This chapter is dedicated to Martyn, the guest reviewer who gave me the idea for Rafi. Thank you again for the suggestion, and please make an account for yourself so that next time you have something for Rafi, I can discuss it with you.
Previously on Poké Rangers: Knights of Order:
While Tristan and Rafi trained for their upcoming Gym Battle with Korrina, Camille left Shalour City, still guilty of her time as the evil Dragon Knight of Destruction. Shortly after, a new Poké-Mutant, Dramaldo, invaded the city, using his deadly stings to transform people into mutants, including Marianne and Celosia, a Team Flare scientist and Santos' latest target. Tristan, Rafi and Electra, aided by Gurkinn's Lucario, managed to acquire the antidote and Gurkinn used it to reverse the effects across the entire city. With the Knights reunited, they were able to completely destroy Dramaldo while Santos left to take Celosia to jail...
Chapter 20: The Monster Munchies
"The next Gym Battle of Shalour City is about to begin!" the judge announced. "The battle is between Korrina, the Gym Leader, and Tristan Mitchell from Slateport City. Each competitor will use three Pokémon, but only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon. The battle will end when all of one team's Pokémon is unable to fight."
Korrina gave a confident smirk. "You ready for this, Tristan?"
"Ready, willing and certain to win!" Tristan replied, clenching his fist.
In the arena stands, Quinn smiled. "He's confident, I'll give you that."
"Yeah, and I don't blame him," Marianne agreed. "With this badge, he'll be one step closer to entering the Pokémon League."
"Mienfoo, time to fight!" Korrina yelled, calling out her first Pokémon.
"Let's get it on, Sandslash!" Tristan shouted, sending his father's Pokémon out.
"Let the round begin!" the judge declared.
"Sandslash, let's go for Sandstorm!" Tristan called.
Sandslash spun around in a ball, creating a huge cloud of sand that swept over the area.
"Don't let that slow you down, Mienfoo!" Korrina shouted. "Drain Punch!"
Mienfoo raised a glowing paw and pounced towards Sandslash.
"Dodge it quick and go into Rollout!" Tristan called.
At the last second, Sandslash dived away from Mienfoo, curling up into a ball. Without slowing down, he rolled around the arena before turning towards Mienfoo and bashing into it, throwing it across the field.
"Now that's good thinking," Quinn said. "Thanks to that Sandstorm, Sandslash has increased his evasion, thus allowing it to avoid Mienfoo's attacks while building up momentum for Rollout."
"Get out of the way!" Korrina shouted.
Mienfoo jumped to one side, avoiding Sandslash's run. Sandslash skidded to a stop and turned to face it.
"High Jump Kick!" Korrina called.
"Counter it with Crush Claw!" Tristan ordered.
Mienfoo jumped into the air, its knee bent to attack. At the same time, Sandslash's claws flashed white as he pounced forward. The two Pokémon met in midair, knee clashing against claw. But Sandslash was thrown back across the arena.
"Oh no!" Tristan gasped.
"Now Swift!" Korrina called.
As Mienfoo landed, it threw its paws out, sending out dozens of glowing stars. The stars struck Sandslash as he fell and by the time he hit the ground, he was completely knocked out.
"Sandslash is unable to battle!" the judge called. "Mienfoo is the winner!"
"Looks like strength held out against speed in the end," Marianne sighed as she watched her friend recalling his Pokémon. "Tristan will have to step up his game."
"Yeah, and Rafi's gonna have a hard time against her too," Quinn added while Tristan sent out Fletchinder. "I hope Etna and Electra will be able to whip him into shape..."
"Come on, Rafi, keep it up!" Electra called as she jogged along one of the backstreets of Shalour with Pikachu on her shoulder.
Behind her, Rafi was puffing and panting as he ran after her. Lucky and Archie were sitting on his shoulders, Spiky ran at his feet and Orville flew overhead. Etna was just a few feet behind him, running with her Houndoom and Pyroar.
"Can we... take five?" Rafi gasped, bending double. "Is this exercise really necessary?"
"If you want to take on Korrina, you and your Pokémon need to be fighting fit," Etna replied. "Orville is tough enough, but Lucky would be taken out instantly. Spiky could hold his own against Mienfoo and Archie has some Flying-Type moves to fight back."
"Can't we just train my Pokémon up a little then?" Rafi asked.
"Alright, let's do that next," Electra agreed. "Let's head for the beach."
As they walked at a slower pace, they suddenly saw a group of people gathered on the street. "Hey, what's happening over there?" Rafi asked.
"Let's take a look," Electra decided.
Pushing through the crowd, they saw a stall that sold small colorful candies. Behind it, a large man wearing an apron and a Slurpuff-shaped hat was beckoning them closer.
"Step right up, folks!" he called out. "Have I got a treat for you today? For one day only, I'm giving away free samples of my secret recipe, super-delicious, hard-to-resist, PokéPuffs! A treat so tasty that humans and Pokémon will go nuts over them. Just try one and you're hooked on them!"
"I'll take one," Rafi called, running up to the stand. "All that running has certainly worked up an appetite."
"Wait a minute, guys," Etna said. "This all sounds a little fishy. No one gives away PokéPuffs for free."
"Come on, Etna, it's just one PokePuff. What harm can it do?" So saying, Rafi picked up a mint PokéPuff and took a bite out of it.
At once, his face lit up and his eyes began to sparkle. "Wowie! This is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten! I've gotta have more of them!" Stuffing the last of the mint PokéPuff in his mouth, he snatched up an armful of them and started munching them up. Some of the treats fell out and his Pokémon started eating them too.
"What's going on here?" Electra cried.
"Seriously, guys, you've got to try these!" Rafi shouted with his mouth full. "They're so good!"
"I'll be the judge of that!" Electra snatched up a spice PokéPuff and carefully nibbled it. But the more she ate of it, the quicker it disappeared into her mouth. Then she took up another PokePuff... and another... and then ten more.
"Hey, slow down, you two!" Etna called. "Those treats can't be good for you if you eat so many!"
It was then Etna saw that several people were munching through bunches of PokéPuffs, without showing any signs of stopping. She looked down and saw Spiky and Pikachu fighting with Lucky and Archie over the treats.
"What's going on here?" she muttered. "Something's not right."
"Pidgeo," Orville agreed.
As they looked around, the man behind the stall gave a sinister smile...
"Excellent, excellent," Sabelteur chuckled, watching the scene on the computer screen.
"Credit where it's due, this plan is working well," Sharphound conceded.
"Yes," Yvestros grinned. "Those PokéPuffs are the most addictive treat in the whole city."
"And the best part is, they won't stop," Sabelteur laughed, showing his teeth. "They'll just keep eating and eating and eating until they're unable to move or act. And once they're nice and plump, we'll come in and drain the whole city of their life force!"
Tristan's battle had come down to the wire. Fletchinder had made short work of Mienfoo and was able to take out Machoke after a long fight, but now Korrina had sent in Hawlucha who was able to defeat Fletchinder and Tristan had replaced him with Combusken.
"Hawlucha, Karate Chop!" Korrina shouted.
Hawlucha took off towards Combusken, raising its arm to hit him.
"Counter that with Sky Uppercut!" Tristan called.
Combusken jumped into the air, pulling his arm back. Just before Hawlucha could strike, Combusken threw his arm up, catching Hawlucha on the chin and throwing it backward.
"Now let's finish with Flame Charge!"
Combusken's body caught fire as he sprinted to his opponent.
"Quickly, Hawlucha, go for Flying Press!" Korrina yelled.
Hawlucha took to the air once more and dived towards Combusken. The two Pokémon struck each other at the same time, causing a blinding flash of light that made everyone cover their eyes. When the light faded, Combusken and Hawlucha stood back to back in the arena, panting hard and still posed for battle.
Tristan and Korrina watched their Pokémon, waiting to see who would move first. Marianne gripped the edge of the stands and Quinn waited with bated breath.
At that moment, Combusken started to fall forward. Tristan gasped in shock and Hawlucha turned to grin at its success. But then its body flashed red and it flinched before it tumbled to the ground, landing just before Combusken who had caught himself in the nick of time.
"Hawlucha is unable to battle!" the judge declared. "The winner of the battle is Tristan!"
"Yahoo! We did it!" Tristan cheered.
"Way to go, Tristan!" Quinn shouted.
In the arena, Combusken walked up to Hawlucha and held out his wing. Hawlucha accepted it and let Combusken lift him to its feet.
"Thanks for that," Korrina smiled as she walked up to Tristan. "Congratulations. That was a great battle. It certainly made me feel better after what Camille did to me. Please, accept this Rumble Badge as a sign of your victory."
Tristan took the badge and held it up to show his friends. "Check it out, guys!"
"Well done, Tristan!" Marianne called.
Just then, they heard a loud beeping coming from their Morphers.
"Oh, it's our communicators." Tristan raised his Morpher and switched it on. "This is Tristan, what's going on?"
"Hey, it's Etna!" came the reply.
"Etna?" Tristan asked. "How are you calling us?"
"I'm using Electra's Morpher," Etna replied. "Something's going on with her and Rafi. I think you'd better come and see this."
Far from Shalour City, Camille was making her way through the coastal Route 12, her mind still clouded from the memories of the past few weeks. Even though she'd left the Knights, she still felt guilty for all the things she'd done to them.
"How can anyone forgive me, after all that?" she muttered to herself. "I've done many bad things in the past, but I've nearly killed my closest friends, Marianne and Quinn! I'd never forgive myself."
As the last thought was spoken, she stopped and sat down on the edge of the shore, looking out at sea. "And it's not just my human friends either," she sobbed. "My best friend, Dragonite, is gone too. How could I have done such a horrible thing?"
"Excuse me, are you alright?" came a voice behind her.
Camille turned around in alarm, seeing a middle-aged woman coming up to her. She had bright pink hair and wore red-tinted glasses, a black turtleneck shirt cut off at the navel and long red pants with diamond shaped cut outs. At her side was a Houndoom wearing a red studded collar with a glowing stone.
"Why are you crying?" she asked.
"You wouldn't understand," Camille replied glumly.
The woman folded her arms. "Try me."
Camille turned away from her and looked out to sea again. "Well, I'd been kidnapped by the most ruthless villain in the world and hypnotized into doing horrible things to some very good friends. And now this guilt is eating me up inside..." She broke off with a sigh, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The woman walked up to her and put a hand on Camille's shoulder. "You'd better come with me. My house is close by, and we can talk more there."
"And they've been eating those PokéPuffs for how long?" Tristan asked once Etna had explained the whole story.
Following Tristan's victory, he, Marianne and Quinn had met up with Gurkinn and Etna by the Tower of Mastery, Etna having managed to drag Rafi and Electra away from the PokéPuff stall while Orville and Talonflame had to carry Lucky, Spiky and Archie.
"For about ten minutes after they tasted the first one," Etna replied. "And you should have seen the crowds of people and Pokémon clamoring for more."
Quinn meanwhile was examining Rafi and Electra. "Well, all those PokéPuffs have definitely made an impression on them."
Tristan and Marianne nodded in agreement. Electra's stomach was sticking out from under her jacket while Rafi had put on so much weight that his clothes were barely fitting his body. Even Lucky, Spiky, Pikachu and Archie were sporting ballooned stomachs.
Etna held up a bag full of PokéPuffs. "I managed to get the last few before the people swiped them."
"Give them here!" Electra snapped, pushing Quinn aside.
"No way, I saw them first!" Rafi yelled.
Before they could reach Etna, Lucario grabbed them by their shirts and held them back. Orville barely managed to lift Lucky and Archie into the air while Talonflame kept a firm grip on Pikachu and Spiky, not noticing that Pikachu's cheeks were beginning to spark. "Pika-chuuuuuuuuu!"
Pikachu released his Thunder Shock, zapping Talonflame and Spiky. Talonflame crashed to the ground knocked out along with Spiky while Pikachu wriggled free and pounced on the PokePuff bag, intending to rip it open and get the treats inside.
Gurkinn quickly slipped on a pair of blue gloves and grabbed Pikachu gently but firmly, pulling him away from the bag. Pikachu released another Thunder Shock, but Gurkinn was unaffected. "That won't work on me with these rubber gloves on. Let's get them inside."
Tristan and Quinn gave Lucario a hand with Rafi and Electra while Etna and Marianne carried Lucky, Spiky and Archie, escorting them down the stairs to the Knights' Base.
While Quinn and Marianne helped Rafi, Electra and their Pokémon onto the beds and strapped them down, Tristan, Etna, and Gurkinn took the bag over to the console. "Their ravenous behavior started the moment they ate these PokéPuffs," Gurkinn explained. "So maybe the computer can scan these things and find out what it is that makes them so irresistible."
He took out a PokéPuff and placed it on the scanner. A few seconds later, the screen flashed on, revealing a list of ingredients.
"Let's see here... various species of Berries... different types of seasonings and... one unknown element detected." Gurkinn typed on the keyboard, trying to examine the element closer. "The readings can't pick up on the unknown ingredient, but it does seem to have a viscosity similar to that of Lickilicky saliva."
"Eww," Tristan muttered.
"Is there a way we can cure them?" Etna asked.
"It's not that easy, I'm afraid. If I don't know what that stuff is, I can't work out how to fix them."
"Then what do we do?" Quinn asked.
Gurkinn took a deep breath and turned around. "The medical scanners may be able to locate the source directly, but to do that, they'll need to examine someone who's in the early stages of this spell. Rafi and Electra are too far gone for that, which leaves us with only one option."
Marianne's eyes widened. "You don't mean...?"
"One of us will have to eat a PokéPuff for the scan."
Etna and the unaffected Knights were silent for a long moment. Then Quinn stepped forward. "I'll do it."
Gurkinn shook his head. "As much as I commend your sacrifice, someone strong needs to protect the city, and I'm not the young Knight I used to be. I'll have to take it myself."
Tristan looked uneasy but he nodded. "Okay, Gurkinn. You're the boss. What do you want us to do?"
"Just monitor the scanners and analyze the cause of my cravings." With that, Gurkinn climbed onto the last bed and Lucario strapped him in. "And remember, no matter what I do, no matter how much I beg for it, do not let me loose until the scans have detected the cause. Is that clear?"
"Crystal, Gurkinn," Tristan replied as the others nodded.
"Alright, then let the hunger begin!"
Etna held the PokéPuff in front of Gurkinn, allowing him to take a bite. Within seconds of swallowing, Gurkinn started to pull against the straps. "I want more of them! Let me go!"
"You heard what he said before," Etna called. "Don't listen to him!"
Lucario quickly brought up the scanner and pointed it at Gurkinn. "Lucar."
"It's done," Tristan said grimly. "Now all we have to do is wait..."
After a short walk, Camille and the woman, whose name she revealed was Malva, arrived at a small house on the edge of a cliff. As Malva opened the door, a Fennekin bounded up to her, wagging its tail. "Fennekin!"
"Hound," barked Houndoom with a smile.
Fennekin then looked over at Camille and ran up to her, rubbing its head on her leg.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Camille cried.
"Oh, don't worry about Fennekin," Malva laughed. "She always does that when she meets someone new. She's very inquisitive."
"Is she your Pokémon?"
"Oh no, she just showed up outside my door one day," Malva replied, picking Fennekin. "And she's been visiting me ever since, probably to hang out with my Fire Pokemon. Come inside, and I'll make some tea."
Malva went into the kitchen, leaving Camille to wait in the lounge. Houndoom settled down in the corner and Fennekin hopped up onto the sofa, curling up into a ball. Camille took a moment to look around the room. Her eyes fell upon a group of framed photos on the coffee table and she picked one up, her blood running cold as she saw it. The picture showed Malva standing next to a younger woman with red and pink hair dressed in an orange kimono.
At that moment, Malva came back in, carrying a teapot and two cups on a red tray. "I'm back." As she set the tea down, she noticed Camille holding the picture. "That's me and my niece, Etna, at the Pokémon League two years ago. She made it to the final four that year. I was so proud of her. I imagine you've seen her in your travels?"
"Yeah, we've met," Camille said in a small voice.
Malva saw the tears forming in her eyes and her face became grim. "Oh, I see."
"I didn't even know she had any relatives," Camille sniffed, replacing the photo. "I'm so sorry."
"Please sit down, there's something I must tell you."
Once Camille was seated, Malva began her story. "When I asked you, you said that you wouldn't understand what was wrong. But after hearing your story, I can say that you were wrong. There was a time when I was in your shoes once."
"What do you mean?" Camille asked.
In response, Malva picked up another photo. "A few years ago, I was a news reporter on the Holo Caster when I was approached by some people. They wanted me to broadcast an urgent report to the citizens of Kalos, urging them to join their team and prevent a terrible fate on them. This picture is of me and their leader"
She then gave Camille the photo to look at. It showed Malva shaking hands with a pale red-haired man dressed in a dark suit. She recognized the man from an old news report she saw. "Lysandre, of Team Flare?"
"Yes, but back then, I didn't know of his plans. It was only after the theft at the Poké Ball Factory that he invited me to join him at his labs. He told me that he wanted to use the Ultimate Weapon to rebuild the world by wiping out all that was impure. He wanted me to stay as a reward for broadcasting his message."
"What made you change your mind?" Camille asked.
"My niece. She'd been traveling around Kalos taking part in the Gym Challenges," Malva explained. "But she and her friends had heard about Team Flare's plans and tried to invade the labs under Flare Cafe. I watched on the hidden surveillance as Etna and Callum fought with Lysandre and tried to deactivate the Weapon. Seeing her fight for the sake of Kalos made me realize that what I did was wrong."
She stood up and looked out of the window. "At Geosenge Town, I was furious at Lysandre's callousness towards people and Pokémon outside Team Flare. So while he was distracted with fighting Etna, Callum and Serena, I went downstairs to the core of the Weapon and revived Yveltal, freeing it from its Cocoon. Unfortunately, Lysandre's Executives caught me in the act and threatened to kill me. That was when Etna found me and saved my life. We managed to escape just before Lysandre tried to use the Weapon against us, ultimately ending Team Flare for good."
"Gosh," Camille breathed.
"After that, I was afraid that Etna would never forgive me for everything I did. And you know what she said to me?" Malva paused to take a sip of tea. "She said that not everyone will forgive me for the things I did to them, but what matters is that someone will always be there for you, especially those who are close to you." She looked over to Camille. "That's why I asked you to come here because you obviously can't forgive yourself even when someone does."
Camille sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye. "You're right. Santos was willing to forgive me. Maybe I can move on from this. But I'm not ready to go back to my friends yet."
"That's fine. Take as much time as you need."
Fennekin jumped into Camille's lap and looked up at her. "Fenne, fennekin."
Malva smiled and laughed. "I think she likes you."
Camille said nothing but she petted Fennekin's head. "I think it's time I made a fresh start..."
In a cloud of smoke, Sharphound appeared in an alleyway at Shalour City. He stepped out and approached the PokéPuff stall with a smile. "So how did the sale go?"
"Quite well, sir," the salesman replied. "Every single PokePuff has been taken and consumed. By now, half the city should be weakened by their own weight, thanks to my special saliva."
"Good," Sharphound smiled. "Then it's time to initiate the second step."
With a nod, the salesman's body shimmered and flashed. Within seconds, the salesman had been replaced by a Lickilicky creature that had the head of a Slurpuff. He took a deep sniff of the air. "Mmm, I can smell the life force still abound in the city."
"And it shall all be ours, Lickinslurp," Sharphound promised. "Now go out there and trap them all!"
Tristan paced around the room, his hands over his ears to drown out the starving moans. Rafi was straining against the straps while Electra tried to chew hers off. Gurkinn's face was beaded with sweat as he tried to break loose.
"It's been half an hour," Marianne sighed. "We should have had something by now!"
"At least Yvestros hasn't decided to attack us yet," Quinn replied.
At that moment, Lucario looked around. "Lucar, lucar!"
"What is it, Lucario?" Tristan cried.
Lucario placed his paw on the scanner and the computer switched on, this time showing a Lickilicky-Slurpuff monster roaming the streets, attacking anyone who hadn't eaten the PokéPuffs.
"I had to jinx it, didn't I?" Quinn sighed.
"That's the same street where the PokéPuffs were being sold," Etna realized.
"Pretty unusual coincidence," Tristan replied. "I think we'd better stop him."
"Go, you three," Etna ordered. "Lucario and I will stay here and wait for the scans to come through."
As Lucario set the coordinates of the Transportation Door, Tristan, Marianne, and Quinn activated their Morphers. "Order's Light, Ignite!"
The elements of Fire, Water, and Grass burst out of their Morphers and crashed onto their bodies, forming their armor.
"Let's go!" Tristan called, leading the way through the Door.
Lickinslurp stomped up to a Cafe, terrifying the visitors inside. He then lashed out his tongue, sending a spray of drool over the visitors.
"Stay where you are!" he yelled. "Nobody leaves until my Lord is done with you."
"Hey, tall, pink and gruesome! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to stick your tongue out at anyone?"
Lickinslurp spun around and saw Tristan, Marianne, and Quinn standing in the street, Blasters at the ready. "Well, well, the Knights of Order. What a delightful surprise. But aren't you missing two of you? Could they perhaps have fallen for my delicious treats?"
"That was you?" Marianne snapped.
"Yep! Now half the city is incapacitated, and Yvestros will be able to drain their life-force entirely."
"Not on our watch!" Quinn yelled.
"Fire!" Tristan yelled.
The Knights fired their Blasters, pelting Lickinslurp's body with their elemental shots. The Poké-Mutant stumbled out of the cafe in pain.
"That's it! Prepare to get licked!" With that, he whipped out his long tongue at them.
"Look out!" Tristan yelled, diving to one side.
Marianne and Quinn jumped away, just avoiding Lickinslurp's tongue as it crashed onto the pavement. A large drop of drool flew off from the tongue and splashed onto Quinn's legs.
"Let's get him!" Tristan cried, jumping to his feet.
As Marianne did the same, Quinn struggled to get up, but he couldn't move his legs. "What's going on? I can't get up!"
"Let me help you." Tristan put his hand on the drool on Quinn's legs, intending to wipe it off. But his hand got stuck there and it took a lot of effort to pull it off again. "Ergh, that drool's stronger than glue."
Marianne looked at the visitors in the cafe. "They're trapped too!"
Lickinslurp gave a nasty laugh then lashed his tongue out again, wrapping it around Tristan and pulling him away. "And before long, you will all face a sticky end!"
Etna went over to the medical scanner, examining the results of Gurkinn's brain scan. "Aha, so that's how it works. The mind has been tuned to think only of eating those PokéPuffs."
"Etna!" Gurkinn hissed deeply. "You've got to untie me right now!"
"No way! You made me promise not to let you go no matter what."
Gurkinn clenched his fist tightly. "Unless you release these straps right now, so help me, I will rip you to pieces!"
"This isn't you talking, Gurkinn," Etna snapped. "It's those PokéPuffs! Now snap out of it. The Knights of Order need you to lead them into battle. And for that, you need to focus on something other than eating!"
"You're right!" Gurkinn closed his eyes tight. "I've got to stop thinking of those treats! Must... stop... eating..."
Lucario pulled Etna back as Gurkinn started to struggle again. Just then, his body began to glow yellow and he gave an angry yell. Finally, he fell back against the bed, panting for breath.
"Gurkinn?" Etna asked, stepping closer. "How do you feel?"
Gurkinn slowly opened his eyes. "I no longer feel hungry if that's what you mean. You can let me go now."
"Great." Etna quickly untied him. "Now can that sort of thinking work on Rafi and Electra?"
"Only one way to find out." Gurkinn got up and went over to the other Knights. "Listen up, you two!"
Electra and Rafi stopped struggling and looked at him.
"I know you think we're restraining you against your will, but we did this for your own good." Gurkinn folded his arms. "Your mind should not be focused on food, but on protecting Kalos. Right now, your friends are out there fighting another one of Yvestros' monsters, but they can't do this without you two. Isn't that more important than a bunch of PokéPuffs? Now focus on that instead, and that's an order!"
A yellow glow surrounded Rafi and Electra as they closed their eyes and gritted their teeth. Then they fell back on the beds, shaking their heads.
"Ohhh, man," Electra groaned. "That was nuts."
"My stomach hurts," Rafi moaned.
"Probably a side effect of eating too many PokéPuffs," Gurkinn replied as he and Etna untied them.
"Well, that salesman's gonna pay for ruining my figure!" Electra snapped.
"As it turns out, that salesman might actually be a Poké-Mutant," Etna replied. "You'd better get out there and help your friends."
"I'll come with you this time," Gurkinn said, raising his Morpher. "Let's go work up a proper appetite!"
Tristan struggled and strained, but he couldn't pull himself out of Lickinslurp's tongue. "Let me go!"
"We've got to do something!" Marianne cried.
"How?" Quinn asked. "I'm still stuck to the ground."
"I've got an idea," Marianne said, holding out her hands. "Weapons of Order, engage!"
Seconds later, the Water Cannon appeared in her hands while Quinn found himself holding his Leaf Dirks.
"These won't be useful while I'm stuck," Quinn sighed.
Marianne smiled under her helmet. "But you can still throw them."
"Oh, I get it!" Taking careful aim, Quinn raised one arm and hurled his Dirk at Lickinslurp. As the dagger embedded itself in his leg, Lickinslurp gave a cry of pain, losing his grip and dropping the drool-soaked Tristan.
As Marianne raised her Cannon to attack, Lickinslurp growled in anger. "You're gonna regret that. Energy Ball!"
He summoned a glowing green ball in his hands and threw it out. Marianne cried out as the ball hit her and threw her against the wall. She fell to the ground, her armor sparking from the super effective attack.
"Marianne!" Tristan yelled, unable to get up.
Lickinslurp laughed as he approached Marianne. "Prepare to get licked!"
"Save some fight for the rest of us!"
As Lickinslurp started to turn around, a Feather Arrow flew out and struck him in the tongue, making him cry out in pain and stumble away from Marianne.
"What's the matter, big guy? Arrow got your tongue?" Gurkinn joked as he, Rafi and Electra ran up, fully morphed and wielding their weapons.
"Guys! You're okay!" Marianne cheered, jumping to her feet.
Quinn looked over at Electra's stomach poking through her armor and Rafi's bulky form barely fitting his costume. "If you can call that okay."
"We'll worry about that later," Gurkinn replied. "Right now, we need to help Tristan and Quinn and these people. Your Water Cannon should wash away the saliva and undo the paralysis."
Just then, Lickinslurp charged in again. Electra raised her Hammer. "Go for it, Marianne. We'll hold him off."
"Here goes." Marianne pulled the trigger and fired a stream of water out, hosing down Tristan and Quinn before turning her aim on the cafe patrons.
Tristan was quickly on his feet, shaking the water off. "Thanks for that."
"Feels good to move again," Quinn agreed, getting up too.
Marianne watched the patrons looking around confused. "Don't worry, we'll handle this freak."
At that point, Lickinslurp lashed out his tongue again. Gurkinn jumped aside and swung his Claw Blades round, slicing through the tongue. The Poké-Mutant gave another agonized scream, clutching at his mouth.
"Now we've got him!" Gurkinn shouted. "Let's form the Justice Blaster!"
"Water Cannon!" Marianne held her weapon out.
"Feather Bow!" Rafi stuck his weapon underneath the Blaster.
"Leaf Dirks!" Quinn stuck his daggers on either side of the barrel.
"Thunder Hammer!" Electra stuck her weapon at the back.
"Fire Sword!" Tristan put his sword on top of the Blaster.
"Claw Blades!" Gurkinn locked his blades at the base of the Bow. The tip of the sword opened up, as did Electra's hammer and Quinn's daggers, forming extra barrels.
"Justice Cannon, active!" Gurkinn cried, holding up the weapon as the other Knights ran behind him. "Fire!"
Pulling the trigger, Gurkinn unleashed a powerful blast of rainbow energy that slammed into Lickinslurp who gave a muffled cry of pain as he fell to the ground and exploded.
The instant he died, Electra and Rafi's bodies began to sparkle. The others watched in amazement as Electra's stomach shrank back under her armor and Rafi's weight melted back to his original build.
"Oh brilliant!" Tristan cheered. "You're back to normal now."
"Best weight-loss program ever!" Electra cried.
"My Lord, Lickinslurp's been destroyed," Sharphound shouted. "The Spydoves are showing that everybody that ate his PokéPuffs is returning to normal."
"Those rotten Knights!" Yvestros snapped. "Mothitelle, get out there and sort this out!"
"On my way, Lord Yvestros!" Mothitelle replied, vanishing in a cloud of smoke.
"Glad that's been fixed," Rafi said. "My armor was starting to get tight."
Right on cue, Mothitelle appeared overhead. "Things are about to get even tighter when I'm done here. Power Spore!"
She flew over to Lickinslurp's body and sprinkled her spore over him. With a roar, he got to his feet, growing over thirty times his size.
"Here we go again," Tristan sighed, pressing his button. "Release the PokéZords!"
Within seconds, the Transportation Door appeared and the PokéZords appeared on the edge of town.
"Good luck, you guys," Gurkinn called, running back through the Door.
The rest of the Knights ran to their Zords. Beams of light shot out from the cockpits, transporting them inside the machines.
"Time to get serious," Tristan cried, slamming his hand on the red button. "Megazord of Justice transformation, activate!"
Each PokéZord flashed white as the command was issued. First, the Blaziken Zord jumped into the air, its arms folding back into its body. At the same time, the Blastoise Zord withdrew its head and limbs into its shell, which opened up on the front and fused over the Blaziken Zord's body, creating the main torso.
Next, the Sceptile and Ampharos Zords lay down on their stomachs and folded in their limbs and tails as they straightened up, the heads resting on their chests. The bottom half joined onto the main torso, forming the legs.
Then, the Pidgeot Zord took to the air, its head and tail folding into its body which then split in half. Each half then joined to either side of the torso upside down, so that the legs formed the arms, while the wings folded over the front of the torso. The completed MegaZord landed on the ground, the Blaziken's beak opening up to reveal a more humanoid face.
"Megazord of Justice, ready!" the Knights yelled in the main cockpit as the robot raised its arms.
"It's licking time!" Lickinslurp yelled, lashing out his tongue.
"Watch out!" Rafi yelled, throwing his joystick out.
In one swift movement, the Megazord grabbed hold of Lickinslurp's tongue, yanking him forward before wrapping him up like a present.
"Time to take you for a little spin!" Rafi cried, pulling his stick back.
The MegaZord pulled the tongue again, spinning Lickinslurp round and round like a top. When he stopped spinning, he stumbled back dizzily.
"Now, while he's distracted," Tristan cried. "Mega Sword, engage!"
The Sword materialized in the Megazord's hands.
"It's your turn to get licked!" Tristan shouted, throwing his stick forward. "Order Slash!"
The MegaZord charged forward and swung its glowing sword around, cutting through Lickinslurp, instantly taking the Poké-Mutant out.
"Oh yeah!" Electra cheered, high-fiving Rafi.
"Damn them all!" Yvestros yelled, slamming his fist on the throne.
Sabelteur quickly retreated to his lab to avoid his wrath again.
Rafi took a mouthful of Etna's stew, savoring the taste. "Mmmm, it's good to eat something other than those PokéPuffs."
"You said it," Electra replied, petting her Pikachu's head. "Glad to see our Pokémon back to normal too."
"That reminds me." Etna took out the bag of PokéPuffs and threw them at Delphox's feet. "Incinerate, please."
Delphox raised her branch and blew out a stream of fire, burning the bag into ashes in seconds.
"There, that's the last we'll see of those things," Etna declared.
"Good thing too," Marianne replied.
"So, Tristan, you managed to get your Rumble Badge, huh?" Electra asked.
"Yep." Tristan took out his Badge case and opened it. "Check it out."
"Awesome!" Rafi cried. "And tomorrow, I'll get mine too. I'm sure I can get it after a little more training."
"I think your Pokemon are all set to go," Tristan said. "I know you can beat Korrina!"
As Camille left the house, Malva saw her out. "What will you do now?"
"Well, once I get to Coumarine City, I'll change my team around and challenge the Gym Leader there," Camille replied. "I'd like to have a fresh start in my life."
"Good to hear," Malva beamed.
Just then, Fennekin came bounding out the door, stopping at Camille's feet. "Fennekin, fennekin."
"It looks like Fennekin has taken quite a shine to you," Malva chuckled. "I think she wants to come with you."
Camille knelt down to look into Fennekin's eyes. "Is that true? Do you want to come with me and help me in my Gym Battles?"
Fennekin smiled and wagged her tail. "Fenne, fennekin!"
Smiling too, Camille picked her up and set her on her shoulder. "Okay then, let's go!" She turned and waved at Malva. "Thanks for everything!"
"Good luck in the rest of your journey, Camille!" Malva called, waving back. "And if you ever see Etna again, let her know that I'm safe and sound!"
"I will!" Camille promised.
With that, Camille turned and set off down the road, with a new friend on her team and a burden lifted from her heart...
And with that, this chapter comes to an end.
I just want to quickly say that updates will not be as frequent as the start, now that I'm working on Beginnings of Adventure. But I will do my best to get a chapter out as best I can. But thank you for being patient with me and not nagging me about it.
Until then, see you round.