A/N: Discord now available. Code: sSYNHtCAkD
Couldn't think of a reason not to. Feel free to stroll on by for possible updates on progress.
Character Purl belongs to "Jusmove" from "PMD: R&D".
A paw prodded Sky Shaymin Ariel awake. She opened her crusty, dry eyes.
Above Flareon Light's head, Umbreon Amadeus stood with his arm outstretched. Ariel rotated her head and slowly removed her paws from Light's. He stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Ariel smiled as she floated over him, descended to the carpet, and followed Amadeus out of the room into the hallway. She stared off at the fish tanks on the sides as they walked.
"I was going to teach you about weapons today," Amadeus said, "but after hearing Charlotte's news, it's better we prepare you for that tournament. I'll teach you when we learn the possibilities of these glass weapons they plan on creating."
"So what's for today?" she asked.
"One new technique, and basic training."
"Just one?"
"It's the Back to Back Quick Draw."
Ariel understood. She heard of that technique before; specifically involving Acuitan warlords. They were world famous for being masters of the skill. She didn't think he'd even mention it, much less teach it to her.
"It'd be an honor," she said. "But, why me? That technique has been in the Acuitan royal family for more than a century."
"Yes, it has. But I've been told you chose to be Light's partner, correct?"
"Yes."
"That means you're bound for life, no matter what teenage shenanigans end up happening. You're now a personal friend to the crown, and will be gifted as such. And from what your sister tells me, on the chance that you become an Acuitan Queen, you should know."
"That may be... Thinking ahead too far."
"We view the world through this thick lens of logic, but back when I was married... Well, she tethered me to reality to continuously make me see I was a part of it, and not just an onlooker. I don't know what your plans are, but, you mean a lot to him."
"I... really haven't known him that long."
"Yet I am now used to seeing you cuddling him to sleep like you're already married."
Ariel tried to laugh it off.
"It wasn't the main reason I'm choosing to teach you this," he said. "Since you're his "white knight", use this to protect him."
"Airyyyyy?"
Ariel and Amadeus turned around.
Flareon Light had walked out of his room. He looked down both sides of the hallway until he focused in and saw them from a distance. He heaved his paws to walk over. Ariel passed Amadeus a glance and jogged back over to him.
"Airy?" Light asked with tired, sullen eyes. "Where are you going?
"To work out," she said.
"I want to go, too."
Ariel smiled. His paws still wouldn't have any grip strength. He had a few days more of healing left ahead of him.
"You need to look nice and help out the Guild," she said.
Light's eyes sharpened as he pushed sleep out of them. "I'm feeling a lot better," he said. "Please?"
Ariel glanced back at Amadeus. He nodded to her.
"Okay," she said. "But tell me if anything hurts, okay?"
"Okay."
Ariel continued to follow Amadeus with Light's soft, supple fur leaned against her side. Now that she thought about it, she had next to no idea where they'd train today. The hotel sat in the middle of the city, and they couldn't go out to any parks or training areas, lest be swarmed by civilians within the hour. Maybe Amadeus was aware of this when he chose what they'd do for today. The hotel lobby might have enough room.
Amadeus turned out to have the same idea. With Psychic, he wreathed the surrounding round tables in a pink tint and levitated them towards the sides of the lobby as they entered. Curious, Ariel glanced up at the enormous aquarium overlooking the room, but no fish were in sight.
"So what are we learning today?" Light asked.
"The Back to Back Quick Draw," said Amadeus. "Light, you'll just watch today."
"But I want to train, too..."
"You're too weak right now. You haven't healed. Watch and learn."
"We'll need you later," Ariel reminded him. "You have to get us funding with that cute wittle face, so we don't want you getting sick."
"I... Just don't like watching from the sidelines."
"Remember what you did, okay? You deserve a good rest."
"...Okay."
Light waddled over to the side of the room on his short, pudgy legs and sat down. Ariel flashed him a smile.
"The first thing that you should know about the back to back quick draw is that it's not practical," Amadeus said. "But, I'm teaching it to you because it opens the door to other techniques, and since it's tradition."
Umbreon Amadeus walked behind Sky Shaymin Ariel and faced away from her.
"Usually," he said, "when you're behind someone and they don't know you're there, you stab them in the back and be done with it. Acuitan warlords offer a small sign of respect in this technique. We give them just a few seconds to notice us. If they don't, we turn around and finish them. If they react in time, they earned their right to live in our eyes. We practice this technique as a warm up."
"I see," Ariel said. "So, it's more about being respectful rather than optimal."
"Something that can barely be afforded. Only the most confident use it on the battlefield. As for the rest, you already know what to practice for today. I don't feel the need to stay."
"Oh."
"I'm still hurting from our training on the ship. It's hard to keep up with your strength with all my... scars. Train your flexibility and sharpen your skills with Light for now. Don't sap your strength before you go into a tournament."
"Okay," Ariel said. "Thank you, uh, your majesty."
"Just call me 'sir' or something," he said. "I'll see you both at a later time."
Amadeus walked away, and left Ariel wondering whether or not to be formal with him. As he left and pulled all the tables and cushions back into place with Psychic, Flareon Light padded over to her. A question popped into her head that she meant to ask sooner.
"Light?" Ariel asked. "How did you know Reshiram would send out all that glass everywhere?"
Light blinked. "How'd I know? Well, I, sorta predicted it. I didn't know for a fact."
"What were you thinking, though? When you made that decision?"
Light glanced down. "Reshiram only fought aggressively. Trying to defend itself broke that pattern. If it kept trying to defend itself, it would've been defeated, so I figured it'd take it's only option to bait us in and strike back."
Ariel frowned. He thought of all that within seconds, filled to the brim with adrenaline (maybe, she could never tell), and with everyone's lives on the line. He had talent.
"I wish I could think as fast as you do," she sighed.
Light smiled. "But you can. You're smart, Airy."
Even from his mouth, it sounded like a lie.
"That's, like, the one thing I'm not," she said.
"Think of it this way," Light offered. "You already know how to punch and kick and stuff, and you're already really strong. So if you fight a lot of people and rack up experience, it'll come naturally to you."
"It sounds like losing on purpose..."
"And if you're scared of being embarrassed, we can set up private battles."
Ariel's face lifted. "Really?"
"Yah, why couldn't we? Right after that tournament, I'll call up every arena fighter in Abuja and make sure you're comfortable."
Ariel's face burned. She wiped away forming tears from her eyes. "T-thanks."
"We all have our weaknesses, right?"
"My thoughts, exactly."
Ariel and Light turned.
Slowking Chad walked across the miniature bridge over the water into the lobby with a passive grin on his face. He raised his voice again. "Us being imperfect is unsolvable. In the old days, explorers saw and performed a lot of hard things, and some couldn't handle the pressure. That's why we have partners in the first place. In Abuja, there were zero deaths from Reshiram's attack because you worked as a team."
Chad walked up between them with a widening smile. "And look at you now," he said. "I have to admit, I was skeptical of you two being partners at first. I thought it was spur of the moment, or driven by... other things. But helping your partner get through what they need to get through is exactly what explorers do, and I couldn't be happier leaving the Wayfarers to the care of real explorers like you."
"Thank you," Chad," Ariel pushed past choking up. "We, uh, are really going to miss you."
"I plan to leave this morning," he said. "So, let's sit down. I have to keep my promise. I won't keep you from training for too long."
"Oh, but what about our rematch?"
Chad smiled and laughed to himself. "You'd kick my butt with all the training you've done, and I need to stay in shape to travel. I forfeit."
Ariel smiled as she sat down, as did Light. They leaned against each other as Chad began his story once again.
I had been Jessie's partner for some years when she met a Lombre, who by all accounts, I learned to have great respect for.
It all happened in the barren tundras of far northern Acuity. Lombre Rick asked the Wayfarers for help. He had gathered evidence of abuse towards mine workers, and needed our protection to bring it to Acuity's court system. We were far away in Kyota, but dropped everything and went to help. Even by reaching out to us, he put himself in imminent danger.
When we arrived, he met us out in the open, during a rather feisty snowstorm, no less. Me and Furret Jessie took responsibility for escorting him further down, towards Acuity Castle. We all figured they wouldn't be able to follow us through, but somehow, they managed.
We weren't but ten miles from Acuity Castle. As we walked through an open valley, they came at us without warning from the woods. We all glanced around the rolling green hill. A pit formed in my stomach.
"Take him," Jessie said. "I'll handle it."
Sacred Treasure Lobera, strapped on Jessie's back, gleamed as she pulled the sword out.
"Jessie," I said. "I-"
Jessie turned around and smiled. Even through her smile, I could tell she didn't feel nervous at all. She'd become so strong over these last few years,, I guess I ended up having a different view from down here. I nodded.
"Take them down," I said.
"Naturally," she said.
Like the charging beast she was, Jessie darted forward. Most of the enemies crowded around. Those remaining would target Lombre Rick's backpack, filled with pictures and other evidence. We'd have to make an effort to protect it while Jessie ran wild.
However, the pokemon who had encircled us realized the focus of our group's strength. They all circled around to give us a wide berth and headed straight for Jessie. I couldn't afford to leave Rick alone.
"What are we doing?" Rick asked. "Let's go help her!"
"Can't put the backpack in danger," I explained. "They'll destroy it. It's okay. She's strong."
"Look how many there are!"
I saw it.
A horde of pokemon fired attacks that collided into chaotic explosions. I lost track of Jessie moments after it started. I could only assume they weren't firing attacks blind. As I thought of strategies, the explosions died down.
Out of the horde, a Chesnaught stomped up towards a cavity in the earth and reached down. He pulled Furret Jessie up by the fur on her head.
Rick tore off his backpack and threw it at me. I questioned his logic, until he ran full fledged at them. He inhaled and shot out a small stream of water out of his maw at Chesnaught, who didn't budge. He frowned and turned his head towards Lombre. He wiped leftover water off his face with his free hand.
"Please don't make a speech," Chesnaught said.
"Actions speak louder than words," Rick replied.
Chesnaught rolled his eyes and groaned. "I hate you."
"You let us work in dangerous conditions that could've been fixed when you knew about them. Why?"
"Time."
"Time's not more important than our lives!"
"It is to people that'd squash you like a bug, like I'm about to."
"Turn that chin a little higher so I can knock you upside your head, brat."
Chesnaught smiled. He turned his chin up.
"Thanks."
Furret Jessie pulled herself up and punched Chesnaught in his jaw. A symphony of cracks later, his eyes filled up as his grip let go and he fell on his back. Jessie landed and smiled at the surrounding crowd.
I stood further back. Despite the bruises and torn fur, she put that crazy smile on her face I knew to keep away from. I turned around to get out of the blast radius.
The grass trembled under my feet from impact after impact. A Pansage covered in smoke (burned by something or other) fell beside my escape route. Once the tremors fell behind me, I turned around. A brushfire broke out, but even from here, I saw Lombre Rick stuffing it out with jets of water. Somewhere in the small eruption of smoke, Jessie rampaged on. I stood back and watched.
After some time, the noise and scattered flames died out. Jessie staggered out of the dust with a wide, satisfied grin.
"It didn't take long for them to hit it off," Slowking Chad said. "Frankly, I think they could've done more than six months before they got married, but... They were both crazy, so, I figured it balanced out."
"I thought you saw more details than that," Sky Shaymin Ariel said.
"Heh, sorry. But if I got hit by a stray blow in that mess, I would've lost a limb." Chad bent his face closer down to the table and folded his hands. "So, you see, Jessie never had any family of her own before Rick and her daughter. When Rick died, I couldn't go because the Yellow Clan hadn't finished dealing with all of the threats to Jewel yet. I couldn't even call. That's why I have to go now. And since she blurted it out now, well, she's in good hands here with you all."
"She is. We'll keep her safe."
"Good," he smiled. "I'll be heading out now, so this really is our last chance for goodbyes."
"Thanks for being willing to give me a try," Flareon Light said. "When we first met."
"Thank you for the life lesson. Although me and Jessie weren't as inseparable as you two are, seeing you work side by side sparked a duty that I've been pushing out of my mind to cope with the fact I couldn't fulfill it. To be honest, I wouldn't have denied you if you insisted I stay.
"Of course we wouldn't do that," Ariel said. "Chad, thanks. For everything. We'll be seeing you again, so, don't be too worried about it."
"You two won't be married by the time I get back, right?" he laughed.
Ariel glanced down at Light. He faked a robotic laugh as his eyes flickered.
"Oh brother," Chad sighed. "I'll see you two later. Try not to get into too much trouble. Goodbye, you two."
"Bye, Chad," Ariel said.
"Bye," Light echoed.
Chad stood up. He walked towards the front, glass doors. Light and Ariel shared one last glance before watching him leave.
With his back to them, Chad waved one last time. Ariel burned it into her memory.
"I still don't think it's really registering," Light said.
"It will," she said, "when we start missing him."
"Yah."
"So, what's your dream wedding ring?"
Light cracked a smile. "I like diamonds."
Ariel nodded. "Noted."
After helping Sky Shaymin Ariel stretch and watching her train in awe, Flareon Light stayed behind in the lobby while she went up to the restaurant to add more fuel to the inferno. While she did that, he surfed his phone and texted a few Guild members in a group chat.
"Remember to take this advertising seriously. This money will quite literally save our lives." - Mei
"r u acting formal cause ur sister's going to go off the rails? lmao" - Markus
"What should I wear?" - Light
He got curious about what they might recommend. He usually only had Ariel's feedback, and she always honed in on specifics.
"A nice hoodie." - Robin
"" - Nadia
"Use that giant box of jewelry and clothes you have" - Kenta
"I love seeing you in white."- Jasmine
Light's heart leapt. He didn't know Jasmine had joined the chat. Ariel mentioned talking to her earlier. She must've talked to the other Guild members, too.
"Hi Jasmine!" - Light
"Hi, Light." - Jasmine
"What does Ariel say for you to wear?" - Nathan
Ariel started typing. Everyone who was before stopped.
"Thigh high socks, t-shirts, sweaters, shorts, earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, gloves, capes, coats, bowties, ties, tuxedos, silk, white, blue, black, hoodies, jeans, short dresses, skirts, sunglasses, leather boots, leather jackets, hats, scarves, denim, cotton, silk, earrings, cufflinks, long dresses, sweatpants, short skirts, silk, striped shirts, bunny ears, button-up shirts, kilts, samurai armor, smooth fur, spiky fur, lingerie..." - Ariel
Ariel kept typing. Lingerie?
"please spareus" - Markus
A moment later, a wall of text overtook the chat and pushed everything further up.
"Hello, hello!"
Light looked up from his phone.
In front of him, a Sylveon stood with his baby blue eyes trained on his face. Light recoiled back. He didn't see or hear him come in.
"My name is Purl, it's a pleasure," he said. "I'm here to help you advertise the Wayfarers."
"H-hi," Light said. He closed down his phone and set it on the table. From what he knew, Ariel called him.
"Uhm, Airy... Ariel is up in the restaurant."
"That's fine. I'm here to help you get dressed. Ariel said that she had already written up a statement for you."
"Oh... Okay. What am I wearing?"
"Well that's what I'm here to help you find out!" he said. "Now, what we need is something bold. Something... eye catching. No, wait, of course. What we need is something fabulous!" he declared.
"W-what's... that mean?" Light asked, unsure.
"Well, this is recruitment for the Wayfarers, isn't it? So, in that case, in some roundabout way, that means lives are on the line, and they're all counting on you being to die for. We can't afford to hold anything back, Light."
"Uh... we?"
"Oui, indeed."
Sylveon Purl pulled out a black and white checkered dress from underneath the table. Light swallowed, and Purl winked at him, gesturing to the maid dress
"Don't be scared, it's a trope in every fanfic. Now, mon ami, if you please."
"I-I... I'm not advertising, in that..."
"Oh, heavens no. Ariel asked me for some pictures, and I feel obliged to provide."
"How many p-pictures...?"
Purl looked up and raised a feeler to his chin as he recounted. "Let's see. Maid dress, sweater, scarf, pink skirt, fluffy pajamas... It was a long list, but she repeated the skirt and maid dress a lot."
"I don't-"
"Oh believe me," Purl sighed. "I know how it is. The things we do to appease our partner's wishes as explorers."
Light didn't want to know about the details of that.
"But think of it like this," Purl said, "our partners are so enamored with our charms, they can't help but need as much of us as they can get. It can be tough at times, but we must endure."
Light gasped and pointed behind Purl's head. He turned.
In that split second, Light jumped off his cushion and made a break for it. Purl's ribbon snagged his leg.
"You know," Purl said, "now that I look at it, black is an interesting color on your fur, isn't it?"
Once the models arrived, Sky Shaymin Ariel knew Light would be busy for a few hours. She trained, ate, and trained through morning and lunch. Once she started to feel a burn, she stopped. The tournament would require every ounce of stamina.
With nothing else to do, Ariel walked through the hotel hallways gazing at the fish. Once thoroughly creeped out by a squid staring at her, she moved on to catch up with the Guild, namely, Charlotte. She knocked on her room's door.
After a short moment of silence, Leafeon Charlotte answered with a suspicious once-over. Upon seeing Ariel, she relaxed.
"Oh, hello," said Charlotte.
"Hi," Ariel said, smiling. "Sorry to bother you, but could I take a look at that machine's design?"
"Sure. Come in."
Charlotte stood off to the side as Ariel entered, and closed the door close behind her. As expected, her hotel room looked identically to her own with a bed in the center and windows on one side. A key difference: a massive mess of papers and a green chalkboard overflowing with white.
"I didn't tell anyone spare a few that Light's energy manipulates the glass," Charlotte explained. "I take it you know something that I don't?"
Ariel met her questioning gaze. "Not... particularly."
Her lie fell flat. Charlotte turned up her nose. "Fine," she said. "So, what about Reshiram's whereabouts right now?"
"The Abujans think it burned up a lot of energy during the fight, and will recover for up to two months somewhere in the desert."
"Two months?" she repeated. "That's very good time for us."
"Do you think the machine will be ready by then?"
Charlotte tilted her head from side to side as she considered the question. "If we act on it ourselves. Unfortunately, there are some certain materials that will be faster if we go get them ourselves rather than having them delivered."
"What and where are they?"
"A special type of ore, common in the underground city of Zulu. Another one is more common in the mountains. Both of these are on the path to the desert and the jungle."
A shiver ran up Ariel's spine thinking about a gross, disgusting pit of insects, or all the things lurking underneath miles of sand. She preferred Kaigan.
"I have a question," Charlotte stated. "Why are you entering the tournament? Not to poke fun, but Light's bound to be able to fundraise more than enough on his lonesome."
"True," she said, "but I'm hoping I can recruit more people, good people."
"I see. It did surprise me that so few have wanted to join."
"I'm willing to bet a lot of people still just need a little nudge. I just need to show them what kind of power we have."
"Cocky," Charlotte acknowledged. "I like that."
"Just taking it seriously. Keep the details about the machine to yourself, for now. There are already enough conspiracy theories about Light going around."
"I'll handle it. Try not to get too beat up in the tournament. We'll start traveling again soon after."
"Right. I'll leave you to your work, then. And thanks, for helping."
"Anything for my nephew," her voice rang.
Ariel nodded and walked back to the door. Once she closed it behind her, she sighed.
Charlotte seemed to judge her every move she made in front of her. It'd be more comfortable to sit on a cushion made out of chicken eggs. Thankfully, she hadn't screwed up, yet.
"Hello, Ariel."
She knew the slippery, smooth voice right away.
Diancie Jasmine happened across her in the hallway. As before, she walked with her back straight, but now, her eyes glittered with a little extra pep.
"Uh, hey," Ariel said. "How are you?"
"I am well," she answered, "thank you. You seem a little rundown. Is there anything you'd like me to do to help?"
"Oh, I'm fine."
"Alright. Make sure to take care of yourself."
"Thanks. You too."
Ariel couldn't help but stare as she continued down the paths. Her gentle way of talking reminded her of Light, as if they had a bigger family resemblance than him and Charlotte or Amadeus. He might have looked up to her more than she realized.
"Oh!" Jasmine blurted, turning back around. "That reminds me, those models you called were looking for you. They said they finished and wanted you to have a look."
Adrenaline shot through Ariel's arms and through her skull. She tried to play it cool. "Oh, uh, thanks!"
"No problem."
Ariel walked in the other direction. She glanced over her shoulder a few times until certain that Jasmine walked out of sight. She broke out running.
Her feet slammed against the floor on her way to the lobby. Desperation to sprint bubbled up in her blood, but she wanted to keep her composure enough to jog. Her heartbeat pounded against her chest urging her to do so, but she continued at a brisk jog. As she drew near, she sprinted a little.
She cleared the corner and saw something she didn't know she wanted so badly until now.
Flareon Light wore a fluffy, white hoodie with a black shirt underneath, and black leggings reached down to his tiny feet covered in tiny, dark-blue and black striped socks. His gray mane and tail puffed up like clouds. His blue and white eyes reflected dim blue light from the huge tank looming over the room. As he saw her, his soft, puffy paws curled around the strings coming down from the shoulders of the hoodie and pulled down on them, which drew her attention to a necklace of white orchids that lay on top of his mane.
Ariel lost her breath. She fanned flames scorching her face with her quaking paw. His smile made her dizzy.
"Hi Airy!" he called.
The tables, once cleared out to the sides for cameras and light fixtures, were in the process of being dragged back into place as most of the activity left out of the front doors. Ariel choked up seeing his hood flop up and down on his head as he jogged up and sat down in front of her. It brought her attention to the gray imprint of a star on the back of the hood.
"I finished!" Light said. "You're going to watch it, right?"
Light got distracted. He stood up on the tip of one foot and gave a big wave to a Sylveon as he left. Tears grew in the corners of Ariel's eyes. The cuteness overload hit hard. Ariel's paw clenched tight.
"Hey Airy?" Light asked. "This whole thing reminded me, but I had an idea."
"Yeah?" she asked with a dopey grin.
"If that machine really ends up working, we should start training before then. With weapons. And that means deciding what we're going to do, right?"
Her head cleared, a little. "Right."
"So, how much glass is there?"
"Three-hundred kilograms. Oh, that's roughly... Around six-hundred sixty pounds. More than enough, for now."
"Do you think you could reach out again? If this is a port city, there should be at least a few smiths around. Everyone might still be healing, but we can work on how we're going to use those glass weapons by making designs and plans."
As usual, he had a good idea. "Right. I'll get it done."
"Oh, and do I have tickets for your tourney?"
"You don't have to watch it in person. You can watch it on TV and rest."
"Please?" Light's eyes shimmered.
Ariel laughed as she swayed on her feet. "Okay."
"Thanks, Airy. What time is the tourney?"
"It starts at seven."
"Seven?" he asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"Cause it's six forty-five."
"Ssssssssssssssshit!"
"Yah..."
"I'm going back to the room. Do you need anything?"
"I'm good. I already have my phone."
"Okay, wait here. I'm gonna fly us straight there. It should only take five minutes."
"Okay."
After Light took off his socks because of the heat, Sky Shaymin Ariel took off slower than usual. Flareon Light could tell why she decided to hold back: he didn't have his full grip strength back, and she didn't want him to fall into the maze of short buildings below and winding, dusty streets below. Despite all this, he could tell they would make it with time to spare.
The gaping hole in the top of the arena remained, but the rubble from on top had been cleared off. On Ariel's back, even the arena seemed smaller than her.
"You okay up there?" Ariel asked.
"Yah," said Light. "Will we make it in time?"
"Yeah. I didn't get the chance to buy you a ticket, but I'm sure they'll let you in."
"And bow about you? You entered, right?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Are you okay? You're shaking a bit."
Light asked because of the heavy heat in the air. She wouldn't be too cold, even mid-flight. He didn't want her to feel nervous.
"I-I'm okay," she said, unsure.
"What's wrong, Airy? Are you not feeling well?"
Light places his paw on his forehead. It seemed a touch too warm.
"I'm good," she squeaked. "Yyyyup. Don't worry about it."
"If you say so."
Ariel began her descent. Light locked his paws around her chest and held on. She aimed for an open space in front of the arena's enormous front doors, the front plaza of the arena. As her feet touched down on cobblestone, Light hopped off her back to relieve her of his weight, however small it might be to her. He circled around to her face.
Ariel's red face twisted and squirmed.
"Airy?" he asked.
"Yeah?" she said. She laughed to herself about something.
"Are you okay?"
"Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are...?"
Light's fur and face heated up. "U-uhm, no..." He glanced away.
"I need to tell you... A lot of times... Aha.. hah..."
"Uh, Airy... We can talk after..."
As much as her attention warmed his chest, a Tyranitar and Pangoro took notice. Ariel hated being embarrassed, so he'd protect her from that.
She snapped out of her stupor and took a better look around. Her smile rebalanced out on her face.
"Right," she said. "Let's go on in."
"Yah."
Light followed Ariel for a straight path to the arena. As they would for anyone, the glass doors shifted open as they drew near.
It opened to a huge lobby with large, open sitting areas, vending machines, cotton candy and popcorn stands, and a long, long row of desks at the front. Eyes popped open wider as they walked in. One Flaaffy in particular dropped their bucket of popcorn when they saw. The loud tumble of the red and white bucket drew even more attention. To keep himself steady, Flareon Light focused on Sky Shaymin Ariel as she walked next to him.
At random, Ariel chose to approach a Farfetch'd behind one of the front desks. He looked up, and it took a moment for the situation to settle in his gleaming eyes. He took in a breath to speak first, but choked up.
"Hi," Ariel said. "I'm registered to compete. My friend here doesn't have a reservation to watch, so, is there any chance we can buy a ticket for him?"
"U-uh, of course. Competitors go through the door there." Farfetch'd gestured to a large metal door in the back corner of the room. "All spectators go through the hallways back there to the stands, but, uhm... You may run into some problems with overcrowding. If you want, I can get you a front row seat where your friend won't be bothered. I'll walk with him there."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you."
Ariel nuzzled Light one last time before she walked for the doorway. Farfetch'd walked behind the wall, out of sight for a moment, then out from the metal door in the other corner. In place of the leek Farfetch'd were stereotyped to always carry, he carried a notepad with a spiral top.
"Right this way," Farfetch'd said. "Have you ever visited an arena before, uh, your majesty... White Star...?"
"J-just Light," he said quietly. "I haven't. I've only watched on TV."
"Right. Well, we have some things for spectators to be aware of. We use machinery to create a very powerful barrier to protect the stand from stray attacks and whatnot, and we have guards in case anything is powerful enough to bust through who will take the blow. They all go through vigorous training and are licensed professionals, and are spread around the stands. So if it looks like something will go through, we ask that you remain calm. We've never had an accident with spectators getting hurt from official battles ever since this system was implemented thirty years ago, and it won't be today."
"Right, thanks for the heads up."
"No problem at all."
Flareon Light and Farfetch'd entered a long, silvery metal hallway. As their footsteps clanged, the constant cheers from the crowd above on the stands leaked through the walls. Farfetch'd glanced between lettered labels hanging over small archways to different parts of the stands and his notebook. After a minute of walking, he did a double take and walked down one. Light followed.
A large staircase led up, turned, and continued, then turned again and let sunlight shoot down. Light walked up towards the sunset as it showed through the hole in the ceiling.
The cheers of the crowd blasted in his eardrums. Flashing lights and pokemon of all species filled the stands close to the limit, except for a small area where Light and Farfetch'd ended up. The machines Farfetch'd mentioned appeared as short pillars along the bottom of the stands. Light's fur tingled from energy passing between them, making an invisible barrier. A Grotle sat idle on the stands at the top of the empty area. He must've been the guard for the area.
"Sit wherever you'd like," Farfetch'd said. "The final show before the tournament starts just ended. Please, enjoy yourself."
"Thanks," Light said.
Farfetch'd returned down the staircase. Light looked around and chose a random spot to sit in, in the center of the bottom area underneath the Grotle.
From up here, the stadium floor seemed a lot bigger. He could've been a mile or two away from the other side of the stadium, and he had a side view from the short side of the ovular stadium. They cleaned up the arena floor at a rapid pace to make it look like what it did. The huge patch of brown earth had been repaired and resettled flat. Two small white boxes marked the starting areas for each of the two combatants. Soon, Ariel would stand in one, waiting for the countdown to finish and the match to start.
"Welcome one, welcome all!"
A gratey, empowered voice rose up. Light looked for the woman it belonged to. His eyes landed on a small black booth in the top corner of the arena, and huge speakers along its walls.
"Tonight, we've hit our max of sixty-four entrants! If it weren't for time constraints, we would be running double that number, but unfortunately, a big ol' dragon decided to show its ugly mug around here, and some of Abuja's finest flung themselves right in to make them regret iiiiiiiit!" she sang.
The crowd's voices rumbled the stainless steel under Light. He pulled his ears down to endure it.
"That's a good crowd tonight! Now, as you may already know, this tourney is part of the world series! That means the winner gets the honorary Abujan gym badge, and a small part of what's needed to compete in the Olympic battles three years from now! So as you might expect, tonight is filled with heavy hitters aiming to take the gold and the glory! You guys might not have the roster like I do, but take it from me, tonight is gonna be badass! So how about we start our round ones already?"
Round ones were important; everyone would see their competition, and the spectators saw who all entered in the first place. It also lasted the longest. Light strapped himself in for a long tourney.
In the first round, a Nidoking and Bewear brawled it out. They came to some silent agreement to only use their fists.
Light cringed at the halfway point, and his eyes started to drift away past that. They kept punching each other in the gut and face. After three whole minutes, he wondered why the doctors or referees hadn't intervened yet.
Eventually, Nidoking fell back, and didn't get up. Light blinked and squinited. Unable to see clearly, he turned to a small screen on the bottom of the stands that showed the TV view.
Ribombee Xiang floated to Nidoking and signaled up towards the commentator's booth with a white flag.
Light answered himself before he could ask: she probably took the job to work here tonight for the money. It made him wonder what the others were doing.
After Xiang raised the flag, a Quagsire and Bibarel walked out on the field with a long tray. They lifted Nidoking onto it and carried him off. Bewear sauntered off and waved to the crowd with the win.
Battle after battle, Light didn't see as many moves as he thought. Almost everyone preferred close combat above anything else. They walked from the white boxes once the countdown completed straight for each other. It happened seven, eight, nine times in a row.
Between battles, Light lost his breath out of nowhere. He lurched over and grabbed the sides of his head. His eyes scanned the stands as if he'd find something, and he hoped he would. The tingling in his head had a specific, now recognizable effect.
He sensed the Acuitan blessing nearby.
"Our next contenders are two veritable unknowns! So why are they in this tournament? Because they entered faster than anyone else, so, we paired them together to see what's what! A Sceptile and Haxrous, with no names, I might add, are coming down to face each other in a battle of no names! Now that's what I'm talking about!"
As the crowd expressed growing curiosity, Flareon Light's paws trembled. He stared hard at the Haxorus. His heart raced a little faster.
It had to be him, his uncle, who abandoned the crown, Gareth Acuity. On Haxorous Gareth's back, a huge, imposing black cape bobbed up and down with every step. As the moon rose and shone through the ceiling, Sceptile and Gareth both took places in the white boxes, the starting positions. After a moment, the commentator started.
"Three! Two! One! Go!"
Rainbow light encompassed Sceptile. Gareth sauntered forward towards the light of Mega Evolution.
"Oh, look at that! We got someone flexing a Mega Stone! This guy must be pretty good to be using that in the arena!"
The crowd ooh'd and aah'd as Sceptile completed his transformation. In his new form, he flexed his arms for the crowd and rushed forward. Gareth didn't react.
Sceptile stopped and turned around. He fired the small tree on his tail at Gareth. In response, he pushed off his right foot and dodged it. Sceptile charged in between to try and take him by surprise with green Leaf Blades protruding from his arms.
Gareth slapped one aside. He grabbed his left arm and winded back.
In one motion, he slugged Sceptile so hard, Light could imagine his soul sailing out of his body. The light of mega evolution flew off his body as he crumpled at Gareth's feet, who then turned away. Ribombee Xiang flew through silent, cold air with a white flag in her hands. She waved it in seconds.
As he walked back, Gareth flashed Light a look, all the way from the arena floor. Light was sure he didn't imagine it.
"Uh, w-well then," the commentator said, "I think we know what's what." She cleared her throat. "Everyone, stay tuned."
The vibe stayed quiet and fearful until the next challengers came. Over the course of the battle, it recovered. Light didn't watch, nor pay attention. He pulled out his phone from his hoodie's pockets and raced to send the message to everyone in the Guild, Ariel included. Once complete, he called her. After several rings across two calls out, she didn't pick up. After he set the phone down, he realized.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, we've got a special guest here tonight. One who's already etched herself into the history books. She's what you might call a bonafide hero. She's strong, fast, and probably has about twenty marriage proposals from the big wigs by now. The myth, the legend... His hero! The white knight, Ariel!"
The crowd imploded. In tow to face a Tauros, Sky Shaymin Ariel walked out from underneath the arena walls. Light noticed the entire stadium shift up as pokemon stood and cheered. She drowned in flashes of light as cameras rapid-fired pictures. She nodded her head up and smiled, without any excitement leaking through.
Ariel turned towards Light's area. She reached a paw up to her mouth and blew a kiss. The fur on light's head caught fire. He squeezed it out with his paw.
The crowd had to force itself to quiet down enough for the commentator's countdown to begin. It took a minute.
"Three! Two! One! Go!"
Ariel flung herself forward, faster than anyone before. Tauros charged in, but couldn't accelerate in time. She grabbed the bull by the horns, and flipped him over her head. His legs flailed around, but he didn't have the skills to adjust. He landed in a heap on his side.
With an excess amount of time, Ariel charged a Solarbeam. she let it loose as he tried to stand up. The yellow beam of light pushed Tauros across the ground and kicked up dust, the smoke as it exploded. Ariel stayed still and looked on.
Ribombee Xiang flew in again, into the falling cloud of soil. As it cleared, a white flag rose. Cheers broke out from every corner of the stadium except for Light's.
Gareth clearly didn't get rusty from being trained as a warlord. As Ariel walked back and out of sight, and more pokemon came out to take the Tauros out, he watched his phone screen for when she called him back.
During the next countdown, she did. Light picked through a blaze of text messages back to him from the other Wayfarers.
"Hey," Ariel said.
"Airy?" he asked.
"Yeah. I saw your text right before."
A short silence.
"You're going to pull out, right," Light asked. "You can just say it was cause you fought Reshiram, or, something."
"Relax. I got this. I didn't train with a warlord for nothing."
"You only trained with him for a few days..."
"I'm a fast learner. You think I'm strong, don't you?"
"I'm worried. I don't want you to feel bad. There's... a lot of people here."
"I know..." she said quieter. "But Gareth probably entered for a reason. I have to find out what he's doing here, or if he's a threat to you, and there's no better place than here with all the protections in place. Besides, if we did meet, it would be in the finals."
"Airy..."
"I have to go now... When I get back, I'm going to have to fangirl about how beautiful you are for a few hours, so, don't feel too bad..."
Light's face warmed. He huddled together with his tail.
"Bye, cutiepie."
"Bye..."
Light watched the screen as the call ended. It put him back on his phone screen, which had a picture of Ariel hugging him from behind on it. He stared at it until the screen shut off to inactivity.
"Now, this next competitor is one very close to your hearts. He's a regular at the Olympics, a competitor that has defined a generation. He's brutal. He's got combos for days. But most of all... He's optimal. Ladies and gentlemen..."
A round, pink object fell in the white box opposite of a Ninetales.
"The one..."
The Jigglypuff unfurled himself and revealed a green bandanna on his forehead.
"The only..."
Jigglypuff raised a hand to the sky and a foot in the air, and blinked twice.
"Hungryboooooooooooooooox!"
The crown went wild; not as wild as for Ariel, but close. As Light took in his appearance, he was sure he saw him somewhere on TV driving a carriage. Or, eating soup? One or the other. Based on the crowd, he must've been popular.
"Three! Two! One! Go!"
Hungrybox dash forward. He jumped up, then zipped back down to the ground. While they closed the distance between each other, Light replayed it in his head to figure out how.
He used his anatomy. Hungrybox blew out air to move in fast, unpredictable ways. He zipped around as Vulpix fired small flames out of his mouth. None of them kept pace.
Hungrybox used the same strategy and launched himself in front of Vulpix. He grabbed the tuft up fur on his chest.
"Grab!" the announcer screamed. "Up throw?"
Hungrybox twirled in place and tossed Vulpix up in the air. Vulpix shot off fire to adjust his momentum back and away from Hungrybox. He predicted his direction and launched himself right at him.
"Rest!?"
Light heard the sound of a hundred metal walls all snap at once. He cringed. Hungrybox drifted back to the ground, fast asleep. His eyes darted around in search of Vulpix.
He fell back.
In front of him, the psychic barrier cracked, but didn't shatter. Vulpix smashed into it face first. He slid down the side of the dome to the arena floor below. Hungrybox woke up, shook his head, and ran around in circles in place, which whipped up a miniature hurricane. The crowd cheered. Light picked himself up, wondered why he called himself a box if his body was round, then shifted to something more important.
Ariel sucked at fighting against smaller, more precise movements. She could struggle.
As the last matches of round one finished, Light couldn't see Ariel lose to anyone but Hungrybox and Gareth. If she had to lose to one of them, he didn't know who to pick. At one point, Gareth's entire life revolved around how to win battles at any cost, including himself, and Hungrybox was optimal. They were both scary in their own rights.
With spare time due to an intermission, Light pulled out his phone again.
"Hungrybox is on her side of bracket, she's fucking dead" - Markus
"We've been training. She has a chance." - Amadeus
"The hell do u think she is, DLC? she's been here since release bro" - Markus
"Markus, no bad words." - Susan
"Sorry honey i luv u"- Markus
"guys i'm fine"- Ariel
"ur already dead" - Markus
"You got this. Take him down." - Robin
With time, everyone settled into cheering her on. The second round started.
Light didn't watch as closely as he could have. He researched Jigglypuff Hungrybox on his phone (nothing came up for Gareth), in the hopes of stumbling across a weakness. He found none, though, if he had to guess, Ariel had more brute strength. Hungrybox couldn't afford to get hit, few could against her. His face warmed thinking about it.
Jigglypuff Hungrybox came out for a match against a Surskit and did the same thing, except Surskit hit the other side of the arena. He ran around in circles at the end again, for some reason. Gareth's opponent forfeit, and apparently, Ariel's opponent got sick and couldn't participate. As a result, the round lost Light's attention. Every match ended in a solid victory and defeat. The scales between fighters hadn't evened out yet.
Sky Shaymin Ariel came out first in round three. She blew another kiss at Light. He snagged it out of the air and hugged it close. Her opponent. A Fearow, stared her down from his starting area. Light tried, but failed to remember his previous battle.
"Three! Two! One! Go!"
Ariel didn't charge in like before, only walked forward. Fearow flung himself into the air. Ariel watched from below, maybe to save her stamina. Fearow wound through the air and decided to dive bomb. His body glowed with flying-type energy as he dove down and pulled back up. As Ariel moved from side to side, he honed in on her.
For whatever reason, Ariel chose not to build momentum to help with pushing the move off. Light leaned in to see what she chose instead.
Fearow swirled around Ariel and flew off. He slammed against the psychic barrier beak-first. He crumpled and drifted down to the floor. She must have grabbed him by the beak and changed his direction.
If he could, Flareon Light would run up to her and throw his arms around her in a hug. Ribombee Xiang floated over Fearow and raised the white flag. Ariel walked off with the easy victory behind her in the form of the crowd's wild cheers.
A few battles later, Hungrybox blew up a Poliwag and dashed in a circle. Gareth's opponent forfeit, again.
The matches dragged on as skill level equalized. Light wondered what time it was, and checked; it would be midnight in an hour. He didn't expect it to take so long, but they closed in fast on the end.
Ariel had one more opponent, then Hungrybox, who blew up a Scizor and ran around in circles. An Ampharos stood across from Ariel as the countdown finished. Light started to stress out.
Especially so when Ampharos pulled out a yellow, round stone. Rainbow light encompassed his body as he mega-evolved. Light watched Ariel closely enough to see she gathered energy for Solarbeam and held onto it for safekeeping: a trump card. She took him seriously, and so did Light, that is, until he fired Zap Cannon.
After Zap Cannon, after Zap Cannon.
Ariel stood still as she came to the center of the arena. Green orbs of hyper focused electricity soared past her in every direction. The move was notorious for being hard to aim, but, it could be done with training, which this Ampharos didn't have. Light wondered how he missed this Ampharos fight before. The crowd didn't seem surprised.
Ampharos ended up keeled over and gasping for breath. Ariel fired a thick Solarbeam. It smashed into him and pushed into the arena wall. He never got back up. Light admired his dedication to whatever it was as Ribombee Xiang raised a white flag and other pokemon trollied him out.
Haxorus Gareth's next opponent didn't forfeit. The crowd grew eerily quiet as he stood across from an Azumarill Light wished he could warn. Unfortunately, she charged right in with Aqua Jet.
Gareth didn't take a single step forward out of the white box. He rotated his head and bent his legs. Once he winded his arm back, Azumarill second guessed herself, too late. Gareth slugged her. The crowd gasped as she tumbled and rolled across the dirt. The witty commentator fell for a loss for words. When Ribombee Xiang flew out, the pokemon who carried them out, this time, a Golduck and a Wartortle, already followed her. Light checked his phone periodically in the brief intermission.
Gareth's next opponent forfeit, which put him in the finals. The only match for this round would be Ariel against Hungrybox.
Somehow, someway, Light could see that Ariel felt nervous, possibly from the way her head stiffened as she walked rather than bounced. He hoped she would calm down. It helped her move more fluidly.
"Alright, guys, we've got two fan favorites coming out to finish each other off. So no matter who wins, half the stadium's about to cry their eyes out! And the other half will prolly be swimming in gold! To be perfectly deadass, I got no guesses for who's gonna win this one. I haven't felt like this in so long, I think I'm gonna cry, too. Let's get this show on the rooooooooooooooooad!"
The crowd continued to roar through the countdown. As it wound downe, Ariel jogged forward.
Hungrybox stayed in place. Ariel stopped in the center of the arena, clearly confused. For Light, it clicked.
Optimal.
"Just because you saved someone worthy of becoming the patron saint of thirty countries doesn't mean I won't run out the clock on you," Hungrybox said with a smile.
There was no clock to run out, at least, here. Hungrybox meant he'd play defensive and expend only tiny amounts of strength until Ariel wore herself out. Every move she made just became precious. She needed a plan, and even if Light had telepathy that could reach through a psychic barrier strong enough to stop a carriage at one-hundred miles per hour, he didn't have one. Ariel had been practicing precise movements with his grandfather, but he didn't know whether or not it'd be enough.
"I am the neutral," Hungrybox declared.
"You want us to sit here forever?" asked Ariel.
"I slept forty-eight hours straight up to this tournament. When you pass out from lack of sleep, I win."
"...Really?"
"I am the neutral."
Ariel approached. When she got closer, Hungrybox breathed in and blew out hard. In a round arc, he shot himself across the entire arena, hugging against the wall, to Ariel's white starting box, all with a single breath of air.
Optimal.
Twenty minutes in, Light fell asleep. The commentator went quiet, as well as the crowd. Before he passed out, Light watched Ariel walk to him on repeat, no doubt trying to think up a plan to stop his shenanigans. Before he nodded off, he set a phone timer for when twenty minutes passed. It vibrated in his pocket and woke him up.
Sky Shaymin Ariel sat in the center of the arena. As Light rubbed his eyes, she fell on her side. Adrenaline shot through him.
"Oh?" the commentator asked. "Did..." she yawned, "something happen?"
Jigglypuff Hungrybox ran forward and grinned ear to ear. Light stared at Ariel.
Ariel never slept in the position she did now. She slept with her legs bent, arms curled, and her right side, never her left. She was faking.
Hungrybox stopped, dropped, and rolled in place. He built up speed and power, and hurled himself at Ariel. One of her eyes snapped open to track his position. As he closed in, a powerful, green light flared up, one that only did when she used Seed Flare. Hungrybox couldn't change directions to roll back in time.
Light bounced up in his seat from the impact. A green explosion of light and water reached up to the moon through the arena ceiling.
"Moooooooooooooooooom...!"
Hungrybox's voice faded away. He flew out of the ceiling and sparkled as he joined the stars. Once she got her fill of the view, Ariel sighed and walked back inside the arena walls while the commentator set up a search party to scout out the surrounding area, and a little ways into sea. The intermission took a while to fill in the crater Ariel left behind.
Light checked his phone.
"Guys, I think I saw him. Me and Nadia are joining the search party." - Robin
"i will never be able to unsee that" - Kenta
"y was that hype again?" - Markus
"Ariel, are you there?" - Amadeus
"Hi, yes?" - Ariel
"I'm sorry to say, but Gareth is much stronger than you. Your only hope of winning is by hitting him more than he hits you, but he has years of experience reading various enemies and you do not. I think it would be best for you to forfeit." - Amadeus
In the back of his head, Light agreed, but he knew Ariel.
"I'll just win anyway. I need to know why he's here." - Ariel
"Suit yourself." - Amadeus
Light's fur flared up. He sensed the Acuitan blessing close in. His head shot from left to right. They still hadn't filled the crater. Gareth wouldn't walk out to the arena floor yet.
Heavy, pounding footsteps came up the staircase. Light turned around to face them. He shook with anticipation.
Haxorus Gareth's head rose, then the rest of his body. His black cape waved in the cool, night air. His yellow eyes landed on Light's.
"Light," Gareth said, "let's talk."
His deep voice shook his bones, and projected without any effort. Given his strength, it seemed to be a demand, even though he said it as normal as anyone else. Gareth sauntered over and sat next to him. Light trembled under his slight shadow and stared dead ahead.
"H-hi?" Light said.
Gareth nodded.
"U-uhm, what are... you doing here?" he asked Gareth.
"If you mean here, I wanted to meet my nephew," he answered. "If you mean the arena, it's for tough love."
"What...?"
"I'm not at liberty to give you details. When you see stars falling from the sky, they will attack you. You'll know what I mean when you see it. I'm here to motivate this white knight of yours."
"My grandfather said... that, you..."
"I was angry with him deeply, at one point. That's in the past. I'm only here to test her."
"Ariel's... Don't do this," Light pleaded.
"I have no intention of wounding her pride, only to give her a goal to work towards so that she can keep you safe when the falling stars arrive. You have my word."
Light's fur tingled. It took a moment for it to click because of the Acuitan blessing. He recognized the feeling. He couldn't help but stare as Gareth stood up and walked back to the staircase. He tried to ask, but choked up.
He had a Sacred Treasure on him, somewhere in his cape.
Light panicked for a moment. His paws trembled as he counted all the tools he had to do something. Once he kicked logic back into place, he whipped out his phone. As the screen lit up, the arena lights dimmed. He backtracked through menus he opened on accident and called Ariel.
She didn't pick up. He tried again, and the same result.
"Alright alright alright! Ladies and gentlemen, it's time! Here we are at grandfinals! It's an honor to introduce her again, as many times as I get to, tonight! A white knight underdog who toppled the towers in front of her! A hero of epic proportions! One who's turned her real life story into a fairy tale where she saves her beautiful prince! I tell you, a tried and true explorer has entered our ring today, and she's looking to take home the gold to her beloved!"
"The one... The only... Ariel!"
The howls and cheers slammed against Flareon Light's ears. Sky Shaymin Ariel walked out with a stiff neck again. Light was reduced into an onlooker, again.
"Going up against an unknown traveler of unknown origin and name. He's put a hefty amount of fear into all of us. He's got a big black cape and a lot of attitude in all of the two punches it took to get him here... Uh, I usually announce the name right now, but I don't know, so here he is!"
A handful of pokemon, scattered around the stands, boo'd. The crowd didn't erupt into cheers or yells for Haxorus Gareth as he walked to his starting area. The commentator didn't have any solution.
"Three! Two! One! Go!"
A boom rocked Light to his core. A plume of dust rose up where Gareth stood. The crowd jumped.
"What the hell was that?" the commentator asked. "Hey, is he okay?"
The dust swirled and flew off. A thin veil of it even reached the psychic barrier protecting Light .
Gareth changed. He flipped his cape over to the other side, and revealed a large, yellow Acuitan insignia on his back. In his hand he raised a silver axe skyward, towards the full moon.
"I-is that... That's... We've got a Sacred Treasure on deck. Is that Pangu, from Lao Shen?"
Ariel walked forward a few paces and stopped, likely to get a closer look as Gareth let his arm fall. He took steps closer and stopped as well.
"Gareth Acuity," Ariel called out, "you dare use that weapon against me?"
Gareth smiled. "Pangu never belonged to you, Chingyang."
"W-what," the commentator blurted. "I'm sorry, did he just say Chingyang?"
Shit. They were airing this on TV.
Ariel cringed and glanced around the stands. She kept most of her focus on Gareth in case he made a move. He didn't, yet.
"Yes it does," Ariel said. "You know that."
"It was given to you, but it doesn't belong to you. But, if you insist. I don't want my attacks here tonight to be personal."
Gareth flourished the axe underneath his cape. With both arms and hands free, he stretched his arms.
"In Acuity, the youngest opponent may have the first move," said Gareth. "Come."
That explained why Gareth had moved second for every round in the tourney. Light watched Ariel's face as she realized it too: once she hit him, he'd hit back. She had to gain as much of an advantage against him as possible in that first move. It would end in disaster if she went close right away.
Light approved of the plan she chose. Yellow beads of light gathered around her body as she charged Solarbeam. Gareth folded his arms, and didn't budge an inch. It gave her plenty of time to wind up.
Ariel focused the light into a dense orb in her paws and let the beam loose. It singed the soil as it hovered over it. Gareth stood still.
Light's eyes winced as the beam slammed into Gareth. When they adjusted, he saw the beam drown his figure in energy. Strings of it bounced off and slapped the arena floor and wall behind him. As it faded, he still stood, in the same way, with both of his arms still folded.
Gareth had more power than Ariel. She had never fought against that disadvantage before. Light didn't think she ever could. Gareth stomped forward.
Ariel fired three Air Slashes by whipping her arms and ears. They all bounced off his tusks. She charged up and fired an Energy Ball at his face. He grabbed the orb in his claws and threw it away.
With all of her long range useless, Ariel had to get close. Light noticed her use Psychic as she ran in. He noticed the energy pull on Gareth's foot, a last attempt to use long range to help, but it didn't budge or tug him off balance.
At the last second, Light noticed Gareth raise his arms, but not in a position to strike, as Ariel slammed her fist against his exposed chest.
Gareth didn't flinch. He raised his arms as if to ask what she tried to accomplish. Despite the distance away, Light saw her pull back her shaking paw, like she struck a hornet's nest. Gareth smiled. He raised up an arm. Poison type energy coated his claws. Ariel floated away and raised her arms.
He used the fear. Gareth swung low.
"Airy!" Light screamed.
Poison Jab uppercut Ariel in the gut. Light's stomach dropped.
The tusks on Haxorous Gareth's face lit up with blue and white normal type energy; with Guillotine. Ariel glanced up at his face.
Light yelled and screamed till his throat burned. He looked from side to side for a way to get down there. He turned back around and up to see Grotle, who watched on, smitten with the battle.
"Okay," the commentator sighed. "She's okay. I was... worried, there." She cleared her throat.
Light turned back to the arena floor.
A green light, stabbed through by Gareth's tusks, faded away into nothing. Sky Shaymin Ariel stood a short distance off. She used Substitute to avoid it, barely.
For a brief moment, Ariel met Light's eyes. She nodded in his direction. He shook his head. She turned back towards Gareth.
Gareth wound up dragon type energy in his maw. He launched an orange orb that split apart into flaming Draco Meteors. Ariel galloped around and dodged them. He dashed forward. The meteors limited Ariel's movement. She couldn't dodge his white, glowing claws. She met it head on with a punch.
Gareth didn't oblige. He sidestepped, swung his foot over her and grabbed her from the back. He slammed her into the dirt. He charged up a purple swirl of a Dragon Pulse in his maw.
Ariel lit up with Dazzling Gleam, which forced Gareth to let go. She scrambled up and darted from underneath him. His Dragon Pulse shot off in the air and banged against the psychic barrier on the other side of the stadium.
She still had her back turned when Gareth leapt to her again. He kicked his foot up. She jumped and turned around in the air.
He clamped down on her leg with Crunch. Ariel screamed out. Light's clammy paws scratched against the metal stands hearing it. Gareth charged up a move in his throat. Ariel reached to strike his eyes and force him to let go.
She wasn't flexible enough.
A Hyper Beam tabled skyward and hit the top of the psychic barrier. The crowd gasped as it creaked. Light clenched his paws together.
Sky Shaymin Ariel fell down along with a thin trail of smoke. Despite bruises, burns, and blisters, she made the attempt to catch herself.
Gareth ran forward.
"The hell are you doing!?" the commentator demanded. "You're going to kill her! Guards!"
Gareth flashed Light a glance and turned back. Ariel steadied inches above the dirt. She stared ahead with a blank look in her eyes. Gareth's tusks glowed white. He ran past Ariel's crossed arms and swung his tusks.
Guillotine struck. Ariel screamed and fell. Flareon Light shot to his feet and sprinted for the stairs.
"Wait!" the commentator called.
Light retreated his paw from the first step and turned around.
Sky Shaymin Ariel stood back up on quaking legs. Haxorus Gareth stood still and watched her do it. Her bright green eyes trembled under his gaze. He watched for a moment, then reached for his cape.
He pulled out a tiny, thin stick and raised it high; on top, a white flag.
"What...?" the commentator asked. "Is that... Is that a forfeit?"
Gareth turned around and made for his starting area. The crowd watched, silent, as was Light.
Ribombee Xiang flew in from the sidelines. In the crowds, it clicked. Cheers and wails broke out. Light ran back up to the edge.
The psychic barrier went down. A part of it relieved him, but he needed to see her, now. A vine wrapped around his chest. He turned.
Grotle picked him up with a vine and pushed him over the edge. He lowered him slowly to the arena floor, then uncurled his vine. Light gave a nod of gratitude and ran. His paws stung as they hit the hard dirt. Within seconds, they burned.
Turning her head in a circle to look at the whole crowd, Ariel noticed him run over. She hobbled on her three good legs (Crunch ripped one of her hind legs) to reach him. They both slowed as they continued until silently agreeing on a last push.
Ariel threw her arms around him. Light helped support her weight. Ribombee Xiang managed to gain a relieved smile.
Haoxrus Gareth walked out the front door, into the cool night air before it would be muddled with the crowd leaving en masse. Right outside, he met with a wall of pokemon.
Umbreon Amadeus, Heliolisk Jonathan, Sky Shaymin Mei, Butterfree Marciel, and a Diancie, all stared him down. He broke out a smile.
"Gareth," Amadeus said, "what the hell are you doing here, son?"
"I bear you no ill will, father," he answered. "I came to test the white knight in combat, and you can only imagine my disappointment when I found out you're only teaching her the tip of the iceberg."
"Don't talk about my sister," Mei hissed. "I'll skin you alive."
"You don't have a right to be here, or do what you did," said Jonathan. "You hurt a Wayfarer, and that's one of my people now."
"Explain yourself," Marciel said. "Otherwise, I might arrest you here and now."
"You don't have time to screw around anymore," Gareth said. "I have word from inside. The Dragoons are going to come for him now. And unlike me, they won't wave the white flag. Father, you don't have time to dance around the issue anymore. You must train them all as warlords, whether you like it or not."
"We've already made our decision," Amadeus said. "We're not going to put any of the Wayfarers in danger of Dragoons. We'll deal with them ourselves."
"You can't." Gareth stomped forward. "You're old." He stomped. "They have combat experience with Scions." He stomped." They outnumber you, they outgun you." He stomped and leaned his head down to Amadeus. "They'll rip everything you care about from your cold, dead hands, and then where will you be?"
"We won't let that happen," Jonathan said.
Gareth turned his gaze and shadow from Amadeus to Jonathan. His eyes sparked.
"Ah," Gareth blurted, realizing. "You're Dragoon soldiers, aren't you?" He pointed between Diancie and Jonathan. Neither reacted. "Is that why you're so damn cocky? Do you think you're worth two-hundred?"
"Enough," Marciel said. "Gareth, your methods of telling us were questionable at best."
Gareth straightened out his back and tilted his head down. "My father's stubborn, but he knows how to listen and act on one thing. And that's bloodshed. If you care about my nephew, you'll train him and his knight to their full potential. Otherwise, I'll be back. You're not the only ones serious about survival."
Gareth groaned and walked past them into the Abujan night. His warning wouldn't fall on deaf ears; not when they shoved it in front of their eyes.