Love in the Time of Teamwork

Chapter 18: An Assault

A lot of people freaked over the cliffhanger last chapter. I hope this makes up for it. Please enjoy Chapter 18!

Chapter 18

An Assault

Pandemonium.

This was the only thing that was in Serena's line of sight in that particular moment. While she stood side-by-side with Brock, her Pokémon had jumped in front to defend her. Her eyes also noticed every other battling trainer in their vicinity. The absolute devastation that was being wrought around the stadium kept her pulse racing. Chunks of stone had been blasted off and some trainers had already been defeated by the horde. Serena swallowed a lump in her throat as she turned back to the pitched battle between Croagunk and Flygon.

"Poison Jab, now!" Brock ordered, his stance rigid with what appeared to be rage. Serena had only seen him like this a few times before, but all that paled in comparison to now. Croagunk jumped off the top of a piece of stone to gain altitude over Flygon. He spun through the air and his purple fist sunk into Flygon's back, driving it forward.

"Get it off, Flygon," Edwin said coolly. Flygon responded instantly by spinning. Croagunk attempted to hold on desperately but the speed that Flygon was moving was too much and he flew off, though he didn't receive any injury.

"Braixen, Flamethrower, and Sylveon, Swift!" Serena called out, hoping to provide some kind of support for Brock. Braixen didn't waste time with any fancy moves; she just held her wand aloft and shot the flame forward. It was weaker than usual, as Braixen was no doubt tired from battling all day. Sylveon didn't have a problem, using her feelers to spring upward in a dance and launch the golden stars at Flygon. Both attacks hit Flygon, but it looked unfazed. Edwin was much the same. He was showing no emotion at the successful attacks: no rage, no surprise, no arrogance. It unsettled Serena just a bit.

"What's your game here?" Brock asked sternly. Edwin appeared to take a breath.

"I don't feel like telling you," he said. "Needless to say, you'll not stop us. Not because you aren't strong enough. That's not it."

"Then why?" Brock followed up with. "Humor me."

"Your conviction isn't the same as ours," he responded openly. He clearly would have gone on, but a loud roar pierced the air once more and Edwin finally showed some sort of reaction, his eyebrows raising upward. Serena didn't like the sound of it, considering where it had come from: the pit that led underneath the stadium. "Looks like Zinnia finished up. Good, I'm not cut out for leadership."

"You don't mean-" Zinnia, herself, appeared to answer the horrified inquiry on Serena's lips. Salamence, no longer in its Mega form, burst out of the hole and spread its wings wide. Zinnia was atop of it, looking more determined than before she'd entered. "No..."

"Croagunk, use Brick Break, now!"

"Croagunk!" the Toxic Mouth Pokémon yelled out, bounding from where he was, over to Flygon and slamming down on top of its head. Flygon didn't appear to take it very well, but Edwin was less observant to his Pokémon's annoyance.

"Are we clear yet, Zinnia?" he was yelling at the girl on her Salamence.

"We are," she said stoically. "Nothing is left. I'm heading for the castle. You know your job. They're like a bunch of sitting Ducklett out there."

"Got it," Edwin responded to her. "They're already on their way there, trying to finish preparations. I'll provide you cover."

"Yeah...good luck, Eddie," Zinnia said, a soft smile of affection playing on her lips. Then Salamence rose above the stadium and took off in the direction of the castle. Whatever her plan was, it was clearly going to go down there. Serena had other, more worrisome, things on her mind. Like the fact that Ash was down below and hadn't shown up yet while Zinnia had.