18
The training montage was inevitable. If we were going to survive the target painted on our backs, we couldn't just be a "sitcom cast" anymore. We needed to be a tactical unit.
I looked at the camera. "Alright, Chat. You saw the glitch. You saw the 'system error.' We aren't stopping. We're grinding. Title the stream: 'The Power Gap: Operation Titan.'"
You were right about the League, by the way. My notifications were a war zone.
[Chat Log]
IceCreamQueen_C: Jake, that energy spike was recorded on the Sinnoh sensors. I need to talk to you. Privately.
DragonTamer_Lance: That Treecko's transformation was non-standard. I am sending a representative to your location. Do not move.
Steven_Stone: The resonance of that stone... it's beautiful, but unstable. Be careful, kid.
I ignored the dread. "May, you're on 'Blaze Duty'! Focus on his footwork. The rest of you? It's time to level up."
The Montage: Route 102 Clearing
Tammy was the first to get to work. She wasn't just scratching trees anymore; she was practicing psychological warfare. I had her focus on Torment and Pursuit. She would vanish into the brush, her Opal collar glinting, and reappear behind a training dummy, her claws glowing with a dark energy for a Hone Claws-buffed Slash. "You can't run from the block, sweetie!" she hissed, her movements becoming more fluid and predatory.
Jerry took the "static electricity" idea and ran with it—literally. He spent hours sprinting in circles through the tall, dry grass, his platinum fur crackling with blue sparks. By the end of the day, he managed to discharge a localized Thunderbolt by snapping his tail like a whip. "Shocking, isn't it?" he squeaked, looking quite pleased with his toasted whiskers. "A gentleman always has a spark."
Kage was the hardest to crack. He was hesitant to touch the ironwood stick, fearing the "Sun Breathing" would trigger the monster again. I sat with him for two hours. "It wasn't the sun that hurt you, Kage. It was the force. Control the flow. Don't let it burst; let it spiral." He tried a Sun Rasengan—a swirling orb of solar energy held in his palm. It flickered, but it stayed stable. Then, he integrated it into a Drain Blade, allowing him to sap energy from the environment to keep himself from burning out.
Raven sat in the center of the chaos, the calm eye of the storm. She practiced Detect, her horn glowing as she dodged Jerry's lightning and Tammy's slashes with millisecond precision. She followed up with Psycho Cut and a chilling Ice Beam that froze a nearby waterfall solid, showing the raw versatility of a Disaster Guardian.
The Surprise Guest
As the sun began to set, a shadow passed over the clearing. It wasn't a bird. It was a massive, red-and-white dragon.
Latias.
She descended gracefully, shimmering into a human-like illusion—a young girl with red hair and a mischievous smile.
[Chat Log]
IceCreamQueen_C: Is that...?!
Clone_02: A Legendary. The Anomaly's gravity is increasing.
SilentRed: [GIF: Mind Blown]
"The Brother is busy," the 'girl' said, her voice echoing like a chime. "But the Sister heard the song. The 'Catch 'em all' song. She wants to see if the Singer is as brave as his voice."
May froze, her Torchic hopping onto her shoulder. "A-A legendary? Jake, is that a fan too?!"
"Apparently," I said, wiping sweat from my brow. My Nat 20 Charisma was the only thing keeping my heart from stopping. "Chat... I think we just got a sparring partner. May, put the mask on. We're going to need it."
Latias giggled, her eyes glowing with psychic power. She wasn't here to destroy us; she was here to play. And "playing" with a Legendary was the ultimate training.