A Lava Serious Situation
Within the Altar of Summons, the members of Team Shadow were still setting the place up, getting lights fixed while putting up equipment around the walls. As this happened, they had others busy monitoring the condition of their newest captives. Pegasoar, Horsearth and Mysticorn all continued to struggle against the energy trap, only to no avail as they evil ones around them continued to work.
Meanwhile, the commanders of Team Shadow were outside the temple, now in a tent they had set up on the mountainside. Inside, they were standing in front of a computer...which showed the face of one very angry man.
"You tried to summon the legendaries yourself?!" Sombra roared, making the pair flinch as they stood to attention.
"It was Doom's idea," Chrysalis replied.
"And you clearly agreed with him!" Sombra barked back. "How incompetent are you two?! Surely you couldn't believe you could summon those two like that! You just put our whole operation at risk!"
"We weren't trying to summon those two," Doom muttered out, "We were just making sure the altar itself still worked as a summoning point. We didn't want you to come all the way here, only to discover the altar was useless."
Sombra let out a hiss at this, now seeing sweat pour down Doom's face. And with a heaving sigh, he did a small nod, "Very well," they both sighed in relief. "Since you discovered the altar and were able to capture the three heralds, I'll overlook this disobedience just this once. Now, what were the results of your attempted summons?"
Chrysalis chose to speak at this, "The altar works. We were able to activate it and form a portal....but it vanished before it could completely form. If we want to complete the ritual, we'll need both pieces of the Crystal Heart."
"Which means we need to attack the Crystal Empire again," Sombra growled as he leaned back in his chair, "Another setback...very well. We'll leave that until I arrive to inspect the altar myself. I should be able to get there in a couple of days. Make sure you're not discovered before then. We've come too far to be stopped now." The pair nodded back, "Good. Sombra out." With that, the computer switched off. Screen blank, the commanders both collapsed onto chairs, gasping for air.
"That was too close," Chrysalis whimpered before turning to Doom. "Just be glad he decided to be lenient."
"You worry too much," Doom replied, waving his hand, "Now come on. We've got a lot of work to do to make sure everything's ready for his arrival."
They got up and left the tent, Chrysalis then commenting, "It's a miracle you didn't accidently summon something that could destroy the altar. The portal might not have been able to break into another dimension, but it might have been able to connect two places in this dimension. What would you have done if we had accidently pulled a Groudon onto the altar?"
"Like that would have happened. Even if a portal opened up, what are the odds there'd be Legendary Pokémon waiting on the other side?"
Meanwhile...
Down below the mountain, in one of the many tunnels that had been created by the wild Onix that lived there was now glowing a bright red. It was from a Pokémon that Mount Tartarus had never seen before. A four-legged spider-like creature whose body was mostly brown, with yellow spots here and there along its body, the spots made entirely of metal. It also had metal around its legs, and had four claws on the end of its feet. Its face was also covered by a metal mask, while its lower-jaw had a series of iron teeth around it.
The Legendary Pokémon known as Heatran, crawled through the rock tunnel. With every step that it took, the rocks around it began to melt. It made its way through the passageway, its eyes darting around at the unfamiliar place.
And it was angry. It would find a way out of this cold place, and if it couldn't, it was make whoever brought it here pay.
In a cave near the top of the two smallest peaks, Flash, Twilight, Doc, Spike and their Pokémon were sitting at the back of the cave. "How much longer do we have to stay in here?" Spike asked his sister, about to get up, only for her to pull him back.
"Until we're sure there aren't gonna be any aftershocks," she replied, only for another boulder to roll by the mouth of the cave, "See? That could have hit you if you had left."
"We should probably have Lairon go out first once we're sure it's safe," Doc added as he turned to the metal dinosaur, patting him on the head, "He's the one least likely to get hurt if a rock hits him." He then let out a long sigh, "I just don't get how there could have been an earthquake. I've never heard of this area being prone to them."
"Maybe it wasn't a natural earthquake," Flash guessed. "It could have been made by a Pokémon. I'm guessing an Onix could learn that move."
"It definitely can. Or it could have been the move Magnitude." Twilight chimed in, "Or one could have been digging beneath us. Either way, we need to get off this mountain as fast as possible."
The others nodded, Spike about to get up again, only for another boulder to roll past the cave again. And as this happened, another one of the larger boulders came loose, now rolling into several more large rocks. This caused them to come free and soon enough, a massive rock slide occurred. Lairon chose this moment to exit the cave, only to gasp as he saw the oncoming rock slide. "LAIR!" He yelped as he ran back inside.
"What's wrong?" Doc asked, only to feel another shake, "Oh no." Everyone bunched together as the rocks rolled past the cave, some now rolling into the cave.
"Lairon!" The Iron Armor Pokémon jumped in front of everyone and began slashing at the rocks, crushing them with Metal Claw. But as he did this, some of the rocks bounced up and slammed into the top of the cave's entrance. This caused cracks to appear along the rock, growing larger until they could no longer support their own weight.
Before anyone could figure out what was going on, the roof of the cave collapsed. It shattered at the front of the cave, the back remaining intact as a few bits of dust fell upon those hiding. And when the shaking stopped, everyone opened their eyes to find themselves in pitch darkness. Doc quickly reached into his coat and took out a small flashlight, which he turned it on and pointed it at the cave's exit...only to find nothing but rocks.
"What the heck happened?" Spike asked, "Are we trapped?"
"I think so." Twilight gulped, "This isn't good."
"Think we can dig our way out?" Flash added.
Doc shook his head, "I doubt it. Take a closer look." They squinted their eyes at the rock wall, "See? The rocks have all been wedged together, one rock squeezing the other into place. We take out just one of those rocks-"
"The whole thing'll come crashing down on top of us," Flash finished, "Great. Now what do we do?"
"We need to think of something," Twilight sighed, "We don't have much air in here." They all glanced at each other, only for Lairon to move to the back of the cave. Years of living in an environment like this had taught the Iron Armor Pokémon a thing or two.
"Lair," he began tapping his head against the wall, only to move to a different area and do the same. He did this again and again, only to gasp, "Lairon!" He glanced back at the others, "Lair, lairon!"
"Lairon?" Doc asked, "What are you-" He stopped when Lairon opened his mouth and charged up a Flash Cannon, "WAIT!"
But it was too late. Lairon fired the laser, hitting the wall as it then exploded. Everyone froze, ready for the cave to collapse...only for a cloud of dust to consume them before some light to appear, revealing a large hole in the side of the wall.
"No way." Flash said as he walked up to the hole, now seeing another tunnel, "How'd he know this was here?"
"He did used to live in a mountain," Doc replied, "He could probably tell that was there from the moment we stepped into this cave."
Lairon nodded, showing a cocky grin. And as he did this, Twilight walked up and took a deep breath, smiling when she did. "The air's not stale."
"I didn't know you were an air connoisseur," Spike laughed as Twilight rolled her eyes.
"What I mean is, the air's fresh. That means it hasn't been in here long, so there must be another way out of this tunnel."
"So we can get out of here?" Flash asked, Twilight giving him a nod.
"If we can find out where the air is coming from, we can use it to get out. And even if it's just a ten inch hole, we can make it bigger and escape."
They all nodded at this, Doc then reaching down and grabbing some dirt off the ground. "Let's see if we can't find a breeze." He threw the dirt into the air, everyone watching as it floated in place for a moment before slowly beginning to fall, "Okay...no breeze."
They glanced down at both ends of the tunnel, Flash then noticing the tunnel was on a slight angle and pointed in the upward direction. "I say that way," he commented as he pointed to the path.
"Why that way?" Twilight asked.
"Well I think this leads up the mountain."
"It might also lead into the mountain," Doc countered, "We're trying to get out, not go further in."
"Although," Twilight added, "It's possible this tunnel could lead to an exit on the other side of the mountain. We could use it to cut through the mountain instead of having to go over it."
"I'm down for that," Spike chimed in.
Doc sighed and shook his head, "Alright. Let's just make sure we mark our way through the tunnel. That way if we run into a dead end or something, we can find out way back to this spot. Lairon."
"Lair?"
"Use Metal Claw and etch an X into the ground here." Lairon nodded and did just that. "Good. Let's get going." The group started to walk through the tunnel at this, stopping every now and again to try and pick up a breeze...but still found no sign of an exit. The tunnel then evened out and they spent a good few minute heading straight. And after about thirty minutes of travelling, they found themselves arriving at a large chamber that split the path into four.
"Which way do we go now?" Spike asked as Lairon used Metal Claw to make an arrow.
"I guess we just have to pick one at random and hope it's the right one," Doc replied before Flash perform eeny meeny miny moe. Once they picked a tunnel, they started heading down it...only to regret their decision as the tunnel began to head down while temperature in the tunnel began to raise.
"Geez," Flash unzipped his jacket, "Anyone else starting to get warm?"
"Yup," Twilight took off her earmuffs, undid her scarf and took off her jacket. "I knew I should have changed back to my normal gear when we got to the mountain."
"It is weird though," Doc added, "We've been heading upwards for a while, so the mountain should be getting colder. Unless this tunnel is connected to a thermal vent or something."
"I just hope we find a way out soon," Spike took off his gloves and removed his hat. "I'm sweating like a Pignite."
Hearing this, Flash snapped his fingers, "I know!" He took out a Pokeball, "Riptide!" The ball opened up and unleashed a red light, revealing the tidalwave Pokémon.
"Tidal?" He turned to his trainer, only to pant as he felt the heat of the place.
"Riptide, do you think you could use your Ice Punch to freeze the walls so we don't cook to death?"
"Rep," he nodded before turning to the nearest wall and clutching his fist. "Rep...TIDAL!" He threw the punch as it glowed blue, causing the wall to instantly freeze over. He then hit the opposite wall and repeated the process, freezing it up. The ice spread a good twenty feet in both directions, turning both walls into ice covered freezer units.
"Better?" Flash asked the others, who all gave quick nods.
"Way better," Spike sighed as he moved closer to the wall. But when he did, he noticed the ice was already starting to melt. "Seriously? How hot is this place?"
"Let's just see if it gets any cooler further in," Twilight told him after placing her jacket, gloves, scarf and earmuffs into her bag. "If it gets too hot, we'll head back the other way."
They nodded and continued down the tunnel, the heat once again returning. The group kept going for about fifteen minutes, the heat still rising before Flash pulled off his jacket, "That's it!" he yelped, "I can't take it anymore! We gotta go back!"
"I agree." Doc sighed as he wiped his brow, "With how hot this place is getting, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out there's a-WHOA!" He yelled as he suddenly disappeared into the floor, making the others gasp as they turned to see a hole in the floor.
"DOC!" They ran over and saw the hole was bit more than a few feet deep...and they now couldn't see because Doc was holding the flashlight.
"Ri," Springer created an Aura Sphere and held it up. The light from the attack allowed them to look down into the tunnel, only to see it shifted to the side and morphed into a slide leading straight down.
"DOC!" Twilight exclaimed, "Can you hear us?"
"Say something!" Flash added.
"I'm okay!" His voice echoed back up, "A little scratched up, but I'll survive."
"Can you climb back up?" Twilight asked next.
"I don't think so. I think I fell a few good feet..."
"Well hold on," Flash replied, "We'll find a way to get you back up. Do you know how long the tunnel is?"
"Longer than any piece of rope we have, I'm sure of it."
"Maybe we should come down after you?" Twilight added.
"Don't," he responded, "There a chance this tunnel doesn't have a way out. If that's the case, we'll all be trapped down here."
"Well we can't just leave you down there," Spike finished, only for Larion to jump down the hole, "Lairon!" They all cried as the Iron Armor Pokémon fell, using his claws to keep from getting to much speed.
"Lairon?" He asked as his Pokémon appeared atop the hole, "How'd you-"
"Lairon!" The dinosaur told him before dropping his back half over the rock, Doc now seeing him asking him to grab his tail.
"Alright," Doc grabbed Lairon's tail, Lairon soon climbing upward. But as they began to go up, he suddenly felt an intense heat fill the room. "Huh?" He then glanced back, only to go wide-eyed as he saw something new appear at the corner of the tunnel: Lava.
"Lairon," he let go of Lairon's tail and dropped down, Lairon glancing back as he saw the lava as well. Now knowing that they couldn't climb up fast enough, Doc told him, "We have to run!" Lairon let go of the wall and landed beside him, the pair turning to the opposite direction before running as fast as they could.
And as they ran, Flash called out to him, "Doc? You okay?"
But there was no response, only for Spike to pull on the neck of his hoodie, "Hey guys, why is it getting hotter?" The answer came when a bright red light filled the chamber, all of it coming from the hole, making them now see a certain bubbling liquid.
"LAVA!" Twilight screamed as they all leapt back from the hole, "We need to run!" But before they did, Riptide punched the ground in front of the hole, causing it to completely freeze over.
"Will that work?" Flash asked, Twilight shaking her head.
"If the ice lasts long enough for the lava to cool, then it should. But with new lava being pushed into it, I doubt it'll cool."
"Then we run!" Flash finished as they all began to do just that.
Meanwhile...
The Gym Leader and his Pokémon ran as fast as they could, the lava hot on their heels. They soon came to chamber with several exits, Doc's eyes darting between them all before screaming, "THAT ONE!" The two went into full sprint mode, finding this tunnel to be rather flat, letting the lave easily spread into the place. "Oh, come on!"
"Lair!" Lairon roared as his eyes began to glow, "LAIRON!" A portal then appeared in the ceiling behind them, a series of rocks falling out and beginning to form a wall of boulders.
"Rock Slide?" Doc gasped, "Of course!" He watched as the rocks pilled up and formed a wall between them and the lava, stopping it in its tracks. "Way to go Lairon!" The Iron Armor Pokémon smirked at the praise before stopping the Rock Slide. Deciding to not see if the wall would hold, the pair headed further into the tunnel. And as they did this, they found the passageway lead down, only to find it curve around and head in the direction they had just come from.
"Hopefully this leads up to where the others are." But as he said that, a light and surge of heat caught his attention, making him look ahead at the now straightening out tunnel. "Don't tell me..."
He slowly walked up to the end of the tunnel, only to go wide-eyed as he entered a massive chamber. A chamber that was actually an old Onix nest, being a large dome-like building with multiple tunnels lining the walls. Almost every tunnel on the ground had lava flowing into them, Doc's tunnel surviving as it was about five feet off the ground. The lava was even flowing into a large pool in the center.
"Great," he sighed, "Now what are we supposed to do?"
"DOC!" He and Lairon looked up, hearing Flash's voice before seeing his friends standing on a ledge ten feet above them.
"You're alright!" Twilight added, "Thank goodness."
"We were worried about you," Spike continued, "Luckily, Springer was able to sense you. You alright?"
"We're fine," Doc replied, "Though we barely managed to outrun a lava flow."
"Where'd this lava come from?" Twilight asked as she stared down at the pool, "Could Mt Tartarus be a volcano?" The others shrugged, only to hear a new sound. It was loud whistle, making them glance around.
"You guys hear that?" Spike asked, the group turning to where the sound was coming from, seeing it was another hole about five meters off the ground and right below a ledge that was connected to where Flash and the others were standing.
"A breeze," Doc whispered, "That tunnel must lead to an exit." The others nodded and began to move around the ledge, intending to jump down into that tunnel. But as they did this, Doc knew he would need to find another way to it due to being blocked by several lava streams.
"Lairon!" He turned to his Pokémon, the metal dinosaur stepping up and using Rock Slide. The rocks fell down, landing in front of their tunnel as they began to form a path. Boulders soon began to block the lava, causing it to stop in place and create a clear path for them. Once the path was halfway to the hole, Doc and Lairon started to walk along the path.
"Nice work Lairon!" The metal dinosaur smiled as he prepared to summon some more rocks.
From the center of the lava pool, a series of fireballs exploded out and struck the rocks as they flew out of the portal. The rocks exploded, making everyone gasp before glancing down at the lava, "What the heck was that?" Flash asked, only for something to suddenly float out of the lava.
"A Heatran?!" Twilight screamed as she saw the magma spider walk out of the pool, glaring at the group, "What's a Heatran doing here?!" She got her answer when the Lava Dome Pokémon opened its mouth and prepared to fire its signature move.
"Getting mad!" Flash yelled as he saw who Heatran was aiming at, "Doc! Look out!" Doc saw the Magma Storm coming, flinching at the sight as Larion opened his mouth.
"LAIRON!" He fired a Flash Cannon, hitting the fireball and causing it to harmlessly explode. Once that happened, Lairon leapt off the rock path and onto one of the clear bits in the chamber. "Lair! Lairon!"
"He, Heatran!" The magma spider roared back, the pair yelling at one another. That is, till Heatran decided to fire another Magma Storm attack.
"Lairon!" Doc yelped as his partner leapt to the side, avoiding the attack.
"Lair!" He fired another Flash Cannon, but the attack simply hit Heatran and bounced off it. "Lair?"
"Not good," Twilight gulped, "Lairon's at a major disadvantage against Heatran. And its a legendary."
"But he can still win, right?" Spike asked.
Heatran charged at this, its metal fangs now glowing as he began to use Crunch on Lairon. "Dodge it!" Doc yelled, Lairon trying to do so, only for Heatran to chomp down on Lairon's leg as he tried to jump back.
"Lair!" He cried as Heatran bit him before throwing him upward.
"NO!" Doc gasped, only to see Larion falling right on top of Heatran. "Wait...that's it! Use Body Slam!" Lairon curled himself up, spinning as he crashed right into Heatran.
The legendary flinched at this, the intense weight of Lairon's Heavy Metal body doing some damage. It let out a mighty roar, shaking as he tried to throw him off, Lairon then flying off and landing on his feet where there was no lava. Heatran's body then glowed golden, slamming its foot into the ground and creating a bunch of golden glowing cracks that went under Larion before exploding.
"LAIRON!" He cried as the two-times effective move shot him flying, the force also pushing him over to a spot that had lava flowing over it.
"NO!" Doc screamed, his brain going into overdrive as he tried to think up something. "Um...I know! Use Flash Cannon! The force can push you out of the way!" Lairon opened his eyes and his mouth, firing the beam of light that hit the lava covered ground. After a few seconds, the beam pushed Lairon away from the lava, now landing on the ground next to it. "You okay?"
"Lair," Lairon nodded before turning back to Heatran. He then fired another Flash Cannon, but Heatran leapt over it with ease, making every gasp.
"Whoa!" Spike yelped as Heatran spun in the air and attached itself to the wall, the Lava Dome Pokémon crawling along it as fire began to leak from his mouth. "It can stick to walls?!"
"Apparently," Twilight gulped as she saw the Pokémon open its mouth, flames pouring out before firing a bunch of magma projectiles along with a cloud of black smog. The rockets shot out in every direction, Doc needing to jump behind some rocks while the others pinned themselves against the wall as the magma hit the rocks around them.
They then saw one projectile coming for them, but Riptide jumped up and roared, "Rep!" He formed a pair of water swords, cutting the attack in half with one slice.
And as Riptide did this, Lairon fired another Flash Cannon at Heatran, hitting it in the back. "Heat!" It cried, the damage doing very little, but enough to make it lose its grip on the wall. "HEATRAN!" It yelped before falling into the lava, instantly disappearing in the bubbling glowing liquid.
"That's not good." Doc gulped, seeing a ton of bubbles start to appear in the lava. "We need to get out of here, now!" Flash nodded and lead the others over to the area above the hole leading out, Riptide quickly jumping down and landing in the tunnel.
"Come on!" Flash told the others before grabbing Spike and carefully lowering him down, Riptide helping him. But before anyone else could get down, the lava pool exploded as Heatran leapt up to the side of the chamber's wall.
"HEAT!" It roared before firing a Magma Storm. The others gasped, only for a bunch of rocks to fly down from the ceiling, blocking the flames.
"Lairon!" The Iron Armor Pokémon exclaimed.
"Nice one!" Doc added as Heatran turned to him, "Look out!" Lairon watched as Heatran hopped off the wall, his teeth glowing as he began to use Crunch.
"Lair!" Lairon countered as his claws began to glow, Heatran landing and thrusting its head as Lairon hopped back, dodging the Crunch before using Metal Claw on its face. However, the steel mask covering Heatran's face just made the claws barely scratch him.
"HEATRAN!" It then opened its mouth and unleashed another Magma Storm, hitting Lairon point blank.
"LAIRON!" He roared as the flames pushed him back, slamming him into some rocks. But as he hit this, Heatran unleashed another Magma Storm, this one in the form of a continuous stream that constantly buffeted Lairon's body.
"NO!" Doc cried as the others gasped, seeing Lairon be burned alive by the Legendary flames. "STOP IT!"
The Iron Armor Pokémon could now feel himself beginning to slip into unconsciousness. And as this happened, he imagined Doc trying to fight Heatran off with his other Pokémon, the mental images of Higear, Tockwork and Flitanium being struck by Magma Storm flowing through his head. He knew what that meant. And as the last bits of his consciousness began to slip away, Doc's voice echoed through his head, "You've got a will of pure steel. I can always trust you to be our shield when times are tough."
Lairon's eyes shot open, his steel will hardening as he began to pick himself. 'I won't...let you...hurt them!' He mentally screamed before standing tall, "LAIRON!" He roared at the top of his voice, seconds before his entire body exploded with light. Everyone gasped as they watched the light block the flames, Heatran stopping as the Iron Armor Pokémon's shining body began to grow and morph into something new.
"Lairon," Doc whispered as he watched Lairon evolve.
Heatran was just as amazed by the sight, its opponent now growing and becoming bipedal. And as it did this, the transformation completed and the light faded to reveal a new Iron Armor Pokémon. The metal dinosaur stood tall and roared at the top of his voice, "AGGRON!" The chamber shook, Aggron then turning to smile back at Doc.
"Ag...Aggron," he whispered before grinning. "Fantastic."
Heatran glared at its much larger opponent, "Heatran!" It barked before unleashing another Magma Storm attack. But Aggron swung his arm at this, deflecting the flames away, barely a burn mark remaining from the blow.
"Aggron!" The metal dinosaur roared before opening its mouth and firing a laser, this blast knocking Heatran back.
"Alright!" Doc cheered as Heatran got back up, its body glowing, "Oh no...here comes Earth Power!" They watched as Heatran slammed the ground and created another gold glowing crack, only for Aggron leap up as the crack exploded. Everyone watched as Aggron took to the air and crossed his arms, right as a light appeared around him.
"Wait...is that-" Doc tried to say as Aggron unfolded his arms and fell at blinding speed. Like a meteor, he crashed into Heatran with enough force that it send out a shockwave, making the chamber shake and pushed the lava to the back of the cave. Heatran cried out as it was crushed under Aggron's mighty weight, Doc's jaw dropping at the sight, "Aggron just used Heavy Slam."
"That's great!" Twilight cheered, "That move's power increases with the weight of the user. And with Aggron's Heavy Metal Ability, it's power's gonna be off the charts!"
"Awesome!" Spike added, only to then feel another shake, making them turn to see the lava that was pushed back now turning into an almost tidalwave. "Uh-oh."
"Doc!" Flash yelled, "You need to get out of there!"
Doc nodded back, "Aggron! We've gotta go!" Aggron pushed itself off of Heatran and made his way over to Doc as fast as he could, picking his trainer up and running over to the others. He placed Doc on his head, stretching him up just enough for Doc to reach the others.
"Grab on!" Flash responded as he reached out his hand, Doc grabbing his arm and pulling him onto the ledge with the others.
"Thanks." Doc replied before turning to Aggron and took out his Pokeball. "Return." But as he tried to do that, Heatran suddenly slammed into the wall beside them. "WHOA!" He yelped, now seeing the Legendary open its mouth to blast them with Magma Storm. But before it could-
"AGGRON!" The Iron Armor Pokémon fired a Flash Cannon, knocking Heatran back again. And after he did this, he turned to the others and fired another Flash Cannon, hitting the roof and causing it to break apart, Flash's eyes going wide and grabbing Doc.
"Look out!" He pulled Doc back as the ceiling fell apart, rocks soon blocking the entrance.
"AGGRON!" Doc screamed, only for Flash and the others to pull him back more as the tunnel began to collapse, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Back in the chamber, Aggron turned back to Heatran as it picked itself up. In that moment, the lava wave hit Heatran and flowed over him. "Aggron!" He roared, using Rock Slide to summon a bunch of rocks that slammed into the ground in front of him, forming a C-shaped wall. He slammed his claws into the rocks as the lava hit them, splitting into two streams while also pushing against the wall. "Ag..." he groaned at the pushing force he was fighting against as Heatran leapt out of the lava and clung to the ceiling. It glared down at Aggron and prepared another Magma Storm attack, Aggron staring back at him.
Flash and the others kept running, staying just one step ahead of the collapsing tunnel. And as they did this, they saw a light in the distance and doubled their speed. The rock slide began to slow down as they sped up, soon reaching the light at the end of the tunnel and jumping out of it into a blanket of fresh air. Barely five seconds after they left, the hole they just escaped through collapsed and filled with rocks.
In that moment, their legs gave out, all flopping over as they panted to get the oxygen they had lost. But then, Doc turned back to the caved-in tunnel, "No...Aggron."
He slowly got up and walked over to the wall, placing his hand on it as he whispered, "No...no..."
The others glanced at each other, Twilight taking the initiative as she pushed herself to her feet and moved over to Doc. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry."
"I let him down," he replied, "I should have returned him quicker."
Twilight sighed and shook her head, "If you had, Heatran would have attacked us and probably followed us all the way outside. Aggron saved us."
"I just...I just wish I could have saved him as well." He felt himself beginning to tear up, but those tears vanished when he heard something.
"Doc," Twilight started, only for Doc to hold up a hand. "I know this is hard, but-"
"Shush," Doc whispered, "Be quiet."
"Doc-"
"I can hear something." The others raised an eyebrow at this, only to stay quiet...and hear a low booming sound. It happened over and over, making the rocks blocking the tunnel shake.
"What's that?"
"It's coming from back there," Doc replied as another boom made several rocks roll off the pile. They backpedaled from the wall, just in time before-
BOOM!
The tunnel's entrance exploded, rocks flying as the cause let out a mighty roar. "AGGRON!" Doc's eyes went wide when he saw his Pokémon stagger out, falling over at this.
"AGGRON!" He ran over and threw his arms around his neck, Aggron smiling. "You're okay!" His tears spilled freely, then pulled back. "I'm sorry I left you behind." Aggron shook his head, telling Doc in his own language that he was the one that made Doc leave.
"Hey," they turned to Flash, "What happened to Heatran?" Aggron just shrugged back, making everyone glance at each other at this. "Anyone still wondering why that thing was here?"
"I am..." Twilight responded, "But I have feeling we might not find out."
Back in the tunnels, Heatran huffed as it made its way through the passageway.
Aggron's attempt to succeed had caused the chamber it was trying to make its home collapse, meaning now the magma spider had to find someplace else it could turn into a comfortable living space. But no matter how much lava it created to fill the place, it wouldn't be able to compete with its true home.
But then, as it turned a corner, it caught sight of something familiar. From the ceiling, familiar purple lights appeared, the energy that had dissipated from the portal that had brought it here now beginning to come together, swirling around to form yet another portal. Second by second, it grew larger, only to reveal a familiar sight on the other side of the portal.
Heatran's eyes went wide when it saw lava beginning to spin out of the portal and cover the ground. "HEATRAN!" It cheered as it charged into the portal, returning to the place it called home. Not ten seconds after it was through, the portal de-stabilized once again and vanished. Whether it was just coincidence that the portal opened up then or something else, there would be no answer.
All that mattered was Heatran was back where it belonged.
"I'm gonna have to message Celestia about this," Twilight sighed, "I'm sure she'd be interested in hearing about Heatran appearing here."
"I'm sure she will," Doc nodded before turning to Aggron. "I'm just happy you're alright. More than alright. Look at you..." Aggron did just that, flexing his fingers, and testing how well he could stand on just two feet and even reached up to feel his horns.
"Aggron..." he chuckled, loving his new form.
"Can you imagine using him in a Gym Battle?" Flash asked, "If you had busted out something like this during our match, I don't think I'd have been able to win against you back then."
"Maybe," Doc nodded as he patted Aggron's leg, "Though I'll probably hold off on using him in some Gym Battles." Aggron raised an eyebrow at this, "It wouldn't really be fair to use such a strong Pokémon against trainers that are just starting out."
"I get it," Twilight replied, "So you're gonna decide which Pokémon you use depending on how experienced the trainers challenging you are."
"Exactly," Doc nodded before patting Aggron again. "Since starting this journey, I've seen how many Gym Leaders run their gyms. The Pokémon they train and what rules they use in their Gym Matches. If I just keep using two Pokémon in my gym, no matter how strong the opponent is, I'll end up looking like the weakest Gym Leader in Equestria." He chuckled at this, "I can't have that."
"So what are you gonna do?" Spike asked, "How are you gonna decide how many Pokémon to use against an opponent?"
Doc nodded back at this, "Simple. If the challenger has two badges or less, I'll just use Higear and Tockwork. If they have five or less, I'll use them and Flitanium. And if they have more than five, I'll use Aggron." He turned to the Iron Armor Pokémon, "If they have six or more, then they'll be worth your time."
"Aggron!" The metal dinosaur roared in agreement, looking forward to meeting the challenging trainers.
The others laughed at this, Spike even making a mental note to leave Doc's Gym last when he became a trainer. And as this happened, a grumbling sound suddenly filled the air, making them all turn to the source. "Ri..." Springer clutched his stomach and chuckled.
"It's been a pretty long day," Flash sighed.
"A really long day," Twilight added, "But at least we managed to get out of the mountain before we ran out of supplies." She turned back at the mountain, only to gasp as she saw where the sun was, "No way."
"What?"
"We didn't just escape the mountain. We came out on the opposite side of the one we entered from." Their eyes went wide at this, only to turn and see the new mountain path. It was rather flat, the group running over to the edge and gasping as they saw a large plot of land covered in hundreds of houses and other buildings.
"Dragonia City," Flash whispered before looking beyond it. A mile or so from the edge of the city was what appeared to be a large body of water. They couldn't tell if it was a massive lake or part of the ocean, but they saw several islands and a bunch of mountains in the distance.
"Amazing," Twilight gasped.
"We finally made it," Doc added.
"AWESOME!" Spike cheered, "Let's get down there! I don't know about you, but I want a hot bath and a comfy bed to sleep in!" The others all nodded and quickly began to head down the side of the mountain, glad that their little trip through the mountain had spit them out relatively close to the bottom of the mountain.
When they finally reached the base, the sun was beginning to set, just having barely enough light to get a good look at the city as they entered it. The city wasn't exactly modern looking, its buildings made out of very simple stone work with all the metal sections of the city looking very rusty. The people of the city were also rustic, all in rugged clothes that looked out of an apocalypse movie, covered in rips and tears, and everyone wearing angry faces. They soon passed by a fenced off area that appeared to be acting as a battlefield, a pair of teens now battling against one another.
One was using a Rookaco while the other was using a Blazegon. "Flamethrower!" The trainer controlling Blazegon yelled, a cream skinned teen with orange hair that had red streaks around his ears that wore an orange shirt under a red jacket. His Blazegon fired the flame attack, striking Rookaco head-on, making it cry out as it was knocked back.
"HEY!" Rookaco's trainer cried, "You gonna let him do that to you?" Rookaco picked itself up, "Brick Break!" Rookaco leapt up and flew for Blazegon, trying to karate chop it, but Blazegon dodged the attack with ease.
"Dragon Tail!" Blazegon swung its tail down, the bludgeon on the end of it glowing.
"BLAZE!" It roared before smashing it into Rookaco, hitting the ground with a mighty crash, creating a dust cloud. When the dust cloud vanished, Rookaco could be seen laying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.
"YEAH!" The teen cheered as Blazegon landed in front of him, several other teens running over.
"Way to go, Garble!"
"That's why you're number one!"
"You the man!"
"I know," the teen named Garble returned his Blazegon before turning to leave the fenced off area. As he did, he pushed past Flash and the others and knocked Spike over.
"WHOA!" He cried as he hit the ground, Peewee landing on his head and asking if he was okay. "Ow..."
"Watch it, loser." Spike turned to glare at Garble as he smirked back at him, then walked off while Twilight helped Spike up.
"Well that was rude," Twilight stated as the teens cheering for Garble ran after him.
"I get the feeling that attitude is common around her," Doc added as they stared at everyone around them, seeing glares everywhere.
"Sorry about that." said another voice, making them turn to see a teen whose age was somewhere between Spike and Twilight's. Her skin was the same as Garble, and her hair was purple, the teen wearing a black top under an orange jacket with blue pants and brown boots. "Garble can be kind of a jerk when his ego's being stroked."
"I noticed," Spike huffed as he brushed himself off.
"You guys new around here?" The girl asked.
"We just got here," Flash replied, "We're hoping to find the Pokémon Center."
"Figured." She pointed down the street. "It's that way. First left then the next right after that and you can't miss it." With that, she turned to walk off with her hands in her pockets.
"Thank you," Twilight responded.
"Whatever," she called back before vanishing around a corner. Once she was gone, the group all headed in the direction she mentioned, eventually finding the Pokémon Center, only to find it looked rather modern compared to the other buildings.
Walking inside, they found the place was almost completely empty. The only one in the room was a Wigglytuff, who smiled and waved at them before heading into the back room. A minute later, a Nurse Redheart stepped out into the reception area. "Welcome. How can I help you today?"
Twilight spoke up at this, "We'd like some rooms, please." She nodded before Twilight, Doc and Flash took out their Pokeballs. "And can you take a look at our Pokémon please? They've been through a lot to help us get here." Nurse Redheart nodded before Wigglytuff pushed a cart out for them to put the Pokeballs on. Springer and Peewee followed the two into the back room while Twilight went off to change into her normal clothing.
As this happened, Flash sat down and looked up to see a TV on the wall. The box's screen changed to show a reporter outside a building he didn't recognize, only to recognize the teen standing next to her, making him snarl, "Lightning..."
Doc and Spike turned to the TV and spotted the trainer in question as the woman he was with spoke into her microphone, "I'm here with Lightning Blitz, who has just earned his eighth Equestria League badge. Do you have any comments?"
But as Lightning opened his mouth, Flash didn't hear his words, instead pulling out his Badge Case. He opened it up and stared at the seven badges he had already earned, then down at the last empty slot. "It won't be empty for long," he growled before closing the case and turning back to the TV. "Watch out Lightning. I'll be at the league, and when I meet you there, I'm taking you down."
Spike and Doc saw the anger on Flash's face, yet also seeing new confidence as well. Their journey to Dragonia City had been fraught with much peril and adventure, but now that they were there, the true challenge had only just begun. Will Flash be able to claim victory at the Gym and earn his final Equestria Gym Badge? Find out...as the journey continues
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Oh yeah, finally they are in Dragonia City, let me tell you that you raised my expectations with the appearance of Garble, if Twilight has Trixie, Rarity has Suri (well i dont know if she is her rival or Coco Pomel rival) and Flash has Lightning, it was about time Spike's rival would arrive.
In your Yugioh fic, Spike didn't get a chance to have a rematch against Garble since other duelists like Cold Steel, Sunburst and Flash defeated him in his appearances, it would have been great for Spike to show Garble that he was no longer the one weak child defeating him to and prove it who's really the strongest dragon.
But now he can prove it, I don't know who will be the leader, Ember or Torch, but for now the battle I would like to see would be Spike against Garble in a 1 VS 1, Terragon VS Blazegon, a battle between 2 dragons where the weak may surpass the strong.
PD: Agroon is my favorite steel pokemon, it was so cool to read him in action great episode
Doom, you are a dunce. Team Shadow is lucky that you are not the actual brains of the operation.
Smolder Cameo and that's Student Six Bingo!
Well Flash has been taking the long way round and going to some of the most distant gyms, also he really doesn't have a plan, so Lightning getting his Eight qualifing badges before him makes perfect sense.
That will depend very heavily on who is the Gym leader, if it is Torch (We've just met Garble and Smolder and this place is called Dragonia City, it's fairly easy to infer who would be running the local dragon themed gym, it's either him or Ember), I expect Flash's challenge to be dismissed outright as Flash's team would look puny and pathetic in Torch's eyes (Flash doesn't even have a pokemon with a second type as fairy, only one of his Pokémon knows ONE ice type move, half his team is composed of starters and two of the non-Starters are not fully evolved (granted Springer is well above average for a Riolu, but from what is likely Torch's point of view it's doubtful he'd take Springer seriously period). If it is Ember, then it would be the hardest gym Flash faces and he'll just barely, like by the skin of his teeth, win (and that assuming Ember is going to accept the challenge because let's be sincere Ember's point of view in the show only changed because of her interactions with Spike but left to her own devices her point of view wouldn't differ much from Torch's) I am not trying to diss, but Flash has a MASSIVELY up-hill battle, we're talking K2 (while not as tall as Everest, K2 is much steeper and a lot hard to climb then Everest) up-hill. I am certain he'll win in the end, but this battle more so than any possible future Elite Four or other League battle will push Flash to the point where he will acquire what he need to beat Lightning Blitz or the other way. This is Flash's make-it or break-it gym badge. My money is still on Flash, but I think I'll only be betting my top dollar on him this time.
It’s awesome that Lairon evolved into Aggron! But now awaits the final Gym leader. It won’t be easy. Dragon types are really strong and they are my favourite!
Wow, that was intense! A thrilling battle with Heatran, though I am surprised that it came and went without Team Shadow ever even learning about it. I thought Heatran might have further complicated their plans, but it turned out to just be a one-shot antagonist for our heroes. At least it is back home now.
I gotta say, I thought Lairon was great in the last chapter, but it outdid itself here, especially when it evolved into Aggron. Finally, an evolution moment from one of Doc’s Pokémon I actually care about. It put up an amazing fight against a Legendary Pokémon, especially since it is one it is weak against. I’d think it was possible to argue it even won, or at least tied with it. I think it is safe to say that Aggron has officially replaced Tockwork as Doc’s ace.
I have to admit, they arrived in Dragonia City a lot sooner than I expected. I thought they were going to confront Team Shadow again first. But I am not complaining since now Flash is that much closer to his final badge. As much as I hope his final Gym a battle will happen soon, I won’t be surprised if there are one or two chapters before that, maybe with Garble as an antagonist? Speaking of which, nice cameo for him and Smolder.
Lightning might have gotten all of his badges first, but that doesn’t mean squat because Flash is going to get the badge from the strongest gym, unlike Lightning, meaning he will have the bigger accomplishment.
That was intense!
Flash's eighth gym battle is coming up, and I can't wait!
It was a surprise when Flash and the others ended up completely missing Team Shadow, but I'm not complaining since we got to the destination of Flash's last badge even faster. Lairon's evolution into Aggron and battling a Legendary he had a type disadvantage against to a standstill was epic and basically proves he has replaced Tockwork as Doc's ace.
I also think it is kinda cool you gave Heatran some focus before the actual anime did, since Heatran didn't really having a major role until the Arceus Chronicles.