Pokemon: Orbion and the Runes of Chaos [#Wattys2016]

Eleven: Battle of the Gate

Through the eyes of his war general, Orbion watched the progression of the battle. Silently he seethed. For just a moment, he spotted a familiar white form with a still more familiar spikey-haired boy upon its back. Orbion's surge of hatred caused the crystal floor all around him to crack.

That monster, he thought to himself. He abandons me to be probed and tortured like an animal. Now, when I finally have a chance for vengeance, he tries to stop me!

The spider web of cracks spread further across the floor, some of them actually reaching the distant walls of the circular chamber.

I won't let him get away with this, Orbion thought savagely as he watched his longtime friend dismount and join the rest of the two hundred odd humans.

Mewtwo, forget their Pokémon. Attack the humans themselves, Orbion ordered. Cut them all down. Just make absolutely sure you destroy this one first. Orbion seized full control over his minion for a moment and directed the psychic Pokémon's gaze down until it focused solely on Jason.

Ash let out a sigh of relief as he witnessed Charizard emerging nearly unharmed from his titanic collision with the legendary fire bird. Moltres dropped from the sky like its two previous opponents, seemingly unconscious. Meanwhile. Vierachu had managed to retrieve Staraptor from the forest. He had carefully draped the wounded bird across his back. Ash gingerly lifted Staraptor from Vierachu's spiky fur and tried to cradle her as gently as he could in his arms. The bird had grown even more since he had left it at Professor Oak's, and it was all he could do to keep her steady as he awkwardly ran towards the gathering group of humans. Rayquaza flew low over him, sporting Bonnie, Clemont, and a very nauseous-looking Serena on his back. The great green dragon circled once around the group before dropping low to deposit his passengers.

Ash joined them just as they were dismounting. Jason had already reached the group and was trying to make himself heard over the constant cacophony of noise from the battle behind him. It was then that Ash at last allowed himself to see the full battle being waged.

The strategy that the Champions had planned out so meticulously had already disintegrated. Now thousands upon thousands of Pokémon battled in a chaotic mass all around the fortress's gate. Orbion's forces still massively outnumbered the attackers. They halted the allied trainer's charge with relative ease and held them in a stalemate several hundred meters short of the gaping hole.

A gentle nudge to Ash's ribs brought him out of his dazed stare. A Chancy stood next to him, gesturing impatiently for him to place Staraptor on the stretcher beside her.

How and when did they have time to bring stretchers out here? Ash wondered as he numbly placed the injured bird on the white cloth.

A second Chancy came running out of the tree line, and together the two healer Pokémon carried Staraptor back the direction the second one had come from.

Following their straight path, Ash could make out more healer Pokémon just behind the initial screen of trees.

"Oh there you are," said Jason, breaking off his string of commands to talk to Ash. "Any trouble in the flight down?" he asked lightly.

"Well, now that you mention it," Ash began. He stopped mid-sentence, some sixth sense warning him of impending danger.

A moment later, he was slammed to the ground by an unseen force. Bodies smashed into the ground all around him as gravity seemed to multiply exponentially. Somehow, against the pressing force, he managed to twist his head to the side and look up.