Another Road Repaved - The Climb

Lonely

A hard-fought battle against a new-and-improved Team Rocket had proved tiring for Ash and his pokémon alike. After the trio of thieves fled, they slumbered. Night soon turned to morning, seeming just about as ordinary as any other day... At least, it did for a little bit.

A body-rattling boom knocked Ash unpleasantly from his slumber, prompting a startled yelp from the adolescent as he jerked awake, only to topple over and land face-first, still constricted by his sleeping bag. He muttered something incoherent, muffled by the earth before pulling himself upright.

Pikachu tumbled off of Ash, none too happy to be woken so abruptly. His beady eyes turned toward the cliff side. Pebbles were falling from the nearest heights above them. Strange.

"Sorry, bud," Ash apologized. "I didn't wanna wake up like this either. You heard that, though, right?" He pulled himself out of the sleeping bag, quickly donning his jacket.

Before he could do much more, a couple of Teddiursa came running by, completely ignoring Ash and Pikachu. A couple of Ursaring followed, watching over the smaller pokémon as they fled the scene. A few Phanpy followed, scurrying onward.

"Y'know, I'm all for rushing to breakfast, but even I think this is getting out of hand," Ash speculated.

Pikachu gave his trainer a deadpan stare, having no words. "Pikapi!" He pointed, trying to bring Ash's attention toward the heights. More pebbles tumbled over, accompanied by another loud crash. A loud, ear-splitting roar could be heard, forcing Ash and Pikachu to cover their ears.

"Loud! Way too loud!" Ash whined, hopping to his feet before donning the rest of his outfit. "Let's go check it out, Pikachu! Whatever's going on up there, it can't be good!" Answered by a cry of agreement from his companion, Ash dashed toward the source of the commotion.

Ash scaled the rocky heights and crawled over the edge of the nearest elevation. Pikachu was waiting for him, though the mouse was gesturing frantically. "Pikapi! Pika Pika!"

"What is it, Pikachu?" With a grunt, Ash pulled himself onto solid ground, despite his partner's protests. A flurry of dark purple rings flew right in his direction, just then; Ash yelped and ducked to cover, holding his arms protectively over his head. The Dark Pulse had come so close that it brushed Ash's bangs. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

"Phew... Close call." He exhaled, pulling himself to his feet. "I should've listened to you, Pikachu. Sorry about that."

"Piika!" Pikachu shook his head, pointing past Ash. "Pikachu!"

Following Pikachu, Ash spotted the culprit.

A mad Tyranitar stood atop the precipice, crying loudly before slamming its powerful tail into a nearby tree, splitting the bark like a twig. Aipom swung from the branches, making a quick acrobatic escape from the rampaging pokémon. A Donphan entered the fray, spinning into a Rollout attack to put Tyranitar's destruction to an end.

Another barrage of dark energy, however, pulverized the ground between them, cutting the pokémon's attack short. Donphan spun out of control, crashing into a nearby rock.

"That Tyranitar's really on a rampage!" Ash frowned, watching the various smaller wild pokémon flee. "Hey! Cut it out! They didn't do anything to you!"

The Armor pokémon turned towards the duo and stopped in its tracks, completely motionless in Ash's presence. He couldn't tell whether the pokémon was frightened by him, or... at ease? It was hard to tell and provoking a cornered pokémon might not be the smartest thing one could do.