Man, i am finaly done with that airport, it was such a pain, uhhhh....anyway time for chapter
---
Now that the race was underway and about halfway through its time limit, the rangers in charge of providing Pokémon finally released the ones that were worth more, like some Typhlosions, a few Azumarill, and even some Aipom.
Among them, however, they released one particular Pokémon: a Tyranitar. All the Pokémon were trained to act like wild animals, but they still knew what they were doing so they wouldn't hurt anyone. It was all an act.
And Tyranitar was no exception. It went around thrashing like it was wild, fending off trainers who tried to jump it. Everything was going fine until it was led into the street. That, in itself, was fine, it wasn't trying to hurt anyone. But the problem came when it ran without seeing where it was going.
As it ran down a tall hill, it accidentally bumped into a low-hanging wire that wrapped around its neck, tightening so hard that it made it difficult to breathe. Tyranitar couldn't reach it, its arms were too short, so it panicked. And this time, it started thrashing around for real. No one seemed to notice that it was literally struggling to breathe.
In a panic, it took off running, trying to find some way, any way, to get the wire off as fast as it could.
Ash was still walking around, catching Pokémon as he saw them. He wasn't really taking the race too seriously. Even with only about half effort, he was in first place, with that guy Callahan behind him.
Pikachu and Vee weren't really taking it seriously either. They were both way stronger than any of the Pokémon here. It felt more like target practice for them. Which, to be fair, Vee did need, he was still weaker than Pikachu.
As Ash kept walking, he noticed some cameras pointing at him. He casually waved a hand, then spotted something interesting, an alleyway with five strong-looking Pokémon. Fun. If he caught them, he was pretty much guaranteed the win.
He started getting ready.
Ash cracked his knuckles. "Alright… this should wrap things up."
Pikachu sparked slightly while Vee crouched low, his eyes shining with excitement.
But before they could make a move—
BOOM!!
A loud crashing noise echoed from above, followed by the thunderous rumble of heavy footsteps tearing down the hill at full speed.
Ash turned his head just in time to see a Tyranitar barreling toward them from the street above. Its massive feet slammed against the ground, crushing crates and sending startled Pidgey flying. But what caught Ash's attention wasn't just the size of the Pokémon or its panicked expression.
It was the thick coil of wire tightly wound around its neck, cutting into its skin, sparking slightly as it dug deeper. The Tyranitar was being choked, and it was thrashing around desperately as it ran.
In the few seconds it took him to analyze the situation, Tyranitar kept running, still thrashing, slamming into buildings and carts along the street.
Ash's eyes narrowed. "That's not part of the show…"
He glanced back at the Pokémon in the alley, then at the Tyranitar. If he did this, it probably meant giving up his chances of winning.
But frankly, who cares?
He whistled to his two boys. "Come on, let's move!"
Pikachu and Vee nodded as they took off after him, chasing down the runaway Tyranitar.
—
Meanwhile
Callahan was running as fast as he could, breathing hard as Staryu led the way. He was getting directions from Toren in his earpiece.
He was heading toward an area where there were stronger Pokémon, not too strong for Staryu to handle, and with Staryu's Illuminate, they managed to lure them in so Callahan could catch them.
He had to stop to catch his breath. Thankfully, it looked like the drones had shifted to focus on another contestant, so he took a little time to recover.
He leaned against a lamppost, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.
"Phew… Those drones are finally gone. Can't keep looking flawless and do cardio."
Staryu hovered beside him, spinning lazily in the air.
"[Doing okay?]" Toren asked.
"Barely," Callahan muttered. "I'm a showman, not a marathon runner…"
Then he heard a rustle. As he looked down, he saw a Sudowoodo running and looking around frantically. It darted over to the trees and struck a pose, trying to hide. For a moment, Callahan raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was doing.
That question was answered a moment later when an annoyed-looking Golduck appeared, scanning the area as it searched for the fleeing Sudowoodo.
Golduck looked around, then narrowed its eyes at the tree where Sudowoodo was clearly trying, and failing, to blend in. When Sudowoodo flinched in panic, Golduck immediately launched a [Water Gun]. Then another.
Sudowoodo yelped and ran around dodging, visibly terrified.
Callahan watched from above as Toren spoke again, "[That's Sudowoodo, the Imitation Pokémon. It's weak against Water types. You can catch it.]"
Callahan frowned as he grabbed another Poké Ball. He looked down at the frantic Sudowoodo being chased. Something about it struck a nerve.
The way it ran… the way it pretended to be something it wasn't… It reminded him of himself.
Lying. Pretending. Even when it was going to get him in trouble.
Callahan raised his arm, and threw the Poké Ball at Golduck, hitting it square on the head. The Golduck barely had time to react before the ball clicked shut.
Sudowoodo blinked in surprise.
Callahan walked down the stairs and picked up the ball. He looked at the Pokémon still frozen in its terrible disguise. Sudowoodo quickly struck the same tree-pose again, trying to fake it.
Callahan saw right through it. But he didn't say anything.
He turned and started heading back up the stairs, muttering just loud enough, "You know, you shouldn't lie to yourself. It's habit-forming."
In his ear, Toren spoke again, "[That's the Imitation Pokémon. That's… what it does.]"
Callahan shook his head and replied into the mic, "Shut up. Hurry and find me the next Pokémon."
Behind him, still at the base of the stairs, Sudowoodo watched his back with wide eyes.
—
Back in the plaza, the festival screen suddenly switched from the general Catch Race feed to a high-priority alert. The drones had locked onto the image of a Tyranitar rampaging through the city streets.
The announcer's voice rang out, "Tyranitar is rampaging through the city, and a Trainer named Ash seems to be chasing after it!"
The camera zoomed in just enough to show the thick, sparking wire twisted tightly around Tyranitar's neck.
"Uh… There appears to be some sort of cord wrapped around Tyranitar's neck!"
In the crowd, Molly stood up, eyes wide, "That's, Big Brother!" she cried, pointing at the screen. "What's he doing?! That Tyranitar's gonna get hurt!"
Kellie jumped up too, clenching her little fists.
"That big Pokémon looked scary before… but now it looks hurt!"
Mia leaned forward, her eyes narrowing in concern, "That's not how any of this is supposed to go. That Pokémon's panicking."
Molly crossed her arms firmly, "It's okay. I believe my big brother is gonna help it. My big brother helps all kinds of Pokémon. I believe in him!" she said, full of confidence.
Nearby, but still apart, Risa was also watching. She gripped her bag a little tighter, eyes locked on the screen. She was so focused on Ash… she didn't even notice the Pokémon next to him.
Speaking of which, back to Ash.
He was sprinting down the street. Catching up was the easy part, the hard part was minimizing destruction and preventing injuries to bystanders. The whole point of the Catch Race was that the Pokémon were released into the city, where people were still going about their day.
But Ash had an idea.
As he ran, he whistled to Pikachu, who leapt up onto his hand.
"Pikachu, you're up, help us intercept it!"
Pikachu nodded sharply. "Pika!"
Ash nodded back, wound up, and threw Pikachu into the air with a sharp arc. Pikachu activated Floaty Fall, gliding high above them, heading out to cut Tyranitar off.
Meanwhile, Tyranitar was barreling toward a group of people.
Ash pointed ahead. "Vee, your turn! Buzzy Buzz!"
Vee's fur lit up as he fired a jolt of electricity in front of Tyranitar, not enough to hurt, but enough to startle. Tyranitar swerved in panic and bolted into a side alley.
Ash followed close behind, waving to civilians, shouting at them to get clear. He didn't stop, even when some tried to hold him back. After all, he was still just a kid.
From above, Pikachu scouted the streets, tracking Tyranitar's frantic path. He noticed Ash running through one alley, while Tyranitar charged through another.
That's when Pikachu realized what Ash was doing.
"Pika… [You idiot... Fine then. I guess I have no choice,]" Pikachu muttered with a small smirk.
He dove down and fired another electric blast, not at Tyranitar, but just ahead of it, to herd it toward a narrow plaza. At the same time, Ash ran over an archway overlooking the street.
When he spotted Pikachu signaling from above, Ash grinned. Everything was lining up perfectly.
He climbed the railing and jumped, just as Tyranitar ran underneath. Ash landed hard on its back, grabbing hold to steady himself.
Now on top of the panicked Pokémon, Ash leaned in close, snapping his fingers in front of its face.
"Tyranitar! Come on, calm down! I can help you! I know it hurts, but you need to calm down!"
But Tyranitar was too far gone. The wire around its neck had tightened even further, it wasn't breathing. Not even gasping.
Ash felt it. He could feel the struggling weight beneath him, no oxygen, just blind panic. He reached forward and grabbed its horns, guiding it manually to keep it from crashing into buildings.
—
Back in the plaza, everyone was glued to the screen, watching Ash ride a thrashing Tyranitar through the city streets like a rodeo gone wrong.
Mayor Oliver was shouting into his comm, trying to get the Rangers deployed immediately. The image on-screen was terrifying: a young boy on top of a berserk Tyranitar, barely hanging on.
Ash reached for the wire, trying to tear it off, but he had no grip. The wire was buried deep, and his fingers couldn't wedge underneath.
Vee was still running on foot, and Pikachu had joined him, but they couldn't keep up. Ash was alone.
Then Tyranitar turned a sharp corner, and at the end of the road was a small plaza, filled with people and stalls.
Ash's eye twitched. "Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me."
Tyranitar was running straight toward them, wild and out of control. At this rate, people were going to get hurt.
Ash gritted his teeth. "Fine then. Sorry about this, Tyranitar… but I'm taking you down!"
People watching from the drone feed didn't understand at first. What did he mean by "taking it down"?
Then they saw it.
Ash repositioned himself, wrapped his arms tightly around Tyranitar's neck, and swung down toward its front. He used his full body weight to anchor himself, slammed his feet into the ground, and with a roar—
he flipped Tyranitar.
The massive Rock-type Pokémon lifted off the ground, then came crashing down onto its back with a thunderous crack, shaking the pavement.
For a moment, no one moved.
People in the stalls, just ten feet away, stared in open disbelief. Those watching on screens across the city blinked in stunned silence.
Then—
Cheering erupted.
People clapped, gasped, shouted his name.
But Ash wasn't paying attention.
He immediately dove in and tore the sparking wire from Tyranitar's throat. Pikachu and Vee finally caught up, panting as they arrived.
Ash leaned down, and he listened close to Tyranitar's chest.
His expression darkened.
He looked up and shouted, not to the crowd, but to anyone who could help "It's not breathing!"
The mood shifted in an instant. Gasps rang out. Faces turned pale.
In the plaza, Mia covered her mouth in horror.
Molly was clutching Kellie's hand so tightly her knuckles were white. Her face had gone pale, but her eyes were filled with something else, belief.
"Come on, Big Brother… You can save it…" she whispered.
Risa took a step back unconsciously, her heart pounding. She wasn't even part of this, yet she found herself holding her breath.
Ash looked down at Pikachu and Vee, grabbing one in each hand. Then, rubbing them together, he built up static electricity between their bodies.
"Clear!" he shouted.
He slammed them down against Tyranitar's chest like makeshift defibrillators.
Sparks flashed.
Tyranitar jerked, then coughed violently, sucking in huge gulps of air as its chest heaved. Ash immediately put Pikachu and Vee down. Both of them stumbled a little, dizzy and unsteady, before slowly walking away to recover.
Ash turned his focus back to Tyranitar, gently helping the massive Pokémon sit up.
"Easy…" he said, voice calm.
–
Back at the plaza, the crowd was completely silent, stunned.
Then someone, probably Kellie, shouted "HE DID IT!!"
Molly let out a cry of joy and burst into full-on cheering, jumping up and down with tears in her eyes.
"I told you! I told you my big brother could do it!!"
Even Mia, who had been standing stiffly with her hands clenched in worry, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and smiled.
Near the festival command tent, Mayor Oliver, who had been frozen in place, let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Cancel the emergency protocol," he said into his comm. "We don't need to intervene anymore…"
The announcer picked the mic back up, "Incredible! Ash managed to save Tyranitar! They created a bond stronger than any pokeball, what passion! What courage!"
Ash ignored the cheering.
He focused on helping Tyranitar stand. It was lucky everyone was so focused on the fact that he revived Tyranitar… no one seemed to be asking how he'd managed to take it down in the first place.
Sure, he was strong, but not that strong. That kind of strength didn't come from working out. He'd boosted himself with Aura.
Not that he was going to explain himself. Honestly? He wasn't going to.
What were they gonna do, stop him? Good luck.
And, almost on cue, the alarm rang through the air, signaling the end of the Catch Race.
Ash blinked, then chuckled, "Oh well. Didn't really care about winning anyway."
—
Later, once the chaos had died down and things were calm again, Ash walked Tyranitar over to the Rangers. He could have treated it himself, but he didn't have the equipment on hand. And besides, this was their job, so he let them handle it.
Then came the awards ceremony for the Catch Race.
Even after dropping out midway, Ash still ended up placing second thanks to all the Pokémon he caught earlier.
The announcer called out, "We now present the Mayor's Prize to the second-place finisher in the Catch Race, Ash Ketchum, for his brilliant rescue of Tyranitar!"
Mayor Oliver approached, holding out a polished trophy.
Ash stepped forward and accepted it with a nod, "Thank you," he said simply.
"Not so fast, son," Oliver replied with a grin. "Thank you for rescuing Tyranitar."
Ash smirked. "I just did what I thought was right. After all, my little sister was watching. Can't disappoint, can I?"
He turned to the crowd and winked in Molly's direction.
Molly beamed, clapping her little hands excitedly, "You're the coolest Big Brother ever!!"
Oliver nodded and smiled as the announcer spoke up again, "And now! The Grand Prize... goes to Callahan!"
Oliver stepped forward and handed Callahan the first-place trophy. Callahan took it with a proud grin and held it up high.
"See, Kellie?" he called out.
Kellie, standing beside Molly, jumped and cheered, "Uncle Callahan, you're the best!"
Molly crossed her arms with a little huff, "Not as cool as my big brother."
Kellie placed her hands on her hips, "But my Uncle Callahan won the race."
"Only because my big brother saved Tyranitar," Molly huffed right back.
Mia chuckled at the girls' little spat. She leaned down and smiled, "Okay, okay, then they're both cool. OK?"
Molly and Kellie looked at each other, thought for a second, then nodded seriously and shook hands, like they'd just made an important business deal.
Around that time, Margo returned from her thing in the mountains.
Meanwhile, the announcer turned back to Callahan and held up the mic, "By the way, is there any Pokémon you'd like to catch next?"
Callahan pulled back slightly, a sweat drop forming on his head, "Next? Hmm… let's see…"
Then he remembered the little lie he had told Risa, "I've been hearing there's an extremely rare Pokémon around this area…"
The announcer raised an eyebrow, as did the crowd, "Really? I hadn't heard anything about that."
Even Mayor Oliver leaned forward slightly, "An extremely rare Pokémon?"
Callahan chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "Well, since I'm already here at the Wind Festival, I figured I might as well try to catch it."
The announcer smiled and looked back at the audience, "Well, there you have it! Let's give one more round of applause to our winner, Callahan!"
–
With that, the day slowly came to an end. The sun dipped low, the festival lights flickered on, and everyone began winding down for the night.
Ash walked over with Callahan, who gave him a respectful nod. Then Ash picked up a yawning Molly and let her rest on his back.
The two went their separate ways.
Molly and Kellie seemed to have become friends, which was good. Molly needed friends, especially after everything that happened. Friends could help her heal, and Ash figured he'd try to find Kellie tomorrow so the two could play more.
But for now, Molly was exhausted. Her little arms hung limply over his shoulders as she dozed off.
Ash headed toward the hotel, thankfully, one he'd booked in advance. He wasn't dumb enough to try and find a room during a festival crowd.
—
Elsewhere, Risa finally had a game plan. She was heading up to the mountains right now, determined to find the rare Pokémon her brother had mentioned. If Callahan said it was there, she had no reason not to believe him.
Even as the sun disappeared and the sky turned deep blue, she marched off toward the trail, her eyes focused and determined.
Nearby, Margo rode in a car with her father, Oliver. She shifted uneasily in her seat.
Callahan had announced there was a rare Pokémon near the mountains… and she couldn't help but wonder, He couldn't possibly be talking about it, right? She looked down, lips pressed in a tight line.
But she wasn't the only one listening.
A few figures stood quietly in the crowd, eyes narrowed, faces cold.
They walked off into the shadows, one of them pulling out a phone and speaking into it, "Affirmative. We have reason to believe it is in the mountains."
A pause. Then, "Very well, sir. We'll move in to capture it."