Welcome to the next chapter of Holly Rising! There is the remainder of a prompt this chapter, but it will be explained afterward because it contains spoilers. All prompts of the property of Wizardmonfan, and are being summarized here with permission. As always, I do not own Pokémon, and see the author's notes for details.
51. Falling Hard
The shadow moved closer, but Holly did not flinch.
She had just taken on a bunch of Dragon Tamers, so she could handle whatever was coming next!
As the figure drew near, Holly could finally make out what it was.
It was another Pokémon, and clearly a dragon. It looked like a serpent, with a light blue body and white underside. It had white ears and a white nose, the former swiveling madly. It had black eyes with a bit of brown in them. However, Holly could detect no friendliness in them, as they burned with rage.
Despite the intimidating glare, Holly grinned.
A Dratini! Holly might not have known much about dragons, but she knew this was one of the weakest ones.
There would be nothing to fear!
She heard Kris whisper ominously.
"A wild Dratini. Pretty rare in this area, but they can be aggressive. From the way this one is acting, I imagine it thinks the people here have invaded its territory. It will stop at nothing to drive us off."
Holly yelled. "If it wants a fight, then we will fight back!"
She pointed at the Dratini.
"Mawile, Mega Evolve!"
Holly could see the now familiar light again as she pressed the button on her bracelet. Mawile roared again, and Holly could also hear the sounds of people stepping back. She guessed the people were the Dragon Tamers, deciding to give her some more space. It would make sense, but it wasn't like the fight would last long.
After a few minutes the light cleared, and Mawile stood in its new form.
However, the Dratini was not fazed. Instead, it only seemed to grow angrier, snorting as fire burned in its eyes.
Holly only smirked.
Anger wouldn't save it!
She pointed towards the Dratini.
"Mawile, Play Rough!"
Mawile rushed forward, confidence brimming on its face.
Yet the confidence was misplaced, as the Dratini slithered to the side.
Holly let out a gasp as Mawile nearly crashed into the bridge.
Luckily, Holly's Pokémon turned around, but it was too late to do anything.
The Dratini let out a howl and opened its mouth.
A stream of flame exited from it, and Mawile screamed as the flames enveloped it.
Holly could feel the blood draining from her face. She had heard of Dratini learning Fire Type moves, but only when they were owned by a Trainer.
So how did a wild one know the move?
Kris's voice gravely sounded through her head.
"Flamethrower… A move only taught to Dratini by Trainers… So this wild Dratini was probably abandoned by its Trainer, or is the offspring of a Pokémon that was abandoned. That would certainly explain its hostility."
Holly clenched her fist.
Who would just abandon a Pokémon? That was so cruel!
But abandoned or not, Holly had to drive the Dratini back!
Mawile was covered in burn scars, and it winced as it staggered to its feet.
However, Holly could still see a resolute look on its face.
After its recent victories, Mawile wanted to win the battle as badly as she did.
Holly smiled. She wasn't about to let her Pokémon down.
"Mawile, Play Rough!"
Mawile dashed forward again, but Dratini was ready.
It jumped, and Mawile missed completely.
The Dratini angled its head down, directly above Mawile. Before the other Pokémon could react, Dratini shot a stream of flame at its opponent. Mawile let out another scream as the flames crashed into it. The entire battlefield was enveloped in fire and smoke, and Holly couldn't see a thing. She coughed, her throat burning as she struggled to breathe.
But she realized that whatever pain she was feeling was nothing compared to what Mawile must've been experiencing.
She could hear her own Pokémon's terrified cries…
And then they slowly died down.
Holly shook, fearing the worst.
And it turned out the worst was what happened.
As the flames cleared, Mawile lay on the ground. Its eyes were closed, and its body wasn't moving. Holly could see that its face was contorted in pain, and she couldn't bear to imagine its final moments before losing consciousness.
She quickly recalled her Pokémon and faced the Dratini. It still glared at her, across from where Mawile had been.
Yet this time, Holly stepped back.
She clenched her fist, coming to a grim relation.
None of her other Pokémon had attacks that were even remotely effective against dragons! And even if she revived Mawile, it could not use Mega Evolution again!
What was she going to do now?
Before Holly could answer that question, she saw Kris running up.
The disabled Trainer had a Poké Ball in her hand, and in her eyes was a glare as fierce as the Dratini's.
Her words were icy cold as she threw the ball.
"Go, Mallory."
Holly's eyes widened.
Mallory was the name of that crazy Mimikyu!
What was Kris planning to do?
Holly could say no more as Mallory appeared in a bright white light. The Mimikyu still held a devilish grin, and Holly realized she couldn't stop herself from shaking.
She wondered if the other Trainers felt the same, as not a one made a move to stop Kris.
The Dratini still glared right back, seemingly unaware of how the tables had turned.
Perhaps it expected another easy opponent.
But Kris would make sure that wasn't the case.
The disabled Trainer's eyes narrowed as she spoke with her command.
"Mallory, Play Rough."
The Mimikyu rushed toward the Dratini. The wild Pokémon tried to dodge to the side, but Mallory was too fast. Within minutes, she collided with her opponent, letting out a high-pitched laugh.
Holly could see the familiar smoke and stars.
However, everything else was unfamiliar.
Mallory's cackling was mixed in with her opponent's screaming. Holly felt more pain all over her body, but she knew these weren't little scratches and bites. She thought she could see the blood in the cloud of smoke, but only briefly.
Holly felt a wave of nausea, and wondered if she would be sick.
What was Mallory doing?
This was just a wild Pokémon, not a Team Rocket member!
And why didn't Kris call her back?
Was the disabled Trainer unable to?
Regardless, the smoke cleared. Holly let out another gasp.
Mallory was standing on top of the wild Dratini, glaring straight down at it. She let out another laugh, and Holly felt chills run down her spine. It wasn't long before the laugh morphed into words. There were high-pitched and distorted, but Holly could still make out what they were.
"Play with me! I want to play more!"
Holly gulped, and the nausea almost became too much.
Mallory thought battles were a game?
And not just any battle, but battles where Pokémon were hurt, or even killed?
What had made Mallory like that?
Did Kris?
Holly shook her head.
No, Kris couldn't have done this. She was a little aggressive as a battler, sure, but no other Pokémon she was with acted like Mallory…
So if Mallory was like that from the start…
Why did Kris keep her around?
Holly's eyes fell to Mallory's unfortunate opponent, and she could now see that the Dratini had bright red cuts and bites all over it. Liquid oozed out of them, and a wave of nausea hit Holly when she realized it was blood. The Dratini no longer had its defiant gaze. Instead, its eyes were wide with fear.
Kris approached Mallory, but that brought little comfort.
Because then Mallory spoke more words, turning to Kris with a wide grin that seemed like something out of nightmares.
"More blood? More fights? Can we fight more, please?"
Kris somehow remain unperturbed, calmly shaking her head.
"No, Mallory, not now."
Mallory's ears drooped and her face fell. However, it was only briefly before she was glaring back down at her opponent.
Holly wondered why Mallory didn't just turn to attack Kris right there. Perhaps she knew Kris would punish her. Given Kris's ruthlessness, Holly wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
Now Kris was glaring at the fallen Pokémon, eyes holding no emotion.
Her voice pierced the air, cold as ice.
"Surrender."
The Dratini let out a whimper, but no one bothered to translate it.
It was perfectly clear what the sound meant.
Kris was quick to add another sentence.
"Leave, now."
Mallory got off the Dratini and the wild Pokémon stared, stunned. After a few minutes, it painfully slithered away, leaving a bit of blood behind.
For a while, silence hung in the air, save for the sound of Kris recalling Mallory.
Then, Anabel broke the silence.
Her eyes still burned with rage, and Holly thought she could destroy someone with it.
Anabel made no effort to conceal her anger as she screamed.
"What were you doing, Kris?"
Kris again responded without much emotion.
"Helping you out."
"That was unnecessary force! A vicious Pokémon like Mallory should be put down!"
Holly's eyes widened.
Put down?
Destroyed?
Anabel couldn't be suggesting that!
No matter how bloodthirsty Mallory was, it was clear from Kris's behavior at the Pokémon Fan Club that she truly cared for her.
If Kris lost such a beloved Pokémon, after losing so many others…
What would happen to her?
Holly gritted her teeth, her own anger showing on her face.
She couldn't let Anabel push Kris around!
She quickly yelled.
"Anabel, Kris didn't do anything wrong! It's not unnecessary force, because Kris didn't kill the Pokémon! Sure, she got a little rough with her, but she's usually like that!"
Anabel's voice was dangerously low.
"She's usually like that? Do you mean to say she usually fights to the point of drawing blood and of hurting others without remorse? I don't think so."
Anabel glared straight at the spot where Mallory was.
"That Pokémon is nothing but trouble."
Holly screamed.
"How would you know that, Anabel? It isn't yours! Besides, some Pokémon species are naturally violent! Maybe that Pokémon is one!"
Anabel shook her head furiously.
"I know that species, Holly, and it's not naturally vicious."
She turned her scorching gaze on Kris.
"If you continue to allow a Pokémon to be vicious, whether you've trained it to be that way or not, then you are guilty of a crime."
Kris glared daggers, and was no mistaking the venomous words coming out of her mouth.
"There you go again. A crime and a punishment. Clearly, you've learned nothing so far. Well, I can teach you something now."
Kris locked eyes with Anabel, her voice taking on a chilling tone.
"What I do with my Pokémon is none of your business."
Anabel gritted her teeth, but didn't dare say anything more.
Holly had a similar fire in her eyes, but realized she was directing her glare towards Anabel.
She clenched her fist.
Holly might not know why Kris had Mallory, or why Mallory was so ruthless.
However, she did know two things.
One was that freeing Kris meant getting her away from Anabel.
And the second was that Holly had to punish Anabel somehow.
The woman needed to learn how much pain she was causing.
Author's notes:
-So, this chapter. This chapter is a bit different from its original incarnation, but first, the prompt.
Before proceeding to the third Dragon Tamer, the party gets held up by a wild Larvitar or Dratini. The party must then battle the wild Pokémon. This wild Pokémon can be either captured or defeated, but only one of the two can be encountered.
Author's notes:
-May as well start with the elephant in the room, Mallory. When I originally created Mallory's character, I didn't plan on her being vicious and bloodthirsty. Instead, her trait was her undying loyalty to Kris. This is why she is ruthless with Team Rocket, but kinder at the Fan Club.
However, a few things changed.
One is looking into the information about Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, as well as the Pokémon anime. In the original Sun and Moon, Mimikyu is a lonely Pokémon, if a bit of a prankster. In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, it is shown to have a vicious streak. The anime takes this full-blown, with a particular Mimikyu out to kill Pikachu just because it can. Keep in mind that this is anime, usually known for being more lighthearted than any other Pokémon media.
-A second reason for the change was what I'd already written. I was looking back through the previous chapters and realized Mallory was the only Pokémon that was ever seen drawing blood in battle during the story at all. Originally, I'd attributed this to Kris's history and her tendency to be harsh on criminals.
However, upon examining the scene more closely, I realized Kris had never asked Mallory to hurt an opponent until they bled. She'd ordered her to attack two Pokémon normally, and then a person, but she never specified how badly she wanted them hurt. Furthermore, Kris doesn't act the way a person normally might if there Pokémon unintentionally hurt someone, or hurt someone by going out of control. Usually, people are horrified, but Kris has no reaction, almost as if she's expecting it.
At the time, I decided this was because Kris's emotions were overpowering her logic. However, there are plenty of times where a Pokémon gets too rough in battle and Kris does react (such as the training scene with Holly's Pokémon a few chapters before Mallory's first appearance, Anabel's battle with Azure, or the scene with the wild Mightyena). And after Mallory first appears and does damage, Kris goes back to being logical and calm the very next chapter. If what Mallory did was entirely because of Kris's orders, then I feel like this wouldn't be the case.
This change also has to do with something I planned in the future, as I was writing Daughter while I was writing this. I won't say much because of spoilers, but this was a large part of the reason why Mallory's vicious personality makes more sense.
The final reason was because of novelty. There's very few vicious Pokémon in any media, and most of them have justifications. A lot of the Pokémon that seem vicious are actually under the command of morally questionable Trainers, and these Pokémon often state that they only do what they do out of loyalty. The biggest example of outright vicious Pokémon in the games is Shadow Pokémon. These Pokémon have been turned into fighting machines, but can slowly be brought out of the brought out of that state through battling. People also react with pity, knowing that these Pokémon are forced to become Shadow Pokémon, and that none of it is their fault.
Another huge example from the games is Necrozma from Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. It is destructive and seemingly ruthless in these games. However, it's implied the only reason its like that is because it is in pain, and trying to find a way to ease that pain. It's also implied that it is not responsible for how it behaves, and when the player finds a way to get rid of Necrozma's agony, it behaves normally. It's also worth noting that while the player can make their Pokémon dislike them, they cannot make their Pokémon vicious.
-The anime has many examples of Pokémon acting vicious with justifications, even though some of these justifications are rather flimsy. However, it also closest thing to a Pokémon like Mallory. In the anime, there is a wild Malamar that decides to hurt others just for the fun of it. However, this Malamar is based on a myth, so it's unknown how much that viciousness says about the Pokémon world itself.
With all this, I decided that it would be interesting to create a Pokémon like Mallory, because this is something usually not seen. And with all the different types of situations Pokémon can be ended, someone deciding to fight only for themselves and to hurt others would not seem unreasonable.
-The Dratini being abandoned by its Trainer and only knowing a move taught by them is based off of the anime. In the anime, there is a wild female Snivy that knows Attract. This move can only be used if it is taught to Snivy by a Trainer. Therefore, it is quickly deduced that Snivy's Trainer abandoned her and she became distrustful. This turned out to be the case, although she eventually regains enough trust to join Ash's team.
-Play Rough missing and Mawile being defeated by flames is based off of a scenario that can happen in the games. Play Rough is a powerful move, but it only has a 90% chance of hitting the opponent. Therefore, Play Rough missing and the user eventually getting defeated is not impossible.
-Anabel suggesting that Mallory get put down actually comes from similar situations in real life. Pokémon are never seen being put down for any reason in any of the media, even if they are vicious. However, in real life, if animal is deemed too aggressive, they can be euthanized. It's unknown what the Pokémon world standards are for overly aggressive Pokémon, but I did not think it unreasonable that euthanasia could be considered for Pokémon that are too dangerous to handle.
