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Ash couldn't find it. He knew there was something wrong around him, yet he couldn't place his fingers on it. There was a danger that he could sense, but he couldn't see it, nor could he make out from where it came from.
Yet he knew he was too late when he heard wood crunching behind him.
"Ash!" Misty voice rang in the air. "They're above us!"
The riolu rotated on his toes to turn to her, just as a beam of freezing light washed over him. Cold narrowly missing him, Ash felt the stings and needles of frost penetrate into his body. He couldn't let a direct hit take him out.
So he did the only thing he could think of and punched the floor. The wooden floorboards of the ship collapsed like they were cardboard.
The fall didn't hurt Ash one bit, though his back felt numb because of the Ice Beam that struck him. He brushed off the frost and dust on his pelt and pushed himself off the floor…. And came face to face with several of his friends already around him, all of them looking at him with surprised glances.
"Ash!?" Several voices shouted at once.
Pikachu ran up to him and went to grab onto his collar. "What's going on? Who's attacking?
Cyclizar and Staryu similarly approached, though didn't touch him.
"I see that threat you felt might not have been an idle one," said the lizard.
Ash nodded as he rubbed at his left arm to get the feeling back in it. "Some…birds are attacking us." He said, though he was unsure. It all happened so fast and he was still processing everything that happened. The only thing he was certain of was that his opponents flew. "I have no clue why, but I have a feeling we'll know soon enough."
The entire room listened to his words carefully, all knowing the danger.
"Hey, buddy!" Squirtle patted a sleeping Charizard's belly. "We got baddies to beat up, so wake up!"
The dragon made a yawn and stirred. "Always during my nap," he muttered.
"This could be bad," Pikachu said to his trainer as he grabbed onto his Light Ball. "But if it's birds, some electricity is all we're going to need."
Ash nodded as he turned his gaze to the floor above him. He couldn't see what was going on as the entrance he created for himself had been caked over with ice. Despite that, he could feel plenty of the swell of hatred and fear that came from the birds. Some of the sounds above indicated talking though it was hard to make out exactly beyond a few echoed words.
He felt one of the strongest of them landing in front of who he recognized to be Team Rocket; perhaps a leader who wanted to confront the ship's captains? There was little doubt in the riolu's mind that there was going to be a fight soon.
The riolu turned to the hold as everyone assembled. Goldeen, Staryu, Vulpix, and Geodude walked into view, with Brock bringing up the rear. Victreebel also hopped over as well, concerned for his trainer's safety.
"Everyone, if things get bad, we'll attack all at once. We have to get out there and catch them by surprise, okay?" He wasn't really their leader, but no one refused the suggestion.
"I'll stay behind and care for those who shouldn't be in this fight," Cyclizar offered. "Togepi and Psyduck."
"Take care of Onix, too," Brock said as he dropped a Pokéball in front of the lizard.
He nodded in reply. Despite being a former criminal, no one distrusted Cyclizar as he had done nothing against them since he joined.
Ash walked towards the back of the ship and ran up the captain's quarters, just underneath where Team Rocket and that powerful pokémon were.
He heard something akin to high speed water running against wood.
"I just bathed already!" Jessie's shout reverberated.
"Be silent!" came the reply and a loud thud. There was more said, but the rest was garbled. The only other things that Ash could make out were "slaver" and "bandit". A part of him wondered if this meant that the person who attacked them was some sort of police officer or bounty hunter, but the fighting-type was sure that if they were, they probably shouldn't have made such a sudden attack.
Pikachu looked his partner in the eye, wordlessly asking what they were going to do.
Ash clenched his fist and raised it to his partner. There was no turning back.
The leader of the birds made several heavy thuds above Ash's current position. He shouted something muffed, with the last part, "Do not resist" being the only thing truly audible.
Ash pointed to the floor.
Pikachu got the plan immediately and cupped his paws together.
From a running start, the riolu dashed and leapt into his partner's paws.
Pikachu then abruptly lifted his paws, providing a boost towards Ash's momentum.
Ash raised his palms forwards and charged them with brilliant blue fire. With the one paw, he burst through the ceiling, tearing the wooden floor nothing more than dry paper.
The sudden appearance startled a large armored bird, leaving him open. With the other paw, Ash landed a power strike against his cheeks.
The corviknight staggered back, nearly flinching. He threw a wing at Ash, knocking him backwards.
The jackal pup, however, took only minimal damage and landed on his feet just a short distance away from Team Rocket. He brought a palm up against Corviknight, declaring his intent to fight if it came to it.
"Twerp!?" James shouted.
"I have a name you know," Ash muttered. Around him at the back of the ship, there were maybe ten Pokémon, including himself. Against them were Corviknight and two pelipper. On their side were Zubat, Jessie, James, Meowth, Arbok, and him. And suddenly, Pikachu, since he just leapt from the hole the riolu created.
It was at that moment, the others launched their attack. Charizard spat a gout of fire as he launched himself from the hold, Dexter, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle covering his flanks as retreating fliers took to the air. From other hatches, Vulpix and Geodude lobbed rocks to pave a way for Brock to run at the enemy. Lastly, Staryu and Goldeen threw spinning arrays of Water Guns into the air, tagging fliers and forcing them to drop from the sky. While their opponents were all fully evolved, they were also fewer in number and very vulnerable to a number of shared weaknesses.
Corviknight stomped on taloned foot onto the ground and stared at the riolu with menace.
"Hm. Very well, then." Corviknight snarled. He flapped his wings and took to the air, his two assistants following him. "Keepers, Attack!"
The two pelipper blasted jets of water at them.
The riolu and the Pokémon behind him scattered out of the way, letting the attacks miss.
Pikachu lobbed a bolt of electricity at the nearest pelipper, which prompted the other one to shield it.
Fighting-type resistances or not, Ash lunged in to make a few jabs, before one of the large pelicans flew out of his reach.
Corviknight swooped down at him, striking at Ash with a wing. Ash managed to raise his hands in a guard to block the attack, but was sent to the ground regardless.
A swellow who was loitering in the air attempted to peck at him, but the jackal rolled out of the way and kicked it in the side, forcing him away.
James tossed off his captain's outfit and suddenly wore a yellow hardhat and overalls. He threw glittering gemstones at the swellow. Arbok followed up by spitting poisoned needles at every bird within range. Corviknight flew in front of the snake, intercepting the needles which shattered on his armored feathers.
"THUNDER!" Pikachu intercepted Corviknight and tackled him, the rodent's Light Ball glowing brightly before suddenly, the two were engulfed in brilliant light.
Ash stood his feet and went to back up his partner.
The armored bird however, withstood Pikachu's onslaught and cast him down, knocking him away with a wing.
"I'm coming!" Ash leapt on his legs and ran as fast he could.
One of the pelipper threw a beam of freezing light at him in an arc.
Ash's perceptions of time slowed dramatically as he triggered Quick Attack, where suddenly the entire world slowed to a crawl. Though Ice Beam itself was instantaneously traveling, the Pelipper's aim was far slower.
The riolu slid under the beam, avoiding it without it even coming close. He dashed past it and made a leap. He stood over Corviknight's back, much to the raven's surprise.
"You'll pay for that!" And that was when Ash dug into himself and dragged out the power that was hidden inside of him. Electricity flowed through his skin and released it, throwing it into Corviknight. Hidden Power lit up.
The large avian shrieked in agony, light flowing into him.
Ash smirked, content with actions.
Yet, despite that, Corviknight still flew. His large neck craned backwards, a single eye glaring right at the riolu.
Not expecting that, Ash dug deeper into himself and let more of his Hidden Power leave his body.
Yet it wasn't enough, Corviknight was still flying, menacing with hatred.
He spun around rapidly and with a single wing caught Ash mid fall and slammed the jackal pup right into the floor.
Wooden boards cracked where Ash landed. Pain shook Ash's body and he felt his arm go numb.
Corviknight sneered at him, his hatred burning like an angry star. "So much potential," he muttered under his breath. "Wasted."
Ash shivered, never having once seen anyone look at him like that, except… one person… Pokémon. He tried to struggle, to get up out of his position, but Corviknight placed a heavy talon over his body, pinning the jackal.
The bird raised a wing and brought it down over Ash's head… Or he would have.
Corviknight suddenly recoiled backwards as a loud Screech forced him off and away. He nearly recovered to face his new assailant, only to be met with yet another Screech.
Zubat flew over Ash. "You're not getting him!" she shouted before making yet another Screech.
With that opening, Jessie shot a bolt of electricity. It narrowly missed Corviknight, but he took to the air.
Now that he was freed, Ash rose to his feet. His legs wobbled slightly as pain shook his core.
"Thanks," he muttered to Zubat.
"No problem!" said the poisonous bat.
"Ash?" Pikachu up to his trainer, clutching one of his arms.
"Hey, Pikachu," the riolu groaned. He could sense his partner's distress. "I know, I know, I should take better care of myself."
The rodent frowned.
"Hey, guys!" Zubat screamed, flapping her wings wildly. "I don't like the look of that!"
Ash and Pikachu turned their gazes upwards where they saw Corviknight, as a gathering storm covered him. "Enough of this! Cease your resistance!"
The riolu sensed it more than he could see it.
Power flowed into the armored avian, gathering around a glowing jewel on the bird's neck. And then, it exploded. Corviknight's metallic feathers warped and transformed, saturated by a power that Ash had never heard of.
Everyone stopped fighting to witness the transformation.
Emerald metallic armor covered Corviknight's body, whilst golden sigils and red trim covered his feathers. Yet at the same time, Ash saw a fire dance around his body, a terrifying serpent manifesting right behind the armored crow; it was line his shadow was transformed into that… monster.
"Mantle of Rayquaza!" Corviknight shouted triumphantly.
The attacking birds flew into the sky, reinvigorated. It was like they simply knew they would win.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" the riolu found himself saying.
"Thunder…" Pikachu gathered energy in his cheeks and then all at once, he let it loose. "BOLT!"
"Me, too!" James shouted as he also used the same move.
Bolts of lightning flew towards Corviknight.
Yet, Ash could feel the crow's sheer confidence. Corviknight raised his winds and simply blew the bolts of electricity off course, like they were little more than firecrackers to him.
Ash stared, terrified at what kind of power they were standing up against.
And that was when everything became worse. Corviknight simply flapped his wings and nearly capsized the boat through his gale force winds.
Ash leapt onto the ship's wheel, narrowly avoiding being thrown off. Pikachu grabbed onto him, desperate to hold on. Others braced themselves similarly, but the riolu couldn't see how. He only knew because his senses indicated no one fell off.
The boat then suddenly rocked forwards, as the momentum of Corviknight's petered out.
Ash stumbled and landed on his belly somewhere off on the main deck..
Pikachu looked like he was about to hurl, though the riolu didn't feel like throwing up. Others began to recover their footing, most terrified or nauseated.
"This is your last chance to surrender," Corviknight declared, his squadron of Flying-types not at all bothered by the sudden wind.
A shiver of fear planted itself in Ash's heart. The power Corviknight now wielded was immense, something… Legendary.
Memories flooded Ash. He had seen a Pokémon this powerful once before; though he didn't remember how or where this happened, he once stood against a psychic of sheer, raw power. He… created a storm that threatened to destroy the world, yet that didn't stop Ash from doing everything in his power to stop him, even as just a boy. He could do more now.
He didn't fear Corviknight's power.
Clenching his fist, Ash stood up and stood firm. He placed his hands on Pikachu, giving the surety of his presence to partner.
Pikachu shivered lightly, afraid. Yet he stilled his body with his trainer's mere touch. He nodded his head and shed a tear, before once again standing in a fighting pose.
Misty caught Ash's eye. The buizel trembled, though still took in her fears and worries and put them all into her paws, as if turning her own weakness into strength.
Ash looked up at Corviknight, making his resistance known.
"Very well." The bird's hateful glare met them and he narrowed his eyes in understanding. He flapped his wings and suddenly his underlings were covered in swirling winds.
"ATTACK!" he shouted.
The birds all dive bombed the ship, either striking opponents with their wings and talons or sending ranged attacks on strafing runs.
One of them, a Talonflame swooped down over him and spun mid air before rocketing at him at an blinding speed. For a moment, the riolu stood in his tracks, entranced by how sudden it was.
"QUICK DODGE!" Pikachu's voice shook the Fighting-type to attention.
In haste, Ash used Quick Attack once again. From the riolu's point of view, Talonflame turned from a reddish blur into a distinct shape. The jackal leapt to move out of the way, yet he was too slow; Talonflame was simply too close to him.
The Fire-Flying-type's wings clipped into Ash's side and lashed a wide cut under his ribs. The Riolu flung backwards from the point of impact and tumbled onto the floor, only stopped from falling off the ship because he hit one of the railings.
Ash groaned, trying to get up, but the cut across his belly seared with pain.
"ASH!" Misty shouted back. She spat out Water Gun at the now retreating talonflame, who began to swing around for another pass. However, though she managed to tag the Flying-type, her Water Gun shattered against the barrier of winds that surrounded the talonflame, with most of the attack failing to penetrate.
In response, a Fearow swiped down and struck Misty with her talons.
Pikachu threw a thunderbolt at the condor, but again, the wind barrier deflected some of the lightning. However, Pikachu's sheer power overwhelmed the ward, causing Fearow to scream in agony before falling down.
Fearow continued to lash and struggle, but Ash stopped paying attention.
His friends still needed him. The riolu tried to force himself up… only to collapse back onto the railing as his pain overwhelmed him. He could only watch.
Brock felt alive. He bounded forward with powerful muscles, eager to sink his teeth into his foes.
The battle around him only seemed to grow more intense, with his friends and companions doing everything they could to keep the birds back. Geodude and Vulpix threw stones and fire flew into the sky, all in an attempt to hit one of the birds. While their aim was good, the birds were nimble and were protected by their wind barriers.
Yet, the lycanroc didn't want to sit back. His heart burst rapidly at the thought of facing his enemy. And one of the birds was willing to meet him.
Staraptor flew him in a dive bomb, a shimmering glow of light covering his body. The lycanroc guessed that this was some sort of Fighting-type energy, yet he wasn't afraid. Instead he rushed forward, eager to meet his opponent head on.
The large raptor then made a lunge, his talons balled up like fists. Yet he was too slow.
Brock threw himself forward like a rocket, surrounding his body in a silver glow.
Staraptor didn't react in time and found himself thrown back as the Rock-type slammed into his chest. He tried to stay in the air, his body recovering from the sudden change in momentum.
Yet Brock was unwilling to let him get away so easily. The lycanroc blitzed him again with his Accelerock, knocking the raptor back yet again.
Staraptor's wings beat rapidly, correcting and compensating for the push back.
And Brock used this to opening to make his strike. He dashed forward and leapt off of a stack of barrels. He landed right ontop of Staraptor and dug his teeth around the bird's wing.
Staraptor, unable to take the hit, simply fell where he flew. He muttered some curse, but Brock didn't care.
This flock threatened his pack. He placed a paw onto the raptor's chest and applied force, pinning him down. "Yield," he threatened, baring his teeth to probe.
Staraptor immediately began to panic, flailing his body around, but from this position, he could hardly gain any leverage to fight back with.
Birds were funny things; while they might have looked brawny, the truth of the matter was their feathers were actually very dense. When stripped of their feathers, the actual bird underneath was actually quite small and often didn't possess too much in the way of truly powerful muscles. While bird Pokémon were powerful, even strong enough to lift a person while flying, their actual musculature was nothing compared to what terrestrial Pokémon boasted.
Yet Brock should have known better.
"Brock, look out!" Vulpix's voice met the Lycnaroc's ears.
Turning his head slightly, he saw one of the enemy cramorant throwing a jet of water right at the rock hound.
The lycanroc knew immediately that he just didn't have time to get out of the way; the attack was going to hit.
But Vulpix had other plans. She lunged right in front of the stream of high speed water, taking the hit meant for her trainer.
Brock's eyes widened. On reflex, he conjured a large stone and threw it out the Water-Flying-type. It stuck the cramorant in the side and sent him reeling back, but Brock didn't care.
Staraptor broke free of the lycanroc's hold, but Brock didn't care one bit of that either.
Brock walked over to Vulpix, now drenched. "Vulpix!" he snapped. He placed a paw on the Fire-type and noted that she felt quite cold, the powerful water attack having dropped her body temperature rapidly.
The fox weakly turned her gaze towards him. "...Hey, Brock…" she said before immediately passing out.
Geodude turned to his trained, his expression grim. "That's Chilly Water, I think? It probably feels awful since it saps out the body heat."
Yet, Brock couldn't think about it. Instead, he focused on the task at hand… and how he had gotten careless. "Get her to safety!" he barked.
Geodude did as he was told and dragged the fox out of the battle.
Brock growled, his gaze turned upwards. This battle did not look good.
Frustrated, the riolu decided upon the power he inherited. Glowing light flowed into his fingertips, a sensation resembling flowing covered his hands. He poured what he could into his hands as he prepared to use Life Dew.
"Stop trying to hurt yourself," a… nearby crate spoke to him.
Ash blinked, wondering if he hit head before his senses picked up on a familiar bead of fear and concern. "Cinder?"
The crate shifted into the form of the familiar spirit fox. Her yellow eyes looked down at the cut by Ash's side. She shook her head. "Don't heal yourself, especially because you don't have proper training yet." She pushed a bottle near one of Ash's paws. "Drink this. Your injury is only more painful than actually damaging."
Trusting the fox, Ash let go of the power he gathered, letting it fall back into his body. He took the bottle and uncorked it. "Where were you?" he began, his tone laced with worry. Then he chugged the potion, letting its awful taste slide down his throat.
"I hid." The zorua bent her head down in shame. "I was with the Rockets when everything happened. I disguised myself, because that's what I felt to do."
"Don't worry about it. You did okay giving me medicine." Ash let go of the potion bottle and let it drop to the floor, its contents emptied. Already, he could feel his wounds knitting, his body repairing. Soon, he'd be back in the fight
The riolu's gaze turned upwards, where the various birds continued to make strafing runs against the boat. The Pokémon on the ship attempted to shoot them down, but the barriers that Corviknight created shielded them from all but concentrated attacks. While there were less birds in the sky, Ash could feel that many of his companions were already going down as well.
Corviknight meanwhile, flew uncontested. Charizard flew against him in an aerial, but the armored crow was seemingly invincible to anything that the fire dragon could throw at him. He threw Flamethrowers and Fire Spin at the airborne Steel-type, but the crow simply blew everything away.
"What's with Corviknight?" Ash asked the only person on the ship who was from Citrine.
"It's called Mantling." she began to explain, her eyes following the skyborne duet. "There's two main forms of it, but Corviknight is using the one where he is drawing on the power stored in a small artifact on his person."
"... I saw something around Corviknight's neck, it glowed when he changed," Ash said.
Cinder nodded. "That might be it. In his form of Mantling, he draws on a small, finite reservoir of power. You can either take the item from him or stall until his reserves are depleted."
"We don't have that kind of time." The riolu pushed himself off the railing and onto his feet. The pain that immobilized him earlier remained as a dull ache. He was not at his peak, but he could rejoin the fight like this.
"No, we don't," Cinder agreed. She backed away from the jackal pup. "I'll see if I can help anyone else. Good luck, Ash!"
"You, too!" Ash dashed forward.
In front of the riolu were Team Rocket and some of his closest friends. James stood over Arbok in a desperate attempt to patch a severe cut over the snake's belly, with Meowth fiddling with the ship's wheel. Meanwhile, Jessie lobbed bolts of lightning against an attacking talonflame. Misty laid down next to Jessie's foot, curled up in pain. Pikachu exchanged blows with a cramorant.
Talonflame curved his wings and made another backflip in the air before shifting to turn into a dive bomb. The fiery bird's speed rapidly rose as he meant to make another swing at Ash's friends.
Ash chose to give him a little payback as he triggered his Quick Attack just as he made a leap.
Talonflame's head moved to see the riolu's action, just as Ash landed on top of one of his wings.
As the Quick Attack reached its end, Ash forced his claws to sharpen and turn metallic as he swept his claws against Talonflame's feathers. Whatever the type-chart said, Ash knew what he did was super-effective. Dozens if not hundreds of plumed feathers were shredded in an instant,
This forced the Fire-Flying-type's difficult to maintain Acrobatics to crumple into an instant as his wings suddenly became imbalanced with one another. His flight shifted to one side and he spun into the ship. He weakly rose, though it was difficult to say how much threat the bird was now.
The wounded falcon shuffled off and made a retreat away from the ship's rear.
Ash smirked, congratulating himself on his quick thinking.
"Ash!" Pikachu called out.
"Twerp?" Meowth said.
"You're still up?" James shouted.
Jessie continued to zap away at the enemy cramorant, forcing it away.
Misty laid beside Arbok, both injured and out cold.
Ash ran over to them. "Guys, look. We have to take down Corviknight or we're done for!" he pointed at the sky where Charizard and Corviknight still battled above. It was clear to everyone that Charizard was slowing down, his motions more unsteady and sloppy, whilst Corviknight barely broke a sweat.
"Dat bird's too tough," Meowth whined, still fiddling with the wheel. "What're we supposed ta do?"
"If we don't defeat Corviknight now, chances are he can defeat the rest of us!" Ash shouted. After all, it looked like that while his friends were able to face and probably whittle down the other birds, the armored crow was seemingly invincible and untiring. Even if the other birds were defeated, Corviknight would wear them down to exhaustion if not just flip the ship over.
"Riolu Twerp's right! We have to throw everything we have at this!" James shouted as he leapt onto the ship's wheel. He pulled seemingly random levers in sequence and a hatch opened at the very back of the ship.
"What's going on?" Pikachu wondered aloud.
"That's for us to worry about!" Jessie shouted. "Now, get that overgrown crow's attention and give us an opening!"
Charizard abruptly crashed into the side of the ship, leaving a nasty crater into the hull.
Corviknight loomed over him, a hateful sneer over his emerald-iron mask.
"That's our cue!" Ash shouted as he leapt over the stairs, Pikachu right behind him. "Remember, there's something around Corviknight's neck we have to take from him!"
"Got it!" the rodent answered.
Corviknight flexed his wings and readied for another attack. Wind gathered around the edges of his wings as he prepared to create another downward cut.
As Ash didn't have a ranged attack, Pikachu shot a blast of electricity at the crow.
The bolt of electricity struck Corviknight, causing him to recoil slightly. The gust of winds he had gathered flew off course and cut down parts of the sail.
"You do not know how to quit," he sneered before blowing a gust in Pikachu's direction.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted.
The rodent leapt over the blast of wind. "Don't worry about me!" he shouted at his partner as he threw another bolt in retaliation. "Get Charizard back up!"
Ash gulped down his fears and let his legs carry him away, not looking back as Pikachu attempted to hold off against the crow.
"Charizard!" the riolu stumbled down to where the fire dragon laid.
"... Hey Ash." The dragon bobbed his head. One of his hands was over his chest, a faint trickle of blood spilled out. "I don't think I'm strong enough…"
"Don't worry about that." Ash trembled as he placed his hands over Charizard's side. In an instant, the riolu felt everything within the Fire-type's body. Whether it be the cut over his chest, the cracks in his arm, or the abrasions on his wings, Ash felt it all. None of Charizard's injuries felt severe, though all of them hurt badly.
Charizard eyed his trainer, as if aware of what he was doing. "Ash?"
"We just got to go a bit further," Ash said, his gaze transfixed onto Pikachu as he desperately tried to defend them with electrical shocks from Corviknight. "We have to pin down Corviknight and take his item from him. Pikachu can't hold on by himself."
A laugh rumbled out from Charizard. "I guess… I can't let the rat hold this over me, can I?" Then, he rolled onto his back and pushed himself up, his body straining under his injuries. He stood but fell to one knee.
"Charizard?" Ash called out.
"Don't worry! I can do it!" The fire dragon braced his knees and pushed himself.
As Ash saw his friend suffer and push himself, the Fighting-type made his choice. He leapt onto Charizard's back and climbed up to reach his neck.
"Ash?" Charizard stopped in his tracks, wondering what his trainer was doing.
"Let me help!" Ash shouted as he grabbed hold of his dragon's neck. And then he reached into the very depths of his body and let the power that was within him flow out of his body, though… it was hard to say how much Ash gave of himself. He felt cold.
"I… understand," Charizard's voice trembled. With renewed vigor, the dragon stepped onto his feet with a mighty motion. He then took to the air on mended wings.
Corviknight cornered Pikachu against one the Captain's cabin with a blast of win. The rodent put up a good fight, but Corviknight's intense winds shielded him from harm. As Pikachu nearly fell, Charizard swooped in from behind, his body alight with flames. "FLARE BLITZ!"
Corviknight didn't retreat in time and was caught off guard. Charizard's strike hit the bird's rear and sent him reeling. He nearly spun out control and fell into the sea. Yet with the wind at his command, the crow caught himself in his winds and brought himself down.
"Leave the rat alone!" Charizard roared, exhaustion in his voice.
"Such… arrogance," Corviknight breathed, a sign of obvious pain in his voice. The winds that had protected him had mostly receded, as if weakened.
Ash smiled, glad that finally, they did something to hurt him. It was incredible. Charizard had learned an entirely new move, a strong one at that. And despite being on Charizard when he set himself on fire, the riolu was unharmed. Yet despite this, Ash sensed new pains developing within Charizard's body. Was Flare Blitz so powerful that it strained its user?
There was nothing to be done except to give what support he could to his friend. Ash mended his partner's wounds once again, pouring what little strength he had left into the dragon's body.
"Youths these days," Corviknight sneered. His wings glinted brilliantly and he threw himself forward at Charizard.
"Down!" Ash shouted.
Trusting Ash, Charizard stopped flapping his wings and dropped several feet at once; Corviknight overshot them, missing them by a hair's breadth.
Without prompt, Charizard grabbed onto one of Corviknight's feet, only for the crow to lash back by spinning his body around and kicking the dragon in the face.
Ash, however, saw the opportunity presented to him. He let go of Charizard and used Quick Attack one last time. With the world slowed down to a mere crawl, Ash leapt from his friend's shoulders and onto Corviknight's wing.
The riolu grabbed on tight and shifted attention to his real target: an emerald gemstone on a metal plate that hung from the crow's neck.
However, before he could do anything else, the Quick Attack ended and his perception of time returned to normal.
Charizard recoiled away from the kick, though still flew.
Corviknight meanwhile noticed Ash and began to wild throw him off, both by blasting the jackal pup with wind and just simply violently shaking his wing.. "Misguided pup!"
Ash hung on for dear life, his small body barely able to hold on. "Charizard, the other wing!"
"You're not getting anywhere!" Charizard did as was told and grabbed the other wing with his claws. It wasn't even hard, given how the crow was distracted.
Corviknight struggled, diverting his attention away from the riolu. The turn the wing Charizard held glinted with a metallic sheen as the crow attempted to stab the dragon with it.
Charizard however, simply held on tighter and tighter as the feathers cut in his hands and his belly.
Not wanting to see this anymore, Ash leapt from the wing and onto Corviknight's head. He struck the bird in the head, only to shake his fist in pain instead of causing any significant damage. The riolu must have depleted most of his power. Ash improvised and simply blocked Corvinight's vision.
"Get off… of me!" the armored crow shouted in fury as he continued to try to shake off Ash and Charizard. The three of them slowly descended closer and closer to the ship, held only aloft by the remnants of Corvinight's power over the wind and Charizard's wings beating violent..
"No!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs.
And that was when the boy-turned-riolu noticed Pikachu running towards them. His Light Ball burned like a star, sparks flooding his body.
"Come, rat, take this loser down!" Charizard shouted.
Pikachu took the order and ran. He leapt off the ship and practically flew at high speed like a blazing comet.
Ash felt Corvinight's fear and realization hit him just as Pikachu collided. "VOLT TACKLE!" The words met Ash's ears after the impact.
A violent emerald explosion knocked Ash to the ship, blinding light and deafening sound overwhelmed the Fighting-type's senses. About the only thing he was certain of was that he landed against something hard and wooden and that his everything ached.
Ash reached out with his senses and felt everyone nearby. Some gathered around him, fear and terror and worry and…care flowed around him.
Ash weakly fluttered his eyes.
Brock and Cinder were over him, both looked concerned. They said something, yet… Ash's ears wouldn't stop ringing.
He raised one of his hands, though it fell back down.
"...move!" Cinder's voice eventually came to him, once his ears stopped ringing.
"Take it easy!" Brock said. "Don't get up."
"Don't plan on it…" Ash said… or tried to say. He was sure he slurred his words.
Charizard flew downwards and collapsed next to his trainer. He gently set a small body onto the floor near Ash. "He's tougher than he looks…"
Ash recognized him immediately. "Pikachu?"
"...Tougher than I look..." Pikachu agreed, cuts and scratches marked his body, especially atop his torso.
Ash made a weak smile, glad that even in the explosion, his friends were still alive, injured as they were. It was doubtful that the three of them would be able to put up any serious fight anytime soon.
…The fight. A startled realization then hit Ash.
If his friends were still alive, what of Corviknight?
Then, as if his thoughts manifested reality, Corviknight burst from the wreckage and staggered forth. His emerald green feathers had reverted to their natural dark blues. His armored plates were shredded and cracked, with his chestplate dented where the… stone was.
The bird staggered forward on wounded legs. "You… broke… my heirloom…"
Brock stepped forward and growled at the bird.
Should have taken better care of it. Ash wanted to say, though he couldn't manage to speak. Still, he was frustrated that despite giving it all they had, Corviknight still stood against them.
"Brothers, sisters. If you can, leave the ship!" Corviknight flapped his damaged wings and took the skies. Despite his damage, he flew, albeit just barely.
Only just over half of the birds remained to rejoin their leader, with most of them heavily beat up in the battle.
They flew to the… right of the ship, yet Ash simply knew wasn't a simple retreat. They turned to the ship once again, eye burning with hate. "Destroy the hull. Let the sea take them!" Corviknight ordered.
The few remaining birds that had ranged attacks let them loose. High intensity Water Guns broke against the ship's hull, whilst wind attacks started to pierce the ship's side.
"Everyone, protect the ship!" Brock's voice declared.
The boat shook violently as they began to strike it.
Ash jolted to his feet and promptly fell on his belly, his wounds and the boat's unsteady motions left him unable to stand.
Pokémon on the ship promptly went to the right side of the board and attempted to shoot down the birds with whatever ranged attacks they had: Brock used Rock Throw, Squirtle shot out Water Guns, Zubat tried to Screech at them. Yet it wasn't enough, the boat was slowly being torn apart.
And that was when Jessie shouted. "Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!" James followed.
Ash couldn't see either of them, but… were they really doing the motto, now of all times?
"Hey, Jessie…" Arbok managed to stammer. "Maybe some other time?"
"Oh, fine!" the eevee growled. "Rockets away!"
That was when several rockets burst from the back of the ship and flew towards the attacking birds.
Most attempted to fly out of the way, but the rockets then exploded in mid air, transforming into rope nets. One of the pelipper was caught completely by surprise and fell into the ocean. Meanwhile, Fearow tried to intercept a net to cut it with her beak, only to partially entangle his wing and force him down.
Ash felt like laughing as a sense of irony befell upon him. Team Rocket's nets were saving the day this time!
Corviknight blasted the net rocket aimed at him with a flick of his wings. "Fools!"
"Eat this!"
Team Rocket sent more rockets at the birds, lighting them up as fast they could. More mid-air explosions turned them into nets.
Yet rather than do nothing, Corviknight's wings sliced the incoming nets into nothing but shredded rope. "Water at that position!" he shouted. "Full volume!"
The remaining pelipper did so, washing the back of the ship in a massive torrent of water.
Ash couldn't see exactly what happened, but Meowth's shouts spelled out how dire the situation was becoming. "Da rockets are all soggy!"
"Jessie, dry them!" James shouted.
"No use, the gunpowder is too wet!" Jessie responded to them.
The remaining birds did so, throwing what moves they could into chipping the boat at range.
Ash struggled to stand, his legs weak and his body tired. He wanted to do something, anything. Yet… couldn't reach them.
He tried to gather what little strength he had left into his paws… but whatever blue glow he managed to summon fizzled out.
That was when Misty's voice rang out. "Togepi! Get away!"
Ash turned to the side and noticed young Togepi climbing from the cargo hold and into the Pokémon engaged in the shoot out.
Misty stumbled from nearby where Ash had been placed, barely able to stand herself.
Ash barely had time to understand what happened, only that he saw that Togepi's arms were swinging back and forth in a Metronome… and that she was very upset.
The next thing he knew? He was suddenly completely unable to move, as though his body weighed several tons. The ship started to slip down into the water… and the avian Pokémon attacking the ship suddenly fell from their positions and into the water.
"That's Gravity!" someone shouted.
"Curse …you!" Corviknight's voice rang out against the waves.
Ash shifted his head and caught the sight of Corviknight flailing in the water, unable to fly away. None of the other birds were doing much better, their bodies sinking further and further down into the water.
Ash felt the… desperation… fear… and shame befell the birds. He didn't know if what'd happen to them.
Not that he could do anything about it.
He closed his eyes and let himself rest.
"Togepi!" Misty staggered her injured legs nearly buckling under the strain of the increased gravity. She had just woken up after having been taken out of the fight, she rejoin once she regained her breath.
And yet the first thing she had seen upon rising was Togepi running out of the cargo hold, with Cyclizar chasing right after her. Misty's little egg leapt as close to fighting as she could and then suddenly the world felt heavy.
Everyone suffered, finding it difficult to stand. The injured fell onto the backs and struggled to keep moving. The birds meanwhile, were forced to the water and now struggled to get free. Many had already sunken below the waves.
"Togepi!" Misty shouted once again, pushing her legs forward no matter how heavy she felt.
Togepi shuddered. Then she let go of her move. Gravity lightened and rapidly returned to normal. She turned to Misty, her eyes watering.
The buizel sprang into motion and ran up to her adopted child. She collapsed right in front of her precious egg and brought her arms around her baby's body. "You had me so scared!" she said, worry in her voice.
Togepi wrapped her tiny arms around the buizel as well as she could. She started to bawl. "Mommy!"
Misty felt a dull pain in one of her ribs, but decided she could ignore it for now.
The boat hopped suddenly as gravity rapidly returned to normal. It didn't capsize, but the buizel nearly fell.
"Please, try not to put yourself in danger too much," Misty commented. "I know you want to help, but I don't think I could take it if you got yourself hurt."
Togepi whimpered, bowing her face down. "But I… wanna be like you…"
Misty blinked, not expecting that reply. It did bring some of some of Togepi's questions into context. After all, where else would she have gotten the idea to become a Gym Leader? "Only when you're older," the buizel said promptly. "You're too young to get into trouble, got it?"
"Oh, okay…" Togepi made a pained noise, not used to being scolded like that.
Misty sighed, not wanting to have to discipline her adopted baby like that, but it was something she had to do eventually.
Cyclizar's shadow crept over Misty. "Is it over?"
"It seems like it," Misty answered as she turned towards the birds as they sloshed in the waters away from the ship. They had already started to disappear into the distance as the ship sailed forwards while the birds floated where they fell. Some of them had started to cling to driftwood, whilst others were able to weakly get back into the sky. Then a large wave came between the ship and the fallen birds, making the separation final for now. Despite that, Misty had a good feeling they'd meet their attackers once again some day.
"Then, you should probably rest," said the one-armed lizard. "You don't look good.
Misty frowned and looked over her body. Bruises formed beneath her fur, whilst small cuts covered parts of her arms. They'd be gone in a day or so, but even then, she didn't like the implication of what that likely meant for her appearance. Plus, seeing herself now, with her adrenaline fading, she started to feel her aches and injuries once again.
"Mommy?" Togepi questioned.
Misty lifted her gaze and met Togepi's face. "I'm fine Togepi, I just need a rest."
The buizel then noted that the others were wrapped up in their own problems.
Brock and some of the others were dragging the wounded away into the Captain's cabin for medical treatment, whilst Cinder busied herself by brewing more and more potions for everyone's needs. Dexter assisted them both, likely by providing a diagnosis.
At the moment, Zubat and Meowth were trying to move an unconscious Charizard. The fire dragon did not originally land there. Likely, Togepi's Gravity may have moved him over. While he didn't completely cover the entryway, it was enough that it was decidedly inconvenient for anyone moving up or down the stairs.
"I keep telling ya, he's way too heavy!" Meowth shouted.
"Yeah, we don't have to move him that much!" Zubat replied. "Just enough to shove him out of the way!"
"I mean, we could just… move him by using a powerful move, but I don't want to injure him further," Staryu responded as he glinted his light nearby.
Misty walked over to them, somewhat agitated. "You know, there's an easy solution to this."
For a moment, all of them looked at Misty with a confused expression before an unlikely speaker showed himself. "Pokéball," Psyduck answered.
"Oh, dat's right," Meowth muttered.
"I keep forgetting that Ash still has his Pokéballs," Zubat admitted, an embarrassed expression on her face.
Staryu looked ashamed, but didn't say a word.
Misty eyed the Water-type bird and wondered if that was either a lucky guess or a moment of actual clarity. "Anyways, I think I remember where I put Ash's bag. Staryu, please keep Togepi with you." Misty said.
"Very well," Staryu muttered.
"Aw," Togepi complained.
Misty carefully stepped around the unconscious fire dragon and dropped into the ship's cargo hold.
There, she reached towards where she and the others put everyone's personal luggage.
She spotted Ash's green mostly-repaired backpack next to one of the walls. She reached in and drew the Pokéballs inside. She picked one of them at random and triggered its beam. On connection, Charizard was drawn into the ball and sealed away.
"Rest easy, big guy. You fought bravely," Misty spoked to the Pokéball.
Misty then turned and noticed that there were several holes in the starboard side of the ship. They were the battle scars the vassel took on as the birds battled against the hull.
Most likely, if they weren't stopped at right then and there, the ship would have sunk even if the birds were defeated. Chances were, there was probably a leak that needed to be dealt with before too long.
A dull pain went through the buizel's body. Misty sighed, knowing that she needed to rest soon. Hm, maybe Togepi wouldn't mind going for another nap?
Brock collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion. Ever since the battle, he had been working tirelessly, nonstop to the ship's well being, both of the people and the vessel itself. Despite his lack of hands, the canine had strength in spades. Typically, he either spent most of his time holding up wooden planks for others to hastily bolt onto the ship or simply fetched ingredients and supplies that Cinder needed to create more potions.
The Lycanroc titled his head up and saw that the afternoon Sun had disappeared, replaced by a growing dusk. Has it really been that long? It… felt right; he and everyone else who hadn't fallen unconscious had spent a good deal of time trying to keep the ship from sinking.
Nearby, he noticed Meowth falling on his rear, also tired and worn out.
"You okay?" Brock found himself asking in sympathy.
"Least we aint underwata." the cat answered in an exhausted tone. "One times when we's stalkin ya, we had ta fix a sinking sub. Dat was real hard."
"Right. One of the magikarp subs?" Brock guessed.
Though before they could talk more about it, Jessie's voice rang from the aft. "Hey! No one told you to have a break!" With James indisposed and cared for by Victreebel, Jessie had more or less emerged as "Captain" until the pikachu recovered.
"The ship's stable Jessie!" Meowth hissed. "We're as good as it gets til we get back ta Wulfwum Way!"
"We're not going back!" Jessie leapt down from the aft. "We have to keep pushing forward!"
"Are ya outta yer mind!?" the cat went up into the eevee's face.
Brock took a step back, not wanting to get involved with their dispute.
Jessie pushed back, growling. "Are you mad? If we don't keep going, those birds or whatever friends they have will get us!"
"Dey ain't gonna find us!" Meowth argued.
"How did they find us in the first place?" Brock mused aloud, hoping to mediate this dispute. "Like, it's clear that Corviknight and the others were after you guys and not us."
"We did sort of turn in a pirate for an expensive bounty, that might have been it," Weezing answered as he floated by. "Then we spent a week in the Capital getting our new ship ready. Plus, that Fjord guy was important."
"Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I heard some criers shouting about that stupid pirate like he was so important," Jessie agreed.
"Ya. We didun exactly do things quietly," Meowth muttered. "Corviknight coulda been in dat city at da time and followed us along."
"It could have been Silver that provided the link," Brock suggested. "Corviknight might have used information Silver provided to figure out where we were and thus intercepted you as well once we reconnected."
"Dat seems smart," Meowth shrugged. "Course, we ain't gonna find out since dun got a captive ta ask."
"We're lucky that he didn't capture us," Brock said.
"It wasn't luck that allowed us to win," Cinder walked out from the shadows. The small fox hobbled, her footsteps betraying a sense of intense weariness. "Corviknight poorly executed his attack, allowing us the chance to beat him."
Brock wondered what she could have meant, before his tired mind rationally thought it out. Corviknight's ambush… did not successfully disarm anyone. Because that was not the point. "Right, he and his buddies just swooped down and threatened us."
"If he had simply used his power to tear a wide gash into the hull's side instead of threatening to flip the boat over its side or even just torn the sails, we might have surrendered," the zorua replied. "Instead, he attacked without crippling us first. Then, demanded surrender without ensuring his victory."
"But… we woulda sunk?" Meowth stuttered.
"Continuous ice beam to patch up the hull, since ice is more buoyant than water." Cinder answered. "An Air Slash might have been all it took to tear the sails beyond usefulness. Then add in the pressure of the ship slowly sinking and that might have allowed him to capture us."
Brock stared, a little surprised that the young zorua thought of such a vicious plan; he saw no reason to doubt that it might have even worked. Then again, her father basically engineered a trap and guard filled labyrinth as a job. "And when he saw that his plan didn't work, he brought out… uh…"
"Transformation?" Jessie supplied. "Like, what was that?"
"It's called Mantling, it's a sorcery where one draws foreign Essences into one's body to empower themselves." Cinder frowned. "It's not something I studied in detail, but it's a technique that requires a source of Essences drawn from either a living creature or a talisman. Corviknight used the latter."
"He called his the Mantle of Rayquaza?" Brock recalled. "I don't know much about Rayquaza other than being some sort of divine sky dragon. Is that why Corviknight gained such incredible power over the wind?"
"That's essentially what happened." Cinder sighed. "Corviknight was in possession of a talisman that contained with it a small portion of Rayquaza's Essence, a small sliver really. It was this talisman that was used to create a Mantle for himself. With Rayquazas's domain being the sky, a small portion of his power over wind is given to his Mantle's bearers."
"Sound… expensive," Jessie muttered.
"And he expected that power to be enough to force us to surrender once he made several displays of it," Brock agreed. Honestly, a large part of him had nearly panicked when the ship almost capsized and he nearly fell off. It was only because others refused to give in that he kept fighting at all. "He thought that made him unbeatable." That, plus all of his team members being fully evolved; he likely wrote off the unevolved Pokémon as non threats.
"Ta be fair, he nearly was," Meowth supplied. "Dat bird is tough."
An uncomfortable silence fell between everyone, as no doubt, everyone thought about the same thing.
Brock recalled the amount of punishment that Corviknight took to bring down. He shrugged off his elemental weaknesses repeatedly and only stopped once his talisman exploded because Ash and his team were willing to fight with everything they had. It was doubtful that either of them would be doing anything quite so reckless within another week.
"So, guys, I think we probably should try getting the Capital as soon as we can," Brock broke the silence.
Meowth gave him a questioning look.
"We're in no shape to fight, especially if we have to face another Pokémon who knows how to Mantle. And it's possible that Corviknight has back up in Wulfrum," Brock answered. "And he doesn't, if we go back to Wulfrum to spent time on repairs, that's enough time for him to call allies who might be there before we leave."
"There is also the fact that he and his squadron would likely wash up there. Even if he cannot fight us, he can make things difficult for us in any number of ways if he's willing to employ them," Cinder supplied.
Jessie beamed with delight, while Meowth groaned.
"Democracy is a bad idea," the cat argued. "Okay, but if he tracked us from da Capital, doesn't dat mean he's got buddies there, too?"
"That might have been too messy," Brock said. "Like, he didn't try to attack us until we were a few hours sailing away from Wulfrum. It might have been risky for him."
"The Keepers tend to operate more on the frontier, where laws aren't always enforced," Cinder said. "Meanwhile, the Capital is the domain of the Imperial Court."
"So, as long as we keep going, they might not be able to find us. If we want, we could throw in some evasive maneuvers or something to make us harder to spot, though I don't know too much about sailing." Brock supplied.
"Ya make a good point." Meowth shrugged. He turned his back as he walked towards the hold's entrance.. "Fine. Whatever! I'll just make sure da hull can take su dere."
"Please do! Your Captain requests it!" Jessie wagged her fluffy tail. She hopped off back to the ship's wheel, delighted with her actions.
"Can't wait for James ta get up…" Meowth muttered as he disappeared into the ship.
Brock shook his head. Were Team Rocket really dysfunctional on their own? Whatever, they weren't his team. Half of his team were in the makeshift infirmary with most of its members recovering, whilst the other half were still working on repairs.
He turned towards Cinder as she hadn't left. "So, how is everyone?"
"Recovering," the fox sighed. "Everyone has some injuries, but the ones in more critical condition were given priority. No one is at risk of dying, though I can't brew anymore potions today to make up for the shortfall. I've had to instead dilute their effect to increase efficiency."
The lycanroc raised an eye. That was the first he heard of this. "You can't brew anymore potions… today?" Which was odd. If she couldn't brew any more potions due to a lack of ingredients, she wouldn't have specified a time frame.
Cinder looked at him with a concerned look, like he had asked a question with an obvious answer before shaking her head. "Oh, right. I forgot that you wouldn't know." She slumped on her side. "All potions require an investment of the creator's Essence. In the case of a healing potion, it requires lifeforce."
"Does it hurt? Like to use your own lifeforce?" the lycanroc found himself asking. "And… how does that work? I mean, I never heard of any zorua being a healer until I met you."
"Everyone has lifeforce and drawing on it drains the creator. Some Maiju are simply more naturally adept at it." The zorua began to frown. "Technically, I could make more potions if I were willing to push myself further and draw more of my lifeforce but I know that if I did that, no one could treat me if I taxed myself too far. In a way, creating a healing potion is simply a reserve of excess lifeforce that is stored for future use. "
Brock listened intently, interested. It reminded him of a medical practice that existed back home. "So, it's like drawing blood to store it for later?"
"Draw… blood?" Cinder questioned.
Right. Citrine did not practice anything resembling modern medicine. While they had incredible potions here, they completely missed out on several breakthroughs from modern science such as microscopes and possibly germ theory..
"It's a medical practice where a donor has a small portion of their blood extracted and refrigerated," Brock answered. "Then you can put that blood into a compatible host to treat blood loss or other ailments."
"I can see the comparison now. It sounds fascinating how you have a similar practice. I wonder why that is," Cinder said, with a certain eagerness in her voice.
"So, what if you could draw on someone else's lifeforce? It'd be easier on you if you weren't the only person who was… donating," Brock said. "Like, blood donors aren't usually the doctors who extract it."
"That's a major difference between healing potions and your blood donation, then," the Zorua said. "It isn't easy for an alchemist to make a potion using someone else's essence; the uh… donor would need to be trained to harness their own Essences in that manner. At which point, you might as well be an alchemist yourself."
"If it would help, I'd like to know." Brock said.. "Things are getting harder and it's unfair for you to be the one to take care of everyone like this."
Cinder stared nervously. "I mean, I'm not a Master or anything…so I can't exactly do take you as an apprentice, but… maybe I can give you some introductory lessons." She made a groan. "I can give you some of my books and scrolls, but actual training will need things we don't have on the ship."
"I'll take whatever lesson plan you think is best." Brock answered. A part of him actually warmed up to the idea, since ever since he had turned into a dog, he had transitioned from the group's caretaker to just a supervisor due to his lack of hands. This would help him get over that. Plus, Cinder proved that hands weren't required to be an alchemist.
"Alright. I'll think of something." Cinder made a pained laugh. "The funny thing is. Healing potions aren't even the thing I like making the most. It's just the thing that we end up using the most because everyone gets hurt all of the time."
"Then what do you like making the most?" Brock wondered alout.
Cinder froze as if caught like an animal in headlights.. "Well, uh… I have to go make that lesson plan!" Then with uncharacteristic speed for someone who was exhausted laboring at fire for hours, she leapt into the cargo hold.
"Huh, I wonder what that was about," Brock muttered to himself. He assumed that whatever it was, it probably wasn't something she wanted to share just yet.
Shaking his head, the lycanroc decided instead to walk into the infirmary to check up on everyone inside. The infirmity was set up in the meeting room next to Captain's Quarters, simply because it was the best place to put everyone, since the hold was actively being repaired a few hours ago.
Charizard took up an entire corner of the room, with Ash and Pikachu laid right next to him. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Dexter silently tended to them. The two reptiles then turned to meet the lycanroc, whilst Dexter seemed to float between them, as if scanning them.
"They're doing as good as they could be from having been wrapped up in a point blank explosion," Bulbasaur muttered. "They'll recover from it by the time we hit landfall in a few days."
Brock nodded back. "That's good to hear." It honestly still surprised him just how easily Pokémon could recover from all but the most grievous of injuries. A human who suffered from getting caught in a point blank explosion would have needed at least several weeks to completely recover. Then again didn't Ash get hit by a bomb when they met Squirtle? Probably best not to dwell on that. "How long will it be til they're up?"
Bulbasaur extended a vine. "Probably tomorrow or late tonight? It might mean we'd have to feed them in their sleep if it takes longer. "
Squirtle shrugged. "Eh, we've been complaining the Boss doesn't get enough sleep as it is."
Seeing that Ash and his team were as good as they could be, the lycanroc saw there was little he could do for them. "Thanks for your time. I'll go check on the others," Brock excused himself.
Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Dexter gave him a nod of acknowledgement.
The lycanroc stepped past this section of the infirmary and towards the back. Misty laid her back against the wall, reading a scroll with Togepi by her side. Next to her, Goldeen slept in her tub. Next in line came James, who was being tended to by an over eager Victreebel; the pikachu had been wrapped up in so many badges, he might as well have been a mummy. Yet, that wasn't who Brock meant to see.
The rock hound walked to the very end of the room, an impending dread growing in his heart. There, laying down in a corner was Vulpix. Smoldering coals that have dissolved into ashes were situated around the fox, this was purely to warm her up, after having doused in ice cold water.
The fox stirred suddenly and grew a faint smile. "Hey, Brock…" she managed. "I was wondering when you'd show up."
"Sorry, I took so long," the wolf said. He slowly approached, careful not to hurt her.
"You had important work to do," Vulpix shifted her body slightly. "Besides, Geodude and Zubat visited earlier to keep me company. Where are they right now anyways?"
"Arbok wanted them for something, probably repairs related." Brock then asked, "You feeling better?"
"A little cold still, but nothing a little heat and rest can't fix," Vulpix shrugged. She patted one of the formerly smoldering coals, like it was nothing more than an amusing toy to her.
Brock frowned. Though the fox was fine physically, the lycanroc felt a little guilty that he came out of that fight without suffering any major injuries. And part of that was because of Vulpix.
"So, about what happened in that fight…" Vulpix managed to say. It was clear by the tone of her voice she knew she was covering an awkward topic.
Brock shuddered, bracing himself for whatever she had to say. "Yeah?"
"... It wasn't your fault," Vulpix said, looking down at herself.
"But it was," Brock insisted, stepping forward. He shook his head and groaned. During that battle, he had gotten himself wrapped up in enjoying the battle. He lunged at the bird Pokémon and caught them off guard, scoring hits before retreating. It all came to him so easily, so fluidly, that he thought he was untouchable. Boy, was that a mistake. "I got reckless and you took that hit that was meant for me. Cramorant saw an opportunity and you… jumped in the way."
"Yeah, well, I was being… irrational, too I guess." Vulpix tried to make a smile. "I mean, it was stupid for me to jump in the way of a water attack."
"I mean, is it really that stupid?" Brock found himself saying.
"Probably," Vulpix said.
"Oh for Pete's sake!" Misty hissed as she threw her scroll onto the floor. "It's a fight. And fights have all sorts of chaos happen in them. You two can't blame yourselves for every mistake!"
Brock backed away from Vulpix, mortified.
Vulpix meanwhile knelt down onto her mat of exhausted coals.
The buizel placed a paw over her head. "Look, what matters is that both of you came out of that fight more or less fine."
Except they weren't "fine". What they were was lucky, because their opponent was an arrogant leader who apparently failed basic tactics. If they had to fight the Keepers again, they couldn't afford to hope their opponent was incompetent. "It wasn't... good enough," Brock snapped. "We barely won."
"Yeah, you're right…" Misty frowned, her voice full of guilt. "I've… never felt so powerless before. I mean, before I couldn't really fight myself, but… now that I can…. It's just…" She shook her head and reoriented her words. "I think Corviknight was the strongest Pokémon I've seen in person other than maybe Zoroark."
"Hm, but what about Mister Psyduck? He's really strong, too!" Togepi shouted.
"Psyduck isn't in control of his power," Misty said. "I mean, he's strong, but only some of the time. And only when he hits his head. He doesn't even know his own strength."
"Oh, right," Togepi giggled. "I wonder if there's anyone else we know that's very strong.."
Brock made a slight chuckle, since as he recalled, Togepi herself was capable of incredible feats of power herself but only if Metronome became some other, more useful move. Of course, they couldn't really count on that the same way they couldn't count on using Psyduck.
"The fighting will only get tougher from here on out," Vulpix agreed. "And our opponents will only become stronger."
And if Mantles were something that existed, Brock wondered if they'd encounter at least a few during the Tournament itself or even in other Dojos. So that begged the question, "Then, how do we become stronger ourselves?"
"We already train every day. We sometimes spar against each other, too." Misty frowned. "But that might not be enough. We need to do something…more than what we're doing already.."
"I'm thinking of learning some alchemy," Brock threw out. "We've seen it used in healing, but there's other potions that exist. Maybe I'll learn something there."
"Hm, that's not a bad idea actually." Misty smirked. "Plus, it suits you."
The lycanroc squinted an eye.
"It looks alot like cooking," she explained. "Maybe you might have a talent for it."
"Hm, I guess you're right," Brock smirked. Though he still had no idea of how alchemy actually worked other than Cinder hovering a pot for hours on end. That was something he'd have to study before he'd understand.. "So, what about you?"
The buizel's face scrunched up in thought. "I'm not sure yet, but I'm thinking of looking into Rain Dance right now." she said.
Brock immediately shivered. "As long as you do it away from me."
"And me," Vulpix reminded everyone.
"Hey, uh did you guys have a wild party without me?" Murkrow flew into the infirmary, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"Wild… party?" Brock stuttered, at a loss for words. Did Murkrow really not know?
"It's clear you had some fun. And probably wrecked the ship!" Murkrow laughed. "I mean, I was asleep for the whole thing, but it looked exciting!"
"...You slept through all of that?" Brock stared, wondering how anyone could have ignored all of the noise and chaos that happened just a few hours ago.
Vulpix and Misty echoed the lycanroc's incredulity without saying a word.
The bird landed on a perch and shrugged her wings. "I mean, it's not the first time I had a client have a party like this. There's usually more chemicals around, though."
Brock sincerely hoped that "party" was a euphemism for getting attacked by hostile Pokémon and not something else. He wisely chose not to ask further.
"Hey, Ash… are you up?"
The riolu rubbed at his eyes and shifted his aching body over. Dull aches surrounded him, but it was strange since many of those injuries didn't feel like they belonged to him. Ash fluttered his eyes and saw Pikachu laying by his side.
"Yeah, I'm up buddy," Ash replied. He pursed his lip when he saw the damage his partner had taken. He stared out the nearby window. Faint wisps of moonlight drifted into the room. It must have been late at night.
"Yeah, I know I look awful. I feel awful, too." Pikachu sighed. He wore a large bandage on his forehead, and on his chest there were several cuts. The rodent narrowed his eyes. "You don't look much better, yourself."
Instead of letting that bother him, Ash instead took that as a measure of pride. "At least this way, I took some of the hits meant for you."
"Maybe," Pikachu groaned. "I kinda still wish you didn't get hurt at all."
The Fighting-type nodded his head and decided to turn his starter's words against him. "Same. I don't like seeing you badly hurt either."
Pikachu rolled his eyes. "I guess, I just have to put up with it."
Charizard's large body shifted. The dragon rolled onto his side and faced Ash and Pikachu. A large grin was on his mouth. "So, what, you guys don't mind if I get hurt?"
"No!" Ash and Pikachu shouted at the same time. Both trainer and Pokémon turned to each other, surprised they said the same thing at the same time.
Charizard burst into a laugh. "Hey, relax… I know you guys have my back."
Ash smiled warmly. "Always."
"Though do you really have to keep calling me rat?" Pikachu grumbled. "I thought you'd stop."
"Hmph," Charizard chortled. "So, what if I do?"
"I'm not a rat…" Pikachu made an audible groan. Though, Ash could feel he wasn't too mad about it. Or maybe it was just the fact the three of them were aching from a long and hard fight?
Either way, it felt… nice to just relax with two of his best buddies in the world.
"Hey, guys," Ash said with a smile.
Charizard and Pikachu turned their heads to look at the jackal pup, both curious as to what their trainer wanted.
"We make a great team together," Ash laughed. He waved his arms in the air, imagining where his friends were in the battle. He pantomimed Pikachu and Charizard slamming into Corviknight by smashing his hands together. "You guys were great!"
The dragon smirked. "I know I'm awesome!"
Pikachu elbowed the lizard in the gut, only to recoil when he realized he hurt himself. "Ow. Hey, don't get a big head."
Charizard snickered. "I don't know, my head's plenty big now. I think it's as large as you."
Ash chuckled. That was an incredibly bad joke.
Pikachu slammed a paw over his face, though he started to laugh as well. "You're cracking jokes again?"
"Again?" Ash asked.
"I… used to make lame jokes." Charizard lowered his head. "You know, back when I was a charmander."
"Right, back when I couldn't understand you," Ash said.
A calm silence fell over the three of them, as both Pikachu and Charizard pursed their lips. A familiar sense of dread and longing fell over them.
Ash knew enough about his friends and their problems to know what it was. "Yeah, I know, if things go according to plan, I won't be able to understand you again, either." The riolu clenched his fists. "I'm not giving up though."
"It's unfair," Pikachu said. He sat on the floor and lowered his body. "Every Pokémon can talk to each other. And yet for some reason, humans can't understand a thing we way!"
"The world would be a better place if we could talk to humans," Charizard agreed, a bubble of anger bursting in his heart. Ash wondered if that might have been him thinking of his old trainer.
Regardless of the specifics, Ash nodded his head in agreement. Every trainer and even humans who weren't should have the power to understand the Pokémon around them. Maybe there was a way to do that….Maybe that was something to look into.
"So, Volt Tackle?" Charizard craned his head towards Pikachu, changing the subject completely.
"It just… came to me. I was… so angry and I wanted to get there very fast. But I also wanted to electrocute Corviknight." Pikachu shrugged. "I didn't even know I could do that, but… it really hurts. I don't even know what it was, so I put some words together because I wanted to shout."
"Yeah, Flare Blitz hurts alot, too. I heard about the move and thought… about trying it since I had nothing better to do." Charizard groaned as he rubbed his head. "It's quite the headache."
"I almost feel left out," Ash giggled. "You both got really powerful moves that hurt yourselves."
Both turned to each other.
"At the same time." Charizard grinned.
"Yeah," Pikachu said back. "It's kind of fitting, I guess."
"Which means it's kinda weird I didn't get one," Ash snickered.
"That's because in your case, you already hurt yourself." Pikachu stuck his tongue out.
This caused Charizard to giggle like a maniac.
Ash frowned and shook his head. He supposed his friends were right about that.
"Ash…. PIkachu… Charizard…" Misty's voice abruptly groaned. "...Go back to sleep before I make you..."
Without saying a word, all three Pokémon turned to each other and communicated with one another. None of them really wanted to get into a fight in their current condition, so they thought it was in their best interest to comply.
They laid themselves back to their beds.
Ash didn't feel as energetic as he usually did, so in theory, sleeping wouldn't have been too much of a problem.
Charizard made a yawn and curled himself up. He gave one last look to his trainer before closing his eyes shut.
Pikachu, however, turned to look at Ash with a subdued expression. He felt… proud of himself, but also a bit saddened.
"Something wrong?" Ash whispered.
"A little," Pikachu admitted. "I'm just… glad that I can get stronger."
Right. Pikachu was still bothered about the fact he couldn't evolve. Learning Volt Tackle might have helped ease those fears. "Being stronger isn't everything."
"No." Pikachu agreed. He then turned over on his side. "It's what you use that strength for that matters."
A bit of trouble getting this out, but I am mostly satisfied with the fight progression.
Corviknight is actually an OC submitted by an associate.
Mantles are my take on a Mega-Evolution replacement, created largely because... there are no human trainers to assist the Pokemon.