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'Chaos has erupted in the sleepy seaside town of Ambrette,' the newscaster said, her hair a mess from where she'd been forced to run, her make up hastily applied and her clothes dishevelled. Though she stood within the boundaries of Ambrette Town, the battle was clearly visible over her shoulder, trailing down the slope of Route 9 and partly hidden by a wall protecting the town. The endless horde marched ever closer, fiery explosions and crashes of rock shaking the earth and booming in the background.

'Not long ago, Route 9, also known as Spikes Passage, a popular training destination for Rhyhorn racers, became the site of a ferocious battle between its native pokémon and nearby pokémon trainers. Even now the fighting continues,' she said, the screen showing shots of the carnage; battles from different angles, exhausted trainers and pokémon slumped in the street. Normal citizens leaving their homes with heavy bags or just the clothes on their back. They replayed the footage captured at the start of the attack, which showed the masses of pokémon marching towards town, and a trainer riding on a Rhyhorn's back in the distance.

'The pokémon center is filled to capacity as residents flee.' Now the camera viewed the Teleport Zone on the top floor of the center, people jostling one another to be the next in line, dashing into the public teleport tubes and being taken away to another city. 'And trainers hearing of this outbreak rush to help. Details are sparse on what exactly caused the outbreak to start, but authorities assure me that they will end it soon.'

Right then, the east wall smashed apart and a Hippowdon tore through. Smaller pokémon poured through at its sides like a carpet of bodies. The enraged Hippowdon roared, then charged. The last shot of the news feed was of the camera crew dropping their equipment, the screen turning to static.

Lumiose City - Moreau Library

Esme stared dumbly at the screen, sucking on a spoon of ice cream with her aunts gathered anxiously beside her. The library's lower floor had gathered a small crowd, which was still more people at once than the library had seen in years, all fixated on the television behind the counter. The screen flickered and showed a feed from a news room somewhere in Lumiose, the anchor looking somewhat flustered. He cleared his throat, and tried assuring viewers that they'd merely witnessed some technical difficulties.

'Hippowdon are hardly technical, they're just difficult,' Esme muttered in Kalosian before hopping from her seat. The crowd quickly swarmed in to fill her place She was sure she'd spotted Zack in one of the shots, riding a Rhyhorn like a surfboard. The jury was still out on whether he was brave or just stupid, she thought, heading for the doors and towards Estival Avenue, which was still bleached with bright sunlight.

'Esme,' one of her aunts called. They were twins, identical and elderly, so most people couldn't tell one from the other. But Esme had lived with them for most of her life. This one was Janvier, so-called because she was born at midnight on the 31st of January. Her sister was Février, since she was born a few minutes later. 'Where are you going?'
'I'm just making a call,' Esme said brightly, 'It's way too noisy in here.'

Aunt Janvier said nothing. Nobody said anything. The only sound was coming from the television screen and a few muffled gasps when people saw more footage.

'Well, okay,' Janvier said at last, 'But please be careful.'

The Clash of Route 9

'Mark! And release!'

A line of strong pokémon stood at the ready, each holding a Voltorb, Electrode or Geodude in their hands, then lobbed them on command. The pokémon span as they went flying through the sky, landing in the middle of the horde and exploding on impact, scattering the horde's bodies like a spray of sand. The cop in charge of the explosive volley lowered his binoculars, surveyed the damage, then ordered the line of pokémon to reload and launch some more.

Meanwhile a similar tactic was being set up on the cliffs overlooking Route 9. More exploders, Gravellers and Golems mainly, were lined up on the edge, spaced equally. On command, they all rolled at once, crashing down the cliff face and blasting into the horde.

It was a safe move for the defending force. Nobody was left on Route 9. They'd all retreated into Ambrette Town.

Roy couldn't take much more of this. The pokémon had breached the walls, and slowly flooded into Ambrette Town. He'd headed north to join the other trainers who were gathering on rooftops, trying to keep the horde directed away from the pokémon center. They were lucky Ambrette had such a sharp slope; it slowed the pokémon's movements uphill, and would make it easier to drive them south.

They're mad, but not malicious, Roy reminded himself, They'll keep marching no matter what; we're just in the way. If we could just get them to the ocean...

Feraligatr was putting up a valiant effort, but tiring. Roy spotted his pokémon deep in the fighting. Wild pokémon smashed into him, biting and tearing, but he dealt with them, swinging with his tail, thrashing his fists into thick groups. A Hippopotas jumped on the water type's back, and so did another. Strong as he was, Feraligatr was too tired to keep taking their weight. Feraligatr doubled over, out of breath, Sandile and Helioptile latching onto his arm and dragging him down, as if sinking beneath a wave.

That was enough. Roy aimed his pokéball and shot out a recall beam, but it was too late. A Hippopotas blocked the beam with its back, and Feraligatr vanished under the mass of bodies.

Glittering Cave - Lower Tunnels

The tunnel lit up with Hexum's Flash Cannon, which blew up even more of the tunnel, spraying an extra layer of debris into the air. Zack clenched his teeth, and couldn't see Serene anywhere. But right now, he had problems of his own. When Jump turned to kick the debris out of the air, Zack used the distraction to get free of his grip and back up against the rear end of the cart, regaining his stamina.

They ran out over the gorge again. The constant movement made it hard to tell, but Zack had a feeling that they were going lower and lower each time they crossed out over the black pit. He wondered what would happen at the end of the line; none of them were really in a position to hit the breaks. Would they just crash? He'd have to put Jump and Hexum down before then.

''Hey,' he said, tapping Jump on the shoulder. With any luck, the other trainer would just turn around to look at him, and he could punch him in the face with a powerful, flooring blow. While Jump was a strong, kick-oriented fighter, Zack was just strong, period.

Meanwhile, Serene caught her breath, the ground vanishing beneath her feet. Outside of the tunnel, the only floor to speak of were the thin planks of wood of the track and about a mile of scaffolding that went nowhere. Falling here was not on her agenda. She'd narrowly avoided the Flash Cannon by letting go of the mine cart once the tunnel lit up. In that period of white hot blindness, she'd quickly grabbed hold of Jump and Zack's cart, and ducked between it and Hexum's.

With the way the carts' lips pointed outwards, it provided an area of cover where she could stay out of harms' way for a second. If his aura sensing abilities were down, Hexum wouldn't be able to detect her unless he physically peered over and under the edge of the cart. Serene kept herself in place with her feet on Hexum's cart, her back on the trainers', and glanced around for an advantage. There was one running parallel to them right now.

Another track, about twenty feet down and thirty feet away. Serene's horns glowed, and she blasted Hexum's cart with a Confusion. The sudden jolt would kick its momentum up a notch, sending it speeding along the track even faster. In the same breath, she clung hold of the trainers' cart and used Teleport, removing it from their original track, and dropping it on the lower one, taking her, Zack and Jump along for the ride.

They hit with a clang and rocked, nearly coming free of the track, settling in place thanks to their weight. Serene almost had room to breathe, but she quickly had to duck to avoid getting her face smashed by an ancient wooden barrier. It was a simple thing, and she didn't need to be able to read Kalosian to know what it said.

///BRIDGE OUT AHEAD///

((Take one down and no more shall take his place))

Lumiose City - Estival Avenue

Esme hurried to a quiet spot on the street and ducked into a nearby alleyway. You had to hand it to the Kalosians, they kept their streets clean. In any other city, the alley would be dank and dark and smelling of urine, but in Lumiose they were just like miniature versions of the main roads. Nicely paved, well maintained, some even had benches. Esme leant up against a wall and dialled her Holo Caster. It took a few seconds, but the call went through, and up went the holographic display of two similarly-dressed young adults. A white boy with blond hair, a black girl with dark. They weren't dating, so far as Esme knew, they were just inseparable and... odd.

'Esme!' the guy said in surprise, fingering a band of hair behind his ear, 'How's your day off?'
'Dexio, Sina,' Esme replied, ignoring him, 'Have you seen the news yet?'
'You mean the news about the enormous horde of bloodthirsty monsters overrunning and destroying a quiet, seaside town?' Sina asked, 'Because if you do, we've seen it.'

'Then don't you think you ought to do something about it?' Esme frowned.
'Wh-what? What are you talking about?' Dexio started to laugh, 'What on earth could we possibly do? We're just mild mannered lab assistants.'
'And occasionally fieldwork assistants,' Sina chimed. Esme sighed.

Alright, fine. 'Right. What I meant was: Oh gee, wouldn't it be swell if The Defenders of Kalos knew what was going on in Ambrette Town, so they could just zip right on over and do something about it?!'
'That sure would be swell,' Dexio said, nodding. 'If only- oh no. Sorry Esme, gotta run. Professor Sycamore's got a very important job for us.'
'Very important.'
'And we're gonna have to go now. Bye!'

The Clash of Route 9

The Holo Caster beeped off and Dexio put it safely in his back pocket. He stood up tall, wind whipping at his clothes. It was strong at the top of the cliffs overlooking Route 9, the sea stretching before them like an infinitely massive sapphire. Beside him, Sina had already put on her halfmask and scarf. Hers were red to complement his blue, and once he put his on, The Defenders of Kalos had arrived. Protectors of the innocent, guardians of the just, vanquishers of evil.

'Poor Esme,' Dexio chuckled, 'She doesn't suspect a thing. If she only knew.'
'But it's our secret,' Sina said, her mask doing absolutely nothing to distort her voice.
Dexio nodded solemnly. 'And our curse.'

Before them, Route 9 merged with Ambrette Town. The walls had been reduced to rubble and the rampage had already filtered through the town's streets. Buildings didn't last long once once the Route 9 pokémon reached them. Soon they crumbled, and the horde overran the ruins, breaking brick and steel into fragments, trampling over the remains of peoples' lives. Dexio shook his head at the madness of it all.

'Come, Defender Red,' he said, 'We have to put a stop to this.'
'I agree,' Sina said, putting her foot on the edge of the cliff. They shared a nod, then leapt into action, sliding down the cliff face and kicking up a sharp cloud of dust in their wake.

Glittering Cave - The Gorge

Zack was nearly thrown out of the cart when it hit the end of the track, bouncing off a slight upturn in the metal rails. They soon plummeted, wind screaming in their ears. The cart fell away, upturning its contents into the pitch blackness of the gorge. The light of the glimmering gems refused to reflect from the bottom. It could be twenty feet away, it could be a hundred. He had to act fast.

'Serene!' Zack roared, not sure if his voice would reach her. He spotted the Kirlia a short distance away, falling freely on her own, fading light barely illuminating her between long strips of darkness. He held out his hand and choked out, 'Teleport!'

She reached for him, and his fingers stretched and finally snatched her arm. Zack looked to his side, eyes stinging, his body falling but feeling weightless at once. He was distantly aware of his legs kicking, but had no control over it. Jump was on his other side, and even if they'd been kicking the s**t out of each other moments ago, he wasn't about to let him die.

'Jump!' he shouted over the rushing din, 'Take my hand!'

Serene could use Teleport to get them out of there. It was their only chance, Zack thought. He just had to grab Jump first.

A sudden jolt wrenched Serene free of his grip, and sent Zack spinning. He barely glimpsed the side of the scaffolding that Serene must have smashed into as he span around and around. Serene was gone, and Zack couldn't tell which way was which.

Glittering Cave – Mine Control Center

As the Scizor moved forward, Kiedis’s muscles Bulked Up and compressed, patching his defense and making him stronger. He had been prepared to catch Écarlate mid Quick Attack like once before, only this times with his hands on fire, but the Feint caught him off guard. The crystal boulder shattered beneath him, debris chunks pelting into his face, and he dropped into a short freefall through the shards.

The girl was moving. It had been his job to keep her out of the cave. But one girl was not his concern. Fighting was his concern.

Keeping his wits about him, Kiedis thrust a Fire Punch forward, intending to meet the Metal Claw head on with his own strike. He knew whatever impact their collision created would knock his small, midair body across the mine control center, but it was better than taking a direct hit and he thought he could do damage to the Bug type in the process.

As his flaming fists shifted through space, the light in the room changed, and both fighters were half shadowed as if lit by candlelight.

Glittering Cave – Lower Tunnels

Jump perceived his fall in slow motion, watching the cart drop as he body spun helplessly in the air. The light of the gorge’s shimmering crystal ceiling grew farther and farther away. All the sudden…a party in a cave seems kind of creepy…no wonder no one showed…

Can’t believe I got the gift of more time, and now I’m here. Dying like this…what a waste…

Zack’s words snapped him out of his head. Without a second thought he shifted himself, finger inching towards Zack to take his hand. Then Serene crashed into some scaffolding, and the two trainers were falling out of control once more.

******************

Once upon a time, three idiots were hiking through a mountain in the Johto region. The handsome idiot thought highly of his appearance. The idiot Ursaring thought highly of his toughness. And the idiot Lucario didn’t think himself an idiot at all, despite hanging out with two idiots.

The trio stumbled upon a hot spring in the middle of the woods. “That’ll do wonders for my pores. I’m in,” said the handsome idiot, stripping down and jumping in.
[It looks cursed, but I’m not scared,] said the idiot Ursaring, stepping into the warm waters.
“I just ate ten minutes ago, I’ll wait another fifty minutes before swimming,” said the idiot Lucario, who wandered off.

The handsome one and the bear were at ease in the hot spring, and began napping. Little did they know the hot spring was no ordinary hot spring. Its waters had been blessed by the being who knew not of the boundary called time, Celebi. With every minute the two of them spent in the water, their age regressed.

At last the idiot Lucario returned to find his companions growing younger. The Ursaring, halfway through de-evolving, was pulled out first, undergoing a strange but adorable mutation. The handsome one was pulled out next, with several years of his life tacked back on.

The Lucario carried them back to the nearest village. The local doctor examined them both, finding nothing wrong. When the Teddiursaring woke up and saw his appearance, he howled into the night, citing it as the worst day of his life. The handsome one, who felt himself becoming too old for his lifestyle, was ecstatic to see he was young again. It was the best day of his life.

Why were these three idiots considered idiots? For starters, when the townsfolk asked them where they had found this hot spring, they had absolutely no remembrance of how to trace their steps. They had discovered the fountain of youth, only to forget where it was.

******************

Hexum swooped down, grabbing both Jump and Zack in each hand. The sudden weight threw him off balance as he struggled to retain balance atop the Aura Sphere. The three of them were dropped faster. Hexum grit his teeth, doing his best to de-accelerate and praying the ground would come up soon.

And it did, a few feet before the velocity of their fall became too much. More shimmering crystals were embedded into the ground, the light of the gorge floor separating it from the darkness of the cart tracks above. Hexum lost his grip and they all rolled to the slick wet floor of the gorge.

Jump, sprawled down on his back, winced as he caught his breath. That wasn’t as bad as I thought… He craned his head to the side, seeing Zack in a similar position a few feet away.

“Hey,” he called over, hoping the other trainer could answer him. “Hey…Hexum told me you were going to betray us when we left the party room.” Jump tried grinning, but with his back aching and his feelings hurt it was difficult. “C’mon man, I trusted you.”

Glittering Cave - The Gorge

Zack's head was spinning, and his insides felt like they'd been violently twisted upside down. There was barely any light down here, just a few lonely gems that reflected a shimmer in the trickle of water that cut through the centre of the gorge. Jump and Hexum were a short distance away. Seemed like Zack had rolled a bit after hitting the floor, covering his suit in slick, black, thousand year old mud. He put his hand in something moist as he forced himself to stand up.

Getting real tired of picking myself off the floor, he thought bitterly, looking around and catching his breath. He barely even heard Jump, too busy straining his eyes to try and pick where Serene had landed. But it was too dark, and she could be anywhere. Even if he found her, there was no telling what state she'd be in. The memory of the jolt as she was ripped from his grasp was still raw and painful. One thing was for sure; she wouldn't be dancing out of here.

'Betray you?' Zack said between hard breaths, 'Why would I want to do that? You're only the moron who started this whole mess.'

Glittering Cave – Mine Control Center

You talk too much. Écarlate Kicked off the wall to launch himself away from it before it crumbled - or he tried to. Écarlate's eyes widened as his foot broke through the wall as it began to fell. While he wasn't caught in the full brunt of the attack, his left foot was. The vibrations mutilated it, twisting the metal flesh and twisted himself into the air to escape it before he lost the foot forever.

The Scizor then fell toward the Teddiursa. Obscured through the debris, all Écarlate could do was hope that Kiedis didn't have a counter attack ready for the entire wall. He'd use his good foot to try and launch himself as far and as quickly away as possible the moment he could get some solid ground under himself.

Glittering Cave - The Gorge

'I can see that,' Zack said, his throat going dry, taking a step back. He'd seen the occasional prehistoric pokémon before, but never up close. And never quite that gigantic. He was suddenly aware of every sound he was making; every breath, every crunch of pebbles underfoot. It all seemed magnified. It took a conscious effort to wrench his head away from the slumbering monster and look up and down the gorge carefully. If there was one Tyrantrum, there was probably more. Any outline, any silhouette, could just be a rock formation, or it could be-

Rocks crumbled somewhere in the darkness. It was a quiet sound with barely any echo, but definitely not something Zack imagined. He couldn't pinpoint the source. His pulse throbbed in his neck.

'Anyone else hear that?' Zack asked, letting the cave fall silent as he strained his ears. He looked back to the sleeping dinosaur, acutely aware of its enormous fangs, each the size of his forearm. It hadn't moved, except to breathe in sharply, then let out a big, bubbling snore. 'I vote we get the hell out of here. Right now.'

The Clash of Route 9

Roy stood in the doorway to the pokémon center, passing out pokéballs. The cashier at the pokémart inside had gone white in the face, no doubt wishing he'd been able to catch a teleport out of town. Instead he'd been ordered to till in as many pokéballs as possible, which were then distributed between trainers outside. The trainers stood in a line, the Route 9 pokémon barging uphill towards the center.

'Now!' someone yelled, and the trainers threw their pokéballs all at once. The balls flew like arrows and fell like rain, some missing and bouncing, but most hitting one of the incoming pokémon and absorbing them into a mess of red light, which was then dragged inside the capsule. Roy noticed a good few of the captures go through, but many managed to resist and pop back out a few seconds later.

All we're managing to do is stall them, Roy thought, eyes darting over the battleground. He grit his teeth. There's no end to this.

Glittering Cave - The Tunnels

Deep in the upper levels of Glittering Cave lay the once-sacred domain of Diancie, the legendary Jewel Pokémon. Mine tracks didn't come this far into the cave, leaving it protected from accidental damage by mine workers. To access it, you had to dismount a cart and travel on foot, which is what Aliana and her grunts were forced to do. Their footsteps marked the virgin earth, illuminated by a series of torches they'd left behind to mark their way. Howls of battle filtered along the tunnel like a chorus of ghosts.

Just one more push Aliana thought, keeping her excitement in check. Her grunts fought valiantly, but they were against a legendary pokémon. She didn't expect them to win. Not fairly, anyway.

Diancie flew about its cavern, leaping from rock to rock. The idiot's music had woken the legendary and allowed it to prepare for battle. Fortunately, it hadn't simply fled, but was sat waiting for the members of Flare when they arrived. Once they entered the cavern, Diancie threw its arms wide, summoning the jewels embedded in the wall, ripping them free and making them float throughout the cavern. It used these to move about, jumping from one to the other to avoid attacks, levelling its own. They were uniquely powerful, Aliana noted with pleasure, and perfect for the task ahead.

But even with all that power, Diancie was no match for Aliana's machines. While the grunts kept Diancie occupied, Aliana placed devices around the tunnel mouth. Four in total, forming a square.

One of her grunts ran back to her, out of pokémon. He collapsed with a twirl, and Aliana ignored him. The final grunt was on her final pokémon, a Mightyena, just as planned. Diancie swept in for the finishing blow and Aliana gave the signal.

Mightyena Roared, sending shockwaves from its maw that ripped the air apart. Diancie was thrown backwards uncontrollably. It gripped hold of a rock, but another Roar blew it away from it. The Jewel pokémon flew backwards towards Aliana, towards the cave exit and the machines. As soon as Diancie passed between them, the machines reacted, catching the legendary in an electric net and holding it in place.

Diancie struggled, but struggling was futile. A moment later, the machines broke free of their walls, snapping together in an instant. Their excess shelling flew off and their cores joined together as Diancie was reduced to a mass of red light. The pokéball was made of four quarter-spheres, each piece a part of the capture devices, each forming an unstoppable hold that would in turn form a seal. The ball rocked on the floor and, after a few seconds, went cool.

The Clash of Route 9

[Buzzbuzzbuzzbuzz!] Ledian shouted, his four fists landing a series of speedy blows against a Sandile, carrying it into the air. He ended the combo with a Mach Punch, which made the air bend like a shockwave around him while sending the Sandile far into the distance. [Off! Ha! I got one!]

The flying bug turned around, his grin dropping like a stone. Carracosta waded through the mass of rampaging pokémon, swinging his wide arms like oars in a lake, smashing aside waves of opponents.

[Huh. Wasn't expecting this when I woke up. Nope.] The turtle pokémon said with a big, plodding voice while slapping a Hippopotas senseless. [No sir, not me.]

Ledian hung in the air, all four hands open wide with indignity. He was almost caught out when a Helioptile jumped at him, but Carracosta blasted it into the ocean with a spray of water.

[Oh hey, Led. You taking a break?] the water type said good-naturedly. Ledian span on the spot, and picked out another opponent.

[Just keep fighting, you big dummy!] he squeaked before diving into the horde.

Carracosta paused, then shrugged, continuing his wide but effective swings. [Didn't see this coming, no not me. No siree.]

---

'Huh, that's weird,' Dexio said, looking over Route 9 with his binoculars. Sina took them from him to get a look for herself, and Dexio pinched his chin in thought.
'I'm not sure I'm seeing anything,' she said. They stood on large egg-shaped boulders overlooking the route, safe from harm but a perfect seat to coordinate their battles. Ledian and Carracosta looked like miniature islands in an ocean.

'Exactly,' Dexio said. 'Well, not exactly, but just as you can see the effects of a gap but not the gap itself, there's a considerable lack of pokémon coming out of the ground over there.'
'That is weird,' Sina agreed. 'Or normal, depending on how you look at it.'

Ledian buzzed through the sky, striking a superheroic pose before swooping in to save Carracosta from a Sandile's Sand Attack. Dexio frowned. The Route 9 pokémon were still in a frenzy, but there weren't any more of them coming from the earth. He looked over at Ambrette Town, or what was left of Ambrette Town. Just a few buildings whole, the rest a smoking ruin infested with pokémon.

'Hold on a little longer, fair city. The end is in sight.'
'It's not like it can get any worse,' Sina added.

Glittering Cave - The Gorge

'Be careful not to piss your pants,' Zack smirked, putting his back to Jump's, ripping his ruined jacket from his body and letting it slop to the slick wet floor. Suits weren't exactly meant for fighting, and he'd rather lose the jacket than his life. More growls and roars echoed from the dark. Heavy, slow footsteps crunched rock. He heard the awakened dinosaur pokémon thrash about impatiently, hungry for their meal. Zack unclipped a pokéball from his waist and stood at the ready.

The giant Tyrantrum took a huge, thundering step forward that made the gorge quiver, loosing debris from its sheer walls. It thrashed its tail, wincing in the light of Hexum's aura torch. With a final snarl, Tyrantrum lunged, lowering its head and charging forward to Head Smash the unlucky meat into a bloody smear. The pokémon's skull was like the front of a truck, and was backed with the power of several.

With their king charging, the other ancients roared in a ring circling their prey, eager to claim a piece of the prize for themselves. Their voices reverberated around the pit, multiplied, a stadium of bestial hollers and cries that celebrated the incoming slaughter.

Route 7

About half a mile away from the Battle Chateau, Elite Four member Siebold sat on a berth of land overlooking the river. It gurgled quietly along, and he saw the occasional river-dweller race by the surface. He rubbed the base of his collar between his fingertips, pensive and dour. He had dreaded his visit to Lord Nostrad, and left feeling worse than he could have imagined. An assassin preying on the nobility. It was always a possibility, but an actuality? He felt naked and ill, and more vulnerable than ever in his life.

'Well now,' Lord Nostrad had said, swinging open the old door open, releasing an icy chill, 'Allow me to introduce my guest.'

---

Deep underneath the Battle Chateau, Lord Jullien Nostrad had repurposed the castle's former dungeons into an elite training facility. Its purpose was to break new pokémon, making them suitable for use in the nobility's education. Most only spent a few days underground, already having agreeable dispositions. Others took longer, but they were considerable minority. There was the occasional pokémon that would never again see light of day. These lucky few were held in the lowest reaches of the prison, and this was where Nostrad had taken Siebold.

'My god,' the young lord gasped as the chill took his bones. He was an elite water user, so was used to a little cold, but this was insane. He kept his hands in his pockets, afraid that if he accidentally touched something, his fingers would freeze right off. Nostrad didn't seem to mind it. The old snake even seemed comfortable.

There was a chaining mechanism built into a U-shaped structure in the centre of the room. The structure was made from some kind of black rock that Siebold assumed was carved from the earth itself. Chains had been passed through holes at the top and locked around the captive's limbs. Around the circumference of the room, spaced evenly apart, were over a dozen Cryogonal. They maintained a continuous stream of Blizzard, chilling the room to far below zero. Ice formed on every surface, and snow covered the ice. Siebold and Nostrad eventually had to wade in order to reach the middle of the room.

It was there that the captive came into full focus, no longer obscured by the thick haze of snow that whirled past, far down in the underground cell. A Pangoro, a little larger than Siebold had seen before but not really out of the ordinary, was chained to the structure. The cold gripped at its body, its eyes flickering open slowly and focusing on Nostrad who stood, arms behind his back, smiling.

In an instant, the Pangoro roared into life, charging its chains and snarling, eyes a blood red. Its maw stopped an inch from Nostrad's smirking face. The chains locked, and the Pangoro couldn't go any further. It struggled against its bonds, but the constant Blizzards had clearly taken their toll.

'Lord Siebold, allow me to introduce my old friend,' Nostrad said, waving his withered hand from Siebold to the captive pokémon. 'Meet Fury.'

The Pangoro, Fury, roared again, bursting against its chains, all snarls and bluster. Siebold couldn't help but feel sorry for it. He reminded himself that it wasn't his place to question the judgement of a Court house leader, and remained quiet.

'Now,' Nostrad continued, 'Many years ago, I met Fury in this very building, far above our heads. He belonged to a man I had never met before and, gods willing, will never meet again. A vile, misguided man. Powerful, yes, but he chose to misuse that power. In short, he tried to kill me.'
'K-kill you?' Siebold asked, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
'Yes, yes. You see, the man was an assassin. He had been active for a number of years, operating on the edge of my radar. Killing people who, by all rights, should have been impossible to reach.'

Siebold remembered. When he was younger, there were several news stories about high profile murders in foreign countries. The victims had been protected by the best security money could buy, but it hadn't saved them, and the police had no leads. They were found the next day, usually by their families, torn apart or with their necks broken, or thrown from a high window. The killer had never been caught, or so Siebold assumed. The killings simply stopped.

'Ratio.' Nostrad said the name with venom. 'To this day, I haven't uncovered his real name, nor who he worked for. His attempt failed, and he was captured. We never did locate all of his pokémon. But you,' he looked Fury in the eye and smiled, 'Oh yes, I remember you. I think you're going to be very useful after you've been tamed.'
'W-where d-did it c-come from?' Siebold asked, holding his arms around his torso in an attempt to stop shivering. Nostrad looked at him, seeming annoyed that he'd been asked an unsolicited question.
'He was picked up while rampaging in Lumiose City.' He turned back to his captive and sneered. 'Living up to the name, weren't you? Now, Siebold, I brought you here for a reason. To see this animal and to understand the implication.'

Lord Nostrad turned around fully. Fury raged at his back, thrashing and snarling with bloodlust. The old lord didn't pay it any heed.

'Ratio is back. For fifteen years he was locked away, festering like the scum that he is, wanting for nothing but revenge. Against me, against the nobility, even against you. He will stop at nothing until we're eradicated. We cannot let that happen. Go back to Madeline and warn her. Make sure she understands the gravity of the situation. I was lucky to survive. If Ratio targets any one of us alone, we almost certainly face death.'

Glittering Cave - The Gorge

'Move!' Zack shouted, shoving Jump out of the way while launching his pokéball. The trainer jumped, and hit the ground rolling, its cold moisture freezing through his shirt. He span, and had to use the dim gemlight to gauge his opponents' positions.

Hazard exploded from her ball, only lighting the scene for a split second. The slashes passed through her harmlessly, but she instinctively used the moment to apply a dose of Toxic, which would course through the dinosaurs' veins, weakening them over time.

Zack didn't fancy Hazard's chances two on one. When Kabutops and Armaldo landed, he'd quickly tap another ball and summon Clauncher. Wielding the water type like a pistol, he'd aim for the nearest pokémon, Armaldo, and try to blast its head off with a well placed Water Gun.

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More ancients joined the fray. A Bastiodon and a Rampardos leapt from the outskirts of the gorge. With each step, Bastiodon made the earth quake, coming up as a rumbling sound that increased in volume and intensity as it got closer. It aimed for Jump, trying to smash into him with its Iron Head and send him flying.

Rampardos was close behind, belly rumbling. What it lacked in arms, it made up for with spikes. If Jump dodged out of the way of Bastiodon's charge, it'd attempt to skewer him with a shoulder barge. If Jump was sent flying instead, Rampardo would leap through the air and try to snap the trainer up while he was helpless.

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Tyrantrum lurched to the side. He was a big target and hard to miss, but solid and powerful. He took Hexum's blow as a glancing shot, but instead of being launched skyward he was bowled over, rolling sideways. The ancient pokémon didn't falter, using the blow of momentum to reclaim his feet in an instant, going for Hexum with another attack.

This time, the pokémon roared and summoned a Draco Meteor. The powerful balls of dragon-type rock materialised in the empty air of the gorge, speeding downward, a deadly rain that would carpet bomb a wide area. Jump, Zack and Hexum were all at risk if they couldn't dodge out of the Draco Meteor's way. If the other prehistoric pokémon couldn't avoid it, they too would be caught in the attack.

While the Draco Meteor fell, Tyrantrum rushed forward, planning to get Hexum while the Lucario was preoccupied with the meteor attack. Since Hexum had thrown himself into the air with a Sky Uppercut, he'd struggle to redirect his momentum until gravity took him back to solid ground. It would make it difficult to avoid the Draco Meteor, and even harder to avoid Tyrantrum's second attack. Opening a maw as big as a car, the dinosaur made to snap it shut on Hexum, and shatter his bones with a Crunch.