...ter!

  “Huh?”

  [Master!]

  Daniel rapidly opened his eyes and saw Rodan’s face right beside his. The Braviary looked worried and a bit frazzled, but otherwise ok. His attention drifted to the smooth asphalt underneath him and the lack of an artificial ceiling above.

  “Where?”

  [Let me help you, master.]

  The world spun for a moment before he stood on his feet again. The sudden movement and general disorientation gave way to nausea and dizziness. After gathering his bearings for a couple of seconds, and calming down the nervous Pokemon, he looked around.

  The pair found themselves in the middle of an unfamiliar street. Scorching marks covered the buildings around him, the ground was torn by several explosions, and he could even spot some bloodstains on the sidewalks. He didn’t recognize which town he was in immediately, but the street names and some signs appeared Unovan. “Small mercies. At least I’m still in the region.” He sighed and petted Rodan, scratching him under his beak. The bird cooed, sending feelings of contentment and relief.

  “I guess being near that portal was not a good idea,” Daniel muttered. “R2, try to contact Dad.”

  [?? CONNECTION UNAVAILABLE ??]

  “Anyone from the team nearby?”

  [?? CONNECTION UNAVAILABLE ??]

  “Arceus give me strength.”

  The roar of distant explosions accompanied by screams drew his attention. After jumping into Rodan’s saddle, both shot towards the battle. With R2’s help, he identified the attacking Pokemon, which were mostly Liepards, Watchogs, and the odd Krookodile. The trainers commanding them had a different outfit than the usual Anarchy one. Instead of baggy pants and black trench coats, their styles were sleek and more military-esque. Their berets gave them a Kalosian vibe instead of Unovan, which was a worrying conclusion.

  In the distance, slowly floating towards the city was a ship. It wasn’t like the usual space shuttle, sleek and arrow-shaped, or even like those who tried to imitate Orbeetles, round and full of light. It was an actual flying frigate. With R2’s zoom, he was able to make out sails, blue metal wings to the sides, and cannons peeking from the sides.

  [?? LEGENDARY ENERGY DETECTED! ??]

  [ENERGY IDENTIFIED: KYUREM, THE EMPTY LORD.]

  “They revived Kyurem?!” Daniel’s eyes widened in alarm, his heart racing at the implications. Without wasting a moment, he punched forward. “Gamera! G-Max!”

  Gamera’s Pokeball shot from Daniel’s bracer, rapidly expanding until it got bigger than a beach ball. When it opened, a titanic Lapras descended. The starry night darkened as red clouds emerged like a halo from the gigantic Pokemon. 3 smaller red clouds orbited his shell. The giant’s silver eyes shone as ice crystals orbited it, imitating musical notes. With his mere presence, the temperature dropped several degrees.

  The fighting stopped immediately as if someone pressed a pause button. Terrorists, civilians, and even the league’s forces froze as they stared at the colossal figure.

  “Any energy spikes?” He surveyed the city without taking the ship out of his periphery. Having a Dynamax battle would be disastrous, but he was out of options. He hoped the higher-ups would understand that.

  [NEGATIVE]

  [Negative, master.]

  R2 and Rodan answered one after the other. That gave him pause.

  “Odd,” Daniel muttered as he stared at the ship. “Rodan, prepare to go Dynamax just in case.”

  [Understood.]

  Rodan stopped going up after reaching Gamera’s head. The giant Pokemon smiled and let out a happy warble before staring at the frigate again. By this point, the distance between the two was shy of 200 meters. The frigid air condensed in the bow as the silence stretched for several seconds.

  “Megaphone.”

  [UNDERSTOOD.]

  A small circular grate appeared in front of his mouth as the mask morphed. When a small ding rang in his left ear, He cleared his voice.

  “Attention!” He screamed, his voice projecting for hundreds of meters and startling the fighters below. “Joey Barlow was defeated! By the authority of the World Pokemon League, you are under arrest! Power down your ship and prepare to be boarded! Any attempt to harness Kyurem’s energy will be taken as an attack!”

  “Laaaaaaapraaaas!”

  Gamera’s roar thundered, shattering all windows around him. Even the ship was not spared. The bridge’s glass and its portholes exploded, launching fragments in several directions as if an explosive had gone off. The Lapras looked shocked as the world around them turned into pandemonium.

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  “Why is there no protection against Dynamax?!” Daniel’s voice echoed again. R2 quickly deactivated the microphone before the rest could get out. “Did they skimp on construction?! Where are the barriers?! The reinforced glass!”

  He massaged his temples as the people began running away from the shower of glass. Thankfully, some had the presence of mind to use protection and similar moves to prevent any death from a stray shard. Still, the whole situation couldn’t get any worse.

  [?? ENERGY SPIKE! ??]

  “This is just such an Arceus damned mess.”

  The bow opened, revealing a cannon pointed directly at Gamera. Kyurem’s energy flowed through the thing, concentrating on what he believed would be a laser. With an annoyed huff, he pointed forward.

  “Max guard!”

  Gamera had to rein in his instinct to roar as the dome of energy sprang in front of him. Both attacks met with a dull bang, lowering even more the temperature around them. Gentle snow drifted as the impact died down, revealing the pristine Lapras.

  “Resonance!”

  The snow transitioned into a hail as chunks of ice rained from the sky. The biggest ones always fall on top of the ship, destroying the upper deck with ease. Sails froze, wings broke, and the metal groaned under the weight. Just as the attack started to die down, a much bigger chunk fell on top of the rear motors.

  As the frigate listed, an aurora enveloped the city. Greens, blues, and purples illuminated the night sky as Lapras basked in the afterglow. An explosion rocked Daniel as the ship’s side exploded and broke into 3 pieces.

  “Gamera!”

  Gamera closed his eyes in concentration. The aurora quickly shifted and protected the people down on the streets from the massive chunks of metal accelerating toward them. With some strain, he was able to redirect them towards empty spaces. After the last one touched the ground harmlessly, the transformation ended.

  The clouds parted and the stars returned. With a flick of his hand, Gamera’s Pokeball appeared in Daniel’s hand before he recalled the tired Lapras.

  “Good job out there.” He whispered and loaded it inside his bracer. “Are the jammers still in place, R2? I need to contact the league.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” A stern voice rang behind them.

  A man quickly joined Daniel in the sky mounting an angry Salamence. He wore a white buttoned shirt and beige pants with suspenders. His Hair was white as snow and a beard completely covered his mouth, emulating a reptile jaw. He crossed his arms, flexing his massive muscles in the process, as he stared Daniel down.

  “Who are you?”

  Both said at the same time. Their brows furrowed as the tension slowly grew between them. Their Pokemon could feel it too, adjusting their stances as they prepared for air combat.

  [NO ID IN THE DATABASE]

  This time it was Donald’s voice the one that rang. It had a more feminine tone to differentiate him and R2.

  [CLOSEST MATCH: EX-MAYOR DRAYDEN OF OLD OPELUCID CITY.]

  “Ex-mayor Drayden?” Daniel could not help but ask aloud. “Are you a cosplayer?”

  “Cosplayer?” Drayden asked with a growl, clenching his hands. “I AM Drayden, gym leader and mayor of Opelucid city.” The Salamence hissed as Drayden’s presence grew. “WHO. ARE. YOU?!”

  Suddenly, freezing pressure washed over them. Both men whipped their heads towards the ruins as a figure slowly rose from inside. Kyurem’s battered body limped forward, freezing the ground around it. Its body was badly battered and bruised, but its aura still blazing.

  “R2!”

  [LEGENDARY CONTAINMENT MEASURES ENGAGED.]

  His hand punched towards the legendary, shooting a silver Pokeball. When it made contact, the massive dragon disappeared inside it. With a flick of his hand, it reappeared inside his palm, gently rocking from side to side.

  “Aerial ace!” Drayden shouted, likely running out of patience after his stunt.

  “Shi- Protect!” A hexagonal shield sprang in front of them just before the angry reptile smashed into them. “You’re interfering with League’s official business! Continue this and you’ll be considered an accomplice!”

  “Hah! Accomplice!” Drayden cracked his knuckles before grabbing onto his Salamence again. “Dragon claw!”

  The massive reptile moved as the protect faded, igniting its claws with purple energy.

  “Esper wing!”

  Rodan retreated as his wings glowed with psychic energy. Both attacks met with a dull explosion, shooting them back a couple of meters. He followed up with air slashes, But the Salamence weaved around them with ease before shooting towards them, dark energy gathering in its mouth.

  “Close combat!”

  Both Pokemon made contact, one bathed in dark and the other in orange. A dull bang followed as both shot backward several meters. The fighters took a moment to right themselves, mindful of their riders, before staring down each other again.

  “Tera!” Daniel screamed, touching his Pokemon with his bracer.

  Crystals quickly grew and encased them before harmlessly exploding. It revealed Gamera, glowing like a gem. A bow and a pink heart rested on top of his purple flames, small white wings on each side. The bird let out a screech before shooting towards the Salamence again.

  “D-dragon claws!” Drayden was almost caught flat-footed but quickly recovered. However, the attack uselessly dissipated when it made contact. “What?!”

  “Dazzling gleam!”

  The glow intensified, almost blinding Drayden. A weightless sensation overcame him as his Salamence began plummeting towards the ground, unconscious. The gemlike appearance dissipated as Rodan grabbed both with his psychic energy.

  “You’re under arrest,” Daniel growled at the man. “R2, no help with central?”

  [NEGATIVE]

  “Where are those jammers.” He massaged his temples again. Rodan looked over at him with a worried expression. “It’s ok, let’s wait for the league.”

  “This is Gym Leader Drayden.” Drayden scowled back at him. “Are you with Plasma?”

  “Plasma?” Daniel blinked in confusion for a couple of seconds. “Look, sir. Your cosplay is phenomenal. It is even fooling my Porygon3. But now is not the time for that. There was an attack on the league’s headquarters, and I need to get to orbit quickly. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

  [Master, he seems to be speaking the truth.]

  “Hmm?”

  [I am parsing his surface thoughts.] Rodan looked at Drayden with intense concentration. [He thinks this is Opelucid City and that he is Gym leader Drayden.]

  “He’s either delusional or…”

  “Hands where I see them!” Several more flying Pokemon quickly surrounded them. All of them were mounted by people using a uniform eerily like his. Albeit they lacked his bracer, any kind of Rotom gear, or the World Pokemon League’s logo. Instead, theirs had the Unovan league’s logo.

  Daniel could spot Altarias, Flygons, Unovan Braviaries, And an incredibly angry Hydreigon. A girl, no older than eighteen, mounted this last one. Her skin was dark, and a big mane of black hair was tied by several ribbons and fancy hair clips. She was dressed in a puffy dress, with frills and a tiara. Several Pokeballs hanging on her side, most likely by an old-school sash.

  “This is Champion Iris! Free Gym leader Drayden and come with us! You are under arrest!”

  [It seems like it is the second option, master.] Rodan dropped the telekinesis when another veteran riding a Braviary took him. The frown never left his face. [We were sent back in time.]