Not going to lie - this was probably THE hardest chapter for me to write, considering it went through like seven complete rewrites.
Hope everyone had a good holiday, and has a good New Year!
Now that the formalities had concluded, the excitement of the onlookers was gradually reaching its peak. The Sneasel that had held the honor of reading out the battle rules returned to the sidelines, joining the rest of the pack in watching the combatants.
Lin's eyes swept the crowd, and she clenched a fist tightly, imagining that her fears and anxieties were being crushed within the palm of her paw. Showing such fear would not help her in this battle, and would likely only delight the Sneasel she had bested in the past. There was little doubt that several of the onlookers had made private wagers with one another over the outcome, either in the eagerness that she'd be defeated, or with the faith that she could possibly overcome Del. It was hard to guess which reason was more likely.
Del stood across the arena from her, his stance relaxed and his eyes fixed upon her. Lin returned his gaze, her expression serious. Thinking of Del as an opponent she couldn't overcome was only going to solidify that impression in her mind. Thinking of him as the pack alpha was not going to help her. He definitely held all the advantages in this battle, being the evolved form of her own species, but the Razor Claw pendant hanging from her neck was symbolic that she had been considered worthy of evolution, and only needed to prove herself in one final test.
Lin smiled faintly. That seemed like the ideal way of considering the match. Del was just another obstacle, and if she succeeded in overcoming it, then she would truly be his peer. Even if she thought she could not win, victory on its own was not necessary. She just needed to do her best and, win or lose, she wouldn't back down from this match.
"Are you ready, Lin?" Del inquired politely and Lin nodded. Del clicked his tongue and fixed her with a meaningful look.
The Sneasel winced, realizing that she had fumbled the question. "I'm ready," she answered aloud, relaxing her fists. Proper battle etiquette required her to answer the question with words, and not just gestures.
"Wonderful. I've been looking forward to this," Del told her with a grin, his body practically shaking with excitement. Lin blinked, but did not answer. The idea that the pack alpha had wanted to challenge her for an unknown length of time was oddly flattering, and made her question her initial impression that Del had chosen her on a whim, or simply to knock her down a peg. Thus far, he had shown her nothing but sincere respect, a far cry from what she might have expected from other members of the pack eager to try to one-up her.
Del waited another moment before slowly, and purposefully, raising his paw over his head, and he snapped his claws loudly. An excited murmur rose up from the onlookers, and Lin herself felt a shudder of anticipation race through her body.
Before the Sneasel could even assess the best course of action, Del closed the gap between them, moving so quickly it seemed almost as if he had teleported. Lin barely had time to raise her guard before Del struck at her with his claws, directing each blow at a different area of her body. The first strike was easy to deflect, but the second was aimed at her left leg, prompting her to hastily retreat a pace. Over and over, Del struck at Lin, and for every blow that Lin blocked, she felt a spasm of pain shoot through her arm.
As she expected, Del was far stronger than she was. Even defending against his blows would take a toll on her body, and he was faster, with greater range. At this rate, she would definitely be taken out before getting a chance to fight back. In that case...
Lin exhaled forcefully, and a gale of icy wind billowed forth, buffeting Del directly in the face. His eyes closed for an instant, and Lin drove her shoulder into the Weavile's gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. The Weavile's arm shot out and seized Lin's scarf, and he yanked the fabric sideways.
The scarf constricted ever so slightly around Lin's neck before the loop came free, and the scarf was pulled from her shoulders. The Sneasel gasped, instinctively clutching at her neck, before a shudder of anger passed through her body instead. Del's eyes had been closed, so he probably hadn't intended to catch her scarf, as opposed to her arm or maybe her shoulder, so there didn't appear to be any malice behind his assault, and even by grabbing the scarf, he had succeeded in pulling her off-balance and preventing her from capitalizing on his momentary vulnerability.
However, something about the sequence of events aggravated her. Had she not adjusted the scarf's loop before the battle, she might have gotten choked by the scarf, and while this point had come up in numerous past battles, no one had ever successfully used her scarf against her to any significant degree. For Del to be the closest to succeed, and in front of the entire pack, only served to highlight that Lin's choice to wear her scarf in battle was a potential weakness, albeit one that couldn't pose a significant threat to her.
The Weavile blinked at the scarf in his paw, and then tossed it to the side, out of their way. Lin slashed her claws towards him, but Del stepped backwards, her claws missing by a fraction of an inch. Lin swiftly followed with a jab aimed at his stomach, only for Del to slap her arm downwards and deliver a sharp jab of his own into her shoulder. Lin recoiled with a hiss of pain, but even without checking to confirm, she could tell the wound had been minor, barely even enough to draw blood.
Del's eyes glinted with excitement, and he stepped backwards, mirroring her own movements. They both stood still for a moment, just watching one another. One would almost be able to see the wheels turning in both of their minds, working out a plan of how to overcome the other. Del had the advantage of his evolved form, but Lin was known to be resourceful and determined, even when outmatched.
The Sneasel was practically shaking with excitement, her heart pounding in her chest. In spite of the disadvantages presented to her, she had no intention of backing down. Del was faster, but there was a way to compensate for the difference in speed. Lin's mouth curled into a grin, and she kicked off the ground, like a track runner bolting at the sound of the starter gun. Del instinctively stabbed his claws towards her, but Lin shifted direction, darting past Del on his right side. The Weavile swiveled, attempting to keep his eyes on her movements, a feat that became more difficult as Lin began to pick up speed.
Agility was a rather common technique available to the pack members, and a very useful tactic when hunting prey. The common target was easily disoriented by the movements almost too fast to follow, and many Sneasel incorporated this idea in battles. A disoriented opponent could be taken down just as easily as prey, and it was an amusing way to toy with an opponent a little longer if that was the desired aim. When one was that rattled by bursts of movement and sudden jabs, their performance suffered to the point they resembled a drunken boxer, swiveling and swaying, while making desperate flailing motions in a vain hope of actually hitting something.
Lin personally disliked the way the technique was usually abused among a number of her peers, but she was not going to let herself slack off when it came to mastering it, when so many of her rivals would gladly take advantage of the technique's utility both in and out of battle. This match against Del was already proof that there were times and situations that warranted the use of Agility, not as a tool for mockery, but simply to compensate for a disadvantage in speed.
Sure enough, Lin spotted the knowing glint in Del's eye, and the yellow, oval shaped marking on his forehead seemed to glow briefly in the moonlight. In the time it took Lin to wonder what was about to happen, Del was moving again, directly towards her.
Lin gasped in disbelief as the Weavile pounced, drawing back his fist and driving it against her chest with enough force to hurl her backwards. Her body tumbled across the rocky ground of the arena, and she could hear the onlookers crying out in a mixture of surprise and delight. Lin pushed herself back up, and applied another burst of speed before charging back towards Del.
To her astonishment, Del side-stepped her with ease, pivoting on one foot and delivering a forceful kick to her side. Pain erupted from her ribs, and she again found herself tumbling across the ground. Earlier in the match, Del had definitely been faster than her by a considerable margin, but now...even after she had used Agility to try to match or even surpass him, he was somehow faster in comparison than when they started.
Lin growled, struggling a little more to push herself back up, but she still managed to stand in the end. Her body had collected a number of scrapes and scratches from her second painful tumble across the rocks, but her adrenaline was pumping more intensely, supplying her body with energy and battle lust like nothing else.
Del was watching her with interest, making no attempt to prevent her from getting up, but there was no guarantee that he'd stand idle for long. His amused expression made Lin's blood boil, but she knew that getting too close, or too recklessly, would only result in her being flattened again.
Lin brought her paws closer together, forming a growing sphere of purple energy between her paws. She seized the sphere in her right paw and hurled it towards the Weavile's legs. As expected, Del jumped, gaining enough height to pass over the Shadow Ball entirely.
Lin made a quick mental calculation before launching a second Shadow Ball in the Weavile's direction. Del seemed to have anticipated this, because black energy coursed through his claws moments before he swiped at the ghostly sphere, reflecting it right back at her with even greater momentum than it had originally.
Lin kicked off the ground herself, and swiped her claws horizontally, each razor-sharp digit glowing with a vibrant, pale-blue light. The space her claws passed through seemed to shimmer momentarily, like the inverse of heat rising from a warm surface, and when Lin's feet landed upon the affected air space, she used every ounce of her agility to jump again, angling herself away from the incoming Shadow Ball.
Del blinked incredulously, so baffled by the maneuver that he made no attempt to intercept Lin while she in mid-air. For that matter, he didn't move at all until Lin was back on the ground. When he did move, it was to gesture blankly between Lin and the empty space where she had carved out her temporary platform.
"How did you even do that?" he demanded.
"I rapidly chill the air with freezing claws," Lin answered dully. "It makes the air heavier and more dense, just long enough to make contact with it."
"...how did you even discover you could do that?" Del mused, but when she opened her mouth to respond, he waved it off. "Never mind right now. How interesting...this battle is everything I hoped for, so from here on, I'll go all out, Lin."
The Sneasel blinked, and her body tensed. She had only barely been holding her own against him earlier, so if he was going to go all out now...that was a rare honor, actually. Most opponents wouldn't be able to last more than a few seconds against the pack alpha when he was fighting seriously.
Lin grinned. Then her next challenge was to see how long she could last against the Weavile's full power. She flexed her claws eagerly, watching Del carefully for any sign that he was about to resume his assault. Del seemed to be regarding with the exact same intensity, his eyes glinting with unrestrained excitement.
"Let's not keep our audience waiting any longer. Here I come, Lin," Del announced. He snapped his claws loudly, and his image split into three identical copies. The Sneasel's eyes widened in alarm.
Double Team. Very few of the pack members had access to that technique, whereas Agility was a far more common sight to see. The intentions of either technique was usually the same; a method of disorienting the foe before striking in a moment of weakness. Unfortunately, Lin considered Double Team to be the far superior option, for the copies were able to move independantly of the user, whereas Agility was a single individual moving so rapidly they only appeared to be multiple individuals. It made Double Team significantly more difficult to predict and counter.
Lin forced herself not to scowl. Of course Del would have Double Team among his bag of tricks. One could whine and complain that using such tactics was cheap or cowardly, but it would make no difference. Among the Sneasel pack, only a loser complained about their opponents' tactics. If one lacked the skill and knowledge to combat 'cheap' tricks, then they deserved to lose. Sneasel already had to wrestle with the stereotype that they used cheap tactics in battle, so they had no excuse for not knowing how to overcome them.
The first Weavile darted at Lin, and she flicked her wrist, drawing a jagged shard of ice into her paw, which she hurled towards the Weavile, taking care to keep most of her attention on the two remaining copies. To her astonishment, the charging Weavile kicked off the ground, soaring over her projectile and descending upon her. She pivoted hastily, but it was too late. Del's feet made contact with her shoulders, and his weight did the rest, bowling her over and allowing his body to pin her entire upper body to the ground.
Before Lin could even try to dislodge him, Del brought his claws to her face, almost as if stroking her cheek, but Lin could feel the sharp points digging ever-so-slightly into her neck. If she struggled, the resulting wounds would not be fatal, but that was not his intention. The claws to her neck was merely to inform her that he had won. She only wished he hadn't made this claim while almost literally crouching on her stomach, because it made it rather difficult to breathe.
"Yield?" he murmured softly.
Lin growled, experiencing a flare of indignation deep within her gut.
"What the hell?" she demanded, glaring into the alpha's eyes. "You...barely even gave me a chance to fight back when you went 'all-out'!"
"I did give you the chance. It's just that you failed on the spot, making the conclusion anti-climactic," Del answered pleasantly, and his eyes glinted. "You made the assumption that the first Double Team was one of the illusions. It never even occurred to you that the attack was genuine."
"That's because it's a novice maneuver," Lin muttered.
"And that's my lesson to you, Lin," Del said, grinning. "The secret to a good bluff is the underlying possibility that it's not a bluff. Surely you've noticed that the amateur has the advantage of unpredictability against a seasoned foe, for their tactics are unrefined, and at times, nonsensical. You have a talent for reading your opponent, so while you physically cannot keep pace with me, you can still see through my tactics. To defeat you, I have to do something unexpected, and a novice maneuver was ideal for that purpose. In a battle of wits, I was triumphant, securing victory in the physical plane as well."
Lin glared at Del, practically seething now. "Is that your personal condition for claiming victory? To outwit me, despite your physical advantages?"
"Yes," Del answered promptly, and he smiled. "If you were a Weavile yourself...well, I wouldn't envy my chances of beating you again. Now, now, be a good sport and concede."
"And if I don't?" Lin retorted, gritting her teeth.
Del pursed his mouth. "If you refuse to acknowledge your loss with dignity, then I'll simply knock you unconscious. Would only take a single blow," he answered, closing his paw into a fist, and raising his eyebrow expectantly. "But I'd hate to have to reduce you to such a state. Surely your pride is not so important that you require it forcibly stripped from you."
"You're too kind," Lin hissed bitterly. "What entitles me to special treatment, that you'd aim to preserve my pride, even after beating me?" Her eyes narrowed, fixing the Weavile with a cold look. "Are you flirting with me?"
"Is that what you think?" Del asked, sounding legitimately surprised and slightly amused. He gave a little shrug of his shoulders and moved off of her, bending down and offering her his paw. "It's true that I admire your skill and strength, and consider you extremely attractive. However, it would not do to flirt with you while you're downed. Such an approach would be demeaning, and you'd doubtlessly resent me for that."
"I'd resent it regardless," Lin snapped, clenching her fist. "All males challenge me in the hopes of courting me. You're no different."
Ignoring the Weavile's paw, she sat up, wincing a little before climbing back to her feet. Del withdrew his paw, nonplussed. The crowd of onlookers were glancing at one another in confusion, evidently unsure if the outcome had truly been decided. Even Del was watching her with a trace of wariness, as if he half expected her to suddenly attack again, despite him claiming victory.
The Sneasel turned her back to Del, scowling. "Whatever. You won. Now what?"
The Weavile smiled faintly before raising his paw and snapping his claws, indicating to the rest of the pack that the battle had indeed ended. There was a few whines of protest from those who evidently had expected a more climactic outcome, but the majority seemed to accept the situation, and began to disperse, some of them shooting Lin and Del the occasional glance before whispering to one another.
Lin clenched her fists, avoiding eye contact with everyone around her. She had more or less accepted the fact she was likely to lose against Del, but that didn't make it much easier to swallow now that it was a reality. She had hoped to end the battle in some climactic fashion, fighting until she had expended the last of her strength, until there was nothing left she could do.
"Are you going to be all right, Lin?" Del asked softly, placing his paw on her shoulder. Anger surged through her body, and she whirled around, slashing her claws viciously at the Weavile. Del calmly deflected the strike with his arm, and she struck again with her free paw, only to be similarly rebuffed. However, he made no attempt to strike back, and merely regarded her calmly.
The intensity of the Weavile's stare sent an unpleasant shiver through Lin's body, all but sapping the aggression from her, and she turned away, shame welling up in her chest, and her eyes stinging. The Sneasel that were still lingering around the arena began to whisper to one another, as if they had just witnessed some juicy gossip, like a celebrity having a public breakdown.
"Come along, Lin. No need to stand in the spotlight right now. It'll only make you feel worse," Del said quietly, gesturing for her to follow him. Lin said nothing, still adamantly refusing to make eye contact with any of the Pokemon around her, but she noticed, from the corner of her eye, that Del had made a series of quick gestures towards the nearest Sneasel. Moments later, that Sneasel had come over, holding Lin's scarf. Del took the garment carefully before passing it back to Lin, and he again gestured for her to follow, leading her away from the arena and the small crowd of Sneasel still hovering nearby.
Lin absently draped the scarf around her neck, growing increasingly suspicious of Del's seeming charity. In all previous exhibition matches that she had witnessed, whether they involved Del or his predecessor, the victorious alpha rarely showed their opponent any real special treatment. Those matches were usually to curb the ego of the opponent, and remind them how much further they had to go. Furthermore, it was practically a requirement for the Razor Claw pendant to be removed from the loser with little fanfare, to further the symbolism that the pendant would enable growth and evolution, but failure would set them back. In spite of this tradition, Del had not taken the pendant back, nor had he given any indication that he was going to.
"Where are we going?" Lin asked dully, lifting her head enough to glance around, but she didn't recognize the path they were on.
"My den area," Del answered, and Lin stopped in her tracks, narrowing her eyes at the Weavile. Del chuckled quietly. "You really do assume the worst, don't you?"
"The evidence is really stacking up in favor of questionable intentions," Lin said coolly, folding her arms over her chest.
"I assure you, this is not a come-on," Del said pleasantly, although his smile made it clear that he knew Lin was unlikely to take his words at face value. "I chose it as our destination so that you could be out of the public eye for a bit. There is a matter I wished to discuss with you in relative privacy, but if the venue strikes you as suspect, then you need not accompany me further."
Lin frowned slightly. In truth, she really DID want to keep a low profile for a little while, to avoid any of her previous opponents or rivals making snide comments about her defeat. It was inevitable to be on the receiving end of a few remarks, but they would sting so much more in the immediate aftermath, when she was most disappointed and angry at herself.
"Fine, I'll take your word on it for now," Lin sighed, indicating that Del could continue walking. "But I'm keeping an eye on things."
"Naturally," Del agreed. They continued in silence for a few moments before Del glanced over his shoulder at her. "You're challenged that often by potential suitors?" he wondered.
Lin snorted. "Almost every male that challenges me hopes to impress me and court me. Our pack admires strength, so I shouldn't be surprised."
"But you're far more paranoid about it than I would expect," Del noted. "Despite our pack rules forbidding unwanted advances, you seem to resent interest in general."
"Our pack is a competitive society," Lin replied curtly. "Males and females alike are judged by their strength in combination with physical attractiveness. They don't challenge me because they necessarily want me specifically, but because they'll be seen as more desirable by the rest of the pack if they can defeat me. And if they can beat me, there's social pressure on me to at least humor any interest they may show towards me, because if they're better than me in battle, then something must be wrong with me if I don't find them attractive."
Del blinked, gazing at her with genuine fascination. "That's...a very interesting viewpoint. Do you feel that's a flaw with our pack's systems and rules, or something unrelated?"
"Unrelated," Lin sighed. "The problem is rooted in our instincts, and I'm sure other species have something similar. If the goal of courtship is to seek the best possible genetics to pass on to the next generation, it is natural for our species to value strength and resourcefulness. Our competitive society is designed to encourage this growth...and on its own merits, I find our system to be better than most."
"I see," Del murmured, and he paused, informing Lin without words that they had reached their destination. The cave entrance burrowed downwards, instead of straight into the side of the mountain, and the wall beside the entrance was marked by an X, formed with three distinct claws, indicating that the den owner was a Weavile, compared to the double lines made by a Sneasel's claws.
The interior was impressively spacious, perhaps built to accommodate a maximum of four, maybe even five, Pokemon, opposed to one or two. This fit with the unofficial designation of being the pack alpha's den. Historically speaking, it was exceedingly rare for the alpha not to have a mate. In past instances, multiple mates was also a thing, although the practice had eventually been ironed out many years prior, as competition among an alpha's harem led to the uncomfortably high chance of rivals being assassinated, kits being harmed, or the alpha themselves being slain.
The most notable features within the den, apart from its size, was the sizable collection of trinkets and other items stashed in the far back corner of the den. Del even chuckled slightly when he saw what Lin was looking at.
"Rumor has it your trophy collection is rather extensive," he mused.
"I barely keep any trophies," Lin muttered. It was the honest truth - apart from her scarf, there were very few things that the Sneasel wanted to hoard. Whenever she collected a number of objects, she became irritated by the clutter within her den, and cleaned out the non-essentials. The majority of the pack feared her wrath too much to sneak into her den, but the fact there was nothing particularly valuable in there for them to steal served as an extra layer of deterrent.
"Seriously? How anti-climactic," Del mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Or is that a bluff, so that I won't try to collect on the stakes in our battle?"
"I doubted you were after any potential trophies," Lin stated idly, examining her claws. "I assumed you wished to court me. You haven't entirely disproved that assumption."
"I admit to being a tad smitten with you, Lin, but that was not my motive for challenging you, and definitely not my motive for inviting you here," Del said, sitting down and leaning his back against one of the cave walls. "Although I must ask - if you suspected that to be my motive, then why did you accept my challenge?"
"Because...I wanted to evolve," Lin said, feeling her face flush with a hint of shame at confessing this desire. She stroked the Razor Claw around her neck absently, and even emitted a nearly inaudible purr as she did so. "I wanted to face a worthy opponent, and be able to enjoy the greatest battle imaginable. It would make the thrill of victory much sweeter, and evolution a well-deserved reward. And if I could defeat the strongest male in the pack, it would guarantee that no one would be able to choose or limit my mate options but myself."
"You keep coming back to that," Del noted seriously. "Do you simply not have your eye on any male in the pack? Or female, if your tastes lean in that direction. I apologize if that's presumptuous."
Lin snorted, but she was smiling slightly. "I've thought of that possibility, but the answer remains the same. It's not that no one is attractive...it's more that they just...don't offer me anything I need. I just see the whole thing as...pointless."
"So you agreed to our match, as a personal challenge, and so that you'd be able to evolve," Del mused. The prompt shift in topic did not escape Lin's notice, and she was grateful for it. "I trust you at least noted the possibility you'd lose."
Lin gave a nod, sitting down across from Del, but with a respectable distance between the two of them. "Usually...I get more fired up when facing a male opponent. The mere thought of being one-upped by them inspires me to fight more intensely. Yet...time and time again, you one-upped me, and yet..."
The Sneasel clenched her fist and lowered her gaze to the den floor, shaking in an effort to hold back the stinging in her eyes.
"I can agree with that," Del said slowly, prompting Lin to jerk her head up, surprised by his comment. "I've seen the end of one or two of your past spars. Your eyes shine with such vigor and determination, and you overcome your opponent swiftly and decisively. The spark in your eye I hoped to see in our battle never really ignited properly. I don't mean to criticize...but it left me a bit wanting."
Lin didn't answer. She at least...respected that he was willing to criticize her. Criticism, when delivered in a constructive manner, was the best way for one to learn from their mistakes and improve. He was not insulting her, but neither was he completely shying away from telling her that she had under-performed.
"Was that the entirety of your motivation to accept my challenge?" Del asked suddenly, tilting his head to the side. "You trained so hard against previous opponents, male and female alike, merely to gather enough strength so that you'd never have to humor suitors you're not interested in?"
Lin scowled. "Well, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid."
"I assure you that I mean no offense, Lin, but...that is the single most useless motivation I've ever heard of," Del sighed. Even when he was speaking, his words were chosen with great care, as if he knew he was treading across an active minefield.
Lin's expression soured. "Explain," she said crisply.
The Weavile sighed again and shook his head. "I've always thought there was some deep flame within your heart, spurring on your constant progress and sense of confidence. Something meaningful that would ignite your spirit during battle, and fan that flame onward to greater heights. However, your current drive is so short-sighted, it honestly makes my stomach turn."
"You're just discarding everything constructive about your criticisms now, aren't you?" Lin asked blandly. Part of her was already seething with indignation at Del's words, but another part of her was taken aback, genuinely interested in whether Del had some words of wisdom. He HAD managed to beat her, after all, so maybe her current drive really was lacking. It also could have something to do with the overall bluntness of his criticism making it easier to discard the notion that he might be trying to hit on her. Flirting usually didn't involve pissing someone off on purpose.
"If it helps you to better yourself, I'll consider it worthwhile," Del said pleasantly, but his expression sobered, a reminder that he was taking the situation seriously. "My understanding of your current drive lends itself to nothing. It serves no greater ambition or higher cause, and while I considered that perhaps you had a specific soulmate in mind that you wanted to pursue wholeheartedly, the fact that you don't only concerns me more. Even a purely selfish desire, such as standing atop all others, revered as the strongest, is a more worthwhile drive than what you currently have."
"How so? Both would require training, and battling with the intention of never losing," Lin argued, folding her arms across her chest and scowling.
"No wanting to lose is understandable, and not the issue," Del explained carefully. "Your REASON for not wanting to lose is the problem. It is pathetically short-sighted, designed to motivate you against potential suitors, as opposed to an enemy, or genuine threat. It will not inspire you to protect others, or achieve some sort of goal. You have no real purpose. There is no constantly-evolving goal to keep you motivated. At least if your wish was to be the strongest, you'd be equally driven to win against an enemy or a threat, whether the threat be posed to yourself, a loved one, or an innocent."
Lin gaped at Del, her mouth moving wordlessly in a vain attempt to argue against him. In truth, his words had hit her like a sack of bricks, but her instinct was still to argue, no matter how much truth he may have held.
"And what's your drive?" she asked finally, fully aware that her retort sounded childish.
Del smiled, as if he had expected this response. "I am the pack's alpha. To me...it's a role that's more than a mere title. It's worth more than simply being evolved and being in charge. I live to guide the lives of the Sneasel under my charge. I am the level they aspire to reach. My skill and strength show they have a long way to go. They can't be the best until they beat me, so those wishing to be the best must keep training. I hold regular exhibition matches for that purpose. I aim not to demotivate, as many assume, but to remind even the strongest Sneasel that they can still get stronger. Even the fact that I am evolved means they must find a way to overcome the advantages an opponent might have, because not all their opponents will be the same species as them. Some will be faster. Some will hit harder. Some will use range and not let them get close at all. But...it's not just in battle, either. I'm also the authority figure, the one that reminds them they can't just do what they wish without consequences. And by extending our resources and protection to others on the mountain, I show them that, as a pack, we're not exclusive loners. We support those in need, requesting minimal in return. It shows the others living on the mountain that Sneasel and Weavile are not all what stereotypes infer them to be. We can be a noble species. Every day that I train and battle, I do so because I'm a role model to countless others. I do not lord over the pack like I'm a king that must be served. I lead by example, and steer others in the right path."
Lin just stared at Del, her mouth hanging open. She had never suspected this to be the case. Really, she had rarely paid Del any real attention before. She had always just assumed many of the things that Del had just spelled out to NOT be the case. To say that she was floored by his thorough response would be putting it mildly. Unable to combat his statements at all, Lin focused instead on her claws, shifting awkwardly.
"I suppose by now...you must be wondering why I have not taken the Razor Claw back from you," Del said slowly. Lin blinked, instinctively clutching her paw around the pendant, but she forced herself to relax her grip. "I don't plan to retrieve it at all," Del continued, smirking at her reaction.
"Why not?" Lin pressed, fixing the Weavile with a suspicious look. Now she was positive that something about the situation was off, because the Razor Claw was only given to the alpha's opponents so that they could be rewarded in a concrete manner should they happen to be victorious. To allow her to keep the pendant was too much of a charity, and made the battle and subsequent loss against Del almost meaningless. Wait...
"I think you've caught on," Del said, watching Lin's expression. "I want our battle today to be rendered meaningless. Evolution or not, you've been consistently one of the pack's strongest battlers for quite some time. From my observations, the only opponent here that can be considered a worthy challenge for you is me. You weren't be able to overcome the advantages granted to me by my evolution, but there's a limit to how much further you can grow as a Sneasel. Therefore...I'll give you the means to advance further."
The Weavile nodded towards the pendant, and Lin glanced down, uncertainty shadowing her face.
"I...can't accept that," Lin said finally, in a strained voice. "It feels like cheating...like taking the easiest route." Part of her desperately did want to accept the offer, but it was currently wrestling with her other feelings and thoughts on the matter. She wasn't able to overcome Del's evolutionary advantages, so in what way did she deserve to be rewarded despite that?
"I understand," Del said softly, tapping his chin thoughtfully with a single claw. "In any case...you should probably take some time to reflect on your personal drive and ambition. Truth is...I don't think the pack has much to offer you in your current state."
Lin blinked at Del, unsure how to respond to the sudden remark.
Del smiled gently. "You are not driven by any of the same things most of your peers are driven by. You do not seek personal glory, nor do you want to use your strength to acquire any of the things that the pack values. You have seemingly no interest in mates, and despise the social pressure placed on you to admire those who rival your strength. In order to continue to grow, you must find your own purpose, and discover your life's role on your own. As the pack's alpha, I wish to guide you to the best of my ability."
April 5th (Present Day)
Lin stopped talking, wincing a little and rubbing her throat. The story had felt so much shorter in her head, but not only had she been talking for a while, but her voice was starting to feel slightly hoarse. A likely side effect of rarely speaking much on an everyday basis.
Cecilia, however, was completely engrossed in the story, hanging onto her every word, only interrupting to ask an occasional question or for a clarifying detail. The most amusing interruption, by far, had been her stunned "Wait, you trained Frostbite?" early into the story. It had taken Lin a few seconds to figure out who the Quilava had even been talking about - apparently, Cecilia had decided at some point that 'Frostbite' was a suitable nickname for Lin's Glaceon protege, and had taken to referring to him as such even when said Glaceon was nowhere nearby. What Lin particularly found amusing was the private feeling that Frost probably enjoyed the nickname.
"You okay, Lin?" Cecilia asked, once she realized that the story had halted for a longer amount of time than usual.
"I should probably get some water," Lin admitted, and she slid off the bed, stumbling briefly on the landing. "The story isn't really much longer anyway."
"Okay...then summarize it for me," Cecilia said, hopping off the bed, her flames crackling with enthusiasm.
"Del recommended I leave the mountain, see how others in the world lived their lives, and train against many different opponents and styles. His condition for winning our match, however, was for me to one day return, and rematch him with my full power. He said I could sleep on it, take a few days to mull it over," Lin said, leading the way out of the guest room into the rest of the house. The first thing she noticed upon entering the main room was that Sorin was nowhere to be found. Then again, Cecilia had mentioned that the Altaria had gone out to check on Celes while she had been napping.
"Did I mention this story went WAY off course from what I expected?" Cecilia asked, as Lin made her way into the kitchen. It was a rather cramped space, with only a sink, a few dishes in one of the cabinets, and a refrigerator that was unsurprisingly empty, although this was a relief, because Lin still had unpleasant memories of peering into the refrigerator back at the Old Chateau. If anyone was curious, Lin's sense of smell was spectacular. As was her gag reflex, but the Weavile preferred not to get into that.
"How so?" Lin asked, springing onto the sink's counter and running the faucet, before scooping paws full of the water into her mouth to soothe her dry throat.
"Uh, firstly, I thought you WON the battle, because I mean...you evolved...and you kept mentioning that your evolution was proof of how strong you are."
Lin snorted, nearly spraying a mouthful of water over the Quilava. Cecilia jumped backwards, looking a bit alarmed by the sudden sound of her flames sizzling.
"Technically, it was. Del said I was too strong to remain a Sneasel," Lin responded.
"Uh huh...and what was with you putting weird emphasis on the word 'him' when talking about uh...him, before telling me the whole story? I kind of expected some...like, super dramatic crazy stuff happening, like...you killed him by accident or something. And that'd be why sparring with Noblesse freaked you out, because last time you got pushed into a corner by a male that had the hots for you, you went all psychotic or something."
"Don't say things like that in such a cheerful tone, Cece," Lin scolded. "I was a Sneasel when I faced Del. I was a Weavile when I faced Noblesse. You may not realize how much of a difference that makes, but trust me...a Weavile's instincts are SO much more dangerous."
"...what are you guys even talking about?" Kaito demanded, peering into the room from the doorway.
"I'm not getting into this again," Lin said flatly, waving the Togetic off, before pausing. "Hold up, Kaito. We need to discuss a few things with your research and the stuff that's going on, because we're still in the dark about some things."
"Good timing, because I found what I was looking for," Kaito said, rubbing his paws together with some enthusiasm. "Was just coming to go find you guys myself."
"Shouldn't Sorin be back by now?" Cecilia wondered, as if she had just realized that the cloud dragon had not returned yet. Kaito gave a shrug.
"He'll...probably be a while. But it'll give me the chance to share with...is that them now?" he wondered, turning towards the front door, where it seemed that the frame had rattled, like someone tapping against it. The Togetic was just starting to move towards the door to investigate, when the knob turned and the door opened from the other side.
"Um...oh good, this is the right house," Iris' voice said, sounding incredibly relieved. Everyone just turned to stare at the Kirlia blankly.
"Iris? What are you even doing here?" Kaito wondered blankly. Both Lin and Cecilia followed after the fairy Pokemon, giving the Kirlia a curious look. "Where's Force?" Kaito added, almost as an afterthought.
"That's...kind of why I'm here, actually," Iris said, running a paw through her hair nervously. Lin couldn't help but notice that the psychic's hair and garment were both shimmering slightly, clearly the product of a very recent wash, if the slight dampness was anything to go by. The Kirlia glanced sideways, towards something that was just out of their line of sight. Then she quickly made her way inside, opening the door a little wider so that her companion could walk through more easily.
A vaguely familiar bipedal canine walked through the door, but almost everything about him was different. Red eyes still peered behind a mask of black fur, and the majority of its body was covered in blue or black fur. However, he stood at nearly twice his original height, the bone-like growths on the back of his paws had grown into small spikes, with another adorning the center of his broader, more muscled chest, which was covered in light colored fur.
Everyone just gawked for several moments, and the Lucario grinned awkwardly, simultaneously basking in, and embarrassed by, the attention.
"Hey," Force said, and even his voice sounded deeper, and more masculine, while still being similar enough to his unevolved form's voice to be recognizable.
Cecilia was the first to recover from the shock. "Oh wow, Force, you are so HOT," she breathed, practically drooling.
Retrospectively, it was probably not the best idea to let her talk first.
