(4 Years After the Area Zero Incident; late summer)
(Nemona's age: 21, Scarlet's age: 19)

Chapter 4:
The Desert Titans

–

Nemona's gloved hands gripped at the handlebars of her trusty Cyclizar, holding on for dear life as the pair of them weaved around a flash of embers being sprayed into the air. Director Clavell had taken it upon himself some while back to adopt a team of dedicated Academy-owned Cyclizar to be rented for work. This was at Nemona's suggestion, as trying to hike all around Paldea was not in her wheelhouse, not to mention inefficient for when the security team needed to help people ASAP, and flying Pokémon presented their own weaknesses when it came to emergencies (including the risk of falling). The Cyclizar she'd once ridden back in the day was actually her Father's, and he'd needed it back by the time she'd graduated, leaving her without her own 'ride', as it were. She'd simply never gotten around to catching one herself, especially given how difficult it was for her to catch 'mons in the first place – but a Cyclizar? Those things knew how to move. And so, she'd filed a request to have some Cyclizar procured by the Academy as designated work rental 'mons.

The current Head of Security had approved Nemona's request, and Clavell had acquired the team of Cyclizar without incident. He had them live in a stable on campus, where he personally would attend to them like his own pets. It 'took him back to his youth,' he had said about the matter, seemingly happy to be their caretaker.

Penny had speculated, 'Oh, that guy was for sure in, like, a biker gang or some shit when he was a teen...'

Though Penny had refused to comment on why she believed this. Sworn to some manner of secrecy, perhaps. Regardless, Nemona was grateful to have dedicated mounts that she and her security team could ride around the island.

The Cylclizar that Nemona had bonded with the most prominently was the one she was currently riding – the rest of the school staff had all but assumed this particular 'mon, whom Clavell had named 'Bebop,' was essentially 'Nemona's ride' and would almost always make sure said 'mon was left in reserve when possible. While still not technically 'hers,' Bebop had proven to be a faithful and efficient Pokémon mount, even able to withstand such harrowing situations as the one Nemona currently found herself in.

She was dressed in her usual work attire for the summer. A pair of baggy cargo shorts of beige, sans tights. A metal chain belt sat on her waistline, tight enough to not slip off her hips but loose enough to not squeeze her – clipped across it were six pokéballs and her Tera Orb, using a combo of latches and magnets to stay in place firmly yet still be easily accessed. Black socks were on her feet, ones that reached up to her shins set within tall black hiking boots with steel toes. For her hands, breathable orange gloves with black grip padding on the palm and fingers. A black, unbuttoned vest bore the Paldean League emblem (which combined the imagery of a pokéball and a sailboat) as a golden badge in the upper left chest; said vest was laid out over a white button down dress shirt with a tie clipped on – said tie was orange with thin gold stripes running at a diagonal angle, a graduation gift from the school with a pattern evocative of the Naranja Academy uniform. A pair of sunglasses had been wedged into the right-side breast pocket of her vest, but they'd tumbled off and fallen into the sand during the skirmish she was in, forever lost to the desert (they were cheap and easily replaced, at least). And on her head, a sturdy cap, its slightly angled brim arcing over the front of her face, keeping the sun out of her eyes in spite of her lost shades. The headgear was a black hat that bore a golden-stitched compass-like logo that represented her ties to the Paldean Elite Four. The back of her black vest also was inscribed with the text 'SECURITY', woven in harsh white lettering. She was equipped with an earpiece tucked into her left ear for long-distance comms, synced to her RotomPhone in a breast pocket of her vest – she was currently set to a local channel with her battling partner across the way. Finally, a silver whistle hung from her neck on a strong, thin chain – she used it to issue commands to her Pokémon.

Despite having only been a member of the Paldean League Security Department for half a year or so, Nemona was the one consistently getting called upon for this kind of shit – dealing with rampaging, powerful Pokémon. Part of her loved this, because it really went to show how recognized she was in the region for her capabilities and her team's strength. And it made for fruitful battles, for sure. But it was beginning to get a little daunting as these Titan Pokémon kept showing up out of nowhere, more and more frequently...

And on that particular afternoon, the heat was starting to become a real problem. The open dunes allowed ample space for maneuvering, but that also meant there was no place to hide, no place to rest... And the sweltering midday sun was already taking its toll. The two fiery Pokémon Nemona and Scarlet were dealing with only made matters more frustrating.

The rattling cry of an immensely sized Coalossal in the distance shook the sands, the crunching of rocky chunks gnashing together making its roar uncomfortably threatening.

As Nemona rode the Cylclizar, Bebop, across the sand, sweat-slick strands of hair clung to her face. Her uniform shirt was damp with perspiration and her hands trembled against the grips on her mount as she watched with bated breath while Puñito barely avoided getting trampled by his opponent.

The Titan Camerupt she was fighting kept right on charging despite having missed its target, and it slowly veered in mid sprint as Nemona caught its attention. Her jaw clenched and her quivering hands tightened on the handlebars of the saddle she rode upon. She knew if she wasn't careful, Puñito would end up eating a Ground element attack, but her options were feeling limited, here... And the fact was, she just didn't have anything ideal for the situation – no 'mon that was properly trained to handle facing such dangerous opponents, anyway. The only one on her with a move fitting this setup was Crema, her Goodra... but she wanted to give Puñito some much needed practice, here, and give herself time to size up her opponent before striking with a Water-Type attack. If Crema was caught off guard by something Nemona didn't anticipate, she'd have nothing up her sleeve in reserve, really. Any attempt at a retreat would just lead the Titans toward civilization, and it'd be hard as hell to shake two off her tail.

Nemona didn't like the idea of putting any of her co-workers (all with less battling experience) in the face of such a high-stakes fight. It wasn't that Paldea's security team wasn't up to the task of maintaining order when needed, it was that they were trained to deal with people and normal Pokemon. Not these monstrosities. And so, she'd asked the League to call in help. And thankfully, her old friend Scarlet had taken the call – for the right price.

"Look out, look out!" Nemona shrieked at Bebop as the Camerupt drew close, puffing steam out of its nostrils in a blind rage, its bloodshot eyes intent on a less-speedy target than a Pawmot. Her lower back, slightly exposed from how she was leaning forward into her ride, could feel a slight sting of hot steam from the Camerupt's flared nostrils, with how closely it was riding their asses.

Her Cyclizar swerved sharply, skidding just out of harm's way, and Nemona's body was lurched sideways at a low angle, her ponytail scooping at the sand as her mount skidded its claws to regain traction. Nemona's insides churned as her body was set at an almost 45 degree angle, then righted back up just as quickly.

"Guh-! Good," she sighed out with some relief as they re-balanced, the Camerupt struggling to slow its heft to a stop. She gave Bebop a firm pat on the nape to reinforce that she knew this was difficult, but that the 'mon was doing great.

As she shook sand out of her hair and straightened her cap, Nemona saw the opportunity for a counter play, and a way to dissolve some weakness on her team's end.

Gripping her training whistle to her lips, she blew a sharp 'one-two,' 'one-two' in a high pitch. That was Puñito's signal to use a specific technique. Thankfully, the little man had been chasing down his quarry while the Titan Camerupt had its sights on Nemona, so he was already in position to attack.

Discharging all of the electricity from his body temporarily, Puñito used his 'Double Shock' technique. Two massive bolts of energy flew – one from each of Puñito's cheeks, surging through the air past Nemona. She could feel her bangs prick up at the static in the air, the familiar rush of electricity elevating her adrenaline. The move was, of course, completely ineffective on a Ground type like Camerupt. But that hadn't been the point: Puñito's body was now Electricity-free for a spell, meaning he wouldn't be vulnerable to any Ground-Type moves, and using it on the Ground-Type opponent ensured the energy wasn't just randomly being shot out somewhere it could cause harm otherwise. In fact, the energies traveled right through the Camerupt and into the sand. And that much electricity at that intense a level of energy level, going straight through the Grounded 'mon and into the sand, caused a knock-on effect the Camerupt surely hadn't anticipated.

The sand at the Camerupt's feet was suddenly melted and hardened in the blink of an eye from the intense flash of electricity, causing it to stumble over, tripped up from the sudden shift in footing.

Nemona smirked at her flash of genius, having temporarily immobilized her opponent and giving her some breathing room to retreat a little to a safer distance.

Nemona's ear piece, which had been silent for last minute or so, piped up with a familiar voice dryly taunting into her ear.

[ "... Hit your head or somethin'? That thing's Ground-Type..." ]

"Tch. I'm trying something," Nemona retorted, trying to come off as all suave and prepared when this was, in fact, a mad scramble.

[ "... Ah. 'Double Shock' right? Not a bad call... I guess, if you're keeping that Pawmot out. Won't do any damage, though." ]

'YES, thanks, as if I didn't know that, already!'

Nemona didn't need Scarlet's banter, much less but at the same time, it was actually kind of welcomed in a situation like this. Helped her chill out in spite of the stress. If she was focused on trying to look cool and collected in front of her old Rival, it gave her brain less space to be scared of what this Titan Pokémon could do if she didn't take caution.

The sound of Koraidon's 'Dragon Claw' technique tearing through the Coalossal's shoulder rippled through the dunes. The impact was harsh, and the ground vibrated as chunks of rock spilled from the gaping laceration and hit the sand – followed by the thud of Koraidon landing back on the ground. From a distance, Nemona was enamored briefly by the stoic stillness of Scarlet, standing stationary atop a dune as they surveyed the titanic monstrosity that was falling at their command. The helmet over their head only made them look more intimidating.
'AGH! So damn cool... Why can't I be that cool...?!'

But Nemona had bigger problems to deal with than keeping up appearances. The Titan Camerupt was barely damaged at this point, but now she'd worked out what it was capable of and worn it out a little. It liked to shoot projectile moves from a distance, and then charge straight for its opponent when they tried to get close. She'd let Puñito do his thing, and then hope that Crema would be able to clean up from there. She had brought a less experienced Wugtrio that was very not trained up properly, just in case, but was very hesitant to use it. She simply hadn't had the time and energy to train the 'mon up to be ready to face something as brutal as this.

The Camerupt was struggling to turn around in the heap of melted and hardened sand. It was furiously impatient, eyeing Nemona and her ride as its target again, despite the distance and despite its footing still being off base from the super-heated sand below it. Puñito asserted himself and made a dash for the beast, fist pulled back to deliver a blisteringly fast 'Mach Punch' while it was vulnerable. In a blink, the fuzzy orange guy had zipped from the ground behind Nemona to thirty or so meters ahead. The move was successful, causing the Camerupt to stumble to the side a bit, but Nemona hadn't ordered Puñito to strike, and was a bit alarmed at him acting on impulse when there'd been no need to...

As if to reply to this worry, Camerupt blew steam from its nostrils and reared on hind legs, shattering the hardened sand like the fragile glass it was and trudging itself out of the trap Nemona had laid.

"Puñito!" Nemona cried out. "Jump!" Normally, she preferred the snappy efficiency of her whistle commands, but the unexpected offense of her 'mon was throwing her rhythm off a bit.

Her partner was already in the air before she'd finished the command, at least, and the ground around Camerupt shook as its hooves came crashing down, violently shaking the localized sand around it in a crushing 'Earthquake'. Nemona and her mount were just out of range thanks to her earlier tactic, with the sand absorbing much of the impact. But as if the Titan had been ready for this, its volcano-like humps thrust out an 'Eruption' of lava into the air, angled forward on account of its hunched position for the 'Earthquake'.

Nemona felt her pupils shrink with shock and alarm as the back-flipping Pawmot of hers squealed in agony when lava splashed against him with a pelting impact. All the while, she was shielding her arms up as panic hit at the thought of any lava landing on her. Fortunately, Bebop was on point and nimbly back-stepped to be safe, though they'd not been in the trajectory to begin with.

As she watched Puñito tumble against the sands with freshly singed patches of fur, Nemona was tempted to whistle at him to retreat, but she knew that may just leave him more vulnerable to be hit in the back.

A howling roar echoed over the valley of sand from behind her as Koraidon unleashed an attack on the Titan Coalossal in the distance, out of her view. She couldn't afford to sneak a peak at the action as she had her own fight to focus on.

Nemona blew into her whistle: 'one long, two short.'

Puñito scrambled onto his hands, shaking off the blow he'd endured and clearly eager to pay back in kind, and at Nemona's whistle-blown command, he began to 'Dig' into the sand.

The Titan Camerupt needed a moment to catch its breath after exerting two heavy attacks in quick succession, and Nemona took the opportunity to click her heels against her Cyclizar's side and reposition herself to the right – the opposite side from where Puñito had burrowed. She'd use herself as bait as her partner sneaked around underground.

"C'mon, ya over-sized twat!" Nemona bellowed, borrowing a term from Pennys vocabulary without even thinking. "Got a little gift for you riiight over here~..."

As she was jostled around by the galloping of her mount, Scarlet taunted into her ear.

[ "Please tell me you're sounding cringe on purpose..." ]

Nemona's nose wrinkled defensively, though she could tell Scarlet was just having fun with her. A little bit of trash talking banter, just like the good ol' days... She couldn't deny she'd missed it a little.

"Obviously," Nemona retorted in a grunt, swerving around the Camerupt attempting to 'Bulldoze' her again. "It's... a whole new strat I've been cookin' up," she grunted through the exertion of hanging on while bumping around on Bebop's back. "Taunt it... with cringey one-liners... Throw it... into a blind rage..."

[ "... Uh-huh." ]

The ground shook as the Titan Coalossal stomped around off in Nemona's periphery, the thundering pounding of coal against sand distracting against the closer booming steps of her charging opponent.

Nemona re-gripped her handlebars as Bebop started getting antsy standing still in front of the quickly oncoming attack. Nemona stared the Camerupt down, placing her whistle into her mouth. Puñito knew the score: he'd dig his way toward her, then burst out with the 'Dig' technique when she gave him the signal. She watched as a trail of shifting sand made its way toward her, the pounding of Camerupt feet getting closer by the second, pushing up mounds of sand in its wake.

She waited, whistle gripped into her lips, held fast by her left hand. She kept her opposing hand on her Bebop's head so she knew to remain calm, that Nemona had this under control...

The frenzied eyes of the Camerupt tried to burn into her retinas, but she rebuffed them with a steely, hardened stare.

Just a couple more seconds... She inhaled a deep breath, ready to blow—

But then, without warning, and before she'd given the signal, Puñito popped out of the sand, his roughed-up body spinning wildly as he upper-cutted himself into the air... completely missing the target!

Nemona's chest tightened suddenly with fear, a sensation she was not used to having often and did not at all like in this context!

Only able to physically react in one smooth motion, Nemona: spit her whistle out, letting it hang back over her neck, jerked her handlebars toward herself and clicked her heels, dashed forth, and reached out her right arm, managing to barely clutch at Puñito's stubby leg before he'd touched the ground.

And in one rough and painful motion, the Camerupt collided into Puñito and Nemona's arm, its 'Bulldozing' rush of sand throwing Bebop off balance. Puñito was tossed aside as Nemona's arm lost grip, igniting in pain from the force of the impact, though softened by her partner's squishy body having absorbed the vast brunt of blow. The strike caused Nemona to topple off her mount with a short scream, rolling and rolling into the sand, her green-streaked black ponytail twirling around and settling into a sand-filled mess around her as she skidded to a stop on her side.

"... Nngh-...!"

[ "... You OK?" ] Scarlet asked into her ear as Nemona coughed and hoisted her dazed self up on her elbows, grains of brown sticking to her sweat-laced skin. Had that been just a trace of concern in Letty's voice?

"... Doin' great," Nemona choked out flatly, spitting sand out of her mouth and attempting to wipe greased hair out of her vision.

The sound of Koraidon's familiar roar reverberated across the valley as a gentle gust of wind swept across Nemona from the distant impact of whatever technique Koraidon had just unleashed. Maybe 'Stomping Frustration', from the sound of it...

Coming to her senses and scrambling to one knee, Nemona assessed the situation. Her Cyclizar was only mildly stunned from spinning out. Puñito, on the other hand, was unconscious in the sand. Even without his weakness to Ground active, el bebé tonto had still gotten knocked out... She'd underestimated the attack strength of this Titan 'mon. Which did send a pang of excitement up her spine, having such a tricky matchup to deal with... She really would have to pull out her Goodra, after all. Maybe even whip out that technique of hers she hadn't needed to use in months... But clearly, Puñito had needed some more practice. The guy was slipping up more and more lately, acting of his own accord and not following commands 100% like he'd used to...

The bellowing snarl of the Titan Coalossal shook the valley, and the vibrations of its enormous heft falling to the ground jostled Nemona's feet a bit.

[ "Gee-gee, E.Z." ]

Damn, Scarlet had downed that insane beast already? And with just a single 'mon...? It was like they weren't even enjoying this at all...

Nemona recalled her Pawmot as she stood back up, and hoofed it over to Bebop as the Camerupt regained its bearings again, target-locking Nemona for yet another go. The big lug was starting to look a little winded, at least. Nemona could relate.

"All right, Crema, let's finish this Titan off!"

Nemona sent out her goopy dragon, letting her assess things for a moment as she helped her Cyclizar up.

"Sorry, girl," she apologized to Bebop, giving her a rough little 'pat-pat' on the head. "We're almost done here..."

She hopped back aboard and turned her mount around, only to be caught off guard by a blur of red and purple, feathers and tendrils.

- puh-DUN, puh-DUN, puh-DUN -

- SKSSSsssss -

Nemona was startled as Letty back-flipped off their sprinting Koraidon, sliding across the sand in a sweet as hell three-point landing. When they stood up casually, dusting their jeans off, they were a meter away from Nemona, not even acknowledging her presence. Nemona was dumbstruck by the sight of her helmeted ally, making this all look so easy... Then again, Nemona was reminded, having a super powerful Pokémon from the ancient past kind of helped a bit...

The sounds of intermixed Pokémon growls snapped Nemona back to the fight at hand.

Right! Her Goodra. Nemona would have Crema use 'Muddy Water'. Camerupt had a double-weakness to Water-Type moves, which was why she'd saved her Goodra to finish things off. Plenty of sand to use to murk up a watery goo that would help blind this damned stubborn 'mon, probably immobilize it again, even making it easier to—

As Nemona pressed her whistle into her dried out lips, her plan formulating in a flash in her brain, her Goodra was shoved aside by the stampeding Koraidon, who effortlessly swiped a devastating 'Dragon Claw' into the Camerupt's face, sending a splash of blood spraying across the sands.

Its face scarred and bleeding, the Camerupt howled in agony, stumbling backward. Koraidon's claw remained leveled dramatically, dripping brownish red droplets from the tips of each claw.

"Santa mierda..."

Nemona was mesmerized and horrified at once. She wasn't used to seeing such harsh impact in a battle. Pokémon genes were sturdy stuff, making the creatures super hardy – they didn't bleed easy... The difference in strength between this Titan and Koraidon must've been immense... And Scarlet was clearly out for, well... blood.

The Camerupt managed to shoot out one last 'Eruption' attack before collapsing in a heap with a loud -whoomph-, scattering sand to the air. Koraidon shielded its face from a splash of lava, shrugging it off like it was water in a wave pool. But the lava burst from the other Camerupt hump sailed right over Koraidon – and was headed directly for Scarlet, just beside her and Bebop.

What happened in the following moment lasted only a couple seconds but felt like slow motion to Nemona. Nemona's adrenaline kicked into overdrive. She shifted her weight to the right side of her Cyclizar, thrusting her body off of Bebop by kicking out both legs against her mount. This sent Bebop reeling away from the impending point of impact, and sent Nemona colliding into Scarlet, whom she grasped with both arms at the waist in a side tackle. The pair of them tumbled roughly in the sand, rolling over once, as lava splashed across the ground where they'd just been standing.

Her limbs tangled into Scarlet's, Nemona was flustered as the sizzling sound of lava breaking down sand rung in her ears. Scarlet's abdomen was firm, their legs toned more than expected beneath the denim. Letty felt a thicker and sturdier than their shorter stature implied, and certainly more than Nemona remembered. Coughing and groaning, the two de-tangled their bodies apart. Nemona's face was covered in sweat-slick sand. Her chest was also damp and grimy, sand grains slipping in places that had become uncomfortable and distractingly itchy. And her hair was now an absolute mess, with all kinds of green and black hair strands of different lengths clinging to her cheeks and shoulders.

Scarlet popped off their helmet as they stood up, towering over Nemona, who still lay on the ground, groping around the sand to retrieve her cap. Letty's own ponytail was smeared across the back of their neck from the heat, their side braid partly half undone. They shoved their lengthy black bangs up above their face, letting them cling to the top of their damp skull, and their crimson eyes blinked down at Nemona in that all-too-familiar way: neutral, dull, seemingly disinterested – but with a glimmer of respect and comradery. That glimmer was one that Nemona was one of the scant few who could make it out in the pools of crimson red.

"Thanks for the save," Letty muttered coolly, their slightly gravelly voice a little more shrill than usual. They cleared their throat.

Nemona chuckled as she got on both feet, wiping away hair and sand and sweat... Placing her cap back onto her soaked head, she surveyed the defeated Titan Camerupt, then glanced back over her shoulder at the motionless Titan Coalossal n the distance.

"Just, uh... Just returning the favor," Nemona laughed tiredly, tilting her head to the much larger threat Letty had made look trivial.

Nemona glanced to her left – the Cyclizar was fine, shaking herself off. She chirruped at Nemona, a sign of relief that the action was over. Her Goodra was sitting on the ground, stupefied by the sight of Scarlet's Koraidon, who flicked blood off its claws like a samurai cleaning its blade. It stared at Crema with a hard stare as if to say, 'What're you looking at?'

"Erh," Nemona burst out, retrieving her ball to recall back Crema. "Looks like Letty had it covered, Crema! Thanks for being ready to go, though." And she sent her back into her ball.

"Nice work, Kor," Letty called to her partner 'mon. They flashed it a stoic thumbs up with an otherwise static pose. "We'll eat good tonight. Whatever you want."

At this, Koraidon clicked and growled in a very pleased way. It reminded Nemona of how the 'mon would act when Arven's sandwiches were on the menu.

Scarlet's thumb-up fist dropped to their side as they planted the biker-gloved hand onto their hip, their helmet wedged against the other side of their waist.

"So... Need me to finish these Titans off for ya?" they asked Nemona.

Nemona's eyelashes, heavily dusted at this point, blinked rapidly with confusion.

"They... They seem pretty finished already," Nemona balked, gesturing an aching arm up at the bleeding Camerupt in the sand.

Letty's face was still pointed at Nemona, but those red eyes of theirs slid over to their fallen victim, then back to Nemona.

"Not that kinda job, huh...?" they muttered, shrugging it all off.

Nemona's insides quivered with anxiety at the implication.

A/N: the rest of this scene will be posted tomorrow!