For a moment, the admin wanted to scream at how unfair this was. There wasn't a Power Spot anywhere in the woods, as far as Howard knew. The closest ones were on Route 102 and 104. Yet he knew Dynamax better than anyone in Team Rocket, and he could quickly parse that this wasn't Dynamax.

It was a load of bullshit, but not Dynamax.

"Oh, FU-"

The Titanic Munkidori sent Howard flying into the treeline with his psychic powers. Branches snapped and cracked and tore at the admin's back as he disappeared into a sea of green.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

Eventually his voice disappeared as well, leaving Serizawa and Shirley alone to compete with the monkey. Taking advantage of the roosting Fezandipiti, the pupa slammed into the ground with Earthquake, causing trees to fall over. One threatened to crush the monkey, but foresight saved Munkidori from splatting against the floor.

Shirley dove down, tearing at the Toxic Chain, before swooping out of range once again.

---

Shred Grigori Sokolov

Unfortunately for Shred, his Pokemon would be down one ally as the Fezandipiti capitalized on the conjured Blood Moon. Its crimson red hue adopted a more lighter shade, transforming into a dazzling pink. The Moon's Blast went straight for the Ursaluna and sent it reeling.

And it gave one final heave as it lay still on the grass. Oh no. Fezandipiti gave him a dangerous glare, and he once more stepped back. He was now a stone's toss away from Shred, who had sent out a dangerous beast.

And perhaps that was the right idea. Grigori grabbed his poke ball and clicked it open. White and red emerged to conjure up yet another paradoxical being. One from the past, with a hilariously tall neck that let it nearly rival the heights of their foes.

Raging Bolt, tall and mighty. But it would still likely not be enough against the fairy-wielding bird.

“If either of you two have an ace up your sleeves, now would be a perfectly good time to show it!” Grigori called over the rising voltage. Thunder rained down straight atop the Fezandipiti, a powerful yet still nonlethal blow.

What would save them?

---

Shred howard slayte

Nothing would. Even if Regirock, Regice, or Koraidon could make it here in time, they would have to stall for long. Koraidon was fast. One of the fastest Pokémon in the world, no doubt, yet it would not enjoy a trek through gnarled trees and roots in an attempt to reach its avatar.

Howard, Shred, and Grigori were alone.

As Shirley flew around, the monkey's eyes shined with a vision of the future. A large blast of sludge erupted from the Toxic Chain, forcing the Aerodactyl to swerve. As if by fate, a tree fell towards Shirley, causing her to careen and crash into the ground. Munkidori snickered and laughed, before turning to face the Pupitar before it.

Using its psychic powers, Munkidori punted the pupa like a football, sending it crashing into several trees. A large swath of the forest fell, and the monkey meandered forward.

"Mmmmmkay?" Munkidori leaned down to sneer at Serizawa, only to be met with eyes that pierced through the retainer's soul.

They saw.

And they hated.

Serizawa had been born with a chip on his shoulder. For over a year, he had disregarded Howard's every order. The Vital City Tournament had taught Howard that he and the small fiend were completely incompatible. Yet when the admin had changed after Petalburg, Serizawa had been left in the dust.

But Serizawa was Junior's child, after all. Navy had given Howard this Larvitar. At the time, the archaeologist hadn't understood why. Perhaps the sheriff had seen something.

"Mmmmmka-?" A fist erupted from the pupa, cracking stone as it reached out to grab the titanic Munkidori's throat and squeeze. "ACK!?"

The retainer's eyes bulged as it squirmed.

---

Shred Grigori Sokolov

All Fezandipiti had to do what Roost once more. A simple pruning of feathers left it better off than before. Grigori gulped. Even as the Pupitar finally found its mark, it wasn’t without sacrifice. Shirley fell far to the wayside. Shred missed by a wide margin. Gouging Fire flew.

He had already failed two Pokémon, and a third if his paradoxical beast took any more blows. Yet another Moonblast would grace them shortly. They needed a miracle, yet the obvious ones were too far away.

Except…

Except…

Oh no.

But what other choice was there? All they could do was hope it worked. As Gholdengo chanted in its impossibly obtuse language (that of all Pokémon), Grigori did what he did best: engage. Only now did it pose an actual benefit. But was also comedically risky. Desperate times, and such.

“Raging Bolt, follow me! To Mr. Shred!”

Together, they galloped forward and onward. Straight to the Fezandipiti. As a pink moon threatened to bowl them over, they put themselves directly between the bird and the dog. “Fight me! Come on!”

Group them up and let the golden statue do the heavy lifting. To further emphasize this, Raging Bolt called forth one more dizzying surge of electricity, and Thunder struck the Okidogi. Hopefully that would get its attention. The bigger they were, the harder they’d fall.

---

Shred howard slayte