Chapter 11 - Clash! Thunderclap!

I'm singing to the beat,

I won't stop.

Gotta keep on,

Won't give up.

I'll come and see you.

Just know I am here for you now.

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For the citizens of Thornwell, it was just another day, with the sun shining brightly in the sky, the birds singing in the distance. Waking up, going to work for the adults, playing and heading to school for the children.

It wasn't another day for Shiron, and certainly not for his friends. His team—as they kept insisting, and he still didn't know why they elected him the leader—waited outside the door to the humble place they called "headquarters".

They were all waiting for Daichi to arrive, with the preparations for their trip. Granted, he talked about it the day before, but Shiron let the others catch up to speed on the entire thing.

And if he goes with us, nothing bad will happen! Shiron thought, sighing in relief and clutching his scarf, newly repaired, and now fireproof.

"Hm. I am curious on how this will go…" Liz hummed. She turned to Terry, the dragon prince, who was busy reading a comic book. "...Sire? What do you think we will find?"

He mostly ignored her, without taking his eyes off the piece of paper that mesmerized him. "Right now all I want to find is how Spinarak-Mon will win this one… his girlfriend just got kidnapped!"

"I could tell, but it would ruin the entire thing," Nick shrugged, smiling. "Better to find out by yourself."

Liz pouted. "...Nicholas, I believe you are rotting his brain with this nonsense."

Truth be told, she wanted to deal with it in her own way, but judged it inadequate.

Shiron cleared his throat. Maybe for once he could act as a leader and say cool things, like…

"Alright, guys! Rollcall?!"

"Present!" Nick raised an arm.

"...This sounds pointless, Shiron." Liz blinked, but raised her arm after seeing Terry do the same. "...Present."

"Alright!" Shiron gave them a friendly thumbs up, smiling as bright as he could. "That should be all—"

"Guuuuuuuys! I'm coming!"

A green and brown sphere ran up the hill, unrecognizable at first. But once it was close enough, the shape, expression and smile answered whose voice it was—

"Magnus!" Shiron didn't even try to contain his excitement, waving at his friend. He was a friend. "Hey!"

"Nice seeing you, buddy." Nick smiled at him, waving.

"I'm here to—" Magnus stopped to breathe, allowing them to see he held a large and white plastic back, with its contents, albeit a little blurred by the material, revealed to be multiple boxes. "I packed lunch for you guys! Uh… there's a lot, sorry Shiron, but I had to take into account you five."

That made Liz raise a brow. "Five? I assumed Daichi was joining us."

"Well, about that…" Magnus gulped.

He wasn't the only one arriving. Onyx, the Charmeleon, was right behind, holding her hat with a hand, and spinning it around with one of her clawed fingers.

"Heya," she said, putting the hat on. "Daichi told me he and Jackett were staying here for, as he put it, "bureaucratic shit". Which means I'm the one going with y'all."

Shiron's gills instantly deflated. So, instead of the powerful Golem, they were traveling with Onyx. The disappointment was so sharp it could cut through stone. "Ah…"

"Well." Liz sighed, taking a glance at Onyx. She had bested them, even if they gave up the match. For Liz, that was more than enough. "I believe we are in good company."

"Damn right." Onyx grinned, showing off her fangs. "That reminds me… this lil fella wants to go."

Finally, she pointed at Magnus. The Quilladin smiled sheepishly, holding onto the bag.

Don't tell them you just want Shiron's company, don't tell them you want his company, don't tell them— "Y-Yeah! I wanted to make sure you guys were well fed, y'know!"

"...Will it be safe?" Shiron gulped. Risking his (worthless) life was one thing, but risking his friend's life? He didn't want that in his conscience.

"Dunno. But we're all capable fighters, so it should be fine." Onyx sighed. Well, not all of them, it seemed. "This'll be a one-day adventure, for all we know. Anyhow… ready?"

Shiron looked at her with a fierce expression. This was his chance! "I'm ready!"

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And off they went. The group of six walked through one of the town's exits, leaving through the grassy road, filled with trees from left to right.

They were organized in two trios: Shiron, Magnus and Terry stood behind, as the weakest members, guarding the rear to see if anything happened. Nick, Onyx and Liz walked at the front, ready to strike in case any feral attacked them. There weren't supposed to be any, but…

"Stay alert anyway. We can pass by a horde anytime soon." Onyx said, puffing out smoke. "We got this, alright?"

"Aight!" Nick cheered, raising an arm. "In case we come across any, we can just fight our way through!"

"I would rather not. However, I will if necessary." Liz added, smirking. She was… way too excited about fighting, despite her words.

"Sure you are. I can see the fire in your eyes," the Charmeleon smirked, punching Liz on the arm, gently. "I say, being a fire-type."

"Hmph. There is no fire in my eyes! Lies, I tell you!"

"Hah…"

Nick smiled. This was good. No, this was great. He finally had a team of his own! A team that was out in the field, investigating, finding things! It was all he could dream of and even more!

One of these days, I gotta thank Shiron for accepting all of this. It's… honestly really nice.

He glanced back for a few seconds, wondering how his friend was doing. Or rather… friends. All three of them.

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"Shame Liz didn't let you bring the comic… I kinda wanna read it too." Shiron said, watching Terry look around the trees, tail wagging.

Terry kept looking, his eyes sparkling. Both eyes were staring at the trees, the leaves, and the berries. "It's alright! I'm honestly happy! This place is beautiful! It's a lot better than my kingdom. Err, not mine, just… you know."

"Man… imagine if you guys got famous enough to visit other continents. Would blow your mind away!" Magnus smiled. He kept securing the bag, deciding to count on the others for protection, even if the trip had been safe so far.

They heard a growling noise; by this point everyone in their group was used to Shiron and his seemingly black hole of a stomach. He blushed, tapping his belly.

"...We should stop for lunch soon. How much did you bring?"

"Enough for around… two days, I think?" Just in case, Magnus checked the bag. There were a lot of boxes. "...Maybe three if we're lucky. Or less if we're not."

"And you came because you wanted us to eat. You know me so well, Magnus…" Shiron smiled.

"Y-Yeah! Because of that, haha!"

Terry looked at the two, tilting his head. "...Right. I missed some of the details, meteor storms?"

"Uh, yeah, even I know that," Magnus added, glancing at Terry. "Dad said there were a lot of them lately. We don't really know why. He's praying that they don't hit our town."

Shiron frowned. If they hit the town… it would be bad. Real bad. Maybe he should pray too. To whatever god this world had. Maybe Xerneas? She did revive him, after all.

"Well, we're investigating that," he said. "If there's an unnatural reason for it, we'll find out!"

I hope… the training with Ronan has to pay out! If anything happens here or back at Thornwell… it better pay out.

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After that, the groups got closer together, as the road began to shift. Instead of trees, they were now next to grassy fields. Some feral Pokémon were around; Terry saw a herd of Tauros and Miltank in the distance, blocked by fences.

Must be a farm… neat.

"This probably won't be a very dangerous trip. I hope so, anyway." Onyx said, taking a look at the others.

"Fair enough," Liz replied, nodding. "I hope your statement proves to be true. However, even if it is is not, with our team—"

She turned back; seeing Shiron wrapping his arms around Magnus' back. He flashed a grin.

"Wanna be the biggest dreamer! I'll keep running straight ahead! From today into a brighter tomorrow!" Shiron sang, in all the glory his terrible voice could do. "That's right, I have finally realized… I've been forgetting my homework all this time. Life is slow and questions just pile on and on and on… 'Gotta know... where do I belong?'"

"H-Help…" Magnus muttered. On the bright side, Shiron's voice was surprisingly soothing. He didn't want to get rid of it anytime soon… so the help request was pretty much pointless.

"Ow, my ears." Nick covered them, groaning. "Shiron, shut up! You're terrible at this!"

Even Terry was groaning, shaking his head and muttering some unintelligible words, all to ignore the noises. "Lalalala…"

"Big and Bigger, Biggest dreamer! That's the start of everything! I know dreams are what I need to find the answers that I seek!"

Nick groaned dramatically, almost losing his balance. Terry ran in circles while pouting. But Magnus? He was the only one actually enjoying all the singing. Not even he knew why.

"A reliable team, eh?" Onyx chuckled, looking at Liz with a toothy grin.

Much to the Charmeleon's surprise, she saw something highly unusual. A… smile? A smile! Very small, and Liz looked like she was making a lot of effort just to smile.

"Oh, you're smiling, little rose?"

"I am not!" Liz protested, pouting and looking away with a huff. "This is a crude display of our prowess!"

"Hah. Say whatcha like, saw you smilin', so you were smilin'~!"

Reshiram almighty… may I have the strength to go through this! Liz thought. She retreated her smile, putting on her usual serious expression. But… they do seem to be having fun.

"M-Maybe try a different song, Shiron?" Magnus said. By now he started to blush, and shamelessly checked Shiron's arm out. He enjoyed how the sun shone in his scales, making them seem all the more brighter.

"A different song? Hm… gonna have to think about that one!"

Nick locked eyes with Terry, and the two said in unison. "NO!"

…A lot of fun, indeed. Liz couldn't help herself but smile once more, Instantly, she stopped herself, seeing Onyx smirking.

And on the road, they continued.

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Until the farms were no longer visible, and the team found themselves at a crossroad. Literally. There were three distinct paths, one headed north, one headed west, and one headed east.

"Where do they all lead?" Shiron asked, looking at both Nick and Onyx, as they knew the layout better than him, and certainly better than the rest.

"Well—"

Nick was about to reply, but was stopped by the sound of Liz clearing her throat. She pointed at a sign nearby. The text inside served as their answer.

"It appears we would reach Bright Dawn by heading north," she said.

"It's one of the routes, yeah." Onyx shrugged. "Probably the quickest one, too. You'd need to go through Heavenwind first, but you'd get there in a week, give or take. Maybe more, I dunno."

"What about the west…?" This time, it was Terry. He knew basically nothing of this continent, so the least he could do was appreciate them helping him. "By the way, thank you. If it were just me and Liz, we would probably be lost by now."

"S-Sire! I know how to travel…" Liz pouted. She was thankful for not having blood to blush.

"I never said you didn't, but… well, I imagine it'd be easier getting lost, since we have no idea where anything is in this continent. No offense."

Magnus smiled sheepishly. "None taken!"

"Hillford's at the west," Nick said, pointing to the left and smiling. "Which is lucky, because—"

"That's our goal." Onyx finished his sentence. "Speaking of… we can rest a little now."

Shiron looked at the sky. The sun was right above them; was it noon? Probably, but now he missed digital watches.

Magnus smiled, wagging his tail and finally putting down the bag, opening it and showing off the boxes, each one with a different color. "We have veggies, meat for the protein, some rice for carbs… pretty much everything you'd need!"

"Whoohoo!" Shiron cheered, tapping his stomach again. "You're the best!"

"Course, you get a larger share…" Magnus handed the fish two boxes. He didn't even wait long before opening them to eat. Not that Magnus minded. If anything… that was adorable.

Onyx sighed in relief. "Whole package, eh? Eat up, y'all. We still have a lot of ground to cover."

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Nick stood on one side of the field, adjusting himself to fight, both fists clenched. On the other side stood Liz, her cape flicking in the wind.

"Kick his butt, Liz!" Terry cheered, sitting down to eat. The others were all next to him. On his left was Onyx, and on his right, Magnus.

Magnus himself was on Shiron's side, watching the fish finish the second box of food. He wasn't sure, but it looked like Shiron did it faster than normal.

"This was… really good. And we get to watch them train? That's awesome!"

"I-I guess…" Magnus put his hand down, and a thought arose. Maybe he could put his hand closer to Shiron's… maybe. Just thinking caused his heart to skip a beat, an occurrence that repeated the closer he got to his goal.

But Shiron didn't even notice, not even when their hands did touch, if only for a second, as Magnus pushed himself away, blushing.

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The fish was fixated at the fight, eyes widening. "Nick, you got this!"

"Y'all." Onyx smirked, showing a single fang. "First one to land a clear hit wins. Don't get too into this."

"Aye!" Nick put his goggles on, smiling. "Alright, Liz! Let's get this show on the road!"

To start things off, Nick took a single step forward before rushing towards her, his trail covered in a white streak from how fast he was running.

"Hmph."

Liz spun her body, vines included. Petals began to fall from her roses, and surrounded her in a thin veil, whirling around in the wind. Nick then jumped once he was mere inches from her face, raising a leg to kick her.

The petals moved in the blink of an eye, gathering in front of her to stop the attack. Not just that, but they pierced through, leaving a bruise in Nick's leg, forcing him to back down a few feet.

Onyx cleared her throat, before raising an arm and cheering. "The fight rages on! Nick tries to go for a hit with a simple combination of Quick Attack and Low Kick! But Liz is faster, she's able to use Petal Dance to protect herself, and even hurt her opponent while she's at it! The girl is fierce!"

"...Narration?" Liz blinked. How odd, though not entirely bad.

"Seems you got a fan." Nick, once again, charged. This time however he stopped before even getting close, using the speed to create doubles of himself; each of the clones marched to attack her.

"Not bad! But you will need more than that!"

Liz moved the petals, multiplying them to cover her entire body… and then they burst into the air, creating a mass of petals strangely shaped like herself while she remained on the ground and was promptly hit by Nick's multiple attacks.

"Whoa…" Shiron looked with sparkling eyes, putting down the box and hugging Magnus tight. "Didja see that?! He's attacking multiple times!"

"Y-Yeah, I see it!" Magnus replied, screaming on the inside.

"You're way too cocky!" Nick's clones dissipated and his claws extended, sparkling like metal as he slashed her. He won the fight!

"Liz!" Terry shouted, not knowing whether to look or not. She lost!

…Or so he thought. As it turned out, once Nick struck Liz with enough force, her body dissipated into light. Nick only noticed it when it was too late—Liz, the real Liz, was enveloped by the flowers, blowing them away as she fell from the sky, spinning and creating vines from her flowers. She slapped him with them after landing, a powerful whip blowing Nick back.

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Nick was left rolling back the field, groaning from pain. His opponent, on the other hand, simply flicked her cape, retreating the vines.

"Rejoice! For I win this spar." Liz raised her head, smirking proudly. "You did well, Nick, all things considered."

"Didn't expect you to use Substitute like that…" Nick stood up, coughing a few patches of grass he accidentally ate. "But hey, I don't mind! Nice trick."

"Congratulations, everyone!" Terry stood up, strolling over to them. "We should probably rest for a while… then we'll keep going, but that was a nice match!"

"Thank you, Sire." Liz bowed. "Everything for you."

Shiron pulled away from the hug, noticing he spent way too much in it, and now his face was all red from embarrassment. Thankfully, nobody noticed it… well, Magnus did, but he wasn't even talking about it, so everything was fine. Probably. Maybe.

To distract himself, he thought of desserts. Which wasn't a good idea, as all he wanted now was one of Magnus' cakes.

Shoot…

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As the day ended and the night started to come, the team found themselves very close to their goal—so close, in fact, that the area already looked different.

"Uh…" Terry looked at the ground. The patches of grass were burnt to a crisp. At the places they weren't, there were holes on the ground, along with rubble. "Is this…"

"Might be meteor rocks." Onyx replied, looking around. The flame in her tail served as a nice way of keeping the place lit. "But the place's deserted. There was an evacuation notice a few weeks ago."

Magnus stood close to Shiron, very close. This part of the trip was larger than what he signed up for, that was for sure. But with his friends, he felt safe. "R-Really?"

"Not just that," Nick added. His tail was stiff. Very stiff. "...I've heard someone was here before, right? Merc, I think."

Liz nodded, checking the grass; there was so little green she was surprised to find any at all. "I, admittedly, am unaware of what transpired here. However, if you did not get any news from him…"

"Means something bad, rose." Onyx replied. She walked forward, closer to the entrance. Checking her surroundings, the Charmeleon found a large sign… or what remained of it. There was very little that wasn't burned to a crisp. "...At the very least, there's been some struggle. We gotta—"

A loud thunderclap reverberated in the area, along with a bright flash of electricity, coming from inside the city. It was followed by a pained roar.

"O-Oh no…" Magnus scooted closer to Shiron, trembling. "W-What was that…?"

"Trouble." Nick said, huffing. "Seems we gotta go check it out, hm?"

Terry, meanwhile, nearly jumped from the shock. He managed to keep his ground, though. "That was really loud! And really bright… what'd you think caused it, Liz?"

"Hm, a powerful electric-type, perhaps. Good thing we have someone to ground it." Liz squinted at Shiron, the fish yelping in surprise.

"M-Me? But…" Shiron shut himself up before something worse happened. This was his chance. "...O-Okay, so the plan is to go check it out?"

"We got this, don't worry!" Nick said, but he gulped, feeling sweat begin to form on his head.

Even then, Nick noticed his sensors twitching. Which was a sign something was up, considering how poor his aura sense was. But now? Now he sensed something powerful, oppressive. It had to be whoever they were facing, and so, Nick put on a brave front. as a Riolu, that was expected of him. "...Right."

Onyx looked at them all, puffing out smoke. "Alright, you lot. We'll head in. There's a very high chance we'll need to fight someone or something. Be on your guard. Magnus, stay out of the line of fire, alright? If you're not a fighter…"

"Yeah, I'm gonna get beaten up pretty badly." Magnus sighed. "I'll stay behind Shiron."

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Another thunderclap rocked them as they entered the town. This time, Shiron and Terry were positioned in front of Magnus, ready to defend him if they needed to.

Onyx's tail flicked more, though the light wasn't really necessary, the stars in the sky were lit enough that they could walk around without issue.

On what was left of the ground, anyway. The buildings were destroyed, with craters inside them. Those were the older wounds to the structure of the city.

As for the new ones, they were caused by a fire. Some of the wooden buildings were burning even now. One such place was an area full of carts, the fire spreading around it, smoke rising up.

But the loud noises continued. They were coming from the center of the town, judging by the bright flashes the group could see every now and then, always followed by roars.

Magnus gulped, staying close to Shiron. Still, he looked around. There was nothing left of this city, and even with so many people, his heart still pounced. Something was out there, he just knew it.

"We can never be too careful." Liz muttered. Petals gathered around her, forming a gentle forcefield.

By far, the biggest sign of the destruction around town was the massive crater at the center. Onyx bit her lip and glanced at them.

"That's where the largest meteor fell… we don't know exactly what happened, but we'll see," she said. "I doubt there are any survivors, but just in case… Nick? Can you try sensing anything?"

"On it." Nick closed his eyes. This was his moment, it seemed, as she counted on him. Like with Audrey, the Riolu first focused on finding an anchor, someone to get drawn to. Of course, he thought of her.

And then, his body was wrapped in orange. He could see everyone nearby: Shiron was red, Terry was pink, Liz was yellow, and Onyx was the usual blue. Don't know her well enough to properly read, but eh. Let's see…

He touched the ground, trying to get a better sense, or to "scan" his surroundings for any powerful aura. What happened made him fall back; the aura he sensed was strong. Too strong to be a survivor trapped in rubble. In fact, the aura was so powerful Nick fell on his rear.

"Nick!" Shiron rushed to his side, getting on his knees. "A-Are you alright?"

Nick's feelers continued to twitch, like they never did before. "Urgh… the hell's going on in this place?"

"Oh! Hey, what the… what was that all about?!" Terry approached after, trembling.

"Seems our services may be necessary after all…" Liz pondered, shaking her head. "

"There's something really powerful here." Onyx puffed out a small flame, claws stretched. "Probably the only real explanation. Magnus, stay put. We'll go down the hole."

He didn't even try to protest, straightening himself. "Y-Yes!"

Shiron helped Nick stand up and frowned. His heart pounded as well. "Let's go."

With their plan in hand, the group marched forward, climbing down the hole.

On their way down, the group of five finally saw the cause of all the ruckus inside this town. A spark flew right above Shiron, hitting part of the wall and making some rocks fall deeper into the crater.

But after that, he took a look.

Two Pokémon were fighting. One of them was easily recognizable as an Infernape, although its body was consumed by a black aura, and it roared, sending punch after punch towards the other Pokémon, a creature they didn't recognize.

It was a bipedal, feline Pokémon with thin yellow and black fur, with zigzagging stripes across its thighs and a tuft of blue fur over its chest. A long, tail-like strand of yellow fur extended from the middle of its back, shaped almost like a lightning bolt. The Pokémon wore a brown vest, and its blue eyes were fierce, staring at the Infernape while dodging the punches.

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"What… is that?!" Nick was taken aback, both by the mysterious Pokémon and by the powerful thunder that shook him to his core.

"No… n-no idea," Shiron trembled, now thankful that Magnus wasn't there to be attacked. Still, Liz was, and she was a plant… "Just be wary, everyone!"

Liz kept climbing down the crater, watching the fight rage on in the distance. Infernape jumped, roaring, the fire in its head raging, turning from red to blue from the sheer intensity. Now that they were approaching, they saw a scarf around the Infernape… that was burned until nothing was left.

"Tch! You took one heavy dose of that bloody thing, didn't you…? Damn cracks!"

The feline hissed, jumping back and slashing the air with his claws, turning pure energy into stars that flew towards Infernape, sending it back. This was an opportunity he had to take, no matter what.

"Showtime!"

Whatever this mysterious Pokémon was, he knew what to do, coating both of his fists in bright, blue electricity, and he jumped, ramming Infernape to the ground with a single punch, only increasing the size of the crater.

"And stay down!"

Meanwhile, the team finally managed to climb down, with Onyx at the front, for once. She watched the fight, the flashes, the electricity. Watching it all, but unsure of who to root for. Not to mention one detail that kept bugging her.

"Y'all," she said. "There's something wrong… Daichi said the 'mon sent here was a Monferno, not… an Infernape, or whatever that thing is."

"Perhaps he was wrong." Liz pointed out. Regardless, they still needed to see which one was in the wrong here. Or rather, what was wrong with this city.

"Uh…" Shiron cleared his throat, deciding to take the initiative and approach the two fighters. "H-Hey! We're team… u-uh, YTBN! Yeah! We were sent to investigate this place! What's going on?!"

"YTBN…?" Nick tilted his head. "I mean, it's better than what it stands for…"

Terry took a step forward, baring his teeth. "We would like to ask you some questions—"

A bolt of lightning was launched, landing right in front of Shiron.

"You lot stay put! This guy's gone nuts! And more importantly, it doesn't concern any of you!"

"You're under no authority to request that!" Onyx hissed, showing off her claw. "Present yourself!"

"Zeraora. Zero. Whatever you wanna name it!" Zero said, shrugging. He looked behind him, inspecting the unconscious body of Infernape. "This guy's dangerous! Too dangerous, so stay out of this!"

While he was talking, the unconscious fire-type began to shake. Slowly, and barely noticeable for the untrained eye. But Liz? Her eyes were sharp, trained.

Zero snarled. "Watch out!"

"R-Raaawrgh!" Infernape jumped back into consciousness, standing up and roaring. The flames ignited again, this time jumping high in the air, turning blue instantly. Its blue eyes were glowing with the same aura, and soon its body was coated by it.

"Look what you've done! It's gonna go wild and attack again—"

Infernape jumped, disappearing and reappearing right next to Shiron, fist clenched, coated in flames. It pulled its arm back, and punched the fish back with incredible force.

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However, Shiron managed to block at the last possible second, crossing his arms in an "X" shape and taking the full force of the attack. With all the might he had, he was able to only be sent back a few feet.

"Urgh… you're really tough, but there's people I gotta protect! C'mon, can't we solve this with words instead of violence?!"

Protect…? Zero watched the scuffle, now a lot more interested. They were too weak to be of any help with this threat, but maybe… maybe he could test them. See what they had in store.

Infernape roared, lowering its head and then giving Shiron a powerful headbutt, finally forcing him back. Shiron was left dizzy, stumbling on his feet.

"Nice job, Shiron, but let me handle it!" Onyx jumped, focusing as much air as she could, and launching a powerful smoke bomb, that covered the area with it, covering Infernape's vision.

She didn't take long, aiming for a powerful slash, right at Infernape's stomach. Onyx followed this with a powerful and acrobatic attack, moving so fast two after-images appeared behind her. This attack managed to knock Infernape back.

For just a moment. Infernape returned the favor with a flurry of punches, all done in the span of seconds, so fast only the air blasts were left visible. Onyx was thrown backwards, landing on the ground.

"G-Gah! Y'all! Don't underestimate it! Use your all to fight it!"

Terry looked at the ground that they were in. Very rocky, with the occasional smaller craters. With so many rocks, he was in his natural element. In this case…

"Shiron, I'll need your strength! Launch the rock!" Terry stomped the ground, making stones float upwards.

"Gotcha!"

Shiron ran ahead, grabbing one of the rocks. With his superhuman strength, he could probably deal a lot more damage. He lowered his arm backwards, and launched the rock at full force and high speed.

It was a quick and agile projectile, hitting Infernape. Or it would, if it wasn't just as fast. The fire-type simply punched the rock, shattering it into rubble, and then roaring, shaking the very ground they stood on.

"O-Oh! Oh… oh no!" Shiron gasped. His attack was meaningless! If… if only I could properly use Liquidation! I-I could attack this guy and win! I… oh no, oh no!

I cannot do much, however… I must. For Sire! Liz jumped ahead, her roses covered in poison. She knew that if the Infernape landed too many hits, she was done for. "Nicholas! I need backup!"

While all this was happening, Nick was paralyzed. The aura he sensed earlier finally revealed itself. It belonged to the Infernape, but that was odd, because it was too powerful for a Pokémon like that to possess.

The Riolu was left out of it, thinking about reasons for this. Not to mention how Onyx said that the mercenary being a Monferno. Something was wrong with this place.

"Nicholas!"

"H-Huh?! Oh, right! I'm on my way!" Nick rushed ahead, using the same strategy as their sparring session, creating multiple mirage clones of himself that ran in circles around Infernape.

Infernape quickly punched the ground to disperse every clone of Nick, but his job was done. Liz had enough time. She jumped, jabbing Infernape with a poison-coated punch, again and again. As much as she could do, before he was able to fight back.

Infernape roared once more, its flames somehow getting even hotter. Liz wasn't close, but even she could tell that, in case she touched it, she would burn, much like everything in this town.

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Liz backflipped, landing right next to Onyx. "Are you… are you alright?"

"What'd ya think?" Onyx groaned, taking Liz's rose to help stand up.

"I think… I…" Liz trembled. No, no! This was a weakness! This fear, this dread that tried to make her stop, that told her to run, that was something her master said to get rid of. But it was out of her control. Liz kept trembling.

Zeraora looked disappointed. Do these guys really have what it takes…?

Infernape roared, setting his eyes on Liz. He jumped at her, ready to strike with fire.

Once more, Shiron stepped forward, taking the punch to his stomach and roaring from the pain. It even left a scorch mark, but he ignored it entirely, grabbing Infernape's arm with both of his.

"Leave… my friend… alone!" Shiron screamed, pulling Infernape up and tossing him to the other side of the hole with all the strength his body had. He fell on his knees, panting. "S-Sorry Liz… this is the second time I did something like this."

"...Idiot." Liz said, sighing. On the bright side, she was able to calm down somewhat.

"Watch out!" Onyx launched another smoke bomb right as Infernape lunged at them, temporarily blinding it. "Tch, now! Attack!"

Nick cracked his knuckles and ran, jumping. He clenched both fists and landed a powerful kick at Infernape's face. "Go, everyone!"

Terry nodded, running as fast as his stubby legs could do. Finally, he stomped again, launching a barrage of rocks towards Infernape. The fire-type, still blinded, was hit by each of them. "Your turn, Shiron!"

"Right!" There was something he could do, one attack that he managed to train with Ronan. Shiron ran ahead, grasping the ground firmly with his arm. The rocky area instantly turned into mud, and he was able to shape it into a sphere, before launching it at Infernape. The mud exploded, much like a bomb, in Infernape, who screeched at the attack.

But Liz did nothing. Her fear continued to conquer her, even as she watched her teammates deal blow after blow, she simply could not bring herself to do anything, lest Infernape burn her. I… I cannot… I-I… I…

Nick launched another kick, screaming and jumping back just in time for Terry to launch more rocks.

Infernape was struck time after time, its opponents didn't give much time to breathe or to counter their attacks, and finally, the raging fire-type landed on the ground, the blue flames finally turning red.

Shiron panted, falling to his knees. "D-Did we do it…?"

"Wait." Nick said. His sensors continued to twitch, sensing the evil aura coating Infernape. "The thing… I saw something, or sensed something, when I saw that guy. It's still there."

"What'd you see?" Onyx asked. She was on Liz's side, looking at the Roselia with a frown. "And while we're at it, are you okay? You look pretty shaken up."

Terry rushed to the Roselia's side. "Hey! It's alright, we won!"

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But she had other plans. Liz stood up, gritting her teeth, and stared at Zeraora; her former composure was long gone, replaced by unmatched fury. Even Terry was taken aback by this, slowly backing away from her.

"It is far from over. He still stands, as do I." Liz let her cape flicker in the wind, a vine crawling out of one of her roses; her right one. It even dripped with venom, the purple ooze falling to the rocky ground. "Thanks to Shiron. I would love to say this is returning the favor, and it is. However… if I stand, I must fight!"

"Oi, oi! You did well, kid! Don't push your luck!" Zeraora shook his head and shrugged. Not wanting to entertain that thought, or to waste time fighting her, he decided the best course of action was to finish that as soon as possible. "The hell's this all about?! All I'm doing is giving you lot a warning!"

"...Where I am from, we do not need luck. All we need… is our strength!" Liz rushed forward and stuck her vine inside the rocks. Its roots started to spread from underground, culminating in her raising her right arm, launching chunks of rock towards Zeraora.

"L-Liz?!" Terry protested, only to stand down and watch it happen. When she set her sights on something, nobody could stop her. Right now, the prince wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"W-Whoa…" Shiron only watched in awe, mouth opened. But it was changed into disbelief. "W-Wait! No need to get revenge cuz of me! I just did what I wanted!"

"And I am doing what I want!" Liz replied, hissing. It was like even her voice was venomous.

"Let her do it, dude. Bet this Zero dude is tired from the fighting before! If we need information, this is the only way we're getting it! Nick managed a proud smirk. "And I knew recruiting her was the right choice… Liz! Kick his butt!"

"Tch! And here you are, pushin' your luck to the limit!" With a snarl, he too ran, sparks of blue electricity rushing through both of his fists as he crushed the boulders with powerful punches.

It was just the distraction she needed. Liz jumped, twirling her body and covering it with petals, so many of them nobody could even see her regular self. The petals gathered together, forming a sharp blade that was tossed right in front of her, towards the feline.

"The hell?!" Zeraora dodged, watching the blade cut through the ground and leaving a part of it sliced open. If I was hit by that… tch! Gotta end this quick!

"Keep your eyes on the fight!"

Liz fell to the ground, preparing a powerful jab with her poison-coated arm, and Zeraora quickly moved to the side. They were inches away from one another, a prime opportunity for him to strike.

"Say that to yourself!"

And with all the focus he had in him, Zero punched Liz, straight in her face, sending an impressive amount of electricity through her body.

"U-Uwargh!"

Liz was launched backwards, hitting the ground multiple times before eventually landing next to Terry, her body full of scorch marks of her own.

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Thunder continued to clap as Zeraora approached them, clapping slowly. Shiron prepared to fight again, knowing he was the best to deal with that guy.

Zero ignored him, waving him off. "Go away, fishy. Anyway, you lot have tons of shit to learn. Like I thought… this is beyond you all. Especially considering I was just attacked."

"Lotta bark and no bite," Onyx said. "You're saying a ton of shit, but not explaining any of it."

"Explain? For starters, if Infernape wasn't weakened by my fight, none of you would have won. You're welcome, by the way."

Liz was about to protest, but even talking was tiring. Her entire body burned.

Terry decided to do it for her. "So aside from being cryptic, you're also arrogant? Amazing."

"I'd rather call it a charm," Zeraora looked at the sky, at the edge of the hole. "But fine, lemme entertain y'all. See… this ain't your normal meteor shower. It brings something with it, something the lil mutt sensed."

"...I'm not a mutt!" Nick protested, barking. His embarrassment was overshadowed by curiosity. "...What did I sense?"

"A Crack." Zero said, drawing in the shape of a fracture with electricity. The drawing remained in the air for a while, until it dissipated. "They're little pockets of nothing but energy. I wouldn't call them harmless, nah."

Sounds like something outta science fiction. Shiron kept that thought to himself. He was too tired to say it out loud.

"When they come into contact with a 'mon, they change 'em." Zeraora then pointed to Infernape. "Lady Charmeleon was right, when this guy got here, he was a Monferno. Sadly, the Crack got 'im."

"The Crack did… what?" Terry tilted his head, not putting two and two together.

"It forcefully evolved him." Liz said, mustering the courage to speak up. "...If it is a pocket of energy, and that energy was taken by this Monferno, it accelerated his growth, turning him into an Infernape."

To that, Zeraora gave Liz a big grin. "Bingo! Plant lady got it right! That's what it does. It makes you stronger. Which would be a nice deal… if it didn't come with a berserk button."

Shiron frowned. Infernape did seem to be going wild, and almost… pained? Amidst the battle, it was hard to tell.

"That's…" Nick wanted to confirm, just to be sure, but with all the fight he did, even at his best, sensing the aura would be difficult. Besides, the evil influence was still on him.

Albeit faintly. While the group was talking, the aura surrounding Infernape began to float upwards, leaving the fire-type's body.

"And there you have it! The explanation you lot wanted."

Onyx snarled, flicking her tail. "You seem to know quite a bit about these "Cracks", feel like sharing this? There's a place for you back home!"

"Nah, lady. I'm flattered, but I work alone." Zeraora closed his eyes, fists brimming with electrical sparks again. "Not to mention, again, you guys aren't ready! Look how tired you all are!

"Just… j-just watch us!" Shiron said, closing both fists and jumping in straight for a punch.

"Feisty, but kinda pointless, fishy." Zeraora dodged it without breaking a sweat, then kicked Shiron on his stomach, making him fall on the ground.

"It's five against one, do you really want to risk that?" Onyx flared her nostrils, launching a powerful stream of flames that barely missed Zeraora, who just grinned.

"Are you sure about that? Cracks are powerful. I'd be worried about your Infernape friend if I were you. Who knows? He might need medical attention more than anything else!"

Liz felt like she was about to pop a vessel, even if she had none to pop. "You fiend…"

Shiron stood up slowly, panting. If he was faster—if he could use Liquidation, he could catch up and get that guy to come with them.

"Now… I'm sorry about this, but I gotta make like a tree and leave! There's a place that needs me!"

Nick tried to run and catch up, but Zeraora turned tail, running with a streak of lightning behind him as he climbed up the crater, leaving on the opposite side of where the team entered.

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Onyx punched the ground and snarled. "Damn it! We lost the one thing we needed to solve this case!"

She didn't bother looking at the others; and while she wasn't mad per se, Onyx was disappointed they failed.

I… I gotta look at the bright side for this, don't I? Shiron thought, fiddling with his fingers. "Uh… guys, on the bright side, we can question this Infernape, But we gotta get out of here first, r-right?"

The silence that befell them served as his answer. Shiron sighed, walking to Infernape and putting the fire-type on his back.

"I dunno if we can say this was a loss, or a victory. But we need to go! This guy might've gone berserk, but we can't just leave him like this!"

"No, we can't." Nick said. His sensors finally turned back to normal, not moving unless Nick himself was moving. Which he was quite thankful for.

No, this is certainly a loss. And perhaps it is my fault… if only I was stronger. Liz looked down.

"Let's just go. We should meet up with Magnus and walk back." Terry said, already on his way to the walls of the crater.

Left without much choice, the group made their way up.

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As soon as Shiron made it to the exit, he saw Magnus running towards him, panting, and… crying? He swore he saw a tear forming, but maybe that was wrong.

"Shiron! What happened down there?! All I could see were sparks and flames and—oh my stars you're bruised! And burnt!"

"Huh?"

He hadn't noticed, but taking the attacks took a toll on him, there were multiple bruises all over Shiron's body, but they weren't painful. "I… honestly didn't know. Maybe I'm that sturdy."

"You are an unusual Marshtomp." Liz added, though her look was elsewhere.

Onyx was the next to come, helping Nick climb. The duo glared at the others. They weren't nearly as hurt as Shiron, for once.

"It's strange that you don't seem to mind being this hurt." Terry said, eyeing the wounds. "...But uh, good to hear anyway?"

"I… I swear, guys, this is fine." Shiron protested, but was only met with piercing glares.

Magnus shook his head, which ended up as half his entire body moving. "I don't buy it! When we get back, I'm giving you a full cake. On the house!"

"...Deal." Shiron said, his stomach growling. Can't mention I got hurt so much back home this doesn't even faze me…

"Shiron might be special, to be fair." Nick deadpanned, yawning. "Anyway, this is super tiring. Can we go home? We'll leave Infernape at the clinic."

"Well, we seem to have a mystery in our hands. Meteor showers, cracks… all connected." Onyx added, looking at the hole. "We also found out what was wrong with this town. Nick, do you still—"

Nick shrugged. "Sense that weird thing? Nope. I don't feel anything."

"Cracks…?" Magnus asked, his gaze fully at Shiron.

"I think we're gonna have to explain on the way home. Which, by the way, we should start heading to. I'm getting kinda hungry, and I'm also beat."

"We won't take a full day to get home, will we?" Terry frowned. The possibility was there, and very real, which he hated.

"I dunno. We'll see." Onyx sighed.

Liz kept quiet. Quieter than she usually was. Multiple instances of "I am weak" kept running around her head, shutting down all other thoughts. They were suffocating. And the worst part? They were right.

I am so… weak. I cannot protect him like this. I cannot protect any of them. Why? Why am I so weak?

This just wouldn't do. Liz told herself one thing, one sure thing. She was going to become stronger. Their fight against this "Zeraora" was far from being over, and if she wanted to help them all, she needed to be stronger. That was her determination.

Before she knew it, the others had gone on ahead, and she was far from them. Lost in her thoughts, until Terry yelled at her to come with him.

She went with them, with a renewed fire in her eyes.