Here we have it. Finally. The last part of the Gym Exam Arc. Enjoy.
Medicham coughed wetly, a small spurt of blood escaping her mouth. Again she tried to muster the strength to stand; again she couldn't, her body too weakened by her stab wound. Gholdengo stepped closer; he was standing directly above her now, an awful chuckle coming from his mouth.
"Good as Gold: Golden Grasp." Two tendrils of liquid metal lashed out from Gholdengo's body, grasping Medicham around the neck and lifting her bodily off the ground. Gholdengo began to squeeze; Medicham's hands left her chest and moved up to her throat, trying in vain to pull the tentacles off her as her throat slowly began to cave in. She felt an awful pressure around her neck, and heard a nasty crack sound as her body began to give under the pressure.
"Truth be told," said Gholdengo, "I wish things were different. You know, I planned to let them all go after Raymond had won. I didn't want to kill anyone! But you and your friends just kept pushing and pushing. You all made it clear that you wouldn't keep quiet. So I have to kill you. Don't you understand? None of this is my fault!"
He broke into another bout of cackling. "You're all going to die today! And it's all your fault! I want you to know that before you die. Your death…and the deaths of everyone you brought here today…are on your head."
Medicham grunted something unintelligible.
"Hmm?" Gholdengo drew her closer, increasing the pressure on her neck. "What was that? I can't hear you over all the gasping and choking."
Two words came in a tortured whisper from Medicham's throat. "Psychic…Blast…"
"Argh!" Gholdengo staggered as Psychic energy abruptly assailed his mind. Swiftly, Medicham drew back and punched the base of the tendrils with a Fire energy and Aura-infused fist. The tendrils broke off under the sudden impact, allowing Medicham to tumble to the floor. Swiftly, she pulled the slackening tentacles off her neck, taking long, desperate gulps of fresh air.
"You…" Gholdengo's eyes darkened as he shook off the Psychic Blast. "Stop resisting! Good as Gold: Tithe Tide!"
Medicham raised both her arms and began to build up all the Aura she could muster, aiming it straight at Gholdengo's body even as the Tithe Tide rose up between the two combatants. Her chest and throat screamed in pain, but she forced the agony back. Just a little longer…
"Aura Beam!" Medicham cried, and a laser of pure Aura lanced out from her palms, ripping through the Tithe Tide and striking Gholdengo head-on.
The beam passed right through his body and exploded against the opposite wall. Gholdengo smirked. "Oh, congratulations, you countered my attack. What was that supposed to do, exactly? Have you forgotten that I'm a Ghost-type again? Don't you know attacks like that will just pass right through me?"
"Oh, I know." Medicham grinned through the pain wracking her body. "In fact, I was counting on it."
Gholdengo paled. Swiftly, he turned to see the true target of Medicham's Aura Beam. The metal spheres.
Medicham knew his metalwork could be shattered by Aura. And so his spheres lay broken open, the sides ripped apart by the explosion of Aura Medicham's missed Aura Beam had caused.
"What?" Gholdengo's eyes widened in shock as four Pokemon emerged from their shattered cocoons. "No…no, no, no, no, NO! NO! STOP IT!" With a strangled cry, he unleashed a Tithe Tide straight at the four new arrivals.
Medicham felt her body giving out around her, but she stayed conscious in time to see Cloyster and Jaya's Emolga unleash a combination of Surf and Discharge to blast the Tithe Tide backwards even as Brambleghast and Ilima's Komala charged Gholdengo from opposite sides. Only then, knowing that she'd done all she could, did Medicham finally allow unconsciousness to take her.
The lawn in front of the apartment block was a storm of fighting as the horde of wild Ghost-types sought to overcome their Trained adversaries. Even against such long odds, the Trained Pokemon were dealing plenty of damage; at least three dozen Ghost-types lay unmoving on the ground, their bodies crackling with the energy that had felled them.
But it was undeniable that numbers were beginning to tell. Theo's Cacturne had been hit by a Toxic early and was quickly succumbing, unable to stand against the horde with such vicious poison afflicting his system. A Misdreavus had struck Connie's Skuntank with a Curse, crippling him with pain and instantly taking him out of the fight. Serena's Delphox and Malamar, as well as Theo's Weavile, had all been struck by Hypnosis and put to sleep; the Ghosts had swarmed them, bringing them down in a flurry of attacks before they could awaken. And many Pokemon were nursing wounds from lucky energy blasts - in a battle like this, it was almost impossible to avoid a stray hit here and there.
And in the middle of all of it, Seeker-Of-Endings lay pinned under Ceruledge, the latter leveling his Bitter Bazooka at the former's face.
"Tell me, Absol, would you rather live?" Ceruledge asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.
"Do not lie," said Ceruledge. "I can see it in your eyes. The trembling of your body. You have faced death before. And you fear it."
Seeker-Of-Endings glared at Ceruledge. He's right, he heard in the back of his mind. You know he's right.
Memories flooded him. Memories of his body being fragmented, pulled in a thousand different directions, wracked with pain so all-consuming that Seeker-Of-Endings had wanted nothing more than to die, to make the pain stop. He'd tried to maintain a brave face afterwards. Tried to keep himself together. But though he'd faced Betrayer-Of-Kin and walked away with his life, the memories of that battle had stayed with him forever.
It didn't help that he seemed to be reminded of that day every waking moment. The nightmares that plagued him, the Hypno in Aether that had brought those nightmares to life, and now this. He could not deny it. He'd always felt, as a Herald, that he was strong enough to not be truly threatened. But Betrayer-Of-Kin had forced him to recognize that he was as mortal as anyone else. He'd confronted his own mortality that day, and now he feared it.
Ceruledge was right. He was afraid to die.
"I do not wish to kill you," said Ceruledge. "You may yet survive. Turn on your friends. Join us, and I will ensure Gholdengo spares your life."
No! Seeker-Of-Endings narrowed his eyes. Bringer-Of-Visions has entrusted this mission to me! I will not fail her!
Ceruledge saw the refusal in his eyes. "Very well," he said. "I will not kill you. But I expect that Gholdengo will show you no mercy." He raised his Bitter Bazooka once more; it began to glow brightly as Fire energy built up in it. "Good-bye, Absol."
"Not quite." Seeker-Of-Endings summoned a Double Team clone behind Ceruledge, then launched a swift Pursuit from its jaws. The ray struck Ceruledge in the small of his back. The Fire/Ghost-type grunted in pain, stumbling slightly; that was the only opening Seeker-Of-Endings needed. Quickly, he heaved upwards, throwing Ceruledge off; in a flash he was back on his feet, horn-blade flaring with Dark energy.
"Let's finish this," Seeker-Of-Endings growled.
"Agreed," said Ceruledge, dissolving his bazooka back into a pair of blades. The two hurled themselves at one another once more, the sound of their blades clashing lost amidst the wild battle.
"STOMPING QUAKE."
"Block!" Drapion snarled as Raymond's Golurk threw a punch into the ground, unleashing an Earthquake at him. His swift Protect absorbed the shockwave, though Drapion could feel the force of it even through the barrier.
He had not been surprised when Raymond sent out his Golurk; naturally the Ghost-type Trainer would go for type advantage. He had been surprised when Golurk revealed he had the same Ability as Pangoro. Now that's gonna be an interesting fight, Drapion thought. Since I doubt I'm gonna last much longer against him.
"IRON FIST: ICE."
Golurk pounded across the field with one Ice energy-wreathed fist drawn back. Drapion knew better than to try and meet it with Fire Fang; such a maneuver would only get him a mouth full of broken teeth. "Battle Armor: Tail!" he snarled, twisting and slamming his tail into the oncoming fist. It hurt even through the Battle Armor, and his tail was thrown to the side, leaving his side open.
"IRON FIST: GROUND."
Which Golurk took full advantage of. Drapion gasped as a vicious, Iron Fist-boosted, super-effective punch slammed into his lightly armored side, shattering his chitinous skin and most likely a couple ribs. All he could do was fire a No Escape at his adversary as he reeled.
"ROCK CANNON."
Golurk raised a massive fist and blasted the No Escape out of the sky with a barrage of Rock energy-formed projectiles. "STOMPING QUAKE." He followed that up with another Earthquake, again forcing Drapion to use Protect to block it, then lunged once more. "IRON FIST: ELECTRIC."
This time his fist crackled with Electric energy. "Block and Cross Poison!" Marcus ordered. Drapion gritted his teeth and raised an arm, summoning a thick layer of Battle Armor to it. Again the sheer force of Golurk's punch staggered him, but this time he unleashed a Blast even as he stumbled, and Golurk could not react in time. The Ghost/Ground-type droned in pain as the Blast struck him in the chest, hissing as it impacted his form.
Drapion lunged, seeking to take advantage of the hit. "Battle Armor: Slam!" he snarled, surrounding his right arm with a thick layer of Battle Armor and unleashing a haymaker at Golurk's face.
And then Golurk's arm shot out and grabbed Drapion's, holding it back through main strength alone.
Oh…Drapion saw Golurk's other arm coming for his chin. Damn it.
Golurk's uppercut shattered his jawbone and sent Drapion reeling into unconsciousness in an instant.
Brambleghast felt a pang of pity as she heard Gholdengo's wail. It wasn't a wail of pain; rather, it was a wail of loss, of realization that his plans had all come crashing down, that everything he'd worked so hard to create was about to fall apart.
And then she saw Medicham fall to her knees, hands clutched over her chest, looking as if she was about to collapse entirely.
She'd never really liked the Fighting/Psychic-type, not since she'd tried to drive her and Cloyster apart at Gholdengo's insistence. But she would not deny that she owed Medicham a great debt of gratitude. She saw the bloody, open wound in her chest, the numerous other wounds that crisscrossed her body, wounds that Gholdengo had made. He'd been ready to kill her. To kill all of them.
The pity faded, replaced by grim determination. Brambleghast knew that the Gholdengo who had once been her teammate was gone, replaced by the monster that now stood before her.
A monster who needed to be put down.
"Electro Burst!" Jolt cried from Brambleghast's left.
"Water Blast!" Cloyster's voice arose to join hers. A mingled blast of Water and Electric energy exploded outwards, ripping through the Tithe Tide that Gholdengo had sent streaking at the group. Brambleghast lunged to the right, leaping around the dissipating combination of energies. She spotted Komala coming around from the opposite side; the Normal-type wordlessly leaped at Gholdengo, Dark energy flaring around his paw. Brambleghast hurled herself at her former teammate as well, hoping that his rage and madness would blind him to reality.
But even wounded and insane, Gholdengo was by no means helpless.
"Thunder Wave!" he snarled; Komala was forced to recoil, clearly not wanting another experience with the paralyzing technique. Gholdengo rounded swiftly on Brambleghast. "Good as Gold: Steel Entrapment!" Tendrils of metal flew from Gholdengo's outstretched arm, closing in on Brambleghast like twin jaws.
"Ghost Shift!" Brambleghast cried, using Shadow Sneak to teleport out of the way of the snapping jaws. She reappeared in midair, looking down upon Gholdengo. "Wind Rider: Downburst!"
With a swift application of her Ability, Brambleghast slammed herself back down to the ground, unleashing a shockwave of wind at Gholdengo. "Good as Gold: Body Manipulation," the Steel/Ghost-type growled; his feet sank into the ground, melding with the floor, and as such Brambleghast's Downburst didn't even stagger him. He retaliated with a Shadow Ball that struck Brambleghast as she recovered from her Downburst, sending her flying backwards.
"Motor Drive: Electro Strike!" Jolt rose up into the air, unleashing a blast of Electric energy at Gholdengo. "Good as Gold! Body Transmutation: Copper!" Gholdengo shifted to the bronze color of copper and took the Electro Strike head-on, allowing it to dissipate into his body.
Almost at the same time, Cloyster charged. "Defensive Shell Impact!" he cried, surrounding himself with a layer of Water energy as he lunged for Gholdengo's legs. "Good as Gold: Steel Shield!" Gholdengo cried, raising a barrier of metal to take the attack.
And then he stumbled.
Looking over, Brambleghast noticed Komala extending one paw towards Gholdengo. He's using Comatose…putting Gholdengo to sleep…
"Ghost Shift!" Brambleghast had no intention of letting Komala's technique go to waste. "Tumbleweed Slam!" Twisting, she drove a Power Whip into Gholdengo's midsection, sending the drowsy Steel/Ghost-type staggering backwards. His eyes flashed open and he threw his hands to either side. "Good as Gold: Make It Rain!"
A massive spray of golden coins erupted from his body in all directions. "Skill Link: Spike Flurry!" Cloyster rolled forwards and unleashed a barrage of Normal energy-wreathed spikes from his shell, countering Gholdengo's attack handily.
"Wind Rider: Whirlwind!" Tapping into Rapid Spin and enhancing it with her wind powers, Brambleghast began to spin in place, the wind surging around her serving to deflect the coins that came flying at her.
"Motor Drive: Electro Charge!" Jolt leaped into the teeth of the barrage, expertly weaving through the flurry of gold coins, Electric energy coursing across her body.
Komala, for his part, raised the tiny wooden drum he was holding and slammed it against the ground, creating an Earthquake that swept across the room towards Gholdengo, ripping apart every gold coin in its path along the way.
Gholdengo emitted a wordless snarl from his mouth. He tossed a Shadow Ball at Jolt and another Thunder Wave at Komala, but this time Komala unleashed a Rock Slide that obliterated the Thunder Wave in midair and Jolt simply dodged the Shadow Ball. "Good as Gold: Body Manipulation!" Gholdengo cried; shifting into liquid metal, he flowed backwards, forcing Emolga to backwing in order to avoid the remnants of Komala's Rock Slide.
"Good as Gold: Tithe Tide!" Jolt twisted and leaped away to avoid the rising tide. Cloyster rolled to the side; Brambleghast saw Gholdengo's attention turn towards him. Tossing several shards of metal at Komala to keep him occupied, Gholdengo lunged towards Cloyster. "Good as Gold: Steel Sword!"
"No!" Brambleghast lunged. "Wind Rider: Zephyr Step!" Wind at her back, she crossed the distance between her and Cloyster in the time it took Gholdengo to move halfway to him. "Tumbleweed Slam!" Twisting, she lashed out with a vine to intercept Gholdengo's arm-blade.
Sword clashed with vine; Brambleghast felt pain sear up her vine-arm and into her body, but the energy surrounding the vine enabled Brambleghast to hold against Gholdengo's strength. Gholdengo's eyes narrowed. "You," he snarled, "will stop getting in my way! Thunder Wave!"
"Ghost Shift!" Brambleghast used Shadow Sneak, teleporting away from the Thunder Wave and reappearing behind Gholdengo. "Ghostly Strike!" With a swift movement she slammed a Ghost energy-enhanced vine into Gholdengo's back; Gholdengo staggered, stumbling right into a Defensive Shell Impact from Cloyster that knocked him back the way he came.
As Gholdengo tumbled to the ground, Jolt leaped back into the fray, a flurry of Pursuit rays flying from her mouth. They impacted Gholdengo as he rolled to his feet, sending him stumbling again, and in that moment Komala leaped in from the side, pointing a finger at Gholdengo's ankles.
Brambleghast knew Komala's Comatose Ability allowed him to cause limited time-freezing on specific objects. She hadn't realized that those objects could be a Pokemon's body parts.
Gholdengo's legs suddenly froze in place even as the rest of his body fell backwards, with the end result that the Steel/Ghost-type, who'd been about to recover from his stumble, instead toppled over again. Komala raised his drum and slammed it onto the ground again, a wrathful expression on his face as he sent Gholdengo tumbling across the room with another Earthquake.
"Ghost Shift!" Brambleghast teleported right into Gholdengo's face, feeling a sad and yet savage sense of satisfaction at the fear in his eyes. "Ghostly Strike!" The force of her Ghost energy-enhanced strike was enough to send Gholdengo flying through the open doorway of the room and out into the hallway; he slammed into the opposite wall and fell to the floor.
As his four opponents rushed him, Gholdengo raised his head and reached out a hand. "Good as Gold: Tithe Tide!"
Once more it was deflected, thanks to another Earthquake from Komala and a Water Blast from Cloyster, but that was all the time Gholdengo needed to tap into his Body Manipulation technique, become liquid metal, and begin flowing down the hallway.
"After him!" Jolt dove through the door.
"Wait!" Cloyster cried, rolling after her, but it was too late. "Motor Drive: Electro Charge!" Jolt cried, fury in her voice.
Gholdengo smirked. "Good as Gold: Body Manipulation!"
In the next moment he'd abandoned his flight; his body reformed and he leaped out of the floor straight at Jolt. "Good as Gold: Steel Shackles!" A tendril erupted from Gholdengo's arm and coiled tightly around the Emolga; with a grunt of effort, Gholdengo raised Jolt and slammed her into Cloyster, letting go as he did so in order to allow both of them to tumble to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Good as Gold: Make It Rain!" Gholdengo unleashed another flurry of coins at the two fallen Pokemon; they'd scarcely left his body when he cried "Good as Gold: Steel Spikes!" The coins began to sprout spines, dozens of vicious-looking spikes arcing towards Jolt and Cloyster.
Brambleghast leaped forwards. "Wind Rider: Tornado! Category 1!"
A spinning funnel of wind erupted from her body, slamming into the oncoming spiky coins and sending them flying back towards Gholdengo. He himself began to slide backwards as the tornado struck him, his feet skidding across the carpet. "Good as Gold: Body Manipulation!" Gholdengo cried, once again rooting his feet to the ground. He stopped sliding backwards. Brambleghast glared at Gholdengo; Gholdengo glared right back. The Steel/Ghost-type took a single step forwards. Then another, and then another, slowly striding through the winds towards Cloyster and Jolt, who were themselves struggling to hold on.
And then Komala appeared on Brambleghast's peripheral vision, reaching out a hand. Cloyster and Jolt froze in place, their bodies temporarily 'asleep' due to Comatose and thus unable to move. Brambleghast narrowed her eyes at Gholdengo. "Category 2!"
Her wind redoubled; loose pieces of plaster began to separate from the walls, and Gholdengo ceased moving, bracing against the wind, his melded feet preventing him from moving backwards. Slowly, with great effort, he took another step forwards.
"Category 3!"
The entire corridor was beginning to shake now, the wind howling in Brambleghast's ears. Gholdengo braced himself again, keeping his feet firmly rooted in the ground. "What do you think you're doing, Brambleghast?"
Brambleghast continued to unleash a ceaseless torrent of wind.
"Can't you see?" Gholdengo cried. "I'm rooted to the ground! You want to move me, you'll have to tear this entire building apart! And I know your power - you aren't strong enough to do that! You can't move me!"
"Maybe not in the way you think," Brambleghast snarled. "But you'll move all the same. Category 4."
For the third time, the wind grew in intensity and volume. The entire building was shuddering around them, the walls shaking madly. Gholdengo now wasn't even trying to move forwards, simply bracing against the powerful winds. Brambleghast saw him grinning through her summoned tornado. "Face it, Brambleghast!" Gholdengo cried. "You're nothing compared to me! None of you are! So just give up!"
"No, Gholdengo," said Brambleghast. "I'm not giving up. You talk about how you're helping Raymond. But all you've done is hurt him. And I'm not letting you hurt him, or anyone else, anymore. Category…5."
The wind roared at Brambleghast's command. The carpeting of the hallway, which had been waving madly under the strain of the localized tornado, finally ripped, flying down the hallway in a thousand wind-borne pieces. Entire chunks of the wall were torn loose; Gholdengo even was pummeled by a few, though he still remained standing against the onslaught.
A sound of grating metal abruptly assailed the ears of everyone in the hallway. Gholdengo's eyes widened. "What is this?" he cried.
"Like I said," Brambleghast snarled, "you will move."
Gholdengo's upper body began to tilt backwards, even though his lower body was still rooted to the floor. The grating grew louder, piercing everyone's ears, as a gap began to open up between Gholdengo's waist and chest. The gap grew wider and wider, Gholdengo's upper body tilting further and further back. "You can't…" Gholdengo snarled. "This can't be happening!"
Brambleghast simply poured yet more energy into her wind. The grating rose to an ear-piercing pitch. Gholdengo howled, a wordless howl of pain, rage, and frustration…and then silence.
Brambleghast watched unblinkingly as the upper half of Gholdengo sailed uncontrollably down the hallway in a storm of ripped carpeting and torn-off wall pieces, leaving his lower half behind.
There was a shattering of glass as Gholdengo flew out the window at the end of the hall, his cry fading into the distance. Only then did Brambleghast finally drop her tornado. She sagged, breathing hard; the expenditure of energy had not done wonders for her stamina, which already hadn't been the best after her imprisonment.
Cloyster looked with wonder-filled eyes at Gholdengo's separated lower half. "Is that…is that it?"
"No," Brambleghast growled.
"You ripped him in half!" Jolt protested.
"I know," said Brambleghast. "His body's made of metal - metal that he can manipulate. It won't take him long to grow a new pair of legs."
"How in Distortion are we supposed to beat someone like that?" Jolt asked furiously.
"We're already doing it," said Brambleghast. "He may be able to regenerate, but even he's not immune to mental pain and exhaustion. Medicham did some damage even before we came at him - after what we just did to him, there's no way he's fighting at full strength. We'll just have to keep pounding at him until he falls from sheer fatigue."
Cloyster's eyes widened. "Oh, crap! Medicham! Is she-"
"No need."
Brambleghast whipped around to stare at Komala. "I have put her body to sleep," the Alolan Normal-type said in a lethargic voice. "She is effectively in a state of suspended animation. No harm will come to her until such time as she can be given medical treatment."
"You can talk?" Brambleghast asked.
"Of course," said Komala. "I just prefer not to."
"No matter," said Cloyster. "Medicham's safe - let's take the fight to Gholdengo."
"Agreed." Jolt's eyes were fiery. "I want some real payback on him."
Brambleghast turned and began to roll down the corridor, Cloyster, Jolt, and Komala following in her wake. With any luck, this will soon be over. Brambleghast swallowed. Unless, of course, he decides to use that technique…
No. He won't. It nearly killed him last time. Even in the state he's in, I doubt he'll actually try to use it again.
At least, I desperately hope he won't try to use it again.
Pangoro allowed himself a savage grin as Valerie signaled the resumption of the battle. This was the kind of fighting he truly craved - facing an opponent in a battle of true strength. No dirty tricks or evasiveness, just power against power.
The fact that Golurk had the same Ability as he did would make this all the sweeter.
"STOMPING QUAKE." Golurk opened fire with a powerful Earthquake, but Pangoro ignored it, hurling himself forwards without care for the rippling wave of Ground energy. "Iron Fist: Crushing Blow!" Pangoro flared Dark energy across his fist instead of the usual Fighting as he flung it forwards, aiming for a solid body blow to open.
"IRON FIST: FIGHTING."
He wasn't prepared for Golurk to unleash a rapid Fighting energy-wreathed punch, catching Pangoro's strike with his own; the two clashed, fist to fist, and Golurk's type advantage made him the victor. Pangoro stumbled, and Golurk pounced. "IRON FIST: ELECTRIC." A powerful crackling fist cannoned into Pangoro's cheek, snapping his face to the side and eliciting a spray of blood.
But Pangoro was far from out of it. Planting his feet, he eyed Golurk's exposed chest with glee. "Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!" His Dark energy-enhanced, Iron Fist-boosted blow slammed bodily into Golurk's stomach, doubling the Ghost/Ground-type over.
"Iron Fist: Shattering Blow!" Pangoro followed up with a solid punch to the face. As Golurk staggered backwards with a groan of pain, Pangoro leaped forwards, aiming another strike for Golurk's stomach to try and double him over again.
But Golurk swiftly shifted his left arm to block Pangoro's strike, twisted around Pangoro's arm, and rammed his right elbow into Pangoro's right cheek. He rounded on Pangoro as the Dark/Fighting-type staggered. "IRON FIST: ICE."
"Bullet Punch!" Marcus cried, the first order either Trainer had given. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blows!" Pangoro snarled, ramming a Steel energy-enhanced fist into Golurk's oncoming Ice Punch. With type advantage on his side now, his punch prevailed, and it was Golurk's turn to stagger backwards from the failed exchange.
"ROCK CANNON." Golurk raised his other arm and unleashed a barrage of Rock energy at Pangoro, aiming to force him back and allow Golurk time to recover. Pangoro refused; he leaped straight into the teeth of the barrage, ignoring the rocks as they tore at his fur and skin, drawing blood from his face. "Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!"
Golurk, unprepared for his adversary to tank his Rock Cannon so easily, took the punch straight to the cheek. "Hammer Arm, from under!" Raymond ordered.
"IRON FIST: FIGHTING." Pangoro couldn't react to the Fighting energy-enhanced fist in time. The uppercut hit its target dead-on; Pangoro tumbled backwards, his chin screaming in pain, and fell on his back.
"STOMPING QUAKE," Golurk rumbled, aiming to finish Pangoro off with a quick Earthquake. But Pangoro was already rising; though it clearly had an impact, and he nearly fell again, he once more managed to charge through the Earthquake, aiming another fist at Golurk.
"Iron Fist: Piston Blow!"
"IRON FIST: FIGHTING."
Dark energy met Fighting energy, and again Fighting won out, but this time Pangoro's fist reeled back and then abruptly shot forwards again as Piston Blow kicked in. Golurk was not expecting it at all; he overbalanced, clearly having committed to a follow-up punch, and left himself wide open.
"Iron Fist: Piston Blow!"
Pangoro was all too happy to oblige. His fist drove into Golurk's chest four times before Golurk fell out of his reach. It was the Ghost/Ground-type's turn to fall to the ground. "Rock Slide!" Raymond ordered; swiftly, Golurk fired off a Rock Cannon before Pangoro could follow up. Knowing that he couldn't willingly take too many more attacks, Pangoro contented himself with using Bullet Punch to blast away the oncoming rocks, allowing Golurk to rise once more.
"STOMPING QUAKE."
"Hold!" Marcus cried. Pangoro gritted his teeth and leaned into the blast. Agony lanced through him and he bit back a snarling scream, barely able to keep his feet.
But Golurk was staggering too, one hand clutched to his chest. Pangoro forced back the pain that wracked him. Another good hit and I'm done…but that's assuming I'm going to let him get that hit.
Pangoro hurled himself forwards. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!" he snarled, aiming to finish the Ghost/Ground-type off with the priority move.
"Curse!" Raymond cried abruptly.
Even as Pangoro's Bullet Punch landed upon Golurk's jaw, cracking it from the sheer force of his attack, a burst of Ghost energy lanced out from Golurk's body and into Pangoro's. At once, all-consuming pain ripped through him, driving Pangoro to his knees from sheer agony.
Of all the things…what a cheap piece of…
He felt the beam of his Luxury Ball as Marcus recalled him - unconsciousness took him quickly, though not before he saw Golurk's unconscious body returned to his Dusk Ball as well.
"Flash Fire: Bitter Blade!"
Ceruledge lashed out with another blade-arm, but Seeker-Of-Endings managed to deflect it with his horn-blade. He followed up with a Pursuit, but with a cry of "Flash Fire: Searing Shield!", Ceruledge deflected the seeking beams of Dark energy.
"Flash Fire: Searing Spear!" Using Detect, Seeker-Of-Endings blurred out of the way of the extending spear and lunged again. Ceruledge parried with his Bitter Blade, then used Shadow Sneak, but Seeker-Of-Endings was prepared. A quick Pursuit forced Ceruledge into another Searing Shield, and by that point Seeker-Of-Endings had rounded on the Fire/Ghost-type, driving him back across the field with a flurry of horn-blade slashes.
Around the two of them, Pokemon were falling, most of them Ghost-types. The number of Trained Pokemon had been reduced by half now, but that was both a blessing and a curse; some area-of-effect moves that had not been used for fear of hitting allies were now being used freely, and only a third of the wild Ghost-types now remained, many of them already wounded.
It was becoming increasingly evident that the Trained Pokemon would ultimately prevail. It was also becoming increasingly evident that very few of them, if any, would be able to fight more after they were done out here.
Which meant that if Medicham and Kriesh failed inside, Gholdengo would likely have free reign to dismantle the remainder of the exhausted, badly weakened Pokemon out here.
It was at this moment, when Seeker-Of-Endings was pondering the future, that a shattering of glass and a sudden massive burst of wind drew both his and Ceruledge's attention.
What looked like the upper half of Gholdengo was flying out the window, borne on what appeared to be a miniature tornado, debris flying in his wake. The remains of the Steel/Ghost-type plummeted to the ground, landing so hard that he bounced a couple times before finally coming to a rest on the grass.
Seeker-Of-Endings stared at Gholdengo's fallen form, or rather the upper half of it. He had no idea where the rest of him was, but the implications were clear. The Absol looked back at Ceruledge. "Looks like Medicham's plan worked."
Ceruledge stared at Gholdengo, eyes uncomprehending. "But…" His fiery arm-blades disappeared, leaving only his purple-black armor. "How?" he asked. "Gholdengo's taken on Elite Four-level Pokemon before…how could he lose to Pokemon from a Trainer who hasn't even been Training for a year?"
Gholdengo's eyes flashed open.
"Lose?" The sheer fury in his voice was enough to make even Seeker-Of-Endings take a step back. Before his eyes, Gholdengo's lower body began to regenerate, liquid metal expanding from his torn-apart waist, manifesting into a new pair of legs. "Is that it? The instant you see me fallen, you assume I have lost?" Gholdengo sat up, glaring at Ceruledge. "I suppose you would have been just fine with that, wouldn't you?"
"No, Gholdengo!" Ceruledge protested. "I-"
"Don't make me laugh," Gholdengo snarled. "I saw you talking with Brambleghast. You know, it all makes sense now. You were never actually on my side, were you? You were just biding your time. Waiting until I slipped up so you could stab me in the back, is that it?"
"Why would I-"
"Shut up!" Gholdengo bellowed, rising to his newly-formed feet. "Just shut up! First Brambleghast, now you? Am I the only one of us who even cares about Raymond anymore? Am I the only one who actually wants him to win this?"
Ceruledge gazed at Gholdengo, not saying a word.
Gholdengo glanced around the lawn at his fallen Ghost-type army. "And you," he snarled. "You can't even take on a force a seventh of your size? Worthless, all of you! Raymond's going to lose his dream, and it's all going to be your fault!"
The Ghosts that were still fighting had stopped, and the Trained Pokemon had as well; all were staring, shocked, at Gholdengo as he ranted.
"Gholdengo, that is enough!" Ceruledge finally found his voice. "Are you trying to drive away our allies?"
"Allies?" Gholdengo screeched. "Forget our allies! I only used them because they were convenient! I only used you because you were convenient! Well, guess what? None of you are worth my time any more! I'll slaughter you all! Leave no witnesses! Then no one can reveal the truth! And without anyone to reveal the truth, no one will be able to protest Raymond becoming a Gym Leader!"
"That's not true at all!" Ceruledge cried. "Gholdengo, listen to me-"
"Oh, the time I listened to you is long gone," Gholdengo sneered. "This ends my way. Here and now." He spread his arms. "Good as Gold: Metal Mecha!"
Ceruledge's eyes widened. "No! Gholdengo, don't!"
Gholdengo's entire body erupted in an outpouring of liquid metal; his form seemed to expand in size, his main body rising into the air as two trunklike metal legs formed under him. Two massive arms the size of Seeker-Of-Endings manifested themselves; a flat-topped cylindrical head extended upwards. Seeker-Of-Endings blinked. No, his eyes weren't fooling him - he was staring at a copy of Gholdengo that stood twenty feet tall, a copy who was glaring down at the Pokemon gathered on the lawn with nothing short of utter disgust.
The Metal Mecha raised a hand, Gholdengo's voice booming outwards. "Good as Gold: Electrum Eruption."
And a tide of metal exploded across the entire lawn.
Houndoom knew he was at a disadvantage before he was even released from his Luxury Ball.
Golurk had completely erased Marcus's lead, and forced him to expend both his Ability-users. Now it was just Houndoom, and Raymond still had his Ace, his Gengar, who even now was hopping from one foot to the other, grinning as he surveyed Houndoom with a baleful gaze.
Gengar had access to his Ability, while Houndoom didn't. That alone all but erased the advantage Houndoom would normally get via type advantage. And Houndoom harbored no illusions that Gengar didn't have access to anti-Dark countermeasures.
Raymond looked as if he was sweating slightly despite his advantage. Are nerves getting to him? Houndoom wouldn't complain - he'd need all the help he could get.
"Begin!" Valerie's hand slashed down, signaling the start of the final clash of the Gym Exam.
"Focus Blast!" Raymond ordered.
"Counter with Flamethrower!" Marcus cried.
Gengar leaped forwards. "Power Blast!"
"Flame Tongue!" Houndoom unleashed a swift blast of Fire energy at the oncoming Fighting energy-formed sphere. The sphere and the blast dissipated in an explosion of energy, the two attacks canceling out.
"Cursed Body: Dissolution!" Gengar rose up into the air, his body a formless mass of Ghost energy. He reformed, still in midair, both hands outstretched. "Toxic Wave!" A spreading burst of Poison energy flew from his body at Houndoom.
Cursed Body…from the looks of it, it works similarly to that Talonflame's Flame Body. Houndoom grimaced. That was no fun to fight. I remember I got past it with Smog…but since Gengar's Poison-type, that won't work on him.
This isn't going to be pretty.
"Dark Surge!" Houndoom snarled, unleashing a wave of Dark energy to counter Gengar's Toxic Wave. Again the two attacks canceled out. "Power Blast!" Gengar cried, tossing another Focus Blast at Houndoom.
"Inferno!" Marcus called.
"Flame Surge!" This time, the power of Houndoom's attack was not only sufficient to dissipate Gengar's Power Blast, but also to keep going, spreading towards the Ghost/Poison-type. "Cursed Blast!" Gengar cried; the remnants of Houndoom's Flame Surge were blasted back as a Shadow Ball flew through, streaking straight for Houndoom's face.
"Dark Surge!" Houndoom ripped the Shadow Ball to pieces with another Dark Pulse. "Cursed Body: Dissolution!" Gengar cried; dissolving into Ghost energy, he dropped swiftly, evading the Dark Surge with ease.
"Phantom Force, then Toxic!" Raymond cried.
Gengar grinned; his body seemed to collapse in on itself as he winked out of existence. "Hold, Houndoom," Marcus called. "On my command."
Houndoom waited, glancing from side to side. Logically, the best place for him to come at me would be from behind…but he's experienced. He'll know that. So he'll probably come from the side, or even try to really fake me out by going at me from the front. I need to be ready for an attack from all four directions.
And then Gengar appeared from a fifth direction - directly overhead.
"Cursed Blink! Toxic Grasp!"
"Dark Pulse!" Marcus ordered, but even as Houndoom fired it off, he felt a cold touch at his back and knew Marcus had taken a moment too long to adapt to Gengar's unexpected tactic.
He was fast enough to catch Gengar; the Ghost/Poison-type cried out in agony as he was assailed by the powerful super-effective attack. But the Toxic had hit home; Houndoom could already feel poison coursing through his system.
Toxic was even more effective than regular poison, simply by being more aggressive. Normal poison often took at least a couple minutes to down a Pokemon; Toxic took one, and that was if the Pokemon was lucky.
And it was clear Raymond knew this from the sudden gleam in his eyes.
"Back!" Raymond cried. "You know what to do - evade and stall!"
Gengar grinned again, though his body rippled with leftover Dark energy; Houndoom guessed that Gengar wasn't built to take hits. Another couple Dark Surges would likely bring him down - the problem was pinning him down.
A problem that was drastically exacerbated by Gengar using Phantom Force again, blinking out of existence.
How in Distortion am I supposed to stop him from stalling me out if he's not even gonna be on the battlefield half the time?
"Ember!" Marcus ordered. "Fill the air - he has to come out eventually!"
"Flame Storm!" Houndoom tossed his head as he fired the attack, allowing the motes of fire to fly all over the place. One advantage I have that I didn't have against Jaya's Talonflame - I can actually use my Fire-type attacks.
"Cursed Blink!" Gengar reappeared right in the path of a few motes of fire. His eyes widened. "Cursed Body: Dissolution!" His body dissolved into a swirl of Ghost energy that slipped between the flying motes.
"Dark Surge!" Houndoom snarled, but Gengar was prepared for the attack. "Toxic Wave!" he cried as he reformed, blasting the Dark Pulse away with a Sludge Wave. He then blinked out of existence again, leaving Houndoom standing uselessly on the ground once again, grimacing as the Toxic ate away at him.
Toxic and Phantom Force is a good strategy. No matter how much I want to, I can't deny that.
But I have to beat it. Everybody's counting on me. If I don't, Gholdengo wins.
I can't lose this!
"Flame Storm!" Again Houndoom unleashed a barrage of fiery motes. Gengar reappeared with another cry of "Cursed Blink!" and again used Cursed Body to fly between the motes that came at him. This time, though, Houndoom charged Gengar, launching himself at the Ghost/Poison-type. "Dark Jaws!"
"Power Blast!" Gengar unleashed a swift Focus Blast from one hand, while the other began to form a Shadow Ball, ready to counter the Inferno Gengar clearly expected Houndoom to unleash.
"Shadow Surge!"
He was unprepared for Houndoom to unleash a Shadow Ball of his own. Houndoom dove to the side as the Shadow Ball and Focus Blast passed right through one another; the Focus Blast grazed his side, and pain ripped through that side, but he forced it back along with the weakness the Toxic was forcing upon him. Gengar swiftly tossed his Shadow Ball with a cry of "Cursed Blast!"; the two Shadow Balls dissipated against one another as Houndoom lunged for Gengar's body, firing off a Dark Surge aimed above Gengar's head.
Just as planned.
"Brick Break!" Raymond's cry had an edge of desperation to it. He'd realized that there was no way Gengar could evade with Phantom Force in time, and thanks to that overhead Dark Surge, Gengar couldn't escape upwards with Cursed Body.
He would have to meet the attack head-on.
"Flame Jaws!" Houndoom snarled as Gengar's fist came towards his face. Hauling back with his head, he swung it teeth-first at Gengar's fist. The two appendages met, the energy shielding both Gengar and Houndoom from being harmed by the other's attacks. Both poured more energy into the attacks, knowing that this would be the last clash of this battle.
And Houndoom had no intention of losing it.
Brambleghast landed on the ground, using a swift rush of wind to cushion the fall of the group. She spotted Gholdengo immediately; her eyes widened as she noticed the Steel/Ghost-type's new form. "Oh, no…"
"What?" Cloyster asked, looking up. "Oh…he can do that?"
"Yes," Brambleghast said grimly. "I hoped he wouldn't…but he's used his strongest technique. I've only seen it in action once before."
"And you couldn't have told us about this technique earlier?" Jolt asked.
"I didn't think he would use it!" Brambleghast cried. "The sheer amount of concentration it takes to keep a construct like that going rapidly drains his stamina! If he keeps that going too long, he could overexert himself, and he could die!"
"And in his current state of mind, I don't really see him paying much attention to that," said Jolt. "All right, how do we beat him? You said you've seen it in action once before, and yet you know its vulnerabilities. But Gholdengo's not dead. So I'm assuming the technique get countered?"
"Yes," said Brambleghast. "He was fighting Ryme's Mimikyu…she had the Disguise Ability, which allowed her to create 'Disguises' that could imitate another living creature. She used it to create a construct just like that one."
"Well, we haven't got a Mimikyu," said Jolt, "so we'll need another plan."
"There is one more vulnerability," said Brambleghast. "Ryme's Mimikyu ultimately broke the construct by using Shadow Sneak to teleport in and attack from the inside."
"And you have Shadow Sneak," said Cloyster. "You used it against me, right?"
"Yes, but I'm not nearly as proficient with it as Ryme's Mimikyu," said Brambleghast. "I can only Shadow Sneak to a place I can see."
"So we break that thing open," said Jolt, Electric energy flaring across her wings.
"Sounds good to me," said Cloyster. "Though that's probably going to be easier said than done."
"Come on, he's only one Pokemon, and from the looks of it he's facing quite a few enemies already," said Jolt. "It shouldn't be too much trouble."
"Good as Gold: Electrum Extension!"
The giant Gholdengo's arm shot out in a spearlike manner, slamming into Seeker-Of-Endings so fast he couldn't even dodge with Detect. He went flying, tumbling a good thirty feet away before coming to a rest next to Ceruledge. The Fire/Ghost-type hadn't moved since Gholdengo's onslaught had begun.
"Fire!" the Haunter in charge of the wild Ghost-types called. The few Ghost-types still remaining unleashed an onslaught of mingled Hypnosis blasts and Shadow Balls. "Good as Gold: Steel Shield," Gholdengo boomed, raising a metallic barrier. The attacks dissipated against the shield; the Shadow Balls left small dents, but those were repaired before the attacks had even dissolved.
The wild Ghost-types had been remarkably quick to switch sides once it was clear that Gholdengo intended to kill them. Not that they'd been much help; most of them had fallen in that first Electrum Eruption, along with a good few of the Trained Pokemon, and the remainder had been unable to leave a mark on Gholdengo's Metal Mecha.
This is absurd! Seeker-Of-Endings glared at the titanic Gholdengo as he struggled to his feet. He's taking on a dozen Pokemon at the same time and winning! Granted, everybody's already badly weakened, but still!
"Fiery Spell!"
"Lightning Blast!"
Jolteon and Sylveon sent a combined attack at Gholdengo, Electric and Fire energy mingling to form a concentrated beam. "Good as Gold: Lightning Rod!" Gholdengo fired a swift shard of copper into the ground, drawing away the Electric energy from the attack. "Good as Gold! Transmutation: Tungsten!" He raised a hand of his Metal Mecha, blocking the Fire energy with the tungsten-coated limb, and then unleashed a massive Tithe Tide at the two Eeveelutions.
"Harvest!" Trevenant, who was standing nearby, raised a swath of vines from the ground, coiling them around the Metal Mecha's left leg. "Good as Gold: Mecha Manipulation!" Gholdengo retorted. The Metal Mecha's leg dissolved into liquid metal; the vines sagged, no longer holding anything, as the liquid metal leg dissolved, shifted around the vines, and reformed outside the grasping grasses. The Metal Mecha raised a hand and fired a powerful Shadow Ball at Trevenant, forcing the Ghost/Grass-type to raise more vines in defense.
Other Pokemon were charging in now, Connie's Shiftry and Scrafty in the lead. "Good as Gold: Electrum Eruption!" Gholdengo met them with another massive eruption of metal, countless pieces of metallic debris forcing the chargers to cease their attack and take cover behind an improvised defense of Protects and energy blasts.
"Good as Gold: Steel Spikes!" The flying debris suddenly sprouted lengthy spines. Scrafty and Theo's Mightyena fell, run through by metal spikes before they could defend themselves; the remainder scattered to avoid meeting the same fate. Seeker-Of-Endings watched as Gholdengo turned his attention back towards Trevenant. "Good as Gold: Electrum Extension!" Trevanant couldn't mount a fast enough defense; the Ghost/Grass-type was sent flying, and Gholdengo turned back towards the few remaining wild Ghost-types and unleashed another Tithe Tide upon them.
Seeker-Of-Endings turned to face Ceruledge, who was staring blankly as his former teammate ravaged every opponent that attempted to attack him. "Aren't you going to do anything?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked.
"Assaulting him will only bring ruin," said Ceruledge. "I cannot do anything to him."
"So you're just going to stand there?" Seeker-Of-Endings asked. "Is that it? He's going to kill you, too - are you just going to stand there and let it happen?"
"I do not think he will kill me, Absol," said Ceruledge. "I am his teammate. He may attack me, but when it comes time to finish the job, he will hesitate."
"Are you-" Seeker-Of-Endings began, but before he could finish the sentence, he heard a loud battle cry from the side of the apartments.
Seeker-Of-Endings turned to see Cloyster, Brambleghast, Jaya's Emolga, and Ilima's Komala, all charging Gholdengo together. So Medicham succeeded after all. Seeker-Of-Endings smiled thinly. I assumed as much when Gholdengo flew out the window, but it's nice to be sure.
That said…she's not among them. Seeker-Of-Endings swallowed. And all that work won't matter in the slightest if Gholdengo kills us all.
"We need to open a breach!" Brambleghast cried. "I can Shadow Sneak inside - just give me an opening!"
Gholdengo snarled from within his Metal Mecha. "I have had enough of you! Good as Gold: Tithe Tide!"
"Skill Link: Wave Blast!" Cloyster cried.
The colossal wave of metal that emanated from the outstretched hand of the Metal Mecha was stopped in its tracks by Cloyster's duplicated Surf.
Komala reached out; the entire Metal Mecha froze in place as he activated his Comatose Ability. Jolt took the opportunity to rise, wings flickering with Electric energy. "Electro Strike!"
"Good as Gold! Transmutation: Copper!" Though the Metal Mecha couldn't move, Gholdengo could still change the metal it was made of; Jolt's blast once again was dissipated without effect. Komala strained, the effort of holding such a large construct in place very nearly too much for him.
Others were quick to take advantage of the Metal Mecha's temporary immobility. Several blasts of energy came from various Trained Pokemon, denting the metal. Others leaped upon the Metal Mecha, led by Connie's Shiftry, concentrating on the mecha's left side. "No!" Gholdengo roared as a gash began to open in the metal.
Seeker-Of-Endings growled and charged again, but at that moment Komala's stamina failed him. The Normal-type collapsed, and Gholdengo let out a furious bellow. "Good as Gold: Electrum Explosion!"
The entire Metal Mecha exploded outwards, hurling the melee attackers bodily away. Another snarl sounded as the Metal Mecha reformed around Gholdengo, the gash now healed. "Good as Gold: Electrum Eruption!" Another barrage of flying metal sent the ranged attackers reeling.
"Wind Rider: Tornado! Category 5!" Brambleghast's body erupted in a massive burst of spinning wind, the sheer force of which forced Seeker-Of-Endings to cease his charge and dig his claws hard into the ground to avoid being blown away.
"You think that will work on me again?" Gholdengo snarled. "Good as Gold: Electrum Extension!"
His upraised arm shot out towards Brambleghast, coalescing into a pointed blade, clearly aiming to run Brambleghast through. "No!" Cloyster cried, leaping in front of her. "Impenetrable Shell!"
Brambleghast cut off the tornado as Cloyster's Protect took the extending arm; the force of it sent Cloyster flying back into Brambleghast, and both sprawled to the ground, but both were alive and relatively unhurt.
Jolt dove downwards, a flurry of Pursuit rays emanating from her wings. "Good as Gold: Steel Shield!" Gholdengo growled, raising a circular steely barrier to deflect the barrage. "Good as Gold: Electrum Extension!"
"Motor Drive!" Jolt cried, but even her heightened speed couldn't escape the large, suddenly expanding cylinder. Something cracked as it slammed into her, sending her careening into the wall of the apartments.
"Enough!" Seeker-Of-Endings snarled, manifesting several Double Team clones around himself and charging Gholdengo. My horn-blade should be able to open up something…if I can just get an opening…
"Good as Gold: Electrum Eruption!" Gholdengo unleashed yet another massive barrage of flying metal. Seeker-Of-Endings tapped into Detect, spying and taking advantage of several small gaps in the flurry to dodge his way through. But all his Double Team clones were eliminated, dissipating under the Electrum Eruption and leaving him exposed.
"Good as Gold: Steel Sword!"
Gholdengo's Metal Mecha lunged, one arm manifesting a massive metal blade. Seeker-Of-Endings flared Dark energy across his horn-blade. Bringer-Of-Visions could counter this. Seeker-Of-Endings braced himself. But I'm not nearly strong enough.
I have to try.
Gritting his teeth, Seeker-Of-Endings raised his horn-blade to block Gholdengo's descending Steel Sword. And then something else flashed into view.
"Flash Fire: Lava Longsword!"
Fire energy met metal and sheared right through. Gholdengo cried out in disbelief as his Steel Sword went flying, spinning through the air as Ceruledge's Lava Longsword slashed right through his arm.
Spinning, Ceruledge unleashed another two-handed slash. "Good as Gold! Transmutation: Tungsten!" Gholdengo snarled, manifesting another blade. This he raised to deflect Ceruledge's Lava Longsword; the Fire/Ghost-type, despite being a fourth of the size of the Metal Mecha, held against the massive tungsten blade.
"I knew it," Gholdengo growled.
"Ceruledge?" Brambleghast cried.
The Fire/Ghost-type turned to look at Brambleghast. "I'll get you your opening," he said. "Get ready."
Then he faded in a swift Shadow Sneak and reappeared behind the Metal Mecha's back. "Flash Fire: Flame Fist!" he cried. "Fighting Flurry!"
His fiery blades transformed into fists, fists that lit up with Fighting energy. He had Close Combat in his back pocket this whole time? Seeker-Of-Endings stared at Ceruledge disbelievingly. Then all that time…when he was fighting me…he was holding back?
Gholdengo cried out as Ceruledge erupted in a flurry of fists, each strike denting the small of the Metal Mecha's back. Metal screeched and tore under the barrage; the Metal Mecha staggered, throwing out a hand to stop his fall, but revealing a large gash in his back, ripped open by Ceruledge's Close Combat.
Of course…Gholdengo may be Ghost-type, but his metal construct isn't.
"Now!" Ceruledge cried.
Houndoom pushed as hard as he could, aware that Gengar was doing the same. Fighting energy clashed with Fire energy, the mingled energies sparking as the two opponents clashed. Gengar's grin was becoming strained, sweat dripping down his body from the effort of holding Houndoom back. But Houndoom could feel the Toxic draining his strength, and he knew he could only hold this for so long.
Come on…fall, damn you!
"Hold!" Raymond urged. "You have to hold!"
Gengar dug his feet into the ground and pushed. Houndoom felt his strength giving out, saw Gengar's arm getting closer and closer to his jaw. He could feel the force of the Fighting energy rippling off Gengar's fist.
He pushed the last of his strength into his jaws, trying to force Gengar back, but with the Toxic tearing at him he knew he couldn't win this clash.
After all this time…all this effort…I've failed.
"Dark Pulse!" Marcus shouted.
Houndoom's eyes snapped open as Gengar's widened. "Phantom Force, quick!" Raymond cried.
But it was too late. "Dark Surge!" Houndoom snarled, cursing himself for a fool as he launched the attack. He'd gotten so wrapped up in trying to overpower Gengar that he'd ignored his other techniques.
Gengar flew backwards, landing hard on his back, and Houndoom knew he had him.
"Now!" Ceruledge cried, and Brambleghast moved.
"Wind Rider: Updraft!" A rush of wind propelled Brambleghast upwards. Now she could see the hole Ceruledge had made in Gholdengo's back, revealing the inside of the Metal Mecha.
"Ghost Shift!"
Brambleghast faded into Distortion. The ghostly realm was as unwelcoming as always, but by now it was familiar to her, and she moved through without hesitation.
She was experienced enough with Shadow Sneak to instinctively know where to go, and so she emerged right inside the gap.
She almost gasped at the sight of Gholdengo. He seemed to be sitting inside a sort of cockpit. The Steel/Ghost-type looked barely conscious, his arms and legs melded into the inside of his colossus. He glanced at Brambleghast as she entered. "Listen to me, Brambleghast. Raymond-"
"Stop it," Brambleghast growled. "Stop trying to throw his name around. Wind Rider: Tornado." She summoned forth all her remaining stamina.
"Category 5."
Gholdengo opened his eyes. He could see sky, and grass, and fire. He could see the torn-apart remnants of his Metal Mecha. He could see Pokemon. Brambleghast, far away, feebly stirring on the ground. Ceruledge, down on one knee. Haunter-1, unconscious, lying amidst the remnants of his Ghost-type army.
Why? Why would all of them betray Raymond? It doesn't make sense…they're his Pokemon…how could they stab him in the back like this?
"You…" Gholdengo rose, his legs shaking under him. "You think you can-"
A blade carved into his back. The Absol! Gholdengo howled, staggering as the blood-covered Absol carved a deep gash down his back, ripping through his steely skin.
"Harvest!"
The Trevenant! The earth erupted around Gholdengo, several snakelike vines lashing out at him, coiling around him and forcing him to the ground. Gholdengo gagged as one snaked around his throat and began to pull, forcing his head back.
"Good as Gold-" he began, but he was cut off by the Trevenant's voice again. "Curse!"
Pain ripped through Gholdengo, pain so powerful it felt as if it would shatter his skin. Gholdengo couldn't stop a scream from escaping his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Cloyster leaping at him, body awash with Water energy.
This can't be…I can't be defeated!
Houndoom charged the downed Gengar, paws pounding across the ground. No amount of pain would stop him. "Cursed Blast!" Gengar snarled, but Houndoom simply charged through the flying sphere of Ghost energy, ripping through it with his own Dark energy-infused teeth.
"Finish him!" Marcus cried.
"No!" Raymond wailed. "Gengar, get up!"
"There are a lot of Trainers in the world. All of them are stronger than us right now. To become stronger than them, we have to fight them, and we have to win, whatever it takes. So I'm going to need you to do that for me. Fight other Pokemon, and win. Whatever it takes. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Go, Cloyster!" Gholdengo heard them shout. Heard his own teammates shout. Ceruledge, leaning against a wall…Brambleghast, barely conscious on the ground…the wild Ghost-types who still remained. All cheering him on.
Cloyster came closer, Water energy beginning to surge forwards from his shell.
"How do you train so much?"
Gimmighoul stared at Bramblin; the childlike Grass/Ghost-type was rolling around him as she always did, her red eyes rotating so that they always were looking at him.
"It's weird," said Bramblin. "You barely sleep, you never eat…it feels like all you do is train. Don't you get exhausted?"
"Yes," said Gimmighoul. "But I train anyway. Sleep, sustenance…both are useless distractions. Every minute I engage in either is a minute that I am not making Raymond stronger."
"Not even really high-level Pokemon forgo eating and sleeping!" Bramblin cried. "Isn't that bad for your body?"
"Yeah, probably." Gimmighoul glared at Bramblin. "But I'll forgo them anyway. For Raymond's sake."
Houndoom leaped at Gengar, jaws flaring with Dark energy, watching as the Ghost/Poison-type tried and failed to stand.
"Do something!" Raymond howled.
Gholdengo panted as he glared at his opponent. He was out of energy, out of stamina, only enough for one final attack. He knew Ryme's Mimikyu was the same; he'd torn through so many of Mimikyu's Disguises that he couldn't believe the Ghost/Fairy-type was still standing.
Gholdengo lunged, fist drawn back, too exhausted to even call out a name for the metal fist he sent at his opponent.
Mimikyu did the same, hurling himself bodily at Gholdengo, one fist drawn back and flaring with Ghost energy.
The two impacted, and Gholdengo knew only darkness.
Knew only that he'd failed.
Cloyster glared at Gholdengo as he came down upon the reeling Steel/Ghost-type. "Wave…"
Houndoom opened his jaws wide, preparing to clamp them down upon the struggling Gengar. "Dark…"
"…BLAST!"
"…JAWS!"
"Congratulations on getting so far, Mr. Ramirez," said the nurse.
"Thank you," Raymond said, his voice low as he grabbed Gholdengo's Dusk Ball.
Gholdengo knew Raymond was hurting inside. Fourth wasn't bad - any first-year Trainer would gladly take fourth. But Raymond wasn't a first-year Trainer. He'd been training for three years! He'd won this same tournament last year!
Gholdengo gritted his teeth, remembering how close he'd come, and yet how so very far it had seemed.
"I swear to you, Raymond," he murmured. "I will not stop for anything, not anymore. I will not stop fighting. I will not stop working. I will not stop training until you have become the strongest Trainer in the world!"
As the Wave Blast slammed into Gholdengo's face, bringing a shroud of slowly descending darkness over Gholdengo's mind, Gholdengo only had one thought running through his mind.
I'm sorry, Raymond. I'm sorry that I failed you.
"NO!"
Any euphoria, any excitement that Houndoom had felt over his victory, was drained away in an instant by Raymond's heartbroken cry.
The Ghost-type Trainer hadn't even recalled his unconscious Gengar; he simply stood where he was, head lowered, sobbing. "Raymond, what's wrong?" Valerie asked. "I understand that this must hurt, but-"
"You don't understand!" Raymond cried. "Brambleghast…they said that if I didn't win, they'd-"
"Gym Leader Valerie!"
The door to the room was flung open, revealing a panting man. "There's a battle going on near the western apartment block!" the man cried. "You have to come at once - they're tearing up the place!"
When the running Trainers, Valerie at their head, arrived panting at the apartment block, the scene they beheld was like something out of a disaster movie.
The lawn was torn to pieces. Pokemon, most of them random Ghost-types, littered the ground, most unconscious, a few simply too exhausted to get up. In the center of the lawn, three Pokemon were clustered around a fourth. The fourth was bound tightly in vines and looked like he'd been through Distortion and back, wounds covering his entire body.
"Cloyster?" Marcus's voice was disbelieving.
"Jolt!" Jaya broke from the group, rushing over to the Emolga who was lying unconscious on the lawn.
"Komala!" Ilima rushed over to his own unconscious Pokemon.
"Brambleghast!" Raymond cried, though unlike the others, he took a moment to survey the scene before rushing over. "Brambleghast, Ceruledge, what happened here?" Raymond's eyes swiveled to the bound Pokemon. "Gholdengo? Why are you…what happened?"
Jaya swiftly released her Sigilyph from his Wing Ball. "Get an explanation," she said. "We all need to know what happened."
The story was quickly gathered, pieced together from several accounts; Marcus at once ran inside to check on Kriesh and Medicham, leaving his Gym Trainers to pick up their Pokemon. Valerie's Gym Trainers quickly spread out to help, though they were more concerned with dealing with the numerous wild Ghost-types.
Eventually, Marcus came out, looking incredibly relieved. "They should be fine."
Valerie looked morose. "To think that I let such a thing nearly happen…" she murmured. "I didn't imagine the situation becoming so desperate. The blame for this lies squarely on my head."
"No, Valerie," said Raymond. "I'm the one to blame. He's my Pokemon."
"What happens now?" Jaya asked. "Clearly Raymond wasn't aware of what Gholdengo was doing, so…what now?"
"Well, I suppose it's a good thing that Raymond didn't win the Gym Exam," said Valerie. "If he had, we would have been forced to take the matter up with the League. I doubt Raymond's reputation would have survived the ensuing investigation. But since he didn't win, this can all fairly easily be brushed under the rug - only the true culprit needs to be punished."
"What about Gholdengo?" Ilima asked.
"He'll have to be sent to a rehabilitation facility," said Valerie. "There's no way he can be allowed to roam free after what he's done."
"I'll handle him." Raymond stepped over to the fallen Steel/Ghost-type. "As my Pokemon, he's my responsibility." He reached down and gently tapped Gholdengo with one of his Dusk Balls, recalling the Steel/Ghost-type into it.
"And the tournament?" Marcus asked. "I mean, we have no idea how much the sabotage affected the final results, so-"
"So what?" Raymond asked. "Like Valerie said, I didn't win. You did. No sabotage, no tricks - you beat me fair and square."
"And you're the one who saved all our Pokemon," said Jaya. "In my opinion, you deserve the title."
Ilima nodded. "I have no complaints, either."
Marcus glanced around at the other three contestants. "I…"
Valerie placed a hand on his shoulder. "I see no reason not to agree," she said. "Congratulations, Marcus. Or shall I refer to you as Gym Leader Marcus now?"
The euphoria finally hit. And finally, finally, Houndoom could relax in his Luxury Ball and celebrate a job well done.
I did it. We did it.
We won.
"The contestants are packing up and preparing to leave," said Blossom. "No one is protesting against Marcus's victory, which is of course a good thing."
Sitting at her desk, Valerie looked to Katherine. "And what of the Ghost-types?"
"Many of them were captured," said Katherine. "A few, it appears, fled into the forest when Gholdengo started attacking everyone. It seems that Gholdengo took advantage of their bond with another of Raymond's Pokemon to trick them into aiding him - they had no idea he was planning to stoop to murder. None are actively malicious; I believe they can be released back into the wild with a warning about mindless trust."
Valerie sighed. "I feel as if I failed the contestants," she said. "I figured the saboteur would be one of Raymond's Pokemon, but I didn't know for sure, because all of them were accounted for during the first round, at least. I didn't consider that he could hire Wild Pokemon to do his bidding, or that such a force could be hidden in Laverre, or that they'd use the contestants' very building as their staging area. And I definitely didn't consider that they'd stoop to mass murder to cover their tracks. No matter what Raymond or anyone else says…all this just goes to show that it truly is time to pass the torch."
The Furisode Girls nodded as one. "May we continue to travel with you, Valerie?" Kali asked.
"Of course," said Valerie. "Once I get back to Johto, I think I might get back into Pokemon Contests…and I'm going to need a crew of assistants."
"Thank you, Valerie," said Kali.
"Valerie, if I may?" Linnea spoke up. "If the tournament hadn't been sabotaged…do you think Marcus still would have won?"
Valerie smiled slightly. "We will never know the answer to that question," she said. "But let me put it this way…I would not have invited Marcus to participate if I didn't think he was capable of winning."
Linnea nodded.
Valerie smiled at her former Gym Trainers. "So let us not think of what might have been," she said. "Let us attend to what is. And let us ensure that Kalos's newest Gym Leader has as smooth of a transition to power as possible."
"Yes, he's in Laverre!" the Gastly wailed. "That's all I know, I promise! Please don't kill me, please don't-"
A pair of Dark energy-infused claws slammed into the Gastly's eyes. The Gastly's scream was abruptly cut off as the owner of the claws slammed him to the ground. Then he picked him up and slammed him down a few more times, until the Gastly was little more than a crumpled, featureless heap.
"Take him," the Swarmlord growled. Tooth and Claw obliged, grabbing the Gastly's body and hauling it away.
The Swarmlord turned to the Skorupi standing nervously before him. "It seems your information was accurate, Spine," he growled. "You did not attempt to engage, correct?"
"N…no, Swarmlord," said Spine. "Was…was I wrong?"
The Swarmlord shook his head. "At last…a subordinate who isn't a mindless fool," he growled. "You have done well, Spine. With the passing of Fang and the loss of the Unseen Fist Swarm, a replacement is needed. Your Lifeweaver Swarm should be sufficient to fill the gap."
"Th…thank you, Swarmlord!" Spine bowed before him. "I will not disappoint you!"
"See that you don't," the Swarmlord growled. "Go, alert your followers. Tell them to report back here."
As Spine scurried off, the Swamlord turned to see Tooth and Claw returning. "You two, gather your forces. Establish a perimeter around the city. If anyone enters or leaves, no matter who or what they are, I want to know."
He surveyed his troops. "The Marked One has evaded our grasp for far too long," he growled. "But this time…" He glared over his shoulder at the roofs of the human city behind him.
"…he will not escape us."
There we have it. The Gym Exam Arc. Truth be told...it's not the arc I'm most proud of.
It gets the points across that I wanted, and it tells the story that I wanted, so I'm not exactly ashamed of the arc. But I will freely admit Gholdengo would have been a lot cooler (and more interesting) of a villain if he'd only had the capability to control and transmute metal. Adding infinite metal generation to his Ability made his fight scenes (and thus him as a character) a lot more boring, but by the time that became apparent to me, I was already too far in to retcon his powerset.
It's a shame, because I really enjoyed writing Gholdengo's character.
Anyway, big news: it's vacation time! That means two weeks without a computer, starting on the 29th. So I'm going to be taking a longer hiatus than normal between arcs. The next update will be on August 16th.
I hope you all enjoyed this arc, even if it isn't one of my best. As always, please drop a review if you have the time. And I'll see you on August 16th for the start of the next arc, otherwise known as the "Swarm Arc"!