Ch.26: My Purpose is Clear! Rise Tony, the Thief of Storms!
Staring up at the monstrous Pinsir filled Tony with only the briefest moments of doubt, as he found the imposing physique of the creature rather terrifying to stand in front of. Given the nature of how this creature was created to begin with only added to the fear factor. Aeternus already presented himself as a sick, twisted murderer, a definite psychopath even, but now the thief was witnessing his madness in the realm of magic. It was truly horrifying.
However, the thief quickly removed all those doubtful thoughts, for one mission was on his mind: defeating the Anguis Organization and saving his family.
Tony jumped back as the monster threw down his fist, shaking and splitting the earth. Tony landed on his feet and sprinted at the monster. He jumped and kicked him square in the face. Sadly, the kick did very little to budge him, much less inflict any semblance of harm. He jumped away before he could grab him.
Aeternus grinned wickedly. "Well, what are you idiots waiting for?" he said to his minions. "Kill him!"
"Yes sir!" They aimed their guns and opened fire on the Dewott.
Tony clenched his teeth. "Damn it! Quick Step!" He poured magic into his legs and sprinted away from the line of fire. He used his scalchops to deflect the energy bolts that got to close to hitting him. Bolts were reflected back at the thugs, who immediately scattered to find better ground for fire.
The thief repeatedly deflected the bolts before dashing straight at the thugs with his arms sparking. Three thugs charged at him, pulling out swords and daggers. They swung the weapons down on the Dewott, but he blocked them with his scalchops and swiftly directed their strikes to the ground. With their guards down, he raised his hands.
"Dragon Thunderclap!" He clapped right in their faces. Mixing in his electrical magic, they were sent flying into the air, electrically charged with magic.
Tony picked up two daggers that were dropped and spun them in his hands. "Nice sharp edge, but not my style." He applied his magic into them. "You can have them back!" He threw them at two of the thugs, striking them in the shoulders and discharging the electricity throughout their bodies.
He grinned cheekily, then gasped as a black, slimy hand stretched out at him and tried to crush him. The inside of the palm grew jagged crystals, which could puncture holes into anything caught in its grasp. Tony leaped over the hand the moment in attempted to grab him, then he ran down the arm with his right hand's finger glowing in electricity.
"Lightning Shot!" He pointed and fired the electrical beam into the monster, piercing through his forehead. Aeternus said he was already dead, so no reason to worry about killing him.
However, simply killing him again wasn't so simple, as the monster Pinsir's head healed up almost instantly. He roared in anger and lunged at the thief, nearly slashing him in half with his head pincer. Tony flipped over his head and kicked him in the back of the head.
Tony flinched in pain as he ended cutting his foot against the monster's jagged exoskeleton. The monster whipped around and swatted him away with his sludge arm. The thief smashed into the ground and continued to travel through it, kicking up earth as he did, before coming to a stop.
He held his head in annoyance. "Good grief…" He saw a shadow looming over him. He looked up in time to see the monster coming down on him. Tony clenched his fists as his body lit up. "Light Speed!"
His body discharged electricity off his body, giving the surrounding world a blue tint and slowing down time. He jumped out of his crater and dashed away from the slow-moving monster. He cracked his knuckles, then extended his finger out.
Once Light Speed ended, the monster slammed his fist into the ground, then looked around upon realizing his target disappeared. "Lightning Shot: Lotus Bullets!" Tony flicked his finger quickly as he fired off a consecutive stream of Lightning Shots, piercing holes into the monster's body.
He roared in anger as the wounds quickly sealed themselves up. He whipped his arm around and sent a shower of sharp crystals flying at him. Tony clenched his teeth. "Lightning Shot: Lotus Bullets!" He fired off the shots again, destroying the crystals one by one.
He got them all, but the Monster Pinsir lunged at him and punched him across the plains. The thugs tried to shoot the airborne Dewott, but he was able to shift his body around enough to barely avoid gunfire.
Wes, Flint, and Ella continued to watch behind Flint's illusionary barrier, still dumbstruck by the monstrous being aiding the Anguis Organization. Of all the things that they had to face, whether they be pirates, possessed jerks, or Guardians, neither of them suspected fighting a Pokémon turned into a freak of nature.
Wes gulped, then chuckled awkwardly. "Right…sssooo, anyone still interested in helping Tony?"
Ella narrowed her eyes. "That guy actually turned one of his own men into a monster? Got to give the man props, that's some first-class evil right there."
Flint glared. "We should be worrying about Gwyn and Morgan. If Aeternus did send bounty hunters after them, they'll be in danger."
Wes shook his head. "We can't leave. They'll see us."
"Then I'll go back," Ella volunteered. She shrugged with a sigh. "Face facts, you two nimrods have better odds than me dealing with Freakazoid. Besides, a few bounty hunters aren't anything new to me."
Wes and Flint looked at each other, then nodded. "Good point." Wes glared at the monster as he, along with the Anguis Thugs, tried to take down Tony. "The moment we ambush them and catch them off guard, make a break for it. We'll cover you if they try anything."
She nodded. "Alright."
Tony sidestepped from downward punch and fired Lightning Shot through the monster's skull. The wound healed instantly. The monster attempted another retaliation, but Tony evaded with Light Speed.
He landed a few meters away from the monster, catching his breath. "D-Damn it!"
Aeternus smirked, holding his chin in his hand. "Well, all that talk about your speed and you're already panting?"
Tony glared at him. "I'm not exhausted. This thing's a chump." He picked himself up. "But damn…what the heck did you do to him?"
"I told you, he was reborn into a new, powerful form. He has been stripped of imperfection and transformed into a force of unbridled fury." He closed his eyes, snickering. "Kehehehehe…oh, I've really outdone myself. I should really give thanks my provider for this deathly serum."
Dusclops' eye widened in shock. He faced his boss. "Wait, you mean YOU didn't make that?!"
"Oh no, I have no expertise in the realm of that form of magic." He smirked. "No, an old friend of mine gave it to me as a little present, just a few years ago." He shrugged with a carefree laugh. "I honestly never thought I'd get the chance to use it."
Tony jumped out of Monster Pinsir's reach, then fired off another Lightning Shot. "So there's two freaks responsible for this?! Ugh…this world is full of monsters worse than this moron!"
The monster seemingly picked up on the insult and charged at the thief in anger. Tony's body glowed with the usual static appearance. "Quick Step!" He dashed at the monster and slid under his legs. He charged electricity into both his index fingers as he spun on his back and flipped onto his feet. He aimed and shouted, "Lightning Shot: Double Barrel Shockwave!" He fired two wide beams from his fingers that twisted down their line of fire.
Monster Pinsir turned around before getting shot through the chest. He roared in pain. A gaping hole was in the middle of his chest, with electricity bouncing off the sides. Black goop dripped down from the inside. He growled furiously as his chest regenerated closed.
Tony gripped his dual scalchops, gritting his teeth. "You've got to be kidding me…I can't kill this freak."
Aeternus smirked. "Ready to give up?"
Tony closed his eyes and smirked back. "Why the rush? Worried I might have a chance?"
Aeternus sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Youth these days are so persistent." He snapped his fingers. "Kill him, you fools."
The thugs opened fire on him again, while a handful dashed at the Dewott either with daggers, swords, brass knuckles, or their own fists. Tony glanced back and forth between the thugs and the monster as they closed the distance between them. Tony crouched down, readying himself.
"Light Speed!" Once they got close, he slowed time down and sped around the thugs. He disarmed the ones with daggers and threw them at precise weak points at the monster, namely his eyes, heart, and feet. He then flipped, sweep kicked, or punched them before dashing away, as his limited time of speed has just ended.
The daggers flew into Monster Pinsir's eyes, sending him into a blind rage. The other three got his heart and legs, which should slow him down long enough to come up with an effective counterattack. The thugs, however, were sent flying across the plains from the speedily delivered strikes.
The standby thugs fired viciously at Tony, trying to aim at their best. The Dewott sidestepped the shots with minimal effort, firing off Lightning Shots to destroy their guns.
Monster Pinsir, despite being blinded, could smell Tony out amongst the chaos. With a low growl, he flung his slime arm at the thief and grabbed him from behind, shocking him. Allowing him no time to recover, the monster furiously swung him around in the air, then repeatedly smashed his face into the ground. He rubbed his face into the ashy earth in amusement, coating the Dewott's blue fur in black.
Tony coughed loudly, then he nearly screamed in pain as crystal shards extended out of his palm and jabbed at his skin. He bit down on his tongue to control himself, though he mildly cut it when he did so. He could feel the shards digging into his skin as the monster clenched down on him. Tony tried to pull his arm out, but a shard was pressing hard against it. Unless he wanted to die from major blood loss, he wouldn't be able to pull it out.
Monster Pinsir lifted the helpless Dewott up to his massive pincers and snipped loudly. The spikes grazed against each other to make an uncomfortable, strident noise.
Aeternus smirked evilly. "I can call him off. All you need to do is-"
"I'd sooner jump into the nearest volcano than give up!" Tony fired back angrily. "I'm not letting you lay a finger on this village, not while I can still raw a breath!"
Aeternus frowned in mild annoyance. "You're wearing on my nerves, boy." He snapped his fingers. "Don't kill him, but make sure he suffers absolute pain."
Tony was held in between the two massive claws, readying themselves to snap down on him. The thief tried once more to wiggle his way out of his bind, but to no avail yet again. He could use once of his other Storm Spells to blast the hand off, but at such a close range and a close space could mean serious damage to him.
Monster Pinsir grumbled and prepared to clamp down on him. A purple magic beam soared directly at him and cut through the middle of his arm. The monster recoiled in pain while Tony was dropped onto the ground. The slimy hand melted off him.
Aeternus clenched his fist. "What?!"
Wes and Flint stepped out from behind the illusionary barrier. Wes' fur glowed in purple energy as the Star Amulet rested neatly against his chest. He smirked. "Sorry Count, your number's up!"
Flint deadpanned. "Okay, you've been around Tony's mother for too long."
Aeternus glared. "Interference?" He glanced at Tony as he was picking himself up. "You actually brought back up? How uncharacteristic of you."
Tony held his bleeding arm and flashed the count a teasing smirk. "I never said anything against me bringing help, did I?"
Aeternus glared at him a bit longer, then chuckled. "Using the same trick as me? Well played." He smirked sinisterly. "Still, what difference will they make?"
Wes smirked back. "Is that a challenge I smell? Bring it!" He kicked off the ground and aimed straight for the thugs.
They held up their guns and fired wildly at him. To their great surprise, Wes was dashing around their shots without trouble. While not nearly as quick as Tony, the midnight fox proved to be slippery and evasive. They fired at the ground, hoping a wall of sand will blind him. It got Wes to stop, but not for the reasons they assumed.
"Magi Effingo!" They saw his body outline glow purple, then gasped as four purple crystal clones separated from his body and charged at the thugs. They lunged and struck down four thugs. Wes fanned the sand out of his face with his hat, placed it back on, then took a deep breath. "Infernius!" He fired off the white fireball, engulfing a large chuck of thugs in white flames.
Tony stepped back with a grin. He wiped the blood off his arm. His wounds closed up, so no more bleeding. The thugs that got out of Wes' fireball came charging at the thief. With a smirk, Tony pulled out his scalchop blades, activated Razor Shell, and electrified the watery aura.
He got into a combat stance, then dashed right through the thugs, slashing all of them with unseen movement. Electric slashes crossed their bodies as they fell to the ground. Tony deactivated Razor Shell and placed his scalchops back on his sides.
As thugs either continued to join the fight or get up from their defeat, one spotted a fleeing figure in the distance. He didn't recognize them as one of their own, meaning it was an enemy. "Fire at the retreater!"
Five thugs aimed their weapons and fired at Ella. Flint noticed this and stop time, freezing the energy bullets in place. He ran in front of them and rubbed his paws together. This required some split second timing, so he had to be precise. Once he resumed time, he threw his paws out as they came at him at blinding speeds. "Blockade Reflector!"
The bullets crashed into the bleu crystal shield before scattering across the plains, turning the ground into smoldering rubble. The thugs shielded their heads when they flew too close.
"She's not your problem, gentlemen!" They looked up, then got kicked square in the face by a flying Umbreon. Wes landed on his forepaws, then spun down to deliver a swift sweep kick.
Tony grinned. "Nice going, We-AAAHHH!" He got grabbed from behind by the monster Pinsir and slammed into the ground.
Wes glared at the freak. "Hey!" He charged at the monster. "Infernius!" He fired off the fireball into the monster's face, pushing him away from Tony. He helped the Dewott up before saying, "Ella's heading back to help Gwyn and Morgan defend your family."
He nodded. "Thanks." He glared at Monster Pinsir as he smothered the flames with his slimy hand. "I've tried every weak point in the book, but this thing doesn't even have blood spewing out!"
The Umbreon clenched his teeth. "Close range fighting won't be useful, especially with that exoskeleton of his. We'll just have to keep wearing him down until some stays broken."
Tony cracked his knuckles. His body lit up with electricity. "I've been meaning to try out some new Storm Spells for a while. Perfect place to unleash their destructive nature."
Wes smirked. "I'm with ya all the way!"
"UGH!" Gwyn slammed her fists on the table. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She grabbed the edge of the table in an attempt to flip it, then remembered her lab equipment will break if she did. She instead turned to the wall of the pharmacy and kicked it with all her might, then gripped her foot in pain. "Ow, ow, ow…"
She made ten different batches and placed a golden substitute in them one at a time. She burned through six of them already, proving that an actual gold piece would be beneficial. Why, oh why, did Wes have to sell all his gold before they came all the way out here? Talk about rotten luck.
She could hear the sound of battle in the distance, cluing her in that things were heating up. She clenched her fists. "No, I can do this! I am the daughter of the greatest Potion Master to ever live!" She threw her fists in the air. "I. Can. Do this!" She grabbed the sixth batch and set it down in front of her. "Now then, let's try…"
Her ears perked up upon the sound of a gun click. The fur on the back of her neck stood up with a chilling sensation.
"Turn around, lass."
She slowly turned her head around and saw three thugs dressed in punk rock clothing. There was a Leavanny with a ridiculously long sword strapped onto his back, a Magcargo with a cannon strapped to the top of his shell, and a Kirlia wielding a Flintlock pistol.
The Kirlia smirked. "You've made quite the enemy if we were hired to exterminate you lot."
Gwyn smiled nervously. "Uh, who are you guys? And why are you pointing weapons at me?"
"We're the Mischief Bounty Hunters! We were hired by a wealthy individual to eliminate some troublemakers, namely you, the doctor inside, and two females."
Gwyn narrowed her eyes. Aeternus…he must have arranged this.
The Kirlia stepped up to her and placed his gun under her chin. "Now, it'd be a shame to let a pretty thing like you to get her brains splattered across the alleyway. What's say I let you go in exchange for a little something, eh?"
Gwyn gave a neutral expression in response. "Hmm, a compelling offer, but…" She reached behind her back and pulled a seed out of her bag. "Kind of busy right now."
He pressed the barrel of his gun against her forehead. "I'm afraid you don't have much choice, lass. You either surrender yourself up or it's the afterlife for you."
"You can't kill me."
Kirlia raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
She grinned brightly. "You wouldn't be able to!" She held out a seed in front of him. "Not when I took one of these earlier!"
"The heck is that?" Magcargo asked.
"Oh, these are my special Immortality Seeds. Eat one and you'll look young forever and never die!"
Kirlia glared. "You're pulling my leg…"
Gwyn blinked, then tilted her head. "No, I'm showing you a seed. Why would I be pulling on your leg?"
He swiped it out of her hand. "There's no way this thing grants immortality!"
She closed her eyes and shrugged. "Hey, don't believe me, but I'm over seven hundred years old."
Kirlia blinked, then looked back at the seed. He smirked deviously and threw the seed into his mouth, swallowing it. "Aha! You naïve girl! You just gave me the power of immortality!"
She smiled sweetly. "Well, if you want to get technical, the power to breathe fire."
"…huh?"
She held up her left hand, which had her glove slipped on, and spun her finger with a green light trail. "Accelerated Growth."
The bounty hunter's cheeks puffed out, then he exhaled flames into the air in great pain. He fell to the ground as smoke seeped out of his mouth. His lips were swollen and red afterwards. "The hell was that?!"
"Modified Tamato Berry seeds, with a little extra kick." She glared. "I'm not letting you harm Mrs. Sapienti and her daughter. And I'm certainly not going to stand by either!" She pulled out her vine whip and cracked the air right in his face. "Come at me!"
Kirlia rubbed his face and growled. "You rotten she-devil! Kill her, boys!"
Leavanny pulled out his sword and dashed at Gwyn, swiping downward. She jumped away from the strike and whipped him across the face. The whip wrapped around his neck, allowing her to throw him across the ground. She caught his sword, though stumbled around from the weight.
Magcargo narrowed his eyes and fired off energy blasts from his shell cannon. Gwyn instinctively swung the sword in response. With some luck, she slashed the blast up the middle, safely letting it pass by her. However, she ended up tossing Leavanny's sword in the air.
Leavanny pushed himself up and prepared to counterattack, until his sword landed inches from slicing his face off. He froze in fear, afraid to budge a muscle.
Gwyn whipped the Magcargo repeatedly, but her whip had little effect on his body. She retracted the vine whip and saw scorch marks on the end. She growled, then reached into her bag for some seeds.
"Not this time!" Kirlia shouted, firing off some shots at Gwyn.
She dodged to the left and ran away from his line of fire as it followed her. She tried to slash him, but he caught her whip and pulled it out of her hands. He lunged at her and slammed her against a wall, pressing his gun up to her neck. She glared at him, then snapped her fingers.
Her whip took the shape of a dragon and slithered around Kirlia's feet. It wrapped around him and tripped him up. Gwyn jumped and slammed her feet across his face, then fell on her back. She flipped onto her feet and picked up her whip. She dashed over to her potion equipment and grabbed a vial. She picked up a gold bit and dropped it in.
Leavanny lifted his sword and ran over to her. "I'm going to cut you in half!"
She glanced through her peripherals, then flipped forward, standing on the table on one hand while holding the vial right-side up. The blade lodged into where she was standing. She spun on her hand and kicked him across the face, then smashed the vial across his face, which created a violent boom to send him flying.
She dodged cannon fire from Magcargo and hid behind her table. Magcargo slowly crept over to her. Gwyn pulled out a seed for her flash freeze flower. She absorbed it into her glove.
"Can't hide forever, little lady."
She smirked. "Couldn't agree more." She jumped over the table and slammed her hand on the ground. "Scorching Winter!"
Ice stretched out from her glove and traveled across the ground until it was directly under Magcargo. He wasn't worried about the ice freezing him since he had his Magma Armor ability. However, something was off about this ice. It was giving off an unnatural steam.
"What the…?"
"AAAHHH!" He turned to his partners and saw them jumping up and down in pain. The ice was…burning their feet. "Hot! Cold! Hot! Cold! What the heck is going on?!"
Magcargo turned back to Gwyn, then got slapped across the face with her bag, lightly burning it. She threw a vial in his face, splashing an orange liquid in his eyes. "AGH! You bitch!" He shook his head, then glared at the multiple colors before him…what?
His eyes widened as the dull village transformed into a mirage of vibrant, swirly colors. His eyes were sparkling brightly as he swayed back and forth in place. "Whoa man…trippy…"
Kirlia blinked in shock, then shouted, "What the hell did you do to him?!"
She grinned sheepishly. "To be honest, I made that one by mistake. Psychedelic potion…without the nasty side effects of drugs."
Leavanny picked himself up. "You're pissing us off, lady!"
She glared. "Look, I'm trying to save my friend's family here! So either back off or I'm getting serious!" She reached into her bag. "Trust me, I'm not even using the dangerous stuff yet!"
They growled and prepared to lunge at her, but a psychic push blasted them off their feet and slammed them into the wall.
Gwyn looked at them in surprise, then turned to the front of the alleyway before smiling brightly. "Ella!"
The Espeon ran her paw over her head and smiled calmly. "Glad to see you're all right." She looked around. "There aren't any other thugs here, right?"
"Uh, I just saw these three."
She glared at the pharmacy. "There must be some inside. We need to protect Angel and Cheri."
A powerful slash of wind cut through the ground, nearly hitting the Espeon dead on. It made contact with the hut across from the pharmacy, destroying the front and alarming the folks inside. Ella turned back to the Leavanny who nearly hit her, who was swinging his sword around. "Hahaha…now you'll get a taste of my true power!"
Ella narrowed her eyes. "Good grief, a power maniac…" She lowered herself into an attack stance, with her eyes blazing with psychic light. "Bring it on!"
The pharmacy shook lightly from the fighting outside. Morgan kept close to Angel and Cheri as he treated their fevers, all while keeping his eyes narrowed in focused. He should have figured something like this would happen. He wasn't well familiar with Aeternus, but he knew from Tony's description that the man was not sane.
Cheri whimpered lightly, pulling her sheets up. "Mr. Morgan…I'm scared…"
He looked down at her and smiled lightly. "Don't worry, my dear. I won't let anything bad happen to you."
He recoiled back as a gunshot rang from downstairs, scaring Angel and Cheri. "Alright, old man! Come down here nice and quiet like!" Another gunshot went off. "If you don't show your face, we'll start smashing up the place!"
Morgan glared. "Bounty Hunters these days…" He tried to leave, but Cheri grabbed his sleeve with a panicked look.
"Are we going to…are they going to k…ki…"
He pulled her hands off and gently rested it on her chest. "Fret not, little one. I have this covered."
"Please be careful, Morgan…" Angel wheezed, her voice giving out.
He smiled heartily. "This isn't my first time handling ruffians, my dear." He bowed politely. "I will only be a moment." He headed downstairs to greet the bounty hunters.
He entered the waiting room and set his eyes on four individuals wearing punk clothes. A Croconaw wielding a mace with green energy surrounding it, a Lombre holding two Flintlocks, a Raticate wearing spiked plating on his back, and a Haxorous with blades attacked to his bladed tusks.
Morgan sighed, then clasped his hands together. "Greetings gentlemen! To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Lombre held up his guns. "Take us to the Raichu and Pikachu, then maybe we'll let you live."
Morgan shook his head. "I cannot let you do that. They are under my care and protection."
Lombre sneered. "It wasn't a request, old man. It's an order." He stepped forward. "Hand the ladies over or we'll turn this place into a massacre sighting."
Morgan looked carefully at each of the bounty hunters, secretly studying their stances. While it may appear like casual behavior, he could tell they were keeping their guard up, even if they were dealing with a seemingly harmless old Hypno. 'Seemingly' being the key term in all of this. They weren't anything more than hired scum who would kill an innocent woman and a child for some quick cash.
He sighed, closing his eyes. "I ask you again that you leave the building immediate-" His eyes widened slightly as a bullet grazed his cheek and struck the wall behind him. The bullet hole smoked from the impact. Morgan pressed his thumb against the cut and wiped away the light trickle of blood.
Lombre pulled the hammer back. "Next one won't miss. Step out of the way and lead us to the females."
Morgan rubbed his bloodstained fingers together with a curious stare, then sighed. "You younglings these days never make things easy."
The bounty hunters pressed forward, then stopped as they saw a line of purple flashed off his hands. They stopped, curious and apprehensive.
Morgan shook his head, then smirked. "Oh well…" He raised his right hand and flexed his fingers out. Magic string floated off the tips of his fingertips. "I suppose there's no use delaying the inevitable." He raised his left hand, with magic string floating off his other fingers, too. The string gently swirled around him like a barrier. "Let me make something clear to you third rate bounty hunters: I'm the doctor of this building. The safety of those under my care is entrusted into these hands." He narrowed his eyes. "If you wish to battle me, just know that defeat is certain."
Lombre growled. "Don't mess with me, old man!" He aimed his guns and fired off multiple rounds.
Morgan contorted his fingers, then raised his right hand with index and middle finger pointing up. "Grid Wall."
The string balled up in front of him, then stretched out into a massive wire mesh barrier. The bullets pressed against the barrier, sending energy ripples across the surface, then sprung them back at the bounty hunters. They covered their heads as the shots pierced through the wall and door behind them.
They looked at the damage before glaring at the Hypno. "What kind of doctor are you?!"
Morgan smirked as his magical string shimmered in the light. "Former bounty hunter turned surgeon of life and death, that's who."
Haxorus stepped back hesitantly. "Dude, this guy looks serious…"
Croconaw scoffed in disagreement. "Bah! He doesn't look so tough!"
"But he does look familiar," Raticate muttered. "I feel like I've seen his face before…"
Croconaw swung his mace around and charged at Morgan. "Big deal! I'll splatter his guts across this entire building if I have to!"
Morgan smirked lightly. "I'd advise against that." He made quick hand motions before raising his hands. "Stage Set: Theatre House!"
Croconaw stopped in his tracks as purple string flew off the Hypno's fingers and spread out across the room, attaching and hanging to the walls, ceiling, and floor. The bounty hunters looked around in awe as he surrounded them in a house of magical thread.
String wrapped around Morgan's right hand. He looped a string around his middle finger. "Come at me at your own risk."
Raticate faced the doctor and growled. "You think covering this place in thread will scare us?! Ha! Fat chance!" He jumped in the air, then performed a spin move that wheeled himself across the floor at high speeds. He was going to shred Morgan's barrier and his body into strips with his spike armor.
Morgan closed his eyes, unfazed by his attack. With a subtle twitch of his middle finger, his body flickered out of sight, leaving Raticate to crash into the front counter.
Haxorus gasped. "Where'd he go?!"
"Right behind you." The dragon gasped from a sharp kick delivered to his back. He slammed right into Raticate before he could get up, which led to the dragon getting punctured by his armor. The other bounty hunters looked at the doctor as he lowered his foot. "You're lucky I'm not out to kill. Any harder and that kick would have broken four of your vertebrae."
Croconaw spun his mace and swung it at Morgan. He raised his hand and flexed his fingers out, creating a Grid Wall that bounced the mace away from him. He pulled his hand back and jabbed Croconaw in the shoulder blade. "Shadow Stitching!"
Croconaw wasn't given time to react, as his arm was forced to bend back behind his head, immobilizing it. He couldn't move an inch. Something was forcing his muscles and bones to contract and bend like this. Because he couldn't see magic, he wasn't aware of the magical string that was inside of him, harmlessly paralyzing his arm and forcing it back.
"Y-Y-You bastard! What the hell did you do to me?!"
Morgan pulled out his flask and uncapped it. "Don't struggle too much. You might rip your muscles if you fight back." He took a quick sip. "I told you all: I'm the doctor of this building. My patients are under my care and protection, even from scumbags like you."
Croconaw swiped his mace from off the floor and tried to hit him. Morgan raised his free hand and slashed the air, sending five purple slashes that sliced Croconaw across the body. He stood there, frozen in place with five bloody slash marks, before collapsing to his knees.
Morgan sighed. "Don't worry, they weren't deep enough to cause fatal harm."
Lombre aimed his pistols at him. "You think we're scared of you, old man?! I'll kill you, you hear?! I'll kill you!"
Raticate pushed Haxorus off, then got another good look at Morgan before gasping in horror. "No, don't!"
Lombre sneered. "Why?!"
"I just remembered who he is! It's…It's…!"
Morgan capped his flask, then put it away. "Play times over." He started manipulating the string in between his hands to make several different shapes and figures. String floated above him and took on a combined form as they grew closer. The bounty hunter stepped back as the string became less and less string like and more into a solid figure.
Morgan crossed his arms together while contorting his fingers, as a purple, energy dragon floated over his head with string attached to it. With a light smirk, he swiped the air, controlling the dragon's movements to attack them. Raticate could only let out one sentence before the dragon made contact:
"He is Phantom Weaver: Morgan Tenebris!"
Wes and Tony dodged the rampaging monster as he viciously slashed the ground, then continued to evade him as he made a relentless chance after them. As he tried to slash them, he threw out crystal shards to give himself some range. The two rolled out of the way, then fired Mystic Beam and Lightning Shot at his sides. An arm stretched out and swiped the land surrounding the monster. Tony dodged, but Wes got smacked and was sent skipping across the plains.
He made a rolling recovery and dug his claws into the ground to anchor himself. He shook his head, then glared back at the creature. "Mystic Burst!" He erupted his body in magic and sprinted back into action.
Monster Pinsir's eyes locked onto the Umbreon, then fired off a barrage of crystals from his palm. Wes slipped around the crystals when he saw easily accessible gaps. Any crystals that too close to his sides got shattered by the magical pressure around him.
"Magi Effingo!" Wes created four crystal clones. "Infernius!" They each fired the fireball at the monster, engulfing him in a pillar of white flames.
Tony narrowed his eyes, then held out his hand. He channeled his magical aura and condensed the air into a pressurized sphere of swirling wind. He wound his arm back, then tossed the spell. "Ventusphere!"
The pressurized orb left a trail of devastation in the ground as the force tore apart the path, even picking up small stones that revolved around the spinning orb. Monster Pinsir saw the attack and stretched his hand out, catching and closing his fist around it.
However, the pressure from the spell released into a massive blast, tearing off his arm and knocking him far into the air. The stones that were picked up with the Ventusphere shot through the monster like bullets, tearing apart his skin as they grazed or punctured him, leaving behind searing pain afterwards.
Tony held his arm over his eyes as he watched the monster fly off into the air. With a smirk, he held both arms out and charged electrical arms into his palms. "Fulmen Scattershot!" He fired off a volley of orbs around Monster Pinsir.
The monster looked around as he upward flight slowed. Electrical orbs surrounded him like mines. As gravity began to push him back down to earth, he saw the smug Dewott standing with his arms crossed, palms facing out.
The thief chuckled, then clenched his fists. "Release!"
The orbs fired off arcs of lightning, connecting to each other in a near instant. They lit up brightly before electrocuting everything within the orbs' barrier. Monster Pinsir howled in agony as his very insides felt like they were being fried. The attack lasted for only a few seconds before dispersing. Monster Pinsir felt back to the ground as a smoking mass.
Wes and Tony, keeping their guards up, slowly walked over to the landing site. Just before they assumed that did him in, a black slime arm erected from the ground behind them and smashed its palm down on them. They both reacted quickly enough to push against it with their paws/hands, but the crystals growing underneath it were poking at their skin again.
They leaned their heads back and got an upside-down view of the monster rising out of his crater. He roared angrily and stomped over to the both of them.
Wes groaned. "Ugh, there's just no stopping this guy!"
Tony narrowed his eyes. "He's practically a zombie. Our only hope is vaporizing his body, but he's withstanding my Storm Spells better than I thought!"
Wes glared. "I'll figure something out! Just get this freak off us!"
"Can do!" Tony relaxed his right arm while applying all he could muster through his left. "Ventusphere!" He channeled the pressurized sphere into his hand once more and slammed it against the monster's palm. As expected, the force blasted the arm off like before. Unfortunately, as he also expected, the force covered a spherical range upon detonation, meaning the blast slammed both him and Wes through the ground.
Wes kicked debris off his body and rolled back onto his feet. He winced from the wounds on his paw. His ears perked up, alerting him jump away from the giant pincers that nearly decapitated him.
While the hunter and thief handled the monster, Flint was stuck with fighting the thugs. Well, not so much fighting as it was more…him trying to run away and find cover to fight back.
The Flareon did everything he could to evade gunfire and ambushes. He gave the impression of a spineless coward for his gutless retreat, but it served to be a great annoyance to the thugs as he was craftier than he let on. Flint's lack of battle experience was one of his greatest strengths: being perceived as an underwhelming opponent.
He proved this further when he tricked the thugs into circling him with their guns locked and loaded. They fired at the Flareon, closed his eyes for a moment before widening them, freezing time around him. He jumped out of the ring of thugs and resumed time, letting the bullets either collide into each other or ricochet randomly into the thugs. This result in taking out five thugs out of the fifteen that surrounded him.
Two thugs pulled out clubs and rushed him. Flint narrowed his eyes and got into a defensive stance. The thugs swung their clubs and struck Flint in the chin with the intent of knocking him off his feet. However, they shattered an illusion instead.
One of the thugs held his gun up. "Stay vigilant! He couldn't have gone far!"
Flint, unseen by the thugs, walked around them with a narrow-eyed gaze. You simple minded fools are too easy to trick. He sat down and clapped his forepaws together. "Ensnarement!"
An orange magic circle appeared under their feet. Orange chains sprung from the circle and restrained their movements. They, of course, struggled to break free with no success. Flint sighed and dropped his forepaws onto the ground.
"Thank goodness…" He sensed movement behind him. He turned around, then shrieked as a sword came close to slicing his nose off. The Nidoqueen wielding the sword chased after him as he fled. "I really wished Ella was still here!"
The Nidoqueen fired energy slashes from her enchanted weapon, cutting up the ground and slashing part of Flint's fur off. In desperation, he froze time and ran around the thug before resuming. As the Nidoqueen tried to deduce what happened, Flint clapped his paws together.
"Magnification Ring x3! Plus Flamethrower!" He summoned the three rings and fired his attack through them, trapping the dinosaur like mon in flames. Despite the pain, Nidoqueen turned around and fired off an energy slash from her sword.
Flint shrieked and fell onto his back, watching the slash as it nearly sliced his face off. He rolled onto his feet and ran away. He looked back to see a flaming Nidoqueen chasing after him. He paled in terror. What is wrong with this organization?!
She jumped up, held her sword upside down, and aimed directly at Flint to impale him. In his panic, he tripped over his feet and slid across the crowd. He covered his head in terror, hoping desperately that she missed.
Nidoqueen came close to impaling him, but Flint's aura lit up in response. The sword was stopped by two orange, humanoid, and crystal like arms that formed from his aura, catching the blade between its palms. Nidoqueen gasped in shock. "What is that?!"
Flint peeked out from under his forelegs and saw the arms as it held Nidoqueen in the air. He breathed heavily and observed the spell he unintentionally used. "Wha…I didn't…"
The two hands slid apart and snapped the blade off with swift movement. Nidoqueen stepped back as a mass of Flint's aura took the shape of a larger form, with the arms connected to it. The amorphous aura raised its arm and floated over to the dinosaur.
Nidoqueen sneered. "What clever trick are you trying this time?!" She gripped her hilt and thrusted the broken blade at the figure. It blindingly caught her by the wrist and disarmed her of the weapon, faster than she could blink. She looked up at the figure in horror. "W-W-Wait, I didn't mean to-!"
It slammed its fist across her cheek. It pulled its arms back and fired off a volley of speedy punches. Flint watched in shock and awe at the incredible speed of its strikes. How on earth did he summon this? He has been trying for years and only now it came out, just in an incomplete state.
The amorphous figure finished off with a powerful punch that sent Nidoqueen flying into the ensnared thugs, breaking them out of their binds, but also injuring them.
Flint gasped at the destructive force the figure delivered onto the thug. He looked at it as it stood still with its arms crossed. Suddenly, it began to vanish into light particles. "Wait, don't go yet!" he pleaded, but the figure already vanished back into Flint. He looked at his paws, baffled by the spell he accidentally used. "How did I…?"
As he tried to figure an answer, Wes and Tony continued to fight back against the monstrous beetle, who was snapping his pincers widely at them. He snapped them down on Tony, but he braced his arms and pushed against their crushing force. He gritted his teeth from the strain.
Aeternus, who was being served a glass of wine from his maid, laughed in delight. "You're an amusing spectacle, Sapienti. You try so hard, believing you have a chance to claim victory. I love that willpower burning in your soul! You'll make a fine addition to the Anguis Organization!"
Tony glared up at the monster, but spoke to Aeternus, saying, "Hate to break it to you, Count, but I'm not the employee type of thief!" His body glowed brightly. "My skills are not yours to own! Light Speed!" He vanished in an instant, with Monster Pinsir's pincers clashing hard against each other.
Tony landed behind the monster in a flash and, with his fists clenched, held them put directly at him. "This'll rearrange your insides! Impetus Pressure!" A ring of wind surrounded both his fists and fired off a visible pressure wave. It shot through the monster. The wave caused him great pain, making the monster spit out black goop from his mouth.
Wes narrowed his eyes as the monster slouched over in pain. So, we can't use conventional means of killing him because that goop keeps making him regenerate. And that exoskeleton is helping him defend against any attacks that could wipe out the body. There must be something within him that's controlling the body. Some sort of parasite. If that's the case, how do we lure it out?
Monster Pinsir held himself up by his giant fist and glared at Tony. The monster twitched eerily, then lunged at him. Tony jumped and slid on his side. "Lightning Shot: Lotus Bullets!" He fired off the volley of beams.
The monster staggered forward from the attack, but wasn't nearly as faze as before. The anger building up was driving him to ignore all pain. He roared and fired off more shards at him. Tony activated Quick Step and sped through them, then aimed his fists at him. "How about another one?! Impetus-!"
However, the monster wasn't stupid enough to fall for a second attack like that. With the small window of time granted as the wind ring formed around Tony's fists, the monster slapped his right arm away, breaking the spell. He then pulled his black slime hand back and punched Tony right in the gut. The Dewott coughed up blood and skipped across the ground.
The monster roared at the sky, earning delightful chuckles out of Aeternus. "Accept fate, Sapienti. My monster is unbeatable."
The thief pushed himself up and panted wearily. "You think…that matters to me?" He pushed himself up. His legs wobbled unsteadily as they tried to hold his weight up. "Nothing will stop me from saving my family. Absolutely nothing."
Aeternus grinned wickedly. "You say that, but…" He held up the antidote. "I still have this. Your little Mew friend can try all she like, but I know that antidote is nearly impossible to make. And with the addition of my hired bounty hunters, her chances are likely smashed. I'm the only one who has a definite fix to your problems."
Tony clenched his teeth. "Quit giving me that shit. Whether it be from Gwyn or you, I'm not stopping until I have an antidote in my hands."
Aeternus shook his head. "So naïve to cling on to hope. Making an enemy out of the Anguis Organization will be the last mistake you'll ever make." He chuckled. "Kehehehe…why are you so stubborn? Your adamant beliefs are inferior to my might."
Tony charged a Lightning Shot and aimed his finger at the monster. "Because now I know I have a definite chance of beating you." He glared. "I won't become your minion. You won't kill my family. And you're certainly not getting your hands on that key."
Aeternus narrowed his eyes, unamused. "Is that right?" He smirked. "I suppose extra motivation wouldn't hurt."
"Extra motivation?"
Aeternus snapped his fingers. "Grab the Flareon."
Wes and Tony's eyes widened as the monster leaped into the air, directly for Flint. The Flareon just registered the order and turned around. "Wait, what?!" A loud shake was felt behind him, then a hand wrapped around him before picking him up. "H-Hey! Let me go!"
"Flint!" Wes shouted, nearly charging in to rescue him.
Aeternus grinned sadistically. "Crush him slowly."
The monster tightened his fist, squeezing Flint with increasing force. Flint screamed, flailing in the monster's grasp. This made Wes halt is rescue and take a large step backward. Tony growled as his body gave off sparks.
"Don't bother with your Light Speed, Sapienti." Tony glared at the count, who continued, "I've been monitoring your battle. I noticed that spell takes a second to activate. Short amount of time, yes, but can you get it off in time before my monster squeezes the life out of the Flareon?"
They looked back at Flint, who was panicking. "When did I become a hostage?!" He closed his eyes tightly. He begged for the crystal humanoid to protect him once more, but it wasn't coming out. It came out when he was in danger and, from the looks of things, he was in freakin' danger! The one time I need to summon you the most and you only came out by complete accident!
Tony clenched his teeth. "Aeternus, I swear if you hurt him, I'll-!"
"Let's not get into the dramatics of things, boy." He rested his chin against his fist. "Face facts, you and the rat-"
"Hurtful," Wes muttered to himself.
"-have no chance of beating my monster. Everything you've tried has been pointless." His lips curled up into an unsettling grin. "So I decided to sweeten things up a bit. If you fire one more attack at my monster, I'll not only order him to kill you friend…" He held up the antidote, "but I'll also destroy this."
Tony gasped. "What?!"
"You heard me right."
Tony growled angrily. His body glowed brighter. "You conniving looper! Now you're dishonoring our deal?!"
Aeternus smirked. "So what?" He dangled the antidote right in front of the mirror. "You won't beat my monster and your idiot spaz of a potion maker surely can't make that antidote herself."
That comment invoked a strong feeling of hatred within Flint, who violently snarled at the count. "Don't you dare insult her!" He gasped in pain as the monster squeezed him once more.
"I'm not one to make deals without a treat, of course. Comply, and I'll give you the antidote and set the Flareon free." He chuckled. "Kehehehe…of course, that means you have to work for me."
"I said NEVER!" Tony shouted.
"Not even to protect the life of someone who has tried to help you?" He gestured for the monster to continue crushing Flint.
The Flareon screamed aloud for a moment, then he clenched his teeth and held back his screams. He glared down at Wes and Tony before shouting, "F-Forget it! J-Just kill this thing!"
"But-!" Tony tried to plead.
"G-Gwyn will get the antidote! W-We promise!"
"You can't guarantee that!" Tony shouted.
"Y-You need to trust us-AAAAHHHH!" Flint cried louder as the monster poked at his skin with the jagged crystals.
Wes whipped his head at Aeternus, seething with rage. "I swear, if you don't let my brother go, I'll find you and make you pay!"
Aeternus waved off his threat. "I'm not concerned with a filthy rat, nor do I care for the life of this Flareon. All I'm interested is my new minion and that key." He grinned wickedly. "Times ticking, Tony. Make your next move wisely."
Tony glared at the monster stag beetle as his body sparked with electricity. He charged a Lightning Shot to his finger as he contemplated his next move carefully.
Gwyn blocked three shots from Kirlia before slashing his chest. He stumbled back in pain, but continued his assault on the green Mew. She blocked the shots again, this time running circles to throw him off.
"Keep running, little lady! Sooner or later, you're dropping to your knees!" Kirlia threatened as he fired close to her feet.
She yelped from the closeness, then growled. "You know, I really beginning to hate you!" She pulled out a seed. "Get a load of this! Accelerated Growth!" She flicked the seed at him as it grew.
Sprouting out of the seed was a carnivorous flower that resembled a snake. It widened its mouth and spat goop at him. Kirlia jumped away in disgust before getting a good whiff of the goop. He held his nose in horror. "Ugh! That's rank!"
Gwyn pointed at him. "Sick 'em, boy!"
The flower snake roared at the sky and slapped the Kirlia away with its tail. He rolled around before spinning onto his feet, then continuing his attack on Gwyn while also focusing fire on the snake. Gwyn and the snake avoided the bullets, but Kirlia leapt at Gwyn and tackled her to the ground.
He pressed his gun against her forehead. "Got you!"
She smirked. "No…got you!" She slammed her hand on the ground, forming a magic circle beneath them.
Kirlia's eyes widened. "The hell is-AAAHHH!" The ground suddenly erupted with tendril like vines, wrapping around the bounty hunter's neck and pinning his arms and legs together.
The tendrils wrapped around Gwyn, only instead they were helping her back to her feet, even brushing off some dirt from her shoulders. She grabbed one of the vines and petted it. "Aww, who's a good little vine? You are!" It nuzzled against her cheek. "D'aww! Stop it!"
Kirlia stared at this interaction in bewilderment. "…you are SO weird!"
Ella dodged attacks from the other two bounty hunters. While the Magcargo handled attacking her from a distance, Leavanny was going in wild. He slashed viciously at Ella, all while she used her Psychic to misdirect his swings. He was getting dangerously close with his sword and she did not one anyone ruining her face.
She ducked under one swipe, then delivering a double kick to his abdomen. He wheezed and almost doubled over in shock. Ella picked herself up, then patted her shoulders clean. "That'll teach you for trying to harm a lady."
Leavanny sneered furiously at her. "You…bitch!" He raised his sword high. "I'll cut you down the middle!" He slashed down.
Ella dodged, but got nicked in the cheek. She rolled across the ground and landed on her feet. She wiped her cheek and examined the blood before clenching her paw, mildly vexed. "Do you take me for granted, ruffian?" She took a stance. "I may have a finer background than you dirt poor, uncouth hooligans, but I'm certainly not one to take lightly."
"Just shut up and die!" Leavanny cried as he charged at her.
She saw Magcargo fire off another shot, making her smirk as an idea formed in her head. She leaned back, rolling onto her back with the sword nearly swiping her face. As the shot came close to flying over her, she channeled psychic energy into her hind leg and kicked the cannon fire into Leavanny's face.
"AAAAAGH!" Leavanny screamed, holding his burning face in agony.
Magcargo groaned. "That lass is giving us too much trouble…" He took aim again. "I won't miss this time." He fired off five shots.
Ella psychically grabbed Leavanny's sword before running around the shots. She swung the sword and dug it right under the weapon, scraping up the magma snail's shell. She raised her paws and slammed them down on the hilt, using the sword as a lever to rip the weapon off.
Magcargo's cannon smashed against the ground, angering him. The Espeon grinned tauntingly. "Whoops, guess I broke your toy!"
He growled, then closed his eyes. "There's more where that came from." He shifted his shell, causing the sides to open up. Two black guns sprung out. "Weaponry specifically designed for my shell! My eternal temperature will turn the ammunition into exploding projectiles!"
Ella stared blankly. "…oh boy."
Magcargo fired off flaming energy bullets from his side guns. Ella yelped, then ran away. The bullets, when they shot a solid surface, exploded into flaming fragments. Ella psychically shielded herself and batted away the fragments.
Gwyn looked away from Kirlia and spotted the flaming bullets flying at her as well. She shrieked and covered her head. Her poor vines were blown apart, dropping Kirlia back to the ground.
The Emotion Pokémon took his chance and charged at Gwyn, striking her across the cheek. She held it, stunned by the attack, then glared at the bounty hunter. He went for a second punch, but the half-Legendary grappled his waist and pushed him against the wall. She gave him a headbutt against the forehead, though this ended up dazing her as well.
"Didn't…think that one…through…" she muttered as she stumbled dizzily. She shook her head, then reached into her bag for seeds. "Okay, let me see here…"
Ella rolled away from Magcargo's line of fire. "Gwyn!"
"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!" she shouted.
Ella used her Psychic and threw Magcargo's discarded cannon into the back of his head, stunning him briefly. She then slammed the barrel of his head, trapping him inside.
"HEY!" he shouted. He shook his head furiously, trying to throw the cannon off his head.
Leavanny picked himself up and rubbed his face that still stung to the touch. "Ugh…" He glared at Ella, then made a dash for her after swiping his blade from off the ground. "I have had it with you!"
Ella turned around and stopped his blade between her paws. He pushed hard against the blade while she did her best to keep it from slipping out. "Not the first guy to tell me that!" She sent her psychic power into the ground and tore up large rocks, then smashed Leavanny in-between them.
Gwyn fought off Kirlia with her whip while she dug through her bag. Finally, she grabbed a seed that should help. She pulled it out and flicked it into the ground, then shouted, "Accelerated Growth!"
The ground burst apart, rising out of it being an oak wood golem. Kirlia looked up at it in shock, then aimed his guns at it. "Come at me, you stupid-!" The golem raised its foot and stepped on him. It lifted it back up, with Kirlia pressed into the ground, moaning in pain.
Magcargo continued to try and remove his cannon off his head. "What's going on?!"
Ella looked at Gwyn, who nodded. Ella grabbed the Magcargo telekinetically and threw him into the air. He screamed in confusion. Gwyn pulled out a seed and flicked it into the spot he'll be landing on. "Accelerated Growth!" The seed grew into her explosive berries.
Magcargo landed right on them, triggering a massive explosion. Ella got in front of Gwyn and directed the explosive force around them with minor injury coming out of it. The explosion scorched the alleyway and the walls to the pharmacy and the neighboring building beside them.
Gwyn looked at the damage in distress. "Oh no! Mr. Morgan's going to be mad!"
Ella and Gwyn ran over to the hole to check and see if the doctor was alright. "Sir, are you-?" They gasped at the sight inside.
Morgan drank from his flask, then lowered it with an unamused look. "I should be ticked off by this…" He shrugged. "But, at the very least, you girls are alright."
"I can't say the same for these guys…" Ella muttered, observing the fallen bounty hunters inside.
Lombre had his face smashed through the floor, bloodied up and unconscious. Croconaw had several cuts and bite marks all over himself, with his mace lying on his stomach. Raticate's armor was shattered and his buck teeth were chipped. Haxorus had a broken tusk, was bloodied up from the fight like the rest of his comrades, and was currently being used as a seat for the completely uninjured doctor.
Morgan went for another sip from his flask, but saw that it was empty. He sighed. "Well, that's a bust…" He capped it and stuffed it in his back pocket. "I take it Aeternus sent bounty hunters after you, too."
"Y-Yeah…" Gwyn muttered, still stunned by the sight. She thought they did some serious damage to their opponents. Morgan fought them without a single scratch on his body. "You must be really strong…"
Morgan waved the compliment off. "Nah. These guys were chumps." He stepped out of the hole, then looked at the damage. "Shit…this is going to cost a bit to clean up." He glared at the bounty hunters. "I'll get these guys tied up and take care of them. I know my guys are still breathing, but I need to check up on these three."
"Good call," Ella agreed.
Morgan walked over to Kirlia and grabbed him by the hair. "If Tony knows about this, he's going to be pissed." He pulled the barely conscious bounty hunter up. "Boy, you really messed this guy's face up." He looked up at the wooden golem. "Impressive magic, Gwyn. You have a knack for plant based magic."
She blushed bashfully. "Oh, it's nothing~!"
He chuckled lightly, then flung the Kirlia over his shoulder. "Alright, let's get you checked up before I have you hauled away."
Kirlia glared at the two females, clenching his teeth angrily. "You'll pay for this!"
Ella waved it off. "Get in line, buster, a ton of people have been telling me that for years."
Gwyn giggled in amused, then her eyes widened as she stared at the Kirlia's clenched teeth. One of his teeth was shiny and golden. "Is that a…gold tooth? Real gold?"
Kirlia frowned. "Yeah…so what?!"
She blinked, then looked back at her somewhat undamaged potion station. There was one last incomplete batch still standing. She looked back at Kirlia, then smirked. "Hey Morgan, can you do me a little favor?"
Kirlia gulped fearfully. Crap…
"Make your next choice wisely, Sapienti. Risk the Flareon and your family's lives or give up," Aeternus stated, bouncing the antidote in his hand.
Tony clenched his teeth angrily. You twisted, vile demon.
Flint flailed in the monster's hold. "GUYS! This thing is close to killing me! HELP!"
Tony's raised hand faltered as he tried to wrap his thoughts around his struggling mind. He gripped his face angrily. Take the shot! Don't take the shot! Ugh, this is driving me nuts!
The monster squeezed harder, making Flint scream once more. He could feel blood sliding down his sides. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Guys…help…"
Wes never felt so paralyzed and angry in his life. Any closer and the freaky beetle will kill Flint. If he didn't do anything, the same results will be met. He growled through his clenched teeth. "Just hang in a little longer…" If we knew about the status on the antidote, we wouldn't be standing around like this!
Aeternus laughed aloud, simply delighted by the chaos he created. "All that pride has made you an easy target to mess with, Sapienti. You stand there with such an obvious fix to your problem, yet you refuse to take a life, even an indirect death. So sad how you must struggle to do a simple task without breaking down into tears. You're a weak-minded fool who lacks discipline. How hard is it to accept defeat?"
He tapped on the mirror. "Just surrender and all of this will be over. No more suffering from friend or family. Accept your place as my lackey." Tony's arms dropped to his sides. The Lightning Shot was close to flickering out. "A weak-kneed, pathetic thief who can't make coherent decisions when faced under pressure. How sad…how pathetic…" He smirked. "Kehehehe…your friend will never finish that antidote. Just give up and you'll be freed from this suffering."
Wes glared at Tony. "Don't listen to him! We'll-!"
"Shut up, Wes," Tony spat out, making the Umbreon recoil in surprise. He saw the Dewott clenching his fist. "What's the point anymore? No matter what I do, he's just going to find another way to make life difficult. I can't win. I either lose the antidote or I lose my freedom." He sighed. "I guess my choice is clear after all…"
Wes narrowed his eyes. "Huh?"
Aeternus grinned wickedly. "So you finally accept defeat?"
Flint glared down at Tony. "What the heck are you doing?!"
Tony turned to face Aeternus. "You're right, Aeternus. There is a chance Gwyn can't make the antidote. I'm taking a huge gamble if I decline your offer." He walked over to the mirror.
The monster loosened his hold on Flint. The Flareon gritted his teeth. "After all that talk, you're just-?!" He stopped shouting when he saw Wes raise his paw. Flint seemed confused, so he continued watching the interaction between Tony and Aeternus.
Tony stopped in front of the mirror and dropped down to one knee. "I surrender. All I ask for is that my family get the antidote. After that, I shall join your side."
Aeternus grinned wickedly. "Should have figured. So easy to break down a Pokémon's mind when you offer them a choice they can't refuse." He created the yellow disc and set the antidote on top before wrapping the bubble around it. "I'll only send this to you in exchange for the key. Once you deliver it to your family, we can discuss your place as my minion."
"Of course…however, I have one matter to discuss right now." He pulled the Key of Earth out and dangled it in front of the mirror. "This key…there's more to it than you let on? You know about the secrets surrounding it, don't you?"
Aeternus chuckled. "A sharp thief, you are. Guess you know the purpose of that key as well?"
"Yes, I do." He looked it over. "An odd artifact, yes. It holds great beauty with a rich history behind its creation. The secrets it holds could bring great power to anyone."
"Yes, it would."
Tony looked away for a moment, secretly smirking. "Would you care for a closer look?" He held it up to the mirror. "You've been dying to get your prize after?"
Aeternus leaned in closely to see it properly. "So smooth…so beautiful…" He smiled evilly. "The power that can be obtained…"
"So you said we'll exchange the key for the antidote? How does that work? Does your transport spell work two ways or…" He clenched his fist. "can I only access the antidote after I trade in the requested item? Because personally…I rather take the antidote free of charge!" He threw his fist and slammed it against the mirror.
The surprise strike from the punch, followed by how close Aeternus was to the mirror, sent him flying back in shock. Through his scrambling and a rotten deal of luck, his hand tapped the bubble, causing it to ripple before bursting into nothingness. Aeternus fell backwards out of his chair and slammed his head against the ground.
Roserade ran over to his side. "Master, are you-?!" He grabbed her face and shoved her to the ground as he picked himself up.
His hand was covering his face, but Tony could see his eyes were blazing yellow. "What…did you DO?!"
Tony smirked sneakily. "Give me a break, Aeternus. I said I wasn't going to become your lackey, didn't I? So Wes and I decided to string you along until you fell for the bait. You say I'm too prideful. Well, I guess I'm not the only one suffering from his sins. You got too greedy for your own good."
Aeternus slammed his hands against the mirror. "You dare dishonor the rules of our bet?!"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Quit your prattling. It's called getting even." He smirked deviously. "Once I cleared my head and let all this drama about my family mellow out, it occurred to me that you'd pull a move like this. I didn't expect the bounty hunters, but I knew you'd try something to get me to crack." He chuckled. "Guess I played you, count."
"Did you plan for me to transport the antidote by complete accident?!"
Tony shook his head with a cocky grin. "Nope! I…just took a risk." He narrowed his eyes. "I know the chances of Gwyn making an antidote were slim. However, I never said I didn't believe in her skills. I may barely know her, but I know she has what it takes to recreate the antidote." He crossed his arms. "Besides, you giving me a second one is just a bonus for Pops, in case he ever runs into a problem like this again." He glanced at the monster Pinsir. "Speaking of which…Light Speed!"
Aeternus growled. "Monster, I order you to kill-!"
He couldn't get his command out in time. Tony was already right in front of the slow moving monster and slashed through his arm with his scalchops. Once Light Speed ended, Flint fell to the ground covered in black goop.
He stood up and shiver. "Ugh…" Tony grabbed him and pulled him out of the way of the rampaging monster as he regenerated his arm. "You two planned all of this?!"
"Well, the whole tricking him part, not the whole 'you being held as hostage' part!" Wes exclaimed. "But, it made for a good performance on your part!"
"My shirt is stained red from my own BLOOD!"
The Flareon glared angrily at his brother, but his temper softened when Tony spoke. "I wasn't going to let him kill you, Flint." He clenched his teeth. "Sorry I put you through that. We never agreed on using you as bait, believe me. We just used that as our opportunity to trick Aeternus." He took a stance. "You can be mad at me later. Right now, we're taking out this freak for good!"
Flint glared at Tony, then scoffed. "You are a crafty devil, Tony." He smirked. "Water under the bridge…but you owe me big time."
Tony smirked. "Guess the pain hasn't affected your sense of humor."
Flint patted his leg. "Eh, to be fair, this isn't the worst thing that's happened to me." He glared at the monster. "Now, as for him…"
"We can't find a notable weak point to take him out," Tony explained.
"But I think there is one," Wes brought up. "We've cut off his arm several times and he keeps reforming it. The slime's definitely regenerative and controlling the body." He crouched down. "Find the parasite and destroy it."
"Right!" They dashed at the monster.
Monster Pinsir roared and fired off shards at them. Flint clapped his paws together. "Blockade Reflector!" The shield repelled the shards back at the stag beetle. Wes jumped over his brother and charged up his spell.
"Mystic Beam!" He fired it straight the monster's chest.
The monster stumbled back and held the gushing wound as it slowly closed up. Several Lightning Shots pierced through his body, puncturing small holes all over him. Tony grinned tauntingly. "This is nothing more than a vessel for you, parasite. I'm guessing the real you is hiding out somewhere, continuously moving around like a scared insect."
The monstrous stag beetle clicked his pincers and charged at him. Flint appeared in front of him with his Time Stop and placed a magic circle on the ground before rolling out of the way. Once the monster was over it, he clapped his paws. "Ensnarement!"
The circle expanded and chains wrapped around the freak, pulling him to his knees. He thrashed wildly, then stopped as Wes calmly walked up to him, activating Mystic Burst. He smirked. "This is going to hurt me in the morning, but I'm going to enjoy every second of it." He used Warp Pad and flung himself at the monster.
He kicked him right in the gut, which made him cough up goop. Wes' hingleg got scratched up, but he ignored it as he bounced off a Warp Pad on the monster's chest and flew into the air. He created a series of Warp Pads and repeatedly flung him at the undead Pinsir, delivering sharp, painful kicks all over his body. The resulting shock of the strikes slowly chipped away at him exoskeleton.
Tony held his hands together. Electricity linked between his palms before slowly forming a ball of electricity. "Pay attention, Aeternus. You're about to witness the power of the Thief of Storms!" He grabbed it with his right hand and lobbed it into the air.
Aeternus gritted his teeth in annoyance. "You've got to be kidding me…"
The orb sent bolts of electricity across the sky, then began to swirl. It drew in the wispy clouds around it, which swirled around the orb. As it absorbed more clouds, they became darker. Slowly, the orb formed a cloak of magically made thunderclouds, sparking with electricity around the surface.
Wes finished off his barrage of attacks by nailing the monster in the eyes. He jumped off and rolled across the ground, then landed on his scratched-up feet. He flinched as the small wounds stung from touching the ground. "Hope I don't get an infection…" He smirked at the monster. "Light him up, Tony!"
Tony looked at Flint. "Care to help?"
He nodded. "Throw me up."
Tony grabbed Flint, then tossed him above the freaky stag beetle's head. Flint clapped his paws. "Magnification Ring x4!" He formed four rings before landing right behind the monster.
Tony raised his hand. "This'll draw you out! Thunder God's Wrath!" He snapped his fingers.
A massive bolt fired out of the storm cloud and passed through the Magnification Rings. The lightning bolt slammed down on the monster, with barely anything to make out other than his fuzzy appearance through the light. He roared in absolute agony. His exoskeleton shattered from the force. His goop arm bubbled from the heat and exploded, splattering across the plains.
The force overwhelmed the monster, eventually forcing it to spit something out of its mouth. A black amorphous created splatted on the ground, twitching from the shocking attack. It tried to escape, until it saw the end of a finger lighting up with electricity.
With a merciless grin, Tony incinerated the parasite with a single Lightning Shot. He blew on his fingers, then looked at the results of their combined efforts.
The Pinsir body, now gray and lifeless, toppled forward and landed with an unceremonious thud.
Wes grinned happily and jumped in the air. "Alright, we did-OW!" He landed on his feet and clutched his paws in pain, remembering that he cut them up badly. "Ow, ow, ow…"
Tony turned around and glared at Aeternus. "Well, would you look at that. Guess I win."
Aeternus scowled. "You tricked me…"
"Don't be so hard on yourself. It isn't that hard to trick an arrogant nutter like you." He crossed his arms. "Now, unless you want me to kick them out in gurneys…" He started, referring to the Anguis thugs.
Aeternus pressed his fingers against the mirror. "You…" He slowly clenched his fingers. "He'll forgive you…he'll forgive your failures…" he said to himself, earning a brow raise from Tony. Aeternus glared at his men. "Retreat…now!" His image disappeared.
The thugs stood up, cowering at the three fighters before making a break away from the village, carrying their unconscious comrades with them. Dusclops carried the mirror with them as they fled.
Wes nearly went after them, but Tony said, "Just forget it. They've been broken down enough."
The Umbreon smiled. "If you say so…ugh…" He collapsed to the ground.
"Wes!" Flint ran over to his side and helped him up.
Despite injury, Wes grinned sarcastically. "How is it that you're walking around fine when you have wounds all over your body?"
Flint shook his head. "Forget about it. Let's get you back to Morgan and he can-"
"Hey guys!" They turned around and saw a pink quadruped running towards them. It was Ella. She skidded to a stop, then smirked. "Yeesh, you guys are a mess."
Wes chuckled. "Like you aren't?"
She rolled her eyes, then looked around. "Well, I don't see any more thugs, so I guess you won?" She looked at the dead Pinsir body and cringed. "Well, that's revolting."
"That reminds me, are you guys okay?" Flint asked worriedly.
"How are my mom and sister?" Tony asked.
She grinned. "Don't worry, everyone's fine. Morgan made sure to keep your family safe. Which reminds me, we totally lucked out in that fight!"
"Huh?" they expressed confused.
"Flint, didn't you say Gwyn needed some gold to complete the antidote?" Ella asked.
"Yeah?"
She chuckled. "Well, it seems one of the bounty hunters had a gold tooth. Morgan ripped that thing out, cleaned it, and gave it to Gwyn."
Flint blinked. "Wow… how serendipitous."
"I know, right?!"
Tony narrowed his eyes. "That means…"
She nodded. "Gwyn finally managed to finish it. She thought she was going to screw it up again, but she made sure to keep to the notes and completed it." She smiled. "Morgan should be giving it to Angel and Cheri right now!"
Tony looked down at the ground, feeling a smile break out across his face. "W-Wow…that's…that's great!"
Wes patted his back. "See? Told you we had the best potion maker around!"
"I'll make sure to give her my thanks." He held his face, shaking it lightly. "I'm…I'm so happy…"
"I guess in a way, this bet helped us get the antidote after all, just without the intended results," Wes said, laughing. Tony rolled his eyes, smiling brighter.
Ella nodded at the village. "They should wake up in the morning. It'll take time for the antidote to take full effect. Let's head back."
"I'll…catch up in a moment," Tony said.
She blinked. "How come?"
He smiled. "I beat Aeternus at his own game and tricked him into giving me his antidote. Even if we don't need it…heh, well, it'll be a nice trophy."
Wes nodded. "Alright. Let's head back, gang."
"Ah, before you go." He reached into his pocket, then handed Wes the key. "A deals a deal." He smiled thankfully. "I owe you guys a lot for what you did for me."
Wes smiled back, accepting the key. "Hey, like we said, we never turn down a cry for help." He took out the key bag, actually checking to see if he had the right bag, and dropped it in before putting it away. "We'll see you later!"
He nodded. "Right." The Eeveelutions, with Ella and Flint helping Wes walk, headed back to the village.
Tony turned away, then sat on his knees. He looked up at the sky with a curious look. "Find my own path to take, eh?" He smirked, then glanced at the Eeveelutions as they got farther away. He chuckled lightly. "They said I'm in this mess just as much as them…I suppose I know how I'll return the favor."