Archie - Pokémon: 7 Deaths: 2
Blue - Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 0
{Jinua 4th, 12:35PM}
{Route 212}
When he heard the shrieks of rage, Blue turned and saw a Prinplup-like Pokémon, taller and larger than Prince, hacking at anything and everything in its way with its sharpened wings like they were blades. The two reasons Blue suspected that angry Pokémon was Prince himself was firstly because of the familiar royal brooch that was clasped around a piece of crown, and secondly because Warin was catching up just behind him.
"Blue!' the Beautifly called, dodging one of Prince's wild slashes and fluttering over to the gym leader. "What's going on? Did you smack whatever is hurting Prince yet?"
"Working on it," Blue said, looking in Archie's direction again. Commander Saturn had left the grunts to continue fighting against Sam's Hydro Pumps, running toward the battling Pidgeot and amphibian. "So it's still affecting him?"
"I don't know," Warin admitted. "First he was screaming and flailing, and Archie asked me to watch him, and he looked like he was suffering from some kind of weird psychic attack and his entire body was changing, and then his body stopped changing and he looked like it was still hurting him but less and he got up and came here- sorry, you don't mind if I go under that tree, do you? The rain's starting to mess up my wings."
Blue glanced in Archie's direction again when Saturn started barking out orders to retreat and the Aqua Leader roared.
"You're not getting away!" Star screeched, leaping across the bog.
Saturn spun around, watching wide-eyed as the large Luxray rapidly approached with her jaws ready to crunch down on some part of his body, but before she could there was a yellow tail and a golden flash and Saturn was gone.
"Where'd they all go?!" he heard Sam ask.
"I saw an Abra, I'm sure," Blue growled. "Must've warped them all away. Dammit!"
He heard Prince screech with rage again. Blue watched the noble continue to hack away, targeting the nearest tree. Warin nervously fluttered closer to Blue and landed on the gym leader's leg, scuttling upward to find shelter under his jacket.
Sam decided to take the situation over and stomped over to the furious Pokémon. "Prince, that's enough! They're gone!"
"Is that thing still hurting him?" a muffled voice asked from under Blue's coat.
"It shouldn't be..." Blue said. "Let's go make sure."
{Jinua 4th, 12:43PM}
{Route 212}
Archie delicately picked the limp figure out of the mire, doing his best to carefully wipe off as much swamp mud as he could despite his hands and sleeves being just as covered in thick, brown slush.
He could see the Pidgeot swooping down, wings folded against its body and diving with the precision of an arrow, but the Toxicroak didn't take note of the danger, raising a long, sharp claw as it closed in on the Buizel running as fast as it could-
-the claw came down and Basil screamed-
-thick, yellow liquid splattered all over the Toxicroak's face-
Archie cradled the small body closer to his chest. "...Fuck."
He only vaguely registered the orange fur in front of him. "I...destroyed the device," Basil reported hoarsely. "I found it. On a tree, just like you said. The Prinplup shouldn't be hurting anymore. B-But...But Rapier..."
Archie gave the Buizel a soft pat to the head. "You did good," he whispered. "Rapier would be proud."
"Wish he was still alive to show it," Star growled, padding over through the bog. "Rapier was supposed to stick around so we could kick Galactic ass together. For Eterna Forest. For Mark. This is the second one that those bastards took from us! I'm going to eat them alive!"
"I wouldn't recommend it," Archie croaked. "Even Ponyta shit has to taste better than that."
"How are things here?"
Archie turned his head, watching as Blue, Sam, and Prince all plodded through the bog, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the noble. "Whoa."
"Sorry, Archie," Prince apologized, his voice sounding slightly deeper now. "We are...not sure we will ever make it all the way to Empoleon stage anymore. Certainly a poor appearance for one."
"Are you kidding? You look more badass than any Empoleon I've ever seen in pictures," Archie chuckled weakly.
Prince's crown was only half-complete. The middle dent wasn't as long as it should've been, and while the outer dents had detached from Prince's head, they still rounded over his skull. The golden necklace with the blue stone that had previously been around Prince's left wing was now wrapped around the middle dent of his crown. Prince's plumage had remained mostly the same color as that of a Prinplup, keeping his main blue instead of turning a very dark shade of navy, and the cravat-like pattern in the front staying a bright cyan instead of turning white. His wings had gained their sharp sword-like edges, but the ends had kept their cyan-colored crescents.
Prince smiled at him half-heartedly, smile falling when his gaze finally settled on the limp body in Archie's arms. "Prince, could you do me a favor and...and gather all the Prinplup that Galactic left behind?" Archie asked. "That way we can carry everyone to the Center in Pastoria, and I can do an initial health check on the way..."
"Of course," Prince said softly. "We shall make certain that our brethren and sistren are still alive and bring them here. We only wish we could extend such healing to our….camarade."
"I'm coming with you," Sam announced. The Empoleon and Blastoise waddled away quietly.
Archie stared when Blue's coat started to jerk around. The gym leader carefully unzipped the front, revealing the Beautifly that had been hiding inside. Warin frantically climbed out and, after a short attempt at flying, dropped onto the surface of the mire.
"Rapier?" Warin called hoarsely. "You can't- You're not- There's no way-"
With one arm still holding the Budew, Archie reached a hand down to scoop the Beautifly out of the muddy water. Warin held his breath, carefully plodding a few steps to drop onto Rapier.
"...I thought you and your sister were gonna race to see who could become a Roserade first," Warin croaked. "How can you still race against Belle if you stop here…? H-How can I face your sister after she asked me to protect you and I failed…?"
"I'm sorry," Basil whispered, lowering his head. "It's my f-fault… I wasn't f-fast enough, and...a-and I..."
"It's not your fault," Warin blurted instantly. "Rapier wouldn't just get taken out like that. He willingly gave his life for yours. Or is that what you're saying is your fault? Blaming you for his death would be too easy!"
Basil lowered his head even more. "It's okay-"
"No, it's not!" Warin argued, voice cracking. "Yeah, I'm not gonna pretend I'm not completely furious and disgusted and all that, but that doesn't mean it's okay for me to be pissed at you! That's like s-saying I should be angry that y-you're alive! You m-matter too, s-so don't you d-dare say it's okay t-to be upset at y-you for that…!"
Basil reared up, using his nose to nudge one of Warin's wings while the latter began to openly and loudly sob, huddled over the wilting Budew's body.
"...Why couldn't there be a breakable device for pain in hearts, and not just heads?" Star asked quietly, turning to stalk away. Possibly she intended to join Sam and Prince. After a moment's consideration, Blue did the same and the followed the Luxray.
"Archie," Basil whispered. "Can you lean down a bit? ...Please?"
The Aqua Leader silently complied, crouching down to a height at which Basil could see Warin entirely.
"...Warin," Basil breathed. "Please sit up a moment."
The Beautifly took a few seconds, trying to hold down a few heavy sobs, before backing away and revealing the Budew underneath. Rapier was still covered in bog, but most of it was finally gone and it was now possible to see the big, oozing gash that had sliced through most of the plant-type's face.
Basil swallowed nervously, desperately trying not to look away. Eventually the Buizel took a deep breath and carefully placed a paw over Rapier's bud. "I don't know if there was ever a ritual for this kind of thing. You never got the chance to teach me about it," Basil started weakly. "But you kept talking about that warrior's spirit thing, and you were convinced I had it too. I wish I'd found it mine earlier. Maybe you'd still be alive." Warin hiccoughed, trying to muffle another sob.
Basil grit his teeth, a couple fangs just barely visible as his hackles rose. "When Mark left us, you swore to pick up his sword, and carry it until Galactic came down!" he bellowed more confidently. "Now Galactic took your life, and you were forced to lay your weapon! I'm not a warrior, and the road to me being one is gonna take a while, but I swear that from here on out, I'm going to carry both your blades, and your spirits, until Galactic is gone! I won't let your swords touch the ground until Galactic has been brought to justice!"
Warin finally stopped holding back and bawled, crawling out of Archie's arms and dropping onto Basil's head. The Buizel reached for his teammate and pulled him down between his paws for a hug.
Archie gave Basil another gentle pat to the head. "Rapier would be proud," he repeated quietly.
Basil held Warin tighter and began to sob.
{Jinua 4th, 8:09PM}
{Pastoria}
{Pokémon Center}
Of the three Prinplup that Prince and Sam had retrieved, only one of them seemed to have been spared from any deformities. Blue had pointed out the unusual coloration, but Archie had promised that the teal plumage was not an undocumented phenomenon and likely been that way since hatching. One of the two Prinplup was just slightly under the average evolution height, but it still had mostly Piplup features, and the crown was only half-formed. The other looked a lot more like a Prinplup, albeit with the crown missing entirely, and was much shorter than the other two.
As far as Prince went, Archie couldn't help worry about the way the crown had failed to grow. The two side dents, instead of pointing upward, went around the head and the ends were still firmly stuck in the back of his skull. Prince wasn't in pain from it and insisted he couldn't even feel them, but Archie knew that the ends were pointed and sharp and that a solid blow to the back of Prince's head could very easily drive them right through the Empoleon's brain- and after Galactic had claimed their second victim, this new weak point of Prince's concerned the Aqua Leader immensely.
When they arrived at the Pokémon Center, there wasn't a lot the nurse said that the Prinplup and Empoleon didn't know already by then. 'Sebastian' had been praised for his diagnosis after they'd all come out, and he just quietly muttered something about studying to become a marine biologist. He'd been given a small box that contained Rapier's ashes as well. Humans weren't allowed into the deeper areas of the swamp, since that was where the Marsh Court was, but after some discussion with his team they'd all agreed for Prince to take the box and have Rapier's ashes buried with the rest of the Pokémon who'd been awarded special rites for their services to the Marsh Clan.
Aside from Star, everyone had been returned to their Pokéballs. The Luxray had her head resting on Archie's lap, absently staring at the wall while Archie scratched her behind the ears. Blue, who didn't want to hang around, was out running a couple errands.
Eventually the gym leader and the Empoleon both returned together.
"Our father sends you his deepest gratitude and his sincerest condolences," Prince said, waddling over to to where Archie sat. "He also sends you praise for being so knowledgeable of our clan and understanding of our customs."
"I'm honored," Archie murmured with a faint smile. It quickly faded again. "Prince, I've been thinking...what are you gonna do from here? I know that Galactic kind of messed it up for you, but genetically you're officially considered an Empoleon. I've trained you up as best as I could. Do you...want to stay here?"
Star suddenly raised her head and stared at them in horror. "What? Hon, you can't ask that-"
"It is a valid question, Star," Prince interrupted, shaking his head. "Ar...Sebastian has kindly accepted our request to help us grow stronger, and now that we are Empoleon, we consider that he no longer has any obligation to continue training us."
"But I-" the Luxray began, falling silent when Prince raised a wing.
"Whether we return to the Marsh or continue to travel is not your decision to make, Star," he said firmly. "You cannot keep your comrades away from their homes against their will, should they decide to remain. Not all are of your species, and not all comprehend or adhere to the pack system. If they allow you to be their leader, then you may lead them- and we know that you lead them well. But you must learn and understand that, when they wish to return to living among their own kind, you must let them go. What makes a leader respectable is not that they command for it, but that they return that same respect to their followers."
"I know all that already," Star said weakly. "But that doesn't mean I can't try to convince you to stay, does it? Darling, please..."
Prince turned to the Aqua Leader. "We already suspected that you might ask that question, and have given it consideration on our way here," the Empoleon said. "We have decided that-"
"WHAT?!"
Blue's sudden bellow caused the others to jump and turn to him in surprise. Then they followed his gaze to the television, broadcasting live news from Eterna.
"Oh, Arceus..." Prince said faintly.
Archie stared in horror.
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Eheheheh.
ARCHIE
Shanks the Sharpedo, Prince the Prinplup, Star the Luxray, Warin the Beautifly, Basil the Buizel
RIP Rapier the Budew, levels 11-29
BLUE
Sam the Blastoise, Pete the Pidgeot, Adam the Alakazam, Gary the Arcanine, Girish the Gabite