Kassi and the Legend of Arceus
By: DMDrewDragon
Copyright 02/02/2022 by DMDrewDragon
Chapter 19 - Lord Kleavor
For the first time since arriving, Kassi took a moment to appreciate the sunrise. She'd awoken early in the morning before after a deep and restful sleep. Only Laurel had stirred as she had risen and had indicated that she would start on a meal for Kassi. Kassi had quickly grabbed her clothing and teleported herself to Prelude Beach. The cold air on her naked skin had been a welcome wakeup call and Kassi felt her mind go into overdrive as she dressed.
Today is the day. For some reason these people are putting their trust in you to stop a rampaging monster. This will be harder than anything you've done up until now. Deadlier than when Bede tried to kill you…twice. Harder than forgiving your rapist, Tsunami…then coming to love him enough to make him the King of Rage. Scarier than facing down that frozen succubus Froslass, Lilith, that had tried to kill her and freeze Rei. More arduous than trying to talk Rei out of piss play after a few drinks…wait I've never been able to do that.
She chuckled to herself and thought fondly of all those that had been close to her. All the amazing men, women, and Pokemon she'd grown to know and love. So many of the strongest connections came from the short time on her journey. It was hard to believe she'd already been in Hisui almost as long as her journey had lasted. Those few weeks traveling alongside Rei, Ellie, Keifer, and Amber had all been so busy and so full of excitement that it had felt like a lifetime. She'd started with the simple offer of her virginity to Taiko, her very first Pokemon. She'd ended with finally meeting her hero and idol, Kat; only to find that Kat had been looking for her too. They'd made love, confessed love, and now she was here.
Those happy memories were in the past and today, she would fight for her life in a strange land. Heart pounding and mind racing she tried to think of ways to get out of this terrifying challenge that stared her down. She could run, but where to? Galar? There was no telling how far away from her homeland she was. Depending on the year, she may not even want to go back. If this was a year that the royal family was still in power, that meant that society would be overly stuffy and prudish by force. Not the free-loving and open society she'd grown up in. Would Arceus even let her flee? Or would he have some compulsion or ability just to bring her back?
The next option was to strike out and try to live on her own. But that was more likely to fail than running. She didn't doubt her ability to survive in the wild for a short time, but for the rest of her life? That seemed unlikely to end in anything other than her death or slow descent into madness.
She could refuse to face off against this foe, but that might end up resulting in her being branded a coward at the very least and exiled from everything at worst.
"Don't give up Kassi. Fight hard. Teach the people of Hisui to love Pokemon as much as you do," the voice of Rei drifted to her mind over the waves, as the sun peaked its first brilliant waves over the vibrant waves. "We love you," all the women in her life had chorused. Their love filled her with strength.
Kassi pulled on her final bit of clothing, the beautiful fur lined-armor that Anthe and Akari had slaved to make for her in a hurry. She ran a finger over the colorful bits of Tumblestone in the pattern on the chestplate, red fire and blue ice. Back in Galar, her unofficial title had been, "The Mistress of Ice and Fire." She'd had no say in it, and the league had only given it to her because of her unique Ninetales, Hope, but it somehow filled her with determination. Even if Kassi herself didn't feel like playing the noble hero, she could play a character that could.
"The Mistress of Ice and Fire wouldn't back down from that challenge…would she? No…she'd make Lord Kleavor submit. She would truss him up in shibari and edge him with an icicle up his ass and hot stones on his nips until he begged for mercy…or release."
Suddenly, she had an idea. Quickly she put herself into 5% Rapidash form, the one where it looked like the tips of her hair were on fire and she gained a small horn and bit of muscle. To her delight, even though her bust had grown a bit, her armor seemed to fit the same as it had before. She instructed the Arc Phone to take a quick picture of her full body as she stuck what she hoped was a domineering pose.
In the picture she finally saw the start of the Mistress of Ice and Fire for herself. She was a bit taller than Kassi, with intimidating flaming hair, eyes that seemed to glow with an inner fire, and a powerful presence. She wore impressive looking armor that caught the cool blue of the ocean and fiery glint of the rising sun. But it was undercut by the soft pink kimono underneath the armor, lack of makeup, and the messy bun tied blowing wispily in the breeze.
"One step at a time Kassi, but you can do this. Time to go be a bloody bad bitch. Time to become a legend. Time to become The Mistress of Ice and Fire for real." Filled with confidence and vigor, she teleported back home to finish preparing.
Akari was waiting for her when she arrived. Without hesitation, the young beauty rushed over and embraced Kassi fondly. Neither spoke as they shared a tender but brief kiss.
"Scared I ran away?" Kassi grinned as she removed her shoes and went to finish her prep work.
"No. I was scared you had done something foolish, like try to face Lord Kleavor by yourself overnight." Akari stepped up behind Kassi, "You need to change quickly, the Security Squad is set to leave in half an hour from the Heights Camp if we are to make it on time.
"But I'm already dressed. Just need to-"
"You did not think Anthe and I would go through all this effort for you to wear that armor with a pink cotton kimono, did you?" Akari was deftly undoing the straps to the armor she'd crafted and slipping it over Kassi's head.
"I…uh-"
"We were just waiting for things to dry. Now change back to normal and strip!" Akari demanded, and shuffled over to her own satchel. From it she produced a set of neatly folded clothes followed by a stack of leather plates. They had been pieces that Anthe had been experimenting with, based on some of the designs Kassi had described during their first meeting. For most women of the village, they would be scandalous, but for Kassi…they seemed perfect. All Akari had had to do was assist Anthe in just one more late night in finishing, dying, and delivering them as well as cut leather shapes and attach basic straps to.
Akari held the first item up to Kassi. It was a pair of black silk undergarments with ties at the side. To her, it looked like nothing more than a small triangle of fabric with three silk strings, but upon Kassi seeing it, she squealed.
"Panties! Oh my Arceus! I never thought I would be so happy to see panties again!" Quick as a Rapidash she had them on. They were a simple G-string style thong with a thin silk ribbon tied into place as the waistband, but even the basic resemblance to modern underwear had her ecstatic.
Akari didn't have a bra to match the panties, much to Kassi's disappointment, but did help the blonde bind her chest so she'd be comfortable and secure. Then she offered the second garment. It was a pair of silk trousers. They were dyed in the same black as the panties and seemed to drink in the light. Anthe had cut them in the style of a Hakama, so they were sideless on the hips. On most women of the village they might have been a little loose, but they were tight on the buxom young woman. It tied around Kassi's waist with a simple flat cloth belt.
After the trousers she produced a long-sleeved cotton shirt that had been dyed a deep blue. It was form fitting and covered enough of Kassi's skin that she wouldn't be rubbed raw by her pads or armor. Before replacing the chestplate, Akari stuffed two small wads of the super soft Lopunny fuzz that had been groomed off Laurel under Kassi's shirt and over her nipples. She'd heard from some of the Security Corps women that extra padding was needed so they weren't rubbed raw by the steel.
The leather plates were a simple set of bracers, grieves, and side tassets. All were dyed a simple black and unadorned and unembossed. The tassets hung down to cover the bare flesh on Kassi's hips and were held in place by a wide leather belt. She slipped that belt through Kassi's satchel loops and then went to work fussing over Kassi's hair. She deftly braided the long platinum blonde locks then twisted it into a high bun and pinned it in place with a pair of hair sticks. Not a single strand of hair was out of place when she was done.
While Akari tugged and yanked Kassi's hair into place, she tried her best to apply some simple make up. She made her lids dark and smokey and applied a bloody crimson stain to her lips that tasted like oil mixed with berries. It wasn't elaborate, but it made her look mysterious and sexy.
When it was finally time to leave, Kassi looked and felt powerful. Only her hands and face were visible with everything on, but the flash of skin when her tassets swayed was a fun touch she thought. She put the finishing touch on by shifting into her 5% form. The silk pants and cotton shirt went from tight to skin-tight as her muscles gained definition, but she didn't care. Testing her movement, she felt she would be able to move without much difficulty.
She looked to Akari, who was looking Kassi up and down with a mixture of amazement and fear. There were obvious bags under her eyes and a slouch to her shoulders that was not normal. Reaching out, she pulled the petite woman into an embrace.
"Thank you Akari…for all of this. I feel so much safer and stronger thanks to all your hard work. You're an amazing woman, an outstanding craftswoman, and…" she paused to kiss Akari tenderly, "...the best thing that's happened to me since I got here."
Akari answered with another emotional kiss before saying softly, and fighting to keep her voice from cracking, "U-uhm, it was…the least I could do. I need you safe, so you can come home safe. Because when this is done, and we come home," she paused and stared into Kassi's eyes that seemed to be glowing in the dim room, "I want you to…to," she felt the blush flood her face, "make love to me tonight."
Kassi grinned, kissed Akari once more, then gave her butt a playful grab. "Now…if you'd only told me that sooner we could have skipped all this training and armor business. I'd wrestle a Ursaring naked and covered in honey if it meant getting to finally taste your perfect ass." The playful slap and following burst of giggles that followed lifted the remaining shadow from Kassi's heart.
"It is time!" Kassi said, giving one final squeeze to Akari's rear.
"Yosh!" Akari replied as she smacked Kassi's hand away playfully.
Shifting back to her normal self so she could keep the transformations as a surprise, she hit the button to warp them away.
When they arrived at the Heights Camp a few seconds later, they found that Mai and Adaman were waiting for them, standing next to Wyrdeer.
The handsome Clan leader spoke first, ""I spoke to Wyrdeer about what's been going on. I told him how you've been trekking all over the fieldlands seeking a way to quell Kleavor's frenzy. All this, from someone who's not even part of our or the Pearl Clan. Just some wanderer who fell through a rift into this world." He shifted to a relaxed stance, "And hearing that…Well, you can see how he responded!"
The large Pokemon approached and she felt her mind being touched by his. Memories of the past few days flitted through her mind.
"Human. I have seen your exploits across these fields. The mercy you brought to the suffering, and the lives you have sought to improve for both your kind and Pokemon. I find you worthy of a great gift that will aid you in this trial." The air seemed to warp for a second and fold in on itself and suddenly a purple stone plate about the size of her hand and an inch thick was hovering in front of Kassi.
Holding her hands out she accepted the gift. As soon as her hands touched the polished surface of the stone her mind felt like it expanded in every direction. Suddenly, she could feel the presence and surface thoughts of everything for hundreds of feet around her. It was like being in the middle of a train terminal at rush hour. The noise and mixture of sounds, smells, sights, and thoughts were a mad cacophony in her mind. Then she felt Wrydeer's presence and felt the bubble of awareness that was her mind shrink until it only encompassed the five of them.
"This is the mind plate. An artifact of great power that my former master said gave The Creator his own psychic powers. With it, you should be able to wield your mind as strongly as any Pokemon. Just be careful not to lose yourself and to take in only what you wish to see." He lowered his head and tapped his large rack on her breastplate. "If you have need of my form, have your companion summon me when the time is right. I am willing."
Kassi was a bit confused and was still trying to push her powers back inside her own head. She could feel ripples of desire rolling off both Mai and Adaman. Apparently they both found her new look very appealing. Akari was a bundle of nerves that felt like they were going to implode.
"Akari, Wyrdeer's found you worthy, you see. Which means you'll need a flute like we have. Mind demonstrating for her, Mai?" Adaman said, breaking the silence. "This is very important, so listen well!"
Mai nodded and produced a pure white wooden flute from her satchel, putting it to her lips she played a couple quick, trilling notes.
"Wyeeer!" trumpeted Wydeer as the notes were played.
"That's a Celestica Flute that Mai just played. It's a precious tool that can be used to call on Wyrdeer so you can ride upon him! It's said the Celestica Flutes were gifts from almighty Sinnoh itself…and now, this one's yours!" He reached into his loose top and pulled out a flute that was identical to Mai's and handed it to Akari.
"See if you can play that melody." Mai said. Kassi could see in her mind that the tattooed beauty was more interested in finding a way to get Kassi alone for a few minutes than this ceremony.
Akari matched the tune and suddenly Wyrdeer vanished in a burst of light and reappeared underneath her. In a flash, she'd found herself suddenly mounted on the majestic Pokemon.
"Oh my!" Akari exclaimed, then tried to grab hold of Wyrdeer's mane for balance.
"You'll get used to it." Mai smirked, "now you've got a frenzied Pokemon to quell. Kassi should we give her a few minutes to practice…"
She was extremely tempted to sneak off with Mai and based on his thoughts, Adaman might be convinced to join them for a quick tryst. Duty came first however.
"She'll have to learn on the road I'm afraid. We need to set off with the Security Corps if we're to make our rendezvous on time." Kassi winked at Mai and in her mind added, "Rain check. Especially if you can convince that big slab of yummy there to join us." She bobbed her head slightly in Adaman's direction.
Mai was visibly shocked for a moment, then returned Kassi's wink and nodded.
They bid farewell to the pair and Akari offered to let Kassi ride alongside her to the Grand Tree Arena on Wyrdeer's back. Seeing it was indeed okay with Wyrdeer, she climbed up and tried to practice using the increased power that the mind plate was feeding into her. With it touching her skin, she felt like she was finally strong enough to use mental attacks without needing a form. A few poor Geodude, Starly, and Paras became victims of her practice by either being put to sleep or fainting from taking Psychic damage as she tried to envision how to use her mind as a weapon. Akari found a way to attach the plate underneath Kassi's satchel while they rode. Meanwhile the column of humans made their way towards the fierce battle.
When they arrived at the stony ruins that led towards the base of the gigantic tree, Lian, Irida and their handful of warriors stood ready, each with a Pokemon at their side. There was a mix of men and women and the Pokemon were mostly Eeveelutions or Ice types for some reason.
Irida sized Kassi up as she dismounted Wyrdeer and took a step in front of her men, followed by a Glaceon, a serious look on her face.
"I admit, as we haven't been able to solve this ourselves, we seem to have little choice but to turn to the Galaxy Team. But I still have my doubts about whether we should entrust such a thing to an outsider. These Galaxy Team people don't share our customs or our values."
In her mind, Kassi saw that this speech and the challenge she was about to issue were things the clan elders had pressured Irida into doing. She was still very young for a Clan Leader and keeping the elders happy was important to maintaining her authority. In truth, she wanted nothing to do with facing off against Kassi based on the rumors of her alone.
"So, prove to me you're worthy to stand in the presence of our noble Pokémon! You may battle by ordering the Pokémon you've caught in your little PokeBalls…But on my side, I have a Pokémon as close to me as a sister-as one of my blood! If you can defeat Glaceon and me,I will entrust you with Kleavor's fate. Will you battle us?"
Kassi let slip the Ninetales grin she'd developed from her time and bonding with Hope, her hybrid Ninetales back in Galar. She'd been hoping for a moment like this. A moment to let herself fall into the character she intended to portray. Here, she could make a statement…and maybe get something fun out of it in the bargain.
"Why should I do this? What use would it be to risk injuring my Pokemon before we face off against Lord Kleavor?" Kassi rolled her shoulders and cocked her head to the size, trying to put a bit of crazy into her eyes.
Irida gaped like a Magikarp twice before answering, "I would make sure you are worthy to face our noble lord! Do not worry about your Pokemon, I will heal them before we continue."
Kassi chuckled, trying to make it sound menacing. "Hahahaha…worthy? Irida, if you…or anyone in your clan for that fact, don't want me to do this, fine. I can go." She watched as panic crossed Irida's face. Whoops, might have called her bluff a little too hard…reel it back in there drama queen. "Fine, I will accept your challenge, I will show you why I am worthy. But I want something in exchange."
"That is?"
"In my homeland, a stake of personal, romantic, or lascivious nature is placed on any duel between trainers. Since I am the one being challenged, I want to set the stakes."
Irida cocked an eyebrow, but motioned for Kassi to continue.
"I will win. I will win without having to use a single one of my Pokemon. Any one of them could beat your Glaceon with ease." Every member of the Pearl Clan gasped, but Kassi pressed on before she could be interrupted further. "When I win, you and I will be going on a date…and I'll reserve the right to hop in your bed afterwards if it goes well."
Now, there were audible mumblings in the crowd and even a small whimper from Akari to Kassi's side. Kassi paid them no mind and pulled out the Arc Phone
Even as surprised as she was, Irida knew she couldn't show weakness at this moment. She clenched her jaw and spoke, "How dare you underestimate us. You say you can beat us without a Pokemon?! Ludicrous!"
Kassi cut her off by pressing the button and shifting into her 5% Rapidash form. From training, she knew her attacks wouldn't be very strong, but with the Mind Plate now aiding her psychic abilities, she felt confident it would be enough.
"I am the Mistress of Fire and Ice! I am Kassi, chosen by Arceus to unite the people and Pokemon of this land! I will not lose!" She bellowed.
Shocked gasps and the sound of feet shuffling away from Kassi filled the area. Every eye was on her with a mixture of shock, awe, and fear. Irida and her Glaceon were the first to break eye contact to look at each other and nod.
"Then allow Glaceon's true strength to chill you to your depths!"
Charging forward, Kassi blocked a Powder Snow attack from Glaceon by shooting out a gout of fire from her mouth. Mentally, she locked her mind onto Glaceon's and tried to flip the ball of consciousness she connected with. During the tests on the way here she'd found that was the best way to incapacitate a Pokemon and had an effect similar to Confusion. It made Glaceon's sense of direction and gravity flip and the headache it produced made the Pokemon's eye dim slightly from the pain. Before it could recover, Kassi was in front of Glaceon, a ball of fire swirling in her palm held at point blank range, ready to be launched.
A few heartbeats. That was all the contest lasted, then Irida conceded defeat to spare Glaceon the pain.
"What…what are you? How did you manage to do something like…that?" She said, petting her Pokemon and rubbing her head to help ease the headache.
"We can talk about it more on our date. For now, we've got more serious things to worry about," Kassi was trying to ride the adrenaline to keep her courage. It was now or never. "Positions! When we summon Lord Kleavor, your jobs are to keep him from escaping the arena and to do as much damage at range as possible if he holds still. I will be throwing the balms at him and keeping him occupied to create openings for all of you."
There were a series of nods, especially from the Galaxy Security Squad members. The only one without a serious expression on their face was Akari. Her face was a mixture of terror and exhaustion that made Kassi's stomach turn. When Akari noticed that Kassi was taking stock of her, she immediately forced a smile, but it was a weak one.
"You can do this Kassi! We believe in you and will have your back." Akari said, putting as much confidence into her words as possible.
With that she summoned Mochi, her Pikachu, and departed to get into position. Everyone else took their places and suddenly, it was just Kassi standing next to Irida and Lian. The young boy started to scoop up the balms, which were a mash of foods placed in a small canvas pouch and started to hand them to Kassi. They quickly vanished into her satchel of holding except for a handful she tucked into her belt. Task done, he turned to face her.
"I don't know what's going on with the whole fire hair thing, but help Lord Kleavor, please. Just don't kill him…or let him kill you." Lian said, then nodded to Kassi.
"Good luck. May Almighty Sinnoh guide you to victory." Irida added and took Kassi into a quick hug. It was awkward and out of place, they barely knew each other, but if Kassi was going to imperil herself like this, it was the least she could do.
Kassi stepped into the Grandtree Arena. The massive old tree dwarfed the woods around it and put the entire area into a light speckled shade.
"Oh mighty Kleavor, Lord of the Woods. Though it isn't yet the time of ceremony, we've prepared an offering of your favorite things. Benevolent lord who works his might between the heavens and earth, we offer our gratitude. And beseech you-reveal yourself to our eyes…" Lian yelled out from behind her.
There was a moment of pure silence that seemed to stretch on. The only thing Kassi could hear was the pounding of her own heart in her ears. Even the bug and bird Pokemon in the trees around the arena had fallen silent.
"GRAAAASHAAA!" an ear-splitting cry broke the quiet. The figure of a Pokemon appeared at the edge of the clearing, running quickly with its arms held behind it; arms that were made of two massive obsidian axes each as large as Kassi herself. His entire body was glowing with a radiant golden glow that cast odd shadows on the trees around it as it rocketed towards the arena.
Is…is it Naruto running? Kassi wondered to herself and she watched the menacing Pokemon get to the edge of the woods.
Kleavor slammed its axes together into a single large axe and managed to slice through a young tree, about a foot in diameter, in a single swipe. Using the momentum of his axe he leaped into the air, spinning like a top and using his axes like helicopter blades to slow his descent to the arena floor. A cloud of dust surrounded the glowing Pokemon as he settled himself opposite Kassi, only his glowing eyes beaming through the dust.
Mentally, Kassi urged the ArcPhone to start playing the playlist she'd found on Primadora called Epic Boss Battle. The sound of pounding taiko drums was followed quickly by the thundering of a drum set, riffing of an electric guitar, chanting battle cries of a male choir, and finally the melody of a solo flute rounded out the mix. "The Rising Fighting Spirit" from Naruto; the main battle theme from the anime she'd grown up watching on the telly filled the arena.
Bloody fucking hell Arceus…can't even make a joke in my own head can I? Wait…this is the joke…point to you Arceus…Fine! You wanna make a joke…I'll double down.
"My name is Kassi and I am the Mistress of Ice and Fire. I've come here today to calm your rage and strengthen the bond of humans and Pokemon! I'm not afraid of you…Believe it!" Kassi stood tall and felt the fear be washed away by confidence in her ability to make a cheeky joke at this time. She quickly tried to make contact with Kleavor's mind, but found it was a solid wall of fury.
"Graaashaa!" bellowed Kleavor, as the dust finally cleared around him and he squared off against Kassi. He slammed his massive axes into the ground and used them as springs to launch himself forward at the lone warrior. During the jump, Kleavor chopped at the air, causing a compressed sickle of air to fly in front of him.
Kassi saw the Air Slash coming and immediately rolled to the side. It whipped past the space where her head had been moments before and continued on until it crashed into the berm of dirt that rose on all sides around the arena, causing a deep gouge and sending dirt and rock flying. During her roll, Kassi mentally flipped herself to her 25% Lopunny form; she'd found during her training with her team that the best times to transform were in the middle of her evasive maneuvers. As she came out of the roll, the shadow of Kleavor fell on her as he crashed into the spot where she'd been, axe buried in the ground as if he'd swung to split her in two.
"Gonna have to try harder than that big boy if you wanna split me in two…you're at least going to have to buy me dinner first!" She whipped her hand forward and the first satchel of the food balm flung forward, smacking against Kleavor right in the face. There was a satisfying plume of dust that flew up around the frenzied Pokemon's head and she saw the anger fade from his eyes for a few moments as he inhaled his favorite smell. She felt her mental probe find the slightest bit of purchase on his mind, but her body reacted before she could seize on it. Kassi curled her powerful legs underneath herself and launched towards Kleavor. Aiming as best she could for a weak spot, she aimed a Double Kick for the elbow just above the axe that was stuck in the ground. The first blow landed with a satisfying crack and as her second foot came down to strike again, she was shoved back by Kleavor's howl of pain and body jerking away from her.
Kleavor bellowed and swiped at the air towards the source of the pain, finding only air as he'd accidentally shoved the warrior away when he'd yanked his axe free. He glanced around quickly and found the warrior several feet away, pulling out another one of those things that had hit him in the face. For a brief second, he remembered the smell of those wonderful Plump Beans that the humans always offered him, they were always so sweet. That moment was quickly shattered when the twinge of pain from his arm brought the overwhelming rage back. Clapping his axes together, he raised them in unison and crashed them to the ground, willing a line of sharpened stone spikes to strike out towards his foe.
Seeing the attack coming, Kassi had mere moments to react. She leapt for all her might backwards and towards the trunk of the massive tree. As her body flew backwards, she was sprayed with dirt as one large spike erupted from the ground right towards her. She felt it smack into the greave on her left shin and there was a slight tinge of pain where the razor-sharp stone had struck, but it was minor. As she whipped through the air, Kassi moved herself up to 50% Lopunny and curled up so her legs met the solid trunk of the massive tree and gathered energy. Putting all her force into the leap, she rocketed through the air towards Kleavor as he struggled to free his axes from the ground once more. The sound of splintering wood trailed her as she whipped the next balm in front of her, and it smacked into Kleavor's chest and instant before Kassi crashed into him with a full force Quick Attack. That…had been a poor choice as the various hardened spikes of Kleavor's body stabbed at Kassi's flesh and she found out the hard way that in this form, some of the leather plates had vanished into her inventory when they'd no longer been able to fit her transformed body.
Kleavor's head was knocked back as the warrior crashed into him. There was a moment of satisfaction as he heard a pained yelp, followed by the warm trickle of blood coming from the crown spike atop his head. He heard the warrior hit the ground behind him in a heap and yanked hard to free his axes from the ground. The arm that had been struck protested the action, but he ignored the pain and freed his weapon. As he whirled to face his foe, the scent of Plump Beans once again filled his nose and for the second time, his mind flashed to memories of peace and eating those treats with a familiar human.
Pain racked Kassi as she struggled to her feet underneath Kleavor. Her body had connected with the large protrusion of stone that sat atop his forehead. Akari's armor had done its job and diverted the blow away from her chest, but had guided it towards her left shoulder. The nine-foot tall, glowing monster loomed over her, but his mask of fury was lost for a second as the balm took effect. It was now, or never. She found the crack in Kleavor's mental armor and seized on it, clawing at it like a Zangoose after a nest of hatchling Seviper. As soon as she had even the slightest hook in Kleavor's mind, she performed the same flip in perspective she'd used on Irida's Glaceon. Success, the air warped around Kleavor and he started to sway with obvious confusion.
"Now!" Kassi bellowed, launching herself into the air and transforming into her 50% Beautifly form. Attacks from the eight of the gathered soldiers within range lanced out and crashed into Kleavor as he stood dazed. Kassi barely had enough focus to watch the spectacle of lightning, ice, and fire crash into the glowing monster. The pain of flapping her wings was excruciating and it caused her to lose her grip on Kleavor's mind as she struggled to gain altitude.
The world was pain; as a series of attacks slammed into Kleavor from all sides. The disorientation that had come on him so suddenly vanished in a sea of fire, ice, and lighting. He whipped his head around to find the source of the attacks, and for the first time, noticed other humans and Pokemon standing on the lip of his home. They had interrupted his noble duel against the warrior. They had attacked him in his sacred home. The one his old companion had planted with him so long ago…they needed to be taught a lesson.
Kassi watched in horror as Kleavor turned towards the berm of soldiers that had attacked it, one of which included Akari. He raised one mighty axe and swiped at the air. She tried to yell a warning, but in this form, she didn't have a mouth. As she shifted herself to dive bomb back towards Kleavor, she watched in horror as two humans; a woman from the Security Squad and a young man from the Pearl Clan, along with their Pokemon; a Pikachu and Snowver respectively, were hit full force by the wicked Air Slash. She remembered seeing blood, but then her focus was back on the fight.
As she landed, she willed Kenshin and Ivy to be by her side. They appeared beside her as she hit the ground, shifting into her 50% Bibarel form.
"Hit him hard!" She shouted, the words sounding funny from her buck toothed mouth, but the instructions were clear enough. As Kleavor readied another attack that would surely be towards Akari, they gave it everything they had. Kassi and Kenshin both rocketed forward on a stream of summoned water and crashed into the spiky Pokemon. As they hit, Ivy's Razor Leaf struck home and despite her superior aiming skills, Kassi felt a few of the sharp projectiles pierce her own body as the majority of them slammed into Kleavor.
In her current form, Kassi couldn't reach her belt to retrieve another balm, and going to another Pokemon form would take too long this close to Kleavor. So, she decided to put her trust in Kenshin to keep her safe, and shifted to her normal self. Once there, she took hold of two balms and brought them crashing into each side of Kleavor's face as he whirled around to face his assailants. The effect was immediate as his mind once more opened up to her, further this time. She dove into the crack in his rage to seize the mind beneath.
She mentally tumbled through a sea of battering hatred, resentment, betrayal, and loneliness for what felt like minutes, before finally falling into a grassy hill, surrounded by mountains, and overlooking a river. It took a moment to realize that she was standing in the Grand Tree Arena, only…there was no Grand Tree. Looking around she saw a single figure standing in the middle of a field.
The Scyther stood with his face towards the sun, wings outstretched to capture more of the heat of the midday sun. He made no move to turn towards the sound of human feet as they approached. Humans were no threat to him. He was easily the largest and strongest Scyther in the fieldlands, very few were a threat to him.
The tall grass Kassi walked through felt so…real. As she ran her hands across the tops of the grass, she felt their wispy tops tickle her palms. The summer sun beat down on her from above, making her realize that she was completely naked. She tried to reach her mind out towards the Scyther, only to find that her powers were no longer working. Opening up her senses, she realized that there was no sound of other Pokemon in the clearing. It was just the two of them. She approached the Scyther, and he turned to look at her, sharp light blue eyes boring into her.
It was odd to see a human look like this before him. Their small congregations tended to stick to the shores or cold reaches of the north. They also always seemed to cover their carapaces with colorful bits of shedded skins and odd shapes of stone, yet this one wore…nothing. To his surprise, he found the female human's shape to be attractive, as was her scent. He sensed no ill will or intent to harm, so he did not attack.
"What is going on? One minute I was trying to calm Lord Kleavor's frenzy…the next moment I'm…here…with a single Scyther…and nothing else." She was confused and the look of confusion the Scyther gave her indicated he had no clue either. "Well…guess we could start with introductions. I'm Kassi." She held out a hand to the Scyther.
Scyther looked at the hand in confusion for several seconds, then gently placed the tip of one of his scythes in the offered palm. "Scyther," he mimicked the greeting of the human.
"I don't suppose you know what's supposed to happen now…huh?" Kassi asked.
"Scy-" the Scyther said, shrugging his own confusion.
What passed after that, was one of the most surreal experiences Kassi could ever recall. She recalled being stuck on that sunny hill with that Scyther for what felt like months. After a couple of days, she grew tired of calling him "the Scyther", and named him Zoro; after the famous green haired anime swordsman she'd constantly teased Keifer about being his cooler older brother growing up. In that place, she never seemed to grow hungry or even tired; and while the sun set and rose, the temperature always remained as warm as an early summer day. There was still food, they could eat, and drink, but it was for pleasure, not necessity.
Days turned into weeks as the two simply existed together. They passed the time by Kassi recounting stories from all the shows and media she could remember. Zoro gave her beginner then intermediate swordsmanship lessons in Scyther style with a carved stick as her training sword. Kassi taught him some basic games like KlinKlangGo (tic tac toe) or even basic checkers using stones she gathered as pieces. They even explored the vast empty space together, finding that some invisible force kept them from wandering any further than the Obsidian Fieldlands.
Zoro was a pensive Pokemon and tended to spend parts of his days in quiet contemplation. Meditating in the warm sun and not moving as he gathered energy. It was during those times that Kassi started to build a shelter for herself. The first few days in this space had seen her pale skin burn painfully, so much so she had blistered and been racked with fever for days, but over time, she'd slowly grown into a deep tan. When he was willing, she had Zoro help fell and drag in trees from other parts of the Fieldlands and bring them back to the arena. It was a picturesque spot overlooking the area and near a clean mountain creek for easy, if cold, bathing.
When she'd finally completed her crude little cabin, she and Zoro had planted a small sapling together in the middle of the clearing, outside her home. During the digging to fit the sapling in the ground, she'd found an odd bit of obsidian that she'd offered to Zoro when he'd shown interest in it. Upon touching the stone, he'd evolved into Kleavor.
That had been a wild revelation, and what was even crazier was how his new form awakened something in both of them they hadn't shared up until that point, lust. It had been odd for Kassi to go such a long time, not feeling horny, but the overall feeling of the valley and the strange space had somehow squashed her libido. Zoro hadn't ever shown interest either, so it had been mutual.
But when he evolved, everything changed. That night, for the first time, they mated. Not sure if her rules about getting pregnant still applied, Kassi was very cautious about letting Zoro finish inside of her. For the next few weeks, a new game was added to their daily rotations, having sex anywhere the mood struck them.
She'd lost track of time, eventually. It was hard to tell how much time passed when there were no seasons. The sapling they'd planted had grown large enough to provide a small bit of shade for their naps. Zoro had gotten better with controlling his axes and had made improvements to the tiny hut they now shared. He'd even used his abilities and skill with the massive blades to create stone steps that lead to the clearing that held their home.
Kassi had just finished making a meal of Plump Beans and wild rice balls for them when the mood struck. She and Zoro made love after they ate in the shade of the Grand Tree. For the first time, she didn't worry about where he spilled his seed. If she was stuck with this magnificent Pokemon in this weird valley, they might as well start a family too.
As soon as he reached his climax inside of her, the world lurched. The sky turned a broken red, and an ominous black wind ripped through the valley. Zoro tried to shelter her in against the howling tempest, but as it grew stronger and stronger, their hut was blown away, followed quickly by the two of them. They were once again hurled into the void.
Kassi snapped back to full consciousness. Her hand still rested on the cheeks of Lord Kleavor, covered in the sticky remains of the balms she'd slapped on him. A stream of golden light was flowing out of his body and into her. With it, a stream of memories, of time spent in solitude; decades upon decades of crippling loneliness made her sudder with the heavy weight of desperation for connection. A piteous, soul-wrenching moan filled her entire being, but only Kassi seemed to hear it as the last flecks of light vanished into her chest.
Lord Kleavor blinked a few times and his eyes landed on a familiar sight. The sight of his friend and companion from so long ago, though she now looked battered and bloody. Then he realized the damage had been done by him. Memories of all the things he'd done in his rage flooded his mind and he burned with shame. He took a step back and saw even more damage on her tiny soft body.
When the flood on light disappeared, there was a familiar *ding* that came from Kassi's pocket. She ignored it and continued to look deep into the black eyes of Kleavor.
"Zoro?" She asked softly, the strange mix of memories and reality battling between her heart and her mind as they tried to make sense of what had happened.
Lord Kleavor, lord of the woods, master of Grand Tree Arena, and protector of the Obsidian Fieldlands scooped the tiny human up into his arms and wept, something Kassi always thought was impossible for Rock Pokemon to do.
**Author's Note**
I would like to take the time to thank all the amazing people that help make my stories so much better. They are there as constant sounding boards, think tanks, and even proofreaders. Keif, Lyric, Nova, Wolf, Brandon, Star, and others from the GTiG discord. Without you guys this story would look so much different and the GTiG multiverse wouldn't exist.
If you're interested in joining a bunch of other Pokephile degenerates (used lovingly) then please consider joining us at /vU8qTF2