Chapter 4. The Legendary of Enragement
Like yesterday, Teysa told Formora when she woke that Lord Giratina would speak to her and her team after breakfast. Formora thanked her and headed on down to eat.
Most of her tablemates were already there by the time she got her food. Firnen was reading the newspaper, while Sonya was once again stitching together a doll. It appeared to be a Litleo.
"Why are you making another one; there's no more room to put eet!" Oksana frowned as she approached the table.
"I'll buy more shelves," Sonya replied absently, expertly putting more thread on her needle. Oksana sighed in exasperation as she sat down.
Furniture...hm.
"I should probably get some for my room," Formora mused. Her entire room was rather bare and boring. It needed some decoration, something to say 'Formora lives here'.
"Where's the closest place to buy furniture?" she asked.
"That'd be in Lucida Town. It's right here on the island, actually. About twenty minutes to right if you're coming down from the mountain. Yvette's Furniture, that's the name of the store. Very wide selection. Very cheap, too, if you tell them you're Dark," Miles told her, chuckling at the end.
"There are actual towns on this island?" Formora exclaimed.
Oksana nodded. "Oh, sure. Two een fact. We have an agreement weeth both of them. They leave us alone, and we leave them alone. For the most part. Lucida Town's the larger of the two. The other one, Krasny Village, ees northeast from here, eef you're coming from the mountain."
"I nehmed Krasny Village. When we first cehme to leeve at the behse, I went there once, just to look around. I could hardly speak thees lehnguage, but the townspeople were very nice to me. They gehve me a giant fruit basket een welcome. I was touched by their kindness. The next deh, I gehve them ull dulls in thehnks. They asked me where I was stehing. I told them I leeved at the Dark behse. Later that deh, I was told that most of the veellagers threw my dulls aweh, because I was Dark! So I went back and took my revenge on everyone who tussed my dulls aweh. Then I renamed the veellage Krasny Village," Sonya explained, looking up from her sewing.
"What does it mean?" Kia inquired.
"Krasny means 'red' een our home language," Oksana explained.
"Why'd you name it 'Red Village'?" Formora asked, raising an eyebrow. Sonya flashed her a cold grin.
"That's what everything was colored by the time I was done weeth eet!" she replied.
"The better question is why did you slaughter most of a village just for throwing away your dolls?" Firnen asked.
"How would you like to be thrown aweh as eef you were nothing?! Tussed eento the trash, left to rut een a dump...Forgutten and abandoned, all alone…" Sonya snapped. She abruptly got up, and stalked out of the cafeteria, taking her current project with her.
"Sonya's senseeteeve about her dolls. Een Rossiya, eet ees said that the first Banette came from an abandoned doll that grew vengeful of eets careless owner. Eef Sonya ever geeves you a doll, don't throw eet away, unless you want to be reepped to shreds," Oksana advised.
Formora thought that was a rather stupid explanation, but she believed the Eelektross.
After breakfast, once everyone had left, Team Renegade stood in front of the mirror. The glass shimmered for a second, then Giratina's visage appeared.
"Ah, hello you three. Great work yesterday; I am quite pleased with your success. With Mawile out of the way, we are one step closer to a brighter future. Last night I had Kialandi put a small mirror in your bag. That way you may speak with me whenever you wish. Just say my name, and I will appear. I put four special items in your bag; take them out. I do believe you will enjoy them," Giratina said.
Curious, the three opened their bag, and took out a white and blue ribbon, a green scarf with black edges, a swatch of royal blue silk, and a dark green, multifaceted stone.
"The white ribbon is called a Froslass Bow. It is a special item specifically for Froslasses. When a Froslass is hit by a dark-type move, she will be healed instead of damaged. I think you will find it quite useful, Formora. The green scarf is a Vibra Scarf, and it is exclusive to Vibravas. Kialandi, wearing it will prevent you from being sent to sleep. The other scarf is Royal Silk, and it will significantly increase the attack and special attack of a dragon-type wearer. Finally, the green gem is a Bypass Stone. It will allow you to skip any dungeons you've previously visited. It will take you straight to the end. However, it will not work on the dungeons you've visited already, nor will it take you to a specific floor. But it will work henceforth, now that it is in your possession," Giratina explained.
The trio eagerly put on their new items, tying the fabrics around their necks. They returned the Bypass Stone back to the bag.
"Thank you!" Formora beamed.
"You three deserve it, after your success yesterday. Keep it up. Oh, before I forget. Now that you three are a team, you share a joint bank account. I've placed 10,000 Poké into it for you. Use the funds as you will. I have nothing for you to do today, so you may do as you wish. I will see you soon," their leader said before his image disappeared, leaving the mirror blank and reflective once more.
"A day off, huh? This'll be a good time to go look for stuff to put in my room," Formora mused, fingering her new Froslass Bow. It felt strange on her neck, but she'd get used to it soon.
"Oh, can we go with you? We haven't seen much of the island, and I'd love to visit Lucida Town," Kia offered. Formora shrugged good-naturedly.
"Sure," she agreed.
They stopped by the bank over in Dungeon Alley. Formora wasn't sure how much money she'd need, so she withdrew all of it. As the trio started to head down the mountain, Formora spotted a giant, Y-shaped Pokemon in the sky, coming towards the base.
"What is that?!" she demanded, pointing at the Pokemon. Were they about to be attacked?! ...No, the air sentries weren't raising the alarm. Then what was happening?
"Oh, that's Lord Yveltal, the legendary of death and destruction. He's Xerneas and Zygarde's brother. He leads the Sealed Abyss base, where we're from. Sometimes he comes over to the main base to transport Shinies to Celestial Spire, where Arceus is imprisoned," Kia said, looking to where she was pointing.
That flying Y was the death legendary…? That seemed...odd.
"How come he does that?" she asked, still staring as the red-and-black Pokemon came closer.
"To see if Arceus reacts to the Shiny, I'm told. You know, to see if the Shiny is the Champion," Firnen replied.
"Ah," Formora said. She watched Yveltal's descent toward the beach, then she continued her descent down the mountain.
"Twenty minutes east, huh? I guess we just follow the path," Formora mused once they'd reached the base.
So, the three headed east, following the dusty dirt path into the heart of the island. They walked past a small forest, and even spotted the entrance to a verdant dungeon. The dungeon wasn't on their to-do list, so they ignored it and continued down the road.
When they reached the end of the woods, a large town greeted their arrival.
The town was situated on a very hilly stretch of land, and the builders had ingeniously built houses and shops into the hills. Small round windows and chimneys poked up from the hills, and crisscrossing paths led from hill to hill. A plethora of colorful flags set in front of the shops decreed the wares within, and a bunch of happy, smiling Pokemon went to and fro on their business.
However, it was quite crowded here in this hill-town, and Formora found herself scrunched up against her teammates as they explored the town. She grimaced, hoping they'd find the furniture shop soon before she was squished into oblivion.
"Excuse me, could you tell us where Yvette's Furniture is?" Kia asked a passing Swirlix as she squeezed past them.
"Yvie's store? It's right behind you!" she beamed before continuing along her way.
The three turned to see a large blue flag alerting them that the hill-store was named Yvette's Furniture. They entered the shop, which was surprisingly well-lit despite being built into a hill. Large windows let in sunlight, and there was a powerful lightbulb in the center of the large shop that illuminated where the sun couldn't reach. Beds, drawers, tables, and a plethora of other things crowded the floor.
At least it wasn't as hot in here as it was outside, Formora grumbled mentally.
A Skitty poked her head up from a desk at the back, and with a happy squeak she raced on over to the trio.
"Hello, and welcome! I'm Yvette. I don't think I've seen you three around before. Are you new here?" she asked pleasantly.
"We've never been to Lucida Town before, no. Our friend here is looking for some things to decorate her rooms with," Kia told her, gesturing grandly to Formora.
"I don't really know what to put in it, though. I have a bed, nightstand, a table, and some couches. That's it," Formora shrugged.
"Hmm...have you thought about a dresser or desk? Some shelves for the living room, a coffee table?" Yvette suggested. "Or even a loveseat for your bedroom?"
Formora considered it. "I could use a desk, probably. And maybe a dresser, although I don't have very many things to put in it." Just her knife. "I guess some shelves and a coffee table—" Whatever that was. "—actually, I guess I'll just take all your suggestions. The shelves are going to be rather bare, though."
"Well, right across the street is a place that sells knickknacks, or you could fill them with books, art, or your favorite movies," Yvette suggested as she led the three over to the dressers.
There were dressers in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Brown, black, tall, short; there was something for everyone.
"I guess. I'll take the white one," Formora pointed to a small white dresser with two large drawers and six small ones.
Yvette took out a notepad and pencil, and wrote something down.
"Great! What else would you like to see?"
Yvette led the three around the shop, and Formora bought a light blue duvet, a glass coffee table (so that's what it was. What did it have to do with coffee, though?), a large desk, and a few shelves for her living room.
The total came to be 5,846 Poké. Formora handed over the money, wincing that they'd just lost over half of their funds. Oh well, they could always get more somehow.
"And where should I send the delivery men?" Yvette smiled.
"The Dark base, on top of the mountain," Formora replied without thinking.
Instantly, Yvette's face went completely white, and she took a few steps back from them.
"The...Dark base?" she whispered in horror. "I...see. I do apologize, I-I had no idea you three were….Um, anyway. Um, y-your purchases will be d-delivered within a few days. If that's alright."
Formora shrugged. "Fine with me. Thanks for your help."
"It's my pleasure…" Yvette said hollowly without conviction as the trio left the store.
They wandered into the knickknacks shop Yvette had told them about. After browsing the store for a bit, Formora bought a glass snowflake, as well as a painting of a wintery dungeon called Frigid Tundra. The painting depicted many glaciers surrounded by a thick snowstorm. She wasn't sure why she was drawn to these things; perhaps it was a side-effect of being a Froslass.
When they returned to the base, Miles flagged them down.
"Team Renegade!" he shouted, his eyes bright with excitement. "Oksana just told me she knows where the Light's Chosen is right now!"
"Whaaaaat?!" the three gasped at the same time.
Miles nodded vigorously. "One of her tenants told her. The Champion is in a dungeon called Leafy Gully. I know where that is; it's over near the center of the mainland."
Kia took out their map and spread it out. Miles pointed to a forest next to a small mountain range on the eastern side of the center of the mainland.
"Leafy Gully is right there. It's a short and easy dungeon; full of bug- and grass-types. No problem for you three," he directed. Formora stood of straighter, feeling adrenaline course through her.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" she said impatiently.
Before they left, they stopped by Dungeon Alley once more. They dropped off their remaining funds, and took out two apples, two Oran Berries, and two Blast Seeds. Then they were off.
Kia towed them across the channel like he normally did, and they sprinted to their destination.
Leafy Gully ( watch?v=Olzv7Js_hyk)
By the time they reached the dungeon it was mid-afternoon. The dungeon entrance lay right next to the beginning of the tiny mountain range, and in the distance Formora could see a tall tower that stretched high into the sky.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to it. Kia and Firnen looked.
"Celestial Spire; home and prison of Arceus. It marks the exact center of the mainland," Firnen reported.
Formora raised her eyebrows, staring hard at the structure. So that was where Arceus was being held, huh? She was sorely tempted to march straight on up there and give It a piece of her mind, but she reluctantly turned herself back to the task on hand.
With one last look at the Spire, she entered the dungeon.
B1F
A light breeze was drifting slowly through the dungeon, bringing with it the smell of nature. The floor was covered in lush grass, and there wasn't a speck of dirt to be seen. Small ferns and bright yellow flowers grew alongside the rocky walls, which were layered like a cake. Small puddles of water lay along the edges as well.
The best part, however, was that the stairs were in this room with them as well. Eagerly, they set forward, hoping to catch their prey unaware.
B2F
Here in this small chamber, there was only an immobile Metapod to be seen. Formora thought about beating it to a pulp, but decided against it. Time was of the essence; she had to get to the end before the Champion of Light left.
So, the trio ignored the Metapod's Hardening and headed down the southern path out of the room. The path led to a larger chamber with a Pecha Berry and 65 Poké. Firnen picked up the fallen items as Formora chose to head down the western path.
This caused her to run into an Oddish, who began emitting a sickly Sweet Scent. The smell was enticing, actually, causing her to relax and sniff the breeze for a moment. Then she remembered herself and sent the Oddish sprawling down the hallway with her Ice Beam. She was on it before it had a chance to get up, and one quick Powder Snow sent it into oblivion.
"Dungeon etiquette is to let the enemies at least get back up before you obliterate them," Kia observed innocently. Formora crossed her arms as she continued down the hall, not looking back.
"I don't have time for rules," she said as she came to a sharp 90-degree turn, back towards their starting chamber.
She scowled when they arrived in the next room. The room they were currently in connected to their starting room.
The stairs were in this room.
B3F
The chamber they arrived at held nothing but a path leading east. Upon walking down it, they ran into a Deerling and Pineco. The Deerling dashed forward, striking Formora squarely in the gut twice. Formora grunted, but the blows didn't do that much to her. Double Kick was a fighting-type move; it had little effect on a ghost-type like her.
"Nice try," she growled as she sent it crashing into the Pineco behind it with Ice Beam.
"Duck!" she heard Firnen warn behind her.
She did, laying flat on the cool, moist ground. Above, an indigo beam of energy shot past her and onto the stunned Deerling. It let out a pained cry, going limp as the Pineco underneath it tried to wriggle free.
Formora blasted both of them with Powder Snow, an emotionless expression on her face. The Deerling disappeared with a moan, while the Pineco's body began turning white.
"Get away from there!" Kia shouted urgently.
"Why?" Formora asked, right before the Pineco blew itself up.
A powerful explosion came from the Pineco, the force of the blast throwing Formora and her teammates far back. The trio lay in a pained, stunned heap for a few minutes, until finally they stood.
Formora hadn't been hurt too bad from the blow, despite being right next to it when it occurred. It had mostly overwhelmed her than anything else. Kia and Firnen didn't seem badly injured either. They had a few scrapes and bruises, but that might have been from the rough landing.
"Ah...Self-destruct is not an enjoyable attack," Kia said as they cautiously made their way back down the hall. The Pineco was nowhere to be seen. Only a black scorch mark remained.
"Yeah," Formora agreed as she moved past the mark.
The room they arrived in held nothing, so they moved onwards, traveling north. The next chamber they encountered held the stairs and a Metapod.
Formora ignored the stationary foe as she hurried over to the stairs.
B4F
There was a Heal Seed in the room they started in. They only had enough room for one more item, and they debated on whether or not to take it. Kia said that the only foe who could inflict status effects was Oddish, and the ones they had encountered so far had shown no signs of knowing Poison Powder, Stun Spore, or Sleep Powder.
So, they decided to leave it, and headed west, where they luckily found the stairs.
B5F
"How will we handle the fight between the Light's Chosen?" Kia asked as Formora led her teammates down an eastern path.
Formora thought for a few moments before answering. "They couldn't have had much time to get used to being a Pokemon, and learning dungeon rules. It certainly took me a while to get used to everything, so the Champion has to be feeling the same way. We should have an advantage there. Also, there's three of us and only one of them. They're significantly outnumbered, and we are not pushovers. The plan is simply to pummel them until they fall. It shouldn't take too long."
She ended the sentence just as an Oddish was approaching. Eyeing it gleefully, she waited until it had paused to attack before launching a quick burst of Powder Snow. The Oddish fell right on its rear, and Formora wasted no time in defeating it with Ice Beam.
She dusted herself off before continuing her trek. "As I was saying. After we defeat them, we take them back to the base. I guess we should have Oksana question them for any information before we kill them."
"Didn't Miles say that you two were destined to fight for the fate of the world, though?" Firnen questioned as they came to a large room. There was a Reviver Seed lying near Formora. She ignored it. She didn't like Reviver Seeds. They were too...cheaty.
She was, however, amused by Firnen's question. "I guess our time has come, then!" she giggled as she headed down the hallway opposite from where they entered.
There was no way the Light's Chosen could have the strength and willpower to kill. She, however, possessed those traits. Probably. Hopefully.
She pushed those annoying intrusions from her mind. Of course she'd win; she would never let herself lose.
The next room they found held a Metapod over by the only other exit. They'd have to fight this one, then.
Well. That was just fine.
The trio crowded around the wary foe, who was quite busy upping its defense by Hardening its slender green body. With a laugh, Formora thrust her hands in front of her, blasting the bug-type with a flurry of chilly, Powdery Snow. The Metapod squeezed its eyes shut in pain as it was knocked flat on its back.
Kia was quick to entrap it in a coarse, rough Sand Tomb that whipped at its small body. Firnen landed the finishing blows by striking it with his Dragon Rage, as Dual Chop and Assurance would be ineffective against the Hardened Metapod.
After it was dealt with, they moved on to the next room, which miraculously held the stairs.
B6F
There was a Deerling in their starting chamber. It Growled loudly, endearing it somewhat to the trio, who became slightly reluctant to attack the adorable thing.
Kia Feinted to the left, then abruptly switched directions and Attacked it from the right. He held back, though. The attack had made the Deerling fall, but it easily got back to its feet.
Formora was not as easily weakened. Even though a part of her was telling her to go easy, she stuck out her right hand, and formed a transparent blue ball. From out of the ball came her Ice Beam, shooting across the room and onto the Deerling. Firnen reluctantly finished it off with a half-hearted Assurance. He rapped it smartly on the head as it recovered from Formora's attack.
They headed down the northern hallway, coming to a tiny chamber with a Wonder Tile. Stepping on the tile caused them to regain their focus, ridding them of Growl's effects.
The next room they came across to the left held 101 Poké. Firnen picked it up, and they headed southwest, following a zigzagging hallway until they abruptly came face-to-face with an Oddish. The tiny Pokemon spat boiling, sticky purple Acid all over Formora.
She made a disgusted sound as the goo dripped down her front. Angry now, she punched the Oddish square in the face. It fell backwards, a small indent in its face from where her fist collided. Without getting up it tried to drain her energy with Absorb. A green aura surrounded its body, and a transparent green beam shot from the leaves atop its head and at her. She evaded the attack, countering with Powder Snow.
The Oddish wasn't dissuaded, and spat more Acid at Formora. She ducked underneath the attack, ignoring Firnen's startled squeak as the Acid washed over him. From the ground, Formora threw her Ice Beam at the Oddish. It was unable to evade, and with a cry it disappeared.
The hallway led them to the room with the stairs.
B7F
The stairs were with them, but so was a Pineco. Upon seeing them, it hopped over, probably intending to use Self-destruct.
Kia knocked it away from them with Bulldoze as it got closer to them. He leaped high into the air, then landed hard on the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that sne the foe flying. Firnen dashed forward, striking it with his regular attack.
Remarkably, it hadn't fainted. With a cry that was somewhere in between a laugh and a shout, Formora ran over to it before ramming it with her Astonish.
Now the blue-green foe fainted. Formora grinned tiredly, wiping off some sweat. Hopefully they'd reach the end of this place soon; she was beginning to tire.
Leafy Ravine
Her wish came true. They'd reached the end of the dungeon. The gully led to a sharp ravine. They'd reached the highlands surrounding the nearby small mountain range The ravine led to a steep hill that was almost 90-degrees. From this view, they could see the land below. There was a large river directly below, leading into a thick, impenetrable forest. The sky was a pastel blue, and a light breeze wafted through the ravine.
Formora did not care about the scenery, though. She was busy searching the area for her ultimate enemy. Her ultimate enemy was nowhere to be seen. The trio were completely alone. She scanned the sky, in case the Champion could fly. No such luck; the sky was free of flying Pokemon. She scowled. Just where was the Light's Chosen?!
She heard a noise coming from the other side of the slope. She peeked over the edge, and saw a Heracross climbing the hill, heading their way. Perhaps it might know where her quarry was hiding. She waited patiently until the Heracross reached them.
"Where is the Champion of Light?" Formora asked at once. The Heracross blinked in confusion as he took in the menacing trio.
"Who?" he asked. Firnen ran over to him, smacking him with Assurance.
"Where is the Light's Champion? We know they're here, so tell us!" he hissed.
"I-I don't know who you're talking about! Really, I don't" the Heracross exclaimed, holding up his hands in front of his face as Firnen prepared to attack again. Something wasn't right about this whole situation.
"Wait," Formora waved her hand, and Firnen paused. "He's telling the truth."
She turned to the frightened Pokemon. "Did any Shiny Pokemon come through this way?"
"N-no, I haven't seen any. Truly, I haven't!" he whimpered. Formora sighed angrily as she turned to her teammates.
"He's not lying. It was a fake tip," she reported grimly. Firnen and Kia groaned.
"Seriously?" Firnen whined.
"And here I had thought we would find them," Kia sighed.
"Let's head back. Miles and Oksana should know that the tip was false," Formora said irritably as she began to exit the area.
"What about him?" Kia asked, and Formora knew he was talking about the Heracross.
"Leave him," she said over her shoulder, not looking back.
There was a hidden entrance to the dungeon on the beach in front of the mountain. It lay about a third up the mountain, and the path leading to it was perfectly steady, although to the unknowing eye it looked like it was about to collapse any second.
The trio pushed open the secret door, and when a guard came to investigate they told him that they needed to see Oksana. The guard, a burly Machoke, told them she was currently in a meeting three floors up, but would alert her that she had visitors. He led them past rows of cells, some containing Shinies, some containing ordinary Pokemon. Detective Mawile was nowhere to be seen. Machoke took the trio to the stairs, and up they climbed until they'd reached the top floor, which held the interrogation rooms. He ushered them into a small, bare chamber, and left.
There they waited for a solid twenty minutes before Oksana came in, panting and spattered in blood.
"Deed you find the Champion?" she asked eagerly, her eyes shining.
"No. The tip you got was false. There was no one there but a Heracross, and he told us that no Shinies had been around a while, and I believe him," Formora reported, crossing her arms.
Oksana's eyes widened, and she went rigid. Then a hard, cold gleam flashed across her eyes, and she began trembling, ever so slightly.
"What?" she growled.
"It's true," Kia nodded sadly. Oksana stood there for a moment, then stalked out of the room.
"Follow me," she snapped.
Exchanging a glance with one another, the curious three followed Oksana as she went two floors down.
"Get me a knife. My bonecutter," she barked at a Wartortle guard. He hastened to obey, not wanting to face Oksana's anger.
There were four floors to the dungeon. The fourth one was where the trio had entered from, and the third was where they now were. As with the fourth floor, this floor contained many cells, most of them filled with Pokemon. Formora peeked inside one, and flashed the occupant a vicious grin.
There was Mawile, lying huddled in a corner.
She triumphantly walked past him as Oksana stopped in front of a cell. Wartortle returned, handing Oksana a large, long, and very serrated knife. It was more like a miniature saw than a knife, actually. He opened the cell door, and Oksana stalked inside, hauling a terrified Helioptile out. She threw the weeping captive against the opposite wall, where he clashed with a clang against the opposite cell door's bars. He slid to ground in a frightened heap.
"All of you, front and center. NOW!" Oksana raged. A few prisoners peeked warily out of their cell doors.
"I SAID ULL OF YOU!" Oksana screamed. A few more heads become visible.
Oksana took the Helioptile by the head and slammed him against the stone partitioning between cells. She held him by his neck, his legs dangling uselessly in the air.
"You lied to me. You told me you knew where the Champion of Light was. Well, YOU WERE WRUNG!" she spat at the unfortunate Pokemon, who was trying unsuccessfully to pry Oksana's fingers off of his neck. He choked and gagged, unable to respond.
Oksana let him suffer for a few more moments, then released him without warning.
"*cough* Th-they must've left before *cough* you arrived!" he wheezed pitifully, holding his neck and gazing up in terror at the furious warden.
Formora barely had time to blink before the knife Oksana carried was thrown at the captive. It went straight through his left arm, pinning him against the wall. The Helioptile screeched in pain, and his shaking right arm scrabbled at the knife tethering him as he tried and failed to contain his suffering.
"Wrong again. My associates here were told that no Shinies had come by," Oksana growled staring down at the captive, who'd managed to grasp the knife handle. With a pained grunt, he wrenched the knife out of his arm, cradling the bleeding limb with his other arm.
"Whoever….told them that…..was lying…" he said in between agonized gasps. He pressed hard on his wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"No," Oksana said calmly, so calmly that even Formora was unnerved. "They weren't."
She beckoned to Kia and Firnen, telling them to hold Helioptile far between them. Rather than risk her ire, having now seen what she was capable of, the two obliged. They held Helioptile by his arms, putting ample space between the three. Oksana turned to the rest of her thoroughly-horrified prisoners.
"Eet seems some of you have forgotten your place. Well, let me remind you….YOU ULL ARE NOTHING TO ME. ULL OF YOU LEEVE BECAUSE I ALLOW EET. At any time I can deespose of you, and I weell sleep like a behby afterwards. When I ask you a question, I expect hunesty. You ull know what I can and weell do to you eef I am deespleased. Eet's much, much better for both of us eef you tell me what I wunt to know," Oksana hissed, staring at each and every prisoner. Her accent was especially prominent when she was angry, Formora noticed. It made her sound more like her sister.
The Eelektross gestured to Helioptile as she picked up the bloody knife. "Thees one thought he could lie to me and get away weeth eet. Well, THEES EES WHAT HAPPENS TO LIARS!"
With a shout, she thrust the knife deep into Helioptile's neck, blood gushing from the new wound like a waterfall. Blood spattered across Oksana's face. The blade went clean through his neck, and with a choked cry he began struggling as he coughed up blood, the red liquid trickling out of his mouth. Oksana wrenched her arm to the right, freeing her knife and taking most of his neck with it. Firnen and Kia released him, and he fell to the floor, writhing uncontrollably as he choked on his own blood. He gasped and sputtered, trying so desperately to breathe.
But he couldn't.
Formora watched in fascination as Helioptile's struggles ceased, until eventually they stopped all together. He gave one last pitiful gurgle before he went still. She saw the spark of life leave his eyes as he stared unseeing at the ceiling, his body going limp.
Oksana wiped the blood off her face, her expression neutral.
"Weell anyone lie to me een the future?" she asked in a light voice. Not a peep came from anyone. It was so quiet Formora could hear her own heartbeat pounding wildly against her chest.
"...Good. Clean thees up," Oksana said after a moment, gesturing at the tiny body below her. Now that it ceased to have life within, it looked so small and fragile, like the slightest touch would turn it to dust.
She led Team Renegade back up the stairs, into the main building of the compound.
"I need to go clean up. I do so apologize that your day was wasted. I promise eet weell not happen again," she apologized, bowing slightly.
The trio only nodded, stunned by what they had just witnessed. Oksana nodded in return, then headed back down into her dungeon.
"That was...certainly something," Kia said slowly.
"Yeah...I mean, I'd heard the stories about her, but actually seeing them happen with my own eyes…" Firnen agreed.
"Did you see how the light died in his eyes when he did? That was neat," Formora observed, still replaying that scene over and over in her head. She'd never seen anyone die before. It was...fascinating.
"I suppose so. I did like his agonized moans. Simply beautiful," Kia agreed.
"She took out like, half his neck with just one motion. I'll admit, I was impressed," Firnen chimed in.
The trio agreed that while what they'd just seen had been overwhelming at first, they had to admit that it was also pretty cool. They went to dinner, telling their tablemates about the false tip. Everyone at the table was crushed, but they told Team Renegade that the enemy would be found soon. They'd just have to keep looking, and the Champion couldn't hide forever. Sooner or later, the enemy would make a mistake. When he or she did, the Dark would swoop in like a Pidgeot.
After dinner, the trio and many of their tablemates walked over to the gym, eager for some dodgeball. Kia kept looking around the room, as if he was looking for someone.
"Who are you looking for?" Formora asked him.
"Hm? Oh...no one," he replied, sounding somewhat disappointed.
Once everyone who wanted to play had arrived, Manectric the referee stepped up.
"Hello everyone! Wow, what a turnout! Glad so many Pokemon could come. Ready to play?" he greeted. A hearty cheer went up from the large crowd.
"Excellent! Tonight's team captains have been chosen, and they are...Gabite and Kialandi!" Manectric announced. Kia and Gabite stepped forward, and they tossed a coin to determine who would start choosing players. Gabite won.
"Chandra," Gabite began.
"Formora," Kia selected.
The two continued choosing players for their teams, until eventually no one was left. It was Gabite, Chandra, Tohoku, Sliggoo, Duosion, Sorin, Azumarill, Kiora, Oksana, Westley, Binacle, Axel, Fiona, Vesuvius, Sumatra, Altaria, Flora, and Leafeon versus Kia, Formora, Firnen, Jace, Ashi, Jes, Charmeleon, Tranquil, Spiritomb, Chlorr, Clariel, Houndour, Katrina, Totodile, Bonsly, Spritzee, Carbink, Cradily, and Sonya.
The teams stood against the back walls, staring hard at the colorful rubber balls lined up in the center of the gym.
"Let's do our best, team," Kia said to his side.
"We will truly subjugate the other team," Bonsly agreed. Formora had no idea what 'subjugate' meant, but it probably meant something along the lines of 'beat the ever-loving hell out of them'. She could get behind that.
Manectric blew his whistle, and Formora sprinted to the center, snatching up a bright green ball and chucking it straight into Duosion's abdomen. He let out a loud wheeze as the breath was knocked out of him. Manectric blew his whistle, signaling for Duosion to leave the field.
Formora chuckled, and twirled out of the way of a shot from Jace. She hadn't missed the Alakazam turning to throw his ball at her.
The two sides continued for a few more intense minutes, each picking up, dodging, and getting hit by balls. Formora was tagged on the arm halfway through the game by Binacle. She glared at him as Manectric gestured for her to leave the field.
She sat down against the left wall with the other losers, vowing that she wouldn't be hit next time. She stifled a groan as Flora, who'd been among the first few Pokemon to get hit, went over to sit by her.
"Good luck next time!" the Floette sympathized.
"You too," Formora nodded curtly.
"You see Sliggoo over there? I swear he likes me. Like, last week he held the door open for me as I was leaving the pool! He must have noticed how hard I work out. Why else would he be so nice?" Flora chatted, pointing to the purple dragon-type, who was still in the game.
Formora opened her mouth to insult her, but paused. An idea was forming in her mind. Smiling slyly, she nodded vigorously.
"You're right. You do work pretty hard. He'd have to be blind not to see it!" she agreed. A wide smile bloomed on Flora's face.
"Right? I kind of like him too. Don't tell him I said that! Oh, what should I do, Formora? Should I ask him out?"
Formora pretended to think.
"No, no. We need more information first. We need to know how deep his feelings for you go. Pay attention to where he is. If he spends a lot of time in the same room as you, then obviously he's deeply in love! He can't help but not be near you!" Formora encouraged.
"Great idea! I'll do that. Oh, thank you, Formy!" Flora beamed, hugging Formora.
It took a lot of willpower not to push Flora away, and Formora stiffly patted Flora's back.
The dodgeball game ended eventually, with Kia's team victorious. Formora hardly cared about the game anymore; she was more excited about what she was planning on doing to the annoying Flora.
She left the gym alone as the others were celebrating, heading up to her room. She treated herself with a nice long bath, then she was off to bed, eager to continue her plan tomorrow.
If violence is something you can't stomach, I'd recommend ceasing to read the story. Trust me, it is not going to get better from here. Just thought I'd warn ya ahead of time.
The next post shall include: wall-traveling, a very important mission, and the home of an enemy.