Chapter Twenty-Two:

A Night at the Opera

"There ain't no way you wearin' this, bruh," Jasper said to Diddy. The Dedenne girl had stepped out in black short shorts, fishnets and flip flops.

"What's wrong?"

"Nigga is you high? It's a black tie event," he said, "Do you see the shit I'm wearin'?"

Diddy eyed him up and down. He wore a perfectly tailored tuxedo with black suede loafers.

"Okay…" Diddy scowled, "Ion even wanna go to this shit anyways! Operas be corny, my guy. Who the hell wanna sit for three fuckin' hours listenin' some lame nigga yell on stage in another language? Ain't me, that's fo sure. You don't like the shit either. You tryna flex."

"I always wanted go to an opera to be honest," Jasper said, "And yeah it look kinda lame and I am flexin', but I still wanted to see what it be like. Ya know, sit in nice seats, just enjoy the show—if it's good. And…from what the brochures say…it seems…low key lit."

Diddy sighed and went back in her room to change. Festival stepped out next, in a black, form fitting dress with matching stockings and low heel pumps. She looked somewhat uncomfortable, but smiled when she saw how she looked in the mirror. She had her hair done up in intricate bantu knots, her makeup done beautifully by Diddy and wore modest chandelier earrings. She carried a black purse with a silver chain. Jasper's eyes went wide for a split second and then nodded approvingly. Festival smiled at him and sat in the living room, going through her phone. Mardi sighed, opening the door and walking out. She opted for something sexier, but still classy: a black bandage dress with a boob window. It hugged her curves and went well with her black stilettos. The winged eyeliner was accentuated with golden glitter that brought out the light brown flecks in her eyes. She washed out her hair, wearing it in its natural curly state instead of having it flat ironed. She styled it in a high bun and slicked down the edges neatly.

"How's this?" Mardi asked Jasper. He smiled at her, giving her an approving wink. Mardi smiled back and went to the kitchen to get a pre-opera snack: potato chips. Soon, Pam left the room that she and Mardi shared. She was dressed in black sleek pants and heels, a black blazer and dark blue button down and a plain black mask. It flattered her thin frame, looking professional in every sense of the word. The diamond teardrop earrings were the icing on the fashionable cake. Even her makeup was on point—bringing out her best feature: her strikingly beautiful eyes.

"You look beautiful," Jasper said. Pam smiled with her eyes and stood by the corridor, checking how her pincers looked in her compact mirror. She'd put designs on them to make them look more ornamental and less…frightening. In about fifteen minutes, Diddy finally came back out. She combed out her weave and gave herself drop curls, a red lip and smoky eyes. She was dressed in a black and white vintage swing dress and mismatched heels (one black and one white, to go with the dress). She looked eccentric…but just formal enough to pass for someone with a modicum of class.

"Yeah…that'll do I guess," Jasper said, lighting a cigarette and scrolling on his phone. Diddy puckered her lips and strutted out. Jasper grabbed the car keys and opened the door, letting the girls through first and then followed, locking the door behind him. They hopped into the Buick, with Diddy getting in front. Jasper got in, doing his routine and took a deep breath, turning on some R&B oldies. He drove off, tapping his steering wheel, feeling calm. He caught himself smiling as he took the freeway. He was going at cruising speed, grinning now. Diddy had her feet up, texting on her phone as Mardi took selfies with Pam. Festival was playing a game on her smartphone, looking excited at her high score. Even though he tried to look as "classical" as possible, he still donned gold rings on every finger and his iced out watch. He also didn't remove the diamond studs in his ear. This gon' be lit, he thought, bobbing his head to the beat.

"Ah…look at that," Diddy said, pointing. Jasper glanced quickly and saw that Parker was flying by—a good distance, but he could still clearly see it was him. Jasper admired that the Pidgeot man didn't give a shit about what people said about flying types. So what if flyin' make other niggas uncomfortable, Jasper remembered Parker saying. He flew anyways, even if it was taboo. He flew, even if other flying types willingly tethered themselves to the ground simply to fit in. Japser continued on, racing by the beautiful ocean that reflected the city lights. He got off around Exit 50 and drove uptown, towards the Palmhampton Hills. This part of NPC was full of lush greenery and a gorgeous mountainside, covered in beach houses and chateaus. It was lovely at night—the stars could finally be seen. Diddy stared at the sky, pointing at a shooting star. The sight was so incredible that Mardi peeled her eyes away from her phone to gawk. Holy shit! Jasper felt a sense of wonder and nostalgia as he drove through here. The smells of fresh tropical trees gave him pleasant goosebumps. Soon, he was in the crowded areas and the Palmhampton Opera House was in the distance. He looked around and saw that this part of NPC was almost entirely populated with humans. They all looked well off, well-adjusted and healthy, as if they spent most of their lives in the mountains, taking in the fresh air. When he reached to the opera house, he slowed down and pulled up to the valet who was in a booth just by entrance. The building was impossibly huge, pure white and designed in an ultramodern style as if it was a futuristic palace. There was an enormous, brilliantly lit marble fountain in the front. He stepped out, feeling self-conscious when he saw everyone was dressed to the nines, coming out of limousines or expensive luxury cars. The available valet walked over to Jasper and smiled at him as the Jolteon man handed the keys to his convertible over. He exchanged the keys for a golden ticket in the shape of a flower. Even the numbers be blinged out, he thought, folding it carefully and handing it to Mardi to put in her purse. He walked to the massive entrance of the Palmhampton Opera House, walking through a grand atrium. The interior was spacious, beautifully designed and conspicuously lavish. Jasper looked ahead as the girls looked around, clear that they'd never been here or any opera house for that matter. He walked down the red and gold carpet path that led to a lobby, where people were gathered, showing their tickets to the taker. Jasper showed his tickets and they chipped them and then chipped him. The taker tore at the perforated line and handed back a stub, with his seat designation printed on them. He looked around and a saw a woman that caught his eye. She was curvy and tan, with platinum blonde hair that was done up in an ornate bun. She wore furs, diamonds and long, nails that were decked out in rhinestone shapes. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. She was accompanied with several men, all wearing tuxedos as one woman—a mon, the only other mon besides him and the girls. Damn she's…bad, Jasper thought, still looking at her. She walked away, being escorted to her seat by the usher. Soon enough, his party was escorted as well, taking their seats towards the mid-back, having a good enough view without being directly in front.

"There's no food here," Mardi complained.

"Are we supposed to turn our phones off?" Festival asked.

"These seats look fancy as fuck," Diddy observed. Pam said nothing, but rather looked around, shocked at her surroundings.

"Ay shut up," Jasper whispered harshly, taking his seat. Festival sat next to him on his left, while Pam sat by his right. Diddy sat by Festival as Mardi took the seat by Pam. More people filled up the auditorium, with a gaggle of rich folk sitting in their row, looking absolutely thrilled at attending the opera. Jasper's nose twitched. Someone had bathed themselves in too much fucking cologne.

"You smell that shit too right?" Diddy whispered, giggling with Mardi.

"Damn nigga lay off the fuckin' spray," Pam droned, "Even I can smell that shit and I'm wearin' a mask."

"I know right?" Diddy said.

People filled up the seats, chattering amongst themselves as Jasper stared out, looking star struck at the gorgeous vista before him.

"Excuse me sir."

Jasper's ear turned before he did. A middle aged woman dressed in golden furs had called him, getting his attention.

"I must say, your outfit is really daring—loafers with a tuxedo, my husband could never."

"…Thanks," he said.

"And are these…your…date…s?"

"Daughters," he said.

"Oh they are simply adorable," the woman said, laughing, "My son married a mon, you know. Oh, she's beautiful, just like these four. Simply stunning."

"Good looks—uh, thank you," Jasper said, smiling at her. She nodded and leaned back in her seat, talking to her husband and her friends. Mardi exchanged looks with Diddy and Pam and began laughing. Festival felt good about herself and preened, wagging her tail.

"Simply stunning," Diddy mocked in a low whisper, snickering.

"My son married a mon you know," Pam repeated.

"Oh she's beautiful like these four," Mardi said, rolling her eyes between chuckles.

"Aww, be nice…she's nice," Festival said.

"No, she ain't being nice…but she tryin' damn hard," Diddy teased.

"Sssh," Jasper said, noticing the lights starting to dim, "It's starting." The red curtains slowly opened, revealing a man on stage, giving a small speech about the importance of cultural traditions and introducing the show. It was a decent speech, but went on a tad long and with that, Mardi was already asleep before the first act could start. Jasper nudged her awake when the speech was over. The curtain opened up more, revealing the grand orchestra, doing the overture. It was beautiful. Mardi didn't go back to sleep, but rather stayed awake, impressed. Festival was smiling, enjoying the music. Diddy looked engrossed in the composition and Pam was stunned, her eyes wide with emotion as the show moved her. Jasper looked smug when he noticed the expressions on the girl's faces. He leaned back in his seat, smiling to himself. The filter of the lights changed, turning a cool blue as an exquisite backdrop appeared. A woman stepped out on stage, dressed in an incredible costume—a gown that was bejeweled, wearing makeup like nothing he'd ever seen before. His eyes widened when he saw she was a mon—a Jolteon woman. Her yellow and white hair was done up in gorgeous curls and her sand brown skin was glistening underneath the cool toned light. She began singing and her voice carried throughout the opera house. She twirled and danced, showing off how beautiful her movements were, even in such a cumbersome costume. Jasper couldn't help but smile widely, his eyes glued on her. A human man in a black and gold tuxedo stepped out, singing in tandem. He was handsome and young, with a deep voice that also carried. They sang at each other and then together, perfect harmonization. This is beautiful, Jasper thought, feeling emotion welling up in him as he saw them together, moving, singing and dancing.

Soon, the cool blue turned a warm red as new actors came out to sing their parts. They danced as well, all in gorgeous costumes that glistened in the spotlight. Mardi's tail wagged as she stared, her jaw open. Festival was so in love with what she was seeing, her eyes scanning every gorgeous detail. Diddy was enjoying it, her tail twitching from side to side as Pam watched, her eyes filled with tears of joy. This is good, Jasper thought, folding his leg in his seat. The Jolteon soprano was impressive and so was her human male counterpart and they moved well together. Jasper's tail started to wag as well as he looked around at the expressions of the audience. He saw the usher, watching the opera, looking…unmoved, as if he saw it a hundred times before. Another usher took his post soon, letting him take a break. Jasper's attention went back to the stage. He loved the singing, grinning from ear to ear. The tenor was present now, singing their part to absolute perfection. Jasper decided to look around the audience again and his eyes went the usher once more, noticing that it was a different one now. The new usher was a female mon—a Banette girl. Her head swiveled around—a complete three-sixty, as if she was surveying the entire opera house. She eventually looked back at Jasper, her eyes never blinking once. …The fuck? He thought. She smiled and reached into her red uniform jacket, withdrawing a glock. Jasper didn't waste any time when he saw that.

"GET DOWN!" He shouted at the girls.

"Huh—"

Mardi dragged Festival to the ground and Pam and Diddy dropped to the floor. The woman fired into the row. Without any delay, people began screaming and scrambling. Jasper was down on the floor as well, covering his head as people in that row began trampling each other to get out. It took a short while, but soon the other rows realized what was happening. Once it hit them, they started panicking too.

"SHE HAS A GUN!" An usher screamed.

She began reloading. Jasper used this time to grab Mardi and Festival and zipped them out of the auditorium. He went back for Pam and Diddy, taking them into the lobby.

"Run, go to outside!" He said frantically.

Mardi grabbed Festival and ran with her as Diddy zipped past and Pam hurried behind. Everyone was scrambling for the exits, pushing each other out the way or trampling whoever was unlucky to trip and fall to the ground. Jasper zipped back through the crowd, weaving through it, looking for the shooter. As he did, Diddy stopped running. She skidded to a halt and turned around.

"What the fuck is you doing?" Mardi yelled.

Diddy pointed to the valet that had taken their car, dead on the ground. Their throat was cut.

"Oh fuck…" Pam muttered. People were flooding outside demanding to get their cars or simply just running off, going nowhere in particular. Diddy turned around and saw a blonde woman in furs, loading a pistol while the men surrounding her were pointing their submachine guns at them. They mowed down whoever was unlucky enough to be caught in their crossfire. The woman who complimented them was turned in to Swiss cheese, while her husband was blown to bits, his limbs torn off by the hailstorm of bullets. Mardi grabbed a crying Festival and ducked, going behind the booth where the valets would occupy. Diddy seized Pam and pulled her away, narrowly avoiding the bullets. One of them ended up grazing the Dedenne girl. She cried out, holding her arm. When they began reloading, Mardi ran to the valet's body, nicking a handful of keys off of him and ran back. She tossed the ones that didn't belong to the Buick aside.

"Where did this nigga park!" Diddy screamed. Tears were rolling down her face, ruining her makeup.

"I'ma find the car," Mardi said.

"You can drive?" Festival bawled.

"No! But I'ma find out today nigga," the Morpeko girl gasped. She kicked off her heels and began running at her top speed. The blonde woman had left, leaving her men to finish the job. They advanced ruthlessly, shoving people out their way and shooting whoever was too slow to move. Diddy tentatively lifted her hand off her shoulder, looking at how bad the wound was. It was nastier than it looked, but it hurt like hell.

"What are we gonna do?" Festival cried out.

Pam didn't wait for prompting. She charged into one of the men, her high attack stat giving her the physical strength edge. She knocked him to the ground with great ease. Another shooter approached her, but Pam grabbed the gun from him, tearing it from his hands. She swung the butt of the firearm against his face, cracking his jaw clean off.

"PAM!" Diddy yelled.

They began firing at her but she took few shots. She kept barreling towards them, despite the pain. She ended up eviscerating one of the shooters—a tall, thin guy. He let out a terrifying cry as he felt his guts torn from his stomach. He spewed blood and fell to the ground, squirming in unimaginable pain. She grabbed the last shooter who caught her in the leg, grazing her kneecap. She struck him multiple times in the face, reducing it into a bone and blood pulp. She let him drop, but hadn't noticed another sharpshooter who was coming up from behind.

"PAM!" Festival shrieked.

Mardi came through with the Buick, ramming the opp in the process. The force of the convertible sent him flying and broke his lower back. Pam was breathing heavily, bleeding. Her high defense stat meant she wasn't as hurt as she appeared, but gunshots were never ideal. Another shooter reloaded and started spraying. Mardi stepped on the gas, running him over and crushing his back. Pam fell to her knees, growling and feeling her teeth chafe against each other as she gritted them. There was the unmistakable sound of the hammer of a gun being cocked. A shooter was aiming for Mardi. No! NO! NO! Pam panicked, getting to her feet as quickly as she could, but she wasn't fast enough. But before the opposition could pull the trigger, the man suddenly screamed. He flung his arms into the air, sending his firearm flying as he felt his heart immediately stop and a painful burst of electricity run right through him. He collapsed to the ground. Mardi was breathing hard and she saw Jasper had shot him with a thunderbolt—a critical hit right through the heart.

"Fuck…" Pam groaned, leaning against the Buick. Diddy and Festival ran towards her, helping her into the car while Jasper dialed Chance. The Charizard man picked up after two rings.

"What—"

"Get to Palmhampton RIGHT NOW NIGGA! GET TO THE OPERA HOUSE! GET MY KIDS AWAY FROM HERE!"

He hung up instantly when he saw that Banette girl emerge from the ground a good distance away, out of a shadow.

"BeBe! Kill them!" One of the shooters called out from behind her, trying to unjam his gun. She was loading up a semi-automatic pistol and started aiming. Fuck. Jasper darted towards her, tackling her. He knocked the pistol out her hand and tried pinning the ghost type. But that didn't work. She easily threw him off. People who were too scared to run were watching, dialing for the cops. Before Jasper could dash away, BeBe's whipped her hair and wrapped around his neck. He gagged, his eyes wide as sudden momentum made him fall. He tried clawing at her hair to no avail. She gon' slam me! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! And she swung him around. He held onto her hair, making sure the momentum would not snap his neck. She let go and he flew, landing painfully on the ground. He cried out, feeling something crack and dislocate. BeBe grinned, trotting towards her pistol but Diddy got to it first, pointing it at her.

"Oh please girl," BeBe hissed, "Try me."

Diddy let off a few rounds but they went straight through her, as if it was hitting smoke. She kept shooting, emptying the gun but BeBe grabbed her. Her hand became enormous she did, engulfing her tiny throat, strangling her. That was enough for Mardi to intervene. She ran full speed to BeBe, doing a cartwheel that soon turned in to a front somersault, covered in an electrical aura. She charged into BeBe, knocking the ghost woman over. She let go of Diddy in the process, grunting in pain. The shooter unjammed his gun and began firing sloppily. Jasper was still on the ground, unable to get up from his back injury. I can't run! Fuck! I can't run! No! Fuck! No! No! No! He gritted his teeth as he sat up. His eyes became wide as the opposition locked and loaded, ready to shoot. He pulled the trigger and got Jasper in the side. When he tried again he was suddenly on fire. Jasper was howling in pain, but saw Festival, her hands outstretched, her otherwise brown eyes glowing orange-gold. She jogged over to Jasper and helped him up with ease. She got him away from there. She was no speedster, but she moved as fast as she could. She set Jasper down in the grassy field that surrounded the opera house. He was breathing heavy, holding his side, his eyes rolling in the back of his head at the sheer pain of a gunshot and a busted back.

"Daddy, daddy," she began crying again. She pressed down on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

Pam, on the other hand, swung at BeBe, but went right through her. Mardi's eyes went gold as she let out a wave of electrical energy. It leapt from her fingertips onto BeBe, her cheeks glowing pink as it happened. It hurt her, but didn't stop her. BeBe whipped her hair around like tentacles, ensnaring Mardi. Pam couldn't keep going, however. The gunshot wounds were getting to her. She fell to her knees knowing she'd live, but the pain was too much. She spat up blood, trembling. Diddy ran towards BeBe, despite her bleeding shoulder. She was too weak to put up a good physical fight and so she leapt over her. Her eyes went gold as well as her orange cheek pouches turned a fiery color. She let out a bolt of lightning from them. It shocked BeBe enough for her to let go of Mardi, but not enough to hurt her in any real way. BeBe grunted, feeling pain sear behind the back of her eyes and through her body. Dedenne's were not known to be strong, physically or specially. She super-sized her fist and got ready to break Diddy's bones. This bitch can take a few hits, Mardi thought, getting to her feet again, breathing heavily. She swung at Diddy but she jumped—a clean dodge. And it was just in time. BeBe was set on fire from a conflagration raining down. Diddy flipped and landed sloppily, gritting her teeth as she let out a sob of pain. Chance landed, his wings extended as BeBe screamed, trying to beat the flames off of herself. He took a deep breath and let out another flamethrower from his mouth, cooking her alive.

"Where's Jasper?" Chance asked frantically, hating all of this already.

"Please stop."

He stiffened up and turned around, to see that blonde, curvaceous woman. She was flanked by four shooters.

"This has become messy," she said, "I'm here to kill that Jolteon man… and probably, you."

Chance lifted his hands up, "Bruh…bruh…"

"I'm Natasha," she said, "And I do not want you here. You can leave or you can stay and work for me. But you will not both stay and not work for me."

Mardi scampered towards the Buick, reaching into the glove compartment. She snatched the extra gun and the hyper potion was in there for emergencies.

"Ay miss, look," Chance said, "I don't know what you want—but listen, you don't gotta do all this. Motherfuckers already called the cops. They on their way here…you wanna walk away—"

"Do you really think I'm worried about some fourth rate slave catchers you pathetic idiots call law enforcement around here? Let them come, I'll gut them too."

"…We can work out a deal bruh…we gotta don't do all this….this so extra…"

"What kind of deal? Because the deal I'm thinking is you working for me or you dying. I'm also thinking that all your assets belong to me now."

Mardi darted towards Jasper and Festival, who was sobbing uncontrollably now. Jasper, on the other hand, was barely conscious.

"Dad, dad, stay awake," Mardi said, "Yo, Festival, call his niggas."

The Flareon girl nodded and reached for his phone, dialing for Chanel. As she did, Mardi ripped open his shirt and looked at the injury. The bullet had gone through, leaving a disgusting, gaping exit wound. She shook the hyper potion and sprayed the wound multiple times. Before her eyes, she saw the boiling blood seep back into the gunshot. It started to close up.

"C-Chanel, please get everyone," Festival said between sobs, "M-my d-dad… h-he's been s-shot and h-hurt. W-we're a-at P-Palmhampton O-opera H-House. Please come n-now."

Mardi waited for the wound to close up while Chance stalled. He swallowed hard, his hands still in the air.

"I'll work for you," he said, "But you gotta leave Jasper and his kids alone, ma'am."

"Natasha is just fine," she corrected, "And I don't want that. He has to be out of the picture, little dragon man. Can't have him selling on what's now my territory. But you can work for me anyways."

"Okay, okay, okay—"

"You're stalling," Natasha said, shooting him straight in the stomach. Chance cried out and fell to his knees, instinctively gripping his abdomen. She went for the head. Diddy screamed out.

"Don't kill him! He said okay! Please! He said okay!"

Natasha looked at her, "And you think I can trust him?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Please child. I wasn't born yesterday."

Mardi turned Jasper around as Diddy begged for Chance's life, spraying his injured back. The horrible black bruises started to recede back into his skin. The hyper potion was done now and Jasper was slowly gaining back consciousness.

"D-daddy?"

"Ugh…oh Arceus…" he moaned, trying to get to his feet. Festival helped him up. Chance, on the other hand was bleeding out, gasping and feeling his life starting to slip through his fingers. Natasha looked amused at Diddy's sobbing and Pam's struggle to stay conscious.

"I like strong women," Natasha said with faux sympathy. In the distance, she heard sirens. She sighed, disappointed, knowing the cops would be here soon. She smacked her lips and without hesitation, shot Chance in the head. Diddy screeched, dropping to her knees, tears falling down a shell-shocked face. Natasha gestured to her peoples, or what was left of them, leaving. They hopped into the cars they had come in, Natasha going into her signature silver Porsche. In less than a minute, they drove off, abandoning the scene. Diddy ran over to Chance, terrified. He opened his eyes and gave Diddy a weak smile. Her bullet had not gone through his skull—rather his horn, breaking it off. She hugged him with all strength, weeping loudly. Jasper limped towards the horrible fray, his eyes as large as the moon as he saw the bodies scattered in the front of the Palmhampton Opera House. It was largely empty now, most people escaping the shootout. He helped Pam to her feet and got her into the Buick. She was fully unconscious now. He then went over to Chance. He was bleeding out, weak and fading fast. They felt a gust of wind kiss their skin as a shadow passed over them. Parker landed with Chanel in tow, a first aid kit in her hand. He set her down and she ran to Chance, gently pushing Diddy aside and cutting open his shirt. She got out two specialized forceps, a scalpel, surgical scissors, a tourniquet, disinfectant and a full restore. She slipped on plastic gloves and got to work, extracting pieces of the bullet from his wound carefully but hastily. Jasper looked around and saw, laying on the pavement in the distance, the Jolteon woman. He went over to her and looked down at her lovely, cold face. Her eyes were hazy and lifeless, her body in an unnatural position. A stray bullet had gone through her head when she was trying to escape. He stared at her, feeling his heart sink. You didn't deserve this. He sighed, hanging his head tiredly. He looked over his shoulder at Chance; he was going to survive, but just barely. Chanel had removed all the bullet shards, exhaling fretfully. The gunshot squirted, but the bullet had grazed an artery instead of completely puncturing it. She tightened the tourniquet to slow the bleeding, noticing how horrific the lesion was. Chance was beyond lucky to still be even barely conscious. She began spraying his wound with a full restore after she disinfected with a strong astringent. The sirens were flashing in the distance, coming closer and closer. Chanel began to work on Pam, as fast as she could. She discarded her old gloves, and put on new ones. Chanel then cut open her blazer and shirt, using a scalpel and specialized forceps to extract out the bullets. They weren't in deep due to her naturally high defenses and had not shattered, but she could die from infection if they weren't treated. She got one bullet out and cleaned the wound, spraying the full restore on it. But there were four more to go.

"We need to go," Chance grumbled. His voice was hoarse from crying. He slowly got up, still slightly limping from the pain.

"Work on Pam and Diddy while I drive," Jasper said, telling the girls to get into the back seat of the Buick. Festival sat in front, while Diddy and Mardi sat in the back with Pam and Chanel. She could barely fit.

"Festival sit in my lap, let Mardi sit in front," Jasper instructed. Festival listened and he buckled up as she straddled him. Mardi moved to the front seat, giving Chanel enough room to work on both Pam and Diddy. Parker helped up Chance and extended his wings, taking off with him. As they did, Jasper took a deep breath and sped off, leaving the opera house before the cops could swarm it.