Now that the main cast has been fully introduced and we’ve gotten a time skip, here are the current ages for all the characters—
Ash : 19
Cynthia : 31
Sylvester : 34
Sabrina : 18
N : 25
Zinnia : 19
Anabel : 20
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PARAGON
Origin Child Arc [7]
Chapter 7 : Two Years Later
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Cynthia basked in the gentle sunlight that caressed Paragon Island, a mug of tea in hand. Warmth washed over the balcony she lay upon, and no thoughts occupied her mind while she relaxed. Taking one last breath of the crisp outside air, she brushed the crumbs off her lap and stepped back inside. She was a practical woman, and no ostentacity decorated her office, but she was thankful for what she had here. Her sanctum was hardly any different in appearance or size from the offices provided to her by the League, on both Lily of the Valley Island and Indigo Plateau, but here, at least she had somewhere she could steal simple moments of tranquility before the weight of her positions bore back down on her.
She sat back in her leather chair and shook her mouse to wake her computer back up. The three screens arrayed in front of her brightened and she quickly scanned them to refamiliarize herself with what she’d been doing before taking a break for breakfast. Right… a pack of Azumarill running wild in the Great Marsh, a blackout in Sunyshore again, and more ownership disputes between Canalave City and the Iron Islands for control of the mines. She sighed and rubbed her face, though it did nothing to alleviate her stress. This is a job for the government. Why are they sending this shit to me?
In recent years, the League had become more and more responsible for the general goings-on within their respective region’s borders, which meant more work for Cynthia. She offloaded as much as she could on anyone who would shoulder it, be it the regional government or her Elite Four, but at least the latter were nice to enough dash the hopes and dreams of any conference winner who dared attempt to usurp her throne, so she tried to repay the favor by not distracting them with this nonsense. It was the Sinnohan government that was truly to blame, though even then, the world wasn’t so simple that the blame fell on one, single institution
Above the incessant messaging about how utopic the life of a trainer could be were the cold, iron hands and cogs that kept that whole system running smoothly enough that said trainers would never have to bother themselves with how the sausage was made. For one, the regional governments which most were so blissfully ignorant of anyway, were nearly toothless. At one point they may have acted like the sovereigns that they were, but now, they were little more than middle men between the powers that be and the League.
A blessing and a curse to be fair. When things needed to change, they changed. But oftentimes, things changed so fast that the populace never got a word in edgewise one way or another, merely left to get used to the new normal after all was said and done. Not at all an ideal system.
Unless you live in Galar, Cynthia mused. Unlike the other regions, they were still ruled by a monarchy, and two years ago, Leon had doubled as both World Champion of the Pokémon League and a prince of Galar. For its citizens, his double-edged crown meant the ascendancy of the Galar as a whole, and indeed, the region had improved exponentially under his reign. More than any other, the League had suffused itself into Galar’s very culture, turning the once medieval region into an entertainment paradise, and they were now nearly a peer competitor with the likes of the naval titan Hoenn, or even the financial capital of the world, Unova.
But Leon was no longer World Champion. And seemingly, he was no longer a prince either. The man had fallen off the face of the planet after his loss two years ago, and though Cynthia had tried to reach out at the time, her attempts had been quickly buried under an avalanche of greater priorities. Galar’s meteoric rise had ended and they had returned to normalcy, once again mired in the usual political circus of any other region, and the League had moved on from him as well.
As they did Ash.
Cynthia was not afraid to say she was a smart woman. But she’d predicted their response to Ash’s abdication wrong. A week passed by, then two, then people started getting curious about where their new Champion had gone off to. Many World Champions of years past had enjoyed limited public lives in spite of their notoriety, but it wasn’t until some self-important journalist spun up a narrative that Ash, the Pallet Town native, was trying to imitate the mythical trainer Red, that the missing World Champion story really took off. After his mother confirmed to the media that she’d spoken to him and that he was doing fine, did the League make their decision.
They would not be replacing him. For the next five years, the League would go without a World Champion.
Cynthia had of course gotten the news before the rest of the world, but it had shocked her just as much as it had them. Understandably, many trainers were outraged, even if they never stood a chance at claiming the now empty throne, but the League was immovable. Conferences would continue as normal, and five years later, they'd hold another World Championship.
Nevertheless, Ash had resurfaced in the coming months, popping up here and there in cities and in the wild, though he entertained nothing beyond the briefest and most casual conversations. And he revealed next to nothing about what he was up to or why he’d left. Eventually, as expected, his popularity seemed to wane, as he became a sort of larger-than-life, but not that much larger-than-life figure. It was tough to worship him when one could randomly stumble upon him at the Battle Frontier or find him chilling in Undella Town, but he was also difficult to forget, charismatic and down-to-earth as he was when he did appear.
Cynthia had mixed feelings.
Thankfully, Ash hadn’t pried too much into the nature of Paragon’s secrecy. Even the most surface level inquiry about just how opaque the organization was would’ve raised further questions, but the boy seemed to have been looking for an excuse to untie himself from his new throne, even if he hadn’t realized it himself.
Cynthia herself maintained an active public image despite her leadership of the organization, but she’d insisted to Ash, and to the others, that their membership, and by extension, their celebrity, be kept as quiet as possible.
She’d learned much after becoming Champion of Sinnoh. Her decision had come to pass after seeing certain things that could only be seen after attaining the sort of vantage she did.
Powerful forces rested beneath the surface, or rather, sat above all, which pulled the true levers of power in the world. A nebulous existence, that could not be simply summed up by ‘the rich’ or ‘the League’ or even ‘the government.’ Even Cynthia could not parse its true identity after all this time, but she’d felt its tendrils more than once. The existence of the Paragon Organization may have escaped the attention of the League and the regional governments, but certainly the true string-pullers had noticed, and she suspected they weren’t thrilled about another institution threatening to encroach on their domains.
But Cynthia would not let Paragon sink before it realized its true purpose. Even if its members were not yet aware of what that was.
For as long as she could, Cynthia would hide the strength of her pieces, keeping her cards close to her chest. That was the real reason for all their secrecy. In time, Paragon could become known to the world, but only after it had made itself a permanent fixture on the chessboard. Until then, she’d bide her time.
At this moment, that meant waiting for her newest pawn to return to the fray as a queen.
Though Ash hadn’t told her what his plans were, through his infrequent appearances across the world, Cynthia had begun to chart out a vague roadmap for the training gauntlet he’d gotten up to. And now, two years later, just as he said he would, it seemed about time for him to return.
Instinctively, her hand fell upon the six pokéballs at her waist. They were warm to the touch.
Itching for the battle they knew was on its way home.
Soon.
Before she could let herself get distracted any longer, she withdrew her hand and put it back on her mouse. She forwarded the Canalave and Sunyshore matters to their respective mayors and demanded they resolve the issues without bothering Volkner or Byron, then notified Pastoria’s that she’d be over in the coming week to look into the situation. Flicking her attention over to another monitor, she read through some updates from Anabel and N on their respective missions and sent back responses. Seemed like Anabel was cleaning things up on some spatial anomalies in Alola and would be back later in the month. N was tasked with preventing a giant asteroid from flattening Slateport, so he’d be spending more time in the upper atmosphere tracking it.
No word from Zinnia or Sabrina. No surprises there, but they always got the job done so Cynthia wasn’t concerned.
Turning her attention to her last monitor, she pulled up several pages of notes she’d taken on some ruins in southeast Sinnoh. If her work ever let up, maybe she’d be able to embark on a deeper expedition.
Not likely though.
After doing one last once over on everything still open on her end, she locked her computer back down and exited her office. Sylvester was still doing chores inside, and upon seeing her, he began working on an early lunch. Before long, both of them were seated and eating and conversing about this and that.
“Alright, what’s going on?” Sylvester finally said. “You’ve been antsy ever since you sat down.”
Cynthia frowned as she mentally surveyed her body language. I thought I was hiding it pretty well…
“We’ve known each other too long for you to hide anything from me,” Sylvester chided, as if reading her mind, and he wiped some sauce from his knife onto the bite of food speared on his fork, before sticking it in his mouth. “You always start staring off into the distance like you have all the time in the world whenever something pressing is on your mind,” he said, pointing the fork at her.
Cynthia digested his words before shrugging and sticking a bite in her mouth. At least around him, there was no need to pretend to be anything she wasn’t. “You think you’re so smart. I’m just waiting for Ash to return. It should be any day now if his word is to be trusted.”
“Don’t be coy. You trust his word completely, it’s why you’ve spent an extra week here, milling about the island. And I saw the way you treated his pokémon in your first battle on the island. Don’t think I didn’t notice you’d used Blissey to heal Sceptile’s wounds before Ash brought it to me. I don’t recall such a display of barbarism against the others, at least until the rematch.”
Cynthia pursed her lips and took a long sip from her mug. Sylvester watched her as she did, without uninterrupting. “Unlike the others, Ash spent almost a decade in the League. But his potential is far greater than the others, far greater than even my own. I wanted to break him in as soon as possible, and for a man like him, battle is the language he understands best.”
Sylvester shook his head. “An excuse. Tell me what’s so special about that boy.”
“When he returns, you’ll see for yourself.”
“That much faith in him, huh? You sound uncharacteristically unconfident in your own abilities. It’s almost as if…”
He frowned and met her gaze. She betrayed nothing, taking a long sip from her mug.
“What sort of game are you playing?” he asked. “Do you intend—”
A bang near the front door outside shook the entire building, and both of them shot to their feet. Silent words passed between them and as Sylvester slid behind her, unarmed as he was, Cynthia advanced toward the front door. A hand drifted down to her belt, and she pulled off a pokéball.
Smoke wafted in down the hall, obscuring their view, and Cynthia stopped. A film of sweat gathered across her forehead. The building shook periodically, as if some great beast was now stomping through their sanctuary.
Who the hell…?
From within the smoke, a silhouette appeared.
Ash Ketchum stepped inside. His auburn eyes cut through the chaos and glanced around the room. His dark hair was as untamed as ever beneath a stained red cap. His clothes were streaked with dirt and grime, but the man looked dauntless. Cynthia was no short woman, but he was now at least a head taller than her. Pikachu grinned upon his shoulder, despite several small cuts and smears of grease across his fur.
“Ash,” she breathed, lowering her guard. Dust drifted in around him.
The compound shook as an indigo fin cut through the haze and walked up beside Ash. Garchomp towered over his master, and when its beady eyes found Cynthia, they narrowed.
A bead of sweat slid past her ear. It’s taller than mine.
“Sorry about the front door, it kind of has a bit of a hole in it now,” Ash said. “This one evolved recently and he still needs to get used to his strength.” Ash kicked Garchomp lightly, and the dragon grunted.
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Cynthia placed her pokéball back on her belt and glowered. Other figures began to emerge behind Ash. A furious Annihilape and a verdant Leavanny traipsed in and scolded Garchomp, while a Crawdaunt lumbered beside Ash to survey its surroundings.
“Enough,” Ash scowled, pulling out several pokéballs. “I told you guys to stay outside. Now you’re going back in your balls.”
They could hardly get a word of protest in before Garchomp, Crawdaunt, Annihilape, and Leavanny melted into red and were all returned. Now that they were gone, and the dust had settled, Cynthia could see a Gigalith standing motionless on the grass to their left, and an enormous Butterfree chewing on a flower to their right.
“Sorry,” Ash said again. Then he grinned. “It’s good to see you though! I didn’t think you’d be here right now.” He frowned and tilted his head. “Don’t tell me you were waiting for us.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, I had work to do,” Cynthia said, shutting that down immediately. “And now I need to have my front door replaced.” She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Ah, whatever. Sylvester will handle it.”
“I’ll add it to the neverending list of tasks you assign me,” Sylvester scoffed. “Welcome back from the proverbial mountain, Ash! Your company has been sorely missed. I’ve had naught but this witch’s whinging to keep me company these past couple weeks.”
“Ha ha, hey Sylvester. Good to be back,” Ash grinned.
Cynthia rolled her eyes. “I don’t suppose you want to clean up and relax before our battle?”
“Nope.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. For as battered as he looked, he certainly looked ready for a fight. His eyes looked hungry, like they wanted to devour her, and as his fists clenched, the muscles beneath his jacket tightened.
What have I gotten myself into? she muttered silently.
“Let us finish our lunch. Then we’ll get started.”
“Oh yeah, I totally forgot, I get to eat Sylvester’s cooking again! Let’s go!”
“I’ll make you a plate immediately!”
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They stood on the beach again, just as they had two years ago. Unlike before, this was no lesson or simple showcase of power. Both combatants stood ready to win, to completely demolish the other. Sylvester was out of sight, but Cynthia was sure he’d be watching from a distance.
Upon her belt, Cynthia had one pokéball, two great balls, and three ultra balls, for a total of six. Ash had a whopping fifteen on his person, so he had the numerical advantage by far. Across the way, he looked relaxed, crouching down to talk to Pikachu, and the conversation didn’t look too strategic in nature, as he flicked his comrade in the nose and laughed.
Despite appearances, it was time to shift into work mode. She pulled two ultra balls and the one pokéball from her belt and deployed Blissey, Gastrodon, and Garchomp.
Blissey would primarily be in charge of protecting Cynthia herself and healing her comrades. She wouldn’t be playing an offensive role at all, yet the core of their team would revolve around her. Gastrodon was a good all-rounder with enough bulk to scout whatever Ash had planned, and maybe he’d be caught off guard by its speed. Garchomp needed no introduction. Other trainers preferred to save their strongest pokémon for the end. Cynthia had never subscribed to that notion.
Three pokémon were enough to start. Most trainers struggled to even command two pokémon at the same time while in a double battle, but through years of training, Cynthia had pushed that number up to a comfortable four.
On the other side of the beach, Ash stretched his back and grinned. “Alright, let’s get started.”
Goodra, Gigalith, Crawdaunt, Lucario, Leavanny, and Sceptile all materialized onto the beach. Gigalith and Lucario both stayed back, but the others advanced to the fore.
Cynthia’s eyes widened. Six pokémon! She expected three or four at most, but six? That was an entire team back in his League days. There was no way he’d had enough time to figure out and learn how to command that many pokémon at once. Sabrina would be capable of it by way of her telepathy, but Ash… It seems he’d also learned to protect himself during the battle, Gigalith and Lucario both standing defensively at his sides. Blissey wouldn’t be keeping him safe today.
“Since we have the numbers advantage, we’d be fools not to use it,” Ash grinned. “Ready to begin?”
Cynthia kept up her façade as best she could, though the numbers were worrying. “Blissey, same as usual. Keep your shield up and heal the others. Gastrodon, keep them away from Garchomp while he picks them off.”
Her pokémon nodded and prepared themselves. A shiver ran across her body, and she couldn’t suppress a smile. By all accounts, this was nothing more than a test to see if Ash was strong enough to survive the perils of Paragon. But she’d watched his journey from boy to man, and now he stood across her as a fellow in this world beyond the pinnacle, as an equal. And that was being charitable to herself.
“Let’s begin!” she called.
Ash’s four fighters roared and surged toward her without a command, and Cynthia relayed a string of commands. “Earthquake, Gastrodon! Mud Shot if they get close! Garchomp, Flamethrower on all of them, but focus down Sceptile and Leavanny.”
Gastrodon gurgled, and shockwaves of energy coursed beneath the beach, flipping the ground inside out as they traveled. They crashed into Blissey’s shield, and she winced, but she and Cynthia remained protected. Crawdaunt and Leavanny faltered when the attack reached them, but Goodra and Sceptile barreled through, jumping over the ruptured sands. Their fists glowed with elemental energy, and they struck Gastrodon, sending the slug careening into a tree behind them.
A blistering column of hellfire that shot over Cynthia’s head forced the two attackers back. Goodra crossed its arms before it, letting the fire roll over its skin and Sceptile leapt aside, but Garchomp swept the Flamethrower across the beach, pushing them even further back.
Sweat dripped down Cynthia brow as Garchomp continued to spray his fire. Ash has come so far in just two years. His pokémon can match mine one to one. She cursed silently as Gastrodon slid back to her side. With Garchomp’s fire obscuring her view of Ash, he shouldn’t have noticed how quickly Gastrodon had recovered either. his slimy form glimmered as Blissey’s nutrients fed him. We need to take down his pokémon one by one while preserving our strength. As her eyes scanned the battlefield, they settled on the frail looking Leavanny.
“Garchomp, Gastrodon, Dragon Claw and Ice Beam on Leavanny! Blissey, expand the shield to keep the others away from us!”
Garchomp’s fire petered out as he raced toward Leavanny, claws enlarged and glowing. A crackling ray of ice shot past him, but Leavanny twitched upon sensing it and scittered away at lightning speed. Upon noticing Garchomp was after it too, its scythe-like arms turned a harsh green, and it slashed at the dragon. Garchomp caught its blows, and swung back, roaring in anger that this bug would dare challenge it. His attacks became faster and more ferocious, and eventually, he knocked its arms aside, and slashed across its face, launching it backward.
It didn’t get back up.
By this point, cracks had started to web across Blissey’s shield as Crawdaunt and Goodra both hammered into it with abandon. Blissey cried out beside Cynthia as it exerted itself, but the shield soon shattered, and before Cynthia could issue a command, Crawdaunt was upon her Garchomp, and it swung an enlarged Crabhammer at him, bringing him to his knees with a grunt.
Sceptile seemed to appear out of nowhere, firing a point blank Leaf Storm at Gastrodon, and the slug fainted almost immediately.
“No!” It seemed Ash had noticed his return after all. That would be a critical loss, and it was Cynthia’s fault for underestimating him. If Leavanny hadn’t tied up Garchomp for so long, maybe she would’ve noticed sooner. Their response times are too quick, and their attack patterns are too complex, especially with this many pokémon out at once. As I thought, he’s communicating with them telepathically. Cynthia glared at the Lucario who stood beside Ash, its eyes limned in blue. Fine, we’ll deal with the source.
Recalling Gastrodon, she deployed Togekiss, and immediately mounted its back. “Fly me over to Ash! Garchomp, Dragon Nova on Crawdaunt and Goodra, then join us! Back him up, Blissey! And watch out for Sceptile!”
As Togekiss flew into the sky, Garchomp’s wing began to shine, and it almost seemed to suck away the light around it. Blissey waddled over and raised her arms. Golden stardust fell upon Garchomp, and the attack’s power magnified, his fin turning nearly black with how much power it contained.
Crawdaunt and Goodra both seemed to opt for defense, but Cynthia’s ace would not be so easily defended from. From the skies, Cynthia watched as Garchomp outsped both of the others, striking Crawdaunt and continuing the arc into Goodra. Wind buffeted them from below as an explosion of indigo draconic energy blasted the beach apart.
Crawdaunt’s carapace cracked, and Goodra barely had time to croak in agony before flying down toward the beach, its skin burned and black where it’d been hit. Garchomp spent no time admiring his handiwork, breaking into a sprint toward Ash, with Sceptile in pursuit.
As they descended, Cynthia recalled Blissey from afar and released her remaining two pokémon down at Ash. “Both on Gigalith! Roserade, Giga Drain and Milotic, Hydro Pump!”
The two emptied out of their pokéballs already firing off their attacks, and the rock-type rumbled in pain, but stood its ground.
Finally, Ash was in view, and his face was matted with sweat as he clambered onto a Talonflame. Glad to know I’m not the only one taking this seriously, Cynthia thought as she leaped off Togekiss’ back. “Get back in the air and Air Slash on Lucario. Roserade and Milotic, take Gigalith down!” She glanced back at Garchomp, and saw that Sceptile was readying an attack.
Another Flamethrower or Dragon Nova would be the smart thing to do here, but even with the odds against her, her curiosity won out. “Garchomp, Razor Sands on Sceptile.”
As Ash’s Gigalith beat back against its two assailants with a barrage of spiky Stone Edges, and Talonflame flapped into the air with its master on its back, a storm of sand rose from the beach and shot at Sceptile. This time, however, a blizzard of leaves swirled around the grass-type to protect it, and when the attack ended, it looked unscathed. Its yellow eyes bore into the dragon, salivating for revenge.
Excellent. Yes, they’d come far indeed. The two pokémon charged each other, beating against one another in a savage brawl.
Cynthia began to feel hot, and looking up, she saw an unmistakable Heat Wave coming her way.
“Shit! Milotic!”
The serpent looked back at her master, and immediately broke off the assault on Gigalith, slithering over in a flash and conjuring a wave of water to catch the incoming attack. Now that it only had one opponent to deal with, Gigalith switched on the offensive, and its granite hoof smashed into Roserade, sending her flying back in a storm of purple spores. Gigalith shuddered as the poison seeped into it, but Ash recalled it from above, sending out a Swellow in its place.
Closer to the beach, Lucario continued to dance with Togekiss as they fired off orbs of varying elements against each other. Togekiss tried taking a swipe at it multiple times, but every time, she was repelled with the swing of its silver bone staff. She wouldn’t last much longer.
Cynthia grit her teeth, the full weight of their numerical difference bearing down on her now. She’d hoped to incapacitate Ash himself to end the battle quickly, but he’d slipped through her fingers, and now they were divided.
Time to change that. Ash hadn’t yet taken the initiative despite his numerical advantage, so deploying a fifth pokémon wouldn’t be the end of the world. She ripped Blissey’s ultra ball off her belt and sent her out again. “Gravity!”
The air hummed and grew heavy around them, and Talonflame squawked as an invisible force pulled it back to the ground. Lucario and Sceptile sunk to their knees in surprise, while Swellow was nearly flattened against the grass, screeching in pain. Roserade limped back out of the forest where it’d flown and unleashed purple, yellow, and silver spores into the bird’s face, completely neutralizing it.
“Sceptile, keep dodging Garchomp!” Ash called as he scrambled off of Talonflame’s back before recalling it. “Lucario, take Togekiss down with Bone Rush!”
The jackal grunted in reply, but couldn’t stand. Togekiss closed in, its wings glowing.
Now’s our chance! Cynthia tore into a sprint toward Ash. If she could knock him out, the battle would be over! Her fingers stiffened together, and her eyes found the back of his neck.
At the sight of her attack, Lucario roared, and burst through Blissey’s gravity. It swung an iron bone into Togekiss, batting her into the rocky ridge, before lunging at Cynthia. Milotic intercepted in the nick of time, blocking its swing with her hardened scales. Ash wheeled on Cynthia, not even realizing how close she’d gotten, and he glared at her from behind the clash, but his eyes shifted to something behind her.
An Infernape, no doubt released after Leavanny’s defeat, burst from the treeline and tore into Roserade, ragdolling her and throwing her across the beach into a limp pile with an enraged scream. Its gaze turned on Cynthia, and it started toward her.
Dammit, first Togekiss and now Roserade! “Milotic, Blizzard on Sceptile! Blissey, defend us!”
A shield warbled into view as Infernape flew toward them in a flying kick. Upon hitting it, Infernape somersaulted back. Fire licked across its fists and it began laying into the shield, with Lucario joining its efforts now that Milotic had slipped off.
Milotic’s blizzard came down, sweeping across the beach and freezing the sand, grass, and soil where it lay. Garchomp’s hide ignited as it passed, covering his body in the flames of a Fire Blast to protect itself. Sceptile hissed as frost accumulated on its skin, but a newly deployed Butterfree forced Milotic to break off her attack. Not letting the fire go to waste, Garchomp hurled the Fire Blast at the half frozen Sceptile, burying it in the spiraling flames of the five-spoke pentacle. When the fire faded, Sceptile slumped to the ground.
Not that that fixed the situation for Cynthia at all. She was down to only three pokémon against Ash’s nine.
“Hydro Pump, Milotic. Get these two off of us.”
A shaft of pressurized water forced Infernape and Lucario away and they regrouped with Butterfree at Ash’s side.
Three on three, for now. We need to press the advantage while we have it! “Milotic, Atlantic Rend on Infernape, and try and stay out of the way. Garchomp, Draco Meteor on the other two.”
A gleaming knife of water coalesced and solidified around Milotic as the serpent shot toward Infernape, curling around and whipping the lethal sword toward it.
The flame on Infernape’s head roared to life, and as if it’d come alive, it snarled and curled, whipping toward the incoming strike. Fire and water met, and steam plumed around them. Milotic cried out, forcing more power into the attack, and Infernape screeched as it got closer and closer. With one last burst of energy, Milotic broke through and raked her tail down its body from skull to stomach. Blood spurted from the injury, but Infernape refused to go down alone. It thrust a flame-coated fist straight into Milotic’s mouth. Milotic squealed in agony, and Infernape sank to the ground with a throaty wheeze.
Garchomp’s Draco Meteor had reached its apex, and now, the blazing orb in the sky erupted into smaller fragments, and those too ruptured again, all streaming jade dragon energy as they descended upon the beach with a infernal wail.
Quickly, Cynthia recalled all her fallen pokémon scattered across the beach, as did Ash, and just as Blissey’s shield began to stretch over them, she could barely make out Lucario and Butterfree’s silhouettes before they were eclipsed by tempest.
The attack impacted, and the world exploded into fire and brimstone beyond the shield. Blissey grunted every time a meteor impacted her shield, and the ground shook beneath them, as if they were standing directly over an active volcano. Great spouts of sand spat into the air and crystallized into glass, and despite the shield, the pungent smell of smoke assaulted Cynthia’s nostrils. Eventually, the din of destruction died down, and Blissey weakened her shield, panting.
Garchomp stood as the sole survivor among the ruined beach. The sand now looked like ash, burnt as it was, and smoldering craters littered the beach where the meteors had landed.
Luckily, Ash was uninjured, though Lucario seemed utterly exhausted just like Blissey from protecting its master. However, to Cynthia’s surprise, Butterfree flitted over and placed its enormous body atop his head. Somehow it had escaped defeat. But if Ash didn’t summon another pokémon soon, Garchomp would take it out.
“It’s over,” Ash said. “Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Garchomp.”
What?
From Ash’s shoulder, Pikachu leaped into the air, electricity dancing across his fur. Garchomp sneered, not even bothering to defend as the humongous bolt came crashing down on him, engulfing his body.
But he should have.
Garchomp howled and fell to the ground, seizing in agony as the electricity tortured him from within.
“Garchomp!” Cynthia cried, in shock and horror.
Pikachu didn’t let up, screaming in fury as the jagged bolt lashed him over and over until Garchomp moved no longer. When the electricity faded, smoke rose from Garchomp’s defeated form, and his limbs twitched involuntarily.
Ash exhaled a shaky breath and wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve. He smiled.
“We won.”
And Pikachu grinned.
Next — Chapter 8 : First Assignment
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