The five Falinks had listened to others go, clinging onto not just the stories they spoke but how they told it, the way they added their own flourishes to the tales and made it more than just a report.
Echo was ready. On his signal, the other Falinks marched ahead, forming a pyramid to which Echo climbed to the top. With a final deep breath, he started his own story, the way he knew how.
"A-TEN-TION!"
Echo's Tale: Plot Armor
"I DON'T KNOW BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD!"
"I DON'T KNOW BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD!"
A chorus of shouts yelled back at Caesar from behind him, as the Falinks continued their jog across the scorched wasteland. Trees with shattered trunks and logs half-burnt stood in the troop's path, yet that wouldn't slow them down. Each obstacle on their way was rolled under, vaulted over, or punched through.
"ZECKROM'S SHIT IS GETTING OLD!"
"ZECKROM'S SHIT IS GETTING OLD!"
As if the deity was listening in on them, a bolt of lightning struck less than a meter away from Caesar. Yet the brass didn't even flinch, continuing his shouting.
"SOUND OFF!"
"SOUND OFF!"
"ONE!"
Each of the troopers running behind him drew closer, ready for their own solos.
"TWO!"
"THREE!"
"FOUR!"
"FIVE!"
"SIX!" Romeo's call was nearly drowned out by the sound of thunder, igniting a bundle of trees the troop was currently en route to.
With their initial destination set ablaze, Caesar broke off the cadence as he tried to figure out where to go now. Any refuge from the elements they found seemed to last mere moments before some deity took it away. He knew his troopers were hardy, but they could only take so much longer running around like this before someone would collapse.
"THREE-O-CLOCK TURN!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
Not losing a step, the army pivoted right, away from the remains of the forest and towards a set of two mountains towering over them in the distance. One's peak was covered in flames, the other in a thick cloud occasionally pierced by the stray bolt of lightning. Despite the chaos on the summits, the small valley hidden within the mountain's shadows seemed less damaged than everything else around them.
Caesar didn't have high hopes that the valley would hold some hidden sanctuary— if it did, they would have seen other refugees around. What he was hoping for was a place where his men could get some reprieve. Scaling this terrain would be exhausting compared to the graveyards of forests and grasslands they were dealing with before, but being surrounded by stone and earth several times higher than them was their best shot at not going down due to an unlucky lightning strike.
Despite the occasional close call with mudslides and collapsing trees, the troop was able to ascend. Charred remains of vegetation slowly became more and more sparse as they climbed up.
"I HAVE AUDITORY ON RUSHING WATER!" Romeo shouted from the back of the troop.
Caesar raised his right shield and screeched to a halt, his troopers coming to a perfect rest behind him.
For a moment, the only sound was the rumbling of thunder and cackling of flames, before Caesar's eyes shot open once again.
"March on! We will rest at the river."
Compared to the sprinting pace they were keeping before, the march was heaven. As the stream came into eyesight, all five of the troopers let out a silent sigh of relief.
The bed was covered with ash and loose sand, but it was still flowing water. No doubt it was smaller than it was before the world started destroying itself, but Caesar considered it a miracle it held on for as long as it did.
"At ease! Rest up for the next segment of the journey."
Finally, the Falinks broke formation, scattering to clean up and drink.
Caesar did not join them. Instead, his gaze was centered on the mountain peaks surrounding him. While the blaze and storm looked threatening, it shouldn't go after them here without some warning. Fire doesn't like to travel down, and the six of them were the shortest things around for miles.
Of course it wouldn't be permanent, nothing here ever was. Lightning would come for them again, the flames would find a way to descend, something would go wrong. No amount of coordination and drilling could save the six of them when the land itself was being annihilated.
Yet as he looked up, his mind began to wander. If there was ever a chance of fixing this…
"ECHO! FRONT AND CENTER!"
The Falink looked up from the stream, before scampering to his brass. "Yes sir!"
"We are going to be dividing our forces. I would like you to lead the secondary force."
The trooper nodded. They've drilled on splitting up in the past, and Echo specifically has led a sub-force more than once. "Understood. What are my assets?"
"You are to take Alpha, Sierra, AT, and Romeo." As Caesar finished his sentence, the flames on the mountain beside him flared up for a moment.
Echo's eyes slowly widened, realizing what that meant. "Sir, are you saying-"
"Your orders are to go north, and continue as far as possible while remaining within eyeshot of the mountain peaks. You are to then find and entrench a position, and await the other squad's return."
"Sir, the other squad is only-"
"Are my orders clear?"
Echo's eyes shifted downwards. "…Yes sir."
"Relay these instructions to the others in five minutes. By that point I will be gone."
Echo struggled to keep his composure in front of his commander. "Understood sir. And… godspeed."
To say something like that to a brass was a blatant breach of etiquette, though there was something about watching the world collapse around him that compelled Caesar to not comment on it. Instead, he turned away, walking up towards the mountain.
The trek began smoothly enough. The clouds shrouding the summit continued to churn and spark, but this low they weren't an issue yet. Rather, Caesar was focused on fighting his way up through loose debris and fallen logs that threatened to collapse under him. The single Falink's weight was enough to cause the earth to slide more than once, sending cascades of rock and stone down tumbling towards the valley.
The trek began as smoothly as Caesar could have hoped. While he wasn't breathing in the smoke from the inferno atop him yet, the air still reeked of ash. Climbing was a slow and deliberate process, wedging his shields and hoisting himself over whatever terrain looked secure enough to stand on. The ground gave out beneath him more than once, though the cautious approach meant he didn't lose much progress whenever it did happen.
Caesar's rapid advance was halted halfway up the slope. A Houndoom, the first Pokémon he's seen in weeks, snarling and growling at him. He didn't have his troopers with him— he would have to fight the savage feral himself.
Caesar's slow advance was halted halfway up the slope. A Houndoom, the first Pokémon he's seen in weeks, weakly growling at him. The feral was hardy enough to somehow survive all the chaos around them, but if they wouldn't let Caesar pass… he'd have to fight the poor Pokemon himself.
"Stand down!" Caesar shouted, before diving out of the way of a Flamethrower that threatened to melt his armor. The Falink jammed his shield into the ground to stop himself from rolling off the edge of the clearing, condemning a few pebbles to fall down hundreds of feet off the mountain.
"Stand down," Caesar pleaded, not bothering to evade an underpowered Flamethrower from the obviously malnourished Houndoom. He barely felt anything as the blaze was deflected off his shields.
Houndour fired another flamethrower, the violent inferno threatening to knock Caesar off the mountain. Yet with his back to the cliff he could do nothing to evade; he remained planted in place, biding his time for an opening. And that opening came as his foe's barrage came to an end. Now it was time to strike back.
Houndour fired another flamethrower, the flames fizzling out before they could even reach Caesar. The Falink looked his "opponent" in the eyes, trying to decide what to do. He could probably get past without taking Houndoom down, but with how unstable the route ahead looked, if they decided to chase after him, both of them could end up dead. With a deep breath, Caesar made his decision.
A Rock Smash at the ready, he rammed into the monstrous feral, slamming it off the mountain in one super-effective strike. He had to make it to the summit, and no wicked Pokemon would be able to stop him.
A Rock Smash at the ready, he hit the Houndoom in one clean strike, knocking them out instantly. He muttered a silent prayer for the unconscious fire type as he walked past. Hopefully if this was fixed, they would be able to live as they once did.
The climb continued.
The climb continued.
The clearing where he defeated Houndoom seemed to mark a turning point in the mountain's vegetation. Where previously Caesar would come across the occasional charred shrub or splintered trunk, now there was nothing but rock and dirt between him and the thunderstorm.
The clearing where he defeated Houndoom seemed to show exactly how far gone the area was. Beneath it, charred vestiges of life seemed to try and cling on— even if none of them had any chance of surviving, something may be able to sprout up from the ashes. But here, with what little air remained being funneled into the raging inferno above him, there was no room for anything to live.
The climb continued.
The climb continued.
Caesar slowed his ascent as he neared the summit. He knew that he would have to press through the storm to make it to whatever caused this, and he had no doubts it would be brutal. He paused to look out at the environment, the shattered plains and forests beneath him. Hopefully his troopers found some refuge among its remains.
Caesar slowed his ascent as he neared the summit. The heat of the flames was already getting to him, and he didn't know how long he could withstand it when it came time to dive in. For now he paused, staring down at the stone beneath him as he caught his breath. If he wanted to survive, he'd have to carry on.
The climb continued.
The climb finally continued.
His shields raised to cover his head, Caesar dashed into the lightning. Every time it was poised to strike, he could feel the faint tingling in his helmet— the only thing warning to roll out of the way before millions of volts of electricity threatened to fry him.
His shields raised to cover his mouth, Caesar dashed into the flames. Immediately he started coughing up smoke as it seemed to attack him from every direction. He's been in battles before, and the pillars of fire roaring around him were far less intimidating than how ubiquitous the smoke was. Less than a minute after breaking into the flames he felt all his limbs start to ache, the lack of oxygen threatening to make him collapse.
Deftly evading lightning strike after lightning strike, he finally found the target of his search. Rows of cackling lightning, changing their arcs every few moments but staying in place.
Weakly limping through the blazing inferno, he finally found the target of his search. A solid ring of fire, flaring up every few moments but staying in place.
Gathering his courage, Caesar leaped through.
Gathering what remained of his strength, Caesar leaped through.
The inside of the barrier was vastly different from anything else within the storm. Once upon a time it was a barren mountain plateau, devoid of anything that could even support life. Now it was vibrant, a small creek running through grass and blooming flowers, with a beautiful sun shining down over it all.
The inside of the barrier was slightly different from everything else within the inferno. Caesar could feel the fresh air as he violently coughed out the remainder of the smoke, though that was all the relief the plateau granted him. No water, no food, just slightly more air and temperatures that didn't threaten to cook him alive. At the moment, that was all Caesar could have asked for.
Despite how pleasant the interior was, Caesar didn't have much time to recover from the lightning. A figure bathed in raging fire slowly descended from above, torching the land beneath him and scarring the sanctuary he found.
Despite how calm the interior was, Caesar didn't have much time to recover from the fire. A figure cloaked in cackling lightning slowly descended from above, causing plants to grow under it and life to slowly spring up.
Caesar raised his shield, ready to pounce. This had to be the cause for all the disasters, the reason why the land was destroying itself and killing everyone who lived there.
Caesar raised his shield, praying it would be enough to defend himself. This had to be the cause for all the disasters, the reason why the land was going down in bolts of lightning and flame.
The raging fire slowly let up, revealing Caesar's opponent.
The cackling lightning slowly let up, revealing Caesar's opponent.
It was Caesar.
It was Caesar.
The two Falink brasses circled around each other, surveying the other. The dents on the helmet, scars lining the shields, there was no way it couldn't be Caesar.
Yet as the Falink of lightning charged, the differences became obvious. The fire Pokemon looked worse for wear, barely able to raise his shield in time for his foe's attacks.
Rock Smash into Megahorn into Headbutt into Close Combat, the fire brass had no opening to respond. He took step after step backwards, each one bringing him closer to the wall of flame and lightning.
If he continued to stay on the defensive, the double would bash him out of the summit, and there was no way he could survive out there now.
As his foe ran in for another Close Combat, the fire champion channeled the remainder of his strength into a single Rock Smash. Despite how obviously underpowered it was, the contact sent the lightning Falink flying, arcing through the air before he slammed on the ground with a dull chime.
A realization set in on Fire, as he slowly walked back to the center of the clearing.
"You will NOT WIN!" Seemingly unaffected by the impact, Lightning rose back up to his feet and charged yet again.
Fire didn't even bother to raise his shield as Lightning rushed towards him this time. He simply waited for the right moment, before slamming his horn up and launching his foe to the sky.
Lightning remained in free fall for a few seconds, before proceeding to crash back into the earth, horn down. He struggled to free himself, but was too deeply embedded to do it on his own.
Confident that Lightning posed no more threat, Fire approached his double.
"Sooner we get this over with the better…"
He lined up his shield, ready to Rock Smash Lightning off the clearing completely.
"You are the source of disaster!" Lightning yelled, helpless as the other Caesar prepared. "Even if you strike me down, someone else-"
"This will end here." His shield began glowing red. "Things should not be this bad, they only are because we are separate."
Lightning could only stare at the coming Rock Smash. Fire was cut up and bruised, while Lightning looked almost perfectly fine. How come he got to win?
He'd never receive the answer, as the attack came. He was sent flying, soaring into the barrier-