Valeria stands in the Baxter Building's state-of-the-art training facility. Sparks fly as Beldum, under her precise direction, demolishes a line of sparring robots.
WHAM! Beldum slams into a metallic opponent, sending it spinning.
"Good job, Beldum!" Valeria calls out, a proud smirk playing on her lips.
Beldum lets out a happy, magnetic hum.
Franklin enters the room, Ralts floating serenely beside him. Franklin looks troubled, his gaze distant.
"Hey, Val," Franklin says, his voice lacking its usual cheerful lilt. "Something's wrong."
Valeria turns from her training, her brow furrowing slightly. "What's up, Franklin? You look like you just lost a game of cosmic chess."
"Mole Man's attacking the city," Franklin states, the words heavy with urgency. "Mom, Dad, Uncle Ben, and Uncle Johnny are off-world on that research mission. It's just us."
Valeria's eyes gleam with a mixture of concern and a barely contained excitement. She stands straighter, a determined, almost smug expression settling on her face. Beldum floats obediently by her side, its single red eye fixed on her.
"Don't worry, Franklin," Valeria declares, her voice ringing with confidence. "We'll handle Mole Man."
Franklin puffs out his chest. "I'll drive the Fantasticar!"
Valeria smirks, pulling a set of keys from her pocket. "Actually, Franklin, I'm driving. The keys are with me."
Franklin visibly deflates, his shoulders slumping. He clearly wanted to take the wheel.
…
Kamala and Doreen stroll down a sun-drenched New York street, a picture of relaxed normalcy. Eevee trots happily beside Kamala, its tail giving a little wag, while Emolga perches on Doreen's shoulder, chattering excitedly. Tippy-Toe, perched on Emolga's head, adds her own series of squeaks to the cheerful chaos.
"Seriously, Doreen, you wouldn't believe the homework I had last night," Kamala complains good-naturedly. "It was like, five chapters of history and a pop quiz on the periodic table. My brain is fried."
Doreen laughs, a bright, bubbly sound. "Tell me about it! I had to write an essay on the socio-economic impact of acorns in urban ecosystems. Totally nuts." Emolga lets out a small chirp, and Tippy-Toe translates with a series of rapid squeaks. "Emolga says it's a great topic!" Doreen adds.
Suddenly, a wave of panic washes over the street. People scream, pointing frantically toward the ground.
"Monsters!" someone shrieks. "They're coming out of the ground!"
"What's going on?" Kamala asks, her playful mood evaporating instantly. Eevee lets out a low growl, sensing the shift in atmosphere.
From a newly formed chasm in the pavement, a horde of grotesque, slimy creatures erupts. Moloids, their crude forms and vacant eyes instantly recognizable as subterranean menaces, surge into the street. They brandish crude weapons, their guttural roars echoing through the sudden silence.
"Uh oh," Doreen mutters, her eyes widening. "Those don't look like friendly neighborhood creatures."
Kamala's expression hardens. "Time to go to work."
Kamala's arms stretch and embiggen, her fists growing to the size of small boulders. She intercepts a charging Moloid, her massive fists sending it flying back into the hole.
WHAM!
Doreen, with her signature squirrel-like agility, leaps onto the back of a passing Moloid, using it as a springboard. She flips through the air, her tail whipping around her.
"Squirrels, assemble!" she shouts, and a flurry of small, furry bodies descends from the nearby trees, swarming the Moloids.
Kamala shouts, "Eevee, Quick Attack!" Eevee becomes a blur, zipping past a Moloid and startling it.
"Emolga, Thunder Shock!" Doreen commands. Emolga unleashes a jolt of electricity that crackles through the air.
Eevee, a blur of brown and cream fur, darts between the legs of the creatures, unleashing a rapid series of Quick Attacks. Emolga, a streak of yellow and black, zips through the air, firing off Thunder Shocks that send arcs of electricity crackling through the Moloids.
ZAP!
Tippy-Toe, perched atop Emolga, chitters commands, directing the squirrel assault with impressive tactical acumen.
"Fools!" A booming voice echoes from above, cutting through the din of battle. "You thought you could stop the King of the Depths?! My Moloid army will bury this city!"
Kamala and Doreen exchange a look of dawning realization.
"Mole Man!" Kamala exclaims, her voice laced with annoyance.
Above them, a sleek, silver vehicle descends from the sky – the Fantasticar. Valeria Richards pilots with focused intensity, Franklin beside her, his expression a mixture of apprehension and excitement. Beldum floats stoically by Valeria's side.
Valeria leans out of the Fantasticar, her voice sharp and commanding, cutting through the chaos. "Mole Man! Stop this madness at once!"
Mole Man, perched atop a colossal, vaguely reptilian beast that tears through the pavement, cackles with wicked glee. "Stop this madness? Never! Where are your precious Fantastic Four, little brats?"
Valeria Richards, piloting the Fantasticar with an iron grip, scoffs. "They're busy. But frankly, Mole Man, we're more than enough for you."
"Enough?" Mole Man sputters, his voice laced with indignation. "You little whelps dare to mock me? Fine! Moloids, tear them apart!"
The subterranean creatures surge forward, their crude weapons raised.
"Beldum, Take Down!" Valeria commands.
FWOOM! Beldum, a metallic sphere of raw power, launches itself from the Fantasticar. It streaks through the air, a missile of pure kinetic force.
CRUNCH!
Beldum slams into the leading Moloids, sending them flying backward like bowling pins. The metallic Pokémon spins, its magnetic field crackling, before ramming into another group, then another. Each impact is a brutal symphony of crushing metal and surprised shrieks.
The Moloids, so formidable moments before, scatter like startled insects before Beldum's relentless assault. They stumble, dazed, and retreat back into the chasm from which they emerged.
"See?" Valeria declares, a triumphant smirk spreading across her face as Beldum lands gracefully back on the Fantasticar. "I told you we had it handled. My Beldum can take down anything."
Mole Man stares, dumbfounded, his jaw hanging open. His eyes, magnified by his goggles, fix on the small, metallic Pokémon.
"What… what kind of creature is that?" he mutters, utterly bewildered.
"Whoa, check it out!" Doreen exclaims, pointing at the Fantasticar. "She's got a Pokémon, too!"
Kamala's eyes widen as she sees Beldum floating beside Valeria. "No way! That looks so cool!" Eevee lets out a curious chirp, tilting its head. Emolga chatters on Doreen's shoulder, its ears twitching with interest.
***
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