Topaz and friends have invaded Benedetto's rendezvous point and rescued the captive Kalos Pokemon. After a brief distraction from Dispetto members Jubilee and Galena, the team was able to infiltrate Benedetto's submarine and send it crashing to the shore. With every his entire operation ruined and all his exits destroyed Benedetto gazes upon those who have chased him all over southeast Sinnoh to take him down.
~x1x~
The sun shone down upon us all, the ocean's waves crashed against the shore rocks with purpose and authority and the smell of salt hung in the air. The cold autumn breeze filled my lungs, yet my body remained warm and heated as I stared down Benedetto, standing tall with his coat billowing in the wind.
He stood firmly on his rock perch, both feet firmly on the ground with his arms crossed. As soon as he had made his presence known the tension in the air became palpable, all of our eyes were glued on him and his on us. He jumped off his perch to stand on equal ground with us, his annoyed scowl remaining.
"So. You are the kids who destroyed everything I have ever worked for, huh," He stated. It wasn't a question, more like an observation.
Violet simply raised an eyebrow. "Ah yes. The work that you did. Of course."
His attention turned to her. "I'm guessing you're the little stalker that has been tracking my signal for the last few days. Aren't you a little go-getter?" Benedetto hissed.
"Weeks."
He clicked his teeth. "Even better." He turned towards me. "You said a lot of shit back on the terminal. Can you back it up now, boy?"
Donut and Lou had been on high alert, ready to pounce as soon as he had made his presence known, but I kept my breath even and my voice neutral. "I should be asking you that. We didn't chase you all the way here to turn tail. We even got rid of every avenue of escape so you could finally face us."
His eyes twitched ever so slightly at that statement. "I've noticed. Wrecked a magnificent piece of machinery right there," He said pointing to the submarine. "It'll take ages to get a replacement. It's a shame. A real fucking shame."
I grit my teeth. "Boohoo, cry me a river. You've displaced countless lives and all you care about is your glorified boat!"
"That boat cost more than the lot of them! Course I'm disappointed," He scratched his hair in annoyance. "All those expensive cages are busted beyond repair too, you think this shit grows on trees? And I gotta get a new crew too. Hopefully some with brains or something resembling spine. Got their asses kicked by some goddamn kids and housepets."
Does… does he really only care about money? The monetary value of others?
His eyes scanned us once again before falling on Amethyst. He squinted at her a bit in contemplation. "A female Meowstic, huh? We didn't bring any of those this time… unless you're from an old batch."
He faced Violet once again. "What? Your cat has beef with me? Is that it?"
Suddenly, sand flew up and clumped up into one large mass. Within seconds, a gigantic sandy hand giving him a middle finger was formed. Violet just glared. "She is not mine. She belongs to no one. And she has been waiting years for this day. I doubt there is enough gray matter in that cavity of yours to remember, but she was not part of any batch."
Ignoring the surprise sand sculpture, Benedetto took heed of Violet's words and stared at Amethyst again. Her face was completely stoic, akin to her prevolution Espurr, although I could feel her immense fury from where I stood as sand particles orbited around her, passively forming into small nails.
Benedetto's eyes slightly bulged when realization dawned upon him. "You. You're my Espurr from before, haha. The one with the freaky eyes, yes, how could I forget?" He chuckled as if he was revisiting some happy memory. It was sickening.
He turned his attention back to us humans. "I remember trying to train it and it wouldn't budge, no matter how many times Pancham had to beat the sense into it. Would go without food and water, just to be rebellious. Whenever we camped out it would just stare. Stare at us with those baneful eyes."
He shook his head at the thought of those fond memories before continuing. "I met a gorgeous lass back in Fura City and figured she'd love an exotic Kalos Pokemon, considering it'd been useless to me the whole time. What do ya know, she finds the eyes creepy too! Now that I look at it now…" His eyes fell upon Amethyst once again before his tone turned malicious. "They're even more vitriolic than before, gaping blackholes devoid of light. No one with sense would spend a dime on you."
Her eyes just narrowed and began to glow slightly. [Like you're one to talk.] I held my head at the sudden pronouncement; it was loud. Whereas before she would speak at what's the mental equivalent of an inside voice? I could hear her words echoing from Benedetto's mind. I can't imagine what he was hearing. [You were never worth my time, and you're only shittier now. It's adorable how you think you matter.]
Benedetto staggered, one of his legs nearly buckling, gripping his head and staring banefully at Amethyst before… grinning? It took a few moments for him to regain his head before he replied. "Aha, so you weren't a complete waste of space after all. Though now I know your words are as foul as I thought."
He poised himself once again before continuing. "Female Meowstic for lack of a better word are… difficult, by nature. Aggressive, spoiled and selfish. Some people are into that, but in my opinion disobedience isn't cute." He reached for his belt and took out an Ultra Ball. "Male Meowstic on the other hand."
He clicked the button and a male Meowstic appeared. Compared to Amethyst's white fur with blue accents and swirling orange eyes, they had blue fur with white accents and turquoise eyes. The more minor differences was the slight shagginess to his fur and the unnerving presence he gave off. His gaze remained on Amethyst slightly longer than the rest of us before he moved on.
"Male Meowstic are obedient, protective and selfless. Good natured little fellas. If I had known that when I was younger I'd have never bothered with you," Benedetto said as he knelt down to his own Meowstic and gripped their before pointing at Amethyst. "You see that? That's your predecessor. She was selfish and aggressive, if she had just listened to me she could've lived a life of luxury. You would never be like her, would you Meowstic?"
As soon as Benedetto removed his hand Meowstic instantly shook their head. Donut looked sickened by the whole display, his fur puffing out in disdain. Amethyst however just glared, ears unfurling dangerously. [I'd sooner die than be your slave. If he knew what was good for them, he'd move.]
Meowstic immediately stepped in front of Benedetto, his own eyes glowing and ears unfurling. I repositioned my stance, both versions of Meowstic were easily capable of unbelievable destructive power and I was not keen on personally experiencing it from the enemy's side.
"It's a good thing I have every intention of killing you all today," Benedetto snarled, his tone barely containing his anger. "I never thought mere children would be my downfall, but it appears I underestimated the power of a vendetta. I've had to crawl my way up to where I am and I'm not about to be done in by some ornery whelps. You're all too dangerous to let live, I'll take what belongs to me and leave your corpses for the Corphish."
"So even after all we've done, you still think you can defeat us?" I had to ask. "We took out your entire force with barely any trouble, remember?"
"Every reprobate on my crew was a means to an end, hired help. Easily disposable. That's how it was with J and that's how it is with me. You can't expect anything but the bare minimum and if they can't even do that then you cut them off. I know my own strength and even if my former Meowstic gives us trouble, the rest of your motley lot won't mean much," Benedetto before he growled out his next statement. "Honestly, you should be licking my boot in mercy. What's your involvement in all this, boy? I sure as hell never dealt with your Pokemon. Why die for this girl? No. This Pokemon's problem?"
My eyes widened in disbelief before I began shouting. "It became my freaking problem when your goons chased an abused Dedenne right to my feet! When someone runs to you for help, do you just walk away?" I shot back.
He stared at me as though I was crazy. "You're just some privileged little boy, who doesn't know shit about the real world. You think playing hero will get you anything but killed? Only people with power can play hero and what does that truly get them? A lifetime of expectations, responsibilities and challenges thrown at them at every possible avenue. If you were smart you'd have turned a blind eye. Your little pets are gonna die because you put your nose where it didn't belong."
"My team aren't anyone's pets! Why are you like this!? You said you crawled out of the gutter and now you have enough money to buy a super submarine? How much more do you need to not feel powerless!? How much more money do you need to join some secret society?" My volume rising. "The world can't function if we only think about ourselves."
"This is the modern era, as long as I have money to spend, I'm helping someone in my own way. I ain't got a reason to go beyond that. You think the world stopped being dangerous because a little girl took the throne of this region six years ago? News flash brat, there's hell brewing all over the world and there's nothing you can do about it, so I'm just preparing myself so I can survive!" His expression was manic and disgraceful. "I'm an ambitious man. I worked for the best hunter in the world and that still ain't enough for me. I'll climb my way even above her and I'll be set forever because I focused on the big picture! Me! Whoever is smart can stay in line and I'll lead them to riches."
His words echoed through my mind. My answer was already in my throat before he even finished speaking, yet it stopped. Jubilee's words came to my mind instead.
'You've got so much passion within your soul, but you've got to let it loose. Stop thinking so much! Trust your gut and speak from the heart. Show the world how you truly feel.'
So I've just got to express how I truly feel huh? What do I feel? What do I truly feel?
I looked Benedetto straight in the eyes, standing behind his Meowstic who was ready to lay down his life for him. They were not equals, Meowstic was not even his subordinate. He was his scapegoat, his slave. A tool Benedetto has constructed for his own utility. Whatever luxuries he afforded Meowstic were likely a surplus of basic wants and needs he believes they would want rather than what they may truly desire in order to keep him loyal.
My mind raced back to meeting Cenza tired and dying, scrambling for an ounce of sympathy after being hunted. The coordinator who was too lazy to put in the effort to raise a Pokemon, so he resorted to illegal means to purchase one. The speech Amethyst gave us on the train about all the sins of humanity. The cages full of tortured Pokemon whose only mistake was living in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought back to every time Violet ranted at every random person in the way and how I had thought it was excessive. Finally, it came back to Benedetto.
Ah, so that's it..
"Pffffffft," My lips sputtered as I tried to hold in my involuntary laugh.
All eyes were on me. Donut tilted his head ever so slightly in confusion.
"Pffft haaaaaahaaaaa! Aaaahahahaha!" I continued to laugh. With my whole gut. My body shivered and quaked with how much I was laughing. The ability to stand had become too difficult due to how much I was laughing. Donut and Lou huddled around me in confusion, but I waved them off as I clutched my stomach and laughed like I had never laughed before, tears streaming down my face. I could only imagine my face was turning a brownish red as well.
Violet turned to me, likely wondering if Benedetto had made me snap or if I was reverting back to my primal instincts. Zenara seemed unsure whether she should be laughing as well, confusion clearly written on her face. Amethyst's gaze did not leave Benedetto for a moment.
Near the end I was wheezing and my stomach had begun to hurt. I didn't know how long I had been laughing, but it seemed like everyone was courteous enough to not do anything until I was done. I think I lost the ability to stand for a second.
When I finally managed to catch my breath and stop wheezing, I could feel a massive weight leave my chest. My head was clearer than it had ever been before and my body felt lighter. I looked up to see even Meowstic confused and Benedetto more than annoyed. That made me smile a bit more.
Heh, Jubilee was right. It does feel good to let it out.
"W-what the hell is wrong with you? What's so funny?" Benedetto demanded.
"I should thank you, Benedetto. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard," I said stretching, squeezing out any nerves I had. "I've never heard someone spout so much bullshit that it made me nearly blow an aneurysm."
"Heh, so you think this is funny, boy?" He muttered cockily, as if he had any right to speak so condescendingly.
"First of all, my name is Topaz Heart of Sunyshore City. My friend here is Amethyst and she's a girl, not a thing. Second of all, oh absolutely you're funny. It's funny that you're even more shallow, vile and greedy than I had ever thought possible. You are single handedly one of the worst people I've ever had to share air with. Everything you say and do makes my skin crawl in a way I didn't know was possible," I stated swiftly, a wide grin plastered on my face.
"You're right, I am privileged. I've never been left wanting. I've got clothes on my back, food in my belly, a place to call home and a family that cares about me. Always have. I don't know your past, but I can speak about your present and I'd say if you can afford a huge ass submarine and all these cronies to follow you, you can afford at least three of the things I brought up. Sorry you can't buy a loving family, even if you deserved one." I rubbed my eyes in fake pity at that last remark. "So, you have nearly everything you could need and could certainly afford a lot of things you want and yet still you decide to satiate your own greed you will kidnap intelligent beings from their homes and sell them to the highest bidder. Now that's just the kicker for me. How you don't see that as abnormal? Sadistic? Cruel? Are any of these adjectives registering for you or have you become so desensitized to evil that it's just the norm?"
"You better shut the fuck up or you'll regret it. You know nothing about your own region do you? What dangers lurk? I'm doing what I have to to survive what's coming!" He shot back at me and I simply rolled my eyes. I was beyond done whatever excuse he came up with. "It doesn't matter though since you won't survive today."
"All you've done is run away and talk shit. In my eyes, action is the only truth, so until you're jumping on my throat, I won't stop talking. I will speak out for every Pokemon you've hurt over the course of your miserable life and my team and I will show you what a true bond looks like," I snapped at him whipping out my baton as Donut and Lou sprung forward ready to fight.
"As I said before, if everyone fought only for themselves, humanity and Pokemon wouldn't be where they are today. It's those that are willing to put their own well-being aside and fight for the benefit of all that truly make a difference! You're too scared to fight for anyone but yourself, which is why we can't allow you to go free!
I looked down at my team thankfully before addressing them, confidence filling up my chest. "I'm sorry that I can't fight like you two. I'm a powerless kid who will always have to rely on you when the going gets tough. Even so, I'll do everything I can to support you two to the best of my ability!"
Donut huffed. [Thanks for the reminder Zio, but I always knew that. Thanks for the little speech there, we'll make sure to hammer your feelings into their skulls.]
[Your words have inspired me more than ever before, General Topaz! I will use every ounce of my power to bring these wretches to their knees!] Lou grunted.
Cenza popped out of the bag and gave Benedetto a middle finger. Je ne vais plus m'asseoir et regarder! I'll give it my all!]
I nodded in understanding of all their feelings. I wasn't sure if it was because of the psychic link or because I just let loose, but I could feel strength coursing through me and into my team. I could even sense the determination of Amethyst and Zenara rise as we all geared up for battle.
This feeling… I've felt something like this before. When Donut evolved. Back then it was happiness. Now? It's power!
Benedetto sneered at us all one last time before he removed three Ultra Balls from his waist, throwing them all onto the field. Right beside Meowstic emerged a Trevenant, a levitating Dragalge and a wicked Pangoro. He gave Amethyst a mad grin and huffed a few words at her in the pokespeak. Whatever he said caused her to emit even more energy.
"If you don't wanna die, kill them all. You lose this fight, we lose everything we've ever worked for," Benedetto barked madly. "I don't care if the League takes me down or not, don't stop till they are dead at my feet!"
Pangoro sprung first, his fists coated in a steel film indicating a Bullet Punches aimed towards Zenara. Donut was the first to react deflecting both attacks with expertly timed Brick Breaks, shattering the steel film immediately. Donut, in midair, charged his cheeks for a rapid Thunderbolt until I noticed Pangoro adjust the leaf within his mouth ever so slightly before he dodged the Thunderbolt at point blank range and nailed Donut in the stomach with another rising Bullet Punch. Donut tumbled through the sand a bit before he regained his footing and landed on all fours.
Good thing I memorized most of the Kalos dex entries.
[The leaf in Pangoro's mouth allows them to detect enemy movements. Be wary when he adjusts it,] I warned everyone mentally.
[Got it!] Zenara replied as she went right for the Dragalge, sending out a Thunder Wave volley. Meanwhile, Violet sprinted right for Benedetto while whipping out her knife and Amethyst turned the huge sand middle finger from before into a sand fist, launching it at Meowstic and burying him.
I shielded my eyes from the sandstorm that had just been created, peeking through to see a large psychic shield surrounding Meowstic whilst Benedetto was blocking a knife strike from Violet with his own baton. Before I could relay my thoughts on how dumb it is to run headfirst into a Pokemon battle, I noted the Trevenant flee to the nearby woods and Dragalge float over into the water with Zenara pelting them from behind.
They're heading to where they fight best. None of our electric types work well in the sand, but we'd be at a disadvantage if we let Trevenant gain control of the woods or Dragalge get comfortable in the water.
[Lou cut off Trevenant, Donut send a Thunder Wave volley at Dragalge as well,] I asked my team and they immediately followed through. Lou shot a String Shot onto Trevenant reeling himself at phenomenal speeds before embedding himself into their wood with a painful X-scissor. Donut jumped onto the rocks to minimize the sand's effects on his electric moves before also lancing Dragalge with several Thunder Waves.
Before the Thunder Waves could hit their mark Dragalge turned around and launched a Thunderbolt eliminating them in the air. Trevenant ignored Lou trying to gnaw off their branches as they made their way to the grass before they ripped Lou off and threw him into a tree.
Amethyst hissed something to Pangoro in Pokespeak, which caused him to laugh and run towards her while cracking his knuckles. Her paws glowed in dark light, and the moment before he struck she flipped over the punch and gave him a nasty jab in the face. Zenara and Donut meanwhile seemed determined to electrocute the whole ocean if it meant zapping the Dragalge. They endured the shocks with their draconic skin and fired back with Sludge Bombs.
At the same time, Violet was ruthlessly pursuing Benedetto. For every swing of his baton he made, she swatted it aside and continued slashing towards him in a fervor. And each time, she struck closer. His eyes narrowed a moment before he grabbed her knife arm and began to bring down his baton until Amethyst sent Meowstic hurtling into him as a makeshift projectile. Which threw him off just enough for Violet to wrench her arm out of his grip, countering with a shank to his side.
He gripped his side momentarily before smirking and revealing a thin layer of body armor underneath. His own Meowstic's eyes glowed before Violet was sent flying into the sand while Amethyst dissipated whatever Shadow Balls came close to her friend.
[Violet…] I scanned the battlefield quickly to make sure everyone was alright before gripping my baton and making my way over to her. [We'll strike together. Cenza, look out for us.]
Violet simply nodded, a cascade of Shadow Balls from Amethyst covering her as she simply shook herself off and ran right back towards Benedetto. Amethyst was making her own mad dash, clobbering the opposing Meowstic with another Sucker Punch and sending waves of sand to throw off Pangoro.
Benedetto acknowledged us both coming for him and seemed to welcome the challenge. I met him first this time clashing my baton against his own. His superior height, build and strength made me waver causing my baton to nearly buckle, but I let it fall to give myself a chance to kick at him. He back stepped to avoid the kick only to immediately block a knife strike from Violet.
"So you kids aren't all talk, huh? You've been trained!" He laughed before repelling her blow to go for a heavy swing. Luckily, there was enough space between them for me to jump in front of her and block the overhead strike by raising my baton above my head with both hands, giving Violet another chance to get a slice in.
Whoever trained her knew what they were doing.
Before she could stab into a vulnerable area, Benedetto was surrounded in a psychic glow as he was pulled back by his own Meowstic and Pangoro quickly replaced him ready to crush Violet and I with violent Hammer Arms.
[I'll save you!]
Cenza popped out of my bag with a green glow and nailed Pangoro straight in the nose with a U-turn none of us were expecting before she flew back into my bag. Pangoro's attack dissipated as he clenched his sensitive nose, while Violet and I fled.
[My apologies that you were forced to act to save us.] Violet immediately apologized. Cenza popped out of my bag and shook her head.
[It's okay, I want to help, like everyone else! I'm gonna be brave!] She cheered earnestly.
Violet paused for the briefest moment. [Then I am glad my life was of use to you.]
Suddenly, a cascade of stone and metal barraged Pangoro and forced him to block, pushing him backwards through the sand. I glanced over to see Amethyst's eyes glowing bright, chunks of stone from across the beach being thrown at him along with mangled pieces of submarine she'd 'repurposed'. Some of the wires trailing about were sparking, due to the Charge Beams she was mixing in.
Meowstic raised his hand and Light Screens surrounded him, Benedetto and Pangoro minimizing the damage from the charge beams, while Pangoro stopped blocking and began spinning with wicked energy as he began his Darkest Lariat zooming straight past us before finally scoring a hit on Amethyst, the first one I had ever seen her take.
Her eyes only narrowed as she flew backwards, glancing for a moment to Violet who'd looked over in concern. The two just looked at each other silently for the briefest of moments before Amethyst swung around midair, zipping right past Pangoro (though not without sending another few rocks his way) and blasting right into the other Meowstic kicking up a wake of sand behind her. Only this time, the dark energy around her paws left them and swirled into a Shadow Ball around Meowstic, engulfing him within the Shadow Ball.
Meowstic, swimming painfully through the ghastly energy, reached forward and grabbed Amethyst's paws before his face contorted into an unnatural fashion, denoting Mean Look. Amethyst only Leered back, but the effect still carried enough weight to limit her movements long enough for Meowstic's eyes to glow again before he shot a purple bolt of toxins straight into her body.
Immediately after he fell on the ground roughly and looked towards Pangoro who nodded.
[Donut! Amethyst has been badly poisoned by Toxic, cover her!] I mentally shouted, drawing Donut's attention from his arduous battle with Dragalge who was giving them more trouble than expected. Zenara was more than happy to keep sending bolt after bolt after Dragalge. At the very least, due to it being Shock Wave, they had to either block it or take it.
The toxins and Mean Look caused Amethyst to stagger, leaving her vulnerable to Pangoro's incoming Night Slash. Donut jumped over head and let loose a mighty Thunderbolt forcing Pangoro to dodge, crystalizing the sand where he once stood. Pangoro rebounded to strike at Amethyst again, but Donut twirled in midair and launched a Quick Attack straight to where he predicted Pangoro to move. Pangoro's Night Slash and his Quick Attack clashed, forcing both parties to back off, with Donut standing in front of Amethyst defensively while Pangoro looked thoroughly amused.
[He hits like a truck, sheesh,] Donut muttered, rubbing his head before getting on all fours ready to pounce. [You good?]
Violet used the moment to pull out an Antidote and throw it towards Amethyst. It quickly got enveloped in psychic energy and she drank it, breathing for a moment before her eyes narrowed. [Yes.] A shining, stary veil enveloped us all as she went right for Meowstic again.
[Safeguard.] Violet informed me.
[I see, everyone will be protected from status ailments. Donut, take on Pangoro,] I asked. Donut nodded in acknowledgement as Pangoro moved his leaf around his mouth, likely evaluating Donut's movements and shifting his stance in response.
Amethyst took a moment to register this before there was a sudden rustling. I glanced over to see that Trevenant was being… deforested? Amethyst was ripping the leaves off of them to pelt Pangoro with a makeshift Razor Leaf.
Pangoro raised his left hand before it erupted into flames as each and every leaf was burned, then raising his right as it turned into a saber of dark energy. With both elements in hand he ignored Donut and ran straight for Amethyst, causing Donut to chase after him.
What is she doing? She went to attack Meowstic, yet pulled Pangoro away from Donut?
Naturally, Trevenant did not take this disrespect lightly as they paused their altercation with Lou to gather more of the forest's power before the normal trees themselves began to become engulfed in a mystical light. Seconds later they began shooting Magical Leaves at Donut and Amethyst.
In the distance I could see Dragalge move up a river into the forest with Zenara chasing after him shouting at him. Meowstic also had begun to psychically carry Benedetto into the forest, flying through the air avoiding Amethyst's assaults while Pangoro occasionally launched his own volley of attacks at her.
It barely took a second for me to realize their change of tactics. [Meowstic is likely relaying his own connection with everyone else. They are heading into the forest by the river so Trevenant and Dragalge can fight at full strength. It doesn't matter to Lou and Donut though, they welcome fighting outside the sand.]
Amethyst paused in midair, chuckling before full on laughing. [Oh that's adorable, they think they've got the upper hand in a forest. You ready Violet?]
[Always.] She looked towards me. [They believe they are retreating to a battlefield where they have the advantage. Their guard will be down.]
[Lou and Donut's mobility will be increased with all the trees around and the sand won't get into Zenara's wool,] I stated before my mind quickly recalled everything I should know about the Pokemon we were facing. [Judging by Trevenant's adeptness at handling these trees, they are used to manipulating forests on foreign soil, likely because of all the Pokemon they've caught within them. Their hold isn't perfect as they are a foreign entity, but I believe if they force control they can override that part.]
I watched Dragalge disappear from sight and shouted at Zenara to stop. [Dragalge is luring you in, Zenara. They control the water and will likely begin polluting it with their own toxins to gain more manipulation of it, using their draconic energy to enforce it like they were against you and Donut. Amethyst will be able to manipulate it much easier with psychic energy.]
[Pangoro on the other hand is a wildcard with a massive movepool that can be used anywhere. We have to adapt to his adaptations, but it's likely his ranged prowess is lacking. Understood?] I asked everyone.
Zenara huffed at not bolting after Dragalge immediately, but nodded. [Sure, but they're gonna get zapped super hard for trying to run!]
Violet meanwhile was deep in thought before speaking. [Donut, Lou, how good are you at detecting opponents?]
Donut and Lou made their way back to us before responding.
[My ears are pretty good, I can usually pick someone up,] Donut explained.
[My own senses are not as keen as Donut's, but I can sense the shiver of dark and psychic types well enough,] Lou brought up. [What are you thinking?]
Amethyst smiled ominously. [Remember how we met?]
Lou screwed his face. [I sensed something was off and then you and Amethyst appeared right behind us. Even if you were allies to be, I still admonish my senses for failing to detect you both.]
Amethyst shook her head. [It had nothing to do with your senses. It's a little something me and Violet worked out. Topaz will probably nerd out over it later, but for now? Just know that I can make a veil where only people I want to can detect who I want to. So how about we let them think we're nowhere to be found before they get assaulted from nowhere?]
Sheesh, what can't she do at this point?
[Do you plan on-. No, not right now. Let's do it before he actually decides to run away. Can't believe he's still making us chase him,] I sighed annoyed, but ready to go.
[I told you. He is a coward.] Violet stated before we all ran into the forest.
~x2x~
We didn't have to go too far before I felt a slight tingle. [You have now arrived in Amethyst's spy bubble.] She flew in front of us, smiling. [So long as you don't run straight up to Benedetto and start yelling nonsense, they won't know what hit 'em.]
I observed the world warp around me as we were all surrounded by a strange feeling. Pachirisu ran right past us and didn't even look at us twice. I had numerous questions and theories, but I put them aside for now as we began walking to where we believed Benedetto to be, with Donut and Lou (sitting atop Zenara) using their senses to detect where they were.
It didn't take too long for us to find them in a clearing, obviously to suit their needs. The river was much larger here and from what I could hear, led to a waterfall upstream. Dragalge floated in the river, gathering energy via their crest. The area around them was covered in sludge slowing the stream and the repugnant smell mixed with the earthy musk around us.
Trevenant's eye was closed, as they seemed to be focusing on bending the trees to their will, causing the light filtering through the leaves to shift and blink out in certain areas. Meowstic was sitting and Pangoro stood over Benedetto vigilantly as he stuck his head into the river for a few seconds before coming out.
"Those fucking shitty little twerps!" He shoved his head right back into the water and screamed. Pangoro ignored him, arms crossed, while Meowstic hesitantly began patting his back. Benedetto immediately popped out and swatted away Meowstic's paw. "Ne me prenez pas de haut!"
Meowstic took a step back and closed his eyes, I could sense him trying not to flinch. Benedetto calmed down a moment as he shook the water out of his long hair. "I don't need your sympathy, Meowstic, I need you to get me out of this alive. Those little fuckers think they can take me down themselves and it looks like I underestimated their vermin. You know what you have to do if things get dire? Don't you?"
Meowstic's expression flickered and Pangoro gave the slightest side eye at that statement. Meowstic looked downtrodden for whatever reason before nodding slowly. Pangoro simply scoffed and looked away.
Does Pangoro actually care about Meowstic?
Benedetto patted Meowstic's head roughly before standing up. "Atta boy, now that's a last resort, you hear? Remember you're doing it for me okay? But you won't even have to if everyone put in a bit more effort."
At Benedetto's annunciation Trevenant and Dragalge paused in their antics before continuing, seeming to understand the silent command. Pangoro huffed in response, not bothering to look at his trainer.
So Meowstic has a last resort type of move and his Pokemon seemed to be fairly whipped by him. Pangoro doesn't seem to get the same treatment though. He seems to be perfectly comfortable standing by him. Are they partners?
[Meowstic doesn't… seem all that bad,] Cenza noted. [I dunno about the rest, but Benedetto is still super mean.]
Zenara huffed. [He's just manipulating him! It's so obvious, it's awful to watch. We gotta beat up Benedetto, that way he can figure out that he doesn't have to listen to evil humans!]
[Or put them all out of their misery,] Lou grunted, mostly to himself I felt.
Donut seemed to ignore it as he whirled around to Zenara. [Wait, you noticed the manipulation too? So you actually did pay attention to your starter lessons? I'm legitimately surprised.]
[Duh!] she looked at him almost hurt. [I like kicking butt but I gotta know who's butt to kick. There's a reason I didn't go with anyone else, and I'm not gonna go with someone who's a meanie face.]
While those two continued bantering, Benedetto took out a phone and began dialing. "Duran better pick up. I need reinforcements and a ride off this bloody region. And I can't call J after all this time. She'd prolly use this as a chance to wring my neck herself."
It took only a few seconds before my backpack began ringing.
[Crap crap crap,] I quickly reached into my bag as everyone gave me a 'are you serious' look. I opened it to find Duran's cellphone, the one I had confiscated him after we finished interrogating him. The one I meant to investigate earlier, but had forgotten. I looked at everyone and Violet silently screamed 'answer it' so I did.
"Duran, réponds plus vite quand j'appelle. Tout est parti pour la merde," Benedetto said in French.
I decided to take a gamble. "Uh… bonjour monsieur Benedetto. Comment allez-vous?"
There was a painfully long pause. From the distance I could see Pangoro's nose twitch and ears flicker. The other three Pokemon remained unaware.
I just stared at Benedetto's dumbfounded expression till even I felt awkward before he finally responded.
"You have got to me fucking with me right now."
"Uhhh, wrong numero?" I guessed. Amethyst's face screwed at my butchering of her native tongue. Donut urged me to keep going. "No hablas frencho."
"Where are you boy, I'm ready to go again!" He shouted as all his Pokemon looked at him in confusion.
Zenara had this huge grin on her face. [Mess with him! Mess with him more! This is awesome!]
Meanwhile, Violet had snuck away slightly. She picked up a stone that fit comfortably in her hand before chucking it right at Benedetto. It clonked him right in the shoulder.
[I need to work on my aim. I was going for his face.]
Benedetto gripped his arm painfully as all his Pokemon stared in confusion. Only Pangoro seemed to be semi aware of their current situation which gave us ample time to mount our attack. Everyone spread out to set up their points of attack.
"Oof that looks like it hurts. Too bad there's more to come," I chuckled. "Preemptive strike!"
Everyone ran straight for the Pokemon and let loose devastating attacks before they could even react. Donut jumped straight into a Rollout barreling Meowstic into the river. His head shot up gasping for air, but it was met with a wicked Thunderbolt as Donut tried to keep him from retaliating.
Pangoro was quicker to react, being able to block Lou's swift Acrobatics but was left with String Shot all over his arms. Unable to move how he wished, Lou tackled him into a boulder with a vengeful Spark, making sure to dig his pincers into Pangoro's thick fur.
However, that momentary distraction was more than enough for Amethyst. The ground beneath Pangoro's feet suddenly flowed out from under him like loose sand, dropping him into a large pit several feet deep with a thud. Before he could even react, water and sludge from the river cascaded into the hole before she covered up the top with dirt.
Lou, surprised by the sudden landslide, barely had enough time to swing away himself before whirling around on Amethyst.
[Warn your comrades before you begin firing into the battlefield, soldier!]
She narrowed her eyes. [Warn me when you intend on getting the first shot on my enemy.]
Lou's face contorted with anger as he launched a tirade towards Amethyst on the etiquette of war. Amethyst ignored him and pulled Dragalge from the water before they were unceremoniously slammed on top of the hole, keeping the dirt plug in place.
Benedetto fell back and shouted orders at Trevenant who was contending with Zenara. They pushed her back and began manipulating the closest trees near them to fire off an onslaught of Magical Leaves. Whenever she had to defend, Zenara puffed out her wool buffering the damage before hitting them back with Shock Waves.
Lou ceased his tirade long enough to come to Violet and I's defense using Screech to knock out any of the leaves designated to come our way.
[Help the helpless! I don't need any foolhardy soldiers watching my six,] Lou shouted after his Screech. Lou turned to us to confirm our wellbeing.
[Thanks Lou, we're okay!] I shouted back.
[Amethyst isn't foolhardy.] Violet stated. Not aggressive, just matter of factly.
She talked back? To a Pokemon!?
Lou was about to fire back a tirade on her before Zenara baaahed at being ignored before opening her mouth, concentrating a ball of energy that flashed all colors of the rainbow before she let loose a screaming Signal Beam straight into Trevenant's eye.
They staggered back in pain and surprise before she charged towards them with an Iron Tail and swung it like a wrecking ball, smashing the Trevenant into the dirt.
[Signal Beam? That's new,] I muttered. [I don't remember Iron Tail either.]
[Signal Beam! You've done it!] Lou cheered with pride, quickly forgetting his anger.
[Huh, so she finally figured out Iron Tail,] Donut's thoughts passed through our minds.
Zenara puffed out her wool, smiling to herself. [Thanks to you guys! Now to do it again!]
Zenara charged up another Signal Beam pelting Trevenant in the face over and over again, until they snapped. They inserted their roots into the ground and mere seconds later Zenara's entire body was entangled in a mess of roots. The roots began to dig into her very skin, turning her body a leafy green. Her electrical shocks of resistance were tempered by Trevenant slamming her back into the ground. Before each impact she used Cotton Spore to dull the damage, but there was only so many times she could manage that.
Were those leaves in her wool there before?
Zenara continued charging up and sparking in order to ignite the vines. While her expression indicated no fear, I knew Trevenant's plans were grave.
[Trevenant is inflicting Forest's Curse on Zenara to turn her into a grass type or in this case, an actual plant!] I informed the group.
Lou shot a string shot close to Trevenant in order to swing in and stop the onslaught on his student when Pangoro returned to the fray digging out of the ground, soaking wet, poisoned but alive, holding a miserable looking Meowstic. With a heavy poison laced punch he haymakered Lou with a destructive Gunk Shot, sending Lou careening in the air before Amethyst adjusted his landing to be a bit more comfortable. Pangoro growled with satisfaction before he placed Meowstic back on the ground gently.
"Lou!" I yelled in concern. He rolled groggily to confirm he was okay.
At the same time, Violet had sprinted over to where Zenara was and began cutting through the roots with her knife, going after the most dangerous ones first. When she noticed Pangoro looking at her, she reached into her satchel and threw a small pellet at him. It just bonked off his chest harmlessly before it began hissing, spewing Smoke Ball style smoke everywhere.
As I began to step out of the Smoke Ball's range I began to hear choking sounds and gurgles nearby. I looked over to see Amethyst giving Benedetto a death glare as she began to psychic choke him in midair and slowly bend his limbs in all sorts of unnatural ways.
Her torment of her former captor was short lived as a shrill feline screech pierced my ears as Meowstic had picked up an entire tree (psychically of course) and barreled it into Amethyst, forcing her to drop Benedetto as they disappeared deeper into the forest briefly.
Trevenant in the meanwhile had gotten infuriated with Zenara's attempts to survive by burning his vines and elected to just fling her at Lou, who was able to give her a safety net to fall into with Spider Web.
Right after I saw Amethyst pushing back Meowstic with the tree in between them as she took control of it, reeled it in and swung it like a baseball bat. Meowstic, relenting control, backpedaled to create a Shadow Ball spinning faster than a saw blade with an ominous hum whining. The tree was swiftly cleaved in twain before a barrage of shadow saws were launched right at her.
Amethyst either deflected or dodged each one until I noticed Dragalge take aim from the ground. [Amethyst, Dragalge is about to shoot!] I alerted her just as they launched a Dragon Pulse in the shape of a crazed seahorse, a watery roar piercing the forest.
Her eyes simply narrowed to slits before she forcibly dragged Meowstic in the way of the blast, shoving him against it mentally. Meanwhile, Violet was taking advantage of the chaos and keeping Benedetto far too distracted trying not to get stabbed to actually help with the battle.
Dragalge ceased their onslaught when they realized what they were doing before electing to lob one last Sludge Bomb into the air. Meowstic managed to wrest enough control to psychically catch it and throw it in Amethyst's face.
He then made his descent back to ground level where Trevenant and Pangoro were facing off against Donut, Lou and Zenara. He clapped his hands above Pangoro, boosting his offensive prowess with the Helping Hand.
Pangoro let loose a fierce battle roar as he punched the ground creating a terribly large Rock Slide heading straight for the trio. Lou elected to swing away, Donut jumped headfirst in an attempt to dodge them himself while Zenara puffed out her wool and hid within her Cotton Guard.
The two split ends of the tree were then ripped to pieces before a hailstorm of razor sharp spikes raining down on Pangoro and Dragalge. Amethyst then sent Meowstic hurtling into the river, a cloud of silt and dirt poofing up as he was embedded into the riverbed.
Donut, having avoided all the rock slides, let loose a mad Discharge shocking both Pangoro and Dragalge. All Pangoro could do was take it, but Dragalge unfortunately was able to fight through a spew a Sludge Bomb at him knocking him out of the air. Before I could come to his aid he gave me a look and returned to battle.
Violet then glanced at me in the middle of her scuffle with Benedetto. [Zenara. Heal.]
I looked over to see Zenara crawling out of the rubble Pangoro had made, her wool instantly deflating before she collapsed on the ground incredibly bruised from the Rock Slide and bleeding from Trevenant's torment. I immediately ran over to apply super potions and ethers wherever I could, while also trying to stop whatever bleeding I could. Trevenant's curse was a long way from going into full effect, but it did not stop her from wincing at the potion spray.
[You okay girl?] I asked.
[I'm fine,] she panted with a grin, [Never better!]
[Be careful, you're pushing your limits. Your wool can't take much more of this,] I warned her.
She just smiled. [I can't break 'em if I don't push 'em!]
Before I could reply Pangoro came leaping in with Donut's head in his grip, smashing him down in front of us. I immediately shielded Zenara before we were both blown away by the sheer impact. Pangoro leered down at my friend readying his fist to beat him into the ground.
"Chuu…" He groaned.
[Use Thundercloud! Now Donut!] I mentally screamed at him to use the technique we'd been practicing. Donut's eyes shot open at my request.
"Piiiikaaaaaa!" Donut raised his paw into the air and a thundercloud formed above him. Pangoro paused to sniff the air before a bolt of lighting emerged from the thundercloud striking them both. Pangoro was left singed and fell to one knee while Donut was able to scamper over to my open arms, pained, but alive.
"It's okay, I've got you," I whispered to Donut as I held him close and stroked his head. I quickly applied potions to ease his pain.
Pangoro jumped in to finish what he started prompting Lou swing in activating an Iron Defense to create his makeshift wrecking ball. Unfortunately, Pangoro seemed to be getting a knack for all of our fighting styles. He caught Lou in his bare hands barely budging, before flinging him at an airborne Amethyst.
Amethyst was still applying pressure onto Meowstic, but managed to turn around just in time to catch Lou. She was unfortunately not ready for Pangoro to have followed up by zooming above her with an Aerial Ace and slamming a boulder down onto her as well, knocking both Pokemon out of the sky.
"Zenara, use Cotton Spore to break their fall!" I shouted. The healing already was working its magic allowing Zenara to launch clumps of wool where they were all going to land giving the Pokemon a cushy landing.
I turned around to see Benedetto pressuring Violet, doing whatever she could to avoid getting her head bashed in. Cenza popped out of my bag and turned to me for orders.
"Cenza, use U-turn on Benedetto."
Cenza immediately surrounded herself in a green aura before slamming right into Benedetto's side giving Violet an opening. Before Dragalge or Trevenant could catch her, she flew right back into my bag, breathing a sigh of relief.
[I did it!]
Violet wasted no time, plunging her knife into his arm. When he opened his mouth to make some sort of pained noise, it was cut off before it could even begin by Violet shoving another Smoke Ball pellet in his mouth. His eyes widened and she retreated, with him suddenly coughing profusely as smoke came pouring out of his mouth.
Amethyst then yelled something in Pokespeak, another veil coating the area. This time however it was a deep purple and almost psychedelic, Amethyst's eyes glowing brighter along with the organs within her ears. Immediately after she tore Trevenant off the ground and slammed him into Pangoro, sending a tidal wave of Shadow Balls blasting towards the three Pokemon.
Lou made his way off the cotton spore pillow safely as I observed Pangoro. Once again he had managed to catch Trevenant and had created a makeshift shield with Stone Edge.
[Amethyst, ignore Pangoro,] I asked her as she was about to launch another volley of attacks. [Even with your overwhelming psychic powers, his physical strength allows him to literally catch whatever you throw at him head on. Donut, time to break out old strategies.]
The ground itself seemed to shake as Amethyst launched her next volley straight for Pangoro. [No. I'm kicking his ass. I don't care if you or he or whoever the fuck thinks it's the better option. He's mine.] She punctuated this by making the ground beneath him fall away again. Even though he was expecting it this time, he wasn't ready for the ground where he was going to suddenly cascade upwards and slam him in the stomach. The tube of earth kept propelling him through the air as the stones he'd brought up as a shield were wrenched from the ground, streaking towards him and sandwiching him between stone and earth.
He roared at her, attempting to slash her with a Night Slash. However, all that happened was a slight phasing noise as she appeared behind him and drop kicked him in the back of the head. While they were still stunned from the unexpected assault, Amethyst began warping away, grabbing boulders, warping back and slamming them into Pangoro. Combined with shredding the remains of the tree further into wooden knives and embedding several within his form, even with use of his leaf he was having trouble figuring out what to do next.
Due to her little tantrum though it made her vulnerable to Dragalge's Sludge Bomb once she reappeared with yet another boulder, knocking her off balance and allowing Trevenant to appear above her with a Phantom Force and shove her head straight into the rubble she had buried Pangoro in.
I heard her wicked retaliations from where I stood, but Pangoro had managed to dig himself out and uppercutted her with a mindblowing Payback. Her expression twisted in pain and hate as Trevenant held her down with ghost energy while Pangoro smashed at her relentlessly with dark energy.
I grit my teeth in genuine annoyance. She's letting her emotions get carried away. She'll level the whole forest at this rate and will just keep attacking everything with minimal self preservation.
Meowstic had managed to get the smoke bomb out of Benedetto's throat and dispelled the smoke around him. Violet continued to glare at him as Meowstic lifted a hand to attack her.
"U-turn on Meowstic," I whispered at Cenza once again. She flew out of my bag without question and knocked Meowstic over enough to cause the Shadow Ball meant to kill Violet to explode only near her, merely sending her crashing into the ground a few yards away. Somewhat worse for wear, but alive.
Meowstic still took aim at Violet, so I had to make a risky play. "Cancel U-turn and use Play Rough," I asked Cenza.
[Compris!] She said before cancelling U-turn's green glow and surrounding herself in a pink glow. She jumped onto Meowstic and began scratching, biting and pulling wherever she could. Meowstic fumbled about trying to get her off, but she kept on going. [I'm not scared of you!] She declared.
Unfortunately the glow from Play Rough could not last forever and as soon as she had slowed Meowstic caught her with a Mean Look and yanked her off with his left paw.
[Cenza, get out of there!] I desperately shouted.
Cenza squirmed in panic, even attempting a Thundershock out of pure instinct, but it ended up doing more damage to herself as Meowstic just glared. He raised his right paw and fired a Psybeam at point blank range knocking her several feet away, squeaking horribly the whole way. She rolled on the ground a bit aways from Violet before becoming motionless.
Nooo! I pushed her too hard, she doesn't have enough battle experience for this! Please be okay, please!
Violet, ignoring her own injuries, immediately scampered to her feet and bolted for Cenza. She picked her up the moment she was close enough and held her close to her chest, pulling out several Sitrus berries and a Max Potion.
When they didn't immediately bring her back, she reached in and brought out a Max Revive. The whole time her hands were shaking and she was just softly repeating "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over.
Meowstic dusted himself off before taking aim once again to finish the job. He eyed Violet's panic with a stoic expression.
[Lou, hurry up we need you! Donut, focus on Pangoro and strike him with Spin Dash! Zenara, slow down Dragalge's movement with Cotton Spore and hit with him more Shock Waves!] I relayed orders to all three of them as I made my way back into the fray to fight Benedetto myself.
We're losing too much ground, everyone is losing ground.
Violet looked towards Meowstic. "I know Benedetto has made it seem as though he is all that matters. That you fight for him at this moment. However, while I draw breath you will not kill Cenza." She held her close to her chest, keeping her back turned so there wasn't a ghost of a chance of her getting hurt.
Meowstic tilted his head in confusion before shooting a Psybeam right next to Violet.
She did not flinch.
With even more confusion written on his face he shot her, right in the back and she merely held onto Cenza tighter, blowing open her shirt and leaving a nasty, distorted psychedelic mark on Violet's back. Meowstic's face was riddled with conflict as he lowered his hand until…
[You will not strike my compatriots EVER AGAIN!] Lou swung in madly screaming in a visceral way I had never heard before, pincers glowing. Meowstic whirled around slower than usual, leaving him exposed to Lou raking his pincers straight down his face.
Meowstic screamed in agony clutching his now bloody face until Lou exploded with energy and speared him into the water with a merciless Wild Charge. Rather than continue the assault he waddled over to Violet and sprayed a String Shot over Violet's back, stopping the bleeding.
Her face was tense and smeared with dirt, and yet it still seemed melancholy rather than pained. [My sincere apologies Lou, for demanding your attention when you are amidst a battle.]
Lou simply grunted. [I have been slacking this battle, I do not deserve apologies. Attend to Cenza while I finish this myself.]
[Give him hell!] I shouted. Lou turned to Meowstic who appeared to be in agonizing pain, but worked through it and shot a Psybeam at Lou. Lou shot straight through it with a thick String Shot and reeled himself in before smashing into Meowstic once again.
Lou was through being pushed around.
Zenara had run over to Dragalge, spinning around and throwing Cotton Spores everywhere. A Thunder Wave sent both Dragalge and the spores sparking and jolting, making it almost impossible for him to avoid paralyzation and some nasty aftershocks. With the electric wool and her never missing Shock Waves, even Dragalge was having a hard time keeping up.
[Amethyst! I gotcha!] She sent another volley of Thunder Waves towards Pangoro and Trevenant, attempting to force them off of her.
Pangoro and Trevenant were forced to dodge dropping a bloody Amethyst on the ground. Her legs quaked in pain and her pristine white fur was covered in all sorts of debris and blood, but she did not fall. Pangoro aimed a Dark Pulse right at her, but Donut came in clutch and cut right through it and Pangoro's hands.
As Pangoro clutched his hands in agony, Donut appeared behind. He was badly bruised in his own right and was favoring his left, but his face had the same determination it had when he fought Flax at the Little Cup. Except this time he wasn't going to lose.
[You see what happens when you try to do everything yourself, Amethyst?] He stated casually, although his tone was deadly serious. [I know you're angry, but you're losing control. Just this once, I'll show you how it's done.]
He leaped onto Pangoro and began using Maneuver, Tickling every inch of his body, gradually lowering his attack and defense. Pangoro flailed in response trying to latch onto Donut, but Donut ripped his leaf right out of his mouth and kept going. He finished by jumping directly on his head and nailed him in the nape with a Brick Break, sending him on his knees gasping for air. Donut was panting, but he still had enough energy to launch another Thunderbolt at the downed Pangoro.
Amethyst grit her teeth before she smiled, chuckling a bit to herself. [And now I'm getting lectured. Fine then, you know I'm more than ready to rock!] She ripped more leaves off of Trevanant, fashioning them into elongated claws.
She didn't give Pangoro any time to breathe as she began mincing him. Amethyst started darting about, using her much smaller size to her advantage as she streaked around him. Blood began erupting from the backs of his legs, his stomach, throat, arms, everywhere.
She was a blur of purple and red and she kept going until he was barely keeping himself upright. She then streaked between his legs, raking her claws all the way up his front and leaving gashes that only ended at his chin.
She landed gracefully in front of him, with her back to him as he fell to the ground with a thud. Down but not out. She just smirked. [How's that for 'bitchy little cat' huh?]
Trevenant began moving towards the duo to help their teammate, but Amethyst just rolled her eyes and the leaves gave way to razor sharp claws that seemed to suck the light out of the air itself before she raked them across their eye. [Donut, enjoy yourself.]
Donut got on all fours before he began charging a steel Spin Dash. The air around him crackled as more and more electricity gathered around him along with the smell of ozone burning before he went flying. Trevenant sharpened Shadow Claws to grab him and while they did manage to hold him back, he also managed to rip their branches to shreds and drive them into the dirt.
Donut jumped off, stumbling a bit before getting up panting. The Trevenant was alive, but their bark had been scraped to hell and back, cracks all over leaking out their ghostly essence.
[Woo, you're making me work,] He exhaled, exhausted. [But I'm not done.]
Donut launched himself high up into the air before he surrounded himself in a large Thundercloud. With a roaring 'Pikaaaa' he shot out of the Thundercloud encased by his own lightning, spinning the whole way down. When he collided with Trevenant there was a blinding explosion before he rolled off the haunted tree, whose shadow was trying to repair their shattered body.
During all of this I had been combatting Benedetto, getting used to his tactics. I noticed that his movements were more pained, likely due to Violet's rock throw and stab earlier. We clashed and he brought his face as close as he could to spew his vile garbage.
"I haven't had this much fun in a looooong time. Killing you all will be just the kick I need," He whispered pushing back on me. "You ruined my life, so every time I think about everything I've lost, I'll think about how I got to watch the life leave your eyes!"
I tried to kick him away, but he dodged and swung his baton at my head. I managed to duck right under it, but he kicked me in the chest sending me sprawling to the ground. I rolled to regain my footing just in time to block another strike so I could whack his leg hard. He punched me in the face in retaliation, but I simply rolled with it and created some distance rubbing my face in pain.
Work through the pain, fight through the pain.
I charged at him again as he made another wild swing. I had been watching him fight Violet for a while and just as Volkner taught me, I had analyzed the movements he favored and went for a feint. He fell for it completely allowing me to slam his dominant arm with my baton and kick him in the ass. Literally.
He stumbled forward before turning around in a rage, tackling me and pinning me down. His victory was short lived however, as I saw Violet run up in his blind spot. Her eyes were glinting an ominous red as she cut Benedetto deep in the back of his legs, before she slashed him across his uninjured arm and kicked him off of me.
She lent me a hand and pulled me up. "Thanks," I muttered. "Are you and Cenza alright?"
She nodded. "Cenza is as well as she could be at the moment. I am ready to fight thanks to Lou."
We glanced over to Benedetto who was groaning on the ground in agony, rolling in the mud from the river and the blood from his many open wounds. Due to how Violet stabbed him he couldn't walk and could barely lift his weapons.
"Meowstic, Dragalge! Help me!" He wailed for his Pokemon.
As soon as he did, Meowstic flew in and shot a Psybeam… relatively close to us. Violet couldn't move as well so I pushed her to the side so we could avoid the blast. The Meowstic's left eye had a deep gash in it and was still bleeding. Judging by his extensive wounds Lou had indeed put him through hell, but he still began searching through Benedetto's bag for medical supplies.
"Meowstic, he's a bad man! You don't have to keep fighting for him anymore!" I shouted trying to win him over. Instead, Meowstic turned towards me, only one eye glowed but a wave of psychic overload flooded my mind forcing me to clutch my head. All I could feel was pain, sadness, solitude, all of Meowstic's feelings overloading me.
Is this Extrasensory?
Meowstic's eyes flickered and all of a sudden the connection broke, leaving him clutching his own head. I could hear Amethyst giggle in the back of my mind. Likely due to her breaking the imposed link from Meowstic.
Meowstic ignored me and was about to take out a potion for Benedetto, but Lou tore open the very ground below him and dragged him down into the mud like a Trapinch, shocks and explosions flying from the hole Lou had made and the angry bug out of sight as quickly as he'd showed himself.
Dragalge flew over and began spewing Smokescreen around Benedetto to hide him and take pot shots at the rest of us with Hydro Pump. I dragged Violet behind a rock to shield us from whatever they attempted.
The point was moot however, as Zenara came hurtling down from the sky with her tail glinting like metal before swinging it directly onto Dragalge's snout. They started coughing and sputtering at the unexpected backlash as Zenara, now supercharged, began rolling in place right on his face. They were jerking about from the paralyzation, jolts flooding their body and a mace of an Iron Tail smacking them in the face repeatedly.
Bluish draconic energy began to envelop them for an Outrage before Zenara yelled [Get dunked on!] and slammed her tail right into their skull. All her stored electricity went crackling through their body, locking them into place midair before they fell to the ground. Unable to levitate themselves any longer.
"Useless… seahorse," Benedetto coughed.
Violet and I peeked out of the rock to see Zenara proudly walk off of them. Patches of wool were missing, I noticed her limp in some places and she was obviously very tired, but I had never seen her happier.
"How did you get so strong?" I blurted out. I don't think trained Ampharos were as unabashedly badass as her.
She smiled, skipping a bit. [Lou Lou helped me train a bunch, and I don't need a trainer to get stronger! I'm gonna learn how to kick butt all on my own if I have to. After seeing Lou Lou and Roland and everyone be so strong? No way could I just laze about and wait for someone to train me! If I wanna be trained, I'ma train myself!]
"Good on ya, Zenara! Keep at it," I cheered for her until I heard a strange rumble below my feet. Mere seconds later the ground below us erupted as a severely wounded Meowstic crawled away from Lou. Lou on the other hand was raring to continue.
[Fight me like a true soldier, coward!] He screamed before shooting another String Shot at him. Meowstic was pinned in midair and fell down near his trainer.
"Fais le," He whispered to Meowstic who nodded solemnly. "Je me fiche de ce qui se passe, tant qu'ils meurent! Raser cette forêt au sol, Meowstic!"
"Uhhh, what did he say? I don't speak generic French villain," I asked genuinely backing up from the vibrating Meowstic, whose ears unfurled completely, resonating with power.
My Pokedex began beeping obnoxiously so I took it out to check what the big deal was:
Danger! Danger! Danger! Dangerously high levels of unstable of psychic energy have been detected in your area. We recommend you retreat and alert anti-psychic operatives to assist you at this time. Would you like me to call them for you?
Well that's new. And foreboding. They've been throwing insane psychic energy all over the place, but I'm guessing this is the really insane, run for your life kind.
Amethyst just floated over and smiled, smirking through the blood on her coat and looking more worn out than I'd ever seen her. I'd only seen her for two days, but still.
[What he just said was 'I'm a bitch baby coward who can't accept defeat, use your last ditch attack to kill them all and me so I don't have to live with the knowledge I got my ass whooped'.]
[That wasn't a direct translation, but I think you get the gist,] Cenza's tired voice squeaked through our minds.
Oh thank goodness she's okay.
Amethyst glanced towards me. [No worries, I got this. Violet, you okay?]
Violet simply nodded before Amethyst stood in front of us. [Now, lemme show you why listening to a cowardly bastard isn't ever gonna work out.]
"Don't you need like an ether or something?" I looked her down. "Or intense medical care?"
She sighed and shook her head, shrugging. [Is now really the time?]
"Oh no, don't mind me, please stop Meowstic's attempt at reenacting armageddon," I nervously laughed. I really wasn't in the mood to watch Meowstic pop off for a man like Benedetto and bring us all down with him.
Amethyst rolled her eyes and smiled as she flew up to meet Meowstic face to face. His left eye was barely glowing and it seemed like his body was going to give out any moment considering all the blood that wouldn't stop seeping out, but he kept going.
Strikes of navy blue psychic lightning began to surround him as he became engulfed in a swirling blue sphere that was gradually growing. The wind began to howl as the sphere amassed more power. Whatever material that happened to touch his sphere was immediately disintegrated, turning the web around him to ash as he began to levitate off the ground.
Amethyst merely scoffed and began amassing her own power, her own violet lightning crackling off her body, but in a much more controlled and stable manner. The wind began howling in accordance with her energy rather than Meowstic's. She closed her eyes and unfurled ears before she opened them, shining brighter than ever.
For a moment, the two Meowstic were the source of light in the clearing. Everything around us was bathed in clashing violet and navy light. The trees, abused by Trevenant, groaned in the wind as leaves whipped about. A pressure from them both could be felt, as if we were staring down a bomb about to go off.
Seconds later Meowstic was encased in a gemstone cut prison that he desperately tried to break out of. No matter how much pressure he applied, Amethyst did not flinch.
As she began to shrink the gemstone, Meowstic stared angrily at Amethyst with one eye which she returned with a condescending expression.
'You were never a threat, even at your best' was the expression she gave him.
To emphasize the fact she immediately shrunk the gemstone all the way to his fur and forcibly dissipated his psychic energy. With one last sly chuckle, she Sucker Punched him to the ground where Lou was ready to tackle him once again with Wild Charge. Meowstic rolled to the ground by Benedetto, defeated in body, mind and spirit.
I just stared in awe as Amethyst floated back down to us as though she had done something like walk down the street, not looking for any praise. I decided to give her some anyway, because holy shit.
"Holy shit, he didn't stand a chance! That was amazing, Amethyst! Nice touch with the gemstone too!" I, admittedly, fanboyed.
She just waved me off with a smirk. [Autographs later. For now, let's end this shall we?]
She pointed behind us to show that Pangoro had managed to regain enough stamina to try us again, Trevenant had repaired enough of their body and Dragalge had managed to gain control of their levitation. Benedetto cackled in agony and delight at the sight of his Pokemon returning to the fray.
Donut on the other hand audibly groaned before he turned to Violet. [So, if we win you'll get us donuts right?] He asked genuinely.
She nodded, a small smile dancing across her face. [I will purchase whatever sort of donuts you like, and anything at all the rest of you would want.]
Donut gave her a cute smile despite all the bruises. [Perfect, motivation. My favorites are glazed and jelly, but I love them all.] He turned to the rest of the Pokemon. [So we're gonna blow them up.] .
[Are you implying we use Battery Volt?] Lou asked.
[Yup, Zenara and Amethyst can help too.] Donut turned to them to explain. [Lou's weird ability Battery makes ally special moves stronger and he's got loads of electricity he doesn't use stored in his body. Battery Volt is when we take that energy and use it to blow people up. You guys in?]
Zenara's eyes were wide, a huge grin across her face. [I get to help blow them up? I wanna help blow them up! I'm gonna help blow them up!]
Amethyst couldn't help but chuckle. [I might not be as enthusiastic as her, but yes, I'm more than happy to blow them up.]
Donut nodded with determination. Cenza led us humans to a safe location so we didn't get caught in the crossfire (very far away), meanwhile I handed Violet some noise cancelling headphones and sunglasses. Everyone gathered around Lou, whose ability had been active passively the entire time, as he began releasing even more power. Donut and Zenara began using Charge to build up their own energy as Amethyst began to concentrate the ambient electricity into a Charge Beam of her own.
It wasn't unlike the psychic battle that had just occurred, though the remnants of the Psychic Terrain seemed to be sucked into the orb Amethyst was charging. Ozone filled the air once more, with long arms of lightning raking across the ground and carving gashes into the earth. The orb in front of her began growing and growing, first to the size of a berry, then a fist, then a Cherubi, then almost as large as Amethyst herself.
Lou dispersed energy to all three pokemon while the Donut and Zenara charged their own in order to transfer it to Amethyst. Their synergy was immaculate and powerful as they all grinned in the face of their opponents.
"Kill them already!" Benedetto screamed, as his Pokemon began to lob Gunk Shot, Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball at our team. Unfortunately for them, Donut said the magic words.
[It's time to get the donuts. Battery Volt mkIV, fire!]
For a second, the world went deaf. All Violet and I saw was a flash of light shining out from our Pokemon, who all glowed in a golden hue, with a couple blue highlights around Amethyst. The orb suddenly condensed to the size of a pin head as Amethyst put her paws in a gun position and fired a freaking rail gun of light straight through every attack in their way. Benedetto's team could only stare in futility as they and everything behind them was engulfed in a gleaming, thunderous roar.
Even with the headphones and sunglasses on Violet and I had to hide from the shock waves the attack let loose. We could only hear the Earth rend from behind the rock we hid as the beam was launched miles into the ocean.
When the dust settled, the three enemy Pokemon were lying in a charred pile, with everything surrounding them leveled to the ground and some clouds in the distance blown clear through. Luckily they had aimed towards the ocean where there were less trees, but whatever was there had vanished.
Destructive finish.
I removed my headphones and sunglasses once it was deemed safe meanwhile Violet ran right along with Cenza in her bag. The Pokemon looked well enough, but positively drained. Violet and I congratulated them all as we took out max ethers and hyper potions to share amongst them all, to temper the severity of their wounds until we got them to the Pokemon Center. The potency of all the quick fixes was wearing off, they were all going to need proper medical care.
I noted how Amethyst's body still crackled with wild blue electricity which looked a bit… out of place, for her species, but I decided to ignore it as our Pokemon's conditions began to get better.
"That… was badass," I had to laugh as I said it. I had never seen anything like it. "Nice leadership Donut and Lou you really came through, as always."
Violet was smiling at the whole group. "You have proven your strength unquestionably."
Zenara was clearly tired but rolling a bit with a blissful look on her face. [I helped fire a laser! I helped fire a laser! I wanna do that again!]
Amethyst meanwhile was smiling at Donut specifically. [Thanks. I don't usually get so worked up, so the grounding's appreciated. Funny it came from an electric type, but y'know.]
Donut groomed his ears quickly before replying. [I'm used to bombastic personalities and explosive outbursts. It happens to the best of us, it's no problem. Someone has to be the mellow one after all.]
She nodded before walking over to Benedetto. [So, Benjy. You feeling like the piece of shit you are? Since you definitely look like something that came out of a human's rear end about now.]
Benedetto sputtered at the mention of the name 'Benjy' as Meowstic psychically lifted all four Pokeballs off his belt and sent them to mine and Violet's hands. We got the message loud and clear as we recalled all of his Pokemon. They all immediately went into stasis mode upon entering, my Pokedex notifying us they needed medical attention to end stasis mode.
I could go for some medical attention myself, I did not appreciate Benedetto's child abuse today.
"That's not… my name… give me back… my Pokeballs," He grunted, propping himself up on his arms. "I command you, Meowstic."
She just rolled her eyes and kicked his arms out from under him, sending him back to the dirt. [If you mean him, he's unconscious. You put him through plenty of abuse, more'n just physical. And if you mean me-] She punched him in the face. [My name's Amethyst. Besides, they're not your Pokeballs. You stole them just like everything else you think you own.]
He groaned in pain before replying. "Hehe, I don't remember ever naming a Pokemon Amethyst. You may think you're hot shit now, but you're still the miserable Espurr I found on Route 6. You've just evolved, so your name is also Meowstic. As if you deserve a true name, don't make me laugh."
Amethyst just propped up her head on a paw. [Y'know. I was wondering how'd you respond to losing everything and your inevitable end. This about fits, you're too cowardly to face it when you've lost Benjy.] She looked to all of us. [His name's Benjamin, by the way. He just calls himself Benedetto to sound cooler 'cuz he thinks he's a hotshot.] She laughed and made a smallish Light Screen. [He'd even stand in front of the mirror and shoot finger guns at it while introducing himself as Benedetto like this.]
She then proceeded to flail her arms goofily at the mirror. [My name's Benedetto, I think I'm cool but I'm not! I just tell myself that because I can't do anything and this is all I have!]
Okay so that is pretty hilarious, even moreso because it's mocking him.
All of us began to chuckle as Bene-Benjamin slammed the ground in anger. "Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! No one gets to talk to me like that. I didn't bust my ass working for J to be mocked by a cat!" Benedetto tried to stand, but his limbs were just not cooperating. Which left him left on the ground as Benjamin.
Amethyst just rolled her eyes. [Oh, so would you prefer I mock you about that time I burned a hole through your favorite sleeping bag and you cried for two hours? Or how about that time Pangoro had to pull you out of the river because you got dared to jump in and your dumb ass was so focused on looking cool you forgot you couldn't swim. Oooh oooh, or that time you screamed loud enough for all of Lumiose to hear because a Scatterbug had fallen asleep on your face when you were napping after having Pangoro beat me up?]
Amethyst wasn't kidding. This man is a mess. Not even a hot mess, just… a messy mess.
Benjamin reached towards Amethyst who simply sidestepped. "That's what… Dragalge is for… so I don't have to swim. Yveltal damn you! Your bitchy trainer stabbed me just so-"
At this point it was impossible to hear him over Amethyst's laughter. It took her a solid ten seconds to regain any composure. [You still can't swim? You bought a whole submarine, made it your main way of transporting stolen and abused Pokemon and you never learned how to swim?! Oh my Arceus, I knew you were a coward afraid to do anything yourself, but that's hysterical!]
"Aghhhhh," Benjamin slammed his fists in the mud once again, blood mixing in. "Why me?" He whispered. "Of all the trainers who release their Pokemon why did mine have to come back? I let you go, why isn't that enough? You've taken my business, my future, my Pokemon, I can't even bloody walk! I never wanted to see your damned face or those cursed eyes ever again. What do you want from me!?"
Amethyst's eyes suddenly glowed harshly, Benjamin's body lifting up from the ground.
[You think letting me go was enough? Releasing me into a region that's not my own, in the middle of that horrid city with no idea where to go or what to do in the middle of winter? In the middle of a bunch of other humans who'd gladly try and use me the same way you did? Oh sure, that's acceptable.]
Her ears unfurled dangerously. [Your business built off of murder and slavery? Your future of forcing other innocent people into lives shortened by your abuse and auctioning them off like things to be sold? The Pokemon you stole and abused into following you? You're gonna be whining about a lot worse than some cuts on your leg pretty soon.]
Leaves began lifting themselves off of the trees.
[As for what I want from you, Benjy? It's not much, really.] Amethyst inhaled deeply.
[Your life.]
Donut's ears perked up and my face screwed in concern. [Isn't this the part where the humans take him to jail or something? He's been bleeding for awhile now…] Donut voiced his concern.
Amethyst's eyes didn't waver, the leaves reorienting themselves with their pointed ends aimed towards Benjamin. [Won't matter how much he's bled if he's dead, now will it?]
O-oh.
"Wait wait wait, no no stop! I'll give you anything, just not my life! Put me down please, I'm sorry! Amethyst, I'm sorry!" Benjamin squirmed under Amethyst's grip before he turned to us standing by. "Stop her please, help me! Do fucking anything!"
Amethyst just glared as a leaf shot past him, leaving a paper thin cut across his cheek. [Sorry? You think sorry's enough? You think anything you have to offer is worth fuck all? I know damn well I'm not the only life you've ruined. You made a career out of it! It's all fun and games and shit talk until you're in the hot seat, isn't it?]
Another leaf cut across the arm Violet had hit with a rock. The girl in question was just standing there, watching with her arms crossed. Her face was void of any sympathy.
[You really think I'm about to let you go? Let some humans determine your fate? No, Benjamin. Before you die, I'm going to make you understand exactly what it's like to be powerless. What it's like to have your life wrenched from your hands, placed in the hands of someone who doesn't care if you live or die. What it's like to not be able to defend yourself.]
Her eyes narrowed to slits as his squirming ceased, Amethyst's grip on him tightening. [What it's like to be at the mercy of the people you think are nothing.]
And with that, the torrent of leaves descended on him. None of the cuts she inflicted were actually bleeding, they weren't even deep enough to draw any blood. But each one was oh so clearly painful.
I looked over to Violet. "Was this her intent all along?"
She simply nodded, her face and posture calm. Her tone perfectly even. "It has been for years. She desires revenge. He has taken many lives and ruined far more. A fitting end for a waste of matter such as him."
"I… see…" I said slowly, my stomach turning at my weak statement.
I'm supposed to denounce this right? A true League official wouldn't condone torture of any kind and arrest the perpetrator. Yet… my heart isn't in it.
I clenched my chest and my heartbeat was disturbingly calm.
I can't even say this bothers me. He deserves this. Is it any more humane than a normal execution?
[Violet, is this really okay?] Donut asked her, causing her to look down at him. [Do you really want your best friend to live with the knowledge she tortured someone to death? I know Pokemon killing is different than humans killing, but isn't this… excessive?]
Violet simply shook her head. [I do not believe so. A question for you all. You remember what we were told about the mass teleporter, yes? How precisely do you believe they found out that attempting to speed up the process results in death for the Pokemon involved?]
All of our voices hitched at the thought. Cenza's eyes began to water, but she spoke up first. [I… I still don't think this is right,] She said. I looked down at her and most of her fur was pretty messed up from the Psybeam earlier and she could barely stand.
Amethyst glanced back for a moment, Benjamin currently trying to scratch at his mouth and nose where sludge-filled water was blocking his airway before turning back to what she was doing. Violet simply gazed at Cenza. [What would you have her do instead?]
[Everyone was saved and all the bad guys were beaten. That's all I wanted. No one has to get hurt anymore, I just wanna go,] She pleaded. [I know I haven't done as much as everyone else so you don't really have to listen to me, but please!]
Violet shook her head quickly. [How much you have done has nothing to do with this. You have done far more than should ever have been asked of you.] She gave a quick side eye to me before continuing.
Not as vitriolic as I expected. I can't blame her though, I asked for a bit much, but it was so we could all survive.
[Would you truly trust humans to punish him properly? He clearly would prefer to live, and human society is built around preventing human deaths. Meanwhile, were he left to the world outside of the fragile bubbles humans have made for themselves? He would be dead within days.]
Cenza spared the quickest glance towards Benedetto. [I think he's suffered enough. Donut said the good humans take away bad people like him, let's go get them!]
[And leave the chance he can go back to whatever he wants?] Amethyst's voice rang out. [If he's alive, Hunter J could easily force him into working for her as a meat shield or something. And then he could break away. If he's dead? He won't hurt anyone again, ever.]
[You're going too far Amethyst, if you're going to kill him, just do it. Stop toying with his life.] Donut stated.
The water pulled itself out of his lungs, and as he was gasping for air blades of grass began slicing through his skin. [Oh, so I should care about his feelings? He toyed with all of our lives! You've heard it yourself, he never gave a damn! I literally can't hurt him as bad as he's hurt Pokemon combined. But I can make him understand exactly how we felt before he dies.]
[Lou?] Donut whirled over to Lou who was oddly quiet. [Well?]
[In war conflict can become a bloody affair and we perform cruel acts we would never do otherwise. I am not above such violence, but I'm also not one for tormenting the weak. This cur is bloody, battered and broken. If it were my decision I would dispose of him and the rest of his team, but it is not my call to make,] He stated rather cordially before side eyeing me subtly.
[So….?] Donut asked.
[The mission is complete, rescue the Kalosians and defeat the perpetrators. We have no reason to stay any longer. I don't even know why we are arguing this. Let us make our report to General Volkner and await orders,] Lou finished.
That's rather controlled of him. Although he has always been mission oriented.
Donut rolled his eyes before looking towards Zenara. [Zenara, you remember all the lessons we got? You should know this isn't okay.]
Zenara took a second before responding, her stance more serious than I'd ever seen her. [I… I don't think that's right. This is a human who's based his whole life around killing and selling Pokemon! Amethyst's been around before me or you were even born and he's been at it since even before that! I know death isn't something good, but-]
Her wool ruffled a bit as the sand from the beach was pulled out of it before Amethyst began using it as sandpaper across Benjamin's skin. [Oh uh thanks for getting that outta there Amethyst!]
[No problem.]
She looked back to Donut, who seemed even more flabbergasted. [Anyway, I know you don't like this, but I also know that Amethyst is really nice. You know she's really nice. Everyone here knows she's really nice. Sure, she doesn't like humans, but think about how she's treated Topaz so far. Even when she barely knew him, all she was was sassy and talking like she knows more. Which she does. They know more about the world than any of us except for Lou Lou. Think about how awful he has to be for Amethyst to not just be okay with this, but more than happy to do it herself? And besides, you gotta remember the Helheim class we got. We're not the ones Benjy screwed over, Amethyst is.]
[Not everyone is able to get first hand revenge, which is why humans go out of their way to make proper punishments. This is excessively cruel, we are above this,] He countered.
She gave him a confused look. [But Roland said we should listen to the people who got hurt in stuff like this. Cenza doesn't want it, but Amethyst does. And Violet's known her longer, wouldn't she know how important this is to her?]
[But remember Froberge said we have to exercise our own judgement and remain a neutral party. If Topaz and I let Amethyst and Violet do whatever they want, they'd both be dead.] Donut stated once again. He never once raised his voice.
Zenara paused a moment before shuddering. [Well if we're supposed to make our own decisions… I'm not stopping them. I can't even imagine how many times other Pokemon were put through that awful cage room thing earlier. And if he only did it once, maybe I'd think differently.] She stamped her foot on the ground definitively. [But he didn't. He does this for a living! I can't look at him and say he doesn't deserve this after what he's done.]
[Wisely said. You are both brimming with conviction,] Lou complimented them. [Your answer, Donut?]
[If that's your decision then mine is that Amethyst stops this and we get the League,] He stated once again.
Cenza nodded fervently. [I agree with Donut!]
While they were arguing philosophies, Amethyst seemed to be systematically breaking every last one of his bones, still pelting him with leaves and sand.
Cenza covered her ears and Lou's expression remained neutral. I hated watching them all fight, but the only way I could see them stopping Amethyst was to attack her themselves.
Donut stared at me in absolute befuddlement. His world was getting rocked and I felt bad for him. He's a good Pokemon. A good partner as well. [Zio. Please tell me you think this is wrong.]
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, reorganizing my thoughts and tuning out the noise.
All my life I've looked up to the League as the golden standard. That I should be as noble as Cynthia or as cool headed as Volkner. That I had to uphold its code and protect my region. Except…
In the pit of my stomach I could feel the two forces that had been fighting within me all this time finally cease. The Devil within me began to move in tandem with the The Strength I had earned over the last two days. At its core was The Fool, me. Who I am as a person.
I may not know everything, but as I am now, I know what I want to say. Jubilee said listen to my heart? Well it's a good thing it felt talkative today.
I smiled down at Donut rubbing his head before I calmly walked over to Benjamin.
I've considered everyone's feelings and my own. Time to make my own stand.
He looked down at me as though I was his savior as he began pleading for help.
"Boy, I mean, T-Topaz right? Please help me, you've got to save me!" His eyes were streaming with tears as he begged for aid.
Pathetic.
I turned towards Amethyst. "Don't kill him."
She looked at me as though I had spoken gibberish before preparing another onslaught. Violet stared at me, thoroughly calm about to begin another lecture. [Why do you-?]
I put up a hand to stop Violet's thoughts before I turned to her. "Let me finish for once, please," I asked before turning to Amethyst once again. "Do not kill him. Make him wish he was dead."
I could sense confusion emerge from everyone behind me.
Amethyst then looked at me proper. [Okay you're gonna need to explain. This bastard is terrified of dying. It's the last thing he wants. If he wants to live, he dies. If he wants to die, he lives. And he wants to live.]
I strolled up to Benjamin floating in the air. My heart was scarily calm and my eyes focused. "Are you sure you want to live, Benjamin?"
His eyes bugged out as he fought through the pain to yell at me. "Of course I want to fucking live! What the hell is wrong with you!? Make her stop!"
I shook my head, my expression remained steeled. "I literally can't make her do anything unless I wanna end up like you. I can only suggest an alternative course of action. Which is to allow you to live. As a broken, useless failure. Amethyst says the thing you fear most is dying, but what else do you have to lose?" I honestly asked.
His ragged breaths actually paused.
"Let me count. We've destroyed your operation, ruined your reputation, stolen your goods back, all your subordinates will be arrested, your chance to join the syndicate is gone, your submarine has been destroyed, your Pokemon taken and your body will never move how you want it again unless you get extensive medical care," I paused putting a finger on my chin. "That you can't actually afford because the League will freeze all your accounts due to illegal gains. So you'll get what the courts allow."
I had to chuckle at this one. "Hell, you're actually a burden alive. I'm sure you've let down a lot of important people's expectations due to the colossal failure the last two days have been. That was… around ten or so reasons why you should want to die, yes?"
Whatever hope Benjamin had in his eyes vanished. Amethyst's gaze changed a bit behind the glow from her eyes and my own morals were trying to catch up to everything I was saying.
When did I become this?
He deserves it.
I sound like a sicko.
He deserves it.
I never wanted to be this person.
He deserves it.
Each breach of hesitation was quickly sealed by that phrase. Finally Benjamin replied, gravely.
"You're… you're just like them. You're a monster! All of you are monsters!" He began squirming in terror and I simply frowned. "That look you bear. It's the same!"
"I don't enjoy hurting people if that's what you think. No one here does. We just don't think it's a flaw to believe that those who practice slavery should be punished for it," I said before my voice grew dark. "Being called a monster by an abomination means nothing to me. No matter what happens today, whether Amethyst or the League gets you, neither will ever allow you to hurt anyone again."
I let out a deep sigh and turned to Donut whose expression was stern. I could only hope he understood. "I don't think I would wish this on my worst enemy and I'm not really keen on watching you suffer, but I won't apologize. Not to you."
I turned back to Amethyst.
"I've said my piece, do whatever you want until the League gets here. Even in the middle of nowhere this battle would've been noticed. There's barely reason to call at this point," I said as I walked back to everyone else.
Amethyst nodded to me, a genuine smile on her face. [You made some good points. Good on you.] Then she looked back to Benjamin. [So, Benjy, you still wanna live so bad?]
~x3x~
After moving out of screaming range, we stood on the grass closer to the ocean. Violet meanwhile seemed legitimately happy at that. "I am glad you understand that this is her decision, and hers alone."
I sighed. "I think I'm beginning to talk like you now, all of that sort of came out. At the same time, don't think I did this for anyone but myself. I considered everyone's feelings as well as my own on the matter."
She gazed at me for a moment. "Perhaps, but ultimately you did not attempt to force her. Merely suggest. Which is perfectly acceptable."
I looked down at Donut who looked forlorn. [Zio… you know this isn't… right, right?]
"I won't really say it's wrong for a slaver to get his due punishment, I just don't think I'd have done all that. Granted I haven't lived Amethyst's life," I told him before feeling genuinely sorry. "I'm sorry… if I'm not the trainer you thought I'd be. I truly am."
Donut looked down a moment before he climbed onto me and laid on my shoulder. His eviolite charm shimmering in the light. [I wanna go home. Everything hurts.]
I could sense his feelings in full force thanks to our bond. He was thankful we had saved everyone, but I could also sense reservations. I patted his head, I felt awful betraying his feelings, but in this instance I had to make my own independent decision.
Cenza turned to all of us. [Ummm, I feel okay now that everyone is safe from the bad guys. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for helping everyone out. I'm not really okay with what everything Amethyst is doing, but we wouldn't even be here without her help, so I'll thank her too.]
Zenara looked up with a big, tired smile. [I'm just happy I got to help you! I've always wanted to go on an adventure, and my first one got to be helping a bunch of new friends!]
[Yes, this was a valuable experience. I am honored to have fought alongside so many brave soldiers. No matter our moral grievances we have to remember we completed the mission. The Kalos Pokemon were released from their criminal confines, Benedetto's group has been disbanded and Benjamin has received his rightful punishment.] Lou's ever present scowl softened ever so slightly. [Best of all, no ally casualties.]
Violet nodded. [Indeed. Amethyst has finally had the opportunity to have the closure she so richly deserves.]
There was one final scream from Benjamin from behind us. Amethyst strolled right up to us shortly after with Benjamin's floating body before dumping him behind a rock. Donut stared at her sternly.
[Is he dead?] He asked.
She shook her head. [No, he's fine.] She glanced back. [Well. He's definitely not fine, fingers don't bend like that. But he's alive. He'll live, so long as he gets to a hospital and the doctors take pity on him and let him live.] Her ears closed and her eyes ceased glowing, when suddenly she was much less steady on her feet.
Donut's expression went from stern to concerned immediately. [You don't look okay.]
She just waved him off, though much less precisely than usual and her eyes already closing. [I'm fine, I'm fine, don't…]
Her eyes closed and she fell forwards into the waiting arms of Violet, who picked her up gently. She then sat on a rock and began applying Hyper Potions and bandages, never once letting go of her friend.
"She reached her limit. Considering everything she's done today, it's amazing she lasted so long," I noted, before noting Donut's unusually dazed expression. I put him down immediately and took note of some purple bruising underneath his yellow fur. I clicked my teeth and gave him a donut with oran berry toppings to nibble on.
"Everyone needs to go to the Pokemon Center, they're liable to get infections with all the mud, blood and stress coursing through them."
Violet nodded, not looking up from Amethyst. "Of course. The primary concern is how. Unless you happen to have a train in one of your capsules?"
My ears perked as I heard some bushes rustle behind me. "I have a feeling that won't be necessary. Do you hear that?" I asked.
She glanced about, now registering the rustling through the trees. After a moment Vika and her Electivire Proton walked out of the tree covers and looked at the group.
"So it was you who did that!" She then looked at Benjamin, me, my team and Violet. "Fuckin' hell, what happened here? Topaz, you an' your team look like you've been sledding down Coronet and the girl looks almost worse."
Violet's eyes darted to Vika, squinting a bit as she raised an eyebrow. I looked at Vika, Violet and then myself before touching my eye, which had been throbbing for awhile.
Black eye. Wonderful.
~Chapter 18 Fin~
Author's Note
That was a doozy wasn't it? I hope that was a fitting final battle for everyone, sure as hell was fun to write. Some morals were tested and I think we learned a bit more about each of our main characters when pushed.
Benedetto was a blast to write. Felt good to write a competent villain for a change. My inspiration for some of his dialogue was from Broly (DBZ). Even one of Donut's lines (if you can guess, you get an internet donut) is from DBS.
Topaz's dialogue was especially fun to write. He's a bit intense for a 12-year-old ain't he? Trust me, he's not usually one to go in so hard, but then character development hit harder than even puberty. I'm curious on how y'all think about him and the cast, but that's what reviews are for *hint hint*.
Next chapter is the aftermath of this whole mess. I was tempted to make it all one chapter, but I think after all this there needs to be a mental health break.
~Heya! 's me again! Our first real climactic battle against a bad guy. The battle with Jade was definitely climactic, but he's not a bad guy. Or is he? You won't get an answer from me. Anyway, on a more serious note, yeah. This isn't a story about definitive right and wrong and black and white good guys bad guys. I'm curious what y'all think of it, but if nothing else? Keep in mind that this isn't even close to the end of this story. So if you wanna see where folk go from here, stick around. I promise that if you enjoyed things so far, you won't regret it.
~x~
Question: What are your thoughts on the big bad villain Benedetto? The rest of his team? Pangoro and Meowstic were so much fun to write, Trevenant had his moments, but sadly Dragalge floundered a bit for me. Most importantly though, do you think Benedetto deserved Amethyst's punishment? What about everyone's arguments? Leave a review of your thoughts!
~x~
Trainer: Topaz Heart
Age: 12
Class: Youngster
Funds: ¥6,000.
Gear: Pokedex, Poketch, 10 Luxury Balls, 5 Super Potions, Escape Rope, Cellphone, Several Berries, Baton, Explorer Kit, laptop, 2 Ethers, 6 Full Heals, First Aid gear.
Deck: Fool, Devil.
Team: Donut (Pikachu), Lou (Charjabug).
Other: Cenza (Dedenne).
x
Donut (Pikachu/M)
Equip: Eviolite.
Moves: Thunderbolt, Discharge,Iron Tail, Brick Break, Quick Attack, Rollout, Tickle, Charge, Nuzzle, Thunder Wave, Flash.
Ability: Static Chance to paralyze opponent upon physical contact.
Likes: Pastries, sweets, naps, relaxing, quiet, Topaz's bag.
Dislikes: Bitter food, stress, stupid decisions.
Tactics: Maneuver (Creates a thunder wave barrier to sense attacks+Tickle), Enhanced Tickle (Enhances his tickles with electricity to hit the nerves of sturdier opponents), Spin Dash (Rollout+Iron Tail), Battery Bolt (Combo: Lou's Battery + Donut's Thunderbolt), Thundercloud (Creates thunderclouds to summon lightning independently).
x
Lou (Charjabug/M)
Moves: X-scissor, Spark/Wild Charge, Acrobatics, Mud Shot, Iron Defense, Screech, Dig, String Shot, Spiderweb.
Ability: Battery Boosts allies' special attack moves.
Likes: Bugs, war, battling, General Topaz, usurping oppressors.
Dislikes: Birds, criminals, condescension, threats to his unit.
Tactics: Mud Pit (Digs a hole underneath the opponent and traps them in a pit of mud), Mud Spin (Digs into the ground and begins throwing mud all over around himself), Grapple Bug (Uses string shot to reel in himself or the opponent), Web Sling (String Shot+Acrobatics), Battery Bolt (Working alongside fellow electrics to launch the ultimate electric move).
Allies
Trainer: Violet ?
Age: 11
Class: ?
Funds: ?
Gear: Tablet, Zenara's Pokeball, an insane amount of healing items apparently, ?
Team: Amethyst (Meowstic)
Other: Zenara (Mareep)
Amethyst (Meowstic/F)
Moves: Psychic, Magical Leaf, Leer, Charge Beam, Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Light Screen, Safeguard, Psychic Terrain, Teleport, ?
Ability: ?
Likes: Violet, sassing people, ?
Dislikes: Benedetto, That Specific Pangoro, ?
Zenara (Mareep/F)
Moves: Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Take Down, Cotton Spore, Cotton Guard, Charge, Signal Beam, Iron Tail.
Ability: Static
Likes: Fighting, Lou, looking cool, adventure
Dislikes: Boring people, not having adventures, bad guys
