Chapter 113:

Predators

Pokémon List:

Luna (Kirlia)

Fay (Riolu)

Midna (Zorua)

In theory my plan was very solid. Flamera was famous, everyone here knew her. So if I partnered up with her then I would also be on everyone's radar. And considering how my Hunter should easily be able to trace the two of us, and be able to rule out Flamera being his target, I thought the deduction that I was the only possible Prey for him to go after wouldn't be far-fetched. If he showed up, I would command Charizard while Flamera would stay back. Trick the Hunter into grabbing Charizard's Tattletail, which would mean an instant loss, and impress everyone present. I would be one step closer to knighthood, wouldn't have to spend all day hiding and running and most important of all. I would look really clever. Brownie points and all that.

What I didn't account for were a few factors. One of them was my Hunter not being as smart as I thought he would be. Heck, for all I know some random 14 year old with his mom's Pidgey could have been assigned to hunt me down.

But I prepared for the worst scenario. And maybe, that had been a mistake. There was still no movement on my Hunter's side. Things went swimmingly for me. I was a free man. Having the day of my life and victory was less than an hour away.

And if my Hunter was too stupid to catch me, than I'd win by default.

This however, felt rather lame. Man, I had it all planned out. It would've been so cool. But that goes to show that even the best laid plans don't always work out like you think.

Still, it bothered me more than just the level of pride. Assuming my Hunter could read general directions, he should have been able to trace me at least somewhat. Yet, no sign of the Hunter.

Both Flamera and I received a notification at the same time. I already knew what it was so I didn't bother to look. Flamera took a quick look at her phone, before facing westwards where the outskirts of Alamos Town lay.

She put away the phone with a satisfied look. She stirred the contents of her glass. A colorful substance inside swirled. Thoughtful, Flamera watched the colors blue and red mingle. A storm inside a bottle. Eternal Heaven was the name of the drink. We got one for free from one of the local restaurants. Considering I didn't want to be drunk at all during the entire duration of the event I subtly fed it to a plant. Flamera did drink from it with small sips. And when no one was looking she watered the flora as well. She only kept the bottom around to play with it.

If you didn't know any better I would say I was on a casual date. Strolling around town and enjoying the local life. Which under normal circumstances would just be nice, but I couldn't afford to let my attention slip too much.

"I think we should start heading towards my prey," Flamera admitted. We came to a halt in front of a Fountain. "At this rate I'm worried your fearful predator has gotten a heart attack or something."

"I know, it's embarrassing." I admitted.

Flamera looked around her, subtly scanning the area. Not much to be seen. We found ourselves in a grassy area with few trees and the only building in sight being torn down eons ago.

Ruins of ancient walls stuck out of the ground like a ribcage. You couldn't see what it was once supposed to be, but all the broken walls, pillars and doorways almost gave you enough of an image to see it.

We could overlook the steep cliff at the end of the plateau from here. It was truly a marvelous sight to behold. A patchwork of land, cities and the sea shimmered underneath us like a blanket. It was a peaceful place.

Flamera looked at the statue. It was a depiction of the Sinnoh Knight. I suspected it was new because the white chiseled stone didn't show any cracks or damage yet.

The Sinnoh Knight wore very distinctive looking armor, with it underneath chainmail and heavy boots. In its left hand was a stone replica of the sword I had held. Heartbreaker was ingrained on the side of its blade. The knight was positioned so it would overlook the cliff forever. The Knight pointed the sword at the ground, and had their hand extended out as a horizon. The palm was open, as if a greeting was extended to the setting sun. Underneath the statue was a plague that read:

Here lies the Sinnoh Knight.

"Forever, and even after that. I will keep fighting for you."

I found the entire place to be rather saddening. I don't know, it felt as if I was standing on a burial ground. As if I wasn't meant to be here.

I gave Fay one look. She was still at Flamera's side but she answered my silent question with an equally silent answer.

There was no special Aura around this place. This place was as dead as the past it represented.

Flamera held the glass, with a contemplative look. She raised it to the statue as if to do a "cheers" before she dropped her glass in the water. Glass and all, the contents quickly spread throughout the water. Red tendrils spread like blood in the water, while blue colored smoke danced alongside it. Giving the statue a poisonous look. The glass shattered upon impact. But likewise, it was hard to find which shards sunk to the bottom and which stayed afloat.

"Huh, didn't think that desecrating a monument would be on my way to knighthood." I joked.

Charizard sent the woman a concerned look. But Flamera didn't pay much attention to her dragon. Instead she looked up at the statue with a glare.

"It's a dumb tourist scam. The hero is not buried. There are several myths about the hero's whereabouts but none of them end up with the knight being buried here. The earth here is empty."

"Then why is-" I asked. But then I understood it. Funny how humanity did the same practice across universes. Monetizing the death of a historical figure. Man, you could make a religion out of that. "Oh, I see. Money."

"And considering I built this," a small smile played on her lips. "I feel free to declare this my personal dump."

I started to wonder how Flamera got her votes. She saw the confusion on my face and gave me a smile. "I'm kidding of course," she giggled. "Sorry, that was rather unprofessional."

Fay gave Flamera a weird look. It was probably a similar one to mine. As if she couldn't believe she was mayor of this town either.

"My lips are sealed." I winked.

Flamera looked away from the statue. Her eyes darted across the sunset. The sun was touching the horizon for the first time since this morning.

Ping Ping Ping

Wait three?

Suddenly the sun was eclipsed by a large black shape. I stared. Wondering if I was tripping again. But no, in front of the sun was a dragon shaped shadow. The gears started turning inside my head.

Fay reacted the fastest. A blue shell formed around her. Catching both Flamera and herself inside a bubble of glowing light.

Just at the right time. The shadow dispersed from the sun and shot forward in a blur. It flew past the bubble and only scratched it, which caused a flash.

The shadow manifested on the other side of the park. Hovering above the ground.

It was a Dragonite. A truly large creature that was bigger than Charizard. A green ribbon was tied to its front paw.

I recognized that particular Dragonite. And the girl riding on its back. Her long blond hair wavered free in the wind, a spitting image of a classic knight, not unlike the statue underneath her. She had a gracious smile as well. A set of white teeth and a face to match. The only things were the eyes. Her eyes had this temperamental anger to them.

Alexandria Strike. I recalled what Sabrina told me about her. She couldn't beat the Champion and in a race for fame, she joined the next best thing. The Hunt.

I was a little surprised she was here. As our eyes met for a brief second I saw she was surprised as well. Not that it mattered.

Guess I now knew who Flamera's Prey had been. Talking about getting the short end of the stick.

Before anything could be said, Alexandria flew forward again, steering the Dragonite to strike just past Flamera and Fay.

"Riolu, Quick Attack!" Flamera gave Riolu an uncertain look. She brushed an orange colored hair lock out off her face and answered Alexandria's glare with a challenge of her own.

The Riolu sped towards the Dragonite which was surprising to me. I wouldn't have done that. A blast of silver escaped from the dragon's mouth that shot past Fay and off to the horizon. Fay disappeared in a blur and reappeared in front of the pair. But they already flew up. Dodging the strike. "Vacuum wave!"

The projectile shot straight up into the dragon's ass, or it would have, if it didn't slam the orb away with a swing of its tail the split second before it arrives. A small blue explosion clouded the air.

"Charizard, clear the air!" I ordered once the realization that the tables had been turned against Flamera sunk in.

A beautiful wave of flames escaped from Charizard's throat. Raining tiny flames and ash in the sky above Dragonite. The dragon swept to the left to avoid a ray of light following its path.

Well, the constant barrage of widespread, literal, fire would hopefully keep it grounded for Charizard to get the Tattletail. After all, that was the game. Not making the enemy faint or flee. To take the tail.

Something was off however. I had a sick feeling in my stomach that we'd been played. But what exactly happened? It was 2 vs 1 and both me and Alexandria could stall theoretically until the sun went under.

How did Alexandria find us? Flamera was the Hunter, she'd receive the locations of her Prey. But somehow, she figured out Flamera was her Hunter and decided to sneak up on us instead.

Alexandria flew across the ground. The Dragonite's belly practically hugged the blades of grass underneath it. I absentmindedly gave Charizard another order while Flamera encouraged Fay.

Something was missing. How did Alexandria Strike figure out who her Hunter was. That was practically impossible since Flamera hadn't made any move towards her in the first place.

I gasped as it hit me. A thousand curses I wanted to shout at that moment were all swallowed. Instead I spat out the following order. "Spray fire around you!"

Charizard gave me a weird look but the urgency in my voice was enough to convince it. The straight beam of fire that had been trailing behind Dragonite turned into a spray of thin flames that escaped Charizard's breath. It gathered and spread around it like moisture released from a water spray.

A Pokémon shimmered into existence as a layer of flames clung to its shape. Only a meter away from us, floating above the ground was an Alakazam.

I hadn't seen them before, and at this point I was glad I hadn't. The creature, especially up this close, was terrifying. The eyes, the way its hand clutched the spoon. The yellow fur and armored parts of his body.

And his purple glowing hand reached out towards me.

A wing blocked the hand's path and pushed the Alakazam back with sheer force. Charizard stood in front of me and growled threateningly. The Alakazam floated back a little, creating more space between us.

Behind Alakazam a guy casually strolled towards Charizard and I. He was around my age.

His hands were dug into the pockets of his jeans. He wore a flimsy t-shirt and had short cut silver hair. A predatory teeth filled smile greeted me. "Sorry, but I thought it would be much more fun if I brought a player 2 as well."

Flamera looked at the man. And I could see the emotions in her face shift. From surprise, to confusion, to what surprised me the most: Burning rage.

"You read her mind," I concluded, saying out loud what was already clear. "Or your Alakazam did."

It all made sense. And I had to admit. When the pieces fell in place, the final picture was beautiful. The trap Flamera and I had laid had been turned against us.

I was correct in assuming that my Hunter would figure out who his Prey was. He had seen me team up with Flamera and knew I was expecting him. That's why that dick took so long to show up. He had spent the afternoon tracking Flamera's target to join him in a counter sneak attack.

Brilliant. I wanted to applaud him, if it wasn't for the fact I was furious as well.

Reading minds. That's how he'd figure out who Flamera's target was. An underhand strategy.

"Riolu," Flamera said, her voice cold. "Aura sphere him."

Riolu hesitated and her eyes shot between me and her fake trainer.

"Alakazam, I mean." Flamera added.

I was getting confused. She was going after my target. And even though we switched Pokémon, for the sake of pretending-

Wait, they still hadn't figured out that we switched Pokémon! Otherwise, Alexandria would have gone for Charizard, instead of bothering with Riolu. The Alakazam didn't dig that deep.

"Charizard, grab the Tattletail." I ordered at the same time, pointing at Alakazam.

So this was it. We adapt.

Alexandria and her Dragonite sped towards Fay, ready to grab the Tattletail while she was distracted. Dragonite's hand reached out, claws stretched wide to grab the prize.

A smirk crossed Flamera's face. We had almost won. The moment Flamera's target took Fay's ribbon she would lose automatically. And if Alakazam took Charizard's tail, my Hunter would also lose.

Under the light of the setting sun I almost let out a sigh of relief as the plan we had built up, didn't end in a catastrophe. Yes, our respective enemies found us, before we found them. But it didn't matter.

I watched as the claws closed around Fay's ribbon.

But they didn't close completely. Instead they were pried open by an invisible force. Both the dragon and its rider were swatted away from Fay.

She turned around in surprise. She saw the Dragonite look at the Alakazam in confusion.

"What the fuck?" Alexandria shouted, "I almost had it."

Alakazam's eyes were glowing with purple energy. The same Luna had. But much more erratic and powerful. I could feel the air charging up with energy.

"No," The silver haired Hunter said. He pointed at Charizard. "These two swapped targets."

I fucking hate Psychics.

A wave of surprise washed over Alexandria before she narrowed her eyes at me. "This was your idea!" I felt honored that she immediately thought it was my idea, even though we barely knew each other. Goes to show my reputation precedes me.

"Let's swap." I told Flamera. She briefly looked at me and gave me a quick nod.

"Charizard," Flamera ordered.

"Fay," I said at the same time.

"Flare Blitz." Flamera shouted. Wait what?

"Heaven Strike!" I said, feeling slightly worried. What was Flamera's plan? I'm sure that attack was against the rules, and wouldn't be useful for getting the Tattletail.

Fay's attack was quicker because it was much simpler. A Vacuum wave was aimed at the ground in front of them and exploded. Despite hitting no target an explosion followed. Dark blue fog and black smoke blended together into a wall of fog.

Both dragon Pokémon flew up, hovering about the fog. Alakazam joined them in the air. Leaving only the sneaky Fay grounded, hidden by her own Aura.

Flames gathered around Charizard's skin in a build up to the Flare Blitz. "The Tattletail is attached to Charizard's tail." my Hunter informed Alexandria.

"I know," she muttered back.

"Your Pokémon is cowering in the fog?" The Hunter mocked. "Too scared to come out?" He asked with a mocking grin.

"Yeah you got us cornered." I admitted.

"Dust?" Flamera asked hesitantly.

"Up!" Alexandria suddenly shouted before Charizard slammed into the both of them. I cursed as Alakazam looked up to the skies, way before he was supposed to.

The aura construct inside Fay's hands was barely even finished constructing when a Confusion was fired straight up.

It caught Fay midair and the Aura weapon shattered. She crashed down and hit the ground. The smoke dispersed upon impact. I flinched. She had never done that drop without her weapon to balance herself.

Riolu lay on the ground. Her body was not yet broken somehow. But there was blood. Red liquid dripped down from her head. I didn't know how much it was, or if it was bad but I knew Fay was done for this match and needed treatment. I immediately pulled out my Pokéball to recall her. To forfeit the match.

"No!" Fay struggled. She got to her feet, the pain she was feeling was evident on her face. Despite this, the small creature still managed to stand and face down Alakazam.

The Psychic floated down to reach Fay's headband.

"Orders, Dust?" Fay asked. Her voice was broken, but it still held that fierce determination.

I didn't say anything.

"Dust!" Fay didn't look back but I could practically see the emotions on her face. "We can't give up. For Knighthood, right?"

"Get back," I ordered. My mind was racing to find a possible solution.

"We can't give up-" Fay argued. Why did she value this game so much? No, that wasn't important. She valued the game, so should I.

"Trust me," I added. Fay's posture softened. She limped back towards me. Alakazam floated after her. Within reach, but not striking yet. If I had to guess he was too entertained to take action.

Fay came to a stop in front of me. She was…well, she had seen better days. But so far all the blood was coming out of her left ear. A cut was made there. I didn't think it was bad, or something a Pokémon Center couldn't heal. Still, Fay was done for today. 100%.

"It's okay," I knelt down in front of her and patted her on the head. "You won for us today."

Her eyes turned bright. "I will take it from here."

I rose to my full height to look at the Hunter and his Alakazam. They took great pleasure in what was happening. Behind me the sun was close to setting. A dark shadow was cast across everything. Warping the smallest objects into long spikes and mountains.

"What's your name?" I asked the silver haired Hunter.

"You can call me Gray, short for Grayson," he said. "Be sure to remember that name. You're going to hear it a lot in the future." He added that with a confident smile.

"No, I don't think I have to remember your name at all." I said.

His expression changed. "What?"

"I mean, I will just remember you as the guy who stood in my way to Knighthood, and got eliminated."

"You're blind?" He asked, his voice rose.

"Sorry, what's your name again?" I asked. I made sure I didn't slow down. "I think I forgot. But I guess it wasn't all that important. After all, I'm going to win."

The guy frowned. "What?"

"Oh, I got a plan to take you down. My Pokémon and I will stand victorious at the end of the day."

"You are bluffing."

"Am I?" I asked, flashing my dirtiest smile. "You witnessed my plans and turned them against me. But didn't you think I didn't expect this outcome as well?"

I smirked. Maintaining eye contact. "I could have waited and stalled you. But I wanted to beat you utterly."

Doubt started to creep in. I could feel it, the doubt was eating away at his ego. "Fine, show me your plans!"

He pointed at me. And Alakazam's eyes lit up with purple energy.

Bingo.

Immediately Alakazam scrunched his eyes and clutched his head in pain.

I stepped forward, Alakazam opened his eyes. Confusion and abject horror written in his eyes. A strange combination. But I suppose meeting a blindspot does that to a person. Thanks Sabrina.

I flung a handful of sand and dirt I just picked up into Alakazam's eyes.

"Kazam!" He cursed and reached for his eyes. A wave of energy was unleashed from his being but it washed past me.

I took another step closer and my fingers closed around the Tattletail tied to his hand. I jerked it free and with a snap, the ribbon came loose.

Ping

Behind me, the sun fell under the horizon.

A/N I just realized my fic is in the top 5 now. Look mom, I made it. Also, I thought it would be hilarious if I, all of a sudden, updated quite fast after the last update. So yeah, this is the joke that took me about 6 hours. WHO'S LAUGHING NOW!

Also, according to Youtube statistics, only about 1% of my readers are actually favoriting and following my story. Also there's a glitch going around that causes people to unsubscribe…just saying…

So, please Favorite and all. I want to take the #4 spot on the list.

Also, if anyone I am looking for someone who has the time, and the desire, to make it fit with the current style. A lot of new readers are turned off by the earlier chapters and I think it's a shame.

So, if you are interested and want your name added to these chapters and have a lot of spare time. Contact me either on discord or PM me.

Now, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter edited by: Arxalier, Arxalier with the help of Arxalier and Arxalier.

I hope you all still have your Tattletail, because the next game in this Insane World is about to start.

-CaptainMoonShine-

(reviews)

Weretiger:

PLZ I request more chapters good sir.

Personally I prefer more chapters that are shorter

A: New chapter here.

DOOT76 chapter 112 . Aug 22

The good news: He's petting another Charizard! He should start a Charizard daycare or farm with how beloved he is by them.

The not so good: Short chapter without much happening.

The intriguing: Aside from the game Is the title also a reference to the new Predator movie?

A: Yes, it was a reference to the Prey movie.