Chapter 13
Unstoppable Force
Dragonite took another step forward, pushing its way through the tree line to enter the campsite. Three taloned claws tore through stone and its massive bulk snapped branches as it passed. Its ancient grey eyes lazily glanced at the trainers and Pokémon gathered nearby, before utterly dismissing them as a threat and focusing instead on its crying offspring.
Fully out of the tree line, the bronze dragon lumbered forward on four scaled legs. Great wings tucked against its body, folded teal wing membrane stood out in sharp contrast to its orange scales and cream underbelly.
Stopping in front of the Dratini, Dragonite lowered its head to nuzzle its tiny offspring, offering comfort to the distressed little dragon. Dratini's crying had stopped at the sight of its parent and now it cooed happily, pleased to be reunited.
After a few moments of nuzzling to calm its offspring, Dragonite slowly lifted a foreleg and gently pushed the Dratini back towards the trees. Away from the troublesome humans, casting a dirty glare at the trainers as they went.
Far off to the side, not daring to make a move, trainers and Pokémon watched with bated breath, silently praying for the elder dragon to leave the campsite peacefully, and never return. Deeper in the camp, workers quickly and quietly gathered tools and belongings to join the stream of fleeing humans as they exited the campsite on the opposite side.
Whether the Dragonite left with or without a fight was irrelevant, Dig Site Gamma would be abandoned with such a dangerous threat lurking nearby.
Realizing its parent was herding it away from the campsite, Dratini's protests redoubled, and it wailed, trying to fight against the Dragonite's unrelenting grip. Desperate to keep searching for its precious orb.
Surprised by the small blue dragon's outburst, Dragonite easily lifted Dratini up to its face and listened curiously as the Dratini let forth a stream of cries, trills, and high-pitched whines. As Dratini finished its story, the Dragonite's eyes flashed to the discarded backpack lying at its feet, to the trainers standing further away, and then back to Dratini.
Placing its child down, Dragonite lumbered over to the discarded green backpack and breathed in deeply through its nostrils. Inhaling strongly enough to briefly lift the pack off the ground.
With a start, the Dragonite's eyes widen, and its lazy grey eyes hardened to steel. Leveling a murderous glare at the humans, a puff of fire escaped its fanged snout. Atop its head, the two antennae that had been lying flat now rose into the air, sparking dangerously as the dragon's rage grew, realizing the theft.
"Shit," Anders muttered.
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"You're getting slow, old man." Brock teased as he slowly stalked around the perimeter of a black ring, one of many marking the grey stone of the Pewter gym floor. It was mid-morning and the sun had yet to fully light the pit and a long shadow trailed from the eastern rim, cutting the floor in two. Both trainers' Pokémon had just finished their own morning exercises and had been given a brief rest as the humans sparred.
"Not slow. Just waiting for you to rush and make a mistake." Jet replied easily, matching Brock step for step, deftly twirling a hard wooden staff in his outstretched arms. Across the circle, Brock held his own staff in line with his forearm, the majority of the staff behind him but ready to whip around in an instant. "Brute force is rarely the answer. Finding a vulnerability, a chink in your opponent's armor, is usually the best way to end a fight quickly.
Seeing a hitch in Jet's stride as he stepped over a small rock, Brock rushed forward, eager to catch his opponent off balance and end this match quickly. However, he had barely taken two steps before he realize he had been goaded into charging, as Jet easily dropped into an even stance the second Brock had moved.
Unable and unwilling to stop his charge now, Brock barred down on his prepared opponent.
His staff whistled as it cut through the air, Jet's own staff met it with a sharp crack, the force knocking both staff heads away. Reversing the momentum of their staves in perfect synchronization, both trainers rushed forward to meet again.
A cascade of cracks filled the air as wood struck wood, over and over, dozens of times, in an unending barrage. With practiced ease, each strike seemed to increase the speed of the attacks, as the momentum of each block was transferred to a strike with the opposite end of the staff.
Using his youth and agility, Brock danced and spun around his grey-haired mentor, striking at any weakness in his defense and ducking and weaving around attacks as often as blocking them. Jet, to his credit, had barely moved under the multidirectional onslaught, instead weaving tight defensive patterns around himself with his staff, repelling Brock's more aggressive assault and tentatively striking whenever Brock overreached.
To any trainer looking on from a distance, it would be impossible to see the lightning-fast strikes, as the staves had dissolved into nothing more than thin brown blurs, racing around their wielders.
As the seconds turned to minutes, sweat drenched Brock's brow as he kept up his acrobatic assault and he realized he was beginning to tire. His plan to overwhelm Jet was failing and he was soon blocking more strikes than he was giving. Jet, too, felt the tide of the battle begin to change and began taking slow, measured steps toward the gym leader, his whirling staff forcing Brock to retreat.
Shouts from trainers around them briefly broke their concentration and glancing to the side they saw a red and brown feathered form fall to the stone in front of them.
Briefly worried the bird had died, Brock was reassured by the bird's chest rapidly rising and falling as it gasped for air. He had never seen a Pidgeotto so tired before and was about to call out to whichever trainer had pushed it so hard, a lecture on pacing and overtraining already forming in his mind when he noticed the note clenched in its grasp.
Prying a scrap of paper from the bird's talons, Brock quickly read the hastily scrawled words before crushing the paper in his fist.
"Someone send you express mail?" Jet asked, chuckling at his own joke.
"Dig Site Gamma is requesting reinforcements," Brock replied shortly, already marching over to the Steelix's gong. Scooping up the felt-tipped mallet, Brock traded staff for mallet and without hesitation struck the metal. Summoning his ace. "How do you feel about hunting dragons?"
"It's been years since I fought one of those beasts." Jet admitted, stretching, and cracking his knuckles. "But I imagine my team and I have a few good fights left in us."
"Good, we'll need all the help we can get," Brock replied. From the tunnel, the familiar rumble of the approaching steel-type filled the air.
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Seething with fury, the dragon stalked toward the gathered trainers and Pokémon. A thick orange tail whipped and snapped behind its large body.
"Everyone, stay close. This is gonna be nasty." Anders commanded.
Not needing any encouragement, Jimmy, Ed, and Rob all huddled behind the head trainer. Their own Pokémon, cautiously watched the house-sized dragon approach, knowing their current power level was nowhere near the Dragonite's.
Seeing the dragon approach, Rhydon roared a challenge and stepped forward. Its drill-bit horn sprang to life with a high-pitched whine. Despite being a massive Pokémon in its own right, Rhydon was easily dwarfed by the Dragonite.
Undaunted, Rhydon broke into a run, charging forward to meet the oncoming dragon. Each step from the heavy rock-type shook the ground as it closed the distance between the two.
Standing up onto its hind legs, Dragonite inhaled deeply, the fresh air whipping the furnace inside its gut into an inferno. Stretching its maw wide open, Dragonite unleashed a torrent of lavender flames at Rhydon.
Without flinching, Rhydon rushed through the fire, its tough stony hide easily repelling the dragon's breath and protecting it from the intense heat. Rhydon was momentarily completely obscured by the wall of purple flames before it leaped through, fist cocked back as it flew through the air.
With a grunt, the dinosaur Pokémon threw a vicious right cross that connected solidly with Dragonite's skull. The flames were cut off midstream as the dragon's head jerked back from the force and it stumbled back several steps.
Deceptively nimble for its size, Rhydon landed lightly on the stone before the dazed dragon.
Unleashing an onslaught of punches and horn attacks, Rhydon was able to keep the larger Pokémon off balance. Although each hit struck like a wrecking ball and the thud of flesh impacting flesh filled the air, Dragonite's tough bronze scales held up to the assault.
Responding to the attacks with one of its own, Dragonite swept a clawed arm wide, raking talons across Rhydon's chest and causing the Rock-type to stumble backward. Glancing down quickly at its chest to see the strike hadn't drawn blood, Rhydon leaped back at the dragon with renewed vigor.
Grasping a fist-sized boulder from the ground as it charged, Rhydon released a point-blank rock throw to temporarily daze the dragon-type.
Not letting the larger opponent regain its balance, Rhydon lunged forward again, this time dropping into a head-down tackle, leading with its savage, spinning horn.
The drill run scored a devasting hit that tore open the Dragonite's soft underbelly and left a long gash, just below its sternum. Momentum carrying it forward, Rhydon was able to knock the Dragonite flat on its back. Despite their size difference, Rhyon's tough, dense body outweighed the larger dragon, whose lightweight body was designed for flight.
Landing on top of the dragon, Rhydon cocked its fist back to continue pummeling the dragon when a massive, taloned claw shot forward and wrapped around Rhydon's chest and throat. With a heave, the Dragonite through the rock-type off, and Rhydon landed heavily on its side.
Scrambling to its feet, Rhydon wasn't fast enough to avoid the orange tail, wreathed in water, which whipped around at staggering speed to slam into its side. Rhydon was thrown through the air before bouncing and rolling to a stop on the stone further away. A low groan escaped the battered drill Pokémon and it struggled to rise to its feet.
Dragonite shook its great body as it once again rose to its full height. Looking down, it gently pressed a clawed hand against the diagonal, seeping wound where the drill had torn through the soft scales. Taking it away, the orange dragon scowled at the dark red blood that stained its talons before leveling a murderous glare at the rock-type.
Suddenly, a barrage of seed bombs exploded against the dragon's side, causing it to stumble. A prismatic psy beam arced through the air and slammed into the dragon as well, knocking it back further. Growling in annoyance from the surprise attacks, Dragonite scowled at the Venusaur and Mr. Mime who had entered the fight as well.
Growling in thanks to its teammates, Rhydon lifted itself from the ground and fearlessly charged back at the dragon-type. This time with the support of his team.
Working in perfect harmony, Anders' team swarmed the larger dragon. Rhydon, acting as the brawler, stayed in close, trading blow for blow as the two Pokémon struck each other with devasting attacks. Beams of psychic energy, blades of wind, and explosive seeds pummeled the distracted dragon, who was unable to retaliate before a stone-covered fist struck it on the cheek. A steady barrage of confuse rays from the airborne Golbat prevented Dragonite from creating an effective counter-strategy.
The three younger trainers watched in awe as their head trainer's team pushed the dragon further and further away from the camp.
Anders, however, watched on with tight apprehension. While his team was overwhelming Dragonite with speed and numbers, the attacks were barely damaging the armored scales of the bronze dragon. Already, Anders could see his team beginning to tire. Rhydon was slowing down and his strikes weren't hitting quite as hard. Mr. Mime and Venusaur as well were taking longer between attacks to catch their breath.
In a brief moment of clarity, without the incessant nag of confusion scrambling its thoughts, Dragonite reacted. Whippings its tail around at high speed, Dragonite hit Rhydon with the force of a tsunami, the aqua tail sending the rock-type flying.
Next Dragonite unleashed a dome-shaped shockwave of electricity that raced out in all directions, lightly damaging the other three Pokémon and stunning them briefly.
Turning its attention to the Rhydon, who was struggling to raise from the latest attack. Dragonite opened its maw once again, and an orange ball of light began coalescing between its fangs and quickly grew larger by the second. Even from a distance, the trainers could feel the heat from the attack wash over them and a dull hum filled the air.
"Shit! Lightscreen! Give it all you've got!" Anders yelled to his psychic Pokémon, who frantically began waving his pale hands in Rhydon's direction.
Rhydon, who had finally gotten back to its feet, turned to face its opponent just as the dragon unleashed the hyper beam. The trainers had to turn away and shield their faces as the brilliant orange light threatened to blind them and any exposed skin began to burn from the heat.
Unseen under the orange glare, a purple barrier blinked into existence before the Rock-type, a split second before the beam hit the forcefield with a thunderous boom. With a grunt of exertion from the sudden impact, Mr. Mime continued waving his glowing hands, holding the devastating beam of energy at bay.
Seconds ticked by and the unrelenting beam tore into the psychic barrier. The light screen began to ripple wildly, and cracks began to spiderweb across its surface.
Mr. Mime redouble his efforts, his nimble white fingers nothing more than blurs as he attempted to reinforce the damaged barrier and protect his teammate. Sweat beaded the humanoid's face and he took short, sharp breaths. Slowly the cracks began to mend as the psychic-type poured more and more of its energy into the defensive move.
Dragonite leaned into the attack, redoubling its assault. The orange beam grew larger still and cracks once again began to form over the surface.
This high-powered tug of war dragged on for several more seconds. However, the assault was unsustainable and despite the Dragonite's vast stamina, the beam dimmed and started to flicker.
Just before the beam could dissolve completely, however, Mr. Mime collapsed to the ground, the psychic strain proving too great. A line of blood trickled from the ear of the unconscious Pokémon.
With the sound of shattering glass, the dimming beam finally crashed through the barrier and stuck the cowering rock-type, who had only enough time to raise its arms to protect its face before the energy attack engulfed it.
Less than a second later, the hyper beam finally dissolved into nothing.
The stone ground had been superheated to red hot where the barrier had held the powerful attack at bay, and black scorch marks covered the surrounding stone. Any grass or weeds that had pushed their way through the cracks in the stone had been incinerated to nothing.
Lying in a heap, Rhydon took shuddering breaths but otherwise remained still. Bloody, blistered skin covered its chest and forearms, the rocky hide unable to protect the Pokémon from the overwhelming power of the hyper beam.
"Golbat! Venusaur! Get in there!" Anders cried to his two remaining Pokémon. The veteran trainer quickly recalled his unconscious and injured Pokémon before any more harm could come to them.
Golbat shot into the air above the battlefield and spread its purple wings wide. With a grunt, Golbat snapped its wings together and flung out a dozen crescent-shaped blades of white energy toward the exhausted dragon.
Unable to dodge due to the drain from the previous attack, Dragonite could only turn its head away as the volley of air slashes stuck its tough orange scales and drew thin lines of blood across its flank.
From the ground, Venusaur shook the flowering tree growing from its back and threw a spray of pink petals into the air. Shaking its flower again, all the airborne petals briefly froze in place in the air around the grass-type as the attack took hold. As one, the petals were whipped into a savage blizzard, the razor-edged pink petals scoring the stone ground with tiny crisscrossing scratches.
Directing the attack from within the maelstrom, Venusaur unleashed the frenzied petals at the Dragonite.
Despite being battered by the previous attack, Dragonite had finally regained enough of its strength to counterattack and with a quick inhale, unleashed a column of bright red flames at the incoming grass attack.
Under the intense heat, the petals quickly wilted and were burnt to nothing before they could harm the dragon.
Dragonite spread its teal wings wide for the first time in battle, its wingspan casting long shadows behind it. Snapping the great wings together, Dragonite unleashed hurricane gusts of wind that buffeted the airborne bat and forced the Grass-type to hunker down and grip onto the ground, lest it be blown back.
Golbat fought to stay airborne against the fierce wind that battered it back and forth. As the gusts died down, the bat readied itself to unleash another attack against the dragon when a bolt of lightning leaped from the antennae of the furious dragon and stuck the bat directly in the chest.
Golbat spasmed in midair, unable to move its muscles as its central nervous system was overloaded by the brutal attack. Hovering on the edge of consciousness, Golbat couldn't coordinate its wings and fell from the sky.
As the defeated bat fell from the sky, a beam of red energy lanced through the air to safely suck the Pokémon back into the Pokéball in Anders' outstretched hand.
Cursing, Anders looked to his last Pokémon. Who, while undamaged, lacked the speed to avoid any attacks from Dragonite and was fighting with a disadvantaged type matchup. Glancing around at the other released Pokémon, Anders' mind furiously tried to come up with a strategy to defeat or drive off this monster.
"Ed, Jimmy. You're going to have to join this fight with Electrode and Raichu. They should be fast enough to dodge Dragonite's attacks." Anders said over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off the dragon. "I don't need to remind you what happens if they don't."
Not needing encouragement, the two electric types strode forward. Fierce determination flashed in their eyes as they stood tall. Ready to protect their trainers, whatever the cost.
"Raichu, Agility." "Electrode, Charge." Cried their trainers at the same time.
Raichu's body pulsed with electricity and its fur crackled as the orange rodent used its innate control of electricity to supercharge its reflexes and movement speed. Likewise, Electrode rose higher into the air and began charging up vast stores of electricity within it, sparks flew from its spherical body as its power reached critical levels.
Behind the other trainers, Rob cursed at his own uselessness. Unable to help against such a threat with his current team.
Unaware of the new challengers about to enter the fight, Dragonite had turned its gaze back to Venusaur, who was panting slightly from his failed attack. Red flames licked out from behind Dragonite's fangs as it prepared another flamethrower to finish off Ander's bothersome team.
Before it could unleash the flames building in its chest, however, two cries from the humans far to the side drew its attention.
"Thunderbolt!" "Volt Tackle!"
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In the mountains, far beyond the grassland of Pewter, a steel titan raced through winding valleys, aiming directly for Dig Site Gamma. Like a freight train, Steelix neither slowed nor changed course as boulders and tree trunks shattered against its metallic hide. A thick trench of crushed stone and tilled soil was left in Steelix's wake, leading all the way back to the Pewter Gym.
Deep within his metal chest, his heart thundered. Not with fear, but with exhilaration. The ace of the Pewter gym, the final test to worthy challengers, yearned for battle. Above all else, Steelix was a warrior and there was no greater thrill than to fight for his life in a no-holds-barred battle.
When Steelix had first evolved he had been elated by his newfound power; his strength had been unparalleled, his armor unmatched, and his size unequaled. But as opponents fell to him by the dozen, that unstoppable power had created an apathy for battle.
With no one to challenge Steelix, he had grown bored and despondent. His lust for battle had led to his evolution, but his evolution had smothered his lust for battle.
But for the first time in years that flame of excitement had once again been ignited in his chest. The apprehension of not knowing if the next battle would be his last had flooded his veins with adrenaline and though he may be racing to his death, he had never felt more alive.
Perched atop his steel skull, Brock held tightly to one of Steelix's head ridges and gently rubbed the warm metal, knowing Steelix wouldn't feel the light touch. He was torn between happiness and apprehension. He hadn't seen Steelix this excited for a battle in a long time and hoped his friend would get to fight the Dragonite to his heart's content. But a Dragonite was no easy foe and there was no guarantee Steelix could best one.
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The lightning bolt struck first, slamming into the Dragonite's shoulder scales. However, the tough scales resisted the electric attack, and tendrils of electricity were redirected across the dragon hide, barely singeing the flesh beneath.
Half a breath later, Raichu struck. Wreathed in a glowing yellow aura, the rodent hit like a cannonball. Bashing the dragon's cheekbone, Dragonite's skull was snapped back as the volt tackles momentum carried Raichu through the attack and past the dragon.
Landing lightly, Raichu turned and launched itself back at the dragon. Zigzagging through Dragonite's deadly talons, Raichu tackled the dragon again. A dozen times in as many seconds, the volt tackle's powerful aura maintained throughout.
Dragonite growled in annoyance as another bolt struck its flank, scattered across its scales but leaving a light sting. Before it could respond to Electrode's attack, Raichu bashed Dragonite's unguarded cheek, knocking the dragon back again.
Using teamwork and their blinding speed, the two electric-types dashed across the stone battleground. Never slowing and never stopping.
To stop meant death.
As Dragonite's failed to hit its agile opponents, its rage grew. Lashing out more savagely, talons whistled through the air and its thick tail whipped about, chasing the electric-types. Prismatic beams slammed into the battlefield as Dragonite unleashed a barrage of elemental attacks. Clusters of ice crystals, scorched stone, and flaming foliage and tents soon dotted the landscape.
Just as Dragonite's frustration grew to stratospheric levels, a volley of seeds slammed into his side, exploding on contact and knocking the dragon to the ground.
Leaping back to its feet, the dragon whipped around, furious grey eyes spotting the Venusaur already taking aim with another seed bomb. Opening its mouth wide, Dragonite instantly charged an ice beam, the perfect sphere of light blue energy barely formed before it was unleashed in a single, pinpoint accurate beam.
Striking the Grass-type, Venusaur bellowed in pain as shards of ice burst through its skin and its body was quickly encased in ice, frozen solid.
The dragon ignored the human's distressed cries as one of them ran over to the ice block, Pokéball in hand. Dragonite cocked back a fist and slammed it into the ground. Violent shockwaves rippled out from Dragonite, creating a localized earthquake. Shards of stone burst upwards from the pressure and simultaneously tripped up both Raichu and Electrode as they continued their highspeed circuits around the dragon.
Rolling along the ground, Raichu was Dragonite's next victim as the dragon's tail slapped the orange rodent into the air and far, far across the dig site. After nearly ten seconds of airtime, the electric-type hit the unforgiving stone with a thud and lay still.
Making the deadly mistake of watching Raichu's flight instead of watching the dragon. Electrode was unprepared as a claw crashed down onto the ball Pokémon.
Dazed, Electrode couldn't even struggle as the dragon squeezed tightly and lifted the Pokémon up to its fanged maw, flames of purple dragonfire already flickering in its throat.
"Electrode!" Ed cried, rushing forward, and grasping for his Pokéball, desperate to recall his loyal starter Pokémon before it could be engulfed by the point-blank dragonbreath. Fumbling with the ball, Ed's heart dropped as he felt the Pokéball slip through his shaking fingers and bounce across the stone.
Time slowed as Ed watched with dread as the purple flames built behind Dragonite's fangs.
Held tightly in the vice grip of Dragonite's claws, Electrode was barely able to turn to look out to its trainer, who had cared for it since it was a young Voltorb. Locking black eyes with anguished brown ones, the Electric-type flashed a final smirk at its trainer, master, and friend before glowing white and detonating.
The explosion rocked the valley, temporarily blinding and deafening all present as a shockwave of sound and ball of fire engulfed the dragon.
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Closing in on the dig site, Brock clenched his teeth with trepidation A column of black smoke could be seen stretching high into the sky around the next mountain. Judging by the echoing roars and explosions he had heard so far; a fierce battle was raging just around the corner.
Encouraging Steelix to even greater speeds, Brock prayed he would arrive in time.
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Slowly, the gathered trainers regained their vision. Blurry shapes began appearing through the blinding white and although the high-pitched ringing in their ears drowned out all other sounds, they stumbled to their feet.
Anders was the first to recover, having been further away from the explosion when he raced to free Venusaur from its icy prison. Roughly pulling the other trainers to their feet, he anxiously glanced at the smoking dragon, who like them was slowly regaining its footing.
With no more Pokémon available to defend against the dragon, their best hope was to retreat into the forest and lose the dragon in the undergrowth.
"-to go now!" Anders yelled at the trainers.
Ed blinked owlishly at the large man, only hearing the last half of the sentence and too shell-shocked to understand its meaning. One look at the orange dragon, however, brought everything back into sharp focus.
"I have to find Electrode; he could still be alive!" Ed cried over the ringing in his ears, moving to run towards the dragon but Rob caught an arm, stopping the distraught trainer.
"Going back there is suicide, don't let Electrode's sacrifice be in vain!" Rob hissed, clutching his side. A dark red stain had blossomed over his ribs and blood seeped from between his fingers. Ekans looked at their trainer worriedly, but he shooed them away. "Anders is right, we need to move before Dragonite recovers."
A roar signified their opportunity to leave had passed and as one the four trainers turned to the dragon. Standing on its hind legs, Dragonite held its right claw protectively against its side, however, even from a distance, the trainers could see one of its three talons was missing, leaving only a cauterized, bloody stump. The right side of its face was also charred, and seared scales flaked off with each movement, leaving raw bloody skin exposed. Its right eye was bloodshot, the white sclera a dark crimson around a grey iris.
Trembling with pain and anger, the Dragonite closed its eyes and breathed deeply.
A white glow filled the air, starting at the dragon's antennae and spreading across its entire body. Wherever the light touched, wounds began to heal. Blood disintegrated and skin knitted back together. Even the bloody red eye drained to a clear white and, although no new talon grew back, the stump healed over with a fresh layer of orange scales.
Looking on with dread, the trainers watched as every wound they had managed to inflict on the dragon was wiped away. Leaving the dragon exhausted, but undamaged.
As Dragonite finished its roost, it opened clear grey eyes and focused on the trainers. The bane of its existence for over an hour now and the next victims of its wrath.
