"Gimme a bullet to bite on, something to chew. Gimme a bullet to bite on, and I'll make believe—I'll make believe it's you."
—Unknown
Two Plasma grunts flanked Commander Sedna as she stepped out into the light of the clearing. With both of their plastic-nosed guns aimed directly at her chest, just in view of her peripherals, she walked with her hands on her head.
The rubble-covered floor of the Rocket Compound disappeared beneath Sedna's boots as she walked out onto the cracked, dry earth, surrounded by tall, rocky sides that led up to the deep green Ilex Forest. Looking back, she could see the darkness of the final floor she had been in, overshadowed by the tall mess of collapsed walls and floors.
A sharp kick to her leg brought Sedna down abruptly. She collapsed down onto her knees hard, kneeling in the dirt, bringing her head around in a haze. As she struggled to adjust herself, she looked up, gazing along the massive hillsides that surrounded her like a colosseum, a large ampitheatre-like space with rows and rows of Team Plasma grunts standing on the various levels of rocky hillside, all armed with similar weapons and covered with white, featureless masks. The sunlight had pushed through the clouds, parting them wide and casting blinding rays of sunshine down on the ground towards Sedna.
"Welcome Commander," a loud voice boomed, echoing through the open space. "It seems you have traversed alone in this endeavor to meet your fate, and you have let your companion die."
Squinting through the blinding sun, Sedna looked up towards the very center of all the rows of grunts were several had parted, flanked by lieutenants, seeing the source of the booming voice. It was a general, a man, much older as his worn features and white hair suggested, wearing a breathing mask over his mouth.
"It seems you have carried on the mission, however, and that you must have vital information."
The two grunts that had flanked her split, one standing over her while another let his weapon slip behind him, slung behind his back as he kneeled. He patted down the inside of Sedna's coat, feeling her body down in a incoherent, rough manner as he searched for anything. He opened every pouch on her utility belt, then patted down her coat. Feeling something, he opened up the pocket on her labcoat, removing a small white object—a thumbdrive.
The grunt got to his feet, holding his arm high and showing the thumbdrive for all to see.
As a cheer went up around the many rows of grunts, Sedna grimaced, narrowing her eyes in face of the humiliation and looking up to the general at the center of the rows. She wrinkled her nose as he looked on the thumbdrive briefly and expressionlessly, then looking down to her.
"The data on the Time Beast expeditions, the full experiments... You have satisfied our mission so easily, Commander."
Looking up to the two grunts that stood over her, Sedna heard the crackling radio chatter beneath both of their masks, audible and distant as several orders came through. She looked up to the lieutenants flanking the general, watching as they gave orders into their radios.
"And now Commander, it seems you are of little value to us any longer. It seems that there is nothing left now but to watch you die."
Deep in the underground chambers of the Rocket Fortress, Mars let out a loud, pained grunt as she clawed at the ground, dragging her body through the gravel several inches. Her injured leg jostled atop her as she moved, making her wince with insatiable pain. She took a torn, wadded up section of her leggings and pressed it deep into the cut, soaking up the blood that had oozed out onto her leg, all while, reaching out again and dragging herself through the gravel again.
Her hand landed on something smooth and plastic, clean and familiar. Grasping it, Mars felt the form of the healing device Sedna had tossed across the underground space. She tossed aside the wadded cloth, instead putting the healing device into her blood-stained hand, opening the arms on it carefully and charging up the healing cells inside. The rubber teeth sank into the torn, bloodied material of her leggings and pressed the lit center to the deep gash.
The hissing sound of fusing flesh eminated from the injured leg. Mars gave quiet gasps, letting the healing process take over.
An abrupt beep came from the healing device, followed by the sound of the healing cells powering off. The light shut off from beneath it and Mars carefully removed the device, folding up the arms. She slipped the device into the brim of her boot. Carefully, she flexed her leg, feeling that all the muscle had healed together and didn't cause any pain.
Grasping at a column just behind her, Mars gave a few panting breaths of fear as she slowly lifted herself up into a sitting position, then carefully worked both her legs beneath her. She pushed herself off the ground, extending both of her legs to their full, lanky length. She eased her weight onto both legs carefully then took a few tenative steps. There wasn't any feeling of pain. Flexing her leg, reaching back and grabbing the toe of her boot, popping her knee and then kicking forward, she breathed a sigh of relief and newfound confidence.
In a single, swift move, Mars popped the Pokeball from her utility belt and gripped it in her hand. Looking down at the gleaming shell in the dim light, Mars lifted her gaze towards the sunlit end of the expansive underground, looking to where she saw the lone figure of Sedna standing.
Mars broke into a sprint.
The two grunts that stood over Sedna approached, charging up their plastic-nosed guns and approaching Sedna. They each grabbed an arm, dragging her on her knees towards the front of the amphitheater-like space.
Sedna gave a dull look, staring ahead at the rock face ahead and ignoring the jeers of the crowd around her. As her legs dragged behind her, Sedna felt her boots catch on rocks and bump on the dirt of the ground. When they reached the closest end of the space to the general, Sedna felt the grip on her arms release and drop her to her knees once again. She fell over, flat on her face, the thick white armor plate over her torso giving a plastic like clatter on the rock as she fell. She raised herself slowly, pulling herself onto her hands and knees.
Overhead where the general presided over the coming execution, his jacket swaying in the breeze, his breathing audible through his mask, he held a hand out and stopped the two grunts who stood beside Sedna.
A lieutenant had brought himself down to the bottom of the pit-like space, crossing the dirt floor a few striding steps before calling over one of the grunts. The other was left alone with Sedna, standing beside her and waiting.
"That's a cute gun you've got there," Sedna said. She gave a look to the grunt still holding her, giving a coy look.
The grunt gave Sedna a look, ignoring the taunt. He stood with the gun poised beneath his arm, at attention for the general.
"Did they train you on toy ray guns? The ones with sound effects?"
A sharp, swift fist came from the far right of Sedna's vision, delivering a hard smack to the side of her head. Sedna flopped over like a ragdoll, having done absolutely nothing to brace for the impact. Her lip cracked and oozed blood over the corner of her mouth and chin, mixing with the coarse dirt beneath her head. Laying on her side, draped in her labcoat, Sedna groaned in pain, looking up to the deliverer of the punch.
The second grunt, the grunt who had left her side to go speak with the lieutenant had returned without any warning. With the gun in one hand and a bloody, naked fist in the other, the grunt gave a sneering smile, kicking her in the shin hard.
"I'd love to end you right here with my 'little ray gun'," the grunt said. "Now get up. The general likes to see the fear in his prisoner's eyes before the skull melts."
"Make me," Sedna spat, drooling blood onto the ground.
The sneer on the grunt's face immediately disappeared, replaced with a teeth-gritting, driving anger. He took a few steps, slinging the gun over his back as he came over and reached down, grabbing Sedna's arm and lifting her to her feet.
Sedna was ready. As soon as she felt her leg reorient and fall beneath her, she pushed off and ran into the grunt. She met with a strong, stopping arm, hearing him shout loudly into her ear. She then raced around the arm, feeling him stop at her and grab her arm. It gave her enough time to run behind him and get a hand towards the gun, grabbing the cocking arm and tugging back, ejecting the battery of the plastic-nosed gun down into the dirt.
"Oh no you don't, lady," said the grunt as she tugged at her arm, pulling her back around.
Sedna got in a mean swing with her leg, kicking into his ankle, getting a brutalized cry from him. In return, the grunt suddenly pulled her around with all his force and held both her arms. As Sedna wriggled in her arms and he squeezed hard, his loud, booming voice shouting taunts at her, Sedna leaped up and put his nose between her teeth, clamping down and pulling back sharply, feeling the satisfying tear of flesh.
A hand released from Sedna's arm, immediately grabbing at her face, pushing it away. She felt his fingers reaching for her brow, ready to push in on her eye, when she rammed her fist into his stomach in two quick successions. Standing on two feet, she looked down on the subdued grunt who had fallen back, stepping around his writhing limbs and moving around him. Sedna panted, feeling the color return to her features, flexing her muscles as she prepared for more.
Through the hundreds of shouts and jeers that came through the 'audience' of grunts, echoing through the dirt space, Sedna heard the distinct charging of a weapon. She looked over, seeing the grunt pulling back several times on his weapon, trying to charge it. Without time or thought, Sedna ducked down, pulling the subdued grunt into a headlock and lifting him up sharply. When he grabbed at Sedna's arm, dazed from the wrestling match earlier, Sedna held his neck tighter, choking him and starving him of oxygen.
The grunt raised his weapon, having started the charging of the weapon and aiming it at her. The nose of the weapon pulsed, charging. He sturdied his features and his stance, unwavering even though Sedna had the subdued grunt between herself and the weapon.
Beneath the convulsing, choking body of the grunt, limp and hanging from Sedna's arms like the dead weight he was, Sedna paused to consider her options. Through the corner of her eye, she saw the lieutenants that flanked the general preparing orders and communicating amongst themselves, all of the grunts in the ampitheater-like space listening attentively to their radioes, including the grunt on the ground with her who had his weapon pointed at her and the grunt. An earpiece, leading to the radio on the uniform of the grunt Sedna carried, skewed but still largely in his ear, buzzed with the orders going to all the other grunts. He spat and choked, drooling blood onto Sedna's arm.
"No... Please..." the grunt begged. "They can't kill me... They will! Lady, you don't know what those weapons are like... It's the most painful death I can think of..."
True to his word, Sedna watched the grunt just several feet in front of her and the grunt in her arms listen to his order carefully, carefully aiming the weapon at the grunt and Sedna. Her eyes followed the line of sight from the nose of the gun to where the shot would land, dead center in the grunt's chest.
Sedna switched arms, imagining and keeping track of the mere seconds she had left. With one arm locked around the grunt's arm, maintaining the headlock, Sedna reached down and around to her utility belt. The one arm wrapped around him locked even tighter, choking him hard as she felt him squirm and fight the headlock, trying to get away. While she fought him off, she reached down to the slots where her Pokeballs were locked in, grasping numbly for the right one.
"No... No! Please! Mercy!" the grunt wailed, watching his former comrade take aim.
A dull thud came from the nose of the grunt's gun, firing directly at the chest of the grunt Sedna held. A violent, blinding scream came from the grunt as his chest pulsed and thudded as the invisible shot landed.
Holding onto the writhing grunt proved to be more than Sedna expected, but she held on, reaching down and finally getting her Pokeball. She pressed the button on the front, letting it fall behind her. Feeling the grunt's frothing mouth drool onto her arm as he screamed, Sedna let the grunt fall to the ground and stumbled back, clearing herself of the grunt.
The grunt screamed on the floor, losing any semblance of decorum. He clutched his chest in desperation as it pulsed and throbbed. All at once, the structure of his chest seemed to cave in on the right side, as if he had lost all of his ribs. A dull crack came from his chest and he screamed even louder, clawing at dirt.
Sedna was engrossed in the horrifying ordeal of the grunt, but her attention turned up to the grunt with the weapon as he pulled again on the side of the gun, cocking it. The light in the nose of the weapon pulsed, charging. As he took aim, a massive eruption of light and sound came from behind Sedna. She ducked, hearing the gun fire and then miss.
A large, bright red image emerged from the open Pokeball that lay in the dirt. Magneton emerged from the flashing lights, kicking up a swirl of dirt as it rose slowly, levitating off the ground. A low magnetic hum pulsed from the center of its three cores, the wide eyes searching the battlefield as it gained a sense of its environment.
Gasping and smiling, Sedna rested in the dirt for a few short moments, then scrambled across the dirt beneath Magneton, grabbing its Pokeball and holstering it. She got to her feet carefully, standing tall beside Magneton, her lab coat whipping in the wind behind her.
Unfazed, the grunt pulled the handle on the side of the gun again, cocking it and charging it. Taking aim, he pointed the end of the weapon towards Sedna's chest and fired. When the nose of the gun pulsed it stayed brightly lit, flickering and glowing carefully. The field in front of the gun warped, pulsing and changing until a bright surge of energy appeared, the bolt of energy fired from the gun appearing and hanging in midair like a bolt of lightning. The grunt froze, looking up in fear at Magneton's glowing, spinning magnets on the corners of its body, responsible for the frozen bolt of energy.
The bolt of energy suddenly flung back, throwing itself directly into the gun. Electrical arcs flashed and rippled all around the gun and the grunt. An explosion of electrical energy erupted around the grunt and sent him flying backwards, tumbling over the ground before he collapsed and slid to the far end of the space.
"Magneton!" Sedna shouted. "Use Thunder Ball!"
"Maaaagnneeeee!"
Sedna looked up to the grunts that lined the rows of the dirt cliffs surrounding them. All of them cocked their weapons, the sound of charging echoing throughout the space. Lieutenants shouted orders to their divisions, unintelligible but echoing all throughout the space.
The sky darkened. A bright surge of energy rippled and surrounded Magneton's body, making its body glow bright. The magnets at the points of his body spun rapidly, glowing a bright white as the electrical field surrounding the whole space was harnessed, turning into a bright, pulsing field. Only the dark outline of Magneton could be seen as the electricity gathered in him, then erupted.
Waves of electrical energy shot out from Magneton in large arcs, launching into the rows of grunts. Many of the grunts leapt to the side or ducked down as the waves flashed and crackled, dissipating before they crashed into them. Bright flashing aftershocks crackled around them, fizzling around their weapons and crackling audibly. All around, shouts of protest and confusion rippled through them. They tried firing their weapons but couldn't, swapping battery packs quickly or throwing the guns down in frustration.
The hum that emanated from Magneton built to a roar. It lowered carefully, swaying inches above the ground as it recovered from such a blast. Reeling from exhaustion, the roaring hum petered out and sounded like a whining metal hinge as it recovered momentarily.
Careful, looking at the remaining crackles of electricity that sparked over Magneton's body, Sedna reached out and pressed her hand to the cool metal surface of its lowermost orb body, breathing a sigh of relief. She looked to the large glassy eye beside her hand and smiled as it darted up to her, a trill coming from deep within the metal body. Looking up as the sky brightened once again, Sedna looked up to the general, still presiding over the open space but with less of his plans intact.
Across the ground, where the grunt rested on his side, knocked aside from Magneton's deflected blast, the dirt trail that had been carved into the ground began with a single, silvery point; Sedna's thumbdrive. When Sedna reached down for the thumbdrive, she hesitated, watching it twitch and throb in the dirt, before suddenly lifting several feet off the ground. She looked to the side to see Magneton, one of its spinning magnets glowing as it levitated the thumbdrive in front of Sedna. She grasped it, breathing a sigh of relief, grinning deliriously.
"You have proven to be more resilient than first blush, Commander. You'd be pleased to know we must defer to more desperate measures."
Sedna looked up the presiding general, looking confused at the notion. As she considered it all, she thought for a moment that she could see a brief smile beneath the mask that covered his mouth, hearing a loud wheeze come from it.
High in the air, Sedna heard what sounded like a blast of air, a loud rush of wind. Turning back, feeling the wind whip through her hair and brush into her forehead, she looked up to the sky, no longer hearing the rush of wind. She narrowed her eyes through the bright sunshine, seeing a dark object falling out of the sky.
A gleam of metal armor flashed as the dark figure descended—a man. A flash of light came from beneath him, the same rush of wind coming from him as he slowed his descent. All around, the grunts shouted with raucous pleasure, watching him fall closer and closer to the center of the open dirt space, now turned arena. The bright flash of light came again, slowing his descent to where he gently hovered and crested a tall rock formation towards the inside of the space, touching down on two feet and landing.
"Commander, I present you with The Third Imperator."
The Imperator shook off several thick straps from over the front of his chest, letting the thick, heavy jetpack fall from his back and land on the rock with a resounding clang. A silver mask covered his whole face, just as featureless as all the other white masks that the other grunts wore. Plates of beaten metal adorned him, ornate with deep purple plating and silver inlays, built into the leather of his uniform. His heavily plated legs and boots clanked on the rock as he stepped forward, facing Sedna. He pressed in on a section on the side of his helmet, triggering a bright red point of light beneath the silver surface on the left side of his mask, pointed directly at Sedna.
The Imperator put out both arms fists out. With two Pokeballs gripped in his fist, he waited a moment, triggering two metal arms built into his plated gauntlets to launch two more Pokeballs. With two already in the air, he launched two more, sending four Pokemon into the battlefield.
In several bright, earth-shattering explosions of light, four Pokemon materialized. Rising from the bright flashes of light and the swirling dust, the heads of four Scolipede appeared, the tiny red legs grasping rapidly at the air as they hissed loud and shrill.
Taking a few steps back, the Third Imperator planted a foot directly in the center of his jetpack. He pressed in, triggering the pressure plate, then put his second foot on it. The steel plates on the surface hissed, releasing from their locked position and reaching out like legs. The jetpack—now platform—rose from the rocky surface on spindly, spider-like legs, crawling over the rocky surface and climbing high, an arm beneath the platform the Imperator stood on raised him high. He unfurled a cape from his pack, taking the silver trim at the edge of the cape and latching it to the plates around his collarbone, draping the black cape over his shoulder.
A tall antenna sprouted from the side of his helmet, sparking and lighting the tip. All at once, the Scolipede that had gathered around the base of the rock formation came to attention. Now under his control. He turned, focusing the red eye on his mask towards Sedna, raising an arm lit with various sensors from beneath the cape, sending forth the Scolipede that raced out from beneath the rock.
Sedna took a step back, watching the hundreds of skittering legs as the Scolipede raced towards her, clamoring over one another in a desperate bid to reach her. Their bodies snaked over the ground like they were gliding, all chittering with vengeful threats, a set of glowing red eyes beneath their red hoods, sets of pincers snapping with venom dripping from them. Turning to Magneton, who hovered vengefully, charging the magnets at the corners of its body, Sedna took a few steps towards Magneton and headed past it quickly, starting to run, kicking up dirt as she ran across. Through the dirt clouds behind her she could only hear the Scolipede as they hissed, but watched as Magneton stood still, bobbing softly as it hovered and beared down on the foursome of Pokemon.
Another tall rock formation jutted from the ground, several feet away from the one the Third Imperator had arrived on. Sedna clawed at the rock, leaping up and lifting herself from the ground, pulling her legs up and finding foothold as she quickly scaled the rock. Looking beside her, several feet away, a few of the Scolipede had leapt onto Magneton, trying scale its slippery body with their hundreds of legs, hissing and snapping and trying to get to it. Magneton bobbed, shuddering in air, the smooth surface of its body crackling brightly with electricity as deterrent.
Sedna levied herself over the edge of the rock, pulling her feet beneath her and raising herself high. She let her white lab coat fall behind her, fluttering down behind the rock. Flexing the material of her uniform, brushing dirt from the thick white breastplate she wore, she reached to her utility belt, grasping a Pokeball and looking down towards the unfolding scene, watching as the Third Imperator glided across the ground on his crawling platform, raising an arm and commanding the various Scolipede under his control as they assaulted Magneton. The Imperator turned, giving her a blank, expressionless look as she stood tall, wielding her second Pokeball.
A loud, shuddering metallic groan came from Magneton. The leaping, screeching Scolipede pack knocked the massive metal-bodied Pokemon with ease, sending it reeling back a few feet before leaping again at him. The wide porthole eyes darted each which way, looking incredibly tired. Magneton's movements turned more sluggish with each pass, the groans it emitted becoming more faint.
Sedna threw the Pokeball, sending it whizzing through the air. It bounced on the ground, exploding in mid-air and flashing brightly. When the flash subsided, Sableye appeared, falling to the ground and catching himself on his spindly legs, taking a few steps forward. A set of geodesic eyes gleamed in the sunlight, looking over the battlefield.
Two of the Scolipede gave shrill screeches, breaking off from the pack and leaving the other Scolipede to finish Magneton, racing towards where Sableye had appeared. Their screams gave Sableye little time to think, catching his attention immediately as he turned his head and stared them down. As they clamored within feet of him, he leaped up on his sprung legs, arcing back in-air towards a set of small rocks and landing on all fours.
A small hiss came from Sableye's mouthless face. A set of tiny nostrils flared beneath his protruding gem eyes as he sensed his enemy. Seeing that the Scolipede continued to advance, he reared up on his hind legs and took a step back. With his fist raised high, he leaped down from the rock, delivering a crunching punch to the armored head of the Scolipede on his left. He shut out the loud, ensuing screech, pulling out a pulpy fist and rearing up. He had just enough time to see the second Scolipede from the right leap at him, pincers splayed, forcing Sableeye to fall back and hit the ground. He recovered as soon as he could, dodging a snap from the lurching right Scolipede, but looked down in horror as the Scolipede he had punched had shaken off the blow and sunk its pincers deep into his foot.
Though Sableye maintained his disciplined movements, kicking his other leg up and turning his whole body so that he faced the ground, he kicked his injured leg into the Scolipede's face. He made it an inch towards the face before he realized through agonizing pain that the pincer would not let go. He pulled forward and wriggled, trying to push himself off the ground as he saw the second Scolipede racing towards him.
In mere seconds, Sableye had managed to kick himself loose from Scolipede's talons, launching himself free and out onto the ground, where he was able to scamper on all fours towards the tall rock formation that the Third Imperator had landed on. He leapt up and caught the side of the rock face, lifting himself up a foot above the ground on the vertical face and kicking to find a foothold. His injured foot had turned numb. Looking down, he saw that his foot had been severely mangled, the purple skin he normally had turning pale and crawling up his leg, poisoning the leg. Just a foot below, the Scolipede gathered at the base and snapped. He leaped up, using his one leg to hobble up along the side of the rock as he climbed just barely higher, avoiding the Scolipede as they leaped up onto their hind legs.
Sedna watched in horror from across the space, standing atop an opposite rock. Transfixed on Sableye's plight, watching him dangle from the rock as he tried to kick his useless leg, she looked in desperation for options. She put a hand over her chest, looking down and realizing she had been panting.
A loud metal scraping broke her concentration. Looking over to the other side of the dirt space, looking for the source of the sound, Sedna saw Magneton as it floated uselessly across the battlefield. The loud scraping came again, coupled with a metallic groan as Magneton's eyes slowly shut. Loose bolts of electrical energy crackled over its surface in a final effort. The two Scolipede, one that had been violently clawing at a shutting eye and another who had managed to cut a gash into the steel surface, oozing with poison into the surface of one of Magneton's orb, leaped away quickly. The surrounding magnetic field warped and destabilized, a loud machine-like hum wavering and growing before abruptly cutting out. Magneton collapsed, the magnets suspended around it falling to the ground and the three cores splitting and falling with a gigantic crash into the earth. A cheer went up around the space as grunts applauded the defeat, the dust settling on Magneton's remains.
Looking back in desperation, Sedna spotted Sableye. She blindly reached for her last Pokeball, putting a hand over her mouth and calling out to him.
"Sableye!" Sedna shouted. "Use ranged attacks! Use—Aaauughh!"
The rock under her shuddered. Sedna fell back, stumbling back over the rocky surface and landing a foot lower on the formation. Her whole frame winced from the impact, her limbs sore and unsure as she quickly attempted to pull herself up. A long shadow drew over her as she tried to look up. Squinting, she saw the Third Imperator standing over her, standing on the spider-like platform.
The spindly steel legs of the platform raised mechanically, pulling its legs from the rock it had sank into and crawling down the top of the rock. The Third Imperator seemed to glide down over the rock towards Sedna like an angel of death.
Sedna fought valiantly to get herself up. Her whole body, sore from contact, rose carefully and contorted painfully to support her damaged state. Through gritted teeth she groaned loudly, and through squinting eyes Sedna gave a careful glance over to the battlefield, towards the dirt space overshadowed by a tall rock. Sableye had fallen into the pit of Scolipede, hissing and screaming as the two Scolipede attacked him from both sides, tearing into him with their pincers. The other two Scolipede who had finished Magneton raced to join the Scolipede in tearing apart Sableye, jumping into the fray and tearing at his limbs. All Sedna could see of Sableye was the twitching, grasping arm that clawed at the dirt and tried to pull himself away, moments before it was pulled into the feeding frenzy.
Another powerful shudder came from the rock as the spider-like platform sank its legs into the rock. Jolting Sedna to attention, she could see that the Imperator was just mere feet away from her, taking all the time he could to reach her. A loud metal clang came from the platform as a tall rod suddenly protruded from a panel. Reaching down to it, the Imperator pulled out a gleaming sword, holding it high in the sunlight. Another cheer roared through the rows of grunts.
Sedna couldn't quite bring herself up, still sore from the landing, and instead chose to grasp at the rocks and pull herself back, inching away from the closing Imperator. As she did, turning down to get a better grip, she saw that the Pokeball that had been in her hands moments earlier had fallen down towards the ground, not releasing the Pokemon held inside and instead was resting against the rocks. It didn't stop her; she pressed on, hoisting herself over another stretch of rock.
A metal leg came down hard between her legs. It narrowly missed her flesh, sinking down through the material of her uniform pants. Sedna tried to pull away and couldn't, feeling her leg trapped. She kicked hard, feeling it tear slightly, but stopped when she looked up to the Imperator, watching as he raised his sword high. A roar went up through the crowds as he placed a second hand on the hilt, centering the blade between both his hands, preparing to deliver the final blow, and—
THOOM!
A bright blast of energy shot across the battlefield, landing squarely in the center of the Third Imperator's chest. It knocked him from the platform, sending him tumbling off the rock formation and down towards the ground where he landed with a dull thud.
Roars of outrage stirred Sedna from stupor her as she braced for the blow to end her life. When she looked up, seeing a clear sky with the Imperator nowhere to be seen, she raised herself carefully. The platform he had been standing on had been knocked to the ground, far below the rock where Sedna was. The leg where the platform had pinned her was still sunk into her pants and the rock. She tore her pants from the leg victoriously, sitting herself fully upright and gasping for air.
Sedna levied herself around, turning towards the source of the blast, narrowing her eyes through the blinding sunlight.
Just outside the shadow of the chasm deep beneath the collapsed Rocket Fortress, Purugly stood tall. She bellowed, her gargantuan body shuddering as a thundering roar echoed off the rocks and ran through the many rows of grunts. A tiny pair of golden eyes set beneath a thick brow gleamed with rage, the last remnants of the Hyper Beam sparking from her.
Amongst the swirling dirt that surrounded Purugly, kicked up in the massive draw of energy from the blast, Mars stepped out into the light. Her legs moved with ease, completely healed without any trace of scarring or intensive damage—the torn opening in her leggings revealed nothing but pure white skin. She raised an arm, shielding herself from the sun and dirt.
A roar went up through the gathered grunts, chatting incredulously among themselves as they saw Mars enter. By their shouts and catcalls, it seemed as though they knew Mars. Though she continued to enter the battlefield, bringing Purugly close behind her, she was visibly confused at the raucous sound.
Sedna waved, a faint smile appearing on her as she made eye contact with Mars. As she saw Mars pick up the pace and head into a sprint, Purugly bounding behind her, she saw in the corner of her vision a flurry of motion. The pack of four Scolipede had picked up and left her drooling, unconscious Sableye be, scrambling around the set of rocks and racing towards the unsuspecting Mars. She got to her feet, rising and standing high above the rocks in a desperate bid for Mars' attention. Heading quickly to the edge, Sedna turned herself and brought herself down, kicking her legs over the edge and grasping the rocky edge. As she tried desperately to find a foothold to help levy herself down, she gave a look towards the advancing Scolipede, seeing them close on Mars and Purugly, and quickly made her choice. She let go, sending herself hurtling towards the rocky ground.
A loud crack rang out as Sedna landed. Beyond soreness, Sedna didn't feel any immediate pain or the shattering sensation of bones breaking. As she raised herself carefully, she reached down and felt for her chest where the sound had come from. The pure white section of armor that covered her chest, the breastplate, had cracked. Breathing soundly, dazed from the fall, Sedna raised her head and saw the Scolipede round the corner.
Mars had heard the large crack. Just as she stopped, pausing to see if Sedna was okay, the dense pack of Scolipede rounded the corner of the tall rock formation, leaping and hissing over one another in a desperate, mindless bid to reach her and Purugly. Mars stopped herself from moving forward, holding a hand out to Purugly to hold her back from advancing. Beside her, in the thick cloud of dust that had kicked up from Purugly's bounding steps, Purugly planted her trunk-like legs into the ground and stood firm, a low growl emitting from deep within her cavernous chest.
"Purugly," Mars breathed. She reached around to her utility belt and pulled out another Pokeball. "Charge up your Hyper Beam. Get ready."
Mars hucked a Pokeball, sending it high into the air where it flashed and released Golbat. A loud screech proudly came from Golbat as she lowered herself carefully, flapping a pair of leathery wings desperately to keep herself aloft. Her incredibly large mouth opened wide, baring a set of thin, tiny silver fangs, gleaming and flashing in the sunlight beneath a pair of warped, white eyes.
"Supersonic, Golbat!" Mars shouted. She took a few steps back, hearing the hissing and skittering of Scolipede as they got with in feet of her.
Descending from the heights of mid-air, Golbat swung low, extending her wings wide as she glided into the hissing mass of Scolipede. She screeched loudly, echoing and warping her voice with otherworldly force. Loud, shrill screams came in cacophonous disarray from the snaking masses of Scolipede. As Golbat came in for a second pass, a Scolipede leapt up and snapped at her, forcing Golbat to pull up sharply.
A loud shredding came from beneath Sedna's uniform. She gritted her teeth, pulling again sharply as she gained a better handhold beneath the cracked plate. She freed it from her lower mid-section, tossing aside the plate. A tattered section remained from her back, and double wrapping it around her fist she pulled tightly, tearing it away cleanly. Her undershirt, warped and torn away, still clung to her upper body, wrapping her breasts, her arms and her shoulders. Her belly was naked and exposed, a clean section of uninjured, glistening ebony skin, toned with muscle.
Panting, Sedna reached down to the ground, kicking aside the destroyed armor and grabbing the Pokeball that had been knocked free of her hand earlier, picking it up from beneath the shadow of the rock. Looking up to where Mars was, watching where her Golbat struggled to feed off the Scolipede, Sedna grasped her Pokeball, getting to her feet.
Across the battlefield, opposite where Mars was struggling, Sedna turned her gaze towards the far end of the battlefield. The Third Imperator had gotten to his feet, standing at the far edge beneath a cliff wall lined with grunts. She watched, almost hypnotized as he moved slow and stiff, armor battered and gleaming in the sun.
Mars backpedaled quickly. She moved around the far side of the rock, diverting at least two of the Scolipede towards her and away from Purugly as she charged. Several feet ahead, as Golbat defended Purugly from attacks, sweeping down and blitzing towards the Scolipede at full speed in a screeching torrent, Purugly was close to full power, fur rippling as she continued to draw energy.
As she watched the footsteps of her boots and just behind her, arms out to the side to maintain her balance and keep her from tipping on the rocky surface, Mars looked up suddenly to see one of the Scolipede leap at her, his head darting down and shooting towards her legs. She pulled back just in time, leaping back a few steps. Gasping in surprise, an icy feeling of fear creeping through her stomach, Mars watched as another Scolipede leapt at her. This time it sent her stumbling back, tripping over a rock and falling back hard. She batted away the cloud of dust that kicked up around her as she fell, trying to get up quickly. As she turned to the side she met with a faceful of pincers, hissing and snapping as the furious, glowing orange eyes beared down on her.
Mere seconds from certain disfigurement and death, Mars let out a shrill gasp as Golbat suddenly swooped down, driving her whole body at full force into the Scolipede. Mars watched, wide-eyed and choking as the two Scolipede flew through the air, flung in twisting, awkward positions as they slammed at full speed into a rock face, a loud crack coming from their exoskeletons. In turn, Golbat stumbled a few feet ahead, losing her gliding trajectory and crashing, flopping and rolling through the dirt like a dismembered tire. When the dirt had cleared, only a few awkward wings sticking out indicated that Golbat was still in one piece, buried in a slump of impacted dirt from the high-speed crash. The leathery purple skin flapped silently in the wind, still and stuck upright as she rested unconscious.
Mars grasped the Pokeball from her utility belt belonging to Golbat, bringing herself onto her hands and knees to get up. She stopped short, feeling her vision swim and an incredible, bursting pain appear in her stomach. She grasped at it dully, feeling it beneath the uniform as it convulsed. Making a choking sound, Mars launched herself forward from the force of her stomach and threw up on the ground, dumping the contents of her stomach out of her mouth.
"URRRUUUUUGGGGGGHHHH!"
Purugly unleashed. A pure white column of energy fired from deep within Purugly's immense body, blasting through the advancing Scolipede and knocking them back. The blast surged through to the far end of the battlefield, crashing through the rows of rock that the grunts stood atop as several of them dived out of the way.
Sedna had ducked just in time, missing the thick column of blasted energy as it shot over her. As she went hurtling towards the ground, she clicked the release on her Pokeball, letting it bounce and roll away in the moments before she collided. When she hit, all the wind got knocked out of her, the surging column of energy blasting loudly overhead and filling her senses. Fighting her urge to stay down, Sedna reached back with a sore arm to her utility belt, grasping at an empty Pokeball.
A bright explosion of light erupted from the Pokeball, sending it rolling from the floor. A surging form of energy lifted high into the air, moments before morphing into Butterfree. Fluttering his wings rapidly and lightly, Butterfree soared into the air, squealing his battle cry as he soared over the battlefield.
The beam of energy dissipated, giving Sedna the chance to stand up. Once on two feet, standing strong, Sedna gave a raggedy breath of exhaustion, clutching her stomach as she fought to keep her energy up. She gave an exhausted look to the squirming Scolipede as they snaked on their backs, visibly sore from the Hyper Beam.
"Butterfree..." Sedna breathed. "Use Stun Spore, now..."
Butterfree swooped down to the ground, fluttering his wings with ease before lifting himself high. His billowing white wings stretched wide, the fat swollen abdomen at the end of his body pulsing and swelling, suddenly squeezing and belching out a yellow haze of spores, leaving the fur-covered orifices. The haze of spores descended, mixing with the rustled dust and dirt,coating the Scolipede. They winced, their exoskeleton plates locking up under the effects of the spores, unable to move or do anything.
As Butterfree moved through the air, effectively coating the Scolipede, Sedna took a few stiff steps towards the underbelly of the tall rock opposite the one she had been on moments earlier. Down in the shadows, resting in a pool of poison and blood, Sableye rested unconscious. Thick sections of scaly skin had been torn into, oozing with dried, maroon-colored blood. His geodesic eyes had been deeply scratched, deep gashes carved in around them. His arms and legs were pulled into unusual contorted positions. Sedna could not assess whether he was dead or alive. Solemnly, she took the empty Pokeball in her hand and captured Sableye.
The clanking footsteps of the Third Imperator appeared behind Sedna, distant and muted, plodding through the dirt quickly. A roar rose throughout the gathered grunts as he closed on her, still distant and several feet off, getting closer and closer as she kept her at bay in the shadow of the tall rocks. He twirled the gleaming sword expertly, a rush of wind surrounding it as he prepared to strike.
Sedna took a few backpedaling steps, her eyes locked on the ominous mask of the Imperator as he moved in a slow arc, keeping close to Sedna and never giving her the advantage of distance. She reached out behind her, feeling for anything in the way as she kept her focus on her.
A blast of pink, psychic energy erupted from the other side of the rocks, pummeling straight into the dirt floor and exploding beside the Imperator's boot. The Imperator looked to the side, to the dark side of the rock he was following Sedna around, watching as Purugly stalked him like prey, hunched low and crawling forward with her tail high in the air. A low growl escaped her as she hesitated for a moment, her golden eyes locked on him, then opening her maw and letting out an eruption of psychic energy, making the Imperator leap and try and dodge. The blast caught a metal plate on his legs, making him stumble forward a few steps towards Sedna, wincing beneath his mask. A second blast caught his knee and made his leg lock up, moments before another shot pummeled him straight in the torso, making him flip over and collapse on the ground.
Purugly then rushed forward, bringing her head low and flipping the Third Imperator onto her shoulders. She swung wide and sent him toppling over, bouncing and skidding across the dirt floor, distanced from his sword. Before he could even get up or move, Purugly pounced and body slammed him with her upper chest, deploying her claws with smooth, silent motion and raking at his chest. He flipped and tumbled away several feet, plates of armor coming loose from him. She let out a roar of blood lust and satisfaction, pacing towards where he had landed tens of feet away.
Mars rounded the corner. Though she looked sickly, breathing unevenly through her nose and being paler than usual, she kept a steady, quick pace, heading towards where the Imperator had landed. His spider-like platform had crashed down to the ground beside him, crawling towards him on half-broken legs, wobbling and whining with metal hisses, instantly stopped as Mars kicked it aside. She planted a boot in the center of the mechanical underbelly, reaching down and grasping a broken, loose leg, pulling hard and tearing it from the socket. Knocking aside the wires that dangled down from it, Mars folded it over her curled fist, resting the length of the metal leg over her knuckles.
As the Imperator clawed at the dirt beside her, trying to get to the resting spider platform, Mars kicked at his shoulder hard, getting a muffled groan from him and flipping him onto his back. She immediately rammed her boot down in the center of his chest, leaning over his struggling form and bringing herself down. She took the fist with the metal leg bracing her knuckles and slammed down, smashing through the smooth case of his mask. A loud cracking rang out, the surface of the mask fracturing. Mars raised her fist high, ignoring the blood that leaked from her knuckles as she rammed her fist into the mask again, then again.
The Imperator, blinded by Mars' attacks, grasped at the ankle of the boot on his chest, gripping it hard and swiftly pushing it away. Mars took a few stumbling steps back to steady herself and ground the momentum of the throw, giving the Imperator time to stiffly put his legs beneath him. The red, off-center point of light flashed and pulsed, trying to refocus and regain his sight.
Avoiding the half-blind grasping of the Imperator as he went for her legs, trying to sit himself up, Mars brought her leg back and kicked him hard in the stomach, ramming the toe of her boot into an area where the armor had come undone. Mars leaned in and swung her fist directly into the center of his mask, getting a loud crack and loosening the mask. The fractured structure of the helmet sagged to the side, and as the wheezing, staggering Imperator tried to stabilize himself, putting a hand out to Mars in mercy, Mars grabbed the collar of his armor and swung the fist in again. Letting out several feral grunts, Mars slammed her fist repeatedly into the mask, popping steel rivets and making the casing shatter and hang together by mere threads.
Mars tossed aside the leg that had braced her knuckles. She jammed her fingers up beneath a plate that held the chin of the mask, then tore upward, splitting the helmet from its loosened seams and sending the mask rolling away.
A mess of black hair fell out, knocked loose from the hair tie that had pulled it back. Struggling, knocking his hair out of his eyes, Ren opened his eyes and looked up at Mars, gasping and trying to stay upright in his armor. A look of shock, mild embarrassment appeared. As Mars lingered over him momentarily, looking confused at his appearance, he launched his arm up into her chest, sending her stumbling backwards. Ren then put his arm beneath him and raised himself up, getting to his feet quickly.
Seeing Mars had fallen down, dazed momentarily from the sudden attack, Sedna took a few steps forward. As Ren, now on his feet, started on Mars for another attack, Sedna let out a shout.
"No! Stop!"
Kai gasped. Reaching behind his mask, he quickly undid the straps and removed the mask from his head, letting the white fetlocks of his hair fall down in a mess. His eyes went wide, his breath paced. While the other grunts standing beside him were enraptured, he was on a different level of engagement.
"Hey Kai, isn't that your buddy?"
Kai said nothing, watching as the Third Imperator—Ren—stood between Mars and Sedna in the swirling dirt battlefield, making his next decision.