{Back in the lab}
The battle was still going on. Around them, the B team was fighting, and yet Taka was still not taking this seriously, not because he was underestimating them, but because he genuinely didn't care.
"Okay, Chatot, time to actually try," Taka said lazily. "Use [Air Slash]!"
The colorful bird launched forward, wings glowing before it whipped a razor-thin blade of wind toward Meowth.
Ash didn't raise his voice. "[Iron Tail]."
Meowth spun and jumped into the air, twirling, her tail glowing silver as she smacked the [Air Slash], cutting the blades of air in half. The wind cut off instantly, dispersing with a shimmer.
Taka blinked. "Okay… rude, Chatot worked hard on that attack."
Ash rolled his eyes. "[Bite] now."
Meowth lunged and clamped her jaws around Chatot's wing. The bird squawked in pain and flailed, trying to escape. She flung it to the ground with surprising force.
"Chatot, [Roost]!" Taka called out.
Chatot glowed faintly, healing, losing some feathers and being able to pull back from Meowth's bite. But Ash was already moving again.
"[Slash]!" Ash commanded.
Meowth lunged, cutting across Chatot's chest with a precise swipe. The bird squawked, fluttering back, barely staying in the air.
Taka gave a half-hearted sigh. "Yeah, that tracks." But even as he spoke, his fingers casually flicked another Poké Ball into the air. "Come on out, Klefki."
The jingling Steel/Fairy-type appeared, chiming as it floated beside Chatot.
Ash's brow twitched. "Two-on-one, huh?"
Taka stretched and yawned. "Well, you did bring friends."
Behind them, Domino's Weavile zipped between two opposing Doublade, claws flashing with [Ice Shard], knocking one clean out of the air. Helena's Haunter laughed as he launched [Shadow Ball] after [Shadow Ball] at a Gabite, forcing it back to fall to a knee.
Jay and Enid were working together on the third and fourth grunt, Ursaring pinning down a Skuntank while Jay's Meowth, little Tod, scurried in with a quick [Bite] to a Noctowl's wings.
Domino called over her shoulder, "D, you alright over there?"
"Yeah," Ash muttered, pulling his scarf tighter as his eyes locked back onto Taka. "I got this."
"You go by D? Kinda sounds like overly edgy stuff," Taka raised his eyebrow and just shrugged. "But I got no room to talk. Taka ain't my name, it's a code name too. Anyway, Klefki, let's mess with him. [Thunder Wave]."
The jingling keys sparked with electric energy, shooting a crackling wave toward Meowth.
"Dodge with [Quick Attack]!" Ash ordered sharply.
Meowth darted forward in a zigzag, past the incoming wave, and rammed straight into Klefki, sending the little keyring Pokémon tumbling backward.
Chatot, still flapping weakly, squawked again. "[Chatter]!"
The chaotic burst of sound staggered Meowth mid-dash, making her flinch as she held her ears.
"Meowth, focus!" Ash called, his voice cutting through the noise. "Use [Icy Wind], on Chatot, now!"
With a hiss, Meowth jumped into the air and blew a beam of wind with sparkling blue snow into Chatot. The ice, along with everything else, was too much, Chatot fell over shivering, covered with a bit of snow.
Taka gave a lazy two-fingered salute as he returned Chatot. "Welp, one down. Klefki, [Dazzling Gleam]."
"Dodge now," Ash quickly countered.
As the glittering lights came in, Meowth backflipped into the air, dodging the attack. Now she was airborne.
"Now finish this with [Dark Pulse]!" Ash ordered.
While still in the air, Meowth charged an orb of darkness in her paw and pointed it forward, shooting the spiraling beam into Klefki. The keys were sent flying back, slamming into the wall, also knocked out.
Taka shrugged. "Welp, I tried." It looked like he had a few more Pokémon, but he clearly wasn't going to put in the effort, especially since, behind him, his so-called grunts had all been defeated.
"Looks like I have no choice but to let you go this time. Team Meteor, prepare to retreat," Taka said with another shrug, glancing back at the beaten-down grunts.
The grunts, groaning and limping, scrambled to recall their fainted Pokémon. One cursed under his breath; another glared murderously at Jay and Enid. But they didn't have any Pokémon left, and Jay and Enid did, so they shut up.
"Coward," Domino muttered.
Taka simply shrugged. "Tactician. Later, D. We should get lunch, you sound like you'd be fun to hang out with," he said, already turning toward an underground exit.
Then, just before leaving, he glanced back again, cutting off whatever cheesy 'we'll stop you' line they were about to throw, "You could follow us, play the hero or something, but you guys don't seem like you're part of the police. And well, I don't think you'd want to waste more time if you wanna stop Solaris. Good luck with that... and don't die."
With that, he left, Everyone let out a sigh, relaxing a bit. But Ash's eyes were already on a monitor in the room. He walked over and started getting to work.
He immediately spotted something about the Pulse Project. Without hesitation, he pulled a USB drive from his belt and slotted it in, letting Porygon-Z handle the downloads.
"What are you looking at?" Helena asked, peering over his shoulder.
"Whatever's on here. During the battle, Taka glanced at this. Must be important. But we don't have time to dig through it all, I'll download it, and we can check it out back at base," Ash mumbled, as Porygon-Z scanned and copied everything.
Once the download was complete, Porygon pulled up a live feed on the monitor, showing a Camerupt.
It was obvious. Pulse-6.
Its temperature was rising, already more than double the heat of a regular Camerupt at full power. And it was still climbing.
Ash's eyes darkened. "Damn it… We wasted too much time. And it looks like Owari and Sayako haven't stopped this thing yet."
"Damn…" Jay muttered. "What's the plan? Are we all going up there?"
Ash shook his head. "No. If we all go, we'll be too slow. I'm faster. I'll run ahead, you guys get the jeep and meet me there. But if you see it erupting, you better just go."
Domino opened her mouth to protest, but Helena placed a hand on her arm and shook her head.
"Fine," Enid said. "But you better not die. Not until I can prove I'm stronger than you."
Ash nodded and bolted out the door. He was faster than the rest, so while he ran toward the mountain, the others doubled back to retrieve the jeep.
As Ash cut through the woods, he tapped on his electronic watch. "Rotom, you're up. Let's test this thing out."
A spark of electricity shot from his watch into his boots, something else he'd been working on. He repurposed the hovering mechanics of Iron Moth and, with Rotom's help, built hover boots.
Rotom sparked to life in the boots, both of them grinning, "Bzzz! Initiating!"
Ash's boots lifted off the ground. He had based them on Shadow's Air Shoes, and now, he was skating just above the surface, rocketing forward.
He had to reach that mountain before it was too late.
—
{Back at the mountain}
In exactly thirty seconds, everything had gone downhill. Garchomp was hunting them like a predator, and they had barely scratched the thing.
Garchomp lunged forward, claws glowing, going in for a [Dragon Claw].
"Incineroar, [Cross Chop], now!" Victoria commanded quickly.
Incineroar roared and leapt, arms crossing as glowing energy flared along its biceps. He chopped downward toward Garchomp's head, but Garchomp spun mid-dash, one claw intercepting the strike and the other stabbing forward.
"Absol, [Psycho Cut]!" Sayako shouted, her power working overtime, she had seen what would happen if she didn't.
Absol, still shaken, surged forward. Its glowing horn sliced through the air, the psychic blade striking Garchomp's side. The dragon snarled low, but it barely slowed.
"Owari!" Sayako urged, knowing this was their best window to do real damage.
"Don't order me around! Crobat, [Air Slash]!" Owari snapped.
Crobat dove from above, sending razor-sharp blades of air hurtling downward. For a moment, it looked effective, Garchomp hissed and braced, the cuts stinging its hide. But then Solaris spoke softly:
"[Stone Edge]."
Garchomp slammed its foot into the rocky ground. Jagged pillars of stone erupted around it. Crobat shrieked as several spires slammed into its wings, sending it crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Crobat!" Owari shouted, eyes wide.
"Incineroar, [Flare Blitz]!" Victoria ordered through gritted teeth.
Sayako wanted to stop her, but she was too slow. And Victoria was too angry.
If you haven't noticed by now, the signs were all there Sayako could see the future, more specifically Sayako's left eye could see five seconds into the future, while her right eye saw the present. But seeing the future and reacting fast enough were two different things.
The fiery wrestler lit up like a comet, barreling toward Garchomp with explosive speed. But Solaris raised a hand slightly.
"[Earthquake]."
Garchomp roared, stomping the ground with brutal force. A shockwave tore across the battlefield, knocking Incineroar off-balance mid-charge. The Fire-type crashed sideways, tumbling into a heap. Absol staggered, legs trembling as the ground rippled violently beneath it.
"No…!" Sayako gasped. This was exactly the outcome she had foreseen, and failed to prevent.
Solaris exhaled slowly, brushing a strand of hair from his face. "I did warn you."
Victoria clenched her fists, her eyes fierce despite the odds. "We're not done yet!"
She reached for another Poké Ball, but before she could throw it, Garchomp darted forward again, faster than anyone expected. With a brutal swing, it sent Incineroar flying back, crashing against the rocks with a sickening thud.
"Incineroar!!" Victoria screamed.
As the three stood there, stunned and breathless, Garchomp loomed over them, claws raised menacingly. He licked his sharp teeth, as if just waiting for the command.
Solaris looked down on them coldly, "You children talk a big game… but this? This is what true power looks like. Did you really think three half-prepared trainers could stand against me? You're nothing more than a bunch of kids playing hero."
He raised his arm, ready to issue the next command, when suddenly, a calm, composed voice rang out.
"Please stand aside."
All eyes turned. A woman approached, walking steadily toward the battlefield. She had flowing pink hair and a long coat draped over her shoulders like a cape. It was Kiki.
As Kiki walked forward, Victoria flinched.
"Sensei!" she blurted, as Cal's eyes widened and dropped to the ground again, fists clenched.
"You should be resting at the Academy! This is too much for you!" Victoria pleaded.
"I will decide what is too much for me," Kiki said firmly. "There are moments where weakness can be permitted. This isn't one of them. Stand back."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Medicham."
She released it, and her Medicham leapt out, immediately taking a battle stance.
Solaris sighed, clearly growing more irritated than anything, "How useless. The PULSE will reach full capacity any second now. No matter how many of you there are, you cannot stop justice."
Kiki took a breath, deep, painful, and burning in the dry, volcanic air. Every muscle in her body ached, but she stood tall and unwavering. Her fists clenched.
"I grow tired of daily reminders of all the things I cannot do," she said, her voice low but resolute. "Despite our success and comfort, I have never lived up to my own expectations. I have always been far from perfect. All of my teachings… they were ideals, not my own standards. And yet, they still made a difference for many people. Weak, imperfect, and powerless as I may be—"
Solaris tilted his head, sneering.
"Oh, please. Spare me the speech. You cannot stop Garchomp. You're far too weak."
"Maybe," Kiki replied. "But I can still make a difference. Medicham, destroy that infernal machine!"
The command took everyone by surprise.
Medicham dashed forward in a blur and launched itself into the air, leg extended in a flying kick aimed straight at the Pulse machine.
Solaris's eyes widened slightly. He grit his teeth. In that moment of hesitation, Garchomp couldn't reposition in time. So he went for his backup.
"Canis stop it," he ordered, voice sharp.
Cal flinched.
He closed his eyes, and reluctantly released his Magmortar. The large Fire-type intercepted Medicham mid-air, catching its foot and stopping the attack cold.
Victoria and Kiki were both stunned.
"Cal, what are you doing?!" Victoria demanded, shocked. "What is Canis?!"
"Canis Minor," Solaris answered smoothly. "A lesser half of a greater goal."
"You can drop that already," Cal muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, head bowed.
Victoria was still reeling. "Cal… I don't understand—"
"So you're betraying us," Kiki said quietly.
Cal didn't answer, Solaris, however, did, "Hahaha. To 'betray' implies he was ever on your side to begin with. He was eager to join us ages ago. You inviting him to your little academy just gave us the perfect cover to continue our operations."
Kiki's eyes narrowed. "Ah…"
Victoria clenched her fists, "So… everything you said. About appreciating this place, about wanting to change. That was a lie?"
Cal remained silent, then finally spoke, "Sorry… I know this isn't what you hoped for. But then again, I've got a habit of not being what people want me to be."
"Dispose of that Medicham," Solaris ordered coldly.
Cal hesitated, Solaris's voice turned razor-sharp. "Now."
"…I'm sorry, Sensei," Cal whispered.
"After everything, you dare apologize?" Kiki asked, voice trembling with fury.
Solaris scoffed, "You should listen to her. You've always been all rage and no spine. Every time you strike, you recoil. We cannot fulfill our mission like that. All who oppose Team Meteor must be silenced. As such—" He snapped his fingers.
Time seemed to slow down, Magmortar hurled Medicham toward the lava andGarchomp lunged at Kiki, claws gleaming, aimed to cut her down, to execute her.
As Garchomp's claws came down, time seemed to freeze. Everyone stood wide-eyed, even Cal, This… this wasn't part of the plan.
The massive dragon's strike was seconds from impact, aimed straight for Kiki. At the same time, Medicham plummeted toward the lava.
And all Kiki, Victoria, or Cal could do…was close their eyes.
Then, they heard the sound *drip… drip…*
Two drops of blood hit the ground. One after another, dark red splatters landed at Garchomp's feet… and stained the tips of his claws.
But it wasn't Kiki's blood.
She was confused. The pain she braced for and the release of death… never came.
"…What?" she muttered, slowly opening her eyes.
Across from her, when they heard Kiki's voice, Victoria and Cal also opened their eyes, shocked at what they saw.
Standing protectively in front of Kiki was a figure no one had seen coming.
Black scarf wrapped tight around the lower half of his face, A long trench coat draped over a hoodie, Blood dripping down from his arm, It was Ash/D
"D!" Sayako cried out, heart skipping a beat, watching Ash's hand bleed
Garchomp's claws had pierced through both of Ash's hands, driving deep, blood soaking his sleeves. His arms trembled slightly from the force, but he held his ground. The claws would have cut his arms off, but he had a thick coat of Muk's sludge wrapped around his arms, along with his Aura coating his arm, stopping the worst of the impact.
Everyone stared, Solaris, Victoria, Cal, even Garchomp.
Ash, however, only smirked beneath the scarf, "Aww," he said, voice raspy but cocky, "you started the party without me? How rude~"
Suddenly, from the mouth of the volcano, another voice rang out: "Mediii!"
Everyone turned.
A glow of purple energy surged upward, and Medicham, who had been falling helplessly into the lava, was suddenly suspended in midair. Then, gently, it was pulled back to solid ground.
But it wasn't Medicham's own psychic power.
Behind them, near a jagged stone, Hypno stood, eyes glowing, arm outstretched. It had caught Medicham at the last moment and brought it safely back.
"What?!" Solaris hissed, his composure cracking. This wasn't in his plan.
Ash gave a low chuckle, "Looks like you're not the only one with surprises."
Ash's fingers curled tighter around Garchomp's claws, blood still dripping but he didn't move, "Let's have some fun," he said, his voice low, "I think it's my turn~."