December 12th, 2026
UFC Pokemon World Finals, Day 3
Portland, OR
April reviewed all of her notes, index cards, the event programme, and the revised rules of the Pokemon division arena format. She and Gary walked through the passages of the stadium, following signs that led them to ground level below the stands.
April spoke while keeping her eyes on her paperwork, "I still can't believe he had his name legally changed to Draco Meteor."
Gary answered in a giddy tone, "I can't wait to see the special entrance he has planned."
April, "Speak for yourself! I'm terrified!"
Gary felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and read the text from Nikola: "i'll meet u guys for dinner, but only bc Smokey won't go without me."
Gary texted back, "Good to hear it Nik, see u there after dragon fight."
"Alright," April said as an exhalation, "I also received a text, from the event staff. The Heavyweight bout just ended and they're wrapping up the award ceremony. We will be on in t-minus fifteen minutes."
Gary waved down a worker and asked for directions to the locker rooms. He guided April and him to the nearest ones, and wished them good luck with the video.
Gary teased April, "Oh no, fifteen minutes. You'll never be ready in time."
April punched him lightly with a "Shut up, Gary" and an amused grin.
They went into separate locker rooms and emerged, ten minutes later, ready to rock. Both April and Gary had put on full motorcycle gear: Jeans and warm winter jackets with armor built in, durable boots, armored leather gloves, full helmets with the bluetooth headsets installed which they had been gifted by Professor Cedar.
Beneath their clothing they both wore long sleeved shirts and thermal underwear, layers against the cold. Gary wore a beanie beneath his helmet while April did not, but she did wear a Pokemon-themed scarf.
Gary's helmet had a tinted visor, while April's had a clear one. Gary had picked out a black winter jacket at the store, while April wore a hot pink one. They both had bought unisex black armored jeans meant for motorcycle riding, which went with the black of their gloves, boots, and helmets.
They stepped outside into the glaring light of day, the roar of the crowd growing to a cacophony. The retractable roof had been opened on a clear and beautiful day in the depth of winter, the sun shining down overhead in a blue, cloudless sky.
One of the venue workers had them stand by the wall while he sprayed their clothing, gloves, and helmets down with a fire-resistant chemical which drastically raised the ignition temperature of their jackets and jeans.
The worker gave both of them a small, personal fire extinguisher in parting, which Gary and April clipped to their belts. They tested the bluetooth radios as they walked, Gary holding the camera with its velcro strap tight around one glove, testing the audio input and making sure everything worked.
While one of the challengers and her team walked out onto the field, April and Gary quickly made their way along the boundary and paused in one of the camera bunkers against the wall, below the stands, to set their backpacks – full of snacks and water bottles, equipment, first aid kits, and a replacement camera of a cheaper brand – down in a corner.
The camera guy inside the concrete dugout muted his headset, took a drink from a coffee thermos that smelt suspiciously like whiskey, and told Gary and April they were absolutely insane.
April smiled broadly at this remark, gave the guy a business card, and said, "April Lavender, Pokemon Researcher. It's nice to meet you."
Gary borrowed an extension cord and ran it from the dugout to the sidelines. He got his own camera setup on a tripod at the halfway point of the field. April stood oblique to him so that she could face the camera for the episode, but still be partially turned towards the field in case she needed to run for cover.
The UFC event staff began crowding the field. High visibility neon orange rope was placed in a square to demarcate a landing pad, bright LED lights placed around the perimeter.
April went over the updated rules and discussed how a lot of things could change going into next season, since this was the first time they had ever had a live Superheavyweight event.
She gestured at the stands around her. The lower quarter of the seating had been blocked off and covered, and the crowd had been reassigned seats further back from the field.
April spoke into her headset, "Lots of research went into the placement of the boundary lines and how much of the seating to blockade. From the edge of the rectangle, even the Pokemon attacks with the longest range will dissipate before reaching the crowd."
Gary listened to the audio through the camera and gave April a thumbs up.
April, "So, um, Team Dragon Rush isn't here yet, but they should be making an appearance soon. Gary, keep the camera pointed at the north end of the stadium. No, the other direction."
At both ends of the stadium were larger entrances with garage doors for bringing vehicles into the arena. One team of metallic Pokemon had already entered from the south egress, on the blue side, Pokemon so large and bulky that they could not fit in the halls or the locker rooms of the arena.
Now a solitary Pokemon walked calmly from the north garage entrance. This was a bipedal reptile or amphibian which appeared, even from a distance, to glisten with sticky slime.
Her gooey hide had two tones. Salmon pink on the belly, neck and head. Light yellow everywhere else. Purple eyes. She had a pear shaped body, two horns and two antennae on her head, and a long, curled-up tail.
April, by now, had done enough studying to know how special this Pokemon was: "Goodra, a dragon Pokemon. Covered in sticky slime, the biggest hazard with raising this friendly Pokemon is that it may hug you. This Goodra is a shiny one, making him quite very rare."
Gary zoomed the camera in as the Goodra walked onto the field, joining the event staff who stood on the Pokeball symbol. The slimy Dragon-type was a head taller than most of them.
Gary panned the camera up as April spoke into her headset in a tone of faux surprise, "Only one Pokemon? Oh gee, where could the rest of her team be?"
The stadium sound system began playing an aggressive drum and guitar refrain. With serendipitous timing, a trio of massive flying creatures appeared above the stadium walls just as the heavy metal track reached its first chorus.
Three massive Dragons flew in a V formation. The one in the lead, which appeared to have three heads like a hydra, let out three piercing roars and made a dive for ground level. Before reaching the grass, this fast-flying creature pulled up into a vertical loop while the crowed reacted in stunned awe.
Meanwhile, the other two dragons – a bulky bipedal orange one and a traditional quadrupedal one with blue and red scales – tilted their wings into a barrel roll, flying in a corkscrew around each other, belching blue and red flames into the air. The small figure of a human rider could be seen on the back of the blue one, lying prone and holding on tight.
The dragon fire was joined by the fireworks and fire effects built into the stadium. The hydra glided out of the loop towards the landing zone. The other two dragons banked hard to the right and left and spiraled towards the field.
Tremendous wings outstretched, billowing with air, the orange Dragonite and blue Salamence landed smoothly within the space provided for them in a blast of wind that pushed April and Gary back a step.
The dragons roared in tune to the last gravelly shout on the heavy metal track. Gary laughed as one of the UFC cameramen jumped backwards, tripped over his feet, and fell into the grass.
The rider on the back of the Salamence unbuckled his safety harness, jumped down from the saddle, and joined the Dragonite in another roar. Then, the orange dragon and the tall, muscular, wild-looking man leaned over and headbutted each other.
April winced and recovered her voice enough to say, "Ouch! He could have at least put on his regulation helmet first!"
Gary observed that April was too stunned and scared to say anything else. He took over the intro, panning over to the blue dragon and saying, "So, a lot of people get Salamence's size wrong. He really ain't that big. Now, to be fair, coach Draco is a really big dude, but Salamence only stands about four and a half feet at the shoulder. He has a heavy, bulky body and big wings that can support a rider. He's like, the bulldog of dragons."
April took a few deep, steadying breaths and spoke into her helmet mic, "T-thank you Gary. I think, I think I have it from here. Umm. Dragonite, yes, the orange one. May be the most well-known of Dragon Pokemon, been around in the games since day one, a very intelligent Pokemon. There's a shrine in the Johto region dedicated to this Pokemon."
April quickly went over each Pokemon on the opposing team while Draco helped his Dragonite put on oversize mma gloves and booties to cover her claws. Draco, who stood six foot five, was a head shorter than the orange scaled dragon.
The announcer made the introductions, "On the blue side, from London, England, Steven Edwards and his team, Ironhide!" the crowd erupted into applause, "In the red half of the field, arriving from the skies above, hailing from a cave in the Colorado mountains, Draco, "Meteor" Wolfe and Team Dragon Rush!"
The crowd went crazy, cheering and chanting Draco's name. All around the arena were signs with dragons drawn on them in varying degrees of artistic talent. Five people who were seated as close to the action as they were allowed to held up letters spelling out Draco.
April smiled, slowly getting over the shock of standing next to actual dragons in person, and explained, "While this is the first live Superheavyweight match with an audience, the other rounds have been televised and Draco has a lot of zealous fans."
The announcer introduced Shalom the Alakazam, who would be the referee for this bout. Using his awesome psychic powers with the help of psychic-type Pokemon throughout the crowd who served as relays, Shalom confirmed that each Pokemon was ready to battle.
Shalom took his place on the sidelines, levitating high into the air where he sat cross-legged. The UFC staff left the field entirely, retreating for the safety of the stands. The camera and sound crew hid in the four concrete dugouts that ringed the stadium.
Draco and Steven put on safety gear and took their places at either end of the field, behind a pile of sandbags and plexiglass panels.
Steven wore a full motorcycle helmet and pads over his expensive winter clothing brands.
Draco wore a half helmet and safety glasses, a chain mail tunic over a fur-lined leather parka, trousers of tanned hide that appeared hand made, and the required steel-toed boots. Over the rest of his clothes he wore a hooded wool-lined cloak of black cloth that skimmed the ground when he walked.
While Steven's neat platinum gray hair and goatee weren't visible beneath his helmet, Draco's wild mane of brown hair spilled out of his half helmet and fell past his shoulders. A shaggy beard and mustache obscured the bottom half of his face.
Both men were in great shape, but while Steven had an athletic tone as smooth and sturdy as his metal Pokemon, Draco was built out of bulky muscle, burns, and scars.
These two adept Pokemon trainers and April and Gary were the only human beings standing on the field in the midst of the heavy, exceedingly powerful Pokemon who waited on the sidelines.
Steven had lost the coin flip and so he sent out his first Pokemon: "Stormy, you may begin the match."
Gary panned and zoomed the camera over to an inorganic Pokemon which was the final evolution of the Magnemite line. This Steel-Electric Pokemon, called a Magnezone, looked in appearance so much like a flying saucer that many people in the Pokemon world – and now our world – mistook it for one.
April spoke while gesturing at it, "Four hundred pounds of metal and Stormy is still the third lightest Pokemon out here today. I get the feeling this field may need some landscaping after the match is through."
The Magnezone, which was essentially a Magneton fused into one body through special and rare circumstances, was able to fly around on the magnetic field of the Earth. It did so, zooming above the artificial grass with a humming sound.
Draco bellowed, "Aether, I choose you!" while pointing at the Dragonite.
Aether nodded while staring into Draco's eyes, a fierce look on her face. She got up from the bench, walked onto the field, and began stretching her arms, legs, and wings.
April had Gary pan over to the sleeping Salamence, who was curled up off to the side and snoring smoke. She informed her fans that Zephyr the Salamence was just Draco's transportation to this event and would not be participating.
Back on the field, Aether took to the sky and began circling Stormy while staying within the generous boundary lines of the rectangular battlefield. Gary swiveled the camera over and up to record the action.
Steven called for Supersonic and Thunderwave. Aether deftly dodged both status-inducing attacks while shaking her head "no". The Magnezone, insulted, whirred with power and sent out a burst of gleaming energy that pushed Aether out of bounds.
The referee, Shalom, blew a whistle as Aether spread her wings and caught herself. Stormy remained inert while the Dragonite flew back onto the field. Another shrill whistle and the round resumed.
April named the attack, "Flash Cannon, a burst of metal-type energy. Ooh, and here's an Electro Ball!"
A bright yellowish-orange ball of electricity was generated between two magnets and fired with blitzing speed at Aether, who could not dodge it. She writhed from the shock and stopped flapping her wings, falling ten feet onto the field but landing on her feet in a crouch.
Aether pressed off the ground and took off into flight once more, her powerful wings carrying her near the ceiling as several more electro balls missed.
While Stormy hovered up and closed the distance, Draco had his Dragonite put up her Safeguard. Steven patiently instructed Stormy that it could do whatever it wished, but to avoid Thunder Wave and Supersonic as those were now futile.
Draco suddenly called out, "Flamethrower!"
Red fire enveloped the Magnezone. Aether expertly tracked it as it tried to flee. When the bright orange glow of firelight faded, the Magnezone was still airborne but glowing red-hot and a bit dazed.
Draco took advantage of the momentary hesitation, "Now! Dragon Rush!"
Aether grabbed hold of the Magnezone and began diving towards the field, gritting her teeth and powering through several powerful zaps. She began to glow indigo, exuding pure Dragon type energy, as she fell.
At the last second, Aether extended her wings and avoided hitting the ground by inches. Stormy was not as lucky; it struck the astroturf so hard that, when the dust finally settled, the Magnezone was at the bottom of a small crater.
Gary's camera and the event cameras zoomed in on Shalom the Alakazam as he began counting on his lanky digits. At ten, Shalom blew his whistle and the ring bells went off thrice for the knockout.
Shalom stoically went about plucking the Magnezone out of the dirt and setting the stunned entity by its team's bench. After a minute, Stormy began hovering under its own volition again. It went over to hide in a corner, facing the wall.
Steven consoled it, "You did well Stormy. Go Merlin!"
A massive, heavy, Steel-Psychic type Pokemon called Metagross clunked onto the field on four massive clawed metal legs. The air pressure around it increased from sheer psychic power.
Aether kept to the air at first, but even the stadium roof height – the upper boundary line – wasn't out of range of its psychic powers. Draco made the smart call for her to fight from the ground, breathing blue Dragon Breath flames as she descended.
Aether got thrown to the grass several times in her fight against Merlin. At one point, she was tossed out of bounds against the sandbags in front of Draco, rattling the plexiglass sheets. After a five count she got back up to her feet, rubbing the back of her head and growling, and walked back within bounds.
However, by refusing to fly, she did not give the Metagross any more space to fling her around than necessary. Aether also had a trick for grounded agility, but it was an exhausting move and only used sparingly throughout the two rounds she fought Merlin.
In round three, Aether used her Extremespeed to avoid a Meteor Mash attack from Merlin, which launched itself with surprising speed in a four-legged punch. One of the metal arms connected with Aether's tail, but it was a glancing blow and Aether could handle a bruise.
Draco called for a move called Dragon Dance. Aether glowed with indigo light like she had before, only this time, the pure Dragon type energy infused her with speed and strength at the cost of her stamina.
Extremespeed was even faster than before, Aether flying low across the field in a blur, skimming the grass. She managed to get behind Merlin and flip it over.
While Merlin, annoyed, used its psychic powers to set its heavy metal body back upright, Aether alighted nearby and staggered her feet to brace herself.
Draco yelled, "Hyper Beam!"
Rays of brilliant white light gathered in Aether's maw as she prepared her strongest attack.
Merlin set itself back on all fours with a heavy thunk in alarm. Before it could move out of the way, a broad beam of pure energy, glowing white, slammed into it.
This attack was so powerful that Merlin, who weighed one thousand two hundred pounds, was sent rolling end over end into one of the concrete camera bunkers, which cracked from the impact. After a count of ten, during which the UFC camera guy inside the dugout broke his professionalism and cussed from behind the camera, Merlin was out of the match via knockout.
During the break before round four, Shalom used his telepathy to let Draco talk with Aether. The Dragonite, though she was breathing heavily from the exertion of using her most powerful maneuvers, said that she wanted to keep going and wear down the last and most powerful Pokemon Steven had brought along.
If Steven was concerned about having one healthy Pokemon left in the match to Draco's three, he didn't show it. Calmly, Steven asked a Pokemon named Knight to enter the match.
Knight was a male Aggron, a towering reptilian lizard Pokemon who stood seven feet tall, weighed almost eight hundred pounds, and was covered from head to toe in metal armor plating which was a part of its biology.
April introduced the creature, "While Aggron are an incredibly powerful and dangerous Pokemon, they are also highly intelligent and surprisingly compassionate. They do not tend to attack unless in self-defense or if someone damages the environment within its territory."
Round four was the last one that the tired Dragonite competed in. Although she got a few good hits in with Flamethrower and Fire Punch to overheat and wear down Knight, she was too tired to use Extremespeed or Agility and could not evade a vicious Double-Edge shoulder tackle to the ground from Knight.
Under the onslaught of an iron-fist ground and pound, Aether tapped the grass three times. Shalom blew his whistle and strained as he used his telekinesis to heft the Aggron off of Aether's chest.
Aether walked over to her team's bench while holding her sore muzzle in her paws, green wings drooped. Draco pat her on the back in passing and finally sent in his next Pokemon, Wyvern the Hydreigon. The ring bells rang out for round five. Knight and Wyvern immediately began trading physical and special attacks.
April spoke into her headset, "Hydreigon is a Dark-Dragon type hydra Pokemon. While its ancillary, or extra, heads do not have a brain, its primary head does have one, and enough of a brain to be considered sapient. This main head controls the others in the way that…"
While April was speaking, Wyvern had flown into the air above Knight, the transparent membrane of his wings flapping hard to obtain lift. With a roar, Wyvern fired off a circle of energy which flew towards Knight like an indigo smoke ring.
This Dragon Pulse attack struck Knight in the face, rocking him. The second head fired another Dragon Pulse, which Knight dodged with a jump back. With a fierce roar of his own, Knight leapt from the ground, his legs rippling with muscle from many gym sessions.
Before the third head could fire a Dragon Pulse, Knight jumped six feet up and grabbed the left most head in a big, rugged hand which had taped-over claws, pushing the head off to the side.
The Dragon Pulse which was meant to hit Knight instead flew across the field and slammed into April, who noticed it at the last moment.
Although it had dissipated in power quite a bit by the time it reached her, it was still strong enough to knock her off her feet, sliding through the grass and into the wall. Gary left the camera running as he ran over to check on her.
April was dazed, but not injured. The motorcycle helmet had saved her from a concussion, and her durable gear had resisted the heat of Dragon Pulse well enough that April was not even burned.
Gary helped her back to her feet and they resumed filming. April turned her side to the camera rather than facing it, opting to focus on the match from now on.
April advised her fans, "I don't suggest being hit by a Dragon Pulse folks, it is not as much fun as it looks."
The kaiju match of titans continued. Wyvern landed and followed Draco's instructions, using Tri Attack. A bolt of lightning, a burst of flame, and a supercooled burst of freezing water were launched from each of the three heads of the dragon.
Knight was zapped, frozen over with ice crystals, and superheated. Yet, when the Aggron kept his balance sliding back in a crouch, one giant hand on the ground, it seemed as though the amazing attack had little affect on him.
"Earthquake," spoke Steven calmly. With an ear-splitting roar, Knight slammed both fists into the ground. The field in a radius around him began to ripple, shake, and split open as though from a quake.
Wyvern, as Steven anticipated, jumped up into flight.
For the second time in this match, Draco called for the move Dragon Rush. Wyvern attempted to bowl over the heavy metal lizard while aglow with indigo light. Steven yelled for Knight to use Protect; a translucent pane of energy appeared which Wyvern smacked into like a window.
As Wyvern shook it off and prepared to launch a Dragon Pulse, Knight charged forward, making a tremendous din of clanking metal, and threw himself into a spin.
The iron plated muscular tail of Knight slammed into Wyvern's side, knocking the wind out of the hydra who collapsed for an eight count. Shortly after Wyvern got back up, the ring bells signaled the end of the round.
Round six saw less aggressive movement from the tired Pokemon and more ranged attacks. After another Tri Attack from Wyvern, where only the lightning aspect hit, Knight retaliated with his own burst of electricity.
"Thunder!" cried out Steven. Wyvern and Draco found themselves entirely caught off guard by a move they had never seen Knight use before, a technical move that had been taught to the Aggron at some point in the Pokemon world.
Only the UFC staff knew about the existence of this move and approved it for use in the arena format – the trainers weren't informed on what the opponent's moves and Pokemon were before the event.
A legitimate, actual bolt of lightning struck in a flash of light and sound. Wyvern writhed in midair and fell fifteen feet to the grass as thunder rolled through the stadium. A ten count knockout. At twenty seconds Wyvern was able to get up and walk, bipedal, over to the bench where a highly specialized vet checked him over.
Draco's final Pokemon, Sally the Goodra, entered the field. Round six worked different from the others; instead of ending with the knockout on Wyvern, it continued for the remaining three minutes.
This wasn't a lot of time, but it was enough time for Sally to knock the heavy Aggron over on his back twice. The first time was with a burst of muddy high-pressure water from her mouth which took six seconds for Knight to get up from.
The second was when Knight attempted to body slam Sally to the grass, but could not get a grip on the slime-covered Pokemon. Sally slipped away with a stylish backflip, her stretchy tail extending as she did so in a Power Whip attack which slammed into Knight's chin with a surprising amount of momentum.
It took Knight eight seconds to drag himself off the ground after this hit. Sally immediately resumed attacking with her tail, cloaked in glowing blue energy, an Aqua Tail attack. Knight put up his guard, deflecting with his metal plated arms and thighs, using his own tail to stay upright and avoid being knocked down as the bells rang and closed out the match.
Sally the Goodra extended a slimy paw. Knight the Aggron reached out and shook hands with her. The crowd loved it, cheering as the two Pokemon returned to the sidelines.
The medical teams checked them over as the judges took some time to review everything in the exhilarating battle. After ten minutes of debate, a split decision was reached:
Team Dragon Rush was declared the world champion in the Superheavyweight division.
Aether got up from her team's bench and waved at Shalom, who placed a hand on her shoulder so that she could speak telepathically to the crowd.
Aether's voice was surprisingly soft, high pitched, and sweet as she addressed the crowd, "Hello everyone, I, um, I have an announcement to make. Oh gosh, there's so many people here… I don't know if I can do this."
Aether took several deep breaths and took hold of Draco's hand before continuing, "So, Draco and I made a deal. If we lost the finals, we were going to keep this private, just between us. But it looks like we won, so… um, in a couple weeks, me and Draco intend to get married!"
The crowd fell into a stunned silence, a silence which was louder than the recent thunder. A moment later, the crowd erupted into cheers and whistles, but also boos and heckling, with about an even mix of both.
The man whose job it was to repeat everything for the microphones did so with some hesitation. He called the announcement a "controversial" one, a statement which would be reflected in the headlines of local papers soon after the event.
April, too, repeated the announcement for her own audience. She spoke the words slowly, in a state of disbelief, while Gary laughed behind the camera until he was out of breath.
April and Gary didn't record the award ceremony. They had somewhere else they were expected to be very soon. They returned to the locker room and changed into their nicest clothing. April took some time to fix her hair, while Gary simply tied his long black hair into a ponytail and put his Charmander snapback hat on.
A venue worker met them outside of the locker rooms and guided them to a gymnasium which had been converted into a makeshift interview room. Thick mats on the basketball court protected the surface from claws. Divider panels had been set up to close off a smaller, cozier space in the gym, which had been decorated like a living room.
There was a big L shaped couch and a yoga mat for Pokemon who did not fit on the couch. A side table held a lamp with a soft yellow bulb. There was a coffee table which held April's mug of cocoa and several stacks of index cards. One at a time, the winning teams entered this room for an interview.
Gary and April powered through an interview with Victoria Hemsworth, who was rather haughty and arrogant about her team, Vancouver Vengeance, taking the win. Gary, to April's relief, remained a professional camera operator and did not say anything untowards.
Princess the Jolteon sat on the couch between April and a Kadabra who had a yellow hand resting on the Jolteon's back as she sat with rigid, elegant posture.
Through telepathy, with Gary repeating everything for the camera, the Jolteon discussed the match and said that she would be taking off most of the next season to train after her loss to Brie the Breloom. Princess made it clear that she would be working hard to learn the move Thunder for the specific purpose of using that move on Brie.
Gemini the Sableye was too shy to say anything. The Noctowl expressed her hope that next season would feature more arena battles so she could get more practice in, and that if she had nothing to do until the finals she might just go back to living in the woods.
The Welterweight winners, Team Mmm, were up next. As Mary the Miltank had mentioned, she had big news to break during the interview.
The pink cow Pokemon sat beside April on the couch while Michael – her coach – and the rest of her team sat on the perpendicular side of the large L shaped sofa.
Mary spoke while April listened patiently, holding her mug of cocoa in both hands, "After winning numerous grueling battles in Kantonian gyms, winning the Kanto Region Pokemon League, and becoming champion here in your world, I am ready to retire. I did it, April, I achieved all of my dreams in life, and I'm going back to where I started."
April sipped her hot chocolate and answered, "So, you're retiring from the UFC to become a dairy cow?"
"Yep! I received a very generous offer in return for selling milk and, um, making baby Miltanks. Moomoo milk has become super popular, even vegans are okay with drinking it since they can just ask me if I'm fine with being milked, which of course I am."
April asked, "Do you know which Pokemon that starts with M will replace you next season? I understand your team does not have a substitute."
"No, you'll have to ask Michael about that."
April did so, and was informed that there were several Pokemon looking for teams who might be a perfect fit. There would be four months break until the next UFC Pokemon season began, so he had time.
April asked if Mary had any comments about the match or any unexpected trivia about life on a battle team. Mary, like Northwind the Noctowl, hoped to see more arena format bouts in the future. She also said that she did not know how to read or write, and that surprised a lot of people.
"Pokemon on a battle team don't really have a reason to learn that stuff, even though they probably can," Mary explained, "In my world, a lot of them are wild Pokemon who respect trainers skilled enough to best them in battle and capture them. They provide the muscle, the trainer provides the meals. There's no need to read anything."
From behind the camera, Gary asked, "What about Meowth from Team Rocket?"
Mary tilted her head and said that it was before her time, but she had heard the stories during her expedition in Kanto. She wasn't sure whether or not to believe it, but rumor had it that a cat Pokemon named Meowth taught himself how to speak, read, write, and walk bipedal. The effort was so grueling that it cost his ability to battle well.
Mary further commented, "I have something to admit, April. Most Miltank can't talk."
April asked Mary if she had pulled a Meowth and taught herself regardless. Mary shook her bovine head no and explained, "My world has much better medical tech than yours, there is a surgery that can be done to allow for speech. But, it's an optional and invasive one that most Pokemon would never do. I was willing to do whatever it takes to get an edge, defy the odds, and prove everyone wrong. That's also why I studied human martial arts."
April, "Do people say Miltank don't have a place on serious teams?"
Mary, with a large grin, "Not anymore, they don't!"
After meeting with each of the other weight class winners, April and Gary reached the final interview with Team Dragon Rush. The Goodra – politely wearing a robe – and the Dragonite sat on the couch while the Hydreigon lie couchant on the mat.
Before the interview began, Aether the Dragonite pointed at April and made a twirling motion with her paw. April nodded and traded spots with her, Aether sitting on the end of the couch close to Gary and the camera while April sat next to Draco.
The Dragonite was wearing a messenger bag. She reached over to open the scratched leather cover with the sound of velcro and pulled a large tablet from the bag which had a durable, waterproof case.
With a stylus, she wrote on the tablet in a neat hybrid of cursive and print with impeccable penmanship. When she was done, she showed the tablet to the camera and then to April and Draco.
The dainty writing read, "Let's do the interview this way. The psychic repetition annoys me."
April began the interview, "Aether, Wyvern, Sally and Draco, congrats on your win. What did you guys think of battling in our world, compared to your own?"
Aether wrote, "I really like all of the safety rules, I never really thought about how apathetic my world is to danger. It's just normal to us, and it always has been. If you attend a Pokemon battle, there's a chance you might get hurt, it's that simple."
Sally the Goodra said that she enjoyed the hype of the crowd and wanted more live arena events. Wyvern the Hydreigon spoke in a raspy mental voice that he had been given the opportunity to fight a worthy opponent on the field of battle, and there was nothing else he wanted more than that.
April shuffled her index cards and asked, "So, when the commentator said that your home is a cave in the wilderness, was that true or just made up for drama?"
Draco, who sat next to April smelling strongly of campfire smoke, clarified in a deep and booming voice, "Well, I do actually have a legal address. I just don't live there. I let my folks stay at the house in return for maintenance and cleaning the place."
"I see," said April, "So you actually spend most of your time in the Colorado mountains?"
Draco nodded emphatically, "Yep, I depend upon my team for basic survival. Most of the stuff I eat and most of the things I use, we get it ourselves."
April, "What compels you to live such a dangerous and lonely life?"
"I love dragons, April, ever since I was a kid I've been obsessed with 'em. I've read every book and watched every movie with dragons, played most of the video games with dragons, except for Pokemon, I didn't know that had a dragon type."
"What did you do when you found out dragons were real?"
"I walked up to my boss's office and told him, 'I quit. I don't have to be a part of society anymore, and I'm not gonna be. I am going to hike to the mountains and go live with the dragon tribes."
April, while twirling a pen, asked what he did after quitting his career.
Draco told her, "I used all of my savings to pay for the gear and training I needed to survive in the wild. I hired a personal trainer to get in shape. Then I sold my car, broke my lease, took a bus as far out into the middle of nowhere as I could, and that's where I met Aether, and all of my other buddies. Except for Sally, we met her while on vacation in Florida, she was looking for a battle team to join."
Aether waved at April and began writing on her tablet, tongue sticking out. She showed the screen to the camera and then to April. It read, "This goober showed up in front of my cave – not an easy feat, mind you, I picked out a cave high up in the mountains – but anyways, I hear him outside and he's all like, 'Oh dragon, I kneel before you, bearing an offering. I mean you no harm. I only wish to live amongst your people in peace.' Then I, then I…"
Aether started giggling, a reptilian paw of a hand raised to her snout. Her laughter was contagious; April and Gary found themselves chuckling as Aether wrote, "I remember just staring at this guy who had climbed a mountain in the dead of winter to visit me. I was so confused. I picked up the food and supplies he brought me and invited him inside my home so he wouldn't freeze to death. I just remember writing, on paper, 'I'm not a dragon, I'm a Pokemon.'"
Aether burst into laughter, exhaling smoke, "Draco didn't know anything about Pokemon, and he thought that us Dragon types had all built a happy little village together away from society."
April inquired, "Oh? You don't get along?"
"Oh we do, just, most dragons are solitary creatures. We respect each other's space," Aether noted as she caught her breath.
"Alright, next question," said April as she flipped to the next index card, "I understand that you are one of the founders of the Dragonite project?"
Aether nodded fiercely, and Draco explained that her organization was best known for the case Aether vs the City of Denver, which had reached the supreme court. Through the aid of a psychic type translator, Aether convinced the court to reform Dragon type bans at the federal level with more nuance and consideration for the individual.
Aether wrote a quick comment that Draco had actually refused to return to civilization at all for several years until she was also allowed to be in city limits.
Draco nodded and said that he wanted to take a stand for dragon-kind. He added, "I don't mean to brag, but I am one of the best dragon trainers in the world."
Gary, from behind the camera, shouted, "Yeah, I bet you are!"
April, a hand on her forehead, apologized for him and promised that she would edit that remark out of the video.
April asked the final interview question, "So, what's next after becoming World Champions? What are your plans from here?"
Draco answered this, "We're going on vacation in Hawaii to celebrate!"
April cautiously asked, "Is that where you and Aether plan to, well…"
"Yep!" exclaimed Draco enthusiastically, "It will be an unofficial one, of course, just a small event on the beach with some friends – dragons, avian Pokemon, and people – in attendance. Gonna be on one of the uninhabited islands."
April shook hands with Draco, Aether, and – reluctantly – Sally, thanked them for their time, and concluded the interview.
That evening, April, Gary, and Gary's friend Tanner met Joe Devon of Team Status Report for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. Of the three Pokemon on Joe's team, only Nik came with him.
Joe informed April as he perused the menu that Ty the Tyrogue was moping in the hotel room and Brie the Breloom had taken a walk to one of the forested city parks to meditate.
That still left three elemental mischievous kids to deal with: Smokey the Charmeleon, Terra the Bulbasaur, and Nikola the Pikachu, all of whom had behaved themselves well enough.
The four humans at the table made small talk. Terra sat on April's lap, nuzzling her. Smokey played a video game. Nik sat calmly, reading the menu, devoid of his usual playful energy.
When their meal was brought out, they ate in silence, broken only by April asking Tanner where his Eevee was, and Tanner saying the Eevee was in his hotel room with food, toys, and a puppy pad in case she needed it.
As Joe ate the last bites of his lasagna and wiped his face with a napkin, he told April that he was going to retire. He made this declaration in a quiet and resigned tone, as though he was talking about the weather.
April, of course, challenged this decision and asked him why he would even consider it when his team had made second place in the world.
Joe set the napkin on top of his empty plate and leaned back in the booth, hands clasped over his belly. He shook his head and said simply, "I messed up. I'm supposed to be a Pokemon trainer, it's my job to learn everything I can about these creatures, and I failed."
April told him that everyone makes mistakes, but Joe would have none of it. He raised his voice and said, "Do you see Ty or Brie here?" April, startled, shook her head no. Joe continued, "Do you know why? It's not because they lost, we have lost matches before. It's because I failed them, all of them, and made stupid mistakes."
April had been through far too much to be cowed by him, "What kind of mistakes, and what can be learned from them?"
Joe realized that people were staring at him. He lowered his voice to a more reasonable volume, took a drink of his whiskey and coke, and explained, "I shouldn't have sent Nik out first when there was that giant owl perched right there, I wasn't thinking, I just wanted to get through whatever Victoria had planned to deal with the Thunder Wave."
"Okay, so Brie would have been a smarter first choice. She handled the Jolteon very well," April offered.
Joe shook his head no, "I thought Stun Spore wouldn't work on the Jolteon, that she could resist any kind of stun. I didn't know about her volt absorbing ability, that it was just electric attacks that restore her energy. That knockout was not necessary, and Brie hates me for asking her to go for it."
April, "I'm sure Brie doesn't hate you, Joe. She seemed upset with herself more than anything. I bet if you just talk to her and tell her what you told me, she'll understand."
"You're not talking me out of retiring, I should not be a Pokemon coach, but yeah, I'll go talk to Brie. Why don't you take Nik with you for tonight?"
Gary answered this one, "Wait, really? Thank you, sir! Smokey has been missing his friend, man."
Joe nodded, paid for his meal, and left without another word. Gary observed how morose Nikola seemed. He scratched the stubble on his chin and mused, "Oh, so many ways to celebrate making it to the world finals… we can watch a movie, get ice cream, buy a new video game…"
Nikola perked up his ears and typed on his cracked phone, "i want ice cream pls."
December 16th, 2026
Willamette National Forest, OR
Gary sipped a fruit-punch energy drink as he reclined in the passenger seat of the big RV and rested his heels on the dash. He pestered April about letting him take the wheel, "C'mon, you let me drive before."
"That was in the desert, Gary," April reminded him, "In summer. This is a mountain highway in winter, there's sharp turns and snowy patches."
Gary let it go and changed topics while staring out of the dirty windshield of their RV, "I still can't get over what that Dragonite said."
April kept her eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel as she replied, "It's not the first time we've dealt with that. Remember Salt Lake City?"
"Dude! Why did you have to remind me?" Gary exclaimed.
"Oh, stop being so dramatic. It wasn't that bad."
"Are you kidding me? That was disgusting!"
"Gary, it was just an interview with one of our fans, and…"
April suddenly fell silent, staring out at the road ahead, her winter boot on the brake pedal, gradually slowing the barge to a crawl. Gary raised an eyebrow and hit the hazard lights button.
Gary shifted his gaze up to the landscape outside of the front windows of the big RV. The energy drink fell out of Gary's hand, clattering on the floor, insalubrious red fluid fizzing on the vinyl, as Gary asked under his breath, "What the f-"
April admonished him not to cuss in front of Terra, and then asked him to quickly get Terra down from the dashboard before she looked outside. Gary did so. Terra began sniffing at and lapping up the spilled energy drink, but April paid her no heed.
Smokey ran up, the claws on his hind paws tapping the vinyl floor of the RV. Gary got up from his seat and told Smokey to stay in the back.
Smokey shook his head no and pointed at the front window. Gary recalled what Mew had told the little fire Pokemon, that he would see some really bad things, but it was important he did, however much it hurt.
After Terra was ushered into the back and the curtain was drawn, blocking off the cab from the rest of the RV, Gary warned Smokey that it might just be the worst thing he ever saw in his life, then hoisted the red lizard up onto the passenger seat.
Smokey looked out of the front window, then the passenger side, and then past April's shocked, tear-streaked face out of the driver's window, at the death which surrounded them.
One moment, they had been driving through a scenic boreal forest in winter, where green pines, dormant deciduous trees, and occasional cold-hardy birds and forest critters could be seen.
All of that was gone now, in a sudden and shocking transition. The deciduous trees had withered to a blackened husk. Even the rugged pines had lost all of their needles and become a sickly ashen shade. Every wisp of cold-resistant greenery was gone, leaving naught but snow as far as the eye could see into the forest.
The boundary line between the healthy forest and the dead one was perfectly even. It looked artificial and alien; a perfect circle of forest, about three miles in radius, that had suffered from a blight. Some of the trees were half dead and withered, half alive and green but fading fast from the damage.
But it was not the withered trees alone which April had found so shocking that she could barely focus on driving the big RV.
Bereft of pine boughs and shrubbery, the vacant forest allowed for greater visibility than usual. Through these empty halls, between the pillars of dead trees, the corpses of birds, animals, and Pokemon could be seen strewn upon the snow.
There was no blood, no signs of a struggle. It was as though all that once was living had suddenly, of one accord, failed to remain so. Deceased birds roosted on trees which, themselves, had withered away to nothing but brittle gray branches. Fish and fish Pokemon floated against the shore of a nearby stream which was too turbulent to freeze.
On a dead branch suspended over the road was draped a squirrel, who seemed to have suddenly died whilst running across the branch towards a tree on the other side of the highway.
There was no decay. No scavengers, no fungi doing its job of decomposition, every dead creature was intact and whole, as though they were merely sleeping.
And then, they reached the other side of the barren forest. Another perfect line between the strata of healthy, normal forest and dead, empty, silent grove. Except for a few more dead fish that had washed downstream, the forest became green and verdant once more, winter birds and bird Pokemon sang in the trees, and the wind – which was strangely absent before, as though the wind itself were a thing that could die – resumed blustering against the RV.
Shaken, April and Gary made camp earlier than they had planned, pulling over in a snow-covered dirt lot off of the road behind a logging truck for the night.
April acknowledged that, despite her intensive studies, Gary was still the expert. She asked him, "Has there ever been anything in Pokemon that could explain something like… that?"
Gary, who cradled a fresh energy drink in his hand, looked out of the window at the snow and responded quietly, "Yes, but, I hope to God it's not what I think it is."
With that, he got up, put on his coat, and called Smokey outside of the RV for a walk in the brisk and fresh winter woods.
December 25th, 2026
Sacramento, CA
Wrapping paper, ribbons and gift bags were scattered on the hardwood floor beneath an ostentatious Christmas tree bedecked with lights and ornaments; a tall, natural tree which had been placed nearby the hearth, but not too close.
Artificial logs burned within the fireplace, a decorative afterthought in a modern home with central heating.
A brown-furred puppy Pokemon named Lucky lie on the rug in front of the fireplace, enjoying his present, a smoked ham bone held between his paws as he gnawed at it.
Also seated on the rug were two young boys opening one of their presents. Each of them had received a Pokemon card expansion pack from April, and now they went through the booster packs to see which random cards they had gotten.
Expensive, matching, leather furniture had been tastefully placed around the great room, with a coffee table which was a sanded and polished slab of log from a redwood tree.
April's sister, Dawn, sat close to the fire, across from Gary. They both held mugs of coffee which they occasionally sipped during their conversation. Smokey the Charmeleon sat in Gary's lap in an easy chair, a ceramic cone around the end of his fiery tail.
Gary held in his free hand a small envelope within which was gift card for a video game shop. He thanked Dawn for the gift and profusely apologized that he had not gotten her anything, but Dawn shrugged it off and said that it was perfectly fine.
Dawn's husband, Ken, sat on the couch next to her, eyes glued to his phone, an arm draped across her shoulders.
April sat on the other side of the living room from them in a recliner, leaned all the way back, under a throw blanket, stuffed from a Christmas feast that she had helped cook.
She idly watched the eighty inch flatscreen TV mounted above the mantle where a series of Christmas stockings were hung, with the names Kenneth, Dawn, Matthew, Skylar, and Lucky pasted on with glitter.
On the TV, a reporter in Florida was speaking with an old, grizzled fisherman. The fisherman answered the reporter's questions while waves crashed on the beach nearby.
The old fisherman with his gray beard, American flag hat, and overalls discussed the mass exodus from his small town, how all of the "ungrateful folk" had fled for the big city and given up on the town.
He discussed having spent his whole life in his town, where he was born and raised by a father who was also a commercial fisherman. He talked about braving storms and rebuilding after hurricanes, arriving at current events with the adamant declaration that he was not giving up on his father's business just because of some "damned sea monsters".
April found herself falling asleep as the news cut away from the interview and a man in a nice suit discussed the hazards coastal towns faced from Pokemon such as Gyrados, who were highly territorial and did not tolerate anyone trawling for fish in their waters.
As April began to dream, she found herself jostled awake by the words, "...so-called 'zones of death' have been reported throughout northern California, Oregon, Nevada and Washington."
April sat up, eyes open, attention fixed on the television. The news anchor continued, "Experts are at a loss, unable to explain what may have caused the sudden die-off of flora and fauna. At this time it is not known if this is a natural event or if it was caused by a dangerous Pokemon."
April fumbled around the side table for the remote and turned the volume up in time for the end of the piece, "...on the hazardous Pokemon list issued by the National Pokemon Organization is known to have the capacity to inflict so much destruction, but residents nearby affected areas are encouraged to remain vigilant, stay indoors, and report any suspicious sightings to the National Guard and the NPA."
Dawn observed April staring at the chair where Gary had been seated and informed her that Gary and his fire lizard were taking a shower.
April nodded and leaned back again in her recliner. It wasn't as though Gary would just tell her what it was they were dealing with. Ever since personally seeing one of those circular 'zones of death', as the news had called it, Gary had grown nervous, bottled-up, and strangely taciturn.
The only remark he had made was the cryptic, "If it's actually what I think it is then I think we will be meeting Arceus very soon."
As yet they had not met the fabled, so-called 'god of Pokemon', if it even existed. April fell back asleep and pondered what, exactly, could be so dangerous that all of the other legendary Pokemon couldn't handle it without help.
January 7th, 2027
Las Vegas, NV
"I still think you're paranoid," Gary said to April as she carefully made a slow, sharp turn into an RV park, running over the curb regardless.
April looked for her reserved spot and asked incredulously, "Have you already forgotten about the gang that attacked us?"
"No, of course not dude, I just think we shouldn't be this worried about it."
"Gary, everyone knew exactly where we were during the world finals. I know you don't want to hear it but Smokey and Terra aren't just pets and friends, they're also rare and valuable and that makes them targets."
Gary pointed at the spot and April carefully wheeled her RV around, angled to back in. It was not a difficult spot, there was plenty of room, so April spoke while watching the big mirrors, "So by uploading the Lapras on the Coast, Lake Klamath Pokemon Reserve, and Milotic in the Columbia River videos at the same time, people don't know if we went east, west, or south from Portland."
Gary reaserted, "Yeah, and that's called being paranoid."
April pulled the air brakes and sighed, "It's called security, Gary, so we can sleep easy at night without worrying about some crazies with guns taking Terra and Smokey away from us. This is a stupid argument anyways, let's just get camp setup."
Terra the Bulbasaur yawned and hopped down from her favorite place, bathing in the sun on the dashboard. Smokey the Charmeleon stepped into the bathroom of the RV, closing the door behind him.
Gary and April went about leveling the RV and setting up the slides, awning, mosquito net, and lawn furniture.
April commented, "I think you're paranoid, getting worked up over some super dangerous Pokemon when you don't even know if it exists. There could just as easily be a logical explanation for the death circles."
"Like what?" Gary demanded, as he pulled lawn chairs from the storage compartment under the RV.
"I don't know, volcanic activity? Pollution? I'm not an expert," April replied, "Why don't you just tell me what it is already?"
Gary fell silent, a sleepless and haunted look in his eyes. He shook his head no and spoke gruffly, "Let's just meet Serenity and do the Vegas episode."
Serenity the Gardevoir, April's attorney and acquaintance, had used her vacation time to take a much needed break from her deluge of legal work. For her, a trip to Vegas was an exciting time, a change of pace from using her telepathic powers to represent and defend sapient Pokemon in court.
She arrived at the RV park in a plain silver rental minivan, tires crunching on the gravel. She found April's RV and beeped the horn twice.
April locked up the big RV and got Smokey and Terra buckled up in the third row of the van. Gary got in through a sliding door and took the second row bucket seat across from Serenity's daughter, Grace the Kirlia.
April took her place in the passenger seat and adjusted a vent to warm her hands. Serenity ensured everyone was buckled before putting the minivan in gear and heading for the Vegas strip.
While Gary and Grace focused on their DS and their phone respectively, April and Serenity took some time to talk and catch up.
April opened the conversation by asking, with a smirk, if Serenity still enjoyed being allowed to drive after her road trip from Texas to Nevada. Serenity turned the radio volume down and replied telepathically that she had actually enjoyed driving through the desert, even though she was pulled over twice.
This came as a shock to April. Serenity was an excellent driver and she never went over the speed limit. In answer Serenity gestured at herself and said that both times had most likely just been to verify that she did, in fact, have a valid driver's license that she had earned and paid for.
They followed a winding two lane highway into Vegas, pausing at the border wall around the city proper. Even the wall was gaudy, covered in neon, graffiti, and colorful spotlights.
Shortly after the checkpoint, at a point where the highway made a sharp, blind corner around an apartment complex, Serenity turned her hazard lights on and came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road.
April asked, "Oh, is everything alright?"
Serenity answered in her Galarian, or British, accent, "It shall be."
The driver of a modified Camaro behind Serenity began honking and flashing the headlights. He started to swerve around the minivan, but before he could complete the maneuver, a lowered pickup truck came around the corner straddling the yellow line and going so fast that it barely avoided clipping Serenity's van.
Serenity watched calmly in her side mirror as the lowered truck lost control and went halfway into the ditch. The driver saved it and got the vehicle back onto the pavement.
Then, Serenity turned off the flashers and proceeded on her way. The Camaro driver, stunned, remained where he was for a moment.
Friendly conversation resumed between April and Serenity, with Gary joining in. Serenity brought up April being hit by Dragon Pulse, saying that it concerned her to see April putting herself in such danger. This incensed April, who said that she was an adult who take risks if she wanted to.
Serenity conceded the point, but advised April to be careful, as they arrived at their destination.
Gary hopped out, a beaming smile on his face as he looked around and exclaimed, "Wow! Look at this place!"
April found herself smiling as well as she stepped out, leaning on the roof of the van with the passenger door open. She helped the Kirlia, Charmeleon and Bulbasaur get out of the minivan and, after a moment of realization, opened the hatch to get the camera equipment out of the trunk.
After the young Pokemon were checked in at the Vegas Pokemon Pavilion for the day, April asked to speak with the manager of the facility. April explained her YouTube channel and her work as a researcher; to her surprise and delight, the manager had not only heard of her channel, but was an avid fan who had taken some ideas for the Pavilion from her videos.
When April asked if she could make a video of his Pokemon daycare and boarding business, the answer was a resounding yes. April told Serenity to go ahead to the casinos, that they would catch up later.
Gary quickly got the camera setup with a fresh memory card. April hooked up her bluetooth headset. They made an impromptu and improvised video of the sprawling ten acre facility, which had microcosms of ecological habitats for all kinds of Pokemon to be happy in.
They learned how water type Pokemon were able to grab moisture out of the air and, over time, provide enough water to keep the three acres of forest and the one acre of water gardens going in the desert.
They filmed many kinds of adorable domestic Pokemon at play in facsimiles of their natural environment. For Terra the Bulbasaur, this meant a grassy field of flowers with a creek running through it, from the forested part of the Pavilion to the pond area.
Smokey the Charmeleon would naturally call a rocky mountain or a desert home, but he just wanted to stay close to his friend, Terra, so he spent his time in the meadow. April scolded him not to set the pretty flowers on fire, that there was a perfectly good creek if he wanted to get that out of his system.
The Pavilion had an indoor lounge area where all kinds of lessons and classes were taught. Grace the Kirlia found a group of psychic types around her age to hang out with here.
This lounge was the annex of the larger, main building that served several purposes: Indoor shelter for Pokemon on rainy days, a vet clinic, a couple of offices where curious academic researchers had taken up residence, a Pokemon grooming salon, and a Pokemon boutique that baked fresh treats were in this building.
Attached to the main building was one of the best rock-type care facilities in America.
Gary and April marveled at an entire miniature canyon that had been built indoors, inside of a large prefab metal building attached to the main one by a corridor which had built to resemble a cave, with a staircase of rock and mine lighting.
Gary could not help but blurt out, "This is so cool!", as he explored the labyrinth of canyons and met Pokemon such as Sandshrew, Geodude, Graveler, and Forretress who played and rested in the artificial badlands.
April spoke through Gary's headset, telling him to "Check out the waterfall." Gary did so, finding an immense, two-story cascade which recirculated from a feeder pool to a lower pond. A gathering of tadpole Pokemon called Poliwag splashed around at the base of the falls.
After crossing a series of rugged log bridges with rope railings to the far side of the building, the ceiling painted sky blue with wispy clouds and cacti planted in sand here and there, April and Gary reached a log building with a tin roof that looked like it belonged to a mine town in the gold rush days.
Inside, they sat down for an interview with a geologist and a metalworker who had used their skills to provide care for rock, ground, and steel type Pokemon.
Despite the close similarity this creative structure bore to a rock type Pokemon gym from the games and anime, where trainers taking the League challenge could attempt to win against experts and obtain a badge if they did so, the workers here were adamant that this was not that kind of gym, they didn't host battles here, nor did they give out badges.
"In fact," pointed out the geologist, "We hire people and Pokemon specifically to defuse aggressive Pokemon, in case of potential damage and liability."
Gary insisted that they could, in the future, provide a safe and durable environment for rock type 'mons to duke it out. The geologist gave him a wry smile and said that this facility was no more a rock type gym than a commercial aquarium was a water type Pokemon gym.
As a counterpoint, Gary observed that the Rock type gym in the Sinnoh region began as a mining facility, where rock and ground types assisted with the excavation. Over time, it became a popular place to challenge expert rock type trainers, and then an official League gym, one of eight a trainer needed to win at to qualify for the League tournament.
Before they left, a welder on staff who made repairs for metal Pokemon told April and Gary, "Speaking of aquariums, Vegas has an amazing one. You should check it out."
April and Gary left their 'mons in the care of the ten acre Pokemon Pavilion and took an uber to meet Serenity at the strip. They spent the rest of the day gambling, drinking, and making a quick video about efforts to curb psychic type cheating in casinos so that Pokemon like Serenity may still be allowed to participate.
The splendid day closed on a delightful note, with everyone tired out from a day full of recreation, content to just relax around the fire under the stars in an RV park out in the cold winter desert.
April and co. stayed an extra day, visiting a magnificent casino called Sootopolis. The building itself had been constructed to appear like a volcano, and the entire casino was also an expansive aquarium with an underwater cafe where you could watch a variety of water type Pokemon swim by outside of the reinforced glass.
After enjoying a great meal while filming Pokemon such as Tentacruel (a giant jellyfish), Seaking (a koi fish with a horn), Starmie (a starfish with a glowing gem at its center), and an animatronic, remote-controlled, scale model of Kyogre (an ancient whale and legendary Pokemon), April and co. hit the slots nearby a dazzling display of jumping fountains.
That evening, after another wonderful meal grilled over a campfire beneath the desert stars, after Serenity and Grace had left for their hotel, after cleaning up the dishes and taking showers, Gary and April enjoyed a sound, restful, and vivid rest.
April had a dream which took her vicariously to another state, one which was also covered with deserts. This desert landscape, however, was composed of striated, colorful rock formations and had much less plant life. It seemed to be a very remote, rugged, barren place.
A deep, male, booming voice resounded in her mind, saying, "Within the furthest reaches of the painted desert, southeast of the native lands."
The sun set on the gorgeous vista and April found herself flying in the dream. In the light of the full moon, the endless hundreds of miles of rugged terrain swept by below. A small, serpentine, washboard strip of dirt could be seen weaving through this landscape: A road, or a trail.
After what felt like hours, April found herself standing on the edge of a particularly deep crevasse. Although she could not see down into the inky blackness, she somehow knew that something was down there. Something which pulsed with raw, latent, unfathomable power.
The voice returned, "Follow the ghost. Seek the Origin Stone. Obtain it, with all due haste."
April awoke with a snort, almost falling out of her bed in the rear bedroom of the RV. She opened the blinds and squinted against the bright morning sun. Terra sat up in bed, yawned, stretched, and croaked at her.
When she opened the pocket door she found Gary already awake, getting coffee started. April plugged in a waffle maker and started making the batter. She asked in a groggy voice, half awake, "What is an origin stone?"
Gary poured water into the machine and put the carafe back before answering, "It's this ancient artifact from Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby versions. It like, unlocks the full, primal power of Kyogre and Groudon," Gary watched the coffee drip and spoke more to himself than to April, "But why is it in our world? And why Arizona, of all places?"
April didn't have an answer. Gary folded his bed back into a dining booth. They took their seats and ate breakfast, April wearing a nightshirt and Gary in Pikachu pajamas. Terra and Smokey joined them at the table, both 'mons given a couple cinnamon waffles to eat with fresh fruit.
April planned the route while Gary packed up the campsite and got the RV ready to go. From Vegas, it would be the state highways down to Flagstaff and then the interstate 40 eastbound across Arizona.
The northeast section of Arizona the painted desert was in was a very remote, isolated area. They would have to park the RV quite a distance aways if they wanted to find a place to rent an off road truck.
With preparations done, April stuck the key in the ignition and the big diesel engine of the RV rumbled to life. After reaching the I40, April let Gary drive with supervision.
They arrived in the town of Holbrook, Arizona by sunset and found a spot in a dusty RV park. April setup the RV while Gary walked across the street to purchase a fast food dinner.
Observing the vision which told them time was of the essence, April set her alarm to wake her up before sunrise. She fixed coffee and a simple breakfast and woke up Gary and the 'mons.
Both Smokey and Terra fell back asleep and had to be carried out to April's car. Gary complained that Smokey had become much heavier as a Charmeleon.
There was, thankfully, a car rental place in town a few miles from the RV park. Gary drove the Jeep back to the campground while April followed in her car. They swiftly packed supplies into the bed of the four by four Jeep pickup, buckled Terra and Smokey in the back seats, and took off down the highway towards the painted desert.
April attempted to wrest information from Gary on what or whom they may encounter when they arrived. Gary shook his head 'no' and turned up the radio.
When they reached the myriad washboard dirt roads which twisted through the canyonland, April took over the wheel as she had some experience with off-road driving.
Meanwhile Gary made a shrill whistle. In response a purple ghost type Pokemon arose from the bed of the Jeep Gladiator. This Haunter named Luna flew in circles around the Jeep for a moment, then took off along one of the service roads.
April followed, glancing between the Haunter and the rough dirt trail ahead of her. As though it were following some invisible trail, Luna brought them through myriad forks and branches of dirt roads, some more challenging than others, until April found herself driving along the edge of a canyon on a dangerous trail which dropped over the nearby edge without a guardrail.
By now they were deep within the painted desert. Aside from the road, the Jeep, and occasional pieces of litter, there were no indications of civilization. Just an infinite plane of gorgeous desert landscape in all directions except north, where a wall of layered rainbow rock obscured the view.
Ignoring the hazardous drop off which the Jeep's right tires were entirely too close to for comfort, the view afforded to them by the elevation of the dirt trail was splendid. Gary rolled the window down and rested his gloved hand on the sill, looking out over the winter desert below. April rolled down her own window and turned up the heater.
Luna the Haunter slowed to a sudden stop and became intangible to avoid being hit by the Jeep. It wound up phasing through the truck and settling in the back seats – an unsettling experience for April and Gary.
Startled, Smokey the Charmeleon breathed in and prepared a burst of flame.
April shouted, "Whoa! This is a rental!" Smokey exhaled smoke and made a soft cooing noise in apology, with a cheesy grin.
Gary asked Luna if they were close. The ghost nodded and placed its cold, purple, astral hand on Gary's arm to speak with him, "It is beneath us… the trail departs from the road here. Follow the road to the bottom, I will meet you there…"
Luna began floating down the steep cliffside. April followed the dirt road as it wound in serpentine loops down the canyon, a series of blind hairpin turns as it zigged and zagged.
At the base of the hill was a vacant dirt lot with a wooden fence, overlooking an especially vast and rugged canyon. It wasn't nearly as impressive as the nearby Grand Canyon, but it was still so deep that April and Gary couldn't see the bottom in the shadows of the morning sun.
April and co. stood by the fence, breath puffing into the air, staring into the canyon. April raised an eyebrow. She turned her gaze to follow a hiking trail which, according to a nearby sign, meandered for half a mile until it reached the bottom.
The sign was a typical trailhead information center, containing maps, rules, and conditions behind a sheet of plastic protected from the elements by a small gabled roof. There were cubbies containing maps. April took one.
She reviewed everything and asked Gary, "Am I freaking out, or can you feel that too?"
Gary rubbed his arms and put up the hood of his jacket in response to a gust of ice cold wind. He, like April, had worn his armored winter coat for this trip. It was meant for bikers, but it would also be handy if they ran into any territorial wild Pokemon or took a fall.
After a moment of silence, the northern winds whistling by with vigor, Gary tried to give words to the feeling, "It's like… something should be here, but it's not," he placed his chin in his gloved hand and added, "Like going to a baseball game where everyone is holding an empty cup. It feels weird, like where's the beer? Why is everything so empty?"
April did not have a rebuttal. She nodded, and took the bikes down from bed of the Jeep.
They cycled slowly, keeping moderate pressure on the brakes, as they navigated the rugged path to the floor of the canyon. Terra and Smokey jogged along behind them, both bundled up against the piercing cold of the high desert in winter.
Eventually, the floor of the canyon became visible through its cloak of shadow. At this time of year, the arroyo was a gentle creek which was visible but not yet audible. Water erosion along the canyon walls betrayed the violence the tiny creek was capable of during flood season.
April held out a hand in a halt gesture and slowed. Terra and Smokey came to a stop, both of them with a quizzical head tilt. April pointed at the landing of the trail ahead of them, about thirty feet down one last steep incline.
April and Gary dismounted their bikes and stood on the rugged trail, holding the handlebars, wide eyes fixated on the scene beneath them, heart rates becoming rapid, Smokey and Terra hiding behind their legs.
A thin layer of icy mist rose from the creek and bathed the floor of the canyon in fog, a thematically appropriate accent for the Haunter who splashed in the creek, the base of the canyon which had been somehow stripped of its color, and the massive, white furred, quadrupedal creature which stood stoic in the fog.
A ray of sunlight found its way through the cloudy sky and the canyon shadows, bathing the giant creature in light. Around its abdomen was a metal sigil, two crescents inset with emeralds, where the morning light gleamed and sparkled.
As April and Gary slowly walked their bikes down the final descent to where this Pokemon awaited on the canyon floor, the scale of the creature slowly dawned on them.
Standing by the riverbank in between sunlight and shadow, remaining quiet as they neared, the white furred, possibly mammalian, possibly inorganic, entirely eldritch quadruped towered over them, ten feet at the shoulder, weighing over seven hundred pounds.
The appearance of this creature was unlike any other Pokemon or animal. It had a lithe body with long legs, each of which were tipped by metal hooves that had the same bronze gleam as the sigil.
Atop a long neck was a white-furred head resembling a helm. Within this helm were glowing emerald green eyes. A long mane of fur flowed out from behind this head, waving in the wind.
April, Gary, Smokey, and Terra came to a stop a dozen feet away, looking up into the visage of the creature. Beneath the intimidating glowing eyes was the thin line of a serious mouth. Absent was a nose.
The creature seemed content to wait for them to overcome their stunned awe. It was Gary who did so first.
He lay his bike down on the cold, stony ground, took a few steps forward, knelt on one knee, and said, "Your majesty."
When the creature spoke telepathically, it was in a voice worthy of a deity: A rich, resounding, bass male voice which spoke thus, "Rise, Gary Redding, son of Jacob."
Gary did so, standing on quavering legs, head tilted back, the look on his face somewhere between terror, awe, and reverence. He looked up into the visage of the creature, which was gray and craggy the way rocks are. It did not appear organic.
The expression of the white-furred creature softened from an intense stare to a worlds-weary smolder. The words it spoke to all present seemed rote, as though they had been uttered a hundred times before, "We do not seek thine praise. Refer to us with the moniker bestowed by human-kind since ancient days: That of Arceus."