With a smile reminiscent of a death's head grin, Misty's kidnapper tossed his Poké Ball onto the cold, grey ground inside the Yellow Box warehouse, and the ball split open with a bright flash of white light. Ash and his companions, helpless and trapped within the ever-tightening grip of Spiritomb's Shadow Sneak, could only watch on from above as the light slowly pooled together and rose upwards, fading away to reveal a formidable Pokémon.
It was a beastly figure, standing taller than a grown man on two sturdy legs tipped with three massive, crimson talons. The claws at the ends of its arms were considerably smaller, but still boasted red tips as sharp as razors, and almost all of its body was covered in plates of golden armour; its chest, feet and the tip of its thick, tapered tail were instead a dull, charcoal grey. The Pokémon's red eyes glinted in the light of the overhead fixtures, the nostrils at the end of its dark, hooked snout dilating as it caught the scent of the assortment of Pokémon across from it.
Almost out of pride, it tilted its head from side to side, making sure that its opponents caught a long look at the wicked, blade-like tusks that grew either side of its upper jaw. Tusks sharp enough to slice through steel and snap through bone.
"What the heck is that…?" Ash wondered aloud. Like his Pokémon, he'd seen the edges of those blades gleaming in the light, and he suddenly felt a deep, troubling wave of concern for his Pokémon, down on the ground below. Instinctively, he tried to reach for the Poké Balls at his waist, but Spiritomb's attack had pinned his arms to his sides and cramped his elbows. As it was, he could barely move his wrist, and as hard as he tried to stretch, his fingers could only scrape uselessly at his black vest.
"This?" asked the kidnapper, holding back a hollow laugh as he strode forwards and clapped a hand against the Pokémon's arm. "This is my Haxorus. He'll be the one carving through your precious little Pokémon while you have the pleasure of watching," he added malevolently.
"Pii pika pikaaa!" growled Pikachu in defiance, down on all fours and discharging electricity in huge arcs that bounced across the warehouse floor. A stray bolt struck the kidnapper's Spiritomb, but the Forbidden Pokémon didn't move at all, not even feeling the effects of the attack, and a sinister hissing emanated from the smoke surrounding its jagged grin.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, but Spiritomb's tendril slithered up the side of his body and clamped down over his mouth, cutting off the words about to come. The putrid coil filled Ash's mouth and nostrils, and he gagged for breath, twisting his head this way and that to try and break free, but he quickly found his mind drifting towards a hazy fog, and he was forced to inhale the rancid stench through his nostrils just to keep the air flowing in his chest.
"Thank you, Spiritomb," sneered the kidnapper.
The man's Haxorus tossed its head about restlessly, its cruel red eyes darting between Ash's Pokémon and Brock's as it looked for the strongest foe. Pikachu returned the gaze with a ferocious snarl, but the Dragon-type passed over it in a second, completely undaunted because of its tiny size. Brock's Sudowoodo and Marshtomp did little to rouse its interest, either, and it avoided making eye contact with Glalie, having seen its kind before and knowing its weakness to Ice-type moves.
This left only Ash's Kingler, and Haxorus' mouth split open with a gentle croak of anticipation as it eyed the Pokémon's enormous red pincer. Kingler noticed the look, and raised its arm in response, challenging Haxorus to a battle. The kidnapper silently watched the exchange between the two Pokémon, and he could feel the tension rising in the air around the pair, casting his eyes back up to Ash as he struggled in Spiritomb's foul grip.
"What do you say, Ash? Shall we see how your Kingler fares in a battle against my Pokémon?" he asked silkily, his skin-tight grin returning as Ash grunted and screamed, all sound silenced by the constrictive tentacle wrapped around his face. "No objections? Excellent," he laughed.
He turned back to Haxorus and gave it a curt nod, and the Axe Jaw Pokémon roared with a combination of delight and raw instinct that made its new opponent tense up across the warehouse. Trapped, Ash and his companions were helpless to do anything but watch on as the Dragon- and Water-type squared up against each other, eyes glinting with determination as they waited impatiently to charge.
Kingler was the first to move, springing forwards on its spiny legs with its eyes narrowed to little more than slits, and it raised its pincer high as it glowed a blinding white. With a swing powerful enough to make everyone cringe at the mere sight of it, Kingler clobbered its opponent squarely in the neck, a shockwave kicking up a burst of wind from the impact and blasting throughout the warehouse.
Ash gave a triumphant grunt into the foul appendage coiled around his face, but his eyes widened in shock a moment later when he saw that Kingler's attack, a direct hit and a brutally crushing blow, hadn't moved Haxorus even an inch from its spot. As he looked, he saw that the Dragon-type's sharp talons were still planted firmly in the ground, and its golden armour was flawless and unscathed, even with Kingler's enormous claw still stuck against its long neck.
"That's impossible!" exclaimed Brock, mirroring his friend's blank shock. "Kingler hit that Pokémon with everything it had, and it didn't do a thing!"
In the air across from him, Derek was in a state of panic, his microphone bouncing about so wildly in his hand that it was in danger of being shoved into his mouth. "Jay, are you getting all of this?" he babbled, whirling around to the cameraman; Spiritomb's grip on his body tightened, so he tried again, this time only moving his head. "Jay?"
"My camera's down there, you idiot!" snapped Jay. He gave a mad gesture back towards the broken remains of the roller door, where the rest of the crew's equipment lay as though forgotten. "By the way, thanks for asking if I was alright before worrying about your precious footage! We're being held captive by some lunatic and his demon Pokémon, and all you can think about is reporting? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Don't hate the player, hate the game!" was all Derek could offer as a reply, crossing his arms and turning back to the battle with a derisive humph.
Haxorus' gaze slid slowly towards the crimson claw buried against its neck, and its mouth opened slightly in surprise, feeling the slight sting of its impact against its protective plates. It looked towards Kingler, whose body had completely frozen, the Water-type stunned by the complete lack of damage that its attack had dealt. With a twist of its body, Haxorus spun underneath the claw that hung upon its shoulder, and in that same fluid motion it brought its gleaming tail whipping around to collide with Kingler's face.
Hapless, Kingler was thrown backwards by the power of the Iron Tail, its claws trailing in its wake in almost comical fashion. With a loud bang that shook through Yellow Box, the Water-type slammed against the warehouse wall, punching a hole in the concrete slab before sliding down onto the floor with a dull thud, its legs a tangled mess below its battered body. Groggy, Kingler groaned as it raised itself upright, shaking itself free of the daze and advancing towards Haxorus for another round.
"Well, you've certainly got some fight in you," teased the kidnapper, laughing at Kingler from behind his Pokémon. "You don't have much power, but I'm at least man enough to concede that you took that Iron Tail with some spunk… even if it was right in the melon!" he added, with a nasty smirk.
The kidnapper's taunt made the corners of Kingler's mouth foam with rage, and it furiously pointed the point of its smaller claw at Haxorus. Its foe eyed the pincer warily, but it was shocked to see a pinprick of orange light form between the tips, exploding into a wide beam of orange light a split second later as it cannoned towards the Dragon-type's chest. The kidnapper opened his mouth to shout a hasty order, but the attack had caught him off-guard, and it rocketed into Haxorus with deadly precision, feet tearing gouges in the concrete floor as it was steadily pushed back.
"Dual Chop!" the man hissed, backing away to the side to avoid his Pokémon as it was inched further and further towards the rear wall. Struggling to find a secure footing against Kingler's attack, let alone counter, Haxorus growled and groaned as it felt the searing heat of the Hyper Beam begin to seep through the tiny gaps between its toughened plates. Haxorus narrowed its red eyes to slits, hooked beak jammed shut as it shut out the pain, and it brought an arm swinging down into the jet.
A blast of fire rocked through the warehouse as Haxorus' jab set off a chain reaction, Kingler's attack imploding in on itself before sending a wave of heat and smoke rushing out on all sides. Pikachu was blown backwards by the intense gust of wind that swept through the confined space, but it was stopped from being hurled away by Brock's Marshtomp, who darted sideways and caught the Electric-type between its back fins.
Above the Pokémon, Ash finally managed to wrench his face free from Spiritomb's attack, gasping in deep gulps of air that burned through his chest. "Be careful, Pikachu!" he warned, filled with relief at Marshtomp's quick thinking.
Unfortunately, Ash was so focused on the wellbeing of Pikachu that he failed to notice Haxorus' next move. The Dragon-type was infuriated that its impenetrable defences had been challenged by a Pokémon like Kingler, still feeling the burning of the Water-type's Hyper Beam against its bare chest. With a horrible roar that tore at the eardrums and shook the battered concrete, it tensed its entire body and pointed its head towards the ceiling, a deep orange glow settling in its long throat and rising slowly towards its head.
Brock immediately recognised the glow for what it was, and he turned to Ash in alarm. "That's a Draco Meteor!" he roared.
"Kingler, look out!" shouted Ash, his head whipping back towards the Water-type, and it crossed its claws in front of its face at once, warily peeking an eye out from behind the protective pincers to watch its opponent.
As Haxorus' low roar continued on and on, the light within its body finally reached the Pokémon's mouth, flashing brightly from between its jaws. Suddenly, the Dragon-type opened its maw wide open, launching a large sphere of raging energy into the air, and it pulsed once, twice, three times before collapsing in on itself.
Chaos quickly followed as a titanic shockwave ripped through the warehouse, the stone walls wrought with deep, snaking cracks and the beams supporting the wall shifting about as screeching vibrations tore at them. A ring of miniature shooting stars appeared where Haxorus' original attack had disappeared a moment before, trailing golden fire as they fell back towards the ground. With each glowing orb that crashed into the floor, another explosion rocked the building's foundations as a huge chunk of concrete was shattered and sent flying.
Holding its pincers fast, Kingler felt the ground on either side splitting apart as the Draco Meteor wreaked havoc, and it could hear the panicked cries of its fellow Pokémon as they leapt to and fro, dodging the deadly meteors. Darting along behind its teammates, Sudowoodo was a fraction too slow, and it was sent flying as one of the shooting stars impacted the ground right below its feet, propelled into the roof with a painful thud. The Rock-type was unconscious even before it came free of the metal surrounding it and fell to the ground with a crash.
"Sudowoodo!" screamed Brock in vain. His hands scraped and clawed against the tendril at his waist, trying and trying to reach his fallen Pokémon before it was hit by another part of the attack, but Spiritomb gave a violent, reproaching hiss and spun him upside down.
"Thank you, Spiritomb…!" said the kidnapper with a forced smile, hiding behind Haxorus with his back pressed against its ridged spine. One of the meteors slammed into the ground just over his shoulder, sending a shower of dirt and debris down over his head. "And thank you, Haxorus…" he grumbled, striking the toe of his shoe against the Dragon-type's tail. Haxorus turned its head towards its Trainer, and he hastily waved his hands about in front of his body as if apologising.
Haxorus turned back to the scene of the wreckage that its Draco Meteor had created, spying immense craters dotting the surface of the concrete amongst a haze of thick dust, and a crooked smile appeared on its hooked beak at the destruction. It shifted its gaze back to Kingler, assuming a battle stance to take on its foe's next charge, but it stopped mid-motion and roared with anger; the Pincer Pokémon had been knocked out by its overwhelming attack, claws still crossed in front of its limp body as its eyes were filled with swirls.
"Good work," the kidnapper sneered, peering out from behind the Dragon-type's back.
"Kingler, no!" Ash cried. Just like Brock, he thrashed against his bonds to try and aid his Pokémon, but he was met with the same fate, tipped onto his head by the restless Forbidden Pokémon. "Darnit…!" he hissed, his vision turning red as the blood rushed into his face.
On the ground, Haxorus continued to show its displeasure, stamping its clawed feet against the already unstable ground and tearing chunks of stone from the foundations. Its flaming red eyes swept over the three remaining Pokémon, clicking its tongue when it saw the fierce resolve reflected in their expressions, and it swung its trunk-like tail from left to right, wondering which of them would be its next foe.
"Brock…!" gasped Ash, and he looked towards his companion as he began to feel his toes grow numb from lack of circulation. "If that thing knows Draco Meteor… then it must be a Dragon-type, right?"
"Right," Brock replied, his dark skin flushed a deep crimson now. "Which means that our best bet is Glalie…! But you're—gonna need some backup—" his words started coming in short bursts now as the blood pounded through his skull, "so I'll cover you—with Marshtomp… okay?"
"Gotcha," said Ash with a nod, and the pair turned back towards their Pokémon. "Glalie—"
"—Marshtomp—"
"let's take that Haxorus down!" they chorused.
"Oh no, I don't think I'll be letting you just waltz through, no sir!" snarled the kidnapper, stepping out from Haxorus' shadow and motioning towards Spiritomb. "Plug up their mouths so they can't give any more commands—"
Just as he tried to finish his order, and Spiritomb began to wrap its coils further around the two Trainers, his Haxorus stood between the two, eyeing the Ghost-type with a dangerous glare and breaking its Trainer off mid-sentence. Spiritomb's misshapen eyes gleamed, another low hiss escaping from its smoky shroud, and the shadowy tendrils ensnaring Ash and his companions suddenly withdrew, leaving them to crash unceremoniously onto the hard concrete.
"Spiritomb!" the kidnapper screeched, rounding on the Pokémon, but he was stopped dead in his tracks as Haxorus stamped a thundering foot down, razor sharp claws missing its Trainer by a matter of hairs.
"Ksorrrr…!" growled the Dragon-type menacingly.
Ash cradled his head on the broken floor, experiencing the awkward sensation of blood rushing from his skull and returning to his limbs. As soon as the feeling returned to his arms, he could feel the pain of landing so heavily on them, but he counted his blessings that he'd been able to turn during his fall and not land on his face. His thoughts first turned to Brock, and he slowly clambered to his feet to seek out his friend.
"Ash, are you okay?" came Brock's voice from behind, and Ash felt a hand rest against his shoulder. He spun around, and his mouth split wide open in a relieved smile when he saw Brock in front of him, face covered in white dust, but otherwise completely fine.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, in spite of the aches running up and down his arms.
The pair suddenly remembered the situation they found themselves in, though, and whirled back to the centre of the warehouse to find the kidnapper locked, bizarrely, in a heated argument with his two Pokémon. The man's eyes were flickering wildly from Haxorus to Spiritomb and back again, hands clutching at the air in front of him as though strangling something invisible. To the boys, he looked quite mad, but the words he was screaming to his Pokémon were drowned out by their equally enraged cries, with Haxorus bending its neck down just far enough for its Trainer to get another full look at the blades running along its jawline.
"He's not in total control of his Pokémon," realised Brock, snapping his fingers together as he watched the exchange.
Ash nodded in agreement, a small, savage sense of satisfaction bubbling through his veins as he saw the Dragon-type lambasted its Trainer with a full-voiced roar straight to the face, sending the kidnapper collapsing to the floor with hands clamped over his ears. To his left, Derek and the news crew were unsteadily getting back to their feet, calling out to each other and running towards their equipment near the ruined entrance, and he was glad to see that none of them had suffered any injuries either. A rumbling through the ground alerted Ash, but his fears were swept away as Pikachu leapt gleefully onto his shoulder, Glalie and Marshtomp bringing up the rear with cheerful expressions of their own.
"Hey!" he laughed, patting Pikachu's head as Glalie hovered about him in circles, its large teeth chomping away with delight.
"So, Ash," said Brock, embracing Marshtomp with one arm and recalling Sudowoodo to its Poké Ball with the other, "what's the plan? I think we should try and hit them while they're distracted and fighting amongst themselves," he added, casting a wary eye to the other side of the warehouse, where the kidnapper was still in the depths of his argument with his Pokémon.
"How about you untie me already?" shrieked a shrill voice to the side.
"Misty?" Ash exclaimed; in the heat of the moment, he'd almost forgotten about her. Hastily, he recalled his unconscious Kingler back to the confines of its ball in a flash of red light, silently thanking the brave Water-type for its efforts against the kidnapper and his Haxorus. "Don't worry, we're coming!" he shouted.
"Well, come quicker!" she snapped, still chained to the chair as it lay sideways on the ground, having been blasted and rocked about by the force of the Draco Meteor's impacts.
Ash couldn't help but grin as he and Brock bolted over the ground towards her; even in the predicament she'd found herself in, her attitude hadn't changed a bit. He closed down the last few feet between himself and Misty, reaching for the intricately-tied knots behind the chair's back while Brock flashed them a thumbs-up alongside him.
WHAM!
Brock's head jerked sideways, lifting his feet up off the floor before his whole body came falling down, blood already pouring rapidly from the gash above his ear, and Misty screamed in terror as she saw the crimson pool begin to drip down his cheek. Ash whirled around, only to roar in blank shock and disbelief at the sight of him, and he dropped to his knees, gripping Brock's arm and giving it a violent shake.
"Brock!" he stammered. "Brock? Brock, answer me! BROCK!"
Tears of anger and sorrow formed in the corners of Ash's eyes as blood continued to seep from the wound, but Brock stayed motionless no matter how hard his friend tried to rouse him awake. He heard the faintest of laughs behind him, but it struck as clear as a bolt of lightning, and he slowly turned to stare over his shoulder.
"You didn't think I'd forget about my prey, did you?" taunted the kidnapper, dusting his hands together. Behind him, Haxorus and Spiritomb looked on hungrily, apparently at ease with their Trainer again and ready to continue where they had left off. "That was pretty callous of you, though… taking advantage of my little distraction to try and free Misty."
Ash barely registered the man's words; he had seen the white powder that had been shaken from his hands, and he whipped back around to Brock, spotting the large rock next to his friend's body. His bottom lip trembled, his hands shook, and he felt a wave of rage so white-hot that it threatened to claw its way out of his throat and burst forth from his eyes.
The kidnapper watched the youngster's silent fury with apprehension, his cruel smirk fading into a tentative grimace. Suddenly, he saw Ash rise to his feet in one fluid motion, and he took a few steps backwards to hide in the shadow of his Pokémon, just in case he tried anything.
"No twist of the hat?" he mocked. But he could see the rigid way in which Ash had set his shoulders and clenched his fists, so he made sure to keep his distance and let his Pokémon do the talking from now on. He gave Haxorus a curt nod, and the Dragon-type was happy to oblige, rhythmically stamping its large feet against the ground to try and provoke its opponent.
Ash remained silent as he slowly turned around the face the kidnapper, head facing low with his eyes hidden under the brim of his cap. He could feel a pang of guilt in the back of his head as he heard Misty sobbing in her restraints; they were both thinking about Brock, but he realised that the best thing to do for his friend was to defeat this monster so that no more harm could come their way.
"Marshtomp," he grunted.
The Water-type plodded up alongside him, concerned for its Trainer's well-being but feeling a thirst for vengeance against the person who had done such a thing to him. "Sha-tomp…!" it growled, pointed gills quivering angrily.
"Use Hydro Pump on that Haxorus!" Ash roared, throwing his arm forwards.
Marshtomp was more than happy to oblige, spewing a huge torrent of rushing water from its mouth, and the powerful attack struck home, saturating Haxorus to its bones. The Dragon-type felt a chill running through it as the water crept beneath its armour, clawing at its softer under-flesh, and it made its discomfort known with a furious beating of its thick tail against the ground, trails of dust billowing out from beneath it.
"What the bloody hell?" yelled the kidnapper. He knew that the Water-type belonged to Brock, and so he was completely flabbergasted as to why it was taking orders from another person.
Unfortunately, this momentary distraction was enough to catch him off-guard, and a jagged blue bolt sizzled through the air from the tips of Glalie's shiny black horns. The beam of energy splashed against Haxorus' chest and spread like wildfire, but the fire was deathly cold as it burst into an explosion of ice, glinting in the light from the ceiling fixtures as it encased the Dragon-type's body from head to toe in a great shroud of crystal.
"Great work, Glalie!" Ash shouted, pumping his fist in the air as the Ice-type performed a triumphant twirl on the spot.
Their victory was short-lived, though, as a loud crack split through the air. It was soon followed by another, and then another, until the noises ran together like some kind of horrible melody, a twisted accompaniment to the red glow emanating from Haxorus from inside its icy tomb. The pillar of ice began to tremble and quake, torn apart from the inside out, and it shattered in one magnificent motion, a million splintered shards glittering like diamonds as they clattered to the ground.
"No way…" gasped Ash.
Like a blur, Haxorus raced over the ground, its powerful legs crushing the concrete underfoot to powder, and it set its sights on Brock's Marshtomp. A moment later, the beastly Pokémon was upon its foe, and it launched into the Water-type with a vicious hook of its clawed arm, pummelling it across the side of the face. Marshtomp fell to the ground in an instant, momentarily stunned by the raw power of the attack, but the Dragon-type kept up the relentless assault without remorse, its body still outlined in a dull red aura as it wrapped its tail around the Pokémon and hurled it skywards.
"Spin and use Mud Shot!" Ash ordered desperately, but Marshtomp couldn't move quickly enough. With a superhuman leap that defied its bulk, Haxorus chased Marshtomp down in mid-air and delivered another crushing attack, driving the point of its armoured knee into the Mud Fish's soft belly.
All the breath was driven from Marshtomp's body, flecks of spit flying from the corners of its mouth as the world began to grow fuzzy, but all went black a moment later as a laser beam of heat and pain crashed into its skull. Like a stone, the Water-type flew downwards and slammed into the concrete, its body carving out a deep crater that sent even more cracks ripping through the warehouse like a spider's web.
"Well… that was quick," muttered the kidnapper, resting a hand against the tip of his chin. He looked from Marshtomp to Ash, his eyes half-closed as though suddenly bored with how things had turned out. "Hurry up and finish off that Glalie, why don't you?" he said to Haxorus, but he remembered that his Pokémon's Outrage attack had left it to its own devices for now, so he contented himself with a gentle laugh as he waited for the next move.
"You're not taking Glalie down that easily!" fired Ash, his and his Pokémon's teeth bared in anger. "Show that Haxorus your Ice Shard!"
"Guraaa!" hissed the Face Pokémon, lowering its head towards Haxorus and creating an orb of glittering, neon-blue energy between its horns. A shimmer of frost trickled down from the sphere, bathing its creator in a misty glow, and Ash could feel the temperature beginning to drop around him, goose-bumps erupting all over his skin as he drew his arms in about his torso. Glalie swung its head in a wide arc, tossing the attack straight at Haxorus' face, and it crackled with dangerous intent as it sped through the air, its glow reflected in the Dragon-type's small eyes.
Staunch and defiant, Haxorus anchored itself in the ground and extended its neck, head pointed directly at the incoming Ice Shard. Just like the attack shooting towards it, a blue ball of energy formed at the tips of its beak, spinning about in every direction as it grew larger and larger and raged like fire. Suddenly, a shape burst free from the flaming orb, warping into the roaring head of a dragon as it raced forwards to meet Glalie's attack head on, and the two blasts met in the centre of the warehouse.
The enormous force of the impact shredded the two attacks to pieces, the dragon and the ice disappearing into one another and triggering a massive explosion that belched a thick cloud of acrid smoke through the warehouse. Ash silently cursed the kidnapper's Pokémon for blocking Glalie's attack, and he could hear the sharp intake of breath from Pikachu on his shoulder. In front of the pair, his Ice-type hovered in front of the billowing black cloud, its bright blue eyes scanning left and right for a sign of its devious opponent.
A gleam of silver drew Glalie's attention, and a moment later Haxorus appeared from behind the cover of the smoke, its upper jaw covered in a bright, metallic hue like molten lava. Eyes wide with surprise, Glalie ducked to the left to avoid the Dragon-type's head, but the latter was far too nimble, pivoting on its powerful leg. With a final lunge, Haxorus whipped its neck around and slashed Glalie across the side of the head with its glowing blades, drawing a loud scream of pain from the Ice-type as it dropped from the air, landing on the ground with a dull clunk.
As he saw his Pokémon collapse, its eyes a mass of black swirls, Ash felt his blood run as cold as the frigid air that had swarmed him a few moments ago. "How…?" was all he could croak, the cogs in his mind working feverishly as he tried to make sense of what he'd just witnessed. 'Glalie got taken down in one hit… what kind of attack did that Haxorus use? It's unstoppable…!' he thought.
His arms began to tremble, a feeling of hopelessness setting in. No matter what he and Brock had tried, their captor and his Pokémon had treated like nothing more than flies buzzing around their heads, and swatted away just as effortlessly. He was no closer to saving Misty than he'd been since the nightmare started, and, as his memory flared with almost cruel timing, now Brock was lying lame on the ground with a serious wound.
"Pii pika pikachu!" growled Pikachu, shaking his Trainer by the scruff of the neck, and Ash slowly came out of his destructive spiral of thought. The Electric-type knew what was at stake just as must as Ash, and he didn't want him to lose sight of what needed to be done.
"Thanks, Pikachu," Ash sighed, giving his Pokémon a tired smile.
"Now, do you want to give up and do as I say?" asked the kidnapper. "Or, do you want your girlfriend to end up like him—?" he motioned towards Brock, a wry grin forming on his thin lips that made Ash clench his jaw.
"I'm not the type to give up on my friends," he countered, recalling Glalie back to its Poké Ball in a flash of red light, "just because a creep like you says so!"
The kidnapper chuckled. "How very noble of you. Haxorus!"
"Looks like we've gotta pull out all the stops, Pikachu," he murmured.
Pikachu gave his Trainer a determined smile as he hopped down onto the shattered floor to face the Dragon-type, one on one. Haxorus clicked its tongue, annoyed that the puny Pokémon was all that was left; it had hoped for longer battles against Kingler and the others, and this last opponent didn't look like it would offer any challenge at all. Pikachu saw the condescending look in Haxorus' eyes, and he loosed a flurry of electric sparks in reply, a warning not to be taken lightly.
Haxorus was the first to attack, launching another stream of blue fire from its open maw, but Pikachu was equal to the task, leaping to the side and easily dodging the attack. The Dragon Rage slammed into the ground and exploded in a haze of smoke and flame, fizzling out in a matter of moments, and Pikachu was already back on the offensive, tensing his body and unleashing a powerful blast of lightning. The jagged bolt careened into Haxorus, drawn to the Dragon-type as though it was a lightning-rod, but the attack scored an unlucky miss, striking the golden plate surrounding its abdomen. Haxorus simply shrugged off the attack, the electricity dissipating into nothing, and it charged forwards, tail shining a brilliant white and a snarl planted on its reptilian face.
Ash's face blanched as he recognised the attack as its Iron Tail; he'd seen what it had done to his Kingler, a Pokémon much better at taking hits than Pikachu, and he knew that the latter wouldn't stand a chance against such overwhelming power. "Dodge with Quick Attack!" he roared.
Pikachu didn't need telling twice, already feeling the ground quake with every pounding step that Haxorus took. He raced away to the side just as the Dragon-type brought its immense tail down for its attack, and counted his blessings that his small size made him perfect for dodging opponents as large as the one he was facing. Unfortunately, the brutal force of the Iron Tail was enough to tear up the concrete both sides of the point of impact, and Pikachu momentarily lost his balance as the ground shifted and rippled below his flying feet. Haxorus gave a shrieking roar as it saw its opponent speeding over the ground in the corner of its eye, wrenching its tail free from the ground and whirling around after the Pokémon.
"Oh, fine," grumbled the kidnapper, reading his Pokémon's behaviour. "Just make sure you hit the bastard this time."
Fuelled on by its rage, Haxorus stampeded over the uneven ground, wildly pursuing Pikachu as the latter jumped from side to side, white streaks of light trailing his body as his movements became quicker and quicker. The Dragon-type attacked time and time again with its thick, glowing tail, but none of its cruel strikes connected, all missing their target by the narrowest of margins, and every miss drove it further to incoherent madness.
"Keep it up, Pikachu!" Ash cheered. He was frightened beyond belief for Pikachu's safety, reminded of his Pokémon's perilous escapes with every juddering swing of Haxorus' tail, every chunk of concrete torn up from the ground by its crimson talons. But, at the same time, he was slowly beginning to feel like Pikachu's superior agility might actually prove to be the difference. With such enormous power being used in every attack, he knew that Haxorus was steadily wearing itself out, and he also knew that it was only a matter of time before it would be too tired to continue, and that would be his chance.
"Stay still, you impudent little shit!" the kidnapper spat, a nerve twitching high on his temple.
Behind him, Spiritomb hissed with impatience, itching to join the fray and wipe Pikachu out, but it knew better than to try and interfere with one of Haxorus' battles, especially when it had worked itself into such a furious temper. Frustrated, the Ghost-type turned its attention to the reporting crew, eager to wrap them up in its Shadow Sneak once more, and it slowly sent its dark tendrils towards them. A sharp boot connected with the back of its keystone, and it snarled in anger, pulling its face through the smoke to look through the back of its head.
"Keep focused on the girl," its Trainer ordered. "She's our trump card, remember," he added, his voice cold but silky, and the Forbidden Pokémon's hideous grin widened as it turned its gaze to Misty, whose green eyes shrank in terror at her captor's words.
"Spiiiir…" whispered Spiritomb, and the green orbs ringing its face spun hypnotically.
A loud squeal echoed through the warehouse as Pikachu was forced to dodge yet another of Haxorus' menacing Iron Tail attacks, spinning in mid-gallop and blasting the Dragon-type with a retaliatory bolt of electricity. Unlike its previous attack, the yellow spear hit home, catching Haxorus across its pointed beak, and the latter cried out in pain as it felt the shock travel all the way down from its neck to its legs.
"Nice shot!" shouted Ash, slamming a fist against his open palm.
Pikachu gave his Trainer a fierce smile, but the simple gesture cost him. Almost at once, Haxorus was upon him, murder written all over its face, from its eyes, glowing red like burning coals, to its sharp, glinting face-blades. The Dragon-type gave a deafening roar and spun on the spot, its gleaming tail whipping around and shooting down towards Pikachu.
Pikachu's light feet were the only thing that saved him from being crushed to a pulp, carrying him sideways and slipping past his foe's attack by a hair, but the shockwave that kicked up in the wake of the impact was powerful enough to send him flying. The Electric-type was launched across the warehouse, limbs flailing about before he was sucked down by gravity and slammed into the ground with a sickening crunch.
"Pikachu!" Ash screamed, running towards his Pokémon as quickly as his feet would take him. He vaulted over the small crater in front of him and landed on Haxorus' back, wrapping his hands around the Pokémon's neck and tugging back as hard as he could. Incensed, the Dragon-type swung its body left and right, its neck thrashing about as it tried to dislodge him, and his fingers sliced open on the sharp spikes in the centre of its armour.
"Haaaaaxorus!" hissed Haxorus, jumping high into the air, and Ash was jolted off the Pokémon's back as it landed back on the ground. He fell heavily, the pain in his arms coming back in waves as he rolled on the rough stone. Haxorus turned back to Pikachu, who was lying on his back, exhausted, and the Dragon-type raised its clawed foot high above its opponent, ready to bring it smashing down for the final blow.
The entire warehouse shook and swayed as a hideous screech tore through its innards, knocking everyone inside off balance and sending them falling onto the floor. Pikachu cringed as it felt the imposing Dragon-type collapse a few feet away, its tail whipping about and carving trenches in the brittle concrete slabs around it, but both were suddenly blinded by a wave of sunlight that poured through from the outside.
"What the fuck?" screamed the kidnapper, whirling around in a flash, and his jaw fell open as he watched the entire rear wall rip itself away from its foundations, hovering in the air a few feet away from where it had originally stood. The afternoon sun seared his eyes, and for the second time that day he clutched at his face and writhed about on the ground in agony. "Bloody hell! My eyes!"
Unused to the light, Ash shielded his eyes with his aching arms and unsteadily rose to his feet, still a little winded from being thrown off by the bucking Haxorus. The floating wall fell onto the pavement outside with an almighty crash and tipped over, blowing a cloud of dust towards him, and he had a small coughing fit until the dust settled at his feet.
"Well, somebody's a sight for sore eyes," said a feminine voice.
Ash narrowed his eyes to a squint to try and spot the stranger, but it didn't take long; he could already see her silhouette outlined against the bright sunlight, accompanied by a humanoid shape that he instantly recognised as belonging to a Pokémon. As his eyes grew accustomed, he saw the Pokémon's features become more defined, and he quickly identified the five-pointed head, flowing yellow moustache, padded brown chest, and, most importantly, the pair of silver spoons clutched in its hands.
"Ala!" grunted the Alakazam, and the pale blue glow that had surrounded its body slowly faded away as it pointed its arms away from the destroyed wall.
"What's going on…?" Ash wondered aloud.
"You mean you don't know?" said the woman, almost teasing him.
As she stepped forwards into the warehouse, Ash finally got to see her clearly, taking a good look at her bowl-cut caramel hair and slight figure. Behind her, a small figure jumped up and perched itself on her shoulder, a Smoochum that pursed her large, pink lips together and winked in his direction. His attention was diverted, though, when he heard the kidnapper return to his feet, and he creased his brow when he heard the man give a smug laugh.
"It's about time you showed up," he sneered, folding his arms as Haxorus and Spritiomb moved to flank him like bodyguards. "I'd say I'm confused why you took so long, but it's not really important at this point."
"Who are you?" Ash demanded, pointing squarely at the woman.
"You talking to me, Ash?" she asked, with a slight air of innocence, and she gave a girlish, high-pitched giggle. "Well… for now, you can call me Bronte!"
Cliffhanger, not a cliffhanger? I dunno, but I know that I'm probably being a bit of a bastard by having the recent run of chapters all ending the same way. But hey, I promised a WHAM, and there was indeed a WHAM! Sigh, when will I see the light, burn me at the stake, and so on and so on. I think?
Billy's signalling for me to get on with it, so I should do what he says. After all, I don't wanna get on his bad side. He might eat me, and that would hurt, haha.
If you have any comments or questions on what you've read in this chapter, be sure to send them in a review! Grazies to "Hadeos" and "olihmajor" for sending in multiple reviews since last week, and of course, many thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, or will review in the future.
OC submissions are still open, so be sure to send in your character if you want to see them in the story at a later date. Don't be afraid to be creative with your characters; after all, this is the World Championships we're talking about! Thanks to those who have already sent characters, as well.
Chapter 17, "Clemency", will be released on January 24th, and feature characters new and old, as well as the climactic conclusion to the battle against the kidnapper and his Pokémon. Shocks and awes are definitely in the cards, so deal yourself a good hand by reading it next week!
So, until next time... Be sure to review and, in loving memory,
Checkmate, Bobby Fischer!