Chapter 56 – Dragon reunion
"Hello beastie." The big man lowered his binoculars and licked his lips, as the Shadow fell from the tunnel. He looked over his shoulder at his compatriots and shouted, "We got a live one. Can't have landed more than a kilometre way!"
He had the build and appearance of a body builder. Tall, barrel chested, every inch of his body bulging with muscle, and a thick neck. He would only need a mask and some grey skin paint, and he could have convincingly cosplayed as a Machoke.
His compatriots were a young man and a woman, each wearing in a black and white tracksuit, jacket, and baseball cap, each emblazoned with a logo of sorts. Two interlocking hexagons inside two larger hexagons. Their eyes were covered in a pair of dark sunglasses.
The big man, by contrast, wore only a pair of cargo pants, a thin t-shirt, sleeveless vest, and a sweaty headband. His most striking and distinguishing feature was a long bush beard that fell from his chin to his chest.
The woman of the group surveyed the beam of light descending from the clouds with a scowl on her face. "An Ultra Wormhole in the Kanto Region. That's the confirm we need; the breach must be expanding."
"So, lady Oleana was right," the other man, the one wearing the sunglasses, added, his voice monotonal and absent of emotion. "I got to hand it to her." He wasn't looking at spectacle in the heavens, preoccupied by the device he was holding in his hand – much like a phone except with a long antenna and tiny radar dish on the top.
"Any idea what type of Ultra Beast emerged," the woman asked of the big man.
The big man punched his right fist into the palm of his left hand and said gruffly, "I don't care what it is. So long as I get to battle it."
"You remember our agreement. We take the Ultra Beast alive remember!"
He turned to her with a wide toothy grin on his face. The woman's were immediately drawn to the golden tooth in his lower jaw. "I haven't forgotten. Don't worry…"
"The energy levels are rising more rapidly now," said the other man, still not taking his eyes off his device. "The wormhole structure won't last much longer."
"Keep an eye on it," the woman said to the big man. "Make sure nothing else comes out of it."
The big man raised his binoculars to his eyes…
[Pokémon]
It disappeared as quickly as it had come. The long tube of light started to close, getting narrower and narrower until it disappeared altogether. The black storm clouds broke, and daylight once again returned to this sleepy part of the Kanto Region. Once again, the forest was bathed in sunlight and the sky above was blue.
"Ruh…It's gone," barked Zacian. "So, it wasn't the darkest day!"
"It was an Ultra Wormhole," said Ash seriously. "And, unless I'm mistaken, I saw an Ultra Beast come out of it."
Pikachu nodded. "I saw it too."
"An Ultra Wormhole?" Zacian repeated. "Three hundred years I have been alive, Ash Ketchum. And in all that time I have never heard of an Ultra Wormholes. Or of Ultra Beasts."
"An Ultra wormhole is a portal to another dimension called the Ultra Space," Ash explained. "I don't know how they work. We first encountered them in Alola. This really weird creature. An Ultra Beast. Came out of a wormhole in the sky. Just like that one. An attacked. Another one appeared the first time we met Lusamine at the Aether Paradise. It nearly killed poor Oshawott." He gripped Zacian's fur tightly.
"And Ultra Beasts?"
Ash bit his lip, thinking of the best way to describe the beasts. How could words ever do justice to the weird shapes, expressionless faces, and terrifying strengths of the Ultra Beasts. He settled on, "They're kind of like Pokémon."
"they're nothing like Pokémon," Pikachu squeaked, sounding a little offended.
"That's not what I meant," Ash said quickly. "They're like Pokémon in that they can move and use attacks and stuff. But they don't look or act like Pokémon. They're…Really scary. The one we met in Alola kind of looked like a bug. A bug with really big muscles, and this sharp pointy nose. It was really gross with slimy red skin. And the one at Aether Paradise…It sort of resembled a Tentacruel. Or a Frillish. But it didn't have any eyes. It didn't even have a face."
He shivered at the memory of the Nihilego. The Jellyfish like creature that had floated around the conservation, with Oshawott caught unconscious in its tentacle.
"Hmmm I see," Zacian mumbled, sucking in her cheeks as she mulled the information over. She couldn't think of anything else to say.
"What about the Darkest Day," Ash asked. "What happened then?"
[Pokémon]
Charizard's, along with their two pre-evolved forms, have poor eyesight, and their eyes are not photosensitive. Charizard didn't even blink as the bright beam of light disappeared and the sun reappeared in the sky, directly in front of them.
Dragonite, on the other claw, had to raise a claw to shield his eyes from the suddenly harsh sunlight, while Geyser turned his head to look away.
"Well…That was anti-climactic," Charizard growled, genuinely confused as to what had just happened. "What the fuck was that thing!"
"A portal to the distortion world itself," answered Dragonite, his voice shaky. "That's what the guardian said to us. And every time it opens, it lets a demon into our world."
Charizard snorted in disbelief. "You don't honestly believe that nonsense do you!"
Dragonite coxed his head, seemingly a little upset at Charizard's response. "It's true. The first night we were in Alola. Shortly before our trainer released us. Flygon and I encountered one of the portals. It opened right in front of us, and monster stepped out. Like, like a Frillish. Except it had…"
"No face." Geyser finished his sentence for him. Charizard flicked his head over his shoulder again to examine the Dewott. He still seemed visibly shaken by what had happened. His face had gone pale behind his blue fur.
"Exactly," said Dragonite, pointing at Geyser his eyes wide. "You've seen it too."
"A group of them appeared at Aether Paradise. It…It got my dad. It nearly." Geyser's voice broke and sniffled noticeably.
"That's what happened to us. This thing glided out of the portal. It seemed to dance towards us. Before I knew what was happening it was on top of me, its tentacles wrapped around my body, and all over my scales. I don't remember anything after that expect the pain." Dragonite closed his eyes and shuddered. "Oh, the pain…
Geyser let out a long sigh. "You poor thing. What happened. How did you get away?"
"When I woke up, Flygon was by my side," said Dragonite. "And floating above us was the guardian Tapu Lele. She and the Island Guardian's saved my life. They battled the demon and sent it back to hell! And Tapu Lele the injuries the demon had inflicted on me."
Charizard looked between Dragonite and Geyser, unsure exactly what to believe.
"Nihilego," Geyser breathed. "I'm not sure if that's the creature's real name. But that's what the humans called it. I also heard the portal referred to as an Ultra Wormhole."
Charizard shook his head. "Wormholes. Demons. Portals to hell. You two sound like you've been getting high on Pokénip. I don't know why I'm talking to you!"
Geyser grimaced. "You weren't there Charizard. You weren't with us in Alola. You didn't see what we all saw. Ask any of the other Pokémon. Pikachu, Axew, dad. You can even ask your boyfriend. He was there. He'll tell you."
"How can you say things like that, when you just saw it with your own eyes," whined Dragonite.
"I don't know what I saw," Charizard grunted. "But just because I saw something weird doesn't mean I'm going to believe the first bidoof-brained story I hear. Come on, let's get back to the ranch!"
[Pokémon]
Meanwhile – on the other side of the world…
The Pokémon who inhabited the northern part of the Galar Region, particularly those who roamed wild in the city of Wyndon, always referred to it as the Dark Tower, and instinctively they avoided it.
While it was a common sight to see Nickit and Galarian Zigzagoon roaming the streets and Butterfree, Rookidee and Skwovet hiding in the trees throughout. But none would go near the tower, and one could never expect to find a wild Pokémon within one hundred meters of the structure.
The tower was the tallest building in the City, a great foreboding spire that reached into the sky. Wherever one went in the city the tower was visible. All of Wyndon lived in its Shadow physical, and all of Galar metaphorically.
Whatever it was made of seemed to absorb light, and so even in the cold light of day, it was seemingly covered in a veil of shadows. Something that was even more pronounced in the early twilight, as a single Corviknight glided towards it, wishing she could be anywhere else.
Corviknight was one of many in the city and across the region, bred and trained to carry Corviknight taxi's. Effectively, these taxis were large black boxes fitted with seats for the humans to ride while the flying types ferried them around.
And tonight, she would have rather been flying almost anywhere else in the country. The dark silhouette of the building loomed before her, and took a great deal of effort, and urging from her handler, not to resist her natural instinct to turn and fly in the other direction.
But what of Corviknight passenger in the steel box that hung from her talons. Who would want to travel to the dark tower at this time in the evening? The answer to that was none other than President Lusamine of the Aether Foundation.
Lusamine, for her part, was uninterested in the dark tower, or the sights of the city below. She was not a tourist, or a young trainer and she was not in Wyndon to see the many sights of the Galar capital. She was here strictly on business, with an important meeting to attend.
And a disaster to deal with back at the office…
"I-I-I can't make sense of these readings any other way." Professor Cerise's voice came through the Rotom phone, agitated, panicky and shaky. "There's a massive spike of infinite energy here in Kanto. It can only indicate a Wormhole."
"I see. Do you have a location," Lusamine replied, clam and considered in contrast to Cerise? "Has anyone witnessed it."
"It seems to be somewhere in the south-east. Probably in the south of Viridian City. No human witnesses that we know of."
"Did you dispatch a field agent?"
"Not enough time. It all happened too quickly, and we don't have any field agents or research fellows working in that part of the region."
Lusamine sighed and pursed her lips. "A pity. Any indication of what caused the wormhole to open!"
"I'm afraid we don't know. I can only assume it means the breach has expanded," said Professor Cerise.
"Do we know if anything came through the Ultra Wormhole," Lusamine continued.
"Impossible to tell."
"Yes. Well then, we should have the Ultra Guardians sweep the area. If an Ultra Beast did come though it could cause chaos!"
"Will do!"
"Very good. Listen, we're about to land so I will have to hang up. Debrief me in full when I get back to Aether Paradise." And with that, she hung up the phone.
Corviknight had reached the base of the tower now. She was coming in for landing, hoping that she wouldn't need to spend too long in this terrible place. Lusamine dialled a number on her phone and spoke quickly into the receiver.
"Don't you ever answer your phone." For the call had gone to voicemail. "It doesn't matter. I am reactivating project S. I need the subject apprehended. By any means necessary. Don't attempt to contact me. I will make arrangements and send you further instructions." She hung up as the cab touched the ground.
A man dressed in a black and white tracksuit and jacket bearing a hexagonal logo was waiting to greet her as she stepped outside.
"Good evening, President Lusamine and welcome to Rose Tower!"
[Pokémon]
Back in Pallet Town…
Charizard was grateful for the moment he was able to get Geyser off his back. As he soon as he touched down back on Oak's ranch. Before his paws had made contact with the grass. He gave a shake of his wings, knocking the annoying Dewott off his back.
"Awahh." Geyser groaned as slid down Charizard's back and landed hard on his tail in the grass. "Dew." Luckily it hadn't been rock, or it would have really hurt. He got back up, rubbing his backside, and glared at Charizard. "Hey, you did that on purpose!"
"Rwah," Charizard grunted. He glanced sideways at Geyser, then looked away having had pretty much all he could take of him.
"Don't ignore me, lizard butt." Geyser, deep down, knew that it wasn't a smart thing to do. He wasn't quite sure what made him do it, it had just happened in a flash of anger and annoyance. Geyser took one of his Scalchops and threw it at Charizard.
The shell-like object struck Charizard in the back of his head and bounced off. Due to his size and strength, Charizard barely felt the blow. But, given that he was already pretty irritated by the foolish otter, it was enough to push him over the edge.
"ZARRD!"
He turned around and did what he had been longing to do since he is irritating water type had clambered onto his back, using a flamethrower right in Geyser's smug face. Though the attack was not very effective, it still hurt, and had enough force to knock Geyser flat on his back.
"Dewott." The flames signed and blacked his fur and burned his skin, as they washed over his lithe body, painfully enough that he didn't feel himself make contact with the ground and was surprised when the attack passed to find himself on the ground.
Charizard was quickly on top of him, pinning him down with a claw to his chest and pressing his large face close to his. "Dew…" Geyser let out a low murmur as he looked into Charizard's jaws, saw his large fangs dripping with saliva and felt his hot breath on his face.
"You're treading a very thin line Bidoof Brain," Charizard growled. "You may think you're pretty strong since you've beaten my mate in battle a few times. But I've fought and won against legendary Pokémon, the liked of which if you met, I imagine you'd be wetting your fur."
He dug his claw a little further into Geyser's chest, making the poor Dewott given an involuntary squeak of "Wott."
"Anytime you want to battle, just let me know. Because I would love nothing more than the opportunity to defeat and humiliate you."
Geyser turned his head, looking away from Charizard. The dragon's breath was hot and putrid, invading his nose and throat and making him want to puke. He shifted, trying to get his nose as far away from Charizard's maw as he could.
"And if you ever try something like that again. I will make you regret it. Understand!"
Geyser did not reply.
"I said UNDERSTAND!"
Both Charizard and Geyser had seemingly forgotten Dragonite, who had taken a step backwards, watching the argument with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "Whoa," he said loudly, reminding them both he was there. "You guys have issues!"
"Charizard. What's going on here!"
Charizard released Geyser at the sound of his own name, straightening up and looking around to see who had spoken. He quickly found an astonished looking Sylveon, Sniveon, Axew and Flygon staring at him.
But the Pokémon he was most happy to see was. "Hey Ashachu!"
"Chari!" Ashachu was so happy to see his mate again, he jumped into the air throwing up his paws. Charizard took two steps over him and crouched down, lowering his head so that it was at Ashachu's level and allowing the mouse to give him a hug.
"Hehe. Oh, Arceus I missed you!"
"Hehe. I was only gone an hour."
"I know. But I still missed you!"
Axew and Sniveon went over to Geyser's side, helping the Dewott sit up. He was red faced and embarrassed, thought it was hard to tell with the all the soot covering his fur.
"You alright there, Geyser," Sniveon asked him concernedly, while Axew patted him on the side and mewled "Yew yew."
Geyser glanced at Charizard and Ashachu's happy little reunion and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," then under his breath, "lizard butt."
At the same time, Dragonite caught sight of the Pokémon he had been desperate to see since meeting Charizard and Geyser in the woods. "F-Flygon," he gasped, his eyes widening and his mouth opening in a wide smile. "You're here."
"Dragonite," Flygon said, returning Dagonite's smile. "You're okay."
"Oh Flygon." Much like Ashachu with Chari, Dragonite opened his arms wide and threw himself onto Flygon, embracing the dragonfly like Pokémon in a tight embrace. He closed his eyes as he squeezed the other dragon tightly against himself. "Oh, it's so good to see you. I was worried that I…Oh I missed you so much!"
Flygon wanted to hug Dragonite back but couldn't as Dragonite had pinned his arms against his side. He settled for wrapping his long tail around Dagonite's back, and closing his eyes in content, resting his head on Dagonite's shoulder. His tail flicked slowly up and down Dagonite's back.
The other Pokémon, except for Ashachu and Charizard who were still hugging, exchanged looks with Sniveon smiling and mumbling, "Aww."
It was a little while before the two dragons parted. So long that even Ashachu and Charizard had finished hugging and licking each other, and Charizard had stood back up, with Ashachu resuming his usual place on his shoulder.
"Umm. Flygon?" Sylveon said gently.
"Hmm…Oh tee he." Flygon opened his eyes and tapped Dragonite on the back of the head with his tail. Dragonite slowly let him go, but not before Flygon had the chance to lick him on the end of round nose.
As he did so, his claw trailed down Dagonite's chest and over his belly, until it came to the wound in the side of his stomach. Flygon's eyes widened. "Dragonite! You're hurt."
"It's okay," Dragonite replied softly. "It's just a flesh wound. I found some healing plants in the human nursery. They stopped the bleeding."
"Let me have a look at it," said Sylveon, moving closer and putting a feeler on Dagonite's body. "Hmmm. That doesn't look good. Here, allow me to…" He closed her eyes and her body started to blow with a white aura. As everybody watched, the wound begun to heal, and Dagonite's eyes filled with relief.
"Th-thanks," he breathed, as Sylveon let him go. "Did that heal pulse."
Sylveon nodded. "You're welcome. I can't stand to see a fellow Pokémon in pain."
"Err excuse me!" Charizard suddenly, causing everyone to stare at him. "But you haven't really told us who you are!"