In the autumn, leaves were falling,
When I found a sight appalling,
Sight an Absol trodding closely, and I feared what it would bring,
Through the market I was walking,
Shiv'ring at its steady stalking,
Stalking close, and then I realized it was here the day before,
It would be there many more.
-Excerpt from Absolute and Nevermore by BunnyWings
Keldeo the Critic
Editorial 10- Lucy's Top 11 Best Moments in Rising Storm: Book One
tinyurl: h3bp5cc
"It's me! Keldeo the Critic! I review it so you don't have to!" Keldeo said brightly, "It's not question around here that I really like the Rising Storm series by Jack Storm 448. Seriously, I'm actually friends with the main character! We did a crossover review together back in Season Three. So, it makes perfect sense that during Absol Month, I would talk about one of the best characters in the entire series, Lucy the Absol! She's strong, she's kind, she's emotional, she's likable, and she's just a really great character! She has plenty of good scenes in Book One. So many, in fact, that I'm going to count down her Top 11 Best Moments!"
Victini flew in and said, "Uh, Keldeo? Isn't it kinda weird for you to just randomly pick out an Absol from a story and talk about her best moments?"
"Why not? It's my show, and I really like the fanfic," Keldeo said confidently.
"But, I mean, what brought this on? You need a reason for it," Victini said, "I mean, yeah, it's Absol Month, but why does that mean you get to make an editorial about one specific Absol." Victini smiled and said, "Don't get me wrong, it's a nice idea, and I like Lucy too. But you need to have a set up, a framing device for the whole thing."
Keldeo thought about this for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he said, "Victini, you're a genius! Oh man, this is just too good! Come on, we gotta set things up. . ."
It was in the late evening, and there was red and gold curtains and trim on the rock platform. There were also spotlights provided by Frank's Magnemite and Swirlix shining down on the platform where Keldeo stood. Victini floated next to Keldeo, and both of them were dressed nicely in black capes and red bow ties. Before Keldeo was a small golden trophy depicting a Mega Absol with its wings spread wide.
"And the Absol Academy Award," Keldeo announced, "For the best Fully Fleshed Out Absol Character in a FanFic goes to. . . Lucy!"
"I DEMAND A RECOUNT!" shouted an Absol as he jumped up out of nowhere and landed right in front of Keldeo and Victini.
"Austin Saturn?" Keldeo gasped in shock.
"The one and only, baby," Austin said smoothly.
"Hey! You're ripping off my line from our review of A Guardian's Princess!" Victini complained.
Austin leaned forward and gave Victini a look of long suffering as he said, "Wasn't that line a rip off of Brentalfloss' line in the Nostalgia Critic's review of Moulin Rouge!?"
Victini glared at Austin and said, "Wow, it's not even been 10 seconds and I already hate this guy!"
Keldeo slapped Victini with his tail, glaring at him, then he turned to Austin and said, "Please, don't mind him. But seriously, are you going to sit here and throw a tantrum about how you should've gotten this award? And I thought you had a crush on Lucy?"
Keldeo was given a shocking surprise as Austin lightly slapped his cheeks with the soft, furry backside of his right forepaw.
"How dare you!" Austin said dramatically, with a Shakespearean accent to boot, "My heart is only for Amanda!"
"Hold on!" Victini challenged, "You did Commercial 2 for Season Four, and at the end of it you wanted to get a message to Lucy."
"And I was rather rudely cut off," Austin said with a huff, sticking his nose up into the air, "At the time, I wanted to meet with her because I thought she might have been my sister-."
"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, I'm gonna stop you right there!" Keldeo said seriously, "I can't let you mess with other people's canon's like that! Matthais already got in some trouble when he tried hijacking Zalton from DragonNiro, so you need to-."
"I KNOW Lucy's not my sister now," Austin said quickly, holding up a forepaw in defense, "I just got a bit confused for a moment. I'm positive that my sister isn't in Sinnoh. I've given it some thought, and I'm pretty sure the poachers didn't get her. She might actually still be free and in the wild in Kalos."
"You're from Kalos?" Keldeo said with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure. But enough about that! I-," Austin began, but Keldeo cut him off.
"You think that you deserve the award more than Lucy," Keldeo said, "And of course you're wrong."
"Ouch. That's cold, Keldeo," Austin said in a cool, distant tone, "You wound me."
"Look, Austin. You're a great actor, great dancer, great singer, and everything," Keldeo said sincerely.
Victini gagged loudly.
Keldeo ignored Victini and continued, "But I really don't like arguing with Drama Kings. . ." Keldeo smirked and said, "So here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna help me countdown Lucy's Top 11 Best Moments in Rising Storm: Book One, and then you'll see how great a character Lucy is."
"Wait, you want him to help you!?" Victini gasped.
"Hmmmm. . ." Austin said as he tapped his chin with his left forepaw. He drummed his right foreclaws on the ground a few times, then he nodded and said, "Yes, sir. I would like it."
"Oh no! Come on, Keldeo!" Victini groaned.
Keldeo turned to Victini and said, "Come on, Victini. Try to be nice."
Victini pouted and said, "Oh, so that's how it is, huh! Well, forget you guys! I'm going home! Live long and. . . and do the opposite of prosper!"
Victini burned his cape and bow tie to ashes, and the flew away in the huff.
"Now who's the Drama King?" Austin said with a smirk.
Keldeo shrugged, "Eh, he'll calm down. He'll realize I wasn't trying to be mean and come back. Anyway, are you ready to have a little humility and show Lucy the respect she deserves."
"No," Austin said flatly with a straight face. He then turned with a smile and said, "But I am ready to count down Lucy's Top 11 Best Moments in Rising Storm: Book One!"
Number 11
In a few hours, Jason woke up to meditate with Jack. He garnered much amusement from the sight of Jack and Lucy with their arms/front legs around each other, fast asleep. He quickly weighed the options, lamented the lack of a camera, and decided to wake his brother up before the others saw this; but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to heckle him a bit.
"Jack," Jason said, shaking his brother awake, "It's time to get up."
Jack woke up slowly. "Who? What? Jason!?"
The Lucario smirked. "So, did you and your girlfriend make up?"
Jason found it hard to meditate that morning; with a black eye and all.
Austin and Keldeo burst out laughing.
"Alright, that was just perfect!" Austin shouted.
"Hey, Bestiality is Depraved!" Keldeo said, "Sure, nothing bad was going on here. Jack and Lucy had just emotionally bonded and just fell asleep while hugging. Nothing weird here. Jason just made a very stupid joke, and he paid for it!"
"Like they say on that television show, 'he asked for it'!" Austin quipped.
Number 10
Gardenia turned around and saw the two trainers, remembering Jack immediately from his clothes and hair. "Oh, back for a rematch already, or is this just a social call?"
"No, just a bit of a misunderstanding," Jack replied. "Do you remember what Pokémon I had with me when I challenged you?"
"Of course. You had those two, the Kirlia and Dratini, and also a Lucario, Scyther, Breloom, and an Absol."
Jack smelled victory; he addressed the trainer. "Please let her out."
With a resigned look, he did so. As soon as her paws touched the ground, Lucy bolted over to Jack, put her front paws on his shoulders, and licked his face. Repeatedly. This of course caused him to drop the two smaller Pokémon, but they were too overjoyed at seeing Lucy safe and sound to care much.
"Lucy," Jack said, trying not to laugh with joy. "Get off me please."
She did so immediately, and instead curled up at his feet; and just to prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt. "Gardenia, is this the Absol that I had with me before?"
"No doubt about it, I've never seen another Absol with such a sleek and shiny coat."
Wendy jumped for joy and hugged Lucy's neck.
The trainer sighed in resignation. "I guess that settles it, she's yours."
"This scene isn't long after Lucy finally opens up to Jack," Keldeo said with a smile, "Another trainer has just caught her, and here Jack went to the Gym Leader he just beat to confirm that Lucy really is his Pokemon."
"And as you can see, Lucy has become a sentimental face-licker," Austin remarked with disdain.
"Okay, I'm gonna set you straight right there," Keldeo said indignantly, "First of all, Lucy can't speak human, so this is the only way she can prove that she's with Jack and convince the other trainer to let her go. Second, this shows how comfortable Lucy is around Jack. And third, it shows how she's finally learned to trust people again. Oh yeah, and fourth, it reminds us that she is a Pokemon after all."
"Whatever, I'm too distracted by the fact that Wendy's trying to strangle her," Austin said in alarm.
"You don't have to take all those jokes I made about Wendy in my Rising Storm: Book Two review so seriously," Keldeo groaned.
Number 9
"Lucy vs Jason," Keldeo said, "This is Lucy's first scene, and she's still under the abusive ownership of Paul."
Cap and Katana sat on the ground behind Jack, Jason stepped into the makeshift battlefield, and Paul sent out his Pokémon, an Absol.
The Absol looked pretty strong, but also looked like she had lost a few fights recently; there were scars and burns scattered all over her body, and her fur was not quite white, as if it hadn't been properly washed for a while. But the worst thing was her eyes; sunken and full of fear.
"Hmmm. . ." Austin said, "You can clearly see through her mannerisms and body language that she has been through quite a lot. A very harsh life she's had."
"And yet, she's still a very strong and skilled battler!" Keldeo said, sounding very impressed.
Looking at her made Jack's fury overtake his judgement.
"One more thing," Jack said. "Winner gets the opponent's Pokémon too."
Both Jason and Paul looked at him in shock, but Paul was apparently either very dumb, or very confident. "I accept."
Jack hoped he was dumb.
Austin bobbed his head and sang, "Jason channel your Aura now and be sure you hit real hard,
Cause Hell's broke loose in Sinnoh and the Devil deals the cards,
And if you win you get to save this poor abused Absol,
But if you lose then Paul will get your soul!"
Jason looked at the Absol, and made a silent plea to God. "Please, let us help this poor soul." Then the battle was under-way
"Absol," Paul's command was cold and emotionless; Absol winced, "Use Razor Wind."
Jason didn't even have time to think of dodging, the attack hit hard; it must have been Critical. He got to his feet, a little shell-shocked, and had just enough time to use Counter as Absol slammed into him with Slash. His inherent resistance to Normal Types decreased the damage, but it was still a powerful hit.
Jason aimed the riposte at Absol's feet, but was surprised to find that her feet weren't there anymore. From across the battlefield Absol fired another Razor Wind, which scored another direct hit. At this point, Jason was longing for it to be over, but this was one fight he couldn't lose.
He got up again just in time to see Absol charging in with another Slash, but this time he wasn't backing down. He met the attack with Metal Claw, and got hit in the side with Sucker Punch.
"Oof!" The hit knocked the wind out of him, and was soon followed up by another Slash. Jason was at the end of his rope.
"It's actually pretty scary!" Keldeo said nervously, "It almost looks as if Paul is going to claim Jason too. It's only by a last minute Force Palm that Jason manages to pull out a win, and even then, it's technically not even by power that Jason wins it."
Absol launched a brutal Psycho Cut and Jason knew that if it hit him, he wouldn't get back up. In desperation, he tried something new. Gathering all his remaining strength, he slammed a powerful Force Palm into the ground. The tactic proved more effective than he'd hoped, as the shock-wave blew Absol off her feet, and into a tree.
Before she could get back up, Jason rested his Bone Rush on her neck and said gently. "If you want to be rid of him, play dead."
"Get up," Paul demanded, "now!"
Absol flashed Jason a grateful look, then her head dropped and she stopped moving.
Jack smirked in satisfaction. "I believe the winners are clear; and to the winners, go the captives."
"Hmph!" Austin said bitterly, "Why didn't the fool just let Jason hit her and drop down right then? Living with Paul was Hell, so why did she need to be convinced to escape it?"
"Well, the story answers that question," Keldeo said simply.
"Well, I'm glad that's over. You can stop playing dead now Absol."
She opened her other eye and got back up, but she still looked frightened. Jack wondered at this, why did she still look like she expected to be hit? He sighed, he supposed that she had been badly treated for so long, that the concept of freedom was unknown to her. She expected him to be as bad as Paul; the thought made him sick.
"See? Lucy had no reason to believe Jack was any better than Paul. She felt all trainers were generally bad, so they're be no point in trying to switch trainers, in her mind at least," Keldeo explained.
"Well, well, well. . ." Austin remarked, "What a very interesting aspect of character. I'm impressed."
Number 8
"Lucy's capture," Keldeo said, "We actually don't see it happen. Rather, we hear all about from Wendy and Lucy after Jack gets them back."
Lucy was the one that spoke up. "Well, Wendy and I were seeing the sights, like the time/space statues, when a Flamethrower hit the ground next to us. I ran in the opposite direction of course, but another one flew right in front of my nose. I looked back and saw a trainer with a monferno. I thought about fighting, but I didn't want to endanger Wendy, so I ran. Unfortunately, I severely underestimated Monferno's speed, and eventually it cornered us in an alley. I dropped Wendy behind some boxes, and fought Monferno one-on-one. But the alley was too narrow to dodge effectively. And even if I could, any attack that missed me would hit the boxes behind me, and Wendy behind them. So of course I lost quickly. That's the last I remember, I have no idea what happened after that."
"Lucy was a most definitely a hero, both brave and selfless," Keldeo said, "She refused to fight because she knew that it would cause Wendy to get hurt, so she pretty much sacrificed herself to protect her."
"Shall I play the audio clip from the Nostalgia Critic's Man of Steel review?" Austin said with a mischievous smirk.
"NO," Keldeo said strongly.
Austin's smirk changed to a tender smile as he said, "Okay then, how about I talk about how cute Lucy's bond with Wendy is?"
"When Auntie Lucy was caught," Wendy picked up the story, "I screamed for Uncle Jack to help. And he did! He whooshed in and caught the ball that the bad trainer threw at me, and then he said 'let her go, she's my friend', and the bad trainer said 'I don't believe you', and Uncle Jack took us to the gym and the nice plant lady said 'she belongs to Jack', and then the bad trainer apologized and it turned out he wasn't bad after all then we all became friends and he was nice and plant lady gave Uncle Jack a job and then we came back here and told everyone and Uncle Jason started yelling and..."
"Okay, okay, that's enough," Jack interrupted, his head spinning a little. "I think we know what happens after that."
"Yeah, it is very touching to see Wendy riding happily on Lucy, calling her Auntie and all that," Keldeo said with a smile, "And it's also kinda funny to see her do a Zorua Reviews imitation."
Suddenly, Zorua himself ran in, turned into Wendy the Kirlia, and shouted, "Pecha Berries! You got Pecha Berries! Aw come on, help a girl out, will ya? Come on, Pecha Berries! Come on, do you really want to see me imitate ESPURR, NO!?"
Austin nudged the disguised Zorua out of the picture and laughed awkwardly, "Ha-ha-ha. Okay, next moment."
Number 7
"Lucy gets her name," Keldeo said, "Which automatically makes Rising Storm: Book One better than A Dark Night in that it at least lets us experience the emotional weight of a Pokemon being named."
"How is she getting her nickname such a big deal," Austin said, "White just gave me the first name that popped into her head," Austin smirked and said, "Heh. . . that's technically what Jack does her too!"
"So," Jack asked. "What about you?"
Absol took a deep breath. "What about me."
"Well, do you have a name, or should I just call you Lucy?"
She smirked at him. "Actually, Lucy sounds like quite a nice name."
"But we're not talking about Jack here," Keldeo said sternly, "Let's focus on Lucy's reaction. Notice how see smiles when she hears her new name. It probably feels good to hear an actual name after just being called 'Absol' by Paul."
Jack's expression must have been pretty good, because 'Lucy' actually cracked a smile. "Yes, I'm coming with you too. Jason's been telling me all about you, and your vendetta with Pokéballs."
Jack started to object that she didn't have to come with him, but she cut him off. "Look; for one thing, you won me fair and square from Paul, and you have my gratitude for that. For another, if I don't come with you, then what will I do? I don't know my way around here, and plenty of trainers come through these woods; for all I know the next one might be as bad as Paul. Right now, going with you is by far my best option."
Jack sighed, she was right, going with him was her best option; but her tone told him that he was the lesser of two evils in her opinion.
"We see how level headed, logical, and calculating Lucy is initially," Keldeo explained, "She doesn't trust Jack let, but she is smart enough to know that he's her best option."
"She's. . . quite intelligent," Austin remarked.
Number 6
"Katana the a-hole!" Austin shouted comically.
"AUSTIN!" Keldeo shouted, looking both angry and embarrassed.
"Let me set the scene for you," Austin said, "After Lucy and Wendy nearly get captured, Jack has to decide whether or not to put everyone in Pokeballs. So he goes off to think, leaving everyone else to talk it out, with Lucy being their only Pokeball expert."
"Well," sighed Aura. "He actually took that better than I expected."
Lucy looked at her in surprise. "Are you kidding? He looked like his world was crumbling around him. I don't see what the big deal is, they're just Pokéballs."
Katana crossed her blades. "Personally, I agree with him."
Lucy turned to look at the Scyther. "Didn't you put up your claw too when it came to the vote?"
"Yeah, but that was for Jack's benefit," she replied. "If I'd supported him, it would have just prolonged the issue and made it that much harder for him to decide. I'd still rather stay away from those glorified cages."
"Like I just finished telling everyone," Lucy said, "Pokéballs aren't actually that bad; they're actually a pretty good place to relax."
"That's easy enough for you to say," Katana said. "You've been inside a Pokéball for the greater part of your life. Not to mention that your life was a living nightmare whenever you were outside your Pokéball."
Lucy looked like she had been punched in the gut. Without a sound, she curled into a fetal position on the ground, and tucked her head under her paw.
"Seriously, who would have the nerve to say something like that!?" Austin asked in a huff.
"You," Keldeo said darkly.
Austin was taken aback by this, and he said, "Excuse me?"
"Katana is not a bad Pokemon! She was just excited by the whole Pokeball controversy. She didn't mean to say that! She even apologizes right away," Keldeo said.
Katana realized what she had just said, and was horrified. "Oh no, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean..."
"I know you didn't," Lucy replied, getting up. "I'm going to go find Jack." She then left too, following Jack's scent.
"And besides, isn't this supposed to be about Lucy?" Keldeo pressed.
"Exactly," Austin said smoothly, "In this scene, we see Lucy return to her level headed and pragmatic self. She gives some much needed perspective on the subject of Pokeballs that some Pokemon don't posses."
"Leave Katana alone," Keldeo warned.
"Or what? Is her boyfriend Cap the Bashful Breloom gonna get me?" Austin boasted.
"Victini, where are you?" Keldeo moaned.
Number 5
"Lucy comforts Jack," Keldeo said, "Jack is not sure what decision to make regarding Pokeballs. Luckily, Lucy is here to help him, returning the favor for all Jack has done for her in such a short amount of time."
Jack sighed. He knew it really wasn't life or death, but he realized now that he'd actually had a relatively sheltered life in some ways; he'd never had to make anything approximating a difficult decision before, so now that he was in the human world, everything seemed overly complicated.
He froze in his tracks though, when he heard someone call his name; in Pokéspeak.
"Jack? Jack, there you are! Wait for me!"
He turned around and saw the familiar, and welcome, white form of Lucy bounding towards him. A small, almost non-existent smile slowly crept onto his face,
"Lucy? What are you doing here?"
"I... It was getting dark, I wanted to make sure you were okay," she said, coming to a halt next to him.
They were in the middle of a small park; with a carpet of lush grass, a few benches which Jack found quite fascinating, a pond in the centre, and a neat ring of trees surrounding it all. A very nice place, although Jack didn't notice. Lucy noticed though; she noticed the moon reflecting off the water, the faint rustle of the breeze blowing leaves about, and the soft sounds of various nocturnal pokémon. All this she saw, and marveled at. She hadn't noticed the wonder and beauty of nature for a long time now, until last night.
"Let's sit here for a while," she said, hopping onto one of the benches. "We can talk about your... dilemma."
They indeed sat and talked, for two hours. They decided that Pokéballs didn't actually harm Pokémon. And they also agreed that there was nothing morally wrong with putting Pokémon in Pokéballs, as long as they didn't object. They took into account that if the Pokémon weren't put in Pokéballs, worse things would happen; and that the process was not irreversible. And eventually, they came to the conclusion that putting Jack's Pokémon in Pokéballs would prevent more harm than it caused, and Jack decided that he would do it first thing tomorrow morning.
Austin nodded, "Makes sense. Jack pretty much saved Lucy's life, in a way. But what I like is not only does Lucy provide comfort, she also provides that sensible pragmatic logic and smarts that I admire in her. A nice thick slice of perspective. Something certain other Pokemon-."
"Austin, just shut-up," Keldeo said impatiently, "I admire all these characters too much to have you insult them."
Austin sniffed indignantly and leaned over towards Keldeo. "Well, I-," he began smoothly, but Keldeo promptly cut him off.
"Shut-up. This is my show, and I expect you to have good manners while you're here. Get it," Keldeo said firmly, shooting Austin an icy glare.
Austin blinked in surprise, then nodded quietly and said, "Got it."
Keldeo nodded back, "Good. Well then, next moment."
"Keldeo?"
"What?"
". . . I'm sorry."
Keldeo let out a hint of a smile, ". . . Apology accepted. . ."
Number 4
"An Absol, a Starly, and a Sneasel are walking through a carnival. . ." Keldeo began with a grin.
"It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke," Austin remarked wryly.
"You're close. It's actually the beginning of a very good joke!" Keldeo replied.
As it was, the three troubled females found themselves drawn together; they had a lot to talk about. Mostly things that I, as a boy, won't delve too deeply into. What I will say, is that they quickly became fast friends, and were in the process of discussing the strange and mysterious subjects that girls are inexplicably drawn to, when it happened.
"Personally," Hunter stated, "I like them nice and muscular, and as little fat as possible; I hate the ones with too much fat."
"Me too," said Frostbite. "I like them better when they're nice and lean; not a lot of fat, but not too much muscle either. I like to be able to overpower them."
Austin blinked, and the only sound he could make was, "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. . .?"
"But it's no good if they're too weak," Lucy insisted. "I agree with Hunter; it's more fun when they give you a run for your money first."
"However," added Hunter, "It's no good if they can finish you with one blow either; there's got to be a balance."
"Where's the best place to go for if you want to finish it quickly?" Frostbite asked.
"NOOOOOOOOO! NO! NO! Too much information!" Austin shouted, jumping up on his hind legs and waving his forepaws frantically.
Hunter considered it for a few seconds. "Personally, I usually go for the heart. However, if you can't get to the heart, then the neck is definitely my second choice; sever the jugular, and they go down no matter how big they are."
"I'd have thought that you'd know that, at least," Lucy said.
Frostbite blushed. "Well, for all my talk, I've never actually hunted live prey before; I'm a complete novice."
Austin stood frozen and blinked his eyes, as Keldeo burst out laughing next to him. Austin frowned and said, "Ha-ha, very funny."
Keldeo composed himself, and he looked Austin up and down and said, "Heh. I've been waiting for you to show off that trick."
Austin quickly dropped back down to all fours and said, "Sorry, Keldeo. I'm might sing a few bars, but I'm not dancing here. You gotta buy a ticket to a musical like everyone else."
Keldeo sighed, "Oh well. Anyway, this is good scene not only because it has a good set up for a clever wordplay based joke that messes with your expectations, but it also shows how comfortable and lively Lucy is. She's now more open, able to make friends, and can even connect with others based on her own experiences. She's able to sympathize and try to understand how hard, or perhaps harder, other Pokemon have had it."
"You've been a trainer's Pokémon all your life?" Lucy asked.
Immediately, the Sneasel's eyes took on a far-away look; her face twisted into a mask of pain and rage. The two other Pokémon shuddered, and Lucy instantly regretted even coming close to Frostbite's past; as they had guessed, it was a terribly painful memory for her. To Hunter's eyes, hunter's eyes as they were, Frostbite looked scared, scarred, and alone; completely broken.
Then, as quickly as it began, it was over; Frostbite was once again in the present, and it was a testament to her inner strength that she went on as if nothing had happened.
"I'm alright," she assured the others. "It's just not something I like to remember. To answer your question, Lucy, yes; I was born to a trainer's Pokémon, and I've been one all my life."
Lucy was shocked, and rightly so; when she was being shunted from one cruel trainer to the next, her slightly fuzzy memories of freedom were all that had kept her sane. Whenever her life was more nightmarish than normal, she fell back on what memories she had of her family; Mother, Father, and Brother. It was only when she met Jack, and his God, that she traded memories of the past for the promises of the future. Even though she now found the Lord far more comforting than the memories had ever been, she couldn't imagine what her life would have been like without them.
Hunter didn't know much more about Frostbite's past than Lucy did, but she had learned early on that it was not to be brought up under any circumstances; for the Sneasel's sake. Hunter hadn't been in the system for as long Lucy had, but she was much more of a free spirit by nature, and that had made it worse. Nicholas wasn't the first trainer to be nice to her, but he was the first not to lose her, trade her away, or die in the first five weeks he'd had her.
Hunter had been shunted to a new trainer every month or so on average, more than once as the result of a severe accident on the trainer's part. Needless to say, she had been well trained not to make emotional connections; she became, in essence, her name. A cold, calculating, ruthless hunter; devoid of compassion, and quite a few other important things as well. Now though, thanks to the best efforts of Nicholas, and the two Pokémon now with her, she was finding a joy in life that she hadn't felt in far too long; friendship.
"Here are two Pokemon who I think deserve fanfics devoted to their backstories ore than Ivy the Cursed Snivy!" Austin declared.
"Austin. . ." Keldeo said in a tone filled with thinning patience.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Austin said with a pout.
Number 3
"Abide With Me," Keldeo said with a full, genuine, warm smile, "This is definitely one of the most touching moments of this story. It takes place a few days after Lucy's been rescued by Paul, and Lucy is starting to digest all the information about Jack and others things, when Jack surprised her when he wakes up from one of his nightmares."
Jack shot out of bed, and only missed the ceiling by inches. Landing on his feet, he looked around quickly before remembering where he was; the Pokémon Centre in Eterna City. He glanced at the clock; it read 2:19 AM. Everyone else was still asleep, except for Lucy; she was looking sadly out the window, but his abrupt awakening caught her undivided attention.
"What are you doing up?" she asked fiercely, hastily hiding the tears in her eyes. "Can't a girl get any peace and quiet around here?"
Austin laughed and sighed, "Oh, that was an amazing line. It's like something I would say if I were female."
"Yeah, only when Lucy says it, see means it," Keldeo remarked harshly.
"Ouch, that hurt," Austin said, wincing a little and tossing his head back as if he had been struck.
Lucy stared at him for a minute; she still had conflicting opinions about him. Granted, he could communicate in Pokéspeak, and even use Pokémon moves, and he did treat her well... But there was still something; something in the way of her trusting him. Years of cruel slavery had taken a toll on her body, and her mind. It felt like she had always been a slave, she could barely remember the time when she was free; everyone she'd ever loved had either been cruelly taken away from her, or had betrayed her. It was only a matter of time, she thought, before Jack did too. And yet, as she looked at him now, he seemed frightened and alone; fragile. She knew that look, the look of fear; she saw it every time she looked at her reflection, but she had never seen him look like this before.
He had told her about the Lord the day after he caught her, while he meticulously washed her fur. He had even taken them all to the church in a small town they had passed through three days ago. She had conflicting opinions about his God too; if there was a God, then why had he let her suffer all these years? What kind of God could be so cruel? She just felt so alone.
"Here we see Lucy finally find someone to relate to in Jack, as well as be faced with the issue of a cursed, fallen world innocent souls have always had to deal with. But thankfully, we see that hope still lives," Keldeo related.
Jack contemplated his dreams some more. He just couldn't make himself believe that they were just that, dreams. He was starting to wonder if he was losing his mind. He still felt the cold grip of fear around his heart, so he did the one thing he could think of to calm down. He sang.
"Abide with me, fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens, Lord with me abide. When other helpers fail, and comforts flee; help of the helpless, Lord abide with me."
"But that isn't even the best part. The best comes right after. . ." Keldeo said eagerly.
It was a quiet hymn that he had heard at the church they visited; Jack had loved it the moment he heard it. And as he sang, another voice joined in...
"Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day. Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away; change and decay in all around I see. O Thou who changest not, abide with me."
Jack was surprised as Lucy hopped onto his bed, laid her head on his shoulder, and started to cry softly. After a moment, he wrapped an arm around her.
"That was. . . angelic. . ." Austin said breathlessly and in awe.
"I know, right! What I wouldn't give to hear a well voice acted fanfic reading of this part! I can just imagine how amazing Lucy's voice would sound!"
"I wonder if she'd ever want to go into Pokemon Musicals?" Austin mused.
Number 2
"Lucy's tragic backstory," Keldeo said gravely, "This happens right after Abide With Me, and it is definitely the most touching, moment in the entire story."
They sat there for a long time as Lucy told her story. She couldn't remember much of her childhood, except that she had a mother, father, and older brother who had always loved her. But one day, her mother went off to gather berries, but never returned. Not long after, a group of people, who she now knew were poachers, found her den and shot her father.
"Wait a minute!" Austin shouted in disbelief, "They shot him? Why? A full grown male Absol sounds valuable! They could have sold him too! Not that I'm saying that it would've been a good thing. I know poaching is terrible, I know it first hand, but I'm just saying, it doesn't seem like the thing Pokemon poachers would do."
Keldeo nodded, "Yeah, this part caught me off guard too. First of all, there are no guns in Pokemon. Second, yeah, it seems kinda counter intuitive for Pokemon poachers. But my best guest is that Lucy's father put up such a violent fight against the poachers that they decided to just shoot him to make things easier. And I suppose her father actually getting murdered does pack more of an emotional impact than him just getting caged and sold off somewhere."
"They probably caged the mother though," Austin remarked nonchalantly, "For breeding."
Keldeo recoiled in disgust and shouted, "Austin!"
"Sorry, sorry, but it makes sense, doesn't it?" Austin replied with a sly, naughty grin.
Keldeo glared at Austin.
"Well, anyway," Austin went on, "It proves that Lucy isn't my sister. I was older and out by myself when I was caged."
They then caged the two of them and sold them to different trainers on the black market. She never saw her brother again.
"He's coming back," Austin said with a deadpanned expression.
"Totally," Keldeo said with the same tone and expression.
"With a vengeance."
"Yeah."
"He'll probably be a Well Intentioned Extremist trying to wipe out humanity."
"Eh- what?"
"Everyone better Be Prepaaaaared!"
"You already sang four parody lines of The Devil Came Down to Georgia, give your voice a rest."
For years and years she was passed from one trainer to another; each one abandoned her, each one pretended to be kind just to get her to come with them, and each one had proved to be worse than the last. Sometimes their other pokémon were sympathetic towards her, but more often they viewed her as little more than a nuisance, and sometimes they mistreated her worse than the trainer. Eventually, she wound up in a pokémon daycare after her last trainer had abandoned her for being weak.
Six months she stayed there, and she made plenty of friends. It was the best time she could remember, until the day she got 'adopted' by Paul. None of her 'friends' tried to help her, none of them cared that she was leaving.
This last event, and the torture she endured at Paul's hands, firmly cemented in her mind that she couldn't trust anyone. No one cared about her.
"And Jack Storm 448 writes a fanfic about the details of Ivy the Cursed Snivy's backstory instead! Seriously?!" Austin exclaimed.
Keldeo stared at Austin in shock and said, "I wouldn't read a whole fanfic about Lucy's depressing backstory for anything!"
"Didn't you read Zuma's Fear?" Austin inquired skeptically.
"Never mind, proceed!" Keldeo said quickly.
By the end of the tragic tale, Jack was crying softly as well. He pulled Lucy into a warm hug.
"All of that is in the past," he assured her, "Nothing but a bad memory, it can't hurt you anymore. All that matters now is the future."
Lucy snuggled into his embrace, and cried on his shoulder. "Sometimes, I just don't see anything worth living for."
"You have us now; you have me."
"You'll hurt me eventually, everyone has."
Jack sighed. "Not everyone, there's one person who has never left your side once in your life. God loved you from before you were born; he has always, and will always take care of you. I know you've gone through terrible things, and I know it may seem like he didn't care what happened to you, but maybe it was his way of leading you to me; and through me, to him. I don't know what he has planned, but I know one thing for sure; God will never desert you, and neither will I."
Lucy began to cry again, but this time they were tears of relief, tears of joy; Jack pulled her even closer,
"I'll never leave you," he whispered, pouring his heart and soul into the words.
"Never."
"No eloquence or complex explanation was necessary here. All Lucy needed was truth and love, and a way to see that it still existed in the world. Once she saw it within Jack, Lucy finally knew true freedom," Keldeo said.
"I'll admit, this is a nice scene," Austin said, "But it doesn't exactly wow me."
"WHA-!?" Keldeo started to shout, but Austin quickly put his left forepaw over Keldeo's mouth.
"No, Keldeo, I don't have a heart of stone," Austin said sternly, "Sure, it's nice and heartwarming, and I feel in inside me. My eyes are a little wet too. But to me, the scene feels just like an obvious plot point that needed to happen in a story like this. Of course Jack shows Lucy that she's still loved and that the trials of the world always pass away, and that God's love will outlast all things. I get that, and it's beautiful. But the thing is, I want to see something that will thrill me!"
Keldeo looked straight at Austin, and then smiled beneath the Absol's broad paw. He knocked the paw aside with his forehoof, nodded affirmatively, and said, "Well then, it's a good thing we still have one more moment left. . ."
And the Number 1 Best Lucy Moment in Rising Storm: Book One is. . .
"The final confrontation with Paul," Keldeo declared.
"Oh boy! Does Lucy scratch his clothes up and leave him lying in his undergarments!" Austin said excitedly.
Keldeo stared at Austin in a disturbed manner, then he said, "Uh, no. Not exactly. The scene actually begins as a confrontation between Paul and Jack."
Jack found the Center, and was about to enter it, when he heard a voice from the darkest corner of his mind.
"You!"
Jack turned around and there, obviously going to get his Pokémon healed after a hard day's 'training', was the one person Jack truly hated.
Paul.
"My turn," Keldeo said with a smile.
"You're turn to what?" Austin inquired.
Keldeo tapped his left forehoof three times, and then exciting fiddle music started to play.
"What is this injustice! I didn't get any music!" Austin said indignantly.
Keldeo ignored Austin and started to sing, "It's been a while since Lucy the Absol came to know the Lord
And the Devil blamed it on Jack Storm, he cursed all of Jack's words
In the darkest pits of hell the Devil hatched an evil plan
To turn Jack to the darkness, for he's just a mortal man
'The sin of wrath,' the Devil cried, 'Is what will do Jack in!'
'He'll break that 6th Commandment! He'll lose and I will win!'
Jack don't you remember that vengeance is the Lord's?
In your anger do not sin, the evil man gets no reward.
Now Paul has come to fight you! Will you stand up to the test?
Or will you let the Devil be the best?"
The music then abruptly stopped and Keldeo grinned at Austin. "What'd you think?"
Looking completely unimpressed, Austin replied, "I think we should just read the moment in the story."
Keldeo sighed like air leaking out of a balloon.
In about two heartbeats, Jack relived the two hours he and Jason spent by that lake washing Lucy's fur; and finding more burns, and bruises, and scars than Jack had ever seen before in his life. In his mind, Jack had built up Paul to be a cruel and sadistic monster that used Pokémon as nothing more than tools; tools to be ground sharp, and discarded when broken. If he'd been given the choice again, Jack might have decided differently about letting Paul go; and now, here he was in front of him.
"You," Jack growled.
Paul stood about ten feet away, and has hands were on his Pokéball belt; Jack knew that he could cover that distance before Paul could so much as think about releasing a Pokémon, but there was something wrong. Paul wasn't afraid; he wasn't just hiding it, Paul's aura showed only faint traces of fear. The foremost emotions in the boy's mind were anger, and disdain; Paul was totally assured that he could beat Jack. It made sense; Paul had only seen the tip of the iceberg of Jack's powers, and that was a long time ago. Paul had heard the news about Jack, but in time since their last meeting Paul had convinced himself that Jack wasn't half as powerful as the press made him out to be.
Jack couldn't stand it; he could knock Paul's head from his shoulders in two seconds flat, but he didn't want to do that. He wanted Paul on his knees, begging for mercy; he wanted to see fear in the boy's eyes. He wanted revenge to be sweet. And so, he waited; Paul would have to make the first move.
"You won't beat me so easily this time," Paul said, throwing a Pokéball. "Go, Electabuzz; use Thunder."
A bipedal yellow Pokémon with black lightning bolt stripes all over its body, and two antenna-like horns on its head, appeared in front of Paul. Electabuzz quickly sized up Jack with an eager attitude; it seemed to relish the idea of fighting an unarmed human boy. Then, without any further warning, it unleashed a raging torrent of electricity at Jack.
"Wait a minute, why is he attacking Jack?!" Austin shouted in alarm, "I know Paul's a sociopath, but I thought it was only towards Pokemon?"
"Oh, you see the newspapers all reported that Jack has superpowers, so it makes sense that Paul would try and battle him like a Pokemon. It shows how Paul sees Jack as kind of a freak," Keldeo explained, "Anyway, it turns out Jack apparently has the Ability Motor Drive. . ."
Jack stood stock still, extended his arm, and blocked the bolt with his hand; he'd always had an affinity for electricity, and the hundreds of volts coursing through him only tickled. He laughed; a deep, sinister laugh. One that, if he'd been in his right mind, Jack would've been quite unnerved by; especially coming from his own mouth.
"Hi, Dark Tsubasa! It's been a while! " Keldeo said with wave, "We haven't seen each other in the while. I think the last time I saw you was. . ." Keldeo tapped his hooves in thought, then smiled as he said, "My review of The Midnight Dragon back in Season Two! How have you been?"
Electabuzz, enraged that its attack had done absolutely nothing, responded with Brick Break.
Once again, Jack could've dodged the attack; but he didn't want to dodge it. Instead, his eyes glowing golden, he used Counter; catching Electabuzz's arm with one hand, and using its own momentum to slam it into his fist. After knocking the wind out of its lungs, Jack slammed Electabuzz into the ground with a point-blank Aura Sphere; knocking it out cold.
Paul watched Jack take out his chief Pokémon single-handed, and he remembered the anger he'd seen in Jack's eyes the last time they met; he realized that what he was seeing now was that same anger. Except this time, Jack wasn't holding it back. For the first time since he could remember, Paul felt a cold knot of fear form in his stomach.
Jack watched Paul recall Electabuzz to its Pokéball; he had been prepared to feel sorry for Paul's Pokémon, but Electabuzz was no prisoner. It enjoyed fighting, and Jack sensed that it wasn't accustomed to showing mercy. This only made Jack's anger burn hotter; to his mind, Paul had taken an innocent Pokémon, and turned it into a bully like himself. Such an act was unforgivable. Unbeknown to himself, Jack started to float a few inches off the ground, and bolts of lightning started arcing off him into the ground; his eyes glowed like miniature suns.
Vegeta: "IT'S OVER 9000!"
"Really?" Austin said with a frown.
"It had to be done," Keldeo said solemnly.
"Isn't this supposed to be Lucy's moment?" Austin asked impatiently.
"We're getting to that, but we have to, to use your own words, set the scene in order to show how potent this scene is for Lucy's character," Keldeo explained.
"Okay, so what does she do?!" Austin half asked, half exclaimed.
Jack stood there, waiting for Paul to make a move; he could sense fear, but not enough. Paul had yet to feel true terror for his life; such as he deserved. It was this continued delay that probably saved Paul's life.
"Jack!" Jason shouted. "What are you doing?"
Jack didn't turn around. "Go back to the Centre, Jason; make sure Lucy stays inside until I'm done."
"I'm right here."
At that, Jack did turn around; Jason and Lucy were standing just outside the Pokémon Centre doors.
The music started back up and Keldeo started singing again, "Lucy, are you ready now, or will your paws grow cold?
The Devil walks the land over Jack he's taken hold
Can't Jack see that you're crying?
Will he ever know
The Devil wants his very mortal soul?"
"Jack," Lucy said pleadingly. "Don't do this."
"Wait a second," Paul said in realization. "Isn't that..."
"SHUT UP!" Jack snarled at him, and then said to Lucy. "Go back to the Centre; I'll deal with him."
"Jack," Lucy pleaded, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Please; please don't do this!"
"Why?" Jack snapped; the wind starting to pick up around him. "He deserves everything I can do to him! How long did he torture you, in the name of making you stronger? How many times did you cry yourself to sleep, licking your wounds? You deserve vengeance; and he deserves to die!"
"But is that what your parents taught you?" Lucy said desperately. "You told me as much about your life as I told you of mine; and your parents taught you better than this! What did they teach you about revenge?"
Lucy's words penetrated Jack's blind rage, and he remembered; Father Lucario had always been very strict about seeking revenge. He always quoted that one verse from the Bible; '"Vengeance is mine, I shall repay," says the Lord.'
Jack looked at Lucy and growled. "Why are you defending him? He made your life a living Hell!"
"And I forgave him!" Lucy shouted.
Austin's jaw dropped. For the first time in his life, he was speechless.
Jack stared at her, dumbstruck; his anger starting to fade. And as it did, his eyes stopped glowing, he stopped floating and arcing electricity, and the wind died down.
"I forgave him a long time ago," Lucy pressed on, "When I realized that God used him to bring me to you; to a life that I only dreamed of before. To a place where I'd be loved and cared for, unconditionally; just like He does. I didn't hold on to my anger. Why should you?"
Jack thought about it, but he had no answer; and the more he thought about it, the more he realized what he'd almost done. And when he realized that, he turned to look at Paul; the purple-haired boy, who Jack had despised and hated for so long, was sitting numbly on the ground staring up at him in absolute terror. Jack looked down at his hands in disgust; he couldn't believe he'd almost...
Jack looked at Lucy, and a tear worked it's way down his cheek to mirror the ones flowing down the Absol's muzzle. The last vestiges of anger leaving him, Jack sunk to his knees; the tears, now released, flowed down his face freely.
Keldeo turned to Austin and said, "Well, Austin? Did that thrill you enough?"
Austin finally closed his mouth, then he turned to Keldeo and said, "I'm. . . affected. Affected deeply by it. Lucy edified Jack when he nearly fell down into the darkness. She returned the favor with interest. She actually lived what she learned, practiced what she preached. She fully understood the how and why of her troubled life. And she reached out with her faith to keep the person she cared about from going back on the ideals that saved her."
"Your dramatic eloquence has finally found it's place," Keldeo commented, "At any rate, you're right. But it's not over yet. I have a question for you. Who do you think came to comfort Jack after all this?"
"His brother Jason, obviously," Austin said immediately.
Jason stood awkwardly a few feet away, but Lucy walked over and nuzzled Jack's face; letting him cry into her mane.
"Shush now," she said gently. "It's alright, it's okay."
"WHAT?!" Austin exclaimed.
"Even Jason was frightened off by Jack's display of anger and violent power," Keldeo said solemnly, "And yet Lucy found it within her heart not only to come to him without fear, but to be a crying shoulder, and to offer that very same unconditional love that he gave her."
"What happens next?" Austin asked.
"Well, Jack ends up Teleporting back up to his room in the Pokemon Center, but Lucy refuses to leave Jack alone," Keldeo said.
Jason noted that the mental link had gone down, so he was forced to send out an auric probe of his own; he found Jack, much to his relief, back in their room at the Centre. He and Lucy rushed back inside the Pokémon Centre to the door of the room they'd rented. Since Jack had locked the door when they left, they knocked; when, after a few seconds, nothing happened, Lucy started getting anxious. She was about to bust down the door, when the lock clicked; wasting no time, Lucy grabbed the handle with her teeth, and turned.
"I'm glad Lucy isn't pulling an Equestria Games," Keldeo practically sneered, "and allowing a depressed and emotionally fragile person alone, or not leaving him alone in a mean way. Lucy is aware that Jack might try doing something to himself, so she rushes in there and speaks to him in the kindest way possible."
As soon as the door was open, Lucy rushed inside to see Jack lying on the bed; staring up at the ceiling.
"Jack," Lucy said. "Are you alright?"
Jack didn't answer right away, and Lucy was close to panicking, but then he sighed.
"I almost killed him," he said in barely more than a whisper.
"But you didn't," Lucy said.
"No," Jack said. "But it doesn't matter; I was going to. If it hadn't been for you..."
"You would've stopped yourself," Jason said.
"But I didn't!" he exclaimed.
"No," Jason said. "Lucy stopped you; but it amounts to the same thing. You didn't kill Paul."
"Greninja."
Jason furrowed his brow, and Lucy stared at Jack in confusion.
"Greninja?" Lucy asked.
Jack looked at Jason. "Veilstone City; it almost killed you, and I had to hunt it down."
"And you did," Lucy said. "You fought Greninja and won, and returned in time to save Jason. You told us all about it."
"But I didn't tell you that I killed it," Jack said. "I went into a rage like the one I just did, and I killed Greninja; I didn't think twice about it, I just did. And I almost did it again just now; over even less. People were right about me the first time, I am a monster; a dangerous one. I can't control myself; I might even hurt one of you..."
Jason absorbed the information with a grim expression, but Lucy just climbed wordlessly onto the bed, and lay down next to Jack; nuzzling him with her nose.
"You're not a monster, Jack," she said. "I don't know what happened, but you're no monster. You're a kind, compassionate boy; and a loyal friend."
Jack didn't answer, and he didn't move; not when the rest of his team came looking for him to see what happened, not when they left again after seeing that he was in no mood for questions. He didn't even have dinner, and neither did Lucy; she stayed beside him, and she didn't move from the spot either.
"Where even his own brother was unsure of him. . ." Austin said in a low dramatic tone, ". . . Lucy still would not abandon him or let him doubt himself for a minute. It's like her own answer to this scene:"
Lucy began to cry again, but this time they were tears of relief, tears of joy; Jack pulled her even closer,
"I'll never leave you," he whispered, pouring his heart and soul into the words.
"Never."
"Lucy won't leave Jack either. . ." Austin said.
"Exactly," Keldeo said, "With Lucy's determined support, and Jack's prayer of course, he's able to pick himself up and find peace again. He's able to regain control over his anger for the final climax, during which Lucy plays a role in to, but I don't want to spoil that. Trust me, it's awesome!"
"Keldeo, may I say something?" Austin asked.
"You're saying something right now. You've been saying things during the whole review," Keldeo remarked as he gave Austin a look of disbelief.
"I meant, can I make a statement?" Austin asked again.
"Go ahead," Keldeo replied.
"*Ahem!*" Austin said as he reached over and picked up the golden Mega Absol trophy, "When someone mentions a great Absol, many people would think of an Absol who predicted a natural disaster and warned a city and town, saving the lives of everyone there. But that isn't the only way an Absol can become great. They could try to enrich the lives of people with their powers and skills and talents, like me. . . Or, they can do something even better, and be something even greater than a dancer or a singer. An Absol could be a selfless companion who has lived through great adversity, who has witnesses great dangers and has bravely marched through those dangers to protect and help those she cares about, who keeps her heart pure of anger or hate, and has gathered together the inner strength needed to forgive her enemies. And so, for all these reasons, I present this Absol Academy Award to the Absol in Rising Storm: Book One by Jack Storm 448, Lucy!"
Applause burst out and echoed throughout the area.
Austin smiled and bowed, then he turned to Keldeo and said, "It makes sense for me to give the speech. You couldn't have done it justice in a million years."
Keldeo face twitched with anger for a brief moment, then he smiled and said, "Well, I'm glad you've learned something from all this."
"You're quite right, Keldeo," Austin said as he puffed himself up regally. He then set the trophy back down and said, "Make sure you use proper postage and packaging when you send this trophy to her."
"Of course," Keldeo replied good naturedly, "I hope you have a lot of luck in the Pokemon Musical Scene."
Austin gave Keldeo a confused look and said, "Luck? What do I need luck for? I have skill!"
Keldeo forced himself to keep smiling, and he nodded without saying a word.
"Well, good luck to you though. On your reviewing series that is," Austin remarked, "Shalom!"
And with that, Austin leapt off the rock platform and left.
Keldeo dropped his smile and let out a loud sigh.
"Well. . ." he said, sounding a bit tired, "I'm Keldeo the Critic, and I review it so you don't have to."
A while later, Keldeo found Victini chatting with the other Swords of Justice.
"Hey everyone," Keldeo said as he noticed that the four of them were all having something to drink, "Victini, have you been here during the entire review?"
Victini nodded and smiled deviously, "Oh yeah, Keldeo. You see, I told the other Swords of Justice how you brought in all those decorations and those two Pokemon from Frank's movie crew into the Moor of Icirrus without asking them for permission first." Victini then took a sip of what he was drinking.
Cobalion also took a sip of his drink, and he nodded seriously and said, "Yes, Keldeo. And we were a bit disappointed. You know we like to be kept informed on what you have planned for these reviews of yours."
Keldeo smiled innocently and said, "Aw, but you know I wouldn't do anything dangerous or irresponsible. . . well, not anymore. Besides, the whole thing was kind of impromptu anyway."
Virizion took a quick drink, and she said, "Well, nevertheless, Victini felt slighted about getting replaced by Austin Saturn, so he came to us hoping to get back at you."
Keldeo moaned and said, "Oh, come on! Be fair! I couldn't just kick out someone like Austin Saturn. It's not like he would've listened anyway. Besides, it was rough having him as a co-star! I kept having to keep him in line. Even if he kinda straightened out in the end, I still don't think I could take much more of him."
Terrakion gulped down his drink, smacked his lips and said, "Ahh! Well, we were all hoping you'd say that. You see, kid, you still broke the rules by not informing us about your little Absol Academy Award show. So something has to be done about that. Luckily, Victini had a pretty fair suggestion that shouldn't be too hard on you."
Before Keldeo could inquire what Terrakion meant, Victini flew over to him offering a glass bottle. "Here! You have what we're having!" Victini said cheerfully.
"What is it?" Keldeo said as he took the bottle.
"Moomoo Milk!" Victini replied with the same amount of cheer.
Keldeo stared at the bottle for a moment, then his eyes widened in horrified realization. "OH, NO!" he shouted in horror.
Victini laughed creepily, now wearing a Vullaby mask.
The End
Credits
PAW Patrol
Absolute and Nevermore by BunnyWings
The Absol Danseuse by
Devil Went Down to Georgia by the Charlie Daniels Band
The Devil Comes Back to Georgia by Daniels
Dragon Ball Z
Beyblade Metal Fight
Nostalgia Critic: Swan Princess
Nostalgia Critic: Moulin Rouge!
Be Prepared from The Lion King by Disney
Special Thanks
Bulbapedia
HavocHound
TV Tropes