My hands are sweating non-stop. I don’t know what to do with myself, but I hope my racing heart and the knot in my stomach will subside soon. Conia is also pacing back and forth, moving her cup from one place to the next, while Amethio stares at a screen with his hands clenched, with Zir barely daring to breathe.

  “According to ... calculations,” Zir finally begins, “it will take us thirty minutes to reach the Rising Volt Tacklers.”

  “Too late...” Amethio doesn’t shout. He doesn’t even raise his voice, even though we all know how upset he is.

  I can hardly blame him. Thanks to the Rotom, we’ve cut a journey of about fifty hours down to thirty. It’s late afternoon, the Rising Volt Tacklers have been hampered by misinformation and yet they haven’t let themselves be thrown off course. Instead of being led astray for a few days, they checked the circumstances within a few hours and followed their target. The tiny, attached camera gave them away – and forced us into a terribly narrow window.

  We arrived here, somewhere between Galar and Paldea, just as the Rising Volt Tacklers set off in pursuit of a Lapras. Eventually, they docked at a small, rocky island, and made new friends while our alarm that Raquaza is nearby has been ringing for an hour.

  “Take us up. You’ll wait here.” Swinging his arm to the side, Amethio gives his order with the same cool calm he maintains most of the time. Still, I can see his shoulders shake.

  Then he turns away, leaves the room, and abandons us, making my stomach tighten. I know how important this moment is to him, but everything in me resists agreeing to this meeting. So I chase after him.

  Before Amethio can climb the ladder to the outside, I grab him by the wrist. His widened eyes immediately turn to me and the surprise rolling over him seems to ask me dozens of questions.

  “You ... shouldn’t go,” I start. “I don’t think Rayquaza will let you get away with it this time...”

  Instantly he tears away. “I won’t let it get away. Today is the day I’m going to catch Rayquaza.”

  It has sworn to kill him if they meet again. Its rage and the power it holds make me doubt Amethio’s words. He’s strong, but I don’t think he can take on Rayquaza. Probably no one can.

  “It would be safer if we let the others strike first. Then ... it might be easier and-”

  “Don’t meddle!” he interrupts me brashly. In the blink of an eye, he turns away from me and pursues his plan.

  From behind me, I can hear Conia giving the all-clear and that the hatch can now be opened; and Amethio doesn’t miss a second to seize the opportunity. He disappears outside, up there under a blood-red sky, asks for his Corviknight, and rushes to the coordinates of the Rising Volt Tacklers.

  Pressing my lips together, I try to banish the heat in my cheeks. My heart races, my shoulders shake and as I clench my teeth, it’s Conia’s hand on my arm that startles me. Her concerned gaze tries to fathom our unspoken circumstances, to grasp the problem, but even as I open my mouth, it remains silent between us.

  “Do you think Amethio is putting himself in danger?”

  It is this question that elicits an answer from my parched throat. “I don’t know.”

  “Then why are you worried?”

  “Because Rayquaza wants to kill him the next time they meet and ... I don’t think it was joking.” I lower my eyes. “If we’d all stayed together, that wouldn’t be a problem. But Amethio alone?”

  She tightens her grip, shares her understanding with me, and in the next moment, digs a ball out of her pocket, which she holds under my nose. “You can hear it. Help him if necessary.”

  I take the Poké Ball in disbelief. I need a Flying-type Pokémon to follow Amethio and I know Conia has a Skarmory. A creature that now rests in my hands and suddenly opens all doors for me. I can use it to interfere. With it, I can prevent Amethio from losing his head.

  “Thank you.”

  It’s strange. The wiser action would be to do what Amethio asks of me. But I want to claim I know him and my worries won’t go away if I wait. So I climb the ladder outside without further ado. The sun is already halfway down, casting a gloomy shadow over the clouds. Every remaining ray of light colours the sea into a field of fire and the heat sends a strangely cold shiver down my spine. Still, I force myself forward, release Skarmory from its ball and climb up. It is friendly, docile, and clever enough to know there is haste in these breaths. With two powerful flaps of its wings, it takes off, spreading its metal feathers and picking up Corviknight’s trail.

  Wind brushes my whole body and although this flight could be beautiful, I can’t take my eyes off the distance, at the end of which I hope to see Amethio. But what I spot first, after crushing minutes, is the black grace of Rayquaza – shimmering like a precious stone.

  “You pitiful figure want to challenge me?” Its stare makes me sweat.

  Amethio is standing on a boulder, small but enough to move three steps in all directions. Ceruledge remains a little ahead of him, ready to fight this battle. They are putting themselves in danger from which they cannot escape in a worst-case scenario. But what can I do to help here and now?

  Indecisively, I linger in the air with Skarmory. Close enough to intervene, but far enough away to avoid Amethio’s attention. All the while, I watch as Ceruledge leaps onto Corviknight. They head for their enemy, surrounded by a dark energy that eventually releases from Ceruledge’s blades with a flourish. It threatens to hit Rayquaza, but inspires no fear in it. Instead, it opens its mouth to spew gleaming light in the shape of a dragon. It breaks through the psycho cut, narrowly missing Corviknight thanks to its dodging skills, and chases after it anyway. Like erratic bolts of lightning, it rains down on Amethio’s team. The sea is raging beneath them, creating thunderous waves, while any counterattack seems futile.

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  At least until Rayquaza stops for a moment. Corviknight immediately swings up to it again and when it lets out a screech, Ceruledge dares to jump off. All at once, the Pokémon hangs above the dragon, gathers its energy in its blades, and strikes down. My hands clutch Skarmory tighter. In the next blink, Ceruledge smashes its swords against Rayquaza’s skull – unable to leave even a scratch.

  And it realises it far too late.

  Before Amethio’s partner can get to safety, Rayquaza pushes it away with a gentle swing, raises its claw and smashes it with great force onto another small island. The impact is so violent that the gust of wind reaches as far as me and the smoky cloud of dust prevents me from seeing Ceruledge’s condition.

  For Rayquaza, this isn’t enough.

  Its upper body swells as it gathers its energies and once again spits dragon-shaped lightning bolts – at Ceruledge. One misses, nearly breaking the island in two, and while no one moves in the smoke, the other two bolts seem to aim for the killing blow. I want to act, my hand on Raya’s ball – frozen in my movements.

  The end seems inevitable.

  Until all-consuming fire breaks through the smoke and engulfs the attack; a flame reaching across the sea towards Rayquaza, causing it to retreat. Sparks fly on all sides, causing the surface of the water to sizzle, and as fog rises, I hold my breath.

  “F-Flamethrower?” I gasp, dry as dust and mesmerised by everything I can’t see; fascinated enough to give Skarmory the command to fly to Ceruledge.

  On swift wings, it carries us both through the mist and smoke to the rocky surface, which is cracked and hot under my soles. Skarmory barely manages to stand still, hopping carefully from one leg to the other.

  Raising one arm to soothe the burning in my eyes, I push forward. Only two steps before I come across Ceruledge – lying on the ground, its armour cracked but otherwise unharmed. When it notices me, its eyes seem to light up and just as I crouch down towards it, a small spray bottle rolls across the floor towards us. I immediately raise my eyes, but can’t see anyone. Only the faint glimmer of a strange light attracts me, but it disappears before I make it to my feet.

  Hastily, I shake off the circumstances and grab the spray – a hyper potion usually used after tough fights when you don’t have to throw something in the middle of the battle.

  “Do you even need this anymore?” My gaze falls on Ceruledge and as it raises a sword arm, I’m sure it gladly accepts the cure. This is probably its second, or third. Whoever has been here has already saved its life.

  “Ceruledge!” Out of nowhere, Amethio falls to his knees beside me. He doesn’t seem to notice me at all and I know that as soon as that changes, he will tear me apart.

  “Stop right there! You didn’t join those ... humans, did you?”

  In the background, I hear Rayquaza’s scream. The fog is gradually clearing and the cloud of dust has disappeared. However, it is still difficult to make out what is happening behind the haze. The ship of the Rising Volt Tacklers peeks out from behind a rock wall and it seems our opponents also see running away as a better alternative. But one boy resists the escape, spreads his arms and seems to be talking to Rayquaza.

  Words that the Pokémon merely acknowledges with a snort. Otherwise, it remains silent. Its talkativeness seems to have died down and when it roars once more, the shock reaches my bones. In the next breath, the sky seems to fall on this child and all the others. Purple rock cascades down, alien and graceful in contrast to the redness of the evening. As if in a trance, I jump up to stumble two steps towards the Volt Tacklers. The spray bottle slips from my hand.

  “You’re going too far!” Terapagos’ childish voice hits me. “Stop it already!”

  A scream. A dazzlingly bright light that sweeps over us like a storm. The fog breaks; and as the light bursts, it drips to the ground like milk, leaving behind a warming shimmer and enveloping Terapagos’ new form in the embrace of a crystal under the moonlight.

  “If you anger us...” its carapace shines, becomes brighter, seems to absorb the life of its surroundings like specks of dust, “disappear!”

  His command, a childish screech, shoots the energy of a narrow pillar towards the firmament. Magic that spreads in the immediate vicinity, creating arrows of light out of nothing and chasing Rayquaza at all angles. Pure white collides with violet chaos, mingles and explodes into grains of dust – sparkling red and white. Terapagos’ furry double tail catches some of it, absorbing it as if it’s the source of its power.

  “Is that ... the light of evolution?” Amethio, who shifts almost inaudibly to my side, can’t take his eyes off the image, and neither can I. “No... That’s something else...”

  “You’re going against me? To protect them? Is that what you really want?” On the side, Rayquaza leans down a bit. In this breath, the hatred in its words is missing. There is a hint of sadness, a heavy sigh, a pinch of hope.

  “I do...” Terapagos’ voice is so weak I can barely hear it. The next moment, its new form collapses. Its armour shatters, the fur is replaced once more by blue hoops and it crashes to the ground, exhausted. The Volt Tacklers’ girl immediately runs to it.

  Simultaneously, Rayquaza turns away and makes its way back – up the sky once more, above the clouds, where no one can reach it.

  My shoulders slump. I couldn’t contribute anything and yet I’m glad I followed Amethio. Whoever helped him and his Ceruledge, I am grateful. But when I look at my companion, all I see is the image of a frustrated boy. His jaw is grinding and his brows have drawn so far together there is a crease between them. It reminds me of the day Rayquaza left him in the Lush Jungle – though less beaten and more driven by anger.

  Cautiously, I raise my hand. “Amethio, I’m-”

  “I’ll get stronger,” he cuts me off. “We need more strength.”

  My hand lowers. There is nothing I can say to calm him down or soothe his growing frustration. I know that. Still, I want to do something. Anything. Seeing him like this, angry and yet unable to reach for his dreams, reminds me of a Pidgeotto in a cage far too small. Everything in me wants to open the doors and let him out – to hug him and say he’s more important than this Pokémon. We’ll get more chances, for sure. Attempts that Amethio doesn’t seem to see; doesn’t want to see.

  So I take a step towards him. I move too close and yet he doesn’t back away. Only his gaze wanders in my direction and when I try to raise my arms to press him against me for a second, he takes a step back.

  “We have to return to the others.” Snorting, he turns away. Corviknight has settled next to Skarmory, ready to carry its trainer away. But before he climbs up, he looks over his shoulder one last time. “Thank you for saving Ceruledge.”

  I want to protest, explain the circumstances, and make it clear he doesn’t have me to thank for his Pokémon’s well-being. But my voice breaks. I can’t reach him before he flies off with Corviknight – leaving the lie between us.