A Razor’s Edge

Roz and Terry materialized in front of Ranger Headquarters with a soft vsht sound. Terry fell a short distance to the ground and stumbled a bit. He’d get used to it eventually. “Not bad,” Archimedes commended. 

“Thank you,” Roz responded.

The Alakazam led the two of them inside toward his office. “Normally the process of becoming a Ranger is a bit more involved, but these aren’t exactly normal circumstances,” he explained on the way. Archimedes handed Roz some papers once they arrived. “As we agreed, here is the information we currently have on the situation, including what has been done to address or further study it. Look over it in your spare time. Should you discover anything else you think might be relevant, do not act on it unless it’s an emergency; contact me first.”

“Understood,” Roz nodded.

“In the meantime, you two are to be stationed in Greenmetal Village. Roz, you’re in a unique position to gather information about the situation there.” He indicated a map of the Air Continent and pointed out the settlement. It was right next to Mt. Steel.

“You suspect whatever is happening at Mt. Steel may have spread to other areas nearby,” said Roz.

“It’s a possibility,” Archimedes answered. “There are precious few Pokémon with the knowledge to answer that question. I know this is extremely short notice, but time is precious. Will you accept?”

~~~

Roz teleported herself and Terry back home so they could prepare for their assignment. According to Terry, Greenmetal Village was a small farming and mining farming community at the foot of Mt. Steel, inhabited primarily by Rock- and Steel-types. They would require a flying transport to reach the place, but after a few days Roz would be able to freely teleport back and forth between there and Crosswind Town, at least within the limits of her stamina.

Most of what they needed would either be provided by the Rangers or could be bought in town. Terry packed what little food he had. Roz had been paid a small amount for her work over the past few days, and would pitch in when they arrived.

The same-day departure wasn’t exactly a lot of advance notice for something as drastic as an assignment to a different town, but Roz had to admit she couldn’t think of a compelling reason why they should wait longer, especially given the urgency of the situation. That afternoon, she and Terry met up with the same Pigeot who flew them to Thunderwave cave before. “You both ready?” he asked.

“You bet!” Terry answered confidently.

“Let’s be off then.”

What they were doing wasn’t particularly unusual. The Rangers oversaw search and rescue operations across the whole continent. That would be impossible if they were all in Crosswind Town all the time, regardless of what kind of transportation they had. To ensure they’d be available wherever they were needed, the Rangers had stations and outposts all over. Rangers were periodically assigned to these stations, usually for a few days to weeks at a time. They flew along much the same route they had on the way to Mt. Steel. The fires Roz had seen during their first flight seemed largely contained now, but the same could not be said of the gaping fissures scarring the ground. 

After a couple of hours, their destination came into view. Greenmetal Village was a small settlement surrounded by open grassland. Farmland patched the landscape from their vantage point. Roz got a better look at the village as they started their descent. They used a lot of stone and brick in their construction, in contrast to the wood in Crosswind Town. Like Crosswind Town, a few buildings had subtle touches meant to evoke specific Pokémon, though it was much less common. 

The Greenmetal station was a lot smaller than the headquarters back in Crosswind Town; unsurprising as it was only designed to accommodate a couple of Pokémon at a time. Roz and Terry entered the front door. The interior resembled a miniaturized version of the offices back at Headquarters. “Oh hey, are you two here to replace us?” asked a Ledyba. An Espurr peeked out from behind a wall.

Terry and Roz held up their badges. “Yep,” said Terry.

“What is the current situation in this area?” Roz asked.

“Everything’s normal.” The Espurr sounded a bit bored, but somehow Roz got the impression he was always like that.

“Well, some of the Pokémon in town have been complaining about the ore from Mt. Steel,” the Ledyba noted.

“Not really our concern,” the Espurr amended.

“What sorts of complaints?” Roz asked. 

“Something about the flavor being off,” the Ledyba answered, clearly confused as to how rocks could taste different from each other. Roz put her hand to her chin. That likely indicated something had happened to the stone’s chemical composition, which, given what she’d observed previously, made sense.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries, wished each other luck, and the Ledyba and Espurr left. Terry and Roz spent some time settling in and familiarizing themselves with the outpost. There was a small kitchen, a sleeping area, a restroom, an office, and a room to relax and talk to anyone who stopped by. It wasn’t much, but it would do. 

The pair spent the rest of the day preparing for their stay. They bought some food, mostly apples and dried grasshoppers, animals that looked to be related to crickets. They also looked through the reports left by previous Rangers stationed in town as well as any complaints or other requests submitted by the townspeople. Like Crosswind Town, it appeared Greenmetal Village had been spared the worst of the disasters, though several Pokémon raised concerns about fires and earthquakes. Roz’s overall impression was that they were nervous, but more or less safe for the time being. They made plans to follow up on some of the complaints they found, and called it a night.

~~~

Roz and Terry were awoken the next morning by someone pounding on the door. “Ughhhh. I’ll get it,” Terry groaned. The Cubone climbed out of his cot and went to the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he went. Roz followed him, not entirely awake herself.

Terry opened the door to find an Excadrill with his large metal claws poised to knock again. A quick glance revealed nasty scratch marks on the wooden door. “Hello, are you two Rangers?” the Excadrill asked frantically.

“Yeah, what is it?” Terry replied groggily, still rubbing his eye. The first rays of sunlight were just peeking above the horizon.

“You have to help me! My son’s been abducted!”

Terry woke up instantly. “What?! Uh, come on in. Tell us what happened!”

The three situated themselves as comfortably as they could around the station’s desks. “It happened in the middle of the night,” the Excadrill, who introduced himself as Torque, began.  He made Roz a bit uneasy fidgeting with his massive claws. “My son Monty and I were returning from Mt. Steel. We were sleeping in the woods when I was woken up by screaming. I looked up and saw Monty being carried away.”

“Carried away by whom?” Roz asked.

“Razor,” Excadrill replied. “He’s a Skarmory that lives on top of Mt. Steel,” he clarified, seeing their confused looks.

“Does Razor do this sort of thing often?” Terry asked.

Excadrill shook his head. “No. He’s usually very agreeable.”

“Do you have any idea why he might have abducted your son?” asked Roz.

“I heard him screaming ‘thief’ or something as he flew off. I have no idea what he was talking about.”

They asked him a few more questions about the Skarmory and what he and his son were doing at Mt. Steel, but only managed to gather two pieces of information they considered important: the Excadrill and his son were simply going for the mountain’s rich minerals, and Razor’s behavior had come out of nowhere.

“We’ll find your son, and we’ll bring him back safely,” Terry promised. He got the Excadrill’s address.

“Thank you. I just hope he’s safe.”

“Are you certain you should have made those promises?” Roz asked once Torque left.

“Of course. We’re gonna find him, and he’s gonna be fine.”

“What if he is not.”

“He will be,” Terry insisted.

“Regardless, what will our approach be?” Roz asked, seeing that she was getting nowhere.

“We just need to climb Mt. Steel and explain that Torque and his son have nothing to do with what’s happening to the minerals. Once we do I’m sure Razor’ll let him go.”

Roz raised a brow. “I would not be so certain about that. This is a Pokémon who abducted a child. He will not be swayed so easily.”

“You heard Torque; he’s not normally like that. I’m sure there’s just been a misunderstanding.”

Roz gave an exasperated sigh. “We must prepare for the possibility that that is not the case. What will we do if he becomes violent?”

Terry looked like he wanted to protest, but finally gave in. “You’re right. If he’s acting like that he’s not gonna listen to reason. I know a few moves that should help if that’s what it comes down to. How about you?”

“I know few techniques, and even fewer that will be of use in a situation like this. It is doubtful I will be able to do more than stay out of the way. You will likely be on your own.”

“You could use Teleport to get Monty out of danger though, right?”

“Possibly. It would depend on how persistent Razor was in pursuing. If there was no other option I could take him to Crosswind Town provided I had a few seconds to concentrate. That would result in you being left behind, however.” 

Terry made an uncomfortable noise. “That wouldn’t be great.”

“Is there no one we can ask for help with this? Surely Rangers encounter problems with aggressive Pokémon from time to time. Are they all expected to be proficient in combat?”

“I mean, we are Pokémon,” Terry pointed out.

“I am aware of that,” said Roz, giving him a questioning look.

“We kinda, you know, know how to fight naturally. Unless…did you forget that too? You seem to remember how to use a bunch of your other abilities.” 

“I do not recall how to fight,” Roz shrugged.

“We’ll need to work on that if you’re going to be a Ranger. In the meantime we’ll just have to get by with what we’ve got.” Terry sighed “I’ll distract him and you can get Monty to safety.”

Roz nodded. “That seems as good a plan as any.”

~~~

After making preparations, the two of them left for Mt. Steel. They’d be traveling on foot this time, but would likely arrive in less than an hour, as Greenmetal Village was situated right at the foot of the mountain. They tried to discuss their strategy on the way, but realized they didn’t know enough about the situation to properly form one. 

Roz periodically stopped to look at the local vegetation along the way to check for signs of mineral depletion, and was pleased to find none. Whatever was happening at Mt. Steel was highly localized. 

“That’s good at least,” Terry said after she relayed her findings to him. “It doesn’t change how weird all of this is though. Registeel should’ve put a stop to all of this. It almost seems like the gods are…neglecting their duties or something.”

“They are responsible for maintaining the natural order, I assume. But surely the world does not require their constant watch to remain in harmony,” said Roz. “Is thi- the world that unstable?” 

“I…you know, I don’t know. I guess there’s no way we could know since they’re active all the time.” He paused to consider the question further. “Several of the higher gods control opposing forces. Kyogre and Groudon for example. If something were to happen to one of them the other’s power would be unchecked. But I don’t think they’d take advantage of the situation like that,” he concluded with a smile.

Roz hoped the Cubone was right. She knew of Legendary Pokémon, but she knew little to nothing about their personalities and dispositions. Based on Archimedes talking about the fact that attempts to contact them recently hadn’t ended well, she assumed there was at least some amount of contact between them and ordinary Pokémon. 

“Is there a god whose power would counteract Registeel’s?” she mused. She couldn’t think of any offhand. Could that be the problem? Was the presence she had felt in Thunderwave Cave something that had rendered Registeel unable to perform its duties?

“Mmmmm…” Terry squeezed his eyes shut and tapped his forehead with one finger. “I can’t think of any… We should probably go and check on Registeel sometime though, just in case.”

Roz had no interest in going anywhere near the presence she had felt earlier. On the other hand, that was probably the best lead she had so far into this whole mess. “I…suppose we should,” she replied hesitantly. “Not today though; our priority is saving that Drilbur.”

“I know,” he assured her. “But we’re already stationed in the area and this might be our best chance of getting an idea of what’s happening around here.”

They arrived at the foot of the mountain by mid-morning. Everything looked much the same as it had on their last visit. That was promising; everything hadn’t completely fallen apart. The entrance to Thunderwave Cave loomed in front of them, but that wasn’t their destination this time. 

A well-traveled trail spiraled up the mountain. Given how valuable a resource the rocks here were for Rock- and Steel-type Pokémon, it made sense the trail saw heavy use. Indeed, there were signs of carts having passed by, presumably containing rocks from the mountain. Roz had to wonder why Pokémon like Torque and Monty had to come here in person. Shouldn’t something like this be available to buy like any other food? Questions for later she supposed.

They passed several Pokémon hard at work excavating rock from the mountainside. Most of them paid Terry and Roz little mind, but eventually they were stopped by a Coalossal. 

“And what do you two think you’re doing here?” Her imperious glare and crossed, stony arms, made her an imposing figure. Roz found herself immediately questioning if she was even allowed to be here.

Terry however, was unphased. “We’re with the Rangers,” he said, showing his badge. Roz hastily pulled out hers as well. “We’re here to deal with an incident involving Razor Skarmory.”

“What happened?” the Coalossal asked. Her tone and posture relaxed after seeing that Roz and Terry were here on official business.

Terry looked around. Several of the miners were watching them. “I’m not sure that’s information that should be public,” he answered.

“Is it something we need to be concerned about?”

“Unlikely,” Roz answered. “Do you know anything about Razor’s actions or whereabouts during recent weeks?”

“Hmmm…” The Coalossal considered for a moment. “He has been unusually quiet recently. He comes down to talk to us almost every day, but he hasn’t for a while. Did something happen to him?”

“We’re not sure,” Terry answered. “He may not be who you think he is though.”

The Coalossal gave Terry an analytical stare. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“We do not have time for this discussion at the moment,” Roz interjected, gesturing for Terry to follow her further up the mountain.

“Wait,” the Coalossal called after them. “What’re your names?”

“I’m Terry and this is Roz,” said the Cubone.

“Terry and Roz, huh. I’m Roxanne. You’re not actually planning on confronting that Skarmory about something are you?” she asked, looking them up and down. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not sure you’re up to it. I can send someone with you if you want.”

“That might—” Roz started

“We’ll be fine,” Terry interrupted her. Roz gave the Cubone an indignant look.

“Look, I get you’re trying to be brave, but I’m not about to let you face that guy alone. It sounds like whatever this is is urgent, so go on ahead, but I’m sending some backup after you,” said Roxanne.

“Thank you very much,” said Roz with a small bow.

“Don’t mention it.”

There were more Pokémon mining the mountain, mostly Rock, Ground, and Steel-types. Roz and Terry got some strange looks, but a quick show of their badges was enough to let them pass without further hindrance.

Eventually the summit came into view. “How do we want to handle this?” Terry asked.

“He will almost certainly be hostile,” said Roz. “We also do not know the condition of Monty. We must locate him as quickly as possible. If we do not, and this encounter becomes violent, he may be harmed or used as a hostage.”

“A hostage?” Terry gasped. “Do you really think it’s gonna come to that?”

“I do not know. I hope not.”

“We should at least try to talk with him. We’re Rangers, so he might listen to us.”

“I do not know the extent of the Rangers’ authority, but if you believe that will help we can try. Do not hesitate to act if negotiations fail,” said Roz.

“Of course.” Terry clutched his bone tightly. “This is really happening, isn’t it? I’m not sure I’m ready,” he admitted. “But we don’t have a choice!” He shook his head. “We can sit here trying to plan all day, but it’s time to act!”

“Indeed,” Roz concurred. “However, there is one last thing we can do.” <We can communicate this way without being overheard by Razor.>

“What?” Terry looked around in confusion momentarily before he realized what was going on. “Oh, you’re telepathic, aren’t you? Why didn’t you mention that before?”

“We never needed it,” Roz shrugged.

“Fair enough. It could come in handy though. Actually, come to think of it, can you sense Monty up there?”

Roz nodded. “I sense two presences up there, but I cannot tell exactly where they are. He is here though. They both are.”

“Good, at least Monty’s alright. Let’s do this!” Roz nodded in agreement.

The pair crept their way around a corner and up the short length of trail left to the summit of Mt. Steel. Most of the area was taken up by a large, relatively flat open space. The summit was divided by a chasm cutting off a small chunk of terrain. On that isolated piece of ground was a single Pokémon. 

<We appear to be in luck. I do not see Razor,> Roz sent.

<Yes! Now we just have to get Monty and get out of here!> Terry thought.

The two of them slowly crept forward, hoping their luck would hold, when a shadow passed overhead. Their gazes darted upward, revealing something diving straight at them. Roz grabbed Terry’s hand and teleported them out of the way just in time.

“I knew someone would show up eventually,” said the Skarmory. “But I was hoping it would be somebody actually important. Looks like they sent a couple of kids instead.” He slowly strode toward them.

Terry pulled out his badge. “We’re with the Rangers. We just want to talk.”

Razor drew to a stop. “Are you now? Well, I guess you’ll do then.” He drew himself up and ruffled his metallic feathers, creating a clinking noise. “I want you to get those dirty thieves to stop digging into my mountain and stealing my metal. If you can do that,” he inclined his head toward the captive Drilbur, “you can have the kid back.”

“Razor, don’t do this. This isn’t you,” Terry pleaded.

“And what would you know about me?” Razor sneered. His eyes closed as he continued. “You’re right though; I’m not normally like this.” His eyes shot open. “By the sounds of it, you’ve already started talking about me though, haven’t you. Most likely already decided I’m guilty.” The Skarmory’s eyes took on a look of madness. “I didn’t want it to come to this, but there was no other way to make anyone listen. I had no choice!”

“Woah, slow down a bit,” said Terry, making a placating gesture. “Listen to what?”

“The rocks! They’re not right! They taste funny and I don’t feel right when I eat them. It’s them! Those dirty thieves taking my ore from my mountain! They can’t stand the idea of me living out here instead of in their stupid towns! So they’re trying to get rid of me!”

“You suspect they have tampered with the ore in some way,” said Roz.

“Yes!”

“Why didn’t you just report it instead of kidnapping a child?!” said Terry.

“I caught him stealing my ore. Not that anyone cares. They never listen to me. You’re not either! You’ve already taken their side!”

Terry and Roz started backing away from the incensed Skarmory. “What are you talking about? We’re listening!” Terry protested.

“Lies! You’ve already conspired with that wretched Alakazam to force me to live in your stupid towns! I’m done being nice! I’ve been too soft for too long. And I’m done being stepped on!” he concluded, spreading his metallic wings with a screech.

Razor lunged at Roz with his beak. The Elgyem barely managed to teleport out of the way, reappearing above him. With a flap of his wings, the Skarmory took flight, circling around to attack Terry with his claws.

Roz floated in place, too stunned to act as Terry whipped out his bone and dove out of the way. “Roz, get Monty!” the Cubone shouted. He picked a rock up off the ground and used his club to knock it into Razor. The Smack Down attack struck him in the wing, disrupting his flight and sending him crashing to the ground. 

Coming to her senses, Roz tore her eyes from the fight and flew toward the ledge holding Drilbur. Getting him across the chasm would be easy, but evading the mad Skarmory was another issue. She really hoped she wasn’t forced to leave Terry behind.

Razor recovered from his crash landing and ran toward Terry. The Skarmory lifted a clawed foot to slash at him, but the Cubone managed to perry it with his club. Or so he thought. Razor’s talon closed around the shaft. Had Razor been airborne, he easily could’ve lifted Terry off the ground. As it stood, he was forced to use his other foot to support his weight and his wings to maintain balance, locking the two into a stalemate. 

Roz happened to glance back and notice the struggle. She was a lousy fighter, but she knew one move that might help in a situation like this. Raising her palm toward Razor, the Elgyem focused her psionic energy and hit him with a weak jolt of telekinetic force. 

The Skarmory shrugged off the worst of it, but it was just enough to make him lose his precarious balance and fall over. The bone slipped from his grasp, but with the other talon free he managed to claw Terry, chipping a few of the Cubone’s scales.

With Razor down, Roz thought she just might have a chance of getting Monty out of the area. “We need to leave,” she said, proffering her hand to him. Evidently trusting that whatever plans she had were better than Razor’s, the Drilbur accepted, reaching out with his large claws.

Roz turned around, intending to get the other side of the chasm in sight so she could teleport, only to see Razor not only back up, but flying directly at her. He fell to the ground before even reaching the edge of the drop-off as Terry scored a direct hit with another Smack Down.

Razor turned around and shrieked at the Cubone. “WOULD YOU STOP THAT ALREADY?!” Rather than answering, Terry retrieved his bone and charged at the Skarmory, clubbing him upside the head with a *clang*. Razor growled and rolled to his feet. Once he was upright, he flapped his wings and blew dust into Terry’s face. The Cubone yelped and jumped back, frantically rubbing his eyes.

Roz and Drilbur warped across the chasm with a soft *vsht* sound. Razor bore down on the blinded Terry and battered him with a Fury Attack, causing him to stumble over backwards. Razor screeched in triumph and raised his wing to deliver the final blow, only to be interrupted by Roz’s Confusion.

The Skarmory turned his mad gaze to her, then to Monty. “How did you get him across?!” Ignoring Terry, he charged toward Roz and Monty at full speed. The Drilbur whimpered and covered his head with an arm. Roz tightened her grip on his other arm and waited, timing Razor’s approach while focusing on the terrain. Just before he struck with his beak, they both vanished and reappeared a short distance away. Razor spun around and shrieked. “STOP MOCKING ME!”

<Terry, we must leave immediately,> Roz sent. She slowly backed away, interposing herself between Razor and Monty.

<Just teleport us out of here!> Terry climbed to his feet and held his bone at the ready in preparation for fending off Razor. His eyes were still irritated from the Skarmory’s Sand-Attack, but he couldn’t afford to worry about that now.

Roz teleported herself and Drilbur out of the way to evade a Metal Claw from Razor’s talon and felt herself tiring. <I need time before I can teleport long distances,> she explained. [You must hold him off while I focus.]

Roz sensed trepidation from the Cubone. <I…alright.> Terry charged forward to deliver a Bone Club, but with his vision impaired the Skarmory easily stepped out of the way and countered with a swipe from his talon. 

“Shouldn’t we try to help him?” Monty asked Roz.

“He is keeping Razor occupied while I focus on teleporting us away.”

“You’re gonna leave him?!” the Drilbur protested.

“No, but I must concentrate. Please remain silent.”

Razor lifted off the ground, blowing more dust in Terry’s face in the process. Terry yelped and dropped his bone to frantically rub at his eyes. Monty gave a soft whimper and squeezed Roz’s hand tighter. Razor circled around and slashed Terry in the back with a Metal Claw. The Cubone cried out and fell to the ground.

“I really think we need to help him!” Monty whined.

Roz couldn’t focus with all the noise. Seeing Razor diving at Terry again, she raised her palm and blasted him with another Confusion. The shock sent the Skarmory slightly off-course, but he merely changed direction and flew at her. Roz attempted to teleport to safety, but simply no longer had the stamina. Unable to get out of the way, she pushed Drilbur behind her and took the full force of Razor’s Wing Attack.

The Elgyem was sent tumbling. When she finally came to a stop, Roz could barely push herself off the ground. How had Terry managed to withstand so many hits from him? Razor landed behind her and approached on foot. Roz rolled over so she could see him.

“All you had to do was carry out one simple task. One job, and we both get what we want.”

“You are not the only one affected by this,” Roz gasped. “Something has happened to the mineral content of the entire mountain.”

“Probably those miners stealing all of it,” Razor scoffed, still slowly drawing closer. “Or that brat hoarding it all so he can evolve.” A streak of electricity came from the sky and hit the Skarmory, causing him to lock up. 

Sorry we’re late. Three Magnemite descended and encircled Razor. The Skarmory struggled, but with their coordinated positions, the Magnemite had him completely immobilized in their magnetic fields. 

We got here as fast as we could. Are all of you alright? Roz was pretty sure that was Watt.

“Thieves! Robbers! You’ve been planning this all along! Tamper with the mountain to weaken me then get rid of me once I can’t fight back! Admit it!”

“Nobody cares if you want to live out here. That’s your choice,” Terry forced himself to his feet by using his bone for support. “We’re not trying to force you to live in town. Natural disasters are happening all over the world.”

Is that what this is about? asked Amp. 

Everyone’s noticed something wrong with the ore, Ion said. Thunderwave Cave is even worse.

“We do not know the cause of these disasters, but we suspect this may be related,” Roz concluded.

Razor stopped struggling. “But…how? How does something like that happen? Registeel wouldn’t allow it.”

“We don’t know,” Terry answered. “We’re going to find out though.”

Razor considered their words. The madness faded from his eyes as his gaze became lucid again. “What if something happened to Registeel?”

“We have considered this possibility. We intend to investigate it,” Roz assured him.

“I’ve noticed something was wrong for the past several days,” Razor confessed. “The ore tastes different. At first I thought it was just bland, but there was something else to it as well. I can’t properly describe it.” He shook his head irritably. “I can’t stay here anymore. Something isn’t right with this place.” He sighed. “I’ve lived here for years. Don’t particularly like other Pokémon you see. But if something’s wrong with Registeel, staying in its domain doesn’t sound like a good idea.” The three Magnemite hesitantly moved away from him. At a nod from Terry, they let him go. The Cubone approached and offered a Cheri berry.

<Terry, are you certain this is a good idea?> Roz sent.

<Yeah, I think we can trust him now.> Razor ate the berry, wincing at the spiciness, but looking relieved as his paralysis left him.

“Thanks,” he muttered. Terry went back into his bag and pulled out a pair of Oran berries for himself and Roz. The Oran didn’t fix everything, but it soothed Roz’s aches a bit, and Terry regained some mobility, though he still had a slight limp. 

“I’m…sorry for giving you a hard time, kid,” Razor told Monty. The Drilbur edged his way behind Roz. “Look, we all need to get out of here. I can carry everyone back to Greenmetal Village.” Razor crouched down so they could climb onto his back, lowering his wing to serve as a ramp. Terry limped up and secured himself the best he could, returning his club to his back.

Monty was far more hesitant. “Come,” Roz held out her hand. “We must return.”

The Ground-type reluctantly accepted and climbed aboard. Razor lifted off once he made sure everyone was secure. The flight passed in tense silence, but was mercifully brief. The Magnemite accompanied him just in case his sudden good mood was all for show. The Skarmory alighted a short distance from the edge of town.

“You guys take the kid back to his dad. I’ll wait here.” 

Terry looked uncomfortably at Razor. “We can’t just leave you here on your own, you know. That was…we have to take you in for that.”

“As if you could,” Razor scoffed. “But I probably deserve it.”

“Your account may help us elucidate the nature of what has transpired at Mt. Steel,” Roz mused.

“He probably shouldn’t come with us for this though,” said Terry.

Amp perked up. I know of somewhere he can stay. Everyone else looked at it expectantly. There’s an old human ruin just outside of town. 

The Skarmory shuddered slightly. “Yeah, I guess that’ll work. It’s probably what I deserve at this point,” he added under his breath.

“Then it is settled,” said Roz. “Terry and I will return Monty to his father while the rest of you go to these ruins.”

“We’ll stop by in a couple days and see how everything’s going,” Terry added.

The Oran berries Roz and Terry ate made a big difference, as they managed to escort Monty home with Terry limping only slightly. Roz had some difficulty remaining airborne, though that was due more to her overuse of Teleport than her injuries. 

Torque was ecstatic to have his son back and thanked them profusely. When they got home, Roz and Terry ate lunch, wrote their report on the incident, and spent the rest of the day recuperating. Roz still couldn’t believe how much punishment Terry had stood up to considering the fact that she’d gone down in one hit. 

What had happened to Razor though? Based on what he’d said, it almost sounded like he had a premonition of danger. Danger of what? Danger of madness? Was this connected to the anomaly that had affected the Magnemite? How did Razor know something was about to happen? Was it just a matter of spending more time around Mt. Steel? Should the miners stay away as well? Roz probably wouldn’t get any answers until she talked with the Skarmory.

~~~

Logbook entry #1258

Morphology: Skarmory—armored, mobile Steel/Flying type. Durable target makes flyby attacks. Ground and engage from a distance if possible

Skarmory’s natural resilience is augmented by its Steel-typing, making it resistant to most forms of attack. This, coupled with its aerial mobility makes it a powerful foe both offensively and defensively. Forcing it to the ground and fighting from a distance is an effective strategy, as it relies primarily on close-range attacks.