Prologue
Six Years Ago
♫
Howling winds and rain pelted Jaime’s thick helmet, sheets of cold ice so thick she could barely see the pitch-black clouds or the massive Tower rising beside her. Her jumpsuit was the only thing keeping her from freezing, and that just barely. Jaime pressed herself flat in the saddle while Bane, her Salamence, twisted between crackling lightning bolts, and every hair on her body stood up. Thunder boomed.
Ears ringing, Jaime blinked the white from her eyes. Another flash of lightning struck the side of the tower, but this bolt came from the stormclouds above her, not behind. Streams of pressurized water and jets of flame brightened the island below, but the only shapes she could make out were herself, Bane, and the yellow monstrosity chasing them.
“Bane, around! Bank around!” Jaime shouted, and Bane twisted towards the tower. He turned so quickly she felt her stomach lurch, and almost tore free from the saddle despite the straps holding her boots. Bane flew around the tower, nearly scraping the sides with his belly, another spike of nausea making her grimace.
Flight was supposed to be freeing. Not this. Not whatever this had become. But she wasn’t about to get chased down by some asshole’s rogue Dragonite. A flash of yellow behind her made Jaime curse, and she almost missed the dark shape clinging to the Tower’s side. “Bane!”
Bane’s eyes were better than Jaime’s, fortunately. As the dark shape—the Honchcrow—lurched towards them, it squawked as a torrent of purple-blue dragonfire engulfed it, burning away feathers and searing flesh, tuning it to roast chicken. The bird’s corpse plummeted into the water below. Jaime grinned and patted Bane’s neck, but neither rider nor mount forgot the Dragonite still chasing them. Lightning flashed, and though it only clipped Bane’s wing, he roared.
A roar more of rage than of pain. But lightning could still kill him as easily as it would Jaime. She grit her teeth. This damned monster kept chasing her, and nothing she tried worked to break her tail. How was she supposed to get into the Tower if she was getting chased down by a dragon that refused to seek easier prey? There was only one thing left to try.
“Bane, up!” Jaime shouted, bracing for another stomach-lurching turn. Bane’s upward turn was almost as sheer as Magnic Tower’s walls, and black spots flecked her vision as she held onto Bane’s neck. He gained speed as he flew, the clouds so dark and thick they could have been the ground rushing up to meet them. The thought did nothing to soothe her nausea.
Thunder boomed and Bane roared again, a painful howl that set Jaime’s teeth on edge. She hurriedly unclipped her boots from the saddle. She nearly fell out right away, but she held onto the saddle’s pommel with one hand and unsheathed her sword with the other. It was more of a long knife, but the tip was sharp.
They shot free of the clouds, and after a pause and a fond pat for her loyal mount, Jaime slipped free of the saddle. Bane felt her go, and knew to circle back for her. Jaime fell, twisting around so she dropped head-first towards the clouds again, and with a yell and a thrust she stabbed her sword through the tiny yellow spike on the Dragonite’s head, just as it burst free of the clouds. Her shoulders almost burst from the impact, but the blade bit deep through tough dragonhide and into the monster’s brain. It died.
“Bane!” Jaime shouted, just as another thunderclap broke the sky. She looked up before the clouds swallowed her, and she saw her Bane hurtling away, lightning flashing all around him, smoke curdling from his corpse.
Jaime screamed his name as she fell.
...
The storm above almost seemed a different world to Tash. The deepest part of Magnic Tower’s moat was darker, for one, if not slightly more wet. He didn’t envy the lunatics up there—not in a tempest that furious—though down here wasn’t much better. Flashes of light still lit up the sea floor, which was all rock and seaweed as thick as his arm.
Whoever thought the bigwigs behind the Tower’s construction could keep the secret entrances so well hidden, and so much a secret? The few hints Tash managed to glean was really only a suggestion of a hint, but he didn’t have anything else to go on. Only so many people could get into the Tower before the entrances closed, but Tash wasn’t about to get caught up in any early fights. Let fools kill themselves and each other while he found his way through stealth.
Glass, his Vaporeon, emerged from the shadows and swam slow circles around Tash’s waist, a delighted gleam in her eyes. Tash grinned. Good news already, and less than an hour since the challenge began—this was going to be easier than he expected. He gave Glass a pat and checked his oxygen tank. With proper breathing he could last a good while longer. Time to go see this secret entrance.
His partner guided him through water—Glass could see much clearer in water than a human could, even in the dark—and it didn’t take long to reach the unnaturally-circular hole in the ground. It looked like the entrance to a tunnel, rimmed with steel plates and a menacing gap almost too small for anyone to fit through.
Tash smiled. This was going much easier than expected. Surprise or not, he was probably the first to find this little hole-in-the-ground, and before long he—
The ground lurched beneath him so suddenly Tash only had a heartbeat to react before something slammed into his gut. He barely had time enough to feel the blinding pain before it cut off abruptly, leaving him dazed and blinking confusion. Rocks shifted below him, and a strange creature made of spiked ridges and sharp claws rose from the ground, eyes filled with rage.
Glass smashed into the creature’s side like a tiny torpedo, but the monster didn’t even stagger. It swung one of its massive arms, its movements unhindered despite the water pressing down on them, and impaled Glass with ones of its clawed hands. A red cloud burst from Glass’s middle, and Tash just stared, paralyzed. He barely registered pain as the Barbaracle grabbed his arms and tore them free, like picking leaves off a tree branch.
Somewhere above them, a body crashed into the water.
Current Day
Genevieve
“It’s looking like a close battle, folks, with the last two challengers fighting on the very top of Magnic Tower. It’s taken us almost a week to get up to this point, but now the final stretch is close at hand! Leandra’s Drapion has been an absolute menace in this fight, while Otto has proven himself and his Pokemon no small threat. But will he be able to overcome the last hurdle and take down Leandra?”
Genevieve—Jenny for short—stepped off the pier and onto the dock of Helix Port, pausing to stare at the small city laid out before her. At first glance it was clear this was the ‘tourist’ section of the city. Shops and restaurants lined the boardwalk within clear sight of the docks—stores selling Four Isle-themed knickknacks, shot glasses, T-shirts and bathing suits with ‘I <3 HELIX PORT’ or other such touristy phrases.
Small stalls lined the walk as well, selling salt-loaded french fries, corndogs, or fried fish “fresh from the ocean.” The smell of oil and fat hung thick in the air, even with the salty ocean breeze coming in. Not far west of the docks, people gravitated toward the already-overcrowded beach, even with the sun halfway over the horizon and falling.
“Oh, and it looks like Otto’s last Pokemon is out, and that Skarmory of his is a true menace. Look how it soars, folks! I don’t know about you, viewers, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be on the other end of those bladed wings.”
Jenny shifted her pack, ignoring the boardwalk despite the grumbling in her stomach. The food, like on the boat, would be more expensive closer to the boardwalk, and judging by those lines in front of the stalls it would be well past nightfall before she got her turn. She didn’t have to walk far to find the first set of hotels lined up right by the dock—most probably had balconies overlooking the sea, or even backdoors and ‘special, exclusive access pathways’ to get to the beach.
And each one would cost her an arm and maybe a foot for their smallest room, if one was even available. Jenny ignored the pretty lights and the tempting scents and headed deeper into the port city. She hoped to find a place to stay—she’d heard the streets here could be dangerous, especially for a woman alone—and she had no intentions of sleeping outside. Not if she could help it.
“The contestants haven’t been standing idle either, folks,” the announcer said. “Leandra and Otto are still trading blows with their Magnic-approved steel blades—you’ll never find better steel than Magnic steel, viewers, remember that. But—Oooh, the Drapion caught Skarmory in its pincers! Skarmory is trapped now, and all that’s left is Otto himself. It doesn’t look good for our underdog challenger.”
“Allura,” Jenny said. “Are you satisfied now? I’d like my phone back, please. Allura?”
“And there’s the surrender we’ve been waiting for. Otto concedes defeat, which means Leandra is clear to climb those final steps and Ascend the Tower, and that will conclude this year’s Magnic challenge.”
“Allura!”
The Mawile walking behind her a step jumped with a surprised yelp, then glanced up at Jenny with those big red eyes and a sheepish smile. She hesitated, then adopted a look of pure innocence that Jenny didn’t believe for a second.
“Come on, Allura,” Jenny said, holding out her hand. “The fight’s over. Besides, you’ve seen it half a dozen times already, and I’d like to preserve some of the battery tonight. Don’t give me that look. I’m not falling for your fake tears.”
Allura’s expression turned sullen and she reluctantly picked Jenny’s phone off the ground, then handed it up to her. Jenny had to stoop a little to take it back, but she gave her friend an affectionate pat on the head, which made the little Mawile smile.
Maybe there was still some time to find a treat before bed. An inexpensive treat. Jenny didn’t want her Allura to get fat, after all. She glanced over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of the yellow cocoon hanging from her pack. Mars seemed perfectly content, though it was hard to tell now. She missed having the friendly Weedle on her shoulder, but he seemed happy enough where he was.
“I’m beat,” Jenny said aloud. “Come, Allura. Let’s go find a place to stay the night.”
She’d surprise her friend with a treat later. Probably.
