Chapter 12: The Final Stretch – Part 1

Previously…

Hatterene was finally able to achieve the impossible by using her Life Dew upon Karthaniel's body after he had fallen asleep from his escape from the Wonder Guard Demon's spell by Marnie's Pheromosa. After that one drop upon his head, she gently placed her hat claw upon his chest, closed her eyes, and began the process of figuring out everything that happened prior to his arrival towards the Isle of Armor. The demon saw this as he finally came to and was immediately angry, which made Pheromosa and Grimmsnarl return to high alert mode.

NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM! The demon exclaimed as he tried to run towards the two, but Pheromosa was too fast for the weakened monster and practically put no effort into performing her Ice Beam from her right hand as casually as possible. It froze him upon impact and this made the Lissome Pokémon pull off a small smile as she seductively walked towards him until she was in front of him, keeping that famous claw on the hip and her right hand gave him teasing strokes upon his frozen face. Piers' shiny Grimmsnarl was preparing for an attack from the demon as Pheromosa spoke:

"Heh, heh! You're so amusing to battle. And yet, your strong will to keep Sir Davis under your control does prove that this ultimate power is not to be underestimated. Fortunately, as the fastest Ultra Beast in all of Galar, I'm always ready, willing, and able to take down even the most stubborn of jackasses. I overheard your entire ordeal from Marnie and Piers and I practically cheered within my pokéball when I heard you were classified as the 'Wonder Guard Demon'. With me being a bug and fighting type, I'm practically a nightmare towards you." She paused as she got closer to the demon's face, looking as if she was about to kiss him, but never got any further as she continued. "From this moment on, the only one with Wonder Guard shall only be Shedinja again. I'm sure your trip back to Hell where you came from will be a pretty rough one, lad." After that last word, Pheromosa paused once more as she stood back five steps with grace before she concluded with: "Grimmsnarl, give him his ticket."

"With pleasure, milady Pheromosa." The shiny Bulk Up Pokémon replied in a deep, semi-growling voice before he formed a hand into a glowing pink spear and used all of his strength to impale the demon into his chest with his enhanced Spirit Break, giving everyone very bloody and gory results with his black beating heart sticking out at the spear's tip for five seconds before that arm turned back into a three-fingered hand and he used it to crush it to black ooze before he retracted his arm, allowing the now deceased demon to fall face first onto the concrete floor and he vanished permanently by means of harmless black smoke.

When it was completely gone, all the attention was now fully focused on Hatterene and Karthaniel. The anthro Silent Pokémon was still in scanning mode and after three more slow minutes, Hatterene gasped as she opened her eyes and Karthaniel woke up slowly, sitting up while shaking his half-shaven head to get the dizziness out. He kept his handsome smile of adoration as she saw that she did indeed use that power to get the results, but she never changed back to her original form. Still, he had to know:

"What did you see, love?" He asked with hope in his handsome voice. Hatterene kept her eyes on his one blue eye and one brown eye with all the passion in her soul as she held both hands with him while they both were now sitting on their knees together. "You're still the same and you never lost your power. Could it mean that…?"

"Yes." Hatterene replied with no hesitation. "Out of the 155 total passengers that were within that shipwreck that mentally broke you, only three survived: You… and your parents."

Meanwhile, within the Crown Tundra…

Hop and Calyrex, who were still riding on their respective steeds of Galarian Rapidash and Spectrier, had just made a stop just at the shoreline of the Frigid Sea. Seeing this location had left the younger brother of the Galar Champion completely flummoxed and speechless as the King Pokémon spoke.

"I know this may already seem mystifying towards you." He started in his deep male voice via telepathy. "But the facility that you seek is indeed here beneath the Frigid Sea. Having these waters at a temperature of 20 degrees below zero, it makes perfect sense. Swimming there traditionally would be a death sentence instantly."

"…that's insane!" Hop exclaimed. "Lawrence really planned this all out from the get-go."

"Even without the knowledge of Sir Karthaniel Harrison Davis. Seeing him will definitely have all the tables turned, which will turn out for the better on our side… but then, vengeance will take over him like a curse and do whatever it takes to get Hatterene back."

"Humph! He doesn't scare me! He's gotta get through all of us if he wants her back." After that last word, Hop's golden eyes spotted a fairly used steel submarine at about ten feet away from their right. "Hey! There's our ticket inside over there!"

"Ah, excellent observation, young Hop!" The two got off their steeds and the younger brother of Leon used a master ball to get Spectrier inside safely along with his own Galarian Rapidash in his ultra ball. "On our way there, I'll send out another distress call towards Hatterene herself. I already felt that they have finally defeated the Wonder Guard Demon once and for all."

"YES! I hope Karthaniel's parents are okay, then. In the meantime, let's get my brother back!" At that last word, the two made haste towards that sub, got in with no problems, and Hop volunteered to man the controls like he's done it before as he used the preloaded coordinates to get to the facility.

Back at the Spikemuth entrance…

"I knew it!" Karthaniel cheered as he, Hatterene, Piers, and Marnie had all just arrived at the entrance after a brief visit to the Pokémon Center. "So, those two that attacked you in the tunnel… they were my parents after all."

"Still…" Hatterene's regal smile turned upside down as she tipped her famous hat to hide the oncoming angst that she felt. Seeing this made the three humans watch her with utmost concern, especially her beloved steel-type expert lover. "…if that's the case, then why attack me? Maybe my previous prediction was correct: That not only did the shipwreck and the fact that you had no idea if your parents survived mentally scarred you, but it has done the same towards them as well. Since they ended up in a completely different area, someone else must've convinced them to join their cause and it's obviously against me."

"And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, madame Hatterene." Marnie came in. "I already have a hunch as to who it may be that easily manipulated Sir Davis' parents." Everybody turned towards the younger sister of Piers and gave her their attention as she continued. "It's all adding up to this entire situation. I'm not 100 percent sure, but it could be that Lawrence fellow."

Silence after that was said from everyone, but they all held deeply thinking glares within their eyes. Hatterene kept hers hidden with the brim of her hat and it just remained quiet for the next five minutes. At the fourth minute, the anthropomorphic Silent Pokémon heard a sultry distress signal within her mind and the black within her eyes glowed blue as she lifted her hat back to its original position and turned towards the three humans, alerting them immediately.

"Speaking of that bloody pig, Hop and Calyrex found the facility at the Frigid Sea within The Crown Tundra." Hatterene announced in her coldest tone since meeting her soon-to-be formerly mentally unstable lover. "Leon, Sonia, Peony, and Peonia have already been captured there. Hop is already driving the submarine now. How can we get there?"

"You'll have to head back to the Isle of Armor first." Piers replied. "There's one Wailord out there that truly doesn't mind being seen. He'll probably know what's going on at the very moment he sees you and will allow you to catch him. Of course, you'll have to leave one of your beloved pokémon behind when you do so. I'm sure Master Mustard won't mind watching it until it's all over." Karthaniel and Hatterene looked at each other with determination in their eyes, even after the anthro Silent Pokémon's eyes reverted back to being black. After fifteen seconds, the two nodded once in agreement before turning their attention back to Piers and Marnie. "Sounds like a plan, yes?"

"Dragapult can take the cold better than Rillaboom, love." Hatterene professionally stated matter-of-factly towards Karthaniel and with a pleasant smile as well.

"I couldn't agree with ya more." He replied with another single nod and a handsome smile of his own. "Where's Jennifer?"

"She's already waiting for us at the Isle of Armor entrance. I can feel her presence there."

"Excellent! Piers, Marnie… thank you both for your help. Extra props to your Pheromosa and Grimmsnarl for that wonderful execution of the demon. Here's hoping we can have a friendly sparring battle against ya someday."

"Will keep that promise alive, friend." Piers agreed as he approached Karthaniel and gave him the most peaceful man hug the ladies have ever seen, making Hatterene place a slender hand to her chest with compassion. "Good luck to ya both. We'll be rootin' for ya."

"Thanks again." After that was said, Karthaniel called for the Flying Taxi via his wristwatch communicator and didn't waste a moment arriving and picking him and Hatterene up before heading towards the Isle of Armor.

Several minutes later, at that entrance…

"Congratulations!" Jennifer cheered after Hatterene and Karthaniel had just arrived and was told the good news from Sir Davis himself while he received a celebratory hug from the blue-eyed brunette. "How do you feel?"

"Revived!" Karthaniel replied as the two had just ended the hug. "Now there's just two tasks at hand: Get rid of Lawrence and find my parents."

"Say no more! Wailord is right over there." The three looked out towards the ocean before them and they did indeed spot the biggest Wailord they've ever seen. It seemed like he was already waiting to be caught by Karthaniel, but of course, first thing's first: "Which of your pokémon will you leave under the care of Klara and Master Mustard?"

"Rillaboom." Jennifer nodded twice in understanding as that said Drumming Pokémon made his way out of his pokéball on his own with a proud smile. "You'll be safe here, away from the harsh coldness of the Crown Tundra. Is that alright with ya, lad?" Rillaboom nodded once in response and, as if on cue, the aspiring younger Poison-type Gym Leader, Klara, had just arrived with the group, surprising Hatterene. "Ah, Klara! Good to see you again."

"And it's so good to see you, Sir Davis!" She greeted in her usual cute manner, even as she casually took Rillaboom's pokéball from the silver gear tattooed man. "Master Mustard told me to call you that sometimes because it's a sign of respect for you and your struggle. I also overheard that you finally defeated that nasty demon that's been messing with your sanity. Congratulations to ya!"

"Thank you so much, Miss Klara. By the way, this is Hatterene. I don't believe you've met her." Upon her first sight of her, Klara gasped with excitement, but remained calm as she casually approached her. "She's been helping me for nearly two weeks now. She's a very special hatterene with much more power compared to the regular ones you usually see in the wild."

"Oh, wow! No wonder there's been a buzz about you all over the Isle of Armor lately. You're really as serene as they say you are. So glad you're taking good care of Sir Davis. He's really gonna need ya for this next mission at the Crown Tundra. Besides, I've heard a pretty crazy rumor about that Lawrence guy."

"You have?!" All three before the poison-type gym leader asked with shock simultaneously.

"Yeah." Rillaboom got back in his pokéball as Klara continued. "After you escaped, Hatterene, that fairy-type expert sure didn't waste any time after he moved his facility to the Frigid Sea. Calyrex, Regidrago, and Regieleki had been keeping her safe at the Crown Shrine, but somehow, a part of Lawrence's staff broke through the defenses and captured her to become his newest slave. He did the same permanent transformation on her and everything! As much as she doesn't want to obey him, she literally has no choice. Her… innocence is already broken by him and she's traumatized by his presence every day."

"Who is this you speak of?" Karthaniel asked with authority. "Any victim of Lawrence is automatically a new friend to us."

"A beautiful mythical pokémon named Diancie." Hatterene's eyes lowered with regal fury. She expected this to happen. Same went for Jennifer as she stood next to her new ally. Karthaniel watched this with observant anomalous eyes. "I guess the fact that she's a mythical pokémon would automatically give him bragging rights."

"That bastard!" Hatterene muttered with clenched teeth. "He's already gone far enough. Jennifer, we've gotta plan this out carefully if we want to rescue everyone and kill Lawrence all at the same time."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Jennifer replied. "Klara, you say this is a rumor. Is it all true?"

"That part is true, but it's the captors that are part of it that seems questionable to us."

"You don't think they are who I think they are…" Karthaniel came in between the two ladies with concern written on his handsome face.

"And I hate to say it, yeah: Your parents, Sir Davis." This made the young trainer well up in tears of worry, having his beloved Hatterene place her hat claw upon his shoulder for comfort. "I'm so sorry, but that's all the information I got."

"That attack upon Hatterene in the Route 9 tunnel wasn't an illusion after all, like we said before. My parents may have survived the shipwreck, but they've been easily brainwashed by Lawrence because they were also worried about me and didn't know who else to turn to. He faked his sympathy towards them and it obviously worked to perfection."

"Does that mean that Lawrence already knows you?"

"Yes, but he probably told them that it's too late for them to search for me." That phrase was enough to strike horror within all the ladies' hearts and they all bowed their heads with sadness. It remained silent for the next five minutes until Wailord called out to them from the ocean and he was near the shoreline, ready to help them out in any way he can. Klara nodded once in agreement with the Float Whale Pokémon and the others remained silent as they headed towards him, seeing him open his mouth along the way, and they were all allowed inside and safe as he swam swiftly towards the extreme crucial destination to end all of this madness once and for all.

To be continued…

(Sorry for having it being a bit short, but I promise you it'll be much longer and more action packed next time. So, be patient and no flames please. Thank ya much and have a fantastic day.)