Alec confidently knocked on Iscan’s wooden door. He stood up straighter as he heard the resonant sound that followed, knowing that he’d have to focus on what was to come.
Silver and Azure have really made a lot of progress. I’ve got nothing to worry about, he thought confidently. Azure—the name he’d given Eevee, after her blue eyes—had really taken to his training style. She’d grown quickly in these past few days, picking up new moves left and right. Alec was confident that she could hold her own in a serious battle, at the very least.
One thing he’d quickly realized was that she was absolutely fearless. Well, apart from her obvious issue with ghosts. She boldly squared up against Auster and confidently charged toward him despite the Axe Kick he was readying.
This paradox was intriguing, at the very least. Alec was baffled that someone so brave and cocky could be reduced to a stuttering mess at even the mention of a Ghost. That night, when they’d first met, Alec had only seen one side of her.
Interestingly, she’d been okay with being around Silver for the most part. Alec figured that was mostly because Silver was so small and docile. Not truly Ghost-like. She couldn’t phase through solid objects, turn transparent, or anything traditionally ghostly. Silver was acting pretty standoffish to everyone, so no new friendships had formed yet, but Alec could see the planted seeds starting to sprout.
After several moments of waiting, Alec knocked on the door again. Strange. There was no reply, not even any sounds coming from inside the cabin. He tried to glance through a window, only to find the glass too dark to see through.
He shrugged and turned around, glancing around for any sign of the Warden. Immediately, his sixth sense activated and began pulling him in a seemingly random direction. By now he knew to trust the Ground-type Plate’s impulses, so he slowly made his way toward the coast.
While he walked, he figured he could use some company, so he grabbed one of his newly-filled Pokeballs. Silver emerged a moment later and looked up at him, confused.
“Nothing’s happening right now, I just figured you’d want to be out of your ball for a bit,” Alec said. “I’m not sure what Iscan’s planned, but I’ll likely keep you in reserve for this just ‘cause you’re newer to battling. We’ll figure out a style for you really soon, though. You’re welcome to hang out and watch the battle, if you’d like.”
Silver hummed softly. She leaped toward Alec, climbing up his torso and standing on his shoulder. Alec could faintly hear her sniffing the air curiously.
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Silver had no idea what to make of this strange development.
“You’re from Hisui, right? Like you and your species. I haven’t seen anyone else like you around here so it’s gotta be from far away.”
The boy, Alec, seemed interested in learning more about her. Silver had barely even processed his question before—
Wait, why did she refer to herself as Silver? That foolish name the boy had given her?
Part of her immediately jumped to an answer: That she’d longed for a name to call her own for so long. Her kin hadn’t necessarily bothered with things like names. They were each hunter, protector, child-bearer, leader. Claiming a name would be like forsaking your duty for the rest. Though, it seemed the boy—Alec—saw it differently.
Oh well. She’d go with it for now, simply because it would take too much effort to revoke.
For Alec’s question, she hesitantly nodded, though she chuckled at his wording. Of course no one had seen her species around! That was their entire point! They, and her too, were all borne of the snow and sleet, able to hide in plain sight and conjure tricks and confusions.
The boy nodded knowingly. “Yeah, I’m pretty far away from home, too. I’m not from Hisui at all.”
What? But she thought Hisui was all that was habitable anywhere, at least according to the stories she’d heard from the elders. The Almighty had created far more lands than just Hisui, but without His guidance, they had quickly regressed into violence and madness. Her own species had been a victim of this, having been driven out of another land, dozens amnd dozens of generations ago. But Alec seemed to want to go back to his home. Back to the lands that the elders had told her would gladly tear her to pieces just for showing her face. There was no ‘home’ elsewhere. She just chalked it up to human nonsense.
Seeing her confusion, Alec continued his story. “I’m from a place on the other side of the world, called Unova. One day, Ar—I mean Sinnoh appeared to me and teleported me here.”
That didn’t answer my question, she huffed.
“Yeah,” he sighed, misinterpreting her words. “It seems basically everyone I’ve met is far from home in some way or another.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she complained, briefly forgetting about their impassable language barrier. The boy chuckled, completely missing the point yet again. She couldn’t wait until she gained the Almighty’s favor and became an elder…The mischief she could pull off nearly made her salivate.
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“I’m ready,” was all he needed to say.
Iscan removed his goggles and wiped the droplets from his eyes, expression as firm as steel on his face. “Alright,” he said.
He pulled a bone-white flute from his belt, the same as the one Adaman and Mai used to summon Wyrdeer. This one had a different carving on it than theirs—the surface seemed to ripple and flow, glistening like seafoam in the sunlight. He blew into it, producing a low tone that gave Alec goosebumps. It sounded less like a single note and more like a harmony of dozens of flutes playing as one.
After he finished, he turned to Alec and explained. “I called my Noble, Basculegion. I figured they’d want to see you in action, too.”
Alec nodded and turned toward the ocean. Immediately, a distinct chill crawled up his spine. It moved slowly, like a fish swimming upstream to mate. He subconsciously let out a groan and noticed Iscan suppressing a grimace as well. When the discomforting feeling faded, he saw the ocean shoreline receding, leaving behind a thin layer of white foam that fizzled and faded away.
With a mighty roar, a silhouette leaped from the water a few yards from the shore, its white fins slicing through the water like a sword. A thick mist of red swirled and churned behind it. The strange presence he was feeling immediately clicked for Alec.
A ghost, Alec realized. Iscan’s Noble is a ghost!
“Alec, meet Basculegion,” Iscan said.
It stayed a few feet from the shore, where the waters were deep enough for it to still float. Its body was only mostly opaque, like the haze on a foggy day. One couldn’t see through it per se, but your vision could penetrate through part of it. It was huge, easily big enough for three people to ride on its back.
Alec squinted and looked closer at the mass that was the Noble’s body. Each scale was unnaturally large, each oscillating like leaves blown by the breeze. Wait. No, they weren’t scales—each link of Basculegion’s armor independently wriggled like a school of transparent fish.
It was like hundreds of wax fish had all been melted together into one contiguous shape. Separate, yet one.
“Whoa,” Alec breathed.
The Noble’s serious expression betrayed nothing of what it was thinking as it inspected Alec. It lightly bobbed up and down in the tide and its smoky entrails dissipated into the atmosphere. Eventually it nodded, seemingly in approval.
“Now then,” Iscan said calmly. “Time to see if you’re strong enough to hold your own on the mountain.”
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Iscan’s three Pokemon were lined up behind him, patiently awaiting their turn to join the fray. A Mantine, Golduck, and Gastrodon. Well, technically the Mantine was swimming a few feet away in the ocean, but it kept the same focused, ready expression as the rest of them.
Alec’s mind immediately fell back to the plan he’d concocted a few days ago.
Just as I thought, his team is all Water-types! Alec mentally cheered. Tricky will make quick work of them. Though, Gastrodon is a Ground-type so his attacks will be negated…but Auster’s got it covered then since he’s a Grass-type.
Okay, I’ll lead with Tricky to get an early lead, then pivot once he starts to get tired. That way, he can be as useful as possible before Iscan brings out the Gastrodon.
“Mantine, you know what to do,” Iscan said, taking a step to the side. The aquatic Pokemon gurgled and swam forward, where the waters were just above ankle-deep.
Alec fidgeted with his necklace with one hand and grasped Tricky’s Pokeball in the other. “Alright, you’ve got this,” he encouraged with a whisper, before he hurled the ball toward the ocean. It popped open midair and the Luxio confidently landed with a splash, ready to fight.
Despite the weeks since his last battle against another trainer, Alec’s body fell back into a relaxed stance—knees bent and feet spaced apart. “Let him make the first move,” Alec said. “Start using Charge and get ready to evade.”
Tricky growled and began to emit a faint crackling sound as he stored electrons in his fur, to be unleashed for a counterattack. He shifted his weight from side to side. He was ready for anything.
“Sweep him away,” Iscan commanded.
His voice seemed to entirely oppose how he normally spoke. Normally, any amount of opposition would cause him to crumble. But now, he was assertive. In control. Commanding. He exuded an intensity Alec hadn’t believed him capable of.
The Mantine shouted back an acknowledgment and began to charge an attack. A turquoise orb of water, glowing and shimmering in the sunlight, slowly formed at the tips of each of its fins. With a growl, it flung one after the other.
Water Pulse, Alec recognized. The orbs flew through the air, distorting under the wind and spewing droplets of water all around. He didn’t even need to shout a warning; Tricky already had it covered. He took off running forward, leaping over the first Water Pulse and rolling under the second like an action movie stuntman.
“Now!” Alec shouted, in time with Tricky’s counterattack. A crack like a thunderclap rang out, followed by a cry of pain from the Mantine. Tricky jumped backward and snarled threateningly. He stood in the coast’s shallow water, but it was still enough to come up to his ankles.
“Good, just try to stay dry.” If Tricky gets too wet, he’ll be carrying way more weight than he’s used to. His mobility will be way down.
Tricky barked in agreement and backpedaled closer to the shore. There was no sense in playing this too aggressively—their opponent had to make the first move. Rushing into enemy turf would be like forfeiting.
Iscan hummed and nonchalantly cupped his chin, thinking about something. A twang of anger manifested in Alec. Why wasn’t he taking the battle seriously? This sole battle was what stood between him and the volcano! Even from the start, Alec knew he’d be two steps ahead but the very least Iscan could do was give it 100% while trying to take him down.
Mantine righted itself after tumbling back into the waves. The two Pokemon stayed in a standoff for a few moments, neither one wanting to make the next move, before Iscan stepped in. He commandingly stretched his hand out and shouted, “Swift! Agile-style!”
Mantine seemed to enjoy that order. It kept its distance and conjured up a storm of arrows glowing with Normal-type energy. If Mantine focused enough, it could control their flight path, making it extremely hard to dodge.
But countering? No, countering it was easy.
“Ready a Thunder Shock,” he murmured, just loud enough. Tricky’s mane started to stand up as he accrued static electricity.
Iscan’s Mantine released its Swift attack a moment later, but Tricky was ready. His Thunder Shock arced between each projectile like a ricocheting bullet. It was actually quite beautiful, seeing the neon yellow collide and annihilate the neon white bolts.
“Go now! Thunder Fang, Strong style!” Alec cheered, and Tricky sprinted forward. Mantine was still recovering from controlling so many Swift arrows, leaving it wide open for a full-on assault.
There was another mighty crack like a bolt of lightning, this time accompanied by a quick blinding flash. And just like that, Mantine was down.
“Yes! Great job, keep it up.” Tricky shot Alec a short grin over his shoulder before returning to the battle. They had this battle in the bag, their victory was all but guaranteed!
Alec turned to watch as Iscan sent his next Pokemon forward—the Golduck. It took its place right at the water’s edge, so that its webbed feet were still underwater. The biggest hurdle of the battle was over. All of Iscan’s remaining Pokemon could walk on land too. Alec wanted to grin but he suppressed it, hiding it beneath his hopefully-good-enough poker face.
Tricky bared his teeth and growled threateningly at his opponent. The Golduck arrogantly turned its head aside and scoffed, as if it thought itself too important for this. Tricky barked angrily, clearly riled up.
Well, if it worked once, why stop? Alec thought. “Thunder Fang again, Agile this time!” Tricky was happy to oblige. He leaped forward, his paws spraying sand behind him with every footfall.
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The Golduck was quicker than the Mantine, though. It leaped up, twisting like an acrobat, and landed several feet away. Tricky quickly changed directions, planting his paws and launching himself toward where the Golbat was now standing. His Thunder Fang barely grazed its side. It was still a damaging hit, but the off-target strike combined with the weaker Agile-style meant the Golduck wasn’t as wounded as they’d hoped.
The Golduck squawked in pain and nimbly backpedaled again, into deeper waters. Tricky was hesitant to pursue it even if he knew he was faster than it. He retreated back to the sand for the time being.
Though they were unaware, both Alec and Tricky’s instincts screamed the same thing. They were both independently extremely unsettled at how the Golduck was standing, as if it knew the battle was already decided. An unspoken command rang out and Tricky crouched down, ready to spring to either side and dodge.
Alec’s eyes flew to Iscan, figuring he’d reveal his plans through an unintentional tell or tick. Nothing. The Warden was just standing there, with the focus and concentration of someone whose mind was occupied elsewhere. Not that he was bored, he definitely was engaged in the battle, but he seemed to be thinking about other things atop the fight. Something…pressing, judging by the way Iscan clenched his fist.
And that’s when it all connected. Why Iscan wasn’t giving very many verbal commands, why it seemed like he wasn’t paying attention, why he ordered Mantine to use moves that could be countered easily.
He was running an experiment, and Alec was the test subject. Of course! Iscan was preoccupied with watching how Alec’s Pokemon moved instead of giving orders to his own team. In such a dangerous environment like the volcano, the Pokemon there could throw all sorts of never-before-seen attacks and tactics at him, and Iscan was an expert at how to survive up there! He knew all the habits, strategies, and dirty tricks of the volcano’s Pokemon, inside and out.
Dirty tricks…
I recognize that look! Alec realized in horror. Golduck’s expression stayed perfectly stoic, like a monk in meditation, but its eyes began to glow a vicious, unnatural purple. The color felt familiar, resonating with the Psychic Plate’s power deep within Alec, yet distinctly different. This energy wasn’t intended to connect people. No. It was intended to drive them apart.
Faintly, Alec swore he heard the hoarse cackling of the Murkrow that tricked Auster into falling asleep with Yawn a few days ago.
Before Alec could even think to react, Tricky had already fallen victim to Hypnosis. He collapsed unceremoniously into the water.
Alec could only watch, slack-jawed, as Iscan’s expression changed to one of disappointment. He’d clearly been expecting Tricky to avoid or counter somehow, or at least have some kind of backup plan. After all, raw strength meant nothing in a battle against a real opponent. In most cases, raw strength turned out to be a hindrance rather than a blessing.
Frustration and disappointment in himself overcame Alec as he held out Tricky’s Pokeball, recalling him back to rest. He couldn’t stay disappointed for long, though. The battle wasn’t over and he still had plenty more time to prove himself.
He grabbed his next Pokeball from his belt, one with a much brighter red luster than the others. This one hadn’t been exposed to the elements for as long as the others.
“Are you ready?” he whispered to it. “We have an uphill battle but I know you’ve got this. Your opponent’s already hurt, go get ‘em.”
The ball visibly shook in his hand. He could feel the energy from within as Azure, the bravest Eevee in the entire coastlands, was raring to go.
He chuckled and calmly tossed it forward, Azure materializing in a flash of light.
Like they’d practiced, Azure immediately closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. The tense energy of the battle was already flooding her body with adrenaline, excitement, energy. Azure’s blood was electrified! But the calming breaths quickly helped her settle down and channel her excess energy—Calm Mind.
Alec shouted his first command and her eyes snapped open. “Quick Attack!” It was like the starting pistol had been fired the way she bolted forward, turning into a brown-and-white blur. Golduck barely could cry out before the little fluffy missile rammed straight into its chest, knocking the wind out of it.
“Vee!” Azure cheered, circling back around. She couldn’t get back very far before Golduck drew in a sharp breath and unleashed a powerful Water Gun in response.
“Look out! To the left!” Alec shouted, but Eevee seemed to ignore him. She kept running forward, and when the spray was about to hit her, she jumped and flipped over it. Golduck’s attack completely went beneath her and she landed with a triumphant shout.
Alec initially felt annoyed that she’d ignored him—only time would get them both in sync—but ignored it for now to focus on the battle. “Alright, good job!”
He took a moment to look downfield toward the Golduck. It was breathing heavily and clutching its torso where Eevee hit it. There was already a faint purple bruise forming around it—not to mention how Tricky’d gotten him in the same spot with Thunder Fang. It was time to end this.
“Stay focused, go in for Tackle.” Azure barked in affirmation and sprinted forward.
“Fury Swipes,” Iscan calmly said, though his voice had a faint inflection that Alec couldn’t decipher.
Both combatants met in the middle, Azure ducking and weaving between his slashes. She did get nicked a couple of times on her paws but she kept going, battering Golduck with powerful Tackles again and again. Each impact pushed it back a little bit more, until it fell to its knees, relenting.
“Gol,” it said, looking over to Iscan. That’s all I can give, it seemed to say.
Iscan nodded gratefully and turned to his final Pokemon—Gastrodon. “It’s up to you, friend,” was all he needed to say.
Alec pumped his fist in celebration and Eevee looked back at him with excitement.
Alright, Azure is still new to my team and Gastrodons can pack a major punch. I know Auster’ll have this covered with such a major type advantage. Alec reached for his belt to grab the necessary Pokeballs to make the switch.
But it seemed Azure had other plans. She immediately recognized what he was trying to do and barked defiantly. No way! I’m not done here! she seemed to say. Shouting a battle cry, she started charging forward, her form coming alight with a spark Alec hadn’t seen in her before.
What? he thought incredulously. Azure’s body was absolutely glowing with Normal-type energy. Her fur shimmered and left white streaks behind her that trailed off like wind on a plane’s wings. There was so much energy, it was like no move she’d demonstrated to Alec before…
There’s so much energy there, it’s like she’s overflowing with it, he thought. That’s greater than Strong style, for sure. That can’t be safe to channel that much at one time.
Gastrodon’s complete lack of mobility meant its only option was to counterattack. Its attempts to stop Azure’s charge proved entirely futile as she simply ducked and dodged. Every spout of Water Gun just grazed her or went wide entirely.
She slammed into it with a guttural cry, sending it reeling and doubling over in pain. Alec saw how she winced as she made contact, realizing that the recoil had hurt her.
Double Edge, he realized. That’s what Azure just did. She kept the fact that she knew that move a secret from me while we were training. He sighed. As she returned to his side of the battlefield, he thought about how reckless she was, though he knew that she was still terrified of ghosts. She must really want to join me if she’s willing to try this hard to prove herself.
“Alright, if you wanna keep going, you could’ve just said so,” he shrugged, returning his focus to the battle. “But if you want to win, we’ll do it together. Focus up, the battle’s not over.”
“Vee!” she barked in affirmation. They both took several deep breaths, though Eevee’s body was still trembling from anticipation and adrenaline.
Oh the opposing end of the arena, their opponent was just recovering. “It’s tired,” said Iscan. “Exploit that. Water Pulse, Strong-style.”
Gastrodon gurgled threateningly and started to accumulate its power. It sacrificed efficiency and speed for pure power, creating an orb big enough to eclipse a car tire in size. Alec’s eyes widened when he saw how fast the attack was growing—dodging was becoming less and less likely by the second.
Wait a second. “I have an idea!” he shouted. “When I say go, run straight at it and don’t stop!”
Azure looked back at him with an excited grin as she bounced on her heels, raring to go. Alec hadn’t even given her a command yet and she was already visibly pulsing with Normal-type energy again.
Eevees as a species were naturally good at channeling extreme amounts of Type energy. Such aptitude was a fundamental part of their trademark mutable genetics. If an Eevee could evolve into several vastly different forms, its base form had to at least have the foundations for it. Azure hadn’t indicated she wanted to evolve into a specific form yet, but Alec still made a mental note to bring that up at some point.
“Go! Use Double Edge again,” Alec shouted. At the same time, Gastrodon released its massive Water Pulse.
“Charge through the water!” That way the orb will explode everywhere and block Gastrodon’s vision.
Voicing her mighty war cry, Azure dove headfirst into the Water Pulse. With the combined strength of Double Edge and her momentum, she completely disrupted the attack’s surface tension, spraying water all around like an aquatic firework.
It was beautiful; the water droplets glistened in the sun as the attack bloomed outwards. A small rainbow even materialized in the misty aftermath. But even more beautiful was the fact that Alec’s plan played out perfectly. Gastrodon was distracted.
And all it took was one strong impact to finish it off.
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The waves crashed against the cliff face far below them. The wind was especially rough today, as if Tornadus was trying to set the stage for what was to come.
“Look,” Palina said, “I’m sorry you have to do this, but…” She trailed off.
“Don’t be,” Alec replied. He was kneeling down, gently petting the two Growlithe, one in each hand. “You just stay here and watch over these two.”
The Noble’s heir looked especially sad, meanwhile its adoptive brother seemed overjoyed by Alec’s attention. It kept looking between him and the volcano, as if it was trying to find the right words to phrase a complicated idea, too complicated for one so young.
“It’s okay, buddy,” Alec comforted. “You don’t have to rush into something you’re not ready for, especially not something this big. But as soon as you think you’re strong enough to fill your father’s shoes, you go for it, okay?”
The future Noble nodded and whined softly. He stood up from Alec’s side and padded over to his Warden. She looked down at him contemplatively.
“I feel awful about what’s happening,” she said. “I haven’t gotten a full night’s rest in weeks. I keep getting this feeling that I’m making a mistake, no matter what I decide to do. It’s suffocating.”
Alec wanted, needed to say something to comfort her—anything to alleviate the burden he knew was crushing her. But he couldn’t. There was nothing at all he could say that would comfort her. She knew that he was picking up the slack that she was letting loose.
Palina smiled warmly at Alec, fighting through her emotions. “Good luck on the mountain. That place is still part of Hisui, no matter how dangerous, which means that Sinnoh will be watching over you.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Alec said, turning to leave.
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The waves still crashed against the shoreline and the wind was still rough. Even though several hours had passed, the day hadn’t gotten any nicer. Fitting.
“Here, put these on,” Iscan said, handing Alec a pair of goggles. They were nearly identical to the pair he wore hung around his neck, just smaller. He passed a similar pair to Irida as well before helping her tie her hair up so it wouldn’t get tangled in the strap.
Out in the water, the Noble Basculegion waited for them. Basculegion couldn’t carry them the entire way, as the water near the volcano was extremely shallow and jagged, but he could take them far enough to get to the shore.
Alec’s stomach was alight with nerves, just as turbulent as the raging ocean. The Noble Growlithe didn’t seem to be faring too much better, though. It was staring out at the horizon and Alec could faintly see its limbs trembling as it stood.
A deep rumbling came from Basculegion, startling them. Growlithe turned to it with an inquisitive noise. The two seemed to have a brief conversation, though nobody knew what they were saying. Eventually, Growlithe nodded and padded over to Alec.
In order for their plan to work, they’d have to take Growlithe to the island—a fact that wouldn’t work with how they had to swim part of the way. Therefore, Irida had conceded to allowing Growlithe to ride in a Pokeball to make the journey safely. Irida was already conceding her morals to even allow this to happen. It was necessary.
The catching was over in a second. Alec took the ball, now a bit heavier, and unceremoniously passed it to Irida to carry.
Alec pulled his shirt off and hung it from a tree branch by the edge of the beach. It would only slow him down on the journey there. They waded out into the water and climbed atop Basculegion’s back. Iscan naturally took the front, as the Warden, with Irida and Alec sitting behind him. The Noble’s body had a bizarre, otherworldly feeling to it. His fingers registered a phantom touch sensation when he hovered them an inch or so above it, and they almost seemed to sink into its body when he pressed his hand onto it.
“Hold on tight,” Iscan advised, lowering his goggles. Alec and Irida were quick to follow. The leather lining around the goggles’ rim felt cold and clammy against Alec’s skin. “Basculegion! Let’s go!”
With a ghostly cry, the Noble reared back and sped forward, toward the mountain. Toward the danger.
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Alec was incredibly grateful for the goggles.
The saltwater particles flew upward and struck his face like a continuous stream of buckshot. It felt like each pore was being bombarded with acid. Still, he couldn’t even wipe his face off as both of his hands were occupied, holding on to Basculegion as tightly as he could. The pins and needles he felt from touching Basculegion went ignored.
The wind kept shouting at him. “Turn back!” and “Leave this place!” it kept screaming at the top of his lungs. No. There was too much at stake here. Immeasurable lives were at stake here—the volcano’s threat to turn Hisui into Pompeii couldn’t go unchecked.
He shifted his posture and looked out toward the horizon. The sky was so blue and the sea was so calm, he could barely tell where the heavens ended and the ocean ended. It was almost poetic, how the ocean came to such a dead standstill before attacking.
In the distance, Alec saw a school of Water-type Pokemon jump out of the water. Their arcs through the air were beautiful and graceful. I’ll keep you safe, Alec thought.
As they grew closer to the mountain, Basculegion had to avoid crags and stone pillars jutting from the water. They moved with supernatural precision like the crashing waves and tide had no pull on them—like they were simply phasing through the water rather than swimming through it.
Eventually, Alec felt the sea spray start to grow warmer and the pungent smell of sulfur filled the air. Basculegion slowed to a stop. The sudden lack of wind and water blasting his face felt strange like his skin was stripped clean and overexposed. He blinked several times to reorient himself.
Not wasting a moment, Iscan immediately stood up and dove off Basculegion’s back. He landed in the water headfirst in a perfect dive, giving him plenty of forward momentum. Irida quickly followed suit, though her form wasn’t quite as elegant.
Alec took a deep breath to steady his mind and senses. With shaky legs, he stood up. The water seemed to churn and distort like a flickering flame. He grit his teeth together—moment of truth—and jumped.
The two seconds he spent in the air felt like they’d been erased from time. His eyes barely registered anything past the blur of the wavy seas and his body only felt the thrill of being weightless. After the instant was over, he crashed hands-first into the water, feeling his body jolt upon impact.
He shot forward in the water like a missile, his body responding to unseen muscle memories. He hadn’t moved like this in weeks, but instinct took over and he was back in familiar territory. Back in the water. It seemed fate had another purpose for all those years of competitive swimming back home.
Almost immediately, Alec let out a sharp exhale through his nose. Legendaries Above, the water was hot! It felt like a sauna in there with the water being warmed by the volcano. Alec’s body immediately felt sluggish as if the heat was sapping what little energy he had left.
Following the proper form that had been drilled into him countless times over the years, he jerked his head to the side to take a quick breath, then thrust it back down to keep going. Each stroke he took felt like he was dragging a continent behind him. He pressed on. Too much was at stake to let go.
The normally tranquil feeling of gliding through the water wasn’t very tranquil. Today, it was bound by duty. Necessary.
After a moment, he raised his head for another breath. However, the water chose that exact moment to crash a massive wave atop him, and his breath of air quickly turned into a mouthful of salt water. His whole body seized up as the razor-sharp salt stung his mouth and throat. He sputtered like a dying engine and coughed up as much as he could.
Despite the pain in his muscles and throat, he kept swimming with all the strength he could muster. A few minutes later, he reached a point where he could stand up and walk to the shore. As he approached, the water was rapidly growing hotter, quickly leaving warm and entering hot.
It felt like everything around him was heating up. Iscan and Irida were already ashore, waiting for him, so he quickened his pace. Beside them, Iscan’s Golduck stood proudly, having followed Basculegion and joined them.
“Good job, Alec,” Iscan said, patting him on the back once he was out of the water. “Alright, this will be quite dangerous, so everyone stay close to me. Alec, release all your Pokemon. We need to stay focused at all times.”
Iscan waited for Alec to comply before muttering something under his breath and starting the hike up the mountain. Up to where they’d evolve Growlithe. Up to where they’d find salvation for all the ten million lives back ashore.