"Michelangelo, tell me. What is a sculptor's most important tool when creating a masterpiece?"
The teenage Raboot, who was lounging in the messy workshop, opened one eye to acknowledge the Hitmonlee chipping away at a block of stone. "The chisel? The hammer? The actual stone?"
He chuckled, setting his tools aside and turning around in his chair. "Ah, but what good are those tools if you cannot use them?" He clasped his hands together. "Arceus gave us hands so that we may create in his image. They are the tools we treasure to create art in his name."
Angelo grimaced. "Come on, Dad, don't make this into another sermon."
"Do you doubt my reasoning?"
"If Arceus is real, you'd think he spend a little more time ironing out the little issues with his creations than making us clean up after him."
His father shook his head. "Ah, but Arceus wishes to see his creations flourish and create on their own. He is not to intervene, but to observe how we strive in this world."
"What kind of god just sits back and watches his creations? I'd do everything in power to protect what I create."
His father crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Hmm, you almost sound like Giratina."
"You're calling me a demon?"
He shook his head. "Some interpret Giratina as Arceus' dark half and a force for evil, though many such as myself see him as his darker half in…another respect. Giratina was banished for caring too much about Arceus' creations, guiding every little aspect about them until they lost all autonomy. Arceus believed, for us to have free will, that his influence was to be restricted. Giratina believed that sometimes we needed divine intervention to become our best selves. Some even argue Giratina was never truly banished, but rather exists in another plane of the cosmos to observe us from a different perspective. Watching us from the shadows."
Angelo raised his brow. "So, not a demon?"
"The unfortunate truth of religion is that there's no one true account, often modified by interpretation or personal gain. I still hold onto what I believe is true about Arceus, and I believe he gave us all a purpose that we must figure out on our own. Thus, he granted each and every Pokémon the tools to explore their full potential."
Angelo glanced at the unfinished block of stone. "You make art to show your appreciation to Arceus?"
"And thus, I treasure the tools given to me to showcase that appreciation." He reached out and took his son's hands, gently holding them in his grasp. "A sculptor's hands are his most prized possession. You do well to remember that if you want to follow in my footsteps."
"Dad…"
His father closed his eyes, brimming with glee. "Though I wish you took to faith more seriously, I'll support whatever direction you take your art. You have a vision you want to show others, and I want nothing more than to see your artistic landscape flourish across this beautiful region of ours. I want to see what art will be crafted by the hands of Michelangelo Carlevaro."
With little time to act, Angelo sprung back through the air as two giant hands made from compressed scrap metal descended upon him, slamming down into the buildings. He hopped onto a floating barrel and leapt between the suspended metal as sparkling beams fired after him.
Ansaldo spun and laughed atop his Magnemite Crew, surging with newfound glee and wonder. "Oh, this brings back memories! Those fools who thought so little of me, thinking I'd never make anything out of myself! Look at me now, Uncle Chester! Who's the wannabe lowlife now?!" He ceased spinning and commanded the junk hands to chase Angelo.
The knight bounced higher up the sea of junk as the hands came crashing through. "Heaven's Flame!" He kicked a plasma shot into one of the hands, dispersing it into flaming scraps. He jumped over the next one and launched himself into the back with a flaming kick. "Devil's Kick!" He smashed the hand apart and sent the scraps flying.
Ansaldo smirked. "You can tear my weapons down all you want, but can you handle the impressive onslaught of an entire city's worth of metal?" He raised his hand and compressed the scraps into giant cubes. "Magnetism is unbeatable!" He flicked his wrist and commanded the cubes to fly after the knight.
Angelo dodged a couple of them, but slipped on a metal disk and staggered, allowing the cube to ram into him and knock him across the buildings. He spun himself out and landed against a floating crate foot first, clinging to its side.
Ansaldo whistled, commanding his Magnemite to surround him. "Try dodging this. Starlight Laser Circus!" Every single Magnemite lit up with electricity and fired six powerful beams at once.
"Hell Road!" Angelo kicked off from the crate and dodged the beams, only to see them curving back toward him. "What?!" He landed on the rooftops and took off running with the beams in hot pursuit, blasting through scrap metal hovering in their path. No matter how fast he moved, the beams were perfectly locked onto his position.
"You can't escape my attack!" Ansaldo taunted. "They'll chase you to the ends of the earth if they must!"
Angelo growled. I refuse to accept that. He quickly scanned the sea of junk for something sturdy before ascending it. He reached a streetlamp and kicked it into the lasers, taking out three of them. He fell back and avoided the other three, diving into a floating carriage. With one kick, he flipped it upside-down and tanked the remaining lasers upon their return.
Ansaldo snickered. "Clever, but not clever enough!" He grabbed one of the Magnemite. "Magnetic Armament!"
Scrap metal gravitated toward the lizard and clung to the one Magnemite. Piece by piece, all the scraps joined together and coated him up to his shoulder. They stuck themselves together to form the rough shape of a giant, elongated arm with fingers. Moving it like it was his own, Ansaldo swept the massive metallic arm across the rooftops.
Angelo flipped onto one hand and spun himself in place as the arm approached. "Devil's Kick: Infernal Penance!" After building up speed, he rammed his foot into the metallic arm and halted its advance. Bursts of flame shot through and tore out a chunk of the arm.
Ansaldo lifted his other hand, summoning a giant scrap cube above the knight, and threw it down. Angelo stood on both hands and sprung off them, delivering a two-legged kick into the cube and demolishing it back to pieces. Flipping back through the air, Angelo landed on floating metal and leapt away to gain distance.
He's got the entire city under his control. Those Magnemite, with their natural abilities, grant him an immense range of magnetism. I need to think this through carefully—
The Raboot suddenly halted midair. A low humming blared around him. Looking down, he gasped as electricity coursed through his armor. "What the?!"
Ansaldo, with his free hand outstretched, smirked at the suspended rabbit. "No, no, no. No one's walking out on my show until I say so." He beckoned to the rabbit, compelling his armor to pull him back.
Angelo gripped his armor tightly as he flew back toward the lizard, who reared back his giant metallic arm and smashed the knuckles into the knight's face. Angelo recoiled, spitting up blood, and flew away only to be caught again in the magnetic grip. Ansaldo reeled him in again and struck him across the rooftops with a devastating backhand, cutting the side of the rabbit's head.
"You had fun kicking me around, didn't you? Payback's a bitch, hell spawn!" Once more, Ansaldo reeled the knight back in and slapped his entire body back across the rooftops. "My magnetic attraction is absolute! You can't escape me no matter where you go!" He pulled on the armor once more.
Angelo clenched his teeth. "Shut. Up." He swung his leg up to his shoulder and landed a fiery kick into the armor. The heat ruptured the right side of the armor, allowing him to peel himself free. His bracers reacted to the magnetic pull, but he slipped them off before he could be dragged back in.
Ansaldo clenched his fist and crushed the armor together into a ball. "Magnetic Repulsion Cannon!" Four Magnemite circled the balled-up armor, delivered electricity into it, and fired it back with a force and speed outmatching a cannon's.
"Hell Road!" Angelo barely pivoted around the repelled shot before taking off at great speed, leaping across rooftops.
"After him!" Ansaldo and the Magneto Crew gave chase, following the knight high up in the sky. Ansaldo pulled scrap metal out of the sky and lined them around his four Magnemite. "Magnetic Repulsion Bullet Storm!" Hundreds of pieces of metal fired down on the city, striking through stone with little issue.
Angelo took brief glances over his shoulder and dodged around the raining shots. He winced as a few sliced him across the side, shoulder, and leg, but he kept on running before jumping down a gap between the buildings.
Ansaldo hovered over the gap and searched for the knight. Despite the mess of flaming footprints left behind, he couldn't make sense of where he ran off to. He hissed. "So, he's playing that game now?"
Big Boss floated up to the lizard and buzzed in concern.
He smirked. "Nah, he's not going to get the jump on us again." He glanced up at the sky, examining the fine array of weapons at his disposal. "Besides, I've already tagged him."
Angelo ran as far as he could into the deeper ends of the city before sitting to catch his breath. He tore pieces of his tunic off and wrapped them around his wounds. After tying up his arm, he rested his head against the wall and sighed.
Great. That's what I get for not taking him seriously. He glanced up at the scrap-littered sky. That kind of talent could've made him a knight. This amount of control over metal in our sophisticated society would make him the most dangerous creature alive, yet he uses it for parlor tricks. He glared. Then again, it seems like he had other concerns on his mind…
He rested his arms over his knees and closed his eyes. There wasn't much hope getting around his defenses with basic kicks. Sooner or later, the magnetic lizard was going to sift through all his resources until he found material with a higher melting point. That left Angelo with a couple options: getting someone who could disrupt his magnetic field.
Or…he could finally get serious.
Angelo glared. I promised Dad never to get that heated in a fight again. I became a knight to drop my charges and control my flames. But what's a promise worth if I'm dead? Knowing him, he'd say something about promises being a sacred oath. He sighed through his nose. Then again, I promised not to start any more fights.
He looked down at his feet. Scraping his soles across the ground, he created a few sparks.
"If you ever feel yourself getting heated in a fight, divide that fury into three judgments. If you feel like the last judgment most be invoked, then pray that Arceus forgives you."
Angelo smirked under his fur. "I don't need Arceus' forgiveness. At the end of the day, I'm protecting your ass from burning alive, too." He stood up and brushed himself off. "Sorry Dad, but it looks like I'll need to get a little more devilish—"
BZZT!
His ears shot up. The sound of crackling electricity tickled his sensitive hearing. He looked around, one foot raised, but saw no signs of the lizard in hiding. He focused his hearing, wondering if the magnetic menace was hiding outside the alley, but didn't sense the familiar whirs and beeps of his magnetic crew.
"What in the—"
BZZT! BZZT!
That's when Angelo looked down at himself. Pulling back his sleeve, he found his fur standing on end with cracklings sparks zipping along the cluster of hairs. He pulled back the tattered waist of his tunic and found more sparks surging up his body.
Realizing something was amiss, he pulled back on his collar and gazed upon his chest, finding an unusual mark branded onto him: a target symbol composed of electricity.
"What. The. Hell?"
The crackling intensified, and he noticed the sparks gravitating skyward. His ears perked up at the sound of clattering metal, and he turned his eyes up to find the source of the disturbance.
Oh. Shit.
Hovering above him, crackling with electricity, was a cluster of kitchen knives and daggers all pointing down at him. Hundreds upon hundreds of bladed tools locking onto his position, prepared to chase him down through the fiery streets or metal-flooded skies.
The fourteen-year-old Raboot didn't expect anything special walking home late at night. He had just returned from a friend's house, expecting a scolding from his mother. He had prepared all the excuses to alleviate her anger.
Instead, to his shock, a knight's carriage stood outside his house. Filled with panic, he raced toward the door and kicked it open, startling the Alolan Raticate knight in his living room. He ignored the knight and focused his attention on the trembling Cinderace seated on the couch, eyes covered in a soaked handkerchief as she shuddered and wept.
"Mom!" Angelo raced to her side and grabbed her arm. "Mom, what happened?! What's wrong?! Why are the knights here?!"
His mother partially removed the handkerchief to look at her son. His ears drooped from their bloodshot appearance and the tear stains marking her pristine white fur. "A-A-Angelo…" She couldn't control herself, throwing her arms around her son and holding him close. "Oh Angelo…!"
A dreadful chill shot up the Raboot's spine at the sign of a worrying thought. "W-Where's…Where's Dad?" He faced the somber knight, noting his own somber expression. "Where…is my dad?"
The rat knight closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Young man, your…your father was a victim of a violent mugging just an hour ago."
Angelo, as if stricken by a bolt of lightning from the wrathful gods, could only stare at the knight with a dreadfully blank expression. "W…What?"
Angelo had to force himself to go to the church nursing his father back to health. It felt strange walking into a place of holiness after a dreadful incident only heard days ago. He gulped and stepped warily down the church aisle, hands buried and fidgeting within his pockets.
At the front seating area, he saw the hunched Hitmonlee with his head down and body buried under a thick blanket. As Angelo treaded closer, he saw the hollow expression in his father's eyes, a lifeless stare unfamiliar to the teenager. He had never seen his father so empty and joyless, usually brimming with optimism in a house of holiness.
He took a seat by his father, struggling to find the right words to say. He gulped through his nervousness and asked, "D-Dad?"
His call jolted the Hitmonlee back to life. His gaze reignited with some light, lifting to gaze upon the statue of Arceus towering above the altar. Angelo noticed his father fidgeting with his hands under the blanket, and it seemed to bring pain as he did.
Seeing his father up close, he noted the bandages wrapped around him that hid the cuts and gashes he received. The cracks in his shell were prominent with a portion chipped out from the top of his head. Looking down at his springy legs, they were bound tightly in gauze to hide the slashes they took.
"D…Dad? Are you okay?" Angelo asked.
His father kept looking up at the statue of holiness staring down at them before closing his eyes and sighing. "He gave us free will so that we may fight our own battles. Relying on his power alone will not make us stronger. Then again, don't we all fight to suppress the devils that dance in our souls?"
Angelo grimaced. "Dad? You're going to be okay, right?"
"…According to the physicians, I will live another day." He opened his eyes and gazed gravely at the floor. "But death does not always mean the loss of life, Michelangelo. Sometimes we die in other ways. The parts of us that we give purpose to."
"I…I don't understand."
His father shrugged the blanket off and let it fall from his shoulders. Angelo gazed down, and his eyes widened in horror.
"D-Dad!"
The injuries he saw before paled in comparison to the state of his hands. They were bandaged tight to the point of excessive, yet they still soaked with blood. He could see the grooves of his fingers buried underneath the medical wrappings, and he could've sworn a couple of them were bent out of shape. The gauze continued up his arm, hiding the deep cuts littered across them. He could see his father trembling to keep them from shaking so much.
"The destruction of a sculptor's prized tools…means the death of their passion."
Angelo didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to respond. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. A swirling of emotions gathered in his chest, tightening with every breath he drew. He wanted to cry, yet he couldn't. He wanted to scream, but had no voice. He wanted to clench his fists in anger, but they remained open. His body, wrought with confusion, became completely paralyzed and stuck staring at the bloodied hands.
"Wh…Who?"
His father glanced wearily at his son. "Michelangelo?"
Something dark stirred in the teen's heart. A fire ignited in his heart, and darkness crept through his blank stare. He couldn't understand this feeling, but…
He wanted to explode into a raging inferno.
"Who…did this?"
"Hell Road!"
Angelo burst out onto the street and took off running as a swarm of flying knives, daggers, and other sharp instruments chased him down. The sparks crackling off his body grew wilder as the weaponry drew closer, drawn in by the delicious field of electricity.
Angelo growled. That bastard. He magnetized me! He looked around and saw that the sea of metal above wasn't being drawn down as he passed under. He charged me with a specific magnetic polarity that only draws in certain objects, probably anything he charged with an opposite polarity. Shit!
No matter how fast he ran, the knives continued to pick up speed. They matched and exceeded him, inching ever so closely by the second.
"Screw it!" Angelo leapt forward and sprung onto his hands. "Take this! Angel's Hellfire!" He released a flurry of heated kicks into the bladed weaponry, striking them down with such precision as to not accidentally stab his feet. The metal burst into molten scraps, their magnetic charge discharged, and clattered across the street.
"Impressive, hell spawn!" Angelo's eyes darted toward the sky and spotted the magnetic performer hovering above. He pulled out a cluster of knives and grinned. "But the audience won't be captivated with paltry performances like this!" He flung down the knife cluster.
Angelo flipped off his hands and dodged the knives, yet they locked onto his magnetic aura and chased him down with precise turning. "Heaven's Flame!" He kicked the air and blasted through the knives with a single shot.
However, three managed to slip through the smoke and landed their marks. Angelo tucked his arms behind his back and tried to kick the knives down, but one slipped through and stabbed him in the left side.
Ansaldo laughed. "A perfect shot!"
Angelo collapsed onto the street, growling through the pain as he stared at the knife imbedding into his torso. "Sh-Shit!"
"What a shame! Maybe if you bothered to use your arms, you could've saved yourself the trouble. After all, you seem to prefer kicking my ass." His smirk stretched. "It's almost like you'd rather die before letting anything happen to your arms."
Angelo snapped the knife off, leaving a portion of it to plug his wound, and stood up. He merely glared at the laughing lizard.
"Oh my gods, you actually are!" He bent over backwards and laughed. Even the Magneto Crew buzzed with amusement. "Oh, you are something, hell spawn. I admire the dedication to the arts. Respectable, even." He snapped his fingers and pulled down another cluster of bladed weapons from the metal-filled sky. "Just for that, I'll make sure your funeral has a sculpture made in your honor." With a flick of his wrist, the knives poured down from the sky.
Angelo stared down the raining blades unflinchingly. He shifted on his heels, producing sparks as a flame billowed inside his chest.
"First comes the first judgment of an angel. A second is passed as the angel falls." He kicked off the ground, launching toward the knives. "Second Judgment!"
A pale blue aura surrounded his legs before bursting his entire lower half into hot red flames.
"Angel's Hellfire: Providence Storm!" Aiming his legs toward the sky, he unleashed a furious flurry of kicks that extended with such intensity, flaming kicks launched like projectiles and shredded through the bladed rain.
Ansaldo quickly formed a metal barrier and staved off the projectile kicks. He winced, feeling each one striking with some mass and leaving smoldering footprints on the front. "What the—"
"Hell Road!" Once he touched the street, Angelo burst forth with great speed, surging like a red comet slicing across the sky. He ricocheted off the buildings, rising higher and higher before rocketing toward the magnetic performer. "The heat of my kicks…will melt your bones!"
Ansaldo called down a shower of scrap metal. "Dramatic much?!"
Angelo studied the path of the scrap metal and kicked off the raining debris, climbing it until he reached Ansaldo's level. The magnetic performer forged a barrier and blocked the infernal kick, though the barrier was pushed back and knocked him and his crew away.
"What the—" Ansaldo summoned a sheet of metal and landed on it while his crew recovered. "Did his kicks just get stronger?"
Angelo raced across the suspended metal and reared his foot back. "Heaven's Flame!" He kicked the air, launching a larger plasma shot that tore through the debris in its way.
Ansaldo leapt out of the way, his skin hissing just from the proximity of the heat. Not just his strength. The heat he's generating feels like it's getting hotter.
Big Boss hovered close to Ansaldo, scanning the fiery knight, before buzzing their observation.
Reversal? Ansaldo glared. He's overlapping Reversal with his moves. That…Second Judgment, he called it, is using Reversal's power to increase the flames. That means if I don't take him out in one shot, he'll just keep getting stronger!
"As much as I hate to rush a performance…Magneto Crew! Do everything in your power to keep him away from us!" he ordered. "Starlight Laser Circus!" The Magnemite buzzed with energy and fired six lasers at the knight.
Angelo growled. "Try this! Demon's Cloak!" Flames erupted off his body, coating his arms, ears, torso, and the lower half of his face in bright red flame. He sprung off the metallic sea and rammed his kick through one of the lasers, tearing through and ripping the remaining lasers curving toward him with a spinning kick. He leapt from the resulting explosion and soared toward Ansaldo.
"Don't forget, you're still under the influence of my magnetism!" Ansaldo raised his hand. "Magnetic Trap Wall!"
Angelo felt a force pulling him from behind. He was ripped away from his launch and thrown into a scrap wall with his arms and legs pinned down.
Ansaldo clenched his fingers, smashing scrap together to form giant spears. Four of the Magnemite positioned in front of a spear each. "Magnetic Repulsion Cannon!" They released a mass of magnetic energy and fired the spears like bullets.
"Demon's Cloak!" Angelo upped the flames surrounding him, burning the wall off his back. Once he burned through enough material, he leapt off, narrowly avoiding the high-speed spears. He kicked off floating debris and launched into a flying kick toward the magnetic group.
Ansaldo clapped his hands and summoned a sturdy wall, blocking the attack. However, to his shock, Angelo's heat burned through the wall in seconds with little effect on his momentum. He dodged before the knight pierced through, feeling the heat of the flames burning his skin. "Agh!"
Angelo landed on a floating barrel and extinguished all but his Second Judgment. His body hissed with smoke, patches of fur burnt from the technique. "This…is nothing."
Ansaldo floated back while Big Boss whispered to him. Flare Blitz and Flame Charge. It increased his speed and power tremendously. He glared. It seemed to do a number of him, too. Just how many techniques does he have?
After shaking off the pain, Angelo flipped backwards and kicked the air. "Heaven's Flame!"
With a clench of his fist, the magnetic lizard commanded scrap metal to surround and extinguish the speedy projectile. The exploding heat ruptured the scrap container and sent flaming fragments flying. "Starlight Cannon!" The Magnemite fired their lasers.
Angelo kicked off into the sky, avoiding the lasers, and fired Heaven's Flame with a bicycle kick. Ansaldo called upon more scrap and blocked the exploding fireball. With a wave of his hand, spiked balls constructed above him and rained down on the fiery knight.
"Devil's Kick!" Angelo launched into a powerful kick and smashed through the spiked balls in one shot. He bounced across the debris hanging above Ansaldo, climbing higher and higher into the sky.
"Now what?!" Ansaldo yelled.
Once the Raboot reached the zenith of the metal sky, he backflipped and reared one leg back, forming a flaming Electro Ball as the flames coating his legs burned brighter. "Seraph's Lightning!"
He kicked down on the Electro Ball, striking with such force that it instantly flashed across the sky and transformed into a wide bolt of lightning. It cracked down with speed incalculable to the untrained observer, striking those in its path faster than they could blink.
This was the realization Ansaldo came to as he and his Magneto Crew were instantly swallowed by the lightning bolt and screamed out in pain, feeling their bodies catch fire under the intense blue glow. Not a single one of them could react to the attack before it was launched. They were essentially statues to the fierce technique.
The lightning bolt came and went as fast as it was summoned, leaving the magnetic group paralyzed in pain. Regardless of their natural resistance to electricity, the attack torched their bodies which hissed with burning smoke.
Ansaldo clutched to a piece of floating metal and gasped through the wretched pain stirring through his body. "W…What kind of—"
His eyes widened to the familiar sound of crackling flames. He barely looked up in time to see the knight's fiery leg swinging at his face. He pushed through the excruciating pain and bent back, letting the attack sail over him. As it passed over his eyes, he noticed the charred fur behind the flames.
So, even that attack wrecks your body.
The Magneto Crew repositioned themselves as Angelo landed atop a burnt carriage. Ansaldo ripped off his tattered clothes and let the rain fall over his skin, healing off the damage little by little. "You're not getting a single one of those shots off again, hell spawn!"
Angelo glared. "You may have caught me off guard, but all you've done is give me more angles to attack from. I can break through whatever defenses you craft. This is nothing but old iron and scraps of wood being dragged along."
Ansaldo scoffed. "You forget who you're dealing with. A true performer keeps going through whatever adversity stands in his way!" He clapped his hands together, attracting the metal sky toward him. "I'll turn this entire city into my personal circus! Magnetic Sky Cannons!"
Metal squished and pressed together, forming into the shapes of giant cannons suspended above the magnetic performer. He whistled to his Magnemite, hopping onto Big Boss as all six magnetic Pokémon armed themselves within the scrap cannons. Electricity crackled within the constructs as even more metal funneled into the barrels.
Angelo's eyes widened. "Are you insane?! You're going to destroy the city!"
Ansaldo laughed. "What do you think we've been doing?! Take this! Magnetic Repulsion Cannon!"
Angelo quickly leapt out of the way as the six cannons fired down massive scrap cannonballs. He braced himself as they tore through the building directly under him, leveling it in an instant. The explosion of electricity reacted to the rainwater and splashed flames across the ruins and street, spreading through the untouched area.
"You're crazy!" Angelo yelled.
Ansaldo smirked. "Like I'm doing anything more than what already wasn't!" He funneled more scraps into his orbiting cannons. "This kingdom was tearing itself apart before we got here! What's your excuse?!" With a wave of his hands, the cannons fired their magnetically-launched cannonballs.
Angelo extended his leg right as the cannonball flew past him and kicked off. He flew around the shots as they decimated another portion of the capital. "I'll burn you to ash! Devil's Kick!" He thrusted his leg and launched himself toward the crew.
Ansaldo waved his arms around, commanding the scrap metal to circle him. "Magnetic Scrap Storm!" Arcs of electricity surged between the orbiting trash, encasing the performer in a charged cage.
Angelo slammed his kick into the debris before recoiling from the electrified surface. He kicked off back into the air and growled as he watched Ansaldo absorb the electricity and recharge himself. With a snap of his fingers, he aimed the cannons and fired into the sky.
Angelo amped his fiery legs and swung into one of the cannonballs, tearing it back down to molten scrap. He launched himself from the debris and over the electrified scrap cage. "Seraph's Lightning!"
Ansaldo immediately anticipated the attack and hovered out of the way before the bolt of lightning came crashing down. It tore through his protective cage and scattered his supply of metal. Angelo dove from the sky, leaping between falling debris, and sprung after the lizard. He swung for a kick, barely grazing the performer who inched back from range. He winced from the searing burn across his chest, but pushed through it.
"You're still under my magnetic influence!" Ansaldo expelled electricity from his frills and magnetically charged nails, hammers, saws, and under forms of construction equipment. Attracted to Angelo's opposite charge, they flew down after him.
Angelo kicked back and dodged the initial push, but braced himself as the tools came flying back around. He tore through as much as he could with his kicks, but the nails passed through his assault and stabbed across his body. One slashed across his cheek, and another punctured his ears. One nearly got him in the throat, barely saved by a quick head turn.
"Oh, you're not safe yet!" Angelo's eyes turned up and saw the giant scrap fist hovering above him. It swung down and clobbered him out of the metal sky.
"Demon's Cloak!" Angelo erupted with flames and braced for impact as he crashed through the street.
Ansaldo whistled and shouted, "Take him down! Magnetic Repulsion Cannon!" The six cannons hovered close and fired scrap cannonballs into the ruined street. It burst open, ripping the entirety of the street and the surrounding buildings to shreds. "Big Boss!"
The Magneton scanned the crater before beeping its find, which made the lizard growl.
"He's still alive?!"
Right on cue, Angelo burst out of the ground with the flames burning hotter off his legs. "Hell Road!" He drove his feet into the barely standing building, melting through stone, and raced up until he shot himself into the sky. "Heaven's Flame!" He spun and launched an even hotter plasma shot.
Ansaldo swung his hand and blocked the attack with scrap. He shielded himself behind a scrap wall against the resulting explosion, flinching as heated fragments of metal pummeled against his defense.
"Devil's Kick!" He gasped as the knight came crashing through his barrier with a burst of heat. He craned his neck and barely avoided the surging flames racing by him. When he spun around, he saw Angelo perched atop molten scrap before springing off. "Again! Devil's Kick!"
Ansaldo snatched a floating knife and flicked it with a repulsive push. "Polarity Assignment!"
The knife struck deep into the ruined street. It was wedged in tight, fighting against Angelo's own polarity until it pulled him out of the sky. He crashed down on top of the knife's blunt handle, which pressed into the knife shard in his stomach.
"GAAAAH!" he screamed.
Ansaldo clasped his hands together. "Magnetic Repulsion Cannon!"
Right before the technique fired, Angelo pressed his soles down and raced out from the crater. He braced for the explosion as soon as the cannonballs touched down, throwing him back in the electrified shockwave. His back slammed against stone debris, stunning him for a second.
"Magnetic Repulsion Bullet Storm!" Ansaldo drew in fragments of metal and fired them down.
Sensing the attack, Angelo bit through the pain and flipped onto his hands. "Angel's Hellfire: Providence Storm!" He launched a barrage of projectile, flaming kicks, tearing through the raining metal. Once nothing but molten scrap rained around him, he flipped back onto his feet and launched into the air.
"We've already played this game, hell spawn! You're going back down even if I have to turn this whole city into a crater! Magnetic Repulsion—"
Angelo, however, glared defiantly at the charging cannons. "Second Judgment: Blue Burst!" The flames reacted wildly to his Reversal, emanating with such power that the flames expelled into a brilliant and blinding blue. The tips of his ears erupted with blue flames, as did his tail.
Ansaldo gasped. "What the—"
"Devil's Kick!" Flames jettisoned from his soles, launching him faster into the sky. Streams of flame erupted from his blazing kick. With his shout roaring across the metal sky, he crashed into one of the orbiting cannons and tore through it in one strike. Blue flames ruptured through the hull, scattering their fiery remnants through the air.
Ansaldo buried himself under a barrier and watched the scrap rain around him before staring irritably at the flying Raboot. "You've got to be kidding me? How much hotter can those flames get?"
Big Boss beeped a worried reply.
"I get the point! We're doing everything we can to take this jackass down!" Ansaldo clenched his teeth. It's taking a massive amount of power to maintain my Starlight Imprisoning Stage over the city. If I drop it and let everyone escape, Itzal will kill me. If I wasn't so busy concentrating on that, I could've flattened this jerk ages ago.
Angelo landed on a stray carriage, his flames catching the soaked wood ablaze. Surrounding in his own blue flames, he rose and glared down the lizard. "Do you have the slightest idea how your actions will impact people's lives? Do you even care what happens?!"
Ansaldo growled. "Screw you! The only thing I have left is my stardom! Ringmaster Itzal gave me a purpose so that I may shine! I may not care about his stupid ritual, but he's the only thing in this world that gave me purpose again! I won't let you stop this!"
Though rage still flared in his heart, the knight couldn't help feeling a tinge of sympathy for the lizard. How long had he truly been working under the ringmaster's care? How young was he when he had grand dreams of stardom? How long did it take to twist such talent into a diabolical weapon?
He could've become someone truly talented if he never joined that circus. He's been brainwashed by whispers and promises of stardom. Angelo clenched his teeth. Manipulated by faith, seeing that freak as your purpose in life?
"The unfortunate truth of religion is that there's no one true account, often modified by interpretation or personal gain."
Angelo clenched his fists, the flames flaring up around him. "You need help."
Ansaldo smirked. "Help?! I've never felt better! This is the dream, hell spawn! A stage where everyone is forced to look upon my brilliance! As it was foretold by the stars, I am the brightest star!"
Angelo leapt from his perch, scorching the air as he soared toward the lizard. "Time to come back down to reality. Devil's Kick!" He spun himself around, launching into a blazing kick.
"Up, now!" Ansaldo and Big Boss darted higher up, avoiding the knight's superheated kick. The Heliolisk outstretched his hands and commanded the metal to gravitate toward him. Pieces clung to his body, building on top of each other. "Reality is for fools! I exist beyond reality!"
Angelo landed on a piece of metal that floated toward the magnetic storm. He hopped between debris and leapt onto a nearby roof. He watched all the metal collide into each other, bending and scraping as a rough shape formed out of the hodge-podge of material.
"Magnetic Charisma Idol!"
As the last of the material fused to the structure, it shaped into the rough appearance of a metallic Heliolisk. Sharpened claws, serrated and rusty teeth, frills made of streetlamps and twisted carriages, and two hollow eyes erupting with electricity. Sitting within the open maw of the construct was Ansaldo, puppeteering his monstrosity with electricity strings projecting from his fingers.
The Magneto Crew floated toward the structure and fused themselves into the hands, feet, chest, and head. Big Boss floated behind the Heliolisk, channeling electricity through the construct.
"Try burning through this!" Ansaldo yelled. He manipulated the arms and formed them into cannons. "Magnetic Repulsion Cannon!"
Angelo dashed off the roof, narrowly avoiding the electrified cannonballs as they once again leveled an entire building in one shot. "Hell Road!" Upon landing, he dashed off in a burst of blue, instantly racing around and leaping up the metal sky toward the construct's back. "Devil's Kick!" He sprung off a barrel and launched himself toward the metal monster's tail.
"Not this time! Starlight Spectral Laser Circus!" The construct spread its limbs out and unleashed dozens of electrical beams from its body, each one curving toward and targeting the flying Raboot.
Angelo pressed on and slammed his kick into the conjoining beams. Though locked in a brief struggle, his lack of ground allowed the beams to overpower and engulf him, blasting him through a roof and straight down to the bottom floor.
"Magnetic Repulsion Cannon!" Ansaldo turned his construct around and fired down on the building.
"Devil's Kick!"
Angelo rocketed up the way he came and hammered his leg into the cannonball. Though the top of the building exploded, he ripped through and ruptured the projectile into flaming scrap. He ascended the crumbling stone walls and leapt back into the air. "Seraph's Lightning!" Flaring up his flames, he kicked and fired the straight lightning bolt.
Ansaldo's construct couldn't avoid the attack, which ripped through the entire right side of its torso. However, the lizard pulled in more scrap and repaired the damaged area roughly to what it once was.
Angelo ran up an ascending staircase of scrap, firing off Heaven's Flames into the construct. Pieces were blown off, but Ansaldo just kept gathering scrap and fixing the damage. Even with all the metal he destroyed, there was still tons and tons littering the sky. It would take ages to wither through the lizard's seemingly limitless supply.
"Magnetic Repulsion Bullet Storm!" The construct raised its knuckles and fired scrap bullets from them.
"Demon's Cloak!" Leaping off a metal sign, he charged through the bullets completely enshrouded in flame. Once he got past the attack, he flipped into a dropkick and crashed into the metal monster's stomach with an explosion of blue.
Ansaldo staggered within his stage, but kept hold of the construct's form. "You're not ruining my show!" He swung the construct's arm and snatched the knight up.
Right as he prepared to throw Angelo into the street, the knight kicked his way out of the metal golem's hand, raining flaming scrap over it. It reacted to the volatile rain, setting parts of it ablaze.
Ansaldo backed off as fire crawled toward the golem's mouth. "Blow it away!" He clapped his hands and extinguished the flames with a magnetic pulse.
"Hell Road!" Digging into the metal golem, Angelo raced up to the chin and delivered a staggering kick, snapping its head back.
Ansaldo trembled and shook within his construct, pulling on the reins to keep it together. "Why you…!" He clasped his hands together. "I'll bury you alive!"
The throat opened into a second mouth, and chains burst out, grappling onto Angelo. Though they attempted to drag him in, the heat he gave off allowed him to melt through and tear himself loose. He kicked off the golem, backflipping through the air, and fired a Heaven's Flame into the maw.
Ansaldo brought down a barrier from the roof of the mouth, but was still blown back in the explosion. Metal arms extended out and cushioned him while also trying to extinguish the flames. He wiped some blood off his lip and threw his tattered hat off.
"I've had just about enough of the fire! Amplify his magnetic aura!"
Electric beams fired from the golem's eyes and blasted the falling Raboot. He felt no damage upon landing, but could sense something amiss from the crackling of his fur. "Oh no…"
Ansaldo stepped out from the maw and raised his hand to the sky. "Fire still needs air to burn! Let's see how long you can keep this up! Magnetic Polarity Aura!" Electricity burst from the golem's eyes and spread along the metal sky.
Angelo grimaced as the entirety of the metal sky began to turn in his direction. "What the…?"
Ansaldo raised his hand high up to the sky and clenched it. "Become crushed by the unstoppable force of magnetism! Magnetic Vortex Crush!"
Drawn by the Raboot's immense magnetic aura, the affected metal sky rained down toward him in droves. Everything in sight gravitated to him, from mere scraps to entire structures. A flood of metal joining together to crush all in its way.
"Hell Road!" Angelo burst from the rooftop and raced up the falling debris to get around it. For a moment, he seemed to get through the metal with little difficulty, destroying all he stepped across or kicked out of his way. He raced up to the metal golem, which itself was falling apart in his magnetic field. "Heaven's—"
However, he underestimated the severity of the magnetic field. For everything he kicked aside, dozens more followed after. Upon rearing his leg back, it stiffened as scrap slammed into his waist and folded around him. He tried to burn it off, but more and more metal collected around him, pressing around his legs faster than he could burn them off.
"H-Hey!" he shouted, trying to kick the metal off himself. He winced as a sign slammed into his back, and a streetlight crashed across his stomach, folding over his arms and pinned them down. With the slightest mistake, the wave of scrap came pouring in and drowning him under their immense numbers.
Ansaldo lifted his hand, commanding the compressed ball of scrap to rise up into the sky with more debris following after. "Your newfound magnetic field will pull in metal stronger than ever before. You'll be crushed under the weight even if you try burning your way out of the center." He smirked. "That's what it means to be the center of attention. You've got to be able to handle the weight of expectation!"
"YOU—" Angelo's shouts were soon muffled as scrap buried his head along with the rest of his body.
All of the metallic sky gravitated into the scrap mass, pressing and bending around the sphere and gaining size by the second. More and more joining across the surface, creating something akin to an artificial moon made out of trash. Streams upon streams of metallic objects that were spread out across the capital flowed into the ball of metal like rivers converging on a lake.
The last of his metal golem fell apart, leaving only him and the Magneto Crew to watch their efforts unfold. Ansaldo leaned back and laughed with joy. "No one will be able to deny my stardom! I'll burn the brightest across the sky, and everyone will know my name! This is true art! My creation and brilliance given shape! I shall shine brightest across Virdis!"
Big Boss beeped something to Ansaldo, making him smirk wider.
"I suppose we can't leave it up to chance." He snapped his fingers.
The Magnemite surrounded him and locked onto the center of the growing scrap ball. Their pupils shrank as they syphoned off Ansaldo's energy and channeled their attacks.
Ansaldo pointed toward the scrap ball and shouted, "The age of kings is over! Through Ringmaster Itzal's vision, we'll set this land ablaze and be adored by the masses as their final memories of life shall be me! If there is an afterlife to speak of, my name will be remembered for all eternity! I won't become a memory from the slums of the Outlands! I'll make sure everyone remembers my name!"
The Magnemite finished charging their attacks and readied on the lizard's command.
"We're going to erase the corruption of this world and bring smiles to everyone! You can die with the rest of the corruption your kind wrought, hell spawn! Now, finish this! Starlight Laser—"
BOOM!
Ansaldo and the Magneto Crew jolted at the sound of an uproarious explosion coming from above. They turned their eyes up and gasped as a streak of scarlet flame had erupted into the airspace and…
And pierced through his Starlight Imprisoning Stage!
"WHAT?!" Ansaldo yelled. "What the hell happened?! That's the Scarlet Flame! Why did it destroy my dome?!"
Big Boss zoomed in on the streaking flames shooting out from the capital. Its eye shrunk in alarm, beeping frantically.
Ansaldo's eyes widened. "Wait…who did what?! You're joking, right? Don't tell me…that monster is here!"
Big Boss beeped a solemn response, which made the lizard's teeth chatter.
Don't tell me the rumors are true. The…The God of Destruction walks among us?!
Buried deep within the collecting scrap, Angelo did all he could to keep the tight walls from crushing him. More and more pressure built up on the outer layers of the sphere, putting more weight on his legs and back. The space was so tightly packed that his flames were burning through his limited oxygen supply, making him feel lightheaded.
He's tough. Their teamwork is extraordinary. He glared, unbothered by the depleting and smoky air. That ringmaster…how many of his subordinates were manipulated and used to see to his selfish goals? Do they have dreams of their own? Ones uncorrupted by his influence?
The more he thought about the ringmaster, the more his heart burned. He clenched his teeth, seething with smoke.
I don't care what faith someone believes in, but I…I will not let this debauchery go unpunished. Divine…punishment!
His blue flames flickered wildly as a red glow enveloped his body.
When the angel has fallen below and descended into the pits of the underworld, the second judgment is passed. Come forth, Last Judgment!
The nights were cruel in Echo Bell, even if the people tried their best to ignore the obvious. With laws limited and authority not enforced at night, crime was so much easier to commit. It made the streets a dangerous place to explore.
"AAHH!" A Dragonair who let the time slip by her slithered hurriedly through the streets as a rowdy gang of thugs chased her down. Try as she might to escape their clutches, a Ferrothorn got the jump on her, catching her in his vines. She collapsed onto the street with tears running down her face.
"(N-No…s-stop…!)" the Dragonair whimpered.
An Ivysaur and Croconaw followed behind with malicious glee glinting off their eyes. The Ivysaur tutted at the cowering dragon as he walked around her. "(Naughty, naughty. You should've known to pay our toll when we asked. It's so dangerous out, young lady. You could get hurt.)"
The Croconaw cracked his knuckles. "(We couldn't imagine a young lady like your getting hurt out here. It's just a generous fee to keep you safe from the true scum.)"
The Dragonair shook and trembled, but the Ferrothorn tightened his hold over her. "(N-No! I know what you people do! I've heard what you've done to those who don't comply! P-Please, let me go—)"
"(SHUT UP!)" He kicked her across the head and stomped down on her. "(You've wasted enough of our time running after you. We expect payment now, or you'll have to…pay.)"
Her tears flooded down her bloodied face. "(M-May Arceus…smite you cretins…)"
Ivysaur smirked. "(Oh, that's cute. Hey, look, she's invoking Arceus' name. Look out for his divine wrath!)" He threw his head back and laughed.
Ferrothorn hissed. "(You can keep the fairy tales to yourself, lass. This is reality.)"
Croconaw scoffed. "(That's everything wrong with this capital, holding onto faith and dreams like they mean anything.)" He stomped down on the serpent dragon's back, causing her to cough and scream. "(You're just like that last chump we roughed up! Praying and all that garbage! He kept praying even after we busted up his hands! Talk about pathetic! Wasting your time with faith when this entire kingdom has no faith to give—)"
"(So…you're the ones who attacked Luca Carlevaro.)"
The thugs lifted their heads and gazed up toward the direction of the voice. Standing atop a high building before the radiant moonlight was a young Raboot whose eyes were as dark as a moonless night. Though his posture seemed relaxed, the flames generating off his feet burned hot and just as radiantly as the moon.
The young teen narrowed his eyes. "(You're the ones who killed him.)"
Ivysaur glared. "(Killed him? I thought that loon survived. What is he talking about?)"
Croconaw ignored his friend's question and smirked up at the Raboot. "(Aww, now isn't that precious? The brave little man's come to avenge his papa. They do get bolder, don't they? Run along, kid. This is no place for a child.)"
Angelo's stare narrowed deeper. "(You said something about Arceus being a fairy tale. Well…I've got bad news for you. He sent me to burn your souls to eternal damnation. This…is divine punishment.)"
Croconaw threw his head back and laughed. "(Divine punishment? Oh good, another one. Listen kid, take your fantasy roleplaying somewhere else. I'm not afraid to crack a brat's skull…)" However, when he looked back up, the teen was gone. "(…open? Heh, he turned and ran already? What a wimp.)"
However, as he looked back at his friends and the Dragonair, their eyes were turned up to the sky with horrified expressions that confused the croc.
"(Hey, what's the matter with you—)"
A flash of red came crashing down on the croc's skull and buried his face into the street. The ground ruptured with heat, blowing the thugs and the Dragonair back in the shockwave. While the thugs slammed into a building, the Dragonair picked herself up and slithered off screaming for help.
Ivysaur and Ferrothorn pulled themselves together and gawked at the state of their friend.
The entire left side of his skull was caved in and burnt to a crisp under the teenager's heel. He lay within a puddle of molten rock that further burned at his skin despite having a clear type resistance. They couldn't tell if he was alive or not, unable to hear groans over the crackling heat coming off the Raboot's legs.
Angelo smashed his foot down on the Croconaw's head one more time, burying him deeper, before stepping towards the cowering thugs who hugged each other in fear. "(W-Wait! Hold on!)" Ferrothorn yelled.
"(W-We were just goofing around! We didn't mean any—)" Ivysaur tried to reason, but it was too late.
Angelo leapt ahead with flames erupting off his legs. The thugs could only watch as he stopped on his foot and swung the burning kick towards their paralyzed bodies, forever scarred by the two soft words that pierced over the crackling heat.
"(Divine…punishment.)"
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOOOOM!
Ansaldo and the Magneto Crew, their attention locked on the crumbling electric dome, spun around at the explosions blaring from within the compressed scrap sphere. Smoke blew out, shooting heated scraps out with flames hissing from the holes.
The lizard's eyes widened. "No. That's impossible! How is he still—"
The top of the sphere glowed red as heat built up underneath, expanding the surface like a bubble and melting the scraps into molten film. Ripples of internal impacts struck the inside of the molten metal, beating it higher and higher before rupturing in a glorious explosion of molten red.
A column of fire burst out from the sphere, rising high up in the clouds. Ansaldo squinted and made out the shape of Angelo within the flames. The outer flames burned blue while he himself was surrounded in a red-hot aura.
Big Boss blared in alarm.
"Is that…Blaze?!" Ansaldo gasped.
Upon reaching the zenith of his ascent, Angelo spun through the air and gathered all the flames into himself, condensing them around his body like a layer of armor. The mix of red and blue twisted together, sparks of purple flashing off each other.
By finely overlaying the power of Blaze over my Reversal, combined with the heat of my Blaze Kick and Flare Blitz, I'll produce a flame…that'll even burn a god!
Angelo finished spinning and, with a kick of his legs, ignited the mixed flames into a vibrant and wild purple. They flared off his legs with the intensity of a Typhlosion's mane. The tail and tips of his ears burst with purple flames, erupting like a serpent's tail and horns.
"Last Judgment!" Angelo landed on a piece of debris that was blasted up with him and launched off, soaring back down the scrap sphere.
Ansaldo growled. "Oh, what does it matter? I'll crush you all the same!" He waved his hand and sent droves of fragmented metal at the diving Raboot.
Angelo spun and weaved through the storm of metal, hopping between attacks and sliding down the side of the scrap sphere. Sharpened poles and bladed signs whizzed through the air, missing by mere centimeters as Angelo launched himself toward Ansaldo.
"Devil's Kick!" He extended his foot, bursting with wildfire.
Ansaldo was barely able to avoid the whole of the kick, but he wasn't unscathed. Even by just passing his side, Angelo's kick scorched the right side of his body with searing purple heat hissing off his skin.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ansaldo collapsed onto his back, held up only by his crew, as he squirmed and screamed in agony. The heat was far too much, worse than any pain he had ever experience. It went deeper than the skin, burning all the way down to his bones. It felt as if his liver caught fire and was burning into molten liquid.
What the hell?! AGH! Not even the rain's soothing it! AGH, it hurts! It's burning! How can one kick do that?!
Angelo spun through the air before landing on a roof, burning a trail as he stopped. Immediately after catching himself, he launched back after Ansaldo. "Devil's Kick!"
Withholding his internal screaming, Ansaldo picked himself up and shouted, "Starlight…Spectral…LASER CIRCUS!" His Magnemite poured all they could into their shots and fired upon the flying Raboot with a myriad of arching beams.
Undeterred, Angelo pressed on and slammed his kick into one of the beams, splitting it in two. As more beams arched around, he flipped around the sparkling explosion and landed on one of the beams, sliding across it like a railing. He kicked off and let the beams blast through each other, hopping back and forth and forcibly guiding the beams into destroying themselves.
Ansaldo tried pulling down another torrent of metal, but Angelo was too quick. He reached their space and slammed his foot across one of the Magnemite. It erupted in flames and flew straight into a building like a ballistic cannonball.
"NO!" Ansaldo yelled.
Angelo darted past the lizard, kicking off the raining metal, and struck another Magnemite from behind. One tried to blast him with Starlight Cannon, but he caught the burning Magnemite on his foot and shot it back like a flaming ball, pinging it accurately off its allies and sending them streaking in glorious flames.
"My crew!" Ansaldo yelled. He flinched at the horrific sound of grating metal and looked up. With his crew knocked out of formation, their magnetic influence waned and caused the suspended metal sky to come crashing down. He clung to Big Boss who maneuvered around the raining debris.
Angelo hopped between the debris and launched himself after Ansaldo. "Devil's—"
Ansaldo used the last of his magnetic power to smack Angelo away with a street sign. "Big Boss, get us—" However, a stove crashed down on the duo and knocked them out of the sky, crashing into the street where junk piled around them.
Angelo spun through the air and bounced off opposing buildings, landing safely in the street. He glared down Ansaldo's crash site and bolted straight toward him, kicking up a colossal purple inferno behind him.
Ansaldo picked himself up and screamed, "Big Boss, DO SOMETHING!"
The Magneton beeped wildly, charging up silverly light, and fired a massive Flash Cannon down the road. The scattered scrap littering the streets gravitated toward the beam and merged with it, transforming into a glowing scrap beam.
Angelo scowled. "You want to burn like a star so badly?!" He sprung forth into leaping flips before catapulting off his hands and soaring toward the approaching attack. "They say that stars that burn brightest…burn out the fastest! Let me show you what it means to burnout!"
The two opposing forces met halfway. Angelo extended his foot and crashed into the empowered Flash Cannon. Their colliding power sent ripples across the destroyed street, shattering stone and windows alike while spreading Angelo's flames across the contaminated streets.
"You can do it, Big Boss! I believe in you!" Ansaldo yelled.
Wild beeping followed, but not by Big Boss. Ansaldo gasped as his crew, scorched and partially melted, forced themselves to fly to his side and fired their own Flash Cannons into the Magneton's, combining their power.
Ansaldo clenched his fists and grinned. "That's right! My crew…will not falter!" He extended his electricity into them, transforming the metal-shrouded Flash Cannon into an electrified blast. "We stand and fight to the end!"
Angelo felt the increase in power slamming into him, but he, too, refused to falter. Though their friendship was grand and palpable, his duty as a knight overshadowed any opposition in his way. Laced with growing fury, Angelo slammed his kicks across the empowered beam and dug his way deeper and deeper through it.
"You…won't…WIN!"
He kicked off the beam for a brief second, digging his heels through the street, and launched forward with even greater force. Before the beam could pick up momentum, Angelo slammed the full force of his flames into it and pierced through the Flash Cannon, shattering it and its scrap shroud.
Ansaldo and his crew recoiled in horror at the speeding Raboot. Acting fast, his crew gathered in front of their leader and forged together all the scrap they could into a protective barrier. Ansaldo embraced his crew and clenched his eyes shut.
"BLAST AWAY, YOU GENOCIDAL SCUM!"
However, it was all in vain. Angelo slammed his foot into the barrier and instantly destroyed it. Passing through the metal, he kicked into the huddled group and set them ablaze in a glorious wildfire that engulfed the street in its all-encompassing fury.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Ansaldo and his crew screamed within the flames.
Angelo dragged them through the streets, burning them alive, and pushed them through the waking infernos rupturing ahead. They skidded through stone, concrete, and all matter of debris in their devastation of the capital with only a wall of purple flame bursting over the rooftops a sign of the battle's outcome.
Reaching the end of their path, Angelo smashed his foot across the group and sent them flying through a building. They crashed through and smashed into the inner-city canals with an eruption of steam exploding out from the crash.
Angelo skidded his heels across the ground until he came to a stop in front of the canals. He panted softly, flames still crackling off him, and gazed upon the defeated group. The magnetic Pokémon, through the heat and rapidly cooling of the water, ensnared Ansaldo within their fused, melted bodies. The Heliolisk himself hung limply in their hold, his body burnt to a crisp with remnants of the purple heat festering off him. An aura of smoke hissed off them.
Angelo breathed a sigh of relief and stamped his feet down, extinguishing the flames off his legs. Severe damage was left in their places with his legs from his knees to his feet also charred from utilizing his last resort technique.
"Art…is an expression of one's dreams and frustrations," he whispered. "Don't use it…as an excuse to act like assholes."
He stumbled back on his heels and collapsed against a wall, fatigue setting itself in. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, staring up at the dome-free sky and contaminated rain clouds. He didn't like the city's chances of getting by unscathed by morning, but for now…he stomped out one problem for the night.
His thoughts turned back to his friend, his involvement in the ensuing chaos still unknown to him. He worried for Asterio. Not for his ability to survive, but for his ability to harm. Angelo didn't like the harm he himself was capable of, and he didn't want Asterio to lose himself further than he was now.
My father made peace with his loss years ago. If there was a time…to pray for a miracle, I'd give anything for Asterio to find some shred of happiness in his life again. Until that day comes, I'll gladly…become a devil that'll serve him.