A flash of red light appeared above Charizard's back.
"Scep..."
Sceptile materialized beside Aaron and glanced down at the dragon beneath his feet.
For a moment, he barely recognized his teammate in the unfamiliar Mega form.
"Sceptile, I need your help."
Aaron pointed toward the damaged passenger jet.
"Use everything you have to create a set of towlines. Secure them around the plane, then connect them to Gyarados and Charizard."
He turned toward the other two Pokémon.
"You'll have to pull it the rest of the way to Sealine City Airport."
The situation demanded all three of them.
The aircraft weighed well over a hundred tons. Gyarados's Flame Clouds had slowed its descent and kept it stable, but they could not bear its full weight forever.
The clouds would provide lift.
The two dragons would provide forward momentum.
"Scep."
"GRAAAADOS."
"GRAAAZARD."
All three answered without hesitation.
Sceptile vanished from Charizard's back and reappeared atop the aircraft.
Emerald natural energy surged from his body. His pupils narrowed into crosses, and dark markings spread from the corners of his eyes.
He had entered Sage Mode.
"SCEP!"
Sceptile brought his palms together, then slammed them against the fuselage.
Wooden roots burst into existence beneath his hands.
They spread rapidly across the aircraft, branching into thick, flexible bands that wrapped around the fuselage and beneath the wings. Sceptile guided them carefully around the engines and control surfaces, distributing the strain instead of allowing it to concentrate in one place.
More roots twisted together along the front and upper sections of the plane, forming enormous living cables.
Gyarados moved ahead of the aircraft, Flame Clouds gathering beneath his body as he took the lead position.
Charizard climbed above the fuselage, wings beating steadily as he waited for his harness.
Sceptile extended the wooden cables toward them.
Several wrapped securely around Gyarados's armored torso, while another set formed a broad harness across Charizard's chest and shoulders.
The living wood tightened.
Aaron inspected the connections, then nodded.
"That should hold."
He looked toward the two dragons.
"The Flame Clouds will support most of the weight. You only need to keep the plane moving and control its direction."
Both Pokémon glanced back at him.
"You've got this," Aaron said. "Take us to Sealine City."
Determination settled into their eyes.
"GRAAAADOS!"
"GRAAAZARD!"
The living towlines snapped taut.
Gyarados drove forward over the Flame Clouds while Charizard beat his enormous wings with all his strength.
For a moment, the aircraft resisted.
The roots creaked beneath the strain. Flame Clouds churned around the damaged wings, and both dragons fought against the weight dragging behind them.
Then the plane began to move.
Slowly at first.
Then more steadily.
Supported from below and pulled from the front and above, the damaged jet advanced through the sky.
Aaron broke into a grin.
"That's it! Keep the tension even!"
Gyarados maintained the aircraft's direction while Charizard stabilized it from above. Sceptile remained on the fuselage, continuously feeding natural energy into the roots and adjusting their grip whenever the plane shifted.
Together, they formed the strangest rescue convoy the skies of Hualis had ever seen.
Two dragons towing a passenger jet toward Sealine City.
...
Inside the aircraft, the passengers stared through the windows in disbelief.
They had already watched Aaron jump from the plane, summon two monstrous Pokémon, defeat an entire flock of Shadow Fearow, and keep the aircraft from falling.
Even so, the sight before them seemed impossible.
Massive wooden cables now surrounded the jet, connecting it to Gyarados and Charizard. The Flame Clouds held the aircraft aloft while the two dragons dragged it through the sky.
Someone finally broke the silence.
"They're actually towing us."
"That Gyarados and Charizard are pulling an entire passenger plane!"
"I don't think anyone is going to believe this story."
"I'm recording everything. No one gets to call me a liar after this."
"This has to be the wildest emergency landing in history."
The little girl from earlier pressed both hands against the window.
"Mommy, his dragons are carrying us home!"
Her mother pulled her close.
"That's right."
She looked toward Aaron and his Pokémon, gratitude filling her expression.
"Never forget who saved us today."
"I won't."
Around them, fear gradually gave way to wonder.
No one aboard could pretend they were safe yet, but for the first time since the attack began, they were moving toward solid ground instead of falling away from it.
Some passengers laughed in sheer relief. Others continued filming through the windows, determined to preserve proof of the impossible sight.
Even the pilots, struggling with the crippled controls in the cockpit, could feel the difference.
The aircraft was no longer simply descending.
Something outside was pulling them toward Sealine City.
...
At Sealine City Airport, emergency alarms echoed across the grounds.
All arrivals and departures had been suspended, and the longest runway was cleared for the damaged aircraft. Ground crews rushed to move service vehicles and parked planes away from the approach path, with several Machamp helping haul the heaviest equipment aside.
Emergency response teams gathered along the tarmac. Blastoise stood ready beside the airport's fire crews, while Chansey and Audino assisted the medical staff near a temporary treatment area. A group of Flying-type Pokémon circled above the airport, searching the clouds for any sign of the approaching plane.
Major Grant waited near the runway with airport officials and several experienced Trainers.
Nearly half an hour had passed since Aaron's call, and there had been no further communication.
He checked his watch before looking toward the thick bank of clouds beyond the runway.
"Come on, Aaron..."
A member of the response team lowered his radio.
"Still no visual contact."
"What does air traffic control have?"
"The aircraft is still approaching, but its speed and altitude keep fluctuating. Its flight pattern doesn't match anything the system recognizes."
Major Grant could hardly blame it.
Aaron had said his Pokémon were towing the plane.
There was nothing remotely normal about that.
"Keep the runway and approach path clear," he said. "No one moves in until we know how he plans to bring it down."
"Understood."
Inside the terminal, hundreds of stranded passengers waited for an explanation.
Some crowded around the windows, trying to see past the emergency vehicles and Pokémon gathered outside. Others complained about missed connections and the sudden suspension of every flight.
"What's happening? The weather is perfectly clear."
"They shut down the entire airport without telling us anything."
"I'm going to miss my connection because of this."
"Look outside," another passenger said. "That isn't a routine delay."
Machamp were still moving equipment away from the runway. Medical Pokémon waited beside stretchers, and several powerful Water-types had taken up positions near the landing zone.
A man near the windows lowered his voice.
"They look like they're waiting for a major trainer."
"Maybe a Champion is arriving."
"A Champion wouldn't need half the airport cleared," another passenger replied.
The speculation spread as more people gathered near the glass.
Then someone at the front narrowed his eyes.
"Wait."
A dark shape had appeared within the distant clouds.
At first, it was impossible to identify.
Then it grew larger.
Much larger.
The damaged passenger jet slowly emerged from the cloud bank, surrounded by rolling Flame Clouds.
Something enormous flew ahead of it.
Another shape held position above the fuselage.
Thick wooden cables stretched between the Pokémon and the aircraft.
For several seconds, no one in the terminal understood what they were seeing.
Then one passenger whispered:
"Are those Pokémon towing the plane?"