Pokémon Homecoming | A Galar Fanfiction

Chapter 77: Calm Before the Storm

Windows shattered. Flannery and her Torkoal landed on the production room floor. One of the few officers not chasing the lorry, Ismail, followed with his Excadrill. He swiftly handcuffed the defeated scientists. Flannery helped Leon and Abbey search the lab. They found one abandoned Ultra Ball, containing a Shadow Alcremie, but someone had already cleared out the scientific equipment and experiments in progress. A foot furiously hit the door. Guzma charged in.

'Howzit? Just beat down that singer. That kahuna's pretty strong... caught all her Pokémon.'

Judging by Venus' screams, her regular Pokémon were accidentally snagged, too. When Abbey peered out, past Janice kneeling to reattach Incineroar's finger, Anabel was arresting a struggling Venus. She tried to kick and ram Anabel with her shoulder, but she'd rushed to the factory from an award ceremony and wore flimsy heels. They fell off. Guzma told Leon he'd ransacked both offices, but they were empty. There wasn't even any interesting paperwork.

Glass rained down over the lab. Flygon smashed the skylight. Raihan jumped down. He wore a concerned frown. Seeing there was no more to be done in the lab, he made a beeline for Anabel.

'There's a load of lorries coming this way.'

Her teeth gritted. 'Reinforcements.'

She switched on the mic hooked around her ear to warn her colleagues. Only she heard Michael's reply.

'You know,' Guzma called, 'Looked like that group outside were gettin' a beating.'

Raihan nodded. 'There were at least 20 people setting on them, trying to drive them away. Piers has already gone to help.'

'The trucks will probably empty there, too... Hau? Can you come with me?'

'I'm on it!'

Guzma wandered off humming. 'Me and Golisopod are gonna destroy that production room!'

Acerola found gym bags full of Shadow Pokémon in the break room. Kabu, Lazlo and his Rillaboom hauled boxes from the storeroom into the boot of Looker's rental car, where Venus and Randal sat, gagged and squirming, each side of officer Josiah. The engine rumbled. Looker was ready to drive. A Peon rushed at Acerola. He tripped over Palossand. She held him down while Sableye mischievously wrapped a cable Abbey tossed them around his legs. Acerola passed his Ultra Balls to Malcolm. He ran with them to the car.

'There are so many of those poor Pokémon...'

Abbey shook her head. 'I know. Did Nanu actually go?'

'He did!'

Acerola beamed. 'He'll blame Tapu Bulu or whatever, but he just can't bear to think of Pokémon suffering. And that's why he's the kahuna!'

'It's way too quiet in here. I feel like it's the calm before the storm...'

'It is,' Leon said, 'They're trying to lead us all outside.'

'But why?' Acerola asked, shaking her head, 'They don't care about those scientists and Peons. There's nothing left here to protect. Guzma's broken every piece of machinery he could get his hands on...'

Wheels screeched outside. Acerola glanced anxiously out. Janice sprinted past them. Peons poured from lorries.

'Eeeeek!' Acerola exclaimed, 'I feel like I should go help!'

'Go!' Leon insisted, 'Whatever's waiting here – I can handle it!'

'Not in your condition!'

'I'll be fine!'

Kabu, Flannery and Bob flew by on Decidueye. He yelled back that they needed all the help they could get. Guzma and Golisopod jogged after them.

'Hurry up already!'

Acerola hesitated. It was a risk, keeping two Snag Machines inside... but Abbey trusted Leon's judgment.

'I'm staying with him. You go.'

She squeezed her friend's hand and ran. Sableye scurried after her. Palossand whirled up into a screaming Peon's face. Looker ushered Dan into his car. Then it bolted. Crash. The storeroom door flew. Lazlo was hurled, unconscious, onto a table in the open cafeteria. Something roared. A great foot, glowing pink, emerged from the storeroom. The doorway was too small. Walls cracked. Dust and bolts rained from the roof. A light strip tumbled to the floor where it smashed. Leon sprinted to grab Lazlo before the stray Pokémon broke free. He tried to grab him by the armpits. With his injuries, he struggled. Abbey and Raihan grabbed his feet. Malcolm took an arm. She hadn't even realised those two were still there. They moved just in time. The walls gave way in an explosion of hurtling pipes and stone. A flying bolt hit Raihan with such force it slashed open his leg. Dragging its feet from the storeroom was a Shadow Gigantamax Copperajah. Each footstep shook the floor. So Eternatus was down. It appeared the sudden surge of energy prompted a random Pokémon in the storeroom to Gigantamax... but Leon knew it was no accident. As they once stood in the Wild Area for their first Max Raid Battle, when Raihan caught the Trapinch that became his Flygon, the four Gym Challengers sent out their Pokémon: Turtonator, Inteleon, Cinderace and Carkol.

'You Dynamax!' Leon yelled to Abbey, 'You have the best type advantage!'

Abbey held out her Dynamax band as confidently as she did that day. Smoke clouded the air. She panicked. Cinderace didn't stop at growing taller. Its ears grew. The Pyro Ball it prepared to kick became a colossal fireball with a flaming face of its own. It was Cinderace's Gigantamax form. She knew that had to be the influence of the artificial energy here... but had it suffered in that transformation? There was no time to wonder.

'Cinderace! G-Max Fireball!'

The wall crumbled with Copperajah onto the grass outside. The ceiling began to cave. It was caught in Copperajah's trunk when it stamped furiously back in. Tables turned to dust under its feet. Turtonator and Carkol held it back with Flamethrower and Flare Blitz. Its outer coating of steel began to drip in the heat. Hardening again on the floor, it trapped Turtonator. Inteleon freed it and hit Copperajah with Mud Shot. It stumbled. Pitch-black spikes, flecked with purple, ruptured the crumbling floor. The corrupted version of Copperajah's G-Max Steelsurge failed to knock Cinderace from its fireball before it hurtled back at Copperajah. Its teammates bombarded the Shadow Pokémon before it stood. They didn't have time to play fair. Inteleon repeatedly fired Mud Shot. More shadowy spikes, like jagged teeth, erupted under Turtonator. Carkol dodged them to furiously ram Copperajah. Cinderace gathered its immense fireball. Its strengthened legs booted it with ferocious force. Trees uprooted outside. Copperajah landed like a meteorite in an impact crater. It was weak. Abbey stepped up to throw an Ultra Ball. At first she held it in her right hand... but when she glanced at Leon and he nodded, she transferred it to the Snag Machine. Cinderace crashed down to its original form. The ball clicked. It disappeared.

A figure in the shadows clapped. 'Bravo!'