Chapter 20
Rescue Part 3
Furno couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding as he and Seth raced through the dungeon. He couldn't help but glance behind him as worry for his team settling into his heart.
"Pay attention, Furno!" Seth snapped.
"S-Sorry!" Furno yelped, stumbling and just barely managing to catch himself. "I'm just…I'm worried about the others."
"If you were so worried about your team, you shouldn't have brought them here," Seth said coldly. Seeing the Monferno flinch at his harsh words, the Absol sighed. The dark type slowed to a stop, causing the Monferno to halt as well; a look of confusion on the fire-fighting type's face. "They'll be fine," Seth said almost softly. "My team won't let anything happen to them. Team Surge isn't called one of the Resistance's most capable teams without reason."
"Right…" Furno said, trying to sound reassured but failing.
A glimmer of sympathy flashed within the Absol's eyes. "It would be best if you don't dwell on it," he said, turning away and beginning to run again. "Don't forget our mission!"
"I know," Furno said, his tail flame flaring. As much as he was worried about his team, Furno couldn't allow his thoughts to be muddled. Zero needed him. With his resolve rekindled, Furno raced after the Absol, catching up in a matter of moments.
"Don't run ahead!" Seth shouted at the Monferno as the Playful Pokémon started to rush past him. Even as he shouted, the Absol couldn't stop the small smile that was beginning to creep over his face. "Kid's stronger than he looks," he muttered to himself.
Having resumed their pace, it wasn't long before the duo reached a large room. To their surprise, their current target was standing in the center of the room, completely relaxed and unperturbed. Hearing their approach, the ape-like Pokémon slowly turned around, a haughty sneer on his face.
"Well, well, well. I was beginning to think that you wouldn't come," the Pokémon said. A flicker of disappointment flashed through the Pokémon's steely gaze. "Though I can't help but feel offended that there are only two of you." He cast a glance towards Furno. "Even more so that one of you is a mere child."
Growling, Furno took a step forward. "We only need two Pokémon to deal with you!"
"Furno," Seth grunted under his breath.
"Just the two of you?" the Pokémon questioned, amusement coloring his voice. "How courageous. I suppose I must be at a disadvantage then."
Furno growled at the Pokémon, seconds away from charging only for Seth to step in front of him. With a harsh glare that clearly said 'don't do anything stupid' before turning towards the Pokémon. "Where is, Zero?" he demanded.
"Hmm? Zero, Zero, Zero…" he muttered as if in thought, though the cruel and smug smirk on his face. "Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed as if having an epiphany. "You must mean the Riolu! He is not here, I'm afraid."
"Enough games," Seth snarled. "Tell us where he is and surrender!"
"Surrender? Now, now. Don't be so presumptuous," the Pokémon chided as if correcting a child. "After all, judging by your current disposition, you know little to nothing about me or my abilities. Am I correct in this observation?" Seth tensed, gaze narrowing. The Pokémon laughed upon seeing this. "Hit the nail right on the head, didn't I. I suppose I can't blame you for your ignorance. After all, the Islands are quite…unknown to those of Lyore."
"The Islands?" Seth asked, his glare breaking into a look of surprise. "You're from the Islands?"
"But of course," the Pokémon said. "You'll find that the Emperor's reach extends beyond just this continent."
"I don't care if you're from the Hall of Origins!" Furno shouted, tired of the Pokémon's games. "Give Zero back!" With an angered shout, the Monferno charged, ignoring the Absol's call to return.
With blood roaring in his ears and rage burning within his chest, Furno dashed towards the Pokémon, unconcerned by his target's relaxed posture. Energy pooling into his fist, creating a swirling aura of light blue light that encompassed his fist. Thrusting his fist forward, Furno's speed doubled; the Mach Punch essentially caring him across the distance in moments. Fueled by anger and fierce protectiveness, Furno's fist sailed towards the Pokémon's smug face, inches away from connecting, only for a surprise burst of razor-sharp wind to slam into him.
A startled cry of pain tore its way from the Monferno as he was swept up in the whirlwind. Tumbling head over heels, Furno was launched backwards, his entire body reeling from the unexpected pain. He crashed painfully to the ground, rolling and skidding several feet before he collided with the tree wall of the room.
"Furno!" Seth cried out in shock and worry.
Releasing a wordless grunt, Furno cracked an eye open and pushed himself onto one knee, hissing at the pain that arced across his body. Growling, he glared fiercely at the ape, only to gasp when he saw a Tranquil flutter down to stand by the Pokémon.
"They have another member?!" Furno exclaimed in shock.
"No," Seth said, eyes narrowing his eyes at the flying type's unruly appearance. "It's…wild?"
"What?!" Furno asked. "How—"
"Oh, children," the Pokémon sighed, cutting off Furno's question. "Always so quick to act and never thinking things through. Had you actually bothered to take the time to think about what I had said, you would have known that the Islands is home to a plethora of Pokémon, the majority of which have not been seen by Lyorian Pokémon such as yourself. Having realized this, you could have guessed, especially after considering that it was just myself here to face you alone, that I possessed the means to deal with you and your compatriot."
Furno growled in response. The flame at the end of his tail roared angrily, billowing with barely restrained might.
Seeing this, the Pokémon sighed as if exasperated by Furno's actions. "Alas, it appears you are to foolhardy to listen. I suppose I'll have to teach some manners."
Lazily, the Pokémon raised his hand and snapped his fingers. At once, Seth and Furno watched in surprise and mounting horror as Pokémon began to enter the room. Skorupi, Hoothoot, several more Tranquil, even a stray Misdreavus entered the room, beckoned by the ape's call.
"Of course, that's what we Oranguru do best: teach the less perspicacious," the Pokémon, the Oranguru, said with a savage grin. He slapped his fan across his free hand. "Allow me to educate the both of you. My name is Cortex, but you may call me…teacher through the course of this lesson. Now…class is in session!"
As if given an unspoken signal, the wild Pokémon surrounding Cortex attacked.
-Resistance-
All Weiss' life, she had been helpless. Helpless to control the circumstances of her birth. Helpless to change the opinions of those that saw her. Helpless to control her own blood. Now, helpless to inflict the smallest amount of damage on the annoying Sableye that blocked their way!
"I almost felt that one!" the Sableye goaded in its distorted voice.
Weiss practically howled in anger, bringing her paw down for a Night Slash. The Sableye just smirked and ducked behind its massive crystal. With a resounding clang, Weiss' attack bounced off of the gemstone, not even leaving a scratch along its smooth surface.
"Scary!" the Sableye shrieked with glee. Faster than expected, the Darkness Pokémon swung their gem to the side and blasted Weiss with a Dark Pulse.
Weiss gave a shrill cry, flung into the air by the surprise attack. Before she could hit the ground, Samuel leapt into the air and caught the Absol, using his softer body to cushion the blow. As he did this, Bolt raced towards the Sableye.
With a vicious snarl, the Manectric leapt at his target, his maw shrouded by a storm of electricity. However, like before, the Sableye just ducked behind his crystal, leaving Bolt to attack his crystal instead. Lightning flashed, arcing in dangerous tendrils that flailed wildly around the area, scorching the earth and cutting the trees surrounding them. The storm ended as quickly as it began, leaving the crystal arcing with a few weak volts of electricity, but otherwise unharmed.
Giving a muffled growl of annoyance, Bolt jumped back, avoiding the Sableye's Punishment. "Dammit," he cursed. "We're not making any head way!"
"Of course you, aren't," the Sableye jeered. "In this state, my crystal is nigh unbreakable! None of your attacks will—" The rest of his words were drowned out as Samuel suddenly appeared having barreled past Bolt to get to the ghost-dark type.
With a bellowing roar, Samuel smashed his fist into the crystal with a Wood Hammer. A cacophonous tone echoed like a gong being played by a hammer. A strong gust of wind tore through the corridor, kicking up dust and violently shaking the branches of the trees, but, still, the Sableye didn't so much as budge.
"Useless!" the Sableye groused, shoving his gem away and clawing at the Abomasnow with a Night Slash.
The ice-grass type grunted in pain, but was not deterred. With another shout, he slammed his other fist down towards the Sableye. Shocked, the Darkness Pokémon was barely able to bring up its crystal to guard against the second Wood Hammer.
Like before Samuel's attack landed, but the crystal seemed to absorb the blow's impact. Samuel winced at his attack's recoil, but refused to back down.
"Move out of the way, you little punk!" he shouted, releasing a ruthless storm of ice and snow from his mouth.
The miniaturized snow storm slammed into the crystal with relentless fury. Ice began to creep along the gem's red surface and the ground around it as the Blizzard continued. However, underneath the crystal, the Sableye was unaffected.
"Give it up!" the Sableye shouted. Underneath the ice, the crystal pulsed vibrantly. In a flash, the ice shattered as several glowing projectiles burst from the crystal and impacted against the Abomasnow.
Samuel grunted in pain as the projectiles exploded against his body, causing him to stumble. As he did, the Sableye moved his him and struck. With claws enshrouded with bright violet light, the Sableye slashed the Frost Tree Pokémon across the face with a Punishment attack. Caught off balance, Samuel stumbled back several feet before falling onto his rear.
"Samuel!" Weiss exclaimed, rushing to the Abomasnow's side.
"I'm fine," Samuel grunted, waving off Weiss' concern. "Its attacks don't hurt that much."
"You can't rush in like that!" Bolt scolded. "In case you haven't noticed, our attacks aren't getting through!"
"Well, what do you want us to do then?!" Samuel shot back. "In case you haven't noticed, we can't get past this guy!"
As the two of them argued, Weiss frowned, an odd niggling in the back of her mind. Glancing at the sinisterly chuckling Sableye, she noted it position in the middle of the corridor and the single divot that the over-sized gem had created in the dirt. That, coupled with the fact that the Sableye hardly ever attacked unless attacked first…Weiss wanted to hit herself for not realizing it sooner.
"Dammit, we're being played!" Weiss growled angrily.
"Huh?" Samuel questioned.
"That Sableye's not here to fight us, its here to keep us from progressing!" Weiss growled. "They're literally a wall to keep us from moving forward."
"Of course!" Bolt exclaimed in realization. "I should have realized it sooner. Their attack power isn't much greater than the average Sableye, a Pokémon that prefers to do battle with others and attack its opponents when presented with the opportunity. That new evolution…all it did was increase their defensive power!"
Bolt cursed. "Considering that they're here, I'd assume this path leads to Morpheus," Bolt growled.
"Or it's a bait," Weiss pointed out. "They could just be here as a ruse to keep us guessing on the path Morpheus took."
Weiss felt an angered growl rumbling up her throat. A lot of good knowing the Sableye's plan did them. They barely had any room to maneuver in the corridor. Even if the Sableye was forced to remain stationary, they didn't have enough room to dart around him. Unless they doubled back, they were stuck.
Weiss was pulled from her musings as Samuel slowly rose to his feet. "Samuel?"
"I guess we've got no choice then," Samuel muttered. "We can't know for sure, so…" Without another word, the ice-grass type barreled forward, rushing the Sableye.
"Ack!" the Sableye yelped, barely ducking behind his crystal shield. "What the hell…?"
"Hurry up and go! Samuel roared to his teammates.
"What? Samuel—?!" Bolt questioned, but the Abomasnow roared over him.
"There's no time!" Samuel shouted. "I'll keep this guy occupied while the two of you rush past!"
"What?!" the Sableye exclaimed. He made to attack, but was forced to hide behind his shield as Samuel attempted to crush him.
"Our goal is to rescue Zero, not to waste time with this miscreant!" Samuel shouted. He glanced back at his teammates, determination glowing in his pink eyes. "Go, now!"
Bolt and Weiss stared at the Abomasnow for a moment, before nodding in unison. Arguing would get them nowhere, not when Samuel was right. Nodding to each other, the two Pokémon ran forward.
"I won't let you—" The Sableye was forcibly cut off as Samuel continued his assault.
With the ghost-dark type occupied, Weiss and Bolt rushed down the corridor. Not sparing a single moment, they leapt into the air, their momentum sending them sailing over the grappling duo.
"No, no, no!" the Sableye shouted, sounding panicked. "You can't! You can't! You won't."
Weiss and Bolt felt their muscles tense at how eerily calm the Sableye suddenly sounded. Without them even noticing, both of their gazes slowly fell towards the Darkness Pokémon grinning evilly at them.
"Argh!" Bolt cried out in pain as he felt a crushing pressure grip him, holding him still in the air. "Psychic…?"
"Bolt!" Weiss cried out in alarm. A flash of red entered the corner of the off-colored Absol's vision and, before she could react, several glowing stones pierced her side.
Weiss, too shocked to even scream, fell to the ground in a heap. Several trickles of blood ran down her side from where the stones had struck her.
"W…eiss…" Bolt grunted out. The Manectric gasped as the force around him seemed to double. With a strangled yell, he was thrown to the ground, smashing into the earth hard enough to leave a crater.
"Bolt! Weiss!" Samuel shouted in alarm and concern. He looked back down at the Sableye, eyes burning with fury. "You little…!"
Samuel didn't get to finish his shout before a second barrage of Power Gem smashed into his body, closely followed by a powerful Dark Pulse. With a single shout of pain, Samuel was flung backwards, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
Just like that, all three Resistance members were down on the ground.
Standing unperturbed by the forms around them, the Sableye stood; nonchalantly leaning against their crystal. They remained still, even as the trio stirred. Then, they started to laugh. A low chuckle at first, but it soon bloomed into a mad cackle.
"Did you really think that all the Mega Stone gave me was defensive power?!" the Sableye laughed. "The completed Mega Stones…are far beyond anything you can comprehend! I was lucky to be chosen to bare such a gift!"
Their chuckled petered doubt to a malicious snicker. "To be honest, even if you would have tried to go back the way you came, I wouldn't let you," they confessed. "If I did, I'd lose out on the chance to hear you scream!"
Weiss weakly lifted her head, eyes blown wide with anger, desperation, and fear. She had never been in control of her life, and now, this Sableye was.
-Resistance-
Liz grunted as she was forced to block yet another crushing blow from her opponent. She could feel her thick chitinous armor on her arms creak and shudder under the blow, visible cracks beginning to form across her blue hide. With a roar, she swung her arms out, pushing the Primeape back several paces, before charging forward with a Body Slam. Still slightly unbalanced, the Primeape was unable to move out of the way as Liz barreled into him, intent on smashing the fighting type into the tree wall.
The Primeape roared in pain and anger as he found himself an unwilling passenger as the Nidoqueen continued her rush. Ares' eyes momentarily flashed red, his body tensing; flooded with new strength. With another shot, he started to push himself away from the Nidoqueen's body, slamming his feet into the ground as he did so.
A violent spray of dirt and rubble erupted from the ground as Ares slowed Liz's momentum before completely stopping her in her tracks just a couple feet away from the room's wall. Before the Nidoqueen could react, Ares gripped her by her shoulders and lifted her above his head. With a primal roar he hurled the large Pokémon across the room with an alarming amount of force.
Hurtling like a misshapen cannonball, Liz somehow managed to twist body just before she hit the ground, allowing her to punch the earth below. In an instant, the ground cracked and trembled. Gold light glowed from the cracks, racing towards Ares and leaving an inverted trench in is wake. Reaching the Primeape, the light erupted in a brilliant pillar of energy, consuming the fighting type and causing him to scream in pain.
Liz then smashed to the ground, her breath leaving her body from the force. With her concentration broken, her attack ended. The light faded, revealing Ares, still standing, though slightly dazed.
"You're a tough one, I'll give ya' that," Ares grunted, his eyes flashing once more.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Liz responded, a small grin hiding her grimace. Slowly, the Nidoqueen rose to her feet, wincing ever so slightly at her numerous injuries. "It's been a while since I've been backed into a corner like this. I must be getting rusty."
This seemed to further anger the Pig Monkey Pokémon; the already prominent throbbing vein on his forehead seeming to pulse more violently. "Oh? Are you saying that you should be beating me? That I'm weak?!"
Liz just smirked. "You said it, not me."
Ares saw red.
"GRAAH!" With a primal and anger-fueled bellow, the Primeape leapt at Liz, the already damaged ground cracking further under the force of his charge.
Liz's smirk fell from her face, replaced by a steely glare. With a shout of her own, the Drill Pokémon charged across the broken earth.
The duo rushed towards one another, bright white energy swirling around their respective fist's in unison. Reaching one another, they both struck; twin Mega Punches cutting through the air. The two fists collided causing the air to ripple around them before the ground at their feet tore away. The ashen grass that had blanketed the ground was torn from its roots in a twenty-foot radius under the furious might of the two combatants.
The two stood still, their now inert fists remaining pressed against the other, both twitching as they strained against the other in a battle of strength. This lasted for several seconds before both recoiled and attacked once more.
Ares lunged forward for another Mega Punch, but Liz ducked under the wide haymaker, rearing up with a punch of her own. Flames burst out and around the poison-ground type's fist as she punched Ares directly under his nose. Ares grunted, staggering backwards but not falling.
Pressing her attack, Liz continued forward, sending a straight Fire Punch toward the Primeape's face. However, before the attack could find purchase, Ares raised his mitt, catching the enflamed fist in his hand. Not even wincing at the pain, Ares tossed Liz's fist to the side before giving a straight punch of his own.
Eyes wide with shock, Liz couldn't stop the Mega Punch that slammed into her face. Nor could she prevent the Low Sweep that crashed into her knee. Liz staggered, nearly losing her balance, but managed to catch herself so she only fell onto one knee. She wincing, eyeing the slight dent on the side of her knee from Ares' kick. Her eyes then widened as a shadow was cast over her.
Bearing down on his foe, Ares swung his arm down towards Liz's head in a chopping motion. A bright orange light shone around the Primeape's straight and rigid hand as it hurtled towards the Nidoqueen's skull. Moving just as fast, Liz crossed her arms over her head, catching the Brick Break along her forearms.
Liz felt her bones quake under the strength of Ares' attack. Around them, the ruined earth buckled once more, the force of Ares' Brick Break against Liz actually causing the two of them to sink several inches into the ground.
"Is this strong enough for you?!" Ares' shouted, a cruel laugh edging the end of his voice.
Gritting her teeth in response, Liz shook as she struggled to keep the attack at bay. To her surprise, the weight suddenly lifted from her arms. Before she could react, Ares kicked the side of her head with the force of a charging Tauros, sending the Drill Pokémon skidding across the ground for several yards.
"What wrong?! What happened to all that bravado?!" Ares jeered. He rushed the downed Nidoqueen. With a fierce Mega Kick, he launched the Nidoqueen into the air. "I thought I was weak!"
Liz crashed to the ground with a weak cry of pain. Before she could react, Ares was upon her again. Forgoing actual moves, the Primeape simply struck the hapless Nidoqueen again and again with his bare fists, striking every part of her he could reach. "Well, look who's weak now!"
At the other side of the room, Bogran and Dusty watched in silent horror as Liz was being relentlessly pummeled by the enraged Pokémon.
"W-We've got to help her!" Bogran said. "She's getting crushed out there!" The Marshtomp made to step forward, but found himself rooted on the spot. Confused, he looked down to see that his legs were violently shaking. "I'm…scared?"
Of course he was scared. For the last few minutes, he'd been watching monsters fight, reshaping the landscape with their might. Compared to them, he was like a newly hatched Togepi against a Steelix. He just couldn't compare. He couldn't physically bring himself to enter the battle and help Liz.
"I'm out of our league," he whispered in realization. This wasn't what he signed up for when he joined the Resistance. He had joined in the hopes that he'd be able to help his village. It never even crossed his mind that he'd face Pokémon of his caliber. He…he couldn't keep up.
From the corner of his eye, Bogran saw Dusty start to move forward. "Dusty?"
"You are correct, we need to assist Liz," he said.
Bogran's eyes widened. "What?! But…but…" The Mud Fish Pokémon shook his head. "Are you out of your mind?! We'd get crushed!"
"So, we should do what?" Dusty demanded, glaring at the Marshtomp. "Allow Liz to be defeated before he turns to us?"
Bogran flinched, but was not deterred. "She…She can handle this," he said. "She's strong. She's been taking his hits and dishing out just as many. She'll be fine!"
Bogran wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Dusty or himself.
"No, she won't be," Dusty denied. "Because of his earlier use of Bulk Up, both Ares' defense, as well as his strength, went up significantly, allowing him to weather Liz's blow. That, coupled with Rage, every time Liz strikes him, he gets stronger. If this keeps up, Liz will not win."
"Well…" Bogran struggled, trying to come up with an argument. "What could we do? That Primeape is leagues above of either of us. We wouldn't be able to do anything! We…we should retreat and try and find Zero."
To Bogran's shock, Dusty glared heatedly at the Marshtomp. "While our directive is to rescue Zero, doing so while abandoning a comrade is despicable. If were to save Zero at the cost of Liz, Zero would never forgive us. If those are your principles, then you should not stay with the Resistance."
With those final cutting words, Dusty rushed towards the Primeape, leaving Bogran standing frozen at the entrance of the room.
-Resistance-
"Dammit!" the Zoroark cursed as she stumbled back from the Poliwrath, her arm throbbing with pain. "You miserable tadpole!"
"Haven't heard that one before," Wake drawled, unimpressed. He then quickly dodged to the side, avoiding the Night Slash that threatened to carve his face.
Hoping to overwhelm her opponent, the dark type swiped at him again, only to be met with a torrent of water. Spluttering, the Zoroark found herself forcibly pushed back, tumbling head over heels before she came to a skidding halt. Coughing up several mouthfuls of water, the Zoroark raised her head and shot a Dark Pulse at the motionless Poliwrath.
Seemingly unconcerned by the attack, Wake merely lifted his hand in front of him. The flurry of black rings slammed into his hands. The Poliwrath jolted from the force of the attack, but didn't budge from his spot. With a fierce battle cry, Wake swung his arms outwards, tearing through the rest of the attack, leaving his opponent stunned.
"Is that seriously the best you can do?" Wake questioned, shaking out his smoking hands. "You're speedy, I'll give you that, but your dark type attacks do little to nothing. If that's all you can do, then you won't beat me."
Growling, the Zoroark charged towards the water-fighting type. Her eyes flashed blue; the space around her began to warp and shift—
Twin beams of red light suddenly enveloped the Illusion Fox, cutting off her illusion before it could fully form. With her illusion broken, anger boiled within her as her gaze shot towards the source of the light. Floating several feet away, the Banette floated several inches off the ground, eyes narrowed into slits; their mouth twisted into a vicious snarl.
She turned, intent on charging the ghost, only for a chill to wash over her. In that moment, she realized something important. With her attention on the Banette, the Zoroark had forgotten her other opponent.
Whirling around, the Zoroark was met with a Brick Break moving to crush her skull. On instinct, she attempted to dart to the side, but the attack managed to clip her shoulder, forcing part of her body to bend back, nearly causing her to fall. Before she could regain her footing, Wake raised his second hand, delivering two swift slaps across the dark type's face.
"Gah!" the Zoroark cried out in pain, stumbling backwards and nearly collapsing onto her rear before she could recover.
"Are illusions really all you can do?" Wake questioned, sounding almost disappointed. "With how you were handling Jasmine, I assumed that you were decently strong. Clearly, I was wrong."
"Damn you!" the Zoroark growled. She swung her leg, intent on cracking the Poliwrath's knee with a well-placed Low Sweep, only for a Shadow Ball to explode against her side. Unprepared, she cried out and fell to the ground, a trail of smoke curling off of her stomach. Spitting furiously, the Zoroark glared hatefully at the Banette.
"It's over." The dark type turned her glare to the Poliwrath. "Surrender."
Blood roared in the dark type's ears; rage and shame burned through her like a wildfire. Her teeth creaked as she ground her teeth furiously. Her claws curled tightly into fists, digging small trenches along the ground.
Then, she was calm.
Her body lost its tension; the rage in her eyes dying to a flickering ember. She sighed, her snarl turning to a smirk. Wake saw this and stepped back, slightly unnerved by the sudden change in personality. Slowly, she looked up, her grin on full display.
"It's not over until I say it is."
Wake's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What do you—"
Wake's words were cut off when the Zoroark suddenly lunged upwards, throwing the clump of dirt she had gathered in her paw at Wake's eyes. The Poliwrath cried out as he was blinded by the dirt; the particles of debris stabbing at his eyes with a burning intensity. He stumbled back, furiously wiping at his eyes only to suddenly lose his footing as the Zoroark swept his legs out from under him with a Low Sweep.
Now on her feet, her mouth stretched into a maniacal grin, she turned towards Bella, sending a chill down the ghost type's spine. "Now, to deal with you."
Bella's eyes widened as, suddenly, the Zoroark was in front of her. The ghost just managed to lean out of the way of the first, but the second attack grazed her side, shredding her fabric-like body. Hissing in pain, Bella flexed her hand, forming a portal behind her with Phantom Force in order to escape. However, before she could disappear, the Zoroark was suddenly blocking her.
"No you don't!" Bella could only begin to move away before the Illusion Fox Pokémon's fist buried itself in her stomach with a brutal Sucker Punch.
Bella gave a sharp gasp as she collapsed to her knees; her portal fading away as she lost concentration. With a cruel life, the Zoroark raised her paws and blasted the stunned Banette with a point-blank Dark Pulse. Bella didn't even get the chance to cry out before everything erupted around her.
The ground shook, a large plume of smoke billowing into the air. From the cloud, Bella's limp and smoking body flew out, her body littered with scratches and tears. She landed with a dull thud, like a large animal being tossed across the room. She showed no sign of getting up.
The smoke filtered into the air and faded, revealing the Zoroark standing in the epicenter of a small crater. Seeing the Marionette Pokémon unmoving, she grinned. She turned to the Poliwrath, who was raised himself to one knee and rubbing the debris from his eyes.
"You're wrong about me, tadpole," the Zoroark said. "While I do rely on my illusions, I'm resourceful. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win."
"Bella…" Wake muttered upon seeing the unmoving Banette.
"However, even then, I knew I had no chance of beating you without having access to my illusions," the Zoroark continued, her smirk becoming a twisted grin. Her crystal blue eyes flashed.
As she spoke, the air around her rippled. The ground cracked violently as large vines began to erupt from the ground. The tree walls all shook, their branches grew and reached for the Poliwrath, wrapping around his arms.
"Now, with that annoying Banette out of the way…" the Zoroark continued, "you're at my mercy!"
"Hrk!" Wake gasped as one of the branches wrapped around his waist tightly.
"I never did tell you my name, did I?" the Zoroark said. She grinned, dark energy beginning to coalesce around her claws. "The name's Mirage. Remember it in the next life."
-Resistance-
"We should really keep going, Morpheus," Marvel stated nervously. "Those Resistance members have no doubt given chase. They could arrive at any moment."
"Don't concern yourself with that," Morpheus said coolly. "Even if they manage to defeat the others, we still have ample time to escape." He then grinned darkly. "Besides…this one's a wellspring of juicy information."
Marvel withheld a flinch as she looked at the young Riolu Morpheus was holding aloft with his psychic grip. The Riolu squirmed weakly within Morpheus' grip, groaning and hissing in pain as his mind was attacked ruthlessly by the Malamar.
"No matter how much you resist, you're still a fighting type," Morpheus cooed as if speaking to a small child. "Resisting will only make it hurt worse than it already does."
Zero barely choked back a scream as the force around him doubled in intensity. "Screw…you…" he ground out, only to cry out as the pain increased.
"So vulgar!" Morpheus laughed.
"Morpheus…is this wise?" Marvel asked. "We were instructed to deliver the Silver Soul to the Emperor. Not to…torture them."
"Torture? My dear Milotic. This isn't torture," Morpheus assured, his reassuring words offset by the twisted smirk stretching across his beak. "Merely information gathering."
Zero suddenly screamed in pain. His eyes rolled up into his skull; his body twitching violently. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the molten lava that was submerging his brain. Blinding pain scorched through his head, stabbing at every corner of his mind. Images flashed through his mind's eyes at blinding speeds; memories going in reverse since they arrived at Ashen Woods.
"Ah, so you were the ones that infiltrated Glaucous Town," Morpheus said, eyes glowing as he searched through the Riolu's memories. "And discovered a dungeon within the Temple of Memoria. Interesting…Interesting. Oh, what's this!"
No, Zero couldn't let the Malamar see anymore. He knew what was coming next. He couldn't let Morpheus know!
But he couldn't stop the Overturning Pokémon.
"Oh. Oh! Oh, this is…delicious!" Morpheus laughed uproariously. His mental probe faded, allowing Zero to blissfully slump over in the air, panting raggedly.
"M-Morpheus?" Marvel questioned.
"Oh, Marvel. We are in the presence of a human!" Morpheus crowed, his smile threatening to split his face.
"A human?!" Marvel exclaimed. "But the humans were said to be wiped out centuries ago during their rebellion! Not to mention he looks like a normal Riolu!"
"Memories never lie, my dear," Morpheus said, stepping closer to the bound Riolu. He reached out and stroked the former human's cheek in an almost tender manner. "Clearly, there's more to this Riolu than meets the eye."
Zero growled feebly, struggling just to move his head away from the offending tentacle. The look on the Malamar's face, his hunger…Zero knew nothing good would come from it.
Morpheus stared at the Riolu for an unnerving amount of time, he withdrew his limb and turned to Marvel. "…I think we have enough time for this…"
"For what?" Marvel asked nervously.
Morpheus smiled, turning his head to look at his captive. "To make another puppet of course!"
"P-Puppet?!" Marvel exclaimed. "What do you mean by that?!"
"I mean…another willing soldier to follow my orders without question," Morpheus explained. "Just like my Chesnaught friend."
"That Chesnaught is…" Marvel visibly sick. "You can't be serious! The Emperor…!"
"Is well aware of my abilities," Morpheus interrupted. "Do you really think that he enlisted my help on a whim? Ha! I've been doing errands for the Emperor for years! Even made him a few soldiers. He actually wanted me to make one out of a wielder of the Ikari Flame, but one of his soldiers failed in obtaining them."
"No…the Emperor wouldn't…" Marvel shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"Believe what you want," Morpheus drawling uncaringly. "Just remember which side you have chosen. Meanwhile…" Morpheus stepped back to his captive, smiling as he saw the defiance, anger, and fear alight in the former human's eyes. "…I'll make him presentable for the Emperor."
Slowly, he reached out with his two tendrils, their bladed ends resting just over Zero's temples. The Riolu feebly struggled in his bonds, but Morpheus' psychic grip was too strong for the fighting type.
"Relax," Morpheus said; eyes glimmering madly. "It will hurt more if you struggle."
Zero didn't have time to prepare himself as white-hot pain lanced through his head once more. He screamed.
Marvel flinched away, the Riolu's tortured screams deafening her. Disgust bubbled in her like bile, threatening to spew from her mouth. This was wrong. This wasn't what she had signed up for. She did not sign up for torturing children.
The Tender Pokémon back away, her mind racing. She couldn't bare this any longer. She couldn't be part of any of this! She turned, whether to run or just look away, she wasn't sure, but she froze all the same when she faced the Pokémon standing before her.
"Coatl," Marvel gulped.
The Xatu said nothing; her gaze unflinching. Marvel swallowed thickly, her heart plummeting. Behind her, the Riolu pained screams continued to ring out; a twisted chorus to the realization that Marvel had made a terrible decision.