Flames curled high above docked ships, casting violent orange shadows that danced over the water. Screams and battle cries filled the air as trainers and officers fought to contain the chaos. But above all the chaos, drifting slowly toward the port, floated a pink, balloon like Pokémon Wigglypuff.
She drifted with serene grace, completely unfazed by the chaos below. And standing calmly atop her head was a lone Trainer. His scarlet coat fluttered in the breeze, flaring open to reveal a black shirt beneath. A red fedora sat atop his head, tilted slightly forward, casting a shadow across his eyes like polished scarlet rubies, gleaming with quiet focus.
Next to him, floating with a low electric buzz, was a Pokédex. Or rather, a Rotom possessing one.
"So," I asked, glaring over the brim of my hat, "how much longer do you think we have?"
Rotom gave me a uncerttain smile. "Ehh… maybe five minutes? But we'll be there soon, so don't worry, Alex Carter."
I groaned and pressed both palms against my face. "I'm going to kill myself before we even land. We've been floating for half anhour!" I shouted, throwing my arms out toward the burning skyline.
With a long exhale, I dropped onto Jigglypuff's soft head like a corpse giving up. I tilted my eyes toward the stars, trying to lose myself in them.
But the thoughts came anyway.
Will the quest still be completed if I arrive late? What are they going to give me as a clue? Will I even be able to arrive before something happens? What the fuck is even happening?!
I clenched my teeth. Beneath my breath, too low for Rotom to hear, I muttered "Are you fuckers there?"
"....."
The silence was hard to take, but what was harder was how annoyed I was with them. It was more than annoying that they could contact me anytime they wanted, yet I couldn't do the same.
I sat up slowly, dragging a hand down my face. The exhaustion from the morning clung to my skin like damp fog. When I looked down again, I realized we had already drifted over the port. Jigglypuff was guiding us lower on her own, quiet and steady.
Below us, the chaos was even worse. Fire raged along the ships. Trainers scrambled in panicked clusters trying to hold back the flames. Police officers were shouting, trying to form a perimeter, though even from this high, I could see they had no idea what was the cause of the fire.
"Should we help with the ships, Alex Carter?" Rotom asked, his tone soft and hesitant.
I peeked down over the edge, scanning the fires, the water, the waves. "No. I don't have anything that can handle with fire. We'd just get in the way. So its better to find the source and handle the root."
I turned my head again, eyes sweeping the dock.
Then, I heard it.
A roar. It sounded like it had been torn straight out of someone's soul.
I froze.
Then came the flash, a pulse of purple energy sliced through the air ahead of us and exploded in a crackling burst above the port.
"Now that's a root," I muttered.
I dropped to a crouch, leaning next to Wigglypuff's ear. "Miss Jiggly, could you take us in that direction? Toward the blast."
Jigglypuff looked back, eyes gleaming with a smile that was a little too proud, and gave a firm nod. With a gentle turn, she drifted toward the source of the pulse.
"Alex Carter," Rotom said, buzzing beside me, "are you absolutely sure about this?"
I gave him a grin half smug, half reassuring.
"Rotom. We've got a level seventy nine Jigglypuff with us. Sure, she only knows TriAttack for offense… but she's a tank. And at the end of the day all we have to do is stall long enough before she shows up and handle everything. I mean she gave us Wigglypuff for a reason."
I gave the city one last glance as we descended, my coat flaring in the heat of the fires below.
"If we play our cards right," I said, "this might be the easiest fight we've had yet."
Meanwhile, on the ship...
The air was thick with heat and noise while the deck groaned beneath the weight of chaos. Khan was fighting with everything he got to protect the Crystal while Weezing hovered above the deck, its body swelling in a odd way as it gathered poison to finish Sammy, a deep violet glow pulsing from within its form. Down below, Sammy was trapped in the heart of the Twister. The miniature tornado tore at his clothes and skin like a thousand invisible knives and forced him to raise both hands in front of his face, but the storm was relentless.
And then came the Sludge Bomb.
Weezing let out a hiss as it hurled the thick ball of toxin directly at the boy struggling to stay still inside the vortex.
But it never reached him.
A shadow leapt forward.
Tusk.
The Axew's body arced through the air and in the middle of the jump, he changed.
A radiant light, shimmering like star burst from within him. Rainbow hues spiraled over his scales, wrapping his form. as he grew larger, his form bulking up. Steel scales glinted like armor in the firelight. His tusks extended into jagged blades, longer and sharper than before. Spikes of polished steel sprouted from the end of his tail. Claws shined with newfound lethality.
By the time the light faded, the Axew was gone.
Standing in his place was a Fraxure.
The Sludge Bomb dripped from his face completely ineffective against the steel coating his scales.
Silence fell over the ship for a brief, sharp moment.
And then Tusk roared.
It was raw and primal. A sound of determination and rage. The roar shook the air, echoing out into the port like a battle cry that demanded the attention of everyone, everywhere. As the roar echoed, he reared back and released a burst of draconic energy, a Dragon Pulse that shattered the walls of the Twister from within. The tornado burst outward with a thunderous detonation, tearing upward into the night sky.
Sammy collapsed to his knees, breath ragged, blood dripping from his forearms. But through the haze of pain and wind, he looked up and there, standing before him and the enemy, was a familiar silhouette.
"Tusk…?" he murmured.
The Fraxure turned his head and gave a small, solemn nod.
Sammy couldn't help it. A smile broke across his face beneath the broken mask, his eyes shining with joy.
Across the deck, the bald man flinched. Even his Pokémon recoiled at the intensity radiating off Tusk's bloodshot red eyes.
"Dragonair! Use Aqua Slam! Asthma, Heat Wave! Don't give that bastard a chance to move!" the man roared, panic cutting into his voice after hearing the roar of Tusk.
Sammy snapped back into action, instincts taking over as he raised both arms.
"Tusk! Tank that Water type move and counter with Dragon Claw on Dragonair! Move fast then follow it up with Dragon Rage on Weezing!" he shouted.
Above, Dragonair twisted in the air, its serpentine body spinning with grace and speed. Its tail shimmered as it morphed into a rushing cascade of water, glowing with a blinding white aura as it descended.
At the same time, Weezing expanded, releasing a wheezing breath as it charged another Heat Wave.
Tusk didn't wait.
He launched himself forward, spinning once in mid air. Uncommanded, he performed a Dragon Dance mid air, boosting his power and speed. Then he clashed with Dragonair's Aqua Slam water exploding out around them in a flash of mist and force.
A low boom shook the deck.
His claws ignited with violet flame, Tusk roared again as he slashed Dragonair again and again in the air, purple streaks slicing the sky. Dozens of Dragon Claws landed in quick succession, pushing the serpentine dragon back.
"Now! Use HeatWave!" the man barked desperately.
Still mid air, Tusk spun and planted one clawed foot into Dragonair's skull, launching off its head like a springboard. As Dragonair spiraled downward, Weezing's Heat Wave erupted hotter than before. It didn't care that its teammate was in the way. The firestorm hit Dragonair, launching it off course and into the cold sea with a steaming hiss.
Then came the real target.
The Heat Wave reached Tusk in an instant, baking the air around him and heating the steel plates along his arms. But this time, he managed to endured it. His new armor held.
Tusk drew energy into his body before unleashing a Dragon Pulse.
Dragon Pulse surged from his jaws, splitting the sky as it cut through the wall of heat, warping the wave, then breaking straight through.
"ASTHMA, DODGE IT!" the man yelled.
Too late.
The Dragon Pulse struck Weezing dead on, sending it crashing into the deck like a meteor. The impact rocked the whole ship, and smoke billowed upward from where the Poison type lay slumped, twitching weakly on the scorched planks.
Sammy exhaled hard, watching the smoke curl into the sky.