Chapter 16
Pursuit
Patrick squinted his eyes slightly as the mid-morning sun finally peaked over the summit of the mountain before them, illuminating the wet pine forest they had been trekking through.
The landscape and climate had experienced a gradual change over the past few days as they approached the eastern border of the mountain range, the rain had become their near-constant companion. The random spread of sparse forest had grown into a thick carpet of pine, ferns, and moss as the plants drank up the excess moisture. Now the mountain valleys were emerald seas of foliage with small islands of grassland and bare stone peaks of the mountains towering above.
Prevailing winds from eastern Kanto blew a steady stream of warm air over the great cerulean lakes and wetlands. Here it was able to absorb moisture before the warm wet air was forced to rise rapidly up and over the ridge of mountains. This rapid cooling and altitude change had produced a temperate rainforest on the eastern side of the mountains and a dry rain shadow on the western side, where Pewter lay.
Patrick thought the drastic climate change was quite appropriate for the hometowns of the Cascade Badge and Boulder Badge, respectively.
The trail they followed easily wound through the more open areas in the forest, occasionally cutting directly through a dense cluster of trees, where the branches flanking the path wove together to form a leafy tunnel for them to walk through.
They were currently walking through one such tunnel, and all Pokémon were out of their Pokéballs, on guard. With trees pressing on all sides, Tasha had warned them that areas like these were the most dangerous of the trek. Predator Pokémon used the dense cover to lie in wait, hoping to catch travelers unawares.
Although the sun had finally made an appearance, the dense pine needles blocked most of the heat from the sun's rays, much to Patrick's displeasure, as last night had been the coldest and wettest yet. He and Tasha had to huddle around their small campfire to keep the cold and damp at bay. Their mysterious travel companions had had the same idea and last night, like the many nights prior, Patrick had seen the same cluster of campfires on the opposite side of the valley, shadowing their movements. Only this time they were quite a bit closer.
Tasha had made it her nighttime routine to criticize the far-off camp, which seemed determined to light multiple campfires each night. The danger of attracting wild Pokémon, needing more firewood, and creating a greater risk of accidentally starting a forest fire was just not worth it in the trainer's eyes.
Rounding a bend in the trail ahead of them, Patrick saw Nidorino stop in his tracks and cock his head, focusing on something. Fearing that the poison-type had stumbled across a lone Pokémon and was getting ready to attack, Patrick jogged over to Nidorino. Leaving Tasha and her team behind.
Coming in line with his Pokémon, Patrick sighed with relief, understanding what had made Nidorino stop. Rather than a Pokémon, they were faced with a harmless fallen tree. The great trunk lay across the entire length of the path, its twisting branches blocked them from going any further. Dead for some time, the tree was bare of any leaves and the dried branches were rotten in some places.
They had come to a dead end.
"Is there another path around?" Patrick asked Tasha as she finally caught up with the group.
"No, this is the only one... None of my Pokémon know cut, so we'll have to move it the old-fashioned way." Tasha said, sighing and dropping her pack on the ground. "Let's go, Poindexter. I'll need your help clearing the branches."
"Why don't we just push through the trees on either side and leave it here?" Patrick said, eyeing the thick foliage before reluctantly dropping his belongings next to Tasha's and helping her snap off some of the smaller branches and toss them to the side.
Following their trainer's lead, the Pokémon also began stripping the huge trunk of its branches. Nidorino and Meowth worked together, Meowth sliced through branches with her sharp claws while Nidorino dragged them off the path. Hypno's eyes glowed an eerie blue and several branches warped from the pressure of the psychic energy, before splintering into pieces and floating off into the surrounding foliage.
"Because we are trainers. It's our duty to protect the citizens of the towns who use this path. That includes maintaining it, so civilians don't have to spend more time in the wilderness than is needed." Tasha lectured, grunting as she snapped a branch as thick as her arm off the dead trunk. "We are much better at protecting ourselves and clearing this than a merchant with an old Tauros."
With that last comment, David's kind face flashed in Patrick's mind and he imagined the older man struggling to move even a single branch. Patrick redoubled his efforts, ripping the dead branches from the trunk.
"No, Hitmonchan. Absolutely not. You'll start a forest fire." Tasha said sternly.
Looking over, Patrick saw Hitmonchan standing behind his trainer holding up his fists excitedly, both of which were engulfed in flame. With a sigh, the fighting-type extinguished the flames and muttered to himself as he broke one of the largest branches with a swift, non-fire punch.
They worked diligently for several more minutes until the thick trunk was bare of any branches and they could see the path stretching away on the other side.
"We don't have any way of breaking this trunk into smaller pieces…" Tasha said, thinking out loud. "I'll have Hypno levitate the trunk with psychic as much as he can. He won't be able to lift it entirely off the ground, but if he gets it weightless enough, the rest of us will be able to push it off to the side. That should clear the path." Hypno and everyone gathered nodded as they were assigned their roles.
"Patrick, double-check that the tree is completely broken off from the roots. We won't move it if it's still connected to the ground." Tasha said as she and the others gathered at the far end of the tree, where the trunk was the thinnest and lightest.
Jogging over to the base of the tree a dozen feet passed the tree line, Patrick crouched down and inspected the splintered trunk to see if any part of it hadn't been severed. As he checked the base, however, a few oddities stuck out to him.
"Tasha, come check this out. It looks like the base was cut by something… and there are scorch marks around the entire trunk…"
Jogging over, the more experienced trainer crouched down next to Patrick and inspected the trunk. The brown of the bark was darkened to black, charred wood at the base of the tree. Deep gouges in the trunk crisscrossed, ringing the blackened base and weakening the great tree.
"Maybe a wild Pokémon was sharpening its claws or marking territory and accidentally knocked it over…" Tasha offered weakly. With a cautious glance around the quiet forest, she stood up straight. "We should move this tree and get moving… I don't like it here." Not needing to be told twice, Patrick jumped up to follow Tasha and help move the tree.
They had barely taken a step when a long, low growl cut through the quiet forest.
Turning all together, the party looked over at Nidorino, who was facing away from them, gazing intently into the trees. Atop his head, Nidorino's large ears twitched back and forth and he pawed the dirt in agitation.
"Did you hear something?" Patrick whispered to the poison-type.
Nidorino resumed his low growling in response. Meowth was also looking into the trees now, tail twitching behind her as her sharp eyes pierced the shadows, searching.
"Do you sense anything?" Tasha asked her Pokémon, both of whom shook their heads.
Standing in the middle of the path, no one dared to breathe as they all strained to listen, see or smell anything that may be out there. Searching for any Pokémon that may be watching them from the dense underbrush. Nidorino's growl had since died away and the forest was deathly quiet.
Somewhere, far off the trail, a twig snapped.
Such a small sound, which usually would have been ignored, echoed like a gunshot to the on-edge party.
"Let's go! I'll tell the gym in Cerulean to send someone to deal with this." Tasha said tersely, scooping up her pack and throwing it on her back. She then grabbed Patrick's and tossed it to him, who barely caught the pack as he uneasily looked around, searching for any dark shapes in the trees.
Before Patrick could protest, Tasha had already taken a running leap, threw herself over the bare tree trunk, and landed lightly on the other side.
"Let's go!" Patrick urgently whispered to Nidorino, who ignored his trainer's order and intently stared into the forest instead. With an exasperated sigh, Patrick quickly recalled Nidorino, not wanting to waste any more time arguing with his stubborn starter.
With a running leap, Patrick cleared the tree and landed awkwardly on the other side, before springing to catch up with the rest of the party.
"What's out there?" Patrick hissed as they quietly ran along the trail. Their Pokémon fanned out around them, eyes and ears darting in all directions.
"I don't know. But I don't like this whole situation. If a Pokémon knocked over the tree to get us to stop, that shows a level of forethought dangerous in a wild Pokémon." Tasha replied. At some point, she had slipped her bow off her back and was now clenching it tightly in her first. Following her lead, Patrick extended his baton.
Frantic tweeting and cheeping quickly filled the trail as Spearow erupted from the dense trees to their side, re-joining the party. Wide-eyed, the nervous bird flew in tight circles around her trainer.
"What's the matter Spearow? What did you see?" Tasha asked, hoping her flying-type had seen whatever was lurking in the forest.
Arching her head, and gesturing with her wings, Spearow directed the party to look directly above their heads. Patches of pale blue sky peeked through the canopy of dark green pine needles.
As Patrick's eyes adjusted to the bright sky, the familiar reddish-brown spot flying high in the sky above them appeared amongst the sea of blue. Squinting, neither trainer could make out distinguishable features of the Pokémon. But considering the hawk's agitation, it was likely very dangerous.
"This doesn't make sense." Tasha cursed as she ran, periodically glancing at the unidentified Pokémon casually circling high above them and the silent forest around them. "How is that Pokémon up there related to the felled tree or the Pokémon Nidorino heard? Pokémon only work with members of their own species in the wild. And why would it stall us in a place where it can't fly…"
Tasha's attempts at rationalizing whatever was out there fell on deaf ears.
Patrick's heart thundered so loudly he couldn't hear his travel companion and he took shallow, gasping breaths as he tried to keep up with Tasha.
Since the moment he had heard the twig snap in the silent forest, cold fear had gripped his body and had steadily built as the chase continued. Even as he forced his legs to run on, they felt weak, like they would collapse at any moment.
The shaking in his hands had become so violent he had difficulty even holding his baton and the tightness in his throat and chest made it difficult to even breathe. Barely able to focus on the path ahead of them, he focused exclusively on Tasha's back, as his peripherals faded to black.
As Patrick ran, his legs on the verge of collapse, Meowth loped along beside him and shot concerned glances at the strange shuddering breaths her trainer was taking.
Although they ran through a mountainous, pine forest, in Patrick's mind he saw thick oak trees and ferns pressing in around him. Dark shapes darted amongst the trees, glimpses of an armored exoskeleton, brown as bark, and ivory pincers snapped in excitement. His body shuddered, anticipating the searing pain of sharpened barbs shredding and crushing his limps.
Something roughly grabbed his arm and he yelled.
Faster than he could think Patrick whipped his baton around and struck at the unseen foe like lightning.
With a dull thump, the thin metal rod was caught by the padded fist of Hitmonchan inches from Tasha, the fighting-type glared at Patrick and the failed assault.
"What the fuck, man!" Tasha yelled in shock and anger at the surprise attack.
The anger drained away when Tasha took a better look at her companion. Blonde hair was plastered against his forehead with cold sweat. Wide, terrified eyes darted in all directions, jumping to every shadow, every sound. Even the arm holding the caught button shook uncontrollably in Hitmonchan's iron grip.
"Hey, focus on me," Tasha said softly, cupping Patrick's cold cheeks with her hands. Patrick recoiled at the touch but Tasha didn't let him back away and forced him to stare at her. "We are going to get out of here, but I need you to keep running. My Pokémon and I will keep you safe."
Shaking, Patrick attempted to nod but found now that they had stopped, his legs felt like lead and he struggled to even lift them. Further down the trail, Meowth sneezed and Patrick screamed, nearly falling over at the sound.
"Hypno, use hypnosis. Just a little bit. We need him calm." Tasha called out to her psychic-type who was watching the exchange curiously.
Hypno nodded and lumbered over to Patrick, a silver coin appeared from nowhere in the humanoid's yellow hands, and he slowly swung it before Patrick's eyes. Sleepy eyes glowed a pale blue as Hypno sent out tendrils of psychic energy, that seeped into Patrick's panicked mind and forced it to slow. The thoughts, fears, and panic that raced through his mind fell away and a deep relaxation overtook everything.
Just as Patrick's eyes were about to close and fall asleep, Hypno cut off the psychic energy and withdrew.
Patrick blinked and looked around with a dazed expression, finally able to move and think without the feeling of dread crushing his mind.
"What did you do?" Patrick asked in a monotone.
"I think you were having a panic attack, Hypno had to calm you down with hypnosis. I'll explain later but right now we need to run!" Tasha said, urging Patrick to pick up the pace as he calmly jogged behind her.
"Okay," Patrick replied simply, running faster to catch up to Tasha.
As they ran through the forest, evidence of their pursuit soon became apparent. Crashing branches and flickers of movement soon surrounded them and Tasha's mind worked furiously to try to come up with a plan to deal with or scare off their pursuit. Patrick had proved near useless, content to simply run next to her and gaze ahead down the path.
Whatever was following them felt at home in the forest it set a trap in, an agile bug or grass-type would be the most likely answer. The forest was too thick for a large flying-type to easily maneuver, so the Pokémon high above them would be of no help to its ally on the ground.
They would need to fight their pursuer soon or lose them. Going off trail would likely be suicide and being out in the open would make them an easy target for the flying Pokémon. That only left…
"Spearow!" Tasha called out to her hawk, who was gliding above their heads. "We need to go underground; you need to find us a cave!"
Spearow was reluctant to leave her party and the safety Hitmonchan and Hypno provided, but a stern, and slightly desperate look, from Tasha, made up the bird's mind. With a determined nod and a flap of her wings, the hawk shot down the path ahead of them to search for their escape route.
Minutes ticked by and the forest thinned out and yet there was no sign of Spearow returning from her mission. The border to the forest was rapidly approaching now and soon they would be running through grassland, without the protection of the overlapping branches. However, the alternative was to stop and fight the unknown threat here in the forest, something Tasha was also unwilling to do. A mad dash to the nearest cave seemed to be the safest route.
Mind made up, she warned her Pokémon and Meowth to get ready and the group burst through the final trees and into the sunlight. Eyes quickly adjusting to the bright sunshine, Tasha saw Spearow flying low across the plains towards them, her wing tips brushing the tall stalks of grass on each downstroke.
Seeing her trainer, Spearow gave a piercing cry and motioned for them to follow her, before reversing direction and racing back the way she came. Trainers and Pokémon trying to keep up with the hawk's frantic pace.
Following the hawk's passage with her eyes, Tasha wasn't paying attention when Hitmonchan nudged her and pointed back at the forest they had just left to see their foe emerging.
Dark red scales clashed with the dark green pine needles as the reptilian Pokémon leaped out of the foliage to land on the soft grass. Seeing its prey for the first time, the Charmeleon let out a high-pitched screech and started towards them on its powerful hind legs. The lightweight raptor, barely four feet tall, stalked with its body nearly perpendicular to the ground, keeping its head low and tail held out behind it as a counterbalance. A small bonfire blazed from its tip.
The fire-type had barely taken a few steps, however, when another Charmeleon burst from the foliage to its right, following its partner's lead.
Tasha barely had time to curse before a third and fourth appeared from the forest and the pack of four fire-types regrouped on the trail and broke into a run, closing the distance between the two groups.
"If Charmeleon was the one chasing us, that means the other Pokemon is-"
Turning her head sharply to look above them, Tasha screamed as a dragon soared above them, so close she could see the individual red-orange scales and blue-green of its wing membrane. With a ground-shaking roar, the elder fire-type unleashed a column of flames into the air above them as it passed. Tasha shielded her eyes, even on the ground she could feel the searing heat from the flames.
The four Charmeleon responded with cries of their own and breathed their breath attacks into the air. Although not as bright or tall as the Charizard's, the four pillars of flame towered over the path and Tasha's heart sank.
Banking sharply to the side, the Charizard flew away from the trail and began gliding in a wide circle around the chase, watching carefully as its offspring gained ground on the fleeing trainers.
Forcing herself not to focus on the fully evolved fire-type circling, Tasha instead tracked its movements with her peripherals and focused on the more immediate threat. Tasha snatched an arrow from her back, notched it, and aimed intently at the pursuing raptors, allowing Patrick and Meowth to run further ahead. Once the raptors crossed an imaginary line, the effective range of her bow, Tasha let the air fly, and the thin shaft soared through the air before striking the dirt path and sinking deep into the earth, inches from the lead Charmeleon.
The sudden appearance of the arrow caused the Charmeleon to jump back and hissed, stopping the pack's progress. Slowly the Charmeleon crept closer, tilting their heads and tasting the air as they investigated the strange, feathered shaft.
Not questioning the overly inquisitive reptiles, Tasha spun and raced after Patrick and Meowth. Intent on putting as much ground between them and the Chameleon. Spearow had angled them towards the base of a sheer cliff, not far off. Hundreds of feet tall, the base of the cliff was scattered with massive chunks of fallen stone, obscuring the entrance of whatever cave or crevice Spearow had found. If they could only keep the Charmeleon at bay for a few more minutes, they could escape unground.
A thunderous roar from the Charizard reminded Tasha of the circling pseudo-dragon that could engulf with in flames with a single pass. Currently, the fire/flying Pokémon was angrily growling at the pack of Charmeleon, who had still not resumed pursuit and were sniffing at the arrow curiously.
Hovering in the air above the raptors, wings pumping to keep its heavy body airborne, Charizard angrily thrust its sharp claws at the fleeing group of trainers. Reminded of their task, the Charmeleon turned their heads at once, almost surprised to see how far away their prey had gotten. With a screech from the lead Charmeleon, the 4 took off, racing down the road far faster than any human could run, and quickly gaining on Tasha and Patrick once again.
"We aren't going to make it!" Tasha cried, glancing back to see the Charmeleon running at them and the Charizard soaring in lazy circles above them. There was no way their team could win in a battle against the five fire-types.
"Charizard looks like it was scolding its kids." Patrick giggled to himself, still loopy from the hypnosis. "Probably because they are so bad at hunting…
"Don't be stupid, they…" Tasha's retort died in her throat when she realized what Patrick had said. Charizard WAS telling off its children because it was teaching them how to hunt. If the elder fire-type was playing the role of teacher… then it may not engage in battle with the trainers. Instead allowing its offspring to fight, and learn, on their own.
Suddenly, fending them off didn't seem so hopeless.
"Get ready team! As soon as they get in range, we are going to engage." Tasha cried to the gathered Pokémon. Patrick was too busy marveling at the high stone cliff above them. "Patrick! I need you to release Nidorino on my mark!"
"Sure sure," Patrick said, waving away his travel companions' concerns.
"Hypno, I think your hypnosis was a little too effective…" Tasha muttered to the psychic-type, who just shrugged.
Passing a boulder, the size of a small house, Tasha turned to face the coming threat. The Charmeleons were almost upon them and she had 4 Pokémon and a dazed human to control in the coming battle, she needed to play this perfectly.
"Hypno, you are on shield duty. Light screen is the priority, you NEED to block or divert the flames. Offensive attacks only if you need to defend yourself. Hitmonchan, you are engaging them. Be aware of their flames and metal claws. You are going to be outnumbered, so play it safe." Tasha said seriously, looking at each of her Pokémon in turn, who nodded at their instructions. "Meowth, you're too small to engage directly. I need you to fight dirty. Sand in the eyes, fury swipes when they aren't looking, you are support." The big cat raised its eyebrow at being commanded by someone who wasn't her trainer but nodded regardless.
"Patrick… release Nidorino just before the battle starts. He needs to engage one of the Charmeleon, while we engage the last one." Tasha said, leveling an intense look at Patrick.
"I understand why Nidorino needs to fight…" Patrick began, unclipping the Pokéball. "But why are we fighting? We aren't Pokémon…"
"If you want to live through this, you need to use that baton you've been carrying for the past 20 minutes," Tasha said sternly. "What can your bug do?"
"Bug can shoot lightning and webs… He's a cool spider…" Patrick explained, happily thinking about his tiny bug-type.
"Patrick. Use. Him." Tasha said intensely. The Charmeleons were closing in and Patrick hadn't yet grasped the danger they were all in. Charizard was perched on a boulder far off to the side, ready to watch the battle… and hopefully no more.
"Okay…" Patrick said dejectedly, tapping his left wrist to summon the small spider from his hood. Seconds later he felt the familiar pinch as four legs wrapped around his wrist and the tingle as Bug charged himself with electricity. With a casual throw, he tossed Nidorino's Pokéball into the air.
With an explosion of white light from the released poison-type, the battle began and chaos erupted.
Tasha scored first blood as an arrow sprouted from the thigh of the largest Charmeleon and it cried in pain. Clenching the shaft with its jaws, the raptor yanked the arrow out with a spray of blood and snapped the wood in half with its powerful jaws. Blue eyes flashed angrily as it glared at the red-headed woman.
While their brother was busy with the arrow, the other three had opened their jaws wide and three streams of flame burst from their jaws, ready to incinerate their opponents. The moment before the flames enveloped them, however, an angled blue light screen blinked into existence and redirected the fire up and over the party.
Charmeleon looked on in confusion as their flames turned away from their targets and harmlessly faded out into the sky. They were equally unprepared when Hitmonchan sprinted around the fire and leapt into the air, striking the nearest Charmeleon with a brutal diving punch, knocking the raptor to the ground. Landing lightly, Hitmonchan spun and landed a roundhouse punch that sent a second unprepared raptor spinning. Leaving the dazed raptor in a heap, Hitmonchan darted at the third one, who had time to prepare. The tips of its short, sharp claws gleamed with a metallic sheen as it slashed at Hitmonchan, who ducked and weaved around the attacks.
Seeing the Charmeleon as soon as he was released, Nidorino gleefully charged into battle. Tackling a Charmeleon as it struggled to its feet and sent it rolling away. Nidorino flinched as a wave of fire nearly engulfed him before splashing against a blue barrier that hadn't been there a second ago. As the flame died out, Nidorino rushed at the Charmeleon that had tried to roast him, lowering his horn to gore the reptile.
Meowth prowled around the perimeter, careful to stay out of the way of any battles and looking for opportunities to quickly dive in, unleash a flurry of swipes, and then dart away before any retaliation.
As the physical fighters engaged, Hypno stared intently at the battle. Waving his yellow arms, protective psychic screens formed and dissolved rapidly across the battlefield, expertly diverting any flames away from his teammates. A bead of sweat rolling down his forehead was the only indication of exertion.
While three of the Charmeleon were engaged, the fourth with the bleeding thigh stalked towards the trainers. Tasha shot another arrow at the fire-type but this time it was prepared and leapt to the side as the arrow sailed past.
Charmeleon ran towards Tasha as she scrambled to grab another arrow. From the side, a sticky bullet of webbing hit the Charmeleon in the face. Wrapping around its snout, the webbing quickly hardened, gluing its jaws shut and temporarily neutralizing its breath attacks.
"Great string shot!" Patrick cheered at the yellow puffball sitting proudly on his wrist. "Now Electroball!"
A small orb of lightning crackled to life in front of Patrick's fist as Bug charged the attack and with a squeak, launched it at the Charmeleon. The electric attack sailed through the air toward its target but was easily dodged by the fast fire-type.
Meowth chose that moment to engage and with a yowl, latched onto the Charmeleons, biting at its neck and raking her claws down its scaly back. Roughly grabbing the feline with its claws, the Charmeleon ripped the cat off its back and tossed her in the air.
Ripping the webbing from its mouth, the Charmeleon opened its mouth and unleashed a barrage of embers at the falling cat. As soon as the tiny fireballs appeared though, a light screen formed before Meowth and shielded her as the attack hit with a series of rapid pops against the barrier.
As combatants attacked, defended, and explored each other's strengths and weaknesses, a chaotic equilibrium began to form.
Hitmonchan expertly fought two of the raptors at once, weaving around their attacks the fighting-type was perfectly balanced between attack and defense as he controlled the movement of the battle. The two Charmeleon clearly weren't used to fighting the same target and Hitmonchan easily turned them against each other, forcing them to abort attacks as he ducked around one or the other. He sported a trio of long slashes across his back from a surprise attack but otherwise looked no worse off. The two Charmeleon, on the other hand, sported dozens of bruises and black eyes and occasionally spat blood from their mouths due to missing teeth.
Nidorino and his opponent, on the other hand, had shed all semblance of defense and instead hammered at each other, blow for blow. Nidorino was covered in slashes and burns while his opponent had dozens of puncture wounds, bruises, and several ugly purple splotches slowly spreading across its chest. This had dissolved into a battle of attrition, where poison or burn damage slowly weakened each combatant.
The last Charmeleon growled in frustration as it was kept at bay, a steady onslaught of arrows, webbing, and electricity kept it from fighting the trainers with fangs and claws, and the frustrating barrier that always sprang up prevented Charmeleon from roasting them at a distance. All across the battlefield, flames were being turned upwards and failed to hit their target. Except in Nidorino's case, who refused to back down and would simply charge through the diverted fire anyways.
On all three fronts, the trainers and their Pokémon began to overwhelm the fire-types.
Until Charizard roared long and loud, followed by several smaller growls.
Nodding in understanding, one of Charmeleon fighting Hitmonchan broke away from the battle and raced in a wide arc, aiming toward the psychic Pokémon. The second quickly lunged at Hitmonchan, swiping with its metallic claws and preventing pursuit of its sibling.
Seeing the raptor sprinting towards him with jaws opened wide, Hypno quickly brought up a light screen in front of himself to preempt the flames and had already turned away to protect Tasha from a rain of embers. However, instead of flames, smoke poured out of Charmeleon's mouth. Thick and black, the cloud rolled over the grass and washed over the light screen, pushed upwards, it formed a sloping black wall. Cutting Hypno off from the rest of the battle.
No longer psychically supported, Hitmonchan was caught by surprise as a blast of fire, unseen by Hypno, seared his arm and shoulder, nearly engulfing him.
Likewise, Tasha cried in pain as a few of the embers broke through the light screen and struck her in the side. Knocking her to the ground and burning through her bowstring with a loud twang. With a victorious screech, Charmeleon charged toward Tasha.
Tasha looked on weakly, grimacing in pain as the raptor leapt.
With a primal cry, Patrick's mind broke the shackles of the hypnosis and lunged forward. Arm raised high, Patrick whipped his baton down so fast it whistled through the air before striking the Charmeleon directly on the back of its head, just behind its single horn.
The Charmeleon crumpled to the ground mid-step under the crushing blow, and lay still, either unconscious or dead. Breathing heavily, Patrick looked between Tasha's stunned face and the thin rod of metal in his hand, now bent at a sharp angle where it had wrapped around Charmeleons skull.
"Welcome back." Tasha finally managed to say, struggling to rise while not aggravating the burns across her abdomen.
"Yeah, I think hypnosis finally wore off…" Patrick said weakly, helping her to her feet and tossing the useless weapon aside.
Before the two could say anymore, a cry of rage from within the smoke cut them off. Turning to look, prismatic beams of psychic energy tore through the smokescreen and a furious Hypno stepped through the smoke.
Gone were the droopy eyes and sleepy posture, gone was the calm air of apathy that had hung around the yellow biped. Hypno stood tall, fists clenching and unclenching in anger as he checked on his teammates. Most striking of all, however, were the two blue fires that burned in the Psychic-types eyes, a sign of the barely controlled psychic energy.
Hitmonchan was managing well enough, the burns he sported were not too severe and now that he was only fighting the one Charmeleon he was easily overpowering the lizard, who was barely holding on to consciousness. Hypno's psychic fires blazed even brighter however when he was his trainer, stooped over and supported by Patrick, hands gingerly pressing on the bare and burned abdomen.
With a cry, a Charmeleon lunged from the smoke behind Hypno, eager to shred into his exposed yellow back.
Without turning, a blue outline enveloped the airborne raptor and it froze in midair behind Hypno. Suspended by psychic energy, the fire-type strained and pulled against the crushing ethereal force but was unable to move.
Raising his yellow fist, Charmeleon floated higher into the air, and with a vicious chop from Hypno, Charmeleon hurtled towards the ground, landing with a gruesome crunch. Charmeleon panted in the crater it had formed in the soft earth, one of its legs bent at an unnatural angle beneath it. Hypno wasn't done yet and lifted the fire-type back into the air once again and with a flick of his wrist, sent the fire-type sailing through the air.
Hypno quickly charged a multicolored ball of light in his fist and launched the psybeam at the airborne fire-type. The beam closed the distance in an instant and struck Charmeleon without a sound. A second later, Charmeleon hit the ground and lay still.
At the same time, two roars of victory, one from Hitmonchan and one from Nidorino sounded as their opponents fell. One from the relentless beating it had endured and the other from the potent venom coursing through its veins.
While the Pokémon celebrated their victory, Tasha quickly looked over to the threat that had been watching from the sidelines until now. Unfurling its great blue-green wings, Charizard prepared to take flight.
"Everyone! To the cave now!" Tasha screamed, yanking Patrick with her as the trainers sprinted towards the dark opening at the base of the cliff. Injured but still fast enough to keep up with their trainers, Nidorino and Hitmonchan fell into stride along with Meowth and Hypno. Spearow still waited anxiously near the entrance, fluttering back and forth.
As they sprinted past boulders, Patrick glanced over his shoulder to see Charizard nuzzling the downed chameleon. Two of which were already rising back up. With the cave so close now, there would be no way for the chameleon to catch them before they were underground. Despite his heavy breathing, a manic laugh burst from Patrick's mouth and he felt giddy, as the danger was left far behind him.
His celebration was cut short however when a large shadow soared past them and the Charizard landed with a heavy crash in front of the cave entrance. Skidding to a halt, the party could only watch in despair as Charizard crouched in front of their only escape. While not as big as some of the other fully evolved Pokémon that prowled the Moon Mountains, Charizard were apex predators in their own right. Their tough scales prevented damage from all but the strongest attacks and their claws and teeth could shred through Graveler's hide.
Turning to run back the way they came, Patrick saw the two Charmeleon running towards them, emboldened by their mother's entrance into the fight.
"Now what?" Patrick whispered, glancing back and forth as Charmeleon closed in and Charizard looked smugly at her cornered prey. "Nidorino, Stay," Patrick commanded sharply when his Pokémon stepped forward to engage.
"Um…" Tasha said, starting to panic for the first time since the fight had begun.
"Do we fight the Charizard or run? Those are our options." Patrick pressed.
"I don't know, okay! We can't beat a Charizard and it's way faster than us!" Tasha snapped, fear and desperation starting to leak into her voice.
"Can Hypno psychic it?" Patrick pushed, the lingering effects of hypnosis were preventing his fear from building up. "Or I can try stunning it with webs or thunder waves."
As the two bickered, trying to quickly come up with a plan, neither noticed Nidorino pawing the earth. The poison-type body trembled and he was unable to tear his eyes away from the pseudo-dragon in front of him. The lazy swish of its tail and the smug, superior look on its face, completely confident in its ability to crush the prey in front of it was infuriating to Nidorino.
There was nothing Nidorino valued more than power and possessed a nearly overwhelming desire to fight those stronger than him, to learn from them, and grow more powerful. But when those stronger than him completely disregarded him, as if his power was nothing and he was no threat to them. It was an insult to Nidorino and his very reason for being.
Patrick's most recent command, to stay, echoed in Nidorino's mind as he focused desperately to stay still until called to action. However, the rational part of Nidorino's mind was quickly overwhelmed by instincts, to crush his enemies and to teach this smug fire-type the consequences of underestimating him.
"The Charmeleon are almost here! We need to do something now!" Patrick cried in exasperation, even his psychically induced calm starting to falter.
"What if we-" Tasha was cut off as a bellowing roar erupted from Nidorino as his self-control finally broke.
Rushing forward in a blur of purple hide and torn-up earth, Nidorino charged the pseudo-dragon in front of them. Sprinting faster than he ever had before, Nidorino closed the distance between the two in a fraction of a second and with a grunt, threw himself into the air, aiming his wicked horn at the fire-types chest.
So sudden was his attack that all those present were unable to react. The trainers looked on in shock as the purple missile hurtled towards the dragon, their Pokémon were equally stunned, and even Charizard, so secure in her power was unable to react before the sharp horn pierced her breast and knocked her off her feet.
With a crash, the two landed in a heap. Nidorino stood atop the Charizard's chest and roared as he plunged his horn in for a second attack. However, this time was stopped short as Charizard's struck like a snake, jaws snapped around Nidorino's neck, and with a shake, tossed the poison type high into the air.
Quickly jumping up to its feet, the enraged fire-type filled its huge lungs with air, stoking its internal furnace into an inferno, and unleashed a blindingly bright fire blast at the falling Nidorino. White-hot flames spread out like a star as they raced upwards, far too strong to be blocked by Hypno's light screens.
However, before Nidorino was incinerated, a thin beam of red energy lanced through the air and enveloped him, safely recalling him back to his ball.
With an angry snap of her jaws, Charizard turned around to see the last of the humans disappear into the entrance of the cave. Nidorino's failed assault gave them enough time to slip past the pseudo-dragon unnoticed.
With a roar of frustration, Charizard opened her jaws wide and breathed a long stream of flames down the darkened tunnel, incinerating anything organic at the entrance, but not reaching the retreating party.
Unwilling to enter such a cramped space, Charizard roared again and slapped the ground with her tail. Accepting her prey's successful escape. By her side, the two Charmeleon panted, having finally caught up with their mother too late.
The largest Charmeleon, with a bleeding thigh and a throbbing headache, scowled and looked between his mother and the dark cave. Mind working furiously, weighing the risks...
