Chapter no.19
When he first hears the noise, he is approximately halfway up the stairs. As he struggles to remain as still as possible and focuses his attention on the sound that is now competing with the tumultuous beat of his own heart, his entire body begins to constrict.
The drone becomes increasingly loud, to the point where he is able to identify it and feels his heart defy all logic as it beats even louder in his chest. He concludes that it must be close based on the sheer volume, much closer than anything of its kind should have any business being near buildings. What was once only barely detectable as a buzz has transformed into a droning noise that can be heard all throughout the structure.
It's been one heartbeat, and now it's the second. The sound doesn't start coming from the other side of the room until the third time it happens, though. Roark climbs the remaining few steps to the top of the staircase and cautiously makes his way towards the window. Then, all of a sudden, the all-too-familiar screech of an Aerodactyl fills the air, and his will is put to the ultimate test. His nerve endings begin to tingle as every brain cell in his head urges him to flee the scene.
The fact that he does not immediately retreat from the window, however, allows his exhaustion and curiosity to ultimately triumph.
Each of the orange energy pillars that are slicing through the sky above Oreburgh causes him to grimace. They are significantly larger than he recalled them being in his memory. Blasts that are now wide enough to level any of Oreburgh's buildings and long enough to level an entire city block. At first, Roark can't help but get the impression that they're being let go for no apparent reason. That is, until he realises that this spectacular exhibition of power serves a specific purpose.
The pilot has just enough time to speculate on the path of the subsequent assault and narrowly avoid being hit by it thanks to the brief pause that occurs between each explosion that he heard earlier. He is unfamiliar with the peculiar jet-helicopter hybrid that he is looking at. Roark claims that his lack of interest in aviation is to blame for his inability to recognise the aircraft. It's possible that the distance of several hundred metres between them is also a factor.
As the aeroplane makes a wide turn and cruises along the outskirts of the city, Roark mulls for a moment over the possibility, "Perhaps the national guard is still..."
The miner is filled with resentment as he muses, "They should have sent more than just one plane," knowing that it is only a matter of time before the Aerodactyl either outwits its target, the pilot miscalculates, or the simple sluggishness on the pilot's end brings an end to their aerial dance. He watches with the same kind of macabre fascination that one would have watching a tunnel cave in.
After a few seconds have passed without the appearance of another orange beam, Roark begins to speculate that the Aerodactyl may have chosen to pursue easier prey. His question is answered almost immediately when a ring of white light forms around the body of the prehistoric Pokémon. This is a move called Stone Edge, and it is one that Roark is all too familiar with.
As the creature flies, shards of stone are formed along the ring by orbs of light that coalesce along it and form into a ring around it. The pilot makes a sharp turn in the direction of what he believes will be a blazing column of orange light, but instead directs the ship straight into a shower of lithic flechettes.
Suddenly, something dark and yellow erupts from the side of the aircraft, almost confirming Roark's pessimistic predictions. However, just as Roark is about to give up hope, a lightning bolt arcs out of nowhere and strikes the Aerodactyl. The body of the flying fossil contorts into a backwards arch, and the electrical blast prevents any screams that the creature would have otherwise let out from escaping its throat. The moment Roark bats an eye, everything is over. The moment his eyelids return to their normal position, the Aerodactyl has already begun its descent towards the ground, its charred body leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
There is no sound to indicate that the body has touched down as it vanishes from view behind the row of houses. Because of the force of the impact, neither the ground nor the walls tremble in any discernible way, and there is no indication that the body has been crushed against the pavement. The rotation of the earth continues, and the happenings on its surface are nothing more than meaningless trivia in comparison to its endless turns. A portion of Roark is unable to fully comprehend what has taken place just yet.
His eyes move upward, and while he is still looking for the flying dinosaur, all he sees is blue sky and open space when he looks up at the sky. The black and yellow figure that was responsible for releasing the lightning bolt flies back into view as the aircraft flies back into view. He watches them leave through the window but not before noticing the craft getting closer and closer to the ground to his east. This is before he realises that they have left.
Roark's ears are filled with a cacophony of hisses and snarls coming from the streets below. He crouches down behind the window and presses himself up against the wall, hoping that his diminutive size and insignificance will be enough to prevent the universe from noticing him. He's a nervous wreck and can't control the shivers that come over him as he slowly slides down the wall towards the tiled floor below. The sweat that was soaking through his black undershirt had begun to cool, and it was now clinging to his back. This added another round of chills to his already trembling body. The growls become less audible until eventually he is left alone in the presence of silence once more.
The fatigue slams into him like a raging semi-truck all at once, and he is immediately overcome with it. The realisation that this is the first time in the past twelve hours that he has been permitted to sit down and rest doesn't start to hit him until he is already lying on the ground.