Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet
Chapter 23: Bombs Away with Titan Bombirdier!
Naranja Academy Schoolyard
"Juliana, for the last time, you'll be fine!" Nalani said with an annoyed sigh as she watched her friend pace back and forth, staring down at her cue cards as if her life depended on it. Juliana sighed and rubbed her temples, glancing at her Alolan friend with a grimace.
"Sorry! It's just, this could make or break my reputation here! I want to do a good job!" Juliana tried to defend herself to her three closest friends at the Academy besides Milo. The three other girls were sitting on the grass off to the side of the track, taking a break and trying to fully wake up. Dozens of vendor stalls, decorations and event stands had already been set up in the massive clearing. About forty students and faculty members were still helping finish the last of the preparations before the pep rally started a few hours from now. Naranja Academy took them rather seriously, which only added onto Juliana's nerves.
"Especially since you went from volunteering to help organize the event, to becoming the Archery Team Captain, and then being told you're doing a speech to kick the whole thing off." Sara said with a smirk, watching Juliana grimace again. A loud growling sound caught her attention, and Juliana glanced to the where she saw her team once again glaring at one another. Specifically, a very annoyed Nickit glaring at a Camerupt, Ampharos and Swablu who were all a short distance away. Juliana huffed and walked over to the cluster of Pokémon with her hands on her hips.
"Monty, Drake, Selene, it's okay. Niles is just being a little gremlin again." Juliana said to her three Pokémon respectively before turning to her unruly starter. In the many months that she had been a Trainer, and even after she had started the Paldean Gym Circuit, she had never managed to earn the respect of her Nickit. The rest of her team adored her, but the Nickit was still a hellion to anyone except her best friend. It was baffling to say the least.
"Oh, Niles…please stop picking fights." Juliana muttered as she scooped up Niles and walked back over to her friends, with her team following behind her. "Take five, everyone. We're taking a break."
Selene the Swablu trilled in response while Monty the Camerupt simply plopped down onto the ground and rested his head in the grass. Drake simply stood nearby, openly glaring at the Nickit held in Juliana's arms with frustration.
"You'd think after four badges that Niles would start behaving." Nalani said with a frown as the Nickit growled at the student. Juliana patted the Nickit on the head, quieting him a little.
"It is what it is. He'll grow up eventually, won't you Niles?" Juliana said with a small smile, causing the Nickit to let out a cry of protest. "Fine, fine. Anyways, I just gotta have faith that this'll all work out fine. I'm super nervous and that's fine."
"You'll do great, Julie!" Sara and Kara both called to their friend in unison, making the girl in question smile at her friend's support.
"It's kinda crap that Arven and Milo aren't here to back you up." Nalani remarked as she watched her friend sit down and lean against Monty the Camerupt, who had quickly drifted off to sleep.
"I know. I really didn't like it either, but Arven actually talked to me about it before he left. He said the Titan thing was way more important than school, and he promised me that he'd explain everything when he and Florian got back." Juliana explained with an annoyed huff. "He sounded so serious that I couldn't say anything else about it. Why he needs Florian though is a mystery."
"I keep forgetting that that's his actual name and not Milo." Nalani remarked lightly, with the others shrugging.
"Yeah, but he wants to be called that, so I indulge him." Juliana replied, sighing as she rubbed the side of her Camerupt. "He's Milo to you all, but he's always been Florian to me."
"You know, Arven doesn't really have any close friends besides you and Milo. Hell, I know me and Sara don't really talk to him a lot because he's had a few shouting matches with some of the other students that made us want to steer clear. But he seems to have mellowed out a bit recently." Kara said with a frown.
"Florian has that effect on people." Juliana said with a fond smile, closing her eyes as she tried to unwind. Draco the Ampharos nodded in agreement beside her before curling up into a loaf next to his Trainer.
"He managed to befriend both Nemona and Arven at the same time. Dude's the most socially antisocial person ever." Nalani giggled, earning a round of laughs from the other girls.
"Florian's got a lot of faults, but his best quality is that he lets people be themselves without judging them. He weathers Nemona's battle-obsession and puts up with Arven's prickliness. And in return, he's made two really good friends who think he's fantastic." Juliana said warmly, a note of pride in her voice when speaking about her closest friend.
"That's right, you've known Milo for ages, haven't you?" Sara asked Juliana, who nodded.
"Ever since I was three. His parents moved into the house next door to mine and Mum brought over a big cake to welcome them to the neighborhood. We went to primary school together and have always had each other's back. It's pretty interesting to see where Florian's gone since then." Juliana explained to her friends with a thoughtful smile.
"What do you mean?" Sara asked.
"Well, Florian back in Galar used to be pretty spineless." Juliana admitted, causing the three girls to gasp in surprise. "He's always been shy, no matter how much he wanted to make friends. I've always had to protect him when we were at school. Keep him safe from some of the jerks in class and get him out of the house, since he was always more comfortable at home than outside." Juliana explained, sighing as she thought about it. "Florian has kind of been in my shadow as a result, but I think he preferred it that way. He doesn't like to draw attention to himself."
"Yeah, dude's a recluse through and through. But that's not necessarily bad." Kara remarked, with Juliana nodding in agreement, but her expression had darkened.
"Bullies might have wanted to sometimes mess with him, but I could always stand up to those people. I've always been able to protect Florian, no matter what." Juliana said as she closed her eyes, her voice shaking despite herself. "Until I came here. And everything went wrong back home, and he got h-hurt…I wasn't there for him when he needed me most."
"But that wasn't your fault!" Nalani said angrily to her friend, knowing where this was going. In her early days at the Academy, this had been a recurring conversation.
"The second I wasn't there to protect him, he got hurt…it was so bad. I remember hearing him on the phone when he woke up. It was horrible. He sounded so broken…" Juliana whispered, her voice hitching as she spoke, opening her eyes. There were unshed tears in them.
"Juliana…" Nalani murmured, seeing how distressed the girl was as she curled into a ball.
"Julie, you had no choice when you had to leave Galar for Paldea a week ahead of Milo. You were pissed about not being able to go there at the same time as him. You wanted to watch the Champion Cup together and were livid that you couldn't. And if you stayed behind, you would have died." Kara said firmly, with Juliana slowly nodding in agreement.
"And…and Florian got better. He recovered, and he finally got to come to Naranja Academy. And I thought that everything would go back to how it always was. He'd be safe and happy and make a bunch of friends and I could make sure he was okay...I never felt truly comfortable here until Florian came back to me." Juliana admitted softly, shaking her head.
"Ua like ʻo ia me ka home, ʻaʻole anei?" Nalani asked Juliana quietly, who blinked at the question. Nalani caught herself and responded in her second-language. "He feels like home, doesn't he? You two are practically siblings. Of course you'd not feel truly okay until your closest friend was standing beside you once again."
"You know, that's a good way of putting it." Juliana answered, wiping her eyes and trying to focus on regaining her composure. "He's always had my back. He's my rock. I wouldn't be where I am today without Florian backing me up."
"I can see why. He's the kind of person you can be yourself around. You can let your walls down, you know?" Sara noted, earning the attention of the other girls. "Even if you didn't ask us to be nice to him when he first showed up, I would've wanted to be his friend anyway. Plus, he's kinda cute."
"Oh god, don't say that. Don't be weird." Juliana said with a grimace, though she and the other girls giggled.
Kara chimed in as soon as they had stopped laughing. "It's nice being around someone who's mellow and supportive like he is. Plus, he might be shy, but he's a lot more bold than he looks. Standing up to Team Star on your first day of school takes some guts! Especially when outnumbered two-to-one!"
"Florian's using Naranja Academy as a fresh start. A reset, you know? He's running with this second chance and doing all sorts of crazy stuff and it's awesome, but kinda scary. Who'd have thought Florian would take to being a Trainer so naturally?" Juliana asked rhetorically, remembering the boy who used to always hide behind her and lurk in his room all the time.
"And now he's gonna monster-hunting alongside Arven. What a world, huh?" Kara remarked with a smirk, causing Juliana to snort in amusement.
"Yeah…what a world." Juliana muttered, taking a deep breath and leaning back onto her warm Camerupt and attempting to actually relax. Everything was fine, after all. Florian could handle himself as a Trainer and Arven was watching his back. She had nothing to worry about.
Meanwhile…
Milo and Koraidon dashed up the mountainside overlooking Cortondo, with Koraidon grinning at being able to go full-throttle. Milo simply held on for dear-life, though that wasn't to say that the ride was rough. Koraidon seemed to be getting better about navigating Paldea with Milo riding onboard with enough care that the teen wouldn't get thrown around too much. Sometimes it was even comfortable sitting atop the beast while it dashed through the Wilds.
The Galarian student occasionally zoned out during the long stretches of time where he was traveling with Koraidon, and he reflected on the previous night.
Arven and Milo had indeed gone to Smoliv Garden, where the former enjoyed the endless pasta bowl special with all-you-can-eat breadsticks while Milo enjoyed some soup and, of course, the all-you-can-eat-breadsticks. Milo, however, exercised caution and didn't gorge himself like he had the first time that he had visited the establishment. Arven had no such reservations and ate his heart out.
The Galarian had also spotted Katy and her husband-to-be, Guzma, eating at the same restaurant and seated at the largest table surrounded by the other Gym Staff. The Alolan-born Trainer had been boisterous and uncouth the entire time, openly making inappropriate jokes and being way too loud when the wine was brought out. Milo openly wondered how the wild man had landed a polite and kind-hearted woman like Katy who seemed to be his polar-opposite.
And yet he saw the tenderness in his gaze when he talked to his fiancé. And Milo saw the adoration the woman held for the man who she would marry, and knew that despite their vastly different personalities, the two of them were deeply in love and happy. It was something Milo had thought about several times the previous night and even that morning.
"I wonder if I can ever be that happy with someone." Milo thought to himself before briefly thinking of Nemona. The teen flushed and shook his head, mentally berating himself for getting distracted. He had a Titan to hunt down.
Arven had explained his findings in-depth over dinner last night. According to him, the only way to get to the top of the summit where the Titan lurked was up the enormous slope that led right to the top of the mountain. The very same slope that had boulders rolling almost nonstop down it. The duo had spotted what looked like a massive bird dropping things from up in the clouds, but the distance and danger made it impossible to get a better look at the beast.
"Koraidon's probably more than up for the challenge, considering how good I've gotten at guiding it and how quick it can run now." Milo thought to himself, which caused the teen to ironically slow down Koraidon until it reached a comfortable stride that didn't disturb Milo as he pulled out his Rotom Phone and called Arven's number. Arven picked up on the third ring, letting out a groan before a horrific sound reverberated in the background.
"W-w-what is it?" Arven rasped, causing Milo to chuckle despite himself.
"Why does it sound like a Hippowdon trying to operate a forklift right now?" Milo remarked with a smirk while Arven sighed angrily in the background.
"S-s-shut up…ooooaaaghh my stomach…" Arven wheezed while the Remnant cackled within Milo's mind.
You did warn him about Smoliv Garden. Ask him if he needs any antacids.
"Do you need any antacids? Maybe some moist towelettes or baby wipes? Things gotta be a little rough back there." Milo said with a massive grin while Arven scoffed. Meanwhile the Remnant just laughed harder.
"J-just…find that Titan. I'll catch up." Arven responded before hanging up the phone, with Milo giggling as he hopped back on Koraidon and sped up the mountain. This time he was oddly pleased by how much easier trekking around this side of Paldea was. He was surrounded by lush green grass and the sea breeze rolled over the mountains, keeping him cool. He had Koraidon take a break after crossing a bridge.
As Milo bit into a granola bar he walked alongside Koraidon and some of his team. Watt the Shiny Pikachu sat on his left shoulder while Storm the Wattrel sat on his right. Reggie waddled alongside him, growling what sounded like a tune of some kind. The trek alongside the mountain and past the windmills was invigorating for Milo, even if he was a homebody who enjoyed staying indoors.
"Hopefully the weather holds up. It's a nice day out for a picnic-" Milo began to say, only for a massive boulder to roll past him. Milo followed where the boulder had come from and saw dozens more rolling down the mountain. He even spotted the massive bird-like monster chucking them downwards. The teen hadn't realized that he had reached his goal already.
"You gotta take some time to relax, you know?" spoke a voice to the right of Milo, who turned and saw a man in a blue shirt and dress pants sitting down at a picnic table, enjoying a sandwich with a Goomy. Milo blinked several times before he was able to come up with some kind of response to this situation.
"There's a bunch of deadly boulders raining down the mountain and you're having a picnic a few hundred feet away? Are you crazy?" Milo demanded as he returned Reggie, Storm and Watt before hopping atop Koraidon.
"Ha! You sound just like my parole officer!" the man remarked, throwing up even more red flags in Milo's mind and making the teen desire nothing more to get away from the Weird Picnic Guy.
With that Milo urged Koraidon towards the mountain, his apprehension growing as more and more boulders rained down. Two full days of searching for a path to the top yielded no results, which meant that the only path to the top was the one with the boulders. Even more tellingly, this path offered Milo a direct view of the Titan itself.
"Alright bud…let's go!" Milo shouted as Koraidon let out a soft growl of acknowledgement before suddenly zooming forward. The grass rushed past them as Koraidon began to zig-zag up the mountainside, dodging the large spherical boulders that rained down from above. Milo held onto the mount for dear life as he guided the movements of the Pokémon that Professor Sada had entrusted to him.
The ground quickly shifted into dirt as Milo and Koraidon rushed forward, darting in-between the boulders as they drew closer and closer to the top of the mountain. Milo also got a better look at the massive bird that was the culprit behind the rockfall, and noticed it narrowing its eyes in anger at their efforts to scale the mountain. Milo noticed that the bird was white and black, with a strange white strange protrusion sticking out of its chest. As Milo and Koraidon zoomed past several broken wooden posts in the ground, the Titan let out a screech of anger.
"Giaaas!" Koraidon barked out as it swerved to avoid a small boulder, with Milo gritting his teeth as he urged his mount faster and faster up the mountain. Eventually, the boulders stopped rolling past them as the bird flew away, allowing Milo and Koraidon to reach the top. The teen let out a harsh sigh before realizing where he was actually at. On a rather large ledge at the top of the mountain that overlooked West Paldea. It offered an amazing view of the country, with Cortondo a faint smudge down below.
It also meant that if Milo and Koraidon fell from this position, they would never survive.
As if on cue, the Open Sky Titan swooped around the mountain and lobbed another boulder at Milo and Koraidon. The draconic mount dashed to the side to avoid the massive rock as it slammed into the side of the mountain and then promptly rolled down the cliff. Milo shuddered at the Titan's blatant attempt to kill him, and then noticed that the bird was unamused that its efforts had failed.
"Sto-o-o-o-ork!" the Titan shrieked at Milo, swooping down from on-high and hovering over the path that led back down the mountain. Milo's mouth twitched at the Pokémon's actions, realizing that it was actually quite clever. Now Milo had no escape off of the mountain and was effectively trapped.
"That's fine. I was planning on kicking your ass anyway!" Milo said to the Titan Pokémon as he hopped off of Koraidon and readied the Ultra Ball in his hands. In response the bird screeched at Milo, flapping its wings and sending a fierce blast of wind into the face of the teen and Koraidon. The draconic mount growled in annoyance, but Milo was preparing for battle.
Watt, Storm, Echo, Momo, Reggie and Donut.
Pikachu, Wattrel, Toxel, Skwovet, Crocalor, and Fidough.
"Let's roll the dice…Watt, you're up!" Milo shouted as he sent out his Shiny Pikachu, who appeared in a flash of light and a faint shower of sparkles. Watt crouched to all fours and glared up the massive bird ahead of them. Milo winced as the Nuzlocke Curse took effect, with the all-too-familiar pressure gripping his heart as the Remnant cackled with delight. The teen shook off the sensation and pulled out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Titan, pulling up the appropriate Pokédex entry through the app.
"Bombirdier. The Item Drop Pokémon. It gathers things up in an apron made from shed feathers added to the Pokémon's chest feathers, then drops those things from high places for fun." The Rotom Phone explained to the teen, who shook his head with an annoyed sigh. Watt caught his attention by crying out to the Titan Pokémon, who honked back at the much, much smaller Pikachu.
The Shiny Pikachu glanced back and nodded at Milo, who smiled and nodded back. He had gotten to know both Floom the Shiny Drifloon and Watt the Shiny Pikachu a bit since catching them the day before, and he had learned that Watt really enjoyed battling compared to some of his other Pokémon. Milo pulled out his Tera Orb, already knowing how he'd deal with a Flying-type like this.
"Let's show this thing what we're made of, Watt! Terastallize!" Milo shouted as he held his Tera Orb to the sky, priming it. A whirlwind of Terastal Energy surged into the object before it flashed white, signaling that it was ready for use. Milo tossed the ball towards his Shiny Pikachu, who was showered in sparkling energy that allowed her to Terastallize into an even shinier Tera Pikachu. Glowing yellow crystals covered the Pikachu, with a lightbulb-like Tera Crown resting on her head.
"Pika pii!" Watt cried out, a crackle of electricity surging through her as she glared down the massive bird with a fierce smile.
"I've only had her for a day, so she doesn't have much experience. But I fed her some XP candies, so she should be roughly as strong as Cocoa or Reggie. Let's see how she does!" Milo thought to himself as Titan Bombirdier suddenly surged forward with a screech, diving at them. Koraidon moved quickly, wrapping its tail around Milo and pulling him away from the attack while jumping to the side itself. Meanwhile Watt jumped into the air, flipping over the Titan Pokémon and landing on its back.
Titan Bombirdier let out a squawk of surprise, stopping in its tracks as it felt a light weight on its back. The mighty bird screeched as it turned around and spotted the Tera Pikachu on its back, matching her Trainer's smirk of amusement.
"Nuzzle!" Milo shouted as the Pikachu began to rub its cheeks with its hands, generating a fearsome charge of electricity thanks to the Tera Crown atop her head that was amplifying the power of the move. Watt then began to rub nuzzle the back of the Titan, who screeched loudly as the super-effective attack dealt major damage to it.
Titan Bombirdier's body also began to seize up, and it actually dropped out of the sky and collapsed onto the ledge that Milo was standing on with a pained groan as electricity sparked around it.
"And there's the paralysis…thank god for Battle Studies." Milo muttered, smiling despite himself. He may have been in a fight for his life, but the adrenaline from battling always served to make that part of the fight more palatable. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Titan Bombirdier let out a deafening screech as its wings glowed brightly. It suddenly swooped forward, smacking Watt hard and sending her flying into the side of the mountain with a audible crack of stone.
"That's Wing Attack! Watt, are you okay?" Milo asked his Pikachu as she fell to the ground. Watt got back to her feet quickly, shaking her head violently as if to clear it. She then looked to Milo and nodded before dashing over to where her Trainer was standing.
"That was a nasty Wing Attack…okay, let's try this out. Let's hit that thing with an Electro Ball!" Milo shouted as his Pikachu crouched low before leaping high into the air, dodging an attempt from Bombirdier to smack the Pikachu away. A small sphere of rapidly expanding electricity formed at the tip of the Shiny Pikachu's tail, and soon it was ready to be released. When the Pikachu was at around eye-level with the Item Drop Pokémon, she attacked.
"PIKAAA!" Watt yelled out as she spun around, flinging the Electro Ball straight into the face of the paralyzed Titan Pokémon. A deafening crackle of electricity erupted as the attack connected, releasing a shockwave of of power as Watt landed lightly on the ground and ran back towards Milo.
The Galarian student watched as Titan Bombirdier staggered forward, its eyes glazed. It then swayed back and forth on its feet and before it collapsed onto the ground with a mighty thud, fainting a few moments later.
In just two attacks, huh? You're getting better at this.
"Yeah, that went way quicker than last time." Milo remarked with an amazed smile, glancing over at Watt as the Terastallization effect faded away. The Shiny Pikachu ran over to Milo, who knelt down and rubbed her head.
I also saw what you did there. It was admittedly pretty clever. Nuzzle will basically always paralyze the opponent if it connects. Paralysis slows down your opponent drastically. Following that up with Electro Ball, which does more damage if your Pokémon outspeeds the opponent, creates an interesting one-two punch. If your friend Nemona was here she'd be ecstatic.
"I'll take the compliment." Milo said with a smile, pleased with how well the battle had gone. He had even earned some praise from the Remnant, which shocked him even more.
"Good work, Watt. You were great." Milo quickly knelt down and applied a Potion to Watt, who was looking distinctly proud of herself for bringing down such a mighty opponent. The teen scratched the back of the Pikachu's ear, earning a happy sigh from the Pokémon.
Koraidon let out a loud growl of warning to Milo, who glanced up and then swore in surprise. Titan Bombirdier had regained consciousness with an alarmed expression as it slowly stood back up, albeit wobbly. It then let out an angry chirp before flying to the higher ledge nearby and landing on the ground. Milo watched the enormous bird slowly draw back its head before slamming it hard enough into the mountain to smash apart some loose rocks on the side of the cliff and reveal a massive hole.
Seriously? Why did it need to headbutt the…never mind. Forget it.
"Another cave? Looks like the one Titan Klawf used." Milo thought with some surprise as he winced at the explosion of dust and dirt that was billowing past him. Through it, he saw the Titan Pokémon reaching into the cave and pulling out something bright green from within.
"Wait a sec, is that…" Milo trailed off as he watched the bird eating something off of the ground. However, he was sidetracked from his thoughts when a familiar shout caught his attention.
"Milo! You managed to get to the Titan somehow, huh?" Arven said with a huff as he jogged over to his friend, who looked at him with an exasperated expression.
"About time you got here! What, did you run out of toilet paper?!" Milo demanded from Arven, who flushed with embarrassment. Milo then noticed that a small piece of toilet paper was actually stuck to the bottom of Arven's shoe and rolled his eyes.
"A-a-anyway, looks like you started fighting without me." Arven said with a cough, holding a hand over his eyes to block out the sun and get a clear view at the bird that was still chomping away at something green that was out of their field of view. "So that's the Open Sky Titan…Wait, is this Titan what's been drooping all those boulders?!"
The younger student crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah. Shockingly enough, it was actually a Pokémon that apparently loves to drop crap on people. Go figure."
Arven nodded, smirking a little as he glanced at Milo. "I was lucky enough to be able to sneak up here because it had all its attention on you, little bud!"
"Stoo-o-ork!" Titan Bombirdier screeched as it slowly turned towards them, a stalk of what looked like a glowing green plant in its mouth that it swiftly gobbled down. The bird flared its wings threateningly as Watt stood protectively in front of her Trainer.
"I knew it! That's Herba Mystica!" Milo called out, feeling a tinge of horror grip him. He remembered how much stronger Titan Klawf had gotten after the boost it had received from the potent plants.
"Looks like it's trying to power itself up. Like with some kinda mystical Meal Power or something." Arven remarked as he readied a Poké Ball, a smirk coming to his face as he glanced at Milo. "So we'd better be ready to go all out!"
Titan Bombirdier suddenly launched itself into the sky with a mighty flap of its wings, soaring through the air until it was able to turn around and come to face the two Trainers, glaring furiously at them before releasing a deafening screech. A massive explosive plume of green energy erupted outwards from Titan Bombirdier, blasting the group away from the enormous bird. When the plume cleared, a faint green aura was burning around the Titan Pokémon.
"Looks like it's taking a note from Titan Klawf's playbook. That thing's going to be a menace!" Milo said with a wince, since he was actually able to feel the raw power emanating from the bird now.
"Stooo-ooorrrrk!" Titan Bombirdier screeched as it suddenly swooped past, causing Arven to throw himself to the ground while Koraidon leapt to the side along with Watt. The massive stork circled around, glaring down at them hatefully.
"Trying to drop rocks on folks is dangerous! Let's give this thing a good taste of defeat!" Arven shouted, throwing aside one of his arms before throwing the Poké Ball in his hands. "Nusret, let's go!"
"Naaaa!" the Nacli cried out, appearing on the ground beside Watt. The Pikachu and Nacli stared down the Titan Pokémon as it released another deafening screech, and the battle officially rolled into the next phase. Milo glanced down at his Tera Orb and saw that it was back to full-power, despite having used it a few minutes ago.
"Thanks to that weird explosion, my orb got recharged again." Milo thought before pointing a finger at Titan Bombirdier. "Quick Attack, Watt!"
"Pika pika pika piiiika!" Watt cried out as she sped forward in a streak of light, leaping forward and slamming hard into the chest of Titan Bombirdier, causing the massive bird to wince in pain. Milo gasped as the Titan's wings glowed white, and the Titan retaliated with a Wing Attack that sent the Shiny Pikachu flying backwards with a pained cry. Milo ran over to his Pokémon, who slowly got back up with a pained grimace.
"Watt, are you okay!?" Milo called out to his Pikachu, who nodded without looking away from the Titan Pokémon. A sudden screech of surprise caught Milo's attention, and he realized that the Open Sky Titan was, for the second time, wincing in discomfort as a crackle of static enveloped it.
"Looks like it's having trouble moving! Good stuff!" Arven called out to Milo, who was amazed at his continued streak of good luck.
"It's paralyzed again?" Milo muttered, confused as he tried to figure out why the massive bird was struggling to move. He then glanced down at the crystalline Pikachu next to him before it hit him.
"Static…that Wing Attack made contact with Watt, and that activated her Ability. Now that bird's paralyzed, and we have the upper hand!" Milo called to Arven, who grinned with excitement as he rolled up his sleeves.
"Perfect. Nacli, go for Rock Throw!" Arven called as the Nacli suddenly launched a large rock towards the Titan Pokémon, smacking it upside the head and causing it to plummet out of the sky for several long seconds before it shot high into the air with a dangerous gleam in its eye.
"How does it feel having rocks dropped on your head for a change, you big jerk!?" Arven asked as he shook his fist at the Titan, who shot the older teen a nasty look in response.
"Stoork stoor!" the Open Sky Titan cried out, even as it circled around the peak of the mountain. Milo and Arven both noticed that the bird was keeping its distance, seemingly realizing that it was facing two opponents that had a type-advantage over it.
"Well, that's just great! How are we supposed to win a fight against something so far away?" Arven demanded, crossing his arms. Milo was likewise concerned, and thought quickly about what they could do. "We need to get it close again. Maybe we could provoke it somehow? Any ideas on how to piss it off?"
"That's a thought. Well, looks like it's time to annoy something that's perfectly capable of smashing me to bits." Milo thought with an annoyed sigh before suddenly taking a deep breath and yelling out. "Bring it on, you oversized chicken! We're not scared of you!"
"Giaaaaasss!" Koraidon roared in agreement, rearing on its hind legs and forcing Milo to hold onto the creature for dear life.
"Pi pika pi!" Watt cried out in agreement as the Titan Pokémon narrowed its eyes before suddenly soaring right at them all. Milo saw his chance and prepared himself to act.
"Watt, let's go! Terastallize!" Milo shouted as he yanked out his recharged Tera Orb and held it up as Koraidon snarled at the ever-approaching and infuriated Bombirdier, trying to intimidate it long enough for Milo to empower his Pikachu with energy. The Mouse Pokémon Terastallized, emerging from her crystal in a shower of sparks and wearing her Tera Crown once more. The Titan Pokémon tried to stop its forward flight, but only managed to slow itself down a little due to its paralysis.
"Watt, let's go! Electro Ball!" Milo shouted as his Pikachu jumped high into the air, charging a sphere of pulsating electricity before spinning around and slinging it downwards at Titan Bombirdier as it flew under her. Unfortunately for the Open Sky Titan, it was moving too fast to dodge the sphere of electricity. The Titan was struck directly, screeching even as it smashed hard into the mountainside and threw Milo and Koraidon backwards, knocking them to the ground.
"No, Milo! Get away from him, you stupid stork!" Arven shouted as he picked up his Nacli and ran over to where Milo and Koraidon had been knocked down. Watt was running towards them as well, but that didn't help the fact that Milo and Koraidon were effectively trapped by the dazed bird that was more than capable of killing them up close.
Koraidon got back up, glancing up at a dazed Milo who was clutching his arm while sitting on the beast's back. Blood gently leaked from a scrape on his elbow due to making contact with the rock, but the teen was otherwise just fine. As Milo recovered, he noticed that the Titan Pokémon had them cornered and was absolutely livid, taking flight into the air and screeching angrily at the young Trainer as it hovered mere feet away.
The Open Sky Titan then spotted Arven out of the corner of its eye, running towards the action with a worried expression. The mighty bird hissed softly in annoyance.
Titan Bombirdier quickly lashed out with a wing and launched a wave of rocks at the Trainer using Rock Throw. Arven screamed out in surprise, but it was Nusret who leapt out of Arven's arms and tanked the attack for his Trainer. The Rock Salt Pokémon landed on the ground with a pained groan, causing Arven to cry out.
"No! Nusret, are you okay!? Please be okay!" Arven shouted out almost hysterically, dropping down to his knees with a frantic expression on his face. He was relieved to see only minor scrapes along the side of the Nacli, who let out a small cry and bobbed up and down on the ground. Arven let out a shaky sigh of relief before glancing back at Titan Bombirdier, who had still pinned Milo and Koraidon to the mountain but was now facing them. Arven clenched his fists with an expression of absolute fury on his face.
"We're not just gonna sit here and take that, you oversized turducken! Nusret, hit 'em with a Smack Down!" Arven said as he held out his Nacli, who charged up and fired off an orange sphere of energy that flew towards the Titan Pokémon and struck it right in its chest. The Open Sky Titan cried out as it suddenly shot towards the ground and crashed down hard beside Koraidon, Watt and Milo.
Koraidon growled threateningly at the stunned Bombirdier, who was now stuck on the ground thanks to Smack Down. A faint crackle of scarlet energy surged through Koraidon as it tried to call upon its powers, but a tremor wracked the body of the beast and it let out a pained gasp. Milo pressed a hand against the side of the draconic mount, intending to comfort the creature.
But it was then that Milo got an idea. He gauged the short distance between themselves and Titan Bombirdier, and after realizing it was enough to get a running start, Milo placed a hand on Koraidon's side and patted it a few times.
"I know you can't fight right now, but…You think you can run really really fast for a second and headbutt that jerk?" Milo said to Koraidon, who stared at Milo for a minute before grinning and nodding at the boy. Titan Bombirdier blinked a few times as it regained awareness, but by that time Milo was ready to make his move.
"RAM IT!" Milo shouted as Koraidon suddenly let out a loud snarl, lunging forward and slamming its head right into the Titan Pokémon's skull. A sharp crack reverberated through the air as Watt, Arven and Nusret all flinched simultaneously.
"STO-O-O-ORK!" Titan Bombirdier let out an agonized screech, staggering backwards as blood streamed from the wound that Koraidon had just dealt. If Milo hadn't already known how powerful Koraidon actually was, he would've been shocked by how effective the non-move had been. It looked like the head of the Titan had been cracked open.
"Watt, go for another Electro Ball! Make this one count!" Milo called to the Tera Pikachu, who's crown let loose a small pulse of electricity as she leapt into the air once again. Electricity quickly formed at the tip of her tail in the shape of a sphere, expanding until it was a foot in diameter. The Shiny Pikachu swung around and let the attack loose right into the face of Titan Bombirdier.
"STORK!" Titan Bombirdier cried out, staggering backwards several steps with a disoriented look in its eyes as it flailed its wings uselessly. And then finally, the Titan Pokémon opened its beak to let out one last honk of pain before tripping and falling backwards onto the ground and fainting.
The Open Sky Titan had been defeated.
…It had also been standing very close to tip the ledge. And when the Titan collapsed, it promptly slid over the ledge and off of the cliff. Arven's jaw dropped as Milo winced at the sudden development.
I wish I had a witty joke about that, but I've got nothing.
"Um…whoops?" Milo said with an awkward laugh, even as a distinct boom rang out that echoed throughout the mountainside. The Nuzlocke Curse suddenly lifted from Milo, who let out a sigh of relief while Arven ran over to him.
"Yesss! Way to go, Milo!" Arven cheered once he recovered his composure, giving Milo a thumbs up and a wide grin. Arven did several excited fist pumps, and Milo matched his friend's smile with a grin of his own. The Galarian held up his hand and Arven slapped it, with Nusret and Watt (who had returned to normal) letting out joyful cries alongside Koraidon's loud growl.
"Good work everyone. That was excellent." Milo said proudly to the team, with Arven clapping the younger student on the shoulder as he laughed. He then pulled Milo into a tight hug for a few moments before pulling away.
"Looks like we don't have to worry about any more boulders falling on us now, huh?" Arven said brightly before looking towards the cave opening that Titan Bombirdier had revealed. It was obvious that this cave, much like with Titan Klawf, had been where the Open Sky Titan had pulled out the Herba Mystica it had used to power itself up.
"There has to be more of that Herba Mystica it ate in there." Arven muttered, pulling out a flashlight as Milo returned Watt and Koraidon. Arven returned Nusret, a thoughtful expression on his face before he glanced back towards the cliff that their opponent had fallen off of.
"Let's hurry and find it before the Titan can come back for another go at us!" Arven suggested, with Milo nodding in agreement. The two of them dashed into the cave, and their search began in earnest.
"If we're lucky, there'll be another herb here…" Arven remarked quietly as he led the way through the cave, with Milo close behind. Finally, the duo emerged into a large cavern that was illuminated by the green glow of a large plant growing out of the ground at the far end of the chamber.
"I knew it!" Arven shouted as he and Milo approached the Herba Mystica, which was surrounded by shining moss. A powerful aura of green light poured from the special herb, and Milo wondered yet again what all these strange plants were truly capable of.
"It really is here! This is one of the herbs, make no mistake!" Arven whispered, kneeling down on the ground and inspecting it carefully. Arven carefully snipped several leaves off of the plant, making sure not to damage it. He then stood and let out a laugh of what seemed to be relief and excitement. "Woo-hoo! We did it! Thanks, Milo!"
"Always happy to help, mate." Milo said with a grin as Arven returned his smile. The older student then pulled out the Scarlet Book from his backpack and began to flip through it.
"Now then, let's see…What does the book have to say?" Arven muttered under his breath as he tried to find the appropriate entry. "Ahh, there we go. Bitter Herba Mystica's great for your circulation! It really gets the blood flowing! And that warms you right up, nice and toasty, even boosting the immune system!"
"That's incredible. Just a plant can do all of that?" Milo asked, glancing at the large plant still glowing beside them.
"...Or so it says." Arven finished saying, rubbing the back of his head. He then put away the book with a thoughtful expression, crossing his arms. "If I can just slip this into a tasty sandwich and get him to eat some…"
"What was that?" Milo asked, not quite hearing his friend. Arven waved away the question before rolling up his sleeves.
"Well, what are we waiting for, Milo? It's time to dig in! Let me whip something up for us!" Arven said with a laugh, marching over to the table and setting down his backpack and pulling out ingredients. He also called out Munchy, Barbossa and Nusret so that they could relax. Milo did the same and called out his team, save for Koraidon, and let out a sigh of relief as he sat down on a nearby rock as he watched Arven get started on their lunch.
Milo's Current Party:
Reggie (Crocalor) M - Tera Fire
Storm (Wattrel) F - Tera Flying
Watt (Shiny Pikachu) F - Tera Electric
Echo (Toxel) F - Tera Ice
Momo (Skwovet) M - Tera Steel
Donut (Fidough) F - Tera Ice
Benched/PC Storage:
Cocoa (P. Wooper) F - Tera Ground
Floom (Shiny Drifloon) M - Tera Ghost
Fiona (Flittle) F - Tera Grass
Shelly (Shellder) F - Tera Fighting
Bronson (Barboach) M - Tera Fire
Volt (Pawmi) F -Tera Steel
Smith (Applin) M - Tera Water
Fleur (Steenee) F - Tera Dark
Graveyard:
Pepper (Maschiff) F - Tera Poison
Sparky (Pawmi) M - Tera Electric
Victor (Venonat) M - Tera Electric
Another Titan in the books. So far so good.
I loved some of the feedback I got last chapter regarding the insane luck that happened with this run. Don't worry, some of that luck will even out in some of the most ridiculous ways…
Q & A
From: SolanaLeonhart
I was actually wondering-what do you think of the paldea professors? Everything about the game makes me wonder about their end goal and the kind of people they were. Lousy parents but good people overall maybe?
I think the Professors were good people (or people with good intentions) who ultimately fell victim to obsession, which blinded them to the risks of their ambitions. It's a running theme of a series, from Team Aqua/Magma to Chairman Rose. They were definitely lousy parents, for sure, but I feel that they were good people overall.
I plan on exploring Professor Sada as a character later on in the story and flesh out her backstory a bit more. And not just during the Titan segments where she checks in on Koraidon!
I'll give a big shoutout to the absolute legends who reviewed since the last update, which includes SolanaLeonhart, BraviaryScout, a Guest reviewer and two new reviewers known as Oragonking and AzureFury75! Thank you for your feedback and support.
Big thanks also go to ErisThePunkQueen for favoriting and following the story!
If you enjoyed the chapter, please show your support (if you haven't already, of course) with a favorite and/or follow and leave your thoughts in the review section below. You can also leave questions that I can answer too. This fic is also cross-posted on AO3 if that's how you roll.
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!