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Gale force winds begin to swirl around the temple. Power that you can taste in the air surges towards the transforming giant serpent. In the blink of lightning, a silver streak rockets just over Ourboro’s head.

Just like that the wind dies back down, the storm settles into merely a strong downpour. The pulsing purple lights fade from the black Rayquaza’s scales.

“I’m sorry to inform you Gym Leader Ourboro,” A lean man in a pale grey suit with slicked back purple hair sits astride a large Skarmory in the stands, “That you’ve violated two clauses of the client contract, International Scale Villainy, and Subpar Monologuing. Therefore the acquisition has been repossessed.”

Ourboro glares at Jason Rocket, “Give back that stone, Boy.”

JR just smiles, “Happily!”

A perfect underhanded toss sends the meteorite right into the hands of Zinnia. When everyone looks back, the daring thief has already disappeared.

“No!”

Zinnia laughs, “I guess I’ll forgive him this time.” Her smile drops as she stows away the rock, “Surrender Ourboro.”

“Never!” He turns to the gym trainers and big monkey still blocking our exit, “No outsiders leave the valley!”

Zarude howls and charges towards Citro and I, “Wick, Fire Blast!”

The black hound barks out a terrifying fireball that stops our opponents in the tracks.

Citro sends out his Rillaboom and Salazzle, “Kurt! Help Zinnia end this fast, I’ll stall this bunch!”

“Not by yourself,” I send out my Galvantuala, “Tess, you and Wick protect the boy! Head for the stands and don’t get caught out in the open!”

A gang of grass types rush into our team of type advantaged pokemon. As more fire and vines fill the air I release Shak and climb up. “Fly Shak!” Pointing at Ourboro who’s holding a staring contest with Zinnia as the young Legendaries begin to trade probing lighting attacks. “There’s lunch Big Guy, don’t hold back!”

He launches forward in a galop, then leaps to start pumping his monstrous wings. A brilliant lime green beam of light forces us into a roll that puts us skidding back onto the arena pavers.

Tropius and Meganium are still positioned in front of their trainer, the man himself smirks and lifts another pokeball sending out the biggest Venusaur I've seen yet. “I won’t be interrupted a third time, Kurt.”

“Too bad!” Shouts Zinnia as more flashes reveal her team of dragons. Salamence, Druddigon, Hydreigon, Tyrantrum, and some godzilla looking dragon take the field with roars that shake the valley. “Everyone rampage! Bax, Ice Beam that Rayquaza!”

Up above the Rayquaza are trading beam attacks, each one just missing or glancing off scales to hit the surrounding cliff walls or taking the top off a nearby building.

Zinnia’s team distracts Ourboro’s squad enough for Shak to take back off.

The unknown dragon fires an ice white beam into the side of the black serpent only for it to barely coat it with frost.

Shak accelerates up along the cliff wall to avoid attention as the enemy Rayquaza fires a torrent of dark water into the horde of clashing pokemon below.

A flash is the heartbeat warning before lightning hits my Ogrbat’s wing sending us against the cliff face and free fall.

Green claws rake through black mist, a trail of lightning scorching the cliff above us. Dozens of rocks break loose. Thunder shakes the world.

Shak almost maneuvers to get between me and the ground but it’s too late. Everything was too late.

A cyclone of white petals surges up beneath us as an airbrake. My bat and I still hit the dirt hard enough to knock the air out and I can feel my shoulder socket come just shy of dislocating.

Above the avalanche of rocks freezes in place, hovering in a pink haze.

“I don’t think father will be awarding you any badges this way Mr. Kurt.” Ourboro’s daughter Hibiko stands with a wooden parasol in the rain beside another large serpent, this one pearlescent white. Maybe not as big as the dueling dragons above.

She gently places a hand on the white snake’s side, “Lady Serperior, please reign in this chaos.”

The serpent's eyes glow pink and all across the battlefield, white blossoms swirl up and separate the battling pokemon. The Zarude powers through the petals only to be blindsided by my Galvantula who takes him sliding down the stands as she fully wraps his face in webbing.

Ourboro and Zinnia seem to take no notice of what’s happening in the field. Their eyes are locked above where the green scaled Rayquaza, coated in sparks, tries to wrestle with the black shadowy form of its opponent.

The Gym Leader growls out, “Ice Fang! Bring it down!”

A chilling set of fangs strike out and clamp onto Zinnia’s dragon causing it to roar in pain.

“Use it!” Zinnia’s own draconic fury is starting to shake the rubble around her, “Outrage!”

Thunder and lighting shake the valley again. Another round of horribly violent thrashing adds fresh blood to the rain.

Hibiko sighs, “A dragon’s fury brings too much destruction.” Her gaze flicks to me, “Kurt, will you allow Serperior to teleport you? She was unable to when you were falling before.”

Right, if that’s an option I’ll take it. I look at Shak sneaking sips of dragon blood from the ground and return the battered bat to his ball.

Stolen novel; please report.

Turning to her, “Let's do it. You don’t mind me giving your old man a piece of my mind?”

She brushes white hair from her eyes and smirks, “I suspect we have the same opinion on the situation.” it fades, “Grab that flute, and bring an end to his delusion.”

Stretching out my bruised shoulder I give the girl a nod. A sudden twister of flower petals raises around me and then falls to reveal my new position directly behind Ourboro.

Taking the advantage, I put all my strength into a punch low on his back. He barely senses something in time to start turning. It just makes the hit easier to land, goodbye kidney.

Thunder overpowers the sound of impact. The man drops, clutching his side and dry heaving.

Still the titans above fail to notice, focus on shredding each other apart for dominance.

Zinnia did see it, “Arceus Yes, Good Hit!”

Hibiko appears beside me in another swirl of blossoms. Only paying her father enough mind to step over his cradled form and pick up the dropped bone flute. I don’t miss the chance to snag up his pokeball belt.

Placing it to her lips, a slow yet cheerful tune rolls out in time with the thundering storm. In the sky, the twin dragons separate. The lightning strikes slow, becoming more natural, distant, striking the stone spire tops instead of reaching the valley below.

The green Rayquaza returns to Zinnia’s side protectively. Shadows coalesce into a solid body of black scales, giant purple eyes take in the scene around us.

A gentle breeze carries white petals up and around its head, gently drawing the Rayquaza’s focus to the third large serpent below.

Serperior softly hisses yet the sound carries up the valley walls.

Rain lightens to a gentle drizzle, I can see the clouds begin to drift in the wind instead of spiraling over the gym. Rayquaza descends to the side of what I can only assume to be his partner now. Together the white and black serpents begin to disappear into the tree line.

Zinnia moves to pursue but Hibiko stops playing and calls out, “Please don’t, his anger haunts him with every waking moment since the shadows came.”

Ourboro finally pulls out of his daze to sit up, “What have you done?! You’ve betrayed the clan!”

“No,” scowling, Hibiko points the flute at his face, “You’ve desecrated sacred relics, and allowed malignant outsiders to twist your beliefs.”

He scowls, “A fine way to speak of family.”

“Mother and her staff left the valley this morning with Uncle Naps… I chose to stay.” her voice shakes, “Uncle discovered Master Zinnia. Mother said ‘you were too eager to let poison fill your dreams.’ They abandoned us, Father.”

“No! Rina wanted this just as much!” the man growls in denial.

Hibiko ignores him, her piece said. Instead she takes the ball belt from me and begins returning his reluctant pokemon who likely would have resisted anyone else.

On the far side of the temple field, an exhausted Citro plops down in the stands alongside our pokemon.

Zinnia bows to her own Rayquaza before returning it to her ball. Only then does Zapdos announce her return with an echoing caw. Gliding down to the stands beside Citro and allowing the girls to hop off.

The Elite Four member stalks across the field to my side, her one eye never leaving Ourboro, “This farce is over, your daughter seems sensible enough to leave in charge of the gym while you accompany me to League Headquarters.”

I can’t help but jab, “You really do just evade any responsibility besides fighting, don’t you?”

This time she grins, “It’s called Delegating Kurt, a very important leadership skill.”

With the storm subsiding, I can finally sense something ominous from the nearby cave from which Ourboro and his Rayquaza exited, “We’ve got more left to check out.”

Zinnia tracks my focus then checks the time, “I’m not leaving this lunatic’s side. Just wait an hour or so, I already requested back up…after our talk earlier.”

Leveling her a flat stare.

She just shrugs, “What? I didn’t say you made bad points, just that I didn’t like them.”

“You’re an irresponsible psycho.”

“Says the man who rode a fat bat into a lightning storm called down by two legendary class dragons. Even if they’re younger Rayquaza you may as well have punched its nose and said ‘Eat Me.’”

Ourboro looks at me strangely, “That was your best idea?”

“Okay, we’re all crazy.” shaking my damp hair out as it drips in my eye, “Let’s get inside please.”

Zinnia hauls up Ourboro and shoves him towards the temple, “Step one foot out of line and consider it dragon chow.”

Hibiko follows as if determined to see every moment of her father’s consequences.

Meanwhile I hobble over to my team, must have done a number on my hip with that landing as well.

“You kids fine?” Looking directly at Citro, “Seemed like you handled that pretty well.”

He goes to speak but coughs first, “haa, ya.”

Naomi chips in while he catches his breath, “That was crazy!”

Jane is scowling, “We got sidelined again Princess.”

Now the boy gets on his feet while I kneel down to pat my Houndoom and Galvantula.

He checks a scrape on his elbow, “I don’t know why you’re so insistent on being in the middle of it. That sucked! First we got chased by a Zarude, then every pokemon and their cousin started firing off moves. Some gym girl snuck up and smacked me with a broom!”

Laughing as we get moving towards the temple entrance and out of the rain, “Right!? I totally bruised a hip, and nearly dislocated my shoulder. That’s only because I lucked out by not getting crushed by falling rocks.”

Watts tacks on, “Or flash fried by empowered lightning.”

Remembering something, “How the hell did that Ash guy live into his twenties?”

Having just stepped under the covered entrance, Zinnia catches my question, “Some Salamence grade Skitty-shit, Chosen One nonsense. I got a text. Your team is to stand down and leave the rest to the experts.”

“Why are you grinning?”

“See? Delegation.”

Oh please.

She goes on, “The brains don’t need the fangs getting in the way or biting anything important.”

Nah, screw it, “That’s the excuse they’ve been giving you for years isn’t it?”

A vein just visible over her eye patch throbs.

Jane grabs my arm and Naomi steps forward, “Thank you for today Master Zinnia. I’m sure Kurt would love to continue this conversation in a world class arena one day.”

That has the woman grinning like a predator, “Now that’s a bright idea on a gloomy day.”

Hibiko steps up as we move away, “Thank you for your help today. Please accept the Fallarbor badge, both of you.”

She’s holding out a pair of badges shaped like green speckled rock spires to Citro and I.

The boy seems about to object so I poke him on the scraped up elbow.

“Ow!” he hisses in air, “Fine I get it.” He bows to the presumptive new Gym Leader, “Thank you.”

I take mine as well. “Thank you. I think anyone who saw what you did today would call you a hero, you know?”

A faint smile traces her lips as she bows in farwell.

Making our way down the stairs, Jane grumbles, “Great, now we’re down a badge Princess.”

Watts hesitates before explaining, “Actually, that just caught the boys up to me. You’re still one badge ahead of us.”

“Oh.”

“Yup,” I laugh, “and we’re not even halfway done with the year.”

Citro grimaces, “I hope the back half is boring.”

Looking at the endless rainbows beginning to form as the storm clouds begin to disperse over the rocky spires of Fallarbor, “Let's go.”

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