The ridge offered us the element of surprise, but against a seasoned predator like Skarmory, surprise only lasts a second. We slid down the dune, shouting commands before our feet even hit the level sand.
"Go, Torchic! Flamethrower!" I screamed.
My Fire-type materialized mid-air, sensing the metallic threat immediately. It unleashed a torrent of red-hot flames. The fire roared toward the Skarmory, the heat intense enough to warp the air. Skarmory, recognizing the super-effective threat, banked sharply, its armor glinting as it narrowly avoided the direct blast.
"Clara, now!"
"Treecko, let's help! Use Pound!" Clara shouted, throwing her Poké Ball high.
Her Gecko Pokémon burst out, using its powerful legs to leap off a rock and slam its tail into the Skarmory's steel flank. The attack rang out like a hammer hitting a gong. It didn't do massive damage to the Steel/Flying type, but the impact knocked the heavy bird off balance.
Down in the sand, the Trapinch saw its chance. It clicked its mandibles and scrambled backward, attempting to dive into the loose earth to escape.
"Bzzzzzt!"
The Magneton units were ready. They split perfectly into two groups. Three of them descended rapidly, forming an electric triangular barrier around the Trapinch, cutting off its escape route.
"Wingull, go! Break that formation!" I released my Water-type. "Use Water Gun on the Magnetons surrounding Trapinch! Distract them!"
Wingull swooped low, firing precise bursts of water. The Magnetons buzzed in annoyance, their electric fields sizzling as the water hit them, forcing them to break formation to avoid short-circuiting.
"Torchic, keep the others off us! Ember on the second group!"
The battlefield was chaotic. Torchic was bravely holding off the second squad of Magnetons, dodging their Thunder Shocks and retaliating with fire. We were holding the line, but only just.
"We can't keep this up forever!" Clara yelled, shielding her face as a stray Spark attack kicked up a cloud of glass-like sand. "They're too coordinated!"
She was right. The wild Pokémon were fighting like a military unit. Despite Wingull's harassment, the Magnetons were regrouping, their metallic bodies rotating faster as they tightened the circle around us and the Trapinch. We were being herded.
I looked at the terrified Trapinch. "Dig!" I shouted at it, hoping it would understand. "Hide in the sand! Stall them!"
The Trapinch hesitated, then frantically began to burrow.
"Clara, focus everything on the leader!" I pointed at the Skarmory, which was recovering from Treecko's hit and circling high above like a vulture. "If the Skarmory falls, the Magnetons will scatter!"
"Treecko, Quick Attack! Aim for its wings!" Clara commanded.
Treecko sprinted, a green blur against the beige sand, leaping toward the low-flying steel bird. But just as it jumped, a Magneton zipped in front, unleashing a Thunder Wave. Treecko was forced to abort the attack and roll away to avoid paralysis.
"They're interrupting us!" Clara cried out in frustration.
High above, the Skarmory screeched—a sound of triumph. It saw the Trapinch trying to submerge. It tucked its wings, turning its body into a living missile.
"It's using Brave Bird!" I realized with horror.
The Skarmory dove, glowing with reckless energy. At the last second, it flared its wings, turning the dive into a Steel Wing strike that slammed into the sand around the burrowing Trapinch.
BOOM!
The impact was like an explosion. The ground shook violently, and the sand where Trapinch was hiding erupted upward. The force of the blow ejected the orange Pokémon from its refuge, sending it tumbling across the dunes, exposed and defenseless.
The Skarmory landed heavily, looming over the flipped Trapinch. It raised a razor-sharp wing for the finishing blow. Torchic and Treecko were too far away, occupied by the Magnetons.
"No!" Clara screamed.
Suddenly, the air pressure dropped. A low, vibrating hum resonated through the desert floor, different from the buzzing of the Magnetons.
From the east, a sphere of chaotic purple and blue energy tore through the air.
CRACK!
A massive Dragon Pulse slammed into the side of the Skarmory. The impact was devastating. The heavy steel bird was blasted sideways, skidding twenty meters across the sand, its armor scorched.
"What was that?" I gasped.
Before we could identify the source, the wind picked up—unnaturally fast. In seconds, a localized Sandstorm whipped up around us, blinding the Magnetons and forcing the Skarmory to crouch.
Through the grit and howling wind, a silhouette appeared. It was fast—incredibly fast.
"Hold on!" I yelled, grabbing Clara's arm.
The mysterious Pokémon didn't attack us. It swooped down, its strong arms grabbing me and Clara by the shoulders. Its tail, long and powerful, scooped up Torchic, Treecko, and the dazed Trapinch.
With a powerful beat of its wings, we were lifted off the ground.
The Magnetons fired blindly into the sandstorm, but we were already gone, soaring high above the chaos, wrapped in a protective veil of wind and sand.
We flew for several minutes, the wind rushing past my ears. The mysterious Pokémon was strong, carrying us with effortless grace. As we moved further away from the Skarmory's territory, the sandstorm began to dissipate.
We reached the rocky outskirts of the desert—a canyon area where the sand gave way to hard, red earth. The Pokémon slowed its speed, descending gently to a flat plateau.
It set us down carefully. Clara stumbled a bit, her knees shaking from the flight, but she rushed immediately to check on the Trapinch, which was shaken but alive.
I stood up and looked at our savior.
It hovered before us, its wings beating with a rhythmic, musical hum. It was a magnificent creature. It had a slender, light green body with red accents. Its eyes were covered by large, red, bubble-like covers—compound eyes designed to see perfectly through sandstorms. A pair of diamond-shaped wings sprouted from its back.
It was a Dragon and Ground type. The final evolution of the Trapinch.
"Flygon," I breathed, recognizing the Mystic Pokémon.
It looked down at the Trapinch, chattered softly, and then looked at us. There was intelligence in those red eyes. It hadn't just saved its kin; it had saved the humans who tried to help it.
"It's beautiful," Clara whispered, staring at the Flygon. "It's the spirit of the desert."