Chapter 15: Through Fire and Flames
It blotted out the sun.
The creature. This thing. It was absolutely massive. Eyes filled with malice and fangs like knives jutting out from its maw. On its face was a look of frenzy that Pikachu could only imagine in his worst dreams.
It stared them down, flapping its giant wings, the sounds of which were so loud, it's as if they commanded the air surrounding them.
Pikachu could only blink a few times in awe but remained perfectly still, hoping that somehow, for some reason, it wouldn't notice them. He instinctually placed an arm over Happiny for protection.
It smirked. Then opened its mouth as a familiar-appearing Fire-type attack began to form.
"(Hit the deck!)" Pikachu shouted as the flying beast unleashed a Flamethrower at them.
Grabbing Happiny, Pikachu jumped to his left and Buizel jumped to his right as the flame scorched the very earth they were standing on, permanently blackening it.
Buizel, with a look of pure anger on his face, unleashed Water Gun at the creature to which it merely dodged using the infinite space that was the open sky.
It began to soar higher into the air and flew in large circles around them. Suddenly, it unleashed Gust in any direction it desired and in an instance, the once idyllic scene had become a windy, scorched hellscape.
Pikachu continued to hold on to Happiny who was now beginning to panic. He quickly placed her on his back and ran across the battlefield. "(Find shelter!)" He called out to Buizel before diving behind a large boulder next to the river.
Buizel, looking towards the sky and holding up an arm to shield his face from the sun, wasn't about to hunker down just yet! Catching a glimpse of the flying dragon, he impulsively ran into one of the gusts of wind it generated which continued to spiral along the ground.
Feeling himself being lifted off the ground, he steered his body in the direction of the Aerodactyl and unleashed Aqua Jet. He felt himself soaring through the air like a missile.
He had this bastard now!
Eyeing the oncoming attack out of the corner of its eye, the Aerodactyl lithely maneuvered its entire body to circumvent the sudden airborne weasel. Buizel gasped as he saw the Aerodactyl's tail suddenly smack into his side, sending him careening into the river.
Pikachu looked on in shock as his mind flashed back to the day he and his friends fought an aerodactyl back in Oreburgh City. The day he saw Piplup and Buneary perform that spinning maneuver to dodge its attack and the same move he himself used to fight Roark's Onix.
They weren't too far from Oreburgh City and what were the odds of seeing another extinct Pokémon, let alone an aerodactyl? It couldn't be a coincidence. It was the same one.
Seeing it fly through the air, Pikachu's eyes widened upon another realization: that explains why it was so silent in this area! All of the wild Pokémon must be hiding from that thing! Heck, anybody passing by might have also sought shelter to avoid it!
But how? How did it get out again?! Did something happen back at that museum?!
Gritting his teeth and trying to push away the many questions going through his mind right now, Pikachu weighed his options. Sure, two against one is definitely an advantage but he felt a pit in his stomach when he looked to his side and saw the terrified baby Pokémon sitting next to him, her eyes tightly shut and arms over her face.
Damn. If Happiny wasn't here, he would immediately join in the fray, but he couldn't just leave her here defenseless! In fact, she can't be here at all! She may be physically strong, but what good is that when the opponent can just dodge anything she can throw at him and fly out of her range? If something were to happen to her because he was too stubborn and wanted to fight...
Pikachu looked back and saw Buizel burst out from the river's surface, letting out another Water Gun to which the flying dragon once again dodged.
Jumping from the river, Buizel unleashed a Sonic Boom but the Aerodactyl released another Flamethrower. The two attacks collided into one another, creating a horribly loud noise and flung flames in every direction.
Pikachu held Happiny and huddled against the boulder. When the commotion had died down, he peeked out from their hiding spot. He could only see dust clouding the air but the silhouette of Buizel's figure was visible.
Pikachu's mind raced through all available options. What mattered most right now was getting Happiny out of here. That Aerodactyl isn't just going to give up easily, it'll chase them if they make a run for it. Plus, it doesn't look like Buizel was making any good progress in getting in a hit. He simply wasn't fast enough on land.
Pikachu grit his teeth again as he thought of something. He had an idea. He didn't like it...but he had an idea.
Buizel moved his head back and forth, looking into the sky to see where the beast had went. He suddenly felt something tug on his right arm and before he knew it, he found himself behind a boulder with Pikachu and Happiny.
"(What are you doing?!)" Buizel shouted at Pikachu, angrily retracting his arm back from the mouse.
"(Listen to me, we don't have much time...)" Pikachu sternly said. "(We need to get her out of here.)" He continued, pointing at Happiny.
"(Okay then just grab her and I'll take care of him.)" Buizel responded but Pikachu closed his eyes and shook his head.
"(That might not work.)" He said somewhat solemnly.
"(And why not?)" Buizel asked, becoming increasingly annoyed.
"(That thing can dodge your attacks and counter them just as easily. You just don't have the speed to keep up with it. Not on land.)" Pikachu said, eying the sky.
"(Oh and what, you do?)" Buizel angrily asked
"(Yes.)" Pikachu confidently replied, looking back at him. "(My electric attacks are faster and...I think I know a way to make sure I can hit this guy.)"
"(So fill me in then, we can do it together!)" Buizel demanded, leaning forward.
"(We can't leave her alone!)" Pikachu yelled back. "(Her safety is more important than winning a random fight!)"
Buizel was about to say something else, but realized that no good counter was coming to mind. He could only grumble. Pikachu was right. He could be a dolt sometimes, but he was right. One moment of leaving Happiny alone and that beast would snatch her up.
"(My water attacks would be more effective though!)" Buizel protested.
"(And what good would that be if you can't hit him?)" Pikachu asked taking a step forward.
"(Well what do you suggest then?!)" Buizel shouted, raising a paw towards the sky.
"(Take Happiny, jump into that river and swim as fast as you can out of here.)" Pikachu calmly said as he pointed to the river next to them.
"(What?! I'm not leaving you to fend for yourself!)" Buizel screeched.
"(I don't like it either but if you stayed behind, it would just dodge your attacks and come after us. And I know that I wouldn't be fast enough on ground to outrun it, not with her on my back. But I just saw you in the river! Using your tail as a motor, you can be faster than I could ever be, even upstream!)" Pikachu yelled, pointing towards the river. "(You need to swim up the river, keep swimming and don't stop until you get to civilization or see our group!)"
"(I-I...you...)" Buizel could only muster saying before all three Pokémon heard an ear-splitting screech high above them, causing them to cover their ears. It seemed to be using Roar on anything below it.
"(I can't keep using Quick Attack to flee with Happiny, I'll tire out too fast and it'll catch up with me.)" Pikachu continued, taking his paws off his ears before looking back towards the sky. "(We don't have much time left, it'll find us here, you've got to do this!)" He shouted, looking Buizel in the eyes.
"(No way man, I can't leave you here alone with that thing!)" Buizel sternly said.
"(Buizel, I just nee-)" Pikachu said before suddenly they all heard a large, distant explosion strong enough to shake the ground beneath their feet and causing them to look towards the sky again.
Then another, this time closer. It seemed to be using Hyper Beam to destroy any potential hiding places. Happiny couldn't keep it together anymore and began wailing.
"(Time's up, it's now or never!)" Pikachu yelled back while turning to his friend.
Buizel could only look at him, gritting his teeth in anger and stare at the flying creature traversing the sky. Even among all of the chaos and noise, Pikachu could hear Buizel cursing under his breath. Buizel turned away from him.
Briefly shutting his eyes as tightly as he could and balling up his fists, the stubborn weasel finally turned back towards his friend.
"(Alright.)" He begrudgingly said in an almost shaky tone. "(But you better kick his tail for me and get back to us!)"
"(Heh, I've handled worse, this is nothing.)" Pikachu said with a confident smirk. "(I've got this!)" He said pumping his fist in front of him.
"(Good luck man!)" Buizel said, fist bumping him and returning his determined smile.
"(Thanks!)" Pikachu responded before peeking out from around the boulder. He could see the Aerodactyl flying away from them, it wouldn't be long before it turned around.
"(Wait until I have its full attention.)" Pikachu commanded. Buizel nodded.
Steading his nerves, Pikachu got on all fours and ran out from the boulder in the direction of the Aerodactyl. When he realized that he was a fair distance away from his friends, he stopped and - carefully taking aim - unleashed a Thunderbolt.
The attack was both fast and sudden enough that it landed on its target, causing the airborne Rock-type to give a pained screech of surprise.
When the shock dissipated, the dragon glared down at the mouse.
"(Hey pal, didn't forget about me did you?!)" Pikachu shouted at the top of his lungs. "(Because I'm the one you need to worry about!)" He yelled with a smirk.
The creature let out a primal roar and plunged towards Pikachu, its wings glowing bright white.
"(Steel Wing...)" Buizel wondered aloud but took notice of Pikachu not moving at all. Instead he was standing perfectly still. "(What's he doing?! He's gonna get himself killed out there!)" Buizel worriedly muttered as he fought the impulse to jump out from their hiding spot to help his friend. He suddenly noticed Pikachu's own tail glowing bright white as well.
Pikachu waited until the last moment before quickly whipping his tail around and letting the Aerodactyl feel the full brunt of his Iron Tail to its face!
The beast immediately fell backwards and landed on its back onto the ground.
"(That's my cue!)" Buizel said under his breath before gently picking up a confused Happiny and slipping into the river nearby. He made sure to place her on his back as if he were a small boat and began to use his tails as rotors. Before they fully took off down the river, Buizel shot one last glance at Pikachu. The electric mouse noticed him and confidently gave the weasel a thumbs up.
"(You crazy bastard, you better make it out of this.)" Buizel muttered to himself before he took off up the river unnoticed by their attacker and soon, both were out of sight.
Once seeing that the two were out of the immediate danger zone, Pikachu turned his attention towards his opponent who was already recovering from his counterattack.
They both took a moment to stare each other down, the flickering of the scattered flames being the only source of sound.
"(You're from Oreburgh City.)" Pikachu finally said. "(The one Team Rocket let loose.)"
Smirking, the Aerodactyl continued to stare at him. "(And you must be the pikachu I nearly blasted into oblivion. Hope you can put up a better fight than last time.)"
Pikachu smirked himself as he got into battle position, sparks emanating from his cheeks. "(Heh, I was a little under the weather then. Trust me, things'll be different this time.)"
"(Right...they will. Because this will end with you as my meal!)" Aerodactyl declared.
Suddenly the beast took flight again, creating a gust of wind towards Pikachu's position. He could only hold up his arms to shield his eyes from the dirt and debris.
As it flew up higher, Pikachu could see it opening its maw to produce another flame. He steadied himself.
It unleashed Fire Blast, the size of which was so massive that it nearly covered the battlefield!
Pikachu jumped backwards and landed in the river. He heard the impact of the Fire-type attack as it hit the ground where he had just stood. The result was so great that Pikachu could see the light in the water become momentarily brighter.
He quickly jumped out of the water only to see that the creature had disappeared.
"Crap, where, where?! WHERE?!"Pikachu internally screamed as he looked all across the sky.
Suddenly he heard the harsh sounds of earth being moved. He looked towards his left and saw several large rocks heading in his direction!
Pikachu, caught off-guard, attempted to dodge as best he could however the very last one hit its mark and got him squarely in the chest. He could feel the wind being knocked out of him as he flew across the ground.
"Rock Slide..." He thought as he struggled to get back up. He looked up to see the creature momentarily grounded with several chunks of earth missing in front of it.
"Can't slow down now, can't give him a chance." Pikachu thought as he painfully got back to his feet. Just as he did, the Aerodactyl unleashed a Supersonic. Pikachu could only get back on all fours and dodge it using Quick Attack.
Once out of harm's way, Pikachu continued his attack towards his opponent. He saw its fangs glow an icy blue. Oh great, it was going to use Ice Fang! Pikachu continued forward and at the last possible moment, slid his body underneath the winged-reptile as it snapped its jaws just above the electric mouse.
Once underneath, Pikachu unleashed Thunder directly hitting the ancient Pokémon. It screeched and flapped its wings and took to the air to gain some distance before landing again. Suddenly, its body and immediate surroundings began to glow a bright white, almost grayish color. Pikachu's eyes widened in concern as Aerodactyl used Ancient Power!
Pikachu mustered all of his strength and ran as fast as his legs could carry him to dodge the attack. He very nearly avoided it but could feel his tail getting caught. Painfully sucking air through gritted teeth, Pikachu came to a screeching halt.
The Aerodactyl let out an unearthly howl towards the sky before suddenly slamming its wings into the ground causing the earth to rumble.
Pikachu could feel his balance becoming unsteady as he looked on in horror as the ground began to crack open.
"Earthquake!" Pikachu's mind shouted. "I wouldn't last much longer if I got hit with this!"
Pikachu immediately tried to run to gain distance but it seemed like the earth in front of him already had begun to crack and fall apart.
He could only react in surprise as the ground finally gave way before feeling a flash of pain. He opened his eyes to find that he was under rubble, a bit dinged from that attack but otherwise mostly fine. It just went to show how deadly that Ground-type attack could've been if he took the full brunt of it. He pushed and squeezed his way out of the upended rocks to freedom until he was fully out.
He fell upon his front paws, unable to stop panting. Jeez, only a month has gone by but it's certainly gotten a lot stronger since last time! He definitely didn't remember that thing knowing this many moves nor was it this large in size! And just like last time, Pikachu wasn't exactly in tip-top shape. All of that training from earlier and then chasing after Happiny had certainly taken a bit out of him.
Pikachu slowly got to his feet and looked around and saw that the Aerodactyl was flying in the same spot, eyeing something in the distance.
"Oh noooo, he spotted them!" Pikachu's panicked mind thought. He couldn't give that thing the opportunity. He needed to give them more time!
Not giving it another moment, Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt which struck the beast who haphazardly landed onto the ground.
No more taking chances. Pikachu ran towards it and started using Volt Tackle! He struck the Aerodactyl square in the chest knocking it further backwards. He couldn't give it a chance to recover, this wasn't like a gym match or a battle between rivals...
He felt the painful sting of using Volt Tackle and fell to his knees. He glanced up to see that the creature was injured but still getting up. Damn, he was hoping that would be it...
He had to end things soon, but he just needed an opportunity.
Enraged, the Aerodactyl opened its mouth and unleashed Flamethrower.
"That'll do it!" Pikachu thought as he quickly ran towards the flamethrower before jumping forward and spinning his body just like he did with Roark's Onix. Just like how Piplup and Buneary did with this Aerodactyl not too long ago.
The Aerodactyl's eyes widened in surprise as Pikachu narrowly avoided the horizontal column of fire and traveled towards it. Actually, scratch that, Pikachu travelled past it, and grabbed its tail. Heh, looks like the beast hasn't quite figured out how to handle that spinning technique yet.
Ending its attack, the creature immediately flew upwards, hoping to shake off the mouse.
"(So you've learned that maneuver too.)" The Aerodactyl said with a grimace.
Pikachu felt himself lifted off the ground and began to soar higher and higher into the air. He momentarily opened his eyes to see where they were and saw that they were above the mountain, the battlefield looking like a dot to him from here. He could feel the Aerodactyl purposely spinning and turning over in midair to shake him off.
"(Just give up! Accept your fate as food!)" The Aerodactyl shouted as they ascended higher into the air.
Pikachu every muscle in his body ache. He was reaching his limit. If he gave himself a moment to slow down, he wouldn't be able to continue. He furrowed his brow as he strengthened his grip.
Can't slow down. Not just yet. He needed this opportunity to end things!
As soon as he felt that they were steady, Pikachu unleashed Thunder, striking the beast who screeched in pain. As soon as it was done, Pikachu let out another one striking the beast again. "No slowing down! Keep at it!" He internally screamed as he unleashed a third one, hitting the mark.
That last one did it. He could feel them both falling, first gently downwards and then entering into a freefall.
Pikachu held on for dear life but the random directions that the Aerodactyl's body was moving made holding on increasingly impossible as he felt himself slipping. He gritted his teeth and tried his hardest to hold on as long as he could.
...Until he felt his grip break away.
He felt his body falling through the open air, spinning in random directions, unable to grab on to anything.
The Aerodactyl felt a weight suddenly leave its tail. It - being a Flying-type after all - managed to maneuver its body in its freefall much more effectively than the unfortunate yellow mouse. In that moment, it quickly opened its mouth and a bright light began to emerge from it.
Pikachu tried his best to steady himself in the air and managed to twist his body to where he could see his opponent. That's when saw that it was unleashing a Hyper Beam at him! He didn't have much time to react. All he could do was turn his body over and brace himself as he caught the full brunt of the attack, creating a small explosion in midair that resembled a newly-formed cloud.
The Aerodactyl smirked. "(Direct hit, that'll show it who's-)"
It slammed into the side of the mountain with enough force to cause the rocks underneath it to give way. It let out a rather loud high-pitched screech.
For a moment Pikachu was surprised. He thought he would be in a lot more pain. Instead he just felt numb. He knew that he was still in the air but he wasn't tumbling. He felt himself gliding but he could already feel gravity doing its thing.
The world was momentarily dark but soon it gave way to spinning colors. He could see the light blue of the sky and the bright greens of the forest down below.
This was it. He couldn't think of a way out of this. Nobody else knew where they were and he was too weak to do anything about it.
Pikachu closed his eyes and tried to calm his mind. He didn't have much time. He needed to accept it before it was too late.
He needed to make peace with himself.
"I guess this is it..." He thought. "This is how it ends for me...funny...I always thought it would be in some kind of gym battle or Pokémon League match or something. Not some random encounter with a guy we beat before."
He grimaced, holding back tears as he realized something else.
"I'm sorry Ash. You're my best friend and I...I couldn't have asked for a better trainer and family. I'm sorry that I can't continue to help your dream come true. Just...try to move on after I'm gone okay? Don't give up on your dream. Please...for the both of us."
His mind raced to the different points in his life, remembering certain things at random. He soon focused on the many friends he had made in the past and in the present.
Misty, Brock, Dawn, Tracey, May, Max. Heh, those goofballs. What fun times they had traveling together.
He could see the bright green colors getting closer.
Togetic, Psyduck, Butterfree, Piplup, Buizel, Happiny. Too many to remember in such a short amount of time but he was glad to have met every single one of them. How could he ever forget them? If he went back in time to do it all over again, he wouldn't change a thing.
And yet...Pikachu's mind focused on one more figure in his life.
Her.
Even as he was hurtling through the air towards the ground, he calmly imagined her smiling and laughing as she always did. Just like she did the last time that he saw her.
"Buneary..." He thought, holding back tears again. "I'm sorry I was an idiot...sorry...that I didn't give you a clear answer before. If I wasn't so stupid and confused about how I felt...if only I had the chance to see you again...I...would..."
If there was indeed one thing he would go back in time and change, it would be for her. To finally express that maybe they could be something more. That maybe he did have an answer to all of her flirtations and advances. That maybe...
Time had just about run out. The colors down below were getting closer.
Holding on to the image of her face and everyone else beside her, Pikachu braced himself for the impact.
Only instead of hard earth, he felt the surface bend and give way as he sank deeper into water.
The Aerodactyl painfully got back to its feet from its crash site on the mountain. From its viewpoint, it could fully see the lake where its opponent had landed although it couldn't see the surrounding land, the artificial cloud having covered it. Leaning forward and squinting, the beast could see rings in the water, indicating where the mouse had crashed. Then, leaning in even further, it could see the faintest glimmer of red that broke the uniform blue of the lake. A moment later, the redness began to pool in the center of the crash site. Smiling, it was satisfied.
Besides, if the mouse did indeed sink to the bottom, it's not like the it can get to him, especially in water. Having seen enough, the Aerodactyl began to take flight.
Pikachu opened his eyes and saw that he was floating in what appeared to be a lake though his vision was quite blurry. Instinctively, he began swimming as fast as he could towards the surface although almost immediately, he felt a sharp, tearing pain in his left side that nearly made him yelp before he closed his mouth to conserve his oxygen.
He continued to swim to the surface with the one arm opposite to his burning side before he broke through and gasped for air. He looked around and not too far off, he saw the shore. Taking a moment to confirm what he was seeing, Pikachu slowly paddled towards it with one arm.
As he finally reached the shore, his body felt like it was being weighed down by an anchor. Everything felt so much heavier and for a moment, he feared that he might somehow be dragged back into the water. The shore itself was composed of tiny gray pebbles, which only made crawling harder.
After some time, Pikachu at long last reached the middle of the shore, far enough to where he could no longer feel the water lap at his feet. He tried to stand up but that flash of pain in his side erupted again. Doubling over in agony, his arm reached to touch his side. In his daze, he couldn't exactly make out what he was feeling, only that it felt warm. Unable to hold his balance, Pikachu fell forward and moved his arms in front of him to cushion the blow. The paw he used to feel his side landed on a larger rock which prevented him from faceplanting into the shore. Using his paw, Pikachu slowly turned himself over onto his back as he gasped for air, unable to catch his breath.
As he continued to pant, his eyes glazed over the sky which was slowly but surely being overtaken by clouds. He leaned forward a little to gaze downwards and saw that the Aerodactyl, which from here looked like a rather small figure in the sky, had taken flight again. It was flying alongside the mountain and in the opposite direction. Away from him. Away from where Buizel and Happiny had fled.
Pikachu slowly leaned back down on the shore, his vision returning towards the open sky. He could feel the last of his energy drain out of him as his panting began to slow. "(Good...that's all that...matters.)" He softly muttered to himself as his eyes fluttered, trying their absolute hardest to stay open but soon began to shut, clouds of grayness settling in.
Before his mind receded into darkness, he could only conjure up one last thought.
"Thank you everybody, I had the time of my life."
Then everything went dark.