Chapter 63:
A Mother's Wrath
Tsukinami Village
"This place is really fascinating, isn't it?" Serena asked, admiring the large picture in front of her and Ash.
"Yeah, they have plenty of cool stuff here," Ash agreed.
It's been a couple days since Ash defeated Hinata and Kaito and got his last badge. Given that there was more than a month until the League began, the Pallet Town native decided that there would be no harm in giving their Pokemon a few days to rest before training for the League, given the fierce battle they had to endure when he challenged Hinata and Kaito, while he focused on getting Pikachu back in shape.
In the meantime, Ash asked Serena for more dates and if there was any place that she wanted to visit, given her interest in seeing what the village had to offer. For today's date, Serena was a bit hesitant at first, since the place she had in mind, the Tsukinami Museum of History and Legends, wasn't the kind of place somebody like Ash would enjoy. She wasn't worried that he would disagree, in fact that's what worried her, that he would say yes just to make her happy while keeping his boredom under wraps.
But thankfully, Ash seemed to be enjoying the visit almost as much as her. While she wasn't surprised that he didn't show much interest in the more artistic exhibits, he was fascinated by the historical artifacts and records that explained how Tandor used to be in the past centuries, as well as the roles Pokemon played in society.
"Whoever drew this picture saw this Pokemon face to face," Serena observed. "I don't think anybody would be able to capture the sheer might and power it radiates from imagination alone."
The picture they were seeing was that of an unknown whale-like Pokemon with a massive ice spear on its nose piercing an ancient war ship. A quick look at the Pokedex revealed that this was a Pokemon that actually existed.
"Leviathao, the Leviatan Pokemon. Water/Ice. This Legendary Pokemon was called the "Unstoppable Spear". The ice horn on its head can easily penetrate solid steel. It battles Baitatao and Krakanao for dominance over the sea." the Pokedex explained.
"So it looks. Though, I wouldn't like being in that ship as that Pokemon destroys it," Ash said.
"Look at the description here," Serena said, pointing to the inscription under the picture. "It says that Leviathao used to be under the control of the Nami Clan and was used in warfare, though they eventually lost control of it."
"Good. Legendary Pokemon have terrifying power, and shouldn't be used as weapons of war," Ash said, with Pikachu energetically nodding.
Of course he would say that. Even if almost a year had passed, the incident with Team Flare was still fresh in their memories.
"Of course you'd know about Legendary Pokemon firsthand, mr. seasoned trainer," a new voice said in a slightly mocking tone.
Ash and Serena turned around to see a young teen with red hair with a yellow streak crossing it, looking at them with an expecting grin.
"Theo!" Ash said, happy to see one of his Tandorian rivals.
"Hey there, Theo," Serena greeted as well.
"We haven't seen each other since Snowbank Town. Vitor and Natalie told me that you surpassed the Mega Evolution trials," Ash said.
"They told you right," Theo said, proudly showing Ash and Serena a black bracelet with a Keystone embedded on it. "Tested it, too! My Metalynx can Mega Evolve now, just like yours! You should have seen him battling against Vaeryn's Pokemon! It was epic!"
"It must have been," Ash took his word. "And I assume that you're here to challenge the Gym Leader?"
"Yeah. Many people avoid these Gym Leaders because of their strength, but if I can beat them I'll have a huge lead on other competitors," Theo said. "Though, before challenging them, I want to see a little of the village in order to relax and have some fun. It would be better if I challenge them with a cool head, right?"
"True. It's nice to see somebody taking things slowly. Whenever we visit a new town or city, Ash can't wait to challenge the Gym, and this one hasn't been an exception," Serena said, eliciting a sheepish chuckle from her boyfriend.
"Wait, you already battled against Hinata and Kaito!?" Theo asked, his eyes wide open. "Did you win!? Of course you won, didn't you? I don't think I ever saw you lose."
"I did win, yes. But that doesn't mean that I didn't have my share of losses. Both in the past and in this region," Ash assured him. "However, this isn't a race about who can get eight badges faster than anyone. Some people gather them fast, while others take some time. There is still more than a month until the League, more than enough time to get one badge."
"In fact, when Ash was taking part in the Kalos League, he defeated a trainer that collected the eight badges before him," Serena pointed out, remembering how Sawyer defeating Wulfric before Ash contributed to his brief breakdown.
"...yeah, you're right. It's not like I'm falling behind or anything," Theo said. He then noticed something which caused them to look a bit sheepish. "Oh! You guys are on a date, aren't you? Sorry! I should have realized that earlier."
"It's okay, Theo. We're both happy to see you again, so don't feel like you're getting in the way or anything," Serena insisted.
"Still... I don't want to intrude," the redhead insisted. "Though, before I leave, Ash, do you mind if we have a battle? Given that you defeated Hinata and Kaito, I want to see where I stand compared to you."
"Sure thing! Say, how about we meet at the Pokemon Center in two hours?" Ash suggested.
"Sounds great! I'll see you there!" Theo said before turning back and leaving.
"Heh, it's been a while since I fought against Theo. I can't wait to see how much he has improved since the last time," Ash wondered.
"What happened to letting your Pokemon rest for a few more days?" Serena asked teasingly.
"Eh, I'm sure they'd be happy to fight Theo again. Though, I'm not going to force them to fight if they want to rest more," Ash assured.
"Pi, pikapi!" Pikachu said, poking his trainer on the head.
"Uh? Do you want to take part in the battle, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.
"Hehe, that's my boy!" Ash gleefully agreed.
Serena frowned a little. "Ash, are you sure that Pikachu is battle ready? Nurse Joy only gave him a clean bill a couple days ago. Maybe you should train him a little more before sending him into a battle."
"Come on Serena, this won't be a serious battle like a Gym or League match, just a friendly spar against Theo," Ash rebuked. "But if you're still worried, I promise that the moment I see that Pikachu is having a hard time, I'll recall him, okay?"
"Pika?" Pikachu asked.
"Okay. I can trust that you'll always have your Pokemon's welfare in mind at all times," Serena said, seemingly satisfied.
"Great!"
…
A couple hours later, just like Ash and Theo had agreed, the two of them were on one of the Pokemon Center's adjacent battlegrounds. Clemont was playing the role of the referee, as usual, while the girls were sitting on one of the benches, ready to see the start of the battle.
Clemont raised both arms. "The battle between Ash and Theo will be single format with no time limit! Both trainers will use three Pokemon, and they are allowed to switch Pokemon. The first trainer whose three Pokemon are unable to battle will lose," Clemont began. "Trainers, select your Pokemon!"
"Very well! Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash quickly said.
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu cried as he leaped from Ash's shoulder into the battleground, sparks flying out of his cheeks.
"Heh, it feels so good being able to say that again," Ash said.
"Wait, wasn't your Pikachu sick or something?" Theo asked.
"Yeah, but not anymore. He's healthy and ready to battle!" Ash assured him.
"Oh. Okay then. In that case... let's go, Fallengel!" Theo said, tossing a pokeball forward.
The pokeball opened, and from the mass of light materialized a fairly large, horned, red skinned, vaguely draconic looking Pokemon whose legs ended in hooves, its tail had an arrow-shaped tip, small black wings on its back, and a flame floating between its horns.
"Fall, falle!" the Pokemon cried, its voice loud and guttural.
"So, a new Pokemon, huh?" Ash said, as both him and Serena took out their Pokedex in order to identify it. "Let's see what we're up against, then!"
"Fallengel, the Soldier Pokemon, and Devimp's evolution. Fire/Dark. It acts like a soldier, obeying orders without hesitation. It seems to have no moral compass and will do whatever its master commands." The Pokedex explained.
"Oh! So that's your Devimp who evolved?" Ash asked.
"Yup! Devimps are late bloomers, and take a lot of work for them to evolve, but once they do, their power is simply incredible!" Theo boasted. "Pikachu won't know what hit him!"
"Chu, pi!" Pikachu protested.
"In that case, bring it on, Theo!" Ash replied.
~Ash ( Pikachu, ?, ?) VS Theo ( Fallengel, ?, ?)~
"Alright Pikachu, let's make your return official with a good Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried in agreement, as he jumped into the air while gathering electricity inside his body, before releasing it in the form of a powerful bolt. "CHUUUUUUUU!"
"Counter it with Shadow Ball!" Theo replied.
"Len!" Fallenge growled, bringing its clawed hands together in order to form an orb of dark, otherworldly energy, before launching it towards the incoming attack.
The yellow bolt and the sphere of shadows met in the middle, struggling against each other for a few seconds before the Ghost-type move popped like a bubble, allowing the Thunderbolt to hit Fallengel, blasting it backwards.
"Fallengel!" Theo cried.
"Haha, yes! Look at that, Pikachu's Thunderbolts are as strong as ever!" Bonnie cheered.
"Nenene!" Dedenne joined her as well.
"Fallengel, you okay?" Theo asked. Upon seeing his Pokemon getting back to his feet, he relaxed a little. "Good. Okay, you got the first hit, Ash. It seems your Pikachu didn't get that much weaker while he was sick!"
"Pikachu is pretty awesome, isn't he?" Ash proudly asked.
"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu agreed, puffing up his chest.
"But my Pokemon is even more awesome! Fallengel, Rock Tomb!" Theo ordered.
"Fal, Fa!" Fallengel screeched as the Soldier Pokemon summoned a cluster of large boulders above Pikachu. Gravity quickly took effect, dropping towards the Mouse Pokemon.
"Good move, but not good enough! Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash confidently called.
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu cried, jumping to meet the falling rocks, his tail shimmering with a silvery sheen before swinging it like a sword. The boulders were shattered as if they were made of weak sandstone.
"Ha! How about that?" Ash boasted.
"How about this, then! Fallengel, Fire Punch! Now that he can't dodge!" Theao ordered.
"Len!" Fallengel cried, rushing towards Pikachu while curling its four fingered hand into a fist, which was quickly covered in flames, before delivering one hell of a burning haymaker at the electric rodent. "GE!"
"Chuuuu!" Pikachu cried as he was blown backwards, painfully ladning on his back.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted. But before he had the chance to ask if he was okay, Pikachu jumped to his feet and rubbed one his cheeks in order to wipe out the soot the Fire Punch had left. "You worried me for a little, but I should know it'll take more than one move to beat the fight out of you!"
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"Don't worry Ash, there's more from where that came from! Fire Punch again! Use both fists!" the redhead ordered.
"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Ash shouted.
Clenching both hands into fists and setting them on fire, the demon barreled towards Pikachu, delivering a flurry of burning punches. However, Pikachu began to literally run circles around it, avoiding all the fiery attacks. Once Fallengel was thrown off balance by putting too much force into a punch, Pikachu took the opportunity and slammed his opponent with his whole body, pushing the Soldier Pokemon back.
"Well done! Now follow up with Electro Ball!" Ash said, thrusting an open hand forward.
"Chuuu!" Pikachu cried, jumping into the air while forming a sphere of yellow electricity at the tip of his tail, launching the orb by swinging said tail.
"Deflect it with a Fire Punch and counter with Shadow Ball!" Theo replied.
"Lenge!" Fallengel growled, igniting one of his fists to swipe the Electro Ball away, before forming an orb of shadowy power between his hands and launching it at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, send it back with Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried, his tail shining with a silvery light and using it to smack the coming sphere of darkness back at the caster.
Fallengel was taken aback seeing his own move returning to it, and all it could do was cross its arms protectively in front of its face. The attack connected, and while its resistance to Ghost-type moves softened the blow, the demon flinched as orange sparks briefly crackled around its body.
"Yes! That's Shadow Ball's effect! Fallengel's resistance to special moves has been lowered!" Lilia pointed out before anyone had the chance to ask.
"So that means Pikachu's Thunderbolt and Electro Ball will be comparatively more potent," Serena said, adding context to what Clemont had said.
"That was such a clever move! Ash has this in the bag!" Bonnie said, bouncing on her seat.
However, far from being upset, Theo seemed oddly satisfied. His satisfaction was quickly justified as Fallengel's eyes began to glow with an orange light, as if they were burning coals, the flame floating above its head burning more fiercely, and a burning red aura appearing around its body.
"That's quite the maneuver, bouncing our attack back at us," Theo said, sounding confident. "But it's going to cost you dearly."
"Wait, what? What's going on? Why is Fallengel like that?" Bonnie asked.
"That effect... I could be wrong, but given that it happened right after the effect of the Shadow Ball... it seems like Fallengel's ability is Defiant," Lilia guessed. "Its physical attack shots up every time one of its attributes are weakened."
"So Fallengel's attacks will also hit much harder now," Serena grimly realized.
"Alright Fallengel, let's see how stronger you are after Defiant! Rock Tomb!" Theo ordered, excitement bubbling inside him.
"FAAAAL!" Fallengel bellowed, raising its arms as it summoned yet another cluster of boulders above the electric rodent.
Both Ash and Pikachu winced upon seeing that they were noticeably bigger than before.
"Dodge them with Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
One by one, the boulders fell down, making a loud thundering noise upon hitting the ground and even causing small tremors. Still, Pikachu was able to nimbly avoid them thanks to the speed provided by the Normal-type move.
"Shadow Ball!" Theo quickly shouted.
"Leng!" Fallengel growled, summoning a sphere of shadows between its hands, which thankfully wasn't any bigger than it was before, and launched it forward.
Pikachu had just dodged the last rock when he saw the Ghost-type projectile coming towards him. He tried to jump aside, and while he managed to avoid the sphere itself, he was caught by the explosion when it detonated upon touching the ground.
"Pi, pikaaa!" Pikachu whined as he was pushed backwards by the blast.
"Time to finish this! Fallengel, Fire Punch!" Theo shouted, almost savoring the first victory of the match.
"Enge!" Fallengel roared as it dashed forward, its clenched fist engulfed by a bright fireball.
"Pikachu, dodge it!"Ash shouted.
Fortunately for Ash, Pikachu was able to do a backflip just as the Fire and Dark-type Pokemon brought its fist down, producing a small explosion and opening a small crater.
"Yes! Now Electro Ball, quickly!" Ash followed up.
Wasting no time, Pikachu swung his tail, launching a sphere of yellow electricity towards his opponent, who was unable to move away in time and the Electric-type move hit it squarely in the face, making it tumble backwards.
"Great! This is where we turn around the battle! Now follow up with Thunderbolt!" Ash said, pumping a fist forward.
"Pikaaaaa...!" the Mouse Pokemon jumped into the air as his body crackled with electricity, before releasing it in the form of a powerful lightning bolt. "CHUUUUU!"
"Fallengel, Overheat!" Theo called.
Fallengel took a deep breath before unleashing a massive conical torrent of flames surrounded by a spiraling stream of fire. The two attacks met in the middle, but the Overheat easily overpowered the Thunderbolt, tearing through it and engulfing Pikachu inside the fiery wall of burning doom.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried as he looked his starter fall from above.
"And Fire Punch!" Theo said.
Just as Pikachu painfully hit the ground, Fallengel was already upon him, its curled fist wreathed in furious flames, before bringing it down with great force, producing an explosion upon impact.
"P-Pikaaaa..." Pikachu moaned, as he lied on a small crater, his eyes swirly.
Clemont raised a hand in Theo's direction. "Pikachu is unable to battle!"
"Yes! Wohooo, first victory! One down, two more to go!" Theo cheered. "Awesome job, Fallengel!"
Fallengel merely blew a small plume of fire from its mouth.
Ash, meanwhile, walked towards the crater and picked Pikachu up, cradling him between his arms.
"Sorry buddy. I wanted your big return to be a victory, but guess I was out of practice in directing you, huh?" Ash said.
"Pikaaa..." Pikachu softly cried, as if telling him not to worry about it.
He returned to his side of the battlefield and gently put Pikachu on the ground. Following that, he shot Theo a look full of determination. "Your Fallengel is really well trained, Theo. And you did a great job coaching it. That Overheat at the end caught me by surprise."
"Thanks! And sure, old me would have used Overheat almost from the get go just because it's a powerful move, but I've been learning a lot on my journey!" Theo boasted, puffing his chest up.
"So it seems. Alright, get ready for my second Pokemon!" Ash said, as he unclipped a pokeball from his belt. "Splendifowl I cho-"
But before Ash could send his trusty bird, his pokegear began to beep. Checking the flashing screen, he frowned upon seeing what it was.
"It's Kellyn..." Ash said.
"Kellyn?" Theo repeated, his previous enthusiasm born of his victory evaporating and being replaced by worry, as he quickly ran towards Ash.
The rest of the group did the same, wondering why the Head Ranger was contacting Ash. Whatever the reason, they had the feeling it wouldn't be to congratulate him for his recent victory over Hinata and Kaito.
Ash accepted the message. "Ash?"
"Hello, Kellyn. What's up?" Ash asked.
"Say, I was told that you were on Tsukinami Village recently. Are you still there by any chance? Or at least somewhere close?" the brown haired man asked.
"I'm still in the village. Why?" Ash asked.
"There's... well, I prefer to tell you in person. My Ragers and I were on a meeting with the village leaders, and they have called for a meeting at the central plaza to tell the people what's going on. You and your friends should be there."
"Oh. Sure, we'll be going there now," Ash replied.
Kellyn nodded and ended the call.
…
Half an hour later, Ash and his friends, as well as Theo, were on the central plaza, in the middle of a crowd formed by most of the inhabitants of Tsukinami Village around an empty platform. The air was filled by a cacophony of murmurs and whispers as people around them wondered what was going on.
"Serena!"
The honey blonde turned around, and saw Sayaka waddling through the sea of people towards her.
"Oh, hey, Sayaka!" Serena greeted her former enemy. "Do you know what's going on?"
"I'm not sure, but it can't be anything good," the raven haired girl said. "Whenever the village leaders call for everybody, it is because something bad has happened."
"Do you think it has to do with the power plant?" Ash ventured.
"The power plant is not far away from this island. If something happened, we would have seen it already," Clemont said.
That moment, the whispers and murmurs quickly disappeared as several people climbed to the platform: the Gym Leaders Hinata and Kaito, as well as Kellyn and some of his Rangers.
"People of Tsukinami, dire news have reached our ears," Hinata began. "Recently, a group of Rangers came to us to inform us of a calamity in the making. Just like it happened before, a horde of Nuclear Pokemon is heading towards the Nuclear Plant Omicron as we speak."
Unsurprisingly, this elicited a wave of worried murmurs, with some people asking several questions over each other, with many wondering if there would be a repeat of the tragedies that shook Bealbeach and Vinoville.
"Please, stay calm! There's still time to act," Kaito reassured them. "The Rangers are spread thin in their attempt to contain the menace of Nuclear Pokemon that threatens West Tandor, so they asked for our help in order to avoid a potential catastrophe. We will need every strong and capable trainer to come with us in order to prevent another tragedy."
"I will gladly lay down my life to protect our village!" a ninja shouted.
"Me too! I won't stand idle as an army of abominations destroy our home!" another said, just as energetically.
"You can count on both me and my Pokemon!" another added.
Soon the plaza was filled with yells of ninjas declaring that they would fight to the very end to stop this catastrophe, Sayaka included.
"It warms my heart to see our people so ready to face any threat in battle. Very well then! Every capable trainer, be local or outsider, come with us! Those who can't fight, head for the shelters and pray to Aotius and Mutios for our victory!" Hinata declared.
"The Ranger Corps have brought several transport vessels. They're docking on the port as we speak," Kellyn said for the first time. "Please board the ships in orderly fashion. I know the situation is urgent, but it will do us no good if we fall prey to panic. We have several teams already on the island to reinforce the security, so even if the attack happens now, they should buy us enough time for us to reach there."
Wasting no time, most ninjas and trainers quickly headed for the port, while a few stayed behind to guide the civilians to the shelters, with Ash and his friends, as well as Theo and Sayaka, being within the former group.
…
Less than an hour later, Ash, Serena and their friends (minus Bonnie, who was obviously left back at the village), alongside many ninjas from Tsukinami (Sayaka among them), were on one of the Ranger ships that would take them to the island were Nuclear Plant Omicron was located. While Serena remembered that it took the ferry almost two hours to get to Tsukinami Island after they passed the power plant, these ships were much faster, and hopefully they'd arrive there in less than half that time.
Which was a good thing. Most of the ninjas were silent and still, but the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Because despite their earlier words (and Serena didn't doubt their authenticity) they were heading to face an enemy that they had never faced before, yet one that had caused unimaginable damage wherever it struck. Serena could notice how, despite their best attempts to stay calm, many ninjas were restless, fidgeting in place, some pacing from one side to another.
The honey blonde saw Sayaka, appearing calm as she leaned over the deck's railing. "Appearing" being the key word, as Serena noticed that she was gripping the railing so tight, the knuckles of her hands were starting to turn white. She approached her former rival, feeling like the ninja could talk with somebody.
"Hey," Serena said.
"Hey," Sayaka replied without turning to look at her.
"I know you must feel very nervous. And this might sound like empty reassuring," Serena began. "But everything's going to be okay."
The honey blonde was afraid the ninja might snap at her, but thankfully such a thing didn't happen. Then again, the silence that followed wasn't that reassuring. Until she finally spoke.
"This isn't new to you, is it?" Sayaka asked.
"No. I have faced Nuclear Pokemon before. I know they can be scary, but they are far from invincible," Serena told her. "Your Pokemon are strong and well trained. The Nuclear Pokemon won't stand a chance against them."
"I didn't mean this," Sayaka replied, much to Serena's confusion. "I heard from the news last year that there was some kind of catastrophe in Kalos, involving a Legendary Pokemon and that big tech guy with the ridiculous beard," this got a chuckle out of Serena. "Were you close to it when it happened?"
"Right in the middle," Serena replied, sounding far too casual for her own liking.
"I see," the ninja replied, her tone still neutral. "Were you afraid?"
"Very," the honey blonde honestly said. "The horrors and the destruction my friends and I witnessed... it would be impossible not to be afraid."
Once again, Serena was met from silence from her former rival, as if she was trying to say something but was unable to. So the honey blonde took a slightly risky guess.
"It's okay if you're afraid," Serena said. Thankfully Sayaka didn't take the insinuation as an insult.
"Fear isn't something I'm used to feeling," the raven haired girl confessed. "I'm trying to keep calm, but on the inside... my heart beats so fast, I'm afraid it might explode."
"Would it be of any consolation if I told you that I feel exactly like that?" Serena asked.
"The fact that we're both cowards does little to reassure me," Sayaka sneered. "I was raised to be better than this. But given how I fell before you when it mattered the most... perhaps I'm even more of a disappointment than I first believed."
"You're not a disappointment. And definitely not a coward," Serena said, her tone crowing more stern. "A coward wouldn't be here, ready to face a horde of monsters in order to protect her home, right? Being afraid doesn't make you a coward. Facing danger head on in spite of being afraid is a sign of a brave heart, not a cowardly one."
"I guess so," Sayaka conceded. "Though, how-"
Sayaka was interrupted by a loud, jarrying noise as a pillar of green light shot into the sky from the island the power plant was on, briefly bathing the sky in an eerie emerald light.
Everybody quickly moved towards the railings in order to see it better, but it quickly disappeared. Naturally, people began to murmur over what was that strange phenomena.
"That wasn't an explosion, wasn't it?" a ninja asked.
"No. I saw how Plant Delta blew up and that looked nothing like it," a ranger replied.
"Plus, if there was an explosion, there would be a plume of smoke big enough to be visible from here," Clemont added.
"Attention everyone!" Kellyn shouted as he walked into the deck, drawing everybody's attention. "We've got a message from the island! An army of Nuclear Pokemon has suddenly appeared and they're attacking the power plant as we speak."
Of course, this only got the rumbling from the people on the deck even louder, with many asking how long it would take for the ships to reach the shore.
"Listen, I know things look dire, but we need to keep calm and-" Kellyn suddenly stopped as he turned sideways and tapped his earpiece. "Wait, what did you just say? And how many...? Oh dear, just what we needed..."
"Sir? Something wrong?" A ranger worriedly asked.
"I've been informed that the nuclear beasts know about us. Several Nuclear Gyarados are forming a barrier between us and the island," Kellyn explained. "The moment we get close, they will try to sink the ships"
This did nothing but exacerbate the worry and fear that was floating in the air.
"Oh no!"
"This is terrible!"
"Isn't there something we can do?"
"We're trying to think of something," Kellyn said, though he sounded a bit defeated. "In the meantime, try to keep calm."
"Wait, I believe there is something we can do!" Ash said, drawing the attention from everybody present. The Kantonian then looked at Serena. "Serena, let's take out the dragons and face those Gyarados head on! We can get close enough and attack them from afar, breaching their barrier so the ships can pass!"
"That's... quite the risky maneuver, kid," Kellyn said. "Are you sure of that?"
"Very sure!" Ash replied, his resolve unwavering. "We can do it! Right, Serena?"
Serena gave some thought to Ash's suggestion. Yeah, Coatlith and Dunseraph could take down a few Gyarados. The plan was not without risk, as their size made them easy targets for the Gyarados' attacks, but given the urgency of the situation,
"Let's do it," she said, her hand already reaching for Coatlith's pokeball.
"Awesome! Dunseraph, I choose you!"
"Coatlith, go!"
Wasting no time, Ash and Serena climbed to the back of their serpents just before they took off, soaring the skies towards the island. As they flew, it took them no time to see a row of Nuclear Gyarados ready to meet them.
"I can see them!" Ash said. "Dunseraph, get ready!"
"Du, dunse!"
One of the Gyarados fired a Hyper Beam at Dunseraph, forcing the angelic dragon to rise up in the air in order to dodge it, while another fired an Ice Beam at Coatlith that thankfully didn't hit her due the distance.
"But they can see us too!" Serena reminded her boyfriend. "Let's split up! It will be harder for them to hit us if we divert their attention in different directions!"
"Understood! You take the left, I take the right!" Ash said, before moving to the aforementioned direction.
Coatlith tried to approach again, eliciting a Radioacid from one of the Nuclear-type creatures. Even if Coatlith managed to dodge it, some droplets fell on her body, making her hiss in pain. "C-Coa!"
"Coatlith, be careful!" Serena warned. Her hand went to her waist as she grabbed another pokeball. "It seems that you alone might not be enough to take on so many enemies. Fortunately, I have the perfect Pokemon for this situation! Syrentide, go!"
Serena didn't toss the pokeball, just opened it while keeping in her hand, as a mass of light emerged from it, coalescing into her first Tandorian Pokemon, which fell into the water with a loud splash, before emerging facing the Gyarados. Without wasting a second, she touched the Keystone on her ring.
"Syrentide, Mega Evolve, quickly!" she shouted.
Beams of light shot the Keystone and Mega Stone, binding trainer and Pokemon and allowing the latter to transform into her enhanced form. The metamorphosis alone was enough to draw the attention of some of the Gyarados.
"Syrentide, Hyper Voice!" Serena shouted.
"Sy-REEEEEEEEEEN!" Syrentide shouted, releasing pink destructive soundwaves that rippled through the water.
The Gyarados roared in pain as the sonic attack washed over them, but it wasn't strong enough to put them out of commission just yet. Two of them countered with a Dragon Rage and a Hyper Beam, which Syrentide avoided by diving down.
"Now that they're distracted, Solar Beam, Coatlith!" Serena ordered.
Her Pokemon obeyed, as the bud at the end of her tail blossomed into a flower, quickly gathering solar energy into a green and golden energy orb, and releasing said energy in the form of a powerful beam in a wide arc to hit every Gyarados. One Gyarados went down, but others remained, which wasted no time to counterattack with a barrage of attacks composed by Radioacid, Flamethrower and Dragon Rage towards both Syrentide and Coatlith. Syrentide dodged once again by diving underwater, but Coatlith was hit by the Flamethrower in the chest.
"C-Coaa...!" she wailed.
"Coatlith, hold on!" she shouted.
Serena was starting to have second thoughts over Ash's plan. Nuclear or not, Gyarados were among the strongest and most resilient Pokemon that ever lived, so taking several of them at once might not have been the best idea.
She took a moment to glance to the side in order to check how Ash was doing. The boy was shouting orders at Dunseraph, which bombarded the Gyarados with Ancient Power. Like her, Ash had also sent an additional Pokemon in Splendifowl, which Pikachu was using as an aerial steed while shooting Thunderbolts at the Nuclear Pokemon.
Seeing Ash and his Pokemon giving their all renewed her vigor. "No, I can't just give up. The Rangers and the ninjas are counting on us to clear the way! But... what can I do to get them quickly out of the way" Serena said, as she looked down at the three angry Gyarados, who looked even more rabid than their regular counterparts, if that was even possible, roaring and snapping at her. "Sheesh, those guys need to relax a little..."
The word resonated in her head. Relax. And from said resonance, an idea was born.
"Wait, that's it! Syrentide, Coatlith, give me a duet of Sing and Grass Whistle!" Serena shouted.a
The two Tandorian Pokemon began to sing, trying to match each other despite their different musical preferences in order to synchronize their moves. Ethereal musical notes started to appear around the Gyarados, which quickly fell prey to drowsiness.
"Now! Syrentide, Hyper Voice, and Coatltih, Solar Beam again!" Serena ordered.
"Sy-REEEEEEEN!"
"Co, lith!"
Syrentide let out a loud sonic scream that washed over the sleepy Gyarados, just as the same time they were bombarded from above by a solar powered beam fired by Coatlith. The two attacks hit them in full, and they seemed to be enough to knock the lights out of the marine serpents, who sunk into the depths.
"Whew. Well, one last problem left," Serena said, seeing that Ash had just dealt with his Gyarados as well. "Good job, guys. But this is far from over. Let's-"
"GYAAAAAAAA!"
A Nuclear Gyarados jumped out of the water, its jaws wide open ready to sink them into Coatlith's body. Trainer and Pokemon were startled by the sudden ambush, not being able to react in time.
"Shockawve, now!"
However, before the Gyarados could bite the Forest Lady Pokemon, a barrage of yellow lightning bolts stopped it on its tracks and knocked it out, this time for good. Looking around, Serena saw her unlikely savior: Sayaka, riding on her Voltasu.
"You... you saved me!" Serena said.
Sayaka huffed, and looked to the side. "I wasn't going to let you take all the glory while I just sulked on the ship like a coward, especially when it's my home that's in danger."
Serena gratefully smiled at her. "Thank you for that save."
"Whatever. There are still plenty of Nuclear Pokemon on the island, so we should keep going," Sayaka said.
"Right!"
…
As the ships docked on the island's small port, they quickly deployed walkways so the rangers and the ninjas could disembark as soon as possible, rushing in as soon as their feet touched solid ground.
And soon as that happened, a horde of Nuclear Pokemon, as if coming out of nowhere, quickly descended upon them. Despite their impressive numbers, eerie appearance and aggressive demeanor, neither the Rangers nor the ninja were intimidated, with the latter quickly sending every Pokemon they had with them to battle.
"Everybody, go!" Clemont said, tossing all his pokeball into the air.
The capture devices opened one by one, sending each of the inventor's Pokemon into battle. Lilia also directed her Lopunny forward while tossing two additional pokeballs.
"Hagross, Skelerogue, go!" the bespectacled girl said.
From the pokeball emerged a skeletal pirate Pokemon Clemont had seen a few times in contests, as well as a large eel-like Pokemon with a long dark blue body with yellow stripes running across its back, six short and stumpy green slime-like legs and a green slime-like tail. It reminded Clemont of Lilia's Hagoop, only much bigger.
"Your Hagoop?" the inventor ventured.
Lilia smiled at him. "Let's say I haven't been wasting my time when I have been out of the region."
Clemont simply smiled back at her.
The two of them continued fighting the Nuclear Pokemon, who appeared to be without numbers, given that whenever they took one down, another quickly moved to take its place. However, they also noticed that, even if little by little, they were pushing through the enemy hordes, meaning that little by little, they were whittling down the enemy's numbers.
"Clemont! Lilia!" Serena called.
Clemont looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Ash and Serena, directing their Pokemon in battle. Like Clemont, both of them had released all their Pokemon at once, with Metalynx and Syrentide Mega Evolved and Greninja with Battle Bond active. Above them flew Splendifowl, Frosthra, Dunseraph and Coatlith, dealing with the airborne Nuclear Pokemon.
"Serena! Ash!" Clemont said, as he, Lilia and their respective Pokemon fought their way towards their friends.
"Nice job opening the way for the rest of the ships," Lilia congratulated them. "Those Gyarados would have made docking all but impossible."
"Thanks. Though hardly that was only the beginning. This battle is far from being over," Serena replied, as Delphox blasted a coming Tanscure with Flamethrower.
"Hey, is that a new Pokemon?" Ash asked upon noticing Lilia's Haagross, his pokedex already drawn out.
" Haagross, the Slime Eel Pokemon, and Hagoop's evolution. Electric/Poison. The slime covering its body is toxic and corrosive. Between that and its electric bite, it has no known predators. They proliferate in contaminated areas." The Pokedex explained.
"This area is going to end very contaminated if we don't do anything," Ash pointed out. "Frosthra, Blizzard! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Frosthra blew a storm of chilling wind to a coming group of Palij and Owten, which Pikachu finished them off with a powerful electric blast.
"Let's keep going together. The fight will be easier if we fight together and support each other!" Clemont suggested.
"Agreed. The Nuclear Pokemon fight in a disorganized manner. They won't stand a chance against a well coordinated army," Lilia said.
"We're going to have a chance to test that theory! More enemies incoming!" Ash warned after noticing another throng of Nuclear Pokemon coming their way.
"In that case, let's go all out and hold nothing back!" Clemont said as he touched with two fingers the Keystone on his lightning bolt-shaped golden cufflink. "The future is now thanks to Mega Evolution! Come on Electruxo, show them what you can do!"
The Keystone and the Mega Stone attached to Electruxo's collar began to glow, shooting tendrils of light towards each other. As the tendrils merged and linked trainer and Pokemon, Electruxo began to glow brightly as his body grew and shifted. As Electruxo stopped glowing, the Mega Evolution helix flashed in front of him, bringing the process to an end.
Almost immediately, the few scattered white clouds dotting the sky darkened as more came, covering the sky completely, followed by rain.
"Let us follow up as well!" Lilia said, pulling something from one of her coat's pockets. Clemont gasped upon seeing it was a Keystone as well. Upon noticing his reaction, Lilia smirked playfully again. "I told you I haven't been wasting my time, have I? Alright Lopunny, show them the true depths of our strength and courage! Mega Evolve!"
The process repeated once again, this time between Lilia and her main Pokemon, with the bipedal rabbit advancing to her enhanced form among bursts of light.
"Whoa! This is the first time I see a Mega Lopunny live! So cool!" Ash gushed upon seeing the Rabbit Pokemon.
"You can admire it later, we have plenty of Nuclear Pokemon to beat!" Serena urged him.
They met the nuclear army head on, and despite their inferior numbers, just like Lilia had said, not only were they able to resist, but push them back, thanks to both their organization and their Pokemon's superior training, skill and power. While Pokemon like Mega Metalynx, Frosthra, Sylveon, Nucleon and especially Geigeroach proved to be invaluable in deflecting enemy attacks, the likes of Greninja, Archilles, Delphox, Syrentide, Luxray, Mega Electruxo, Mega Lopunny and Haagross replied in kind with a barrage of powerful attacks while Splendifowl, Dunseraph and Coatlith provided aerial support.
And they weren't the only ones successfully fighting back. The ninjas of Tsukinami, with Hinata and Kaito in the lead, were showing everybody that their village's reputation for producing strong trainers wasn't unfounded, as their Pokemon more than held their own against the radioactive beasts. Sayaka and her Pokemon were also giving their all, her Mega Baariette and Voltasu trouncing Nuclear Pokemon left and right.
"Capture on!" a ranger said as he launched a Capture Disk against a Nuclear Nupin engaging in combat with a Dearewl. After a couple loops of the disk, the Nupin seemingly calmed down and stopped attacking. "Yes! The new Capture Stylers work even on Nuclear Pokemon!"
"Come on everybody! Let's show these monsters that no one threatens Tandor when it's under the Ranger's watch!" Kellyn shouted, and was replied by a chorus of cheers from his subordinates, who kept fighting with renewed vigor.
Thanks to the Rangers, they were able to not just remove enemy Pokemon from the battleground but also turn them against their previous allies. Theo was also fighting next to the Rangers, his own Mega Metalynx taking the brunt of the Nuclear Pokemon's attacks without showing any sign of slowing down, providing cover for his other Pokemon to attack without worries.
"Come on everyone! Keep fighting like this, and in no time the island will be free of these abominations!" Kaito shouted as his Mega Arbok blasted a pair of Nuclear Costraw with Caustic breath.
Little by little, the rangers, ninjas, and their allies managed to make their way towards the Nuclear Plant, its entrance being guarded by a large group of Nuclear Pokemon.
"Come on everyone! I know both you and your Pokemon are tired, but just keep fighting a little longer!" Hinata roused. "This battle is almost over!"
As they prepared to fight this one last batch of Nuclear Pokemon, something unexpected happened. When the radioactive beasts were about to charge forward, they instead scattered and ran away in every direction.
"Uh..." Ash said, looking around, seeing no trace of the enemy Pokemon. "That... that was unexpected."
"I don't like it. The last time a group of Pokemon ran away for seemingly no reason was during the Anthell," Clemont reminded everybody. "And we all know what happened next."
"Sir!" a Ranger said, as he ran towards Kellyn while holding a geiger counter. "I'm detecting increased levels of nuclear radiation, much bigger than those normally emitted by Nuclear Pokemon!"
"What? How?" Kellyn asked in disbelief. "Is another meltdown about to happen!?"
"No, the radiation levels aren't that big, but..." the device beeped. "They're increasing! Whatever's the source, it's getting closer to us!"
That moment, the entrance to the power plant exploded, sending chunks of glass and concrete everywhere, the shockwave of the blast knocking every nearby human and Pokemon on their backs.
Clemont tried to get back to his feet, and upon opening his eyes, all he saw was a blurry gray mass in front of him. It took him a second to notice that his glasses had been blown out of his face.
"Clemont!" Lilia's voice said, as she grabbed the blond's hand and helped him to stand up.
"Lilia! Are you okay?" was the first thing the inventor asked. "... my glasses! I think I lost them!"
"Calm down, they have to be around here," the bespectacled girl said, looking around. "Hopefully no one will be stepping on them..."
"Hey, Clemont!" Clemont heard Theo's voice as he saw the redheaded boy walking towards him, and handed him something. "Is this yours?"
Clemont smiled in joy upon noticing it was his glasses, who were mostly unscathed. "Yes! Thank you!"
"You're welcome. You're lucky they fell next to me, so I could grab them quickly. Otherwise, with all this chaos, somebody would have stomped on them, be human or Pokemon."
Upon putting them on, his vision became less blurry as it slowly gained focus. The explosion had raised a cloud of smoke and dirt that made seeing and breathing harder. Still, Clemont could see Ash and Serena, helping each other back on their feet, as well as a few ninjas and rangers, and their Pokemon.
"Where is it!?" a loud, almost mechanical sounding voice shouted.
From the cloud of smoke two figures emerged. One was a human being dressed in a dark blue and bright green costume with a gas mask that reminded Clemont of one of Team Omega's goons.
Next to that one was a Pokemon, or something Clemont believed it was a Pokemon. It had a large, bulky upper body, with a wide green armor pad wrapped around its shoulders, and undulating rings that allowed it to float in place of a lower body. Two long black arms grew out of its body, ending in massive, armored green hands with a black spike on the wrist and stubby black fingers. Its armor pads all had light blue lines running through them. It had an elliptical head with green facial markings, pupiless bright blue eyes, and an antenna ending on a green orb with two blue orbs constantly orbiting it.
"What... what kind of Pokemon is that!?" Theo asked, fear evident in his voice, as his shaky hands took out his pokedex and scanned it.
" Unknown Pokemon. No data available."
Oh. That was almost never good.
"It's gone... the uranium, all of it, it's gone..." the masked individual said. "WHERE IS IT!?"
Everybody flinched at the shout, followed by a deafening silence.
"Y-You!" Kellyn said, taking a step forward, his trusty Empirilla behind him. "Stop right where you are! Identify yourself right now! Failure to comply will result in retaliation!"
The masked being chuckled.
"If you need to know, my name is CURIE. This is Urayne," CURIE said. The Pokemon, Urayne, clenched its fists. "And if you don't answer my questions, oblivion is all that awaits all of you. Where is the uranium!?"
"You're the one behind all the attacks on the power plants, aren't you!?" Kellyn angrily said. "You... you're under arrest! Tell your Pokemon to stand back, and surrender! Or else!"
Curie chuckled mockingly. "Or else what? You'll make me submit by force? Heh, you have no idea of how big the abyss between your sorry lot and me is. But I'm more than willing to do a live demonstration. Urayne, Half-Life!"
"YES, MOTHER." Urayne replied, its voice loud and jarrying.
"What the... it can talk!?" Ash asked in shock.
"And it called that guy its mother ?" Serena asked, sharing Ash's incredulity.
Urayne thrust both hands forward, sending a stream of green energy rings. Even if Clemont recognized the attack as one used by his Geigeroach, this one was much bigger in scope, and probably more powerful.
The attack not only did hit Kellyn and his Empirilla, knocking them out both, but many rangers standing next to him as well as their Pokemon were blasted back by the splash damage.
"K-Kellyn!" Theo shouted.
"That was nothing but an iota of the power I command," CURIE said, and snapped her fingers. In an instant, the horde of nuclear Pokemon that had dispersed before quickly returned, forming a circle around everybody there. "Now heed my demands, or face your destruction."
"What the... can she control Nuclear Pokemon at will?" Clemont asked in abject terror.
Urayne flexed its arms, as green sparks began to jump out of its body, which quickly began to glow with a sickly emerald shimmer, ready to battle.
"Do you think we'll give any uranium to somebody like you!?" Kaito asked in both disgust and bewilderment. "So you can keep destroying our region and turn it into a poisoned wasteland? We will die before letting such a thing happen!"
"If death is what you seek, I'll be more than happy to oblige," CURIE said without mercy. "Urayne, Quantum Leap."
"AS YOU COMMAND."
In a flash of green light, Urayne vanished and instantly reappeared in front of Kaito and his Arbok, delivering a powerful backhand that sent the two of them flying.
"Lord Kaito!" a Nami clan ninja shouted.
"Kaito, my love!" Hinata screamed in horror, before looking at the aggressor. "W-Whimsicott, Moonblast!"
"Atomic Punch."
Whimsicott formed a huge energy ball of white and pink swirly light, before tossing it at Urayne. However, the unknown Pokemon clenched its fists, both glowing with a vibrant green light and crackling with green lightning, and with a mighty punch it burst the Fairy-type move like a bubble, before dashing towards the woman and her Mega Evolved Pokemon and delivering another punch in a vertical motion. Hinata and Whimsicott jumped aside just in time to avoid the hit, but were caught by the resulting explosion, blasting them in opposite directions.
"Lady Hinata!" a Tsuki clan ninja said as he rushed to help his leader, but was sadly intercepted by one of the Nuclear Pokemon surrounding them.
"Kill her, Urayne," CURIE declared without any emotion.
"We need to stop her!" Ash declared. "Pikachu, Greninja-"
"Yatagayru, Thunder!" a voice shouted.
The next second, a lightning bolt fell from the sky, striking Urayne and blasting it away from Hinata.
"Urayne!" CURIE shouted, as she rushed towards her Pokemon, before looking around. Even if no one could see her face, it was easy to imagine that she was seething with anger. "Who dares-"
"I dare!" the same voice from above said.
Everybody looked up to the sky, and saw a familiar redheaded man riding a dark blue and yellow dragon pokemon that only had three legs: a Yatagayru.
"Dad? No way..." Theo said, his mouth open agape, before the shock faded into unbridled joy. "Yes, it's him! Dad is back!"
"Cameron..." Clemont said, smiling a little. Not just because Theo's dad was alive and well, but because having seen him fight in the past, the inventor knew Cameron being here would help turn the tide of the battle.
"You!? How can it be...?" CURIE growled.
"Come on everyone! Time to counterattack!" Sayaka shouted, as all her Pokemon quickly engaged with the Nuclear Pokemon surrounding them, and was quickly followed by the rest of the ninjas and most Rangers.
With most of the Nuclear Pokemon busy, a pair of ninjas managed to sneak past the battle and help Hinata and Kaito walk out of there before they could take more harm.
"You won't find any uranium here, CURIE," Cameron said. "I know you've been the one behind these attacks. That's why, once I knew you were preparing to assault the last power plant, I had all the uranium removed and taken away to a hidden storage. I also tipped the rangers and the ninjas that you were coming. You fell right into my trap!"
"Trap? Was this supposed to be a trap?" CURIE asked, spreading her arms. "And tell me, now that you have us, how do you plan to subdue us? Those foolish ninjas already tried to fight me, and you can see how they ended."
"I also studied your Pokemon. Urayne, you called it, right?" Cameron asked. "It's powerful, yes. But you need to feed it nuclear fuel on a regular basis. Since you're attacking this plant, and given how desperate you are to get your hands on the uranium reserves, your Pokemon must be starving. And without fuel, it's powerless!"
"Powerless, you say?" CURIE asked, sounding almost insulted. "Let me show you then how 'powerless' we are. Urayne, Proton Beam!"
Urayne didn't say anything, and brought its hands together, quickly forming a green orb of power that crackled with electricity, before thrusting its hands into Cameron and Yatagayru's direction, shooting an energy beam surrounded by big concentrical rings of green light as it barreled upwards. The attack slammed into Yatagaryu, producing a loud explosion and taking the Pokemon down.
"DAD!" Theo shouted, as he rushed towards the falling Pokemon.
Clemont could only watch in abject horror as the adult trainer and his Pokemon fell to their doom. Cold sweat ran through his body as he stood frozen in shock.
"Say, how did you like that? Do you-"
"Metalynx, Night Slash! And Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.
"Meta!"
"ChuuUUUUUUUU!"
The Mega Evolved Grass and Steel-type rushed towards Urayne, the blade on her arm coated in dark power, before delivering a powerful swipe at Urayne, making it flinch backwards, followed by a yellow lightning bolt fired by Pikachu.
"IT... HURTS...!" the Nuclear Pokemon groaned.
"Urayne!" CURIE yelled. "Another Proton Beam! Reduce them to atoms!"
Everybody paled as Urayne quickly prepared the incredibly destructive attack, before firing it in their general direction. Fortunately, hearing Ash's voice snapped Clemont out of his horror-induced stupor, and jumped to action, with the perfect tool to stop it.
"G-Geigeroach, intercept it!" the inventor called.
"Ro, roach!" Geigeorach buzzed as he jumped in front of Urayne's attack.
Much to everybody's relief (and CURIE's shock) Geigeroach successfully blocked the energy beam without suffering any harm himself.
"W-WHAT!?"
"L-Luxray, Swift!" Clemont followed, his voice still quivering. "Geigeroach, Leech Life!"
"Syrentide, Hydro Pump! Pangoro, Thunder Punch!" Serena ordered.
"Skelerogue, Shadow Claw! Haagross, Sludge Bomb! Lopunny, Jump Kick!" Lilia added.
Urayne was quickly assaulted by a barrage of golden stars and missiles of grime, followed by a potent stream of water and a storm of sludge projectiles. Before the Nuclear Pokemon had time to recover, Pangoro and Skelerogue were in front of it, the former delivering an electrified haymaker and the latter a swipe of its hook for a hand covered in a shadowy aura, quickly followed by Geigeroach delivering a flurry of stabs with his claws and Lopunny hitting Urayne's head with a flying kick.
"Let's get out of here! Quantum Leap!" CURIE called, before looking into their direction. "This is nothing but a minor setback. I shall find the uranium no matter where you hide it. And then... all of you will pay for getting in our way."
Urayne began to glow with a green aura, this one shinning a brighter tone, before light of the same color exploded out of it, blinding everybody. When the light disappeared and everybody could see again, neither CURIE, Urayne, nor the Nuclear Pokemon were present anymore.
Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over Clemont, his legs feeling like jelly as he fell to his knees, his heart pounding and his breath becoming heavy.
"Clemont?" Serena asked worriedly as she crouched next to him. "Are... are you okay?"
Clemont nodded, and forced himself to smile "Y-Yes. It's just post-battle exhaustion. Just give me a second."
Yes, there was no reason to be afraid. The enemy was gone. They had prevented CURIE from destroying yet another Nuclear Plant. They had won.
"Is there any medic here? Please, my dad needs help!"
"Kellyn, hold on!"
"Lady Hinata, Lord Kaito, we will find you help!"
But as the desperate screams of help from Theo, the Rangers and the ninjas, it didn't come without a price.
And all of them knew that CURIE would be back, sooner rather than later.
Author's Note: Whew, quite a lot of things that happened here huh?
While we saw Theo recentaly at Snowbank Town, it's been a while since he and Ash had a match (back when Ash only had four badges). And even if it was cut short, I wanted to give them one last bout before the league begins. Sorry if you were expecting Pikachu to win his first match after finally recovering, but the period of inactivity has taken its toll on him and Theo is no longer that newbie trainer that barely knew how to strategize.
And for what most of you were expecting CURIE and Urayne finally made their big debut after spending most of the fic working from the shadows! Hope they caused quite the impression, because we're now arriving at the story's climax!
Thanks a lot to bige1218, Ricardo Valencia, MarcusDarkus87, Phillip Clark, beamknight87, Fox McCloude, BrightNova169 and hirowriter for reviewing the previous chapter.
Next time, our heroes counterattack and take the battle to CURIE's own turf. In the meantime, be sure to drop a review with your thoughts!