Chapter Text
“Umbreon, use Snarl!” Beca called out, knowing full well that their opponents - an extremely nimble Weavile and one of the most agile Gliscors Beca had ever seen - would dodge the attack.
“Espeon, Psybeam!” Chloe called out almost at the same time, obviously thinking the same thing.
“Gliscor, left, Weavile, right!” their challenger, a young girl with bright pink hair - called out immediately. “Guillotine, Shadow Claw!”
Their opponents were quick, but Beca knew Umbreon and Espeon would be able to dodge the attacks. They didn’t, though, jumping to the side just a tad too late to dodge the attacks, landing on their backs and rolling over with a groan that undoubtedly seemed genuine to anyone who didn’t know their Pokémon as well as they did.
Beca quickly glanced off to the side, making eye contact with Vivian, who raised her red flag. “Espeon and Umbreon are unable to continue. The challenger wins the match!”
“Ohmygosh, Glissy, Weavy, we did it!” the girl squealed, hugging her Pokémon tightly.
“Good job, Umbreon,” Beca smiled. She knew Umbreon had hated taking a fall during their first few matches as a gym leader, but the truth of the matter was they simply couldn’t go around winning every battle, or no one would make it to the Conference. Which, now that Beca thought on it, would start in only a month.
“Congratulations,” Chloe smiled, shaking the challenger’s hand.
“Yeah, that was a great battle,” Beca grinned. “You’ve earned this, kiddo.”
She handed her the Dual Badge, feeling a strange, but by now long-familiar, rush of excitement as she did so. Receiving badges had been the highlight of her Pokémon journey, but handing them out as a gym leader was something else entirely. “Good luck at the Conference,” she smirked. “We’ll be watching for you!”
“Dude, did you see that?” one of the trainers sitting in the stands yawned. “Man, these gym leaders are such pushovers.”
“Hah, yeah, man!” his friend nodded. “I heard they only got the position this year. And it shows.”
“Are you our next challenger then?” Beca smiled, not at all bothered by their behavior.
“Might as well,” the first of them nodded, getting up and taking the challenger’s position. “Name’s Michael.”
“Alright then, Michael,” Chloe spoke, fully in gym leader modus. “As you know, this is a double battle gym. You get to choose if you want to use two or four Pokémon.”
“Let’s do two,” Michael grinned cockily. “Best get this over with, nice and quickly.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Beca mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes when only Chloe could see.”
“The two-on-two battle between challenger Michael and gym leaders Chloe and Beca of Sunyshore is about to begin!” Vivian called out, loud and clear. “The first trainer to be out of Pokémon that can battle loses the match. Send out your Pokémon!”
“Magmortar, Empoleon!” their challenger sent his Pokémon out.
“Teddi!” Beca released her Pokémon, knowing her tiny form would probably annoy their opponent.
“Oh, come on!” he groaned. “Seriously?”
Chloe chuckled quietly, reaching for one of her Pokéballs. “Guess I’ll go with you, Pachirisu!”
Chloe’s Pachirisu appeared next to Teddi, slightly larger than Beca’s own Pachirisu, but still really tiny compared to their opponents.
“Begin!” Vivian waved her green flag.
Beca and Chloe were, by now, so well-attuned to battling together that they always knew exactly how a battle was going to play out. Most trainers would be strung along for a little while before they beat them, forcing them to train, grow stronger, and challenge them again in two weeks. Some, if they showed real spirit, they would allow to win on the first try. And some, like this douche-face, they would trounce so hard he wouldn’t soon forget it.
“Teddi, Dig, Quick Attack, Fury Swipes!” Beca called out rapid-fire, before the challenger could even open his mouth.
“Pachirisu, light them up!”
Teddi disappeared underground, just in time to avoid the absolute lightning storm Pachirisu unleashed. Thunder arched across the battlefield, striking both of the large Pokémon and making a few of the trainers on the stands duck down - even though they were perfectly safe.
Magmortar and Empoleon were both locked in place, the thunder making their muscles convulse uncontrollably. The very moment the lightning disappeared, the ground underneath Magmortar burst open, revealing a ferocious Teddiursa, claws bared and gleaming as she went to town on Magmortar’s face.
“Pachirisu, Volt Tackle,” Chloe told her Pokémon, who enveloped itself in lightning, charging at Empoleon and hitting him with enough force to throw him backwards, even though he was easily twenty times as large as Pachirisu.
“Teddi, c’mere,” Beca smiled.
“You as well, Pachirisu,” Chloe nodded.
Their Pokémon returned to them, and Beca watched with interest to see if the two larger Pokémon would be able to get back to their feet. They looked tough, so there was a chance they would need another round of attacks to be knocked out.
Best she could tell, Empoleon was out cold, but Magmortar still moved a little. He pushed to his knees, glaring at the two tiny fluffballs across the battlefield. Making eye contact, Teddi gave her opponent a sly grin, waving at him with her claws bared.
Immediately, Magmortar ceased his efforts to get up, slumping back to the ground. “Empoleon and Magmortar are unable to battle,” Vivian flagged. “The challenger loses the match.”
“Tough break, kid,” Beca shrugged. “You should get them to Nurse Joy. Then, once they’re back to full health, go get some training in. You can challenge us again in two weeks.”
“The Conference is in four weeks!” he balked.
“Huh, figure that,” Beca scoffed. “Guess you should make sure not to lose next time, then, or you won’t make it.”
“Alright!” Chloe called out, turning to the trainers on the stands, but looking specifically at Michael’s loud-mouthed friend. “Who’s next?”
“Um,” the guy stammered. “I uh… need to… do a thing.”
“That thing better be training!” Beca called over her shoulder already leaving the battlefield, knowing none of the challengers would want to battle them right now.
“You were a little hard on him,” Chloe told her once she joined Beca in the kitchen.
“Oh, come on,” Beca groaned. “Babe, I’m not going to let some twerp disrespect me in my own gym, okay? He got what he deserved.”
“Well said!” Vivian agreed, entering behind Chloe. “I’ve locked up the gym, girls. You go on home. There’s bound to be a lot of challengers again tomorrow, with the Conference drawing near.”
“We’ll be ready,” Beca grinned. “No challengers before nine though!”
“I know, dear, I know,” Vivian chuckled. “I’ll see you two tomorrow!”
“Another long day at work, completed,” Beca groaned as they left the gym through the backdoor, linking their hands together for the five-minute walk home, exactly how they’d done it since their first day as gym leaders.
“It’s three o’clock,” Chloe snorted. “We started at ten. That’s hardly a long day at work, babe.”
“No, no,” Beca shook her head. “Don’t take this from me! I need to unwind with a glass of wine, sitting on the beach with my hot girlfriend, watching the sun sink beneath the azure waves.”
“Well, as amazing as that sounds, we may need to make do with hanging on the couch,” Chloe sighed. “Looks like there’s a storm blowing in.”
“Huh, weird,” Beca hummed, looking at the dark clouds gathering over the ocean. “Forecasts didn’t say anything about a storm.”
“I know a storm when I see one,” Chloe grumbled darkly. “And it’s looking to be a bad one.”
–
Sure enough, shortly after dinner the dark clouds reached Sunyshore City. What started out as a light drizzle quickly evolved into a torrential downpour.
“Is this kind of weather normal?” Beca asked, looking out the large windows. “Haven’t seen it storm like this since we moved in here.”
Lightning flashed across the sky, startling them both. “Honestly? I don’t remember weather like this here in Sunyshore at all. But… I’ve been away for years . We’ll have to ask mom tomorrow. Maybe turn on the TV, see if there was an adjusted forecast?”
“Sure,” Beca grunted, reaching for the remote and turning the television on. Another flash of lightning outside distracted her for a few moments.
“... Interrupt this broadcast for an emergency announcement,” the newscaster spoke, catching Beca’s attention. She turned her eyes to the screen just in time to see it go black, the lights overhead going dark as well. “Babe?”
“We lost power,” Chloe informed her needlessly.
“No shit!” Beca drawled in return.
They both turned their heads as a pounding sounded over the general ruckus of the storm. “Chloe! Beca!”
Making their way to the door, they opened it to find a completely soaked Barry Beale. “Put on your shoes and get down to the beach!” he told them, wasting no time. “Bring all your Pokémon!”
“What’s going on?” Chloe asked, following instructions even though they sounded insane.
“I don’t know, but Pokémon are attacking the city.”
“What?!” Beca practically yelled.
“They’re coming out of the ocean. The pavilion has already been destroyed, and it’s a matter of time before they get through the dunes and into the city.”
“Why would Pokémon attack the city?” Chloe asked, grabbing Barry’s sleeve and yanking him inside. “We’ll go via our stairs, we can pick our Pokémon up downstairs.”
“No one knows,” Barry told them. “Your mother and a few other trainers are trying to keep them at bay, but there’s too many of them.”
“Fucking hell,” Beca muttered as they opened the back door, stepping out on the patio. Within seconds, they were completely drenched. Still, they made their way to the beach using their private stairs. Once they were down at the beach, Beca opened the massive wooden gate.
“Listen up, you lot!” she called out to all of their Pokémon, gathered in the massive lounge they created for them underneath the dunes. “Something bad is going on at the beach. All of you, follow us!”
With a veritable army of Pokémon following them, they made they way across the beach as quickly as they could - the sand having turned to mud didn’t make things easier.
“There!” Barry pointed after a few minutes.
Squinting, Beca could indeed make out a large group of Pokémon on the beach, and a smaller group of Pokémon attempting to hold them back. She bit her lip as she watched a Blastoise fire a Hydro Pump attack - one of the trainers ducking out of the way to dodge it just in time.
“Alright guys, drive them back into the sea!” Chloe called out. “Luxray, Pachirisu, Manectric, Dedenne, use your electric attacks to scare them backwards.”
“Absol, Pachi, go with them!” Beca told her Pokémon. “Pidgeot, Salamence, fly over the group, see if you can find out what’s going on! The rest of you, join Vivian and the others. We need to keep them out of the city!”
“Oh thank heavens, you’re here!” Vivian panted when they arrived. “Nurse Joy brought all the trainers staying at the Pokémon Center, but I worried it wouldn’t be enough for much longer.”
“Do you know what’s going on?”
Vivian shook her head. “I would still be at home if James hadn’t called the gym, all in a panic, telling me a group of Gyarados were tearing down his pavilion.”
Beca watched as even more Pokémon came out of the water, trying to think of a reason they could be this aggressive. Gyarados were known to be violent and foul-tempered, but these were Blastoise, Poliwrath, Feraligatr, Kingler, Swampert, Empoleon, Floatzel, Crawdaunt, and many other types of Pokémon.
“Could there be something wrong with their habitat?” she wondered. “Driving them out of the ocean?”
“These are Pokémon from all across,” Chloe shook her head. “It would need to be an ocean-wide catastrophe. Seems like something we’d have noticed.”
Beca was about to respond when she was suddenly thrown backwards, a powerful yet of water hitting her straight in the face. She landed on her back. Shaking her head and wiping at her eyes, she opened them to find a Crawdaunt bearing down on her, his pincers snapping menacingly.
The crab-like Pokémon was suddenly yanked off his feet, dangled upside down in the air. Venusaur swung his vine around a few times, building up momentum, before he let go of Crawdaunt, who soared several feet before crashing into the water.
“Fucking hell,” Beca groaned, rubbing her face. “That hurts.”
“They’re attacking us as much as our Pokémon,” Nurse Joy observed, three of her Chansey standing around to heal any of their Pokémon whenever they got hit by a well-aimed attack. “This isn’t normal behavior for Pokémon. I’m very worried.”
“Me too,” Barry sighed, “but we can figure out what has gotten into them after we’ve driven them back. Dusknoir, use Shadow Ball!”
“Venusaur, throw up a barrier with Frenzy Plant!” Beca called out. “Gallade, be ready to punch anyone who gets by in the face as hard as you can!”
“Espeon, Gardevoir,” Chloe told her Pokémon. “Psychic to push them back!”
“Gengar, Umbreon, you as well! Mamoswine, Blizzard!”
“Glaceon, help your buddy out!”
“Chansey, Egg Bomb!” Nurse Joy instructed her Pokémon.
Little by little, they managed to drive the group of water Pokémon back. Every now and again, a fresh group would emerge from the water, where it seemed like an unending legion stood in waiting. Through the haze of the rain, Beca thought she saw a much larger form, further out in the ocean, a few times. Everytime she wanted to get a better look, however, it had already disappeared.
A Wailord, maybe?
It took them almost two hours of battling, rotating their Pokémon in set teams so no one got too exhausted. Eventually, a shrill, piercing cry sounded from somewhere out on the ocean, and the water Pokémon slowly began drawing back, disappearing under the surface.
With the Pokémon withdrawing, the storm seemed to die down too. The torrential downpour lessened to regular rain, the lightning storm seeming to blow back out to see, even though that was literally where it had come from a few hours ago.
Checking the time on her Pokédex, Beca realized it was a little past midnight, which explained why she felt so tired. Still, she made her way to the other trainers. “Everyone alright?”
“Yes,” Nurse Joy nodded. “But we all need some sleep. If they-”
Nurse Joy was interrupted by the cry of a Pokémon, which instinctively caused all of them to duck down out of fear of a new attack. The cry sounded more like a cheerful jingling, though, and not at all like an aggressive Pokémon. A few seconds later, a large Togekiss landed a little ways away, a blonde figure in a long black coat sliding off.
Cynthia approached them, looking like she had as rough a time of it as they had themselves. “Cynthia?” Beca sighed. “What’s going on?”
“Wish I knew,” she told them. “But whatever it is, it’s happening all over the world. I helped my mother evacuate Celestic Town, moving everyone to Eterna where Gardenia and her Pokémon can protect them. We’ve gotten reports from gym leaders in Kanto and Johto, and Steven was in Mossdeep when this all began. Pokémon are attacking cities and villages everywhere. We got a call from Chairperson Erma, she wants us to come to the Ranger Union HQ in Almia. Immediately.”
“Is this…?” Beca asked, pulling Mewtwo’s pendant from underneath her collar.
“I think so, yeah,” Cynthia nodded with a grim expression. “This is the calamity we’ve been warned about.”
“Pidgeot, let’s go!” Beca called, giving a shrill whistle. Pidgeot swooped by, pausing just long enough for Beca to climb on his back. “Umbreon, Venusaur, Gallade, return! The rest of you, help Barry and Vivian defend the city while we’re gone, okay?”
“Dragonair, time to fly!” Chloe told her Pokémon. “Ninetales, Gardevoir, Luxray, Gaia, you’re coming with us. The rest of you stay here and help out!”
“Follow me,” Cynthia called over her shoulder, already flying off.
“Let’s go, Pidgeot!”
And so they flew off, making their way to Almia to meet Chairperson Erma at the Ranger Union HQ.
Off to a new adventure, and a new story in the epic of their lives.