Chapter 17 – They'll be Flying 'Round the Canyon!

When Hiccup and Fishlegs had imagined arriving at the Sky Battle Academy – despite not knowing anything about what it looked like or what it was for – they certainly hadn't anticipated being needled by Astrid Hofferson before even walking in the door.

"You two?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion and what, to Hiccup, seemed like disdain. "What are you doing here? This is a facility for Trainers willing to put the extra mile into training their Flying-type Pokemon, and last I checked, neither of you have Flying-types to train."

Hiccup felt her eyes on him, in particular, his skin prickling as though she was melting a hole through him, and his mind went back to the last conversation they'd had. In response, he rebutted, "Relax, Astrid, this isn't a sightseeing trip. Regardless of whether or not we have Flying-types, we are here for a reason."

"Y-Yes!" Fishlegs agreed. "W-We were told that we had to go through this Academy to get access to Kalos Canyon!"

"Maybe hear them out, Astrid," the red-haired woman with her advised, and turned with a swish of her ponytail to give the boys a sheepish smile. "Sorry. She arrived here just yesterday and she's already one of my best students, but her attitude could use work."

"We noticed," Hiccup and Fishlegs said before they could stop themselves, prompting a chuckle from the instructor and a scowl from Astrid herself.

In contrast to the friction between their protests and Astrid's abrasiveness, the Pokemon gathered around each other and got along just fine. Stormfly interacted with Toothless and Meatlug pleasantly, and Skullcrusher gave a chirrup hello. The instructor's red bird of prey squawked a greeting as well – with sleek, dramatic plumage of contrasting red, black, and yellow, it looked positively flamboyant next to the drab Stormfly.

Suddenly, Astrid seemed to have an epiphany, and she smacked herself with a frustrated growl. "Ugh, that's right," she said, glowering unhappily at Hiccup and Fishlegs. "Now I remember – you're going to Wild Dragon Cliff."

"Really? Well, you're in the right place!" the instructor piped up. "You're right, the Sky Battle Academy is here to help any Trainer that wants to explore the canyon. It's only accessible by air, so we offer short classes here to allow visitors to rapidly master our signature glider suits. I'd call it a crash course, but crashing is exactly the opposite of what we're aiming to teach you, ha ha!"

The bad joke prompted a chuckle from Hiccup and Fishlegs, while Astrid huffed and turned on her heel. "The practice area for first-time fliers is in here, as are the barracks. There are several free spaces, just show the receptionists in the lobby your Trainer IDs and they'll let you stay the night. Flight lessons start back up again in the morning…"

"W-Wait!" Fishlegs cried. Astrid opened her mouth to snap at him, but his attention was on the instructor, to whom he pleaded, "W-We need to have our flight lessons as s-soon as we can – r-right now, if possible! C-Can we?"

Bewildered, the woman responded, "Right now? The facilities are closing for the day. If you're that eager to start, we open again at the crack of dawn…"

Hiccup stepped forward, trying to ignore the fact that they were out of line for asking this. "N-Normally, we wouldn't be this pushy," he started, "but this really is urgent stuff. We came from the Kalos Fossil Lab in Ambrette Town – we're here to investigate the issue at Glittering Cave."

The instructor's eyes widened, and Hiccup gave her a summary of what they were told, Fishlegs interjecting occasionally to fill in a detail here and there. When they were done, her expression was grave as she gave them a slow, understanding nod.

"I've been wondering when they'd send somebody here to check up on their expedition party," she remarked. "Trainers are the only ones who can make it out here on short notice. Some of us, me included, wanted to send some of our students to scope that place out, but the higher-ups shot us down. They didn't want to take risks on account of the suspicious activity out there.

"So, yeah, if you're here to investigate Glittering Cave, I'll gladly help you out," she told them with a slight smirk. "Go with Astrid to the fitting rooms and pick out your glider suits. Then she'll lead you to the practice area where you can try out your new wings. I'll be there to guide you just as soon as I've wrapped things up with the rest of my students."

With a casual wave of her hand, the instructor and her bird Pokemon were off, leaving Hiccup and Fishlegs to deal with a disgruntled-looking Astrid.

"Alright, you heard her," she grunted, jerking her head at the doors. "Lobby's through there. Show the guy your IDs and go to the fitting room. The hallway on the right leads to the practice area. Don't keep me waiting. Stormfly, let's go."

Before Hiccup could get so much as a word in edgewise, Astrid was leaving, her Staraptor fluttering after her. The door banged shut behind them, leaving him alone with Fishlegs to contemplate the awkward silence that had settled in their absence.

As always when he interacted with Astrid, Hiccup was left with an uncomfortable feeling. This time, he took consolation in the fact that her attitude was none of his fault, and he glanced indicatively at Fishlegs. "Um… so, let's go, then? We probably shouldn't linger too long when she's like this."

"O-Oh, yes, of course," Fishlegs answered, wringing his hands. "B-Besides, we should hurry anyway. The researchers are counting on us… and it isn't every day you learn how to fly!"

"Bago Bagon!" Toothless growled emphatically, and leapt for the door handle in his eagerness to get inside. All this talk of flight practice had riled him up, and even Skullcrusher, who had no innate desire to fly, had a shade of intrigue gleaming in his eyes.

Hiccup led the way inside without further delay, finding himself inside a clean, tiled lobby decorated with advertising posters depicting various Flying-type Pokemon. After a pleasant chat with the man behind the front counter, they headed toward the men's changing room where they picked out a glider suit each. The suits came with a snug helmet designed to protect the head from rough landings, and a small waist pack for essential supplies. Upon choosing one in his size, Hiccup had to take a moment to admire the material in his hands – it was incredibly light and almost silky smooth to the touch, reminding him almost of a scuba diver's wetsuit.

This material must reduce drag and wind resistance to a minimum, he thought admiringly. It really is designed for air travel. Though I guess we'll have to leave most of our supplies behind...

It was more difficult than he thought to squeeze into the skin-tight uniform (even more so for Fishlegs, a fact the pudgy Trainer was downtrodden about), but before long, they were making their way down the hallway as Astrid had ordered. Arrows on the walls guided their way to the flight practice chamber, which Hiccup couldn't help but marvel at, as well – large and practically empty of decoration, most of the room was taken up by thick glass tubes that ran from floor to ceiling, with cushions and air vents at the bottom. No doubt those vents were responsible for generating a strong updraft upon which they could float.

Astrid was standing next to the nearest tube, her hand holding open a small hatch in the side. "This is where passing Trainers and new students learn the basics," she informed them, bluntly. "Those of us willing to put in the work mostly train outdoors, in the canyon itself. You'll have to make do with just the basics and learn the rest on your own."

"Alright, let's see what this thing can do," Hiccup commented, experimentally raising his arms to feel the glider wings underneath stretch taut. "You too, Toothless and Skullcrusher. Hop on."

The Bagon and Axew each took a shoulder and made themselves comfortable, claws digging into the fabric as they held tight. But when he approached the glass, Astrid shut the hatch in his face with a scowl.

"You and Fishlegs need to fly, not your Pokemon," she told him, coldly. "Put those two back in their balls and take the training seriously."

"I-Isn't the entire point of the Academy for T-Trainers to fly alongside their Pokemon?" Fishlegs asked, only to squeak when Astrid shot a withering look at him.

"Yes, Trainers and their Flying-type Pokemon," she snapped. "Those two can't fly on their own, so there's no point. Besides, they'll only weigh Hiccup down and make the learning experience unnecessarily tough for him."

"I might as well train with them, since they're accompanying us to Wild Dragon Cliff," Hiccup informed her. "If I get used to their weight now, it'll make the actual trip much easier. Besides, Toothless needs this experience, especially – he needs to see what real flight is like for when he evolves."

For a moment, her brow furrowed, irritation flitting over her features. Then the moment passed, and with reluctant acceptance, she opened the hatch. On his way inside, Hiccup heard her mutter something to herself.

Once him and his Pokemon were through, Astrid sealed the hatch with a click and, as Hiccup watched from within his glass enclosure, walked all the way over to the far wall and threw a switch on the panel there. All at once, a grinding sound emanated from beneath Hiccup's feet, and he braced himself for what was to come.

"Hang on, guys!" he warned, and spread his wings…

…which instantly caught the blast of wind that erupted from below, sending him sailing into the air. Hiccup yelped as his body lurched with the movement, so quickly that his stomach dropped, and he rose to the top of the tube. His breaths came quickly with fright and his arms were trembling with the effort of holding them out straight. He kept his airborne position for maybe two seconds – then he pitched forward, watching his reflection in the glass get larger and more panicked until…!

WHAP.

His nose struck the glass with a burst of pain, and he bounced off the wall hard enough to fall all the way to the floor on his backside. The cushions around the air vent saved him as well as Toothless and Skullcrusher, who were disoriented from tumbling off his back.

"Ugh… you okay, you two?" he asked, and shook off the dizziness as the Dragon-types groaned in reply. "Well, that first flight was… not what I was expecting."

He looked up, spotting Fishlegs giving a strained smile and thumbs-up through the glass. Encouraged, Hiccup gathered his Pokemon and jumped into the current for a second try, this time bracing himself for the feeling of being lifted up. It started out fine, with him making sure to keep his arms straight out and making subtle adjustments whenever he felt a shift in his balance. But before long, it happened again: a forward fall that reacquainted his face with the glass, and a crashlanding onto his buttocks.

Man… Hiccup was beginning to get frustrated, and the unimpressed look he caught from Astrid didn't help. There's gotta be some trick to it… I can feel the wind shifting under the wings, and then readjust to compensate and keep myself balanced. But something's still off, or else I wouldn't be nosediving like that. It's like my head and shoulders are too heavy for my legs to counterbalance them… wait… my shoulders…

He tilted his head toward Toothless and Skullcrusher, who were waiting for him to get up so they could try again. In only a moment, he had his answer.

"That's it, bud!" he exclaimed, and the dragons blinked. "Okay, when we try again, you two need to jump on my back. We keep nosediving because you guys are holding onto my shoulders, so all the weight's up front! We need balance in order to remain airborne."

Toothless was listening with wide eyes, soaking up his every word, while Skullcrusher was less interested but still attentive. Hiccup instructed them to take their positions on his back: Toothless closer to the front, on his shoulder blades, and Skullcrusher sitting at the rear. Feeling their tiny claws pulling at the fabric of his uniform for lack of anything else to grab, Hiccup jumped back into the wind once again.

His flight was wobbly, requiring constant attention to where the wind was blowing so he wasn't at risk of pitching left or right. It was imperfect, but he was maintaining it this time – the shift in weight had been the key. The longer he hovered, the more his confidence rose, and his heart started to race with excitement. It was sinking in: he was flying.

An uncontrollable grin splitting his face in two, he looked down at the spectators on the outside. Astrid acknowledged him with an approving nod, and Fishlegs was bouncing up and down, regarding him with disbelieving wonder. His wonder was short-lived, though, as it quickly turned to panic when Astrid began pushing him toward the hatch, and his mouth moved rapidly in frightened protest.

Hiccup watched this transpire from his lofty vantage point, and though he never lost height, he felt his spirits fall. Fishlegs' nervousness reminded him that he, too, had very good reason to fear. No longer smiling, he stared past the confines of the tube and out at the window, where the sun had finally sunk below the Kalos Canyon, plunging the sky into the dusk of twilight.

Wild Dragon Cliff was out there, and the Dragon-types he wanted so badly to capture would no doubt come at him and his Pokemon fiercely. And Glittering Cave – they were walking into the unknown, with no idea what might be out there. The possibility remained that, whatever had claimed the researchers, it might claim them, too.

Focus, Hiccup, he told himself as he faltered in flight, and hastened to straighten himself out before he crashed again. I have to focus on this right now – without wings of our own, we won't even make it there. Let's finish our flight training, and then start planning our next steps.

Next stop: the Kalos Canyon.

Midnight over the Kalos Canyon. The sun had set only a few hours before – its light no longer illuminated the Kalos region's greatest natural wonder, leaving only the full moon to cast its silvery glow in its stead. The canyon's surface was still magnificent under this pale glow, but its recesses were steeped in shadow. Any Pokemon, or Sky Trainer, that tried to navigate its already difficult corridors at this hour would find it even more treacherous.

Yet two such Trainers were undeterred.

Hiccup and Fishlegs emerged from the Sky Battle Academy's doors and into the brisk night air, shivering as the chill of darkness bit them through their skin-tight glider suits. Although the Academy had settled down for the night, classes to resume the following morning, the property was still brightly lit by lamps around the perimeter and rows of flashing runway lights along intended takeoff points. Hiccup found his eyes set on the lights directly ahead of him, revealing the Academy's main runway – their direct entry point into the Kalos Canyon.

"Woo!" Fishlegs exclaimed with a breathless giggle, swinging his arms vigorously back and forth. "Hiccup, I've got to tell you, that flight training was something else! I was terrified at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was… it was breathtaking! My heart is still racing from that takeoff-and-landing practice! Flying under my own power… I've never imagined such a thing! I-I mean, I have imagined what it'd be like to fly, who hasn't, but I always pictured it more as… you know, riding a Dragon-type, o-or something."

"You know what? Same," Hiccup humored him. He, too, was in high spirits, even though he'd never show it as exuberantly as Fishlegs. All the basic flight techniques they practiced… they'd been just that, basic, but just the feeling of being airborne with his own wings to carry him had been exhilarating nonetheless. Even with the unknown dangers in Kalos Canyon looming near, he was almost looking forward to the trip.

"What do you say, Toothless?" he continued, glancing at the dragonling on his shoulder. "I'm taking you flying – return the favor when you evolve?"

"Bago bay bay-go!" Toothless cheered into his ear. He was impatient, all riled up from flight training and ready to go now.

Fishlegs stopped at the edge of the pavement, but Hiccup kept going to the end of the runway. His easygoing grin was long gone by the time he stared over the edge and into the depths of the dark canyon. The thrill of flight practice was starting to ebb away, replaced by a heart-clenching anxiety as the abyss yawned before him.

What are we going to find in that darkness? his treacherous mind asked. Will we even make it that far? I'm not a Woobat – I can't see in the dark. What if something goes awry, and we –

"Axew."

The chirp, coming from his other ear, dragged him from the mire of hopeless thoughts. He glanced at Skullcrusher, who sat perched on his other shoulder and whose red eyes belied a reassuring certainty. Toothless had much the same look when Hiccup turned to glance at him in turn, albeit buried underneath boundless enthusiasm.

Right, Hiccup thought, comfort washing over him. I've got Toothless, Skullcrusher, and Fishlegs to depend on. We'll make it to Glittering Cave, no problem. Then, we'll decide what to do from there.

"H-Hiccup!" Fishlegs alerted him, and he backed away from the canyon lip with one last wistful look out at the great gorge. He heard the Academy doors creak open again and turned to face the people that emerged: two instructors, the ponytailed woman from before as well as a tall, short-haired man. Both of their faces were set in uncertain expressions, half-encouraging and half-serious.

"Good job making it through your anti-crash course in glider suit mastery," the woman's eyes crinkled in jest, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "You've got the basics down enough for us to consider you ready to head out on your mission. There are just a few things that we want to go over before you start exploring the canyon."

"First of all," the man took over, sounding stern. "As with all Trainers that visit the Sky Battle Academy, you're free to fly the canyon at your leisure, but you have a time limit of two days to return. After that time, you'll be designated missing, and a search party will be sent after you."

"Got it," the boys said together. Hiccup was reasonably confident that they'd be back from their trip before that – after all, the Fossil Lab scientists only wanted them on recon, not to take risks.

"Second," the woman added, "your glider suits are on rent, and still property of the Academy. If they aren't returned after you come back, you'll have to pay a fine. That also means you can't sneak off and return to your journeys – you have to come back to the Academy before moving on."

"And most importantly of all…" the man said, taking a deep breath through his nose before letting it out in a sigh. "No matter what you were sent here to do, the Academy is responsible for all Trainers that visit, whether it's to train or otherwise. We are reluctant to send you off in the middle of the night, instead of waiting until first light when it's safer – so, in compromise, we're sending one of our best students to guide you to Glittering Cave."

Hiccup's heart sank. He strongly suspected he knew who the instructors had picked. "Don't tell me they're referring to…"

"I-I think they are," Fishlegs gulped, pointing at the building.

Indeed, striding out the door at that very instant, her face scrunched into the uncanny likeness of a storm cloud, was Astrid.

"Oh, h-hi, Astrid," Hiccup said, injecting some likeness of delight into his greeting. "H-How, uh, very nice to be, ah, working with… you…"

She glared, hands planted indignantly on her hips. "Listen, this was not my idea," she scowled, blowing her bangs out of her face. "I'm only going along with it because I figure my Pokemon and I could benefit from helping you out. Whatever's gone down at Glittering Cave could potentially give us some good battle experience."

Hesitantly, Hiccup nodded, a gesture copied a second later by Fishlegs. "O-Okay. We're, uh… glad to have you on the team."

"Look, just follow my lead through the canyon and don't hold me back," Astrid snapped at them, and they nodded more quickly with hands raised in surrender. With a scoff, she stomped off toward the runway.

Hiccup couldn't deny the surge of displeasure that just ached to be expressed at the thought of putting up with her strict attitude, but he forced himself to swallow it. Yes, working with Astrid was bound to come with downsides, but from an objective standpoint, her strength as a Trainer would doubtlessly make her a formidable ally. They were flying into the unknown, with no backup and no real plan… so he figured he'd rather do it with Astrid than without.

"Okay, line up!" the Hofferson girl barked presently, motioning them onto the runway. "We'll fly in V-formation, with me at the head. You rookie fliers will have an easier time of it with me leading. Don't fall too far behind."

As Hiccup got into position behind her, he felt a faint breeze blowing from behind: a tailwind. It wasn't much, but he knew that would change when they dove into the canyon – the walls would funnel and intensify the wind so that it blew with far greater strength than it did above. It was an encouraging sign.

"Form up and get ready to jump!" Astrid ordered, and Hiccup and Fishlegs took their positions, at her sides and slightly behind. Fishlegs was quiet and his face a stony mask, obviously trying to keep his nerves under control, but he couldn't suppress the occasional tremble. Hiccup reached over and placed a hand on his arm, at which he shot a look of appreciation.

"Toothless, Skullcrusher, into position," Hiccup told his Pokemon from the side of his mouth, and he bent his waist forty-five degrees so they could slide off his shoulders and cling to his back. Once he was certain they were secure, he gave a thumbs-up to Astrid.

With a nod in response, she spread her arms, glider wings flaring out. "We go on three! One… two… three!"

All three of them took off at a run, heading for the edge of the runway. Hiccup heard Fishlegs huffing and puffing beside him, but kept his eyes fixated on the girl in front of him, sprinting ahead with arms held out stiffly behind her. Fearlessly, she took her last step on solid ground and jumped, launching herself into the void.

Less than a second later, it was Hiccup's turn. He held his breath and pushed off the ground with every ounce of strength he had. For a single, terrifying moment, he was suspended in midair, thoughts of becoming a stain on the distant ground flashing through his mind…

…and then he felt the now-familiar jolt as his wings caught the wind. Toothless' and Skullcrusher's claws dug into him as they dipped gently downward until the strength of the wind canceled out their combined weight, and they bobbed in the breeze like a cork in a stream. Joy burst in Hiccup's heart where fear had once gripped him, and he let out a delighted shout as he angled his arms to steer toward Astrid. The Hofferson girl was ahead of him, floating as easily on the breeze as a feather, and she acknowledged his arrival with a tilt of her chin.

"Okay, on my mark!" she shouted. "We'll dive into the canyon and ride the current all the way there! And… NOW!"

Astrid folded her wings just enough to drop below the cliffs, and surged forward in a sudden burst of speed. Hiccup followed her lead, and even though he braced himself for what was coming, he still almost overbalanced when the wind abruptly shoved him ahead. What was once a gentle breeze, easy to ride, was now a powerful current that pushed him along as though it were a rushing river.

That's… exactly what it feels like, Hiccup realized. Once he had control of his wings, he began to ride the current with dawning amazement. I got a sense of it when we finished our training in that big wind tunnel that simulated the flow of air within the walls. We aren't flying like bird Pokemon, it's more like… swimming, almost. We're like fish following the current.

He shot an eager glance in Fishlegs' direction, only to find that the Ingerman boy wasn't in position. Hiccup quickly found him, though – he was below them, his greater weight having no doubt caused him to take a dive on initial launch. Now, he looked up sheepishly, his cheeks red with embarrassment… or it might've just been the cold.

"S-Sorry!" he called out. "I-I can't get the wind to lift me any higher!"

"I should've known that would happen," Astrid accepted that, before calling out, "Hold your position! We're coming to you! Hiccup, with me – we'll have to travel at a lower altitude from here out!"

Soon enough, all three of them were arranged in a proper V-formation, with Hiccup and Fishlegs' efforts significantly lightened as they rode off Astrid's wind trails. Now that everything had been sorted out, Hiccup allowed himself a moment to crane his neck to look over his shoulder – already, the lights from the Sky Battle Academy were little more than a distant glow.

"You hanging in there, guys?" he asked his Pokemon while his attention was still on his rear.

Skullcrusher raised his hand and chirped before reaffirming his grasp on Hiccup's suit. Toothless, on the other hand, didn't answer at all, and it was easy to see why. Their bodies were below the canyon walls, about two-thirds of the way to the bottom, but the Bagon's head was in the clouds, eyes sparkling and tongue lolling as the air whipped past his snout. He was leaning forward as far as he could, losing himself in the sensation of being truly airborne.

Chuckling, Hiccup faced forward again, his eyes on the upcoming bend while his mind reflected fondly on his partner. He'd justified to Astrid that Toothless needed to experience flight firsthand if he was to one day evolve into a Salamence, and that was still true. But the real reason he'd wanted Toothless to fly with him was purely to see the dragonling's expression open up in awe like that. Toothless wanted badly to fly, taking every chance he got to throw himself from a height in hopes that it would prepare him that much more for the day he received his wings. It would've been cruel of Hiccup to deny him the chance to experience the real deal.

"How much farther to Glittering Cave?" Fishlegs was asking Astrid, his form wobbling slightly but otherwise maintaining their formation.

"It's farther out than I've personally been," she called back, then briefly paused so they all could follow the canyon as it curved to the east. "Might take us another ten or twenty minutes. We're making good time thanks to the current!"

They flew on in silence for a while after that, Hiccup busying himself with admiring the geography of the Kalos Canyon from so close-up. All the while, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of their nearing Wild Dragon Cliff, especially the appearance of a wild Dragon-type. Excitement flooded his bones as he searched for any movement amongst the rising rock formations or along the canyon walls.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Astrid's scolding shout caused him to flinch in surprise, the jerky movement almost breaking him out of the formation. "Pay attention while you fly! This is supposed to be your rescue mission, so don't get distracted!"

"Wha– I was just looking around to see if we were almost there!" he protested, startled.

"You'll know when we get there, trust me. Keep your eyes forward and your concentration on the wind," she snapped. Just as she said that, Fishlegs began to struggle with his flight more noticeably, drifting slightly to the side, and she turned her ire on him. "That goes for you too, Fishlegs! Get yourself under control or the wind will smash you against the wall!"

"I-I'm trying, I'm trying…!" the Ingerman boy whimpered, his voice strained with effort as he leveled out again. "A-Are you sure we're almost there? Th-This is tiring…"

"You've done great so far, Fishlegs!" Hiccup interjected before Astrid could bite either one of their heads off. "Just keep it up for a little bit longer and we'll be there before you know it!"

"Y-Yes… 'there' being the cave where several scientists from the Fossil Lab w-went missing!" he whined. "Excuse me f-for not having the same incentive as y-you to fly for so long…!"

They were so busy bantering that nobody saw it coming. A dark shape flashed from out of nowhere, streaking towards them too fast for them to react, and plowed straight through the middle of them. Hiccup shouted in shock – and then again in panic when a sharp gust of wind hit, knocking him aside into a stomach-flipping spin. Terrified that he was about to crash, Hiccup choked on his own breath as he fought with all his might to right himself again, spreading his arms and feeling out the current under his wings. Miraculously, he managed to regain control and leveled out shakily, casting concerned glances at his two passengers and then at his friends.

It took him a second to find them, but he traced the sound of Fishlegs' shrieks above and to the left. All of them had been separated, Astrid the closest to their original position while Fishlegs skimmed the far wall, having just managed to avoid being smashed. That only left one question: What attacked us?!

A roar from above answered Hiccup's question, and his heart leapt into his mouth at the power and ferocity that the sound denoted. Dreading what he would see, he looked over his shoulder… and sure enough, the sight that greeted him was far from comforting. As they passed a tower of rock jutting from the center of the gorge, their assailant pursued them into the open, instantly identifiable by its black plumage, thrashing tendril-like wings, and three ravenous heads.

"Th-That's a…!" Hiccup had to fight with his own voice to spit the words out. "G-Guys – a Hydreigon!"

Even in the silvery moonlight, he could see Astrid's face grow pale. "Is that incentive enough for you?!" she asked Fishlegs, the quaver in her voice taking away what would have been a sarcastic edge.

"Y-YES! Emphatically yes!" he shrieked, and flapped his arms wildly in a fruitless bid to gain height.

The Hydreigon roared again, destroying any lingering beliefs that there was a chance it was just passing peacefully through. No, it was out to attack, and Hiccup recognized that better than anybody. He knew better than both his friends what an angry Dragon-type was capable of, and the icy fear that seized him at that revelation almost made him lose the current.

Why is there a Hydreigon?! Are we close to the Cliff already? The questions chased one another through his head one after the other, none of them staying long enough for him to come up with an answer. Are we in its territory? Is it defending itself? How are we going to survive this?!

Shouted orders began to ring through the canyon, putting a stop to Hiccup's runaway train of thought and drawing his frightened gaze toward the speaker – Astrid. "Everyone, get back in formation! Remain on course and don't let this thing separate you again! Hiccup, get your Pokemon ready! We'll fend it off until we reach the cave! Fishlegs, you focus on staying close to us, and don't get singled out!"

"Way ahead of you…!" he cried, already angling his wings to catch the wind in a way that'd boost him toward her.

Hiccup, for a moment, didn't reply – his mind was still focused on the part where Astrid said "get your Pokemon ready". "Wh-Wha… are you insane?!" he demanded at last, flabbergasted to the point of outrage. "We can't… Toothless and Skullcrusher aren't… do you have any idea how dangerous that thing is?! We aren't going to fight it!"

"If we want it to leave us alone, then yes we are!" Astrid spat sharply. "Focus on distracting it and slowing it down! That's the easy part!"

"How is that the easy part?!" Hiccup bellowed, fear and confusion making his temper rise at her suicidal decision.

"Just do what I say!" she insisted, and dipped briefly as she sacrificed an arm to grab a Poke Ball.

Her no-nonsense tone left no room for argument, and Hiccup felt the hot anger be swept away by a chilling wave of terror. "Guys?" he said to his Pokemon. "I need you to help out, okay? That thing isn't going to let us go in peace… we have to battle."

He wasn't sure if it was because they, too, were fearing for their lives, but the Bagon and Axew didn't raise even the tiniest argument. He felt them shifting over his back as they turned around to face the savage Dragon-and-Dark-type, but he held his flight steady and threw a fearful glance back at the Hydreigon.

He was just in time to see it make its first move. With a trio of spine-tingling, hissing roars, the hydra reared all three of its heads and spewed beams of different elemental energies – fire, ice, and lightning. "DREEEEEIIIII!"

Astrid, I hope you know what you're doing…!

"Toothless, defend with Dragon Breath!" Hiccup commanded, steeling himself.

The burst of dragonfire that launched from Toothless' mouth caused him to bounce on the air current, and the explosion of elements colliding created a shockwave that made his flight sway precariously. Adjusting his arms, Hiccup looked back to see smoke blooming where the moves had struck, and the Hydreigon sweeping through the curtain undeterred.

Astrid and Fishlegs dodged the blasts aimed at them; the former made a precise turn, while the latter dropped ten feet with a scream before floating upwards again. His complexion shone brightly with sweat in the moonlight as he squeaked, "Please never let that happen again! Th-There are things I want to do, s-sights I want to see…!"

"You'll live long enough for that, don't you worry!" Astrid told him, and opened her Poke Ball. "Stormfly, battle ready! Hiccup, do a better job of getting its attention!"

"I'm on it, I'm on it!" Hiccup yelled back. To Toothless and Skullcrusher, he added, "Get ready, we're about to make it really mad!"

"B-Bago!" Toothless replied, voice full of forced determination.

"A-Axew!" Skullcrusher concurred, also quashing his nerves.

"Then hit it with a Dragon Breath!" Hiccup ordered… whilst praying that they would at least live to regret this.

"BAGAWWWW!" Toothless' second volley of dragonfire flew like a burning arrow into the Hydreigon's belly, detonating with a great burst of pink flame. Just as Hiccup had predicted, it tore through the lingering smoke in a slavering rage, hideous roars belting from all three of its mouths as it bore down on him all the faster.

Unwilling to wait around to become its dinner, Hiccup snapped out his next command. "Skullcrusher, your turn – use Scary Face! Toothless, hit it again!"

The Hydreigon swooped low, close enough for Hiccup to see the fangs gleaming in its jaws, and it was with substantial panic that he screamed, "Now!" The illusion that Skullcrusher conjured proved sufficient to halt the Hydreigon in its figurative tracks, leaving it open to being bombarded by streams of dragonfire. It stopped its advance entirely, its heads thrashing every which way with keening shrieks, and Hiccup and his Pokemon put some much needed distance between them and it while it was immobilized by pain.

Their glimmer of hope was short-lived, though – the Hydreigon returned to its senses and came after them again, this time with its central mouth open and glowing with energy. Hiccup got Toothless to bombard it with more projectiles, but it swerved around them, gathering power all the while until the glow looked ready to spill out from its jaws.

Knowing they only had seconds, Hiccup started to call out in high-pitched, plaintive tones, "A-Astrid! A-Any time no–"

"Stormfly, go! Steel Wing!"

"STAAAAAR!" the Staraptor plunged down from the Hydreigon's only blind spot – directly behind it – with her entire impressive wingspan cloaked in a metallic sheen. She struck the Dragon-and-Dark-type right on the back, causing it to stagger mid-flight and howl, but that wasn't the end of it. Before Hiccup's incredulous eyes, she returned again and again to batter her target with fly-by wing slices, chopping away at it as though her wings were battleaxes.

Look at her! She's dominating it! he admired, watching the Hydreigon do nothing but whirl around in vain to keep up with Stormfly. I know Astrid said she was a League Trainer… but seeing her power for myself is something else!

Abruptly, Hiccup remembered to face forward, chiding himself for letting himself get distracted. It was a good thing, too, because up ahead was an alarming sight – the canyon was splitting in two, a smaller gulley branching off the main body to lead who knew where.

"Astrid!" he called again. "The path ahead forks!"

"Wh-Which one do we take?!" Fishlegs added, alarmed.

"Keep following the main canyon!" Astrid responded snappishly. "And remember not to let that thing get too close –"

She was cut off by the sight of a bright purple beam that seared across the canyon, and so there was no chatter to distract from the pained squawk that reached their ears. Stormfly returned to her Trainer's side, sporting bedraggled tail feathers that still trailed wisps of steam from getting caught in the Hydreigon's attack. Now free from the Staraptor's onslaught, the Hydreigon pursued them with renewed zeal, its enraged hiss echoing to them loud and clear.

"It's not over yet!" Astrid shouted. "Fishlegs, close to me! Hiccup, resume formation! We'll fight it together! Stormfly, use –"

Unfortunately, there wasn't any time left for plans. With speed fueled by fury, the Hydreigon returned with a vengeance, jaws already shining with light. "Dreigaaaaa!" it roared – their only warning before it let its Dragon Pulse lance forth.

The beam sliced through the air in such proximity to Hiccup that he was blinded by its light and could feel the heat prickle his skin through his glider suit. He acted completely on reflex – he peeled away from Astrid and Fishlegs, making a sharp jerk with his arms such that the wind blew him out of range. The Dragon Pulse passed by, and Hiccup was unharmed…

…but when he felt the weight on his back shift, he was instantly, horribly aware of what he'd just done.

"Bagoooooo!"

"Toothless!" The scream that tore from his throat was raw with pure fear, a fear that stabbed at him when he saw Toothless plummet. The Bagon was shrinking as he fell, a tiny blue-and-white form winking brightly against the browns and blacks of the shadowed canyon floor – a place where only certain death awaited him.

A single thought dominated Hiccup's mind in that horrifying moment, and with adrenalin bringing a flush of heat to his chilled veins, that thought became deed.

"Skullcrusher hold on!" he cried – and folded his wings.

Instantly, he plunged headfirst toward the distant, unforgiving ground. The wind, once his ally, turned against him in a heartbeat: screeching in his ears to deafen him, slicing at his exposed face with razor-sharp ribbons, grabbing his arms and legs in every way it could to impede him. But existential terror kept Hiccup's body stiff, his limbs rigid, as he speared like a human javelin toward the tumbling form of his helpless partner. Already, he was catching up, gravity on his side as it yanked him down. Toothless' form grew larger… larger… he was close enough to see the fear-stricken look on the dragonling's muzzle as they approached the end of what might be their final flight.

TOOTHLESS! He may have screamed his partner's name out loud – maybe not. The wind snatched his breath away before he could be certain. He flung his arms out in front of him, hands reaching for the Pokemon in front of him… so close, yet so far away…!

Contact.

Gloved hands brushed against scales, and with a sweep of his arm he snatched Toothless into a tight embrace against his chest. Toothless clung as tight as he could, his claws digging into Hiccup's neck and collarbone, but the relief that flooded Hiccup at the familiar touch of Toothless' scales wiped away any trace of pain. Those claws could've been drawing blood for all he cared – skin-to-skin contact was all he wanted right now, and he reveled in it.

Wait… we're still falling!

His eyes flew open – the ground was coming up alarmingly fast. There was only one hope, a slim chance that the glider suit could get them out of this. Hold ooooon! Hiccup screamed, or thought he did, and, screwing his eyes shut, he stuck his arms out –

WHOOOOOSH!

It felt like his arms would be ripped from their sockets, but just in time, the wind welcomed him and his passengers once more. It yanked him back up, pulling him skyward, and he tipped his head to greet the sky, grateful to be back on his bed of air. The Pokemon were secure – Toothless dangling from his neck, and Skullcrusher still on top of him – so all that was left was to return to Astrid and…

Astrid. Fishlegs. The Hydreigon. Everything came rushing back to him so fast, it almost made him lose altitude. They were still under attack – he'd left them to fend for themselves!

Hiccup tipped his sails toward the wind and was buoyed up, soaring high on the current, and he impatiently twisted his head in search of his friends. He'd lost a lot of altitude, though, and it took him several precious moments to find them again. Bursts of light flashed from far above him, closer to the top of the canyon, as Stormfly and the Hydreigon battled it out ferociously.

"Astrid! Fishlegs!" he bellowed as hard as he could over the current, which seemed to have only gotten louder.

Suddenly, the wind howled, and Hiccup yelled soundlessly as the current became a buffeting gale that slammed him from the back, shoving him forward at a horrifying speed. He fought for control of his wings, but catching the wind in his sails only made everything worse – he accelerated out of control, his legs flung over his head as the current catapulted him into a dizzying flip.

Everything was a whirl of confusion and color, browns and blacks blurring into one another as he hurtled, blind, at such high speed that he could no longer determine up from down. His dinner climbed into his throat, his limbs flailed every which way, and it was all too much to take. No matter how much he fought, he couldn't free himself from the wind's mercy, and so he went limp with exhaustion, dedicating his remaining energy to just remaining conscio–

A starburst of pain exploded at the base of his skull.

Everything stopped.

The world went dark.

AN:

The XY episode that featured Sky Battles is one of my favorites in that series – it took a gimmick from the games that I personally thought was fun, but objectively bland, and dedicated an entire plotline to it. It didn't overstay its welcome and was a great way to give Ash's Fletchling a starring role. And any episode that features Flying-types is a winner in my book.

If Astrid came across as unnecessarily harsh in this chapter, that wasn't my intention. I already established her as being super-serious and fixated on her goal, and her losing patience with Hiccup and Fishlegs is just a product of that laser-focused nature. She wants to get things done and has no time for anything she sees as unproductive.

Also, here there be Dragon-types, but not the kind that Hiccup wanted! Will he get back to his friends and find the scientists lost in Glittering Cave? Please send reviews, and thank you for reading!

Next time: Flare-Weather Friends!