The Wyrm reared its head, long and sinuous, glistening with icy scales as it slithered from beneath the snowdrift like a nightmare come to life. Rows of jagged teeth split its narrow snout, and its glowing eyes locked onto us with hunger.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
The instant I shouted, my partner moved—his cheeks sparked, electricity crackling around him before he unleashed a searing bolt of yellow lightning. It struck the Wyrm dead-on, lighting up the clearing in a blinding flash.
The beast flinched, screeching in pain as it curled its massive head low—but it wasn't down. Not even close.
"Charmander, now! Dragon's Breath!"
Charmander darted forward, mouth glowing violet as he let out a wave of crackling energy. The flames tore across the Wyrm's side, hissing against snow and ice, leaving a trail of scorched scale and smoke. A few plates fell off, blackened at the edges—but the Wyrm only snarled, more annoyed than injured.
Charmander growled, fists clenched. He hated when enemies tanked his best shots.
"Stay focused!" I called, already reaching for another Poké Ball. "Corvisquire—battle ready!"
The ball burst open in a streak of blue and silver, and Corvisquire soared into the sky, wings flaring as he sized up the situation instantly.
Below, Pikachu leapt again, cheeks sparking as he brought his tail down in a silvery arc.
"Iron Tail, right on the head!"
CLANG!
The blow echoed across the frozen clearing as Pikachu's glowing tail smashed into the top of the Wyrm's skull. The serpent reeled, hissing and twitching, but still didn't fall.
I narrowed my eyes, jaw tight.
This thing was tough. Stronger than I expected.
But I wasn't done yet.
Not even close.
The Wyrm coiled in fury, its tail lashing out in a sweeping arc.
"Jump!" I shouted.
Pikachu sprang into the air just in time, flipping over the icy whip of muscle. Charmander rolled to the side, flames crackling at the corners of his mouth.
Above us, Corvisquire let out a shrill caw.
"Tailwind!" I ordered.
The air pulsed. Corvisquire's wings flared wide, stirring the frozen winds into a vortex behind us. The rush of wind blasted over Pikachu and Charmander, their movements suddenly sharper—faster.
"Now, Pikachu—Quick Attack, blind its left eye!"
He vanished in a yellow blur, zig-zagging through the snow before zipping right up the Wyrm's scaled neck. His tiny body collided with the beast's face, knocking its head back with a furious screech.
It opened its jaws—rows of needle-like fangs glittering with frost—and hissed.
"Charmander, Ember barrage! Don't give it time to breathe!"
With a roar, Charmander planted his feet and spat out a rapid-fire stream of blazing embers, the little bursts popping and sizzling against the Wyrm's open mouth, forcing it to reel back and shield itself with its tail.
"Corvisquire, Steel Wing—aim for the neck!"
A flash of silver cut the air. Corvisquire dove from above, his wings glowing with white-hot energy. He sliced down hard across the Wyrm's long neck, scales cracking under the impact.
The beast thrashed in fury now, blood misting faintly in the air from a wound near its shoulder.
Pikachu landed beside Charmander, sparks still racing across his cheeks.
Charmander glanced at him, his expression proud and cocky—like he wasn't about to be shown up by an electric mouse.
I exhaled through gritted teeth, scanning the field.
The Wyrm hissed, body coiling tight like a spring—and then it struck.
"Look out—!"
I barely finished the word when its massive tail whipped toward me, a blur of white scales and brutal force. The snow exploded around it like a bomb went off.
"Pika!!"
Pikachu was faster than me. Always was.
A shimmering dome of energy flared between us just as the tail slammed down.
Protect.
But the Wyrm wasn't holding back now. The barrier cracked like glass—and shattered.
The tail smashed into Pikachu and me both, sending us flying. I felt the wind knock out of my lungs as we ragdolled across the snow. My shoulder hit first. Then my ribs.
"A-Ash!!" Freya's voice called in the distance, but it was distant—muffled.
I groaned, pushing myself up from the snow. Everything ached.
Beside me, Pikachu coughed, sparks fizzing weakly from his cheeks.
That's when I saw it.
Charmander stood between us and the Wyrm, his eyes blazing—not with fear, but rage. Pure, loyal fury.
"Char…!"
His body glowed.
Bright orange light burst around him like a flame given shape, the heat rippling in the air as his small frame lifted from the ground. The snow beneath him melted in a circle, hissing into steam.
I shielded my eyes just as the transformation completed.
The glow faded—
—and standing in Charmander's place was a new form. Taller, leaner, arms thicker with muscle, tail flame blazing like a torch.
Charmeleon.
He roared—a sharp, draconic cry that echoed through the glacial air.
"Charmeleon!" I shouted, already on my feet. "Dragon Rage—now!"
The newly evolved Pokémon didn't hesitate. A pulsing wave of violet energy gathered in his throat and exploded forward, blasting into the Wyrm's chest like a cannon shot. The serpent reeled, hissing in pain as it was driven backward.
"Follow it up! Fire Spin!"
Charmeleon's tail flared brighter. He spun on his heel and released a spiral of flames that whipped around the Wyrm, trapping it in a vortex of searing heat. The wind howled with fire, snow turning to steam in seconds.
The Wyrm thrashed inside the inferno, letting out an enraged shriek.
Beside me, Pikachu pulled himself up, wobbling slightly—but his eyes were fierce, determined.
I clenched my fists.
We weren't done yet.
"Let's finish this together."
The Wyrm screeched, thrashing wildly inside Charmeleon's blazing Fire Spin. Its scorched scales cracked and peeled from the heat, but it wasn't down yet — not even close.
One eye — the left — still glowed with rage, locked onto Charmeleon like prey.
But that was a mistake.
"Corvisquire—now! Drill Peck!"
A shadow flashed overhead. My smug, tsundere bird dove from the clouds with a sharp caw, his beak spinning like a corkscrew.
The Wyrm turned too slow.
CRACK!
The strike landed clean — right into its last good eye.
It howled, staggering in place, reeling in blind fury.
Charmeleon didn't wait for orders. He lunged forward, claws glowing silver-white.
Metal Claw.
"Go for the neck!"
He roared and struck — slashing across the base of the Wyrm's throat. Thick hide tore. Black ichor sprayed. The creature hissed, its movements now slow, wild, panicked.
It lifted its head, maw glowing, maybe ready to unleash one final beam of elemental fury—
But it never got the chance.
"Pikachu—Thunder!!"
Pikachu leapt skyward, cheeks blazing with stored electricity. The clouds above, already twisted from the elemental chaos, pulsed.
And then the lightning came.
BOOOOM!!
A pillar of golden light struck down from the heavens, swallowing the Wyrm in its fury. The air exploded with heat and sound, snow instantly vaporized. I felt the shockwave in my bones.
When it faded, all that remained was a smoking crater and the Wyrm's twitching body — its scales cracked, its chest heaving once… then falling still.
Silence.
Only the faint crackle of leftover sparks.
Pikachu landed beside me, fur fluffed and proud, cheeks still sizzling.
Charmeleon stood at the edge of the crater, chest rising and falling, his eyes defiant.
Corvisquire swooped low, circling once before perching on a jagged ice chunk, wings spread wide.
I took a deep breath.
Then I smiled. "That's what I'm talking about."
The clearing was still. No wind. No sound. Just the smell of scorched ice and iron in the air.
And then… a sharp cry.
I turned just in time to see Corvisquire glow — that familiar, brilliant light bursting from his feathers as his form twisted and grew. The sleek bird I'd trained with was gone in a blink, replaced by a massive, armored raven with wings that shimmered like forged steel.
"Corvisquire…?"
No. Not anymore.
"Corviknight," I whispered, awe creeping into my voice.
He landed beside me with a low metallic screech, the snow crunching under his heavy talons. His head tilted down to meet my gaze, and for a second… he looked smug as hell.
"Show-off," I muttered, grinning.
He fluffed his wings and gave a low caw, proud.
Then the pain hit me.
A sharp jab in my side — the Wyrm's tail had left a mark. I winced and dropped to a knee.
Pikachu rushed to my side with a panicked chirp, climbing onto my shoulder, sniffing at the bruises already forming.
"I'm good," I said through clenched teeth. "Just—gimme a sec."
I pressed my palm to my chest and reached inward. Aura stirred immediately, flowing into my hand, glowing blue beneath the skin. Warm, calm, alive. The pain began to ease, the worst of the damage knitting back together.
Out near the edge of the clearing, the rift flared once… twice… and finally sealed shut with a soft snap.
Freya stood there, arm still extended, the artifact in her hand dimming like a dying ember. She looked completely spent—hair a mess, breaths shallow.
Then she turned and made her way over, her boots crunching quietly in the snow.
Her eyes scanned the battlefield, then the steaming corpse of the Wyrm. "What the hell happened over here?"
"Big angry snow snake," I said, still catching my breath. "We made it… less angry. Permanently."
Freya snorted and crouched beside me. "You okay?"
"Mostly. Pikachu caught the tail end of it. Literally."
Pikachu puffed up his cheeks like it was a badge of honor.
She gave him a gentle scratch behind the ears. "Tough little guy. Always knew you had it in you."
I nodded toward Charmeleon and Corviknight, who had just landed with a heavy thud beside us. "They went all out."
Freya glanced up at the massive bird now looming over her. "Holy hell. Since when does your bird look like something you'd ride into battle with a lance?"
"About five minutes ago."
She huffed a laugh. "You sure know how to put on a light show."
I smiled faintly, my hand glowing with the last of the Aura pulse as the pain dulled to a faint throb. "Yeah. We're getting there."
Charmeleon stood tall beside the scorched remains of the Wyrm, his newly sharpened claws glinting faintly under the moonlight. His flame blazed brighter than ever, fierce and proud. Corviknight perched silently above us on a low, broken pine, the wind catching his steel feathers with a whispering hum.
I stepped forward and placed a hand on each of them. "You guys were incredible. Both of you."
Charmeleon snorted and crossed his arms, but there was a little smirk hiding in his sharp eyes. Corviknight gave a low caw and puffed his chest like he already knew how cool he looked.
"Okay, okay. Don't let it go to your heads," I chuckled.
A few feet away, Freya was staring up at the night sky, her expression calm but far away. The rift was sealed, the fight was over—and now the world felt oddly quiet. The stars above us blinked like a thousand distant candles. It was beautiful.
"You hungry?" I asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "Did you seriously bring snacks to a rift battle?"
I grinned and pulled out the little pouch Annie had tucked into my coat pocket that morning. "Mom's sandwiches. Tuna and egg, I think. She even cut the crusts."
Freya laughed and dropped onto a nearby rock, brushing the snow off. "Of course she did."
I handed her a sandwich and sat next to her. Charmeleon curled near the fire-warmed stones behind us, and Pikachu climbed into my lap, nibbling on his piece of bread.
We sat like that for a while, eating in silence, the cold forgotten under the stars and the heat from Charmeleon's tail. It felt… peaceful.
"Hey, Aunt Freya?"
"Hm?"
"I've been thinking." I took a breath, letting it out slow. "When middle school starts, I want to go to New York."
She blinked. "For a field trip?"
"No. I mean… to live. With you. Just for a while."
Freya turned to look at me, the sandwich halfway to her mouth. "You want to live with me?"
"I want to train more," I said. "Fight more. Learn to handle real threats. You're out there doing things—missions, rift work, combat. I think I'd grow faster if I was with you. And, you know… it's New York."
She didn't respond right away. Just chewed slowly, thinking it through.
Finally, she shrugged. "Yeah, alright. I mean, I won't stop you if you're serious. You'd have to enroll in a local school, maybe help around the place. It won't be easy."
"I'm not looking for easy."
Freya nodded, impressed. "You're really set on this?"
"Yeah."
She paused again. "What about Annie? You think your mom's gonna be cool with sending her only son to the chaos pit that is New York?"
I scratched the back of my head. "I… haven't asked her yet."
Freya snorted. "Better you than me."
I smiled faintly and looked back up at the sky. Somewhere out there, big things were starting to stir. I could feel it—like the air before a storm.
And I was done waiting.
After a while I pulled everyone in their pokeballs and I took Gardevoir out of it's pokeball and asked her to teleport us.
"Gardevoir, take us home."
Her eyes shimmered softly as she stepped forward, gown-like form rising just an inch off the snow. The gem on her chest pulsed with light, and a swirl of energy engulfed us.
In a blink, the icy landscape vanished.
We reappeared in the front yard of our New Hope home—crickets chirping, porch lights glowing dimly, and the scent of cinnamon from Mom's kitchen drifting on the evening breeze.
The moment we stepped onto the porch, the door flew open.
"Ash!"
Mom rushed toward me, worry etched deep into every line of her face. "Are you hurt? What happened out there? Freya said it was just a rift—did something come through?!"
"I'm fine, Mom," I said quickly, holding up my hands. "Pikachu took a hit, but he's okay too. We handled it."
Freya sauntered in behind me, dragging some snow on her boots and casually tossing her coat on the hook. "Handled it like pros. Don't worry, sis. No major injuries. Just one angry wyrm that won't be bothering anyone anymore."
Mom gave her a flat look, then immediately turned her attention back to me, checking for scrapes and bruises with a gentleness that made me feel about five years old again.
"You're lucky that it didn't fracture your ribs," she muttered, poking around my side. "Honestly, Freya—dragging him into that kind of mess—"
"He volunteered," Freya said, grinning. "Besides, he's tougher than I am in some ways. Give the kid some credit."
I glanced toward the living room, where Dad was lounging on the couch with Hooter perched lazily behind him and Lala singing something soft under her breath from the kitchen. Albus sat like a stone statue near the fireplace, one ear twitching.
"Dad?" I called.
"Hm?" He didn't even look up from his book.
"I want to talk about something."
He tilted his head, finally meeting my eyes. "Yeah?"
I looked at Mom, still fussing over my sleeve, then took a breath.
"I want to go with Aunt Freya. To New York. For middle school."
The room fell still.
Even Lala stopped humming.
Mom looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "You want to what?"
"I want to train more. Learn more. I'll still do school. But I can't keep growing if I stay safe in one place all the time. Freya's in the thick of it—missions, rifts, combat. That's where I need to be."
"Ash, it's not that simple," Mom began, her voice tight. "It's dangerous. It's—"
"Annie." Freya's voice came soft but serious. "I'll watch him. I won't put him in over his head. He's already stronger than half the guys I work with, and he's got more control than I did at his age."
Mom hesitated, her expression torn.
I turned to Dad. "You okay with it?"
He finally set his book down.
"You sure?" he asked.
I nodded.
"You'll be smart about it?"
"I will."
He shrugged and leaned back again. "Then yeah. You've got my vote. Just don't forget to call sometimes. And don't blow up a building unless you really have to."
Mom stared at him like he was insane. "David—!"
He smiled faintly. "He's ready. You know he is."
Mom didn't respond right away.
She just stood there, arms crossed, brows furrowed in a way that made it clear she was holding back a storm of thoughts. Her eyes moved from me to Freya, then back again—like she was trying to measure all the things I wasn't saying out loud.
Finally, she spoke, voice low. "This isn't a vacation, Ash."
"I know."
"You'll be in a city with real threats. No more backyard training. No more soft landings if things go wrong."
"I know," I repeated, firmer this time.
"And if you get in over your head?" she asked. "If something happens?"
I didn't flinch. "Then I'll call. I'll come home if I need to. But I won't stop learning."
Her arms tightened across her chest. "You'll call me. Every day."
"I will."
"Not just a text, not a 'mission went fine' message—actual voice. I want to hear you."
"Deal."
She glanced at Freya again. "And if anything happens to him—"
"I'll move mountains to bring him back," Freya said, her voice quieter than usual, serious in a way it rarely was. "I swear it."
Mom looked at me one last time. The conflict in her eyes was still there—fear, pride, the ache of letting go—but slowly, her shoulders dropped.
She reached up and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.
"You're too young for this," she muttered.
"I'm eleven," I grinned.
"Exactly."
But then—finally—she sighed. "Alright. We'll pack your things this weekend. But one call a day. And if I don't like the sound of your voice even once, you're coming back."
I pulled her into a hug. "Thanks, Mom."
She didn't answer at first.
Just held me tightly for a long moment.
Then: "You better not grow taller while you're away. I'll be furious."
______________________________________________________________________________
A.N. What did you think of the Fight scene? Was it good? What do you think can be improved?
I would like to confirm a few things. There will be no Terastallizing and Gigantamax in this Fanfic, but there will be Mega-evolution and Z-moves.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!!