Chapter 0: A Plunge Into The Abyss

  The forest lay cloaked in the deep shadows of twilight, its ancient trees blocking out the sunlight. The underbrush was thick, clawing at anything that passed with tangled thorns and old leaves. Each breath of wind stirred the trees with a calming rustle, creating a wonderful environment for most grass-type Pokemon. This idyllic picture was broken by the sound of paws on soil, the sharp snap of branches, and the ragged panting of someone fleeing for his life.

  A small Pikachu darted through the dense undergrowth, body pressed low to the ground, ears pinned back. His fur was matted with dirt and sweat, one leg visibly limping from an earlier blow that had grazed him. Sparks crackled weakly across his cheeks, more out of pain than power. Every step was slower than the last. His breath came in short, desperate bursts. He was still quite fast, but not fast enough anymore to have any chance at outspeeding his pursuers. Not that he really had that chance in the first place…

  Behind him, the forest trembled with far heavier footfalls. The Krookodile Fang thundered after the Pikachu with practiced precision, jaws clenched tight with grim determination. This forest was little more than an annoying delay between himself and his target. His crimson eyes never left the flash of yellow ahead. This chase had been going on for weeks already. At last, though, luck seemed to favor them instead of that pesky little Pikachu.

  Fang was obviously not alone in this unofficial quest. His team was with him and, as much as he hated to admit it, without them he would’ve failed in capturing that yellow rodent a long time ago.

  His first team member, Echo, a Chandelure whose flames cast long, flickering shadows in the forest, floated beside him. Her movements were elegant, almost ghostlike, as she glided through the forest without disturbing a single leaf. Behind them, high above, his second team member Vigil soared unseen through the canopy, wings slicing silently through the air. The Corviknight watched from above with predator’s focus, waiting for the moment he would be needed. Fighting in a lush forest was definitely out of his depths.

  The Pikachu’s legs in front of them gave a stumble, a temporary sign of weakness, but recovered quickly. Still, Fang, the predator that he was, noticed instantly. “There he is!” he growled, tail lashing. “Echo, cut him off! Now! It’s time to finish this charade!”

  Without a sound or an answer, Echo drifted closer. Her violet flames flared, and a dark orb shimmered into existence between her lantern-like arms. With a silent flick, she launched the [Shadow Ball] forward towards the exhausted Pikachu. Almost simultaneously, Fang opened his jaws and unleashed a roaring [Dragon Pulse], the violet wave of draconic energy burning toward their target.

  The Pikachu’s eyes widened. He didn’t need to see the attack to know what was coming. On instinct alone, he lunged sideways, barely dodging the [Shadow Ball] as it exploded against a tree. A heartbeat later, the [Dragon Pulse] scorched the ground he had just left behind, splintering bark and hurling leaves into the air.

  Still, the shockwave knocked him off-balance. He tumbled, hit the dirt, rolled, and somehow got back on all fours, panting harder than before. He didn’t think, he just continued running.

  “He’s finally flagging!” Fang growled to Echo, his claws digging into the earth. “Keep on him, I’ll cut him off!”

  Without another word, the Krookodile dove beneath the ground with [Dig], the earth rippling where he disappeared. Echo simply sighed in her ethereal voice and set off her [Will-O-Wisp] to keep track of their still running target. They were faster and more numerous than her, and she still retained the ability to use her own wisps as additional eyes.

  The Pikachu pushed forward, veering left, then right, crashing through a wall of bushes and into a darker part of the woods. He had no idea if he was still on the right track but hoped that the denser parts of the forest at least managed to slow his pursuers down enough to allow him to temporarily escape once again. Maybe just long enough for him to reach his final destination.

  The Corviknight was unable to act against him at all in such a thick forest and even wounded, he was capable of getting away from the Chandelure, if barely. The biggest threat was the Krookodile, a predator more than capable of chasing him down with enough time and effort, though he hadn’t been successful at that yet. Still, the Pikachu did not trust the temporary peace.

  Seconds later, he was proven right by doing so, as the soil beneath him suddenly surged upward. A roar cracked through the forest as Fang erupted from below in a whirl of fangs and rage, his[Dragon Tail] cutting through the air like a whip. The blow came from below and behind, fast and strong, but expected.

  The Pikachu’s tail glowed silver at the last second. With a desperate cry, he spun mid-air and struck with [Iron Tail], the two attacks colliding in a flash of energy. Sparks flew, the impact blasting the Pikachu sideways. He flipped through the air, pain flaring through his spine, but the counter gave him just enough momentum to narrowly avoid a follow-up [Shadow Ball] that Echo had already launched, which missed him by mere inches.

  He hit the ground again, rolled, and pushed himself back up with a wheeze. Ahead, the trees grew thicker and more tangled, hopefully finally enough for him to make use of his size and to restrict his pursuers at least somewhat. He ran straight into it. Branches tore at his fur, roots caught at his paws, but he kept moving, the forest closing behind him like a curtain.

  The silence of the deeper woods was shattered by a sudden, rising screech. Echo’s body glowed white-hot, flames pulsing outward in unstable arcs. Her ghostly lanterns trembled as an inferno bloomed around her. It was one of her strongest attacks, [Overheat]. A torrent of scorching fire roared after the Pikachu, devouring the underbrush and leaving nothing but scorched bark and blackened soil in its wake.

  The Pikachu’s ears twitched, noticing the danger but too late to properly evade. The heat licked at his back as he stumbled towards the edge of a steep, rocky incline. With no time to think, he threw himself down, curling tight just as the flames blasted over the ridge above him. His body tumbled out of control as he crashed through thorns, slid over gravel, and finally landed with a painful splash in a shallow stream below.

  High above, Fang skidded to a halt at the scorched edge of the incline, claws digging furrows into the smoking soil. “What in the name of the Abyss was that!?” he roared, turning on Echo as she hovered beside the charred path.

  “My [Overheat],” she replied calmly, her voice soft and floating, as if the act had been nothing.

  “You’ll burn the whole forest down with him in it! We’re supposed to catch him, not bring back his smoked corpse!”

  Echo’s flames dimmed briefly. “And yet, everything weaker has failed at one point or another for weeks now. He gets away every single time.”

  Fang bared his fangs. “You’ll roast him alive with just a single direct hit!”

  “Then he’s too weak to matter and we’ve already wasted way too much time on him,” she said simply and began to drift forward again. As she floated through the lingering smoke, her flames began to recede inward, shrinking as she absorbed the type energy she had just expelled. Her ability Flash Fire allowed her to do so, and type energy was highly valuable after all. Without it, she wouldn’t be able to use attacks, and it took time to regenerate.

  Down by the stream, the Pikachu struggled to his feet, drenched and battered. The slope above was still crumbling. He turned around to continue running, then hesitated. His eyes darted up to the shaking earth. Instead of continuing to run, he darted to the side and slammed with [Take Down] into a brittle root system exposed by the slope’s erosion. With a crack, the soil gave way, loose rocks and mud tumbling downward just as Fang leapt to follow.

  “What-!?” The Krookodile had no time to react before the slope beneath him collapsed entirely and his feet lost traction. With a shout of frustration, he plunged into the stream below, water erupting around his thrashing body.

  The Pikachu didn’t wait to see him resurface. He veered left, water sloshing at his paws, following the river’s curve, his ears twitching toward the distant roar of falling water. He knew where he was again. The roaring water grew louder until the trees parted. Ahead loomed a wall of stone, worn smoothly by centuries of spray. The river widened and fell violently over the cliffside, mist rising in a shimmering veil. But to the right of the waterfall, barely visible behind ferns and ivy, was a narrow ravine, just wide enough for a small body to squeeze through.

  The Pikachu dove in without hesitation, scraping against the damp stone. Echo’s flames lit the trees behind him. She paused at the edge of the forest, eyes glowing. With one final flick of her arms, she hurled another [Overheat] towards the ravine, though she knew the attack would most likely miss its mark. The blast scorched the stone and filled the air with steam.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  As the haze settled, she followed up with another [Will-O-Wisp], tiny ghostly flames drifting silently into the crack where the Pikachu had vanished. It was better if they remained at least somewhat aware of the Pikachu’s location, even if just for a short moment.

  Not a second later, the trees above Echo suddenly trembled from a sudden breeze. Vigil landed beside her in a gust of feathers and metal, his eyes narrow and unreadable. “Is he ash yet, or just a puff of fur in a rock crevice?”

  “He survived,” Echo said, her voice as placid as ever as she observed the Pikachu run through the crevice, her [Will-O-Wisps] still following him. “He slipped into the gorge. According to my wisps he’s headed for the mountain path on the other side.”

  Vigil let out a low, metallic clack from his beak. “And I suppose I’m flying solo, then?”

  “You’ll catch him,” she replied. “My [Minimize] to follow him will take some time. Fangs [Dig] won’t be much faster either.”

  Almost on cue, the bushes rustled violently, and Fang stormed into view, covered in mud and brambles, soaked to the bone. His agitated tail whipped against the ground.

  “Move!” he bellowed at Vigil, flames of frustration practically burning behind his eyes. “There is no way in the Abyss I’ll let him get away again!”

  The Corviknight didn’t answer. He simply spread his wings and launched into the air again, vanishing into the sky.

  Meanwhile the Pikachu finally managed to leave the crevice behind. On the other side the dense forest began to thin, its tangled roots giving way to dry gravel and jagged stone. Scraggly trees clung to the sides of a crumbling mountain trail as the land tilted sharply upward. The shadows of pine and brush faded behind the Pikachu as he scrambled onto the narrow path, his breath ragged, his legs trembling with fatigue.

  The Chandelure’s wisps no longer followed him. The powerful [Discharge] he’d let loose at the base of the trail had scattered them easily, making sure his pursuers could no longer directly spy on him and his location at least. Now, only the distant roar of wind and the scrape of his paws on the cold and hard stone filled his ears. At least until a metallic rattle rang out from behind him.

  The Pikachu didn’t turn, for by now he knew exactly what that sound meant. The pesky Corviknight was closing in on him again.

  The Pikachu darted forward, weaving between towering rock spires jutting from the earth. He squeezed beneath a natural stone arch slick with moss, then bound over a crackling crevice that pulsed with faint geothermal heat. Loose gravel slid beneath his feet as he ducked into a hollowed-out trench between two narrow ridgelines. The terrain grew harsher with every meter, but it didn’t matter.

  With a shriek of steel, Vigil tore through the arch like paper, scattering stone shards down the mountainside. The armored bird crashed through boulders with barely a deceleration as if they weren’t there at all, eyes fully locked on his target.

  The Pikachu spun and bolted towards a narrow switchback, but the air behind him twisted. His instincts screamed in warning and then he felt it a split second before it hit. A roaring column of wind erupted from above, spiraling with crushing force striking him like a hammer. The Pikachu screamed as the gale slammed him sideways, flinging his body into a rock wall with bone-rattling force. Dust and feathers scattered across the trail. That had been the Corviknights [Hurricane].

  The Pikachu slumped for a breath, dazed, before forcing himself up again. His breath hissed through clenched teeth. Cuts lined his side, his limbs ached, but he was still conscious. Still standing. And sighing, he turned.

  Vigil landed just ahead, wings wide, chest rising slowly beneath the black steel of his armor. The Pikachu knew there was no way he would outrun the Corviknight in the open like that. He narrowed his eyes and sparks started to dance across his cheeks.

  If he wanted to break free, this was the moment. There would be no better chance to take out the Corviknight than now. Fighting wasn’t just his only option, it was also the best shot he would get. He had to take the risk.

  The air lit up in an instant. The Pikachu lunged forward with surprising speed for how injured he was, [Iron Tail] slashing low. Vigil blocked with a [Steel Wing], both attacks meeting and fighting to a stand-still. The impact cracked the stone underfoot.

  The Pikachu twisted, spun, and lashed out again, this time aiming high, but Vigil shifted his head just enough to avoid it, delivering a [Drill Peck] with his beak that grazed the Pikachu’s shoulder. But all the Pikachu saw was an opening. No room for hesitation, he used one of the strongest attacks in his arsenal. [Thunder].

  The world flashed white and the attack crashed into Vigil point-blank, searing across his armored chest with raw, deafening power. The shockwave threw him backward like a cannon shell. He broke through the far rock wall before crashing into the next one with a metallic clang, then collapsed beneath a slumped overhang, unconscious.

  The Pikachu panted, his vision blurring at the edges. The electric-type energy he’d just been forced to use had half emptied his remaining reserves. It had been a good decision not to use a self-damaging move. And it had worked. For the moment at least, the Corviknight was down.

  There was no time for the Pikachu to finish the job properly however, as the next attacks closed in. From the cliff below, a whirling [Dragon Pulse] screamed toward him, painted in violet energy. A breath behind it, Echo’s form appeared, her shadow lit with the dark violet glow of a gathering [Shadow Ball].

  The Pikachu dove sideways, rolling off the trail just as the [Dragon Pulse] ripped through the air he’d just occupied. Before he could land, the [Shadow Ball] followed, but he was ready for it. He hurled a hastily charged [Electro Ball] directly into its core, the two attacks colliding midair with a brilliant, white-hot flash.

  The explosion lit up the mountainside, shattered rocks and ghostly flames erupting into the air. The Pikachu was thrown backwards by the force of it, landing hard on the gravel, but the smoke that followed cloaked him from his pursuers sight, giving him a short reprieve from the constant barrage of attacks.

  The Pikachu’s limbs screamed with every step, but he didn’t slow. The trail was gone now, replaced by sheer stone and narrow ledges, jagged and slick with windblown mist. He climbed, paws scraping for purchase, muscles tight with exhaustion. Above him, the summit loomed, a cragged ridge cloaked in thick unnaturally black fog, beyond which he could hear nothing but the deep, distant rumble of wind escaping a great hollow. He was close now.

  Unfortunately, his pursuers were still after him, with Echo being not far behind. Below, Fang struggled upward as well, but not without facing resistance.

  Suddenly, a stone groaned loose. The massive slab of rock shifted, tumbling down the slope with brutal force. It crashed directly into Fang’s ascent, slamming him back against the cliffside. A blurry silhouette flashed in the corner of his eye, the yellow fur more than enough of an indicator for who was at fault for that. The damn Pikachu vanished just as quickly as he had come.

  Fang snarled, throwing all reason out of the window, and launched his strongest attack, a furious [Hyper Beam], up the path. The white-orange blast tore across the rocks in a wild arc, exploding high above. It missed the Pikachu, but not by much.

  The shockwave hurled the Pikachu sideways, right onto a narrow ledge just barely wide enough to catch his fall. Below the ridge, nothing but the yawning, fog-choked mouth of a crater stretched out, its edges and ground hidden beneath swirling grey and black. The Pikachu groaned, barely able to move, but still unwilling to give up.

  A flicker of light bloomed above the ledge. Echo hovered at the rim, her gaze fixed and silent. She didn’t attack, instead waiting for her team members to arrive. They had already found out that it was unwise to challenge this Pikachu without support. No matter how weakened he looked.

  Moments later, Fang and Vigil appeared beside her, skidding to a halt. The three stared down at the battered Pikachu on the ledge below. “We’ve got you cornered. Again,” Fang growled. “This time, you can’t run any farther! And we won’t let you get away again either!”

  “Let this end,” Echo said, voice calm but cold. “[Imprison] will make it easy. And don’t worry, this time I’ll make sure you’re truly asleep and won’t just get away again.”

  The Pikachu raised his head slowly. His body shook, both from rage and from suppressed fear. He was unwilling to surrender to his pursuers just like that, no matter how exhausted he was! “…No. You will not get me that easily.”

  Fang didn’t wait. With a roar, he lunged, tail glowing green as he brought down a brutal [Dragon Tail]. Vigil launched downward in tandem, his armored frame crashing down in a searing [Body Press].

  The Pikachu moved. His tail caught Fang’s incoming strike and redirected it, flipping him sideways with a violent clang of stone. The motion flung the Pikachu clear of Vigil’s crushing descent, but only barely.

  Midair, the Pikachu twisted, his body crackling with the energy of a quickly charged [Electro Ball]. At point-blank range, it exploded against Vigil’s armor, blasting the Corviknight into the crater wall with a shower of broken rock and steel shards.

  The Pikachu landed hard but didn’t stop. [Will-O-Wisps], three of them burned around him like lilac fireflies, ready to surge forward. He clenched his teeth, sparks crackling again. A pulse of [Discharge] exploded from his body, dispersing the wisps in a wave of raw electrical current.

  But then came Fang. There was no wind-up, no warning, just a brute-forced [Double-Edge]. The impact smashed into the Pikachu’s side, the collision loud enough to echo into the crater like thunder. The Pikachu gasped and flew. He struck the edge of the ridge, tumbling off. For a heartbeat that felt like an eternity, he hung there, barely holding on. Then he slipped over the edge, vanishing into the black mist below with a scream.

  Fang skidded to a stop, panting. “Echo! Go after him!” But Echo just ignored him, not interested in following his orders.

  Fang turned toward her, furious, but before he could speak, Vigil landed beside them, dragging one wing slightly but otherwise intact. “No point,” he said flatly. “That’s the same Umbral Abyss that you like to use in your curses. Probably where he wanted to go from the very beginning.”

  Fang, uncomprehending, stared at him. “…What?”

  Vigil pointed a steel talon towards the swirling fog below. “That crater. It’s sacred ground. You don’t go in there. Not unless you want to die very badly and very brutally.”

  “That’s just superstition.”

  Vigil shook his head. “No. There are Pokemon of incredible power and danger living down there. Feral Mythicals. Legendaries maybe even. Territory no one touches and walks away from. If he’s gone in there, he’s already dead regardless of whether he survived the fall. I can assure you that. I have no idea why he would even want to come here in the first place.”

  Fang looked out over the edge, into the shifting black that swallowed the crater below. He didn’t answer.

  Echo hovered silently at his side. Then, at last, she turned. “Whatever the circumstances… he’s gone now.” And without another word, she drifted back down the slope. Vigil followed, feathers dragging across the rock.

  Fang stood there a moment longer. The mist curled up toward him, chill and quiet. Finally, he sighed. “…We’d better still get paid something for this, otherwise I’m going to be furious.” But even he knew the risk of taking on unofficial quests like this one. And how stupid it would be to mess with Mythicals, let alone Legendaries. Especially if they were ferals. Therefore, he simply turned around and followed his team members back down the mountain trail. Some booze in the next village they stopped in would probably lift his spirits as well.

  Important characters in the chapter:

  Pikachu (???) – Level 12

  Ability: Lightning Rod

  Battle Nature: Lonely

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 59

  Attack: 38

  Ranged Attack: 34

  Defense: 40

  Speed: 45

  Total: 216 (Strength Level: Kid)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Nuzzle], [Tail Whip], [Quick Attack], [Brick Break] [Thief], [Reversal], [Knock off], [Thunder Wave], [Feint], [Take Down], [Spark], [Thunder Punch], [Iron Tail], [Volt Tackle]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Thunder Shock], [Electro Web], [Volt Switch], [Grass Knot], [Swift], [Electro Ball], [Discharge], [Thunderbolt], [Thunder]

  Utility Moves: [Endure], [Charge], [Play Nice], [Sweet Kiss], [Growl] [Nasty Plot], [Charm], [Double Team], [Agility], [Light Screen], [Dig]

  Krookodile (Fang) – Level 46

  Ability: Intimidate

  Battle Nature: Rash

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 236

  Attack: 155

  Sp. Attack: 118

  Defense: 171

  Speed: 132

  Total: 812 (Strength Level: Adult)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Power Trip], [Sand Tomb], [Dragon Tail], [Crunch], [Fire Fang], [Thunder Fang], [Foul Play], [Double Edge]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Sand Attack], [Mud Shot], [Dragon Pulse], [Earthquake], [Hyper Beam]

  Utility Moves: [Leer], [Hone Claws], [Scary Face], [Torment], [Dig]

  Chandelure (Echo) – Level 43

  Ability: Flash Fire

  Battle Nature: Calm

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 206

  Attack: 92

  Sp. Attack: 187

  Defense: 183

  Speed: 102

  Total: 770 (Strength Level: Adult)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Imprison], [Pain Split], [Power Split], [Memento], [Fire Spin], [Inferno], [Astonish]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Will-O-Wisp], [Confuse Ray], [Ember], [Smog], [Hex], [Night Shade], [Poltergeist], [Shadow Ball], [Overheat]

  Utility Moves: [Minimize], [Trick], [Psychic], [Trick Room], [Calm Mind], [Psych Up]

  Corviknight (Vigil) – Level 42

  Ability: Pressure

  Battle Nature: Adamant

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 231

  Attack: 128

  Sp. Attack: 80

  Defense: 190

  Speed: 100

  Total: 729 (Strength Level: Adult)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Power Trip], [Steel Wing], [Fury Attack], [Drill Peck], [Take Down], [Body Press], [Heavy Slam]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Screech], [Metal Sound], [Swift], [Air Cutter], [Hurricane]

  Utility Moves: [Iron Defense], [Leer], [Hone Claws], [Taunt], [Scary Face], [Swagger], [Roost]