Chapter 42: Day of the Raid
Summary:
The time has arrived. The team, prepared by all their training, begins their first raid. Ascending the mountain and facing tough fights, leading up to a final clash with one of the greatest trainers to ever live.
Notes:
For those of you who have read this and haven't seen it yet. This work now has a parallel, what-if scenario. Starting from the events of "Through Pain of Loss," what if Zeryph wasn't able to be saved by Arceus, and is forced to move into a new world?
Hell's Ascendant is now live. Be sure to give it a look, and tell me what you think. It makes references to this story, up to the chapter that it starts from. And in the future, this one may make some references to that one, too.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
As I started to wake up, I felt movement next to me. When I opened my eyes, I saw that it was Solais, taking her time to slowly stretch. She leaned down to give me a nuzzle, then went to hop down from the bed. I sat up and began to stretch, myself, and heard the clicks as her claws settled onto the tile in the bathroom. It didn't take me long to get up and stretch. And once I'd gathered something to wear for the morning workout, I went to join her.
She started the water, using one of her paws carefully to set it just right. I double checked to make sure it was, then I helped her step in before I started to wash her off. She closed her eyes, smiling softly and purring happily.
"This is a much better way to wake up, than just getting up and saying good morning." Solais broke the silence. She nuzzled my arm when it was in reach. "Especially after sleeping as well as we did."
"You've got that right." I shifted as my hands began to move further down her body, so I could reach better. Her legs moved as I got to them, lifting them one at a time so I could properly reach them. Same for her paws, and I made sure to be real easy on the pads.
"Hope they've got spare mattresses. I might've cut a few holes, in ours." She's right, but given how good things felt for both of us… I can't really blame her for it, either. I'm sure Kaorah likely would do the same, if she wasn't as careful as she is normally.
"Ah, telling Liz might get kinda awkward. Still, a few holes in the mattress is better than breaking the whole bed." Solais nodded. "It's a wonder Kaorah and I haven't done that, yet."
"From what I heard, you two are usually either in the shower, or in the woods. If you're not in the base portal, anyway." Solais let out a soft hum when my fingers began to rub along her inner thighs, using my nails to get the soap beneath her fur, down to her skin. Paying extra attention to where her fur was matted from last night.
She had already covered up, so there wasn't any risk of soap getting there. Especially given how it could be a problem for her if it did. At the same time, I was minding where my hands went, anyway. I didn't have to be as mindful as my hands got further down her hind legs. With her hind pads being the last to receive any attention. Then I pulled the shower head and started the quick part- rinsing her off. Making sure none of the water got into her eyes, or up her snout.
Once she'd been rinsed, I started to tend to myself, while she got out of the water. A quick use of some of my magic ensured she was completely dry, without her having to deal with puffed fur. Since I didn't use a towel on her, which means, no static. She also knew to not shake off, as to not fling water everywhere.
I heard a knock on the bedroom door, and Solais went out to get it. As she leaned back in, she said that it was Lexie and Melanie. Then she went to let them know where I was. It didn't take me too long to finish up, and then to get dressed afterwards. I'd end up having to shower a second time in a couple hours, after the morning run, but that's fine. Not like I haven't done it before.
Lexie and Melanie greeted me with a hug, and both of the girls got their own kiss from me, too. As we started to head outside, I heard a door open, then stumbled as Latias crashed into me, wrapping me tightly in her arms with an excited giggle.
"If you like him that much, you might as well join the team, now." Melanie spoke up. Latias pulled away with a blush forming on her face.
"Mel, don't tease her about it." I spoke up.
"Sorry. But given my abilities, I get a pretty strong hit from her just about any time you're both in the same vicinity." Melanie reached out, rubbing Latias on the right shoulder. "You take your time, ya hear? You'll have the same bond the rest of us have, eventually."
"I hope so." Latias stopped speaking out loud after that, but given the way she and Melanie began to focus, I knew what was going on. I'm not surprised that they'd shifted into a mental conversation. Likely because Melanie wanted to share some stuff, that she felt I didn't need to hear. Whatever they were talking about, faded as we got outside. Latias was the only one to not step out with us, as she didn't have the same endurance perk as everyone else.
As for the rest of us, we settled into the same routine that we'd been doing every morning now. With something interesting coming up. A brief vision from Dialga, showing what would've happened had they not been able to save me, a couple months ago. Apparently, had they not been able to break the system, I would've been sent to Hell. Which…doesn't sound fun, but who knows? Maybe I would've found myself enjoying it. Uh…depending on which version of Hell it was. I didn't see which one, only that it was.
The couple hours passed in the blink of an eye, followed by showers and breakfast. Then, our walk out to the mountain cave. The growing anticipation of the coming raid. Going over information on it, each level of the mountain having a lot more enemies than we'll have ever seen before. The top floor is set to be the final boss, of course. With some extra bosses every now and then to mix it up.
As we made our final preparations, ripples traveled up the mountain. I felt it shift as the raid took over what was already there. Something, or someone, appearing near the summit. Whoever they are, they're powerful…very powerful.
We began to go over one last triple-check to make sure we had everything we would need. Liz came up with the idea to give everyone their own item pouch, for those who could carry one, equipped with healing items. This ideal also allowed for us to carry extra empowerment seeds. Something which would be very helpful, until everyone has a Mega Stone of their own. Mewtwo doesn't need one, and the Eon Twins seem to not need their own, either.
With our preparations done, I placed a hand next to where the cave opened up. The opening changing into a rippling field of energy as I let my portal spell flow into the empty space. This would be our way to enter the raid itself, and where we would leave when we're done. One by one, we all headed inside. Immediately coming under attack as we passed through the door. This horde of enemies was much larger than we'd ever seen in the dungeons.
There were actually enough here that I, myself, had to get involved in battle. Something quite rare to be sure, but the use of what combat magic I did have, was a big help. The Eon Twins both powered up, and even joined into the battle. Mewtwo set them up with our mind-link, allowing them to properly coordinate with the rest of us.
Although they're not officially part of the team, they're able to work well with us. Even if they're pretty far behind our current level. We began to head up inside the mountain, the horde continuing to swarm us. I felt the shift in the air, Mewtwo's eyes turning red as he began to bring out his inner fury. Focusing it into his strikes, swinging with unmatched precision. Every strike breaking through the guard of enemies in his path.
Melanie's own attacks centered on her shield, using it to soak up the strength of what she was hit with, then channeling it into her hands. Each push sending out a powerful wave of energy. Each wave adapting to her targets, similar to Baruuk's Reactive Storm. She couldn't do it often, as it was draining for her, but her Mega Form helped to greatly decrease it. She has begun trying to see if she could potentially recreate the Wizard's Archon Form from Diablo 3. But, her work on that has been quite slow, due to its complicated nature.
As we reached the second floor, the Twins began to slow down, both shifting back into their base forms before backing off. They weren't trained to fight the same way the rest of us were. At the very least, their powers still allowed them to create a shield in order to cover themselves. As they backed off, Cerise covered their movements with her arrows. I got her some of their own set during our training, so she now wears a quiver to carry them in.
Each of the arrows, I set up with runes that changed what they did. And Cerise took great advantage of it, too. Changing between them as needed, and her shots always sailed true. One well-aimed shot could change all sorts of things in our favor. And she was showing it, better than ever. On top of that, she was silent. To the point that even firing her arrows was barely audible. Especially in a chaotic mess such as this.
Our first boss was actually thrown at us in the mix of enemies. A Tyranitar, who seemed to be quite angry. I guess the noise we were making woke him up. His entrance attack was just narrowly avoided by Mewtwo, who teleported backwards to get out of his reach. I see now how raids are much more chaotic…having to deal with a boss plus hordes of enemies at the same time.
[Mewtwo, hold his attention. Lexie, Cerise, cover him. Kaorah, Melanie, keep the others off their backs. Kalina, you and Solais, prepare to flank the target when you have an opening. Evan, get airborne and get us an idea of the path ahead, then come back and meet us. Just be careful.] I felt their responses in my head. Fireballs formed in my hands, and I sent them flying into the horde. During our training, Mewtwo had helped me learn how to separate my thoughts from acting. While not to UI levels, it does mean I can think much faster than I can act. Which, as you could guess, really helps with keeping everyone organized.
I ducked under an attack, one of the enemies making an attempt to flank me. I charged lightning into my hands, before letting the bolts fly. My target disintegrated under the power of the bolts.
[Should we do anything?] Latios asked. He twisted out of the way, avoiding a rock that was thrown his way, catching it as it passed before throwing it back with way more force. Smacking his target in the face and sending them into a tumble.
[You're doing fine as you are. Help keep me covered, so the rest can focus on fighting.] I said back. He and Latias both nodded. Latias began to charge a Mist Ball, calling out a warning before throwing it. It went up in a powerful explosion on impact, stunning several enemies which Melanie finished off.
Mewtwo had used Taunt, drawing the Tyranitar's rage, making the enemy focus only on him. Allowing Lexie and Cerise to pick at it from the sides, while also taking care of anything that Melanie and Kaorah missed. I watched them all look toward Kaorah for a moment, then execute dodges at the exact right moment to avoid when she slammed into the ground from a jump. The whole cavern shook, numerous targets flung into the air as the wave of power slammed into them. Latias was quick to sweep me up into the air on her back, smiling at me for a moment.
Cerise caught the targets in her gaze, unleashing arrows upon those who didn't survive. She vanished into the shadows, avoiding a strike from a nearby enemy, only to rise up with a pair of Leaf Blades. She swung, cutting upwards along the Tyranitar's chest, before catching his face in her talons. She flipped over backwards, using what strength she could to slam him into the ground.
She vanished again, just as Kalina swiped downwards with a fully charged Multi-Attack. Followed up by a fully charged Payback from Solais. Then, from Mewtwo slamming his hands downward, Aura Spheres in each one. The cavern shaking as an explosion ripped through from the spheres destabilizing.
The death of the first boss enemy signified as it broke apart like any other enemy would. What was left after Kaorah's Earthquake quickly moved to retreat. Creating an opening for all of us to breathe as we moved to the second floor. Mewtwo took point, his blades shining brighter than ever in this low light. His eyes still carried the same red color, as he was still in a state we decided to call Battle Fury.
The second floor brought the return of the surviving enemies, who had gotten a power boost, as well as a whole new second wave. So…anything we don't take care of, gets stronger if we leave it alive. I spread this information to everyone, along with the call to start focusing on large AOE rather than single-target.
The enclosed space means that Evan and Kaorah can't set up for a Mach Crash, so that strategy is out. Lexie had to shift out of her Mega Form, as her flames were starting to get too hot. She made for a retreat, moving to help the Twins keep me covered. At least until she cooled off enough to power up again. Since I no longer had to focus on defending myself, I could better guide everyone.
Mewtwo and Kaorah moved into the lead, putting our heaviest hitters up front. Evan still had what air superiority he could manage, with the way the cavern was. Although, he had started having to dodge rocks more often, especially as Smack Down started to become a threat. This is what prompted him to back off, using the stalactites for cover while watching from the air. I closed my left eye, switching half of my vision for what he could see. Doing such a thing was disorienting at first, but we've got it down now.
Mewtwo was also in on that training, so he knew what to do. Only, he used his left eye and closed his right. That way we weren't creating feedback for ourselves with each other's view. With Evan acting as our eyes in the sky, it let us see from a second view. Mewtwo's senses helping him to take care of anything the vision might miss.
As the second floor got down to its last few enemies, the boss was spawned. A Mega Steelix who seemed to be rather…angry. His aggression seems to have been dialed up, to the point he started throwing attacks at all of us. Forcing the team to scatter, while Mewtwo teleported backwards towards me, strengthening the Twins' shield with his own power. His brow furrowed slightly, under the force of the attack.
He caught what he could, and with a boost from Melanie's gravity control, sent it back with way more force. Melanie decided to throw her own little improvement into the mix. Using her gravity control to begin to make gravity collapse on itself, then switching to her mana to feed it. Using her gravity control to maintain the shell until it was ready. We'd discovered this during training, allowing her to use what the Pokedex entries mentioned. She could create these micro-singularities at will now, without risk to herself or us, but it came at the cost of a rather long cooldown. It would also drain her mega form, but leave her unharmed.
Which is fine, and it's not as risky as it could be. So long as we stay clear of the blast radius. Because, instead of drawing in objects, it draws in energy from the air around itself. However, it can also draw in any attack that passes close enough. And, when it hits a target…ka-boom. And I really do mean that…this thing is basically an ultimate ability.
Melanie pulsed her power as a warning, and as the orb was ready, she let it fly like a grenade. We've restricted it, so she can't use it outside of very specific circumstances. We're working on a way to turn it into a micro-rift for the Distortion World. Sort of like how the Aeldari Wraithcannon works, only without needing the Warp.
My team scattered away from the Steelix, his momentary confusion turned into alarm when he saw the little ball flying his way. One nasty little thing about that orb- it tracks its target…viciously. As it made contact, its event horizon destabilized. Releasing all the energy packed into it, into a blinding flash of purple light. Expanding rapidly into a swirling dome of chaos that left a perfectly smooth crater in the ground where it had cut in.
Melanie shifted out of her mega form as her power dropped. She sat down, panting lightly, but motioned that she was OK. As we moved on, she flopped onto her back. She'll be fine, just needs to catch her breath. In the first few times she used it, she would pass out. Quite a bit of training for her was to get her to where she wouldn't.
Without Melanie, the third floor felt a bit harder for the rest of us. Since she's our caster, not having her messes with the team quite a bit. 'Course, we do still have ranged support, we just don't have a healer. The air had grown colder, indicating that we're moving further up the mountain. From what I could tell, there were two more floors before we get outside.
[BGM Suggestion]
[Devil May Cry 5]
[Bury the Light]
The enemies had gotten even stronger now. In less numbers, but harder hitting. Mewtwo's eyes grew a deeper red as his sclera turned black. Darkness spreading over his form as he shifted into his second stage of Battle Fury. His power flaring with a ferocity that far eclipsed when he lost control a couple months ago. I set a timer in my head, keeping track of how long he stayed in control for. If it started to slip, I knew what signal to make.
He channeled power into his right hand, lifting it and making a fist, before slamming it downward. This sent out a wave of energy that blew away everything in its path that wasn't an ally. One of the enemies not blown away, a Dragonite, made to swipe at him. Mewtwo spun, catching the attack with his tail, then lifted his left hand and blasted the Dragonite into dust. His eyes then shifted to his right, locking onto several targets.
His blades shifted, becoming more claw-like in appearance, their edges re-shaping for a more serrated look to them. He began to walk forward, every step cracking the ground as the tremendous power flowed off of him in waves. Anything that got too close, found itself slashed into pieces. So fast, that all there was, were flashes of light.
Giratina's training had essentially turned Mewtwo into a living weapon of mass destruction. Yet, his control over such power shows just how much Giratina's training really helped. So much so, that Mewtwo can focus this highly destructive power, without risking all of us. If he and Libra were to fight again…she wouldn't last even thirty seconds. And that might be an understatement.
Unlike with his new, high-speed strategy, Mewtwo chose to focus on moving slower in this form. Since, moving slow meant burning up less of the energy, allowing him to have more than enough for his attacks. He began to throw them around, blasts of dark violet energy. Each one ripping through whatever it hit with ease.
As training revealed, when he's amped on Battle Fury, Mewtwo's attacks can even ignore Typing. And he's almost impervious to damage. Whatever does get through, heals so rapidly that it doesn't matter. It's basically his own version of Devil Trigger. And it really shows, too. But as I mentioned, its weakness is that he can burn off the energy too quick if he's not careful. And he can't transform at all, once he runs out. Into Mega form or this one. With an increasing cooldown for however long he stays like this. Up to about half an hour if he doesn't stack both forms like he has now.
Anything that got too close, found itself shredded. Mewtwo was very well aware of how much time he had, and he worked with that to the max. Hearing him count off every attack in his mind, going over every bit of information down to the smallest detail. Everything sounding like an exact calculation. Each attack with the highest precision he could manage. While he's not mechanical, being amped on so much psychic power does make his mind speed up to a great deal.
Which, in training, we had to up his other stuff to match. As, having such quick reflexes is useless without the speed to match it. He leaned to the side, avoiding a rock that was thrown his way. He sent a blast back towards the attacker, a Graveller, with his tail. He turned to his left, lifting that hand and several enemies into the air. Along with the ground beneath them. He made a fist, crushing them all together into a ball. Then with a wave of his arm, sent the debris off into the crowd of enemies.
Mewtwo's actions brought forward a wave of very powerful enemies, the floor sending three bosses at once. A Dragonite, a Salamence, and a Metagross. All focused on who the biggest threat clearly was, but none of them a match. Even as they all attacked at once, Mewtwo was, at the moment, too strong for them. And this is why he's limited so heavily. He's powerful enough in this state to almost rival the brothers. And he knew that, using his powers to keep his targets at bay. Tossing them around the room with every wave of his left hand, or shooting their attacks out of the air with his right.
Watching him throw his targets around with a single hand will never get old. His unreadable expression shifting into a tired one as his power began to wane. He put all of it into one last attack, taking out the Dragonite and Salamence, but not the Metagross. Mewtwo's power finally gave out, and he dropped to a knee, shifting back to his base form. Cerise immediately began to rain down covering fire, giving Kaorah time to pull him back from the battle. While Kalina and Lexie dealt with the Metagross.
In time, the metal mass of minds, fell under combined attack. With Cerise shooting their attacks down, the Metagross couldn't hit back from a distance. Forcing them to get close, but even their combined minds weren't enough to stop the girls from wearing them down. Ending when Lexie and Kalina struck at the same time, with Pyroball and Multi-Attack respectively. The Metagross breaking into flakes of light as they were soundly defeated.
Mewtwo slowly rolled onto his back, before waving us onward. The drain having left him momentarily exhausted. This meant that Kaorah would have to take point for now, but that's just fine. Since she's more than strong enough, in her own right. Without Mewtwo, as we moved to the fourth floor, things definitely felt much harder.
Just as we began the engagement, Melanie appeared from a flash of light. Her Force Cloak back up, but she wasn't in her Mega form. Having chosen to not eat another seed, in order to keep herself from passing out due to having more than one in such a short time. Lexie, however, was more than good to go for her next. She erupted into a burst of flame as her form shifted. Trails of fog following her in the air as she moved.
Cerise also crunched a seed, then began to shift form, drastically. Her wings becoming separate from a pair of lean arms. Her hands tipped with sharp claws similar to the talons on her feet. Her hood falling from her head as long, black feathers formed in a way that resembled hair. A long scarf forming from what used to be her hood, waving behind her. She gave up her ability to use arrows, and her wings weren't able to be used for flight like this. But they made up for it in a new way.
She plucked feathers from her wings, shifting them between her fingers, before beginning to throw them with lethal accuracy. Any time an attack got too close, she'd reappear somewhere else. Although she couldn't fly anymore, her ability to shift through the shadows, on top of being able to run incredibly fast, meant she could still avoid attacks.
This also hampered her ability to use moves that required a bit of wind. But, her ability to use her feathers as throwing knives in this form, made up for it. She and Lexie even worked out a strategy, allowing Lexie to set her feathers on fire before they were thrown. This let the feathers burn through things they normally wouldn't do much against.
The next boss-level enemy to be thrown at us, was actually a Garchomp. Keeping with the theme of Pseudo-Legendaries, I suppose. He made his presence known by trying to catch Cerise with Dig, but she'd vanished out of his path just as he went to swing. Cerise reappeared from his shadow, stabbing through his back with a pair of Leaf Blades. I suppose it's fair to say, while these are boss-level, they aren't true bosses. Mini-boss definitely seems like it would've been a better fit.
It's the next floor where we finally faced one. No enemies, other than one. A massive, flaming bird. Mewtwo had finally caught up to us, by this point.
"Welcome, challengers. In order for you to reach the summit, you must defeat me. Only then will you be worthy of facing the battle ahead." Moltres spoke, his tone carrying…respect. So he's definitely different from the one on Shamouti Island. "Chosen one, do not disappoint me. I have watched your team train for the past two months. It would not do well for you to lose, now." I…completely forgot that Moltres could be found here.
Moltres channeled power into his wings, and with a single flap, unleashed a huge blast of fire. Melanie and the twins put up a shield for most of us. Kalina shifted into a Water-Type, taking the attack head-on with a grunt. And Lexie- soaked it up like a sponge, using it to stoke her own flames. Moving up into her white-hot stage.
[Be careful about Flame Body, you don't wanna get burned if you can help it. If you do, I'll take care of it.] Melanie called out. Kalina was the only one who had reason to worry about it, but her type-shifting also gave her the means to shrug off a burn. Moltres seemed to be impressed by what Lexie could do, too.
"Such control. Marvelous. Come back and see me, one day. I shall be more than happy to help you train in your use of it." Moltres offered her.
"I would rather seek training with Ho-oh, if that's OK. But, I can still learn some things from you, I'm sure." Lexie answered.
"I understand. Suicune, I was the most surprised to see you. I had not thought you would join a human team." Moltres turned his attention. Suicune had used a wall of water to defend herself from Overheat.
"I didn't think so, either. But…you can see how that turned out. Zeryph proved himself worthy, through training alone. He even had the Creation Trio help him out with his team during that." Moltres gave me a look that carried even more respect. Interested in what Suicune had just told him, he motioned for her to continue. "In fact, their training has even helped me out. Learning English is just a small part of that."
"Strong as you all are, I feel it would be better to simply…let you pass. I can feel it, and though the battle would be tough, it would take you time to prepare for who waits ahead." Moltres spoke up again. "You may pass. And...remember to come back and visit in the future. It does get lonely up here."
"I'll make sure that we do." I said, smiling. "I'd ask if you'd come with us, but if I had to guess, you'd rather stay here." Moltres nodded. "Fair enough. C'mon team, let's go." The blast of cold air prompted me to switch for some warmer clothes, as we were nearing the summit now. It was a bit of a hike, but the lack of any more enemies took care of that. Causing us to fall under an eerie silence. We had plenty of time to wait for Mewtwo's powers to return to full strength, allowing him to transform again if necessary.
He appeared in Mewtwo's senses, just before mine caught him. And as we reached the top, my eyes landed on the form of a young man…definitely not dressed for a mountain summit in the winter. A red and white t-shirt with a matching hat. Blue jeans, a yellow bag, and a mega bracelet on his left arm. Short spiky black hair, and dark gray eyes.
"..." He turned to face us, his eyes locking onto my own. Never has silence been so…intimidating, even for me. A look of unbreakable determination appeared on his face, as he pulled a ball from his belt. He took a stance, preparing to throw it.
[Who…is this guy?] I heard Kaorah ask. [He looks…strong. Crazy strong, and yet…he doesn't seem to have any powers, unlike you.]
[I know why…because, THAT, is the man they call…Red.] Inwardly, I was freaking out. Though, my outward appearance only showed a slight frown. Of all the people to throw at us as a boss…the system chose RED.
[BGM Suggestion]
[Aether & Chaos]
[Battle! Trainer Red]
Red shifted, then threw out his first Pokemon, his Pikachu. This one had orange cheeks, suggesting that he had hold of a Light Ball. Lightning sparked over his body as he adopted the same determined look.
Kaorah was the first onto the field in response to this. She immediately went for a rush attack, knowing full well that Pikachu couldn't use Nuzzle to stop her. Red gave only a small twitch of his right brow, before snapping his fingers. His Pikachu dodged with surprising speed, using both Quick Attack and Volt Tackle at the same time. Before switching out for Red's Lapras.
The moment she appeared, she forced Kaorah to back off by using Ice Shard. With enough space, she began to whip up a Blizzard around herself. Before preparing to use Psychic in order to force Kaorah to close in. Kaorah chose to switch out, hopping backwards past the battle line, and allowing Kalina to take her place. Red's brow raised ever so slightly more, likely curious to see how this would play out.
Kalina's lights began to fade, taking on a dark bluish-gray color as her skin rapidly hardened. Allowing her to tank an Ice Shard with barely a scratch. She retaliated with Multi-Attack, ignoring the cold from the Blizzard as, it had very little effect on her right now.
Red went for a switch, throwing out his Charizard. A momentary look of surprise appeared on his face when he saw Kalina's glow change to the lighter blue of the Water-Type. Having figured out what her ability was, Red's whole strategy switched. He'd wait for her to attack, then, make a switch based on what her current type was.
Because of this, he waited for her to go with Multi-Attack, then switched for Pikachu at the last possible second. This, being unavoidable, caused Kalina to be hit with Static. Sparks raced across her body as she froze stiff, her joints locking up. She growled, as it also seemed to disable her ability to switch types.
With her briefly out of action, she switched with Kaorah once again, allowing Mewtwo to teleport her out of the arena. The moment Kaorah hit the field, she smacked Pikachu with her tail, hard. This launched him away, forcing a ring-out. Although we didn't have a referee, Red seemed to still go along with what that meant.
He recalled Pikachu before the mouse could leave range, then sent out Lapras again. As Lapras began to prepare another blizzard, Kaorah disappeared into the ground. And as Lapras prepared to flood the hole with Surf, she found that she couldn't. Suicune had helped us solve that problem.
Catching onto what was coming, Red quickly switched for his Charizard, who was just barely fast enough to fly up and out of Kaorah's reach, narrowly avoiding the vicious swipe of her claws. Kaorah moved to switch, and Lexie stepped onto the field. Her mega form wasn't active, as we'd switched into battle rules. In fact, nobody had theirs up right now.
Lexie's fur shifted as she dropped her weights. And after adjusting to her new speed, she had to leap high into the air to avoid an Air Slash. Her fur changing colors as she flipped over, before spinning and throwing an Electro Ball back down at high speed. An attack which Red's Charizard narrowly avoided.
Red quickly switched for his Venusaur, who began to use Bulldoze as soon as he was out of the ball. Lexie, still in the air, had enough time to switch to Flying-Type before she landed, bouncing high and backwards and calling a switch. This prompted a brief glint in the sky, before a huge burst of energy appeared.
Evan dove from above, his body cloaked in golden light as he combined Mach Rush with Brave Bird. A very dangerous move were it anyone else, but for him- not so much. Red hadn't seen him fly up into the air, but he sure heard the sonic boom just as Evan made contact. Evan was quick to recover, but Venusaur wasn't as lucky. Having been knocked out by the impact.
Evan then switched out with Melanie, who caught a series of Ice Shards from Red's Lapras, stopping her from taking out Evan as he backed off. His dive bomb strategy wasn't going to work a second time, since Red was fully aware of it now. He figured out Melanie's gravity control just as quickly. Just as he did for her casting, catching on to the way her hands moved.
If he saw her move to launch lightning, his expression would change, and Lapras would do her best to dodge it. He swapped her out for his Blastoise, who then sent off a Dark Pulse, only for Melanie's shield to catch it with little issue. Red nodded to himself, then with a snap of his fingers, signaled to try something else. Silver light began to shine from Blastoise's cannons.
Recognizing Flash Cannon for what it was, Melanie was quick to trade places with Mewtwo. He caught the blast with his hands, splitting it and sending it off to the sides. Mewtwo began to focus his power, reaching for that inner switch. A huge flash of light going up as the ground cracked under his strength. His Mega Form flaring to life, earning a reaction of silent surprise.
Red was quick to recover however, switching Blastoise for Charizard, before tapping his keystone. Charizard changed in a flash of orange light, taking on a much more beastly look. His wings gained a somewhat battle damaged look. Short wings formed on his forearms, and his tail became spikier. His tail flame grew stronger, and his eyes took on a blue color. A third horn grew from the top of his head. He breathed in, then let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the mountains.
What followed was the first clash, as Red's Charizard made to swipe with his claws. Mewtwo grunted, then gathered power into his hand and shoved his opponent away. The backblast from the force of the Psystrike dislodged snow and sent it flying, kicking up a brief screen of fog. This gave Mewtwo the cover he needed to begin charging an Aura Sphere, putting what he could into the ball until it began to gain a white glow.
He then spun and threw it with all the force he could manage. Red, and his Charizard, both watched it fly past as the latter narrowly dodged, feeling it take the tip off his left horn. It sailed into a distant cliff, exploding with a huge amount of power. The pair turned an alarmed look on Mewtwo, realizing in that moment that they needed to throw everything they had at him.
Red motioned for a switch, but didn't return Charizard, who backed off of the field, watching as Snorlax charged onto the field under the effects of High Horsepower. Mewtwo shifted into a stance, counting quietly as Snorlax approached. At the last possible moment, he teleported upwards and in the same moment, blasted downwards with a Psystrike in both hands.
Snorlax found himself in a crater. Groaning in pain, he rolled onto his back with swirls in his eyes. He'd been sacked, but it gave Red more information on how strong Mewtwo is. It meant he was down to three now, but at the same time, he knew how Mewtwo fought. Mewtwo wasn't the aggressor, this time. He'd chosen to use his defensive-reactive strategy.
And that made him dangerous. Without someone who had adaptive capabilities, like Kalina, Red seemed to know he was at a major disadvantage. However, he had one possibility, giving his Charizard a nod. His Charizard returned to the field, before sending out an Air Slash. Mewtwo ducked underneath it, rather than let it hit. This is what Red was looking for. He gave two snaps of his fingers, and Charizard answered with a nod.
If getting up close wasn't going to work, which they knew, then they would have to settle for ranged instead. Using the distance to begin attacking with waves of Air Slash. Forcing Mewtwo to dodge rather than take the attacks head-on. However, what they hadn't realized yet, was that in the first exchange, Mewtwo had left one of his markers.
While being made to dodge was good for keeping him from attacking at range, it wouldn't stop the marker. The moment he had a clear lock, Mewtwo teleported. A magenta flash being the warning before he landed a very strong uppercut. Red's Charizard let out a grunt, his head snapping backwards in a moment of surprise. Mewtwo then quickly landed a series of jabs before finishing with an amped up right hook. He then teleported away just as Red's Charizard recovered into launching a Fire Blast.
Mewtwo switched with Melanie as soon as he touched the ground. The moment she took the field, she used Gravity in order to force Charizard to land, then signaled another switch. Now, without his ability to fly, Charizard had no way to dodge the Dig that Kaorah had readied herself for. This launched him into the air, where she then struck with her tail. Sending him back into the mountain with a loud boom.
Down to two left, Red sent out Lapras once again. With her paralysis issue taken care of, Kalina was able to return to the field. Her RKS-MK2 having stabilized along with it. She shifted type, using the Steel-Type to catch the attack that was meant for Kaorah. She then shifted type into Electric, rushing forward at higher speed than normal. Flowing seamlessly into Grass as Lapras tried to wash her away with Surf, then shifting into Electric once more before landing Multi-Attack.
Lapras cried out in pain, shuddering as the lightning coursed through her. She was left extremely weak, on the verge of being knocked out. Red went to withdraw her, but in this brief moment, Kalina shifted into Dark-Type and chased Lapras down with Pursuit. Striking just as the beam would've locked on, knocking Lapras out right as she began to return.
This left Red's Blastoise, who had to contend with a Thunderbolt as soon as he touched the field. Though he was able to fight through it, the same can't be said for the follow up. Three quick swipes of Kalina's claws, charged with lightning, before she landed another Multi-Attack. Finally knocking out Blastoise, and bringing this battle to an end. Red said nothing, returning Blastoise with a small, proud smile on his face. Then, offering a handshake. Something which I accepted with a smile.
Without another word, he gave me a larger smile and a nod, then turned and began to walk away. He began to glow, before fading from existence as the world around us shifted. In no time, we were back on the normal mountain. It looked like a battle hadn't even occurred here. Then I got the notification for raid completion. The payout being increased because of the battle with Red.
Having one of the strongest trainers to ever live, acknowledge out strength, is gonna be great going forward. Even though our universe is mostly anime, and not the games. Had it been games from the start, then I realize that Red would've been related to me, instead of Ash. Which makes me wonder, how much ridiculously stronger would the two of us be, in that case? Between him, myself, and Blue, we'd be the three strongest trainers to ever live.
As we all started to come down from the rush of adrenaline, Mewtwo rounded us up and we teleported back to the Pokemon Center. It was late evening now, but it didn't feel like we were up there that long. The team was in rough shape, and we began to feel exhaustion set in. But, the idea of supper was enough to keep us awake. Nobody's gonna believe the encounter with Red, either…since the version we fought, doesn't actually exist here.
And given how that battle went, it only makes us even more hyped for the tournament that's tomorrow. I can't wait to see what Ash has managed to do for his team, in order to make them strong enough to contend with mine.
Notes:
Hope the battle with Red did him justice, heh. Though he was here for the raid, he won't be showing up for the main storyline. As, his presence would conflict with Ash being there. Still, like I said, I hope it was good enough for who it was. As for the Raid, I thought it was fair to show more of the progress the team made. More than what could be shown in last chapter's rematch.
