The mountain exploded.
There was no other way to describe what Alex witnessed as the enormous peak that had towered above the ancient forest for centuries suddenly split apart beneath an eruption of crimson energy, sending massive chunks of stone hurtling into the night sky while a deafening roar rolled across the landscape and shook every tree, rock, and living creature for miles around, and for one terrifying moment, Alex could only stand there with Charmander in his arms and stare at the impossible destruction unfolding directly in front of him.
The sky had turned red.
Thick clouds spiraled above the mountain as if some enormous force were twisting the atmosphere itself, while flashes of crimson lightning repeatedly illuminated the forest and revealed countless Pokémon fleeing between the trees in blind panic.
The ground beneath Alex's feet continued trembling.
Not occasionally.
Constantly.
It felt as though the entire world had become unstable.
Yellow stumbled backward and grabbed onto Damian's shoulder to keep herself from falling.
"What is happening?!"
Damian barely managed to keep his balance as another violent tremor passed beneath them.
"I don't know!"
The mysterious hunter stood several feet away from them, completely motionless despite the chaos surrounding them, their hood whipping violently in the unnatural wind while their masked face remained directed toward the mountain.
Then the stranger slowly raised one hand.
"Look."
Alex followed the direction of their gesture.
Something was moving through the clouds.
At first, Alex thought it was smoke rising from the mountain, but the shape was far too deliberate, far too enormous, and far too alive to be smoke.
A massive silhouette emerged from the red clouds.
Wings.
Enormous wings.
The creature spread them across the sky, blocking what little moonlight remained visible above the forest, and for a brief moment Alex could only see its outline against the crimson clouds before another flash of lightning revealed the details of its body.
It was gigantic.
Its body appeared to be covered in dark, ancient armor that reflected the red lightning like polished obsidian, while several long horns extended backward from its head and enormous wings stretched outward from its body, each movement creating powerful gusts of wind that ripped leaves from the surrounding trees.
Yellow stared upward.
"That's a Pokémon?"
The stranger answered quietly.
"Yes."
Damian looked at them.
"Which one?"
The stranger's eyes remained fixed on the creature.
"The first."
Alex's grip tightened around Charmander.
"The first what?"
The stranger finally turned toward them.
"The first of the three."
A deafening roar erupted from the sky.
The creature opened its enormous mouth, releasing a wave of sound so powerful that Alex felt it in his bones, while trees across the forest bent away from the mountain and birds scattered into the darkness in enormous frightened flocks.
Charmander covered its ears.
"CHAR!"
Alex lowered himself slightly and shielded Charmander with his body.
"It's okay!"
But once again, Alex knew he was lying.
Because nothing was okay.
The creature descended.
Its enormous wings folded partially against its body as it began dropping toward the mountain, and every second it descended, the air around them became heavier until Alex felt as though an invisible pressure was pressing against his chest.
Then the creature disappeared behind the mountain.
For several seconds, there was silence.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A shockwave erupted from the opposite side of the mountain.
The entire forest shook.
Alex nearly fell.
Yellow screamed.
Damian grabbed Alex's arm.
"Move!"
They ran deeper into the forest as massive stones began falling from the mountainside.
Behind them, another roar echoed through the night.
Then another.
Then another.
Three different voices.
Three different creatures.
Alex finally understood what the mysterious hunter had meant.
The ancient Pokémon beneath the mountain hadn't been the only thing sleeping.
There were others.
And they were waking.
The First Ancient Pokémon
The group finally reached a large rocky outcropping overlooking the forest, where they stopped long enough to catch their breath while the mountain continued collapsing in the distance, and from their elevated position Alex could now see something that made his stomach twist because enormous shapes were beginning to emerge from different sections of the forest, each one moving with a terrifying sense of purpose.
The mysterious hunter stood beside them.
"Three ancient Pokémon," Damian said.
The stranger nodded.
"The first has awakened."
Alex looked toward the creature in the sky.
"What is it?"
The stranger hesitated.
"Long ago, it was called Abyssion."
Yellow looked confused.
"Abyssion?"
"That was the name given to it by the civilization that encountered it thousands of years ago."
Damian immediately asked another question.
"What type is it?"
The stranger looked at him.
"That is difficult to answer."
Damian frowned.
"Why?"
"Because the ordinary classifications created by modern humans were never designed for creatures like these."
Alex looked toward the enormous silhouette circling above the mountain.
"What can it do?"
The stranger's answer was simple.
"Destroy."
Yellow stared at them.
"That's not very specific."
"It doesn't need to be."
Another flash of lightning revealed Abyssion's enormous body.
Alex could see something strange surrounding its wings.
Dark energy.
It wasn't smoke.
It wasn't shadow.
It looked almost like the night itself had gathered around the creature and become part of its body.
Damian watched carefully.
"It controls darkness."
The stranger shook their head.
"No."
Alex looked at them.
"Then what is it?"
The stranger's voice became quieter.
"Absence."
Alex frowned.
"I don't understand."
"Abyssion doesn't create darkness."
The stranger pointed toward the creature.
"It removes light."
Alex stared.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
The strange darkness inside the cavern.
The way Charmander's flame had become weaker.
The way the shadows seemed to absorb the light around them.
Abyssion wasn't controlling darkness.
It was eliminating light itself.
Yellow stared at the creature.
"That's horrifying."
The stranger nodded.
"That is why the ancient civilizations feared it."
Damian looked toward the mountain.
"And the other two?"
The stranger didn't answer.
Alex immediately noticed.
"You know something."
The stranger remained silent.
"You know what the other two are."
The stranger finally looked at Alex.
"I know what they were."
Alex's expression hardened.
"What happened to them?"
The stranger stared toward the mountain.
"They fought."
"Against each other?"
"No."
The stranger's eyes narrowed.
"Against something far worse."
Alex felt a chill.
"Ragnarok."
The stranger nodded.
"The three ancient Pokémon were created for the same purpose."
Damian immediately understood.
"To stop Ragnarok."
"Yes."
Alex looked toward the mountain.
"Then why are they fighting?"
The stranger shook their head.
"They aren't."
Alex turned toward them.
"What?"
The stranger pointed.
"They're coming."
The Second Awakening
The ground suddenly cracked.
Alex jumped backward as an enormous fissure tore through the forest floor, ripping apart roots and sending dirt flying into the air.
Something was moving beneath them.
Yellow grabbed Damian's arm.
"Please tell me that's not another one."
Damian stared at the widening crack.
"It is."
The mysterious hunter stepped backward.
"Get ready."
Alex released Charmander from his arms.
"Charmander, stay close."
"Char!"
The ground exploded.
A massive creature burst upward from beneath the earth.
Unlike Abyssion, this Pokémon was not flying.
It was enormous and heavily built, with four powerful legs that slammed into the ground hard enough to create craters beneath each foot, while thick plates of stone-like armor covered its body and glowing lines of orange energy pulsed beneath those plates like molten lava trapped inside a living creature.
Its head was enormous.
Two curved horns extended from either side.
Its eyes glowed bright gold.
And when it opened its mouth, Alex saw flames burning deep inside its throat.
Yellow stared.
"What… is that?"
The stranger answered.
"The second."
The creature released a roar.
A wave of heat swept through the forest.
Leaves instantly curled.
Branches caught fire.
Alex raised an arm to shield his face.
Charmander's eyes widened.
"Char!"
Alex looked toward the creature.
For some reason, Charmander wasn't afraid.
It was staring at the ancient Pokémon with something closer to recognition.
Alex noticed.
"Charmander?"
The little Fire-type stepped forward.
Its tail flame burned brighter.
The stranger noticed.
"Interesting."
Alex looked at them.
"What?"
"Your Charmander."
"What about it?"
The stranger stared at the Pokémon.
"It recognizes the ancient one."
Alex frowned.
"How?"
The stranger shook their head.
"I don't know."
The second ancient Pokémon lowered its enormous head.
Its golden eyes focused directly on Charmander.
For several seconds, the two Fire-types stared at each other.
Then the ancient Pokémon spoke.
Its voice was deep enough to make the surrounding trees tremble.
"Child of flame."
Charmander froze.
Alex stared.
"You can understand it?"
The creature's gaze shifted toward Alex.
"Your companion carries an ancient flame."
Alex looked down at Charmander.
"What does that mean?"
The ancient Pokémon didn't answer.
Instead, it turned toward the mountain.
Then its entire body began glowing.
The orange energy beneath its armor intensified.
Damian immediately stepped backward.
"What's it doing?"
The stranger's voice became urgent.
"Get down!"
Everyone dropped.
A massive beam of molten energy erupted from the creature's mouth and tore across the forest, destroying trees and carving a glowing path through the earth before striking the side of the mountain.
The resulting explosion illuminated the entire sky.
Alex stared in shock.
The ancient Pokémon lowered its head.
Then Abyssion descended from the clouds.
The two ancient creatures faced each other.
But instead of attacking…
They stood together.
Side by side.
Alex slowly understood.
"They're not enemies."
The stranger shook their head.
"No."
"They're allies."
"Exactly."
Damian looked toward the mountain.
"Then where is the third?"
The stranger's expression changed.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in their eyes.
"That's the problem."
Alex stared at them.
"What do you mean?"
The stranger slowly pointed toward the horizon.
Far beyond the forest, the sky had begun turning black.
Not night.
Not clouds.
Something else.
A gigantic circular formation of energy had appeared above the distant landscape, slowly expanding across the sky while strange flashes of violet energy moved through its center.
The stranger spoke quietly.
"The third ancient Pokémon isn't here."
Alex's stomach dropped.
"Then where is it?"
The stranger looked directly at him.
"Already awake."
A deep voice suddenly echoed from behind them.
"He's right."
Everyone froze.
Alex slowly turned.
The mysterious hunter immediately reached for their Poké Ball.
Damian stepped forward.
Yellow backed away.
Charmander's flame burned brightly.
Standing on a distant ridge was another figure.
Not a Pokémon.
Not a human.
Something in between.
Its body was covered in ancient armor, and strange glowing symbols covered its chest and arms.
Its eyes burned violet.
Alex stared at it.
The stranger beside them whispered:
"No…"
The figure smiled.
"You finally found the children."
Alex's eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
The figure looked directly at him.
Then it pointed toward Charmander.
"Not who I am."
Its violet eyes began glowing brighter.
"But who that little Pokémon will become."
Charmander stepped backward.
Alex immediately moved in front of it.
The stranger looked at Alex.
"Do not let that thing touch Charmander."
Alex stared.
"Why?"
The stranger's answer came quietly.
"Because your Charmander isn't merely carrying an ancient flame."
The figure on the ridge smiled.
"It is carrying the key."
Alex felt his blood run cold.
The mountain behind them erupted again.
Abyssion roared.
The second ancient Pokémon answered.
And somewhere far beyond the horizon, a third roar shook the heavens.
The three ancient powers had awakened.
But now Alex understood the terrifying truth.
Ragnarok wasn't the only thing that had returned.
Something had been searching for Charmander.
And somehow…
It had finally found him.
To Be Continued… 🐉🔥🌑⚡
Next Chapter: "The Flame Within Charmander"