◉◉◉◉◉
A golden blur tore through the cavern like a raging storm.
Noivern barely had time to react before a blinding flash of yellow filled its vision, followed by a sharp, gut-wrenching pain exploding in its abdomen.
The impact was brutal, charged with savage Electric-type energy that rampaged wildly through its body.
"Gah!"
Noivern doubled over, coughing up a thick spurt of blood.
But it wasn't over.
The swirling winds abruptly shifted. A chilling sense of danger surged from behind.
Bzzzt!
Blinding arcs of electricity crackled through the pitch-black cave. A bolt of lightning slammed down from above.
"Thunderbolt!"
Noivern knew in its current condition, taking another clean hit could mean instant defeat.
Grinding its teeth through the searing pain, it summoned all its remaining energy.
"Protect!"
A pale, translucent barrier shimmered into place around its body.
BANG! BANG!
Electricity crashed against the shield, filling the air with a nails-on-chalkboard screech.
Crack—
The relentless high-voltage barrage hammered at the barrier, tiny fractures webbing across the smooth surface.
Beneath the shield, Noivern's jaws glowed red-hot as fire swelled within.
"Flamethrower!"
A blinding, near-white column of fire erupted, shattering its own protective barrier from within and blasting straight toward Kael in mid-air.
The oppressive heat surged through the cavern. Kael's brow furrowed.
In an instant, the electric armor surrounding his body rippled within the magnetic field and he shot sideways in a high-speed slide.
BOOM!
The flames smashed into the cave ceiling, instantly melting stone into thick, dripping magma.
Noivern cocked its head only to realize Kael's figure had vanished from sight again.
A high-frequency sonar pulse burst from its mouth, but the magnetic interference caused the sound to bounce erratically, only mapping its immediate surroundings.
A sudden flash of yellow filled the edge of its vision. Too fast to react, Noivern instinctively crossed its powerful wings over its chest in defense.
Heat. Numbing pain.
The sheer force sent Noivern hurtling into the cavern wall, rocks exploding outward.
Kael appeared in the space Noivern had occupied, but his once-smooth electrical armor now flickered and frayed.
Even after evolving from a Mareep, Kael's signature "Thunder Armor" developed in his earliest stage was still beyond perfect control.
His mastery of electricity had improved immensely, and his power reserves had grown, but the technique demanded a level of precision he hadn't yet achieved.
The overuse of voltage sent tremors of pain through his body, every nerve screaming.
Kael's gaze locked on the staggering Noivern.
"This ends now."
His right foreleg tensed, legs coiling like springs. Overloaded cells fired with electric fury, muscles swelling from the strain. He launched forward—
CRACK!
The overtaxed muscles finally gave out. A burst of blood mist exploded from Kael's hind leg.
The collapse of that one "gear" in his body sent a chain reaction through the rest—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Blood burst from his forelegs, chest, and back, mixing with golden sparks in a hauntingly beautiful display in the dark cave.
His vision dimmed, consciousness slipping, as though pale hands were dragging him into a bottomless abyss.
Kael's charred body hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop.
"Kehehehehe…"
A manic, relieved laugh broke the silence.
Noir danced in place, almost giddy.
"Damn, that scared me! I can't believe a Flaaffy could push my Noivern this far. Nearly cost me everything…"
His laughter cut off abruptly, replaced by a sharp glare toward the cowering pair in the corner.
"The Poké Ball. Where is its Poké Ball?!"
"Hurry! It's dying! If it's gone before I get it, your lives won't be worth anything!"
The client's mission was long forgotten. All Noir could see now was the monstrous potential of that Flaaffy.
Allen stood silent, head bowed, frustration and despair swirling in his chest. Beside him, Trevor slumped weakly against the wall, eyes lifeless.
With a trembling hand, Allen produced the black-and-yellow Poké Ball and recalled Kael, keeping him barely alive inside.
Handing the Ball over was the only choice left. They'd lost their last trump card. The most they could hope for was a swift death rather than prolonged torture.
"At least… he might live," Allen thought, whether under the Pokémon Hunters or some unknown buyer.
"That's it. Give it here…" Noir hissed, stepping closer.
Just as the Ball was about to change hands—
ROOOOAR!!!
A primal, ancient bellow shook the cave. The ground trembled as if in an earthquake.
The oppressive beat of enormous wings filled the air. Low air pressure crushed down on the cavern.
In a heartbeat, a massive figure burst into view.
Rough blue scales covered its body, thick black fur ringed its neck. Three snarling dragon heads roared in unison, blood-red eyes burning with fury. From its back spread three pairs of massive, midnight-black wings, whipping the air into a frenzy.
It was the fearsome pseudo-legendary Dragon/Dark-type of the Unova region Hydreigon.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!