Tusk hit the ground a second later with a heavy thud. Smoke curled from his mouth, his steel scales glowing faintly red from the heat wave he had just endured. His breaths were ragged, every exhale laced with steam. His bloodshot eyes locked onto the bald man.
Then, without hesitation, Tusk turned and staggered toward Sammy with pride of victory.
His steps were uneven, too heavy for his new frame. He barely made it halfway before his balance gave out, and he tumbled forward, rolling once before landing hard next to Sammy. The Fraxure gave a grunt as he slid to a stop. Sammy remained crouched, still on edge, eyes fixed on the bald man whose confidence had completly drained from his face.
"From now on," Sammy said, voice rough and commanding as he adjusted the cracked edges of his purple mask, "you'll answer whatever I ask until the officers arrive. Now that your Pokémon are down, you're done. Got it?"
The bald man raised his hands half heartedly, a mocking sneer twisting across his lips. "Ohh~ I'm so scared. Stop trying to act cool and just ask you bastard..."
Sammy's eyes narrowed. "Just answer nothing more." he said, trying to pat the side of Tusk's smooth scales but pulled his hand back the moment his hand touched the blazing steel. "One of your grunts mentioned you could make Adapted Pokémon. What did he mean by that? Answer me, or I'll let Tusk do whatever the hell he wants."
The man didn't respond at first. He simply stood there, silent. Then, Tusk let out a low growl, baring his sharp tusks as if to remind the man that silence wasn't an option.
After a second finally, The man exhaled through his nose. "It's exactly what you heard."
Sammy blinked, the answer still sinking in. "How... how could that be true?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Professor Cherry gave me Tusk herself. I saw him with her and Proffesor Alina for months before I even got him... Did they save him from them? But the professor said he changed because of what he ate, not because of... them."
He was lost in the thought, too focused to notice the clash of attacks still echoing across the burning ship. Commands rang out from the lower decks. Flashes of light from battle moves sparked behind them. And still, Sammy stood.
But something shifted.
The bald man's face had changed. His mocking grin replaced by pale, wide
eyed terror. He wasn't looking at Sammy anymore. He was staring past him.
Sammy's instincts kicked in like lightning the moment he saw the man. He spun around, hand outstretched. "Tusk! Dragon Cl—"
There was nothing behind him.
Cold realization hit.
He turned back just in time to see the man bolting down the nearby stairwell, already recalled his fainted Pokémons.
"Fuck! Tusk, Follow him!" Sammy growled, forcing his legs to work. Blood trailed from his arms and legs, pain throbbed in his joints, but he didn't slow down.
Tusk, still winded, staggered upright and joined him.
"Tusk, Scary Face! Slow him down!" Sammy panted.
Tusk glanced at him, blinking in confusion. There was no growl, no snarl just a small, apologetic look as he galloped beside him.
"Tusk?" Sammy shot him a look. "Don't tell me—"
They rounded the corner into a narrow hallway inside the ship. Sammy, still running, tapped the interface on his Pokégear and pulled up Tusk's latest data:
---
Tusk (Fraxure)
Level 38
Type: Dragon / Steel
> Dragon Dance
> Dragon Claw
> Smart Strike
> Dragon Pulse
Ability: Unknown
---
"Holy shit Level 38!?" Sammy's jaw tensed as he glanced sideways at Tusk. "You jumped like ten levels in minutes!? And did your ability change too?"
Tusk gave a slight prideful smile without slowing down, his claws tapping sharply against the floor.
Sammy exhaled hard, trying to shake the confusion from his head. "Whatever. We'll figure out your ability later but first let's handle this."
He glanced back at Tusk one more time to check his new look then forward again.
Sammy's shoes pounded after him, blood and sweat mixing across his brow as he and Tusk chased him down. They rounded a sharp corner, boots skidding slightly on the steel floor as the hallway narrowed. Doors zipped past them in a blur. Storages, crew rooms, and generator room until up ahead, the bald man burst through a reinforced office door at the end of the corridor.
Without a glance back, the bald man slipped through the office door and slammed it shut. The lock clicked into place a second later.
Sammy didn't slow down.
He lowered. his shoulder and charged forward, trying to throw his weight into the steel wall. The impact stopped him cold. A dull, metallic clang echoed down the hall as he collapsed to the ground with a groan. Pain jolted through his already bleeding arm.
"Shouldn't have done that," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Tusk stepped forward, claws gleaming. A sharp, steel like energy coated his hand as he raised it. With a powerful strike, he slammed the door. The force sent a noticeable bulge through the other side of the wall.
Sammy fumbled for a Pokéball, pressing the release and tossing it toward the wall. It bounced off with a dull ping before bursting open in a red flash.
Vex, The Kadabra, appeared. The moment he materialized, he gave Tusk a thumbs up impressed by his new evolved look before shifting his attention to Sammy. Tusk, unfazed, returned to striking the steel wall with focused precision.
"Vex, use Psyshock on the door," Sammy ordered, stepping back.
Just as the move charged, the ship rumbled beneath their feet. Sammy staggered and nearly fell again, but Vex was quicker grabbing his injured arm and steadying him. Sammy winced. A tear slipped down his cheek from the sudden pain.
"V-Vex," he said, voice tight, "Teleport to deck. Find out what's going on. If things are looking bad, give Rage a signal. If not stay and support Khan. He's alone in there. Me and Tusk'll handle this freak."
Vex nodded silently and vanished in a flicker of purple sparkles.
Tusk let out a sharp cry and pointed a claw toward the door. Sammy turned to see it trembling, nearly ready to give.
"Good job, buddy. Now step aside."
Sammy took a running start and launched himself forward. His boot crashed into the weakened door, sending it flying off its hinges. The metal groaned as it hit the floor inside the room with a crash.
Tusk entered first, scanning the room for danger. Sammy followed close behind.
Dust swirled in the air, stirred by the shattered door and lingering from the earlier impact. The small office was a mess tables knocked over, chairs flipped, papers scattered. A thick layer of dust and grime made visibility worse. Sammy squinted through the haze, but couldn't make out much.
He backed out briefly and spotted a window down the hallway. An idea clicked.
"Tusk, here!"
He raised his jacket over his face for cover. "Break that window with Smart Strike!"
Tusk followed instantly, steel energy swirling around his arm. With a clean strike, he shattered the window, letting cold air flood in as shards clattered to the floor. Sammy turned back into the office. The breeze cleared much of the dust, revealing more of the chaotic interior.
It was empty.
Chairs were overturned. The desk was shoved against the wall. Paintings lay face-down on the floor. Closet doors hung wide open. Everything looked… searched.
"He was looking for something," Sammy muttered, stepping carefully toward the table. He crouched to examine the floor when—
A red light pulsed behind him.
A shadow loomed.
Before the incoming strike could connect, one of Sammy's Pokéballs burst open on its own. Eros, his Eevee, launched from it and intercepted the blow. The little fox shrouded himself in a glowing white energy, catching the attacker off guard, then dashed forward and slammed into the figure's chest, knocking it off balance.
Sammy recoiled in shock but quickly recovered.
"Tusk! Come in here and use Dragon Claw!"
Tusk roared as he reentered the room, claws igniting with violet draconic energy. The figure raised one hand, gripping Eros, and lifted the other defensively just as Tusk struck. Sparks burst from the impact.
Electricity exploded from the figure's arms in a brilliant surge—
Discharge
Sammy, Tusk and Eros were all flung backward, slammed into the steel wall. Air rushed from their lungs as they hit the ground hard.
Then the room lit up.
Not fully, but enough.
Red eyes flared in the dark. Each footstep forward pulsed with another surge of power. The closer it came, the brighter the room got until the creature stepped into full view.
It was an Electivire.
Tall. Built like a tank. Its fur shimmered with currents of electricity dancing wildly around its fists. It was grinning.
The Electivire raised a massive fist and brought it down like a hammer on Eros's small frame. The Eevee was sent flying again, skidding across the floor in a heap.
Tusk's eyes flicked toward him. That was all it took.
The dragon snarled, furious.
One claw sparked with steel energy, SmartStrike. The other glowed with the fierce power of Dragon Claw. He launched upward, bouncing off the ceiling in a blur.
As he soared, energy rippled around him Dragon Dance activated again, supercharging his speed and power.
Strike after strike landed.
Smart Strike
Dragon Claw
Smart Strike
Dragon Claw
Smart Strike
Dragon Claw
Smart Strike...
Tusk became a blur of motion leaping from walls, bouncing from the floor to the ceiling. The room echoed with steel and draconic fury. Sammy stood frozen, watching. He hadn't even needed to give commands.
The dragon was moving on instinct. Raw, sharpened rage.
But then—
Electivire grinned. Its fist surged with blue energy. With a wide swing, it struck mid air smash.
Brick Break
Tusk was hurled across the room, crashing into a filing cabinet. Sammy flinched.
"Tusk! Use Dragon Pulse! You don't need to get close just hit him from range!" Sammy shouted.
He glanced around quickly.
It's not smart to let Tusk keep getting in close. He's already low on health. One more clean hit and it might be over...
Tusk, bruised and panting, steadied himself. He opened his jaws and a spiraling beam of violet energy exploded from his throat, streaking toward Electivire.
The beam struck Electivire like a laser, searing into its side and burning wherever it touched. The electric Pokémon let out a pained groan, its crimson eyes narrowing and locking onto Tusk with fury.
Electivire gritted its teeth, then straightened its fingers and locked its fists together. A freezing mist began to swirl as its fists coated with frost.
Ice Punch
The cold around it grew sharp enough to sting the air. With its spear like fists forward, Electivire began forcing its way through the Dragon Pulse, carving through the energy one step at a time.
Sammy's heart jumped. He froze for a second, eyes wide in horror with the fear of Tusk getting fainted Then, gritting his teeth under his cracked mask, he grabbed the nearest thing he could find. A wooden chair. One of his cuts reopened as he moved, a single drop of blood hitting the chair's surface.
Without a voice, Sammy dashed forward. He jumped and slammed the chair down onto Electivire's back with all his strength. The impact made a dull crack, sending a shock through Electivire's spine. It staggered forward, its balance thrown off as Sammy land beside it.
"TUSK! TURN THE POWER UP!" Sammy roared, voice ragged.
Tusk listened without hesitation. The Dragon Pulse intensified, its vibrations sending wave after wave slamming into Electivire, forcing it backward.
Sammy turned away for a second, running towards where Eros lay unconscious. He dropped to one knee and gave a deep breath before pulling out Eros's Pokéball, and gently tapped it against his Pokémon's head. "Thanks for everything, buddy," he whispered.
As the red beam pulled Eros back into its Pokéball, Sammy looked up again. The already fractured mask on his face cracked down the middle and tumbled away, revealing the bruised but sharp features underneath. Sweat and blood streaked his brow, but his eyes burned with focus.
Tusk was still keeping Electivire busy with Dragon Pulse, but it wasn't enough. The Electivire began to rise again. Its muscles twitched with raw voltage. Tusk, breathing heavily from his nose took a step back. His legs wobbled. He was nearing his limit.
Sammy felt his chest tighten.
"It's over," he muttered. He pulled out Tusk's Pokéball and thought for a second before he started sprinting towards the office's broken doorway. As he ran, he recalled Tusk mid battle. The steel dragon gave a surprised grunt as the red beam pulled him back.
Now free from the pressure of the Dragon Pulse, Electivire snapped to attention. It locked eyes on Sammy and charged, lightning dancing across its fists.
Sammy didn't look back.
He sprinted straight through the ruined doorway and leapt toward the jagged window Tusk had broken earlier.
"RAGE!!!" He screamed with everything he had left.
The sea beneath the ship began to bubble.
Right before Electivire could grab him, Sammy launched himself through the broken window.
For a second, it felt like he was falling forever.
Then the water split.
A massive blue serpent exploded upward from beneath the waves. Rage, his Gyarados. Sammy reached forward mid air, grabbing onto the ridge of Rage's head just as it rose to meet him. With a grunt, Sammy pulled himself up and collapsed onto the creature's back.
He coughed, chest heaving, saltwater from the sea stinging his eyes. But when his hand brushed the cool, wet scales beneath him, he smiled.
"You saved me there, bud," he muttered, patting Rage's side.
Gyarados let out a deep growl as it flew in an arc above the ship, steadying itself in the air. Sammy slowly sat up on its back and looked down.
His jaw dropped.
Standing below was a trainer who was standing tall on a Wigglytuff while smiling at him. The end of his red coat blew in the wind as his scarlet red eyes was focused on him.
Sammy blinked, then laughed breathlessly. "Is that Alex?" he said, almost in disbelief.