Pokemon Evolution: A fanfic for older Pokemon Fans

Chapter 51: Flashpoint

***Author's Note: The following chapter depicts scenes of violence and suspense that may be triggering to some readers. Reader's discretion is advised.***

Previously, on Pokémon Evolution:

"And with that victory, Guzma passed over leadership of Team Skull to me."

———

"I had to kick out someone from Team ReSkull. A guy named Basil. He was being a total dick and making homophobic jokes. I don't let that slide in my Team."

———

"I just can't deal with Mallow right now. I'm going to grab a ferry to Po Town and see if I can get some work done."

Pokémon Evolution Chapter 51:

Flashpoint

Everything can change in an instant. Sometimes we see it coming from a mile away, and have time to prepare; but other times, even the best of intentions can blow up in your face.

A ringing phone blared in the tiny Ula'ula Island office, stirring the Trainer next to it from sleep. A Persian grazed her head against her Trainer's hand, urging them to answer. The hand lifted to grab the phone, moving it over to speak while the other hand covered a yawn. "Ula'ula Police Department. What's your emergency?"

"Nanu! It's Gloria!" yelled the Admin's panicked voice. "We've got trouble in Po Town, someone-" the audio cut out as from outside the office, Nanu heard a heavy rumbling from down the street.

The Kahuna lurched from his chair with a start, grabbing his Pokéballs off the table. "I don't know if you can hear me kid, but I'm on my way!" Hanging up the dead line, Nanu turned to his partner. "C'mon Persian, sounds like we finally get some action." The Dark-type expert and his Pokémon raced down the road of Route 17 to the small, walled community.

A massive cloud of smoke and dust made the entrance to the town difficult to see, even with the light from the road's street lamps. Nanu pointed an Ultra Ball towards the cloud of dust, "Honchkrow, use Defog!" The large bird poured into the air, blowing away the obscuring blanket with a flap of his powerful wings. Though they could now see, Nanu didn't like what he saw one bit - a pile of debris and broken concrete blocking the entrance. "Hang in there guys," he called over the wall, sending out his Krookodile and Sableye. "Alright everyone," he commanded, "Let's get to clearing this rubble."

———

Screams rolled through Po Town as boulders flew at breakneck speeds, mercilessly slamming into homes. The source, an Alolan Golem lead by the furious face of one of their former friends.

"Everyone, get inside Guzma's house!" Gloria shouted over the chaos. "The gate is blocked off. Hurry, hurry!"

A former Team ReSkull Trainer stood proudly atop his Golem's back. "Watch them run in terror," he said delightfully, "that'll teach them to mess with me. Golem, keep using Rock Blast!" The massive Rock and Electric-type shook his magnetic launcher, forming a mass of earth the size of a tire. Aiming the launcher, the Megaton Pokémon fired the rock like a cannonball, sending it hurdling towards the mansion at the street's end.

"Delphox, use Psychic!" Gloria ordered. Her oracle fox Pokémon waved her flaming branch through the air, sending the stone projectile careening away from the fleeing innocents. "Enough of this, Basil. Cease your attacks."

"Team ReSkull was going to turn my life around, and then you idiots kicked me out just for making some jokes."

"We're not the 'idiots' here. You were warned not to break Team ReSkull code of conduct several times."

"I don't care about that! Where's Ryanne?" Basil groaned.

"How should I know?" Gloria called out, "She's not in her office."

Basil tapped his Golem on the head, "She's as much of an idiot as the others. Silence her with Stone Edge." The Megaton Pokémon stomped his heavy feet onto the cobblestone road, sending jagged fragments of rock rocketing in Gloria's direction.

Gloria's Delphox dove to snatch her Trainer out of harm's way, taking a pummeling from the sharp fragments. "No, Delphox! Get up!"

Basil's Alolan Golem advanced closer towards the mansion, preparing another Rock Blast attack all the while. "Do ANY of you pathetic ReSkull Trainers know where Ryanne is?" Basil barked.

"Who needs Ryanne, when you could fight me?" taunted a voice. Basil's head whipped around to see a white-haired man wearing a black track suit and gold-rimmed sunglasses. "You mess with my town, you take on me. That's right! It's 'ya boi', Guzma!" The Trial Captain bombastically pointed towards himself with both thumbs.

"Golem... Fire," Basil commanded. The Rock Blast shot out, sending Guzma flying on impact. "Not so big and bad now, are you Guzma?" Basil mocked, "Did you forget? Rock beats down Bug!"

"Basil!" shouted a familiar voice.

The former member of Team ReSkull grinned wickedly as his former leader exited the repurposed Pokémon Center. "Well hey now. Gloria said you weren't in your office. I guess that makes her a liar, and you a coward."

Ryanne slowly walked towards Basil and his Golem. While Ryanne had fear in her eyes, Gloria saw her superior advanced not out of cowardice, but willingly to protect those in danger from Basil's revenge. With each step, her shadow shifted in the light of the street lamps. Occasionally, the lights lined up just right, giving the illusion that Ryanne had two shadows. She stopped mere feet from the Trainer and his massive Pokémon, staring him straight in the eyes. "Stop this violence. Now, Basil."

The teenager laughed, "Why? Are you going to say 'you're my worst nightmare' or something? Please..."

Ryanne reached behind her back, obscuring her movements. "Oh, I'm not your worst nightmare. I just needed my shadow to touch yours."

"What in Helix are you going on about?" Basil said in confusion.

"Like I said," Ryanne smirked, "I'm not your worst nightmare..."

"I am," Whispered a graven voice, "A 'Never-Ending Nightmare'." Basil whipped back around once again to find Ryanne's Darkrai had a tight grip on his Golem's head.

"Y-y-you can talk?!?" Basil stammered, losing his balance off of his Golem's back. "How is that possible?"

"Hurry up and use your Z-Move already Darkrai, you might scare Basil." Ryanne revealed her activated Z-Ring, before her voice turned hauntingly serious. "And we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

The tatters of Darkrai's robe-like body extended like tendrils, wrapping themselves around the Megaton Pokémon with extreme prejudice. With the appendages from Darkrai's shoulders, head, abdomen, and arms coiled tightly, the Pitch-Black Pokémon's eye blazed with righteous fury. A fracture line stretched across Darkrai's fairly featureless face, opening into an ever-expanding maw of utter blackness. The Dark-type engulfed the Golem within their murky maw, leaving him motionless on the cobblestone road. "Shall I take care of this punk too Mistress Ryanne?" Darkrai whispered, referring to Basil.

"We'll let Nanu take care of him." Ryanne said. "Basil can't hurt us now that his Golem is knocked out."

"Not knocked out, just dazed." Basil laughed. "Use Explosion!"

In the blink of an eye, the Golem burned as bright as the sun, erupting with energy. Darkrai tackled their Trainer in effort to save them, Ryanne's reflexes only allowing her to grab two balls from her side. Knocked back from the force of the burst, Ryanne and Darkrai soared through the window into the former Pokémon Center as the town around her roared and shook with the the explosive radius. The street lamps went out, plunging Po Town into darkness. The already damaged buildings collapsed further, sending debris raining down on Pokémon and Trainer. Amid the noise of the crumbling buildings, Ryanne heard the distinct sound of her two Pokéballs activating before rubble struck her head.

Ryanne felt a warm, wet feeling on the back of her skull, and everything went black.

To be continued...