When Dagda exited the house, he noticed his small friend approach the van and swing the back doors open. He glanced behind him, much calmer now and realizing that again, he struck down the evil in front of him without hesitation. He turned to Allister, who climbed into the vehicle with his small stature. Dagda walked over, curious himself.
The duo came upon the large bag that rested in the back of the van, and both Halflings noticed that it seemed to quiver. It was as if there was something alive and afraid within the bag, and the duo exchanged a look before Allister opened it, gasping at the contents.
Dagda watched Allister tear the bag with an emotional tug, and he blinked at what he saw. Within was a girl, likely around their age, with skin slightly darker than Dagda's and white hair. She wore a latex bodysuit, something that hugged her fit figure rather well to Dagda.
However, he couldn't focus on her beauty, because there were marks all across her body. Black hyphens across her legs and arms and he assumed underneath her clothing as well. Dagda was a smart child, and as one who had traveled through the markets in a massive city like Lumiose, he knew exactly what these markings were.
They were markings used by butchers, meant to divide different cuts of meat.
Dagda watched Allister hug the girl, who seemed to quiver in fear despite the fact that she was safe. "I was so worried about you, Bea." he said, and Dagda blinked. He recognized that name from somewhere. He thought on it for a second, and realized that she was Allister's backup. Whenever Allister had a meeting or outside endeavor, this was the trainer that was said to take over his gym.
Dagda looked to his friend. "We got to get her out of here before any more of those bastards show up." he said, and Allister nodded, leading his fearful friend from her four wheeled prison. Her leg, which was marked up for butchering, seemed damaged, and she had a hard time moving.
Dagda noticed this and reached out to her, grabbing her light, frail body and cradling her close to his chest. He could tell from her fear stricken scent and innate muscle that she was unique. This girl, much like the Gym Leader she was the substitute for, was also a Halfling. Dagda found this rather interesting, and he looked to Allister.
"Her too?" he asked, and the Sableye nodded his fluffy head. "She's one of my friends, Dagda. Why did this happen?" he asked, and the demon sighed. He looked to the beautiful girl in his arms, and then to his adorable little brother.
He didn't like seeing such good people, people he cared for, in distress like this. He knew that Gordie was responsible for the uptick in crime supposedly. He knew that Melony was his mother, but Dagda could see that a parent could only take so much before they truly snap and look at their child without that normal bias.
Dagda looked to the fear stricken girl in his arms and smiled. "I got you, beautiful. You don't need to shake anymore." he said, and the girl glanced up to him with her large, beautiful eyes. Allister sighed, scratching his head as he looked over the situation. "Now what? There's an unmarked van and whatever inside the house and it's barely the afternoon." he said, and Dagda hummed.
"Let us take care of that." they heard, turning to see Scar and Nappa approaching, the larger Halflings seeming rather agitated when they looked at the scene. "Pops, good to see you again." Dagda mused, and the large Halfling nodded, narrowing his eyes.
"Scar managed to commandeer a section of the stadium to hold everything and everyone you needed except your friend with the white hair. Whenever you want to challenge the gym, you're all set." he said, and Dagda smiled.
"Not today. I have other things I need to take care of." he said, and Nappa looked to his arms, the girl seeming to be slightly more relaxed. However, he too noticed that she was marked up for a butcher, and he frowned, scales forming over his large forearms for a split second. "Give her to us. We'll nurse her back to health." he said, and Dagda looked to the girl.
"Please comply, Dagda." he heard, noticing a familiar dark aura and goose stepping figure approaching. He sighed, shaking his head at the sight of Heinreich, who seemed to look the girl over with a smile. "Ahhhh, perfection." he said, watching Dagda hand the girl to Nappa, who sighed as he looked to Scar, the duo casting each other a knowing look before they left.
"Are my costumes ready, Heinreich?" Dagda asked, and the Garchomp Halfling nodded, a sick smile on his features. "Of course, My Lord. The garbs and their fallen angels are all ready for you. I look forward to seeing your performance. We all are." he said, and Dagda inhaled. He wanted to end this, but… he had to do something else first.
With Dagda heading towards the temporary residence Melony set him and his friend up with, and Allister heading back to Stow on Side for his next match, Heinreich was left alone to enter the house. When he did, he could only smile.
He saw the sight of the two bodies and felt a chill run down his spine. His prophecy was coming true and it brought him an immense ecstasy. "You two brave souls are forgiven… the Devil that tempted you can seduce you no longer." he said, rolling his shoulders as he began to dance, surrounded by naught but darkness and two corpses.
That girl, the Machoke Halfling Bea Tekken, was the next piece of his prophecy. It was quite the beautiful, ying yang like scenario. The Black Angel and his first partner, a cherubic young man of white. The White Demon and his second partner, a battle hardened young woman, skin darker than his own. It was parallel to his own mentor, Scar Lionheart.
He loved this, the thought of Dagda's elevated therian form, the perfect blend of black and white, Angels and Demons, good and evil, causing him to almost stumble. He was far, far too excited. What would happen next? Who would be Dagda's almighty martyr, the one who sacrifices themselves for the worthy cause of showing everyone, even the Gods, Dagda's desire and ambition?
When Dagda arrived at the expensive hotel room the duo was staying in, he noticed that it was rather large, large enough for all of their Pokemon to lounge around comfortably. They all seemed glad to see their friend, and Dagda took a seat, sighing and shaking his head. "It's almost time. It's been forever since I've stepped into a stadium." he mused, and his Pokemon seconded that.
"What's the plan for this dustbag, Lad?" Gorias asked, and Dagda began to sway slightly, as if in thought. "I know two things. Firstly, I will defeat him without a single bit of difficulty. I will not allow a man driven to such dark places by his own Pride and Greed overwhelm me." he said.
"And secondly, I will make a statement. I've already got Scar, Pops, Heinreich and everyone else here. Everything is in place for my performance, which is going to be my declaration of war." he said, and they all seemed surprised at this.
"War? That seems like a big thing to declare." Danzig said, and Dagda could only smile lightly. "After we separated, me and Allister stumbled on two men shoving a beautiful Halfling girl into a van. She was covered in butcher's markings, Danzig. They were going to eat her." he said, and they all seemed shaken up at that.
"How far gone are they?" Ozzy asked, and Dagda frowned. "They even thought that they could stab me and take Bede back." he said, clenching his fists. He inhaled, trying his best to remain calm. "I… I don't want to do anything drastic. But I'm pretty close to the edge. I want you guys to make sure I don't do anything stupid." he said, and they all looked amongst each other.
"Brother Dagda, we're right there with you. No matter what decision you make, we are there to make sure that your goals are realized so that our fellows suffer no more." Lars said, and Dagda looked to his newest brother in arms, and he smiled. He was glad that he had Pokemon that were willing to back him. This was all so much sometimes.
He glanced about, trying to decide what he should do next. However, when he did, he noticed something. A large, puffy pink jacket and an odd suit. Dagda recognized it immediately, taking a split second as he'd never seen the clothes off of his friend before. "Where'd he go?" he asked, and Otis jabbed a finger. "This place has a killer shower room. It's one of those Kanto joints where the whole room is a shower." he said.
"Probably to accommodate fat bastards like you." Ozzy said, the other Pokemon all having a laugh at the Snorlax's expense as Dagda absentmindedly headed in that direction. He knew it was likely rude, but he needed to see the extent of the damage done to his friend.
Scar and Nappa sat at the bar of the local 'Bob's Your Uncle', the two seeming slightly worried. "Did you see what he did to those guys? He's getting worse." Scar said, and Nappa shook his head. "He's getting better. He's not as bad as my father, but he's getting better and better at doing what he wants." he said, and Scar found that statement rather odd.
"We aren't Krom. We know that there's a line or two that shouldn't be crossed, and Dagda's getting closer and closer to those lines." he said, and Nappa shook his head. "It might seem excessive, but it's thorough. Perhaps you've gotten comfortable as a rich man who can have who and whatever he wants, but Dagda is much like we were as kids, remember?" he asked, and Scar sighed.
"I just don't want him going down a dark path like Heinreich, or ending up completely insane like Kooky or Kyouhei. He's an actor like me, but I'm getting worried about him being able to turn it off." he said, and Nappa shook his head, downing another drink in one shot.
"He's like our fathers. He doesn't have an 'off switch'. Remember that I was once a fairy type Halfling as well, Scar. I know what Dagda's going through. Contrasting positive and negative emotions. He can direct it and control it, but the real question isn't Dagda's control. It's Rose's."
When Dagda entered the shower room, he was pleasantly surprised at the heat. He noticed his friend sitting on a small stool in the center of the room, a funny looking, tiled thing that you'd see in oriental hotels and such themed after Kanto and Johto.
Dagda noticed his slouched posture, and he realized exactly how lean his friend was. He wasn't lean like Dagda, where he was covered in muscle but naturally lean because of his species. His friend was thin, and Dagda felt like he couldn't see any muscle across his friend's small back.
While Dagda's primary goal was serious, to determine the extend of his friend's suffering at the hands of the vile demon that ran the Pokemon League, he decided to try and remain playful, happy, positive even. Anything to distance himself from the fact that he killed two people a couple hours ago.
"Need help washing your back?" he asked, and his friend almost jumped, barely remaining in the same position to glance back at him with a slight frown. "Don't you ever knock?" he asked, and Dagda glanced to the ceiling, humming as he thought about it. "Don't need to." he said, and his friend grit his teeth.
"Some people like to shower privately." he said, and Dagda nodded, noticing how the water cascading from the shower head made his friends hair longer, the water temporarily straightening out his curls. "Yeah, but I wanted to see what you looked like without that goofy trenchcoat." he said, and Bede looked back to him, and he rose a brow.
"What exactly are you hoping to see?" he asked, and Dagda sighed, scratching his head as he approached, sitting on the warm tiles next to his friend and humming. "Whatever your Hatterene told me you didn't want me to, to be honest." he mused, and he looked to his friend. He scanned him, and his lips began to tilt downwards the farther down his friend he looked.
He like the way his friend looked, his lean physique that was slightly honed through traveling while maintaining it's soft appearance. However, he noticed along Bede's left bicep, a scar. Thin, shallow looking, yes, but a scar regardless.
Beneath his right pectoral muscle was another scar, and on the left side of his abdomen, a healing bruise. Dagda could see another scar on his friend's right hip, and on his left thigh as well. However, it was the right calf that held Dagda's attention.
It was misshapen. It should have held a rounded appearance, much like Dagda's own calf, honed through mile after mile after mile of walking, and yet, there was an odd shape to it. It was almost like a gibbous moon, an obese crescent shape that Dagda couldn't help but stare at.
When he glanced up to his friend's face, he noticed that he was crying. He could tell the difference from the water running down his face and the tears he shed. "Why did you have to look?" he asked, and Dagda tilted his head.
This was what he wanted to see. He wanted to see the extent of the damage, the scars and bruises littering his friend's body at the hands of a man he swore he'd kill. He had an idea of what he was going to do tomorrow, but whether or not he changed it hindered on one question.
"Why is your leg shaped like that?" he asked, and Bede shuddered, a loud, almost vicious sounding sob wracking his body. Dagda sighed, reaching out and wrapping his arms around his friend, holding him closely as he simply stared, the water starting to go cold against their skin.
"He… he ate it." he said, and Dagda's heart stopped. He glanced down to the leg in question, realizing that with the amount of flesh missing, you could make a rather hearty, rather filling steak. The thought made Dagda sick to his stomach, and he closed his eyes.
In the wee hours, with Bede and most of the Pokemon asleep, Dagda sat with Gorias. The Electivire was surprised that his trainer was still awake, but he could tell that Dagda could not sleep. He had seen what all of them had, the scars and bruises, the missing chunk of meat from his calf.
"Gorias." he heard, looking to his brother, who sat on a couch with his head hanging, his freshly dried hair covering his face. He looked up, the most detached, inhumane look Gorias had ever seen across his features.
"Rose… Rose hurt him. He tormented him. He… he ate a part of his flesh." he said, and Gorias seemed surprised at this. Not only was the man the type of demon that preyed on children, but he ate their flesh as well? What kind of monster was Dagda dealing with?
"He… he bribed Gordie and took Melony's position away. Gordie let him run amok, Gorias. Let him kidnap children, sell clothes made from Halflings… he let Rose have a hunting ground, Gorias." Dagda said, and the Electivire began to grow worried.
"Rose… Rose is the Devil, and Gordie is one of his Arbiters, his Demons, his Princes of Hell..." he trailed, his mind scattered by the whole situation. Dagda could feel his emotions swirling like a typhoon of rage and hatred, negativity that didn't seem right coming from the demon that cradled his crying friend to sleep.
"Gorias… I change my mind. We're going to do something drastic tomorrow. I want Rose to understand that he's going to suffer." he said, and the Electivire nodded. "Anything, Lad. Let me be yer sword, your Wrath against the wicked." he said. Gorias watched as Dagda's aura changed, a sickening feeling that was almost visible to him.
"Gordie must die."
