Track 18 - All Caps

More and more people ran past Leinani and Poppy as they hurried toward the center of the city. But, as they got closer, the crowd began to thin out, as only a few people were brave enough to try to get a glimpse of what was going on at Central Plaza.

"So, you're telling me that Pokémon can get really big in Galar because of these power spots? How does anyone ever defeat them?" Leinani asked while the two ran.

"That's hard to answer," Poppy exclaimed. She was beginning to lose her breath. "Although the Pokémon almost become one hundred times their regular size, their power only quadruples. They still take damage, and they're usually on a timer. The energy is finite."

"Interesting," Leinani said while looking back at Poppy. Suddenly, Rowlet screeched, and Leinani came to a stop. She turned to find a young trainer with pale skin and light red hair. He wore a zip-up blue vest over a black athletic t-shirt. He looked at Leinani with frightened light green eyes.

"Sorry," he said. "What's going on?"

"Crazy stuff. Go to the Pokémon Center or something. Standing here is dangerous," Leinani answered. She walked around the boy and continued her run with Poppy.

Braedon stayed still, but he could feel his heart beat heavily in his chest. The girl with the Rowlet seemed so heroic. He wanted to be that way, but his feet wouldn't let him. It was as though he was glued to the ground. He took in a deep breath before he started to run after the girl. His legs were weak, but he refused to let him dictate what his heart wanted.

"Gar!" the giant creature cried out in Central Plaza. Every blade of grass, nearby tree, or unfortunate bush close enough to the creature immediately withered away from its poisonous stench. The creature's eyes glowed red, and it tore a piece of litter that had become a part of its body before it became gigantic. It tossed the now gigantic litter forward, destroying a nearby taxi.

Leinani's pace slowed, and her eyes widened as the seventy-foot-tall creature came into view. The two trainers came to the end of the street and stopped. Leinani's arms fell to her sides, and her heart sunk into her stomach.

What stood before her could only be described as a mountain of living garbage. Two eyes poked out of a green cloak that appeared to be a torn apart sack. The creature had two arms made of miscellaneous trash, and a random assortment of gigantic toys surfed along the surface of its body. It roared as it swung one of its arms, toppling a small business.

"What is that?"

"Oh, rubbish. It's a Garbodor," Poppy exclaimed. "Not only that, but that is a Gigantamax Garbodor. There was an incident in a small town in Galar just last year involving that exact Pokémon. I wonder if this has any connection."

"No time to play detective. What do we do?" Leinani asked.

"Well, I can Dynamax my Pokémon and fight back! It'll likely destroy the park, but that's better than allowing Garbodor to have its way with the city, right?"

"You do what you gotta do, and we'll back you up," Leinani said with a sly smile at Rowlet.

"Go, Drizzile!" Poppy shouted while throwing her Poké Ball straight. It hit the ground, and Drizzile materialized. He lazily gazed at Garbodor, and shrugged before turning back to Poppy and nodding. Poppy raised her arm and pointed the Poké Ball at Drizzile.

"You're gonna withdraw him?" Leinani wondered aloud.

"No, we're gonna Dynamax! Let's go!" Poppy shouted.

But then, nothing happened. Trainer and Pokémon remained still while Garbodor raged about thirty meters away.

"I'm a little bit underwhelmed," Leinani muttered.

"I'm confused," Poppy said while looking at her Poké Ball and the white band she wore around her wrist. "If we're in a power spot, then why is my Dynamax band not activating?"

"Maybe it's broken?"

"It's not broken!"

Leinani crossed her arms. "Could of fooled me. Well, if it ain't gonna work, then we have to change up our tactics! DJ, attack! Use Leaf Blade!"

Rowlet flew off of Leinani's shoulder as quickly as she could. She extended her wings, which became enveloped in green energy, almost doubling in size. She flew around Garbodor's side, slicing for a few seconds. Garbage and waste emptied out of the areas that she managed to cut up. Garbodor groaned and turned to find the source. He glared at Rowlet and roared, spitting gunk and bile. He lurched and began to prepare an attack, but before he could get too far, he was blasted in the face by a water geyser. Garbodor stopped and looked down, finding Drizzile, Poppy, and Leinani.

"Yeah, I didn't want to bring too much attention to us," Leinani said as Garbodor lifted his arms. "DJ, Metal Claw!"

"Let's keep our distance! Hydro Pump!"

Rowlet got in close and raked her talons against Garbodor's body. She pulled, but the larger Pokémon didn't budge. Instead, he looked at Rowlet with eyes bigger than her entire body. Drizzile blasted from below, first connecting with Garbodor's green chest and continuing until his face. This time, Garbodor was expecting it, and he swiped low. Drizzile jumped, but it wasn't enough. He was caught by Garbodor's attack and immediately found himself trapped in super-sized trash.

"Drizzile!"

"What do we do?" Leinani asked herself. "DJ, Metal Claw! Keep moving!"

Braedon came to a stop, keeled over, and took in many deep breaths. He kept his hands on his knees to prevent himself from falling, and when he felt like he caught his breath, he looked up, taking in the giant beast. He had seen Garbodor on television, as it was a mascot to keep people aware of physical pollution in Unova. However, he never imagined that it could be as big as this one, and something about its form appeared different.

Braedon was unsure of what to do. He watched as the trainer from before gave her commands. She didn't entirely dress like someone from Unova, and her accent was slightly different from any that Braedon was familiar with. She wore a baggy black shirt with a beautiful purple flower print, which contrasted her aggressive commands. She had on seafoam green headphones around her neck, which matched her shoes. Braedon could tell that she cared about her shoes by the way that she carefully avoided stepping in any of Garbodor's puddles. Her hair was naturally curled and fell below her jawline.

Braedon knew this girl. However, he couldn't remember her name.

The girl looked back at Braedon, and she glared. She barked an order at him, but he couldn't hear what she said. She started toward Braedon and tucked her head. Braedon's eyes widened, and he looked up. Garbodor had grabbed a small boat off of a nearby truck and tossed it into the air. Unfortunately for Braedon, he was directly in its path. The girl tackled him and picked him onto his shoulder. She dove into a nearby alleyway and let the boat crash into the road.

"Ouch!" Braedon exclaimed as Leinani pushed him up against a brick wall.

"Get out of the way! You're going to get yourself killed, kid!" Leinani shouted. "Get to safety like all of the suits!"

"I-I can help!" Braedon stammered.

Leinani took a step back and regarded him. "If it weren't for me, you'd be crushed right now."

"And thank you for that! But, I want to help! I'm a Pokémon trainer! I have three badges!"

Leinani rolled her eyes. "Three whole badges? Wow!"

Braedon glared at Leinani but remained silent.

"Yeah, okay. You can help, but I ain't responsible for you! Let's go!"

Leinani tried to turn, but Braedon reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "Wait! I don't have any Pokémon that I can use. My Pokémon are hurt!"

"Well, which is it? Can you help or not?"

"I just need time to heal them! Can you distract it?"

Leinani nodded. "I feel like that's all I can do. Heal up your Pokémon if you want to fight. But, if you're serious about helping, it might just be best to get out of the way. I can see that you're a rookie. This can get really dangerous."

"We'll be fine! Just give me five minutes!"

"Five minutes is a lot of time in this kind of situation," Leinani said before running out of the alleyway and back to the battle.

Braedon dropped his bags and pulled his Poké Balls from his belt. He released Oshawott and Magby, who immediately fell onto their backsides. Braedon opened his bag and sprayed some of the liquid from a potion bottle into his hands. He started to pet Oshawott on the head, rubbing in the liquid. Oshawott appeared to immediately feel the effects, and he relaxed.

"Drizzile, run up and use Liquidation!" Poppy shouted.

"DJ, give him a lift!"

Rowlet flew around Garbodor and reached out, grabbing ahold of Drizzile. She tossed the Water-type into the air as aquatic energy encircled him. Drizzile swung and struck Garbodor in the side of the head, seemingly doing enough damage to make the giant Pokémon wince. Rowlet grabbed Drizzile as he fell back down, and the two Pokémon returned to their trainers.

"Looks like we have some back-up," Poppy exclaimed. She pointed to another street where three trainers stood with their Pokémon.

Leinani couldn't help but laugh, as she knew the trainers as the thugs she beat up before challenging Lyric.

"Gigalith, use Stone Edge!" the leader shouted.

"Gurdurr, Focus Blast!"

"Hit 'em with Air Slash, Woobat!"

The attacks pelted Garbodor, getting its attention. It closed one of its eyes so that it could focus on the three Pokémon. It reeled back and pointed one of its arms at the Pokémon and trainers. Garbodor's arm shifted and convulsed before unleashing a terrible shot of gunk at the group. The Pokémon and trainers were not quick enough, and they were all engulfed by the gunk.

"Oh no," Poppy shouted.

"Rest in pieces, dudes," Leinani exclaimed with a chuckle. "We gotta keep fighting, but I guess that we shouldn't stay in the same place or else we'll end up like them. DJ, use Metal Claw!"

"Yes, let's fight! Drizzile, use Hydro Pump! Go!"

As Drizzile unleashed his attack, Rowlet flew through the air. He slashed his extended claws against Garbodor, making it let out a groan. However, it was Drizzile's powerful Hydro Pump that got its attention.

Leinani grabbed the collar of Poppy's blue cardigan and yanked while Garbodor unleashed another vile attack. Drizzile was washed up by the wave of sludge and blasted down the street.

"Drizzile!" Poppy exclaimed. Once the attack stopped, she forced Leinani's hand away from her and dashed for her Pokémon.

"Be careful!" Leinani shouted. She pulled another Poké Ball from her belt and held it tightly.

"Don't worry! We got this!" Braedon exclaimed while running to Leinani's side. "Oshawott, Razor Shell! Magby, Flame Wheel! Go!"

Leinani watched in silence as Braedon's two small Pokémon ran past them. Oshawott waved around his scalchop while Magby became engulfed in flames. Oshawott slashed and Magby bashed, but the damage was miniscule. Garbodor looked down upon them and swiped with its smaller arm, knocking the two away with ease.

"Yo, are you serious?" Leinani asked. "I was expecting something much better than that!"

"Don't judge my Pokémon because of their size! They have a big fighting spirit!" Braedon snapped back. He looked at his Pokémon, who had collided with a car. "And, besides! Don't see you doing much!"

"If I wasn't so focused on not dying, I'd pop you in the mouth!" Leinani exclaimed. "Rowlet, we have to take a different approach!"

Leinani raised her arm into the air, and her Z-ring began to glow. She took in a deep breath and waved her arms, generating multi-colored energy. Rowlet flew so that she was in front of her, and she did her best to mimic Leinani's movements. When Leinani finished, she posed, and all of the energy that she had collected blasted to Rowlet.

"Corkscrew Crash!"

Rowlet became enveloped in a metallic glow. She started to spin violently, and more energy was collected around her, creating a drill. She shot down the street and to the gigantic Pokémon, driving herself into Garbodor as hard as she could. Garbodor roared upon impact, and he slightly lost balance. He reached out his arms, bracing himself against a nearby library.

"That'll do it!" Leinani exclaimed.

"Yeah, but you're gonna knock down more buildings!" Braedon shouted.

Leinani glared at him. "Well, what do you suggest we do, knock him into space? Talk him down with some soft rock?"

Before Braedon could respond, Garbodor lashed out, sending gunk raining down. Rowlet was battered by the gunk and forced to the ground. It continued to fall on her until she was buried.

"No!" Leinani shouted. She ran to the pile of gunk, knelt low, and stuck her hands in. It was warm, and she could feel it trying to burn her skin. She quickly pulled Rowlet out of the pile and darted toward the road. "Run! You all need to get out of here!"

"Come back!" Braedon said while holding both of his Poké Balls out. The red light quickly retrieved his Pokémon, and he looked up once more at the rampaging creature. He wanted to turn and run, but his legs refused to move. He looked down at his Poké Ball and noticed his hands shaking.

And then, he heard screeching. To his left, he noticed a group of Patrat attempting to escape from a sewer gutter. A concrete slab had fallen on the grate, leaving an unknown amount of Patrat trapped underground. A few of the ones that had escaped were pushing on the slab, but it wouldn't budge.

Braedon felt energy come back to his legs, and he ran to the Patrat. He squatted and grabbed what he could grip onto the stone. He lifted but immediately was pulled back down by its weight.

Leinani looked over at the boy struggling. She caught a glance of the group of Patrat, and she felt rage overcome her. However, she took a deep breath and ran to Braedon. She grabbed the same end as Braedon and eyed him.

"Lift on three," she said. "One, two, three."

The two heaved and pulled on the slab of concrete as hard as they could, Leinani putting in most of the work. When they got the slab up, they pushed, removing the blockade for the Patrat. Dozens of the small Pokémon made their way through the grate. One of them tried to push a dark red egg through. The others helped get it through the hole, and when all of them were out, they regarded Leinani and Braedon.

"Alright, get out of here," Leinani said.

The Patrat all conversed with one another. They placed their small hands on the egg and held it up.

"For us?" Braedon wondered.

Leinani rolled her eyes. "If that hatches into a Patrat, I don't want it."

"Leavanny, use an Aerial Ace!" a voice boomed in the distance.

Leavanny exploded from her Poké Ball and raced forward. She stuck out her pointed arms and jabbed at Garbodor's gray belly. The gargantuan Pokémon shouted, forcing the Patrat to drop the egg and skitter away.

Braedon quickly knelt and picked up the egg. It was cold and much smaller than he had thought a Pokémon egg would look like.

"It sounds like people are here who can handle it," Leinani said. She pointed to the man with poofy hair who controlled Leavanny. Next to him stood Lyric and Jaime.

"Burgh!" Braedon shouted excitedly.

"You know that guy?"

"He's the gym leader!"

Leinani furrowed her brow. "No, he's not. She is!"

"Wigglytuff, use Moon Blast!" Lyric shouted while throwing her Poké Ball.

Jaime followed by throwing his own Poké Ball into the air. "Exploud, Hyper Voice!"

The pink and purple Pokémon materialized and immediately launched their attacks, mixing lunar energy with a terrible scream. The attacks blasted into Garbodor, sending waste flying in the air. Garbodor grimaced and looked down, seemingly disgusted by the strike.

"Leavanny, use Swords Dance!" Burgh instructed.

"Wigglytuff, we'll give cover! Use Giga Impact!"

"Exploud, keep it loud and annoying! One more Hyper Voice!"

As energy swirled around Leavanny, giving her a boost in power, Wigglytuff charged forward. She slammed her body into Garbodor, sending gigantic toys hurling from his body. Garbodor put his arm on his wound and groaned, only to be barraged with another sound-based onslaught by Exploud.

"Thank you!" Burgh exclaimed. "Now, bring that beast down with X-Scissor!"

Leavanny moved across the street as though she were skating. She crossed her arms, generating dark green energy that extended almost three times her size. She slashed, making Garbodor roar with pain. He stumbled backward, unintentionally crushing a few trees and cars.

"They're so cool," Braedon muttered in amazement.

"I don't think there's much we can do," Poppy said as she ran to the two. "We should get out of here and let the gym leaders handle it."

"Gym leaders?" Braedon and Leinani inquired in unison.

Garbodor roared again and looked down at the leaders and their Pokémon. His eyes began to glow white, and the ground started to shake. Suddenly, fissures formed in the park and on the road. White light pierced through the cracks in the ground before the road suddenly imploded.

Leinani grabbed Poppy and Braedon. She turned around and faced away from the blast. The three trainers were rag-dolled into a nearby taxi, and the explosion had taken away their vision and hearing.

Slowly, Leinani's vision returned to her. At first, it was blurry. She looked at her hands, which were covered in blood. She was unsure if it was her own or one of the other trainers'. Her hearing came back, starting with a dull sound and slowly returning to normal. She looked to the right. Both Braedon and Poppy were unconscious, but neither of them looked dead. Braedon held onto his maroon egg tightly. By some sort of miracle, the egg had not been crushed.

She looked to the other road, finding Leavanny, Wigglytuff, and Exploud unconscious. Burgh and Lyric were doing their best to hold up an unconscious Jaime.

Garbodor roared one more time and jabbed at a nearby building, crumbling it instantly.

Leinani did her best to stand up. She grabbed Poppy and lifted her onto her left shoulder. She held Braedon in her right arm and tried to walk. The two were light separately, and Leinani knew she could carry them, but together, they felt like a Snorlax on her back. She dragged her feet, only raising her legs when she had to step up the curb.

Then, there was a flash of light. A ball of fire rained down from the sky, hitting Garbodor directly between the ideas. Upon impact, the ball exploded, managing to knock Garbodor backward.

Two flying Pokémon appeared. One appeared to be a Bug-type with flames coming off its six orange wings. The other Pokémon had a man on its back. The Pokémon was the symbol of Unova, and Leinani recognized it as Braviary.

"Volcarona, end this menace! Fiery Dance!" the man shouted.

His Bug-type Pokémon flew forward and waved its body around. Flames exploded from its wings, taking on the appearance of a Dynamaxed Pokémon. It unleashed all the flames at once, pummeling Garbodor with no remorse. What followed was an explosion of smoke, fire, and ashes.

Everything went quiet, and the smoke slowly dissipated as wind blew through the city.

Leinani looked up. The sun had set, and the sky was dark. More importantly, all the red energy in the air had cleared up.

The beast had disappeared.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I didn't intend for this chapter to get as intense as it did.

Braedon and Leinani have finally met. What'd you think? I'm ecstatic to finally have these two together. After this incident, Leinani and Braedon will still be around Castelia City for a couple of chapters. I've also decided that the short spin-off story will involve Poppy as the main character!

Besprizornye rightfully pointed out that raid battles are a bit rough to read, so I'm putting a bit of extra thought into them. I feel the most proud about this particular battle, but I'm unsure if it was any different/good.