“Group five was attacked? Hmph. Put asleep, you say? Well, wake them up! Have groups four and six send members to help, and then tell them to pick up the pace! We aren’t stopping here.”
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Sam couldn’t stop glancing over to Xavier. Having a third member of their group out here was... weird. Xavier had his Noctowl out, which flew above them on guard. It constantly scanned the woods and occasionally locked onto something, but each time Haunter would reveal himself with a sheepish grin and move off to find a better hiding spot for traveling unnoticed.
“You're saying the Pokémon have backed off?” Redi asked as they jogged northward.
“I'm sure,” Xavier replied. “A group of Raticate and a few others attacked at the start of the march but quickly ran away. We've only been dealing with the occasional straggler since.”
Xavier’s information was a mixed bag. It was good to know that no large groups would stand in their way, which meant they could run north and maximize their lead on Pryce. However, bad news came in the form of simple logic; if the Pokémon were backing off, they were backing off to somewhere. They were likely preparing for a final fight, and Sam had a gut feeling where that'd take place.
“The burned woods,” he said. Both Redi and Xavier looked his way. “Not to give that section of the forest a special name, but I’m confident that's where all the wild Pokémon will be. It’s their base of operations. It’s Trevenant’s home. If they think they’re being attacked, they’re probably setting up a defense over there.”
It was easier to talk now that they were no longer in a mad dash north. Pryce’s speed was limited by the large number of trainers working with him. Sam and everyone else needed to move quickly, but not too quickly. Given the threat of a difficult battle ahead, it was best to conserve their energy.
“Then the Pokémon will be grouping there,” Xavier agreed. “If you’re right about Trevenant, I can’t think of a different place for them to make their stand.”
Sam nodded, but he stared at the forest floor, watching the roots and shrubs they passed. Just thinking about the Murkrow swarm made a mass battle feel unfeasible, and that was only one species. So many other Pokémon had been attacking travelers on behalf of Trevenant. They’d be there, too.
“We can do this, Sam,” Redi said.
He looked up.
“I know. It’s just... We need a better plan,” he said with a sigh.
Going into this blindly would do nothing but force them to run away and escape.
Sam slowed his pace to a walk, looking around at everyone here. Briefly, he made eye contact with Xavier, sending the other boy a curious look. After so long of traveling together, Sam was familiar with Redi’s team, but Xavier’s team was still almost a complete unknown.
“Donphan, Yanma, Noctowl, and Poliwrath,” Xavier named, answering the unspoken question as he slowed down as well. “I have one more team member, but they're... They don’t fight.”
He turned his head so Sam couldn't see his face.
“I’ve trained my team around offense,” Xavier continued quietly. “Our strategy is simple; we win because we’re strong. While my Pokémon know their share of moves, we focus our efforts on only a few of them. Our victories come from having stronger and more skillful attacks than those of our opponents.”
“So you’re saying you win because you’re better than everyone else, huh?” Redi grumbled.
Xavier didn’t respond.
“Do you have a specific role for each member of your team? Or are they all just general attackers?” Sam asked. “And why haven’t you evolved your Yanma yet?”
“My team members have different fighting styles that let them handle different opponents, but everyone focuses on offense,” Xavier replied flatly. “As for Yanma, yes, I am aware of Yanmega, but I haven’t been able to find—”
“Just teach them Ancient Power,” Sam mumbled as he rubbed his chin, trying to piece together a plan.
For Sam’s team, his Pokémon’s primary strategy was based around status effects, though they’d recently been branching out to increase their general power, too. Redi’s Pokémon, meanwhile, were all about flat offense, and Xavier was somewhat similar, except it sounded like he focused on mastery over raw power.
Unfortunately, this combination didn’t fill Sam with confidence. Given the sheer number of Pokémon they were poised to face, Xavier would have mentioned any moves that possessed a strong area of effect. No, the attacks his team knew likely focused on single targets. After all, in such a controlled environment like a League-standard Pokémon field, why would he ever need to attack anything more than two targets at once?
But it wasn’t like Sam had too many wide-area options with his team, either.
Quilava knows Flamethrower, but she needs to save her energy for Trevenant and not exhaust herself against Pokémon working under it. Haunter knows Ominous Wind, and I guess Primeape can technically use Rock Slide? But that’s not enough. We can trade power for area, but there’ll be dozens upon dozens of wild Pokémon.
He groaned.
So what else can we do? Redi might have something. I know Porygon has Discharge, Dragonair has Twister, and then Ursaring has—
Sam stopped pacing to look up at Redi.
“While fighting, do we need to bother to ensure we have a way out?” he asked. “Or can Porygon bring us away once we’re finished?”
“Ehhh... Maybe?” Redi said. “Probably, I mean? Porygon can teleport the two of us just fine. They can probably teleport three if they’re given time to prepare, but that means they’ll need to save their energy and not get into any fights.”
Sam nodded.
“Makes sense. I’d rather have a guaranteed way to escape than guarantee a way to Trevenant, as selfish as that sounds.”
Then Discharge is out of the picture, but Ursaring just might be able to create a path for us. If we can create even the slightest of openings, the rest of our Pokémon are strong enough to tear apart any defenses and make a way through.
So we pierce, we don’t crush. We only need to reach Trevenant and escape. Fainting all of the Pokémon would be too much effort. Holding them back should be enough.
Still, Sam didn’t forget Xavier’s warning. If he had been right that all the Pokémon had fallen back, there’d be almost an entire forest’s worth of Pokémon waiting for them when they neared. However, Sam doubted that all the wild Pokémon would be in one place, as they’d likely spread out in a circle to defend that burnt section of woods from every angle.
That was still only an assumption, but given nothing except for the rare, lone Spearow or a Spinarak had attacked them so far, Sam could believe Xavier’s words. He was confident that when the final fight began, they wouldn’t have an entire forest to face immediately. Instead, they’d have only a single group, and the rest of the Pokémon would slowly join in as the awareness of the fight spread.
But it’ll give us just enough time to make this fight possible.
As everything began to piece together in Sam’s mind, Xavier looked over to Redi.
“One of your Pokémon knows Teleport?” he asked, eyebrow raised.
“Tch. Don’t look so impressed. We learned it from a TM, not from any specific training.”
“Still.” Xavier shrugged.
And then the forest went quiet—quiet save for the sounds of Sam’s continued, back-and-forth pacing.
“We might actually be able to do this,” Sam eventually said slowly, looking up around at everyone here. “We’ll need to position ourselves carefully, but we have enough firepower to break through any defenses and enough skill to make some of our own.”
If they had a way to escape, they wouldn’t need to worry about saving their strength to make a path out. It meant they could completely dedicate themselves to fighting and reaching Trevenant. They didn’t even need to faint their opponents, just prevent the wild Pokémon from stopping them.
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...And since Quilava is the one most prepared to help Trevenant, we don’t need everyone to get through.
Just her.
Sam resumed his jog north and began to go into details, and both Xavier and Redi listened along. This would be the most difficult fight of their lives so far, but they just needed to make and defend a single opening.
Then, Quilava will be able to do what she needs to do.
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Sam felt a strange mixture of worry and relief when he saw Xavier was right. Anywhere else, the wild Pokémon would have fled from Pryce’s march, but the Pokémon currently ahead of them were clearly working together for a shared goal.
Not too far away, beneath the trees, the Pokémon of the forest had formed ranks around the patch of burned woods—or at least, they had formed ranks in a way only wild Pokémon understood.
Raticate hid within pockets of dense foliage, their eyes glinting off the light of the late afternoon sun. That same light exposed the sheen of the webs woven by Spinarak in the trees and the rare, exposed thread from an underground trap dug by Ariados. The occasional Murkrow flew beneath the canopy, acting as a flying patrol for the wild Pokémon. Between them all, there were other species in lesser numbers, too. Sam could already see a few Venonat and Furret preparing themselves for a fight. He even saw a single Exeggutor and a pair of Girafarig.
As far as Sam could tell, almost the entire forest was here, ready to fight to protect their home. Specifically, they were all working for that Trevenant. It had earned their loyalty, and now it was using that loyalty to fuel its revenge.
However—and this was an important ‘however’—these Pokémon might have had numbers, but they were still wild Pokémon. No matter how determined they were to help Trevenant, they didn’t have the training and experience to stand their ground against such seemingly threatening foes.
“Redi. You’re up first,” Sam whispered, waving her forward.
She nodded and leaned over to rest a hand on Ursaring’s shoulder. On all fours, he moved to the front of their hidden group and opened his mouth. His brown fur helped him hide, surrounded by the trunks of the trees.
He breathed in.
Sam felt the hair on his neck stand up.
The air pulsed with a sharp energy that seeped into their released Pokémon.
Ahead, the result was almost immediate. Like the shine of a star, a glow emanated from Ursaring’s mouth. A lone Venonat squeaked in alarm, but none of the wild Pokémon were fast enough to do anything.
Ursaring’s attack screeched through the air.
The Hyper Beam darkened the world around it due to the sheer amount of light it gave off. Pokémon shouted and jumped out of the way as the laser stabbed into the woods. A flash of heat radiated off of it, and many weaker Pokémon already began to flee. The move hit a tree in the distance, and with a thunderous boom, its trunk cracked.
Shouts echoed around them. The start of a path had already been formed by that single attack.
“Now!” Sam shouted, standing up.
Their Pokémon charged out from behind him.
Caws, hisses, and hacking noises echoed in response as the remaining wild Pokémon prepared to meet them head-on.
Two of Xavier’s Pokémon were quick to take the lead. Yanma were known for their immense speed and acceleration, and Donphan rolled itself up into a tire that left a track through the woods. A lightly scorched Exeggutor moved to the front of the defense to try to stop them, but even with its multiple heads, it was unable to conjure a Psychic that grabbed either of them.
Sonic Booms formed a cloud of dust that consumed it. Donphan curved, hitting a tree, but instead of coming to a halt, it bounced into the canopy and tore away the Spinarak’s webs. That made room for Yanma, which then copied itself a dozen times over. Its Double Team prevented the subsequent attacks from hitting anything more than illusory duplicates as it unleashed even more Sonic Booms.
Under that shared assault, the wild Pokémon were too focused on the immediate pair to stop the rest of the charge. Dragonair dived in, spiraling through leave to conjure quick Twisters that blasted hiding Raticate out of their hiding spots in the bushes. Primeape and Xavier’s Poliwrath followed, unleashing Fighting Type punches at the Pokémon that tried to retaliate from the ground.
A Foresight from Noctowl prevented a scattered handful of wild Gastly from moving to the back of the group, and then the Gastly in Sam’s shadow decided to meet them in the shade. A single, lone Girafarig made the unfortunate decision to try to move to the front, but Ursaring had finished recharging from his Hyper Beam, and he didn’t even need to use a move to bowl it over.
“Keep going!” Sam shouted. “It’s not that far away!”
He, Redi, and Xavier weren’t as fast as their Pokémon, but they still quickly reached the area of the fight.
A Water Gun from Poliwrath disrupted a Gust sent from a Murkrow. Primeape jumped into the air and used Bulk Up to withstand the damage of a Poison Sting barrage sent from a Spinarak. One Ariados tried to poke its head out of a trapped hole for a surprise attack, but it was yanked back into that darkened, underground pit by Haunter sneaking in behind it.
It was chaos, and despite the danger surrounding them, Sam kept his faith in his team. Attacks were intercepted and taken, and he and everyone else used the commotion to run through the woods.
And Quilava was out, too. She ran at Sam’s side. Though they wanted her to save her energy for Trevenant, it made no sense to completely prevent her from using her super effective moves if her fire was needed.
In the distance, Sam could already see the edge of the burned woods. The afternoon light peeked through the dead forest’s lack of branches, and the sun’s red glow almost made it seem as though it was still on fire.
The wild Pokémon had set their defenses close to that section of forest—there was only about a hundred feet between them and their destination. Honestly, Sam was reminded of the battlefield that had been the Azalea Gym Trial.
But he’d never thought he’d be using that mass combat experience somewhere like here.
However, while their initial charge surprised and disrupted what the wild Pokémon had set up, not every Pokémon was freaking out. Above their heads, Sam heard a sharp caw.
A screech pierced the air, and the few Murkrow that were already around began to pull away.
The black-feathered Pokémon followed the command of that cry to form into a flock beneath the canopy. From above, a black blur broke through the branches to dive into the middle of the group. The gleam in the incoming Honchkrow’s eyes told Sam it wasn’t just here to defend the Trevenant’s home.
Sam had managed to escape it once. After that previous, embarrassing showing, it was back for revenge.
“Will-O-Wisp!” Sam shouted.
Quilava jumped, her flames blazing to life, and she cried out her name while using her attack. Fiery motes formed in the air around her, but off to her side, a giggle, and a flash.
Her Will-O-Wisps sputtered out as something flashed across her. Her eyes widened as she fell, and the Honchkrow came barrelling down.
“Poli! Wrath!”
Thankfully, they had a savior in the form of one of Xavier’s Pokémon, as Primeape was too busy fighting off a pair of Venonat to block the incoming Honchkrow’s attack. The heavy Water-and-Fighting Type lunged forward, jumping to snatch the Honchkrow right out of its dive and smash it into the forest floor, head first, landing a devastating Submission.
Once on the ground, Poliwrath pulled back to let the Honchkrow dizzily push to its feet and shake its head to recover. The flock of Murkrow above cawed out taunts, and a few other wild Pokémon began to move back to watch one of the forest’s heaviest hitters ready itself for a fight.
“...Keep moving, you two,” Xavier unexpectedly said, sliding to a halt and turning around. “I’m stopping here.”
“You can’t!” Redi yelled. “As soon as that Honchkrow’s down, everything else is going to attack!”
But to her question, Xavier just smirked, staring at the Honchkrow as Sam and Redi continued to run ahead. He reached into his pocket to pull out a shrunken Pokéball, which then he pointed at its opponent.
“It’s fine,” Xavier said, and his voice betrayed not a single ounce of fear. “We’re good enough to serve as the first line of defense. Besides, I think I just found the sixth member of my team.”
The Honchkrow sneered, and it flung out its wings to call for its flock of Murkrow to dive. Xavier’s Yanma and Noctowl were quick to intercept them as Donphon threw rocks from the ground, but Sam wasn’t able to watch.
He ran, moving too quickly to see anything. The trees blocked his vision, and Xavier was left behind.
“If he’s staying...” Redi mumbled.
Sam could tell she was getting ready to turn and serve as the second layer of defense to let everyone else keep moving forward. She couldn’t allow herself to run that much farther ahead, as she’d need to gather Xavier, his Pokémon, and everyone else before also grabbing Sam and allowing them to Teleport away.
“I understand. Good luck, Re—”
Sam stopped himself and came to a halt when he heard that same giggle from before.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the surrounding woods. A roar from Ursaring was enough to stop a pack of Rattata from getting any closer, and Dragonair’s sheer presence warned many more away.
“There!”
A movement within the shadows caught Sam’s attention. He was too familiar with that kind of hiding to think it was anything simply dashing between the trees.
There had been a reason Quilava’s Will-O-Wisp failed earlier, and Sam doubted it was a failure on her part alone.
An Imprison, most likely.
“I got it!” Redi called for Dragonair to prepare an attack, but wild Spearow dived through the canopy and stopped the Dragon Type from using any moves.
Unabated, purple wisps popped up in the forest, illuminating a haze that blocked their path forward. Though it was not night, a Ghost Type moved before them.
Then, Misdreavus shouted out a cry.
Splitting from Sam’s shadow, she burst from the floor, the momentum of Shadow Sneak carrying her forward. Wrapped in darkness, she slammed into the center of that haze, disrupting the would-be attacker’s move and sending it careening to the forest floor.
It scowled at her, the Pokémon adjusting its witch’s hat and moving back into the air. Having been hit with a super effective move, the Ghost Type was revealed as a wild Mismagius, Misdreavus’s evolved form, that was now facing Sam’s friend and Pokémon.
“Misdreavus, if this Pokémon managed to evolve on its own, it’s as tough as that Honchkrow from before. You have to avoid its attacks. Focus on using—”
But she shouted and jerked forward, another Shadow Sneak slamming into the Mismagius’s chest. The wild Ghost Type was too unfamiliar with the attack to know how to move out of the way. Misdreavus shoved it to the side of the road, making one last opening for them to keep moving forward.
She locked eyes with both Sam and Quilava, nodding. Then, she began to conjure a Shadow Ball as her opponent did the same, the two of them splitting off to continue their battle where they wouldn’t be disturbed.
“What are you doing, Sam?! Keep running! Don’t get distracted! We’ll hold them off here!”
Redi’s shout snapped Sam out of his daze as he watched Misdreavus take on such a massive threat on her own. Behind, Redi’s team was in the middle of a furious fight, and Quilava finally tore her gaze away from where her friend had just disappeared.
“We will,” Sam said, slowly building up speed once more. “Just... Be careful, alright?”
“Duh. Of course we will!”
“And don’t get too focused on a single target!” he yelled over his shoulder. “Switch targets if you ever feel you’re facing a wall! Haunter, Primeape! You two help out, too!”
With everyone furiously fighting to stop anything from giving chase, Sam turned, and now it was just him and Quilava dashing through the woods.
The sounds of battle faded behind them, and the noise completely disappeared as they burst into the burned section of woods.
Trees, blackened and cracking, stood as pillars that marked their own graves. The ground was still stained grey from ash. Even now, Sam smelt smoke.
Here, it was silent. Utterly so. The passive heat of this section of the forest made Sam sweat. This area contained more than just lingering regrets—it was as if the memory of the fire still remained.
And Trevenant’s been staying here this entire time? It’s been feeling and experiencing a forest fire that already passed.
It didn’t deserve this.
At Sam’s side, Quilava stared ahead, almost enthralled by something at the burned grove’s center. She was unable to tear her gaze away until Sam’s voice brought her focus back to him.
“Quilava. It’s just us now. We need to convince Trevenant to stop,” he said quietly. “Either by talking to it or by battling it if we have to. We just need to do something before Pryce forces it away.”
The Trevenant was stubborn, but so was Pryce to an even greater degree. Sam couldn’t picture any future where an encounter between those two ended well.
Quilava nodded as she looked up at him, and Sam smiled and knelt down.
“I believe in you,” he said. “You can do this.”
He reached over to take the scarf holding her Everstone, but then Quilava’s eyes went as wide as they could go.
Screaming her name, Quilava jumped and slammed into Sam’s chest with the force of a full-fledged Quick Attack. Sam felt the air get knocked out of him from that thud, and he was left gasping on the ground, looking up.
However, right where he had just been kneeling, a gnarled branch pulled away after finishing a swipe. A knot opened up in a nearby tree’s charred trunk, revealing a single, still-burning eye.
Slowly, dried and ashen wood cracked and crumbled as something pulled itself out from within. The dead tree broke apart and splintered as the Trevenant peeled itself away, falling to the ground with a heavy thump.
It glared at them, its eye alight with the same fire that had once burned these woods. It was large, angry, and towered over Quilava.
A negotiation wouldn’t happen.
It was too mad—too enraged.
As Sam struggled to pick himself off the forest floor, one thing became abundantly clear:
They’d need to fight the Trevenant.
Yet, even with that looming threat, Quilava stood her ground. She would not back down here.