Episode 28: Ultra Madness! Unite for a Gym Battle!
After their time in Rio, the trio headed off on their journey, going north to Teotihuacan in Mexico to find their next Gym Challenge. The ancient city was created by the Mesoamerican people of the past, with the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon being prominent landmarks. Ashton had heard that the Gym here held strong battles and was excited to see what awaited them.
"Just look at all of these ruins," Kris said, taking photos of the city. "I wonder what kind of gods the people that built then worship…"
"Zorua!" Inari said, hopping on top of Aurora's head.
"He says that he can sense three different energies here," Aurora explained. "I can sense them too. The power of the Sun and Moon especially, as well as the master of weather."
"That would be Solgaleo and Lunala," Dylan noted. "And the master of weather… Maybe Rayquaza? I know a lot of artistic depictions of one of their gods looks a lot like him."
"That would be correct!" said a voice. Walking up to the team was a young woman wearing a sporty outfit, a Cradily and Decidueye at her side. "What's up, Trainers? The name is Lucia, and it's an honor to get challengers out here in Teotihuacan."
"I'm surprised you were able to say that all in one go. I sure can't," Ashton said. She called out Vulcan and Orochi with a grin. "But I'm ready for a battle, so let's get to it!"
"I like your energy, but we do things a bit differently around here," Lucia said. He brought the three to the location of the gym in the ancient city, a dug-out pit where spectators could look into to watch the match. "You see, this Gym Battle is a contest of strength, to see how Trainers can guide their entire team to victory. It will be five of your Pokémon against three fierce opponents. You will have ten minutes to defeat all three, one battle after the other."
"A five-on-three? This will be easy," Ashton scoffed.
"Ah, but it will be Legendary Pokémon that you must face," Lucia noted. "Our way of battle, a "Boss Rush" if you would, pushes your team to their limits. While any knocked out Pokémon will be revived instantly thanks to our quick healing system, it will take time and strength away from completing your goal." She pointed to a pedestal on the control console at the top of the stadium. "Please put your Poké Balls here so we can start the match."
Ashton did as she was told, placing the balls for Vulcan, Orochi, Phantasm, Azrael, and Halley on the pedestal. The Poké Balls glowed before being zapped away, the Pokémon appearing in the pit below… but as their unevolved selves (except for Azrael).
"What the heck!?" Ashton said. "They unevolved? Aw man, do you know how long it takes to evolve the Hydreigon line?"
Lucia laughed. "No need to worry. Your Pokémon will be back to normal after the battle is complete. In fact, as they battle in the Boss Rush, you'll find that they will regain their strength as they fight on."
"I get it. You have to show your power even at your weakest state," Kris said.
"I know you can do this, Ashton," Dylan said.
Ashton gave a nod. "Okay, let's do this! Bring on the first challenger!"
Lucia pressed a button the pedestal. "Alright, time for the challenge to begin!" Suddenly, an Ultra Wormhole opened in the sky above the pit, dropping down a strange muscular bug-like creature. "What? That isn't supposed to happen."
"That's an Ultra Wormhole, like what those Recon Squad guys use to travel," Delphi pointed out. "And what is that odd creature down there. Such physique…"
"I can't get a good read on it," Aroura said, her eyes aglow with aura power. "I can only sense a clouded mind… Something about a void of some sort?"
"Either way, it looks like the arena has that thing trapped inside," Ashton said. "So if that 'Ultra Beast' is playing by our rules, then I think it's fair game to see it as part of the challenge."
"If you wish, we can continue," Lucia said cautiously. "However, do be careful, as a creature like this is unheard of."
"I'll pull up any information I can in the Pokémon Database," Kris said, pulling out her Pokégear. "Good luck, Ashton!"
The blonde grinned, before commanding her Pokémon into battle. Halley was first, using Metronome to cast Protect and block an incoming attack from the Ultra Beast. Phantasm phased through the shield and used Will-O-Wisp, Burning the creature to lower its attack. "Vulcan and Azrael, double team it with physical attacks!" Ashton commanded. Vulcan charged forward with Quick Attack, Azrael meeting him on the other side with a Pursuit. The two attacks connected, pushing the Ultra Beast back as Kris finished her analysis.
"Okay, I managed to get some data from the Ultra Recon Squad on this creature," Kris said. "This is UB-02 Absorption, codename: Buzzwole. It constantly flexes to communicate with others of its species and intimidate opponents. Its punches are also powerful enough to destroy a dump truck in one blow."
"Be careful getting close to it, then," Lucia warned. "If it's strong physically, then stay back and use special attacks!"
Ashton nodded, commanding Orochi to stay back and use Dragon Breath while Halley cast Thunderbolt and Vulcan used Ember. Phantasm ran interference while Azrael distracted the Buzzwole. The Ultra Beast suddenly posed, its body rippling with energy as it used Bulk Up. "Be on guard, it's going to rush you!" Ashton called as Buzzwole rushed towards the nearest Pokémon.
Azrael cried out as it was grabbed by the Buzzwole, flung around like a ragdoll as it used Vital Throw to toss the Skarmory into the wall, knocking it out. Azrael vanished as it was recalled to the healing area to recover, leaving Halley to use Life Dew to keep the other members alive as they dealt with the Buzzwole. While the Ultra Beast was physically powerful, using long-ranged attacks did keep the overly-muscled bug at bay. Once Azrael was back in the fight, the Skarmory threw down some Spikes to trap the Buzzwole, with a combination of Ember and Dragon Breath finally weakening the creature, knocking it out.
"That's the first one," Lucia said. "Great job, Ashton!"
"But that Ultra Wormhole is still a thing," Aurora noted. "I can sense another presence coming through now."
Another Ultra Beast dropped out of the hole, this one purple and pink with a dragon-like appearance and a massive stringer on its tail. "That's UB Stinger, codename: Naganadel. It stores poisonous liquid inside its body that is super sticky and glows in the dark."
"Let's make sure that we don't let it control the area, team!" Ashton called. "If it poisons you, Halley can heal, but she needs to be kept safe from those super effective attacks as well!"
Her Pokémon nodded, then in a flash of light evolved into their second stage evolutions. "Looks like the battle is amping up," Lucia said.
The Naganadel rushed around the stage at great speed, spitting out poison globs that created hazard zones in the area. Azrael could easily fly over the ground and used Night Slash to combat the Ultra Beast. Phantasm was unbothered by the poison and used Lick to suck up the offending hazards, while Orochi stuck close to Halley, using Dragon Pulse to take shots at the Naganadel. Roaring out, the Ultra Beast coated one of the walls with poison, before zooming to the other side of the arena and creating a massive gust of wind to push the Pokémon towards the wall.
"We need to hold on tight!" Ashton called.
Orochi dug his feet into the ground, catching Vulcan before he could go flying as well. Azrael, Phantasm, and Halley weren't so lucky, and while the Skarmory and Haunter were fine, Halley was knocked out by the massive amount of poison her body was forced to take on.
"This is bad. Without a healer, your team is at the disadvantage," Lucia said with worry.
"Naganadel has a lot of speed, so let's slow it down while Halley recovers," Ashton noted. "Let's try to paralyze it!"
Phantasm grinned, going invisible as Azrael and Vulcan rushed Naganadel, chasing it around the arena. Once the two had it corned, Phantasm appeared and used Lick, paralyzing the Ultra Beast and inhibiting its movements. With their opponent slowed down, Orochi charged up a Dragon Pulse and blasted the Naganadel, taking it down for the count as Halley was brought back in.
"That's two down, and with time to spare," Lucia said.
Delphi suddenly clutched her head, the Delphox gasping as a vision came to her. "Oh no… That's not good," she said.
"Zorua?" Inari said, confused.
"Whatever is going to come out of that Ultra Wormhole next is very big and very, very hungry," Delphi warned.
Falling out of the hole came a massive creature, a gaping maw taking up most of its body with multiple mouth-like appendages coming off of it. "W-what is that!?" Dylan exclaimed.
"One of the most dangerous Ultra Beasts out there. UB-05 Glutton, codename: Guzzlord," Kris explained. "It's constantly hungry and can devour mountains and buildings. Any world it goes to means certain doom for its inhabitants."
"Looks like a damage sponge on top of that," Ashton noted. "Luckily, my Pokémon are fully evolved now, so no reason to hold back!" Indeed, in a flash of light all of her team were back at full strength, ready to take on their opponent.
"Be careful of its mouth and don't give it any room to rest!" Lucia said.
Guzzlord gave an inhuman scream, making everyone hold their ears in pain. "It's thoughts are unreadable," Aurora said. "There is no reasoning with it, only hunger."
Ashton's Pokémon got ready for battle, moving out of the way as Guzzlord jumped up and used Giga Impact. While the attack got the Ultra Beast stuck in the ground, the Pokémon had to avoid its flailing arms trying to Crunch them into dust. Halley used Metronome to summon Wide Guard and block the attacks, while Vulcan used Earthquake to further bury the Guzzlord. Azrael raised his defenses with Steel Wing, while Orochi and Phantasm doubled up on Dark Pulse shots.
Guzzlord screamed, pulling itself out of the ground and spewing out Gastro Acid from its maw. "Gross! It's trying to digest you all before it can even eat!" Kris said.
"Like a fly," Dylan shuttered.
Guzzlord then started sucking in air, trying to draw the Pokémon in for a snack. Despite their abilities now being suppressed, Orochi fired off a Tri-Attack, boosted by a Helping Hand courtesy of Halley, filling up the maw of the Ultra Beast with fire, lightning, and ice. The Guzzlord was now unable to eat them, resorting to using Crunch with its arms while charging at the Pokémon. Azrael saw this coming and used Spikes to dig at the Ultra Beast's feet, Phantasm popping up and going for a Hypnosis to put the Guzzlord to sleep.
"Now, let's give them all we got!" Ashton said. "Unite and conquer!"
Her Pokémon all came together, charging their strongest attacks: Vulcan used Eruption, Orochi used Hyper Beam, Azrael used Steel Wing, Phantasm used Shadow Ball, and Halley used Moonblast. With their combined effort, Guzzlord shook, letting out one last cry before falling out its back and remaining there, knocking out for the count.
"Is it over?" Aurora asked.
"I believe it is," Delphi smiled, looking up to see the Ultra Wormhole disappear.
"That was an unexpected but amazing Boss Rush!" Lucia cheered, giving a pat on the shoulder to Ashton. "You really held your own out there. I think you deserve this." Lucia handed Ashton a badge depicting a golden orb going through a hoop. "Take this Unite Badge as a sign of passing my Gym Challenge."
Ashton grinned, calling her Pokémon back up as she flashed her badge. "That's number 6!" she said.
"So, what are you going to do with these Ultra Beasts?" Dylan asked.
"First I'll inform the International Police about them, then see if I could train them," Lucia explained. "While they weren't supposed to be a part of the challenge, I think it could be fun to mix it up for future opponents."
"I just want to know why that Ultra Wormhole opened up," Kris wondered.
"Eh, probably not important," Ashton shrugged. "But I wish I could have one of those Ultra Beasts on my team."
"Nope, not happening," Dylan said, dragging his friend off before she could protest. "You already almost got yourself killed for that Hydreigon; you're not training an alien monster too!"
As the trio left to continue their adventure, another trio were watching from afar at the Pyramid of the Sun. Tabitha set his binoculars down and sighed. "Looks like those Ultra Beasts didn't stack up to what we were expecting," he said. "And soon they'll be in International Police custody as well, so we should make ourselves scarce."
"I did get a full reading from the Ultra Wormhole we produced, though," Aliana stated, holding up her data pad. "I also got data on the 'Beast Boost' ability that those creatures had. No doubt it will be useful for our plans."
"Plus it's not all at a loss," Miror B said, holding up a Poké Ball. "I managed to catch this one when we tried out that portal doohickey earlier!"
"Really, let me see it!" Tabitha demanded, swiping the ball from the disco man. It opened up to reveal a tree made of wires, sparking angerly at the trio.
"That is UB-03 Lightning," Aliana said. "And it does not look happy to see us."
UB-03, also called a Xurkitree, used Discharge on the trio, blowing up their portal device and sending them flying sky high. "Why does this always happen to us!?" Miror B shouted as they disappeared over the horizon.
"Zorua?" Inari said, ears perking up in confusion.
"It's fine, deary. Just some fools getting their comeuppance, I'm sure," Delphi giggled.
Author's Note
This chapter is part of a tribute to "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Starstorm Ultra", the sister series to this story written by my partner Azakael. That story has a lot of Ultra Beast action in it, and with the story concluding at the beginning of the month I wanted to shout it out. There are some sneaky references to that story here, so see if you can catch some of them.
The Boss Rush is based on the mode of the same name from Pokémon Unite, the MOBA game. Certain mechanics like Pokémon evolving mid-battle were also taken from there as well.