Special Episode 2 – The taste of metal

Atlas was tired. Sure, that mission he got would help him get rid of those brats, but he was walking for what seemed to be hours on that infernal dungeon, and nothing seemed to be happening. His friends, Flint and Napoleon, were behind him, the Bisharp was panting, out of the three he was the one most susceptible to heat, and it showed by his slow pace.

“Guys. I don’t think this is, uh, gonna work,” Napoleon gulped. “We’re running in circles, and there’s no sign of those kids! I think we might’ve been tricked.”

“How long have we been here?” Atlas asked, looking at Flint.

Flint took a moment to check his bag and its contents: a Blowback Orb, three Reviver Seeds, one Blast Seed, one canteen with water, three Rawst Berries, and finally, a pocket watch.

“About two hours, damn it!” Flint clenched his fist. “This stupid dungeon keeps changing!”

All they could see on the distance was the large stream of lava flowing like a river; luckily for them, they were standing on solid ground, and one of the rocky formations appeared to be a natural bridge connecting that area to the rest of the dungeon, located on top of the magma river.

“We can’t stay here for long,” Flint said, mumbling something to himself. “Otherwise we might risk… Losing it.”

“Oh, shut up, Flint!” Atlas snarled, tail slapping on the floor. “There’s no point in saying the obvious stuff!”

Flint hissed at that comment, his blade protruding. “I’d like to see you strategize, for once.”

“Uh, yeah, he’s right Atlas, Flint is the smartest one here, maybe you should listen to him,” Napoleon blinked.

Flint raised his head. “Hmph. Then let’s continue the mission, or find the exit. Whatever comes first.”

They began to walk towards the bridge to the other area. Atlas shivered. That bastard Riolu must’ve tricked them, after all, why risk their sanity only for a few mercs?

“Let’s just move out. This mission is a bust!” Atlas yelled again.

They all heard screeching. From the magma, five Slugma jumped, and as they landed, the ground beneath them sizzled, soon being followed by countless others. Flint backed away because of the heat and the ferals.

“What the fuck?!” Atlas blinked, roaring at one of the Slugma that jumped in his direction.

“Napoleon, I’d love for you to use your Liquidation move, we’re on the clock here!” Flint hissed, arms glowing pink as he threw numerous psychic blades at some of the Slugma.

“They’re pests, that’s all!” Napoleon launched water blades on them, panting with each strike.

“There’s too many of them!” Atlas’ hand sparkled, sending an electric shock on the wild Pokémon.

Flint smirked when he heard that. Right, too many. Seems like the perfect opportunity!

“W-What about that bridge?! We can cross it!”

Just as he said that, the trio felt a massive earthquake around the cave. Atlas gulped, looking behind him: the dungeon was rearranging itself. That was natural, but he didn’t expect it to happen now! Rocks shifted, and more of the ground began to be covered in lava, the whole area shook and it felt like that wouldn’t stop so soon.

“Let’s get out of here!” Atlas cried out to his team as they narrowly dodged a piece of rock that fell out of the ceiling.

The trio ran as fast as they could, yet the Aggron was behind his friends, having to dodge the Slugma and with all that weight, he was slowing down.

Soon, when Flint and Napoleon were finally on the other side of the bridge, they looked back and saw Atlas, running while trying to dodge all the lava and debris.

“Atlas, I apologize for this,” Flint chuckled, his hand glowed in a pink tone and he slashed the air, a psychic blade was sent towards the bridge, breaking it down.

“Wh-What?! Flint, you…!” Atlas roared, backing away. With his only means of getting to the other side gone, he panted, panic taking hold of his mind.

“H-Hey, what’s the point of that, Flint?!” Napoleon screamed, looking at the Bisharp, who simply chuckled.

“Dead-weight, my friend. And a bad one at that. Again, I’m sorry Atlas, but the strongest must survive!”

With that, Flint ran away with Napoleon, entering a corridor, dodging a Thunderbolt from Atlas in the process.

“T-They betrayed me… My childhood friends…”

The Slugma were still there, and they began to converge on Atlas to strike him down.

He wanted to cry, but was unable to. All that was inside his mind was rage, he roared like a beast, the sound echoing all around the area, making the Slugma retreat for the moment.

He fell to his knees, and punched the ground over and over again. Atlas didn’t care about that anymore, all he wanted was to kill the Pokémon he once thought were his teammates.

“W-Why?! You all… I’ll kill you! I’m not dying here!” He roared, firing another Thunderbolt, without any aim, the electric attack hit the lava and dissipated.

The earthquake stopped, leaving Atlas alone with his thoughts. His teammates, no. His enemies, that was right, they were his enemies now, and just like every time, he was going to survive. That’s how it was for his entire life, and a simple dungeon wasn’t going to best him.

“They’re going to wish I’ll spare them…” Atlas snarled, getting on all fours. For now, he needed to find a way back to those traitors.

---

Flint walked through that corridor, inspecting the place. The rocks that formed the walls and ground seemed stable enough, and he could see magma dripping through most of them, so much so that the entire place was painted yellow, but he could avoid those spots without much issue. He smirked, Atlas wouldn’t be able to follow them so soon, not until the place changed again. And even if he did, that large body of his would have some trouble fitting in.

“Hey, Flint! You’re so quiet! I get that it’s your thing, but we just ditched our friend!”

Flint pondered about the times the three spent together, and despite enjoying the company, Atlas was too scared, always taking the easy missions, never risking too much. And look at where that got them, trapped inside a cave. That enough made Flint hiss for a bit, and he recomposed himself.

The Bisharp staggered back, gaze fixed on Napoleon. “So what? He’s a worthless pile of Garbodor, we’re better off without him in our way. You said it yourself, it’s more money! Sharing just between us will mean a bigger part for you.”

“You may be right, but still… I didn’t know you had it in you! Would you do the same if I became dead-weight?”

Flint didn’t answer that, choosing to continue his stroll, whether or not Napoleon agreed with him.

What am I thinking? I would do that to him… The Empoleon sighed.

The Bisharp panted, that heat was getting to him. “We need to leave. Since this place shifted, the exit might be closer than we thought.”

“Flint, wait!” Napoleon pulled his friend back, just as a flaming rock hit the ground in front of them.

A Slugma appeared from the lava, staring at them. It hissed, before releasing a stream of flames towards both.

“Get away, stupid feral!” Napoleon screamed, launching water blades on each of his arms, aiming towards the fire.

The impact made the flames disappear, but also created more steam around the area where the moves collided. The feral Slugma hissed, opening its mouth to fire another attack.

“Hmph,” Flint said, using the psychic blade once again. The attack hit the Slugma, cutting it in half and its remains melted into the lava.

“You’re right,” Napoleon gulped. “We can’t become like that… Thing!”

Flint’s retractable blades pointed out without him wanting to, and he soon retracted then again. “We won’t. Now move, I don’t want to take more time here than I need.”

Both continued their stroll in silence; Flint, however, could feel a tingling sensation on the back of his head. He could only hope it wasn’t what he thought.

Okay, I’m in control here. Good, now I just need to leave without going insane, panic will only make the process faster, Flint tried his best to remain calm to keep himself sane.

Napoleon, though, looked back every so often, trying to see if Atlas was near him. One small part of him wondered if what they did was wrong, since he knew the Aggron even as a kid, but considering all the crimes they committed so far, this was just another thing on the list.

---

“When I find them, I swear I’ll… Urgh!” Atlas punched the floor again, this time with so much force it began to crack.

Betrayal. He didn’t believe those guys were capable of such a thing, considering all they’ve been through together. But it seemed to be a thing of the past now.

Calm down, Atlas, this fine, he wondered, looking around.

He could see streams of lava flowing from the ceiling, and what appeared to be a huge river where that bridge once stood. Atlas began to think of a plan, but found himself struggling to think.

Urhg, must… Find them. But, jump? No, if I jump I’ll just… Urgh, sink? Yeah, sink! Then, how? The words were escaping without him even realizing it.

Why… Can’t think. Feel weird—

The ground shook again, and, where once was a stone wall stood another corridor.

“G-Good! Took too long! I find… W-Wait. Words escaping, o-oh no! NO!”

Atlas gulped when he realized what was happening: it had begun, he was getting his sapience stripped away, like a candle in the wind. That only served to make him panic even more, struggling to think of what to do there. Since Flint was the one who carried the bag, he couldn’t use any orbs to escape.

“Find… Friends. No, find… Prey!” Atlas snarled and ran to that opening as fast as he could, which wasn’t that much.

Regardless, his mind was focused on finding his former friends, as for what he would do once he found them, that thought made him lick his lips, drool coming out of his mouth.

---

Finally, after what felt like an endless walk, Flint and Napoleon could see the exit far away, and with it, the blue sky. Napoleon was ecstatic, prepared to run there.

“It took so long, but it’s over now!” He said.

“Not quite,” Flint crossed his arms. “We still need to deal with those children. I suggest we—”

The sound of metallic footsteps could be heard, getting closer every second, and with it came a loud, deafening roar.

“RAAAAAAWR!”

Flint turned around. “…You’re here.”

“Yes, I am! How… Dare you leave! We friends!” Atlas panted, his left hand fizzled with electricity.

“It’s just business, Atlas, really! Sorry, but this is gonna end here!” Napoleon screeched, forming water blades on his arms.

Flint staggered back, that tingling had returned. “Napoleon, he’s losing it. We can still be victorious.”

“A-Are you oka—” Napoleon screamed, being hit by the Thunderbolt from Atlas. He fell, static coursing through his body and preventing him from moving.

“I. Murder. You. ALL!” Atlas roared again, falling on all fours. At that point, his drool fell to the ground, evaporating instantly.

“Hmph. So be it!” Flint readied his blade again, charging against Atlas.

The Aggron roared, turning around and slapping his thick tail against Flint’s arm, launching him to the floor while he screamed in pain.

“I rrrreally… hate you!” Atlas flexed his claws, trying to hit Flint again.

Atlas could only focus on his enemy, his target, and his stomach began to growl. Hunger, that was it. Those two were an obstacle, one he needed to conquer. More drool fell on Flint’s shoulder, Atlas got excited just by thinking of how he was going to finish them off.

“Cease it this instant, you monster! I am not dying because some stupid Aggron went insane!”

The Bisharp dodged every strike, trying to find an opening to counterattack. Eventually, he rolled, dropping the bag on the ground. Atlas chuckled, preparing another Thunderbolt.

“Orrrb and seed… Destrrrroy!”

“You idiot! Don’t you have any sense of self-preservation?! You’re gonna kill us all!”

“Atlas strrrrong. Not die!”

He fired the attack, hitting the bag. The resulting explosion propelled them all backwards, inside the depths of the dungeon once more. All of them fell down the ground, until they landed in another section of the cave.

“Urgh, damn it, Atlas, you idiot…” Flint stood up, his entire body ached from all that heat, and that tingling sensation returned once more.

This new section was scorch-red, and the rocks formed spikes all around it, and some Slugma were watching the whole battle from afar, too scared to interfere; the heat was almost unbearable for Flint, who snarled at Atlas, already fed up with him. His blades protruded once more.

“Atlas… Strrrrrong!” He said, getting up. Despite the explosion, his body armor was intact, protecting him from most of the damage before.

Napoleon, still paralysed, got up as well, cringing from all the static on his body. “Atlas! Stop this! Look, we’re together again! Maybe we can, I dunno, rebuild our friendship?!”

“No frriends. Prrey! I… Defeat it!” Atlas roared, his speech deteriorated fast, replaced by a guttural, metallic sound. He got on all fours again and jumped at Napoleon, who couldn’t move.

Flint’s eyes widened as he saw what happened. Atlas bit down Napoleon’s chest like a savage beast, without a care in the world other than hunting his prey, and he could even hear the Empoleon’s bones snapping.

“A-ARGH! Stop it!” Napoleon begged him, tears in his eyes.

Atlas couldn’t care less, only biting him harder. That moment was amazing, the Aggron kept chomping on his stomach, munching that delicious meat down his throat; the scent of blood filled his nostrils and was intoxicating, making him crave even more of that feeling.

“Atlas! Snap out of—” Napoleon’s pleas slowed down. He couldn’t take it anymore, looking at the savage Aggron, until his eyes closed forever.

Atlas was gone, his entire self now had the ferocity of a wild Pokémon, who didn’t care for anything other than his own satisfaction and hunger, his mouth was covered in blood, so much that it dripped from him. The feral Aggron turned around, there was still one enemy left for him to maul, to show that he was the apex predator in that dungeon.

“…Look at you,” Flint sighed. “A monster, in body and soul. It’s… Too bad that it has come to this, but I’m not dying here! Not like this! Not by you!”

Aggron roared, his claws had a blue, draconic glow to them as he charged against Flint. The Bisharp roared, launching another blade at the feral, who simply ignored it, slashing all across Flint’s chest.

“Argh!” He screamed, his body armor began to crack and blood spilled out from it. He sensed the tingling again, all over his head, and put his hands there, screaming in pain. “N-No, NO!”

For a moment, everything went numb for Flint. His past, his friends, it all seemed to crack like glass, and in its place, rage began to build inside his mind. How did that Aggron dare to challenge him, of all Pokémon? That Aggron needed the proper punishment, and he was going to give it to him.

Aggron backed away, tilting his head. What was his prey doing? It was then that he heard a sadistic type of laughter coming from the Bisharp, who stared at him. His eyes looked dead, and his mouth was fixed on a wide, feral grin. Flint, like his friend, went feral.

“RAAAAAWR!” Aggron charged once again, but this time, Bisharp was faster, holding Aggron’s arm and squeezing it tight.

Aggron roared, charging electricity once more, only for Bisharp to lift his arm up, sending the discharge to the ceiling, the collision made that part of the dungeon unstable and rocks began to fall down there. He roared once again, trying to bite down Bisharp, who dodged, moving away from him.

“RAAAAWR!” Aggron screamed, creating a yellow energy sphere around his mouth.

Bisharp prepared the blades on both of his arms and ran towards Aggron, when a rock fell right in the middle of them.

Aggron unleashed the Focus Blast, destroying the rock and hitting Bisharp at full force, his enemy screamed and fell down, ashes were all over his body because of that move. The feral Aggron screeched, walking slowly towards Bisharp, drool falling down again.

More rocks fell down, but none of them hit the Steel-types, and Aggron continued to approach him, the loud, metallic clank of his feet was all Bisharp could hear.

For a brief moment, both seemed to recognize one another, friends since they were kids, and due to various events, the life they lived led to that place. Aggron shook his head in denial, before mauling the Pokémon he once was fond of.

A final rock came down on them, without warning, and the only sound that could be heard was that of metal breaking apart.