BOOM
BOOM
BOOOOOOOM
The explosion from Ferrothorn's Self-Destruct had been deafening.
For a few staggering seconds, everything in the cavern froze. Even the chanting of the hooded figures halted, replaced by eerie silence as the dust and debris settled.
And there, in the middle of it all, lay Spikey.
The Ferrothorn was completely motionless, its metallic body dented and scorched from the force of its own attack. But around it, dozens of shattered Lunatones had been reduced to nothing but piles of lifeless stone and grey dust.
The sacrifice had been worth it.
Or so Frank thought.
Then, a low, rumbling laugh cut through the silence.
Helmut.
Still standing. And still smirking.
And beside him, Spiritomb remained, its twisted, swirling form looking almost amused as its keystone lay embedded in the dirt, barely cracked.
Helmut took a step forward, dusting off his jacket.
"You have failed," he sneered. "What are you gonna do now? Flee? You're gonna die, Procházka. And your sister here will be my personal fuck-slave."
Frank clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms, while Eva grinded her teeth. But neither one of them wanted to react to his taunting.
Without hesitation, Frank recalled Spikey and reached for Pokéball with his ace – Quaquaval.
This wasn't over.
Beside him, Eva's frown deepened as she, too, pulled out another Pokéball—her Durant.
But before either of them could react, the ground trembled beneath their feet.
A low, deep rumble vibrated through the cave floor, making loose stones jitter and jump.
"Watch out!"
Simon's voice roared from behind them.
Eva barely had time to process it before she felt her brother's arm yank her backward. They both dived to the side just as the cavern erupted beneath their feet.
And then—
A blur of brown shot up from the cracked earth.
A Dugtrio burst from the ground, its three heads glowing with a metallic sheen. Frank and Eva could feel that the aura of Dugtrio was very strong, actually the Pokémon was on the 80th level.
Before Helmut or his Spiritomb could react, the ground-type struck first.
"Iron Head!" Simon barked.
With incredible speed, Dugtrio's three heads smashed into Spiritomb's keystone simultaneously, sending a deep crack splintering through the rock.
Helmut cursed and took a step back.
"Dark Pulse!"
Spiritomb hissed, and from its swirling, purple mist, a shockwave of dark energy erupted.
But Dugtrio was already gone.
The moment the attack fired, the three-headed mole dove back underground, vanishing into the dirt.
Spiritomb's attack blasted forward, missing entirely.
Helmut's eyes darted around.
Where—?
The ground quaked again.
Another eruption of dirt, and Dugtrio shot out from a completely different angle.
"Night Slash!"
Its heads became coated in dark-type energy, and slashed into Spiritomb's form before it could react.
Spiritomb let out a warped, eerie wail, the damage finally starting to show.
But Helmut was quick to adjust.
"Sucker Punch!" he snarled.
As Dugtrio tried to retreat underground again, Spiritomb moved with unnatural speed.
A black tendril shot out, colliding with Dugtrio mid-escape. The mole Pokémon let out a sharp cry, tumbling back into the dirt.
Simon's jaw tightened.
Helmut grinned wickedly. "You can't just keep running, coward."
But Simon only smirked.
"Who said I was running?"
The ground beneath Spiritomb trembled violently.
Before Helmut could react—
Dugtrio resurfaced directly beneath Spiritomb's keystone.
And this time, Simon was ready to finish it.
"Earth Power."
A massive, golden shockwave burst from the ground, engulfing Spiritomb entirely. The rock beneath it split open, sending jagged spikes of molten energy piercing through the air.
Spiritomb shrieked as the attack tore through its gaseous body, making it flicker and distort wildly.
Helmut took a staggered step back.
For the first time, his confidence faltered.
"Attack him!" he roared and pointed at Simon. And a cloud of Lunatones flew towards the gymleader.
But Simon wasn't alone.
His huge Tyranitar stood like a stone fortress, watching the battle unfold.
When the Lunatones tried to swarm Simon, the massive Rock/Dark-type didn't hesitate.
One Lunatone darted toward them.
Tyranitar caught it midair— with one massive claw.
Dark energy pulsed through its arm, coating the levitating rock in a sickly, black glow.
With a snarl, Tyranitar used Fling and hurled the Lunatone like a boomerang—straight into another enemy.
CRACK.
Both shattered on impact.
Then Tyranitar repeated its strategy and caught another one.
And with his free hand it caught a second one.
And slammed them together with another Fling, destroying them.
Tyranitar caught more and more Lunatones and like a living slingshot, shot them against each other. Or smash them together.
Few times, it also managed to catch an incoming enemy between its massive jawa and destroy it using Bite.
It was a brutal, efficient, and downright savage strategy.
Frank and Eva stood back, breathless, watching Simon take full control of the fight against Helmut. They called out Mightyena and Durant to help fighting against Lunatones, but they needed a break after the intensive fight against Spiritomb.
But Simon and his Dugtrio were fresh and still full of hope to defeat Helmut.
Despite Spiritomb's endurance, the ghostly Pokémon was showing signs of wear—its gaseous body flickered, its eerie face distorted between waves of mist.
Simon narrowed his eyes, his mind racing through strategies.
Spiritomb was dangerous, but it had one critical weakness: Speed.
Simon's hand shot forward.
"Dugtrio—back underground!"
With a blur of motion, Dugtrio vanished into the dirt, burrowing out of sight before Spiritomb could react.
Helmut cursed under his breath.
"You're just delaying the inevitable, you bastard!" he spat.
But Simon ignored him, his focus entirely on his Pokémon.
Deep below the battlefield, Dugtrio was preparing.
Simon's voice was sharp and direct.
"Hone Claws. Keep it up."
"Okay, you want to stall for time? Good. Spiritomb, attack him!"
Spiritom shot a powerful Dark Pulse towards Simon. But Tyranitar quickly stepped in and fired Ice Beam against the incoming move. Both attacks were evenly balanced, resulting in an explosion, but neither of the attacker ceased to feed energy into the attacks.
Meanwhile beneath the cavern floor, Dugtrio closed its eyes, its three heads moving in perfect synchronization.
Its body sharpened against the stone, sending out a metallic screech as its attack and accuracy steadily increased.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
Simon smirked.
"Now—attack!"
The ground erupted.
Dugtrio exploded from below with terrifying force, dirt spraying in all directions. Its eyes glowed with raw power, and without hesitation—
It fired.
"Tri-Attack! Over and over!"
Three blazing orbs of energy—red, blue, and yellow—swirled around Dugtrio's heads before launching at point-blank range.
The first Tri-Attack slammed into Spiritomb's gaseous body, causing it to ripple, distort and cancel the Dark Pulse.
Tyranitar cancelled Ice Beam to catch a breath and to be ready for defending Simon if something else came their way.
Another Tri-Attack hit Spiritomb, this time in the keystone.
Spiritomb shrieked in anger.
The third Tri-Attack came before it could recover, sending another shockwave of energy crashing into its keystone. Now, it was crying not in anger, but in pain.
Then the fourth.
And fifth.
The attacks came like a relentless storm, giving Spiritomb no chance to counter.
Helmut's snarl deepened.
And then—
More Lunatones swooped in from the side, attempting to shield their leader.
The sixth Tri-Attack struck the floating moon Pokémon.
The beam of red-hot fire hit dead center, setting the rock-like creature ablaze before it shattered into dust.
Meanwhile, another beam crackled with electricity, zipping between multiple Lunatones and causing several of them to twitch violently before crumbling mid-air.
And the last was ice, freezing two more Lunatones in their tracks before they, too, shattered.
Simon grit his teeth.
"Don't stop! Keep going!"
Dugtrio prepared for another burst—
But then—
Helmut's face twisted into fury.
"Enough of this bullshit! Spiritomb—let's finish this asshole!"
Spiritomb's eyes flared with unnatural energy.
Dark, twisting tendrils of ghostly power spiraled outward, surrounding its form in a vortex of pure malice.
And then—
It unleashed hell.
A storm of Shadow Balls, infused with the energy of a Dark Pulse, erupted from its core.
The sheer power of the attack roared through the cavern, consuming everything in its path—a wall of destruction speeding toward Dugtrio.
Simon's heartbeat spiked.
"Dugtrio! Stone Edge!"
Without hesitation, Dugtrio slammed its sharpened claws into the ground.
The cave rumbled.
A massive barrage of jagged stone spikes shot up in front of the incoming attack.
Spiritomb's Shadow Ball storm collided against the Stone Edge wall—
BOOM.
The explosion ripped through the cavern, sending rock and energy flying in all directions.
Dust filled the air.
For a second, neither Pokémon could be seen.
Then—
Dugtrio shot out of the ground, completely unscathed.
Spiritomb, however, had a deep, web-like crack running through its keystone.
Frank's eyes widened as his Mightyena circled around him shooting down Lunatones with Dark Pulses.
Eva protected by her Durant let out a breath. "Damn… that was close."
But the battle wasn't over yet.
Simon's gaze locked onto Spiritomb.
"Again!"
And the onslaught resumed.
Both Dugtrio and Spiritomb shot attacks against each other, causing another massive explosion of smoke inbetween them. And unfortunately, from the cloud, another wave of Lunatones emerged.
"Not again!" Simon growled. But before he could do more, he and Tyranitar became surrounded.
More Lunatones began closing in, circling them like a predator surrounding its prey.
Simon exhaled.
"Enough of this."
He lifted his hand.
"Tyranitar—Smack Down!"
The air itself seemed to tremble as Tyranitar roared and slammed its giant fists together.
A shockwave of pure force rippled outward.
Lunatones in all directions were caught in the attack, their bodies ripped from the air and hurled downward.
The moment they hit the ground, Simon pointed forward.
"Earthquake."
Tyranitar stomped.
The entire cavern floor erupted.
A massive seismic wave pulsed outward, shattering the fallen Lunatones into nothing but dust.
Silence.
The entire swarm around them was gone.
As Frank, Eva and then Simon focused on fighting Helmut and his Spiritomb, the rest of the trainers threw themselves into the battle, trying to reach the chanting hooded figures. The Sleepers' eerie voices echoed through the cavern, their dark ritual conjuring more and more Lunatones with every passing second.
The trainers couldn't allow this to continue.
They fought desperately, knocking out as many Lunatones as possible while pressing forward through the swarming enemies.
David's earlier warning echoed in their minds:
"Don't use your strongest attacks, they'll just tire out your Pokémon. Focus on knocking out as many as possible."
Everyone had followed his advice—keeping only a few Pokémon out, focusing on a balance of offense and defense.
Two of Simon's Gym Trainers were among the first to charge ahead.
One of them, a young woman from the Red team with a determined glare, commanded a Roserade and a Galvantula.
"Roserade, Energy Ball! Galvantula, Electroweb!"
A brilliant green orb shot from Roserade's hands, smashing a Lunatone into dust, while Galvantula unleashed a web of electricity, ensnaring and shocking several floating enemies before they shattered.
Another trainer, a burly man with a scar over his eye and member of Victor's Blue team, relied on brutal Ice-type precision.
"Weavile, Ice Shard! Cryogonal, Icicle Crash!"
Weavile blurred across the battlefield, launching razor-sharp ice shards into the swarming Lunatones, shattering them like fragile glass.
Cryogonal simply start spinning around, summoning enormous spears of ice that came crashing down, impaling multiple Lunatones at once.
Further ahead, Angie, the redheaded Poison-type expert from the Battle Ranch, easily held her ground.
Her Koffing floated protectively around her, using Gyro Ball to intercept incoming attacks. Every time a Lunatone tried to strike her, it met a spinning steel sphere of destruction instead.
Meanwhile, her Toxicroak and Alolan Muk tore through the enemy ranks.
"Toxicroak, Dark Pulse!"
A wave of pure dark energy ripped through the air, obliterating a Lunatone mid-flight.
At the same time, Muk reared back, gathering venomous energy.
"Now, Gunk Shot!"
A massive blob of toxic sludge shot through the cavern, slamming into three Lunatones at once, reducing them to dust.
Angie grinned, her eyes gleaming with fierce energy.
Nearby, Lenka, the elderly Fairy-type trainer, was moving with surprising grace.
Her Primarina stood beside her, forming an aqua barrier that swirled around Lenka like a protective dance, deflecting enemy attacks with waves of super-effective water energy.
Meanwhile, her Sylveon and Whimsicott took the fight to the enemy.
"Sylveon, Hyper Voice!"
A piercing, ethereal scream filled the cavern. The sound waves hit a cluster of Lunatones, their forms cracking apart before shattering completely.
"Whimsicott, Moonblast!"
A glowing pink orb of fairy energy spiraled through the air, hitting one Lunatone, then ricocheting off into another, destroying both.
Lenka nodded in approval, pushing forward toward the chanting figures.
Radek and Marek fought as a synchronized team, their Pokémon covering each other's.
Pale, thin Marek with round glasses, the former trainer from the Gym's Yellow Team, relied on his sturdy Ground-types.
His Diggersby stood like an impenetrable wall, shooting away any Lunatones that got too close by its precise Mud Shot. And if they got even closer, it hit them with Mud Slap, disintergrating them with the super-effective smash.
Meanwhile, his Golem became a rolling force of destruction.
"Golem, Rollout!"
Golem spun into a blur, smashing through enemy after enemy like a wrecking ball, then—
"Switch to Gyro Ball!"
The rolling speed transformed into spinning steel, slicing through the enemies like a buzzsaw.
Meanwhile, Radek, the steel-type expert from Battle Ranch, took full advantage of the protection provided by Marek's Diggersby.
With a sharp wave of his hand, he commanded his three Steel-types into action.
"Perrserker, Iron Head! Probopass, Flash Cannon! Stunfisk, Discharge!"
Perrserker charged forward, its metal-coated head slamming into a Lunatone, crushing it instantly.
Probopass unleashed a concentrated beam of steel energy, obliterating two Lunatones in an instant.
At the same time, Galarian Stunfisk let out an electric shockwave, paralyzing several Lunatones mid-flight, causing them to falter and fall, where Marek's Golem crushed them effortlessly.
The two men grinned at each other, their teamwork allowing them to push forward, step by step.
While the others were locked in combat, David was everywhere at once.
His Electrode hovered near him, unleashing occasional Thunder Waves to paralyze enemy Lunatones that got too close.
But David himself was focused not on fighting—but on winning.
He studied the battlefield, his eyes scanning for moments where the trainers started to falter.
And then—
He moved.
Whenever a trainer's defense started to collapse, he was there.
"Ambipom, Double Hit!"
His nimble Normal-type shot across the cavern, its twin tails glowing as it slapped a Lunatone out of the air before it could strike an exhausted trainer.
"Swoobat, Air Cutter!"
A razor-sharp gust of wind carved through the battlefield, knocking multiple Lunatones out of the sky, allowing a group of struggling trainers to regain control.
David never stood still—he was always in motion, directing his Pokémon where they were needed the most, ensuring that no one fell behind.
The Battle raged on and on. Frank and Eva were now only defending themselves, while Simon took it upon himself to fight Helmut.
The war against the Lunatones continued, the battlefield an explosion of elemental energy, flashing attacks, and collapsing enemies.
But the Sleepers were still chanting—and as long as their ritual continued, more and more Lunatones would keep appearing.
David's eyes scanned the battlefield, searching for anyone who needed help. Lunatones were still appearing, their numbers seemingly endless, but he had to focus.
Then, he saw them.
Frank and Eva were fighting back-to-back, their movements synchronized after a lifetime of training together.
Eva's Durant was locked in a desperate struggle, surrounded by multiple Lunatones. Its steel jaws snapped viciously, but it was outnumbered and struggling to keep up.
Before Eva could react, Frank's Mightyena leaped in.
With a deep, guttural snarl, the dark-type pounced onto the nearest Lunatone, tearing into it with Crunch. Another Lunatone shattered, but the siblings had no time to celebrate.
They had left themselves wide open.
A Lunatone floated silently behind them, its eye glowing with eerie purple energy, preparing to fire a Psybeam straight at their unguarded backs.
David was gripped with fear. He moved instantly.
"Swoobat! Now! Teleport us over there!"
His Swoobat's Teleport was weak, barely trained—but in that moment, it activated just in time.
A pulse of energy surrounded David, Ambipom, and Electrode, and in an instant, they vanished.
When they reappeared—
They were directly behind Eva and Frank.
The Psybeam was already coming.
David barely had time to react—
Marcel, his Ampibom instinctively sprang forward, its paws and twin tails glowing with energy.
The Psybeam hit the invisible barrier - Protect, exploding into a burst of pink and white light—but none of it reached Frank or Eva.
For a moment, the world went still.
Then Eva turned. Her eyes widened as she took in what had just happened.
"Dave…" she whispered.
Then she threw her arms around him, holding him tightly.
He could feel her heart pounding against his chest.
"You saved us…" she breathed, pressing her forehead against his.
David swallowed, feeling the weight of what almost happened. He could have lost her.
He didn't even realize how tightly he was holding her back until Frank's voice cut through the moment.
"Alright, lovebirds," Frank chuckled, "you can make out later. Right now, we've got a problem."
Eva and David stepped apart, though she kept one hand on his arm, reluctant to let go.
Frank's expression was grim.
"You remember what happened last time, don't you?" he asked David.
David stared at him, confused for a second—until realization dawned.
"That Incognito clown. We had to kill that fucker," Frank said quietly. His jaw tightened. "When he was alive, he was able to bring one Lunatone after another."
David felt his stomach twist at the memory. He himself was attacked and then passed out while his brother-in-law got into fight against the Sleeper.
But Frank's implication was clear.
If they wanted this insane summoning ritual to stop, they couldn't just knock out the Sleepers.
They had to kill them.
David's hands clenched into fists.
There were so many of them. And so many Lunatones, guarding them with their bodies, ready to sacrifice themselves without any doubt.
Then Eva's voice cut through his hesitation.
"Babe, you have those Pokémon from your dad."
David turned to her.
She was looking at him intently, her expression serious.
"Use them to get closer to those madmen."
"We can't fight the Lunatones much longer," Frank nodded in agreement. "They have the numbers advantage. Joe's Pokémon can hold them back for a while, but as long as those assholes keep chanting, more will keep arriving."
David exhaled slowly and squeezed his wife's hand.
His father's Pokémon were powerful—powerful enough to create an opening.
David glanced at his wife and her brother, still standing back-to-back with their Pokémon braced for another wave of Lunatones.
"Are you two gonna be alright?" he asked, scanning the area around them. "You should call out more Pokémon—just in case."
"Good call, let's do it," Frank grinned and reached to his belt.
"You're right," Eva nodded firmly.
She reached to her own belt and threw a Pokéball high into the air. With a flash, her Swanna, Mimi, reappeared in front of her. The elegant bird, having already faced down Spiritomb earlier, looked tired but determined. As soon as her feet touched the rocky ground, she let out a melodic cry and activated Aqua Ring, surrounding herself with a glimmering halo of healing water.
"Alright, Mimi, you're on defense now," Eva said quickly, her tone sharp and tactical. "Ferda, you're the attacker. Let's change it up."
The Durant wearing a red scarf with white polka dots around its neck, battered but still full of fight, let out a clicking battle cry and took a stance, facing the Lunatones now flooding into the cave.
Frank turned to his sister, a grin tugging at his mouth. "Well, I've got Donald, and his Moxie will come in real handy."
"Then why haven't you called him out yet?" David raised an eyebrow. "This place is perfect for mons' with Moxie. Knock out one Lunatone, attack goes up. Keep going and going, and he's unstoppable."
"I know, I know," Frank said with a reluctant shrug. "But... I'm not sure what else that piece of shit has." He gestured toward Helmut, who was still locked in a fierce battle with Simon and his Dugtrio. "If he pulls out another overpowered monster, I want to make sure I have a well-rested Quaquaval ready to answer."
Eva gave her brother a pointed look. "Yeah, but until you start boosting his attack, he's not doing much of anything."
Frank sighed. "Fine. I'll call him out. But he's just for defense—for now."
He threw a Pokéball high into the air. With a burst of white light and a spin, the majestic figure of Donald the Quaquaval appeared. He landed in a graceful swirl, his feet barely making a sound against the cave floor, and immediately began his signature dance. His eyes swept the battlefield with calm focus as water energy shimmered around his hands.
"Chill for now," Frank said. "You're on defense duty."
Quaquaval raised an incredulous eyebrow at his trainer. Defense duty? He was Frank's ace, his first Pokémon and powerhouse—and now he was supposed to stand back?
"Just take down any Lunatone that comes near. That'll boost your Attack," Frank explained. "Once you're powered up, then we go for that dumbass with Spiritomb."
Donald seemed to reconsider. The water energy coalesced into the distinct orbs of Water Pulse, ready to fire. The promise of action—and rising power—was enough to satisfy him. And the Spiritomb looked like a real challenge. And if Moxie boosted its attack, it could be a really interesting fight.
"Alright, Summer," Frank continued, nodding to his Mightyena, "you're still on offense. Let's help cover Simon's back. When he's tired, Donald steps in."
Quaquaval smirked. Now this sounded more like it.
David exhaled in relief, seeing the two siblings properly set up. "Okay, now you're looking much better. But I can leave Marcel with you, just in case—"
Before he could finish, a familiar voice interrupted him.
"No need. I'll help them."
They turned to see Petr, father of Frank and Eva, jogging towards them. His face was flushed with exertion, but his eyes were focused. Unfezant flapped overhead, Boltund stayed at his side, and his powerful Mudsdale stood solidly behind him, snorting and stomping the ground.
"David," Petr said, pausing to catch his breath, "you take as much power as you can. Get in there and destroy those... those..."
"Those fuckers," Frank offered flatly.
Petr gave his son a dry look. "Language," he muttered.
Eva, David, and Frank all burst into brief, exhausted laughter. It was a fleeting moment of normalcy in the middle of chaos.
David nodded at his family. "Okay. I can leave you on your own."
He turned to Eva and pressed one more kiss to her lips. She squeezed his hand tightly.
"Be careful," she whispered.
"I will," David promised, before stepping back and reaching into the inside pocket of his vest.
His fingers found the cool, hard surface of the Pokéballs lent to him by his father, Joe.
He selected one—white and red with a faint violet sheen coating its surface. It thrummed slightly in his palm, as if the power inside was already aware of the tension outside.
He held it high.
"Come out!" he called.
The ball opened with a burst of blinding light.
From the swirling red-and-white beam of the Pokéball, a massive serpent-like creature burst forth, hitting the rocky cave floor with a heavy thud that reverberated across the battlefield.
The Arbok that emerged was far larger than average—its thick, muscular coils rippled with power, and its wide hood spread open immediately in a threatening display. Unlike most of its kind, this Arbok had a slight draconic quality to her appearance. The usual deep purple scales shimmered with a subtle green hue, glinting like emeralds in the faint, flickering cave light. Her eyes gleamed with a terrifying, calculating intelligence.
===
Arbok
Level: 94 to 95
Name: N/A
Gender: Female
Type: Poison
Affinity: Poison (Full), Dragon (Advanced)
Moves: Wrap (91), Poison Sting (90 to 91), Leer (82), Bite (84), Fire Fang (72), Ice Fang (56), Thunder Fang (60), Psychic Fangs (75), Glare (64 to 66), Acid (83), Stockpile (74), Sludge Bomb (88), Belch (90), Coil (70), Protect (67), Scary Face (55), Dig (81), Poison Tail (77), Outrage (88), Iron Tail (93), Mud Shot (84), Venoshock (85), Dark Pulse (61), Breaking Swipe (75), Dragon Breath (65 to 68)
Abilities:
Intimidate – When Arbok enters a battle, it intimidates opposing Pokémon, makes it flinch and lowes its attack
Shed Skin – Arbok heals itself and its status conditions by shedding its skin
Merciless – Arbok's attack become critical hits, if the target is poisoned
Weak to: Ground, Psychic
Resistant to: Fighting, Poison, Bug, Grass, Fairy
===
The moment she appeared, the air shifted.
A ripple of dread spread through the cave.
Dozens of Pokémon across the battlefield—friend and foe alike—shuddered instinctively under the oppressive force of Arbok's ability - Intimidate. A cluster of Lunatones, mid-flight, froze completely in place. They hovered uselessly, and in the next heartbeat, several trainers from the Gym and Battle Ranch launched attacks that destroyed the stunned Psychic/Rock types with ease.
The great serpent let out a sharp, venomous hiss, baring her long fangs. A twisted grin spread across her face as her yellow eyes scanned the chaos around her.
David stepped forward slowly, heart pounding.
"Okay, Arbok... Dad left you with me. We need to destroy those Lunatones and stop those hooded figures. Can you help?"
Arbok hissed again—louder this time. Her tongue flicked, sensing the madness in the air, and her scales rippled with delight.
"And don't hold back," David added. "You can destroy as many Lunatones as you want."
Another hiss—this one almost sounded like a laugh.
David hesitated, then looked toward the dark-robed figures still chanting at the far end of the battlefield. "Also… those people. Kill them if you can."
At that, Arbok's eyes narrowed. She tilted her head and studied David curiously—offended by his hesitation. An apex predator didn't try to kill. It killed. That was nature.
She sniffed the air again, sizing up the enemies in the cave. Her gaze briefly flicked toward Spiritomb, still battling Dugtrio, but seeing that fight was well-contained, she rolled her eyes with disinterest. Instead, she turned back toward David with a wicked smile curling on her serpent lips.
David turned to his trio of Ambipom, Swoobat and Electrode.
"You three cover my back. Don't attack unless you have to. And whatever you do…" He glanced at the great snake beside him. "Don't get in her way."
All three Pokémon nodded. Ambipom flexed his tails, Swoobat hovered protectively in the air, and Electrode rolled in place, sparks crackling across its surface. Arbok hissed again—less a warning, more an acknowledgment.
David pointed toward a distant group of chanting Sleepers, who stood behind a wall of chaotic battle. Between them and David, three Gym trainers fought desperately for ground, their Pokémon clashing with wave after wave of Lunatones.
"There!" he indicated. "That group! Clear a path!"
With a thunderous hiss, Arbok shot forward—a streak of living muscle and venom barreling across the cave. Her speed was terrifying.
"Make way!" David called to the Gym trainers ahead.
The trio—already fatigued—looked up in shock at the oncoming beast. They quickly fell back as Arbok slithered past. Their Pokémon, also retreating, included a spread of types: Leavanny, Piloswine, Manectric, Claydol, Togedemaru, Vanilluxe, and Staraptor. They barely had time to recover when the Lunatones, sensing the withdrawal, surged toward Arbok.
But the serpent was ready to play.
With a deep inhale, she opened her mouth and released a wide spray of bubbling, violet-green Acid. The attack washed over the incoming horde. Though Acid wasn't very effective against Lunatones, Arbok's overwhelming power and 83rd level of the move, turned the attack into a wave of devastation.
Dozens of Lunatones were caught in the mist. Within seconds, they began to behave erratically. Some floated in confused spirals, others crashed into walls or each other, while the rest simply dropped to the ground, their levitation failing as poison coursed through them.
Then came the second wave. More Lunatones—smaller in number, but faster—dove at her from above.
Arbok barely paused. Another burst of Acid sprayed upward, catching many of them mid-air. They twitched, jerked, and began to spiral in place, confused and poisoned. A few even exploded from the inside, the toxins burning straight through their bodies.
The third wave came fast. Nearly a hundred Lunatones, forming a deadly, glowing swarm, closed in like a meteor shower.
Arbok hissed with almost perverted glee and satisfaction.
She opened her mouth wide—and this time, she didn't just spray. She unleashed a torrential, concentrated blast of Acid, blanketing the air in a cloud of corrosive vapor.
As the entire swarm lit up with poison status, glowing a sickly violet, Arbok reared back—and then struck.
Venoshock.
The attack spread in every direction, a devastating storm of toxic energy reacting violently with the already poisoned foes. The ground trembled. The air shimmered. In an instant, all the Lunatones caught in her poison storm simply disintegrated—turned to dust and fragments.
From behind, David and his Pokémon stood frozen in awe, staring at the destruction.
One of the Sleepers, watching the massacre, stumbled over his own feet. His chanting died in his throat, replaced by horrifying shriek.
But Arbok was already moving.
She slammed through the weakened front lines, barely noticing the new Lunatones trying to stop her. They battered her with Zen Headbutts and Iron Heads, but she didn't flinch and didn't stop. Her thick scales deflected much of the damage, and her monstrous size and speed carried her through the cave.
She reached the circle of chanting hooded cultists, and without hesitation, struck.
Her massive tail glowed silver with Iron Tail, and with a single sweeping blow, she crushed four of them instantly. Their bodies crumpled like paper under the weight of the impact, bones breaking, muscles tearing, blood streaming out.
One of the cultists—a man younger than the rest—leapt to his feet and began backing away, trembling.
"WAIT!" he cried.
Too slow.
Arbok's eyes flashed. Glare.
The man froze in place, eyes wide, limbs paralyzed—not by venom, but by pure, primal fear.
In one terrifying motion, Arbok surged forward and bit down.
Clean through his neck.
His headless body dropped with a dull thud, blood pooling around Arbok's coiled form.
A chilling silence fell over the nearest section of the cave.
All across the battlefield, trainers had turned to look. Some stared in awe. Others—particularly the younger ones—were pale, disturbed by the sheer violence of the serpent's assault. Arbok didn't care. She simply turned, eyes burning with battlelust, and hissed again.
For a moment, the entire cave stood frozen.
Even the sounds of battle—flames crackling, electricity arcing, stones slamming into rock—seemed to pause as Arbok's brutal efficiency sank in. Hundreds of Lunatones were gone. An entire circle of cultists lay dead or dying. Her scales shimmered with venom and blood, and the only sound now was her heavy, rattling hiss as she prepared for more.
That silence didn't last.
"Scheiße! Scheiße!!" the hoarse voice of Helmut broke through the tension like a whip crack. The poacher boss stood just behind the frontline, his face pale with fury and panic. His coat was torn, his hair wild, and his teeth bared.
He pointed toward one of the two remaining circles of chanting cultists.
"Mehr! Ruft viel mehr! CALL IN MORE! MUCH MORE!!"
His voice echoed off the cavern walls, manic and furious.
The hooded Sleepers immediately obeyed, stepping forward as if in a trance.
Then they drew long, ornately carved knives, their edges etched with strange runes that shimmered faintly in the cavern light.
And then—without flinching—they began to cut into their own forearms.
The hiss of blades slicing through flesh, the drip of blood hitting stone, the eerie silence of the cultists as they mutilated themselves—the atmosphere turned ice cold.
A wave of nausea rippled through the assembled trainers. Even the seasoned veterans flinched. To see it once was shocking, disturbing and totally disgusting. But nobody was really prepared to see it one more time.
A young gym trainer audibly gasped and turned away, vomiting behind a boulder. Another dropped to her knees, eyes wide in disbelief. A heavy, oppressive aura settled over the battlefield—a feeling of something ancient, cruel, and wrong awakening.
Even Arbok, bloodlust incarnate, hissed in disgust, her scales trembling as she recoiled briefly. Her forked tongue flicked the air—not in hunger, but in wariness.
And then—
The portals opened.
Grey, swirling holes in reality yawned open across the cave walls and ceiling. From each of them emerged a new wave of Lunatones—but not the same ones as before.
These were larger, their stone bodies etched with dark markings. Their eyes glowed deeper red, and they moved faster—darting through the air like blades.
The air grew heavy with psychic pressure.
"Kill that fucking Arbok!!" Helmut shrieked.
The massive swarm, now several hundred strong, turned toward the serpent.
And dove.
They came in fast, from all angles—left, right, above. Their bodies glowed with energy as dozens of attacks rained down at once.
Psychic blasts burned across the stone floor.
Rock Slides crashed into the area around Arbok, pelting her from all sides.
Zen Headbutts slammed into her coils.
One after another, they bombarded her in a relentless barrage.
The gym trainers around the battlefield acted fast.
"Attack them! Get them off her!" David shouted.
Commands rang out. Pokémon turned their focus to the swarm, unleashing Razor Leaves, Thunderbolts, Ice Beams, Rock Blasts, and Air Cutters.
But the new Lunatones were faster—dodging, weaving, spinning through attacks. Most attacks hit only air or scraped stone. Only a few lucky blows connected.
The serpent took it all—silent, only budging a few centimeters—until, finally, she moved.
Her eyes narrowed, pupils slitting.
With a deep, guttural hiss, Arbok activated Scary Face. Altough some trainers deemed this move to be useless, Joe and Arbok were able to train this tactics to a decent level.
A dark wave pulsed outward from her gaze—a tangible force of dread and paralyzing fear. The air itself seemed to shimmer with the wave.
Instantly, the Lunatones slowed.
Their once-frantic aerial maneuvers became sluggish. Their formations became clumsy.
Now—the other trainers could strike.
One after another, attacks began to land. Dozens of Lunatones burst apart into psychic smoke or shattered stone. The tide was shifting.
And then, Arbok moved.
Her entire body glowed with an unnatural red hue—cracks of molten energy appearing between her scales. Her eyes lit with furious energy. Her long violet body tensed. Power built in her core.
"She's using Outrage!" Angie, the poison trainer called in warning.
David's eyes widened. He knew it was one of Arbok's strongest move. And he also knew that this attack sometimes resulted in confusion, which was state where Arbok could be deadly not only to the Sleepers, but to their allies as well.
"Back off! Everyone! BACK OFF!!" he shouted, waving his arms at the trainers nearby.
"Get your Pokémon out of there—now!!"
Trainers turned and ran, diving for cover, recalling Pokémon, or calling out panicked orders.
Arbok exploded into motion.
She whipped around, her body spinning with devastating force, empowered by dragon-type fury. Each coil of her enormous frame lashed out like a living whip, colliding with Lunatones and sending them crashing into walls, each strike leaving cracks in the stone and shattering enemies to dust.
One. Two. Ten. Twenty.
She moved like a cyclone. Nothing could get near her without being crushed, burned, or dissolved.
The glowing swarm, once so overwhelming, was being torn apart by a single creature.
David watched from behind, shielding his eyes from the flashes of energy and debris. His heart pounded. He had seen many things in his life.
But this...
This was what a monster looked like when unleashed.
And Arbok—his father's Arbok—wasn't fighting for glory or victory. She was on a freaking rampage.
The battle in the cave had reached a fever pitch. Arbok, now fully caught in the bloodlust of her Outrage, thrashed and spun violently, striking down wave after wave of Lunatones. The draconic aura swirling around her massive serpentine body began to fade, but something was clearly wrong. Her pupils had vanished, replaced by a pale, glowing distortion of color—unnatural and feral.
David, still nearby with Marcel the Ambipom, immediately sensed the danger.
"Marcel!" he shouted.
Ambipom snapped into action, throwing its arms forward and conjuring a protective barrier. Arbok slammed into the Protect, hissing furiously, her coils wrapping around it, crushing and gnashing with her fangs. The shimmering bubble held—but only for so long.
"Arbok! Stop! Return!" David shouted, holding out her Pokéball.
The ball trembled in his hand, the recall beam activating—then flickering out. Arbok wasn't responding. She didn't hear him. Or worse—she didn't care.
The Protect barrier cracked. Marcel struggled, teeth clenched, beads of sweat forming.
"Get out of there!" David yelled.
But Marcel had no time. The barrier shattered like glass and Arbok lunged forward.
Swoobat dove in to intercept, wings glowing with psychic energy. It aimed a Confusion attack straight at Arbok's head.
For a moment, the massive serpent flinched—then snarled and lashed out with Iron Tail. The steel-coated tail struck Swoobat mid-flight with a bone-rattling impact. The bat-like Pokémon spiraled across the battlefield and collapsed, unconscious.
"No!" David stumbled backward.
Electrode rolled in, eyes narrowed, its metallic body crackling with electricity. It charged and rammed into Arbok with Iron Head—but the snake twisted around it with disturbing speed and agility, avoiding the brunt of the blow.
"Thunder Wave! Now!" David called.
The Electrode sparked with electric light and shot the paralyzing wave toward Arbok. But the serpent slammed her tail into the ground, grounding herself, and leapt forward—sinking her venom-dripping fangs into Electrode's shell with Poison Sting. The electric orb let out a distorted screech as its body sparked and dimmed—then fell still.
David tripped, falling hard onto the cave floor. Arbok reared up, her shadow eclipsing him.
"Arbok… please— snap out of it!"
Suddenly, a Pokéball inside his vest vibrated violently and burst open on its own.
A blinding light filled the cavern.
As the glow faded, a majestic Pokémon floated into view—its wings stretched wide like pure white sails. Its elegant body shimmered with pastel hues of blue and pink, eyes gentle but commanding. A ring of sparkling dust swirled in the air behind it as it hovered just above the ground, casting a divine presence in the chaotic, bloodstained cavern.
===
Togekiss
Level: 99
Name: Lucky
Gender: Male
Type: Fairy / Flying
Affinity: Fairy (Full), Flying (Full), Normal (Expert)
Moves: Air Slash (95), Fairy Wind (96), Sky Attack (87), Play Rough (90), Aura Sphere (72), Aerial Ace (70), Charm (68), Ancient Power (52), Metronome (62), Safeguard (51), Baton Pass (58), Life Dew (47), Calm Mind (56), Psyshock (43), Magical Leaf (95), Hyper Beam (63), Giga Impact (94), Light Screen (44), Mystical Fire (51), Smart Strike (41), Aromatherapy (49)
Abilities:
Hustle – Togekiss' attack is boosted, but accuracy is lowered
Serene Grace – Boosts likelihood of additional effects when using moves
Super Luck – Heightens the critical-hit ratios of Togekiss' moves
Weak to: Poison, Rock, (Steel, Electric, Ice)
Immune to: Ground, Dragon
Resistant to: Fighting (double), Bug (double), Grass, Dark
Weakness removed: Steel, Electric, Ice
===
Joe's Togekiss named Lucky had jumped out of its Pokéball.
Without needing a command, Togekiss's aura glowed, and a soothing pulse of air and light spread through the battlefield. It used a calming technique—Aromatherapy combined with Life Dew—and Arbok's furious roars gradually died down. Her movements slowed, her eyes fluttered, and the toxic energy she radiated began to dissipate.
Arbok's body relaxed. She hissed softly, like an animal waking from a nightmare. She coiled lower, still trembling but no longer wild.
The entire cave had fallen silent. Every trainer, poacher, and cultist stared at the Togekiss in disbelief.
Even Helmut, eyes wide with panic and rage, took a step back.
"Zurück! Back! Back off!" he screamed.
David clenched his fists. "We can't let them escape!"
He reached into his vest again. One more Pokéball from his father.
He hurled it forward.
With a flash, a vibrant and dancing pineapple-like creature burst forth. A Ludicolo spun into existence, its green and yellow body bouncing with energy, a leaf-like sombrero atop its head bobbing. Its eyes scanned the battlefield with sharp focus, despite its playful gait.
"Clear the rest!" David pointed.
Ludicolo spun and summoned a powerful Leaf Storm, the energy twisting around him like a vortex of green blades. The storm blasted through the remaining Lunatones in the cave, shredding their rocky bodies into dust.
"Focus on that circle!" David pointed Ludicolo towards group of chanting cultist.
The Pokémon turned to the terrorist while they were mid-chant, attempting to summon more Lunatones.
Ludicolo was faster. A deadly combo of Scald and Giga Drain followed—steam and life-draining vines obliterated the cultists and their protectors alike.
But the last chanting circle, realizing the tide had turned, altered their chant. The tone shifted to something older… darker.
Spiritomb, still locked in battle with Dugtrio, suddenly howled.
A thick grey miasma poured from the chanting cultists and enveloped the ghostly Pokémon.
Simon shouted, "Watch out, stop them!"
It was too late. Empowered by the miasma, Spiritomb pulsed with unnatural energy and fired a massive Dark Pulse, catching Dugtrio mid-burrow and launching it across the cave in a heap.
The ghostly Pokémon's many eyes opened simultaneously. A swirling vortex expanded behind it—a portal, like a maw in space, ripping open.
Helmut and the remaining Sleepers dashed toward it.
Simon's Tyranitar roared and launched a Stone Edge. Frank's Quaquaval fired forward a Hydro Cannon. Ludicolo let loose another Leaf Storm.
At the same time, another flash of light appeared on the far side of the cave. It was the trainer from the gym, Abby and she was accompanied by the police force - several uniformed trainers who immediatelly called out their Arcanines.
"Help us, stop those hooded guys!" another gym trainer called towards them.
And a pack of Arcanines started running towards the Sleepers.
But as they approached, another thing happened; tendrils—long, grey, veined, unnatural—spilled from the portal summoned by the Sleepers like the arms of some unknowable god.
They twisted through the air and blocked most of the incoming attacks, wrapping around the poachers like a cocoon of protection.
Few of the trainers across the battlefield froze.
Some dropped to their knees. Others began trembling, sweat pouring down their faces.
A few collapsed entirely, paralyzed by sheer dread.
The tendrils pulsed with an aura of madness, each one emanating a subtle, maddening hum—a frequency just low enough to unsettle the soul.
But there were those, who don't stop. David, Simon, Angie, Petr and few others. And the fresh police back-ups were also not affected.
One of the Arcanines and Frank's Mightyena were already upon Helmut, who stepped with one foot in the portal. They bit down on his arm and with a strong pull, drew him back out to the cave.
"Nein!" he yelled.
But Simon with his Dugtrio and Tyranitar were already there and trapped him with a Sand Tomb.
The police managed to stop few other poachers/Sleepers, but majority of them were already wrapped by the shadow-tentacles.
Then with a nerve-wracking, hideous shudder, the tendrils pulled the cultists into the portal.
"No!" David swore as he saw how many of them managed to flee.
And the portal closed—vanishing with a nauseating pop of displaced air, leaving only silence.
A silence filled with fear.
Meanwhile the sun was setting low over the gentle hills of the Battle Ranch, casting a warm orange glow across the fields. It painted the lake's surface in brilliant gold, rippling softly as water Pokémon drifted lazily in the shallows.
Near the shoreline stood Joe Lindenberg, tall and still despite his age, his presence exuding the quiet authority of a man who'd seen too much but never let it show. His faithful Emboar lumbered nearby, nostrils flaring slightly with every breath, while Oranguru sat beneath a tree, eyes half-lidded, yet watching everything with calculating patience. They weren't just out for a walk—they were patrolling. Checking the borders of the Ranch. Making sure things stayed calm and no Sleepers arrived to attack the Ranch.
A few feet away, Jake—Joe's grandson—knelt by the edge of the lake, the young boy's face lit up as he pointed at a pair of Lotad gliding across the water. His little Charmander stood beside him, tail swaying in sync with its trainer's mood, both of them focused and calm. For once, Jake wasn't asking about his parents. Or his uncle and other people from the Ranch. He wasn't begging for answers. He was simply... being a kid.
Joe watched him carefully. He shared the boy's fear. The ache in his gut hadn't left since David, Eva, Frank and the rest set out to go back underground and arrest the poachers. But Joe had buried it deep. Jake didn't need to see his grandfather waver and worry. Not now.
Joe's pretended peace shattered with the soft ping of a message on his phone.
He stepped away quietly, moving just beyond earshot of the boy. Emboar and Oranguru watched both people without a word, instinctively protective.
The message wasn't from a known sender. Instead, it had been forwarded—marked urgent—from someone Joe trusted in the League. No subject. Just a link and a brief note: "You need to see this."
Joe clicked it.
A video began to play, low-res and hastily cut, but clearly deliberate in its tone and message. A man stood cloaked in shadows, face covered by a pale white mask with red markings. His voice was distorted—artificial, but still calm.
"We were on the verge of greatness. So close. Our minds opened to the skies... the real ones. And then, he came. David from the Lindenberg's Ranch. He who worked for the League. And now he carries monsters too dangerous for this world."
The video cut to shaky footage—perhaps taken by drone or hacked surveillance—of the chaos underground. Arbok coiling through clouds of Lunatones, venom flying. Ludicolo tearing through enemies with waves of green energy. A glimpse of Togekiss's glow, and the fear etched into the cultists' faces.
"But you stopped nothing, David. You only delayed the inevitable."
The video shifted again. A close-up of the masked man's face, unmoving. Voice colder.
"David Lindenberg, wherever you are... we will find you."
The screen cut to black.
Joe stood still, the phone dimming in his hand. His jaw clenched slightly, and his grip tightened—not out of panic, but restraint. Behind him, the sound of Jake's laughter rang out as the boy tossed pebbles across the water, his Charmander chirping happily beside him.
Joe didn't turn. He stared at the phone a moment longer, then slowly exhaled and slipped it into his coat pocket.
Oranguru, attuned to Joe's mood, glanced over with narrowed eyes. Emboar let out a quiet grunt, sensing the shift in energy.
Joe nodded to them both, then looked up at the darkening sky.
"We'll be ready," he murmured. "Next time... we'll catch those bastards."
And behind him, the last light of the day slipped beyond the hills.