Episode 14: Lute's Evolution

"Esther?" Lute cried, making the Pikachu jump. She shook her hands and immediately hushed the trio.

"If Esther's here, then that means the High Point is nearby. Was this a trap?" Phoenix said, looking every which way to try and find it. Lute and Sophitia gasped and did the same.

"No no, he's in the house there. But he's… let's just go. We can get outta here if we're quiet," Esther led the way. She chose a direction at random and ran down it, choosing to go between a few alleys and backstreets.

Angard turned out to be the most unsettling place that Lute had ever been to. The only colour in the entire world was the house that Esther had snuck out of. Every other structure in this city had that nasty burnt colour. Going through the tight alleyways shrouded them in total black, where not even their sense of smell could guide them. There was no smell, everything felt cold, and the presence of time moving was non-existent.

They stopped when Esther ran out of breath, where they were on the edge of what looked like a town square. The layout seemed like a functional area Pokémon could live in, but with the area so quiet and lifeless, he just couldn't picture what kind of species would choose to stay here.

"Phew. Okay, I think we're in the clear for a bit," Esther said.

"What happened? Did you manage to get away?" Lute said.

"Something like that. It's weird." She leaned on the wall beside her.

"Don't push the wall!" Phoenix shouted, and she flinched. It was too late however, the pressure she put on caused the wall to tilt, and with it, the foundation of the structure it held up began to collapse.

"Oh shit," Esther whispered.

"Run!" Phoenix said.

"Goes without saying," Sophitia cried, scraping up a gawking Lute to jump away. The building fell straight down onto itself, creating a huge cloud of dust. The crash was louder than she anticipated as well, and she cringed as a tsunami of dust covered them. It took long enough to clear for them to breathe it in and set off coughing as well, but minutes later, they were back in the clear.

"The buildings here are just as bad as the land itself. They will collapse at the lightest touch," Phoenix said.

"Now you tell us. So much for losing him, too," Esther said.

"The High Point? I don't know what's happening here, you've got to tell us," Lute said.

"Oh never mind that. It's more like, the heck was that? What actually is this place? This is crazy!" Esther cried as she spun around to look at it all.

"It's… uh," Sophitia said.

"Seriously, this is crazy cool. Did I really just bring down a whole building with one paw? The wonders of what I can do when I'm fed properly."

"Esther, focus!" Phoenix said.

"I am focused, and that was the coolest shit I've ever seen! Or well, in a while. And to think that it was you guys that came to get me, this has gotta be—" she said, bouncing on her toes. She froze and pointed to Lute. "Where's the little Minun? She'd make this scene perfect."

"Infia? She's…" Lute looked behind him. He quickly realised that Esther had gotten them lost. "She's resting at home. It's complicated."

"Oooh. Is she someone special?"

"What? No, I mean- yes, sorta? Why are we talking about this?"

"That response equals relationship," Esther said with a giggle, and put her paws together. "You look after her, okay?"

"No! Please, I don't want to talk about this now. And don't talk like that around her too, I mean it," he raised his voice.

"Alright alright kid, I won't. Like you said, it's complicated," she swished a paw at him. "That guy is probably following the noise of the building and should be here by- yep, here it comes guys."

Eyebrows were raised and awkward glances were shared until it became clear what she meant, where the jingling keys and excited giggling of the childish Klefki came floating towards them. The group posed to protect Esther as he approached, giving Klefki a chance to look over them all, where he started laughing even more excitedly.

"I can't believe it. This is why they wanted me to confront you for the girl's exchange rather than Victor. They knew you'd be coming, didn't they?" he said, jingling his keys constantly. "And to make matters better, you straight up waited for me. You do like me a lot, don't you Esther?"

"Urgh, cut that idea out already. And you knew they'd be coming, that's why it's a ransom exchange?" Esther said. "But forget the corny bad guy speech. I'm out here and they're on my side. You've already lost."

"Aww, but I had one all laid out and ready to go. I even recited it in my head! Do you know how fun it is to recite things in your head and then do them in reality?"

"I'm in showbusiness. I've heard it all before." She pouted.

"Aww, that's true. Either way, the script has changed and there's a lotta improvising to do to it now that I know who's here," he said. He finally stopped jingling his keys and stared at the group, particularly Lute.. His hollow eyes seemed to be staring directly into Lute's, to which the Eevee gulped and edged away. "See the thing is Esther, this is no longer about you. It's about us, the super Pokémon who've been powered up. Now that they're here, I can finally get some real entertainment. A battle I actually have to try in!"

"Super Pokémon?" Sophitia said.

"I mean the genetically modified Pokémon, you know? Me, Phoenix, and the Eevee! That is assuming that's Lute, of course. That is Lute, right?"

"I-I am. But why—"

"Oh for goodness sake, stop giving the bad guys your name!" Sophitia roared up into the air and slapped Lute with a feeler.

"Yes, this is so good! We've literally got like, the strongest Pokémon in the world right here and right now. Can we fight? You can't say no to a no-holds-barred fight at full power! When trainers' eyes meet, a battle starts. That's the rule, isn't it?" Klefki leaned forward.

"What're you talking about? I'm not genetically modified, I'm just an Eevee!" Lute cried.

Klefki flinched back, appearing sceptical. "Yes you are. You're just like me and Phoenix, genetically engineered to be a super Pokémon. Except that, gasp- yours was done by the government, so yours has like, the best budget ever. You're the perfect one I'm most excited to fight!"

"What?" Lute whispered, his mouth agape. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Is he the crazy one? I don't know what he's talking about either." Sophitia frowned.

"Yep, he's the crazy one," Esther said, just as unbothered. Klefki puffed out his cheeks.

"Okay, I'll start from the top. I, Tetralocke, also known as Tetra, alongside Phoenix, have been genetically engineered to become a super powered Pokémon. If you don't know what genetic engineering is, then well, how do I put this in a way that even a snobby little toddler like you can understand?" he said, as he floated about. He stopped to glare at them, his hollow face filled with antagonising. "They operated on us. They messed with our bones. Our organs. Our brains. They pumped us full of all the naughty stuff and made us into their super powered soldiers."

Lute looked away. "Phoenix told us something like that had happened to him, and that's why he struggles to show emotion."

"But you, the government did that to you. While me and Phoenix here had the shoddy budget of whatever Spirle's got to work on stuff, those guys had all the world's taxes. So no doubt, they made Lute the perfect soldier. You, I can only imagine what powers are hiding in those cutesy little paws of yours. I'm so excited I can't wait. Please, let's stop chatting and let's fight already!"

Lute kept looking away, more lost and confused than he'd ever been. Him, a super soldier made by the government? If he was that, he most certainly wouldn't be living the life he was living now. The thought was so absurd that he was surprised that Sophitia wasn't laughing at him for it.

But he was thinking hard about everything Tetra had just told him. The conditions for this ransom exchange were that he was present, for some reason. And now, this 'super soldier' was excited to meet and fight him. Tetra had even hinted before that he had been chosen to confront them rather than Victor, even though Victor was the one who kidnapped Esther in the first place.

There had to be a chance that what had just learnt was true.

"I have to see it for myself. I'm literally dying to see it. Fight me! Fight me Lute, and let us destroy the world around us in a battle worthy only of the gods!" Tetra said, and he started to laugh maniacally.

"Is he really that strong?" Sophitia raised her feelers from her bow. Her magic shield and sword formed at the end of each, and she posed with them, ready for battle. Meanwhile, Phoenix bared his fangs, puffing flames out in threat, while Esther spun as she drew her baton and stood on her toes.

"I dunno. I didn't try anything. He let me walk out 'cos he didn't want anything to do with me or something," Esther said.

"Seriously? What's the guy playing at?" Sophitia said.

"Wait, is he really super powered? Doesn't that mean we're in danger?" Lute edged back.

"Lute, focus! He's probably just trying to freak you out." Sophitia looked back at him. "He's a bad guy and a crazy kid. You can't instantly believe everything he says—"

That was all she managed to say before a Flash Cannon attack burst right into her side, sending her flying back with a horrible scream. She went flew until she smashed right into what looked like a street sign, breaking it apart.

"Sophitia!" Lute cried.

She immediately emerged from the rubble with a livid growl, her eyes filled with rage. "You're gonna pay for that."

"Sophitia," Lute cried again, but was ignored. Sophitia charged right past him, taking on Tetra with her sword raised and shield held back. She swung at him several times; each attack missing thanks to his nimble floating about. When she swung overhead, her sword hit the ground and left a dent.

"Oh, you're kinda strong too, aren't ya? I love it I love I love it, I'm getting' all fired up." Tetra started laughing. "This is the perfect warmup!"

He finally retaliated, bashing into her face with his front key pointed. It made her flinch, but his main attack came when his keyring opened up, letting the rest of his keys fly off into the air. They floated around as if he was controlling them with psychic, and each one slashed or stabbed into Sophitia, drawing yelps and squeaks.

"Screw your Play Rough," she growled, pushing her shield in the way. The keys had no effect on it, but he kept hitting it anyway, giving her a chance to strike back. With her shield held forward, she pulled her sword back and thrust it, stabbing Tetra right through the face.

"Sophitia!" Lute choked, covering his mouth. The others gasped as well. The Klefki's face and the top half of his keyring had vanished behind the wound of her sword, and even Sophitia was so shocked she froze.

"H-he's supposed to be steel type. He shouldn't have gotten stabbed this easily." She shuddered. She went quiet when Tetra's giggling echoed around her, and a moment later, light particles gathered around her sword. His face and body reformed around her sword, locking her in place.

"Sike!" Tetra squealed, laughing at her. A Flash Cannon charged by his mouth, sending Sophitia into a panic, but she couldn't move. Her sword was held so stiffly in his face it hurt, and it let him blast her point blank with his attack, sending her flying away again.

Phoenix was the next to take him on, ignoring his laughter at Sophitia's pain. The Fennekin smothered him in Flamethrower, making the laughing Klefki vanish into a sea of flames. They cleared quickly, leaving behind only a part of his keyring. Just like Sophitia's attack, his body reformed in an instant, setting him off laughing even more.

Esther's electricity came next, turning his laughter into spastic gibberish. He shook as he was zapped hard by Thunderbolt, crying out when the attack exploded and he was shrouded in smoke. He came out of it with only his head intact, but he once again regenerated.

"Aw c'mon, what's with this?" Esther cried.

"You guys didn't believe me just because I'm a kid, didn't you? Well kids don't lie, you know. I was telling the truth when I said that I could battle like a god," Tetra said as he jingled his keys again. "To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure how I would go about trying to kill someone like me, either. Even if you disintegrated me, I could come right back. Trust me, I've tried!"

"That's absurd. The hell did Spirle do to you?" Esther said.

"Made me into their ultimate soldier. Well, one of them, anyway."

"One of them?" Lute whispered and leaned back. Tetra glared at him, jingling with excitement.

"So what're you gonna do, huh? You clods can't touch me, but maybe Lute can. After all, he's just like me," Tetra said. "I wonder how much like me you are, though? If I blow off a limb, will it regenerate like mine?"

"You don't have limbs!" Lute said.

"Oh yeah. That's a shame. Can we fight now?"

Lute shuddered and shifted back. "If the others can't hurt him without him healing right back, what could I do?"

Tetra's face slowly shifted into one of innocent excitement, the kind when a child discovers a funfair for the first time. Lute struggled to focus back, dreading when that Klefki would decide to make a move. Whatever came, he wouldn't know how to react to it. He couldn't react to it. He wasn't strong enough, and all of those special features that were being said about him, he didn't know a thing about how to use them. As far as he knew, he was just a weak little boy who had been roped into this by expectant grownups.

"No, I can't think that. I just can't think that," he gasped in his head, and shook himself off. He tried to focus on Tetra, but that face drove his eyes away. He wiped sweat from his face and took deep breaths through his mouth. "Start with what you know, Lute. I actually made it to the Agents of King's Shield. And Sophitia's helping me to get stronger. I'm part of this fight. I have to try something."

He gave a little roar and jumped up, forming Swift stars beneath his paws. Tetra didn't move even after he threw them, taking the hits head on. They flashed as they blew up around the Klefki, but it only pushed him back a bit.

"If that's no effect, then I'll try Quick Attack!" he thought. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he sprung forward at high speed, darting left and right as he approached Tetra as if to throw off the Klefki's moves. His opponent didn't move however, still looking excited.

"Lute, wait don't charge at him!" Sophitia cried as she returned to the fight. She had a huge wound in her side where the Flash Cannon hit.

Lute heard her, but all that did was put insecurity back into his heart. He didn't slow, but that small moment of fear that his best wouldn't be good enough took his focus from the attack. He crashed into Tetra with a cry, but to him, it felt like butting his head into a metal wall. Tetra didn't move an inch from his attack, and for a moment, Lute caught a glimpse of his smile fading.

"That did no damage either. Bite HAS to do something!" Lute cried in worry. He twisted his body and kicked off Tetra, springing himself high into the air and falling down with fangs bared. Grey energy in the shape of a bear trap formed with the motion of his mouth, which clamped down on Tetra's main key, his head.

But it all had no effect. Lute was left grinding against the steel of his keyring, and Tetra hadn't even been shoved in a direction. Panic shot through the Eevee's system and he jumped off, staggering away from the High Point with frantic breaths. His thoughts melted away into fear, fear that he was stood in front of a Pokémon who could probably kill him in a flash.

"Hey c'mon, get serious already! That can't be the best you can do," Tetra said.

"Lute!" Sophitia said. The others watched from a distance, teeth grinding in angst.

"Tha-that is!" Lute squeaked.

"Pardon?"

"That is! That's the best I can do I swear," he cried and hung his head. He was starting to cry, and kept blinking to try and stop himself. "I-I-I can't do any other moves. I'm not any stronger than this. P-please, don't hurt me!"

"Lute, get a hold of yourself!" Sophitia cried as she rushed over to him.

"Don't hurt me? Don't hurt me? Are you serious? After you did your absolute strongest on me?" Tetra said, laughing with increasing volume. "You've gotta be kidding me! Not only are you the disappointment of the century, you and I both know you're not going to get very far with that logic. That just ain't fair. You hit me with your best, so I'm gonna hit you with my best!"

"Get behind me!" Sophitia said as she stepped over Lute. She was just in time to stop Tetra's sudden attack. He bounced and spun at high speed as he body began to glow like a disco ball. Magical lasers scattered from him and showered the world in blasts of light, but each hit was no match for Sophitia's shield. It still had her growling and tensed up however, pinning Lute beneath her feet.

"Phoenix!" Esther gasped, spinning her body with her baton. The ribbon attached to it twirled around them both perfectly, creating a cone shaped barrier around them both that blocked the Dazzling Gleam. Before they knew it, the attack was over and they all came out from their shields.

"What's happening to me? It's Psychic, you knew Psychic?" Tetra wailed like a baby. He was outlined in a blue glow and his keyring was straining, rigid in place.

"Psychic? Am I using Psychic?" Lute gasped as he spun around.

"None of us here can use Psychic. It must be—" Sophitia choked. She slowly looked up, not surprised to see another Pokémon interrupting the battle.

A tall feline Pokémon that looked like it stood bipedal. They were floating above the battle with a single paw stretched forward, their nails elongated in threat. It was wearing a long, sunset coloured dress that flowed loosely with their release of psychic power, and beneath that, pristine white fur. The tips of its legs and arms were coated in a navy-blue fur, as well as a scarf-like wrapping of thicker fur around its neck and a bun on its head. It had two large tails and lengthy ears that were stretched up.

"Get out," the Pokémon said coldly.

"Oh, were you a secret backup or something?" Tetra said. He screeched as his body shrivelled up a bit. For once, he actually sounded like he was in pain. "Okay okay I get it I get it please stop this is actually plain uncomfortable."

"And us tearing your face off wasn't?" Esther said.

"Nah. The pain of mutilation only lasts a second. But this, this is agony make it stop ahahaha," he wailed.

The Pokémon raised its arm and Tetra was pulled with it, and then he got slammed into the ground hard enough to leave a crater. Tetra got right up of course, but he wasn't laughing. "I've had enough, anyway. It's obvious that none of you have got anything I'm looking for. No one who's strong enough to give me a real fight."

Lute felt a sense of relief for a moment, but his heart skipped a beat when Tetra darted toward him. "But I'm reporting this! Of how undeveloped you really are. When you get better, I definitely want a bout with you. Don't keep me waiting too long! And don't bring any of your friends, either. They barely warmed me up!"

Tetra flew away after that, laughing aloud to himself. He flew at such a speed it was hard to believe what had just happened. Lute blinked and gawked, wanting to say something that wouldn't give away his confusion. But looking at the others, they were still tense and concerned, glaring at the psychic Pokémon that was descending into a confrontation.

"That order was to all of you. Leave this place and never come back," she said. Her voice was low and quiet.

"H-hold on, it isn't what it looks like! That was a Spirle High Point, we're the good guys!" Esther cried.

"I don't care. Just leave this place before I make you," the Pokémon said.

"Wow, what a way to talk to a celeb. Don't you recognise Esther? I thought all the girls loved me." Esther folded her arms. The Pokémon's eyes did widen, but only for the briefest of moments.

"It doesn't matter who you are. Just get out of here," she raised her voice.

"Before we get into another fight, we're in your debt. So if you like, live here or something, we're happy to go, right guys?" Sophitia looked over at everyone. "You really saved our bacon there. Can we get a name, please?"

The Pokémon hesitated. "It's Gen. I'm a Meowstic."

"Thank you, Gen. Seriously, that was a pickle. Now come on guys, let's get outta here. The High Point's gone and we have Esther."

"Whoa whoa hey, not like that!" Esther skipped forward.

"Esther—" Phoenix stuck a paw out. Gen eyed them coldly, and didn't react even when Esther raised her paws to shake hands.

"You took us out of a pickle and your only ask is for us to leave you alone? That's not nice, nor cool," the Pikachu said. Gen still didn't react. "Okay, I'll get to the point. See, I'm kinda curious about this place and I wanna look around. I got an Agent of King's Shield with me, so I should have authority, right? Hey Mister Fluffy Cheeks, get over here!"

"Er, Esther? We kinda just got out of that. Shouldn't we all head back together?" Sophitia said.

"Head back where? To your home? Or the agent base?" Esther said, paws on her hips. "News flash: I don't have a home, my manager's in jail, and for the first time in months, I've had a decent meal. Let me make the most of it, will ya? I can live a little before I go back to your little celebrity 'custody'."

Lute and Sophitia gawked, not knowing how to respond until Phoenix stepped forward. "You two can head home. I will ensure that Esther remains safe. You'll be contacted with a report soon."

"Wait, seriously? That's it?" Sophitia said.

"Ugh, stupid kids just- okay fine, do whatever you want. But if I see any structural damage, you will pay for it. Understand?" Gen showed her fangs.

"Oh you bet! That first time was an honest accident. I'm soooooo nosy about this place, I just wanna look around."

"Nothing here is any of your business. Whatever," Gen said..

"We'll keep everything neat and tidy, promise!" Esther said.

"It's not that. It's this place and what you've done to it." Gen folded her arms.

"We can talk about this if you want." Esther went half-lidded.

Gen gave it a moment of thought, looking over them all. "Stay the night. You also need to take care of that wound."

"Me? N-no, I'm fine," Sophitia said. Lute piped up a bit and looked at her, surprised to see the weight of the wound she'd taken during the battle. Even though she'd only been hit by special attacks, flesh was showing, and around that wound were darkened marks like she'd been burnt. She resisted the urge to touch it with a feeler, but her whole body was cringing anyway. She caught Lute worriedly staring, and frowned. "What? I'm fine, thank you very much."

Lute looked away and growled. "No you're not."

"Urf. Okay, I will be fine. That better?" she said. "And aren't I the leader here? Between us two, anyway."

"Yeah, this is more like it! We can all cool off and get to know each properly and stuff. It'll be fun," Esther said.

"Why isn't Phoenix saying anything?" Lute sighed. "I hope Mum doesn't freak out, either."

"You're an agent and you're worrying about that? Marina will have to understand, that's even if we don't tell her the full story," Sophitia said.

Gen used her psychic to fly and lead the group without a word. Whatever Marina thought of him staying the night somewhere else was the least of his worries right now. If life was to carry on the way it was, he had far more to deal with about himself that needed to be done right away. And that would start with a serious talk with Sophitia.