Its words held contempt for the human race and utter incomprehension at Garchomp and the others' choice.
In its worldview, the strong ruling the weak was the law of nature.
Choosing to stand with frail humans was self-degradation—utterly irrational.
At those words, Garchomp finally turned its head and looked Raging Bolt straight in the eye.
There was no anger in its sharp gaze—only mockery.
As if it had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Heh."
"A blockhead who only knows brute strength could never understand…"
"The bond we share with our Trainer."
Bond.
Spoken from Garchomp's mouth, the word landed like a hammer.
Cynthia couldn't understand Garchomp's language, but she felt its meaning. A gentle, genuine pride bloomed on her face.
She said nothing; she knew that at times like this, her partners could handle it themselves.
Raging Bolt stalled at Garchomp's retort. It seemed to want to argue back, but in the end it only snorted coldly and dropped the topic.
Perhaps, to it, there was no point debating with "brainwashed" underlings.
Its gaze slid off Garchomp and fixed on a new target—the injured, weakened, yet fundamentally powerful Iron Valiant.
"Your aura… feels familiar."
It stared Valiant down and spoke slowly:
"I seem to have sent three Pokémon to invite you to join us. Then those three stopped showing up."
It paused, eyes raking Valiant up and down.
"Looks like you're strong. Strong enough to dodge their 'invitation.'"
It said "invitation," but anyone could hear what that really meant.
At that, the long-silent Valiant jolted like it'd been struck by lightning!
A shard of icy killing intent flashed in its electronic eyes.
Its energy cores flickered erratically all over; it looked one twitch away from ignoring its wounds and launching itself at Raging Bolt.
Now it understood!
So the three Paradox Pokémon that hounded it to the brink of death—were sent by this thing!
This was the hand behind it all!
Old hate and new fury boiled up together.
Raging Bolt, however, didn't care in the slightest about the almost tangible hostility rolling off Valiant. In its mind, Valiant was a talented, not-yet-subordinate—nothing more. With its own power as a crutch, it didn't believe the other had any right, much less the guts, to harbor resentment.
It was even about to issue that non-negotiable "invitation" again right to Valiant's face.
Just as it opened its mouth—
A blue figure appeared at its side without a sound.
Walking Wake!
At some point it had slipped from bystander to center stage.
It snatched the initiative, and in that rough, magnetic voice, extended its own offer directly to Valiant.
"Hm? Looks like you don't have a Trainer."
Wake cocked its head, eyes flicking between Valiant and Cynthia's team, as if confirming something.
"Then what are you doing among these humans? Seeking their protection?"
Its tone, compared to Bolt's forceful drawl, held a coaxing lilt.
"If you've got no banner, how about you run with me? I can shelter you, too."
Jason's crew wasn't the only one stunned—so was Raging Bolt.
It turned that absurdly long neck, eyes wide at its rival, anger and confusion plain. This stuck-up prig was suddenly poaching his recruit?
The "recruit" in question—Iron Valiant—fell completely silent.
Inside, it felt nothing. If anything, it wanted to laugh.
The two culprits who'd made its life hell now putting on a farce—"desperate to hire"—right to its face?
Absurd.
As the tense yet faintly ridiculous standoff stretched, a lazy but clear voice broke it.
"Hey, you two."
It came from Jason, still cradled in Iono's hands.
He slowly "stood up" from her palms, gave the two juggernauts a look like they were idiots, and said:
"Trying to pry my wall right in front of me? Not a bit too disrespectful?"
That did it—Walking Wake and Raging Bolt finally, for the first time, focused their attention on the little soft purple blob.
Up till now, they'd subconsciously taken Jason to be…
Well, some ornament the pink-haired human girl was carrying.
Wake tipped its head, curiosity plain in its rasp. "This tiny thing looks amusing."
Bolt craned that exaggerated neck closer, scrutinizing him. "What Pokémon is this? Did someone squash it flat?"
Jason chuckled. "I'm this Iron Valiant's Trainer."
He enunciated each word.
"So if you want to poach him, you ask me first."
He even turned a bit of his body into a little hand and patted Valiant's shoulder.
Valiant stepped forward in tacit sync.
It met their stares without fear and declared in its clipped, metallic timbre: "I will not follow you."
Killing intent erupted off both ancients like a stormfront.
Now they realized they'd been toyed with.
Neither these humans with strong Pokémon nor this Paradox upstart had ever intended to bow.
"If you will not submit…"
Raging Bolt's voice dropped, heavy and dangerous.
Wake picked up seamlessly, cold seeping into its rough timbre:
"Then you can die."
The words had barely fallen when battle exploded.
Raging Bolt and Walking Wake—rivals a breath ago—showed stunning synergy.
They teamed up.
Bolt threw back its head; thunderheads gathered instantly; a massive bolt of lightning split the cavern sky, crashing toward the densest knot of people—
Thunder!
At the same time, Wake opened wide.
A jet of hyper-compressed water laced with scalding steam blasted out, a beam that ripped the air as it swept across—
Hydro Steam!
Lightning and vapor—two top-tier attacks sealed every avenue of escape, set to erase all resistance in one stroke.
At that knife-edge instant, Cynthia moved.
A champion atop Sinnoh, she was battle-hardened and blisteringly fast.
"Milotic—Protect them!"
Her crisp command cracked the air, cool and decisive.
"Mi~!"
Milotic sang—a bright, clean note. Its lithe body slid between the girls and the blasts. A surge of draconic energy burst forth, blooming into a translucent dome that swallowed Liko, Nemona, Iono, the Jason in Iono's hands, the weakened Valiant, and Haunter all at once.
Then its long tail curled, and it ferried the shielded group away across the wet stone toward safety.
Even as Milotic moved, Cynthia's second order was out.
Her eyes were a blade, locking onto both ancient attackers.
"Garchomp—Outrage dive! Slip the strike and hit Walking Wake!"
"ROAR!"
Garchomp howled, blue dragon-aura blazing. It became a comet, a blue lance with a long tail-flare that tore forward.
Its flight path, under Cynthia's exacting hand, carved a razor arc.
"KR-KRAAACK!"
Thunder smashed down where its tail fin had been—a breath late. The stone crater smoked, black as pitch.
Garchomp, barely skimming past annihilation, slammed head-on into the scything Hydro Steam.
"BOOM!"
Dragon fury and superheated water collided, detonating into a shockwave that peeled the ground up in sheets.
Light seared the center of the blast.
But this was a twin strike from two apex ancients. Garchomp's Outrage neutralized Wake's beam, yet recoil shoved it back, claws furrowing rock.
In that heartbeat of unsteady footing, Raging Bolt's second shot screamed in—a purple-black wave of ill omen roared from its maw, straight at the landshark.
Dragon Pulse!
"Dodge!"
Cynthia's shout carried a sliver of tension for the first time.
Garchomp twisted, desperate—but half a beat slow.
"Thump!"
The wave grazed its flank.
"GRAA—!" Garchomp's pained bellow was strangled; the massive body skidded and tumbled, gouging trenches before it stopped. A blackened scorch marred its blue hide.
Sweat pricked Cynthia's smooth brow before she noticed. Her ace was champion-tier apex—a veteran among predators. Across the world, few could truly match it. Yet in a single exchange, under a 2-on-1 by equals, it was already straining.
The enemy was stronger than she'd budgeted for.
"We can't let Garchomp shoulder this alone."
Her eyes snapped razor-keen.
No more hesitation. Her clear voice rang:
"Everyone—battle ready!"
"Lucario—Aura Sphere, cover Garchomp!"
"Togekiss—Air Slash, harry Raging Bolt!"
"Spiritomb—Will-O-Wisp, target Walking Wake!"
"Glaceon—Ice Beam!"
Four crisp orders fired in a heartbeat.
"Ha!"
Lucario's palms bloomed a blue sphere; it streaked at Bolt, cutting off the chase on the dazed Garchomp.
"Chyaah!"
Togekiss swept skyward, wings fanning; a rain of crescent-bright blades cascaded at the thunder beast to break its rhythm.
From the keystone, Spiritomb's misshapen body seeped forth; a wisp of ghost-blue flame drifted toward Wake.
Glaceon was blunt—a spear of winter blue ripped the air straight at Walking Wake's dragon hide.
Cynthia's remaining four joined the fray in full.
Pinned by Aura Sphere and Air Slash, Raging Bolt growled, abandoning its pursuit to deal with the harassment.
Walking Wake, for its part, was suddenly busy—dodging the stalking Will-O-Wisp while answering Ice Beam's four-times super-effective lance. For a moment it floundered.
Freed from immediate danger, Garchomp—under Lucario's cover—shook itself and rose, eyes burning as it re-sighted its prey.
Cynthia's plan bit hard. Using varied types and attack vectors, she carved the 2-on-1 into multiple micro-battles, buying her ace precious air.
But ancient power ran deeper than first blush.
"ROAR!"
Annoyed by Togekiss's constant slashes, Raging Bolt stomped; a violent EM pulse exploded outward.
Thunder Wave!
Togekiss, mid-flight and too close, couldn't jink—its body seized, wings stiffening under paralysis, its graceful arc wobbling.
Bolt's long neck whipped; electric fury coiled round its frame—Wild Charge—and it slammed into the barrier of green energy that flared just in time.
"WHAM!"
The Protect held; the impact still hammered Togekiss, sending it cartwheeling away.
On the other front, Walking Wake showed its own edge. It didn't budge for Ice Beam; instead a high-pressure Hydro Pump lanced from its jaws. Water and ice met in midair, canceled, and blew into glittering crystals and fog, blinding sightlines.
Out of that mist, Wake lunged—tail sheathed in slicing water—Aqua Tail—scything down at Glaceon.
"It's Aqua Tail!"
"Glaceon—Mirror Coat!"
~~~
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