//------------------------------// // The Fire Rises // Story: Celestia's Rocket Adventures // by Snake Staff //------------------------------// Nearly an hour later, Robo Mega Meowth touched down amidst a forest clearing. Heavy armor plating on its chest slid open and stairs descended from its insides to the ground. A number of small blue Pokémon hurried down, racing to get there ahead of the surging flames. A single Poliwrath lead a few Poliwhirl and Poliwag into the trees. The Pokémon stopped just short of where the fire was encroaching, the larger evolved forms out front. At a signal from their leader, the Poliwag and some of the younger Poliwhirl sprayed water from their tails and spirals, spinning around in all directions. Those plants yet untouched were quickly getting soaked, with the flames themselves weakened beneath the deluge of Water Sport. Poliwrath and the stronger Poliwhirl instead began a strange, coordinated, ritualistic dance. As they bobbed up and down in ritual unison, arms jerking spasmodically this way and that, their bodies began to glow with a blue aura and dark clouds began to blot out the stars. The longer they did their strange Rain Dance, the more and more grey clouds appeared in the sky. The raindrops began to fall as nothing more than a light, inconvenient drizzle, but increasing in number and intensity with every passing second. By the time the blue Pokemon had been dancing for almost a minute it had become a torrential downpour, soaking the surrounding forest to the roots and drowning lesser fires altogether. Steam hissed from blackened wood, burning leaves and ash became so much mud. From where she stood in the mech’s chest, Twilight gave a nod of satisfaction. The worst of the fire in the immediate area was gone, and the surrounding trees and ground were so thoroughly soaked it would be almost impossible for them to catch. With so many simultaneous uses of Rain Dance the storm would linger here a good little while, further dampening the blaze. The forest fire in this area was, if not out entirely, at least contained. “Good job everyone!” she called out over the pitter patter of rain on metal. “Come on back, we’ve got to move on to the next one!” The various members of Poliwag’s evolutionary line ran back as fast they could, perfectly at home amidst the deluge of rain. Once they were it, the giant robot would carry them through the air to the next flare up, and the process would repeat itself. Slowly but surely, they would build a ring of rain around the forest fire, then push it all the way to the epicenter of the blaze. There was no way to save much of what had already burned, but they could at least stop it from spreading further afield. Still, the forest was going to bear scars of that night for decades to come. Assuming there were decades to come. “You found them,” Luna repeated, some time later. “Yes,” Houndoom nodded, surrounded by members of his pack. “We found them.” Luna looked down again. Houndoom and many of his cohorts were outright immune to the effects of fire and had no trouble breathing in the smoke, which made them the perfect choice to comb through the forest fire and try to rescue any that had been left behind in the struggle. They had retrieved a single, badly-burnt Snubbull and carried her out on their backs, but Houndoom personally had brought something more. There was a truly brilliant rainbow-colored gemstone, loosely attached on one end to a piece of badly-scorched gold chain, and pair of red and white Poke Balls seared almost black. The jewel alone appeared curiously undamaged. “Where did you find them?” the princess asked after a moment. “Amongst ashes, near a fallen tree,” the dark canine answered in a perfectly level tone. “It was a redwood, and mostly burned out by the time we got there.” “Was there a human attached to these things?” Luna eyed the gem warily. “I recognize that this is the same stone our enemy used to induce that powerful transformation in her Pokémon. I doubt she would simply have abandoned it, and I would like to question her.” “No humans,” Houndoom shook his head. “And no body. Just ashes.” “Are you quite certain?” she asked, staring him down with unblinking blue eyes. “Entirely,” his red eyes met hers without flinching. “When you’re well, I can show you the spot we found these, if you wish.” “Perhaps,” she said as if considering it. “But for now, we must see to the injured. There are too many of those to go around, I fear.” “And there are still members of my pack missing,” Houndoom let out a low, guttural growl. “The enemy might still have them.” “If that is so, then you have my word I shall do my utmost to retrieve them as soon as circumstances permit it,” Luna said, finally breaking eye contact to look at the small objects again. “For the moment, well done for your retrieval of Snubbull and for bringing these spoils of war to me. We may yet have use for them.” “I certainly hope so.” Far away, amidst a rocky mountain valley, Lysandre and Malva stood amidst a field of hardly grass, waiting. Both stared upwards at a mountain peak stretching many thousands of feet into the air, so high it remained snow-capped even in the high point of spring. Team Flare’s leader wore a determined frown, while the pink-haired newscaster and member of the Elite Four sported a confident grin. Apart from themselves and a few hardy and fast-growing species of plants, the valley and indeed the mountain itself seemed eerily silent and lifeless. Not a single tree or flower grew anywhere. There wasn’t a single Pokémon not their own to be seen, whether on the slopes or in the sky or in the ground. Neither had any illusions about the fact that, if they failed, the valley would quickly become entirely lifeless once again. “Here he comes,” Lysandre broke the silence, as a small black shape appeared in the sky. “Be ready.” “I’ve been ready for a long time, sir,” Malva replied, not losing her smile for a moment. The black shape plummeted swiftly towards them, more guided falling than any form of controlled flight. It soon resolved itself into a large black bird Pokémon with a tuft of white around its chest and hat-like feathers on its head. As he returned to his master, both humans could make out a nervous expression on his normally irrepressibly confident face. “I’m glad you’re well, Honchkrow,” Lysandre said, smiling a little when the Pokémon landed on his outstretched arm. “Did you find our quarry?” Honchkrow hesitated a moment, looking away from his owner’s eyes and up into the air briefly. When his gaze fell back down again, he nodded once. “Krow,” he said. While the circumstantial and anecdotal evidence was good, the fact remained that the mountain was vast and far too high and windy to be navigated effectively by helicopter. And neither human nor anyone on Team Flare was a particularly experienced mountain climber. A strong and experienced flyer was needed to confirm the presence of their target, and then of course- A hitch-pitched, piercing, avian cry boomed from high overhead, magnified and echoed into a cacophony that seemed to come from every direction by the lifeless stone of the valley. Honchkrow flinched visibly at the noise and shrank back, huddling against his master’s shoulder. Lysandre’s frown deepened, while Malva’s smile only grew wider. Around them, Lysandre’s Gyarados and Malva’s Houndoom showed their fangs, the latter letting out a low growl. “Seems like someone didn’t like its wakeup call,” Malva put a hand on her hip. “You did well, Honchkrow,” Lysandre held out its Poke Ball. “And this is not your fight. Return now.” Honchkrow disappeared, and he pulled out a Dark Ball instead. “But it is yours!” Lysandre tossed the ball into the air, and in a surge of dark energies emerged a great blue and black deer. Its complexion was darker than before, its rainbow crystalline antlers duller. Spots of smoky blackness seemed to float randomly through its horns like ink. Xerneas’ eyes, of course, were empty and soulless. It tilted its head upwards at the cry of its old enemy, scraping the rocky ground with one hoof. “Answer it,” Team Flare’s leader ordered. Xerneas obediently reared up and let loose a high-pitched, whirring screech of its own. Amidst the confines of the mountains and valleys it echoed just as easily in all directions. There was a momentary pause when the brainwashed Legendary returned to tall four hooves, followed by a second avian shriek seeming to promise the end of all things. This time the source was closer, and it went on longer. “Here it comes,” Malva sounded almost eager. “Now, sir?” “Now,” Lysandre nodded. Both humans reached out to touch gorgeous rainbow gemstones with two fingers – Lysandre’s on a ring on his finger, Malva’s on a pendant around her neck. They lit up immediately at their touch, a corresponding glow emerging from stones affixed to their Pokémon. “Beyond evolution!” both called out. “Mega Evolve!” Rainbow energy enveloped both Gyarados and Houndoom almost immediately, encasing them in solid spheres. A much larger dark shape appeared overhead, and then the orbs shattered. Gyarados had again become far bulkier, a trail of red scale dotted its sides and lining its now-black underbelly. Enormous new wing-like fins sprouted from its back, its extended barbels waving about agitatedly. Houndoom’s horns had grown far taller and more prominent, and it now sported vaguely skull-shaped armor around its neck and upper chest. Prominent tusks extended from the armor, while rib-like bony plates protected its back. It looked up, now double-pronged tail swished back and forth in anticipation. They didn’t have long to wait. Soaring down from the sky, first agitated by an intruding Honchkrow then driven to wrath by the cry of its eternal foe, came their quarry. A red and black monster of an avian almost as large as Gyarados, its shadow fell atop Team Flare with the inevitability of death. Black and grey patterns dotted its red underside, its wings and long tailed ended in claw-like appendages. A ruff of grey feathers encircled its horned head. Blue eyes glared pitilessly down at the humans and Pokémon. “There it is,” Malva said. “The Legendary Destruction Pokémon, Yveltal.” Without even waiting a moment for orders, Xerneas formed a pink-white sphere amidst its horns and launched it straight up at enemy. Yveltal dodged by rolling to the side midair, and then opened its wings wide. An orb of red, black, and violet energy took shape in front of its chest. And then the next second the orb became a coherent beam of annihilation, lancing down from on high. “Gyarados, Hyper Beam!” Lysandre clenched his fist. “Houndoom, Flamethrower!” Malva pointed. Both Mega Pokémon opened their jaws wide and unleashed a golden beam of light and red-orange fire. The twin attacks soared skywards right beside on another, meeting Yveltal’s move roughly at the halfway point. All three energy beams connected, forming a blinding sphere of white light in the center. The struggle was a deadlock for a single heartbeat before the Legendary Pokémon abandoned the contest. Yveltal dived straight for Xerneas and ignored the others, allowing the two attacks to pass harmlessly above its head. The deerlike creature rose eagerly to meet it, leaping from the ground with horns glowing an angry red. Yet, before it could strike, a shadowy portal appeared before the titanic avian and it vanished inside. Xerneas’ horns stabbed into the purple-black substance after it, but that simply dispersed as if it were mere mist. The lifegiving creature was left to float as much as fall back to the ground. A split second after Xerneas’ hooves touched back down on the earth, a second portal opened up almost directly behind it. It whirled about quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid Yveltal’s raking claws. Coated with ghostly energy, their impact was enough to send the deer crashing into the barren mountainside with the force to leave a small crater. “Its Phantom Force isn’t to be trifled with,” Lysandre said while Xerneas shook the rubble from its head. “And neither are we,” Malva finished, then swept out an opened hand. “Houndoom, use Toxic!” Her canine Pokémon bounded forwards and opened its jaws again, this time to spray a stream of dark purple sludge at the Legendary. Yveltal dodged, but it was so close to the ground this time that it couldn’t avoid it completely. The disgusting slime swept briefly over its tail, and while it seemed to ignore the hit Malva smiled even more. “Xerneas, Dazzling Gleam!” Lysandre ordered. “Gyarados, Blizzard!” Xerneas horns lit up and it unleashed wave upon wave of rainbow-colored light up at its old enemy. Gyarados fired off a withering beam of ice and snow for its part. Yveltal didn’t even try to dodge Xerneas’ attack, spreading its wings wide and allowing itself to be hurled backwards and upwards by the force of the fey energy. Meanwhile the icy attack expended itself uselessly freezing over mountain soil. Despite the visible injuries it now carried, Yveltal had gained considerable altitude. It opened its wings wide again and shot a second beam of red and black downwards, this time directly for Xerneas. It struck the thin deer with the force of a meteor impact, sheer magnitude driving the rival Legendary to its knees. “Use Flamethrower once more!” “Bring it down with Hyper Beam!” Once more, Gyarados and Houndoom fired their twin energy attacks up into the sky. This time Yveltal had its focus elsewhere and did nothing to dodge when golden light slammed into it and flames licked its body. Its own attack sputtered out as the Pokémon was enveloped in thick black smoke, and a moment later Xerneas regained its hooves. But its enemy swiftly emerged from the thick cloud, sporting new wounds but missing some old ones. “It looks like Oblivion Wing really does sap the energy of Yveltal’s opponents,” Lysandre commented. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t use it on us.” For the first time, Yveltal’s blue eyes fell properly on the two humans and their Pokémon, as if finally seeing them for a true threat. With another avian cry, it beat it wings and rose higher still before firing a third Oblivion Wing off, this time directly at where the two humans were standing. “So much for that…” Malva muttered. “Gyarados, Protect!” Obediently, the massive sea serpent sprang into the air with its tail, directly in the path of the attack. A turquoise bubble encased its bulky body, and the dark energies spent themselves fruitlessly against it. The attack cut off after a few seconds, when Xerneas launched another fey sphere at its foe. The white-pink attack struck home in a massive explosion, and Gyarados tumbled back down to earth. High up above, Yveltal beat its wings and gained yet more altitude as it rose from the cloud of smoke. It continued to soar higher and despite the attacks that rose to meet it, becoming little more than a black dot in the distance. Both Lysandre and Malva grimaced – if it ignored its ancient enmities and simply flew away, there was precious little they could do to stop it. But a moment later more dark energy appeared before it, and their quarry vanished into another shadowy portal. “Xerneas!” Lysandre called. “Keep your eyes out for-” "Look out sir!" Malva shouted. Phantom Force had reopened directly behind the two humans. Lysandre threw himself forwards as one massive clawed wing came swinging to pulp him, and Yveltal’s claws dug great gouges in the earth instead. It raised the other wing to strike, but Gyarados made a desperate lunge for it instead. Its massive jaws clamped down on the Legendry’s head with all its considerable strength. Yveltal instead struck Gyarados on the side of its face with ghostly energy about its claw. The serpent flinched but did not let go. While it bit down as hard as it could, its avian opponent wrestled it with astonishing strength. Gyarados was thrown roughly onto its back, flailing against Yveltal’s beating but absolutely refusing to release its grip. Team Flare’s leader was forced to roll aside to avoid being crushed by the sheer bulk of his own struggling Pokémon. Malva, meanwhile, had frantically backed off from the life or death struggle between the two titanic Pokémon. With her Houndoom standing protectively between her and them, she fished about in her pocket and extracted a Poke Ball. She tossed it quickly into the air with a flick of her wrist. “Now’s our chance!” she shouted. “Chandelure, use Confuse Ray on Yveltal!” The ball opened, and the silver light that poured out took the form of an elaborate black chandelier with ghostly blue flames burning in its fine crystal center. The Pokémon’s yellow eyes immediately lit up, unleashing several gold-white spheres. They struck the massive red and black avian in the back, and almost immediately its movements became more disjointed. It was still beating at Gyarados, but sporadically now and it sometimes managed to miss. “Release its head!” Lysandre ordered as he pushed himself back to his feet some distance away. “Then hit it with Aqua Tail!” The massive blue serpent loyally obeyed by opening its jaws. Yveltal stumbled and shook its head, trying to clear out the disorientation, but for a crucial second it was distracted. That gave the exhausted Gyarados a chance to slam the Legendary from the side with a water-encased fin. The force of the impact sent Yveltal slamming into the mountainside itself, while Lysandre’s Pokémon doubled over with its eyes screwed up. “Houndoom, Flamethrower! Chandelure, Flame Burst!” “Xerneas, Moonblast!” Another white-pink sphere took the still-disoriented Yveltal in the chest before it could recover, driving it deeper into the packed dirt and solid rock. This was followed closely by a stream of orange and yellow flames, as well as a solid bolt of blue fire that exploded to rain down further flames across its Y-shaped body. The beast let out a wild, incoherent cry of pain and lashed randomly with its still-deadly claws. But nothing was in immediate reach, so all it accomplished was to destroy parts of the mountainside Meanwhile the Elite Four member had retrieved a Dark Ball from her person, enlarging it to full size with a touch. Before the confused and enraged Pokémon could recover its wits enough to resume the battle, the black orb struck it in the chest. Yveltal was drawn inside in another surge of dark energy, and the ball fell and wedged itself amongst the jagged, broken stones. “Master Lysandre,” Malva’s returned grin was twice as she watched the ball spark ominously. “Mission accomplished.”