The walk to the teleporter building felt different this time.
The last time I'd been here, my legs were numb with shock, my head was ringing from defeat, and every step carried the crushing weight of humiliation. Now, every step felt heavier in a different way. Determined. Focused. A little terrified, but in that electric way that meant I was finally ready.
Skyla walked beside me, hands in her jacket pockets, her ponytail swaying with each stride. She didn't say much, and didn't have to. The silence between us was solid and grounding.
When we stepped inside the teleporter station, the familiar hum of machinery filled the sterile white room. Last time, I'd stood on that pad alone. A nervous wreck pretending I wasn't.
This time, Skyla followed me straight up the steps.
I blinked at her. "You're... allowed up here?"
She smirked. "Talked to the refs. Talked to the PAP rep. One good argument and a very convincing smile later, and yes, this time I get to watch."
Relief washed over me harder than I expected. I swallowed around the lump in my throat. "Thank you."
She bumped her shoulder lightly against mine. "You've already done all the hard work. I'm just here to make sure you don't faint before the battle starts."
"I, hey!"
She grinned.
The technician approached, checking the telemetry on his wristband. "Ready to ascend? The gym leader is already waiting."
My blood chilled. Drayden. Waiting on that cliff face. Waiting to see if I'd grown, or if he'd break me again.
I stepped onto the pad. My breath shook just once.
Skyla placed a hand on the small of my back, steadying me.
"You're not the same girl who came up here last time," she said softly. "You've got this."
I exhaled slowly and nodded.
The teleporter coils began to hum, light building under our feet. My stomach tightened, that instinctive jolt of fear firing through my nerves.
The room grew brighter, brighter, until everything dissolved into white.
The mountain air hit me like a slap.
Cold. Sharp. Full of memory.
We stood again on that enormous cliffside arena, PAP shield discs floating in the void beyond the edge. The wind howled across the expanse. The stone under my boots trembled with the rhythmic pulse of the arena field generators.
Drayden waited at the opposite end, towering, stoic, and completely unreadable beneath the shadow of the cavern entrance.
Skyla touched my arm, squeezing once, grounding me again.
The referee signaled.
Then the lights dimmed.
Noivern's cry hit the cavern ceiling first, an ultrasonic boom that made the PAP shield shiver and my teeth ache. Then he descended.
I remembered him being big.
But I'd clearly not remembered correctly.
He was massive, easily triple Simon's size, wings stretching from one stone ridge to the other, membranes rippling like storm clouds with every beat. The air pressure alone pushed grit across the arena floor. Even the stalactites seemed to recoil when he landed.
And Simon...
My boy stood there, wings tight, jaw clenched, tail swaying with a steady, lethal rhythm.
He's enormous... he murmured into my mind, low but steady.
You've faced him before, and you're not that same dragon anymore.
The truth was... last time, he never stood a chance.
Drayden didn't waste a second.
"Noivern," he called, voice echoing, "open with Boomburst."
Of course he did.
Simon tensed, wings folding instinctively, ready to dodge or attack.
Not this time. Sandstorm!
Simon slammed his claws into the floor, and the battlefield erupted.
Sand roared upward in a spiraling column, swallowing Simon completely in a whirl of grit and dust. The dome flickered, its stabilizers whining as the storm buffeted the barrier.
Across the field, Drayden's eyes narrowed.
Noivern's ears twitched, a warning flicker, sensitive membranes flaring wide as he tried to pinpoint Simon's location.
It wasn't happening.
Inside the storm, I could feel Simon's thoughts sharpen into a razor's edge.
I won't let him use my voice against me again.
The sand swallowed his silhouette. And then, he moved.
A blur of green light streaked through the storm and slashed across Noivern's flank.
Dragon Claw.
Noivern staggered, screeching as he swung around. Another slash tore across his ribs from the opposite direction. Then another. And another.
Claws flashed through the sandstorm like lightning behind clouds.
Noivern tried to track him, ears thrumming, wings beating furiously, but the swirling grit distorted every vibration and muffled every sound. Simon was turning the battlefield into a sensory nightmare.
Drayden's voice cut through the chaos. "Noivern! Rise above it!"
Noivern gave a single powerful flap, but Simon was already there.
He shot out of the storm like a cannonball, body wreathed in that electric blue glow of Dragon Rush. The speed alone cracked the ground beneath his launch point. The impact struck Noivern square in the chest with a sound like a meteor hitting steel.
The massive dragon reeled back as the air was knocked clean out of him.
The sandstorm collapsed instantly, dust raining down in sheets as Simon skidded across the floor, wings flared.
Noivern hit the ground on one knee, breath ragged, claws digging trenches into the stone.
I felt Simon's focus lock in, tight, perfect, and precise.
Now? he asked.
Now.
He inhaled, chest expanding, and unleashed Boomburst.
Not the wild, uncontrolled blast from the first match. This was measured and directed. A scalpel forged from sound.
The shockwave hurled out in a tight cone, slamming into Noivern's skull and chest with brutal, concentrated force. The PAP dome flashed violently as it dampened the echo. Stone pillars trembled, and dust fell from the cave ceiling.
Noivern staggered once, then collapsed sideways, wings folding limp around him.
Silence fell so suddenly it felt unreal as the referee's voice cracked across the field:
"Noivern is unable to battle! Round One goes to Atrea Morgan and Flygon!"
Drayden stood still, unreadable, but I saw it. A faint glimmer in his eyes. Respect.
Simon lifted his head, chest still heaving, a faint tremor of pride radiating through our bond.
I jogged to the edge of the arena, heart pounding. "You were perfect."
He flicked his tail, eyes blazing proudly.
I told you I wouldn't lose to him again.
And for the first time since setting foot in Drayden's gym...
I believed we might actually win.
Drayden didn't whistle for Altaria like he had in our first battle.
Instead, he stepped slightly to the side, giving an unobstructed view of the yawning cave cut into the stone wall behind him. The shadows inside it were thick enough to swallow the light, like a black throat leading down into something older than this gym had any right to contain.
A faint rumble drifted from within.
Not the wingbeat of a dragon or the hum of Altaria's song.
This was something heavier.
Zoey's voice brushed the back of my mind, taut with unease. Uh... that's not Altaria.
Before I could respond, the sound deepened into a grinding, tectonic groan that vibrated through the soles of my boots. Stone dust rained from the lip of the cave. The PAP dome overhead shimmered, sensing a shift in air pressure.
Drayden didn't flinch. He didn't even raise his voice.
"Come forth," he said.
The roar that answered him didn't just echo off the walls; it detonated.
A blast of wind erupted from the cave mouth like the breath of a volcanic eruption. It slammed into me before I could brace, knocking me backward several feet. My heels scraped across the gritty floor as the world blurred for a heartbeat.
"Shit!" I gasped, catching myself just short of landing on my ass.
Zoey skidded a half-step beside me, mane flattening against the gale. Okay, she muttered in my mind, definitely not Altaria.
Tyrantrum emerged with the slow, inexorable weight of a collapsing mountain.
Every footfall struck like a hammer, sending hairline fractures racing through the floor. Crimson armor plates overlapped across its body like jagged boulders. Its stone crown scraped the top of the cave as it stepped out fully into the light. Even the PAP dome flickered, as if the pressure of its presence pressed against it.
Its golden eyes swept the arena and found me first. Not Trilla, but me.
It took one more thunderous step forward and roared again.
I forced my shoulders back and steadied my breathing. It wasn't fear, not exactly. More like staring into the open jaws of prehistory and realizing it was glaring back.
Zoey leaned into my mind with a whisper sharp as a fang. He didn't use Altaria. He switched his second Pokémon entirely. He didn't think Trilla deserved the same fight you got last time.
The words hit harder than the wind.
Drayden stood with one hand clasped behind his back, his expression unreadable, almost serene. "Tyrantrum has waited," he said. "He wished to meet your resolve himself."
Tyrantrum snarled, a low, stone-grinding growl that vibrated in my ribs.
Behind me, Trilla stepped forward.
Her movements were small at first, but each step grew steadier as she placed herself between me and the fossil king. Her aura flickered, fragile but bright. A thin violet shimmer threaded around her fingers.
She didn't speak, not aloud, not telepathically. She just looked at Tyrantrum... and then back at me.
The tremor in her hands stopped.
I touched two fingers lightly to my temple. You're not who you were before, I told her, letting the thought pour out like warmth. You're stronger. And you're not alone.
Tyrantrum pawed the stone, claws screeching as they carved deep furrows.
Drayden lifted his hand with the weight of a judge delivering a sentence. "Tyrantrum. Stone Edge."
The world erupted.
The instant Drayden gave the command, the floor erupted beneath Trilla's feet. Stone Edge burst upward in a jagged ring, shards slicing through the air with enough force to shred steel. The attack should've boxed her in completely, like cornered prey, but Trilla didn't brace.
She simply vanished.
A pulse of psychic light snapped through the dust, and she reappeared behind Tyrantrum, her form flickering like a candle caught in a gust. The fossil king whipped his head around, teeth gnashing reflexively, but he was turning toward an afterimage. Trilla was already there, standing at his back as her eyes slowly lifted.
And then they ignited like a wildfire.
Her hands rose, palms opened, and the psychic force she unleashed manifested as a shockwave of raw willpower that slammed into Tyrantrum's spine with a thunderous crack. The force rippled outward across the battlefield, rattling the shield dome. Tyrantrum staggered forward, claws raking trenches in the floor as he tried to keep himself upright.
My pulse kicked.
"Holy hell, Trilla!"
The air around her began to swirl as strands of violet light curled up her arms. Power gathered around her form and wrapped her in coiling rings of psychic luminance that grew brighter and brighter before detonating outward in a burst of blinding radiance.
When the light settled, Mega Gardevoir hovered in place, dress flowing like celestial fabric, her aura shimmering in an opalescent storm. The battlefield shifted with the pressure of her power as dust and debris drifted upward in defiance of gravity.
Tyrantrum let out a roar that shook my ribs, but Trilla only tilted her head, eyes glowing brighter still.
"You're not the only one who can throw stones."
Her voice wasn't spoken aloud, but it wasn't telepathy, either. It seemed to resonate through the arena itself, vibrating the ground beneath us.
Then the cliffs behind her began to groan.
Pebbles trembled first, dancing on the edge of the rock face.
Then chunks of stone started tearing free from the mountainside as if pried loose by an invisible hand. Dust poured from the wounds in the cliff, and hairline fractures splintered upward like scars.
Tyrantrum pivoted and realized he wasn't looking at a handful of debris.
He was looking at an armory.
A pillar of stone ripped free, sailing past me close enough to whip my hair sideways. I should've flinched. I should've ducked.
Instead, a thrill punched straight through me.
"YES!" The shout tore from my throat before I could even stop it.
Trilla didn't look back at the avalanche of stone gathering behind her.
Her eyes alone controlled them, each glowing shard pausing mid-air like a held breath.
Then, with a flex of her aura, they flew.
Boulders became bullets and shards became scythes. Pillars became battering rams that crashed into Tyrantrum's armor like meteor strikes.
The first hit staggered him. The second bent his knees, and the third drove him sideways in a skid that carved trenches through the ground.
He roared, jaws flashing, trying desperately to regain his footing, but Trilla didn't give him a second of stillness. Every time he found balance, another mass of jagged rock slammed into him, forcing him back down and crushing his momentum under relentless psychic control.
Behind her, the cliff continued to bleed stone at her command.
Zoey's voice cut through my head, half awe, half disbelief. She's using the entire mountain as a weapon! Holy shit, I love her!
Tyrantrum staggered, breath ragged, eyes glassy. His crowned plate cracked under the weight of the last pillar that struck.
Trilla finally lowered her hands.
Her aura condensed and tightened. Sharpening as every thread of psychic energy coiled toward the center of her chest. The air hummed like a struck tuning fork as the light gathered there pulsed brighter.
I touched two fingers to my temple, barely able to breathe.
End it.
Her eyes snapped open, glowing pure white.
The Psyshock she unleashed wasn't just force; it was pressure, vibration, and resonance all at once. The kind that flipped the stomach, rattled the skull, and made the mountain behind us hum like a living being. The shockwave blasted across the battlefield and hit Tyrantrum point-blank, lifting the prehistoric king off his feet before slamming him into the stone in a thunderous crash that shook the entire arena.
When the dust finally cleared, he lay still.
The crater around him smoked faintly.
Trilla floated back down, her body trembling as her Mega form unraveled into fading motes of light. She landed on one knee, breath shuddering. Her eyes were soft and blue again, but still held a fierce ember of victory.
I ran to her, skidding across the stone. "You, Trilla, that was, holy shit!"
She leaned against me, exhausted, but a faint smile curved her lips.
I told you, she whispered, voice warm against my thoughts.
I'm done being afraid.
The referee had to force his voice out through a dry throat.
"T-Tyrantrum is unable to battle! Victory goes to Atrea Morgan and Gardevoir!"
Zoey gave a low whistle behind me. Your girl just dismantled a dinosaur with the side of a mountain. Yeah. We are absolutely keeping her.
Across the arena, Drayden called for Tyrantrum to return. Not in scorn or disappointment, but with the care a parent would give a child. Slowly, with a bow of respect, he assured the tyrant king that he was not disappointed. All of this, communicated without words.
When he straightened, his expression was no longer calm. It was fierce.
"You have restored her strength," he said. "Good. Because now I will test yours."
Salamence broke through the cloud layer like a meteor. A streak of blue and red, wings folded tight, body angled like a missile. The PAP dome blinked off for a split second to let him through. He dove straight for the arena floor with murderous intent.
"Scizor!"
I didn't even finish the thought.
He was already Mega Evolving.
Metal rippled across his body in a smooth, liquid shift, plates tightening into jagged crimson armor. His thrusters roared to life, vents splitting open along his back and hips like glowing scars. No Mega Stone and no Key Stone, like Trilla.
Just raw willpower and absolute synchronization.
Drayden didn't flinch. "As expected."
Salamence struck first.
The collision hit like a bomb.
Dust billowed up in a mushroom cloud, shockwaves rippling outward so violently I had to throw an arm in front of my face. Shards of stone skittered across the floor. For a heartbeat, I couldn't see either of them.
Then the dust parted.
Scizor stood in the center of the crater, both claws locked around Salamence's throat, holding the snarling dragon in place.
His metallic voice grated out as he strained, "Fuck you're heavy."
He pivoted, heaved, and threw the dragon over his shoulder like a wrestler throwing a body bag. Salamence crashed toward the cliff edge, stone shattering under his weight.
Move! Zoey barked in my mind.
I dove sideways just as Salamence's wing carved through the air where I'd been standing a second earlier.
The dragon recovered mid-skid, snarling, wings flaring wide. A torrent of fire blasted from his mouth, pure intimidation, a flamethrower meant to say I'm done playing.
Scizor didn't even blink as Salamence shot into the sky like an inverted lightning bolt, twisting upward so fast that the air cracked around him.
Scizor's visor glinted.
Let's go for a run.
He bolted.
The world smeared into red and silver as Scizor shot past me, no. Behind me, so fast the shockwave actually staggered me forward. I whipped around just in time to see him launch off the cliff.
"Scizor! You'll hit the shie-"
He sent one of his fists forward and the shield. Just. Broke.
Hardlight scattered outward. Scizor's thrusters screamed as he went straight down the mountain wall, metal body slicing through the air like a fired bullet.
"SCIZOR!" I shouted, stumbling toward the edge.
I was too late.
He vanished beneath the treetops.
A second later, Salamence looped overhead, wings folding inward as he dove after him, roaring with primal fury.
"What the hell?!" I turned to Drayden.
But he was calm. Calm in a way that made the hair on my arms stand up.
He whistled once, sharp, piercing.
The cave behind him lit up as a cluster of specialized PAP drones shot out, spherical bodies polished to a mirror shine, engines thrumming a pitch higher than the regular models.
"These," Drayden said, "are pursuit-grade PAP units. Reinforced barrier generators with high-speed tracking. Designed for dangerous aerial engagements. They'll keep a shield around them even when moving at high speeds."
He tapped his wrist.
All the drones shot forward in a blur, joining the chase.
A tablet screen blinked to life in my hands before I even realized Drayden had handed it to me.
"It seems that the rest is up to them." He said softly.
The feed stabilized, and my breath hitched.
Scizor and Salamence were already deep in the forest, moving at speeds that no sane creature should've been capable of. The drones' stabilized cameras barely kept up.
Salamence fired a Hyper Beam straight downward; the golden blast obliterated a row of trees, vaporizing bark into ash.
But Scizor was already past it, zig-zagging between trunks at nearly sixty miles an hour, thrusters firing in short, brutal bursts. Every opening in the canopy gave me a flash of him, sliding under fallen logs, ricocheting off stones, or weaving through branches like they weren't even there.
Salamence roared overhead, tearing the forest apart with another beam. Leaves exploded into glowing embers, and a cluster of trees were sheared in half.
Drayden chuckled beside me.
I whipped my head toward him. "You're laughing?!"
He shrugged lightly. "Battles are meant to be... exhilarating."
The tablet feed jerked suddenly, the drones refocused as Scizor hit a rock outcropping at full speed.
He was using the rock as a ramp.
The rocket-boosted leap launched him upward through a break in the canopy, straight toward Salamence's altitude.
"Oh hell," I whispered.
Salamence never saw it coming.
Scizor's right claw cocked back, thrusters igniting with a scream!
The punch connected with Salamence's jaw so hard that the shockwave blew the drone feed into static.
The forest canopy below erupted with shaking branches and dust.
For a long second, nothing.
Then the feed returned.
Scizor was surfing down the mountainside, dragging Salamence's unconscious body under him like a sled. Dirt, leaves, and shattered branches flew in every direction as they carved a path through the underbrush.
He only stopped once the incline leveled out, metal armor steaming, vents glowing white-hot.
He lifted a claw as if waving up toward the drones and bowed sarcastically.
I tapped two fingers to my temple.
Trilla, retrieve them if you would.
A ripple of psychic light shimmered into existence beside me. Trilla emerged from thin air, eyes soft but steady, and with a gentle motion, flicked her wrist.
The two bodies vanished from the forest below and reappeared on the arena floor in a gentle flash, Scizor standing, Salamence limp in his arms.
He set the dragon down with surprising care.
Good fight, Scizor muttered, claws crossing over his chest as he stepped back.
The referee's voice cracked as he raised his arm.
"S-Salamence is unable to battle! Victory goes to Atrea Morgan and Mega Scizor!"
Drayden crossed his arms in a way that one could have easily mistaken for amusement.
"You surprise me yet again, little one."
"We've got plenty of fight left in us.
"Then show me!"
His eyes opened up wider in what almost seemed like rage, no enthusiasm.
The cave behind Drayden rumbled a second time, deeper and rougher than when Tyrantrum emerged. The sound wasn't the slow, tectonic thunder from before; this one was jagged, scraping, like stone grating on stone.
Zoey muttered behind me, Great. Another one who thinks he owns the cave.
At first, all I saw were two red eyes floating in the dark. Then a wide and jagged maw cracked open in the shadows, a seething orange glow building up inside it. It wasn't an attack. This was a warning.
Druddigon stepped into the light slowly, savoring every inch of his reveal. His scales dragged along the cavern wall with a metallic scrape. The orange glow pulsed between his fangs as he opened his jaws just a little wider, just long enough for me to see the heat he wasn't using yet.
He wanted us to know he didn't need to fire it to win.
Swampert stepped forward without waiting for my cue, his heavy steps echoing off the stone. Water beaded along his blue skin.
Let's do this His voice thundered in my mind.
Then go, I breathed. Take Down!
He lunged, surprisingly fast for his size, shoulder lowered in a brutal tackle meant to break Druddigon's footing.
But Druddigon didn't budge.
The second Swampert made contact, he recoiled with a sharp grunt as Druddigon's carapace spikes tore into his shoulder like knives. Not enough to puncture deep, but enough to punish.
Druddigon grinned, then he swung.
The Brick Break came down like an axe. Swampert crossed his arms, taking the full force against his bracers. The impact cracked the stone beneath him and sent a tremor up his spine that even I could feel.
But Swampert didn't fall. Instead, he set his stance and planted both feet into the ground. Then sucked in a breath so large that his chest expanded like a balloon.
Hydro Pump. Now.
He unleashed it point-blank.
The torrent slammed into Druddigon before the dragon could do anything more than raise both arms to shield himself. It was a perfect mirror to the same guarded stance Haxorus had used in our first battle. Water blasted backward in sheets off Druddigon's scales, coating the battlefield, soaking the cave floor, drenching my boots.
The roar of the Hydro Pump drowned out everything.
But Swampert wasn't done.
His muscles tightened, and his legs bent before he slammed his fists further into the ground to prepare for the recoil of his next move. I felt the pressure ripple up my legs.
Zoey's voice flashed into my head. Oh shit! He's escalating it!
The beam of water didn't sputter. It simply grew.
Swampert's roar shook the dome as the Hydro Pump tripled in width, ballooning into a monstrous torrent. Shockwaves rippled down the stream, hammering Druddigon again and again, each one strong enough to stagger him despite his planted stance.
His breath grew ragged until he finally dropped his guard.
That was all Swampert needed as the Hydro Cannon erupted.
The cave lit up blue-white. The shockwave hit like a physical wall, forcing me to dig my heels into the stone to keep from being shoved backward. The beam swallowed Druddigon whole, slamming into him with thunderous force, but instead of being launched across the arena, the dragon simply stood there, hunched over, head lowering as water poured off him in sheets.
For a second, he didn't move. He looked like he was asleep standing up, but Swampert didn't wait. He knew better than to let a dragon recover.
He threw himself forward, closing the distance with a deep, chest-vibrating growl. His fist rose, cold mist trailing from his knuckles as frost shot down his arm.
Ice Punch!
He drove the attack into Druddigon's soaked hide with such force that the impact cracked like splitting firewood. The freeze spread instantly, water crystallizing across Druddigon's chest, neck, arms, right up to his jaw. The frost crawled over him like creeping glass, locking joints, sealing scales.
Druddigon froze solid in a heartbeat. Swampert twisted around, dropping his shoulder low as he raised one massive arm overhead.
Hammer Arm! Finish it!
The blow fell like a guillotine and shattered the layer of ice on impact. The sound was sickening; a heavy, final crack that echoed through the arena as Druddigon's legs buckled beneath him. He collapsed like a toppled statue, spine bending under the force. The ground shook, and a jagged dent cratered beneath him.
The referee's arm snapped up almost in reflex.
"Druddigon is unable to battle! Victory goes to Atrea Morgan and Swampert!"
Swampert turned back toward me, chest heaving, water steaming off his arms.
His voice rumbled into my mind, deep and calm:
Next.
I couldn't help it as a grin tore across my face.
That's my boy.
Across the battlefield, Druddigon groaned, cracked scales shedding dust as he forced himself upright. He took one last lingering look at Drayden, who bowed his head in quiet respect, before trudging toward a tunnel on the far wall. His claws scraped deep gouges into the stone as he limped into the darkness.
The cavern fell silent.
Then a deeper, slower rhythm began to echo from another tunnel. Heavy footsteps. A faint warm breeze. The air smelled sunlit, almost tropical, despite the cold stone around us.
Something big was coming.
Swampert tensed beside me.
"That's enough," I whispered, setting a hand on his arm.
He nodded once, exhausted but proud.
"Good job. Rest."
I returned him to his Poké Ball in a red flash.
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Then the Dragonite emerged.
He stepped into the arena with the slow, regal confidence of something that knew it was at the top of every food chain it had ever encountered. Orange scales glowed under the cavern lights, wings tucked neatly at his sides.
His blue eyes swept the battlefield in an ancient, calculating way.
...Oh, Zoey muttered behind me, he's angry.
I noticed, I muttered back.
Drayden's voice rolled through the cavern.
"You've earned the right to face one of my oldest partners. Now show me your resolve."
My stomach tightened as I unclipped the next ball on my belt.
"Alright. Here goes."
Nick didn't wait for the throw.
He burst onto the field in a blaze of orange fire, landing in a crouch that cracked the stone. Sparks rippled across his armor plates as he rolled his shoulders, claws carving sparks every time they scraped the ground.
He lifted his head, eyes locking onto Dragonite with predatory delight.
A deep, feral growl vibrated through the cavern floor.
Zoey crossed her arms behind me.
Tell me you're not sending him out willingly.
I don't exactly have a choice, I snapped.
He's the only one who can match that thing's strength.
Dragonite's wings opened slightly, testing the air. His expression stayed perfectly calm, like this was just a warm-up.
Nick cracked his neck,
I'll destroy him.
Nick, I warned under my breath, just listen to me this time. Please.
He didn't answer, and the battle began
Dragon Tail, I ordered sharply.
Nick didn't even twitch in my direction.
He snarled and charged Dragonite with Brick Break, his claws glowing white.
My eye twitched.
He is going to drive me insane.
Zoey leaned against my shoulder, arms crossed.
And you still won't let me fight him first. I swear, dragon types are just feral toddlers with muscle.
Nick swung upward with full force, but Dragonite countered with a Thunder Punch, electricity exploding between them.
The impact hurled Nick backward, sliding him across the stone. He rose instantly, more insulted than injured.
Drayden wasted no time.
"Dragonite. Supersonic."
Dragonite inhaled and unleashed a piercing, high-frequency vibration that stabbed behind my eyes. Nick staggered, his claws flying to the sides of his head as he roared in agony.
Make it stop! MAKE IT-
Nick, shake it off! I snapped.
He snarled and slammed his skull into the ground so hard it left a dent.
When he lifted his head again, his eyes were pinprick small. Wild and unstable.
He roared and charged again.
Nick! Dragon Tail, you idiot! I barked into his mind.
No
He punched forward with another Brick Break, defying me on purpose.
Zoey gave me a sideways glance.
You sure he's on your team?
Don't start with me, I hissed back.
Nick's strike met Dragonite's Thunder Punch... again.
Then Nick made a feral, reckless move.
He opened his jaws.
Nick No!
He unleashed Hyper Beam point-blank.
The blast swallowed both Pokémon. Dragonite was blasted into the cavern wall with enough force to crack the stone, and Nick skidded across the ground, smoke curling from his jaws.
Before he could rise, Drayden's command cut through the haze:
"Dragonite. Ice Beam."
Nick barely got his head up.
A beam of freezing light struck him dead-on. Ice exploded around his arms, locking them together at the wrists and fusing them to his chest.
Nick roared, thrashing in an attempt to unpin his arms. Panic spiked through his mind.
Atrea, I can't- I can't move!
He'd never sounded like that before.
I stepped forward, projecting calm even though my heart was hammering.
Nick. Listen to me.
He froze, eyes wide.
Use your jaw. Break the ice.
How?! he barked, voice cracking.
Bite down and crush it!
He hesitated, then leaned down and clamped his jaw around the frozen block.
A sickening crack echoed through the cavern.
Fractures shot across the ice until it shattered in an explosion of shards as Nick tore himself free with a furious roar. Steam hissed from his armor plates where frostbite had bitten deep.
Zoey muttered, awestruck.
...Okay. That was metal as hell.
Drayden's expression tightened.
"Dragonite, Thunder Punch!"
The dragon lunged, fist wreathed in electricity.
And this time, Nick listened instantly.
Counter! I fired the command straight into his mind.
Nick stepped into the strike, absorbed the electricity through his torso, and snagged Dragonite's fist mid-swing.
Thunder harmlessly crackled across Nick's armor.
Dragonite froze, eyes widening in disbelief.
Nick snorted, steaming air as the fire behind his eyes returned.
I felt it before I saw it.
Outrage.
Nick erupted and yanked Dragonite forward, smashing him with a tail strike so hard the sound cracked like a rifle shot. Dragonite's breath exploded out of him, and he stumbled back. But Nick didn't give him space.
He slammed his knee into Dragonite's gut twice, each hit deep enough to bend scales. When Dragonite attempted to swing to create distance, Nick grabbed it and hurled him across the battlefield like a sandbag.
Dragonite skidded, gasping, but Nick was already there.
He punched Dragonite in the jaw, followed by an elbow to the temple and a spinning backhand that sent the dragon reeling. Dragonite tried to leap back, but Nick lunged, grappling him to drag him back into range.
A brutal suplex drove the dragon's back into the stone, and as Dragonite struggled upright, Nick grabbed him by the throat. He lifted Dragonite with insane strength and slammed his head straight through a boulder.
When the dust cleared, Dragonite lay limp in the rubble
Nick stood over him, chest heaving, steam rising from his battered armor. The Outrage slowly faded from his eyes as clarity returned. He blinked, swayed, and turned toward me with a shaky breath.
Maybe we don't make such a bad team after all, he whispered weakly.
I smiled
I guess not
Zoey stepped forward, tapping Nick on the back as she passed him.
Yeah Yeah. Good job, big guy. It's my turn. I've got a score to settle with your cousin over there.
She nodded to the looming figure of Drayden's Haxorus stepping out of the cave. The dragon emerged from the tunnel like a living guillotine. He towered over Zoey, even from a distance. Every one of his footfalls hit the stone with the weight of an executioner approaching his platform.
Aw, did I wake you from your nap?
She yelled sardonically
I've been waiting for the chance to put you under my boot again
Haxorus replied. There wasn't a single bit of sarcasm below the threat.
Zoey clicked her tongue. Oh, sweetheart... that's adorable.
She leaned close to me without taking her eyes off him.
As much as I want to be confident, he's fucking terrifying.
You can do this, Zoey.
I know.
Drayden lifted one hand.
"Final round," he declared, voice echoing through the cavern. "No holding back."
Haxorus stomped once
Your illusions won't save you, little fox. I'm gonna tear through your lies and eat your heart.
Zoey's mane bristled, teeth baring in a feral grin.
Bring it, scaly
Haxorus's answer came as a deep, guttural growl that vibrated the floor.
Drayden dropped his arm.
"Begin."
Drayden's arm dropped, and Zoey shot forward before Haxorus had even finished his first step. She split into three perfect copies mid-sprint, one darting left, one right, and one leaping straight up. It looked exactly like the reckless tactic that got her crushed in their first fight, convincing enough that even I tensed. Haxorus didn't fall for it. He spun with murderous precision, his axe-blades carving through the first two illusions in clean arcs, bursting them into wisps of black vapor. The third illusion, leaping high, he snatched out of the air and slammed into the ground with bone-shattering force. Except it didn't scream. It broke apart into a puff of smoke that hissed through his claws.
Haxorus recoiled, momentarily thrown off. "Where-?" He growled, twisting around.
Never said I'd fight fair, honey.
She said from behind him. She dropped her invisibility like a shimmering curtain as dark energy spiraled around her palms.
Boo.
She blasted a point-blank Dark Pulse straight into the base of his spine; the shockwave cracked out through the cavern. Haxorus staggered, not wounded, just incandescent with fury. He rounded on her, eyes blazing molten gold.
"Tricks," he snarled. "Always tricks. I'm going to bury you for that."
Zoey flipped her mane back with infuriating smugness. Good. Stop thinking. Come swing at me.
Haxorus stomped hard enough to rattle dust from the ceiling, and the floor quivered under my boots. His voice was deeper now, strained with rage he was barely containing. "I'll rip the shadows off your bones."
Zoey danced backward on light feet, her smirk razor-sharp. Promises, promises. Come and find me, darling.
Haxorus lunged, wild and furious, exactly the state she wanted him in.
He barreled toward her with the subtlety of a missile, claws dragging sparks across the stone with each stride. Zoey didn't run; she twirled, almost playful, letting him think he was closing the gap. His claws carved through another afterimage that popped like a soap bubble, leaving him snapping at empty air.
A low, delighted laugh brushed my mind. Perfect. I've blinded him.
I suddenly felt the air change. The pressure shifted, and the light dimmed. Zoey's mane rippled as if caught in a phantom breeze. Shadows bled outward from her feet and stretched across the cavern floor like sinister reflections. Then they bloomed upward like a massive curtain of deceit.
The temperature around us felt like it rose.
Then the entire battlefield ruptured.
Stone melted into black volcanic rock. Dust turned into drifting sparks. Heat shimmered in suffocating waves as jagged cliffs erupted from nothing, magma bleeding between them in glowing rivers. Overhead, the cavern ceiling warped into a sky of churning ash and red lightning.
And behind Haxorus was the illusion of an erupting volcano that towered above him.
The roar wasn't real, but it felt real, vibrating straight through my ribs. Fire and molten stone arced across the projection, raining down in blazing meteors that thudded into the ground with bone-rattling force.
Haxorus stopped dead, thrown off just long enough for Zoey to flicker into view several yards behind him. She stood on a jutting outcrop of obsidian, haloed by volcanic glow, one hand on her hip.
Welcome to round two, she purred into his mind.
Haxorus snarled, the sound guttural and furious. He punched right through a chunk of molten rock falling toward him, only for his claws to pass uselessly through it, the image warping like disturbed water.
Illusions! He growled; there was genuine scorn in his tone now. There was something else, though. A note of confusion. "Enough games. Fight me!"
Zoey's eyes glowed crimson as the volcano behind her erupted again, even larger this time. Oh, I am. Her grin sharpened. And you're already losing.
Haxorus bellowed and charged through the inferno of illusions, his mind partially overwhelmed, instincts firing in every direction at once. He slashed at phantom boulders, dodged magma that wasn't there, roared back at the thunder in the false sky, all while Zoey moved freely in the chaos she'd built around him.
The angrier he gets, she whispered gleefully into my mind, the dumber he gets. Keep going, big guy. Burn yourself out.
And Haxorus did, charging deeper into the nightmare she'd crafted, teeth bared, eyes blazing, like every thought of his had been overridden by fury.
Zoey vanished into the storm of shadows and began to plot out the rest of this hunt.
Haxorus tore through the volcanic nightmare she'd woven around him, smashing phantom boulders, swiping at falling embers, snarling at magma that wasn't real. He was pure fury now, all instinct and no discipline, exactly where Zoey wanted him.
He's losing track of what's real, Zoey whispered, her voice brushing my thoughts like smoke. Time to twist the knife.
She disappeared again, slipping into the haze of drifting ash. Haxorus spun, claws flexing as he tried to find the real her through the blistering veil of illusion.
The volcano behind him rumbled, a deep, seismic groan that felt so convincing my knees trembled. Haxorus whipped toward it, expecting another cascade of molten debris.
Instead, something else emerged.
A massive silhouette of another Haxorus, but made of molten stone and smoke, rose from the heart of the volcano like a creature forged in magma. It glowed bright orange, molten cracks running through its entire body, each step leaving behind smoldering footprints in the rock. Its eyes were pits of burning ember-light as it stalked down the volcanic slope.
Haxorus recoiled, instinctively bracing as if another apex predator had wandered into his territory.
What trick is this? he snarled, voice cracking with fury and something dangerously close to uncertainty.
The molten Haxorus roared, a deafening, echoing sound that sent sheets of ash whipping across the battlefield. Haxorus responded in kind, roaring back in challenge, slamming his tail against the ground hard enough to fracture the stone.
He charged the molten doppelganger in a blind fury. But his claws hit air.
The illusion rippled, and Haxorus stumbled through it, straight into a burst of searing phantom heat that spewed out from the creature's chest. It wasn't real fire, but his mind reacted as if it was. He staggered back as his eyes began to blaze in confused rage.
Zoey appeared atop the illusion's shoulder, sliding one paw down the magma creature's bladed tusk.
Oh, she cooed, crossing her legs like she was lounging on a throne, jealous? Didn't think you'd get territorial.
Haxorus snarled and swung upward, blade arcing in a murderous slash. It passed through both the illusion and Zoey's projection, both dissolving into a burst of cinders and shadow.
His roar shook the entire battlefield. He spun around wildly, searching for her, rage boiling unchecked.
And that's when the real Zoey materialized behind him again.
Right here.
She drove a Night Slash across the joint of his knee, the one place armored dragons hated to be hit. Haxorus buckled with a strangled snarl.
Now he was past fury.
He was terrified of being outplayed.
And that was exactly where Zoey became unstoppable.
Haxorus staggered from the Night Slash to his knee, snarling as he forced himself upright. The volcanic illusion still crackled around him. Molten cliffs, rivers of lava, and choking ash spiraled through the air. His breathing had turned ragged and murderous.
She vanished into the haze, her silhouette flickering like heat shimmer before dissolving into the volcanic glow. Haxorus whipped around, scanning the cliffs and smoke for movement.
"Show yourself!" he roared, voice cracking under the strain.
Zoey's whisper ghosted through my mind.
I think I can use his tusks to my advantage.
I didn't respond. All of this was far past my ability to choreograph. And from the look on Drayden's face, his as well. Like Scizor's battle with Salamence, this was up to them, for better or for worse.
A flicker of purple light darted across a jagged cliff-face in the illusion, Zoey's shape sprinting along the ridge. Haxorus saw it immediately and tore after her. She moved fast, just out of reach, her image darting between plumes of rising magma and collapsing ledges.
She leapt across a chasm, another illusion, of course, and landed on a massive obsidian outcrop near the wall of the cavern.
A perfect ledge at a perfect angle.
Haxorus bounded after her, his rage now completely blinding him to everything else. Zoey stopped on the ledge and turned, standing perfectly still.
Right here, big guy.
Haxorus didn't think, and with a roar that shook the entire battlefield, he lunged and slammed his head forward, tusks first, aiming to gore her outright.
But Zoey dissolved... and the cliff didn't.
The illusion peeled away just in time to reveal the real cavern wall.
Haxorus struck it at full speed.
The impact boomed like a cannon shot, and when the dust cleared, his tusks were buried deep into the cliff face, sinking nearly to the base of his jaw. He tried to wrench himself free, but his tusks wouldn't budge.
Haxorus writhed against the stone, finally free of the illusion but very much not free of the stone he'd rammed himself into. His fists dented the rock as he hammered them into it. The cavern trembled with every furious impact.
Drayden's eyes widened, the first sliver of surprise I'd seen from him all battle. His mouth opened to issue a command, but Zoey didn't give him the chance.
She flicked her wrist, shadows spiraling into tight orbits around her palms as three pulsing orbs formed.
Lights out, scaley.
She unleashed all three Shadow Balls in a rapid-fire volley.
Despite being blind with his back to the incoming attacks, he managed to slice the first one in half with his tail and kicked straight through the second. The third, however, connected and cooked off in an explosion of black and violet.
The direct blast to his ribs made him flinch.
"Haxorus!" Drayden barked, voice sharp with urgency. "Aim Dragon Pulse into the rock!"
The dragon obeyed instantly. His throat began to glow with that bright, devastating energy. A beam blasted through the cliff, detonating it in a violent eruption of stone shards and dust. The section of rock pinning him was vaporized instantly, leaving a hole where his head had been a second earlier. Haxorus tore himself around, ready to rip Zoey's head off, but she was already in motion.
She was halfway across the battlefield in mid-air, her arms and legs tucked tight like a cannonball fired straight from the heavens.
Haxorus barely had time to widen his eyes.
At the last possible instant, Zoey unfurled, her paws spread as her mane whipped back under the pressure.
Now, she whispered into my mind.
She unleashed the most powerful Night Daze she'd ever produced.
It hit point-blank.
A tidal wave of black and crimson force erupted outward, swallowing Haxorus in a violent shockwave that cracked the ground in a widening ring. Drayden and I had to shield our eyes as the world went white and red.
When the smoke finally thinned, Haxorus was on his side, collapsed in a heavy heap, defeated at last.
Zoey landed lightly beside him, one knee hitting the ground as she caught herself, breath ragged, eyes still glowing faintly from the attack. She pushed herself up with a shaky grin and flicked a bit of dust off her shoulder.
That, she panted, is for slamming me last time.
The battlefield fell silent.
"Haxorus is unable to battle. The victory goes to Atrea Morgan and Zoroark."
I exhaled, only then realizing I'd been holding my breath the entire time.
The battlefield was still settling when the teleporter pad hummed to life behind me. A pillar of blue light erupted, fading to reveal Skyla stepping forward with her hands on her hips, wind-swept hair bouncing with each proud stride.
"Finally!" she said, throwing her arms up. "The clerk wouldn't let me come up until it was over. I've been pacing in circles down there like a Pidove on coffee."
I couldn't help it, I ran to her. Skyla's face lit up, her smile wide and full of relief as she waved past me.
"Hi, Drayden!" she called.
Drayden, still approaching across the cracked stone arena, gave her a warm smile and lifted his hand in greeting. "Skyla. It's good to see you."
She turned back toward me before I could say anything else, and then she didn't say anything at all.
She just grabbed the front of my jacket and kissed me.
Hard.
Her lips crashed into mine with all the pent-up worry and adrenaline she'd clearly been holding in during the entire fight. I melted into her instantly, hands sliding to her waist, the world falling away in a rush of heat and heartbeat and the faint scent of jet fuel on her clothes.
We only pulled apart when someone cleared their throat loudly.
We both turned.
Drayden stood a polite distance away, arms crossed, the faintest amused twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Well," he said, "I suppose congratulations are in order in several categories."
Skyla flushed scarlet. I wasn't far behind.
Drayden stepped closer, his expression shifting from amused to sincere. "Atrea, your growth as a trainer since our first match is remarkable. Your team... all of them... they fought with heart, precision, and resolve." His gaze flicked to Zoey, who was trying and failing to make her excessive pride look subtle. "I am impressed."
"Thank you," I said softly, still breathless, still trying to steady the pounding in my chest.
Drayden nodded once. "Skyla, do say hello to your grandfather for me."
She grinned. "I will. He'll be thrilled you still remember him."
But before I could relax, Drayden glanced back at me, and the tone changed.
"As for you, Atrea..." He paused, eyes softening. "I haven't seen anyone battle the way you just did... not since your mother."
My stomach dropped. My breath caught. "...My mom?"
Drayden nodded. "Chloe was a prodigy. Fierce. Brilliant. Completely unyielding when she believed in something." He folded his arms. "I mentored her during her early years in the Elite Four. Helped refine her battle instincts."
I stared at him. "You knew her that well?"
"Well enough," he said, then added more quietly, "And I was among the very few who knew about Dakashi."
The world froze for a beat.
Skyla blinked. "Dakashi?"
I turned sharply. "You... knew?"
Drayden smiled faintly. "Old as I am, I'm not blind to the shadows we stand among."
Then he lifted his chin over my shoulder and spoke, but not to me:
"Show some courtesy and acknowledge her victory."
Skyla and I exchanged baffled looks.
Until she gasped softly.
"Atrea... your shadow."
I turned slowly, and sure enough, my shadow began to warp.
Dakashi stepped out of it like a curtain, the darkness clinging to him before slipping away like running ink.
"You're getting old, Drayden," the Darkrai murmured, voice velvety and amused. "Your eyes used to be sharper."
Drayden huffed a quiet laugh. "And you haven't changed one bit. It's good to see you, old friend."
Dakashi's gaze flicked to me, then to Skyla, before he bowed his head ever so slightly. Well done, he whispered into my mind. I knew you'd prevail.
I swallowed hard. "You... you were here the whole time?"
Dakashi chuckled. "Wouldn't miss it."
Drayden cleared his throat again, slipping seamlessly back into his stern, authoritative mode.
"Now," he said, "before either of you get too comfortable..."
He stepped close enough that only Skyla and I could hear, lowering his voice into something secret and serious.
"Victory Road lies three miles north of this cavern. There is a hidden entrance behind the waterfall; it's designed to prevent any challengers without all eight badges from finding it. Follow the narrow tunnel upward until you reach the stone archway with the carved dragon sigil. Touch it, and the path will reveal itself."
Skyla squeezed my hand. My pulse quickened.
Drayden finished with a steady, respectful nod.
"Go well, both of you. And Atrea..." His eyes softened. "Your mother would be proud."
I swallowed hard, unable to speak, but Skyla tugged closer and rested her forehead gently against mine.
Dakashi's shadow curled around us, protective and silent.
And for the first time since setting out on this insane journey... I felt ready for whatever lay at the end of Victory Road.