"Not again!" Ava groans loudly as she wakes up on a rain-soaked dock. "I'll need to buy new clothes soon if this keeps happening." She looks around, noticing the grass has taken on a blood-like hue, and every tree stands in a dark, ominous forest green. The smell of metal replaces the expected harsh scent of sea salt mingling with the dead foliage in the rough winds.
"Eevee!" Char cries from atop a tree.
"Get down here, you little rascal!"
"Eevee," Char mutters, squinting at their trainer before hopping down into her open arms.
"A little bruised, but you'll live. Maybe I should start bringing first aid supplies," Ava says, putting down the little Eevee and doing a few stretches.
Char playfully bumps their head against Ava's chin before jumping back onto her shoulders. Both turn their gaze toward what appears to be the entrance of a shrine.
Ava starts walking toward the shrine, muttering a playful threat to Char, "No amount of prayer will help you once we're out of here."
The wind grows harsher as Ava approaches a dock leading to a waterfall. The only sounds are the breeze through the now-still greenery and the persistent beeping of a black-and-red Pokéball.
"That's annoying... and disturbing. Maybe it'll be useful for future pranks," she muses, walking over to pick up the ball. It triggers her Pokédex to chime with Amanda's voice, "Downloading RiftDex data… Download complete! How in the distortion did you find this?"
"I don't really know…" Ava says, spotting a flopping Magikarp on the edge of the dock. I got ya! She rushes over and dives to push it into the water. The Magikarp stays under the foggy blue water for a moment before climbing up the waterfall. With each hop, its scales transform into a majestic blue, its yellow fins pale. On the final hop, it glares at Ava with infernal hatred in its eyes before plummeting back into the water.
I saved you! Why are you mad at me? Ava wonders aloud. Suddenly, the still lake water begins to ripple, then shake, before turning into devastating waves that batter the dock. Ava steps back, her anger quickly replaced by fear as the massive, decaying form of a Gyarados erupts from the water. Its skyscraper height reveals a body in various stages of decay. As the rest of its body moves underwater, the ground trembles with each shift.
The Leviathan looms over Ava, its blood-red eyes overshadowing her presence. It dives toward the dock with an open mouth, and the only thought Ava can muster is R.U.N.! She scoops up the growling Eevee as she flees. The Leviathan crashes back into the water, leaving only a crater where the dock and much of the surrounding land had been.
"I... I need to fight. I can't run... and neither could you," Ava whispers, clutching Char's Pokéball against a rattling Net Ball. "Come back, Char! Let's go, Swaws!" Her voice is understanding, but fear seeps through her tone and body.
Swaws stares into the empty eyes of the Leviathan, unfazed by the intimidating look of its enemy. She bares her growing fangs and rushes toward the beast. As Swaws leaps, the Leviathan bites into her, but she retaliates in kind.
"GyrAHHH!!" The Leviathan's war cry is distorted, a piece of its red crown falling off.
"Again!" Swaws charges at the opponent but flinches from the pain of their earlier collision. The monstrous figure fires a powerful stream of reddish water from its mouth, and Swaws crashes down—fainted—in front of her trainer.
I hate revives... I hate everything about this right now... Ava quickly revives Swaws. "I need you to go at it again," she says in a low tone, her eyes averted from Swaws. Swaws chirps, staring down the titan before lunging to bite it again. As she gets close, the Leviathan begins to make an opening, and just as she leaps, it charges in for a fatal chomp.
"VEEVEE!!" Char tackles both of them forward, determined to land the attack. As they bounce off, Char tucks into a ball and rams himself into the Leviathan, forcing it to submerge back into the water.
I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry.
"C-Come back! Char, Swaws!" Ava's voice trembles as she recalls the two Pokémon. Her legs give out as she lets out an exasperated huff. I need to work on that... masking my fear. I can't be a reliable source of relief if my fear seeps through... I also owe everyone Pokétreats. She stumbles to her feet as the ground splits and the Gyarados shoots back up, now exposing more of its decaying flesh. The harsh smell of rotting fish makes Ava gag and dry heave despite her shaken expression.
The Gyarados begins to heave, its throat bulging and undulating vividly as something makes its way up. Its massive jaw unhinges unnaturally before spewing out a yellowish discharge that splatters onto the ground with a sickening hiss.
Ava's shaking legs freeze before she quickly leaps to the side, just dodging the attack. The ground where she'd been standing now sizzles with a pungent, yellow puddle. Wha— She quickly pulls out a Quick Ball and a Steamball. "King! Fletch!"
As soon as Fletch emerges, they dart behind King, who stands tall in front of the towering Leviathan. Ava punches her palm and inhales sharply. I need King to draw its attention, and Fletch needs to focus on damag— Her thought is interrupted as a blood-red stream comes hurtling toward them. Ava grabs Fletch and runs, narrowly avoiding the impact.
King charges at the Leviathan and punches its side. The monster sways from the blow but retaliates with another blood stream aimed directly at King. Fletch takes the hit, shielding King with glowing red wings that act as a barrier.
"King, dive with your horn!" Ava commands. As King leans in to strike, the Leviathan's tail emerges ominously from a miniature rift, glowing with dark energy, and blindsides him. King crashes to the ground like a swatted fly.
"You did well, my liege…" Ava kneels to pet King before recalling him to his ball.
The Gyarados spits another yellow wad at Ava, who pounces just beneath it, landing on one knee. I can feel the sizzle even through my adrenaline… Don't do damage inspection, she reminds herself, forcing her focus back on the battle.
She pulls out a Luxury Ball but is forced to leap aside again as another stream of blood flies her way. Fletch takes the brunt of the attack, slamming into the Leviathan's jaw before fainting from the effort.
"Char! Deluxe!" Ava throws Deluxe's ball into the fray and drops Char's ball at her feet. "Char, I need you to roll as fast as you can while staying in place… can you do that?"
Char looks into Ava's wide but resolute gaze. "Veevee," they murmur softly.
Ava gently pets Char, her lips curving into a small smile. "I can't hear you~," she teases lightly.
"VEEVEE!" Char cries louder.
"Great—" Ava scoops Char up and dashes to the side, dodging the blood-red stream that Gyarados is tracking her with. Deluxe's flaming body slams into the Leviathan's stomach, interrupting its attack. "—ate," Ava finishes with a smirk. She gives Char a quick nod. Char tucks into a ball and begins to spin rapidly in place.
"Deluxe!" Ava calls. The Braixen turns to her trainer.
"We need time!" Deluxe looks back at the Leviathan and lets out a piercing howl.
The Gyarados responds with a guttural gargle, then spits another wad of yellow acid toward Ava. Deluxe counters by inhaling deeply and releasing a massive flame. The acid and fire collide but fail to cancel each other out.
Gutted. Ava sidesteps the remnants of the acid and mutters, "Good try! But I was hoping for more tac—" Her voice cracks mid-sentence as she leaps backward to avoid another attack. Char's getting close to done, I need to get ready for my part… I still have Swaws!
Deluxe's flame-wreathed body dashes away from the Leviathan's jaws. She looks back at Ava and hisses.
"Yeah, yeah," Ava mutters with a wave of her hand. "Put your money where your mouth is and prove it!" Deluxe blows a small ember into the Leviathan's eye, making it whip its head back and spray acid indiscriminately in its blind rage.
Shit! Ava's movements are nimble, her dodges resembling an intricate dance as she struggles to avoid disturbing Char's wind-up.
The Leviathan's head vanishes into another rift, only to emerge right beside Ava, who is still crouched low. I guess there's no better time! With a determined grunt, Ava cranks her arm back. "Now!" She hurls Char's glowing yellow body with all her strength, aiming straight for the Leviathan's jaw. Char strikes true, sending the monster staggering backward into its rift.
The Gyarados reemerges moments later, its rotting stench—an unbearable mix of tooth decay and spoiled fish—wafting through the battlefield. It locks its glassy, hate-filled eyes on Ava.
Why?! Ava slouches, puffing her cheeks in exasperation. I don't want whatever it's selling… especially not from that mouth.
"Focus hard! It's part ghost-type!" Ava's voice is commanding as she throws Char again and again, aiming for different parts of the Leviathan's decayed body, desperately searching for a weak spot. A red mist begins to seep from the monster's mouth.
That can't be good. Ava tightens her grip on Char's ball. One last strike from these two, and maybe Swaws… that'll have to be enough.
She throws Char with every ounce of her strength, aiming for the Leviathan's jaw, while Deluxe releases a Psybeam at the exact same spot. The combined attack forces the beast to reel back, but it retaliates by spewing an acidic blood stream that separates Ava and Char from Deluxe.
No! Ava sets down a confused Char and tosses Deluxe's Luxury Ball. She dives toward it, barely managing to retrieve Deluxe before the acidic water engulfs her side of the battlefield.
As Ava gets closer to the Leviathan, she notices the glassy, unfocused look in its eyes. One more Bite from Swaws right at the back of its neck… That'll finish this.
She leaps from rock to scale, clinging to whatever she can to stay beneath the Leviathan's massive form. The Gyarados begins to open another rift, but Char slams into it, disrupting the attack.
"Swaws! Bite!" Ava's voice is a mix of hope and desperation. Swaws lunges with glowing teeth, sinking them into the Leviathan's neck.
The sound of snapping scales and tearing flesh echoes through the air, followed by the Leviathan's hoarse, earth-shaking cry.
"GOOD JOB, SWAWS! COME BACK!" Ava throws Swaws' ball with so much force that she loses her balance, splashing into the water. The Leviathan dives after her, mouth open wide. Ava freezes, terror coursing through her as a single thought screams in her mind: Mom, Melia, I'm sorry.
"VEEVEEE!!!" Char's glowing yellow body slams into the Gyarados, knocking it just far enough to miss Ava by inches.
"Char!!" Ava swims frantically to the fainted Eevee, clutching Swaws' Net Ball and Fletch's limp form. "Thank you," she whispers, holding Char tightly against her chest.
Once she reached land, Ava put Char and Fletch into their balls. I… Ava stopped her thought as she looked down to see her leg spotted with melted skin. "I guess some of the acid splashed on me… Thank Arceus for adrenaline!" She chuckled as she tied her jacket around her waist, hiding most of the damage. Arceus is probably mad that I thanked sugar over them… Melia might still be fighting Zetta! The young trainer sprang to her feet and gave Deluxe a spray before turning towards the rift behind her. The once gale-force winds now toned down to a harsh breeze, the stench of the Leviathan replaced by the smell of iron and sea salt.
Zetta's voice came through the portal, "Was my rift…?"
"Deluxe, use Ember!" Deluxe's flame followed Ava's somewhat firm demand.
"Ava!" Melia cheered, seeing her friend appear from seemingly nowhere.
Type: Null blocked the attack with its head. "I see… My rift was interrupted, but it wasn't slain." Zetta scanned his surroundings. "In that case, I still have the advantage here."
Melia tapped Ava's shoulder. "Ava, we should run while we have the chance…" She started to turn around.
"Stop." Zetta's word froze Melia.
Ava looked to her right. "I send in—" The GarbageMenace jumped between Zetta and Deluxe. "—The Garbage Menace!"
"It's Garbodor!" Melia added, backing away.
Zetta angrily stared at it in its unwavering eyes. "What the… Where are those two idiots?! They were supposed to take care of this!"
"Now we should start running," Ava whispered into Melia's ear.
"If he's here, then we stand a chance! W-We can fight back—!"
"Garboo!" The Garbage Menace interjected Melia's distasteful idea.
Ava recalled Deluxe. "Thanks! I'll pay you back one day!" She grabbed Melia by the arm as she bolted away from the fight.
The two stopped once Melia's heavy breathing became impossible to ignore. Melia panted, bending over and holding herself up on her knees. "Ava, Garbodor helped us out when that rift attacked. And now it's…" Melia let her dreadful voice linger.
"It ain't dead… but that doesn't mean it'll be alright either. Next time we see it, we should help it out, or catch it," Ava said, cupping some of the stream's water in her hands and splashing her face.
"Y-yeah!" Melia said, standing up. "If we see it again…" she mumbled.
"We won't if we stay here! Now get your ass marching!" Ava prompted, playfully slapping Melia's butt. "Chop chop!!" Ava looked down at her hand, her stern expression fading into a small smile. I need to not do that again… It was firm though—STOP! Need to be ready! Ava jogged off with a bit of an irregular step until she and Melia got on the train.
Melia's exhausted expression grew stern as the train started up; she looked up at Ava as she rubbed her leg. "What do you think Zetta meant when he said he'll thank my father?"
Ava stopped rubbing her leg and looked up at Melia. "I could tell you what we both think is the truth, or I could try to make you see what may be his side… I'd like it if you let me do the latter."
Melia looked down, her expression tinged with sorrow. "What do you think my father's side is?"
Ava crossed her legs before leaning back into the cushioned chair, letting out a hefty sigh. "You said it was his idea for you to become a Gym Leader; he was hoping that you'd be protected under the care of the league. He forced you to come out today so you'd miss the abduction. He was probably going to use the time you were gone to talk to someone higher up in the league, like Amanda." Melia looked at Ava, as if wanting to say something. "Chances are his hands are tied. I mean, he's made some attempts to buy you time, even asked me to tag along… Melia, whatever we find out about his role in this, remember that your father loves you."
The blonde looked up at Ava, her gray eyes glistening with a heart-wrenching expression. "Why… Why didn't he tell me anything?" Melia buried her face in her hands. "WHY WOULD YOU KEEP ME IN THE DARK?!" Melia began to weep, her tears trickling from under her hands.
I get where you're coming from, but what the hell do you expect him to say? Ava thought. "Hey daughter of mine, when you turn 18, I'll hand you over to a terrorist organization." Like... Ava looked at Melia, her internal sigh evident. You need comfort... With a grunt, she sat next to Melia and rubbed her back. "You know, I have a very buff shoulder. I've been told it's nice to rest on."
Melia spoke through her tears, "Thank you," then leaned on Ava's shoulder. They stayed that way until the train stopped and Melia disembarked.