Chapter 6

We were surrounded. Dark figures lurked in the trees, and long claws dragged grooves into the bark while knocking away thin, surface-level layers of snow. Red eyes gleamed within the shadows, and even Liepard wasn’t able to hide. Every Pokémon species had a special ability innate to it, and the group that surrounded us had an especially Keen Eye.

Valiant brought up their polearm, readying their stance with their weapon in hand. Rotom let the inside of his washing machine churn, building pressure to release in an instant. His location discovered, Liepard was at my side with an arched back. There was no sense for him to continue to stalk about as our preliminary scout—it was better to be prepared for this fight.

A sound echoed around us; the attacking swarm snickered. The wild Pokémon’s shared gaze did not leave the items we carried.

Valiant’s crystal weapon. My enormous backpack. And Rotom’s... well, Rotom’s everything.

The swarm that surrounded was an entire group of unevolved Pokémon—and that was not a good thing. Their continued presence in the Giant Chasm spoke of their skill in mass combat. They were all the same species, and they all shared the same types: Ice and Dark. They resisted the freezing temperature that defined the air, and as Dark-types, they naturally excelled at more “sneaky” behaviors.

Their goal was clear: to take our stuff. We were “visitors” to this crater, and that means we were a delivery of items that the Pokémon here wouldn’t normally find. This wasn’t just an attack to defend their territory; this was an attack to take everything we had.

These Sneasel would not allow us to leave without some kind of “repayment” for this fight.

“Rotom,” I said quietly. “I’ll need you to protect Liepard.”

He understood what I meant immediately, but the Sneasel weren’t willing to give me time to say any more commands. The second my sentence ended, the dark-furred Pokémon leaped from the trees. Red feathers on their head vibrated from the force of the wind, and I only had a second to duck close to Valiant’s legs while Rotom rushed to place himself before Liepard and protect the feline from the attack.

“GLEAM!” I shouted.

Only one Pokémon and one Pokémon alone on my team was capable of using any such attack.

Valiant was by far the fastest Pokémon here, and they stabbed their weapon straight up over their head. I pulled my coat up to protect myself, and Rotom braced themselves for this damage. As so many Sneasel sailed through the air, claws shining, a slight gleam appeared in Valiant’s weapon.

Then, that gleam grew until it became a full-on blast.

The Dazzling Gleam consumed this small area beneath the trees of the Giant Chasm’s forests. Its pink light seared into the bodies of the Sneasel, dealing super effective Fairy-type damage to the swarm of Dark types. Several of the Sneasel hit the ground, unable to continue battling, but healthy allies jumped in just to drag them away. Some, the more determined ones, kept moving, and there were still plenty of other Sneasel that hadn’t been caught in the blast.

Thus, we fought.

“Hydro Pump, sweep it around!” I shouted to Rotom, who was shaking off the damage he had taken on Liepard’s behalf. “Liepard, Slash anything that stands out! And Valiant—”

A blast of water was already tearing around us. Despite taking Valiant’s Dazzling Gleam up close to protect Liepard, Rotom pushed through the damage to open his washing machine and have its roaring water tear through the trees.

“Valiant,” I continued, standing up and retrieving my baton from inside my coat. “We’re not holding back. Go ahead and use Electric Terrain.”

Cries and hisses from the Sneasel echoed out from around us; Rotom and Liepard’s combined assault was working. However, there were too many Sneasel, and they wouldn’t be able to fight forever. Hydro Pump only had so many uses before Rotom had to close his washing machine and let all of the water build back up. Liepard, meanwhile, only truly excelled through fighting one Pokémon at a time—which he was doing by carving through any Sneasel that strayed too close in its attacks.

Valiant had bought time for their assault by using his Dazzling Gleam, and now everyone was buying time for Valiant in return.

Just like how the Sneasel had trained their Keen Eye as an ability, Valiant was an Iron Valiant, a Pokémon that belonged to a special classification of rare Pokémon. Their ability was not unique, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t powerful. Due to an Iron Valiant’s robotic nature, they had an engine in their chest—an engine that constantly ran and fueled all of their movements.

An engine capable of bringing them to the next level if properly supercharged.

Once again stabbing their blade into the air, the edge of Valiant’s weapon crackled with yellow electricity. Bolts broke off of it to hit the east, but Valiant used both hands to stab it into the forest floor, sending that lightning spreading out in all directions.

The world became stained by electricity as this move, Electric Terrain, temporarily changed our forest battlefield. Static was a constant needling feeling under our feet, and the world itself was a battery that could fuel and empower any Electric-type move.

Or, the world could fuel and empower the engine in Valiant’s chest.

Liepard had been caught out of place, and three Sneasel jumped in an attempt to strike back now that they had surrounded him. However, those Sneasel never fully realized just how screwed they were. Valiant disappeared from the center of our group just to reappear behind the jumping Pokémon’s attacks.

With a slash, all three Sneasel were hit and sent flying into the woods, and Liepard sent Valiant a nod before returning to his more targeted fights. Behind, thanks to the ongoing Electric terrain, Rotom switched moves to start striking with Thunderbolts, making the most of the charge they had access to while its temporary effects remained.

Our battlefield became something closer to a blender, as almost every Sneasel attempt to steal our stuff became subject to Valiant’s overpowered onslaught. The thing about their Quark Drive was that it enhanced their best attribute, and as skilled and powerful as Valiant’s strikes were, what made Valiant a threat in combat was their speed.

So, they moved at a double pace, using their increased momentum to deliver lightning-fast blows and constantly reposition themselves. Though the Sneasel seemed endless, they were only part of a single swarm. We were tearing through them—all of us.

Occasionally, one would get too close, and I would have to knock it far back with a swing of my baton.

“Just a bit more! They’ll leave before too long!”

We were winning. Electric Terrain was our trump card. The static even helped with exhaustion, somewhat. The constant static under our feet meant no one could fall asleep or even feel that tired.

Of course, this didn’t end easily.

This was the moment the newcomer arrived.

“Liepard, get the Sneasel on the left!” I shouted, and when I turned my head to check on everyone else, something blue crashed through the trees just to slam straight into Valiant’s back.

This was a being made of metal, a thick, silver-blue disc with two arms that hung off its sides. Claws just as sharp as the Sneasel’s gleamed at the end of those metal limbs, and red eyes sunken into the carapace of this species targeted Valiant with a focus that screamed it was searching for a fight.

Not expecting this sudden, alien species to arrive, Valiant was sent stumbling forward. For all that the Electric Terrain enhanced them, it did nothing for their defense.

Two Sneasel jumped, carving thin lines across the metal of Valiant’s chest before clanging off the crystal that poked out of their chest’s center. Two more clawed at Valiant’s legs, attempting to hamstring them, but they couldn’t get past Valiant’s lightweight defenses.

Still, even with these “weak” attacks, Valiant took damage.

Behind them, that newcomer threw itself forward, sliding right through the air. I thought they were about to attack Valiant again, but the Sneasel surrounding my friend and Pokémon were subjected to a highly aggressive attack.

It was a blend of moves, a flurry of movement. The new Pokémon used both its body and its limbs to attack everything around it at once. The Sneasel were struck—but so was Valiant.

“It’s a Metang!” I shouted, Liepard running over to stand at my side. “This is getting complicated. We can’t brute force this. The Sneasel aren’t backing off, and the Matang looks like it’s attacking everyone.”

This battle turned from a two-sided match to a three-sided frenzy, and I could already tell my Pokémon were flagging. We were going to win, but this wasn’t our first battle today. We’d need to leave the crater soon, and we needed at least something left to support us on our climb back out.

But I couldn’t forget just why we were here, and that memory carried with it an answer:

Though battling was an option, there was a different solution I could follow to quickly end this fight.

“With me, Liepard,” I said. “Protect the backpack. We need to make the Sneasel leave first, and they look just weak enough that I should be able to join in on the fight.”

Liepard replied with a single nod of his head, but his gaze was slightly off. I could tell that as much as he wanted to continue this battle, he kept sending looks to Valiant.

There was something about seeing the stronger Pokémon be struck so easily that was throwing him off.

Still, he stayed by my side as I ran toward the trees, charging at the end of the clearing. Rotom’s joyous cackles bounced through the air, and the wild Metang stuck close to the opposite trees, fighting Valiant as well as all of the Sneasel around it.

Right now, this fight was three-way, but as soon as the Sneasel left, the Metang was likely to turn solely toward us.

I had a basic plan at least, and I really hoped my idea would “encourage” all of the Sneasel to flee.

“There!” I shouted, identifying where two healthy-looking Sneasel crouched in a bush. Neither of these two Pokémon seemed intent on joining the fight, serving as weaker members of their tribe that’d only jump in to drag away any allies that got too hurt.

Their eyes widened when they realized Liepard and I were charging directly toward them, and both of them cried out to call for help.

“Liepard, Assist!” I shouted.

In this case, my shout was more explicit than it seemed.

Liepard growled, and the sound of his cry caused light to flash around Rotom behind us. That light turned to motes that were drawn into a paw-shaped glow that hovered in front of Liepard’s face. Two Sneasel—two Sneasel other than the pair in the bushes—leaped to defend. Liepard let his growl turn into a full-on Snarl, and his glowing paw-shape burst.

This was a move exclusive to feline species. Assist let him draw in and “borrow” moves from the party.

Though he didn’t have fine control over what move was used, this case still worked out well. The paw-shape exploded outwards into shadows, and the Shadow Ball stolen from Rotom let Liepard take these two Sneasel out.

“Great! And now—”

I was right there on the two undefended Sneasel, and my baton swung.

I wasn’t a Pokémon. I was a human. I could only hit with the strength of a moderately trained person. However, my “attack” was the equivalent of an unevolved Pokémon’s Tackle—or, given how a switch let electricity crackle at the end of my baton’s end—it was close to the Thundershock of one of the many different kinds of electric rodents.

Whatever my swing was comparable to, it hit one Sneasel in the side, and the follow-up blow let me jab the other in the chest. Both of them grunted in pain and leaped back. Though not an impressive blow, my and Liepard’s charge represented a change in the status quo:

We were no longer on defense. We were now on offense.

“Three in the tree on the left,” I said, speaking as fast as I could, loud enough so that everything nearby could hear. “One looking down above us. Two more off in that direction. And then there are a few more over there that we might want to—”

A whistle echoed through the woods.

We had already been doing well in this fight, but my and Liepard’s push had completely turned it around on this group of Sneasel. They wanted to take our items. They didn’t want to get taken out, themselves. Some fights just weren’t worth continuing, and with them now on the back foot, the whistle had been a signal for all of the Sneasel to escape.

“Great!” I made sure my smile was as close to a smirk as possible—I wanted to project confidence to ensure the fleeing Sneasel didn’t turn around. “And now, we need to help.”

With a quick shout of “hurry,” Liepard and I ran back toward the rest of the fight.

The Sneasel were gone, but so was the Electric Terrain. As a result, Valiant’s Quark Drive was no longer provided them with a super-charge. Their speed was back to normal, and they could barely bring up their weapon in time to block each of the Metang’s blows. If it were earlier in the day, they might have had a better chance, but they were flagging and could only focus on defense.

I had but a single second to put together a plan, but I did have this chance to take a better look at this Metang. Just like Valiant, it had suffered dozens of scratch marks from all of the weak Sneasel together, but this wild Pokémon had plenty of injuries beyond that.

Scuff marks discolored its blue metal, and worn dents and grooves hinted at blows it had taken in the past. When it attacked, it favored one arm over the other, and I wasn’t sure if that was due to a bad habit or a lingering injury. The sharp spike that almost resembled a nose in the center of Metang’s face was dented at the very end. Likely, at one point or another, a charge from this Pokémon had been blocked, resulting in that damage.

This Metang was not just a random Pokémon lured in by the noise of a battle. This was a Pokémon that sought out and joined in on battles all the time.

However, though damaged, all of the Metang’s injuries hinted at the experience it had gathered in this crater. With its determined focus, taking it out via fighting would not be easy.

But all we needed to do was end this battle, not finish this Metang off. Given my goals in this crater, sometimes the easiest way to achieve something was to take the most direct route.

“Valiant!” I shouted, tearing my pack off my back to dig through a side pocket. “Overwhelm it! Close Combat!”

The Metang barely had time to prepare a defense before Valiant was immediately on it.

Though Valiant was injured as well, they had complete faith in my commands. A Metal Claw tore at one of their arms, but they were able to throw their entire body into this attack. Forsaking all forms of defense, they unleashed a furious assault. The wild Pokémon’s metal body limited just how well this attack could dig into it, but Valiant’s furious attack did, in fact, start pushing the Metang back.

“Now, fall back!” I shouted toward Valiant, who immediately stopped their assault and jumped backward to make room. “Liepard, your turn!”

This whole time, Liepard had been stalking toward the pair of battlers, and he leaped from where he had positioned himself in a bush to carve through the Metang, utilizing a claw the color of night.

Liepard’s Night Slash landed critically. Metang’s red eyes widened in both pain and surprise. A brand new groove was left on the bottom of its body, and I finally found just what I was looking for in my pack.

“Now you, Rotom!” I shouted next, drawing back my arm.

For this, the metal of Metang’s body almost served as a conductor. The Thunderbolt hit it as soon as I let my payload fly.

As soon as the lightning stopped, a new projectile hit the center of the Metang’s face.

The wild Pokémon was dazed after everything it had just taken, and it wasn’t prepared to suddenly be sucked up and turned into light by the yellow-and-black sphere of an Ultra Ball.

With Metang’s disappearance, the Ultra Ball closed. And, as soon as it hit the earth, the capture device began to shake.

“Okay,” I said, breathing in and out, doing my best to gather my breath. “Everyone, reposition. I remember Metang having a low catch rate. It’s probably going to break free, but I have three more Ultra Balls on me, and we should have a few moments to prepare.”

The difference between Pokéballs in the games and real life was how they explicitly functioned. Classically, it took three shakes for a Pokémon to be captured, but that was just a representation of a Pokémon fighting back. Here, the Metang didn’t fight right away—after all that damage, it needed a second to recover before it could gather enough energy to try to escape. That meant the ball had more time to “secure” this capture, but it didn’t finish before the Metang started to unleash its attacks.

After several seconds, the initial shake came.

From there, I breathed in, and Valiant rested slightly while bringing their blade back up.

A second shake happened. I breathed out. Liepard moved to hide in the bushes once again.

Then, a third shake, and I almost thought that was it, but a fourth shake followed almost immediately after.

Then, there was a fifth shake after that. And then a sixth.

This Metang did not want to give up, and it was a Pokémon that wanted to continue its fight.

At least, that’s how I interpreted it.

When the Ultra Ball finally broke open, snapping in half and releasing the Metang, each and every member of my team was prepared to continue this battle. However, as the Metang’s metal body vibrated to release the equivalent of a roar—

The wild Pokémon turned around and immediately used the Giant Chasm’s magnetic fields to slide through the air, disappearing back into the woods at a lightning-quick pace.

This space between the trees became silent, and the dozens of Pokémon that had once been battling here were now all absent. The ever-present muffling of noise in this crater resumed, and the sheer weight of nothing at all almost threatened to make me collapse.

“Okay. New plan,” I said to my team, allowing myself to fall back and lean against a tree. “We’re leaving this crater. We need to rest. But, once we’re back here tomorrow, we’ll have a new goal.”

No matter what, I needed to catch at least a fourth Pokémon, and I had many species on my list. Metang was right at the top of desired potential captures, and this individual hit practically every check mark in the book.

It was strong. Experienced. And capable of taking a hit. It could act defensively while delivering strong blows, and the way it had kept up with Valiant—albeit an exhausted Valiant—meant we wouldn’t need to train it anywhere near as much to have it match everyone else.

But the real reason I wanted to catch that Metang was because of the focus I saw in its eyes. While any Pokémon could train to become a strong battler, very few Pokémon could so wholly throw themselves into a fight just like it had.

“We’re catching that Metang,” I said, breathing out to steady myself. “We’re catching that Metang, and then we’re pushing deeper in. A Pokémon that strong and that willing to battle? Yeah. We want it to join us. After all, there’s no way we encounter a Pokémon as determined as it was and then not add it to our team.”

=======================================================================
Author Note:

A change in plans caught me off guard over the weekend, so I need to slightly adjust the upcoming schedule. These initial daily chapters will only last until Thursday this week, instead of Friday. However, to make up for that missing chapter, I won’t slow down next week and will pick back up as soon as I’m able to. Though there won’t be chapters next Monday or Tuesday, expect daily releases again on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Chapter 7 tomorrow!

Pokémon mentioned in this chapter:
Metang
Sneasel

Nick’s Team:
Iron Valiant
Liepard
Rotom

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter