Chapter 103 – Attack on titan
Ash scrunched his eyes closed as the sunlight beamed into his face. After the darkness of Ultra Megalopolis, even the mild sunlight was harsh on his eyes. It took him a full minute for his vision to return to focus, and for his eyes to be met with the sight of a grey, overcast sky; a solid ceiling of rainclouds hung above them, just thin enough for the sunbeams to poke through. The ground beneath him was hard and springy and felt like grass.
"What...Just happened," he breathed.
"Pikapi."
He heard an urgent voice, and a split second later, Pikachu's small face took over his vision, as the mouse Pokémon clambered onto his chest. Little paws pressed into his bare skin and their noses touched.
"P-Pikachu. Y-you okay buddy."
"Pika." Pikachu licked him once across the nose and mouth, before pressing his maw against Ash's lips for a real kiss.
"Heh, get a den you two. Who," came Dragonite's booming voice.
This was followed a disapproving Charizard grunting, "Dragonite, time and a place."
Ash gingerly sat up, causing Pikachu to fall into his lap. They were there. Or most of them were. Dragonite, Charizard, Flygon, Ashachu, Zoroark, Axew, Geyser and Nova. Sprawled in the grass on what looked to be a hillside. In the distance a small town could be seen in a valley below, and far beyond that the ocean. And a little way further up the hill, elevated slightly off the ground was.
"Ah, shit...Why is that still open."
Geyser's eyes sprung open, and he jumped to his feet. Only to fall over again in exhaustion. It was the ultra-wormhole. A spiralling vortex rising high in the air towards infinity. Ash got up to help Geyser, crouching down beside the otter and putting his arms around him.
"Geyser. What's wrong."
"It...It should have closed... We need to get away from here, or they can get through."
"Where are the others, Lucario, Typhlosion and Cameron," Pikachu asked aloud.
As though on cue, there was a sudden shout, and something solid and furry dropped out of the ultra-wormhole. The remainder of the Pokémon all got to their paws and claws and encircled around the newly arrived Pokémon. It was Hunter...But he wasn't alone. The Riolu was wrestling in the grass with a much larger serpentine Pokémon. Miraidon had chased or followed or possibly pushed him through the Ultra wormhole.
Despite the size difference, Hunter seemed to have the faintest upper paw. His little body was on top of Miraidon, as he repeatedly punched the Miraidon in the mouth.
"Stop that," Miraidon as they gripped Hunter by the lower leg and tried to pull him off.
"Get. Off. Me!" Hunter yipped back as he continued his assault.
Miraidon however, being much larger managed to rise up onto his paws, causing Hunter to lose his perch on his chest and fall off. The Riolu quickly found himself hanging upside down, held up by his right leg.
"Whaaa!"
"Hey!"
Ash's Pokémon were on the situation fast. Charizard and Dragonite pounced on Miraidon, taking hold of him by each arm and pulling him off Hunter, before pinning him to the ground. Charizard thrust the egg in his claws to Ashachu's , before he did so dropping it on the mouse's head. Ashachu's little paws rose up to grip it. Zoroark and Axew, rushed over to help Hunter. And Geyser, rose back to his feet lifting his paws above his head. His eyes turned blue as he concentrated his energy on closing the ultra-wormhole.
"Y-you will release me," Miraidon as Charizard stuck a knee in his abdomen to keep him pinned down.
"You're not going anywhere," he growled warningly. "Now stay still." He snorted a little smoke from his nostrils and raised the claw that wasn't pressed against Miraidon's throat as a warning.
Miraidon took the hint and went still, not saying anything.
Zoroark meanwhile, pulled Hunter to his feet, his claws gripping his shoulders. Hunter was panting heavily, as he looked around at everyone. "Team Rocket," he panted. "They attacked, almost the moment you got through the wormhole."
There was a murmur among the Pokémon gathered there, and an exchange of worried looks. Zoroark was one who spoke first. Swallowing hard, he said, "Then...We have to go back and help the others."
"How did you get free," asked Axew. "I thought I saw you get returned to you ball."
"Yeah, like I can't get out of a Pokéball," Hunter scoffed, the twinges of a smirk flickering across his face. "Those bozos. Then they were all distracted by the Halberd showing up, so only Miri tried to stop me getting through the ultra-wormhole."
"What about your parents," said Pikachu. "Everybody else."
Hunter bit his bottom lip and pulled a face before replying. "There was nothing I could do. Team Rocket was firing pretty hard, and everything was exploding. I wanted to fight, but dad told me to go. He said he'd be right behind me."
He turned around and his eyes darted sadly towards the Ultra wormhole above them. Beneath which Geyser was holding his paws in the air. A blue shroud had covered his entire body.
"Geyser, wait," shouted Ash.
While Hunter called out, "my parents!"
It was unclear whether Geyser heard that or was in any state to be able to react. At that moment his body started to glow. Beams of white light shone through his fur. There was a general gasp, and Ash cried out, "No way! Is he..."
"Evolving," Pikachu finished his sentence for him.
The light became blinding, and Geyser disappeared from view. When it died away a second later the Dewott was gone. In his place, stood a quadrupedal otter like Pokémon, standing on all fours, with a fin like tail, elongated pointed muzzle and horned helmet like growth on the top of his head, that resembled a shell.
"WROTT."
"Geyser," Ash whispered. "You evolved."
There was something different about him though. While ordinarily the shell-like growth on a Samurott's head, the growth on Geyser's was black, and embossed with red stripes.
The newly evolved Geyser let out a cry and fired from the horn on the top of his head a blue beam of aura, which travelled up and into the Ultra wormhole. The wormhole begun to shirk, its sides collapsing in upon itself until it vanished from the sky...
[Pokémon]
Ultra-Megalopolis...
On the other side of the wormhole, pandemonium reigned...
Blast after blast from Halberd II's laser cannon fell across the city. Pokémon were flooding into the street as the crystalline buildings exploded in the laser fire. All trying to make their way to the tower where they thought they might be safe. The air was filled with dust and debris.
It had all happened so quickly, Cameron, Jimmy the remaining Pokémon had barely had time to register what was going on. No sooner had Geyser conjured the wormhole and the fight broken out, than high in the inky blackness above, a second, ultra-wormhole had appeared. And from out of it had descended the Halberd, like a great metal Wailord in the Sky.
And that was when the fire-bombing had begun...
Now Ultra-Megalopolis was quickly becoming a war zone. The crystals shattered and spilled into the street way like a nightmare quarry. Pokémon tripped up over them, causing others to fall over their bodies. Others still tried to climb over them.
With nowhere to go, and no wormhole to flee into, Cameron, Jimmy, Lucario, Typhlosion, Koraidon and Zacian had sheltered in an alleyway between to crystals. Hoping against hope, neither building would be next to be hit.
"Oh Arceus...What do we do now," cried Cameron, who was nearly beside himself in panic. "We had done for! Ahhh!" He gripped the headband around his forehead with both hands. The one piece of clothing Team Rocket had permitted him to keep, apart from his underwear. And released it letting it hit him. Over and over again.
"Well, we don't panic for a start," Jimmy replied, though he too had gone very pale, and his eyes were wide with fear.
Lucario too seemed close to defeated. The normally stoic and brave Pokémon let out a low whine, before closing his eyes and embracing Cameron. He put both his arms around his lover and squeezed tightly, before resting his head on Cameron's chest.
"Lu-Lucario," said Cameron softly. He looked down at his partner, as though perplexed, then he returned the hug, putting his arms around Lucario and burying his face in his fur. "I love you. Whatever happens I love you."
"If this is the end for us, then at least we are together." Lucario's voice did not sound like his own. It was high, like cry or a whimper. Almost Riolu like. "And at least, Hunter and the other kits made it to safety."
"Nobody is going to die," interjected a defiant Koraidon. He and Zacian were the only ones who didn't seem afraid or resigned. His eyes darted between the street beyond the alleyway to the outline of the Halberd handing above them like a metal harbinger of death. "There's a way out of this. The guilds will activate teams to respond."
"How are they supposed to fight that," asked Jimmy. "How is anyone supposed to fight that!"
Koraidon sucked in his cheeks and was quiet for a moment. "Believe me, there are ways. But what matters now is what we're going to do. We need to regroup with Ash and the others."
"But the ultra-wormhole disappeared," Jimmy protested.
Koraidon shot him a dirty look. "Tch and I thought Ash's friends were tenacious. Geyser's wormhole might be shut. But the one Team Rocket came through is still open. And it should lead back to your world."
Jimmy's face suddenly lit up, and his mouth formed into a perfect O. Meanwhile, Cameron and Lucario both looked up.
"Unfortunately, it means that we need to get back onboard the Halberd," said Koraidon. "And I'm not quite sure how we do that."
"Hey, does anybody hear that," said Zacian, her ear twitching.
"What," asked Cameron, as all eyes turned to her.
"They've stopped firing. Look." She gestured upwards towards the Halberd high above.
Smaller vessels were spilling out of its hangers, like a swam of Combee around a hive. The Halberd was, after all, an aircraft carrier of the future. One by one they begun to descend. Though clearly metal aircraft with rigid wings, each was shaped and coloured like a Pokémon; Zapdos, Charizard, Flygon, Gliscor, Yanmega and Fearow.
Jimmy swallowed hard. "Here they come."
"They bombed the city to draw the teams out into the open, and create chaos," added Typhlosion. "And now they're going to capture them."
Koraidon sucked in his cheeks. "Yeah. But that could be our way onto the Halberd." He sidled up to the end of the alleyway and poked his head around the corner, gesturing for the others to join him.
As they watched the Flygon shaped aircraft descended so it was hovering directly above them. It's wings perpendicular with the tops of the few crystalline building that were still intact. A hatched opened in the middle of the fuselage – the belly of the Flygon – from which a device that resembled a video camera on a long pole dropped out of.
"What in the distortion world are they doing," Cameron whispered, his heart thumping in his chest.
"I don't know, but I bet they're not filming the wildlife," hissed Cameron.
Lucario, Typhlosion and Zacian each let out little growls.
By now the street was filled with Pokémon. Forced out of the surrounding buildings by the explosions or else caught in the blast. Cameron and Jimmy sighted a group of Chansey, a Chespin, several Eevee, a pair of white Alolan Vulpix, Machoke, Beedril, Bayleef and Lombre...Who for some reason were carrying Magikarp on the lily pad on the top of their heads. Plus, numerous other Pokémon of various types, colours, and sizes that neither had seen before, or couldn't remember the names of. And they had no Pokédex on them to scan them with.
The scene was chaotic, with the Pokémon seemingly as fearful and confused as the six of them felt. Many trying to run away in different directions, or else stop others running towards danger. A pair of Machoke and Machamp seemed to be pulling an Arcanine from the rubble left behind from the collapse of one of the crystalline structures. Worried and angry voices carried over the air.
"We've got to find and gather up the Cosmog and get as many Pokémon out of here."
"Now's the time to stand and fight. This is our world and our home, and these humans came here to take it from us."
"Agreed! This isn't just a battle, THIS IS WAR!"
It was impossible to tell who was speaking. None of the Pokémon seemed to be particularly organised. Something which Team Rocket was quick to take advantage of. The flying Flygon Mecha fired a pulse of red energy from the cannon on the bottom of its fuselage. The affect was immediate. The Pokémon in the immediate vicinity were knocked to the ground where they lay twitching as though having seizures. There were cries of horror from the unaffected Pokémon. They either pooled around their fellows, trying to do whatever they could to help, or tried to feel.
Cameron, Jimmy, Zacian, Lucario, Typhlosion and Koraidon had to practically flatten themselves against the wall to prevent being bowled over or crushed by the Lairon and Donphan that charged through the alleyway, looking for an escape.
Others were firing attacks at the Mecha-Flygon airship overhead, Flamethrower, thunderbolt, and flash cannon. None of them damaged or even made a scratch or scorch on the skin of the Mecha. Another hatch opened in the bottom of the fuselage dropping a series of Pokéballs from the Mecha. As they fell, they burst open, sucking up the paralysed Pokémon. Their bodies dissolved into white light and disappeared into the balls.
KABOOM!
Without warning, three was another loud explosion. The Halberd II above has resumed firing striking a nearby crystal structure. The shockwave knocked the two humans and four Pokémon from their feet and paws and the force filled the air with dust and shrapnel.
"Shit," Jimmy cried as his body fell hard against something solid and sharp. He couldn't see where it was. His mouth filled with Ash and rock as soon as he opened it, and he coughed hard. "C..a..meron…Ty…phlosion!"
"J-jimmy," came Typhlosion reply. "f-uck!" He sounded weak and injured, his voice several octaves higher than usually. The volcano Pokémon had taken the worst of the attack. The explosion had thrown him into the middle of the street, onto a pile of rubble and shrapnel . one crystal shard had driven itself into his side, and he was bleeding. He looked down to see blood staining the cream-coloured fur on his belly.
He took a deep breath, swallowed the pain, and tried to get back to his feet. But he couldn't do it. Looking back down, he could see a large chunk of crystal crushing his right leg. No wonder he was in so much pain. "Ahh…I'm…" Cough "Stuck."
He heard a noise above him and raised his head. The cannon on Flygon-Mecha was preparing to fire for a second time. The lens of the camera like object had lit up bright red. Poor Typhlosion felt a terror engulf him worse than he had ever known, and his heart pounded in his chest… "O-oh crap!"
[Pokémon]
Meanwhile…
Ash and all the rest of his Pokémon present gathered around Geyser…All except Ashachu who had become encapsulated by the egg he held between his paws. Ash touched Geyser's flank and stroked him on the top of the head.
"You evolved," he said again. "Congratulations."
Geyser breathed heavily. "It's closed."
"But that was our only way back to Ultra Space," said Pikachu from Ash's shoulder. "We can't go back and rescue the others."
Ash shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We need a plan anyway, before we go charging back there. Geyser, where are we. Where did you bring us?"
"You don't recognise this place," Geyser replied. "We're home."
Ash frowned before taking a look around him. "Wait…Did you bring us. Back to Pallet Town?"
Geyser nodded. "Koraidon said I would always be able to lead to wherever we needed to go. I just had to follow my heart."
They were distracted again at that moment, as the egg between Ashachu's paws started to glow once more….