Lucy wouldn't say that she was enjoying her free ride, even if t was convenient. Still, it'd be a lot more tolerable if she wasn't slung over the shoulder like a rag. It wasn't comfortable at all. "How long is this thing gonna carry me?"
"Beats me, but it looks like we're all going in the same direction somewhere." Cana answered, having a more comfortable position bridal style in a soldier's arms.
"I'm more concerned with where we're going." Carla chimed.
Happy scouted above with his Aera Magic, noticing something close up ahead. "Guys, look! Right there! I see them!"
The group that was being carried noticed a building lined up with sizeable cloisters along its side. The pillars supported the building's second floor that looked to be eloquent in stature, presumably a wealthy person's home or business. But it was the group of people hidden behind the cloisters on the first floor that garnered their attention. There, they saw Gray, Juvia, Elfman, and all their Pokémon rounded up with ethereal soldiers protecting them from oncoming intruders.
"Well I'll be damned. Hey, guys!" Cana called out to her guildmates.
Hearing the familiar voice, Gray picked his head up and saw a break in the line of soldiers. "It's you guys!?"
The soldiers filed in and kneeled to the floor, carefully setting down their passengers. Being the ones with energy still, Lucy and Cana stood on their two feet. Though on the other hand, a certain pair of Dragon Slayers didn't have it so easy being taken by the soldiers.
"Hmmmmphf!" Natsu and Wendy groaned as their faces were pale as ghosts, their cheeks puffed and bordering between the realm of conscious and dead.
Seeing their state, Gray blinked. "What's gotten into them?"
"Guess Natsu didn't appreciate the bumpy ride." Happy grimaced.
Carla sighed. "I had a feeling being handled by these soldiers so abruptly would trigger their motion sickness. They'll be fine, nonetheless."
"I see." Gray turned towards their Pokémon, noticing a familiar face that wasn't amongst theirs. "Huh? Hey, wait a minute, aren't you that cop who had us behind bars?"
Sune drooped her tails at the memory, but quickly swallowed her pride and stood up. "Er, y-yes, I was. About that incident, I just wanna say sorry."
"Don't worry, she's on our side now." Cana assured, glancing back at the soldiers. "And speaking of new allies…"
One of the soldiers closed in on the group, but the Grovyle that was latched on the shoulder sprung off it and skillfully leaped across the small field of soldiers by their shoulders until he breached the safe zone. Finally under a roof, Grovyle looked around at the faces he was surrounded with.
"Cool that I hang here with you lot till the heat dies down?" he nonchalantly asked.
Gray's eyes widened as he gasped. "Hang on, you're that Apostle from before! The heck's going on?!"
Blade rolled his eyes. "Better cool your jets before those wounds of yours get worse. Long story short, this society's completely bogus, so I'm taking my lot with you all for the time being."
Gray furrowed his brow as he glared at the Apostle. He then turned towards Lucy. "You sure you can trust him?"
Lucy nodded. "Yeah, I do. Believe it or not, he's been a big help to us. He helped us take down that Jynx, right?" She turned towards Grovyle, who hummed as he nodded.
"So I take it that you guys were taken in by all these soldiers around us, right?" Cana asked, seeing the cloisters guarded by the ethereal soldiers.
"Yeah, looks like it." Gray turned his attention outwards the other buildings around them. "They're taking out all the Pokémon and the humans that were still after us. Doubt there's any left, and they seem to be leaving the innocent people alone, too."
"Does anyone know where they even came from in the first place?" Elfman wondered, sitting upright against the wall. Beside him, Machoke and Rhyhorn were being idle, recuperating after their hellish struggles.
Lucy frowned as she furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure, but…it looked like they were all being controlled by Joey."
"Where the hell did he even find those things? That's what I wanna know." Cana chimed.
Feeling exhausted, Gray lowered his chin and sighed. "Well, in any case, looks like he's ordering them to bring us all together again. At least that saves us the trouble of running around." He said. "I hate to admit it, but Joey really came through for us."
It didn't take too long for Wendy and Natsu to recover from their motion sickness. The two sat up, looking a lot more relieved than anything else.
"Thank god! The heck kind of a ride was that?!" Natsu complained, turning towards the nearest ethereal soldier. "Hey, buddy! How's about you ask next time before you pick someone up like that!"
"Grooooh…" The soldier only let out a low, neutral grunt in response.
"Hey! Answer when I'm talking!"
"Guess these things don't talk much, do they?" Happy inquired.
"I would imagine so. They must only respond to Joey if he's the one forcing them to do all this." Carla insinuated.
Beside Gray, Juvia groaned as she was wavering from being conscious. This alarmed her Pokémon, especially Wartortle. "Boss-Ma'am, don't move around! You'll make it worse!"
"What happened to her?" Cana grimaced, seeing Juvia's less than pleasing condition.
Gray frowned heavily as he looked down at her. "She was paralyzed by her opponent, and apparently, one of them had some kind of Ink Magic that's getting into her system…!" His eyes widened when he realized what needed to be done. "Wendy! You think you can help?!"
Though she knew she was low on magic and barely recovered, Wendy nodded without hesitation. "Right, leave it to me!" She moved closer to Juvia, kneeling beside her and placing her hands in front of her. "Stay calm…I'll treat your paralysis and expel the ink. You'll be better soon." Slowly, green energy expelled from her hands that covered Juvia. The Healing Magic was doing its job quickly and in no time, Juvia's tenseness started to ease up.
Gray felt the relief wash over him, finally seeing to it that his woman was getting the treatment she needed. "Thank you, Wendy…take care of her for me."
"And us, too." Vaporeon pleaded, looking more desperate after what happened. Compared to Azumarill and Wartortle, she felt more guilty since she was treated for her paralysis first.
Wendy nodded. "Right, just leave it to me. She'll be better in no time!"
"Hm? Hold on, something feels off." Elfman realized, looking around.
"Like what?" Machoke responded.
"If these guys were supposed to bring us together, then why aren't all of us here now?"
Lucy's eyes widened as she caught onto the realization. "Now that you mention it…" She looked around, finding that they were a couple of guildmates short of their whole party. Looking around, she counted everyone except Nic, Erza, Vanessa, Sophie, Gajeel, Mest, and The Freaks.
"They must still be out there somewhere." Cana figured, eyes narrowing. "My guess, they're still fighting those Apostles and trying to take out this supposed factory."
"I hope they're alright." Lucy grimaced, looking out towards the ruined utopia.
"Nah, I wouldn't worry." Everyone turned their attention towards Natsu, who had a toothy smirk to show just how confident he was. "Don't forget, our friends are strong. Those Apostles might have the home advantage, but they're dealing with actual Pokémon Trainers. They'll pull through."
Wendy, not doubting his judgment, nodded. "You're right."
"For all our sakes, let's hope you're right." Cana folded her arms as she sat against the wall to rest after a long day of nonstop fighting. Now was time to kick back and allow the others to handle the rest.
In another part of the city, Mest was looking down from the rooftops with Kirlia, both their eyes wide with shock at what they were seeing happening right before their eyes. To say that they were surprised by this overwhelming development would be a tremendous understatement.
The turquoise soldiers ran through the streets, any struggling Pokémon fighting for their lives overwhelmed. There was no place outside safe for the denizens that were all for this utopia, which cost them more than they could imagine.
'The hell did all these guys come from? And…are they really following Joey's orders?' He looked down at a passing soldier, who was carrying an injured mage. 'That must be one of the former prisoners that Nic and Erza were with before. Looks like Joey's rounding them all up and establishing safe zones. That's smart.'
"Look, down there!"
Mest heard a familiar deep cry from above. He turned around and looked up, recognizing Gajeel and Pantherlily, the latter carrying the Dragon Slayer with his Aera Magic over the rooftop. The two descended so they were a meter off the roof Mest and Kirlia stood on.
"Looks like you weren't swept with the rest, figures." Gajeel harrumphed.
"Yeah, had a feeling that would be the case." Mest said, glancing back down. "But it looks like that takes care of all the Pokémon citizens that were under any influence. At least now we have less numbers to worry about."
"More like none at all." Gajeel scoffed.
Mest couldn't disagree with his statement, but then something came to mind as he glanced up at them again. "Have you guys seen Nic?"
"Ole' Luminous?" Gajeel raised a brow. "Yeah, think we saw him on his Charizard heading off towards the palace."
'They must be going straight for the king…' Mest had a strong feeling of where this was heading. He remembered the chamber they were in before with the massive machine. 'If Nic's heading there, then that means that machine's still going. We've gotta shut it off or break it somehow…'
He looked down at Kirlia, who could tell what he was thinking. He knew that if he brought him along, it would be extremely stressful for Kirlia's health. Add in the fact that Malamar was operating the device and had immense hypnotic powers. They needed to stop that now!
"Gajeel, Lily."
"Huh?" The two looked down to him once more.
"There's something I need your help with…"
Joey reached his arm out. "Trubbish, Toxic Spikes!"
With a loud gurgle, Trubbish her maw wide as an orb of poisonous energy manifested and arose from her gut. She launched it into the air, with spiraling purple smoke streaming beneath. The poisonous orb exploded into several smaller comets that descended into the area closed off around them, fading with toxic ripples into the ground around Groove and Don Disco.
'There, that'll limit his humans if he decides to throw in more mages.' Joey's thought process was on high alert as he took his surroundings into account. 'And there isn't anywhere for Groove to run this time neither. Right now, we have the field advantage!'
Groove looked down at his feet and around him, seeing that his options for fleeing were futile with all the ethereal entities blocking him along the cliff's steep slope. "Well now, looks like you've gone and closed off this little battle of ours. Leaving me pretty limited, aren't we?"
"You said that you intended to set the pace. Was all that a bluff?" Joey scoffed, with Trubbish belching her stand in this battle.
The Ludicolo spread his feet, his beak forming a serious smirk. "Hmph! Oh, believe me, I intend to set the pace alright. You may have the center stage, but…" His mittens made a snapping sound. "That don't mean anything when Don Disco is on it!"
"The boss be right! Cuz man, you may have fashion, but I've got a groove that you'd wish you had!" Don Disco added, shimmying back and forth in rhythm. He rolled his arms in conjunction to which side he shimmied to, his inner leg bending before changing to the other side.
Joey frowned heavily. He remembered this particular mage from before. He recalled how his magic threw him in a whole different direction – literally. He knew he had to be careful in engaging this guy if he was going to prevail and help his guildmates.
'Whatever magic this guy has, it looks a lot like Teeter Dance. If he can make others dance or move against their will, he can evade a fair fight altogether if he can just turn others on each other like before. So that means…' He balled his fists tightly. 'It'd be best to keep the field with as few combatants, meaning it's just me and Trubbish.'
Burp! Trubbish belched again, catching Joey's attention.
"Alright Trubbish, it's all on just us. You ready, girl?"
Trubbish belched again.
"That's the can-do spirit." Joey spread his legs and pointed his scepter at him. "Let's get this show on the road! Trubbish, use Acid Spray!" At the command, Trubbish began opening her mouth wide, readying to expel her acids.
"Don Disco~, use Rhythm Turn!" Groove shouted.
The afro man prodded his sharp shades, smirking. "One pivot, coming right up!" He adjusted his tie and crossed his right leg over his left, and immediately pivoted to face away. "Hey~!"
Trubbish was ready to launch her attack, but she was forcibly copying the movement, mirroring his pivot to turn around and face Joey. Her purple acid went shooting at him, but Joey yelped and held out his free hand, summoning a barrier to take the attack. The barrier steamed heavily from the acids, but due to its indestructible makeup, it wasn't broken at all.
'Just as I thought, using long-range stuff isn't gonna work!' Joey grimaced. His barrier dispelled as the acids dissipated.
Trubbish burped an apology towards her Trainer.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." Joey dismissed, turning back towards Don Disco. "But it looks like we've got some distance to cover."
Don Disco glanced over his shoulder, his shades glaring in the sunlight. "Make a move, and I'll do you one better." He warned suavely.
Knowing that they had to get closer, Joey balled his fists and took a runner's start position. He charged straight for Don Disco across the wet ground from the earlier rainfall.
"Barrier-Make: Board!"
Joey manifested a board made of his own barrier material. He hopped onto it and sled across the damp ground closer towards Groove.
"Not so fast there! Bubble Beam!" Groove opened his maw wide, expelling a condensed jet of bubbles directly at Joey.
Joey surfed on his board, using his expert maneuverability to surf around the bubbles. He bent his knees and swept his legs up, dragging the board off the ground and parallel with Don Disco. He gave the board a firm kick, sending it at the mage.
"YO!" Don Disco's eyes widened as he leaned to the side, his body turned away to avoid the board. With him distracted, Joey closed the gap with his fist enveloped in a sphere of barrier.
"Barrier-Make: Pistol!"
Groove's eyes narrowed briefly. "Nice try." His eyes then widened, glowing bright green. "Grass Knot!"
Joey reeled his fist back against Don Disco just as the mage turned to see the mage heading for him. Just when Joey was about to reach him, the ground cracked apart, sprouting bright green roots that twisted the make a knot that Joey's heel was snared in. The Trainer could only gasp when he didn't caught on until too late and tripped, sending him tumbling forward past Don Disco sprawling on the ground.
Trubbish belched her shock and worries for her Trainer's condition.
Don Disco smirked. "Watch where you step, little man."
Joey grunted as he used an arm to support himself. He felt a sizeable throbbing in his shoulder, most likely from an inflammation. "Damn, that's smarts…and painful" He muttered, casting a glance back over his shoulder at Groove.
"Told ya, lil' man. You may have set up the stage, but the spotlight be one me." Don Disco chided.
'I never would have imagined that this Ludicolo knew Grass Knot. It's just like that Steelix we fought before.' At that moment, flashes of their battle against that Steelix on the island resurfaced. 'If it knows that, that means…it was trained by someone.'
Groove smirked, going for his next attack. "Use Pivot Disarray!"
Don Disco snapped his fingers. "How's about we go for a little spin, see? Yeah~!" The mage turned on his pivot and began spinning counterclockwise in a rapid motion, almost identical to when a Pokémon uses Rapid Spin. The motion was heavily influenced onto Joey as he was unable to fight it and was caught up mimicking the spin, spiraling swiftly around and around in place while the whole world spun crazily around him.
"Woa~, woah~! Hey! I know I like to take a spin on things, but…this is a bit much! Tone it down a wee bit!" Joey shouted warily.
With his opponent caught up in the dizzying pace, Groove opened his maw wide and expelled another round of Bubble Beam. The bubbles projected at Joey, but even as he was dazed, the shades of bright blue beaming his way made him realize what was happening.
"Barrier-Make: Hemisphere!"
A dome of turquoise barrier surrounded Joey with him at its center. The bubbles met the barricade, but were unable to break through, much to Groove's chagrin.
"Hm, so you can make omnidirectional barriers?" the Ludicolo harrumphed.
"Trubbish, use Sludge!" Joey commanded.
A good distance away, Trubbish opened her maw and shot a ball of sludge at Don Disco as the made was still rotating in place. "Hey~!" Don Disco picked himself up and jumped over the ball of sludge, making sure to show off how easily he could do splits at the same time. The sludge struck Joey's hemisphere barrier, leaving a mucky stain but otherwise no damage.
With his opponent's rotation stopped, Joey dispelled his barrier and felt his head still spinning. He used his scepter as a cane to anchor himself and stay steady until the dizzy spell wore off – which didn't take long at all for him since he was used to these.
"Think you're hot because you're keeping up with my pace, do ya?" Don Disco chastised. "Well then, let's just see how long until you lose rhythm, then we'll see who really takes the stage."
Joey grimaced as he was resisting the urge to buckle his knees. All that running earlier, coupled with the amount of magic he used before in the ocean and underground was starting to sink in. He knew he was reaching his limit soon.
'We've gotta end this soon. But if we try and close the distance, that Ludicolo will use Grass Knot and slow us down.' He furrowed his brow at his conundrum. 'Think, Joey, think!'
Seeing his opponent's fatigue, a smirk appeared on Groove's beak. "This is starting to get interesting."
On the western fields of the fallen utopia, Dereece had his own struggles to deal with. The voice of reason of The Freaks could barely stand, let alone think rationally after his hellish battle against Nero. Said mage wasn't even bothered to be recalled to his Human Cube when Adamantine vacated the premise, he was still sprawled and bruised heavily, showing no signs of waking up soon. Of course, Dereece didn't have any room for pity since that space was occupied by fright of the massive Vikavolt that buzzed overhead. Of course, he had his Pokémon to aid him this time around, so that made him feel better. But that by no means remedied the eminent peril that was hanging over all their heads.
Zeus buzzed soundly as he scanned everything beneath him. From Dereece, to the Seel and Stunfisk, to even the Heracross, finally stopping at the Yanma who had an anxious glare in her small blue eyes. As a fellow Bug-type, he could sense the adrenaline coming off his foes. It was palpitating.
'So these are the human and Pokémon that gave Adamantine a hard time?' Zeus paused in thought as he scanned his foes. 'My best humans were defeated by that one with the staff. I remember them being of the same group. If that's the case…then might they be on similar levels?' While it may not be likely considering Dereece's condition, he didn't like to gamble on other prospects that would be otherwise costly. He came to a decision.
"…hmph, very well then. I shall handle this matter myself!" Zeus declared. As he buzzed aggressively, his body gave off a vibrant sheen of light, which turned into a bright orange aura that looked like embers fading upwards.
This of course surprised his opponents.
"Wait, what's that?" Stunfisk questioned.
"Oh golly, that doesn't look too friendly." Seel worriedly stated.
Heracross's antennae rung, feeling the intense vibrations and threatening power through them. "Feels like he just powered himself up just now. I can feel it!"
Dereece's eyes widened at the threatening display. "Wait a sec…didn't Erza explain one time that they've fought Pokémon back in Alola that had this kind of aura and were stronger than normal?"
"So you're familiar with my region then?" Zaus huffed. "Then perhaps I should enlighten you. Indeed, I am no ordinary Vikavolt, for you see, I am known as a Totem Pokémon."
"A Totem Pokémon?" Seel quipped.
"Yes. I was Totem Vikavolt!" He boldly declared, his mood simmering to a cold glare. "Or rather…I was."
"But…how?" Dereece questioned.
Zeus scoffed. "You see, as Totem Pokémon, we have a symbiotic custom with the humans who oversaw our rural areas. As they oversee us, our territories are remote. Those who wish to face such Pokémon as us to be entrusted the power of Z-Moves, they would have to face Totem Pokémon such as I. However…even humans get to pick their favorites."
Under the Alolan sun, Totem Vikavolt was staying low and out of sight. The gargantuan beetle was busy conserving his energy in his own nest. There wasn't much for a Pokémon such as himself to do when he isn't called to battle. If he was being personal, he paid no heed to the qualms when he's summoned to do so. At least he gets to release his reserved Totem energy. The aura he always gives off is always so domineering that it made him practically invincible around Route 10 and Mount Hokulani. Sure there were the occasional Skarmory and Fearow that dare to approach him, but his massive size and the electricity he gives off always deters them.
Still, that didn't mean that he didn't understand his position. Being a Totem Pokémon wasn't all games and sport. He knew that whatever this power he had, he knew it came with such a responsibility to harness it. It was solemnly for battle as trials, nothing more.
Normally, a special frequency from the big fancy building atop the mountain would signal him when it was time. He was annoyed at first and went to investigate this strange frequency, but over time, he was able to get accustomed to it. It was almost like a dinner bell.
However, that usual humming that garnered his attention hadn't been going off lately, and that was something that piqued him.
"(Hmmmm…)" He hummed in his nest, which was a coagulation of dried grass surrounded by boulders, which were further shielded by the tall grass on the outlying reaches of the route. "(That signal…it's been quiet recently…did those humans do some work or something?)"
Curiosity got the better of him. He'd rather not bother with the likes of wasting his energy escalating the mountain to go to battle if there wasn't one to begin with, but at the same time, it was something to concern about. True, it didn't happen too often these days, but he knew his responsibilities and took them seriously. If something was happening within his territory, he had to make certain it wasn't anything that could threaten his lifestyle.
So, despite his reservations on the matter, he lifted his wing shields and flapped his clear wings, a dense buzzing signaling his take-off. He ascended to great heights over the trees and started up the mountain path, slowly making his way towards the observatory that sat at the very top. He slowly approached the vicinity and still didn't hear nor feel the signal's strength.
"(What's going on here…?)"
He noticed that the lights in the building were on. Normally by the time he'd venture into the front, a human would impede his path just as the signal stops. He never went beyond that. However, as an Electric-type, something else kicked in that he could feel. "(What's this electric sensation I feel…?)"
His curiosity only spiked from then on. He could feel the electrical output coming from deep inside. He couldn't feel it from where he was back down at Route 10, but now he could feel a strong electric energy surging. Noticing how the door was still locked, he flapped his wings harder and darted through the glass overhead.
Inside, all the people that were within range flinched and screamed as they saw the gigantic Totem Vikavolt ram through the windows. They all panicked and started to find cover.
"We've got an intruder!"
"Hurry! Call the police! We've got to deal with this!"
"That Vikavolt is enormous! Where'd it even come from!?"
Totem Vikavolt didn't bother with their dull cries of worry. His mind was elsewhere. He traced the electricity down the hallway and led to a solid, metal door. Much to his surprise, the door slid open, allowing him to peer inside.
Immediately, he stopped and looked shocked at the scene before him. "(What is…)"
The room lab-like interior was what piqued him, rather it was the Charjabug that were in a Z pattern, all giving off electricity that went through a ground circuit into a lookalike of him that seemed robotic. There was a gauge on the back that was all the way in the red. The electricity the metal pincers were giving off was being absorbed into the body of a very large, monstrously robust Togedemaru, who seemed to be feeding off the machine's power.
The stout, round, young human that he'd normally run into turned stunned. "Huh?! Wait…a Vikavolt!?"
The taller human with ash blonde hair and glasses looked worried. "It looks like the electric output attracted more than just Elekid and Electabuzz this time…wait, Sophocles! That Vikavolt…that's the Totem!"
Sophocles's eyes widened. "Wait, what?! I didn't calibrate for this!"
"(Eep! So scary!)" Sophocles's smaller, normal sized Togedemaru hid behind him for her safety.
Totem Vikavolt was more confused than anything. He turned towards the bizarre metal Vikavolt that was giving off the electricity it seemed. "(I see…so that's what's making this strong charge.)" He turned towards the large Togedemaru. "(Who are you?)"
The electricity eventually shut off. The humungous Togedmaru turned towards him, frowning angrily. "(I should be asking you that. The heck are you doing in my territory?!)"
"(Your territory?)" Totem Vikavolt inquired.
The humungous Togedemaru huffed. "Well duh, I think that's pretty obvious. I'm Totem Togedemaru, and you're in my space!)"
If Totem Vikavolt's had pupils, they would have shrunk with horror. "(…what?)"
Seeing his surprise, Totem Togedemaru smirked. "(Heh, oh, I'm sorry. You've probably been out of the loop or not from around here. You see, this human made this really delicious machine.)" He gestured to the robotic Vikavolt attached to cables. "(It gives off so much electricity that I can't get enough of it. Why didn't I find this sooner if I was hanging around here?)"
Totem Vikavolt blinked, even more confused than before. "(But…the frequency that always comes from here…)"
"(Hm? Don't know what you're talking about.)" Totem Togedemaru sounded genuine with his inquiry.
"Sophocles, is your Pinger 2.0 still operating?" The tall human asked.
Sophocles shook his head, frowning. "No, it shouldn't. I shut it down because it kept causing a power surge, so this was the only alternative. It draws in Electric-types, so it should have drawn the Totem here, but I guess it wasn't strong enough and instead brought along this Togedemaru…"
"(Oh boy, this isn't good…)" Sophocles's Togedemaru quivered fearfully.
The two Totem Pokémon glared the other down. The situation was as charged as the Charjabug that all broke formation and turned with static still crackling around their bodies. Totem Vikavolt briefly recognized them as the Pokémon that aided him in his battles. He knew that they weren't going to be helping him in this one if they were instead helping this plump, short kid. He faced the apparent new Totem with his pincers opening up.
"(I am the Totem here! I shall drive you out of my domain myself!)" Totem Vikavolt roared.
"(You're on! But don't come trying to me when you buzz off with punctured armor!)" Totem Togedemaru challenged, his spikes on his round body flaring up.
Both Totems stood their ground in the facility, their auras flaring up as they readied for battle…
"In the end, I lost the fight." Zeus concluded his tale, sounding bitter and angry. "That small human made a replacement machine that I wasn't drawn to, and in the process, a new Totem came and took my place without me knowing. I did my part of the coexistence, I was responsible…and as a Totem, I had responsibilities. And yet…" Electricity crackled around his body as his frustrations spiked. "…to those humans…I was EXPENDABLE?!"
Dereece flinched as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The air started getting charged even from the shirt distance between them.
"I did my part, and I held up my end, and then some upstart other Totem came and took my place! And you know what the humans did after that?" He didn't even wait for an answer. "Nothing. No apology, no sense of loyalty, no sense of respect! I lost my title as Totem because of humans being so carefree, so they sought alternatives!" His pincers separated as electricity was charging to a singular point. "I may have lost my position as Totem, but as an Apostle, I will fight to keep my position…even if I have to do it MYSELF!"
Feeling the intense electrical charge because of his Static Ability, Stunfisk's eyes widened. "Dereece, watch out!"
Zeus took aim and ejected a powerful and fast-moving Thunderbolt that bolted through the air heading straight for the barely stable Dereece. He could only stand in shock as the bolt blitzed past everyone towards him, his life flashing before his eyes. At the last second, however, Stunfisk flopped up and took the intense bolt in midair. His body lit up in extensive electricity, but thanks to his Ground-type, he was immune.
"Stunfisk!" Dereece gasped.
Zeus ceased his attack, static crackling around his jagged jaws from the laments of his failed attack.
Stunfisk plopped to the ground, the electricity diffusing around him. "That was close. Had I not seen that coming, that'd be a real shocker." He smugly smirked at the half-pun he made.
"Thanks, Stunfisk." Dereece thanked his Pokémon, but instantly felt a throbbing pain in his head, followed by a wave of dizziness that made him almost collapse. 'I can't battle head-on like this. I think I'm definitely concussed after that last fight. I can barely see straight…'
Despite his lack of orientation, he could see his Pokémon in front of him, all staring down Zeus defiantly. Even if he couldn't fight, he knew that they could. In fact, he wasn't sure if he could stop them even if he wanted to. It was like they wanted this fight. Even Yanma, who seemed the most anxious, was flying off Heracross's horn to take flight.
"You guys…I'm counting on you! Let's defeat that Totem Vikavolt!"
"You got it!" Heracross exclaimed.
"We'll hit that ugly sucker down alright!" Stunfisk scoffed.
Zeus saw their unwavering gesticulations, pinching his jaws together. "Hmph! Against a former Totem? Let's see what you all can do."
With everyone set, Yanma locked eyes with her opponent again. No time for a nice rest this time. Even she knew that.
Duncan steadied himself as his Elfen Forja was in his tightened grip. His shoulder throbbed from the ambush by the aggressive Golisopod, but he bit his bottom lip to get through the pain until it simmered. He and his Gastrodon stood a short distance away from the Apostle who had a death glare.
"Must say, you got me when I wasn't looking." Duncan harrumphed, glaring back at the aggressive Apostle. "But my eyes are wide open now."
Adamantine's facial whiskers twitched. After what happened with his Nero against Dereece, he was extremely pissed; to take it a step further, he was forced to withdraw from the incompetent fool of a human mage. No way was he going to allow this to slide. He glared at Duncan ready to take all his frustrations out on him with no shred of mercy in his sardonic cross eyes.
"I will bring you to your knees…no, I will put your head into the ground, before I even consider letting you know your place!" The Apostle declared, reaching his four smaller claws back. "You meddlesome humans have rummaged around long enough! If you dare not concede to the mere display of power, then I shall make an example out of you!"
Duncan furrowed his brows the moment he saw the four claws pull forward, each clutching onto a Human Cube. 'Four mages at once? He means business.'
Without so much as a vocal warning, Adamantine tossed the four cubes into the air. Each one expelled Magic Power that manifested four mages that stood in front of him.
Going from Adamantine's right-claw side to his left, the first human was a tall, fair-skinned male that was bald, save for the intricate tattoo going across the side of his scalp. He had a thick tan mantle, along with a dark green robe attached. Underneath showed his muscular body as he had tan braces around his forearms. His pants were pure white, with a brown belt with a yellow buckle holding them up. For footwear, he wore brown boots with gray soles.
The one beside him was a shorter young man with lighter skin, roughly around Duncan's age, if not partially older. He had narrow eyes and short, spiky black hair. He wore a white coat and a set of black gauntlets over his arms and hands. He sported maroon-colored pants with brown boots that had spiked cleats on the bottom.
The one next to him was another young male with sharp facial features. He had a strong built, with a black cloak tied to his waist by a purple band. He wore black boots that went over his baggy white pants. He adorned spectacles and had a thin yellow mohawk that fell onto his left side.
Lastly, the one to the far left was another man with a sizeable frame, comparable to the one on the other end. He had a darker skin tone with nothing covering his upper body, bearing the thick muscle he had. He did, however, had a black choker with golden accents around it that extended down to his collar bone. He wore a fur-lined waist garment on his baggy navy pants while wearing brown sandals with thick wooden bottoms.
The four mages stood in attention, all glaring at Duncan. Even if they were physically strong, Duncan could sense their Magic Power. No doubt about it, they were strong.
"Rev, Linus, Gale, Percival. All of you, crush that worthless mage and his fragile pets until they stain the pavement." Adamantine gruesomely ordered.
"Understood." Rev, the farthest to the right, noted.
"Oh, this guy looks like he'll be fun! I hope he is!" Linus, the one beside him, eagerly smirked.
Gale said nothing, simply sneering.
"We'll put that welp and his oversized slug in their place, that is guaranteed." Percival, the one on the far left, retorted with a sardonic tone that was almost as crude as Adamantine himself. He sounded more confident than the rest of them.
Duncan knew he had to be on his feet for this one. Even though he had just gotten through a battle against two mages with Gastrodon's help, he knew going at this by himself would suicide. For now, it was best to test the waters to see what he was dealing with.
"Gastrodon, Muddy Water! Let's go!" He shouted.
Gastrodon careened his head upwards, letting out a loud cry as brown water spiraled into a wave around him. The wave gushed outwards, heading right for the four mages.
Duncan shifted gears on his Elfen Forja to activate the yellow lacrima. Lightning charged on the two ends as he twirled overhead. "Gear Two: Lightning!" He slammed the staff's end into the murky water, immediately creating a discharge that channeled through the currents rushing after Adamantine and his humans. The brown wave rushed across the street with crackling yellow static bubbling inside like a storm.
Adamantine scoffed at the display. "Predictable. Rev, use Mirror Force!"
"Right." Rev sternly glared ahead as he spread his feet apart. He swiped both arms forward, causing light to bend and turn into a rectangular reflective mirror wall that came between them and the hydroelectric wave.
When the murky, crackling wave closed in on the mirror, it didn't shatter from the pressure. Instead, it deflected off the surface and returned the current back the way it came from. The Muddy Water flood stormed through the streets, heading back towards Duncan and Gastrodon.
Staying completely calm, Duncan nor Gastrodon made an attempt to move. The latter due to not being told to.
The entire wave crashed into the pair, choosing to take it as water and electricity discharged across the area. The avenue shuddered from the sheer force of the wave's impact. Adamantine and his mages only watched as their opponent's attacks were reflected back at them.
Adamantine sneered loudly. "No attack can get past Rev's Mirror Magic. Your attacks are feeble…hm?"
His daunting remarks were cut off when he saw the waves swirl and crackle around his opponents, only to be suctioned into a spiral into Gastrodon's body. All the brown water was being absorbed into his body as he remained completely still and unharmed, as was his Trainer. All the water eventually was drawn into him, disappearing as a red aura enveloped his body, sharply increasing his Special Attack.
"What's the meaning of this?" Rev asked, his brow furrowing. "My spell should have reflected your own attack."
Duncan scoffed back. "It sure did, but I guess you don't know much about Gastrodon to consider his Ability is Storm Drain."
Adamantine growled as he jutted a claw outward. "Linus, use Drill Arm!"
"Aw hell yeah! I've been waiting for this!" Linus, the mage besides Rev, shot at Duncan with his right arm pulled back. A purple magic seal enveloped his fist and worked down the arm to the shoulder, causing the entire appendage to spin like a drill. "You're mine!"
'He's fast!' Realizing the gap would be closed, Duncan chose to hold his stance and brought up his Elfen Forja to defend. The spinning appendage met the tip of the Elfen Forja, causing a discharge of lightning to flourish. The power between the two was to where their cloaks blew in the force of their collision.
"Well damn, you're a tough one, aren't ya!?" Linus eagerly smirked, keeping up the pressure. "It feels like my whole arm's tingling all over!"
Duncan grunted harshly, trying to overwhelm his opponent. The two broke off their stalemate together, but quickly bounced back as they started parrying the other's blows.
With his opponent distracted, Adamantine turned his focus onto Gastrodon. "Eliminate that sea slug. Percival, use Pulse Bomb!"
Wordlessly, the equally daunting mage's body gave off a purple glow as he brought his palms together. A sphere of what had to be blast energy began manifesting between his hands with a heavy magnitude coming off of it. He thrust his arms out and projected the sphere at Gastrodon, causing the pavement beneath to depress and shatter beneath its sheer force.
Still blocking Linus's blows, Duncan knew he had to act promptly. "Gastrodon, Water Pulse!"
Gastrodon grunted as he opened his mouth. A sphere of condensed blue water came into existence before him and was shot directly at the oncoming sphere. When the two spheres connected in the middle, there was a short stalemate before the two forces imploded on one another. An energy pulse mixed with water spewed across the vicinity, rattling the area and making a shockwave that instantly depressed the earth within its radius. Everyone was barely outside the radius, but the wake of the attack was enough to almost bring Gastrodon off his feet.
Adamantine didn't hesitate to call for another attack as the shockwaves stirred. "Gale, use Wind Blast!"
Not flinching within the wake of the attack, Gale manifested a blue magic seal in front of him. With an uproarious howl, the magic seal expelled a condensed wind blast similar to a beam that shot across the depressed surface at Duncan.
Linus was in the midst of close combat with Duncan before he glanced back. He sneered before pulling away, leaving Duncan exposed to the beaming winds heading his way. His eyes widened, he gripped his staff to shift the green lacrima into activating. With Gear Three: Wind active, Duncan held out the one end of his staff as the lacrima took the force of the beaming wind head-on. Despite how forceful the wind felt, Duncan was able to hold his ground and conduct the winds. He started twirling his staff, making a wheel to conduct and absorb the winds easier, making a condensed cyclone wheel in front of him.
"You're kidding! He can turn our attacks on us, too?!" Linus exasperated.
Adamantine's eyes narrowed, a loud, angry snarl heard loud and clear.
"HRAH!" With all the winds from the spell conducted, Duncan swung his staff in a downward motion. The attack sent the winds back with even more force than what the spell had before, rushed by physical force behind it with a larger range.
"Rev, use Mirror Force!"
Rev grunted as he spread his feet and stood in front of everyone once again. He spread his arms and made another large screen-like mirror that took the hectic wind blast meant for them. The gale was halted completely, though drafts of it was blowing debris past the other mages. Rev yelled out as he stretched his arms out, forcing the reflective surface to shoot the attack back at Duncan.
Seeing the winds returning with even more force than before, the ground was tearing apart as it barreled right fir Duncan. 'The range is too great! I can't dodge this! Which means…' Knowing the best course of action, Duncan gripped his Elfen Forja tightly and pulled it back. "HRRAAAAAAAH!"
With all his might, he jutted the staff's tip straight into the gale's front. The conductor was doing its job in absorbing the winds, though the pressure was sending vibrations down the staff into Duncan's arms, making it harder to hold onto. The pressure was so intense that he was slowly losing ground to the wind's overwhelming force, but he didn't fall backwards to this.
"You can absorb elemental attacks…but power always wins in the end." Adamantine scoffed belligerently.
Duncan was too busy trying to keep himself upright to retort. He was putting all his weight forward just to stop skidding back. Eventually, it paid off to where he was able to hold his ground b=again, but the strain was becoming too great to bare.
'My conductors can handle all this, but I can't. I have to…!' He bent his strained knees, mustering all the strength he could to tilt the Elfen Forja skywards. "GNNNAAAAAAAGH~!" With a voluminous shout, he managed to conduct and force the remaining gale blast in a tilted wake into the sky. The windstorm haphazardly howled as pulses of air shook the airspace above, until eventually diffusing into the sky.
"Well I'll be damned." Rev sneered.
"I'll say. Guy's got some fortitude." Linus smirked, pulling his arm back. "That just makes things more exciting!"
Finally having all that momentum and pressure off of him, a wave of exhaustion fell upon Duncan as he staggered to the side. He caught himself and adjusted his footing as he shot glares back at his opponents. His labored breathing was a sign of his stamina depleted.
"Are you okay?" Gastrodon worriedly asked.
"I'm fine…stay focused." Duncan labored his directive, to which Gastrodon faced forward. 'All that pressure nearly overloaded by Wind Lacrima. If I didn't deflect it, I could have risked shattering it.' He felt a cramping in his limbs, especially his arms. 'My body's starting to wear down. It can't go on like this for much longer…'
Knowing it wouldn't be long before he reached his physical limits, he relaxed. He already knew what his next move was going to be.
"Linus, use Drill Wave! Percival, Pulse Cannon!"
Linus brought both his arms back and let out an eager grunt as they started rotating like drills. They spun rapidly as he plunged them into the ground, causing fissures with bright purple energy to race across the crushed pavement.
Percival's gruesome stare was fixed on Duncan as his body gave off a strong Magic Power that caused the nearby stones and debris to defy gravity. Land shuddered beneath his wake as he contorted the power to a condensed point between his hands. The spherical energy pulse was stabilized to where he thrust outwards, causing several glimmers to erupt before a voluminous purple beam with dozens of pulse waves expelled across the shattering ground. The air roared violently as the attack had an intense magnitude about it.
The two powerful spells tore through the area, obliterating everything that stood between them and Duncan. With his hat's cap shielding his eyes, all that was visible was the trademark frown as he made no intention of moving…
BOOOOOOOOM!
Several flickers of Magic Power went off before piles of pavement, debris from other buildings, and magical pulses shot everywhere. The ground thundered so much that it felt like it was starting to split apart again. The force of the magical shockwave shattered any glass that was still intact in the vicinity. Building walls caved in, causing the faces of these businesses to depreciate inwards.
Adamantine stood with his feet spread, glaring intensely into the bright purple oblivion that roared before him. He wasn't fazed in the slightest, even when drilled bits of earth threw themselves into his hardened scales. Even though he knew his opponent couldn't have possibly handled that, he wanted to see his crippled remains. He wanted to relish in it. It's the only sure thing that would establish his worth.
As the pulsing magic diminished, a large field of dust overtook the area. Inside the dust, there seemed to be silhouettes that stood at attention.
"What…?" Adamantine couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"You're not the only one who can use numbers to his advantage." In the dust, Duncan's voice could be heard loud and clear. "If you're hitting me with everything you've got…then I guess I should pay my respects and do the same."
The dust wave settled, revealing Duncan completely unharmed by the attack. Instead, it was revealed that Torterra stood in front, his shell having a sizzling stain on it from the force of the attack that he was able to withstand. He firmly stood amongst Gastrodon, as well as the rest of Duncan's Pokémon that joined the battle.
"Hmph…that packed a punch." Torterra begrudgingly admitted.
Linus's eyes widened. "No way! That thing tanked our attacks?!"
"Hmph! No matter! To me, it's just got thick skin that'll break under pressure soon enough, as shall all of them soon enough." Percival belittled, unfazed by the added numbers.
Adamantine scoffed, glaring at Duncan harshly. "Your Pokémon don't stand a chance against superb mages like my own. You're making a fool's gamble."
"Have you seen the kind of people I've been around?" Duncan rebuffed back. "If yours are as strong as you say, then you know what to do."
Adamantine's eyes twitched as he jutted a claw in his direction. "Gale, Cyclone Slam!"
Gale brought his hands forward and created a medium-large magic seal. A compressed whirlwind swirled outwards and rushed towards.
"Gastrodon, Ice Beam!" With no hesitation in his command, his Gastrodon complied and quickly made a spherical icy energy in front of his ice that he projected at the oncoming attack. The icy beams seared across the air and met the whirlwinds, causing a change in pressure drastically. The whirlwinds, much to Gale's horror, started freezing up into an icy funnel framed by the smooth ridges of the cyclone.
"My spell…!" he gawked.
"Now Torterra, Stone Edge!"
Torterra grunted as he lifted his forelegs and brought them down harshly, shuddering the ground. Glowing blue stones shot out of the ground with such force that shattered the frozen cyclone in its linear impact towards Gale.
The Wind Mage was left stunned as he watched feebly as his cyclone was broken through, and was struck by a massive, piercing stone below that spouted into various smaller, thinner branches of stone before imploding. His cries were heard through an explosion the attack created, clouding everything around him in dust, including his teammates.
Adamantine audibly gasped as he watched his mage fly out of the dust cloud in an arch in front of him. He looked down, finding Gale with his eyes lacking of pupils as dirt, dust, and a large part of his abdomen was raw from the Stone Edge's impact.
He was knocked out.
"Impossible!" Adamantine was so stunned that he almost didn't see the silhouette rushing him through the dust. He caught on at the last second and brought up both his armored arms to block the blow from Duncan's staff, making a loud metallic ring run through the vicinity.
"Been wanting to test my level of magic against a Pokémon like yourself!" Duncan brashly declared.
Adamantine snarled. "You imbecilic WEAKLING!" He forcibly spread his arms apart, causing Duncan to back off. The Golisopod shot a glare back at his attacker before his claws glowed bright white, via Slash. Duncan met his swipe with a swing of his own.
Their parry made an airwave as they were face-to-face, will against will. And their ferocious fixations on winning made it clear only one of them will be left standing.
Zeus gaped his pincers apart as electricity charged around his entire body. He pinched the jaws shut, condensing the Thunderbolt in a sharp, zigzag path through the air with added force from the aura enveloping him.
"Stunfisk!" Heracross called.
"You got it, mate!" Slamming his tailfin into the grass, Stunfisk flopped into the air in front of everybody, facing the oncoming intense Electric attack head-on. He only smirked as he was blinded briefly, before his entire body crackled from the attack. But still, he was unaffected by the voltage. He laughed mockingly as he seemed tingled. "How ec-staticing!" he chimed.
'Whatever that aura is, it's gotta be what's making this Vikavolt stronger.' Heracross thought, looking back at Dereece. The latter was still suffering from another dizzying spell and seemed out of it. It hurt Heracross seeing him like this, but he knew he had to muscle through. He turned towards Yanma and Seel. "Hurry, while Stunfisk's giving us an opening!"
"You gotcha!" Seel nodded.
"Okay!" Yanma nodded.
Heracross went first, opening his wing shields to take flight. He pulled back his right arm as it glowed for his Brick Break. Yanma followed behind, zooming in swiftly with Quick Attack, with Seel cloaking herself in water and bolting via Aqua Jet. With her earlier Speed Boost, Yanma was closing in faster than Seel towards her foe.
Zeus, however, seemed aware of his opponents' tactics. He ceased firing electricity and ascended above Yanma at the last second, then maneuvered around Seel's streamline water shot. And when Heracross flew directly at him, Zeus swerved around the blow as Heracross's momentum made him miss, much to all three's shock.
'They all missed…?' Dereece thought. Even in his dizzying state, he watched the battle progress as Zeus showed his aerial mobility. 'He's so agile, he can make all those turns?'
Zeus sneered as he glided around, taking a sudden sharp turn skywards and performing a high-speed somersault that interjected on Yanma's flight path. The larger insect shot straight in front of her downwards, creating a draft that sent her careening backwards uncontrollably.
"I gotcha!" Heracross swooped in, grabbing his teammates in his claws.
Zeus continued his high-speed glide towards Seel as her Aqua Jet diffused, leaving her in midair directly in his line of fire.
"Oi, Seel! Eyes up!" Stunfisk warned.
Seel heard the shout and looked up, finding Zeus heading right for her. With gusto, she steadied herself as she exhaled heavily, firing an Icy Wind that Zeus would be too close to evade. The Vikavolt, however, flapped his wings harder.
"Bug Buzz!"
An intense, earsplitting buzz emitted from him that shuddered the airspace violently. The noise had rippling red waves that reverberated to show its intensity. The Bug-type move met the frosty winds, pushing straight through and diffusing them before Seel's eyes. She was left helpless as her attack was broken through completely, sending her towards the ground screaming with a painful thud following.
"Seel!" Dereece called out.
"This aura that we Totem Pokémon have enhanced our stats." Zeus clarified matter-of-factly. "In my case, my aura enhances all of my stats, including my Special Attack."
Taking action, Stunfisk slammed his tailfin into the grass, getting to Zeus's eye level. "Then we'll just have to slow you down!" the inside of his beak glowed bright orange as he careened backwards. "Mud Shot!"
Globs of repeated mud balls shot directly at Zeus. The Totem remained stationary in midair as the globs of mud met his face directly, but instead of making ballistic muddy bursts like they normally would, they diffused into thinner viscosity levels until they dispersed in the air.
Seeing his Stunfisk's attack ineffective, Dereece's dazed look widened. "It has Levitate?!" He mentally cursed himself. 'I forgot! That's how he avoided the Toxic Spikes earlier! That means…'
Zeus charged for Stunfisk at high-speeds, closing the gap with the Mud Shot failing to keep him at bay. "You being able to nullify my Thunderbolt is a nuisance…let's fix that right now!"
Stunfisk saw him closing in with his enormous jaws glowing light blue and growing in size. The Trap Pokémon tried with all his might to increase the volume of mud, but Zeus closed the gap and appeared in front of him in midair. His serrated jaws spread wider as Stunfisk had nowhere to go.
"Guillotine!"
Stunfisk was unable to do anything, even when he flapped his tiny fins in hopes to escape. The pincers clamped shut on him, making a cross glint followed by an eruption of bright blue. His cries of pain were immediately turned hoarse.
"Stunfisk!" Dereece called out in horror. He and the other Pokémon watched in horror as Stunfisk dropped straight to the ground with a thud, his eyes filled with swirls.
Zeus harrumphed. "Hmph, that's one."
'I didn't think he'd know Guillotine. It's bad enough he has long-range moves, but Guillotine makes it that harder to approach him.' Grimacing, Dereece pulled out Stunfisk's Great Ball and recalled him. "Return, Stunfisk!"
The faonted Stunfisk returned to his capsule, leaving Zeus to turn towards Dereece. "That takes care of your Ground-type-gngh!" He was blindsided from above when a silverish hemisphere struck his back, exploding upon impact. He buffered closer towards the ground as the attack had a harsh kick towards it.
"You'll pay for doing that to Stunfisk!" Yanma shouted, exposing herself for launching that Ancient Power. Along with Speed Boost activating, a red aura enveloped her, raising all her stats by one stage.
Zeus shook his head violently and fixated onto Yanma, beaming up towards her in a steep climb.
"Pin Missile!" Heracross's horn glowed as five white orbs surrounded by streaming green energy projected through the air, whistling as they closed in on Zeus like actual missile projectiles.
Zeus continued beaming after Yanma. He twirled his body, and made tight turns that made all the projectiles miss their marks. He beelined through the gaps of the tails of the move and rushed towards a startled Yanma.
"Yanma, look out!" Heracross shouted.
A blue glint from below shimmered before an aquatic projectile rocketed straight up. "GRAAH~!" Seel shot directly into Zeus's gut with Aqua Jet, hitting him so hard that the force of her attack made him buffer and grunt.
"Seel!?" Yanma quipped.
"I-I'm fine! But I can't hold him for long! Hurry!" She pleaded.
Yanma and Heracross looked at each other before choosing to pull away to get distance from the Totem. Seel tucked her head in and pushed with all her might to force Zeus skywards some more.
"Gnnngh! Doesn't…matter if you're a Totem or a not…You all messed and hurt my Trainer and friends"
Despite the force of her attack, Zeus's increased Defense made it negligible. "Oh trust me, I think you'll care…" The organ in his abdomen where Seel was hitting was starting to produce static, warning the Water-type of what he was going to do.
'Not good!'
Seel immediately pulled away and sped in her Aqua Jet's current to avoid another Thunderbolt fired at her. Since she didn't have any aerial mobility, she had to rely on her Aqua Jet to maneuver around in the air. She circled and arched through the air around Zeus, making an attempt to blindside him.
'If I move this fast, his Thunderbolt can't hit me! I have to make an opening, that way we can all attack him simultaneously-!' Her thoughts were halted by the orange gleaming eyes in front of her. "Wha-gah!"
She felt a sharp pain in her sides as her trajectory was intercepted by Zeus's jaws clamping on her. The water diffused around her, leaving her suspended in the Totem's merciless grip.
"Not a bad maneuver you were pulling there. I'm impressed." Zeus admitted. "However, unlike my maneuverability, yours in painfully easy to read!"
Seel's breath hitched as static crackled around Zeus's body and compressed to his closed jaws. She only had a second to gawk before a point-blank Thunderbolt struck her, causing her to scream violently as she was shot out of his grip towards the ground.
"Seel!" Dereece, Heracross, and Yanma shouted.
They all watched in horror as their comrade was shot out of the sky going into a sizzling plummet head-first towards the ground. Heracross dove right for her and hastily grabbed her and pulled themselves away from Zeus. The Totem traced Heracross before Yanma interceded in his path.
"Eyes on me!" Yanma fiercely declared.
Zeus's Totem aura highlighted his eyes as he glared at her. "Volunteering like your little friend? Admirable…but still, very foolish!" As he said that, electricity crackled around his jaws.
With Yanma providing interference, Heracross carefully sat the unconscious Seel down in front of Dereece. "Seel…" The Trainer looked on with worry and grief as his Seel was down for the count. "Return." He recalled her back to her Poké Ball, looking at the capsule with a half-smile. "You did a great job."
The two looked up, seeing two fast-moving projectiles swerving through the air in a sky-high battle.
"Yanma…"
Zeus roared loudly as he fired a dense Thunderbolt at Yanma, but she saw it coming thanks to her increased Speed from her constant Speed Boost. Her eyes glowed bright blue glints before she swiftly evaded and maneuvering around the attack, via Detect. Her Speed Boost activated again, making her beeline faster than before to where she was borderline invisible to Zeus. She zoomed all around him, making him turn in every corner just to keep up with her high-speed swerving.
'She's quicker than I anticipated.' Zeus then noticed a sharp turn towards his side and turned to face it head-on.
"Quick Attack!" Yanma dove head-on into her opponent's forehead, landing a direct blow that made an airwave ripple and air shuddering between them. Even though all her stats were enhanced thanks to Ancient Power, it wasn't enough to deter her opponent, much to her chagrin.
And yet again, another red aura enveloped her upon impact, via Speed Boost.
With little to no effort, Zeus flicked his jaws up and threw Yanma off him, sending her tumbling skywards overhead. He turned towards her and opened his jaws, firing another quickly processed Thunderbolt that zigzagged after her.
"Yanma, look out!" Dereece shouted, causing a strain in his aching head to make him flinch.
Yanma heard her Trainer's warning and opened her eyes. She straightened out in time as the lightning bolt beamed right for her and showed her glinting blue eyes. Using Detect, she was successful in avoiding the attack.
Zeus sneered as he chose to charge skywards at her head-on. His jaws glowed light blue and extended in size, via Guillotine. Yanma held her position firmly as her opponent took the fight towards her. Her body gave off a bright glow that turned into an afterimage that swirled into a bright, silverish hemisphere.
"Ancient Power!"
With a strong lurch, she shoved the attack at high-speed, faster than what anyone could have anticipated. Zeus didn't have the enhanced Speed to react when it went straight for his face, swallowing him in an explosion.
Dereece and Heracross watched with anticipation at the super-effective force that the attack had. Undoubtedly, it had to have done a lot of damage.
"Did that do it...?" Heracross wondered.
Yanma watched the explosion's smoke cloud flourish beneath her. This time, no red aura enveloped her, meaning her Speed Boost was maxed out. Hopefully after the damage Zeus took before that was all it took-
BUZZZZZZZZ!
The smoke tore apart from a violent buzz that seared through it. The air shuddered from the force of the Bug Buzz that echoed its way towards Yanma, who was caught off guard by the attack and was struck by the soundwaves like it was a wall. She cried out in pain as she was knocked out of the sky in a tailspin that she couldn't control.
"Yanma!" Dereece and Heracross shouted in disbelief and horror. They exchanged looks as they knew they had to act fast.
"Go, go!"
Heracross nodded in understanding before speeding off towards Zeus to intercept him. Dereece managed to stagger to his feet and hurry across the grassy hills to catch Yanma.
"I gotcha!" Dereece opened his arms wide, allowing for Yanma to drop onto him. With her limp body, in conjunction with his concussion and wear, he collapsed while holding her in his arms. He groaned as he heard a ringing inside his head from the throbbing.
"Oiii…I'm starting to feel like that was a bad idea." Dereece grimaced, but he focused on Yanma. "Hey, you okay?"
Yanma winced in pain, bruises all over her body. Despite the damage she took, she was still conscious. "Y-yeah…I think so…"
Dereece frowned heavily, noticing the scale of the damage she took. 'If her Special Defense was any lower, it would have been bad.' He picked her up and chose to set her atop his head – despite how much it ached him. "Here, stay put…I can't do much either."
Yanma guiltily sat atop her Trainer's head in silence. Even though he was concussed, he was still offering her favorite roosting spot. Normally she'd be joyous and settle, but after knowing how much pain he was in – coupled with their predicament – she felt anything but comfortable.
"It's all come down to Heracross now." Dereece turned towards the sky, seeing Heracross fighting solo against the Apostle.
Heracross glided around in an arch as his horn glowed white. He lurched forward as three Pin Missile projectiles launched through the air towards Zeus, to which they were easily avoided by Zeus's maneuverability and superior aerodynamics. The larger beetle opened his jaws as his electrical organ charged electricity once more. He fired a Thunderbolt that Heracross saw coming. He barely evaded it, leaving only a little room for closure before he chose to ascend to get away. That route was quickly interceded by Zeus when the Totem closed the gap.
"You know, in Alola, Heracross and Pinsir are a Vikavolt's sworn enemy." Zeus scoffed.
Heracross got spooked and tried to pull away, but Zeus bridged the gap again, opening his jaws as they glowed light blue and elongated into his Guillotine. The image of the widened jaws reflected in Heracross's eyes as he realized what was going to happen…and he needed to act fast!
"Guillotine!"
"Brick Break!"
Heracross spread his arms as they glowed bright white. He pressed them against the sides of the jaws trying to crush him, managing to keep them from closing on him. Zeus was surprised at how his opponent was able to hold off the attack.
"What?!"
"I won't fall for that trick!" Heracross declared. Even though he had his arms holding off the Guillotine, he still had his ace trick…literally. He leaned his horn forward and carried the momentum forward with a loud cry. "Aerial Ace!" The horn was covered in white streaks as he forced through the pinch, slamming Zeus hard in the face and sending him careening through the air in a hectic spiral.
"Nice hit!" Dereece quipped.
Yanma watched her teammate land a clean hit, looking happier than before. Her earlier anxiety was starting to fade seeing him fight.
"I might not be from Alola, so I don't feel as compelled as you are…but if that's the case, then I'll take you down here and now!" Heracross's horn glowed as he projected towards his staggering opponent. "Pin Missile!" He lurched forward, firing four projectiles in streaming green energy through the air at the Totem and Apostle.
As the Bug-type move closed in on him, Zeus barely caught himself and noticed the attack incoming. The gap was reaching fast, but even with a small space, he could still outmaneuver him.
And he had just the move to do it.
His body glowed bright blue and suddenly vanished, causing all the projectiles to miss their marks.
"What?!" Heracross gasped.
"He moved so fast just now!" Dereece exasperated.
In a bright blue blur, zigzags zipped across the airspace around Heracross, who was barely able to keep track. The Totem Vikavolt appeared in one direction, only to zipped towards the other. It only served to disorient his opponent.
Realization dawned upon Dereece. 'That move…don't tell that it knows Acrobatics! Oh no…'
Heracross saw his surroundings filled with bright blue streaks. He didn't know which direction he was going to attack from, but he had to defend himself. When Zeus beamed for him at high speed, his fists glowed bright white for Brick Break.
"HRAH!" With gusto, Heracross began swinging at Zeus, only to miss his mark. When he turned to anticipate again, Zeus vanished and appeared in another direction. His fists constantly swung, but never met their mark on his opponent.
It was only when Heracross made a sharp swing with his arm did Zeus zip straight up and backwards, making an angled shot in line with Heracross's back. Without hesitation, he barreled into him just as his prey turned around, his yellow eyes reflecting the visage of the angered Vikavolt closing in.
BOOOM!
Zeus shot clean past Heracross, enveloping the latter in a bright blue implosion. He cried out in hysterical pain as the super-effective attack had a sharp force that immediately made him go limp. A critical hit.
"HERACROSS!" Dereece panicked.
The smoke cloud dissipated in the air, but not before Heracross fell from it with his eyes shut. He looked unconscious as he was falling back-first out of the sky.
Zeus watched his opponent fall, scoffing. "Hm…how prudent."
Yanma sat atop Dereece's head and watched in horror as her teammate was knocked out and falling from such a height. "No…"
As Heracross was descending rapidly, time slowed down in Yanma's eyes as her mind was speedily racing through her thoughts.
It was after the confrontation against Alvarez had met its abrupt end. The allied forces that stayed behind as reinforcements were left with the damaged ship that was now – at this point – beyond repair. The Freaks, Vanessa, Meredy, Ultear, Matilda, and Liz were all on the ship as they were rounding up the Pokémon that were spooked by the commotion. They had to go around the ship in their weakened states, but for the most parts, they were able to account for most of the escapees.
"Okay, that should be all of them on this end of the ship." Meredy chimed.
"Good. Then we should head to the rendezvous point that we agreed on. Unfortunately, this ship's too hazardous to be stable for us." Ultear acknowledged. "We'll make a base camp and come up with a plan there."
"Bet those guys had a lot of fun roughing up that empire. Damn, wished I went." Matilda sardonically teased. "But hey, I still got to let loose a little, so I guess it's not all bad."
Liz responded by popping a bubble of gum, looking too tired to care.
"Hold on…" Dereece was looking around at the gathered Pokémon. From what he saw earlier, they were all the same ones that were accounted for in the cages, save for one. "I could've sworn…wasn't there another one that we're missing?"
"Really?" Meredy looked at the Pokémon to confirm his suspicions. "Now that you mention it, I think there's one still missing."
Duncan, who was sitting against a crated, glanced over. "You mean that one?
Heracross was out of his Poké Ball when suddenly, he felt something land on his horn like a perch. He blinked and looked up, recognizing the Yanma that had assisted them earlier. "Oh, it's you!"
"Hi." Yanma duly chimed.
Dereece and the others turned towards their unexpected aid earlier. "Hm? It's that Yanma from before." Vanessa noted.
"I was wondering where that thing was? Looks like it's found its perch again." Matilda smirked.
"Yeah, sure looks like it…" Dereece raised a brow as he scratched his head. He'd rather not say aloud, but despite how annoying Yanma was with perching herself as often as she did, he had to admit that she was a great help. "Guess you really prefer roosting on Heracross, don't you?"
Heracross blinked. "You know…I'm not that bothered by it anymore." He grinned. "I really don't mind."
Yanma settled her legs on the horn, looking more relaxed. "Me too. Hm?" She turned towards Dereece, staring intently at him.
"W-why are you looking at me like that…?" Yanma didn't say anything, instead she glided off Heracross and landed atop Dereece's head, much to his surprise. "Woah, hey now!"
"Hm…cozy." Yanma grinned, looking content as she rested her legs on Dereece's scalp.
"Uh…thank you?" Dereece and Heracross exchanged looks.
"You know, if I'm not mistaken, I believe that's Yanma's way of saying she likes you if she's settling on just you two." Vanessa noted.
Meredy's eyes widened. "Really?"
"I've heard that some Pokémon had strange behaviors…guess this is just one of those examples." Ultear chimed, putting a hand to her hip.
Dereece blinked twice before the realization dawned upon him. He looked up at Yanma with a meek grin and chuckle. "Heh…is that true?"
Yanma looked down at Dereece, twisted her head by a few degrees. Her wings buzzed once, then twice, as if she was debating on the matter. She didn't know why herself, but for some reason, this Trainer and Heracross's heads felt very…relaxing, for a lack of better word. Ever since she appeared in this world, out of the other horde of Yanma that she rallied with in Kalos Route 10, there wasn't a place of comfort for her. A place where she could settle down and feel attached.
It was only when she started feeling this way that she turned from Dereece towards Heracross. The two stared at each other, exchanging blinks before the dragonfly's mandibles curved. She lifted herself off Dereece's head and settled onto Heracross's horn for the umpteenth time.
"I feel comfortable." She admitted.
"Heh…guess I am, too." Heracross chirped, scratching his head sheepishly.
Dereece rubbed the back of his head, sighing. "Well then…did you wanna tag along with us?"
Yanma lifted her head up in what seemed like mild shock. But she answered quickly by looking Dereece dead in the eye before turning happy. "…sure! I feel comfortable with you!"
Dereece meekly chuckled before pulling out a spare Poké Ball. "Heh, alright then." He reached out, tapping Yanma's head with the button first. She transformed into energy and went inside the capsule before it clamped shut.
The ball shuddered a couple times in Dereece's grip, before it made a loud 'ding' to signal his new capture.
"Heh…hehe!" He raised his new capture into the air. "I got…a Yanma!"
"Alright!" Heracross cheered.
Suddenly, the Poké Ball popped open, expelling Yanma as she buzzed in the air over the two. She circled overhead several times before settling atop Dereece for a few seconds, before hopping over onto Heracross, causing them to laugh.
"Glad to have ya around!" Heracross greeted his newest teammate.
Yanma looked down at him, staring into his yellow eyes with awe. "Yes…me too."
In her eyes right now, one of her central pillars of comfort was falling limply from the sky. Here she was, atop Dereece's head and anxious. Normally she'd feel relaxed, but right, her being down like this felt so…unjustified.
That had to change. Now.
"I'm coming!" She bolted off Dereece's head, beelining in a mad rush towards Heracross.
"Yanma, wait!" Dereece called out, but she was already out of earshot.
Yanma zoomed through the air with desperation. Her mind raced as she bridged the gap towards the falling Heracross.
Past events raced through her head with her, Dereece, and Heracross, most notably the events that transpired before the revolution. How Heracross was willing to share his Honey with her, and how Dereece was grateful and proud of her.
Her once carefree demeanor turned fixated, showing a genuine passion. 'I have…no, I will…SAVE THEM!' Her body suddenly emitted a bright blue, engulfing her entirely.
As he was falling, Heracross weakly opened his eyes, seeing the visage of the glowing Yanma bulleting his way.
"Hm?" Zeus glanced over, seeing the bright glow not far from him.
"Yanma…" Dereece gasped.
As Yanma shot through the air at blinding speeds, her dragonfly-like figure grew drastically, almost double in length, as did her wingspan. Her six tiny legs grew sharper along the ends, with three tiny spikes on each appendage growing. However, one of the biggest changes had to be the multiple protrusions appearing along the head, back, and tail.
As the blue silhouette bolted onwards through the air, the light exploded outwards inti airwaves, revealing Yanma being completely different. "GRAAAAH~!" The creature that took Yanma's place had a much deeper tone, and a much more primal look. While still maintaining her dragonfly-like figure, Yanma's body had turned dark green, with large red lenses with black lines making sideways "T" shapes on each lens. Two large white fangs jutted out of her mouth. Each of her bodily segments had a red spot on each side, while the tail end had a triangular plate, much like the ones that sat atop her head, and two more on her back.
As Heracross was about to hit the ground, the dragonfly shot like a comet, using her six legs to seize him and carry him through the air.
Heracross weakly opened his eyes again, realizing he was flying. "Huh…?" He lifted his head, seeing that his savior was the transformed Yanma that looked down at him, smiling in assurance.
"It's okay, I got you now." She declared.
Dereece gasped in shock. "Yanma…she evolved!" He reached back and pulled out his PokéDex to analyze Yanma's evolution.
"Yanmega, the Ogre Darner Pokémon. This six-legged Pokémon is easily capable of transporting an adult in flight. The wings on its tail help it stay balanced."
The newly christened Yanmega glided back to Dereece's side, being careful to set Heracross down on his stomach.
"Heracross!" Dereece fell to his knees and supported his fallen partner. "You okay there? Say something!"
"I'm…okay…" Heracross mulled, his gaze turning towards Yanmega. "Thank you…that was awesome…"
Yanmega warmly smiled. "Don't worry about…I'll take it from here."
With her assuring their victory, Heracross closed his eyes, falling unconscious. Yanmega frowned as she angrily turned back towards Zeus.
Dereece looked up in awe at his newly evolved Pokémon taking her stand. "Yanmega…" He didn't know what to say. He was practically speechless. But just from one look alone, he could tell that she had no intention on backing down.
She wanted this fight.
"GRRAAAAAAAHHH~!" Yanmega let out a bellowing roar in challenge towards the fellow large Bug-type in the skies above her. Zeus's eyes were fixated on her as well. He seemed just as focused as her.
"I'm ready, Dereece!" Yanmega assured.
"…right." He recalled Heracross back to his Pokémon Ball. Despite how wobbly and dizzy he felt from his concussion, he shakily got to his feet and balled his feet. He felt reignited. "Then let's finish this! Go!"
Without hesitation, Yanmega shot through the air at jet speed straight for Zeus. She looked like a sonic missile from all the Speed Boost increases she got earlier.
"You dare challenge me?!" Zeus taunted, static crackling around his jaws. He beamed another Thunderbolt aimed for her. Yanmega easily maneuvered around the attack and made a glowing orb in front of her face that turned into Signal Beam. Likewise with her, Zeus also maneuvered around the attack, albeit barely.
'With her Speed maxed, she can outmaneuver him.' Dereece figured.
True to what he figured, Yanmega was zooming through air, appearing and reappearing where Zeus was just glimpsing, only to vanish again. Even though he had the biological aerial mobility, his tailspins and swift maneuvers were flanked when Yanmega cut him off, pinning his movements to an enclosed area.
'She's moving faster than before. Not sure if even my Acrobatics can match her…' His Bug-type senses made him react quick and notice a huge shadow overlapping him. When he glanced up, he saw Yanmega overshadowing him.
With her target pinpointed, she opened her strong jaws, her huge, pointed fangs glowing light purple and elongating. She bolted down with the two fangs giving off a faint trail as she zoomed past Zeus, engulfing him in a bright burst that made him cry out in pain.
Dereece was taken back again by the sudden change of pace. 'That move…was that Leech Life? She learned a new move to help her regain some of her lost energy.'
True to what he thought, The fangs returned to normal size, but not before energy they took was transferred into Yanmega, recovering some of her lost stamina.
Zeus staggered in the air, trying to recover from the blow, but much of his own stamina was lost already. Even with the Totem aura, he still felt uneasy. "I won't lose! Do you hear me?!" Electricity crackled in his jaws again. "I REFUSE TO LOSE AGAIN!"
"Yanmega, Signal Beam!" Dereece commanded.
At the same time, Thunderbolt and Signal Beam rushed into each other, meeting in the middle. The two attacks created a bright flare that expanded and contrasted numerous times before imploding, sending smoke through the area. Both Zeus and Yanmega shot straight up, with the latter quickly bridging the gap.
"Bug Buzz!"
Turning around, Zeus emitted a hypersonic buzz that shook the air around him. The soundwaves traveled towards Yanmega, who faced these waves head-on.
"Ancient Power!"
Yanmega's body glowed bright white, making an image of herself that molded into a sphere. She projected the sphere into the vibrating wall in front of her, causing both forces to once again intercede on the other.
However, slowly, Ancient Power was starting to push its way through, much to Zeus's horror. He managed to move out of the way in time thanks to the Bug Buzz slowing down the momentum of the Rock-type attack. That was all the time Yanmega needed to bridge the gap between them once again.
'She isn't anything like before. I was sensing anxiety, but now…I'm not feeling a trace of that. It's like she became the predator!'
He could feel his heart throb as images were flowing through his mind. He saw his own battle against the Totem Togedemaru, how desperate he was to impose his own territory…only to be defeated. He recounted the authorities that apprehended him, caged him, and had him relocated to the mountains where he hid in solitude.
His adrenaline started spiking. 'No! I refuse to lose everything again! I am an Apostle! I would sooner perish before I lose meaning!' His body shined bright blue. "Acrobatics!" He suddenly zipped through the air, quickly outmaneuvering Yanmega with sharp turns and swift zigzags to throw her off.
However, Yanmega's vision was superb. She didn't have to waste energy as her huge lenses kept track of Zeus's movements. She learned from Heracross's round with him where he would potentially strike…
Reappearing at an angle above, Zeus beamed steeply at her. "Now FALL!"
"Detect!"
Her eyes glinting bright blue, Yanmega suddenly vanished, making Zeus's impact miss completely and lose momentum. The Apostle gasped as time slowed down, turning around to find Yanmega above him.
"Leech Life!" Dereece shouted.
Yanmega opened her maw as her fangs light purple and elongated. She sped down like a speeding missile at Zeus, who in desperation opened his own set of jaws and use Guillotine. He opened wide and clamped the two ends as they met Yanmega's twin fangs.
BOOM!
A huge airwave expelled upon impact from the force of the two attacks intercepting. They were in a deadlock as their eyes were deadest on each other. Their jaws creaked as they were fighting for dominance, but for the moment were even.
'We're ending this here and now!' Dereece declared. "Yanmega! Use your tail!"
Yanmega gruffly hissed, bringing her tail that kept her balanced beneath and striking Zeus's underside. The impact was like an uppercut that shoved all the momentum off his attack, causing him to spiral through the air and shakily catch himself, his Guillotine fading.
"Let's go, Yanmega!" Dereece held up his Z-Ring, showing his Rockium-Z in place. He crossed his arms as a Rock-type symbol appeared in front, the light of the ring burning so bright that all hue around faded.
"Right!" Yanmega took her position high in the air. Since she didn't have the appendages Dereece did, Dereece did the poses, sending an arch of brown Z-Power her way. Dereece flexed his hip and held his elbows up. He could feel everything tense from strain, but he powered through with the adrenaline returning from the Z-Power.
Yanmega roared as she careened her head skywards, creating a gravitational force around a simple small stone. The surrounding earth and hard rock quickly gathered into a tremendously large boulder that was comparable to a meteor.
'I won't let that hit me!' Zeus spread his jaws wide, crackling static. "I AM AN APOSTLE! I WILL NOT FALL TO THE LIKES OF ANOTHER HUMAN'S LACK OF RESPECT!"
"CONTINENTAL CRUSH!" Dereece and Yanmega roared with all their might. The latter reeled her body back before shoving the entire boulder downwards towards Zeus.
"THUNDERBOLT!" Zeus unleashed a condensed beam of lightning that seared through the air with crackling force. The roaring beam met the bottom of the boulder, causing some of the rock to depress inwards and slow down the momentum of the attack.
High in the air, lightning was battling against the sheer weight of pure rock. It looked steadily even, with neither side giving in. It was taking everything in Zeus's Totem might to push through. He refused to let it end like this. He wouldn't allow it!
Dereece had his arms out, as if he was reaching out towards the boulder and Yanmega. 'We can do this! We can do this!'
"GRAAAAAAAAAAH~!" Yanmega and Dereece let out cries that echoed through the air, their unison determination causing Z-Power to give an additional pulse to push the boulder down harder.
Zeus grimaced heavily as he was discharging as much electricity as his organ could allow. However, the more he pressed, the harder it was to maintain the flow. The boulder falling above slowly advanced, gradually overwhelming his attack and his chances at escape.
"AH! AAAAAH! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH~!"
Zeus violently screamed as everything around him went white.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Continental Crush met its mark, erupting into hundreds of smaller boulders that showered down through the sky. An enormous dust cloud erupted where Zeus was struck, which expelled the Apostle as he shot down towards the ground along with the boulders and smashed hard into the earth with them. The entire hillside shook violently as the Z-Move's force gradually dissipated as the rocks were crumbling to loose fragments once more.
With everything used up in him, all the adrenaline Dereece had fell apart. He stumbled shakily, but looked on with eyes half-open and his vision blurred as the dust and wreckage not too far away was starting to settle.
With the scope giving clarity, it revealed Zeus on his back, his attire completely torn to shreds as he laid on his back. He shuddered weakly as he made an attempt to lift his huge jaws towards Yanmega. He grunted as he fought as hard as he could to stay conscious, to prevail…but he didn't have the strength.
With a final groan, Zeus's jaws dropped back towards the ground, his eyes filled with swirls as he laid on his back, unable to get up.
It was over.
Yanmega looked down at her fallen foe before she raised her head, letting out a victory screech for all to hear.
"We…we did it…we actually won!" Dereece's face turned to a crooked smile. "Heh…Yanmega!"
Yanmega reduced her altitude, meeting Dereece at eye-level with a smile. "Dereece…"
"We actually did it…we showed him, didn't we?"
Yanmega nodded. "Yeah…we sure did." She looked down at Dereece's belt, where her teammates were resting. "We all did."
Dereece looked back at the fallen Zeus, frowning. "I doubt he'll be up anytime soon. We better get back to Jo-Jo in case-gngh!" He felt himself lose momentum as barely caught himself. He clutched his head as he felt a case of vertigo incoming. "Ugh…oh man…I'm feeling pretty sick."
Yanmega saw her Trainer's condition and frowned. She thought back to how she felt earlier, and thus came to a decision. She buzzed behind Dereece and grabbed him by the waist with her six legs, picking him off the ground by herself.
"W-woah~! Hey now!" He blinked, coming to a realization. "Yanmega?"
"It's okay. It was your guys' turn to carry me when I wanted my rest. Now…let me carry you."
Dereece didn't know what to say, but he was too exhausted to really say anything. He weakly smiled as he appreciated her care. "…thank you."
Yanmega picked her Trainer up and turned back towards the city in search of Joey.
CLANG!
The sounds of metal and nails collided. Visible sparks shot through the air as Duncan was parrying Adamantine's glowing sharp claws. Each graze was met with a parry. Every shot made static and sparks fly that ignited the ferocious demeanor in both Duncan and Adamantine's glares.
With the Trainer/Mage currently engaged in his own struggles, his Pokémon were doing their best. Their tactic was relatively simple: Divide and conquer. With Adamantine having only three mages, that left two Pokémon per mage to handle. At the moment, everyone was currently engaged in pairs against a rivaling mage. Torterra and Medicham were cornering Rev, Gastrodon and Honchkrow against Percival, and Spiritomb and Magmortar cornering a rather enthusiastic Linus.
Medicham performed an acrobatic leap on one heel, flipping with a fist reeled back in icy blue energy. Her Ice Punch came down onto Rev, only for him to hold out his hands.
"Reflection Shot!"
A medium-sized mirror appeared in front of him, as did another one on his left-hand side. Medicham followed through and struck the mirror in front…only instead of breaking or reflecting off, her fist vanished into the reflective surface. Before she had time to question, she felt an ice-cold blow to her right side, the second mirror revealing her fist.
As Medicham reeled from the painful shot of her own attack, Torterra eyed his teammate callously and opted to attack. He raised his head as the leaves on his tree started glowing. "Leaf Storm!" He lurched forward, unleashing the cyclone of green leaves that had a deep shredding impact. The ground tore open a ditch as it traveled towards Rev.
"Impudent, aren't we?" The Mirror Mage reached his hands out again, creating another large mirror that the Leaf Storm struck. Despite how broad the impact was, it was reflected back at Torterra with gusto.
However, unlike Medicham, Torterra knew what to anticipate from this. He tensed his legs as bright green energy outlined his tree into a stump. The stump lengthened, revealing it to be his Wood Hammer that he brought around and swung into the oncoming storm of leaves. The shockwave from racing through the leaves dissipated them, as well as made airwaves repulse everything around Torterra.
Rev squinted. "Not bad."
Torterra's audible grunt as his Wood Hammer retracted was a good indicator that he wasn't very amused. Medicham rebounded and glared back at their opponent.
"Take this you molten freak! Drill Arm!" Linus eagerly brought one of his arms back, making it spiral like a drill as a magic seal washed over it. As he charged for Magmortar, the Blast Pokémon brought back his cannon-like fist as it charged with electricity. His Thunder Punch didn't miss its mark as it met the Drill Mage's spiraling fist in the middle, causing another stalemate.
Spiritomb was carefully watching, not acting rationally as she would have before. Though her sickening sneer was still present.
This only made him smirk. "Heh, not so fast!" Linus suddenly brought his right foot back, a magic seal lapping over it. His right leg started spiraling like a drill as he brought it around. The kick struck Magmortar's side, managing to make him grunt.
"You like that?! There's a hell lot more where that came from!"
Percival faced Gastrodon and Honchkrow, not even considering flinching at the sight of them. "Hmph! Inhumane whelps. I only acknowledge the strongest. That may be my Master now, but I shall soon triumph over him." He brought his hands together as he was creating a bright purple pulse bomb. "The pinnacle has only room for one, and you're not amongst them!"
Neither Pokémon bothered to retort. They opened their mouths as they charged water and darkness to concentrated points. When Percival fired his spell, their Water Pulse and Dark Pulse fired at the same time, streaming through the air to meet the heavy sphere in its center. The moment of impact, a bright flash followed by an expansion of roaring energy engulfed everything. The ground shook violently as debris flew past the three contenders, yet none of them seemed deterred.
Meanwhile, Duncan went for a vertical swing, but Adamantine's left arm blocked the blow, allowing him cover to pull his right arm back as the scales glowed bright blue and elongated an energy saber.
'That's Razor Shell!'
Reading the attack's wake, Duncan backpedaled just in time before Adamantine swung horizontally. Time slowed down as the tip of his sharp blade glided past Duncan's nose, barely shaving the little hairs on the skin. When time returned, Duncan buckled his feet and doubled over, landing on his feet. Adamantine aggressively advanced, swing at Duncan relentlessly with Razor Shell slashes in succession. Duncan parried the blows again, but he felt much less foothold than before.
'Let's see how he reacts to this!' He gripped the Elfen Forja, activating Gear Two: Lightning.
Upon seeing this, Adamantine's eyes twitched. He couldn't get hit with that!
Duncan pivoted and swung his staff, dragging lightning in an arch into the blades. Much to his surprise, Adamantine did a swift parry and deflected it, backpedaling in the process. This didn't go unnoticed by Duncan.
'He backstepped! He's being more conscious of me. No doubt he's gonna be more desperate. Gotta make that opening!'
Knowing his Razor Shell was a poor matchup, he dissipated the energy, instead making his claws glow bright white for Slash. He trudged after Duncan as the latter met him in the center, parrying faster than before. However, the Apostle's swipes were more brash and furious, forcing Duncan to evade some blows and counter the next. Their trade-off continued, until Adamantine's frustration showed.
"ENOUGH!" With both claws glowing, he charged straight for Duncan. The Trainer trailed lightning as he met Adamantine's crossed claws in the center, creating bright white and yellow static flares that heated the air between them.
"You think that the likes of a human like you can defy me is a grave mistake! You have no rights of any to stand against the strong! You have done nothing to prove your worth!"
"That so?" For once, Duncan had a smirk – something that didn't go unnoticed by his opponent. "Then tell me, does that logic apply to your mages?"
"What?"
"That's the thing I figured out about you…you're a huge hypocrite."
Nearby Torterra and Medicham were standing against Rev, the opponent not at all looking exhausted as he sternly glared them down.
"Now you see? I have not only a defense for long-range combat, but also close-range. Whatever attacks you throw, they shall only be sent back." Rev's eyes narrowed. "Just try and power through. It will only be a matter of time before your stamina depletes."
Medicham frowned. "That so? In that case…what happens if I do this?" She brought her hands together, her eyes glowing bright purple. "Psychic!"
A psychokinetic pulse faded around the area, immediately outlining Rev in the same aura. When he tried to look down to see what that attack did, he was shocked to find that his body wouldn't listen to his commands. "What the…? I can't move…!"
Medicham raised one of her arms, manipulating him off the ground. Rev found himself lost in a sense of freefall and his feet having no foothold. Once he was several meters off the ground, Medicham threw her arm down, sending the mage faceplanting hard into the ground with enough force to depress the earth.
"GNGH!" Rev gawked as pain flared through his entire body. 'A telekinetic attack?! My Mirror Magic doesn't affect intangible forces! Damnit!'
With his body still reeling from the wake of Medicham's counterattack, he was slow to get up. It was only when he looked up did he see a towering bright green log coming from Torterra did he realize what the plan was.
"WOOD HAMMER!"
Torterra brought the log down as Rev was unable to make a mirror pinned down. The force of the attack completely shattered the ground, plundering Rev with as much force as an actual hammer that crushed his entire body. His gagged cries went silent quickly through the rupture.
Magmortar faced Linus with his fingers in his cannon arms retracting, opening to reveal open holes. From them, he expelled a clear white smoke via Clear Smog at Linus. The mage charged at the Poison-type move with gusto.
"HA! C'mon, a little smoke ain't gonna slow me down!" He kicked off the ground, a purple magic seal enveloping his head and traveled down his body. His entire body spun in a small tornado. "Body Drill!"
He bored like a top through the Clear Smog, the winds of his spell's rotation making the white smoke shift around him as he bored ahead towards the other side. Even when he was spinning, he saw a silhouette on the other end.
"Heh, GOTCHA NOW!" He blasted through the smoke right at Magmortar…only for him to not be there. Instead, it was Spiritomb. "HUH?! Where'd that flame guy go?!"
Spiritomb lowly cackled as her face glowed purple. She then lurched forward, emitting waves of hypnotic psychic energy that Linus was barreling straight into. Her Hypnosis waves gradually swallowed the Drill Mage, causing his midair spiral to slow down as a wave of drowsiness washed over him.
"Huh…? That's weird, why am I…so…tired…?" His voice trailed off as his eyes slowly shut. He fell to his side, fallen fast asleep.
"Sweet dreams~!" Spiritomb snickered.
Magmortar scoffed. "Hmph! The punk's got a big ego. This'll snuff it out…" He aimed one of his arm cannons at the sleeping mage, not a shred of mercy on his smirking face. "Sweet dreams for sure…FLAMETHROWER!"
A point-blank blast of fire enveloped the area, swallowing the area in front of Magmortar in a roaring blaze that lit up the pavement in flames.
"I SHALL DESTROY YOU! PULSE CANNON!" Percival charged up an intense magical hemisphere between his palms. With all the might he could muster, the stalwart mage expelled all the energy forward, eviscerating the pavement and air as a pulsating magical blast beamed at Gastrodon and Honchkrow.
The two Pokémon waited patiently, taking their experience and training with Duncan into account. As soon as the wake of the beam was close, they both shot into the air, causing the beam to continue on and strike the avenue's distance. The beam faded, though following it was an intense eruption and a pillar-like explosion of energy that destroyed structures in its wake.
Percival watched his attack's destruction, his stern expression never leaving. "Hmph, serves them right." He then noticed a shadow over him, causing him to look up. "What the…?"
Quickly falling down, Gastrodon's slimy blue body aimed for Percival with Body Slam. The force and weight behind his descent, coupled by how off guard his target was, immediately put Percival on his stomach, gawking as the impact crushed him.
"GRAH!" He gawked, feeling his entire body pinned by the slimy gastropod. "What is the meaning of this?! Get off me you-!" Before he could finish, yellow static enveloped his body, making it harder for him to move.
With the added effects of Body Slam paralyzing his foe beneath, Gastrodon focused on the sky above him, where Honchkrow was sailing high above.
The Big Boss Pokémon's red eyed were glued on his target, his beak turning to a wicked smirk. "Heh, this'll shut him up." He tucked his wings in tight and shot down like a missile towards him. "FLY!"
Percival tried his damnest to move, but the bizarre affliction upon him made it extremely difficult. Add in the fact that he was pinned by Gastrodon made it unbearable. "Damn you! When I get up, I'm gonna…!"
Gastrodon paid no heed. His body sunk against Percival, making sure his pin was tight until the last second. His white eyes were foxed on Honchkrow as the avian's figure reflective in them. The closer he got, the bigger the visage got.
"HRAH~!"
At the caw, Gastrodon's eyes widened before he tore himself off the paralyzed mage, allowing Percival only a split second to relapse before a talon stamped him in the head, immediately sundering him yet again. The shock from the attack traveled all over as a critical hit, thanks to Honchkrow's Super Luck.
'Impossible…this can't be…' Percival's mind started going blank as his eyes turned white. He went limp under Honchkrow's talon as the bird stood atop him, lifting his beak with a snort.
At the same, the dust and flames dissipated around the others' targets, revealing their mages in similar shabby, crippled fashion. Rev's body was completely pressed into the ground, while Linus's body was all charred and burned.
At the same time, all three were taken down in professional fashion, and this didn't go unnoticed by Adamantine.
"Impossible…!" The Golisopod was so in shock that he didn't have the words.
With him distracted, this was the opening Duncan sought. 'NOW!' He pivoted and ducked underneath Adamantine's claws, breaching where his softer, fleshy underside was exposed. He gripped his Elfen Forja tightly as he swung it forward with a loud battle cry.
BZZZZZ-BOOM!
The hammering blow bashed Adamantine's exposed flesh, sending pain flares and high voltage throughout his entire body. The beastly shellfish ley out a loud, earsplitting cry of pain as the force of the attack caused him to lose footing and topple onto his side with a heavy thud.
Duncan banted heavily, his breath all but stable. He was near his physical limit already, but that last blow put strain through his arms. 'The impact from that shot I deflected is kicking in. I'm starting to lose feeling in my arms.' He looked down at the ground, seeing Adamantine's was shuddering. 'Looks like he's still moving. I have to end this quickly.'
He walked over, standing over the incapacitated Golisopod. "So then…guess this is the best that an Apostle can do? No wonder Nic had an easy time slipping through your grip. You Apostles were in over your heads if you thought you could take humanity as a whole without a fight. Maybe I should remind you this, but magic is an actual thing in this world." His eyes narrowed. "And I don't intend on losing to someone like you, even if you're a Pokémon. I'll beat you just like I do every wild Pokémon a Trainer comes across."
Through Duncan's declaration, Adamantine remained silent, writhing in pain. However, his words permeated his scales, reminding him of an even worse pain than possible defeat.
"Eep! No! Get away!"
A little Wimpod instinctively scurried off, speeding remarkably fast to get away from the battle. The Trainer and his Misdreavus were left behind, completely taken back by how fast the creature opted to retreat.
"Hey, wait!" The Trainer called out, but it was too late. The Wimpod was already out of earshot. "Shoot, what happened?"
Wimpod panted heavily before diving into the hole along the ledge. The hole in fact was a very spacious cave where there was the assurance of no potential predators would be able to breach. However, he wasn't the only one occupying this space. He was amongst the numerous other Wimpod that otherwise didn't take their chances in the sea, where they could be prey to Gyarados easily.
The Wimpod felt comfort as he was able to finally catch his breath. He calmed down knowing that he was finally safe and out of harm's way…though he only realized the error in his plans.
"GAH! Man, I couldn't do it!" He whined aloud, frustrated.
Another Wimpod shuffled up to him. "You wimped out again?"
Wimpod turned away, not wanting to bear his shame. "Shut up."
"Oh…well, i-it's okay, really. There's always next time…I think?"
Wimpod huffed in exasperation. He was so fed up to the point that tears were forming in his eyes. "Why…?" He muttered. "Why does this happen every time!?
"Why do you wanna battle anyway? What's the point?"
"Because!" Wimpod brashly scolded, scaring away much of his comrades. "I just wanna get stronger! I'm tired of all this! I hate living like a scavenger! Eating nothing but washed up garbage and trash! There…there just has to be another way to live than this…" His voice started breaking as his morale was deteriorating.
Many of the Wimpod around had fearful and depressed looks on their faces. To a degree, they could understand where their fellow Wimpod was coming from, and some of them agreed. However, no matter what they did, the results were no different than what his were, even though they intentionally back out in the beginning.
It wasn't that they didn't like battling per se, they just wimp out. The unfortunate consequence to being a Wimpod.
Another Wimpod crawled closer. "I-I mean, we get how you feel, but…you know…maybe this is just how it's meant to be?"
Wimpod turned towards him next. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…it's just who we are, right? We can't help it if we get scared, it's just part of our nature."
"Well who decided that, huh?!"
"Eep!" The Wimpod instinctively scurried off further into the horde, all of them feeling wary of their brethren.
"You see?! That's what I'm talking about right there! It's just not fair! Living a life of fear just because we're weak?! That's no way to live! I…I wanna…no, I have to get stronger! I'll do it! I swear I will prove my point!" He scurried out of the cave back into the open world. "I'll show you I'm not weak by running away!"
The other Wimpod chose not to pursue as they watched him take off on his own accord. Some chose to resume eating the stash of trash that they've collected along the shorelines than bother risking their lives. It was a much more comfortable lifestyle.
"He's gonna get eaten by a Gyarados or something." Another Wimpod grimaced.
…
"Struggle Bug!"
Wimpod's body expelled bright green comets that rushed through the shore waters towards the opposing set of Magikarp before him. The two Fish Pokémon were too slow to dodge, resulting in one of them finally succumbing to the comets this time. The other remained afloat, albeit a blue aura enveloped her body, reducing her Special Attack.
Wimpod panted heavily, feeling a sense of satisfaction in his efforts. He was shaky and trying his best not to shudder, but throughout the skirmish with the wild Magikarp, he was starting to show progress by managing to get one out.
"I-I did it…I actually got one!" He chirped. "How do you like me now!?"
The other wild Magikarp let out a low call through the ocean water, something like a distress signal. After a few second, another Magikarp swam up to take place of the fallen comrade. This one was fresh on health and ready to battle.
'I can do this, I can do this.' Wimpod's eyes dilated as he tried to hang in there. 'I won't back out now!'
The two Magikarp swam towards him, both ensuing Tackle. The attacks met their mark, hurting Wimpod and making him yelp as he was pushed back against the rocky floor of the coast. Though he did his best to get up, he accumulated so much damage in the prolonged fight that it was wearing his fortitude down.
"I…I won't back down, I won't back down. I won't…back…" His body quivered as he felt frail. The damage – though as small as his own dealt – had finally breached his health, activating his Ability. Any sense of courage he had immediately plummeted as he quickly turn-tail and scurried away. "Eep! I'm outta here!"
As he fled, the two Magikarp were left in silence. They looked at each other but instead chose not to pursue as they swam off.
Wimpod scurried behind a rock, sheltering him from predators that swam nearby. He peeked around and looked back to see if he was followed, but he saw the Magikarp swim off back to open waters. Finally in relief again, he had a minute to collect himself.
"That was close. For a second I thought they…wait a minute…!" His eyes widened at what he did. "NO! NOT AGAIN! I WIMPED OUT! AAAH!" He rattled his entire body in frustration left and right. "Against Magikarp of all things?! Why did I have to flee from them!? This wasn't supposed to happen!"
"I mean…it's just who we are, right? We can't help it if we get scared, it's just part of our nature."
'No…no, I'm not weak…I'm not weak…' Wimpod quivered as tears were floating through the seawater. 'I refuse to look so pitiful! I need to get stronger! It's the only way!'
…
The more Wimpod attempted to battle, the more struggles that came. Even if the opponents weren't Magikarp, no matter who they were, Wimpod was unable to follow through with them. There were even some instances where they were close calls, but in the end, his efforts were always rebuked by the other aquatic Pokémon.
And against Trainers was no exception.
Whenever he'd approach Trainers, the instant he locks eyes with them or they start moving, his body always overtook his mind's intuition, and flee. He didn't know why, and the more battles he attempted to pull through, the more it frustrated him with how his Ability kept him from going any further.
"GAH!" Wimpod cried out as he was struck by a psychokinetic force of a Kadabra, via Confusion. It forced him onto his back, making him flail his tiny legs. However, he didn't get up after that.
"Really? All it took was one hit?" The Trainer was not amused by the display, recalling his Kadabra. "Well damn, guess these things have low Special Defense. Guess that's what you expect out of a Bug-type." He started walking off back towards inland, muttering to himself. "Maybe I can find a Pinsir around here. Those things can Mega Evolve…"
Wimpod laid unconscious for a while, not responsive to anything. It was only when the caws of a Wingull overhead signaled for his body to react. His eyes instantly opened before he saw the Wingull overshadow him. In fear, he ran away towards the nearest shore hole, hoping to recuperate.
As he was hiding in the darkness of the cave, he shuddered as he was still shaken – afraid. His eyes were facing the ceiling as he looked truly mortified.
"Well damn, guess these things have low Special Defense. Guess that's what you expect out of a Bug-type."
His emotions were acting up. Not only did his fellow Pokémon thought he was weak, but humans too. It was an embarrassment. Tears started falling down the sides of his face as he sniffled. He shrank further into the shadows, hiccupping at his pitiful state.
"I…I'm not weak…I'm not weak…"
Adamantine's claws tensed up, digging deep into the pavement.
Duncan gripped his staff tightly, raising it overhead for the finishing blow. "This will finish it!"
At that instant, Adamantine's eyes snapped wide open, his cross eyes shrinking. Thinking about what he went through, he couldn't be looked down upon like that again. He absolutely refused! He was going to win, to prove how strong he was! No matter who it was!
"GRAAAAAAAAH~!" The Golisopod violently swatted his scaled arm backhanded Duncan's finishing blow. The blow was so forceful that it knocked the staff out of Duncan's grip and sent it flying through the air.
Duncan gasped, taken back by the surprise counter. Before he had time to think of how his opponent reacted, Adamantine backhanded him, sending him tumbling across the pavement. Every time he hit the earth in his tumble, his body ached.
He managed to sit up using his arms as support, his teeth gnashing to hold in the pain. 'Damnit! My reaction time was too slow!'
"GRAAAAH!" He saw Adamantine rush towards him with his mouth gaping, and the mask that made the upper portion glowing, with the three lower prongs extending.
'Gotta move fast!' Duncan hastily reached out towards his Elfen Forja, activating magnetic lacrima in the center. It flung back to his grip just in time before Adamantine bridged the gap. He bunted with the staff as Adamantine's jaws clamped down on the instrument, via Bug Bite. The force was so great that it forced Duncan off his already unsteady foothold and onto his back. He pushed the Elfen Forja upward to keep Adamantine from getting any closer, but he found it very difficult with how harshly the Hard-Scale Pokémon was suppressing him.
With him under heavy pressure, Duncan had little room to work with. 'If it wasn't for this staff, he'd bit my head off by now! He's become too aggressive to predict!'
"I am not weak! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Adamantine roared, still biting down hard on the staff bordering himself and his prey.
Duncan gasped, stunned by how brutal he sounds.
"I won't lose to the likes of anyone! It doesn't matter if you're a human or Pokémon! I WILL WIN! I WILL PROVE THAT I DESERVE TO BE THE STRONGEST!" He flexed his four smaller claws, their tip glowing bright white with Slash. "EVEN IF I HAVE TO GUT YOU ALL, ONE BY ONE!"
Duncan's eyes widened as he saw the additional threat, but was unable to escape. A claw slashed across his torso, tearing into his clothing. He couldn't suppress a grunt of pain from the blow. A second one clawed at his abdomen, cutting into him. He gashed again, and again, and again, and again.
"Gngh! Gnnngh! Gaaaah!" Duncan let out agonizing grunts as he felt like he was being dissected. Was this how it felt being gutted alive? It was worse than he imagined. He cried out helplessly as his abdomen sustained consistent cuts and gashes. Every blow was like a broad knife stabbing him.
The longer this happened, the more his strength was dropping. He found it harder to keep the Elfen Forja up and Adamantine at arm's length while his claws were bridging that gap. He was at his mercy!
'I can't survive this! If I don't do something, my strength will give out!' He thought in desperation, but looking at how bloodthirsty – if not delusional – Adamantine was, he could tell as clear as day. He was deadest on killing him. 'He's not bluffing! This Pokémon really is going too-gngh!'
More cuts appeared on his flesh, drawing more blood. Adamantine roared violently as he pressed his huge claws against Duncan's staff, attempting to push it down to reach for his exposed neck or head.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Torterra and the other Pokémon turned to find their Trainer in mortal parrel. Even though they were less expressive with how they felt, that didn't mean that even they didn't approve. Even Honchkrow looked disgusted.
Even though he wasn't given an order, Magmortar prepared a cannon arm. "Tch, this is too painful to watch. This'll simplify things." He took aim at Golisopod, ready to fry him.
"Hold it." Torterra harrumphed.
Magmortar held his flames and glanced back at him. "Huh? Why?!"
"I know the Boss is hard and all, but even he doesn't deserve this!" Honchkrow scolded. "Don't tell me that you're still under that damn brainwashing!"
Torterra didn't say anything. Instead, he looked over at Spiritomb, who frowned just as heavily. Unlike the others, the two didn't have to think too hard about how Duncan would want this to go.
"Don't!" Duncan shouted. "All of you…stay out of this!" he strained through gnashing teeth. "This is…my fight!"
His Pokémon didn't say anything against his command, despite how reserved their own emotions were. They didn't like it, but they followed Torterra's example and observed their Trainer's struggle.
Adamantine didn't let up, subjugating Duncan to his painful and cruel fighting style. His sheer vindication was in full bloom as the Trainer's grunts and cries grew louder and harsher to where it was clear that the pain was life-threatening.
With Duncan's strength dwindling, his eyes gradually closed as he tried to endure the pain. It was then that he saw something that made all that torture lucid for a few seconds.
Besides a building hidden within its shadow, there was a younger Duncan sitting against the wall. The only company he had with him was his Turtwig, the Dusk Ball he held tight, and the crumbled letter he held in one hand. His sobs were so harsh that they were running down the sides of his face in streams. That was the deepest, genuine pain that he ever felt in his life. And no amount of suffering could compare.
"Gngh! Gnnnnngh…!" Duncan slowly opened his eyes, clamping his teeth shut to hold in his breath. His blurred glare fixated on Adamantine with a comeback. "Nobody wants to win this more…than me!"
Even though his arms were occupied, his legs weren't. He kicked into Adamantine's fleshy torso, causing him to lurch and stop his advances. Duncan mustered the adrenaline and pushed himself up, headbutting the Golisopod in the head and making him backpedal.
With room to get up, Duncan stamped a heel on the ground. He was back on his feet, his clothing slashed and torn to pieces, and his torso suffering bloody gashes. Despite his injuries, he shot a death glare at Adamantine with veins throbbing around his face.
"Hmmm…" Torterra lowly hummed, as did Spiritomb.
"You're not the only one who wants to be the strongest." Duncan seethed with vindication. He held up his Elfen Forja with both arms. "We all want the same thing…but I have my own will that gives me strength! That's why…" He started concentrating his magic into his staff, making the air hum around him as a rainbow aura overtook the staff. "…I won't lose here! Now watch me prove it!"
The magic he was unleashing was enough to make the air shudder. The lacrima all along the segments shined their elemental colors brightly in response to Duncan pushing all the magic he had to making it work. His teeth gritted fiercely as he was channeling all his might.
'Remember how you felt during your training! I will get it right this time, or so help me-!'
"GRAAAAAAH~!" Duncan cried out as multicolored static crackled around his Elfen Forja. The colors on the crystals rapidly flickered on and off until the yellow and green ones were the only ones that shined brightly.
'There!' He lifted his staff overhead as the gears shifted the two lacrima into activation. One end glowed green, while the other glowed bright yellow. Wind sand lightning respectively channeled around the conductors as Duncan began twirling and fusing them overhead, making the whirlwind he was channeling charge with lightning.
His Pokémon all watched with anticipation, but the look on Torterra's face was amongst the most anxious.
"GRAAAAAH! FALL, YOU WEAKLING!" Adamantine crossed his claws as they jutted out Razor Shell energy blades once again. He trampled across the pavement, with every step shuddering the earth.
Duncan met his charge with his own. He brought his lightning cyclone to his side as his eyes burned with a fury. He rushed after him with a vindictive cry of his own.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Both drew their weapons of choice back, pivoting as they swung with all their might.
"RAZOR SHELL!"
"Twin Gears: Thunder Gale!"
In a glint of bright blue turbulent static, the two past each other as a gash wave and typhoon of lightning plumed into the air. A shockwave shot across the area of static mixed with air, causing nearby appliances that were still working to shut down. Duncan's Pokémon withstood their ground; in Honchkrow's case bunkered behind Torterra's tree. The two were still as statues, neither moving as their weapons were stuck out, their energies both dissipating.
…
…
…
The momentum finally caught up to Duncan as a gash of blood spilled from over his right shoulder. He staggered towards the side as he gagged in pain, but caught himself before he could fall over.
Adamantine, on the other hand, had a sneer on his face that marked supremacy. However, that expression was snuffed out the moment he felt a volatile wave of pain run through his body. The compressed gale mixed with lightning stun his entire body, enveloping him in static and a delayed pulse that caused him to lean backwards.
As the latter was struggling to turn around, his legs buckled beneath him. His dilated eyes were fixed on Duncan, refusing to turn-tail to the end. He slowly reached his claws out, fighting off the pain in his body, but was unable to press forward.
"I'm not…weak…I am…strong…" He bitterly spat out his words as he slowly fell forward, crashing into the ground with a thud so powerful that it shook the ground.
Hearing the roaring sound of a body going limp, he relaxed his aching body and looked over his left shoulder. There, lying in front of him, Adamantine laid fallen, his eyes devoid of color to signal he fainted.
He was down for the count.
Despite his victory, however, Duncan felt anything but joy. He felt tired, and as much as he hated to admit it, respect. He refused to say aloud, but he understood the Golisopod's vindication for power. It was what he wanted to. He just wanted it a little more.
Still, that wasn't to say that he didn't give him a run for his money. As a Trainer, he had to acknowledge that much.
"…yeah, you were strong alright." He muttered. "And because of that, I was able to get stronger…thank you for the fight. Because of you, I was able to push my limits. Now…just stay down for a while…"
As Duncan was starting to lose strength in his legs, he too started falling over. However, he was supported by a hard shell and sturdy legs that propped him up. When he looked down, he recognized the set of red eyes that glared seriously at him. "You…"
Torterra was by his side, using himself to support his injured Trainer. "Don't wear yourself down staying up like that. You might bleed out more."
Duncan didn't say anything against him. That, mixed with how winded he was, he was actually relieved to have Torterra by his side. When he looked back, he saw all his Pokémon gathered closely behind him, as if to show their support. Under normal circumstances, he'd just scoff at their actions, but the moment didn't allow it. This was an exception.
"Hmph…here I'm supposed to be telling you what to do." Duncan muttered to Torterra. "Just need a crutch for a bit…that's all."
"Whatever you say." Torterra harrumphed.
Duncan slowly limped away down the avenue, Torterra beside him to keep him upright while the others followed behind their Trainer's pace.
Joey took off towards Don Disco, closing the gap between them head-on. If long-ranged barrier spells won't do anything, he would have to get in closer.
"Not on my watch, lil' fella!" Groove's eyes glowed bright green and widened. "Grass Knot!"
As Joey ran along, his eyes fell towards the ground as he watched where the roots would come up. When he saw the rock ahead crack, he knew he had to act fast. "Trubbish, Acid Spray!"
Trubbish puffed her cheeks before expelling a blast of purple acid that gushed ahead. The roots emerged and started tangling with each other to make a knot, but the acid melted it upon contact. Joey leaped over the mess and shifted his scepter to his left hand as a spherical barrier manifested around his right fist.
"Barrier-Make: Smash!"
"Dodge it!" Groove ordered.
Joey's fist jabbed forward, but Don Disco bobbed towards the side in style. Joey made attempts at punching the fellow stylish man, but his opponent leaned away while showing off dance moves.
"Ain't gonna touch me, little man! I'm just too smooth!" Don Disco spread his legs and ducked beneath Joey's blow. He pivoted and jumped into the air, performing a spin kick into his chest, putting Joey on his back.
Joey grunted as he felt the backlash of that kick. He kicked his lower-half up and flipped onto his feet. He shot glares at Don Disco, who was shimmying back and forth. 'He's nimble even up close. If I can't hit him directly, then I need to…' He reached out towards him with his staff.
"Barrier-Make: Dome!"
A turquoise dome made of barrier appeared around Don Disco. He stopped shimmying and looked around at his enclosed space. "Eh?"
"If I can't touch you, you can't touch me!" Joey shouted confidently. "Let's see how well you move around so freely in this!"
Don Disco turned towards Joey, cocking a brow. "Aye now, ain't that a fancy trick. Cornering my stage, aren't we?"
"Rhythm Turn!" Groove shouted.
Don Disco's shades glinted as he smirked. "Oh yes, now we're talking! Let's see how you fair with this!" He clapped his hands together and started dancing in place.
"You're gonna have to do more than just do the Polka if you…huh?" Joey looked down, seeing that he was following Don Disco's movements. His eyes widened in shock at the revelation. 'My body is…moving?' He gasped in shock. 'Wait, my barriers can block out anything except sound! It can even block out Spatial Magic! How is he…?'
"Time to face the music, lil' man!"
Joey gasped, looking back at Don Disco.
"Guess it's high time I tell ya about my little shindig. You see, I gotta see my foes for my magic to work. You can think of it as a bodily hypnosis." As he revealed his secret, he continued dancing.
'Hypnosis? So those shades aren't just for show! He wears them so people can't tell where he's looking!' Joey realized. 'My barriers can block just about anything, but something like sight and sound still goes through as long as it doesn't produce actual energy for the barriers to block!'
"Now, how's about a heads up?" Don Disco shimmies closer towards the wall, with Joey following his lead. "BAM!"
WHAM!
He careened his head back and then forward, causing Joey to headbutt his own barrier and make him momentarily black out. He staggered backwards in pain, his footing off balance.
Groove smirked as he opted to add insult to injury. The Ludicolo clapped his hands together as he performed yet another Grass Knot. The ground beneath Joey broke apart as light green roots twisted and twirled while catching his feet. The roots continued spiraling into a small tower before leaning over and slamming Joey face-first into the ground.
Trubbish belched loudly, her best response to what she saw.
As Joey was on the ground, his focus on the barrier was completely broken. The dome lifted around Don Disco as he shimmied in place. The mage still looked fresh and full of energy in the face of Joey, who struggled to stand, even though his grip was on his staff the entire time.
On the ground, Joey used his scepter to prop himself up, looking like he was in a daze. His head rung like a bell as it throbbed from the pain coursing through it. 'Ugh, I'm gonna feel that in the morning…' He gnashed his teeth in frustration. 'He's working around all my attacks, and no matter what I use, even up close, he turns them against me!'
"Hard to fit when your style's different, ain't it?"
Joey and Trubbish turned towards Groove, who was a short distance away. The Ludicolo looked remarkably serious for once.
"I was a pretty mellow Lotad and Lombre, and eventually I got myself a fine Trainer. Stern around the edges, but he helped me evolved."
'So that's how he learned Grass Knot.' Joey figured.
"However, the problems started after I had reached my final evolution. As Ludicolo, we can't help ourselves when we hear a neat beat, are always so carefree. It's just who we are. I was pretty happy with myself, but my Trainer…didn't think otherwise." He frowned heavily. "He kept training me, pushing me to stick to his style of battling. I liked the guy, but I wasn't gonna change just because my style was cramping his own! I tried telling him that, and you know what he said?"
"How many times do I have to tell you for you to understand! Dancing in battle is just completely unprofessional! You aren't gonna do anything just by showing off!"
"'Dancing in battle is completely unprofessional'. Can you believe that? Total disrespect to my groove right there." Groove waved his fins in front. "We started having a falling out, and eventually, he flipped out on me. I lost total respects for him and left the guy. Ain't nobody telling me how to fight! You humans wanna set the pace? Well let's see how you like it when we Pokémon make a rhythm that you can't keep up with! Ain't that right, Don Disco?"
The Dance Mage shrugged his shoulders, snapping his fingers in his direction. "Can do, boss. Dancing is life. You make the beat, and I…" He pivoted and spun around to a stop, striking a disco pose. "Express it!"
Joey gnashed his teeth as he was propping himself up using his staff. His head was hurting, but he was pretty sure that he was conscious if he could understand Groove's story. Still, despite how he felt, he refused to waver. He had a job to do, and he was going to follow through. The mission comes first!
'All those barrier moves I learned from Bro aren't working. If I go at him like before, he might turn my body onto me. This guy's own style, huh…'
His eyes suddenly widened. He recalled a similar instance from before.
It was a rainy day in Lumiose City, a perfect day to stay inside and sit around a fire or do matters that don't involve much productivity. In Joey and Dereece's case, they spent their day playing video games, a common thing for them to do when not doing schoolwork.
At the moment, Joey was in the middle of a Pokémon Battle against another player online on the double screened hand console he had. His console was a customized, glossy magenta with starry stickers that glittered. Dereece had a similar console, only his was a plain royal blue color.
"C'mon, c'mon…!" Joey leaned into his screen as he pressed on 'Stone Edge'. "This will knock you...UGH!" To his frustration, his attack missed. "C'mon! How's that fair?!"
To add insult to injury, the Aggron he was battling with was already on one HP, and it was slower than the opposing Kingdra. To his utter despair, the Kingdra's Surf made contact and knocked out his Aggron, making its avatar shrink to white. With a loud groan, he fell back onto his pillow as he lost the online match.
"Grah~! Dereece! Avenge me by challenging this guy!" Joey whined.
"I don't think that's how it works, Jo-Jo, sorry." Dereece answered, engaging in his own online battle. Unlike Joey, Dereece was faring at a different pace than him.
Joey rolled his neck to look over at Dereece's battle. He saw that Dereece had two Pokémon left, while his opponent had a Mega Houndoom out against his Dugtrio. He saw the background had a sandstorm going on as the opponent used Inferno…only for it to miss. The Mega Houndoom then sustained damage from the Sandstorm.
"This will finish it. HA!" With a click of a button, Dereece clicked 'Rock Slide'. Much to Joey's utter shock, the attack met Mega Houndoom, dropping its HP to nothing more than a sliver of red left. However, it sustained the flinch condition. It was then that Sandstorm siphoned away the last of its HP, ending the match.
"Alright, that's three in a row!" Dereece smiled proudly.
"Seriously?!" Joey exasperated.
Dereece raised a brow at him. "What?"
"How'd you pull that off? For real! Your Rock Slide doesn't have a 100% accuracy like Earthquake does!"
"Maybe, but a Mega Houndoom has great Defense…I just wanted to use that Rock Slide to gauge its actual increased Defense was all." Dereece admitted. "But I had a King's Rock equipped too just in case to help increase the chance of a flinch."
"Thanks for telling me." Joey picked up his console again and started rummaging through his Pokémon selection, which was huge.
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna do the same thing you just did with my own Dugtrio. I'll just get rid of its Stone Edge for Rock Slide, and then equip a King's Rock or Razor Fang."
"But Joey, you know that doesn't work every time." Dereece grimaced. "Just because you see someone else do it, doesn't mean that it'll work for you too. I gotta break this losing streak. That's like three loses for me today."
Dereece cocked a brow. "What have you been doing?"
"Look." Joey showed his current party, which was his Salamence, Yveltal, Aggron, Hawlucha, Tyrantrum, and Pangoro. "This is my best team, and most of their attacks do over base damage of 100. Yet I still get my butt whooped."
Dereece saw the Pokémon Joey was using. He blinked when he realized something familiar about this team. "Isn't this the same team that PokéTuber used in that one streaming battle?"
"Yeah. Wanted to try it out. He made it look so easy. I even have the same items and everything."
"Jo-Jo, I'm speaking as your best friend here, and I think you need to hear this." Dereece frowned, getting Joey's eyes off his game. "It's great to see you try new things and different Pokémon and all, but…there's no sense of 'you' when you just copy and paste off someone else. I know you often get carried away being competitive, and that's fine, but…you should try and use your own style of battling. Who knows? Maybe the Pokémon you use aren't statistically stronger than what you have now, but if you play your cards right, they just might pull out a win."
"Hmmm…" Joey frowned. He normally didn't like to hear this, but after his string of defeats, knowing that his current team wasn't working out for him, he knew he had to try something different. "My own team and style huh?"
The two continued playing well through the afternoon, with Dereece managing to hang on with four wins and two loses. Joey, on the other hand, seemed to be in a better mood as he was at the advantage in his battle.
Compared to what he had before, his current party was something that he handpicked himself, taking all his experiences into account. It was Talonflame, Dragalge, Swellow, Hippowdon, Barbaracle, and Jumpluff. He was currently on his last Pokémon, which was Jumpluff, facing against an opposing Mega Kanghaskan that was poisoned by his Dragalge's Poison Point before, and sustained damage from Venoshock.
"Let's try this!" He pressed the option for 'Bounce', causing his Jumpluff to ascend. When his opponent's Mega Kanghaskan attempted a Dizzy Punch, it missed, causing the poison to work its course. When Jumpluff's attack made contact, it took away the last of Mega Kanghaskan's HP, earning Joey the win.
"It worked! Yes! That's three comebacks for me!" Joey cheered loudly.
Hearing his friend's glee, Dereece smirked. "Finally getting it down?"
"Sure am. Took me a while, but…I feel pretty good with what I got now." Joey grinned, seeing his team's stats. "Sure, they're all pretty average, but I've got their moves fixed so they work with and independently from each other. My Swellow actually took down a Lapras thanks to Endeavor and Fly, all because it had maxed Special Defense."
"Hey, that's pretty good." Dereece hummed.
"Yeah, lucky break that Blizzard missed when it did."
Dereece chuckled. "Well, glad you're using a style that you like. If you're seriously going to consider being a Pokémon Trainer, you're gonna want to think of what kind of style you want. Whatever you do best that, if you apply it…you just might make for a good Trainer someday."
"My own style…" Joey muttered lowly. He looked down at his fist, noticing how he clenched it. 'Up to now, I've been using all the spells that I learned from watching Bro back then, and molded some to slides and stairs, so what if I…'
Burp! Trubbish's belch brought Joey back to reality.
When he looked up, Don Disco had a leg up and was ready to axe kick him. He used his scepter to stop the kick, moving it and rolling the leg over. Don Disco spun around and kicked Joey using his other leg, forcing Joey to duck and pull away. Slowly, the new king started to get to his feet once more.
"Still got some moves to play? Well, I've got plenty to show off…not that you can keep up, though." Don Disco taunted.
"…yeah, you're right." Joey agreed. "So then, guess I'll have to start fighting you with what I specialize in."
"Oh, what's that?"
At the warning, Joey pulled out the Boombox, setting if off to the side. He held an index finger over the play button as he glared daggers at his opponent. Don Disco and Groove looked confused at what he was planning.
"Two words…dance fight."
[Mirror B. Theme]
As the beat of the music started playing, Joey started bobbing his head with a mischievous smirk.
Don Disco, intrigued by Joey's challenge, rocked a brow and smirk. "Oh, you are so on, lil' man."
The two shrugged their shoulders, their feet tapping as they were getting touch with the beat. They had vindictive smirks on their faces as the music kicked in. Joey made his advance with his feet sliding, pivoting him from one side to the other. He slowly etched his way towards Don Disco, who shimmied in pace with the tune. When it came to the crescendo, Joey bent his knees in and out as he did sideways hammer fists, making Don Disco weave back from each one.
The afro man clapped in rhythm and moved his legs in and out with the tune. "Aye, yo! This shit be slappin'!"
When it came to the guitar, Joey began mimicking an air guitar solo, biting his lower lip as he rocked his head up and down. He bucked his pelvis in consistency to get closer during the climax of the solo. He pivoted and did a set of four roundhouse kicks, which Don Disco weaved around. The latter returned the roundhouse kicks, but Joey ducked and spun around each one back and forth, effectively avoiding all the blows. Joey pivoted into a small spin and jumped into the air. Time slowed down as he spun in midair, dealing a roundhouse kick that Don Disco dodged by leaning back. However, his huge afro suffered much of the front curls out of place.
The mage backflipped to get some distance and stopped to touch his hair. Visibly mortified, he looked back at Joey, who was dancing smoothly with a sly smirk. "Oh, now it's business!"
As the two were duking it out, Groove was listening to the beat going on repeat. He started bobbing his head and tapping his feet in sync with the tune. "Hey now…this ain't half-bad. I can beat to this!" Contrast to the irony of how he would set the pace, he danced left and right and to center in repetition with the music.
Nearby, Trubbish was tapping one of her feet too, smiling and slushing her trash bag body up and down.
"Neat moves…but let's see how you like it when I set the tempo!" Don Disco declared. "Rhythm Turn!"
"Let's go!" Joey welcomed the attack with a proud smile. As Don Disco started dancing, Joey was forced to copy. Though unlike before, he seemed into it. The two were in complete synchronization up until Don Disco jumped.
"Hey!" He dropped straight down, performing the splits, with one leg back and the other in front.
"Boo ya!" Joey dropped just like him, doing the splits just as well with no apparent injuries.
"Ey?!" Don Disco looked stunned. He saw Joey take it a step further and used his hand to grab his hair and pick himself up to his feet, jumping into the air and came straight down atop Don Disco's shoulders upside-down, using them as posts for his hands. Joey did another set of splits and twisted his body, getting onto his feet and throwing Don Disco over his head. The mage crashed face-first into the rocky ground and slid a short distance, his butt up in the air.
"And that's what we call…'The Reversal'!" Joey chimed.
Seeing his human take physical harm snapped Groove out of his funk. He glared back at Joey and adjusted himself. "Not if I have a say in this little shindig-!" He was cut off when a Sludge shot his way, forcing him to backpedal and avoid the mucky rupture. He looked ahead, seeing his interceptor. "You!"
A short distance away, Trubbish belched as she glared at Groove.
"Hmph, looks like it's time to take out the trash!"
Don Disco arched his lower-half off the ground and catapulted himself upright. His face was all dirtied as his shades were bent inwards, but he propped them into place with an index finger before going back to engage with Joey. He rolled his arms and shimmied in place while Joey smoothly moonwalked around him, combing his hair back with his hand. He had a serious leer fixed on the Dance Mage as the latter was keeping an eye on him. Joey used his right leg and tapped forward, while Don Disco wiggled his hips in a straightforward shuffle. Don Disco unleashed rhythmic kicks, but Joey was able to read them and weave his head to the left and right, closing in on him. When he was close enough, he thrust his elbow into his opponent's chest, then flicked his arm up to do a backhand on his face. Don Disco careened his head back, but he recovered and visibly furrowed his brow before bringing his head forward, headbutting Joey in the face and making him stagger away.
The two were in a brief standoff before Don Disco dropped low and began doing flares. Joey followed, but moved in the opposite direction. Both clockwise and counterclockwise motions closed in as their legs purposely collided, intercepting the other's kick. When they did, they switched directions and repeated the interception. They constantly were at this, with Joey always blocking him.
'What gives?! It's like he knows what I'm doing and anticipating. It's nothing like before!' Don Disco grimaced.
'Now this is more like it! All that dancing is paying off! I can read his attack patterns much easier now! Which means…'
Don Disco switched directions again and swept his leg to Joey's left side. Instead, however, his leg met a turquoise barrier, blocking him off as well as hurting his leg from how hard he swung into it.
Joey used the momentum of his flares to do a handstand spin. "HIYAH!" He brought his right leg down onto Don Disco, axe kicking his head and flooring him. Joey flipped onto his feet and backflipped until he grabbed his staff his scepter.
Don Disco staggered back up, but he seemed winded. One of his lenses was broken, revealing a dark iris. He saw Joey was dancing with his scepter, using it like a roll and rolling his hips. The Dance Mage growled angrily as he stomped.
"Oh, now you just hustling! No way anyone can outdo my classy rhythm!"
"Oh really? You know what I call your moves? Tuesday!" Joey boasted.
The two advanced upon the other again. Don Disco did a stylish volley of jabs, but Joey twirled his scepter, deflecting all the shots. He jabbed with his scepter, but Don Disco did a pair of splits to get low and swept his legs across, knocking Joey off his legs. However Joey used the fall to do a set of flares once again to get momentum to thrust the end of his staff into Don Disco's gut, making him gag and get socked by another elbow thrust to the face.
Don Disco staggered, his confident composure starting to falter. "Lil' man…I don't know who you think you are…but you're messing with the wrong dancer! I run this stage!"
"Oh yeah? Then c'mon, let's finish this!" Joey prompted.
"With pleasure!" Don Disco got on one foot, spinning counterclockwise. "Pivot Disarray!" He started spinning like a top at high motion, with Joey forced to copy the same motion.
The two spinning men were on a single leg each, neither showing signs of their rotation slowing down. It was all to gather momentum so Don Disco could deliver a powerful kick.
'Let's see him block this when he can't even see straight!'
Joey's eyes narrowed as the world spun around him. However, he listened to his music and closed his eyes to focus on letting the music flow into him. He spun faster with every passing second, gradually ascertaining momentum.
"Hrah!" Don Disco swung his left leg – his good leg – in a roundhouse kick.
Joey's eyes widened as he had reached his peak momentum. Time slowed down as the leg was coming right for his face, but at the very last second, Joey grabbed it with his free hand, locking them both into place. The block was so sudden that an airwave expelled beneath them, dust parting.
Don Disco's eyes went wide, completely stunned. "No way…"
With his opponent locked in place, Joey had his left side to work with. His staff stuck out as a standard barrier appeared in front of him.
"Barrier-Make:…"
Don Disco tried to break free, but his leg was too high and stuck in Joey's grip. The disco star's singular lens reflected Joey's serious look as he turned his left side to the front, jutting the staff into the barrier.
"-CRASH!"
Joey jutted the staff into the barrier, giving it and extra forceful shove that smashed at high speed into Don Disco's body. The barrier kept going, leaving a perfectly edged trail as it smashed into the cliff rocks, creating a loud shockwave upon impact. Joey kept his staff out as he tapped his foot to the ongoing beat.
As the dust settled, the barrier was pressed firmly against the wall, crushing Don Disco to where he was imprinted into the rocks. His shades were in complete shambles, revealing both his eyes devoid of pupils. The force of the attack was so intense that his head bled from the scalp as well as his nose and mouth. His crippled frame didn't budge, even when the barrier faded out of existence.
"That's…some style…you got…" The mage wheezed, before blacking out.
With his opponent defeated, Joey started to relax his muscles. He triumphantly huffed as he twirled his staff and held it beside him with pride. "That's how you do it! Turns out, the secret to my strength wasn't in the fist…it was the booty!" He beamed as he stuck out his rear end, wiggling it. "King of booty shaking, that's me! Yes!"
Having been distracted with Trubbish, the loud crash caught Groove's attention. When he looked back, his eyes were wide with shock at his mage pressed against the wall, unconscious. "D-Don Disco?!" He turned back towards Joey. "You, how'd you do that?"
Joey turned towards him. "Simple…he's not the only one who knows how to breakdance his way through a battle. How many dance competitions did he win in his lifetime again?"
Groove was taken back, but he recalled his mage and looked down at his Human Cube. "Put on a fine show you did." He glared back at Joey. "You gone and made me mad now! You may have the stage now, but I plenty of backup to-!" His eyes widened as he had an epiphany. 'Wait a minute! I almost forgot. He sat up those Toxic Spikes earlier. Which means…'
'Looks like he realized it.' Joey observed.
Groove refrained from reaching for another Human Cube, knowing the next ones to come out would be poisoned. Being a Ludicolo, anger wasn't a very visible trait to have, but if his slowly bent beak indicated any emotion he felt, it would be annoyance.
"…fine then. Guess it was a mistake to have humans duke out their preferences. I'll just have to set a new pace that even you can't follow!" He started dancing in place, gaining momentum. "Rain Dance!"
Overhead, more stormclouds gathered over the Apostle's head, spiraling across a radius over their battlefield. It started to rain, causing the dried earth to become drenched once again.
'Rain again, that means he's going to activate Swift Swim again!' Joey attempted to brace himself for what's to come, but he felt a sharp pain in his head, sending a wave of weakness through his nervous system. "Gngh…!"
Seeing his opponent reacting to the damage he took earlier, Groove pivoted towards Trubbish and fired Bubble Beam. The fast-moving bubbles beamed towards her, but she was able to evade by rolling off to the side. Groove didn't stop there as he turned his body towards Joey, making the Bubble Beam arch his way.
Burp~! Trubbish warned.
"Huh…?!" Catching the warning, Joey noticed the bubble trajectory heading his way. He reached his scepter out and created a Barrier-Make: Dome to bunker down against the onslaught of bubbles. Being under fire – accompanied by his injuries – he was in poor shape to counter.
'I'm at my physical limit, and I'm almost out of magic completely. I still need those soldiers to keep that Ludicolo boxed in so he doesn't run off again. Gotta divert him-?'
While he was thinking that, a ball of Sludge shot into Groove's side, cutting his attack off. He recoiled from the super-effective attack and glanced towards Trubbish. "Why you…!"
Trubbish let out a small belch, her eyes furrowed in spite of her laxed stature.
Groove smugly sneered. "Wanna dance too, I see? Fine with me!" Suddenly, he disappeared from sight, reappearing behind Trubbish. She turned around, seeing her opponent towering over her and hiccupped.
Joey gasped. "Trubbish."
"Bubble Beam!"
Groove opened his mouth and unleashed a barrage of bubbles at point-blank range. Trubbish was far too slow to react to the attack before they exploded on her like water bombs. Eruptions of vapor and water spouted on the spot, sending her flying through the air with a belched scream of pain.
"TRUBBISH!" Joey cried out.
Trubbish careened through the air and splashed into the wet ground, sliding a short ways through the puddle. She struggled to stand, let alone move. The attack didn't knock her out, but it did enough that she was barely hanging on.
"Trubbish…" Joey looked mortified, seeing his Pokémon take such a blow. His team-carrier, he'd personally say. He saw Groove stand in position as he seemed to be preparing another barrage. The young king would not allow that.
Trubbish struggled to stand upright, though thanks to her Black Sludge, her energy was recovering a little.
Groove watched his opponent's struggle, but thought little of it. "Hmph, thought you could handle me, did you? This'll finish you…" He took in a deep breath. "Bubble-!"
"Barrier-Make: Dragon Ram!"
Groove was cut off when he heard the sudden shout from the side. He saw Joey fire a barrier in the shape of a dragon's head directly at him at high speed. Despite the intrusion, however, Groove had much greater speed to react in time. He jumped at the last second as the barrier's length kept going. He pressed a hand on the surface and flipped onto his feet, then hands again, repeating the motion as he closed in on Joey. He jumped above, glaring down at the injured human.
"Nice try! But your pacing's much slower than mine! Bubble Beam!"
"Barrier-Make: Barrier!"
Groove launched large bubbles in bullet-like succession into a medium-sized barrier that Joey made at the last second. However, with how little magic he had, it was the best that he could do to keep the attack at bay.
Groove didn't let up, knowing he was breaching his limit. 'He's completely wiped. Time to sweep this fool!'
Meanwhile, Trubbish shook her head as she was comprehending her surroundings. When she looked around blankly, her eyes immediately fixed on her Trainer. She hiccupped, but the barrage of bubbles kept him from focusing on her. She could see it clearly, even through the barrier.
Her Trainer's pain.
"You wanna take the fall first instead of that pile of trash that you call a Pokémon?!" Groove taunted as he constantly spat Bubble Beam. "You can't even fight back anymore!"
Joey gnashed his teeth. "So what if I can't?! And besides, that pile of trash you're mocking…" His eyes glared with tenacity. "Is a precious treasure to me!"
Trubbish's breath hitched at what she just heard; her small dark eyes grew slightly. Did he really say that about her? Did he truly value her to that extent that he was willing to overlook how utter repulsive and pungent she was? It was hard to believe, but the way he sounded it was full of assurance…as he always did with her.
She found her eyes cascading towards her reflection in the puddle she was in, which was slightly murky thanks to her toxins. She stared at herself in deep silence, the ripples ever so soft that she could still see herself.
"Don't you see, Dereece? Just look at her! She's perfect!" He hopped, skipped, and literally jumped up to her elevation. He gestured up close to her as she ate without care. "Just look! You see that face? That's the face of greatness right there! And that trash coating…" he ran a finger along her side, slicking up with a dry sense. "She's healthy as can be! And look at what she can do!" Gesturing again, Trubbish belched once more, which of course made another passing Pidove overhead drop to the ground. "She's so indestructible that nothing can come close to her! This has to be my calling, Dereece!"
Duncan raised a brow, trying to show no pleasure in Joey's stupidity. But Dereece looked at him and then back at Joey. "Uh, Captain Joey, I know we're on a time crunch and all…but I think we can make an exception this one time, okay?" he tried to sound as polite as possible inside his plea. "I-I know you're excited, but maybe, I don't know…she's might be, uh…"
Joey looked at Dereece with curiosity. "What's wrong? You think she's not a good choice?" he heard Trubbish belch again, making him more annoyed as he pointed at her. "You see that? You just hurt her feelings! Shame on you, Dereece!"
Dereece shrunk back. "S-sorry…"
Duncan turned away. "If you wanna catch that thing, don't let us stop you. An idiot magnet such as yourself can't be held down by someone who doesn't have a spine himself."
"What?" Dereece gave him a look of serious offense. Duncan shrugged it off, earning a groan from him.
Joey scoffed and dismissed them. "Oh ignore those party-poopers Trubbish, they don't know what they're talking about. Now then, how would you like to a part of something great, huh?" Trubbish blinked again. Joey slid to her side, gesturing to an open panel across them that Trubbish watched. "I can see it now. You and me, Trainer and Pokémon, repelling all who dare bring shame to the names we adore! We'd be standing at the top, surrounded by people who love and appreciate the stench of victory!" He lifted Trubbish with his arms and gave her a big, toothy smile. "So, what do you say?"
Trubbish blinked again, processing what it was Joey proposed to her. He paused, and her belly began to gurgle loudly. She looked to be coming up with yet another belch. She was lurching constantly, getting Joey on pins and needles to find out her answer. Even Dereece looked curious. The suspense finally built to a climax, but what came out was not a belch, but a spray of acid that flooded in Joey's face like a pump.
Duncan looked a little disgusted, but Dereece cringed from the Acid Spray. He actually had to cover his mouth to keep himself from spewing chunks.
Once the Poison-type move ended, Joey was still holding Trubbish, but his hair was slicked back like grass from the pressure. Trubbish belched again. Joey, however, looked completely unfazed as he took a huge whiff of the air. "…aaahhh." He sighed dreamily. "That is the smell of success. I take that as a yes!"
Even though she didn't look it, she recalled clear as day. That was the day that her literal trashy life was given meaning. Sure, she was head-over-heels confused with what went on in this blonde, flashy boy's head when he said something about potential, but looking back at it, it was like he knew how to read her. She got herself a very enthusiastic Trainer and a sympathizer out of someone for once.
To say that she was grateful would be a tremendous understatement. And if she were blunt…happy.
"You see? I knew you could always be depended upon. That's my Trubbish."
Yet again, guilt washed over her as she thought of how much Joey believed in her. Even if she didn't know her own worth, it was clear that he did. And seeing the first – and possibly only – human that didn't rebuke her for being so foul for being plain garbage.
"Alright Trubbish, it's all on just us. You ready, girl?"
Something inside her started stirring, and for once, it wasn't her stomach acids. It was something completely different. Her eyes slowly blinked in succession, before she picked herself up and looked serious. Very serious.
If Joey had this much faith in her, she absolutely refused to let him down!
Burrrrr… Trubbish audibly gurgled loudly, gathering Groove's attention.
"Eh? Hey now, what's that sound…?" He glanced at Trubbish. "What're you…?"
BUUUURRRRRP! Yelling as in to get away from him, her body erupted in a bright blue light, taking over her whole form. Groove and Joey watched from afar, both their faces showing shock at what was happening.
"No way!" Groove exasperated.
"Trubbish?!" Joey gasped. 'That light…she's…'
Trubbish's small trash bag-like body began expanding to far larger proportions, with her flimsy filth flippers growing exponentially. The right arm elongated into a long, thin appendage with a bulbous end, while the left arm lacked that trait. Her lower-half got considerably broader as she grew to towering proportions.
The blue radiance the new form emitted eventually exploded, sending broken light rays everywhere as Trubbish's new form came to light. She had a round, lumpy body that was primarily tan with blue and pink lumps. Her head had the appearance of a tied garbage bag torn open and draped down like a cape. Long pipes clumped by garbage made up her arms, with her right arm having a huge clump with one finger on the left, and three on the right.
BUUURRRRRRP! Her belch was so loud that it shook the ground. The air around her grew instantly foul from how pungent her belch was.
"Garbodor!" Joey gasped.
Without warning, Garbodor extended her left arm and swung it around like a lariat into Groove's midsection. The force dragged the Ludicolo off his feet and sent him flying onto his back with a thud. She slowly trudged over to stand in front of her Trainer, each step she took shook the ground to indicate her weight.
"Thanks, girl." Joey thanked his newly evolved Pokémon, to which she responded with a dense belch. He pulled up his PokéDex and analyzed Garbodor.
"Garbodor, the Trash Heap Pokémon. It locks opponents in place with its left hand, immobilizing them by entirely dousing their bodies with poisonous liquid."
Joey looked at the data on his Garbodor, noticing something else. "You've got new moves, too." Coming to the realization, he lifted his head and looked back at Groove.
The Apostle slowly got up, grimacing at the hit. "Aye…that totally threw off my rhythm." Even in the rain, he smelled something extremely foul, causing him to cringe. "Oooh! What reeks?!"
Joey smirked, managing to stand upright once more. "That…is the stench of victory!"
BUUUURRRRP! Garbodor expelled a dense belch, making the air even more foul. Both Joey and Groove got a good whiff of it, though despite his nasal cavities suffering, Joey relished in the stronger, pungent smell that highlighted Garbodor's improvement.
"Great, this is what happens when you leave the trash out for too long." Groove grimaced. "Time to fix that! Bubble Beam!" He opened his mouth wide, expelling a fast-moving jet of bubbles across the terrain.
'Time to test out some of those new moves!' Joey reached his staff out. "Now, Garbodor, use Sludge Bomb!"
Garbodor belched as she brought her right arm forward, her fingers taking aim. From the open pipes, she fired an onslaught of brown, poisonous globs that met the bubble centerfield. This resulted in a murky, liquid explosion that swallowed the area.
Groove smirked. "Hmph, not bad. Still though…" He zipped around the smoke, arching his way to get at Garbodor from the side. "Can't outspeed me in the rain!"
When he got to the other side, however, he found that his opponent wasn't there. His eyes widened in surprise. "What? Where'd she go?!"
Joey smirked. "Now, Body Slam!"
Groove gasped in surprise. His sombrero-like top made it hard for him to look straight up right away, but he only caught the glimpse of a tan, garbage backside before it crushed him, driving him into the ground. Garbodor belched low as she mounted her opponent's aching frame.
"Like I said, it's all in the booty." Joey grinned, Garbodor belching with a small curve on her mouth. The Black Sludge she was equipped with did its job and recovered even more of her health.
Groove grunted as he was overwhelmed with how heavy his opponent was. "Gngh…damn…so uncool-gngh!" He felt his body cringe when static began enveloping him. Garbodor lifted herself off his body back in front of her Trainer to see her opponent immobilized.
"It's the secondary effects of Body Slam. It has a chance to paralyze your opponent. Which means…" Joey squinted. "We can win this."
As Groove was grueling over his paralyzed state, the rain gradually came to an end. The clouds vanished, revealing the bright sun once more.
With his opponent much slower than before, Joey took the initiative. "Acid Spray!"
Garbodor closed her mouth before she expelled a spray of poisonous, corrosive acid at the Ludicolo. The Poison-type move met its mark, hitting him with enough force to send him sliding backwards unsteadily. A dense blue aura enveloped his body, lowering his Special Defense sharply.
"Yeow! Damn that burns!" Groove grimaced in the pain. "This isn't over! I'll…ugh…oh!" His beak's nostrils caught the adhesive smell and made him cringe. "That smell!"
'With Garbodor's Body Slam, it has a chance to paralyze. And with her Stench Ability, she also has a chance to flinch her opponents too. He's wide open.' Joey smirked at the irony. For a moment, he thought to his video games. "This is our style! Garbodor, let's finish this!"
Garbodor belched as she readied her right hand, minding the Black Sludge equipped to her that recovered more of her health.
"No…you can't beat my rhythm…I won't allow it!" Groove tried to deny it, but the horrible odor was making it hard for him to hold back a gag reflex. "Blurgh!"
"You know how the saying goes. One Pokémon's trash is another man's treasure!" Joey beamed. "Garbodor, Sludge Bomb!"
BUUUUUUURRRRRRP! Garbodor let out a violent belch similar to a battle cry as she did not show any hesitation firing multiple globs of poisonous sludge balls across the atmosphere at high speeds towards Groove. The Ludicolo Apostle was still holding in his gagging when the globs barrel straight into his face. His eyes shrank briefly before he was hammered relentlessly by the barrage and slid across the ground, screaming in pain. His journey across the wet rock came to and end when he crashed into a boulder with a loud thud, spilling dust and murky smoke everywhere.
Garbodor eventually let up, taking a moment to watch as the wake of her attack was taking a while to settle.
Joey glared daggers, not letting his guard down until he was certain his opponent was down.
The dust and smoke eventually cleared, revealing Groove standing upright against the indent on the boulder. Joey and Garbodor braced themselves until they saw his hazy vision and crooked smile.
"You…you got groove…" Trailing off from exhaustion, the Apostle's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell forward with a thud. He laid on his front with his eyes becoming swirls, indicating he could no longer continue.
The battle was decided.
Joey straightened up, frowning at his defeated opponent. "Yeah…thanks to you, we found it."
Garbodor opened her mouth once more, letting out a victorious belch that whiffed through the air.
Joey inhaled the stench-filled air, taking solace in how pungent it was. "Ah~, now that's the smell of victory." Garbodor turned back towards him, blinking as her expression seemed soft. "You see, girl? I never had a doubt in you."
Garbodor smiled softly, hiccupping.
As Joey was feeling the sentiment, his body finally gave into the fatigue he endured up until now. He fell onto his backside, then his back and laid under the sun, looking barely conscious. "Ugh, my body…I can't move anymore. I'm spent completely."
In the skies above, there was a low buzz that drastically grew by the second. Flying into view was Yanmega as she carried her Trainer.
"There! I see him!" Dereece pointed down to where Joey was laying down besides the Garbodor. 'Is that who I think it is?'
Yanmega began her descent as she glided down towards the rocky terrain. She sat her Trainer besides Joey and flew onto Garbodor. Although, for a moment, it looked like Yanmega was winded from the increased pungent stench that she was already used to. Dereece settled beside his best friend, seeing how bruised and winded he was.
"Jo-Jo, hey! You okay?!"
Joey mumbled low. "Mmm, Dereece?"
Dereece sighed in relief, smiling. "Yeah, it's me. Sorry it took so long to get here."
"Don't be…" Joey's glance fell up towards Garbodor. "I had some help."
The sound of a deep trudge got both their attention. Joey used his staff and made the soldiers separate from their bordering so they could see who was heading their way. To their relief, it was a wounded Duncan and not another Apostle. He was followed by his Pokémon as they all looked in far better shape than Yanmega or Garbodor.
"Hey, look who decided to show." Joey smirked, dazedly.
"Are you okay?" Dereece saw the wounds on Duncan, most notably the gashes on his torso and shoulder.
Duncan did his best to suppress a grunt. "It's fine…just some flesh wounds." He saw the blood and bruises on his teammates. "Looks like those Apostles didn't go down easily for you either."
"You have no idea…" Joey groaned.
Dereece and Duncan slumped down, the two joining their Captain as they were laying on the ground with their bodies and magic completely expended. If they were able to move, they were sure they'd just fall over. In Duncan's case, he'd bleed out more.
"Guess this is as far as we can go for now, huh?"
"Yeah…looks like it." Dereece mumbled.
"Still, think that we've done a pretty good job this time around. I'm sure someone's giving a round of applause somewhere."
"Guess it's up to Nic and the others from here on."
"Yeah…but hey, at least The Freaks put on a heck of a show."
"Hey Captain…do us all a favor and use your soldiers to carry us to shelter. Pretty sure we wouldn't make it on foot." Duncan advised.
"Yeah, sure." Clutching his staff, the turquoise light it gave off shined brighter. "My subjects…we could use a hand please…and some water…maybe a full-course meal while you're at it?"
Quinlan was in the confines of his chamber, having locked his balcony doors once more. Raptured in the darkness and solidarity of his space, he watched the holographic screens that showcased all corners of the province overrun with ethereal soldiers, some of which that were carrying their master and his two friends. Meanwhile, other panels showed Zeus, Adamantine, and Groove, all of whom had fallen in battle.
Quinlan was visibly shaken before once when Joey usurped him. To say he was troubled would be putting it mildly.
"To think that even Adamantine would fall to these humans." His tone was dry and unamused, any sense of relish he had before completely stripped away. "The utopia that I created for Pokémon has been infested beyond repair. Perhaps it may be too late for this land…" He turned away from the screens and started for the Communication Lacrima. "I'll contact Aphrodite and Octavius, letting them know that we will be relocating at once-!"
FWOOOOOOM!
A roaring wake of flames smashed through the balcony wall, melting the glass to molten globs in a split-second. Quinlan was cut off completely as he covered up using a sleeve as flames seared across his carpets and surrounding drapes. When the fire settled, heat waves streamed through the air like water through a river.
A low, draconic huff was heard as he uncovered his face. When he looked at the broken wall, he saw the silhouette of someone on the back of a Charizard that flapped several meters off the ground.
"…so, you've finally decided to approach me head-on, do you?" The king mused. "I'll say, you sure took your time."
On Charizard's back, Nic scowled with his head up, daunting down on his majesty with no shred of pleasure. "So…you're the Pokémon's so-called sovereign."
And that's a wrap for this chapter! Managed to drive this chapter all the way to the finish line before March rolled around. It was hell, but I pulled it off! This chapter was all about leveling up The Freaks! Got some new moves, techniques, and some evolutions too!
If you all recalled the Mirror B. Theme and how he had Ludicolo dancing to the rhythm, I couldn't help but make that callback! XD
Three Apostles down in one chapter, only three to go! Gonna see how far I can push with getting this arc done before mid-May when I might be moving.
Until next time! Feedback and your thoughts are truly appreciated!
