Shelgon rolled forward with a weight that seemed to bend the clearing around it, the newly hardened shell catching the last slanted rays of sunlight and reflecting them in dull, glassy flashes. The faint sheen on its armor marked it as freshly evolved, its power still settling into place, but there was nothing unsteady about the way it carried itself. Every movement was deliberate, confident, and backed by the quiet pressure of the Salamence watching from above like a living verdict.
Rakesh inhaled slowly, forcing his racing thoughts into alignment.
"Alright," he said, voice low but steady, "this isn't about rushing it. Meowth, mobility. Charmander, don't overextend. We test first."
Shelgon answered not with sound, but with motion.
It surged forward in a sudden roll, shell spinning fast enough that dirt and loose stone sprayed outward in a violent arc. The ground trembled under the impact as it slammed down where Charmander had been standing a heartbeat earlier.
"Scatter!" Rakesh shouted.
Meowth darted left in a blur of pale fur and flashing claws, narrowly avoiding the shockwave as Charmander leapt backward, tail flame flaring hard enough to leave a scorched imprint in the soil. Even so, the pressure of Shelgon's movement caught them both, the air itself seeming to shove them aside.
Shelgon didn't pause.
It twisted mid-roll and slammed its body into the ground again, Dragon Breath erupting from gaps in its shell as a thick, crackling stream of violet energy washed across the clearing.
"Meowth, Fake Out—now!" Rakesh barked.
Meowth vanished into a streak of motion, reappearing directly in front of Shelgon with a sharp, explosive strike that snapped against its shell. The sudden impact staggered Shelgon just enough to disrupt the Dragon Breath, the energy sputtering and carving a smoking trench through the dirt instead of consuming the field.
"Charmander, Ember—keep it pressured!"
Charmander exhaled sharply, fire bursting from his mouth in a focused stream that splashed across Shelgon's armor. Flames licked and crawled, forcing the Dragon-type to brace itself, claws digging deep into the ground as it absorbed the attack head-on.
But Shelgon didn't retreat.
It pushed forward through the fire, shell glowing faintly from the heat as it snapped its head up and slammed down with a brutal Headbutt. The impact clipped Charmander mid-motion, sending him tumbling hard across the clearing before he skidded to a stop in the dirt.
"Charmander!" Rakesh shouted, heart lurching.
Charmander tried to rise, claws scraping uselessly against the ground as he shook his head, vision swimming. His tail flame flickered wildly, dimming for a dangerous second before flaring back to life.
Shelgon turned immediately, recognizing weakness with ruthless clarity.
"Meowth, intercept!" Rakesh yelled.
Meowth lunged in without hesitation, claws glowing as he slashed across Shelgon's face with Fury Swipes. The blows rang out sharply, forcing Shelgon to recoil just enough to buy Charmander a moment to breathe.
"Good," Rakesh said quickly. "Meowth, keep circling. Don't let it line you up. Charmander, Smokescreen!"
Charmander sucked in a breath and released a thick cloud of black smoke that exploded outward, swallowing the clearing in choking darkness. Visibility vanished instantly, silhouettes blurring into shifting shadows.
Shelgon roared.
It slammed its body against the ground repeatedly, shockwaves rippling through the smoke as it tried to clear space and force its opponents into the open. Trees shuddered, leaves raining down, and the earth cracked under the relentless impacts.
"Stay moving!" Rakesh commanded, eyes tracking shapes through the haze. "Meowth, use the smoke. Feint in and out. Charmander, wait for my signal."
Meowth became a phantom, darting in and out of the darkness, landing quick slashes before retreating again. Each strike chipped at Shelgon's balance, not its armor, forcing it to adjust constantly, its movements growing sharper and more aggressive with every failed attempt to pin him down.
Then Shelgon adapted.
It inhaled deeply and released Dragon Breath again, not as a stream, but as a pulsing burst that tore through the smoke like a shockwave. The cloud dispersed violently, revealing the battlefield in stark clarity.
Charmander was just a step too slow.
Shelgon surged forward and slammed into him with full force, the impact lifting Charmander off his feet and hurling him backward. He struck the ground hard, rolling once, twice, before lying still, tail flame sputtering dangerously low.
"Charmander—no!" Rakesh shouted, already moving.
Meowth screamed in fury and launched himself at Shelgon, claws blazing with everything he had left. He struck again and again, refusing to give ground, but the Dragon-type barely staggered now, its shell absorbing the blows as it twisted and countered with a crushing Body Slam.
Meowth hit the ground with a pained cry, struggling to rise.
Rakesh felt something snap inside his chest.
Then the air changed.
Light erupted around Charmander, pure and blinding, washing over the clearing in a white glow that silenced even the Salamence above. Energy surged outward in waves, the heat intensifying until the very ground seemed to recoil from it.
"No way…" Rakesh whispered, breath caught in his throat.
Charmander's body stretched and reshaped, claws lengthening, muscles tightening as his tail flame roared back to life, burning brighter and hotter than it ever had before.
Charmeleon stepped forward from the light, eyes blazing with fierce clarity.
"Char—me—leon!"
The roar shook the clearing.
"Now!" Rakesh shouted, voice breaking with adrenaline. "Charmeleon, Flamethrower—full power!"
Fire exploded outward in a massive torrent, a roaring inferno that engulfed Shelgon completely. The heat was overwhelming, flames wrapping around the Dragon-type from every angle, forcing it to brace and dig deep just to remain standing.
Meowth forced himself upright beside Rakesh, teeth clenched, eyes locked on the burning shape.
Shelgon screamed.
It pushed back.
Dragon Breath surged through the flames, colliding with the fire in a violent explosion of energy that sent shockwaves rippling across the clearing. The clash drove Charmeleon back a step, then another, the strain evident as he fought to hold his ground.
"Don't stop!" Rakesh yelled. "Meowth, support—Scratch the joints!"
Meowth lunged forward again, targeting the seams between Shelgon's armor plates, claws screeching as they struck again and again. Shelgon roared and spun, tail whipping out in a brutal arc that caught Meowth squarely and slammed him into a tree with bone-rattling force.
Meowth slid down the trunk, unconscious before he hit the ground.
"Meowth!" Rakesh cried.
Charmeleon roared in fury and charged, flames wreathing his claws as he launched himself at Shelgon in a final, desperate assault. His strike landed solidly, fire bursting outward as he drove Shelgon back several steps.
But the Dragon-type refused to fall.
With a final, explosive burst of strength, Shelgon slammed its body forward, colliding with Charmeleon head-on. The impact extinguished the flames in a violent rush of displaced air and sent Charmeleon crashing to the ground beside Meowth.
Silence fell.
Shelgon stood alone in the clearing, shell scorched, breath ragged, but still standing.
Above, the Salamence circled once, slow and approving.
Rakesh dropped to his knees beside his partners, heart hammering painfully as he checked their breathing. Both were alive. Both were unconscious.
He exhaled shakily, hands trembling.
They had lost.
But as he looked at the scorched ground, the cracked trees, and the battered Dragon-type still watching him with something that looked dangerously close to respect, Rakesh understood something important.
This wasn't a failure.
This was proof.
They had stood against a dragon and survived.
And next time—
They would win.
__________________________
Support me on p@treon:
[email protected]/blaze98