Cold...

Distant roars and flashes of light received him as his consciousness returned. When his eyes opened, he observed the cold ground before his face. Water ran along his arms and pooled under him, drenching his black trench coat and pink beard. He tried to look around him, but a nearby explosion disoriented him even more.

"Audino!"

A flash of blue light sprang in front of him, snapping him back to reality.

"Lily!"

He stood up, trying his best not to slip in the mud as he assessed the situation. Lily, his Audino, used Protect In front of him, deflecting an oncoming Flamethrower. Her necklace displaying her Audinite glinted as she turned towards him, eyes narrowed in concentration. Daniel nodded towards her as his fists clenched. His aura reserves were running low, so he had to conserve every shred he could.

"Moonblast!" He screamed, slightly straining his throat.

"Audi!"

A sphere of pastel pink energy formed before Lily as the Protect dissipated. When it was the size of a basketball, Audino shot it in front of her. A vulpine cry rang in front as a Zoroark fell to the ground. Daniel watched it for a couple of seconds before relaxing.

"R2, Status."

[UNDERSTOOD]

A robotic voice rang inside his left ear before a screen appeared in front of him, projected by his glasses. “Must have busted the right one.” He thought while reading.

NAME

Daniel Joy

COMBAT POKEMON

Audino “Lily.” (Tired)

Lapras “Gamera.” (Healthy)

Dragapult “Casper.” (Fainted)

Braviary (H) “Rodan.” (Healthy)

Volcarona “Mothra.” (Fainted)

Liligant (H) “Elizabeth.” (Fainted)

HELPER POKEMON

Rotom (Glasses) “R2.”

Porygon3 “Donald.”

BOX

[EXPAND]

ENERGY

⚠︎ Z Energy: 1 / 5 ⚠︎

⚠︎ Terastal energy: 1 / 2 ⚠︎

Dynamax energy: 2 / 2

“I need to recharge…” He grimaced after glancing at the energy levels. With a sigh, he flicked his hand, and the screen morphed into another one.

CONTACTS

Dad

Mom

Zachary Willows

Aidan McGowen

Troy Yates

Gracie Hensley

Rachel Charles

Dale Fletcher

Fraser Morris

(1/5)

With a nod, he tapped Aidan’s name.

[⚠︎ CONNECTION UNAVAILABLE ⚠︎]

The alert flashed in front of the screen. He stared at it in disbelief before tapping Aidan’s name again, only for it to reappear. With growing worry, he dismissed it and tapped Troy’s name.

[PLEASE WAIT…]

He sighed in relief as the call went through. The forest his team entered just 30 minutes before was in complete ruins. Discarded trees and craters littered the surrounding floor. Thunderous rain worsened visibility and transformed the walkable patches into quagmires. Only the occasional crack of thunder or distant flash of a Pokemon move briefly illuminated anything.

Occasionally, he spotted fainted Pokemon. Almost all were dark and ghost types, likely belonging to the terrorist responsible for the code black. Surprisingly enough, he couldn't see any human around, conscious or otherwise. "I need to count my blessings." Lily used the small respite to check on the Pokemon, making sure none of them was beyond help.

"Daniel! Thank Arceus!" The voice drew his focus back to the screen. A dark-skinned woman stared back at him. She was dressed like him: a black trench coat, beret, and orange-tinted glasses. But he could see signs of battle: caked blood, dirt, and black streaks he assumed were make-up. Her face illuminated for a moment and nodded. "I lost you for a second!"

"Troy!" Daniel exclaimed, feeling his burden relieved ever so slightly. "Thank Arceus, I thought something happened."

"Well…" Troy's face contorted into a grimace. "Anarchy has the orbs. I…" Her lips trembled. "We couldn't stop him." Daniel's veins filled with ice as his heart began to beat rapidly in his chest. That would mean…

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"What about Aidan?!" He screamed, briefly startling Lily from checking a passed-out Alolan Muk. "What-"

"He and the elites were fighting…they…"

"All of them?" He asked, his tone barely above a whisper.

"…Yeah…" Troy matched his voice, tears streaming down her eyes. "And I don't think I can stop him, my team…"

"I'll take care of this." Daniel bit his lip, looking towards the distant clouds. As lightning flashed, he could barely make a figure floating in the sky, hidden beyond the clouds. "I'll... I'll be back."

"Take care, Daniel." Troy clenched her eyes and let out a whimper before ending the connection.

The darkness returned once more to the clearing. Daniel stood there for a moment, processing what had happened. Lily took his right hand, a small smile on her face. He let out a shaky breath and pet her, slowly feeling the tension eek away.

"Ready, Lily?"

"Au!"

"Rodan!" Daniel screamed, punching forward with his right fist.

A Pokeball shot out of his sleeve, enlarged and opened. A red light signaled the entrance of an enormous Braviary. A crest of purple flames imitating eyes flamed on his forehead, uncaring of the rainfall. White and gray replaced the usually colorful plumage. The bird looked around for a moment and settled his eyes on Daniel.

[Master] A masculine voice rang inside his head. After staring at each other for several seconds, the Pokemon gave his trainer a grave nod [I am ready].

"R2, saddle."

His glasses briefly flashed in orange before a cube rolled from his sleeve to his open palm. He threw it in an arc toward the Braviary before it opened like a Pokeball, shooting a green light. A saddle appeared on Rodan's back and Daniel carefully boarded the bird followed by Lily. "You know what to do."

[I must advise you, master, that the plan is significatively risky.] Rodan shook his head before flapping his wings, accelerating them toward the sky. [But I understand what must be done and I'm ready to follow you.]

"Thank you..." He sighed, feeling the rain pepper his face and seeing the ground getting farther away. With a nod to steel his resolve, he screamed.

"Tailwind!"

Rodan screeched, controlling the winds around them. An updraft surrounded them and diverted the rain, letting them ascend even faster. The dark clouds approached, discharging lightning and illuminating their quarry. A figure floating beyond.

Looking down for a moment, he could see the war raging on the ruins of Old Opelucid. The league's forces battling "Team Anarchy," the new terrorists that wanted to 'usurp back free will' as their slogan. Even so far away, he could barely hear the muffled sounds of Z-moves being discharged. The figures of several Dynamaxed Pokemon duking it out, wreaking devastation on both forces.

A mental tug brought his attention back to their mission. Above the clouds, among the clear skies and sporting an uncaring expression, was Joey Barlow. The madman self-proclaimed as 'Anarchy.' 18 years old, with a loving family, and a promising future as a trainer ahead of him. One night 3 years before he seemingly went insane, spouting things about other worlds, death, and 'the shackles of government.'

"Typhoon!"

Rodan's eyes flashed in purple light as he seized control of the roaring storm. The energy vibrated and shone in light blue as it spun. The clouds were quickly absorbed into the growing spiral, intensifying its power. With a cry and a flap of his wings, Rodan sent it forward.

Boom!

A deafening explosion followed, sending them back several meters before the bird could orient himself again. Before they could celebrate, Joey's figure emerged from the smoke.

Several hexagonal shields from a "Protect" fizzled out as the dust settled, revealing his undamaged body. Naked from the waist up, proudly displaying the letter A tattooed on his chest. His loose jeans flapped along with the intense winds that followed the attack. Finally, a deep blue piece of ore, a pastel pink orb, and a mustard yellow crystal lazily orbited around him joined together by a crimson red chain.

"Joey Barlow," Daniel growled, looking at his piercing blue eyes. "You're under arrest."

"I don't think I am, officer." The man shook his head with a smile. "You lack the power to stop me. To stop my vision." He slowly raised his hands, the orbs spinning faster around him. "You can't take away my Freedom."

As he enunciated his last word, an intense red light erupted from the chains, almost blinding him. Rodan squawked as the wind turned against him, rocking him from side to side. Daniel's clothes rustled as his balance almost faltered, only able to remain seated thanks to Lily's grip and Rodan's telekinesis.

"R2! Mask!" He managed to scream.

His glasses transformed into an orange mask with a Rotom's smirk over his mouth. The sounds muffled and his vision cleared. Joey's hand flashed, cycling between cyan, yellow, and pink as the wind grew stronger. Daniel could start making outlines of what used to be legends: Dialga and Palkia. Like a mirage, their images swam around them, basking them in pink and blue light.

[⚠︎ LEGENDARY ENERGY DETECTED! ⚠︎]

[ENERGY IDENTIFIED: DIALGA, LORD OF TIME.]

[ENERGY IDENTIFIED: PALKIA, LORD OF SPACE.]

An alert appeared in front of Daniel as his Porygon3 and Rotom analyzed the energy. Even if it was a bit pointless. There was no way to imitate the energy and sheer pressure of the lords of time and space. His chest got tighter as their forms arrived in front of Joey.

“Finally…Home…” Joey said, barely like a whisper.

“R2! Overclock!” Daniel screamed, preparing himself for the worst.

[OVERCLOCKING]

R2's mechanical voice intoned as his blood grew hotter. But Daniel's attention was squarely on Lily.

Lily's Audinite and a bracer under Daniel's trench coat began to glow. The light of mega evolution took over the Audino as her form grew slightly. Her fur turned white and grew, imitating a doctor's coat in her body and small wings on her feet. Her ears and feelers elongated even more. A white, fluffy tuff of fur popping out of her chest signaled the end.

With a low roar and grasping the last dregs of aura left in him, Daniel crossed his arms in front. His Z-bracer flashed with pink energy as he formed a heart with his palms and finished with a feminine pose. Light flared up from inside him as his aura flooded towards Lily, almost blacking him out in the process.

"Twinkle impact!" Daniel screamed, fighting back the darkness creeping up his vision.

"Audinooooo!"

Lily shot towards Joey, pink stars trailing behind her. Before making contact, all the Z energy concentrated on her outstretched arm. An ear-piercing explosion and a flash of light briefly overpowered Daniel's senses as the attack landed.

[Master!] Rodan's voice echoed as Daniel felt his psychic energy preventing him from falling.

Daniel sent feelings of gratitude through their link and his eyes widened as his eyes returned to the fight. Lily was suspended in the air, her fist clashing with a smooth pink barrier. Joey smirking just behind it. He clapped his hands, and the Audino shot back towards them.

Rodan barely managed to catch the flying Audino as the mega evolution faded. Daniel's heart almost stopped when she didn't immediately move, but the gentle rise of her chest and swirls in her eyes relaxed him. "Just Fainted." He thought to himself with relief before he returned Lily to her Pokeball, then sucked back into his bracer.

"Well. Let's get this show on the road, then." Joey's finger snapped as a marble of nothingness appeared right behind him. The darkness slowly expanded as the silhouettes of the legendary Pokémon grew clearer and clearer. Blue, pink, and yellow lightning flashed around it before collapsing inwards and transforming into a portal.

Daniel's breath grew heavy as exhaustion began to overpower him. His last option was using Gigantamax, but Gamera was not his best attacker. "It has to be enough." Another overclock would surely kill him, especially with a giant Pokémon involved. But seeing Joey's ecstatic expression as he floated toward the portal made him falter. "Fuck…" He retracted his arm, preparing for the worst. "Guess this is it."

Rodan's feelings came through their link. Feelings of comradery, friendship, pain, loneliness. Their travels, their joys, their sorrows. The grand victories in the competitive scene. The horrible losses that threatened everything. His heart felt warm and at peace with whatever happened next. His brother waited for him anyway.

"Game…ra…" his words died in his throat as the moon was covered in inky darkness.

The stars disappeared and the wind stilled. The world seemed to pause as a pair of red eyes stared from beyond the void. A pair of wings, or what he imagined them to be, soared behind Joey. Panic flowed through the link as Rodan tried to find a way out, flapping his wings in place.

"No…No! Noooo!" Joey cried in pain as his skin began to crack in places like porcelain. His expression was filled with terror and pain. "My home! No! Stop!"

[⚠︎ LEGENDARY ENERGY DETECTED! ⚠︎]

[ENERGY IDENTIFIED: GIRATINA, LORD OF DISTORTION]

Energy built up on what Daniel assumed was the beast's mouth. A deep purple sphere shot toward Joey before he could react, hitting him directly in the chest. A crack echoed as the red light evaporated. Before the man could fall, however, purple energy seized him in the air. The adamant crystal, lustrous globe, and griseous core disappeared as if they never existed. Dialga and Palkia's outline blurred again before disappearing.

"HEEEEEELP MEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

Joey's screams slowly muffled as the inky form of Giratina covered him completely. The force of nature took a brief glance at Daniel and Rodan before it vanished into the void beyond, just like it arrived.

"That's…too much adrenaline…" Daniel whispered, looking at the portal that was still open.

It showed a different, but similar world beyond. He could see vehicles, people going to work, and the sounds he associated with big cities like Castelia or Opelucid. Yet, as far as he could tell, there were no Pokémon around. No Pidoves roosting on roofs, no Ratattas, Muks, or Garbodors crawling on the sewers, no Snorlax halting traffic. Everything was…deeply wrong. However, the mirage didn't last long. The image melted back into inky darkness.

[⚠︎ ULTRA WORMHOLE DETECTED ⚠︎]

With a weary exhale, he plopped down on Rodan's plumage as they circled the fissure to another reality. Protocol dictated that he remained there, lest something… otherworldly crawled through.

"R2, patch me with central." The screen flashed orange before his father's image appeared.

The structure of their faces was similar, except for the pure white hair and the lack of a beard. His eyes were green like emeralds, and a large scar crossing his left cheek. He wore an orange Alolan shirt, which was caked in blood in several places. Daniel could see the telltale signs of the 'cleaning crew' dealing with the aftermath of a great battle in the background.

"Daniel! Are you ok?!" Daniel grimaced as his dad's voice came a bit too loud on his only speaker.

"I'm alright, dad." He nodded. "Giratina took care of the situation.

"Those are certainly words…" The old man muttered before shaking his head. "We'll need a report on that. Godzilla and I dealt with the situation back here in orbit. We'll send the rangers and the paramedics to your location in a bit, try to gather the rest of the veterans… And we'll talk about Aidan." The man aged considerably after uttering those words.

"Underst-"

Before he could respond, formulate words to console his father or explain about the portal to another world open just a couple of meters away, everything went white.