reverie! Misty's Gyarados had just barely dodged the gout of flame, and the redhead had just barely managed to keep herself from falling by holding tight to the sea serpent's iron-hard scales! In the meanwhile, J's flying machine was keeping up the assault, and the Pokemon swarming around it were barely managing to slow it down! Something needed to be done, and fast!
"Charizard... I'm really happy to see you, my friend!" Ash exclaimed as he hugged the mighty dragon. "But... now we have to do something to help Misty and our friends. You've seen what's going on, right? Moltres is tearing this island down, and J is trying to capture him... in both cases, it would be a terrible thing! We have to do something to stop them!"
"Pika pika, pikachu pi chu pika pika chuuuu!" Pikachu squeaked as he pointed to the ongoing battle. Charizard quickly understood and, after nodding to Charla, crouched low on the ground as to allow Ash and Pikachu to climb on his back.
"CHAR!" the dragon grunted, his mouth cracking a smile as he told his trainer that it was time to be back in action! Practically grinning from one ear to the other, Ash gently stroke Charizard's head before climbing on his back... and the red dragon rose majestically and spread his wings, roaring in defiance as he took to the air! Charla followed after him, as Ash held down his ever-present hat with his free hand. Then Ash and Pikachu looked at each other and nodded, getting ready for the battle they were about to face...
But now, the electric mouse was sure they had a good chance at winning!
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"We have deactivated the damaged engines, miss J... but our speed has suffered as a result!" one of the Team Vicious grunts exclaimed, as the rest of the crew restlessly tried to keep the flying ship up to speed. "At the moment, Moltres is engaged in battle with one of the interfering Pokemon... and the others are still trying to delay us! They haven't caused important damage for now, but..."
Annoyed by her henchmen's incessant chatter, J pushed him away with a simple gesture of her arm. "I understand, no need to make a resume for me! I can see you cannot carry out your orders if your life was riding on it... so I guess I'll have to do everything myself, in the end!" she quickly summed up. Her henchmen stepped away as the huntress brought out one of her Pokeballs, a mundane type this time, and opened it, letting out one of her strongest Pokemon! "Come out, Salamence! I need your services!"
With a warlike roar, the winged dragon appeared above the heads of the Team Vicious members, some of whom actually freaked out at the unexpected sight, while J nodded in satisfaction and pressed a button on the control interface. "Salamence! Take out those annoying gnats out there! I will take care of the rest and catch Moltres! All hands, man your stations! Do not let Moltres get away, or you'll have to answer to me!"
"Of course, miss!" the other Team Vicious members answered almost unanimously as they all went back to their assigned places, the threat more than enough to shake them and force them to double their efforts. A sliding panel opened up on the cabin's ceiling, allowing J's Salamence to take to the air and get to the outside of the flying fortress...
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...where Phoebe's ghosts and the Flying Pokemon belonging to Ash and his friends' teams were busy trying to destroy as much as possible of the immense flying machine, blowing up its weapons and distracting the enemy just enough to allow Ash, Misty and their Pokemon to buy time. Yanmega, still holding Wobbuffet in her paws, quickly passed near a radar and shot an Air Cutter attack which neatly bisected it, causing it to explode one heartbeat later... as Drifblim used a Double Team attack to evade a bunch of lasers. Mismagius intervened immediately after, shooting a pair of cannons with a Thunderbolt attack. Gary's Fearow, Brock's Crobat, Dawn's Togekiss and Ash's Staraptor were attacking from various directions, and they seemed to be putting a bit of a dent in the flying machine's defenses. All in all, they were doing a good job of it... but the situation took a turn for the worse when Fearow sensed a sudden jerking movement on his left, and turned that way just in time to see J's Salamence bearing down on him, blood-red wings spread and eyes blazing with fury in sharp contrast with his fine, elegant blue-green scale! The bird of prey immediately saw that they were facing a tough opponent and shrieked in alarm, trying to get away from Salamence's path as he called out to his companions...
Just in time too, as J's Salamence quickly did a spectacular acrobatic maneuver, breathed in, and shot out a powerful Dragonbreath attack, shootng an azure flame from his maw and almost hitting Dawn's Togekiss with it. The cute flying Pokemon rapidly beat her small wings and got away from danger, but J's Salamence get up close and personal with blinding speed and struck Crobat with a Thunder Fang attack, his electrified jaws clamping shut on the giant bat's wing, who shrieked in pain as he lost altitude, his wings frantically beating in the air. Togekiss tried to take advantage of the moment to hit Salamence with an Hyper Beam, powering up for just a momet before unleashing a red beam of energy at his opponent! Salamence's eyes shot open as he used his wings to protect himself, but he only managed to soften the blow somewhat: he was still struck by it and forced to drop a few feet with a pained roar... but the Dragon Pokemon quickly recovered and tried to attack again while Togekiss was winded.
Meanwhile, Yanmega, Wobbuffet and Phoebe's Ghost Pokemon were still trying to slow down J's aerial base as much as they could, destroying her defence systems and blowing holes in its hull wherever possible. Some lasers were targeting Yanmega and Wobbuffet, but luckily, the weird Psychic Pokemon reacted in time, using his trademark Mirror Coat to wrap himself in a scarlet aura which sent all lasers back to the offender! Mismagius nodded and used his Thunderbolt to join Drifblim's Shadow Ball in attacking the fortress once again...
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Misty caught her breath right after the latest, shattering clash between her Gyarados and Moltres: up until then, the sea serpent had managed to hold his own rather well, but now he was beginning to tire out, while Moltres was still as good as new despite all the hits he had taken, and was spouting flame all over the island, adding to the damaged done by the tremors and the flowing lava. Gyarados was obviously not going to last much longer... Misty knew she had to think of a way out fast, or at least hope that her friends managed to hold off J's flying machine for a little more time, or else this battle would have taken a pretty nasty turn...
"Darn..." the redhead muttered as she tried to hold on tightly to her pokemon's back. "If only I didn't have to concentrate on two things at a time, I might have a chance..."
All of a sudden, Gyarados' eyes widened as he turned to his side, feeling that something was coming. Misty did the same, wondering about what her Pokemon had seen... and remained stupefied when she saw Ash and Pikachu riding upon Charizard, heading straight towards Moltres, with Charla only a few metres behind them! Misty remembered the day when Ash and Charizard had parted ways very clearly... and whenever the Fire Pokemon returned, it was always a great moment for her as well!
"Charizard! Charla!" the red-haired girl exclaimed. "I... I really didn't think I'd see you again here! Ash, Pikachu! Be careful, that Legendary Pokemon plays for keeps!"
"We know, Misty... we've had our experiences with him!" Ash answered in a self-assured tone, as Charizard and Charla stood at Gyarados' side. "But we're not going to make this easy on him! By the way, Misty, we hope we haven't kept you waiting too long! Hehehee..."
Misty rolled her eyes and smiled with sarcasm. Typical Ash, trying to be a buffoon even at such an inappropriate time! "Oh, no worries... it's not like I was desperately wishing for someone to bail me out of this mess!" she joked. "Anyway... you've really been a lifesavers, guys! Now... let's cool that hothead off, shall we?"
"CHAAAAAAAAAR!" Charizard and Charla roared in unison as they opened their mouths wide and shot a mighty double Flamethrower at the Legendary Pokemon, who was far too close to dodge or block it, and had no choice but to take the stream of flames head-on, which caused him to stumble in midair and fall a few feet. The legendary bird Pokemon screeched in anger and surprise, then flapped his wings again and took to the air once again, but the damage had already been done - that blow had shaken him quite a bit, and now he knew he was not dealing with insignificant opponents.
"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked, excited at the fact that his old travelling companion had managed to put such a powerful Pokemon on the ropes, even for just a second. "Pika pi! Pika chu chu pika pika chu, pika?"
"Of course, Pikachu! We still aren't close enough, but if we can just distract Moltres for a second, and then we can get close to him... then we have a chance!" Ash answered, gripping the front of his hat with his free hand. Then, he looked at Misty and gave her a thumbs-up. "Still, Misty... you and your Gyarados did a great job! One would never say that you used not to like Gyarados!"
"Hehehee... Well, let's just say it was a shock therapy..." the girl answered. Out of the corner of her eye, Misty was able to see Moltres taking to the again and launch a Drill Peck attack towards Charizard, who frowned and got ready to withstand the blow. Ash saw that the opponent was leaving himself open for a counter, and tried to think of a proper counter...
"Alright, Pikachu... stand ready! This might be our best chance to attack him!" the boy affirmed. The electric mouse nodded to his trainer first, and then to the two Charizards, and his red cheek pouches crackled with energy as he got ready to unleash all he had on the Legendary Pokemon. Another warlike yell echoed in Knot Island's cloud-filled sky as Moltres got closer and closer...
But the fiery phoenix, blinded by his rage and desire for vengeance, was unable to see Charla's counter coming: the female Charizard dodged sideways and spun on herself before launching herself at Moltres, her wings spread out. A powerful Steel Wing attack struck Moltres, and the Fire Titan grunted in annoyance as he briefly stumbled. Charizard took advantage of that window of opportunity to place himself in front of his opponent and hammer him with his wings, allowing Pikachu to get close to the enormous opponent.
"Now, Pikachu! That's the right moment!" Ash exclaimed, pointing to Moltres' unguarded chest. "Thunderbolt!"
Ash had barely finished giving his order when Pikachu raised his ears, his charge reaching the peak, and unleashed a deadly Thunderbolt attack from his diminutive body, painfully striking the Legendary Pokemon! Ash grit his teeth as Moltres' piercing, thunderous cry of pain and rage threatened to shatter his eardrums... and one second later, the mighty bird of prey separated himself from Charizard and Charla, and beat his wings in a blind rage as he tried to ascend. Ash and Misty sighed in temporary relief... at least for the moment, things were back under control, though Moltres was still strong and capable of giving them a hard time.
"Ash, we need to end this battle as soon as we can!" Misty exclaimed from her Gyarados' back. "The more we allow it to last, the more Knot Island gets damaged!"
"I know..." Ash exclaimed as he dabbed his forehead. "That's why I'm trying to think of a weak point for that huge chicken... but I can't seem to find one!"
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Dawn, Brock, Gary, Phoebe and Team Rocket was climbing as fast as they possibly could, dodging crumbling rocks and thick black smoke, in an attempt to reach an higher spot from which Dawn could enact her idea... whatever it was, as the blue-haired girl still hadn't explain what she had in mind to stop J and her henchmen. In the meanwhile, the team was passing alongside lots of fleeing Pokemon, especially Slugmas who were trying to slither away from the danger zone at the top speed their awkward, semiliquid bodies were capable of. Jessie felt somewhat afraid at the sight of the lava slugs, fearing that the Magcargo who had tried to roast them alive a few minutes earlier was among them...
"Please, let that mollusk be somewhere else... anywhere but not here!" the redhead muttered, her eyes occasionally darting to J's flying machine in order to make sure Yanmega and Wobbuffet were doing alright. "Ugh... okay, how long do we have to cllimb still? I don't like the idea of staying in this furnace much longer!"
"I know... but if my idea is correct, we can stop that flying heap of scrap metal!" Dawn replied, shaking her hand a little after she had placed it on a hot piece of stone. "Ow! Alright, we should be almost there!"
"Careful!" Gary warned. "That slab of rock is about to..."
Everyone looked in the direction Gary had pointed to... just in time to avoid a huge piece of stone that had detached itself from an overhead cliff! The enormous stone fell on the improvised road just below them, upon which a group of Slugma had just finished passing...
Or better say, almost all of the lava slugs had passed... one of them, a particularly small specimen, had been left behind, and the huge boulder fell just in front of her and caused the road to collapse and fall in the abyss, separating her from her comrades! The lava Pokemon squeaked in fear, in a desperate attempt to call for her companions, many of which turned to her in anguish... but there was nothing they coould do to help her.
"Oh, no... that Slugma will end up being trampled by the lava!" Brock exclaimed. "We need to take her to a safer place..."
"I can take care of it!" James answered. "Mime Jr., come out! I need your help!"
The small Psychic Pokemon's ball snapped open, releasing the small mime, waving his nightcap-shaped head back and forth. "Mime! Mime!" he happily exclaimed, seemingly not minding the devastatting eruption going on all around him...
James chuckled sheepishly at his Pokemon's exhuberance, and Gary looked at him in puzzlement, as if wondering what was the deal with him. "Er... I appreciate your enthusiasm, Mime Jr., but I'm kinda afraid it will have to wait! We're in... well... hot water, if you excuse the pun!" he stated, drawing Jessie and Meowth's annoyed glares upon himself. "Listen, Mime Jr... can you take that Slugma out of danger? He's been separated from his companions, and he'll be washed away if we don't help him!"
James pointed at the small lava slug, who was unsuccessfully trying to find an alternate way to reach the rest of her swarm. Mime Jr. gripped his fist and floated a few feet towards the lone Slugma... then, he used his Confusion attack on the ground just below Slugma's semiliquid body. The rock upon which Slugma was laying was literally lifted from the ground, and Mime Jr., demonstrating an enviable control over his psychic powers, gently moved it across the abyss, making sure the lone Slugma could slither among his friends once again! One heartbeat later, the ground upon which the fiery slug had been standing fell apart and was plunged in the ravine. Thanks to James' quick thinking, the little Pokemon had been saved just in time...
"Yay! Nicely done, Mime Jr.!" James joyfully cheered. Mime Jr. lifted both his arms in the air and yelled in victory, and the Slugma they had just saved turned to them for a second and looked at them in gratitude before slithering back towards his cheering companions...
"Great job, you two!" Phoebe complimented the azure-haired young man as the team resumed their climb. "But now we need to hurry up! This place won't hold for much longer! Okay, Dawn, tell us... what should we do now?"
"Well..." the blue-haired coordinator answered as she climbed up on the highest level of the rock formation. "This is the place where we're closer to that woman's flying machine... and you have a Rotom, right, miss Phoebe?"
Brock quickly put two and two together. "I think I get the picture. You want miss Phoebe to send out her Rotom and send it to take control of that machine's main engine, so that Rotom can disable it?"
Gary nodded. "Not a bad idea at all... from here, Rotom should be able to reach that vehicle and not be intercepted by the defense systems." he stated as he noted that they were a short distance away from the flying machine, and that all of their Pokemon were either busy with 's Salamence or with the close-range defense systems...
Phoebe studied the situation for a short while. "Well... yes, my Rotom could theoretically do that." she answered. "But that flying machine must have a particular kind of engine, so I'm not sure whether Rotom can take control of it on the fly. Anyway, it's worth a try... Okay, Rotom, come out! We still need your help!"
The Hoenn Elite Four produced her Pokeball and let the electric spectre out. Rotom appeared in a flash of light and colour, a slight smell of ozone spreading around him, and turned to his trainer with a low, buzzing noise.
"Listen up, Rotom... I know it's hazardous, but you're the only one who can do it, right now!" the dark-skinned girl said to him. "We need you to reach that flying machine and infiltrate in its main engine, without the defense systems or that Salamence catch you? I warn you, it won't be easy... if you don't feel up to this, I won't force you to!"
The electric ghost looked at J's flying machine, trying to take the measure of the latest task... and quickly understood that, in fact, it was quite risky. If that Salamence managed to catch up with him, he'd have one heck of a fight on his hands... and those defense systems looked quite dangerous as well. Still, Salamence was temporarily busy fighting all those Pokemon, and many of the lasers and cannons were out of order, so...
After thinking for a few seconds, Rotom turned to his trainer and nodded in assent. All the other trainers raised their heads towards their respective Pokemon and yelled at the top of their lungs, trying to be heard over the noise of the volcano and the machine's engines!
"CROBAT!" Brock exclaimed. "ROTOM IS COMING TO LEND YOU GUYS A HAND! TRY TO COVER HIM!"
"FEAROW! SAME GOES FOR YOU!" Gary shouted to his Flying Pokemon, hoping he would hear...
Luckily, as Rotom sped towards J's flying machine, the other Pokemon caught on to his attempt and, just as Salamence was about to attack him, Togekiss, Fearow, Crobat and Staraptor multiplied their efforts and forced the mighty dragon to hang back under a flurry of blows. Yanmega, Wobbuffet and Phoebe's ghosts got out of Rotom's way, as the plasma Pokemon reached the underside of the vehicle and phased through its outer hull as if it wasn't even there! The incorporeal Pokemon quickly reached what looked like a jumble of rapidly-moving metal parts and random electric cables. Despite the fact that controlling electronic devices was his hat, Rotom was finding himself in trouble trying to figure out how that all worked...
Trying not to look at the whole picture, but concentrating on a smaller part of the engine that looked vital to the rest, the Ghost / Electric Pokemon got closer and phased inside of that part, in a brief display of light and electric sparkles. Once Rotom had disappeared inside of the machinery, the engine kept working normally for a few seconds... then, it suddently screeched to an almost complete halt, and accelerated again! Rotom had managed to take control of that part of the machine, and now what he was doing was having repercussions on the rest of the engine...
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Rotom's tampering with the machine's engines soon took its toll... and soon enough, red lights of alarm started flashing inside of the vehicle's main room, causing the Team Vicious members to stand up from their seats in fear and incredulity!
"Miss J! We've got problems!" one of them exclaimed. "The main engine is being severely damaged! Cooling systems malfunctioning... we're losing stability! We won't be able to keep our altitude for long, if this keeps up!"
This time, J failed to remain stoic and detached, and an expression of rage and surprised appeared on her face for a second. "What? What do you mean? One of those Pokemon managed to reach our main engine? How could they, my Salamence was supposed to hold them off!"
"We... we have no idea, miss J!" another henchmen stated. "All... all I can say is that the engines are failing! We're in a terrible situation... If this keeps up, we're going to crash!"
"You are not getting paid to whine about these problems!" J cut him off, regaining her self-control. "If there are problems, try to solve them, and fast! Moltres is just in front of us, and we can't just let up now!"
"Okay, miss J!" a third grunt answered as he sat down again, trying to ignore all of those alarm signals blaring around him. The flying machine was being pushed to its limits, and even J knew that they were taking a big risk... but it was still a better option than returning empty-handed!
"And if we cannot catch Moltres..." the woman muttered to herself. "...at least we must endure long enough to verify what the boss told us. That would be a step forward in our plans, at the very least..."
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Gyarados roared in pain and rage as a Flamethrower attack signed his tail, but managed to hold back his rage and moved sideways, allowing his trainer to comfortably move on his back. Then, in an attempt to stop the firey phoenix from getting too far away, he threw himself at Moltres with all of his might and slammed him with his tail, then he clamped his teeth shut on Moltres' right leg, his jaw shining with a freezing aura. The Legendary Pokemon cawed madly and shook his injured leg to shake off the sea serpent's Ice Fang attack... then, when Gyarados actually let go, Moltres tried to smack him with his flaming wings. Charizard swooped down to attack Moltres while he was distracted, but the phoenix managed to see him coming in time, and dodged with surprising speed for such a large creature, causing the fire dragon to only hit thin air. Charla tried to sneak behind the Legendary Pokemon and hit him with a Dragon Claw, her right arm raised and glowing in a multicolored aura... but Moltres, once again showing how his Legendary status was no fluke, quickly turned around and Headbutted the female Charizard in the stomach. Charla grunted and vaulted around twice before stabilizing herself in midair... but this time, she wisely chose to hang back and wait for the next attack. Moltres, for his part, closed his wings around his body, as sparks of red light started appearing around her. Much to their disappointment, Ash, Misty and their Pokemon understood that the legendary bird was about to unleash a Fire Blast!
Immediately after, Moltres screeched and spread his wings, unleashing a large, flaming kanji-shaped projectile! Ash's eyes widened in horror as he watched the Fire Blast rapidly get closer, casting a disquieting red light on the whole landscape! There was no time to dodge that attack...
"Gyarados, quick! Attack it with Hydro Pump!" Misty hastily ordered. Luckily, the gigantic sea serpent was well-trained enough to quickly react to an order from his trainer... and, with a deafening roar of rushing water, he shot out a gigantic wave from his mouth, intercepting his opponent's Fire Blast and holding it back with a frightful screech! A dense cloud of white steam rose from the place where Moltres' Fire Blast and Gyarados' Hydro Pump had collided, as both combatants pressed against each other in an attempt to overpower the opponent... and soon, even Charizard, Charla and Pikachu joined in Gyarados' efforts, attacking with a couple of Flamethrowers and a Thunder respectively! As the four attacks joined into a single one, a bright golden light erupted from the clash of energies, an Moltres' Fire Blast slowly but surely began to get pushed back! For several moments, the awesome clash continued to light up Knot Island's skies, as if huge fireworks were blowing up among the thunderclouds. Finally, a blinding flash erupted from the contrast, and all Pokemon were thrown backwards by a powerful shockwave that threatened to knock Ash and Pikachu off of Charizard's back, if it hadn't been for the fire dragon quickly stabilizing himself by flapping his wings. Sighing in relief, Ash repositioned his trademark hat, checked whether Pikachu was fine... and then looked at Moltres, who was still hanging in the air in front of them, his flaming wings slightly signed, but otherwise still strong and furious! In fact, it seemed Ash, Misty and their Pokemon had managed to draw Moltres' full wrath upon themselves...
"Ugh... we just can't keep up like this!" Ash exclaimed, trying to get seated a little better on his dragon's back. "We need to end this quickly, or we'll never defeat Moltres..."
"Pika pika... pika, chuuu?" Pikachu asked, apparently asking himself how to stop such a strong and powerful Pokemon...
Luckily for them, Charizard and Charla seemed to have thought up a plan... and more to the point, J's battleship seemed to be slowing down, thanks to Phoebe's Rotom messing with its engine. Ash's first Fire-type Pokemon turned to his trainers and pointed at Moltres, who was now flying around them like a shark swimming around its prey right before the kill. After wondering about that for a moment, Ash and Misty understood what the Fire / Flying Pokemon wanted to do, and nodded to each other.
"Okay, Ash... Gyarados and I will try to distract that huge flaming chicken!" the red-haired girl told her friend. "You and Pikachu... try to hinder his movement as Charizard and Charla deal with the attacking part! You two, think you can do it?"
The two fire dragons grunted in unison, and Misty nodded and gave a thumbs up before telling her Pokemon to keep up the assault! "Perfect, then... Gyarados, it's our turn again! Unleash your best Hydro Pump upon Moltres! Now!"
The fierce serpent spread both his fins and his mouth... then, he quickly spun on himself and shot a massive wave of water towards Moltres! The Fire Titan saw the attack coming just in time and dodged, sparing himself a painful blow, then he threw himself at Charizard in an incredibly fast Drill Peck attack. The red dragon moved out of the way, placing himself just a few feet above Misty and her Gyarados, but Moltres changed direction all of a sudden, and it seemed like Charizard was about to be hit... that is, if the firey phoenix had not forgotten about a small, yet important, issue...
"Pikachu... Thunderbolt now!" Ash ordered. The small yellow rodent had been charging up his attack for quite some time, and he was just waiting for an order to unleash it all on his opponent! With a victorious grin, Pikachu concentrated and shot a powerful globular bolt which hit the Legendary Pokemon, knocking him out of his Drill Peck attack and causing him to fall a few feet with an indignant shriek, wide open to more attacks from Ash and Misty's Pokemon!
Ash heard Charizard calling to him with a short grunt... and when he and Pikachu looked at the dragon, as if asking what he meant by that, Charizard answered by pointing below of him, to the back of Misty's Gyarados. For a second, the aspiring Pokemon Master was left dumbfound... then, a cold chill ran through his back when they both understood what Charizard meant by that! "Er... hold on a sec here... Ugh! W... Wait a second, Charizard! You are NOT saying that Pikachu and I should jump down on Gyarados' back, do you?"
"CHAR!" Charizard answered with a nod, meaning that, at that point, there wasn't much of a choice. Misty looked up and bravely stood up on Gyarados' back, and her Pokemon slowed down in order not to cause his trainer to fall off...
"Ash! Pikachu! Don't hesitate, Charizard knows what he's doing!" the redhead exclaimed, encouraging their friends to jump off. Only about eight feet of altitude separated Gyarados and Charizard... "Don't worry, I'll be here! I won't let you fall! Quick, before Moltres attacks again!"
Ash glanced down to his first travelling companion... and saw her eyes shining with something that Ash didn't know whether to call determination, fear, or a strange combination of both! There was something in her eyes that impressed Ash, and that caused him to silently praise the young Gym Leader... now more than ever, she looked like the old Misty, so direct, determined and courageous, and sweet at the same time. Just the way he remembered her...
Ash got his act together and looked at both Pikachu and Charizard... then, holding the electric mouse tightly, he slowly descended from his dragon Pokemon's back, feeling as if his stomach was going in his mouth as he began falling! A split second later, he landed on his feet on Gyarados' back, and the mighty sea serpent grunted and lost some altitude, threatening to cause Ash to fall off! The young champion felt his blood run cold and his life flash before his eyes as he saw how far away the ground was, at least one hundred feet below...
But luckily, Misty's strong yet gentle hand shot forward and grabbed Ash's wrist before he could fall!
Pikachu grit his teeth and held tight to Ash's shoulder, pushing with all of his might to get his trainer away from a lethal fall... and luckily, the black-haired boy managed to keep his balance upon Gyarados' back! The three of them, Ash, Misty and Pikachu, flopped down on Gyarados' back, and Ash panted heavily for a while before turning to Misty.
"Phew... wow... that was too close for comfort!" he wheezed. "Thanks... Misty... you really saved our backs!"
"No prob..." Misty answered, sighing and smiling in joy as well. "Told ya, didn't I? I wouldn't... let you fall..."
"Pikachu pi chu pika pika pi pikachu!" Pikachu happily squeaked, using one of his little paws to wipe his forehead. Ash caught his breath for a little while still, his eyes affixed on Misty, a strange feeling surfacing for what was probably the first time in his teenage heart. A feeling that he had never felt before, directed towards his first travelling companion. A pleasant feeling, to be sure, but also one that had him puzzled and confused. His heat had begun racing, and his cheeks felt hot... and he somehow understood that he was starting to see Misty in a different way, though he was unclear on the reason about this...
A battle roar interupted his train of thought, and the young champion turned to the place where Charizard and Charla had gone, shooting another double Flamethrower attack at Moltres. The phoenix dodged, but the two dragons quickly separated and avoided his counter, then began flying around him, fast enough to keep Moltres from following both of them. Annoyed, Moltres tried to gain morealtitude, but the two Charizards quickly got closer, spreading their wings and unsheathing their claws...
Just when Moltres seemed about to charge up another Fire Blast and hurl it at his opponent, Charizard and Charla quickly changed direction and threw themselves at the legendary phoenix, who shrieked in surprise when Charizard grabbed him from the front, and Charla held tight to his back; Moltres immediately began thrashing and shrieking to break free of the double hold, and for a moment, Charizard and his beloved feared that the unnaturally strong phoenix would soon manage to break the hold... but they put all of their might in keeping ahold of their opponent, and managed to pin him! As Moltres kept moving and calling out in rage, Charizard and Charla nodded to each other, then shot upwards at incredible speed, dragging the surprised Moltres along with them! Then, all of a sudden, they dropped down and launched themselves towards the earth, darting towards it like a couple of torpedoes, their wings folded on their backs! Moltres let out a long, frightening screech of rage and terror as the ground quickly got closer and closer, and the two Charizards began spinning him around like a drill, executing a spectacular double Seismic Toss...
Then, just ten feet away from the ground, Charizard and Charla let go on Moltres and violently hurled him downwards, not even leaving him the time to scream before he plunged headfirst into the rock! A deafening noise riverberated all around the island as the mighty phoenix impacted on the ground with unimaginable speed and power, and beams of scarlet light erupted all around the place where he had fallen! A whole rocky cliff collapsed and fell into the waves, several trees were knocked down by the shockwave, and the whole Knot Island was shaken by a violent tremor, as small rocks and blazes of fire rose to the heavens in a spectacular and terrifying fire fountain! Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Brock, Gary, Dawn, Phoebe and Team Rocket all remained dumbfound as they watched the result of Charizard and Charla's double Seismic Toss... and even the Pokemon who had come out of their Pokeballs to fight had to stop and watch the scene!
"I... I can't believe this!" the aspiring Pokemon Master exclaimed, his eyes almost springing out of their orbits in amazement. "I dunno what kind of training Charizard did in Charicific Valley... but it sure paid off!"
"Pika pika..." Pikachu answered with a nod.
"I can see that he has become a lot stronger... even Gyarados seems to agree with that!" Misty commented as she noticed that her normally fierce and warlike sea serpent was staring at the two Charizards in wide-eyed wonder!
oooooooooo
"Ugh... make a report! What's Moltres' status?" J exclaimed after the deafening roar of the explosion had subsided enough. Immediately, the Team Vicious grunts ran back to their assigned positions and tried to assess what had happened, despite the fact that they were all quite shocked at the two Charizards' display of power.
"R... Right away! Moltres has taken a serious blow!" one of her men exclaimed. "We have no idea whether it was enough to weaken him... we're waiting for Moltres' reaction!"
"Alright! For now, exclude the damaged engines and prepare for emergency retreat... but try to remain close enough, we need to monitor Moltres' conditions now!" the silver-haired huntress instructed them. All the grunts nodded and went back to work, as J's thoughts once again went to those kids and to how they had managed to damage her plans once again.
"Ash Ketchum... and his friends... they're a danger to our organization!" she muttered to herself, hoping she could at least salvage something out of this failed operation. "We'll have to make do with whatever we can get away with for now... but if we can't take them out quickly enough, they might prove to be a serious threat..."
oooooooooo
Stunned, Brock, Gary and the others had watched Moltres plunge to the unforgiving ground below, shaking Mt. Ember from its foundations and kicking up a gargantuan cloud of dust that had kept the scene completely hidden from their eyes. Thet were all holding their breath, not daring to believe that the last attack had turned the tabled of the battle. They could only wait for the chaos to subside, and see if they had actually won...
Several endless seconds went by in complete silence, before they managed to see something moving inside of the dust cloud... and they all stared in shock as Moltres slowly rose from a huge crater he had created with the impact of his body! The mighty phoenix was swaying from side to side as if drunk, and it was obvious that Charizard and Charla's attack had really done its damage... but he was not down yet, and he seemed thirsty for revenge! His flaming feathers sprayed embers all around him, and his tail angrily whipped the ground behind him...
"Darn... I can't believe he's still standing!" Dawn exclaimed. "That Pokemon is something else entirely..."
Phoebe slightly widened her eyes as Moltres, instead of spreading his wings and attacking again, kept his body wrapped in his wings and looked up, as if he was watching something mysterious only he could see. "Er... hold on a sec, everyone! Something is happening, though I don't know what exactly..." the island girl said.
Just then, Moltres was slowly enveloped in a warm aura of red light emanating from his body like the rays of a miniature sun. It surely was a strange thing to see, and no one of them really remembered anything like that having ever occurred... but somehow, the trainers weren't alarmed, as if they instinctively knew what was going on...
In contrast with his previous rage, Moltres seemed to be almost resigned to his defeat now... and as Ash, Misty and their Pokemon kept watching in curiosity, asking themselves what he was going to do, Moltres finally bowed his head and allowed the strange aura to engulf him completely in some sort of scarlet coccoon. In a few seconds, Moltres was swallowed by a gigantic pillar of red light which shot up towards the cloud-filled skies, red shockwaves radiating from all around it. The egendary Pokemon's mournful call was heard throughout the whole island, and a small, red, shining dot shot out of the pillar of light...
oooooooooo
"The target just emitted an high-energy impulse!" A Team Vicious grunt exclaimed when his radar signalled the strange shining object coming out of the pillar of light.
J sighed in resignation. "Then, our primary objective is lost. All thanks to those kids. Alright, then, we'll at least try to get back to the base with something... capture that object!"
Her men were swift to obey, and several of them pressed a combination of buttons on their consoles. Outside, a panel opened up on the vehicle's main body, and a shining beam of silver light came out of it and struck the mysterious bright object, dragging it back towards the damaged flying machine. J's Salamence, who was still fighting outside, saw that the day was lost and, after nimbly dodging an Aura Sphere attack from Dawn's Togekiss, got away from the battle and flew back to the inside of the massive flying machine, not before glaring at his opponents in a silent promise of revenge. Yanmega, Wobbuffet, Drifblim and Mismagius got away from the vehicle's damaged outer hull as Rotom phased back out through the armored plates, a little confused but otherwise unharmed.
Inside, J recalled her Salamence back in his Pokeball as soon as he was back, then looked to one of the control screens, which showed a group of tall cylinders of semi-transparent green glass, which were probably meant to be used to contain the Legendary Pokemon as soon as he had been captured. In one of them, a slab of red marble materialized - a slab about the size of a large book, upon which strange mystical symbols had been engraved.
After making sure they would come out of the battle with at least that consolation prize, J sighed and ordered her men to retreat. "There's nothing more to be done here." she exclaimed. "We have to get away right now. Activate emergency evasion measures, and get back to headquarters."
"Right away, miss J!" one of the masked villains answered. The red alarm lights were soon substituted with a strange silver radiance that engulfed the whole control room...
ooooooooo
"Look at that! J's flying machine is doing something strange..." Brock noted. In fact, the enormous machine had begun emitting a strange silvery light, with strange beams of light orbiting all around it. Everyone was getting ready for some more bad news, in case J and his men were about to use another of their dirty tricks... but the tension completely evaporated when, a few seconds and a thunderclap later, the flying machine simply vanished from everybody's sight, and the menacing thunderclouds were blown away as quickly as they had come. The volcanic activity slowly ceased, leaving the island shaken but still mostly intact... and a few silvery sparks continued slowly coming down from the sky. Finally, just like that, everything turned back to normal, as if Knot Island had sighed in relief from the danger it had escaped. Everyone was speechless... and even Phoebe, who had seen her share of incredible things in her life, was at a loss of things to say...
"Is... is it over?" Dawn asked. "Did Moltres really... go away?"
"So it seems..." Jesse murmured. "That... that flying machine just disappeared... and the weather is calming down..."
James and Meowth sighed as they dropped down to their knees in supreme relief. "Well, at least we're safe now..." the feline Pokemon commented. "Though there are a few things I still don't get... maybe, if miss Phoebe would be so kind as to elaborate..."
"Frankly, I'm quite baffled myself..." the Elite Four member admitted, still stupefied. "This is something that never happened before, and truth be told, I don't like the way that huntress' flying machine just disappeared..."
A low, ghostly call resonated from above them, and Phoebe looked up just in time to see her Mismagius, Drifblim and Rotom coming down from the now bright sky, with Togekiss, Crobat, Yanmega, Wobbuffet and Fearow following suit! Each Pokemon flew to his or her own trainer, and was greeted with cheers of gratitude!
"Hey, everyone! Welcome back!" Brock exclaimed as he affectionately greeted his Crobat and rubbed his head. The giant bat screeched in satisfaction, as all the other trainers congratulated their Pokemon for their help.
"Nicely done, Fearow! You did a terrific job of it!" Gary exclaimed as the bird of prey proudly landed on the young researcher's shoulder, and Togekiss received an enthustiastic hug from Dawn.
"Yeah... I don't think many Pokemon can say they've faced a Legendary Pokemon and a flying war machine at the same time, and lived to tell about it!" the blue-haired coordinator cheered. "We've saved this island together... and we kept J from capturing Moltres! I think we can be satisfied!"
"Yeah, guess so..." Jessie answered as she greeted back her Yanmega and Wobbuffet. "Hehehee... good job! Never let it be said that you're useless!"
"Wobbuffet!" the Psychic Pokemon answered. James' Mime Jr. covered his mouth with one hand and gently giggled in amusement, then looked up to where Ash, Misty and their Pokemon were...
oooooooooo
"We... we did it! We really did it!" Misty sighed, almost flopping down on her Gyarados' back. "I can't believe it... we really scraped through this time!"
"Charizard and Charla were awesome..." Ash replied, with Pikachu nodding in assent as the two dragons were flying back to them, their wings spread out in victory. Staraptor's victorious keening as the huge bird of prey flew alongside Ash and Misty reminded Ash of his other Pokemon who had valliantly fought to save Knot Island. "Staraptor! You're okay too, aren't you? Congratulations, you all did a great job down there!"
"Staaaaaar!" the raptor Pokemon screeched victoriously, with Pikachu and both Charizards quickly joining in the celebrations.
"PI-KA-CHU!"
"CHAAAAAAAR!"
Even Gyarados roared in victory, and Misty thanked him with a caring stroke that the huge sea monster accepted with what could pass as a happy smile! "Hehehee... yeah, that was one heck of a battle! Still... I think its time to get down now! The others must be waiting for us..." Misty said, winking at Ash and hoping he wouldn't notice the blush creeping on her face.
Ash and Pikachu smiled brightly and nodded... and Gyarados grunted an affirmative himself and began descending, while the rest of the team was already greeting them enthusiastically...
oooooooooo
"This is crazy... I can't believe those guys managed to defeat Mltres and rout those criminals... and those two Charizards were really something else!"
"Might! MIGHT!"
"Yeah, Night Sky, I know that..." the black-clad girl answered as she caressed her Mightyena on the head. "There must be something special about those guys! If they could handle Moltres and stop this disaster... we should keep an eye out for them, because they might surprise us quite a bit! Okay, I'll report this to the Sevii League, those guys might be our best hope of stopping those criminals and shed some light on this mystery..."
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: And so ends the battle with Moltres... again, our favourite Pokemon trainer manage to win the day and save Knot Island and possibly all of Sevii Islands from a fiery doom! However, it seems that J did not leave empty-handed after all... she and her minions still managed to get something out of Moltres. But at least they won't be able to count on Moltres' massive firepower, and J's flying fortress has taken quite a beating in the process. It seems we'll have a moment of respite from them... but for our friends, the adventures will start again soon, as the rest of the Sevii Islands calls for them!
Still, we'll get a couple chapters of denouement for the whole Knot Island mess, and there is another spectacular Pokemon battle in the works! See you next time!