"You've found it then."

She'd been at the training ground when Gurkinn had rushed over with an anxious expression. He carried a wooden staff and Alakazam floated behind him.

"My boy did. She was hard to pin down." He caught his breath and continued with a serious tone. "Listen…this one is going to be different than the others. It's a Pokemon that's been causing trouble for the surrounding shipping."

"One of the Gyrados?"

She was under the impression those were best left be.

"No, she's got a far longer reach than them. Some of the newer pieces of debris you saw on the beach were her handiwork."

That type of range was disconcerting. In that case, she was no safer here than by Gurkinn's side.

"You know its gender? Then you've encountered the Pokemon before?"

"Not exactly" He spoke evasively. "I've heard of her though. She's from overseas. Her former trainer made a serious attempt at becoming a Champion."

Which meant she would be near or at the peak of power in this world. That politely ignored the Donphan in the room. It would be a Mega.

"This is something you are prepared to deal with?"

She knew he was powerful but a raging wild Pokemon was different than a potential champion.

"Not as much as I'd like to be." He gruffed. "But I have my team, most of them. They've not failed me before and this is my job."

She could relate having been given the shit detail too many times to count. With the 203rd at her side things never seemed as bad as they were. Perhaps that was what Gurkinn felt with his team.

"I presume you have a plan."

"Right, you are little missy." He pointed to Alakazam. "I'll have the lug over here transform. He'll provide back support but will mostly be tied up preventing her from teleporting out of range or squishing us where we stand. The front line will be my Blaziken here." He patted a ball on his belt. "She'll attract and keep its attention. Then Gengar" He pointed to his shadow that waved back. "Will be in charge of actually taking her down."

"I see." It was far more basic than she would have liked but there was a value in keeping plans simple. "And what will you be doing during this?"

He had a befuddled expression on his face.

"I'll be sticking by Alakazam and making callouts as I see them."

That was all? So it was not so dangerous that he needed to enter the field. That eased her concern greatly. It must be nice to have that luxury of not needing to make direct contributions during battles. Her eyes drifted to Mawile who stared back with an innocent tilt of her head. Something told her Mawile would not be content to let her get away with that type of leadership from the rear.

"And us then?"

"Either with us or further back. It will be your call."

That was a detail better decided once she saw the terrain.

"You've not mentioned what species of Pokemon it was."

"Hmm, I haven't have I? Well, no use being coy any longer. It's a Gardevoir."

—

"You're staying here then?" Gurkinn asked, they were at a ridge overlooking a valley. Towards the center, there was a cave.

Tanya stood with Mawile and Carbink by her side.

"I am. Good luck."

"Heh, you could act like you mean it." She was merely confident in his return. "We'll be off then."

Gurkinn slid down the embankment with his Blaziken. Gengar remained unseen and Alakazam floated down. This would be a high-level battle and she was curious to see how it would turn out.

"Boost yourselves." She instructed both her Pokemon. "I don't expect to get involved but better to play it safe."

Alakazam glowed before shifting into his Mega form. The change did not go unnoticed and a pressure immediately saturated the area.

That was the only warning before the ground was ripped up and countless pieces of debris were hurled toward Gurkinn and his team. It looked as if someone had lifted a rug and wrung it out.

Blaziken charged forward, diving and ducking between any obstacle. Her movements had a certain grace to it. They were also faster than she'd ever seen the Pokemon move before. An invisible bubble sprung up protecting Gurkinn, presumably formed by Alakazam.

Clouds formed overhead and what had been a clear day quickly turned into a dark night. Drops of rain fell to the earth, turning from the initial pinpricks to heavy globs of water.

Blaziken, fast on her feet, reached the mouth of the cave only to be hurled back. She skidded like a pebble tossed across a lake. A limb dug itself into the dirt, arresting her movement. The same limb kicked back and the earth was uprooted as Blaziken streaked forward. She somersaulted, avoiding an attack, and her now flaming leg searched for a target.

It was caught, snatched out of the air by a purple bubble. The one responsible for it glided out of the cave, hand outstretched. The Gardevoir was non-plussed, looking at the intruders as if they were ants.

The Blaziken struggled in mid-air. Her shadow stretched and a purple orb shot out. Simultaneously Blaziken struck out with a claw coated with similar energy.

Both attacks sought to create a pincer.

Both missed.

Gengar was hauled out of the shadow and tossed into Blaziken. A sparkling light came from Gardevoir's body and impacted the two Pokemon, blasting them back. Gengar faded quickly while Blaziken repeated its previous feat to recover.

There was a crack and a bolt of lightning lanced toward Gurkinn. Blaziken appeared in its path, blocking the strike.

That must have been the work of Alakazam. Most of its actions were unseen but there was something in the air that told her he'd been far from idle thus far. It was a rather galling prospect, that one Pokemon was at ease facing this lineup.

She looked to Mawile who was regarding the fight with great interest, a fire in her eyes.

"Don't even think about it." She knew that look well. "We're observers here, nothing more."

She turned her attention back to the fight. Blaziken persisted in its advance, with Gengar appearing at what looked to be the most inconvenient times. It made no difference, Gardevoir seemed to know exactly where it would show up. Each attack was halted and the user was promptly punished for the offense.

This went on for some time and she realized what it reminded of her. A cat playing with a mouse. It wanted to see what they would try. No prizes for guessing what would happen once it grew bored.

Tanya took an unconscious half step back and Gardevoir's head turned in her direction.

Its body was then bathed in a brilliant white light and what was left she hesitated to call a Pokemon.

If the Slowbrow had been nothing to the Salamence then what the hell was this? Her feet remained rooted but she could feel it in her bones. This creature was capable of wiping them all out on a whim.

She shook off the thought, Mega Alakazam was not there for moral support. Its presence would surely check it.

Mega Gardevoir's mouth opened and she locked her legs, preventing herself from falling while clutching her ears. It didn't help, the grating scream seemingly originating in her own head.

The Pokemon was no longer at the cave entrance, having moved in front of Gurkinn. Its fist crackled and headed for the man. He took his staff, meeting the attack head-on. The piece of wood splintered but his form was swapped with Blaziken who lashed out with a kick.

The attacks met each other and for the first time, Mega Gardevoir was pushed back. She felt the shift from slight amusement to a cold indifference.

Blaziken dropped to a knee and her form was flattened into the earth. Tanya could see her struggle to move as an unseen weight held her down. Gengar appeared and spat something towards Gardevoir that splashed against a Protect.

The ghost Pokemon leaped with glowing purple lights appearing in its eyes. An energy surrounded the Mega Gardevoir, holding her in place and twin beams hit the Pokemon.

Any relief was short-lived as the Mega Gardevoir's form collapsed into motes of light.

Tanya brought her hands from her ear. Her lips moved but only a ringing was heard. She turned to Mawile first, who stood on one knee, and then to Carbink who dizzily floated.

From her knowledge, that was Psychic Noise or maybe Hyper Voice? Both?

They hadn't even been close to the attack and it had reduced them to this state? She was doing whatever in her power to earn herself a desk job once her name was cleared. This was insanity, only the mad would enjoy fighting mini forces of nature.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Her eyes searched for the Gardevoir as her hearing slowly returned. The initial downpour had abated but still obscured the valley below.

Mawile's jaw took a metallic tint and swung behind her, she took the cue and dove forward into a roll.

She recovered to see Mawile's attack straining against a Protect. Cracks spread and the sound of shattering glass soon followed.

She thought she could see a shadow stretch from behind a tree when Blaziken rammed into the Pokemon. Mega Gardevoir skyrocketed back, rag-dolling across the ground and kicking up dirt until it spread both hands wide and halted in mid-air.

Gengar was suddenly directly above the Pokemon, its mouth wide open. A waterfall of sludge descended. Mega Gardevoir tilted its head up and blew out, a blue wind met the sludge causing it to freeze. Chunks of ice were caught and suspended for a second before hurtling towards where Gurkinn and Mega Alakazam now stood.

Baziken was breathing heavily beside her, the flames that had once coated her were slowly dimming. Flare Blitz's had taken its toll.

Tanya remained calm, surely Gurkinn had more tricks up his sleeve. The showing thus far hadn't inspired confidence but that had to change soon.

A shrieking cry split across the battlefield. Gengar had somehow been captured, it was unconscious and held tight by the Mega Gardevoir. Its struggles died as it drifted to unconsciousness. A purple mist rose from it and was ingested by Mega Gardevoir, invigorating her.

Dream Eater, she surmised.

Screw it. Future meal ticket or not she wasn't sticking around.

"Mawile, Carbin-" Her words died in her throat as she saw the suicidal rock move towards the fight. "Are you insane? Get back her-"

"Wile, Ma. Wil." Mawile tugged on the hand that had been moving to recall Carbink.

Crud. In the heat of the moment, a key detail had slipped by. The Pokemon had far enough reach to disrupt shipping.

A dazzling light nearly blinded her and she witnessed an attack tear through Mega Alakazam's barrier and impact him.

Running wasn't an option. Hiding wasn't an option.

There was one path out of here.

"With me." Blaziken blurred past them, racing to her trainer's side. "With Blaziken."

The ground was muddy and her shoes sunk into it, slowing her progress.

Mega Alakazam had withstood the attack and a clash of purple energies was taking place between both.

Blaziken had adjusted its path to the flank Mega Gardevoir while Carbink was headed for Gengar.

"Carbink, Get Gengar out of here." She yelled from behind, it looked down for the count and Carbink was too weak for this. Hell, she was too weak for this. "Mawile, no Spit Up. Look for a chance for Iron Head."

Losing the defensive modifiers Stock Pile provided could be fatal.

Any sort of plan became a moot point when the energy twisted into an inky black void. She was yanked from the ground. The force pulling her abated and she rolled through the mud. Brushing her face, she found herself in a heap with Mawile, Carbink, and the fainted Gengar. Mega Alakazam could be seen to have erected a bubble around the black sphere.

A scorching heat was all the warning she needed to raise her hands and call on Protect.

The wall of flame crashed against her shield and she could feel it break when another materialized, reinforcing hers.

"Bink!"

She was giving the Pokemon a good scolding afterward. He needed to tell her the second the move was learned, not save it for the middle of a combat situation!

The last flame flickered out and she saw Blaziken's prone form. The consolation to that news was the burn marks marring the previously pristine white skin.

They could win this.

'Futile' A thought, as clear as her own, burst into her head.

Its mouth opened and she fell to her knees. Mawile stumbled into a charge, her steps slowly coming to a halt.

The two Pokemon stared at each other, Mega Gardevoir's eyes flicked in Tanya's direction and she was no longer herself.

She met someone, she didn't know it but He'd be the most important person in her life.

They fought someone, they lost.

He combed her hair after that, she liked it.

They fought again, they won.

She discovered her favorite poffins, He made sure to always have some on hand.

They made more friends. She liked them. They were family.

They kept fighting. They kept winning.

He had a dream. She'd already reached one she never knew existed.

She grew stronger. She had to. The others were too weak.

A grand competition took place. She won.

He did not.

He was not meant to spend that much time in bed.

He promised someone would care for her.

He left, taking the colors with Him.

He had trusted.

He was wrong.

They were separated. She knew it to be wrong. She knew it to not be what He intended. She could not bring herself to stop it.

Her new place did not have her favorite poffins.

She had a child.

They took her. That was okay. She was not fit to be a mother.

She had another.

Another.

Another.

Again and again. They took them.

It was okay.

She was with child again. She had a glimpse of what should remain unseen. The child would be small. Frail.

The child would stain her legacy.

The child would be removed.

The knowledge broke her. She broke them.

Pokemon or human, neither could stand against her. They never could.

She would be hunted, she needed to leave.

She peaked again, behind the curtain of the world.

A place where she could gain power, where she could gift it to her child. She found it.

Her body was weak, it had given life too many times.

Her child would step into the world and shortly after, she would follow Him.

She could feel them, at the edge of her awareness. Traveling the world without a care.

They took everything from her, she would return the favor.

She'd been noticed. She was being hunted.

It did not stop her.

Something caught her attention.

Curious.

The girl saw herself

Tanya gasped, clutching her head.

Should she apologize to Being X? Fat chance of that ever happening.

The memories faded, like the dreams the Pokemon had tried to implant in her.

She was Tanya.

The violator of her mind looked on at her with a small smile. The Gardevoir had been restrained by Mega Alakazam. Gurkinn leaned on his broken staff, managing to look older than he already was.

She slogged through the mud, passing Mawile on the way.

"Visha stay-"

She didn't pay any attention to Gurkinn's words and slammed the knife into the Pokemon's chest. A hand rose, heedless of the restraints, and parted her hair gently. It looked down on her, nodding.

She was tired.

Tanya scowled, this was her choice. Eliminating the dangerous Pokemon was the right course of action.

The Pokemon collapsed back, its eyes closed gently for a final time.

Tanya wiped her face, it was difficult to see.

"You knew." She directed to the flustered man. "You knew she brought me here."

"I suspected." Gurkinn's voice came out hoarse. "My boy felt her trying to do something and interrupted her. You popped up shortly after but I couldn't be sure. It didn't make any sense."

It did. She needed someone who wouldn't trust. She needed someone who wouldn't break.

She knelt by the corpse, recovering her knife. And plunging it in again.

"What are you doing?" Gurkinn's panicked shout didn't distract her from her work.

"The Mega Stone. She must have eaten it."

She wasn't leaving empty-handed. Her eyes drifted towards the man, more specifically, towards his pendant.

He was weak now. Blaziken and Gengar were out. Mega Alakazam looked nearly drained.

Keystones were rare, this may be her only chance. Did their value outweigh the potential for future cooperation? She didn't know.

Something sloshing through the mud drew her attention. It was a small thing, a red horn peeking out from its green hair.

Its gaze went to Gardevoir and then traveled to Tanya, whose hands still dripped with blood.

It pointed at her and declared, no, decreed.

'Mama'

…

…

…

…

…

…

What?