~Author's Corner~
don't ever let me promise 2-week updates again lmao
"Human talking"
'Human thinking'
"Human talking in flashback"
"Pokémon talking (present time or flashback)"
Akai Residence
A deafening blast echoed from outside, so loud it seemed to shake the ground beneath the Akai residence.
Rose shuddered. "That sounded way too close," she muttered nervously, glancing through the rain-streaked window. "Red? Did you hear that?" She turned her gaze back to the dining table. "I think-"
Without a word, the younger Akai got up from his chair, covered his head with the hood of his new jacket, and walked out the front door.
"R-Red?!" Rose called after him, her voice quickly raising in alarm as she hurried to follow. "Where are you going?! Red, please!"
On the porch, Red stood still, staring to the left. Rose joined him, reaching for his arm to pull him back inside, only for her to freeze and gasp.
"Oh my God," she mumbled as she slowly took a few steps forward. "The Oaks'...!" Her hand gripped the porch railing as she stared at the smoldering wreckage in the distance. "But why... I could have sworn that house had a lightning rod built-"
But before she could finish, Red vaulted over the porch railing and headed straight toward the destruction. After quickly reaching back into her house to grab her umbrella, Rose ran after him, her heart pounding with fear and confusion.
"Red! Red, wait!" Rose called for her son, the heavy storm doing nothing to hinder her. "No one lives there anymore, sweetie! You don't have t-!" Her breath caught in her throat once she caught up to him.
In front of the debris, Red had already released his Espeon. Next to them, two other Pokémon, a Sceptile and a Greninja, appeared to be talking to them while the Psychic-type's eyes glowed. At one point, Red growled and his head lifted to look at the stormy sky.
"... Were... were these two inside the house?" Rose asked uncertainly. "They don't look hurt... but they shouldn't be outside regardless, especially if lightning is striking buildi-"
"This wasn't a lightning strike." Red's voice was low but certain.
Rose blinked, trying to understand. "What-?"
Red turned to Rose, his face calm yet intense. "... You're not safe here." He tossed a Poké Ball, releasing his Pikachu in a burst of light. "Pika, go help Ketchum if he needs backup... Vee, you go with these two. If you have to translate... go ahead."
"Pikachu?" Pika spoke up, pointing a paw at a stunned Rose.
"... I'm takin' her somewhere else. I'll be back." Before his mother could object, his Charizard burst out of its Poké Ball, its wings flaring wide as it crouched low.
"Red, please, what's happening?!" Rose shouted, her panic rising. But Red only lifted her onto the beast's back with him, his grip firm but calm.
"Hang on tight," he told her, his tone leaving no room for argument. And Charizard took to the skies, lifting them both away from the danger below while the other Pokémon ran off to complete their own jobs...
Skies of Pallet Town
High above the quaint little town, a dark shadow circled like a predator. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as a massive dragon turned its gaze downward, eyes narrowed with intent.
The command from its master was clear: unleash destruction, draw all eyes to the chaos below. In the meantime, its master would slip past unnoticed and capture her prize. Those were its orders, and it would carry them out without question.
Salamence inhaled deeply, its chest expanding and brimming with energy as it prepared to unleash a Hyper Beam upon a line of houses below...
CR-ACK.
But just as Salamence was about to strike, a brilliant flash cut across the sky – a bolt of lightning arced, not from the stormy clouds but from somewhere below, striking it with staggering force.
"BOUGH-A!" A roar escaped Salamence's throat as it was thrown to the ground with a hard THUD . Righting itself, its gaze landed on a figure descending through the rain, flanked by two shadows.
Wait... it's seen those faces before.
"I didn't think we'd see you again," said Ash as he jumped off Dragonite. "So, you remember us?" His face was set with fierce determination, his eyes locked onto Salamence as if he saw the intentions behind its furious eyes.
"Srggh..." Salamence sneered, a low growl rumbling from deep within its chest. Its mission wasn't just to distract anymore – it was personal, now.
"Salamence," Ash continued, "we don't have to do this. Just stop hurting people and fly away. Don't bother anyone anymore. You don't have to listen to what your trainer tells you, anymore."
In response, Salamence lunged forward, wings extended as it whipped up a powerful gust with each beat. But Ash and his team didn't waver. With a sigh and a slight nod to Dragonite, he signaled to meet their opponent in combat.
"Kairyuuu!" Dragonite launched forward, meeting Salamence head-on with a speed that belied its size.
The two dragons clashed, talons and teeth flashing in the dim light. They locked in an intense aerial dance, twisting and spiraling as their powerful wings sent waves of rain cascading down. Salamence snapped its jaws, aiming for Dragonite's neck, but Dragonite spun away just in time, responding with a fierce Thunder Punch that sent a shock wave through the air. Salamence reeled, hissing in frustration, before retaliating with a Dragon Pulse that Dragonite dodged by a hair.
From below, Ash followed every movement, eyes focused on his Pokémon's proximity to Salamence. Finally, as his opponent rushed Dragonite once again, he acted. "Now, Pikachu!"
"Pika!" Pikachu leaped from Dragonite's back and launched itself toward a visibly surprised Salamence, its tail sheening like metal. "Chuu... PI-KA!" The air hummed as Pikachu swung downward with Iron Tail, striking Salamence's head with enough force to knock it off course. The impact stunned Salamence for a brief moment, its wings stalling as it struggled to recover.
Ash saw his chance. As he rushed forward to catch the free-falling Pikachu, he called out to Dragonite, "Now hit 'em with Dragonite Meteor!"
"Roooogh!" Dragonite roared in response, summoning flaring draconic energy that surrounded its body. The sky around the dragons seemed to shift as Dragonite surged forward and grabbed Salamence, a cascade of small fiery meteors spinning around them as they spiraled through the air and toward the ground.
Salamence roared and struggled in Dragonite's grip but couldn't escape. A trail of sparks followed the two of them as they blazed through the storm, lighting up the sky with brief, fierce flashes. As they got closer and closer to the ground, Dragonite let go of its enemy and pulled up, leaving Salamence to crash into the earth along with the Draco Meteor.
BOOM!
A fiery explosion engulfed the road, quickly fading into a tower of smoke. Ash, with Pikachu safely in his arms, watched some meters away as Dragonite landed beside him.
...
"SRAGHH!" With a final, defiant roar, Salamence cleared the smoke around it. It was breathing heavily now, body covered with bruises as it glared at Ash with a fierce, unyielding stare. Rain poured down its scales, dripping from the edges of its drooped wings, but despite the damage it had suffered, its furious eyes showed that its spirit remained unbroken.
"Salamence, please." Ash took a step forward, using his cap to shield his eyes from the rain. "You can't beat us. It's not worth hurting yourself for her. Just give up this fight, alright?"
"Pi-Pikapi Pikachuuu..." Pikachu supplied.
For a while, Salamence just stood there, glaring at Ash and his Pokémon but unmoving. The storm around them seemed to still in anticipating what would happen next.
Then Salamence glowed.
Subtly at first, then quickly brightening and cascading over its entire body as an almost ethereal energy twisted violently around it. A surprised Ash was forced to hold onto his hat as the force of Salamence's transformation sent a heavy gust of wind toward him and his Pokémon.
Ash recognized what was happening, as he could make out the image of a familiar sigil in the mist surrounding the glowing Salamence.
But as the transformation neared completion, Ash couldn't understand how Salamence could Mega Evolve without a trainer to trigger it.
The energy surrounding Salamence exploded outward and the glow faded from its new form. Mega Salamence floated before its enemies, its powerful, crescent-shaped wings flexing as it let out a guttural snarl. Beside Ash, Pikachu and Dragonite's forms tightened and the atmosphere surrounding the three of them thickened, the rain seeming to fall even harder.
"... Pikachu, Dragonite, get ready-"
Before Ash could finish, Salamence shot into the sky, faster and more agile than before. It banked sharply, circling Ash and his Pokémon in a predatory spiral. Then, without warning, it fired a Hyper Beam, brighter and more powerful than before, directly at them.
"Dragonite!"
"Ruuu!" Dragonite countered at once, stepping forward and summoning its own Hyper Beam to meet Salamence's in a destructive clash. The force of the collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, shaking the trees and rattling the windows of nearby homes.
The beams fought for dominance, but Salamence's new power proved too much, and its Hyper Beam overpowered Dragonite's, forcing the orange dragon back with a heavy impact past Ash and Pikachu.
Groaning and barely beginning to get up, Dragonite was struck by a sudden Dragon Claw, Salamence closing in with relentless speed. The blow sent Dragonite into the ground, the impact leaving a trail of upturned earth in its wake. Salamence, undeterred, moved in to finish off its prey.
But Ash refused to let his Pokémon down. "Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" he called, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Pika-CHUUU!" Pikachu charged, his body igniting with electricity as it became a streak of light. He tore through the air, a bolt of raw energy that collided with Salamence, throwing it back with a shockwave that it couldn't ignore even in its Mega Evolved state. The dragon staggered, visibly disoriented.
Pikachu landed next to Dragonite, who pushed through its pain and got back on its feet. Ash reached and stood alongside his partners quickly, a fierce resolve in his eyes. The storm roared around the trio, but they held their ground.
Salamence soon recovered and shot out a bloodcurdling screech, but Ash didn't flinch. Instead, he gripped his cap and twisted it backward before he spoke. "Guess you're not goin' down without a fight, huh?"
Professor Oak's Laboratory
"Piplup! Spoootlight~! "
"Pip-piplup!"
As Dawn and Piplup went through their contest routine for another time, Daisy watched on with a small smile. Admittedly, she only offered to help Dawn that morning out of politeness, more than anything, but after all the drama that followed later, watching a performance like this felt nice. Really nice.
Even though Daisy hadn't done any Coordinating in a long time, she could still see the passion and grace that the younger girl put into her routine. It reminded her of her own days as a Coordinator when she was a few years younger than Dawn was now. She never planned to make a career out of it, even at that age, but she couldn't deny the pride she felt for herself and her Pokémon whenever they pulled off a performance as great as what the Sinnoh native was showing her at that moment.
A small part of her wondered what her life would have been like if she had decided to pursue Coordinating as a profession. Would she have ever met Bill? Married him?
Would Green have been as bitter as he was now?
Daisy was brought out of her musings when a cascade of sparkling bubbles popped to create a dazzling effect of light that enveloped Dawn and Piplup as the latter twirled in the air. With a final spin, Dawn reached out, and Piplup landed in her arms just as the light faded.
"That was amazing, Dawn!" Daisy stood up from the crate she was sitting on and clapped with genuine admiration. "You and Piplup made that look effortless!"
"Lup! Piplup!" Piplup puffed his chest out with smug pride.
"Aha..." Unlike her Pokémon, Dawn was more bashful, blushing under her coach's praise and smiling shyly, though a hint of tension still lingered in her expression. "Th-thank you, Miss Daisy! That really means a lot... but... are you sure? There had to be something we could have done better, right?"
"Lup..." Piplup glared at his trainer as he listened to her doubt herself – for the fifth time, that night.
"Hm... well, there is one thing." Daisy hummed to herself.
Dawn perked up. "Really? What is it?"
"Well..." Daisy stared hard at her protégé before breaking out into a wide smile. "You really need to work on your self-confidence. Really, Dawn, you're spectacular ! Honestly, I'm not sure why you thought you needed my help. You're a natural at this!"
Rather than the excitement that Daisy was hoping for, Dawn's mood seemed to drop and she sighed with resignation. "... A natural that hasn't won a Grand Festival yet..."
Daisy's own smile faltered. "Oh, Dawn... I'm sorry I can't be of more help."
"Ah...! No, no, Miss Daisy, that's not what I meant!" Dawn quickly reassured her. "It's just... I just want it to be perfect, y'know? I mean... I've come runner-up in two Grand Festivals now, and I know that should be a good thing, and I'm happy about it and everything, but when she was my age my mom had already won a Grand Festival, and I've been trying so hard to be like her but it's like I'm always falling short, and if I lose one more Grand Festival, or even just one more Contest, I just don't know what I'm gonna do-"
"Whoa, whoa! Dawn, calm down!" Daisy interrupted the younger girl's frantic rambling. "There's no need to worry!"
"BIG need to worry!" cried Dawn.
"What?"
"Lup..." Piplup just shook his head.
"Ah... Dawn, I know where you're coming from," Daisy gently continued, "I always felt that there was a lot of pressure on me during contests, too, what with being Professor Oak's granddaughter. And there's nothing wrong with wanting to use your family as inspiration, but always comparing yourselves to their accomplishments isn't fair to either you or your Pokémon... right, Piplup?"
"Piplup!" the Pokémon in question chirped his agreement.
"At the end of the day, competing in contests isn't about being perfect, at least I don't think so," said to a now-quiet Dawn. "It's about enjoying the performance and your Pokémon, letting the crowd feel what you're feeling. If you're confident and having fun, well, then the audience can feel that too, right?"
Dawn stared at the former Coordinator a bit more before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing a little. "... Yeah... Thanks, Daisy." She opened her eyes and grinned. "I think I needed to hear that. Sometimes I get so focused on winning that I forget to enjoy it."
"Piiiip-luup," Piplup nodded sagely.
"Oh, Piplup..." Dawn rolled her eyes but didn't lose her smile as she reached to pick him up. "You already knew that there was no need to worry, didn't you?"
"Lup!"
"It happens to the best of us," Daisy shrugged lightly. "But really, I do mean it – you and your Pokémon are amazing. If it makes you feel any better, I have no doubt that you'll take it home at your next Grand Festival."
"Y-you really think so?" the Twinleaf native went wide-eyed. "I... That means so much to me-"
THUMP.
"WAAA!" Dawn screeched, clutching her Piplup tighter and unwittingly forcing a choke out of him. "Wh..." she slowly looked up. "What was that?"
"Oh, don't worry." Daisy glanced at the basement ceiling. "Probably just the boys upstairs."
SLAM.
"Ack! Well, whoever it is, they're pretty darn noisy!" huffed Dawn.
"Lup...!"
"Oops! Eheh, s-sorry, Piplup..." Dawn loosened her hold on her starter Pokémon, only to earn some very angry squawking. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say it?!"
Daisy chuckled awkwardly before clearing her throat. "Well... what do you think? Want to give it another go-"
A faint scream, followed by hurried footsteps from above, interrupted her, and her calm expression faltered. She and Dawn shared a look of mutual concern before hurrying up the stairs to investigate.
"Bill? Grandpa?" Daisy stepped into the main hall, Dawn and Piplup closely behind her. "What's... oh my God!"
The girls were met with the sight of Professor Oak and Tracey near the lab entrance, drenched from the rain and directing a Charizard, who carefully lowered a battered-looking Alakazam to the floor where Bill had laid out couch pillows from the other room.
Dawn's eyes darted around the room. "M-Miss Daisy? Professor Oak? What's going...?!"
Instead of answering her guest, Daisy stepped forward to where her husband was with Alakazam, taking over with practiced ease as she knelt beside the Pokémon, beginning to assess its wounds. "What happened?" she asked, not looking up. "And where's Green?"
"I'm not sure," answered Professor Oak. "But he wouldn't be without his Charizard unless he sent it here. Whatever the case, it's plain to see that Alakazam's injuries aren't an accident." Then he noticed the other young woman standing with them. "Dawn? What are you...?"
"Wait, wait, hold on," Dawn cut him off, her worried look replaced with a determined one. "You're saying that these Pokémon were attacked, and their trainer is out there... fighting by himself?"
"Not just that."
Dawn turned to see Gary walk in, carrying a rain poncho. "What? What else?" Gary merely gestured toward one of the windows, prompting her to look out. She bit her lip when she saw a plume of smoke coming from somewhere within the corral.
"Whatever happened to my cousin's Pokémon, it's not stoppin' there. Pallet's under attack," Gary explained as he began to put on the poncho. "I'm goin' out there to do something about it."
"Y'all sure this ain't the storm's doin'?" Bill asked nervously. "I ain't takin' this whole thing lightly or anythin', but I dunno what we can do if this is just nature bein' nature..."
"I doubt this is just a lightning strike," Gary turned to Bill. "Considerin' who this Alakazam belongs to."
"Green, he... he's not the type to recklessly send his Pokémon out in a storm like this," Daisy added as she took a first-aid kit from Tracey. "Even when he's... angry... he never loses his cool when it comes to the well-being of his Pokémon."
Bill grimaced. "Then... don't ya think we should get his help?"
"His...? You mean Ash's?" Tracey asked curiously.
"Oh, yeah! His too!" Bill nodded.
"What do you mean, 'too'-"
"Ashy-boy will already be on this case, I guarantee you," Gary told Bill firmly. "As for any other help, if you wanna go to that side o' town in the middle of a nasty storm while some freak is attacking its people, be my guest. But I'm not wastin' any time. If I can help protect Pallet myself, you better believe that's what I'm doin'."
"I can help, too!"
Everyone's heads turned to Dawn, who stepped forward with determination in her eyes.
"We're coming with you! Right, Piplup?" She turned to her equally determined partner, who let out a squawk of affirmation.
"It's going to be incredibly dangerous, Dawn." Professor Oak told her grimly. "There's a very high chance that you and your Pokémon will get hurt."
"Well then it's no different than if we're just sitting ducks, if whatever's out there is going around attacking people!" protested Dawn.
"... Honestly, I don't think it's a bad idea, gramps," Gary spoke up. "I've already seen that she can handle herself back in Sinnoh, and it'd be nice to have some immediate backup."
"... If you're sure..." the Professor relented. He then turned to Tracey. "You and Bill help Daisy with Alakazam's wounds. I'm going to contact the authorities. I'll leave my Dragonite out front to guard the lab, in case it's attacked."
"Got it, Professor." Tracey and Bill spoke simultaneously.
"Charizard," Daisy spoke up without stopping her work on Alakazam. "You should go find your trainer. And please, just... make sure he doesn't get hurt."
"Rrgh," Charizard growled its assent.
"Then we all know what we're doin', right? Let's get a move on!" barked Gary.
"Right!" Dawn pumped her fist. "No need to worry!"
Outskirts of Pallet Town
Char touched down with a heavy THUD, its wings sending up small clouds of dust as it landed in front of a small, unassuming cave. Red slid off his Pokémon's back, then offered a hand to his mother, who took it and carefully climbed off the Charizard. The pair took a glance at the cave. The jagged rocks surrounding the entrance seemed ordinary enough, but to Red, this place was much more special than that.
"R-Red? Why are we...?" Rose murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
"... I used to play here when I was a kid," said Red. "Me n' Poli. We'd sneak out here when Daisy babysat and she wasn't lookin'."
Rose blinked. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about her child's casual admission that he used to give his babysitter the slip. "... Okay," she finally said, "but why did you bring us here for safety...?
Red didn't respond, his face set in a grimace. Without a word, he pulled a Poké Ball from his belt and released the Pokémon he was just talking about.
"Poli!" The Poliwrath landed with a confident croak, flexing its muscular arms and looking up at Red for instruction.
"Stay here," Red said firmly, placing a hand on Poli's head. "Keep her safe."
Poli nodded without question.
On the other hand, Rose's eyes widened as the implication hit her. "Baby, no! You're not really thinking of-"
"Yep," Red interrupted, his voice calm but unyielding. He turned toward Char, who was already kneeling to let him climb back on.
"W-wait!" Rose leaped for her son, only for Poli to gently but firmly hold her arm, keeping her in place. "Wha- let me go, Poli!" she begged, but the Tadpole shook its head. Rose bit her lip in frustration. "Then... at least take me with you!" Rose pleaded, turning back toward her son. "You don't have to do this alone, Red!"
Red turned to her, his eyes softening for a brief moment. "... Y'know, I was living on Mount Silver for all this time."
If that was supposed to calm her down, Rose thought, then it did anything but. "Y-you what—Red, honey, what are you saying?!"
"That I'm a lot stronger than you remember."
"... Red..."
Without another word, the man that folk called "the Ghost of Mount Silver" took off his jacket and placed it gently in his mother's hands, his touch lingering for just a moment.
"... Extra insurance," he said quietly. "Stay here. I'll come back soon."
"Red," Rose choked as her son stepped back and began to climb on Char's back, "I already lost you once... don't put me through this agai-"
"This isn't just a promise," Red interrupted. "It's a fact – by the time I have things wrapped up and come back for you, it'll be time for dinner."
Before Rose could respond, he tapped Char's side, and with a powerful beat of wings, the two of them took off and they were gone. She stood at the cave's entrance, staring after them as the sound of Charizard's wings faded into the distance. Slowly, she tightened her grip on the jacket she made for her son and let out a shaky sigh.
"Poli," Poliwrath pulled on her arm gently, ushering her to retreat into the cave. Wordlessly, Rose allowed herself to be taken along, silent tears falling from her eyes.
'Red...' she shut her eyes tight for a few moments as she walked. When she opened them again, although the tears didn't stop, her crimson pupils were set in steely determination.
'If you're late even by a second, you'll be sorry.'
Professor Oak's Corral
DHOOM.
Another explosion rocked the corral's forest biome as trees fell over and smoke billowed from the area. Pokémon clambered for shelter in a panic, a few of them sporting injuries. Every so often, beams that were colored gold struck fleeing Pokémon, turning them into bronze statues that froze their terrified expressions.
All the while, a woman with silver hair walked with her Ariados through the surrounding chaos that she caused, the metallic goggles on her face gleaming as she scanned the area with cold precision. Her hoodless black cloak blew in the wind as she wordlessly pointed to a Kangaskhan trying to protect its baby.
"Hss!" Ariados hissed as it fired adhesive from its mouth at the Kangaskhan, wrapping it in sticky webbing and causing it to fall over and drop its child.
"Rngh..." the Kangaskhan kid cried weakly as it tried to crawl back to its mother, only for the human that was terrorizing them to block its path and point the weapon wrapped around her wrist at it.
"You're no Mew, but you'll fetch a good price." Pokémon Hunter J coldly informed the terrified baby as her arm cannon began charging another laser.
"Breighh!"
From J's peripheral vision, she spotted a shadowy ball of energy headed straight for her. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she jumped away from the baby Kangaskhan, the Shadow Ball striking the ground she once occupied and causing a harmless wave of dust and debris to wash over the child.
"Rnngh?" The baby turned its head toward its savior, being met with an Umbreon along with a trio of humans closely behind. Its eyes lit up as it recognized one of the humans as the kin of Professor Oak.
"I didn't expect we'd find the jerk terrorizin' Pallet so soon," Gary growled before turning its attention to the Kangaskhan encased in webbing. "Umbreon, use Psychic!"
"Breee..." Umbreon's eyes glowed a bright purple, and a coat of psychic energy wrapped around the mummified Kangaskhan. After a quick pulse, the energy disappeared, the webs falling apart at the same time and freeing the mother, who quickly scooped up her baby and ran to safety.
"Hsss!" Ariados leaped at Umbreon, fangs coated in poison, only to be knocked away by a Bubblebeam. Landing near its master on all fours, it glared at the Piplup who interrupted its attack.
"Good job, Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed. "Now use Ice Beam!"
"Pipluuup!" the Penguin Pokémon cried as it fired a beam of frost from its mouth at Ariados, only for it to be intercepted by a golden ray fired from J's arm cannon, creating a small explosion on impact.
"Tch. Shouldn't you brats be inside?" J growled at the teenagers assembled before her.
"Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!" Tracey yelled at the woman, he and his companions glaring at her.
When they got a closer look at who she was, Dawn and Gary, along with their Pokémon, paled.
"G-Gary, isn't that..." Dawn started.
"... Pokémon Hunter J?!" Gary finished with a snarl.
"Ugh. I didn't think hicks from Kanto would recognize me." J scoffed quietly before raising her voice, "I don't have time to play with kids. Go crawl back to whatever hole you came out of before I bury you myself."
"What did you two call her?" Tracey asked with trepidation. "That's Pokémon Hunter J? From Sinnoh?"
"Either that or her ghost," Gary replied to Tracey. "How are you here, J?! You and your crew were supposed to have been blown to pieces at Lake Valor!"
That gave J pause. "How do you know about..." she began to mutter before she finally took in the appearances of the three nuisances that stood before her. "... I remember now." Her eyes narrowed behind her goggles. "You're that spiky-haired punk that got in my way with that Shieldon and at Lake Valor."
"Gary Oak, at your service," Gary smirked at her.
"Hmph. And you..." J turned her gaze toward a shaking Dawn. "You were the little girl that kept showing up along with that fucking kid and his Pikachu."
Dawn shuddered but quickly shook her head to regain her composure. "Don't... don't talk about Ash like that, you creep!"
"Spare me the boyfriend worship, kid." J dismissed her. "In any case... it looks like I have to get rid of you all regardless."
"Tracey, go warn Gramps about what's goin' on," Gary whispered to his companion. "Dawn and I will handle this. Right Dawn?"
"Yeah... no need to worry," Dawn assured him (and herself). "We got this, right Piplup?"
"Lup!" Piplup chirped in determination.
"... Alright," Tracey nodded. "But let me help out a bit..." he took out a Poké Ball from his pocket, an act that didn't go unnoticed by J.
"Ariados. Stop him." The Pokémon Hunter coldly ordered, her Ariados leaping forward and firing a stream of sticky webbing toward Tracey.
"Stop it, Umbreon!" Gary quickly retaliated, his Pokémon countering Ariados' Sticky Web with another Shadow Ball before it could reach Tracey.
"Venomoth, Gust!" Tracey followed up the opportunity as he threw his Poké Ball.
"Vnat!" Venomoth burst out from its ball and immediately flapped its wings rapidly, kicking up a miniature tornado that obscured J and her Pokémon's vision.
"Be careful, you guys." Tracey nodded to his friends as he returned his Venomoth before turning and making his escape.
"Damn it!" J swore as the Gust faded and saw that Tracey was nowhere to be found. "Bargain bin goggles, I swear... whatever. I'll take care of you pests quickly. Then I can hunt down whoever that was." She glared at Gary and Dawn, clearly irritated.
"Sure 'bout that?" Gary met her scowl with a cocky grin. "Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we got a bit stronger since last we met."
Instead of rising to the bait, J simply snapped her fingers. On cue, Ariados fired a cluster of poisonous needles at Umbreon and Piplup.
"Brigh-on!" Umbreon jumped out of the way of the Poison Sting and retaliated swiftly with a Quick Attack, knocking Ariados a few feet in the air.
"Pip-lupluplup!" Piplup followed up with another Bubble Beam aimed at the Long Leg Pokémon, only for it to fire a String Shot that wrapped around one of the few still-standing trees, using it to swing out of the way.
"No dodging this !" Gary quipped. "Umbreon, use Swi-" Before he could finish, J tossed a smoke bomb at him and his comrades.
Boom! Chhh...
The area was engulfed in thick, choking smoke that caught Umbreon and Piplup off-guard and blocked everyone's vision. Temporarily blinded, Gary and Dawn coughed as they tried to find their Pokémon in the haze.
"Get rid of the girl," J commanded emotionlessly as she tossed a Poké Ball.
"Wha..." Hearing the sound of a ball opening, Dawn turned toward the direction of the noise, her narrowed eyes widening when a Drapion emerged from the haze, its massive pincers gleaming as it charged at her.
Kaboom!
"Dri-ri-on!" Drapion cried as it was struck by a blue sphere of energy and forced back.
"..." J wordlessly scanned the clearing smoke, her goggles lighting up when she captured something in her vision. "Well, well, what do we have here..."
"Rau!" A Lucario growled protectively, carrying Dawn's Piplup in one arm as it stood in front of her to shield the teen.
"Huh...? You're... You're Ash's Lucario!" Dawn realized with a start.
"Lup?! Piplup-lup?!" Piplup cried as it was let go by Lucario and waddled up to Dawn.
"Dawn!" Gary called as he and Umbreon quickly regrouped with her. "Are you alright?!"
"Yeah!" she brightly confirmed. "Thanks to Lucario!"
"Yes, thanks to Lucario for making this easy."
Dawn and Gary's expressions turned to horror as J pointed her arm cannon at Lucario and fired, the beam of light being way too close to dodge.
But Lucario didn't need to dodge. Instead, it raised an aura-shrouded palm and slammed it against the beam, and with a roar, deflected it off to the side, where it collided harmlessly against the ground.
A brief look of surprise came to J's face before she jumped back to make some distance between her and her opponents. "... I didn't know Lucario could do that," she muttered with a mix of irritation and mild awe.
"Umbreon, Psychic!"
J was broken out of her reprieve when her Ariados was encased in a shroud of psychic energy that seemed to push inward and strain her Pokémon. "Tch. Drapion, Aqua Tail."
"Drigi-gi!" The scorpion Pokémon lunged at Umbreon, its tail encased in water and slamming against the Eeveelution, knocking it back and forcing it to cancel its Psychic. Ariados was let go of Umbreon's hold, although it was standing weakly and clearly on its last legs.
But J didn't care. "Lunge." On cue, the arachnid leaped toward Umbreon, who was still recovering from Drapion's attack.
But before it could make its mark, Piplup slammed his elongated beak against it, twisting a Drill Peck into its body and launching it backward until it hit a tree and slid down its trunk, out of commission.
"You got them, Piplup!" Dawn cheered. "Now show that Drapion what for!"
"Pipluuup!" The Sinnoh starter obliged with a shot of Ice Beam aimed at Drapion, only for the ogre scorpion to slap it away with its glowing tail. "Luuup?!"
"Piplup, look out!" Dawn cried.
"Draaa!" Drapion jumped at Piplup, crossing its arms above its head. Its pincers began to glow purple as it slashed down at its opponent, only for it to be blocked by a glowing bone staff.
"Rauu..." Lucario growled as it stood between Drapion and a wide-eyed Piplup, holding its makeshift weapon tightly against the Cross Poison attack. "Rio!" Lucario broke off from Drapion's hold and slammed its staff against Drapion's side. J's Pokémon reeled from the blow, but Lucario didn't give it a chance to recover. "Raurauraurauraurauraurauu!"
Each strike was faster and more brutal than the last, driving Drapion back with every hit. Sparks flew as Lucario's weapon smashed against Drapion's tough exoskeleton, and with a final, powerful swing, Lucario delivered a blow that sent Drapion crashing into the ground. The massive Pokémon groaned before falling still, thoroughly pummeled and unconscious.
"Tch. Useless..." J muttered under her breath as she recalled both of her Pokémon.
"Well, well," Gary taunted, "would ya look how quick the tables turned?"
J said nothing as Gary, Dawn, and the Pokémon fighting with them surrounded her. Outnumbered and outflanked, the Hunter pressed a small button on the side of her goggles, a microphone popping out from the bottom. "Salamence - on me. Get over here now. Prepare your Flamethrower."
"Hey!" Dawn called angrily. "What are you mumbling about, huh?!"
"Easy, Dawn." Gary was much calmer than his companion. "She's in a bad spot, here. Nothin' she does is gonna change that. Right, J?"
"... Ha."
To Gary and Dawn's surprise, J merely smirked.
"You really think you got me beat? The way I see it, you're dealing with a hostage crisis, here." J gestured to the cluster of captured Pokémon around them – all turned to stone.
"Please," Gary snorted, "you think that makes a difference? All we gotta do is blow up that thing on your arm and you won't be gettin' anymore Pokémon."
"And for the ones you captured," Dawn added confidently, "we have a way to free 'em, no problem!" Granted, she wasn't sure if any Pokémon that knew Hidden Power could un-petrify them, but she wasn't going to let J know that.
J's smirk turned malicious. "Little difference that makes, if you're all burned to death in the process."
Gary and Dawn's confidence faltered. Piplup squawked in fear. Umbreon and Lucario looked around them, trying to discern any hidden threat.
"What do you..." Gary started before it hit him. "Wait... your Salamence."
"Still, I'll admit you brats impressed me," J went on, ignoring Gary. "In fact, I'm even willing to make a compromise."
"What?!" Dawn grew livid. "What the heck are you...?!"
"Tell me where Mew is hiding, and I'll let you live."
...
"What?" Gary and Dawn replied at the same time.
"No use playing dumb with me." J's confidence didn't drop for a second. "Oak's lab data was leaked to me. And I know one of the Pokémon he's harboring in this dump is a Mew. Something like that will fetch a fine, fine price." She looked at Gary specifically. "You said your name's 'Oak', meaning you're the professor's grandson, aren't you? There's no way you don't know where Mew's hiding. So hurry up and tell me before my patience runs out and I burn this entire town to a crisp."
"H-hey, Gary..." Dawn whispered. "Is there really a Mew here...?"
Gary was silent – because he was trying to rack his brain to remember if there was a Mew on his grandpa's property. But for all his memory, the only thing he could recall was the old man telling him how that kid named Goh aimed to catch the mythical Pokémon - not that he could catch it here.
Wait... could J be talking about Project Mew? If what she said was true and his grandfather's data was leaked, it was very likely that part of that leak contained the professor's sponsorship of Gary and Goh for the organization. J could very well have seen that and assumed that meant the ancestor of all Pokémon was brought back to the corral.
Except that didn't match with what Gary knew about the Pokémon Hunter. He only had the displeasure of encountering her twice, not including today, but he was provided plenty of information about the criminal during his stay in Sinnoh. And based on what he was told, J wasn't the type of person who liked wasting her time. She would want to be absolutely sure that she had all of her information right before going after such a big catch...
"5 seconds."
Gary was broken from his musings by J's announcement.
"I'll give you 5 seconds to tell me," J repeated as she raised her hand in front of her face, "before you and this backwater town are blown off the map."
"Gary...?!" Dawn's increasing alarm was only adding to the already immense tension.
"... Bah," Gary finally spoke, "even if I did know what you're talkin' about, no way I'd tell the likes of you." He folded his arms and stared J down, causing her smirk to finally drop.
"..." J glared long and hard at Gary – far longer than 5 seconds. "... For you to even bother saying that... I see." She put her hand down with a sigh. "You really don't know, do you..."
Silence stretched between the two teens, their Pokémon, and their enemy for a few moments more. Then...
"What a waste of my time," J scoffed. "See you in Hell. Salamence, Flamethrower!"
Dawn and Piplup gasped. Gary, Umbreon, and Lucario braced themselves.
...
"Huh...?" Dawn spoke softly, looking around hesitantly. "It's... nothing's burning?"
"... Crap!" Gary exclaimed. "She was bluffin'! We gotta go... after her..." his voice died out when he saw that J was still standing there, looking just as lost as he was.
"... Salamence," J repeated, bringing her microphone closer, "I said Flamethrower, now ." She waited for her signature Pokémon to arrive and cover her escape like it always did, but moments later she was still left standing there. Her expression hardened. Something was wrong.
"... Pfft... heh..."
J's fierce visage snapped toward Gary.
"Hee hee... HAHAHAHA!" The young researcher couldn't hold it in any longer, letting out a loud, obnoxious guffaw, the type that he used to regularly indulge in during his younger years as a trainer. "Geeze... haha! That's... PFFT! BAHAHAHAHA!"
Umbreon looked at its trainer like he lost his mind. Dawn and Piplup eyed him warily, slightly edging away from him. Lucario just kept looking between him and the Pokémon Hunter's growing fury.
"Oh, man! I feel sorry for ya, lady!" Gary pointed at J like a little brat who was picking on someone at the playground. "I've never seen someone so pathetic!"
The fearsome Pokémon Hunter snarled. "I'll make sure you suffer most of all when I kill you, boy."
The young Oak's laughter cut off abruptly, but his smirk didn't falter. "Yeah? Big talk from someone whose Pokémon just ditched her!" He taunted. "Face it, Jay-Jay, you're outta options. Your backup's gone, we got ya surrounded, and the only thing you got to defend yourself is that lil' toy on your arm – but not for long! Umbreon!"
J's eyes widened as a shadow moved in her peripheral vision. "You-!" She barely moved in time, narrowly avoiding Umbreon as it leaped out of the darkness with its fangs bared.
But she couldn't dodge what happened next.
"Drill Peck!"
"Pip-LUUUP!"
"ARGH!" J screeched in alarm when Dawn's Piplup, beak elongated and sharpened, pierced against and into her laser. The device cracked in two and fell apart on the ground, gold-colored dust dropping into the mud. "You vile, filth-sucking-!" J tried to kick Piplup as he landed, only for Umbreon to sink its fangs into her leg, eliciting another roar of pain from her mouth.
"And now," Gary faux-cheerfully piped in, "ya got nothin' to defend yourself with."
"... Ngh." Unlike the Pallet native, Dawn only grimaced in discomfort, watching blood beginning to leak from J's pant leg where Umbreon had her pinned. It's not like she hadn't seen someone bleed before, but like this? It made her kind of sick, honestly.
"Rau-ru..." Meanwhile, Lucario made its way over to the downed criminal, its palm gleaming with aura. The jackal-like Pokémon stopped once it stood above her, and raised its arm, preparing to knock her out with a Force Palm.
But in the face of her defeat, despite her pain, J had calmed herself far too quickly. A tiny smirk made its way onto her face. "You think this changes anything?" A black sphere slipped from her fingers.
Boom! Chhh...
"Ah, crap!" Gary choked, bravado replaced with urgency. "Not another...!" He and Dawn broke into coughs as another smoke bomb detonated and polluted the area.
"Rau!" Lucario staggered back, caught off guard. Beside him, Umbreon had released J's leg from its mouth as it hacked from the smoke, while Piplup squawked and fell over from surprise. Quickly gathering its bearings, Ash's Pokémon focused its aura into its eyesight to detect where their enemy was trying to hide.
When what greeted its sight instead was a flash of red light and an orb pulsating with volatile energy, Lucario was forced to act fast. Scooping up Umbreon and Piplup in either of its arms, it leaped back to their still-blinded trainers and dropped them unceremoniously.
Amid the chaos, J's cool voice commanded - "Electrode, Self-Destruct."
The realization hit Gary and Dawn like a freight train. "What?!" Dawn gasped.
"CA-RIO!" Hastily turning around and placing its arms in front of itself, Lucario summoned whatever energy it could to put up a barrier of aura around the group as the now-visible Electrode crackled and sparked ominously before it detonated.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion ripped through the area, sending shockwaves in all directions. The force of the explosion rattled the trees and scattered debris. From behind Lucario, Gary had put his arms up to protect his eyes as Umbreon pressed against his leg protectively. Next to them, Dawn shrieked, clutching Piplup tightly while Lucario held its ground, its glowing barrier rattling but holding strong.
...
"Ro..." Panting slightly, Lucario dropped its barrier. The others tentatively uncovered their eyes, peeking from behind their protector.
By the time the smoke began to clear and the dust settled, J was gone. There was no trace of her save for the damage and charred, unconscious Electrode she'd left behind.
"Damn it... DAMN IT!" Gary dropped to his knees and slammed the ground with both his fists. "That piece of... she got away! How could I let her get away?!"
Dawn coughed, waving away lingering smoke as she tried to catch her breath. "At least... we're okay," she said, her voice shaky. From her arms, Piplup nodded weakly, still shaken from the chaos. The little penguin squawked, though, when his trainer suddenly gasped and tightened her hold on him.
"What?" Gary immediately turned to her. "What is it?!"
"Th-the Pokémon..." Dawn stuttered, tears forming in her eyes. Gary followed her line of sight, and what he saw made his stomach drop.
The innocent Pokémon who couldn't escape J's lasers and had been turned to stone were thrown across the area. Their coatings had been burned, chipped, and even broken into pieces, with some statues missing claws, toes, fingers, or other small appendages. The Pokémon's faces remained trapped in the same distressed expression that they were caught with. Because of that, it wasn't clear whether or not they could feel pain from the damage they sustained.
"Those... those poor Pokémon," Dawn whispered, tears falling to the ground like the rain above. "Oh, dear Arceus..."
"Luuup..." Piplup shed tears of his own, his usually proud voice drastically subdued.
Next to them, Lucario and Umbreon stood solemnly, eyes closed and ears drooped.
And Gary...
"RAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Gary roared, hands clasping his hair tightly as he hurled his rage and sorrow against the wicket storm. His head faced the sky and defied it, his screams seeming to overwhelm even the violent winds.
"I'LL KILL YOU, J!" The youngest grandchild of the Oaks declared savagely, his face wet from a mix of the rain and his own tears. "YOU HEAR ME, YA PATHETIC BITCH?! I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU DIED IN LAKE VALOR! UWAAAAGH! "
"... oh, Gary..." Dawn sobbed as she fell to her knees. Umbreon nuzzled its face into Gary's shuddering body in an attempt to comfort both him and itself. All the while, Lucario stood tall. The hairs on its fur raised as it raised a palm to the air above.
"Rou," Lucario growled as it fired a shot of aura into the sky. It was time to call its comrades.
Outskirts of Pallet Town
Red couldn't help but wonder if all this trouble followed him here or if this would happen no matter what.
The storm poured on him and Char as they flew back to town, but it didn't really bother either of them. A small part of Red's mind supposed he should have been worried about a stray lightning bolt striking them, but he was too lost in the what-ifs behind the entire situation at hand.
Like, what if this attack (and yes, this was an attack, he was sure of it) was from the group that bastard on Mount Silver came from?
Or, what if those damn Rockets were behind this, like with what happened back at Bill's place?
Maybe this was another assailant entirely, or even just a case of an angry wild Pokémon lashing out at anything it saw (which, if he were honest, was the preferable scenario. At least then it wasn't like some ill intent was involved).
Whatever the case, he sure as hell wouldn't drag his mother into it now that they were patching things up between each other. If trouble really did follow him wherever he went, at least this time the woman would stay out of it.
As they grew closer to the streets of Pallet, Red forced himself to focus on the task at hand. That being regroup with his Pokémon - maybe even the Ketchum kid, if he had to – find whoever was responsible for blowing up the old Oak residence, and beat them up. Simple enough.
Of course, life wasn't ever actually that simple. Like when it threw a Scizor your way, and your Charizard was forced to narrowly dodge its strike.
Speaking of...
Red kept a firm hold on Char as they were forced to weave around multiple Slashes from a surprise appearance by a Scizor, who relentlessly attacked them with glowing pincers against the backdrop of the storm. Not being given a chance to fight back, Red scowled as they were forced further and further away from their destination.
What's more, he recognized the way this Scizor fought.
Scizor stopped its assault and dropped down, only for a blast of water to appear in the previously occupied space. With no room to dodge, Char was forced to bring his arms up in an X-shaped cross to defend himself against the aquatic cannonball, growling from the super effective hit as it collided and exploded against his skin.
Red let out a click of annoyance as he and his Pokémon were pushed back by the impact of the Hydro Pump. He peeked from the back of Char, only to grunt when Scizor went on the attack again and scored a direct hit on them, sending them closer to the ground before Char reoriented himself.
Now that they were closer to the ground, though, Red could clearly make out the shape of a Blastoise, shell cannons at the ready. And standing behind the Blastoise...
"Motherfucker," Red couldn't help but growl upon seeing furious green eyes trained on him. He patted Char's wing twice, prompting him to descend fully and land on the ground.
"... I should've known." Green's voice cut through the storm. "Wherever you go, trouble always comes along."
Red's scowl grew deeper.
"Gotta say, though, I didn't think you'd actually head back to town." Green's voice became patronizing. "'Course, you never were the brightest, were you? Honestly, it's embarrassing, how little common sense you have."
"..."
"What, nothing to say? Not gonna throw a tantrum? Attack me for good measure?" the Viridian Gym Leader looked smug as he raised his arms in a questioning shrug, his Scizor landing beside him and Blastoise. "Or did you actually learn your lesson from eight years ago? That'd be a real miracle... if only Blue were here to see what a great guy you've turned out to be, right?"
Once again, Red found himself surprised at how easily he resisted rising to the bait.
"... Tch." Green's smirk dropped, evidently irritated that he wasn't garnering any sort of reaction from his old rival. "Whatever. If you're not gonna say anything, then how about you don't waste everyone's time and just come along quietly?"
"... I didn't attack your place, Green."
A brief flicker of surprise showed on Green's face before settling back into a scowl that matched Red's. "... I know," he admitted. "Even you wouldn't do something that stupid. Not while you were busy tryin' to fool Ms. Akai into thinking that you were still 'mommy's little boy'."
Red raised an eyebrow. He had no idea that he was being spied on. This guy could probably give Ketchum's mom some lessons on eavesdropping.
"But still, it's a bit too coincidental, don't you think?" Green continued on, moving his hands to his pockets. "You crawl back out from whatever hole you were hiding in, and it just so happens that my old place gets blown up? That's not to mention how you conveniently showed up when my sister got attacked back in Cerulean. Kinda reminds me of the old times, y'know? Like how you just happened to come to Blue's rescue when-"
"You gonna get to the point anytime soon?" Red interrupted harshly.
Green's scowl deepened, his piercing green eyes locking onto Red like a predator sizing up its prey. "The point is that shit like this has happened too often to be called a coincidence, anymore. You're some sort of factor in all of this, Akai, and I'm gonna get to the bottom of it."
... Well, it looks like Red wasn't the only one who thought he was the problem. Somehow, his childhood rival's remarks at that moment cut deeper than all the bitching and moaning back at Oak's lab, and even the seemingly stoic trainer couldn't help the small amount of guilt bubbling in his gut. Red was close to actually showing the effect that Green's words had on him – but subtly, Char's tail moved closer to him, the heat of its flame warming him and grounding Red before his emotions boiled over.
"... It'll have to wait until after I take care of whatever's goin' on in town," Red finally responded to Green.
"... You don't get it, do you?" Green's voice was sharp, cutting through the downpour. "This isn't up for debate. As Viridian City's Gym Leader, I have the authority to detain anyone I suspect of involvement in criminal activity. And right now, that includes you."
Red raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Playin' cop now, huh?"
Green didn't rise to the bait, his posture rigid with barely contained frustration. "Look, I don't give a shit if you think this is a joke. Right now, my responsibility is to protect Pallet Town and everyone else under my jurisdiction. And until I know for sure you're not part of this mess, you're comin' with me."
"I told you, I didn't attack your place," Red shot back, his tone low and cold.
"And I told you I know that," Green snapped. "But you don't just get to waltz back into town, act like nothing's wrong, and conveniently show up every time something explodes! There's more goin' on here, and you know it."
Red crossed his arms, his expression hard as stone. "... Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
That struck a nerve. Green took a step closer, the glow of his Scizor's pincers casting an eerie red light against the storm's gloom. "You arrogant son of a-" He stopped himself, exhaling sharply. "This isn't about you, or me, or hell, even whatever rivalry we had back in the day. People are gettin' hurt. My sister got hurt. I'm not gonna let that slide."
Red's eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond immediately. Char snorted, steam rising from his nostrils as the rain hissed against his fiery tail. "... Funny how now you care 'bout Daisy."
Green snarled, "Don't you fuckin' dare -"
"Try n' justify it all you want," Red cut in, his voice quiet but firm. "But I'm not goin' anywhere with you."
A beat of silence, before Green's smirk returned, this time colder than before. "Heh... thought you'd say that." He gestured to his Pokémon with a sharp nod. "Scizor, Blastoise. Prepare yourselves."
"Scz..." / "Toise..." With a gaze mirroring their trainer's, Green's Pokémon edged ever-so-closer to Red and his Charizard.
"Rrgh..." Char growled low, spreading his wings as he stepped forward protectively. Red placed a hand on the Fire-type's shoulder, his gaze never leaving Green.
"... You really doin' this? Now?"
"I'm giving you one last chance, Red Akai," Green said, his voice steady but charged with intensity. "Come quietly, or I'll make you."
"..." Red sighed, shaking his head, before climbing onto Char's back, leaning forward slightly. "Fine. Try your luck."
Green's lips curled into a grim smile. "I was hoping you'd say that."
The storm seemed to intensify as both trainers prepared for battle. Scizor raised its pincers, the sharp edges glinting dangerously even in the dim light. Blastoise stomped forward, water gushing from its cannons as it let out a deep, rumbling growl.
"Ora-RORGH!" Char roared, spreading his wings wide as flames erupted from his tail, defying the rain's attempt to extinguish them. Red's hand tightened on Char's neck, his jaw set with determination.
"Scizor, Swords Dance!" Green commanded, his voice cutting through the storm like a blade.
Scizor responded instantly, spinning in place with precise, almost mechanical movements. Its pincers glowed faintly as its power surged, the raindrops scattering off its sleek, metallic body like sparks from a grindstone.
Red's eyes narrowed. 'Let 'er rip.'
Char stomped and unleashed a torrent of searing flames erupting from his maw. The inferno carved through the rain, hissing and steaming as it raced toward Scizor.
But before the attack could connect, Green was already barking another order.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"
Blastoise pivoted with practiced ease, unleashing a powerful blast of water that collided with the Flamethrower mid-air, creating a steamy explosion that obscured the battlefield.
Red narrowed his eyes, scanning the mist for any sign of Green's Pokémon.
A faint whirring sound was his only warning.
"Scizor, X-Scissor!"
The steel blur of Scizor shot out from the fog, its pincers glowing with an eerie green light as it slashed toward Red's Charizard. Char barely managed to twist mid-air, narrowly avoiding the devastating slash aimed at his neck. But Scizor didn't relent, keeping up the attack with a speed that made it seem like it was everywhere at once
'Fire Spin.'
Char snapped his jaws, unleashing a swirling vortex of flames that forced Scizor back. The heat from the attack evaporated the lingering mist, revealing Blastoise charging forward, its cannons aimed directly at Char.
"Blastoise, Ice Beam!" Green commanded.
A frigid beam of energy shot out, aiming to clip the Charizard's wings and force him to the ground. Red's eyes flashed.
'Overheat.'
The air seemed to warp as Charizard unleashed an intense wave of fire from its body, the sheer heat overwhelming the Ice Beam and blasting toward Blastoise and Scizor. Green's Pokémon were forced to retreat, momentarily thrown off balance.
But Green was relentless. "Blastoise, Rain Dance! Scizor, Agility!"
Blastoise raised its arms to the sky, summoning a downpour that intensified the storm in an attempt to weaken their opponent's firepower. Meanwhile, Scizor became a red blur, darting around the battlefield at even greater speeds than before.
"Tch," Red clicked his tongue. He needed to end this quickly, or the rain would give Green the upper hand. "Fine, I needed to warm up anyway."
Char roared, his body igniting with flames as he launched himself in a Flare Blitz toward Scizor with incredible force, the fire grazing Red's skin as they approached.
Green smirked. "Blastoise, Protect!"
The massive turtle raised a shimmering green barrier, blocking Char and Red and dissipating the flames as Scizor darted around to strike Char from behind.
Red's scowl deepened. Leave it to Green to make things harder than they needed to be.
But then again, those were the kinds of battles that Red wanted, weren't they?
"Fine," Red muttered under his breath. It was time to turn things up a notch, he thought as he quickly unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt.
But Green wasn't about to let Red call out his next Pokémon. "Scizor, Bullet Punch!"
Scizor moved faster than even Red's eyes could track, reappearing beside Char in a blink. Its glowing pincers struck with machine-like precision, making the Fire-type snarl as he twisted and lashed out with his claws to parry the blows, only for Scizor to match its opponent blow-for-blow.
This time, Red jumped off his Pokémon before issuing his next command. 'Ram it.'
In response, Char's body ignited, flames bursting outward in a fiery aura that defied the rain. With a powerful beat of his wings, he launched himself at Scizor like a living comet.
Even Scizor's increased speed meant nothing at such close range. It barely had time to react before the Flare Blitz struck home, the impact sending it hurtling backward and crashing into the ground. It skidded through the mud, steam rising from its scorched armor as it struggled to rise.
"Another Hydro Pump!" Green's voice was sharper now, tinged with urgency.
Blastoise's cannons roared to life, unleashing another high-pressure torrent of water. This time, the blast was aimed directly at Char's exposed flank as he recovered from the recoil of Flare Blitz.
But Char turned at the last second, crossing his arms in front of him to absorb the attack. The Hydro Pump struck with the force of a battering ram, pushing Charizard back as he dug his claws into the soaked earth to hold his ground. Almost on cue, the rain intensified, mixing with the spray of water from the impact.
It was then that Green heard the sound of a Poké Ball opening. "What now...?" he turned to where Red stood.
In front of the raven-haired trainer, another Pokémon landed gracefully. Its pristine white fur stood out even in the storm, and its crescent-shaped horn glinted ominously. It surveyed the battlefield with its crimson eyes, calm yet calculating, eventually setting its sights on Blastoise and Scizor.
"... An Absol?" Green's focus faltered. "That's not one of your usuals, Red."
"... Sol's a new member," Red kept his response simple, patting the Disaster Pokémon gently and eliciting a low purr.
Green quickly regained his composure. "What, you mean like a last-minute addition? You really think it'll make a difference at all?"
Instead of answering Green, Red locked eyes with his new Pokémon. "Let's see what you got, Sol... Night Slash."
Silently but swiftly, Sol moved like a phantom, its sleek form blending with the remnants of the mist from earlier. Its horn glowed with dark energy as it appeared behind Scizor in an instant.
"Shit! Scizor, counter with Bullet Punch!" Green shouted.
"Zor!" Scizor met its new opponent with a glowing pincer, slamming against Sol's blade. Sol was pushed back a few feet from the impact, but recovered quickly and avoided Scizor's follow-up strikes. The two of them engaged in a dance of slashes and dodges, Scizor firing rapid punches one after another, but the Absol's agility and sharp instincts allowing it to avoid most of the attacks, retaliating with precise slashes of its own.
"Damn it," Green bit out, "Blastoise, use-"
Red looked and nodded at his Charizard.
Char roared, unleashing another stream of flames aimed at Blastoise to keep it at bay. Blastoise responded instinctively with another Hydro Pump, but Charizard took to the sky and twisted in mid-air, evading the attack and continuing to pressure Green's Pokémon with bursts of fire, which Blastoise met with blasts of water.
Meanwhile, after much maneuvering, Absol's dark blade struck true, landing a clean hit on Scizor's side and causing the metallic insect to stagger.
"Blastoise, Ice Beam on Absol!" Green barked, attempting to regain control of the situation.
The Water-type turned its attention away from Char to fire from its mouth another icy ray that streaked toward Sol.
"Detect," Red spoke clearly.
Sol's crimson eyes glowed faintly, and it moved with an almost supernatural precision, sidestepping the beam at the last second. The attack struck the ground instead, freezing the mud in jagged patterns.
"God damn it!" Green clenched his fists. "Fine, I'll take out your new guy first, then! Scizor, Blastoise, focus fire!"
The two Pokémon turned their attention to Sol, but before they could attack, Char unleashed another wave of fire, this time spreading it across the battlefield to create a barrier. Blastoise's cannons roared in response, extinguishing parts of the flames with its Hydro Pump, but the distraction was enough.
"Psycho Cut."
Absol leaped into the air, the blade on its head glowing with psychic energy. With a swift motion, it slashed through the air, sending a wave of energy crashing toward both Scizor and Blastoise. The attack hit its mark, forcing them to stagger back.
"Scz..." Scizor was the first to recover, the Psychic-type attack not doing much to it. Still, after all the damage it took earlier, it was a bit disoriented, its vision fuzzy as it looked up.
Perhaps that's why it didn't see the flaming claw headed straight for it in time.
Before Green or Blastoise could realize it, Char had blasted toward Scizor, his hand enshrouded in fire, and wrapped Scizor's head with it, the force of the impact ringing out like a thunderclap. Without stopping, Char drove Scizor into the ground, dragging it through the dirt in a trail of scorched earth. The flames flared brighter with every second, engulfing the Steel-type's battered form.
Green could only stare numbly at the brutality.
When Char finally stopped, it raised Scizor's limp body above the ground before flinging it aside, smoke and embers rising from the point of impact. Scizor skidded to a halt at Green's feet, its red armor charred black in places.
"Scz..." For a moment, it looked like Scizor's will would give it the strength to continue, as it tried to climb to its feet. "... Zor..." But its wounds were too severe, and it fell back down, clearly unconscious.
Green stared for a moment longer before his jaw tightened and he recalled Scizor back into its Poké Ball. "... You'll pay for that, Red."
Red looked at him silently.
Blastoise stepped forward, its cannons locking onto Char and Sol.
"... Take out Charizard, now!" Green finally barked, a ball of frosty energy charging in Blastoise's mouth immediately.
But before the Ice Beam could be fired, Red's voice cut through the air. "Sol, Psycho Cut."
"Suool." The Absol leaped into the air, and with a swift motion, it unleashed a wave of Psychic energy from its glowing horn right as Blastoise fired its own attack. The Psycho Cut intercepted the Ice Beam mid-flight, scattering shards of ice in every direction. When Sol touched down again, its eyes pierced against Blastoise's own, ready to press the attack on the other Pokémon...
"Jolteon, Thunderbolt - on Charizard!"
"What the fu-" Red and his Pokémon barely had time to react when a massive bolt of lightning suddenly shot forward, striking Char square in the chest. The flying titan's roar of pain sounded like the thunder of the storm, the force of the attack sending it reeling and crashing into the ground, steam rising from its singed scales as it struggled to push itself back up.
Red growled in tandem with his Absol as they both eyed a Jolteon that joined Blastoise's side, sparks crackling as its fur stood on end.
"Press your advantage!" Green exclaimed. "Follow up with a Thunder Fang!"
"Jeolll!" Jolteon shot forward, its fangs sparking with electricity as it leaped at the downed Charizard.
"Sucker Punch."
Before Jolteon's attack could land, it was sent veering to the side from a blow to the face by Sol, who landed in front of the still-struggling Char and turned its gaze to the newest addition to the battle. As the Eeveelution recovered, it returned the Dark-type's glower, the two Pokémon engaging in an intense stare-off.
"I'm takin' you down, Red." Green's voice was steady, spoken with absolution. "This fight's not over."
Red clenched his fists, his mind racing as he glanced at his clearly damaged Charizard, then at his new Absol, and finally at Green's battle-ready Pokémon.
... Damn. Red had to admit that Green was right – this wasn't over, not by a long shot.
「 Salamence | Dragon Pokémon 」
「 No. 611 」
「 Dragon/Flying 」
「 HT 4'11'' WT 226.2 lb 」
「 Salamence came about as a result of a strong, long-held dream of growing wings. It is said that this powerful desire triggered a sudden mutation in this Pokémon's cells, causing it to sprout its magnificent wings. While basking in the joy of flight generally keeps this Pokémon in high spirits, Salamence turns into an uncontrollable menace if something angers it. 」
「 Lucario | Aura Pokémon 」
「 No. 629 」
「 Fighting/Steel 」
「 HT 3'11'' WT 119.0 lb 」
「 Lucario is capable of sensing and controlling mysterious energy waves called auras. It can perceive the auras of all living things, allowing it to read emotions, thoughts, and movements – even from over half a mile away. Lucario uses its mastery over auras in battle, employing them to crush boulders and take down prey. Known for its sharp insight, it only trusts Trainers with pure hearts and a strong sense of justice. 」
~Author's Corner~
if you're confused about Red's Absol, check out Chapter 10's rewrite ;)
i'm not gonna say when the next chapter will come out because we all know what happened last time I did that
but I will say that a couple of short chapters for Making of a Legend and maybe 1 or 2 chapters for Cursed Blessings will be put out before I update Chasing After A Legend
by the way, all three of my fics take place in the same continuity - on Archive of Our Own, you can see that they're all part of one collection
basically i'm saying please read my other stuff lol
take care and thanks for reading!