Orange Islands, homes of Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno.
The cloudy night sky was pitch black. The seas below followed suit. Three islands protruding from the vast ocean depths sat still, as if sleeping. The sea winds were almost nonexistant on this silent sea night...until, something could be barely seen in the dark clouds. An even darker small spot that was constantly moving in the clouds; hardly noticeable. Though, the winds began to pick up ever so slightly and the waves began to rock, as if the world itself was wary of the new figure. Their worry seemed to not be without warrant, as the near invisible figure suddenly rocketed from the clouds and collided into one of the islands like an asteroid. The wind began screaming and raging, while the ocean below was thrashing violently in response to this collision. Debris rained from the skies as chunks of what was once an island decorated the surrounding ocean floor.
A screech reverberated through the night sky as a bright yellow figure rocketed out of the ocean to gaze upon what was once its home. An enraged cry pierced the skies as the figure, the Legendary Bird, Zapdos, mourned its home. It furiously scanned the sea below, which had now completely overtaken the remainder of Zapdos's nest, for whatever dared mess with the powerful creature. As suddenly as it arrived, the near invisible creature suddenly appeared directly in front of Zapdos, making it squack in surprise and back itself away from the creature. Yet, the endeavor proved fruitless as the creature again reappeared directly in front of the Legendary Bird in just an instant. Zapdos took this act as a threat and unleashed a massive shockwave in all directions that enveloped the mysterious being, but the creature simply floated in place as if it felt nothing while being assaulted by millions upon millions of jolts of electricity. Zapdos could have sworn the creature smirked despite not having a visible face.
Suddenly, the barely visible creature disappeared from sight and Zapdos was hurtled at speeds faster than its eyes could calculate into the ocean depths. It bounced roughly on what it assumed to be its remainder of its home like the water did nothing to slow its descent. It burst from the dark, swarming waters and raced to meet its assailant only to be met with a blank sky. No, wait, a faint glint could be seen directly above itself. Zapdos raced upwards, preparing a Drill Peck only for the creature to disappear once more. The Bird of Thunder could see something white in its peripheral vision and whipped around to see it, only for the white light to remain in its peripheral vision. He continuously and frantically began searching in every direction, the glint staying just out of sight each time. Zapdos could have sworn he heard a dark, almost mechanical chuckle. Zapdos, enraged, opted to unleash a Discharge attack in every direction, lighting up the night sky for a brief moment. Though, the Thunder Bird still could not catch a glimpse of its attacker. Zapdos soon found itself spiraling across the nearby sea, slowly dipping down until it finally collided with the water, kicking up a massive splash of water.
"Is THAT your best?!" The creature demanded.
Zapdos erupted violently from the ocean in a massive storm of electricity with an ear-shattering screech of rage. It fired a colossal Discharge in every direction, ripping the waves apart below and tearing into the skies above. The bolts that actually collided with the near-invisible creature were simply blown apart upon contact and the light created by the electricity looked as if it were being absorbed by it, making it still nearly invisibly to Zapdos. What little could actually be seen of the creature disappeared from view once more, but opted for a frontal attack this time. It grabbed Zapdos by the beak and dragged it skyward into the clouds above, chuckling darkly yet again. Zapdos attempted to free itself by summoning large sums of electricity from the surrounding clouds and releasing it fully into its captor. Even still, the lightning did not affect it in the slightest, nor did the light from the electricity even remotely reveal its appearance somehow. The only thing Zapdos could see were those two glinting...crystals? It'd have to remember that for later. Though the Electric Pokemon had no chance to further think upon this as it was hurled forcefully out above the storm below. The full moon could be seen behind the two dueling Pokemon in the night sky. Zapdos couldn't even come close to stopping itself at the sheer speed it was hurled at. Out of nowhere, the invisible assailant appeared from above Zapdos and its form could finally be seen, at least more than before, in the midst of the moon's luminescence. It raised a bulky, pitch black fist before rocketing downwards, catching Zapdos in a brutal clothesline. The sheer power of the hit was enough to split the clouds below in a large Thunder Bird found itself completely immobile and barely conscious as it was trapped on the creature's arm and rocketing hundreds of miles downwards in mere seconds. The very ocean itself parted to match the opening in the clouds as the creature rammed Zapdos into the rocky ocean floor, sending a cataclysmic shockwave across the nearby ocean and uprooting the two remaining islands. The ocean itself could now hardly be called an ocean, as the water itself seemed to be nowhere in sight. It had all been blown back so far that Zapdos, who was currently repeatedly using Roost in an attempt to keep itself alive, could not see any water in sight. Though that might be because it was embedded in a two-hundred meter deep crater. Just what WAS this monster?! The familiar cries of its frenemies, Articuno and Moltres, snapped Zapdos out of its trance. They were going to get themselves killed against that thing...that is, unless it were there to help. With a loud screech, it released a flurry of electrical bolts that destroyed the rock it was embedded in and ran to join its...partners, it guessed.
The creature found himself surrounded by three of these birds now, and they all looked ready to tear him to pieces. He internally smirked eagerly. He would enjoy turning those looks into pure hopelessness and fear as he slowly tore them to pieces. He bellowed out a dark, deep, echoing laugh that chilled the Legendary Birds to their cores.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh. HAH HAH HAH HAH! Worthless SCUM...I'LL CRUSH YOU!"
The dark creature continued to laugh like a maniac as his opponents...no...as his playthings desperately fired their respective lightning, fire, and ice attacks at him in an attempt to actually do something to this demon.
"You're his WHAT?!" Delia demanded.
Ash looked as if he was facing a demon right now...then again, he probably was…
"Oh!" Serena caught herself, "You...probably weren't meant to hear that yet…"
"MMM-HMM," Ash grated.
"Why didn't you tell me this, Ash?! Having a girlfriend is a huge responsibility, you know!"
"You make it sound like he's keeping a pet…," Serena deadpanned.
Despite his massive embarrassment at his mother's hands, Ash could at least take solace in the fact that his mother was no longer yelling at him...in fact, she seemed to have completely turned the conversation to Serena.
"So, do you have any plans for a wedding? A house? Motherhood?"
Serena's blushing head was spinning as Delia bombarded her with overly personal questions, writing down notes as she did. Ash took it upon himself to end both his and Serena's suffering.
"O-kay, mom, that's enough. Those are questions for later, okay?"
Ash's mother pouted, but complied and put her little notebook of horrors away for now.
"Fine, Ashy, but I don't want you two-"
"We get it," Serena and Ash said unanimously.
"Just making sure, dears!" Delia chirped.
Ash sighed, "Just wanted to catch up with ya, mom."
Delia waved, "Bye, dears! And remember, like I said before, you're always welcome to stop by!"
With that, the screen shut black and the two embarrassed trainers let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Glad that's over," Serena whined, "I can see why you're hesitant to call her sometimes."
"It's just her way of showing she cares," Ash replied.
"You're right. I guess worrying is what mothers do."
Ash began dialing another number on the videophone hinged on the wall. Soon enough, an elderly man in a white labcoat appeared on screen.
"Ah, hello Ash!" The old man greeted, "How goes it for you?"
"It's going pretty good, professor. I called because I have an empty space on my team and I'd like to fill that."
The professor scratched his chin, "About that, Ash. Do you think you could send over that Talonflame of yours? Never in all my years as a Pokemon Professor have I seen anything short of a Legendary Pokemon unleash that much power in an attack. I have a colleague named Professor Kukui who specializes in Pokemon attacks. I'm hoping that if anyone can figure out just what your Talonflame did, it's him."
Ash nodded, "That makes sense. Just don't push it too hard, okay? Talonflame's supposed to be resting for now."
Professor Oak smiled brightly, "I don't think there's a need for worry there, Ash. Professor Kukui lives in Alola, so it's incredibly likely that Talonflame will spend most of its time as if it were on a vacation."
"That's a relief," Ash conceded, "Sure, I'll send Talonflame over once the Nurse is done looking at it."
Serena took it upon herself to retrieve the fire bird from Nurse Joy and began inching towards the front desk where she whispered something to the nurse. Nurse Joy nodded with a smile and handed back the Pokeball to Serena, who began walking back over to Ash after thanking the nurse. She tapped him on the shoulder and held out Talonflame's Pokeball to the boy, earning a bright smile and a thanks. The young trainer took it upon himself to put the ball into the Poke-Transfer machine attached to the videophone, making small, white electrical volts disassemble the ball and its inhabitants and reassemble them in Professor Oak's lab. To prove this, the professor held up Talonflame's ball in his hands with an appreciative smile.
"Thank you, Ash! I'll make sure Kukui gets Talonflame as soon as possible. Now, you had two spaces that need filling, right?"
Ash nodded, "That's right, professor."
Ash hummed to himself. Who to pick...on one hand, he wanted everyone to get a chance, but on the other hand, he wanted to make sure his best six were trained and ready so that he'd win the League for sure...eh, they've all had their chances. If he's gonna be erasing past records, he's gonna have to be at his best. They wouldn't mind, right? He'd give most of 'em a chance at the League when it comes.
"I'll take…"
Charizard was at the Charicific Valley, so he's out of the question for now. He guessed his runner up for a Fire-Type would be Infernape, and Sceptile was a no-brainer after that.
"I'll take Infernape and Sceptile, and I'll keep the rest of my Kalos Team on me for now. Can you tell the others to train as hard as they can? I wanna diversify my team once the League arrives, and I'd feel bad if my other Pokemon were left behind."
Professor Oak nodded approvingly, "Wise choices, Ash. I'd say those two are definitely among your strongest, and yes, I'll pass the message along, but Bayleef and Muk won't be happy when they find out. They've been wanting to journey with you again for ages!"
Ash smiled, "They'll get their chance during the League."
Professor Oak sighed, "I suppose you're right, but for my sake, please hurry and beat the League. Arceus knows they'll be tackling me the entire time until you finally pick them."
Ash laughed, "Hang in there, Professor."
Oak shook his head and called over to someone outside of the camera's range, "Tracey, please fetch me Infernape and Sceptile's Pokeballs!"
"Yes, Professor!" A voice eagerly called back.
"Remember, Ash," Oak said with a pained smile, "Be sure to beat the League before my poor old back finally gives out."
Ash smirked, "We'll see."
The Professor laughed heartily and Tracey's footsteps could be heard.
"Here ya go, Professor," Tracey offered. He then saw Ash and waved ecstatically, "Hey, it's you, Ash! Shoulda known you were what these were for."
Ash grinned, "Heya, Tracey. How's your sketching going?"
Tracey's eyes opened like dinner plates, "Aw, no! I just realized I left my Scyther holding up all my art supplies! See ya around, Ash!"
"See ya, Tracey!" Ash called to him.
Ash's attention was caught by Serena, who had taken the liberty of taking Infernape's and Sceptile's Pokeballs from the Transfer Machine.
"Thanks, Serena!" He said appreciatively, to which she simply nodded with a bright smile.
"You got them?" The Professor asked.
Ash showed him the two Pokeballs in his hands to answer his question.
"Good. Take care of yourself out there, Ash!"
"You too, Professor!"
"Oh, wait a minute!" The professor cried suddenly, "Gary called me earlier!"
The professor's face hardened and he closes his eyes, "He told me about that whole fiasco with Umbreon."
Ash frowned at hearing that, looking down in shame, "I didn't mean to-"
The professor held up a hand to silence the young trainer, "Gary doesn't blame you, and neither do I."
"Even still-"
"Which is exactly why we don't blame you. Your love for Pokemon holds true. Don't beat yourself up over it too hard. I know you're a good kid with a good heart."
With that, the Professor waved goodbye and the computer screen went black.
"That's Professor Oak, right?" Serena asked, "From what I've heard, he's pretty imposing, but I'm glad to see those were just rumors."
Ash raised an eyebrow, "Imposing? Naw, the guy's just a fun goofball most of the time.
Serena giggled, "I'm glad there's more than meets the eye with him, then."
When they turned around, they were glad to see the majority of the trainers from earlier had fled to escape the horror that is Ash's mother's screams. They'd expected to have the entire Pokemon Center be filled to the brim with stares directed their way, but found only three or four remaining trainers who were all occupied with their own business. They began to walk towards a bench to wait for their Pokemon when Nurse Joy's voice appeared over the intercom.
"Serena, your Pokemon are ready for departure."
"That was quick," Commented Ash.
With that, the two walked over to the front desk once more to find Ash's belt of four, and Pikachu who eagerly hopped on top of Ash's shoulder, and Serena's of ...two?
"Umm, Nurse Joy?" Serena called, "Where's my Braixen?"
"Oh, right," The nurse complied, fumbling out from behind the infirmary station, "Braixen will need additional rest."
Serena gasped, "Why, is there something wrong with her?!"
Nurse Joy giggled and shook her head, "No, she just needs to take it easy for the rest of the day. You brought her back in a pretty rough condition."
Serena turned pink and looked down, "R-right…"
Ash chuckled at this display and wrapped an arm around Serena.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Ash said, pulling Serena towards the entrance of the Pokemon Center, "Serena, let's go get that Gym Badge, eh?"
"Uhh," Serena protested as they exited the Pokemon Center, "Can I really beat this Gym with only two Pokemon?"
"Sure!" Ash replied loudly, making Serena flinch, "I did it back in the day with just Pikachu, right buddy?"
"Cha!" Pikachu replied, pumping a fist in the air.
"Well, if you say so." Serena conceded.
Ash ruffled her hair playfully, "C'mon, you got this. I know you can do this."
Ash and Serena gazed upon their destination as it popped into view. The Pewter City Gym: home to the Boulderbadge. The grey building didn't look too intimidating; it looked sort of like an average house, save for its base being covered with the boulders its Gym was known for. Ash took this time to release his full team to get a good look at them, earning a series of eager cries from them. Infernape whooped happily as he saw his trainer and friend once more and offered his fist to bump, to which Ash happily obliged with a smirk. Speaking of smirking, the grass lizard Sceptile did just that as he was released from his Pokeball and crossed his arms. Hawlucha was released next, jumping out of his Pokeball and posing wildly upon landing, flexing flauntingly all the while. He turned to Ash, giving a thumbs up. Ash chuckled and gave him one back.
Next, Ash released Noivern, a purple bat-like wyvern, who chirped happily at Ash and perched itself next to Hawlucha. Finally, Ash released one of his strongest Pokemon, the pinkish-white Dragon Goodra who happily bounded over to Ash and enveloped him in a messy hug. Ash giggled at this familiar display and returned the hug before patting the Pseudo-Legendary on the back to tell her gently to release him, to which she obliged and stepped back. He shook himself dry and ushered Pikachu to join his comrades, who happily nodded and hopped over to them, initiating a conversation and soon enough, the group was happily chattering back and forth. Even Sceptile eventually joined in. Ash and Serena grinned at seeing the Pokemon immediately get along.
Ash clapped his hands to gain their attention, "Everyone from my Kalos team, these two are Infernape and Sceptile. They'll be with us for this next journey. You all know how Greninja left us, but Talonflame had to leave too."
The trio from Kalos began to chatter to themselves again, talking about this sudden new revelation while Infernape and Sceptile simply stayed silent due to their lack of understanding of the situation.
Ash continued, "Recently, Talonflame unlocked some new, devastating attack that nearly destroyed an entire forest. Right now, she is currently being studied in the Alola region by a man named Professor Kukui in an attempt to figure out just what that was and how to control it."
He turned to his personal champions from Hoenn and Sinnoh. "As for you two, these are my newest Pokemon that accompanied me through the Kalos region. With their help, I managed to make it to the Finals Round in the Kalos League."
The Kalos trio beamed with pride. Sceptile frowned at them while Infernape simply grinned, eager for some new training partners.
"You three," Ash continued, "These two were arguably my strongest Pokemon I used in the Hoenn and Sinnoh Leagues. With them at my side, I fought my way into the Semifinals of the Sinnoh League where I fought my strongest opponent yet. His name was Tobias, and he had the Legends themselves under his command. Though Sceptile here managed to strike down Tobias's previously undefeated Darkrai, and Pikachu fought Tobias's Latios to a standstill, though we ended up losing in the end. And that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his achievements."
Sceptile smirked and placed a nearby twig he found in his mouth while the Kalos trio gaped at him. It wasn't often a Pokemon could defeat a Legendary, though they weren't as surprised to hear Pikachu achieved the same thing. When Infernape stared at Ash expectantly, he laughed and continued.
"Right," Ash began, "What would I have done without Infernape here? Without him, I might not have ever beaten my most brutal rival yet. My rival in Sinnoh was named Paul, and he was a complete tool to say the least."
Ash scowled, "He straight up abused his Pokemon. Hey deemed them worthless if they didn't meet his criteria, which mainly consisted of fighting the rest of his team for hours on end by themselves. Infernape here is the result of his training."
"That's horrible!" Serena pitched in.
Infernape growled angrily at the memory of his former trainer, his flames on his head savagely cracking. The Kalos Trio looked at him with pity, Goodra barely resisting the urge to give him a sloppy hug then and there.
"But," Ash went on, "After Paul abandoned Infernape for his supposed weakness, I took him in and he became a steadfast member of my team, isn't that right, bud?"
Infernape snapped out of his anger due to his true trainer's kindness and gave him a smirk and a nod.
Ash chuckled, remembering the days past with a grin, "After that, we continued training. My way. And that way proved to be better than Paul's, as that frail little Chimchar that belonged to Paul grew stronger and more confident, evolving into Monferno to fight Paul's Electabuzz...but it still wasn't enough."
Ash's Monferno was raging, his Blaze ability clouding his thoughts. All it could think about…no, he couldn't even do that. He felt so much fury, and he didn't know why. Off to the side, he could see a yellow Pokemon just barely holding up a collapsing robot from crashing with a Protect. The robot itself had three Pokemon trapped inside. He wanted to go save them, but his muscles wouldn't respond. All he could do was scream out in fury.
"Monferno, remember?" A familiar voice cried out to him. He could feel them holding onto him tightly, and he didn't like it. He screamed in fury, berserking flames decorating his back and enveloping the two.
"Remember our promise?!" The voice called out again, "The promise we made to each other?! The promise to get stronger together?!"
He screamed once more, creating a Flame Wheel around himself and the voice. Despite this, the voice kept speaking.
"Monferno, listen! You can't let Blaze take you over! You've gotta get that power under control, and we'll both get stronger! Like we promised!"
The Pokemon's barrier that was holding up the robot began cracking from continuous use of a move that's only meant to last for a short time. Monferno screamed once more and managed to regain control of his limbs once more. It darted towards the robot using the last of his willpower and struck its underside with a superpowered Flame Wheel, but even that wasn't enough. The robot's weight proved too much for Monferno to handle, and it began to collapse once more. Monferno let out one last bellow before his entire body began to turn white. The flames around him dispersed to reveal that it had changed form. Its flames were no longer on its tail, but on its head instead, and it looked as if it was wearing white armor.
"INFERNAPE!" The new Pokemon bellowed, holding up the robot with ease. He smirked at the Pokemon that had once been holding up the robot, which he now identified as his personal rival, Paul's Electabuzz. Now he finally had the upper hand.
"Alright, now help 'em out of that cage!" The voice, whom Infernape now recognized as Ash, ordered.
Infernape obliged and began to pump itself up before gathering the strength to hurl the giant robot skyward.
"Now, use Mach Punch!" Ash told his friend once more.
The fiery monkey jumped up at a blinding speed, its fist glowing white in the process. He struck the bars holding the three Pokemon captive, whom he now identified as Ash's Pikachu, Dawn's Piplup, and the Pokemon who he'd been battling with earlier, Barry's Empoleon. Speaking of Empoleon, it took this opportunity to take the two other trapped Pokemon into its massive wings and hop out of the cage it was once held by. Once the two had landed, the robot crashing down behind them, Empoleon released the electric mouse and its own pre-evolution onto the safe ground and the trio all thanked their savior.
"All right!" Cheered Ash, "You evolved into Infernape!"
Infernape grinned proudly and gave his trainer and friend a thumbs up.
Infernape and Ash both gave each other another thumbs up to commemorate the memory.
"That's amazing!" Serena commented.
The other Pokemon in their midst all nodded in agreement and awe, a newfound respect for their new teammates being felt.
"That being said, our final fight with Paul wasn't easy even after that." Ash recalled, "Both of us were down to our last team members; those ironically being my Infernape and his Electabuzz, now evolved into Electivire, respectively. I thought Infernape was down for the count when Blaze finally kicked back in. And this time, Infernape wasn't about to let it take over again. In full control, Infernape fought with the last of his power against Electivire and ended it by winning in one last struggle between his Flare Blitz and Electivire's Thunder."
"Fernaaape!" Infernape yelled proudly, recalling those moments in which he finally defeated his rival and had shown his previous master that he was far from weak.
Serena stood in awe. She knew Ash was already beyond an amazing trainer, but to think in all his fights she witnessed him doing, he was essentially holding back?! That was incredible. She pondered if her own Braixen could reach that level of power since she, too, had Blaze. Heck, she didn't even need to worry about control, Braixen already had that down.
"Now," Ash rallied, "Think we can work as a team for these upcoming battles? We're not just here to fight this time. This time, we're here to win. This time, we'll win the League, right guys!"
Ash's Pokemon all simultaneously pumped their fists and cried in agreement.
"Then let's do this!"
Serena herself had to resist the urge to cheer along as Ash's team marched into the Gym. She had to snap herself out of her daze before running to accompany her boyfriend.
"So here y' are." Flint stated from across the battlefield as they entered. He was currently sitting casually on top of a large boulder.
"Yeah, and we're here for the Boulderbadge!" Ash challenged, his army behind him letting out battle cries.
Flint hardly reacted, opting for a simple shrug at his opposition's display. He tilted his head to see Serena run into the Gym behind Ash.
"So, yer both 'ere," The Gym Leader noted, "Great, we can get this over with quicker."
"Get this over with?" Ash asked, "Last time I was here, didn't you say something about "Rekindling your spirit for battle" or something?"
Flint shrugged, "Eh, I'm old. I don't remember things like I used to. Anyways, now that yer girl's here, how about we settle this match with a double battle? Gotta git back t' my stand by Viridian Forest anyhow 'fore someone up n' steals my merchandise."
"I don't think that's an issue," Serena deadpanned, "But a double battle sounds fun."
Ash nodded, "Yeah, I think I've only ever done a double battle for a Gym once, and I didn't even have a partner then, so this oughta be fun."
"Glad we're agreed," Flint said simply before lazily tossing two balls onto the field.
The balls opened to reveal a large snake that looked to be comprised of several large boulders and a tortoise with a large, spherical boulder for a body with small arms and legs protruding outward to keep it upright.
"NIIIIX!"
"Gooo-LEM!"
"You wanna chose first?" Ash asked Serena.
"These are Rock-Types," Serena mused, "So, I'll chose a Fighting-Type! Go, Pancham!"
Out from Serena's Pokeball came a tiny panda wearing sunglasses on its forehead. He struck a pose, raising both arms upward and flattening his hands while standing on one leg to look like a martial artist. He stuck his right arm towards his opponents and curled his paw twice speedily, but the larger Rock-Types simply scoffed, unamused and unintimidated.
"Nice choice," Ash complimented. "Now, I guess I'll use a Fighting-Type of my own to match."
Of course, Hawlucha thought to himself, it was only natural Ash would chose him, the great guardian of Route 14's forest. He was readying himself to jump into the ring and strike a pose. He imagined himself leaping valiantly into the ring and beating the Rock-Types into the mere pebbles that they were, standing atop their limp bodies while flexing. He was about to make this dream a reality when he lost his footing and tripped into a faceplant due to hearing his trainer call for their new ally, Infernape.
"Heh, Sorry Hawlucha," Ash apologized with a chuckle, "But Infernape hasn't gotten any action in ages."
Hawlucha sighed indignantly but accepted his trainer's reasonings, picking himself up and sitting down next to his best friend, Noivern.
"Fernape!" Ash's ever loyal Fire-Type bellowed eagerly, jumping into the field and pounding his chest at his two opponents.
"Let's get this started," Flint said, almost sounding bored, "Golem, use Rollout. Onix, toss 'em into the small one."
The tortoise-like Golem curled what little body it had outside of its shell into it and began to roll in place, picking up speed and momentum and its giant companion curled its tail around the rocky tortoise and tossed it at Serena's Pancham.
"Infernape, Mach-Punch it back!" Ordered Ash.
"Pancham, hop on top of Infernape and climb on the Golem!"
Infernape sidestepped in front of Pancham and shot a glowing fist into the rolling Golem, pushing Infernape back as he struggled to halt the stone tortoise's assault. Now that both Infernape and Golem were both sitting still, Pancham took the opportunity to climb up Infernape's left arm and perch itself atop the Golem's motionless body, though the momentum of Onix's throw was causing the two to continuously shake as they struggled for dominance.
"Now," Ash ordered, pumping his fist out, "Go full out!"
"Feeeeeerrrr...NAAAAAPE!"
Infernape unleashed all of his might into pushing back the living boulder and finally managed to send it rocketing back at the Onix from whence it came.
"Now, jump and use Karate Chop!" Serena ordered.
Pancham took the hint and jumped off of the speeding boulder just before it rammed into the rock-snake, throwing its gargantuan head backwards. As for Golem, it ricocheted off of Onix's snout and was thrown into a heap of dirt. Now on its back and helpless, Golem furiously flailed its tiny limbs in an attempt to right itself. Pancham was currently hovering above the colossal Onix as it pulled back its hand and let loose a Karate Chop to its head, making it crash into the ground.
"Nice job, guys!" Ash called to the Pokemon, "You too, Serena."
Serena giggled, "Thanks, Ash. I can see why you do this."
"Quit yer yappin'," Flint spat irritatedly, "I've been runnin' this place since before you lot were born. I'm far from done."
Flint reached into his pocket and took out a small, metal cylinder. He took one look at it before shrugging like usual and tossed over at his collapsed Onix. The metal object clanked as it bounced off of Onix's rocky hide before fading into dust.
Ash and Serena stared at Flint blankly for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen.
"Uh," Serena started, "Sorry, but...what was tha-"
Serena was cut off by Flint's Onix suddenly beginning to glow a bright white color. The two young trainers along with their Pokemon all gaped as the glowing rock-snake stood tall and began shifting before their very eyes. Stalagmite-like protrusions began appearing on some of the rocks of its body, its tail grew sharper and more polygonal, and its head grew to look almost oval-like.
"LIIIIIIIIIIX!" The new Pokemon bellowed, making everyone in the room but Flint cover their ears in pain.
"Augh, what is that?!" Serena cried, pulling out her Pokedex to scan the new creature.
"Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokemon. Steelix has a body said to be even more durable than diamond. They can increase their density to near undamageable amounts by traveling deep underground and withstanding the heat of underground magma for several days. Some of these Pokemon are said to be able to withstand the heat and pressure of the Earth's core, but this has yet to be confirmed for obvious reasons."
"A Steelix, huh?" Ash mused.
"Pretty impressive, huh?" Flint boasted, "I found that little doohicky when I was diggin' around fer rocks t' sell. I was gonna sell that thing fer a fortune, but I think it served better here, wouldn't you say?"
"Uh, Flint?" Ash asked.
"What is it , boy?"
"Steelix isn't a Rock-Type." Serena finished for Ash.
"Hah!" Heckled Flint, "You kids these days wouldn't know a thing about Rock-Types! Steelix, use-!"
"No, seriously!" Serena cried, waving her hands wardingly, "Pokedex, tell him!"
"Steelix is a Steel/Ground-Type." Serena's Dex said simply.
Flint paused, "...Whatever! Steelix has a heart of stone and so do I! Steelix, Iron-Tail!"
Ash's Infernape hadn't been paying close enough attention to the battle at hand due to the small little break they had, resulting in the fiery ape being unprepared for Steelix's attack and getting batted into the wall.
"Infernape, no!" Ash cried out.
Though his worry seemed to be for naught when his Fire-Type simply pushed itself out of the wall and shook itself off to rid itself of any rubble stuck to itself. He gave Ash his signature thumbs up and grin before turning back to his opponent.
"Ferrr," He taunted.
"All right!" Ash cheered, "Use Flare Blitz!"
Infernape completely coated itself in hot, crackling flames and shot itself directly into Seelix's chest with a shoulder barge which sent the colossal serpent toppling over from the incredibly powerful Supe reffective attack. Though, Infernape didn't come out without scars either as he winced in pain from the recoil damage that came with using Flare Blitz.
Serena simply watched the fight above her. Pancham wouldn't last long in the middle of those two. Though, she soon found something else to occupy herself with in the form of Golem, now having righted itself, rolling towards her Pancham.
"Pancham, dodge it!" Serena ordered suddenly.
Pancham, being mesmerized by the fight between the two stronger Pokemon, barely snapped out of its trance just before being flattened and managed to backflip over the rolling tortoise and landing on safe ground. Though, the Golem was persistent and immediately turned back around to attempt to ram its opponent. Pancham held its paws out, trying to block the rolling menace from running him over. It took all Pancham's might to not let itself get blown away by the powerful Rollout attack, but he was just barely able to hold it back.
"Pancham!" Serena called out, "You can do this! Fight back with all you have!"
Pancham growled desperately as he tried to follow his trainer's orders, but soon found himself losing ground, and fast. He began screaming in a mixture of fury, pain, and frustration at himself for being too weak.
"Pancham!" Serena cried desperately, "I believe in you! Fight back!"
Pancham gasped as it was rammed into the wall behind him with the rolling menace pinning him, continuously grinding its body into the tiny panda warrior. Pancham screamed in agony as it was essentially made one with the wall. After what seemed like an eternity of Serena screaming her lungs out to try and get Pancham to save himself, finally Golem relented and allowed Pancham's limp body to hang from inside the wall. The last things Pancham saw before he blacked out were Infernape dominating Steelix in their bout, Serena running towards him, and Golem giving him a look more infuriating than a smirk could ever hope to match: one of sheer disappointment and boredom.
Serena dashed onto the field right past Pancham's opponent and ran to attempt to pry the panda out of the wall with little to no luck. Tears welled in her eyes as she saw her beaten and battered Pokemon completely limp, hanging from its small crater in the wall along with her failed attempts to save her Pokemon from said wall.
"Jeez, just use yer Pokeball!" Flint spat, "Yer only gonna hurt it more, you darned fool!"
Ash growled, "Infernape, Flare Blitz at full power!"
Infernape lunged at the iron serpent, coating itself in the familiar fierce flames and tackling the metallic snake with everything it had due to sensing his trainer's rage on Serena's behalf. Steelix was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall behind Flint.
Ash felt his pant leg being pulled and sharply turned his gaze to see Pikachu giving him a worried look.
"Pika, Pi…"
Ash managed a glare for a few seconds longer before finally giving in and softening his stare, crouching down to scratch his best friend behind the ear and give him an apologetic smile.
"You're right. I shouldn't be letting my anger get the better of me. Thanks, buddy."
"Chaaaa!" Pikachu replied happily.
Ash stood back up and turned his attention to Serena, who was collapsed in despair, now having taken Flint's advice and returned her Pokemon the old-fashioned way. That...reminded him. Ash slapped his head. They could've done that for Umbreon! Pushing aside his own incompetence for the moment, he focused on Serena.
"Serena, are you okay?!"
She didn't reply. She simply sat on spread knees, holding Pancham's ball in her trembling hands.
"Serena!" Ash called over, "Losses happen! It's not a big deal so long as you can bounce back from it!"
Serena gritted her teeth, but remained silent.
"Infernape, can you take this from here?" Ash asked his trusted ally and friend,who gave a thumbs up in response and turned to face Steelix, who had gotten back up, and Golem.
Ash ran over to Serena and stopped behind her as to not accidentally upset her further.
"Serena...being a trainer isn't easy. It never was and never will be, unless you put in the effort."
Ash managed the courage to put a hand on Serena's shoulder.
"Sure, your Pokemon will get hurt. Sure, it'll be agonizing to see them suffer. But they're more than allies."
Ash leaned over to gaze at Serena's teary-eyed face.
"Pokemon are your friends, Serena, you know that. And friends will forgive and forget your mistakes. Friends will understand."
Serena let out yelp as she was hoisted onto her feet.
"C'mon, Serena. People lose. Nobody's perfect. Heck look at me! I lost to this Gym on my first time around, and look at me now!"
Ash put his hands on the girl's shoulders and stared deep into her sparkling eyes.
"That being said, would you like to finish this for me?"
Serena lowered her gaze, "I'd just end up-"
"Don't finish that sentence, Serena. You are an amazing trainer, Serena; way better than I was when I started."
Ash gave her a pat on the back, a little too roughly if you asked Serena, and lightly pushed her to the edge of the battlefield.
"Infernape!" Ash called out to his friend who was currently holding Golem over his head and readying itself to toss it at Steelix but turned around.
"Serena's gonna take over from here, okay?"
To Serena's surprise, Infernape grinned almost giddily and gave his trainer a thumbs up with his free hand.
"You heard the man-key," Ash said, nudging Serena towards the challenger's square, "You got this, Serena."
Flint took off his beanie to dab off some sweat on his brow."Alright, quiet yer yammering and let's finish this. I got a shop to run and mouths to feed."
Serena hesitantly stepped forward, "Alright…"
"Atta girl!" Cheered Ash.
Serena paused, dread setting in at the expecting glances coming from all directions.
"Umm…"
"Don't go gettin' cold feet now, girl," Flint chastised, "If you can't muster confidence, your Pokemon won't either. "
"But I-"
"EXACTLY! If you go makin' excuses, you'll lose the respect of your Pokemon! Not many trainers get a second chance like you got, so don't go wastin' it."
Serena looked down in shame.
"Raise your head, girl," Flint ordered, "That Pancham doesn't deserve to be owned by a trainer with no self worth. That Pancham is a fighter. Are you?"
Ash was about to retort, but Serena quickly whipped her arm to her side to stop him.
"No, Ash," Started Serena, "He has a point."
Serena raised her head to meet Flint's stare, clenching her fists.
"You're right," She admitted, "I can't be weak. I won't get anywhere the way I am now. If I cower and cry, I'll never succeed...and my Pokemon will suffer for my mistakes."
Flint shrugged, "Words get you nowhere. Actions are what count, kid."
"I'm well aware," Retorted Serena, "So, are you ready?"
"Iron Tail."
"Dodge!"
A massive, metallic tail from Steelix attempted to slam Infernape into the wall, but thanks to Serena's quick rebuke, he managed to hop over the attack unharmed. Both Serena and Infernape gave their opposition cocky smirks.
"Well," Flint said, "You're a fast one. Both in reflex and in mood."
Flint took off his red beanie and tossed it behind him, standing up for the first time in the battle and hopping down from the boulder from where he was cracked his knuckles and and neck before crossing his arms and giving his opposition a smirk to match hers.
"Anyways, let's get this over with. I gotta check up on my stand before nightfall."
"You heard him, Infernape," Serena called out, "Let's end this quickly! Flare Blitz, go!"
Infernape complied in the form of roaring and releasing a hyperactive aura of crackling flames around him, uprooting and destroying small bits of nearby flooring stone from the ground. The fiery ape took the knee before bursting towards Steelix in a full-body tackle that knocked the giant metal serpent clean over.
"Rollout!"
"Catch it!"
Infernape just managed to avoid being blindsided by the rolling tortoise and turned around just in time to stop its assault due to Serena's eye on the field. Serena's eyes widened as the memories of Pancham's fate assaulted her vision at seeing the familiar scenario. She managed to grit her teeth and shake her head to rid herself of the grisly memory of her beloved Pokemon being drilled into the wall. Though luckily for her, Infernape didn't seem to be troubled at all from holding back the rolling Pokemon.
"Amazing, Infernape!" Serena cheered, "Now, use a consecutive volley of Mach Punches over and over to finish it off!"
Infernape pulled back his left hand to initiate a Mach Punch that stopped Golem dead in its tracks, only to pull back his right one as well and release a blinding volley of flashing white fists that completely enveloped the Rock-Type. Each hit shook the earth around them and slowly but surely chipped away at Golem's rough, rocky exterior.
"Don't let 'em get away with this!" Flint cried, "Steelix, Iron Head!"
"Infernape, grab Golem and use it as a shield!" Serena quickly reacted.
Infernape used the momentum of one of the speedy Mach Punches to make himself fly into a roll and whip itself around the Golem, holding up his arms just as Steelix, being coated in a silvery aura, rammed itself into the two and into a wall. Currently, Golem was the only thing keeping Infernape from meeting Pancham's fate ironically enough.
"Jump up!" Serena hastily commanded, eager to make sure she didn't mess up twice in the same way.
Infernape once again took the knee, waiting for the opportunity to jump out of harm's way. He breathed out a Flamethrower to stop Steelix just long enough to leap upwards and out of harm's way. Daring to look down, he saw that debris had now coated the rest of the field. Both of his opponents were lost from sight amidst dust and sand.
"Iron Tail!"
"Grab it, quick!"
Infernape's gaze snapped to below him to see a familiar giant, metal tail erupt from the debris. With nowhere to go and no way to propel himself away, Infernape could only take the attack head on. The attack slammed into him with immense force, sending him crashing into the roof above.
"Infernape, no!" Cried Serena, "Please, try to keep fighting if you can!"
Serena's worries were for naught. Infernape was far from done. With a mighty bellow, Infernape bolted from the roof and sent a Mach Punch rocketing at Steelix's head through the debris, sending the colossal Pokemon crashing into the ground.
Serena sighed and put a hand to her chest in relief, "Phew, thank goodness."
Serena's gaze sharpened, "Now, grab the tail!"
"Golem, Giga Impact!" Flint roared.
Infernape rushed over to the fallen Pokemon's giant tail and hoisted it over his shoulder. He turned his gaze to see Golem blazing a trail towards him, coated in a brilliant white sheen.
Serena recalled Ash's story from earlier. Infernape obliged and began to pump itself up before gathering the strength to hurl the giant robot skyward.
"So, Infernape must be strong enough for this…" Mused Serena hopefully, "Infernape, lift Steelix over your head and slam it into Golem!"
To her relief and amazement, Infernape followed orders without issue. Infernape's head-flames burst upward as he used all of his might to lift the eight-hundred ton snake over his head, spinning it around to ease the weight placed on him using the momentum to carry the burden of its mass upward.
"Ready…" Serena warned.
"Golem, speed up!" Flint hollered, "Nail that monkey before it gets the chance!"
In response, Golem's white surrounding aura erupted furiously and it bolted forward like a comet, making the very ground split in its wake.
"Now!" Serena ordered.
Infernape raised the helpless Pokemon's tail over his head with a furious cry and jumped upward to slam the colossus into the ground below. Golem found itself completely buried as its partner's body crashed into it from above. Its armor nearly shattered as its incredibly fast pace was completely halted in its tracks by the metal behemoth, and it didn't help that it was weak to Steel-Types.
"Finish them, Infernape!" Serena cheered, pumping her fist, "Flare Blitz, go!"
"Yeah, go for it, Infernape!" Ash cheered from the back of the room as the rest of his team, save Sceptile of course, followed suit, "You got this!"
Serena could feel Pancham cheering his trainer and Infernape on from his ball.
Infernape bellowed mightily as he surrounded himself with massive flames that swallowed the stone around him. He jumped into the air and allowed the flames to grow even mightier to the point where everyone in the room save Serena had to look away for fear of being blinded.
"Finish this!" Cried Serena.
Infernape roared once more and fell unto the earth below like a meteor. The very battlefield itself was lifted and erased amongst the flames that mimicked the sun itself. Golem's and Steelix's cries were drowned out by their fiery surroundings. Finally, the flames suddenly died down and smoke, dust, and debris filled the Gym, obscuring the Pokemon from view. Everyone in the room waited with baited breath to see the outcome of the fight. Serena gasped as a dim flame could be seen amidst the battlefield's remains.
"Infernape!" Serena cried with joy.
Indeed, once the smoke cleared, there stood Infernape standing atop Steelix's charred and unconscious body while holding Golem, who had retreated into its blackened shell, above his head with his right arm.
"Infernape, you did it!" Serena and Ash unanimously cheered as they ran over to congratulate their partner.
Flint sighed and rubbed the sweat off of his head with his red beanie, now seeing he was utterly defeated.
"Welp," Flint conceded, pulling out two brown, shiny badges, "You two beat me, it seems. Here you go. These are genuine Boulderbadges."
Serena and Ash grinned from ear to ear as they held their proof over the Pewter City's Gym in their hands.
"All right!" The two young trainers cheered, holding the badges skyward, "We got...the Boulderbadge!"
"Fernape!" Infernape cheered along.
Flint took out his two Pokemon's Pokeballs and clicked the button on their centers, sending out a red beam that retrieved them and re-encapsulated them.
"Wait," Serena said suddenly, "Is it really okay to take this Badge when I didn't use my own Pokemon to beat yours?"
Flint shrugged, "You're the one directin' 'em. So the credit's split. 'Sides, it's already nightfall. You best be gettin' back to the Pokemon Center for the night, and I'm sure you two don't wanna battle me again. I gotta head back t' my stand by Viridian t' make sure none of my merchandise got stolen or broken while I was gone."
Ash nodded, "Thanks, Flint!"
His response was a meager, bored wave.
Ash and Serena burst through the entrance of the Pokemon Center, panting frantically as they sprinted in to escape the thundering storm that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere as they made their way back from the Gym. Pikachu shook itself dry, further drenching Ash due to being on his best friend's shoulder. The two drenched trainers made their way up to the front desk, pushing past a other trainers that had also taken shelter from the storm.
"Excuse me," Ash said to a nearby Chansey, "Do you think you could take my Infernape and heal him up?"
"My Pancham too," Serena piped in, offering his Pokeball.
"Chans, Chansey!" The Egg Pokemon chirped, taking the two Pokeballs and running off into the back room.
"Well, that takes care of that," Ash said with a yawn, "So, how was your first Gym?"
"Honestly," Serena replied, frowning, "It was pretty stressful,"
Ash shrugged, "Nobody said it was easier, but it gets easier with time, believe me."
Serena shook her head and smiled, "Don't worry, Ash. I'm not quitting anytime soon."
"Excuse me," A voice cut in.
Serena and Ash turned their heads to the perpetrator of the voice to see Nurse Joy holding a Pokeball in her hand.
"I believe this is your Braixen, if I remember correctly."
"Braixen!" Serena exclaimed with joy, running over to the Nurse to retrieve her partner.
"She's a strong one," Nurse Joy complimented as she handed over Braixen's Pokeball, "She complied without question as I applied the adhesives to her wounds."
"Thank you," Serena chirped gratefully, "Braixen's a lot tougher than I originally thought, and I plan to use that strength to its fullest."
Nurse Joy gave a small bow, "Just don't push her too hard."
With that, the nurse walked off back to her work.
"I know," Serena called out with a smile, "Thanks, Nurse Joy!"
Suddenly, the light from the Pokemon Center flickered and went out, making some of the trainers cry out in response. Some of them opted to send out some of their Fire-Types to light the place up.
"Please do not panic!" Nurse Joy cried out, running back to the scene, "I believe a breaker went out due to the storm, is all! Now, if any of you have Electric-Type Pokemon, it would be very appreciated if you would help restore power for the time being."
"We'll help," Ash pitched in, "Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika, Chuu!" Ash's partner replied in agreement.
"Sure, we'll help," Another trainer said as he released an Electabuzz.
"Us too!" A young girl offered, releasing an Electrode.
Soon enough, more and more trainers began releasing various Electric-Types to aid the nurse, ranging from the common Voltorb to off-region rarities like Luxray.
Nurse Joy smiled gratefully, "Thank you for your patronage. Please follow me to the back."
Nurse Joy waved her hand, motioning the others to follow. She led them to a door to the left of the front desk, opening it to reveal a dark hallway.
"Voltorb, use Flash!" A trainer offered.
The Pokeball-like Pokemon began buzzing and shaking, emitting a faint glow that still illuminated the hallway nonetheless. Nurse Joy nodded gratefully and resumed leading the train of trainers and Pokemon to what Ash assumed to be the generator room at the end of the hall.
"You coming?" Ash asked Serena, who shook her head.
"Nah, I don't have any Pokemon that could help anyways. I'd end up in the way if I came along."
Ash shrugged, "Suit yourself. C'mon, Pikachu."
"Now," Nurse Joy said, "If we can charge this generator enough, it should last for the rest of the night. I'll clap my hands when we've reached the amount needed. Begin when you're ready."
With that, the group of trainers backed off and let their Pokemon handle this situation. The Electric-Types all began loosing a great number of electric bolts at the generator to charge its battery. The room was bathed in a bright yellow light as dozens of Electric-Types shot electricity into the generator.
"Almost…" Nurse Joy warned after minutes of tiring work.
Suddenly, Nurse Joy clapped her hands together, signaling the Pokemon to cease fire. With the Pokemon no longer firing, the room returned to pitch black once more. Though, the darkness didn't last long as the nurse fumbled with a large switch, returning the Pokemon Center to light once more. Cheers could be heard erupting from the front room of the Center at the light's return.
"Nice job, Pikachu!" Ash congratulated, picking up his tired partner and setting him upon his right shoulder, "Now, let's head back to Serena, eh?"
When the two friends went back to see their third member, she was completely passed out on one of the benches protruding from the bottom of the walls.
Ash sighed with a tired smile, "Why am I not surprised, buddy?"
"Pi, Ka…"
A powerful yawn overcame Ash, forcing Pikachu to do the same.
"Pheeew…" Ash exclaimed, "I think that's our bodies' way of saying we should do the same, huh buddy?"
"Pi…" Ash's partner agreed tiredly.
Placing Pikachu atop Serena's legs and finding a nearby chair, Ash allowed his fatigue from the day's work finally overtake him.
Saffron City, near Silph Co.
A dark figure slipped behind an old alleyway, for even in a dark, stormy night like this one, vigilance was always of the utmost importance for Secret Agent 100KR, or "Looker" as he was now known as by the few who knew him. Right now, Looker's newest case was on the threat of the Ultra Beasts. He frowned as he recalled the last time he was assigned this mission. He remembered the screams of his partner as she was devoured alive by UB "Glutton". Nevertheless, his personal business must be pushed aside for the sake of the public's safety. Looker darted to a nearby metal door towards the back of the alley, pulling out his state-of-the-art Magnemite Pen, using its magnetic pull to lockpick the door open and rushed inside.
Looker slipped inside, scanning the dark room quickly before rushing up the stairs after determining there was no one else in the room. As he made his way through various rooms, deciding on which one would be best for his mission, he noticed posters here and there with a pink-haired girl and the name "MARY" on it. Looker shook his head and resolved to focus on his mission. No distractions could be afforded in his line of work. Though, this poster was located directly near a very important-looking booth. It had various buttons and levers decorating the thing,so the Secret Agent assumed this thing clearly must be important. Upon further inspection and fiddling around, he figured this thing must be used for broadcasting. Maybe it could be used to take in radio signals as well.
Looker pulled a small laptop from inside his brown jacket. As he fumbled around with adapter wires and such to connect his computer to this place's mainframe, he noticed that the wires were completely different than the ones needed to connect to the board. With an internal groan, Looker tucked away the wires and began scanning the nearby rooms and closets to find something that might be of use. Finally, he reached what he assumed to be the CEO's main office. Turning the doorknob slowly, he inched his way inside and scanned the room for anything that could be of any use to him. As he inspected the CEO's desk, he came upon a small, locked drawer. Once again calling upon his trusty Magnemite Pen, the drawer swiftly opened and a various assortment of colored wires fell onto the floor by Looker's feet. Though, the moment could not be celebrated as a voice rang out from the agent's hidden walkie-talkie, nearly making him jump in surprise.
"Bel to KR," The voice rasped, "I repeat: Bel to KR, do you copy?"
"This is KR to Bel, copy."
"You need to leave immediately," The voice rasped once more, "Multiple individuals have found out your location and are closing in as we speak."
"How long do I have?"
"Ten Minutes,"
"More than enough time, over."
"Looker, no!" The crackling voice cried, "You don't have enough time! We can try again la-"
"Anabel," Looker interrupted, "You know full well this place will become far more guarded after today since they know I'm here. We won't get a second chance, and you arguing with me is only furthering my decreasing chances of completing this mission and making it out. Over."
Before the voice, now known as Anabel, cold intervene further, Looker clicked a button to silence the walkie-talkie. With a heavy sigh, the agent picked up the mess of wires and began running back to the booth as quickly and quietly as possible. Once he arrived, he stopped in his tracks to stare out of a nearby window. He narrowed his eyes and sprinted to his destination as he saw a bright light moving quickly towards the building from a nearby street.
Upon arrival, Looker furiously began fumbling to attach the wires from his laptop to the breaker before he ran out of time. He silently cheered as he managed to connect to the mainframe, but quickly shook himself of that notion as he reminded himself that he was on the verge of discovery. As he opened his small laptop, his fingers began bolting from key to key in a desperate attempt to enter the facilities' radio signaling. It took all of his willpower not to cheer out. Suddenly, he heard quite possibly one of the most chilling sounds of his life, and that was saying something. Looker's eyes widened with dread as he heard the screeching of tires right by the building. In terror, he furiously typed on the keyboard until finally. Finally. He got the radio signal he was looking for.
"Necrozma." A voice could be heard but not seen from the laptop screen. All that could be seen from the nearly pitch-black room was the faint red glow of a smoking cigar.
"N-" The voice from a creature that's appearance shook Looker to the core said. There's no mistaking that, this thing was an Ultra Beast.
"Ah-ah-ah." The invisible voice chided, "My name is not something to be said lightly, for you never know who might be listening."
Looker's breath caught in his throat. It's like this man knew he was listening to him.
"Diligence is of the utmost importance."
"Diligence?" The dark Ultra-Beast asked, almost in a mocking way, "I was under the impression you were the most powerful being on your planet. Why does someone of your power need diligence?"
Speaking of diligence, Looker's mind faded as he was completely engrossed by the conversation between these two...things.
"Oh believe me," The Man countered, "I am. Just in a different way than yours, partner."
The dark Ultra-Beast chuckled in a manner that sent chills up Looker's spine, "I am looking forward to seeing this power."
"As am I, partner. As am-"
Looker's laptop was suddenly slammed shut, making the Secret Agent jump out of his seat. Looker looked up to see a hulking figure of a man, clad in an odd, grey suit with some weird symbol on the right shoulder blade. Though, Looker had no time to dwell on it as a flashlight was shined in his face, making him turn away to keep his eyesight intact.
"You're messing with things you shouldn't be, boy."
As the man attempted to corner and grab the secret agent, the ever-crafty looker managed to worm his way around the giant man's arm and ripped out a wire from a nearby frame, shoving it into the man's large chest and sending him into a frenzy of spastic, flurried movements, making the entire building light up like a Christmas tree. Once Looker finally pulled the wire away, the man's unconscious, or worse, body collapsed onto the floor in a fit of twitching, releasing his flashlight onto the ground beneath the Secret Agent's feet. Quickly taking the opportunity, Looker quickly reached for his laptop and tucked it into his jacket. But before he made his great escape, Looker decided to remedy an "itch", so to speak. Picking up the fallen giant's flashlight, Looker inspected the man's right shoulder to find a symbol made in velcro that consisted of what Looker assumed to be either the night sky or the depths of space, and a blue explosion with a diagonal ring matching its color surrounding it.
"What, is Team Galactic back or something?" Looker huffed.
In any case, Looker had what he needed and what he didn't need was reinforcements after him. Turning off the flashlight and setting it quietly onto the ground, he began sprinting for the stairs. The flashlight would only serve to give away his presence.
"Weeeeave," A high pitched, scratchy voice murmured threateningly.
Well, so much for not giving away his position.
Quickly darting to the side, Looker barely managed to dodge an Ice Beam that froze the ground where he was standing, making a trail of ice that stretched out up the wall. He turned back only to narrowly duck under a Metal Claw coming directly for his neck, taking his opportunity to continue running. As he sprinted to the stairs, he could hear the light pitter-patter of Weavile hopping from place to place in pursuit. Thinking quickly, the Secret Agent quickly pulled out a bunch of small shock traps from his jacket pockets and threw them onto the ground behind him. He didn't turn back as he heard the agonized screams of his pursuer.
As Looker made his way down to the bottom floor, he could manage a light glimpse of the door he came from. Looker's heart pounded intensely, threatening to burst open at any moment from the sheer intensity of Looker's escape. He could practically feel the doorknob within his hand when he was blown away onto his back by a wall exploding outward. Quickly scrambling onto his feet, Looker barely jumped out of the way of a blue arm coated in muscles.
"CHAAAAAAAAAMP!"
Looker let out a defiant glare as a blue, beak-mouthed, muscle-clad, four-armed brute punched its four fists together threateningly. The Machamp took a swing at the agent, but Looker had trained for this. Looker managed to jump horizontally in such a way that one of the arms barely passed by below him, as well as the other arm above him, catching nothing but air as Looker sprinted with the last of what he had towards the exit. Looker burst through the metal door only to bump into something large and stone-like. Rubbing his head and looking up, he could see a black figure peering down at him amidst the rain with eyes glowing bright orange. Looker shielded his eyes as the headlights of the SUV from earlier turned on. He peered with squinting eyes to see the SUV blocking the alleyway. Scrambling onto his hands and knees, the agent desperately tried to run back into the building only to peer up at Machamp glaring down at him. He could see the Weavile from earlier looking ready to kill him from between Machamp's legs. Looker cried out as the scruff of his jacket was pulled up by the third Pokemon that he had bumped into. Hanging from his jacket, Looker could see that this Pokemon holding him was none other than one of the ferocious Tyranitar who was smiling cruelly at his prey. With nowhere to go and out of escape options, all Looker could do was hang his body limply in defeat. The last thing he saw was a green fist heading towards his face before he blacked out.
Author's Note
Creator- How did those ten-motherducking-thousand words treat you, eh? This one was super difficult to write around the middle, like when Serena was panicking and moping over Pancham briefly. Took forever to get past that tiny little part, but I did it. All for your guys's sake.
Hydra- This chapter turned out way better than I had originally expected I hope you guys loved it. You can expect long chapters from now on because we had a lot more stuff that we wanted to add, but couldn't because the chapter would probably be around 15k words and that's waaaayyyy too long.
Creator- With that, time for Reviews!
Amourshippingfan
"Good battle I liked seeing serana battle samurai of all people and almost win if he had not had that butt fired and I loved the look on Delia's face when ash caked her and how she found out Ash and Serena are dating and how she freaked out and I like how their both changing the kanto league together"
Creator- Ah, our most loyal Reviewer. Yeah, Serena's gonna have an incredibly prominent role, if you couldn't tell lol.
Hydra- Yeah Samurai's Butterfree was very shady, if it wasn't for them tricking Ash and Serena his Butterfree would have been demolished.
TeamPiperM
"I guess you're right about Malva. Also, props for making this chapter hilarious with Samurai's Buterfree and Mew's response to Giratina's outburst."
Creator- I guess you could say Samurai's Butterfree is the King of them all. Props if you get that reference.
Hydra- I'm glad you liked how Mew reacted to being called a spoiled brat because it shows that she won't take crap from anyone and that she might be all cute and cuddly on the outside but dark and unforgiving on the inside.
Piss Cake
"Wow, what an amazing story! Super hyped for Necrozma to show up!"
Creator- Does this please you, milord? Also, your name reminds me of the SNOIPAH from TF2. Was that intentional.
Hydra- Oh do not worry, you will love Necrozma in the future. We have huge! Plans.
Fag Lord
"Holy crap this is awesome! My heart was beating so hard at Talonflame VS Spearow Flock!"
Creator- Yeah, that fight used to be my proudest one, but after Necrozma shows up again, that title will be given to him.
Hydra- That fight is nothing compared to what we have coming later so if that caused your heart to beat "so hard" than prepare to have a heart attack for what we have in store.
Lord Metallix
"Are you planning on having Necrozma kill Rayquaza?"
Creator- Well it isn't Rayquaza, but there's this lol...and it aint finished just yet...
Hydra- Let's just say there's gonna be some collateral damage. ;)
Creator- We both look forward to any and all Reviews you guys give us, so keep 'em coming. Any and all are welcomed and will always be welcomed.
Hydra- I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, please continue to follow and fav and we'll be sure to answer any review you guys leave support or criticism. We'll see you in the next chapter and don't worry it won't take long.