It's time everyone, for the epic exploration of Chrysalis Manor. It'll be quite a blast for everyone involved, be it me the writer, or you the reader. I know I had a fun time with this chapter, and I hope you had a good time reading it as well.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Rejuvenation, nor do I own Pokémon Uranium. They are the property of their respective creators.
Upon entering the large mansion, the first thing Julius noticed was just how quiet it was inside. Asides from the faint pit-pattering of rain outside, there was nary a noise to be heard inside. The main lobby was devoid of life, save for the four adventurers who were eyeing up the vast area before them. The tiled floor was now soaking wet as a result of water dripping down from the young teenagers, creating quite the health and safety hazard, not that any of them cared about it.
"Good grief…this place is fancy. I wish my place was more like this, maybe then I wouldn't butt heads with my mom so often." Venam commented in awe, eyeing up the various paintings that hung off the walls.
"Who knows what valuables are lying around in here…" Luca chimed in, her eyes darting across the room in search of valuables.
"Come on now, we really shouldn't be looting anything here. It's bad enough that we trespassed here in the first place, but your plan will only make things worse." Lenny interjected.
"Why not? They're the ones who muscled here onto our turf to begin with, it's only fair we came to collect our rent." Luca snapped, glaring at the meek young man.
"Will you two cut it already?! You'll give us away with your incessant shouting!" Julius hissed quietly at the duo. "Besides, for all we know this could be the hideout for Team Xen or some other terrorist organization."
"Settle down everyone, I've got this under control. We just need to keep—" Venam began, her sentence being cut off by the sounds of loud footsteps making their way to the lobby, as the doors to the hallway slammed open with such force that the young man was surprised they didn't fly off.
"Who's there?!" A voice angrily demanded, as a middle-aged man with medium length blonde hair entered the lobby, eyeing up the group of intruders. He wore a white, long-sleeve button up dress shirt, and a pair of black, formal pants. "Tch…insolent pests."
The man walked up towards the group of four, with Julius gulping quietly to himself. This man gave off some serious red flags in his demeanor, putting aside his justifiable anger. Additionally, he had this nagging feeling that he's seen this guy before, but can't remember when or where. "And what exactly are you four doing in MY mansion?" The man demanded an answer.
"We're here to collect your rent, you bum. This is OUR turf you set your mansion upon." Luca retorted, outstretching her hand as if to demand compensation for the man's actions, only for the adult to chuckle in a mixture of amusement and contempt.
"Is that so? You lot deliberately passed through both LOCKED gates, invaded my personal space, and have the audacity to demand rent from me?!" The man replied, his anger rising with each word. "You blathering, entitled idiot. You can't just waltz into someone's home and demand money for no reason. I want the four of you out of this place, now!"
"As you wish sir, I apologize for my friends' earlier comments." Julius accepted the request, not wanting to further antagonize the man. He started making his way back through the window, only stopping when he noticed the other three weren't following him. "H-Hey, what's keeping you three?"
"Oh no, you are NOT backing out of this Julius." Venam dragged the young man back to the group and confronted the older man. "Listen old man, you're on my property, and I demand compensation for it!"
"Hmph, and I was willing to be merciful today…" The man grumbled to himself. "I gave you all a chance to leave, yet three of you spat on my generous offer, while keeping the fourth one from doing what he was told. The consequences are on you."
"I-I may not have wanted to break in here, but I'm willing to stand by my friends, even when facing harsh punishment." Lenny boldly declared, only to clam up when Julius shot him a terrifying glare.
"Whatever." Venam scoffed at Lenny's declaration, turning to face the older man once more. "What's your name, anyway?"
"My name is Indriad. Indriad Theolia." The man introduced himself. "Not that a worm like you has any right to ask such a thing.
"Ok, Mr. Theolia, we have a lot of things to discuss, such as your monthly rent for living on my turf." Venam informed him, a smirk appearing on Indriad's face.
"Ah, but we do. We certainly do." He replied, a cold yet calculated look on his face. "Tell me, have any of you children heard of the Dual Prophecies?"
"I think I've heard about it. Did it have to do with a prophecy of light, and one of darkness, where four lights and four darknesses clashing with each other for the sake of the worlds future?" Julius inquired, an interested look appearing on Indriad's face.
"Close, but not quite. There are two statues in my front yard, each one detailing a different prophecy; one of light, and one of darkness. Rather than clash against each other, they both go hand-in-hand. In the prophecy of light, the world is a paradise, but in the prophecy of darkness, the world is in utter despair." The man explained.
"Uhh…okay? Why are you telling us this?" Luna asked bluntly.
"…In the prophecies, eight people are mentioned. Four Lights, Four Darknesses, like what the young man said earlier." Indriad continued, ignoring Luca's rudeness.
"Pffft, what a terribly clichéd scenario. Let me guess, they're chosen heroes and villains?" Venam called out, muttering the first sentence under her breath.
"Not chosen, rather they're the ones who fit the description, though it doesn't necessarily mean one individual." Indriad continued once more, with Lenny shifting around impatiently.
"And this description is?" Lenny inquired, wanting this all over and done with as soon as possible.
"Irrelevant; I have nothing else to say to your four for now." The older man ignored the question and got back to his initial train of thought. "Since you all refuse to leave, I'm afraid that I've taken drastic measures to see that you all do not escape."
"No escape…? Great, thanks a lot you three…" Julius dryly retorted under his breath, crossing his arms in annoyance.
"Wait, what the hell do you mean?!" Venam demanded an answer, with Indriad chuckling ominously at the question.
"Exactly what I meant. My lovely servants locked the gates and blocked all passageways in between, while I talked about the Dual Prophecies." Indriad smirked, as a panicked expression appeared on Lenny's face.
"Y-You're trapping us here, after wanting us to leave?!" Lenny cried out.
"Trap? I never said anything about trapping you here. After all, you lot decided to stay here, well three of you at least; you did keep the last one from leaving, over some silly debt you felt I owed you."
'Great, now I'm stuck here for the rest of my life, all because I couldn't wait for Ren to finish his business in Goldenleaf Town.' Julius thought bitterly to himself.
"If you think we're gonna give up, just because you locked the gates, then you're dead wrong!" Venam boldly declared, with Luca chiming in to voice her support. "If we have to use violence to get out of here, then so be it!"
"Charming, but I'm not that ignorant. If you wish to play the game that way, then I'll cheat." Indriad coolly retorted, snapping his fingers in the air, as four maids appeared right out of nowhere and firmly gripped their prisoners in their hands.
"What the hell are you playing at Mister?!" Venam demanded.
"Away with them, we'll need them later for our little ceremony." The older man ordered, the maids bowing in respect.
"C-Ceremony?" Lenny squeaked in fear, before he was soon teleported out of the room, with Luca and Venam following suit. But just as the fourth maid was about to do the same, Indriad raised his hand in the air, signaling her to stop.
"Is there a problem, Master Indriad?" The maid inquired.
"He's been the most respectful of the bunch. Additionally, he—" Indriad began, before stopping himself for some unknown reason. "Forget it, take him away."
"As you wish…" The maid replied, resuming what she had started and warped Julius out the room. Indriad had an intrigued look on his face; there was something special about that young man, this Julius as the purple-haired girl put it, and he intended to find out what it was.
0000
"Ugggh…" Julius groaned in discomfort, slowly getting up off the floor and checking his immediate surroundings. It appeared to be someone's bedroom, and was empty for the most part, save for the bed, a bookshelf, and what looked like a white cube on the carpet. As he was about to take a closer look at the cube, a voice caught him off guard.
"H-Hey, are you feeling ok?" It called out, the young man turning to the left to find the source of the voice. Right beside the door was an adorable young girl, who could've been no older than 12, with medium length blonde hair that reached her back, bright blue eyes and had a fairly petite frame. Her outfit consisted of a long sleeve, button up black shirt that had a white bow on the collar, a black skirt and white stockings that were topped off with black loafers.
"I'm fine, thank you very much, sweetheart." Julius replied, his mind and heart already enamoured with the girl, though not in a romantic way. This young girl before him was the definition of innocence, causing a few emotions previously thought lost to resurface within the young man. Truth be told, he had always wanted a little sister, but opted to keep said feelings inside him, out of fear of looking like a deranged creep. If he had to stay by her side during whatever trial Indriad has in store for him, then he'd be more than happy to do so.
"I already completed your trial for you, mister. If you're smart, you'd leave now." The young girl told him.
"No can do, I've still got my friends to rescue." The young man admitted.
"I-I see…if my father found out that I rescued you…he'd do terrible things to me." The girl commented sadly, a new resolve building up inside Julius.
"Not to worry, I'll make sure he'll never harm you if push comes to shove." Julius declared, flashing a smile at the young girl, who was taken aback slightly by it, and gave a small smile back. For some reason, she felt something odd within the young man, as if he genuinely meant what he said.
"It's decided, I'll help you get your friends back. After all, we need each other if we are to succeed in our individual goals. I'm sure that's fine with you?"
"I'm more than fine with your proposal. By the way, the name's Julius. What's yours?" The young man introduced himself.
"My name is Maria…nette. Marianette, that's right." The young girl introduced herself, with Julius picking up on her slight hesitation. "As you may know, I'm Indriad's daughter. I'm only ten years old, but I'm very clever for my age. Therefore, we can help each other out."
"Alright, what do you need help with?" Julius inquired.
"My father's room is on the top floor of this mansion. All we have to do is speak to him, but I want to do the speaking, it'll be better for us in the long run." Marianette informed him, before she let out a small cheer. "Yay! Julius and Marianette, teaming up to take down the forces of evil!"
Julius could help but chuckle at her eager demeanour; for the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely happy, if only because of Marianette's influence. Though it may only be for a while, he was gonna enjoy his time with his "little sister", with the two of them exiting the room to begin their epic quest.
The walk to the upstairs floor was a lot quicker than the young man expected, merely a few flight of stairs they had to traverse up. They had arrived at an imposing set of double doors, a maid standing guard in front of them. "You aren't supposed to be up here…" she calmly reminded Julius, a casual yet serious look in her eye.
"Don't worry about him, right now I wish to speak to my father." Marianette requested, the maid furrowing her brow.
"Your father isn't seeing guests at the moment—" The maid began to speak.
"Guests? B-But I'm his daughter…" Marianette trailed off, her voice now filled with a tinge of sadness, as her feet started shifting unconsciously on the spot.
"—That extends for you too, Marianette, no matter how much you try the pity act." The maid finished her sentence from before, the young man caught off-guard by her cold demeanour.
"Isn't there anything we can do to let us through, anything?!" Marianette requested, if not pleaded with the maid eyeing up the duo, before sighing calmly to herself.
"There is one thing you can do, and that is completing my trial. There's a maid who's been slacking off recently. I want you two to find her and convince her to fix her act up." The maid informed them.
"Ugh, you maids are all the same with your trials, but if it will grant me an audience with my father, then so be it." Marianette huffed, turning around and gesturing Julius to follow her. "Listen, I don't know how to explain this, but the maids here share some similarities with my father, namely that he loves putting me through these trials, like they were simple mini-games. However sometimes these trials can get incredibly…dangerous."
"So he's willing to risk your life, all for his amusement? What a sick bastard…" Julius muttered under his breath, shivering slightly in disgust.
"It's not all for his amusement though, he likes testing my mind to see just how clever I am. That being said, if we want help from the maids, we'll have to complete a trial; a world full of neverending games…" Marianette replied, grumbling the last sentence under her breath, attracting the young man's attention.
"In that case, I'll be more than happy to lead the way." Julius told her, the young girl agreeing with the idea and followed the young man downstairs, the two of them making idle chatter while going through their trial. "You grumbled something under your breath earlier, is something the matter?"
"I'm just tired of all these trials and games that I have to do day in and day out. I want a normal life, like what you have." Marianette admitted, double checking to make sure nobody else heard her.
"I hear you, though I wouldn't call the last few weeks normal." Julius chucked lightly, the duo arriving downstairs and opted to check the right wing first. "Between my mother getting kidnapped, and getting caught up with Team Xen, it's been one heck of a ride."
"Ah, y-you still have a mommy…?" Marianette inquired, hiccupping faintly before lowering her gaze to the ground. "I-I lost my mommy a while ago…"
"I'm so sorry to hear that…" Julius expressed his condolences, subconsciously putting his arm around the young girl and embraced her, with Marianette accepting and returning the kind gesture, a little surprised by how warm the hug was.
"T-Thank you…" Marianette replied, wiping a tear away before regaining her gusto from before. "Come on, we've got a trial to solve, and I think I know where that troublesome maid is!"
"Well then lead the way, Maria—wait, are you ok with that?" Julius asked.
"Oh, yeah I'm fine with it." Marianette replied, the young girl liking her new nickname, though for some reason it felt…familiar to her. "Anyway, I believe she'll be in the pantry. It's fairly isolated from my fathers' study, so it'll be a suitable spot for slackers."
The young girl escorted her guest through the dining room, past the kitchen and towards a door in the northern half of the wing. Quietly, she opened the door and immediately spotted a different maid slumbering on the white couch in the room, showing not a single care in the world. "Huh, didn't realise your pantry was big enough to fit a couch in it." Julius commented.
"Surprised, aren't you?" Marianette giggled, walking up to the lazy maid, lightly nudging her on the shoulder, the maid stirring in response before waking up and sitting herself upright.
"Ugggh…what do you want now?" The maid inquired, slightly irritated from being woken up.
"The maid upstairs wants you to stop slacking and get back to work, so that we can speak to my father." Marianette explained the situation to the maid, who eyed them up wearily.
"Ah, a trial, is it? Teehee, trials are fun, aren't they?" The maid chuckled lightly. "Tell you what, I'll go back to my post, IF you complete a trial for me. Do we have a deal?"
"Another one?" Marianette asked incredulously, before huffing in annoyance. "Fine, we'll do your trial. What is it then?"
"I lost something in the courtyard; find it for me to complete my trial." The maid informed them, lying back down on the couch and drifted off to sleep almost immediately, denying the duo an opportunity to learn a bit more about the trial. The duo briefly looked at each other before they began making their way to the courtyard.
"I see what you mean now, Maria." Julius commented, trying to figure out what exactly they had to find. "Got any clues what to look for?"
"Heh, I already know the answer to that." Marianette smiled to herself, her gaze fixated on the maid's bare wrist. "We just need to find her bracelet, specifically the one each maid was given by my father upon the start of their employment."
"Impressive, you really are as clever as you say you are." Julius complimented her, a sense of pride coursing through the young girl's body. "So shall we begin searching the courtyard?"
"We'll need something to deal with the rain, like an umbrella. There's a couple in the small bin besides the front door, right over there in fact." Marianette informed the young man, upon the duo's arrival in the main lobby.
"Nice, this'll make things easier for the both of us." Julius borrowed an umbrella, opening the door and stepping out, as he opened the umbrella and held it in his hand, gesturing at Marianette to step under it.
"Thanks, but won't you get cold from the rainfall?" the young girl inquired respectfully.
"Nah, I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse weather in my journeys." Julius reassured her, as the duo began searching the spacious courtyard for the bracelet. They spent a good fifteen minutes scouring the courtyard, with Marianette, sticking close to the statue by the small pond, while Julius searched the various bushes in the area, until the young girl had a 'Eureka!' moment and went over to Julius with her discovery.
"The bracelet, I found it!" Marianette informed him, a sense of glee in her voice.
"Really, where is it?" The young man inquired, with Marianette pointing to the hedge near the right-side windows to the lobby, where a small bracelet was nestled on top of the shrubbery. "How did it…?"
"It doesn't matter right now, I need your help retrieving it." The young girl told him. Julius got up off his hands and knees and made his way to the hedge, standing on the tip of his toes momentarily so he can retrieve the bracelet.
"Gotcha!" Julius smirked, hopping back down and handing the bracelet to his companion. "Here you go; all thanks to those keen eyes of yours."
"Thanks, now let's get this back to her, pronto!" Marianette cheered, with the duo quickly making their way back to the pantry, their loud entrance awakening the slumbering maid, who groggily eyed them up.
"Oh my…that is the bracelet I lost. Thanks for getting it back for me." The lazy maid smiled, taking the bracelet from Marianette and putting it back on. "As promised, I'll get back to my post. Now if you'll excuse me…"
"Don't let me hold you." Julius said, stepping back so that the maid can hop up off the couch and make her leave. "Nice, we work well as a team."
"We do indeed." Marianette agreed with the sentiment, gesturing Julius to follow her. "Come on, we've got some business with my father to attend."
The duo took their leave as well and made the trek back up the stairs and to the entrance to Indriad's personal study and was confronted by the maid from before. Recognising that they completed her trial, she stood aside, allowing the duo to go through the doors, which lead to yet another flight of stairs, this one leading up to a small corridor, which had a lone door to the left. As Julius reached for the knob, Marianette lightly tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing him to stop.
"W-Wait a second!" She blurted, as she soon started shivering in fear. "I-I'm…scared."
"Is something the matter, Maria?" Julius asked the young girl, crouching down to her eyelevel.
"I'm afraid of the consequences…my father has a very volatile temper. Sometimes, when he gets angry, he—he—" Marianette tries to continue, but clams up out of fear. From the look of sheer terror in her eyes, Julius had a good idea on what kind of punishment Indriad dishes out.
"No need to worry, I'll stand by your side and keep you safe, just in case he tries anything funny." Julius pledged with sincerity, perking up the young girl's spirits. "He tries to hit you, I'll intervene and dish out a punishment so severe he'll end up regretting it."
"Ah, y-yeah." The young girl replied, not fully on board with Julius' idea of retribution. "Anyway, since it's the two of us, I'm confident that we'll come out of this alright. Well, I'm ready. Let's do this…together." She shot Julius a smile, with the young man returning one to her, as the dynamic duo entered the room together.
The private study stood out from the other rooms, its walls a bright crimson as opposed to the standard white Julius had gotten accustomed to. There were several candle holders, taller than the young man and were artistically placed around the extravagant carpet on the room, and a massive grey cupboard resting against the back wall, with Indriad facing it for some particular reason. As the door closed, the older man grunted under his breath, and turned to face the two newcomers, as Marianette tried to speak up, before clamming up at the sight of her father's intense gaze, and hid behind Julius' back.
"Honesty, Marianette? You came this far just to hide behind a prisoner?" Indriad asked incredulously, a hint of contempt in his voice. "This is horribly distasteful, even for your standards."
"Back off, Mister I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe from whatever you've got in stock!" Julius warned his elder, who chuckled lightly in response to the teen's bravado.
"How amusing. Regardless, there has to be a reason the two of you entered here, after I specifically stated that I am to expect NO visitors." Indriad replied, hoping for an answer. "Well, spit it out already!"
"W-We…" Marianette began, taking a few quick breaths before standing beside Julius, a newfound confidence in her body. "We wish to speak to you, regarding the status of Julius' friends, father."
"I gave those money hungry swine a chance to escape, but they chose the stubborn route. Or to be more accurate, they had that route chosen for themselves." Indriad answered casually, in a disinterested tone.
"We want you to free them, father. Surely they've already paid the price for their short-sighted greed?" The young girl politely requested, only for her father to laugh at the proposal.
"Free them? why should I free them? They're my property now, and I'll do whatever I want to them." Indriad replied coldly, walking menacingly towards his daughter, his frightening gaze burrowing into her. "You freed Julius from his prison, yet that isn't enough for you, you selfish little—"
"I'm warning you sir, back off, now!" Julius warned him once more, glaring at the older man, who turned to him with an intrigued look on his face.
"You seem awfully protective of my daughter; a mere stranger whom you've only known for an hour or so. Why are you so…fond of her?" Indriad mused, taking a few steps back to analyse the situation, a sudden burst on inspiration dawning on him. "Ah, I see now. You've been pining for a sibling, a little sister to ease the pain of being an only child. Which is why when Marianette came up to you, you were willing to play along with her in order to fulfil your secret fantasy. Am I on the right track?"
Julius' eyes widened upon hearing all this, with Marianette turning to face the young man with a look of surprise on her face. Somehow, Indriad had read him like an open book, carelessly revealing his secret to the young girl whom he grew fond of so quickly. "B-But how?!" He spluttered, fear coursing through his body as the older man smirked at him.
"I didn't, but your reaction gave it all away, just as I anticipated." Indriad replied, clearing his throat momentarily. "But back to the matter at hand, will you take the easy route and leave, or try in vain to rescue your "friends" even after denying you a chance to escape?"
"That's an easy question, I'm staying behind and rescuing everyone from whatever sick game you're playing, including Maria!" Julius declared, surprising the older man, his brow furrowing upon hearing the nickname he bestowed onto his daughter.
"Yeah, that's the spirit. As a matter of fact, I want you to play my OWN game, father." Marianette chimed in, piquing her father's interest.
"A game you say? How interesting…" Indriad began, eyeing up his daughter with a look of interest. "Tell me…what would this game entail?"
"If the two of us can find and rescue his friends, you'll let us go, including me. I'm sick and tired of you and your brutality so I plan on leaving this mansion." Marianette explained her terms to this game.
"I see…and what if you two were to lose this game?" Indriad inquired.
"You get to do whatever you wish to the both of us and get whatever you want." The young girl concluded the terms, a malicious smirk forming on her father's face.
"Your determination is quite admirable, like that of your mother. Unfortunately, she was snatched away from us, in an event which two of us in this room witnessed. Very well, I accept your terms." Indriad agreed to the terms, his deadly gaze eyeing up the duo. "I'll also bestow a hint onto you, as a token of my generosity. I have hidden three souls in plain sight, in all three corners of the mansion. They'll only emerge from their slumber when their trials are completed."
"Thank you, father." Marianette smiled, bowing before him and left the room, leaving Julius alone with the older man.
"You pull a fast one on us, I'll end you. Got it?" Julius warned the blonde man.
"Of course. Now have fun with your "little sister", young man." Indriad replied, in a mock whimsical tone as Julius left the room. Now on his own, he turned to face the large cupboard, a solemn look on his face.
"It's been quite some time…hasn't it?" He muttered, opening his cupboard as he eyed up a set of jet-black garments, perfectly suited for sacred events. "Quite some time since I've worn these garments. It'll all be over soon, Anathea…"
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The duo had exited his room and began making their way downstairs, a smug grin plastered on Julius' face. "Alright, this is gonna be a piece of cake!" He smirked, confident that they'll emerge victorious from this twisted game.
"I doubt that, Julius…" Marianette replied quietly, a look of foreboding dread in her eyes.
"What makes you say that, Maria?" The young man inquired.
"That was just too easy convincing my father to play my game, probably because I gave him freedom to choose his reward should he win. But it's not just that; something about that conversation gave me the absolute chills…as if he wouldn't let us go even if we did win, as well as that little secret of yours." Marianette explained her case, catching the young man off-guard.
"A-About that…" Julius stammered, his mind racing in fear as Marianette shushed him.
"No need to explain, I sympathise with your plight, seeing as I'm an only child as well. Truth be told, I felt something when you hugged me before; it was warm…and was most comforting, not like the ones father gave me." The young girl admitted, before coming to a decision. "It's a deal; we get out of this alive and I'll stick by your side, like brother and sister. Is that fine with you?"
"I'd love that, Maria." Julius smiled at her, a determined expression on his face. "We'll win this game, no matter how long it takes."
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Marianette cheered, pumping herself up as well. "My father said that he hid your friends within the three corners of the mansion, ergo out destinations are the hedge garden to the left, the pool to the right, and the courtyard with the two statues to the south. May I suggest we go to the right first?"
"Certainly." Julius agreed, the dynamic duo smiling at each other as they began their new trial and made the trek to the poolside. In an unsurprising turn of events, it was still raining outside, though luckily they still had the umbrella with them with Julius holding it above Marianette.
*sigh* "There were so many fond memories I have of this place." Marianette sighed upon seeing the pool, now dirty from years of negligence. "Now days, it's a reminder that my reality no longer matches that of the past."
"Not to worry, we'll make plenty of great memories together once we leave this place." Julius promised, perking Marianette's spirit.
"Right, let's get cracking!" She smiled, eager to win this game of hers with the two beginning their search of the area. As the area was spares for the most part, save for the pool and a small shed in the northeastern corner, it didn't take the duo that much time to find where they were supposed to be.
"Huh…the shed door's locked, how odd." Marianette commented, with Julius walking up to check it out as well.
"My guess is that your father locked it in order to hamper us, as expected from that cheating bastard…" Julius grumbled under his breath. "Well where should we go now?"
"How about the hedge maze?" Marianette suggested, with Julius agreed to the idea as they began their small trek to the hedge maze, making sure not to attract the attention of the maids inside, just in case they were ordered to halt their progress. A few minutes later, they arrived at the entrance to the hedge maze, which seemed to spiral off into various directions. "This is the hedge maze. My father would frequently hide things here for me to find, he never handed anything to me directly; rather I'd always had to do some stupid trial before hand."
"Look on the plus side, once we're done here, you'll never have to do another trial again." Julius chimed in, with Marianette nodding in determination as the duo entered the sprawling maze. It was quite the chaotic affair, with the duo winding up in several dead ends in a desperate search for their ticket out of this hellhole, costing them precious time. Julius, in a fit of frustration, let out a low growl and kicked a small rock down a pathway, a quiet 'clunk' alerting the young man. Peering down the pathway, he saw another one of those password plaques from before, this one reading Password No.1: 7896.
"I found something over here Maria!" Julius called out, jotting the number down in his notepad as Marianette walked up to him, her eyes moving away from the plaque.
"That's not the only thing you found!" She smiled giddily, making her way towards the small rock, inspecting the crack in it before breaking it open, a small key falling to her feet as she picked it up. "Here's the key to the poolside shed, well done Julius!"
"Happy to help, sweetheart." The young man smiled, with Marianette giggling politely, before gesturing the young man to follow her through the maze. The trek through the maze was a lot quicker now that they no longer had to search the entire area for the key, indeed they arrived at the end in a matter of minutes, stepping through what looked like an empty door inserted into the hedge. and entered a small room that had a white cube in the center, much like the one Julius saw before.
"Allow me to handle this..." Marianette chimed in, making her way to the cube and knelt beside it as she got to work solving the puzzle, a blue orb emanating from the cube a minute later. The orb hovered back a few feet before a bright light shone throughout the room, with Lenny standing where the orb was.
"Wh-Where am I? What happened to me?" Lenny asked, looking around the room in bewilderment.
"Your soul got trapped by that crazy bastard Indriad, so Maria and I worked together to save your hide." Julius answered, a sigh of relief coming from the black-haired man.
"Th-Thank you. I'm gonna leave this place immediately.!" Lenny exclaimed, quickly running out, only for Marianette to stop him in his tracks.
"Unfortunately, you can't leave until we've rescued all your friends. In the meantime, I suggest you stay in the mansion lobby." Marianette suggested, the young man giving her a quick nod of acceptance before exiting the small room, the young girl turning to face Julius. "Since we have the key, why don't we finish our business over by the poolside?"
"Fine by me." Julius agreed, with the young duo exiting the room and made the journey back to the poolside, through the hedge maze, through the mansion, and beside the pool and stopped by the shed doors, with Marianette inserting the key into the lock and opened the doors. When they stepped inside, they saw what looked like a large console, with hundreds of various keys on the front panel, with a flashing red key standing out from the crowd. Getting the all clear from the young girl, Julius went over to the key and pressed it, stepping back in surprise when the entire area started to shake. Though it only lasted for a few seconds, it was clear that Indriad must've caught onto what they were doing.
"Oh dear...that can't be good. Well whatever it was, we better check it out." Marianette suggested, with Julius agreeing with her, but not before halting her temporarily.
"Wait! Before we go, I want to give you something..." Julius called out, fishing into his pocket and handing her what looked like a badge bearing the insignia of the Tandor Pokémon Rangers, though it was a bit worn out from age. "That's a good luck charm I got a long time ago; I figured you need it more than I do."
"O-Oh, Thank you very much!" Marianette smiled, accepting the badge before she too, got her own idea. She fished out a small white bow from her pocket and gifted it to Julius. "I figured I should give you a good luck charm as well. I had this ever since I was five years old."
"Thanks Maria, I'll always keep this safe." Julius replied, carefully placing the bow in his pocket. Having finished their exchange, the duo walked outside to inspect the noise, only to see a set of stairs in the middle of the now drained pool, a small walkway leading down to them. They walked down the flight of stairs, stumbling into a small room like before, only this time, there's a small hole in the back wall instead of a cube.
"Oh, what's this nonsense now?" Marianette questioned, taking a closer look at the hole. "Hmmm...this isn't good. I'm the only one who can fit through here."
"I-Is it safe to go through there on your own?" Julius inquired, concerned about her safety.
"No need to worry Julius, I can handle this myself." Marianette reassured her companion, as she got on her knees and crawled through the hole, which was a bit of a squeeze, even for her petite frame. However, the cutie was able to persevere and wound up in large room, with lava all over the floor that created a thin blanket of steam. There were several small pillars scattered throughout the area, giving the young girl an idea on what to do.
"Hrm...this place seems dangerous. I better be careful not to slip." Marianette commented, glancing at the medal Julius gifted her, and clenched it tightly. Though he wasn't here with here right now, she knew he would keep her safe and mustered the courage to complete the puzzle. She started hopping from pillar to pillar, which had enough surface space to make things a bit easier on her end. Additionally, the gaps were manageable enough for her to get by without any major difficulties. Though she slipped a couple of times, she was able to recover before anything back could happen, and continue on her way, thankfully reaching the end a few moments later. "Yay, I did it!" She cheered, jumping up and down in joy, entering the doorway after finishing her celebration.
Like before, she wound up in a small room with a white cube in the center and knew what had to be done. But as she got to the cube, both her and it were enveloped in a ball of light, before warping out of the room and back into the previous room, catching Julius off-guard. "Maria! Oh thank goodness you're alright." Julius sighed in relief, embracing the young girl in a warm hug which she accepted.
"See? I told you I could do it!" She beamed proudly, as the cube started to shake and glow. "Now that's odd. I haven't even begun the puzzle on that cube."
The duo broke off their hug and continued watching the cube, a green orb emanating from it, before a bright light enveloped the room, with Luca standing where the orb was. "Wh-What just happened? Where am I?"
"Your soul was trapped by my father, but I rescued you from his clutches. Your friend is inside the mansion lobby, waiting for you. Rest assured, we will save your other friend." Marianette explained, making a solemn promise to Luca.
"Thank you so much! I'll wait where you told me to go, see you later." Luca bowed in respect, quickly exiting the room and walking up the stairs.
"This is it, only one more puzzle to solve, and we're out of here!" Julius exclaimed through bated breath, barely containing his excitement over the prospect of escaping with Marianette out of this hellhole.
"Yes, I can barely contain my excitement as well." Marianette smiled at the young man. "Now then, we'll need to check the front courtyard out. Follow me." She called out, the duo exiting the small room and making the trek through the mansion once more, before arriving at the front courtyard once more, where they soon noticed an opening on the front of the Absol statue. Entering through the small opening, they soon stumbled upon yet another small room, only this time there was naught but a tall mirror on the back wall, that didn't show any reflection for some odd reason.
"Hmmm? Is this one of those trick mirrors you usually find at a carnival?" Julius inquired, eyeing it cautiously, as a mysterious fog soon rolled into the room. "N-Now what?!"
"I don't know, let's get out of—" Marianette began, before a shadowy voice soon echoed throughout the room, catching them off-guard.
"What reflects in a mirror? What reflects can only be the truth." The mysterious voice began, as four spectral images of Venam suddenly appeared in the room. "Let us see if the same can be said of you. Do you know the truth? Do you want to know, or are you too afraid to know?"
"W-Who is this?" Marianette inquired, as each of the Venam's stepped forward and uttered a single line each.
"Who cares about anyone, I only care about myself. Everyone who gets in my way should just disappear!"
"If Julius were a better trainer, we could've done something at Amethyst Cave. But he wasn't...It's his fault Melia is dead. It's his fault that my life has turned to shit. I'll never forgive that bastard!"
"We all did our best to save our friend, but in the end, it wasn't enough. We were all too weak to do anything...we were all at fault. There wasn't anything we could've done to save her."
"I don't care what Julius thinks, I let him beat me because it was for Melia's sake. If I didn't hold back, we'd lose her...and we did. Ren and I should've dropped everything and left to find her the moment she was in trouble, but we were too late."
Marianette was surprised at what she just said, turning sideways and noticing the pained expression on the young man's face. It was evident that he still felt tremendous guilt over failing Melia that day. "Hey...I think I know how to solve this. You have to pinpoint the one that reflects the truth, or at least the one you feel is the truth. But that doesn't mean it's the real truth, you'll have to sort it out from the lies."
'The one I feel is the truth...' Julius mused to himself, carefully eyeing the spectral forms before him, figuring out which one was speaking the truth. As much as he wanted to pick the second one, given that it was what he felt to be the truth, his gut instinct insisted that he picked the third Venam, as the man walked over to her and spoke but one line. "You're the truthful one here."
"Heh, that's correct..." The Venam answered, as all four Venam's disappeared, and were subsequently replaced with four Rens, leading Julius to believe that he would have to answer this riddle as well, allowing each of the Rens to speak their piece.
"Heh, I couldn't care less about the people who call me their friend. Friendship is an ideal that's wasted on me; I couldn't care less about those fools. I have my own agenda."
"I was happy to know that Melia was on the run. I was sick of her weakness, she was only bringing me down. She deserved everything that happened to her."
"What am I doing anything for? Just to waste my time, that's what. Gearen City is just a whole bunch of bring tedium, a complete waste of time to think about moving there."
"I was devastated to hear about Melia's situation. I care about my friends a lot, and would do anything to help them, even if the results end up a bit skewed. I want to be there for everyone, a complete opposite of what my hometown is like."
Julius, knowing Ren for much longer than he knew Venam, immediately went towards the fourth one and said in a straight-to-the-point tone. "You're telling the truth."
"Thanks... I'm glad that you saw the real me." The Ren smiled, before all four of them were soon replaced with spectral Aelita's, who immediately began saying their line.
"No one ever tells me anything! I feel like I'm powerless most of the time...I just want to help everyone out, Okay? That's my ambition."
"I feel like my father never loved me...I know he just wanted me gone from the moment I was born. He didn't do anything to protect me, or anyone!"
"Sheridan Village is nothing without Sensei; we should all just give up and go our seperate ways. Hence why I was eager to leave with Julius, the place was just a lost cause."
"I found it really helpful that Julius fought for us at Carotos Mountain; I can just use his power to get things done from now on. Maybe I can convince him to live in Sheridan Village, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
It was at this stage that his mind was getting worn out from all the possible truths he was hearing, his body exhausted from all the effort he put in to get him and his friends out of here, as he put his faith into the first Aelita and told her. "You're telling the truth."
"A sad truth...but perhaps we can overcome it together." The Aelita replied, disappearing from the room and leaving the dynamic duo on their own once more.
"You did it!" Marianette complimented the young man, as a white cube mysteriously appeared in the room, causing the mirror to shatter into thousands of small pieces. "And here we go, the last of your friends is now safe and sound."
The cube started vibrating slightly a few seconds later, a purple orb emerging from it and hovering back a few feet, before a bright light enveloped the room, with Venam standing where the orb was.
"Ugh...where the hell am I?" The purple-haired girl inquired.
"We rescued you from Indriad's grasp, your friends are safe in the mansion lobby." Julius informed her.
"Heh...getting saved by you two. I'm always getting my ass saved by someone." Venam sighed, slightly annoyed with herself.
"But that's not a bad thing, right? It means that other people genuinely care for you." Marianette chimed in.
"True, but it isn't fair for them to constantly bail me out of sticky situations. I went too far this time, thinking only of myself without caring about the consequences." Venam admitted, crossing her arms. "Still, thanks for the save you two."
"Happy to help you out miss. Besides, you can use today's events as a learning experience. Don't be so rash all the time; think carefully about your next move." Marianette suggested, as Venam mulled it over in her head.
"I guess you're right...I'll meet up with my friends in the lobby." Venam replied, flashing a smile at the duo before exiting the small room.
"We did it Maria...we finally did it. We can escape this hellhole now!" Julius sighed in relief.
"Not yet...we need to inform my father of my success. I've got a bad feeling about this." Marianette told him, shivering in fear as Julius rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry...we can do this." Julius reassured her, making his way to the exit before she called for him to stop, the young man turning to face her.
"W-Wait a second! You see...everything that's happened is my fault. I was the one who created those pathways around the fences, including the holes you were able to crawl through. Had I not created those ways for me to escape...This would've never happened." Marianette apologised, sniffling to herself as a few tears fell down her soft cheeks.
"Don't blame yourself one bit. We were the ones who went through them and invaded your home in the first place." Julius told her.
"Thanks...it's just that I've tried many times to escape this place. I've come close on several occasions, but this unseen force kept holding me back, as if I wasn't meant to leave this place. And truth be told, I've...I've been using you as a final opportunity to escape this place." The young girl continued, as Julius pulled her into another hug.
"I don't care if you were using me to escape; I'll always stay by your side. Besides, it's not like I have any right to complain." The young man comforted her, before looking into her eyes. "Now come on, we've got a game to—"
"Not so fast!" A voiced echoed throughout the area, as a pair of maids suddenly appeared and grabbed Marianette by the arms. "Please forgive us, but Master Indriad has requires your presence."
"L-let go of me! We were just about to speak to him." Marianette cried out, trying to break free of their iron grip, but to no avail.
"You misunderstand...he needs you and only you for one final trial." The second maid replied, using their powers to teleport Marianette away from the courtyard as Julius tried in vain to rescue her.
"As for you, Julius. Master Indriad demands that you complete one final trial. Go through the locked doors on the first floor of the lobby; there, Master Indriad will be waiting there for you."
"Oh I'll complete your trials; I'll be more than happy ot teach that cheating bastard a lesson!" Julius vowed through gritted teeth, running through the courtyard and into the lobby as the maids watched the young man, a slight hint of intrigue in their eyes. He burst through the doors, storming through the hallways with not a single care in the world, as the walls started to look less like that of a mansion, and more of a desolate ruin. It was a long, exhausting run through the seemingly endless corridors, but eventually he wound up in some sort of arena...with Marianette on the opposite end. On one side of the arena, Julius noticed Venam, Luca and Lenny watching the events play out, while on the other side, Indriad was gazing at them with a cold expression on his face.
"Welcome, Julius..." Marianette began, the young man having a bewildered expression on his face.
"Maria? W-What's going on?!" The young man cried out in a mixture of surprise and fear.
"I've been instructed to be your final trial, after everything we've been through together. Something that I forgot to mention is that I am a very skilled battler, especially with Normal type Pokémon." Marianette continued.
" A skilled battler...don't you fucking dare lie to me! We're not some objects to be passed around!" Venam shouted at the young girl in anger, causing the latter to flinch in fear.
"Hey, go easy on her Venam. She's a victim just like us." Julius called out, with the purple-haired girl huffing in response.
"Enough with the bickering! You three put yourselves through all this in the first place. I will hear no more from the lot of you." Indriad barked at Venam, with Julius shooting him a glare.
"Of shut the hell up you twisted, fucking psychopath! I'm not the one who traps people in shitty trials, and forces my daughter to complete them, lest she gets a beating!" Julius snapped, having lost all patience with the lowlife lording over him. "When I'm done with this trial, I WILL make sure you get what's coming!"
"Hahaha! If you really were my son, I'd put you in your place for you indescribable rudeness, but alas, it's naught but the fantasy of some crippled mind, desperately seeking to cure his loneliness by latching on to some young girl and treating her as the sister he never had." Indriad smirked, turning to face his daughter. "Marianette."
"...yes father." The young girl replied, turning to face Julius. "Prepare yourself, Julius. I won't...I won't let this end badly." She continued, with the two of them selecting their first Pokémon. Marianette threw her first Pokéball, a Heliolisk emerging from it, while Julius sent out his trusty Vilucard to start things off, the feline Pokémon a little bewildered by the strange surroundings.
"I know we're in an unusual place, but we'll be away from this place in a few moments. Until then, we need to work together as a team." The young man encouraged his companion, who gave a quick nod and started at the enemy lizard with determination in its eyes.
"Oh, that's a cute little fellow you got there. Wonder how strong—" Marianette began, before her father shot her a cold, vicious glare, mentally ordering her to start the battle. "R-Right. Heliolisk, use Surf!"
The nimble lizard let out a shrill battlecry, as the sound of rapid waters slowly rose up from the pit beneath the arena, a large tidal wave appearing from behind the lizard as it leapt up on it and surfed straight into the Villainous Pokémon, who cried out in surprise as it was engulfed in the colossal wave. The cunning Heliolisk let out an amused chuckle, pleased with its efforts before a gurgling noise from beneath distracted it, with Vilucard lunging up from the depths and smacked the lizard with Poison Jab, the Generator Pokémon crying out in pain as it was flung towards one of the arena walls, with the water retracting back into the drain from whence it came. However, it seemed that both combatants were still able to continue fighting.
"Not bad, not bad at all. But allow me to show you just how capable I am. Go for Drain Life, Vilucard!" Julius called out. The feline Pokémon let out a sinister hiss, latching on to the Heliolisk and bit its neck, causing the lizard to cry out in pain as its energy was absorbed by the Villainous Pokémon, only for it to get a retaliatory smack to the head by Heliolisk's tail as it quickly charged up electricity in its frill and fired a bolt of lightning at the Vilucard, who yelped in pain as electricity coursed through its body. Managing to break free from the oppressive attack, it started dashing towards its opponent, dodging subsequent bolts of lightning from its foe and smacked it with Poison Jab once again, sending the lizard flying into a wall, as it slid down the wall and laid still on the floor, unable to continue battling.
"Tch…looks like you got lucky there." Indriad snorted, with Marianette recalling her Pokémon.
"Glad you haven't thrown in the towel yet, otherwise I'll make your remaining years a living hell." Venam cheered, in her own style.
"Looks like I'll have to try something a little different this time…go, Cinccino." Marianette sent out her next Pokémon, the fluffy little critter emerging from its ball and preened its fur. "Let's kick things off with a Tail Slap!"
The nimble chinchilla dashed towards the feline Pokémon, at a speed so impressive the Villainous Pokémon wasn't able to keep up with it. It dove right in-between its legs and started smacking the Vilucard with its firm yet slender tail, with the feline yelping in surprised as it was being pushed back by the relentless barrage, only for an especially powerful strike to sent it flying in the air. The Cinccino then started digging in its scarf, pulling out several small rocks and started hurling them at its helpless foe, scoring several quick hits in succession as Vilucard soon started plummeting towards the arena surface and crashed into it, leaving a small crater. When the dust died down, it showed that Vilucard had fainted from the barrage.
"Pretty slick moves, Maria." Julius shot her a smile, recalling his fainted Pokémon. "But how will you fare against my Vilucard?"
"A-Another one?" Marianette inquired, as Julius threw his second Pokéball, a second Vilucard emerging from it, and shot her Cinccino a smirk that looked a bit more malicious than the previous Vilucard. "This should be an easy win, use Tail Slap again!"
Cinccino agreed to the request, and began running towards its foe, who stood eerily still, the same malicious smirk on its face. The small chinchilla leapt up in the air and began smacking its tail around rapidly…only for the attack to phase through the Vilucard, whose eyes started glowing as it charged up a dark orange ball of mental energy. The Cinccino barely had anytime to react, before it was struck at close range by a Focus Blast, sending the poor critter flying back several feet, crumpling on the floor beside Marianette's feet and was deemed unable to continue battling.
"O-Oh no…I'm so sorry." Marianette cried out quietly, recalling her fainted Pokémon.
"B-But how? That attack did so much damage to the first Vilu—" Luca began.
"It's not a Vilucard that's on the field." Julius replied, a confident smirk on his face as he faced his companion. "Why don't we reveal the truth to them?"
"T-Truth?" Lenny inquired, as the "Vilucard" chuckled ominously, before it's body started morphing in various directions, before the beings true form was made clear to everyone else in the room.
"Allow me to introduce to you, Dramsama. Often regarded as one of the most mysterious and dangerous Pokémon of the Tandor region, it can transform itself into any living creature it sees, enabling it to hunt down its prey." Julius introduced his companion, with the Masquerade Pokémon preening its fuzzy body.
Marianette was in a tight position; from the way Tail Slap did nothing to it, it can be determined that it was at the very least, a Ghost type Pokémon. Though Ghost type Pokémon give her team some trouble, she has an idea that could work wonders. "Porygon2, take the stage!"
The digital bird emerged onto the field and let out a quick, static-y cry, with Julius noticing the Eviolite, worn around its neck as if it were a necklace, raising an appreciative eyebrow at the sight. "Clever girl…" He smiled. "But can it withstand a second Focus Blast, even with the boost?"
The Dramsama straightened its tail feathers out and began focusing its mental energy into a ball once more, firing it at the Porygon2 who was able to dodge the attack in time, the latter charging up an Ice Beam and fired it at the Masquerade Pokémon, who hissed in pain as the bone-chilling beam ruined its neat and tidy coat. Now enraged at the foe for its insolence, the Dramsama started at it and emitted a hypnotic beam from its eyes, striking the Virtual Pokemon, who soon fell into the world of dreams, a pained expression on its face as the Dramsama loomed over it with malicious intent.
"They say that anyone who sleeps right near a Dramsama will be plagued by terrible nightmares, much like the infamous Darkrai. Whether it serves the Pitch-Black Pokémon is still unknown, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case." Julius added, with Dramsama consuming the terrible nightmares to restore any energy it lost in the previous scuffle. It's impromptu feast was interrupted by Porygon2 waking up from its temporary slumber, tackling into its foe to push it back a few feet. The Masquerade Pokémon shook itself out of its stupor and attempted to use Focus Blast once again, charging up mental energy like before and firing at the Porygon2, who was still a little sluggish from waking up. The powerful attack collided with the digital bird, causing it to cry out in pain as it crashed into the wall near Venam and her friends, and slid down to the bottom, knocked out from the attack.
"Not good enough, Marianette." Indriad scolded her, only to get caught off-guard as Marianette shot a quick glare back it him.
"If anything, Julius is the exceptional one here." Marianette retorted, recalling her defeated Pokémon. "But my next friend will be more than capable of dealing with that troublesome Dramsama. Go, Pyroar!"
The noble lion emerged from its Pokéball, letting out an almighty roar that marginally impressed the Dramsama. Intrigued by this new foe, the Dramsama attempted to hypnotise its foe and feast on whatever dreams it may have, only for the lion to effortlessly dodge the attack and charge towards its foe, clamping down on is fuzzy body with its sharp fangs, causing the Masquerade Pokémon to shriek in pain, violently shaking its body in an attempt to get its foe off of it. However, the Pyroar persevered, flinging its foe up into the air and spewed a stream of hot flames from its mouth, engulfing the Dramsama in the relentless blaze as it crashed into the same crater that Vilucard created, a slight hint of irony that the young girl appreciated.
"Impressive, all three of you were impressive today." Julius complimented his Dramsama, as well as Marianette and her Pyroar, recalling his fainted Pokémon. "But I bet this fellow will be more than you can handle. Go, Daikatuna!"
The bipedal fish emerged from its ball and got into a fighting stance, ready to take on its next opponent. In an instant, it cloaked its body in water and charged at the lion at impressive speeds, landing a direct hit that pushed the feline back a few feet. The Pyroar, managing to shrug the attack off and spewed another stream of fire, managing to set the fish's horn alight, causing it to run around the arena in a blind panic, trying to douse the painful burn. In an act of desperation, it let out a mighty cry, as water once again emerged from the metal grates on the floor, with Pyroar leaping up to high ground as the fish dunked its horn under water, sighing in blissful relief as its burn was healed from the refreshingly cool water, before it subsided once again.
"Well that's one way to cure a burn." Luca chimed in, impressed by the clever tactic she just saw.
"That's a neat strategy you pulled off." Julius complimented, with Daikatuna polishing its bladelike horn. "Now how about we give the Pyroar a powerful Brick Break?"
Eager to dish out a bit of revenge, the fish cloaked its body in water once more and charged towards the lion, dodging the incoming bursts of fire from its for before breaking out of its Aqua Jet, and smacked Pyroars back with its horn, causing the Royal Pokémon to roar in pain, kicking Daikatuna off its feet in retaliation. However, the fish wasn't out for the count and hopped back up on its feet, its horn cloaked in a faint black aura as it slashed at the lion, the Pyroar crying out in pain as it was flung back a few feet and crumpled on the ground, knocked out from the Night Slash.
"Alright! Only two more to go and we're outta here!" Venam cheered, with Marianette recalling her fainted Pokémon.
"Hmmm…now that's quite the powerhouse I'm up against. In that case, I better send out Chatot for this one." Marianette mused to herself, sending out her penultimate Pokémon, the small parrot flying out of its Pokéball and eyed it's foe up. It opened its beak and let out a garbled cry, causing Daikatuna to wince in pain as it covered its earholes to block out the irritating noise. This gave the Chatot an opportunity to dive towards its foe at incredibly speeds, slashing the fish with is sharp wings and knocked it off its feet. Now annoyed by this insolent bird, it picked itself up and leapt into the air, smacking the parrot with its iron-hard horn which caused it to fly back a few feet.
"Guess I better pull out my trump card…use Heat Wave, Chatot!" The young girl called out, catching Julius off-guard as the Chatot started flapping its wings rapidly, creating a hot gust of wind that struck the bipedal fish, who hissed in pain as its slender body was assaulted by the relentless wind. It opted to go for Aqua Jet in the heat of the moment, the water providing some relief from the hot gust of wind, and charged straight towards the small parrot, who squawked in surprise at it was struck head on by the powerful fish and crashed into the arena floor, knocked out from the powerful attack.
"O-Oh my! That's one powerful fish." Lenny commented, with Marianette recalling her fainted Pokémon, ignoring the harsh glare that Indriad was giving her.
"So it all comes down to this…" The young girl spoke softly, gazing at her last Pokéball. "It's time for out last stand, Snuggles!"
The Daikatuna snickered under it's breath upon hearing the nickname, only for it to recoil on horror as it saw what it was up against. Snuggles, a very powerful Bewear glared at the now frightened fish, as if it knew that it was responsible for knocking out two of its friends. The fish stepped back a few feet and charged at its foe, cloaking its body in water like before. But just as it was about to make contact, Snuggles grabbed it by its legs and cancelled the attack. It then slammed the fish into the ground several times, before throwing it towards the wall behind Julius, creating a massive crack as the fish slid down the wall, too injured to continue fighting.
"A-Are you ok Daikatuna?" Julius inquired, a little shaken by what he just witnessed. The Daikatuna, gave a weak nod to indicate that it'll live to see another day, before Julius recalled it and started thinking about which Pokémon can best deal with a Bewear. After some time deliberating, he finally made his decision. "Alright Inflagetah, it's all up to you." The young man called out, sending out his next Pokémon into battle.
The spectators were intrigued by the sight of the newcomer; it was a sleek feline Pokémon, with a predominantly red and yellow body, strong yet slender legs and two gazelle-like horns on the back of its head. Its back had flames spewing from it, while its striped tail wagged side-to-side. Snuggles had an interested yet concerned look in its eyes; though it looked to be quite frail, the fact that it was a Fire type worried it.
"Inflagetah, why don't we start things off with a quick Swords Dance?" The young man suggested, with the cheetah giving a quick nod of approval as it started dancing on the spot to bolster its fighting spirit, its fancy footwork mesmerising Venam and her companions with the show.
"Don't let it get to powerful; use Drain Punch!" Marianette quickly blurted out, with Snuggles barrelling towards the Inflagetah, its fist reared into the air. But just as it was about to punch the cheetah, it dodged the attack at blindingly quick speeds, catching everyone off-guard, save for Julius. In fact, it was so fast that some of them were questioning if a Pokémon can even go that fast.
"D-Did you see that?!" Luca called out in awe, noticing that the Inflagetah was now on the opposite side of the arena. "I've seen some fast Pokémon in my life, but this is something else."
The nimble cheetah let out a quick chirp, alerting the Bewear of its position, as it proceeded to charge at it once more, only for the Inflagetah to dodge the attack and stop by its feet. Snuggles quickly turned around and attempted to use Drain Punch, only for it to miss once more, with Inflagetah, standing right behind it. Again and again, it tried to pummel the speedy feline, only for it to keep missing its mark. The process continued for approximately one minute, before the Inflagetah backed off from its foe, who was panting in exhaustion.
"Time to end this, use Flame Impact!" Julius called out, with Inflagetah letting out another chirp before cloaking its body in fire and running towards Snuggles at the same blink-and-you'll-miss-it speeds as before, ramming its body into the towering bear who was flung back several feet before crashing onto the floor, too exhausted to continue fighting.
"Unbelievable…" Indriad growled under his breath, before staring at Julius. "As all six of Marianette's Pokémon have been knocked out, Julius has been declared the winner."
"YES!" Julius cheered in ecstasy, with Inflagetah running over to the young man as he started petting its head. "We did it, we actually did it! Well done out there!" He praised his companion, recalling it a few seconds later.
"Yahoo! Now we can escape this crazy place!" Venam cheered as well, with Lenny and Luca giving each other a hi-five.
"Heh…" Marianette chuckled lightly to herself, recalling her fainted Pokémon and began making her way to Julius. "I'm…happy. You fought with such conviction, such strength. You deserve the Normality Badge, consider it a symbol of my gratitude."
The young girl handed Julius a predominantly white badge that had four black semi-squares facing each other diagonally, with the young man placing it alongside his other badges. "Thanks Maria, now we can get out of—"
"W-Wait, a badge? You meant to tell me that she's a Gym Leader?" Venam interrupted the young man, a confused look on her face.
"Well that was certainly one way to end things…" Indriad called out, clapping in a methodical matter. "The trial has been complete; as such, I'll allow the four of you to leave."
"Thank goodness for—wait, four? You said that all five of us get to leave once the trial's completed!" Julius snapped at the older man, who smirked and snapped his fingers once, as the five of them were warped onto the battlefield, all confused at what was happening.
"What's the meaning of this father?!" Marianette demanded, her father looking down on his prisoners.
"I'm doing what I said I would; I'm allowing all four of them to leave if you were to successfully complete my trial…." The older man answered, a sadistic grin on his face. "Though I never stated how exactly those four were going to leave, whether it be leaving this mansion alive, of leaving this realm entirely."
"That's bullshit! You cheated you hairy old bastard!" Julius growled, with Indriad chuckling in response.
"Heh…after that display you showed earlier, I think you'll make a most wonderful sacrifice." He replied calmly to the enraged young man.
"Y-You're going to sacrifice us?! After all me and Julius went through?!" Marianette exclaimed, a look of total fear appearing on her face.
"S-Sacrifice, what do you mean?!" Luca cried out, with Marianette turning to face the young woman.
"This battlefield…is just a giant altar." The young girl informed the former, who started to put the pieces together.
"It's about time you noticed; though I'm not surprised that it took you so long to do so, given how much of a dullard you are…" Indriad dryly retorted, with the young girl flinching upon hearing those words.
"I swear if one more word comes out of your—" Julius began.
"Oh just knock it off already! She's not your sister, she'll never be your sister, and the more you entertain this farce, the more pathetic you'll end up becoming." The older man snarked cruelly, with the young man stepping back and clammed up instantly. "Not that it matters in the end."
"You always do this to me…" Marianette regained her voice, walking slowly towards her father. "No matter what I do…it always ends up like this, one way or another…" At this stage, the young girl was about to resign to her fate, when a familiar voice from the past echoed through her head.
"Maria, no matter what happens, don't you dare lose hope. Don't lose who you are and don't forget what's about to happen. You understand?"
A surprised look appeared on Marianette's face, once that went unnoticed by her father. "Well I think you all suffered enough, let's get this over with, shall we?"
"Maria…I remember, it's Maria!" The young girl called out, catching her father off-guard.
"What the blazes are you going on about, Marianette?!" Indriad hissed at her. "Ugh, you annoy me even in your final moments. Shut your mouth and die with dignity—"
"No, you shut YOUR mouth!" Maria retorted, with Julius giving her a warm smile, proud of her for standing up to her batshit insane father.
"H-How dare you speak to me like that, you terrible child!" Indriad spluttered with rage, a bit of froth forming on the sides of his mouth.
"It's all clear to me now…I remember who I was…who I am!" Maria continued, confidence coursing through her body.
"Y-You remember…?" Indriad inquired hesitantly, fearing the worst-case scenario. "I-Impossible! This cannot be happening!"
"Julius…" Maria called out, the young man walking up to her. "I-I'm sorry…but I have to go back on my deal. I won't be going with you four. I still have many things to do here…"
"N-No! Not after we worked so hard to get to this point!" Julius cried out, the all too familiar feeling of despair setting into his heart.
"B-But you'll be trapped with this horrible, horrible man." Luca protested, with Maria giving her a sad smile.
"I know…but it's what I have to do." She replied, turning to face Julius, who was on the verge of tears. "Julius, the short time I spent with you was one of the best moments of my life so far. Even though we just met each other today, I feel as if I've known you for an eternity. Though we may be far apart, I'll always be by your side in spirit, big brother."
"M-Maria…" Julius choked back tears, getting on his knee and embracing her in a warm hug. "I-I'll never forgot you, my beloved sister…"
"Indeed, I won't ever forgot you, not again." Maria smiled make, holding back her own tears. "But now, I must set you all free!"
One by one, Julius, Venam, Luca and Lenny were turned into mysterious glowing orbs like before. Indriad, having recovered from his brief period of shock ran towards her, snarling like a wild animal in an attempt to stop her, but he was too late. The older man can only stand by and watch as the four orbs were teleported out of the arena, a pair of maids running in to check in on what was going on. "Marianette…how dare you…" He growled at her, in a non-human tone of voice.
However, he would get the surprise of a lifetime as Maria warped right in front of him, causing him to step back a few feet. "It looks like there's only you to deal with now, father.' Maria smirked, putting heavy emphasis on the last word, her body coated by a mysterious aura. "How long has it been since that day, I wonder…"
Indriad was trying to come up with a scathing retort…but nothing would form in his mind. For the first time in a while, he was lost for words.
"Oh, a loss for words are we? Well that better change, because we've got a LOT to talk about; after all…there's a lot of catching up to do." Maria continued, eying up her father ominously.
0000
The group of four reappeared right in front of the entrance to the Abandoned Sewers, with Venam, Luca and Lenny quickly checking their bodies to see if everything was alright, and breathed in relief when they had accounted for everything. Julius on the other hand, was deathly quietly, a forlorn expression on his face.
"Thank goodness we're away from that hellish place. I swear I ain't going treasure hunting for a long time." Luca cheered to herself.
"If only you two had listened to me in the first place, none of this would've happened!" Lenny snapped at the other two.
"Oh come on, we made it out in the end, all thanks to Julius!" Venam replied, turning to face the young man. "Thanks for bailing us out of that jam."
"…was it worth it though?" He mumbled under his breath.
"Come again?" The purple-haired girl asked, with the young man looking up at the trio before him.
"WAS IT WORTH IT IN THE END?!" Julius snapped, tears leaking out of his eyes as he stormed away from the area, leaving the trio mystified as to what had caused him to snap.
Wow…this would have to be the longest chapter I have written in my fanfiction career so far. It's a shame that Julius and Maria couldn't stick together since she's such a sweetheart, but that's how the game goes. Tune in next time for the beginning of the Goldenleaf sideplot, which will differ from the game a fair bit, due to Julius' backstory. Catch you all later.