What could one expect, tempting fate with their arrogant certainty in how better times were to come? What a cruel twist of fate it was for Jasper to only understand the solution the night before all of Mercury's plans came to a head. Now, Iron Island was burning.
Initial reports had only come to the Gym late in the afternoon, shortly before Jasper would instruct the trainers to lock up, and with the time it took those reports to be delivered the reality would only have gotten worse. Wild Pokemon from the barren plains and Eterna Grove alike had attacked Iron Island en masse, with every village being besieged by them. Fire, electricity, poison, all those things and more were turned in their full destructive capacity against the human population. It was the kind of disaster that needed the entire Gym to respond to, and it was Jasper's job to lead that response.
'None of this makes any sense? How could this all happen out of nowhere, so suddenly like this?' Jasper wondered to himself in the midst of splitting the Gym trainers into groups and sending them all off to separate villages. Celestic, Floaroma, Jubilife… Everywhere but Pastoria Village. He would head to Pastoria himself. As much as he wished he could take the whole 'nuanced approach' that Walter had been telling him about, the damage being wrought by the attack demanded that it be stopped without hesitation before anything else could be done. There was something about how things were turning out that didn't sit right with him, either…
Once every trainer had their assignments, that left Jasper with a handful of Gym trainers to accompany him to Pastoria. Mercury was among them, along with some other strong trainers called Copper and Brass, as well as a short bald guy called Nickel. Though Mercury's strength might have warranted her being sent elsewhere, he preferred that she stick close by during the crisis so that he could keep an eye on what she did, even if something about her and the other trainers he was going to Pastoria with rubbed him the wrong way, somehow.
The smell of smoke and the sounds of terrified screams greeted Jasper and his entourage long before the village itself came into sight, and they certainly helped set the scene for the state that the village was currently in. Approaching it from the east, opposite the direction of the Eterna Grove, the sky was quickly being concealed behind the thick plumes of smoke rising from the multitude of houses being swallowed up by raging fires. The villagers flooded out of the village in droves, many of them sporting injuries of their own, and as their screams and terror grew further away, the enraged roars of the wild Pokemon only became clearer.
Amongst all the fleeing villagers were Percival and Magnus, with the former carrying the later securely in his arms as he ran over to where Jasper and the other trainers had just arrived. As he came closer, Jasper was able to note several tears and gashes that had been clawed in his clothing, not to mention a cut on his forehead from which blood was streaming down the side of his face. Despite all that, though, he looked more irritated than anything else.
"This is not natural, Jasper." Percival hissed, "That many Pokemon, attacking in such a large group like that? Something set them off, and it was something that was a long time coming."
"Uncle Jasper?" Magnus said softly, just before breaking out into a coughing fit.
"He inhaled some of the smoke on our way out." Percival added at Jasper's look of concern, "Not too much, but he'll need to see a doctor once this crisis is over."
"A lot of people on the island will need to see a doctor when this crisis is over." Jasper responded, "A lot of people need to see a doctor now. Look, I've got no clue what caused this crisis, but it's pretty obvious this didn't happen randomly. We're directing people fleeing their villages to take shelter in the Gym, so go take shelter there until we return."
"Why are the Pokemon so angry?" Magnus asked, "They've been kinda angry at me for a while now… Is this because of me?"
'Angry at him for a while now? That must be how long this has been building up for.' Jasper mused, "No, Mack. This isn't your fault, the Pokemon are doing this for some other reason, and once we've got them to stop attacking, I'm going to find out what it is and fix it."
"My name's not… Mack…" Magnus murmured weakly, eyes teetering between open and shut.
"It may be worth consulting your father on this matter as well." Percival mentioned.
"Kiki and her mother are visiting his shack today, I don't want to separate him from them, and I don't want them getting anywhere near this kind of danger." Jasper said with a shake of his head.
"And what about you?" Percival retorted, before leaning in closer so as to whisper and not be heard by the other trainers present, "Be wary of the trainers you've brought as backup. Something about them is… off."
"Beggars can't be choosers." Jasper whispered back, "This attack isn't an isolated incident, I've got my Gym trainers all over the island fending off wild Pokemon attacks."
"All the more reason for caution. Whatever happens, Iron Island will need its Gym Leader to resolve this crisis." Percival said, before stepping away and raising his voice to a speaking volume, "I'm sorry that I can't do anything more to help you, my friend."
"Get your son to safety." Jasper said, "The trainers and I can handle this attack just fine, now hurry and go."
"May fortune be on your side." Percival nodded, hurrying past Jasper and the trainers and heading in the direction of the Gym, with Magnus still securely in his arms. With his departure, Jasper suspected that Pastoria Village was mostly evacuated, as the sounds of Pokemon and the destruction they caused drowned out everything else, and a handful of wild Pokemon were even beginning to emerge from the village, presumably in pursuit of human targets they could no longer find there.
"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY!" Jasper spoke up, "MERCURY AND BRASS, YOU'LL BOTH MOVE INTO THE VILLAGE WITH ME. YOU'RE MAKING SURE EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE HAS ALREADY MANAGED TO GET CLEAR. SEARCH EVERY HOUSE, HAVE YOUR POKEMON SEARCH AS WELL. I'LL MOVE AHEAD AND CLEAR OUT AS MANY OF THE WILD POKEMON AS I CAN. NICKEL, USE THAT PELIPPER OF YOURS TO PUT OUT THE FIRES. COPPER, YOU'RE MAKING SURE THAT FLEEING POKEMON ONLY FLEE BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM. IS THAT CLEAR?"
"Clear, Leader." Mercury said seriously, "We'll follow your lead."
Part of him had expected Mercury to complain or to outright disobey him, but it seemed that the severity of the current crisis was such that even she was falling in line to help deal with it. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, he grabbed one of his Pokeballs and tossed it out in front of him, sending out a bipedal canine Pokemon with blue and black fur onto the ground in front of him.
"LUCARIO!" Lucario roared proudly as it emerged from its Pokeball, throwing its arms out to the sides and its head back. It quickly caught sight of the carnage in Pastoria Village, however, and it turned back to look at its trainer.
"The wild Pokemon are attacking, Lucario." Jasper explained gravely, "You and I need to clear them out and send them packing back to where they came from."
"Cario." Lucario said with a nod.
"Alright!" Jasper said, giving a nod of his own to the assembled trainers, before taking off right into the village with Lucario running alongside him. As they left the others in their wake, he could make out the cacophony of Pokeballs all opening in quick succession, promptly followed by the sounds of the Pokemon that came out of them.
Charging into the village only served to intensify the odour of smoke and all manner of things burning- though not people, thankfully- as the air around him likewise grew hotter. Fire usually didn't mix well with his preferred type, but being able to overcome those kinds of weaknesses was exactly what separated a Gym Leader from an ordinary trainer. Likewise, it was what separated a Gym Leader's Ace Pokemon from the rabble that came from the wilds.
"LUCAR!" Lucario bellowed, charging ahead of its trainer in order to strike at the first enemy they had come across. A Drapion that had been swinging its arms around wildly, smashing apart anything that it neared while scattering globs of poison all around it. Without any instruction even necessary on Jasper's part, Lucario clapped its hands together and then pulled them apart in order to reveal a long bone-shaped weapon which glowed with blue light.
"DRAPION!" Drapion growled, lowering the front of its body while raising its tail in order to aim the tip of it at the approaching Lucario. White energy gathered around the claw on the end of its tail, and the energy took the form of a myriad of sharp needles, which it fired as projectiles at Lucario.
Not even faltering in its approach, Lucario hopped to the side and then back again, zigzagging out of the way of the first few projectiles that Drapion had fired, before raising its bone up and spinning it around as it ran in order to block the ones that came after that. Once it was within range to attack, it grasped the bone firmly in its right hand and thrust the tip outwards like a spear, slamming it into Drapion's forehead and then quickly pulling it back to spin it and then swing it into the side of its head, finishing the combo off by grabbing the bone with a hand on each hand, sharply rapping it against Drapion's face and then hooking it around the back of its neck in order to yank its head forwards into Lucario's knee.
It was all one great flurry of attacks, delivered in just a couple of seconds, and then for the finisher Lucario released the bone, allowing it to dissipate into nothingness, and it reeled its fist back to deliver a devastating punch right to the centre of Drapion's body. As Drapion was still reeling from the Bone Rush, the subsequent Power-Up Punch sent it skidding back along the ground, having been thoroughly shocked out of its rampage. It managed to get back on its feet, and for a moment it looked like it was going to continue the fight.
At the sight of Lucario standing there, however, with an aura of red flaring up around it to accompany the increase in attacking power, Drapion rather wisely backed down. With its head bowed, it turned tail and scurried off back in the direction of the Eterna Grove, leaving Lucario to stand there in the aftermath of its victory. Though that aftermath barely even lasted a second.
"LOOK OUT!" Jasper yelled out to Lucario. Reflexively, it jumped to the side, allowing it to avoid a pouncing Luxray and its open jaw with fangs that crackled with electricity. Both Pokemon quickly faced each other, while Jasper shifted himself around to remain standing behind Lucario, and they stared each other down. Despite Lucario's greater strength, it couldn't help but feel some of its attacking strength ebb away at the opponent's intimidating glower.
"Luuuuuux… Raaaaaaay…" Luxray rumbled, right before bounding forwards with electricity crackling around its fangs once again. It leaped up, going to clamp its jaw around Lucario's shoulder.
"DODGE AND USE BONE RUSH!" Jasper instructed, and Lucario jerked to the side in order to avoid Luxray's attack, summoning another glowing blue bone which it whacked Luxray over the head with, following that up with a couple of sharp thrusts before dispelling the bone. The attacks sent Luxray tumbling back across the ground, but it was quick to get back on its feet again.
"LUX… RAAAAAYYYYY!" Luxray roared defiantly. Its mane of black fur crackled with sparks of electricity, which amassed around its face for it to release in the form of a wave, which slammed into Lucario before it had a chance to dodge again. Though it didn't do any damage, the attack nonetheless forced Lucario onto one knee as its whole body locked up and it gritted its teeth. It tried to stand back up, but its movements were slow and sluggish, its whole body stiff while Luxray began to pace from side to side in front of it, showing off its greater mobility.
"BULLET PUNCH!" Jasper called out. Lucario's eyes widened, with its pupils shrinking, and a bright blue glow matching that of the earlier Bone Rushes overtook its fists. In an instant, the effects of the paralysis on its body disappeared, as it rose to its feet and dashed forwards, moving even faster than it had before in order to close the distance between it and Luxray and absolutely pummel it with a series of punches. Lucario landed the finishing blow as an uppercut that sent Luxray flying back through the air. This time, when it got back up, it turned tail and fled. That was two down, with however many left to deal with.
Briefly turning his attention elsewhere, Jasper was able to vaguely make out the sound of water being extinguished some distance away from him. That would be Nickel and his Pelipper, no doubt. Behind him, Mercury had her Houndoom out as she searched around some of the buildings that Jasper had already passed by as he battled his way into the village.
"CARIO!" Lucario yelled, snapping Jasper back to attention just in time to duck and roll forwards so as to dodge the clawed swipe of an Ursaring that had approached with uncharacteristic stealth. Now that it was sighted, though, it was back to loud and proud.
"RING! URSARING! URSA!" Ursaring bellowed, lumbering forwards and raising both hands up in order to slam them into the ground together, with such force that the tremors actually made Jasper stumble.
"LUCARIO, USE POWER-UP PUNCH!" Jasper said, rising to his feet and retreating away from the Ursaring so that Lucario would be closer to it than he currently was.
"Car…" Lucario groaned, and Jasper glanced over to see its body had seized up, preventing it from heeding the instructions Jasper had just given. Likewise, Ursaring noticed the state of helplessness the Pokemon was in, and it charged forwards, one arm taking on a luminous orange hue. It clubbed Lucario in the side of the head with Hammer Arm, launching it off its feet and smashing it right through the wall of one of the nearby houses.
"Dammit." Jasper hissed, reaching down in order to grab another Pokeball and send out someone else to deal with the Ursaring. But just as his hand was about to grab the ball, he was suddenly thrown forwards by an intense gust of wind, knocking him face-first to the ground right over where Ursaring was. He didn't even have a chance to look for the Flying-Type that had just attacked him, as Ursaring snarled at him and raised a glowing arm up to crush him with.
Luckily, after such a heavy attack, its body was slower than usual, and Jasper was able to roll out of the way of the Ursaring's attack, which created a crater in the ground where his head had just been a moment ago. Scrambling to his feet in a matter unbecoming of someone with his title, he went to grab another Pokeball, keeping an eye out for any Flying-Types, but this time it was the sound of Mercury's yell that gave him pause, his hand just an inch away from a Pokeball.
"HOUNDOOM, USE FIRE FANG!"
Her voice had come from behind him, so he figured that she was jumping in to lend a hand and show him up, as embarrassing as that was for him.
And then a pair of flaming fangs clamped down like a vice around his arm, and Jasper screamed.
"DOOM!" Houndoom growled, its flaming teeth digging into Jasper's arm and prying it away from the Pokeball he had been going to grab. A second later, the belt he kept his Pokeballs on was ripped from his waist and tossed away by Mercury coming up on the other side of him.
"Ursa… Ring?" Ursaring said, watching this all unfold. It seemed confused, but then just decided to go with it, and charged forwards in order to attack both Jasper and Mercury, only for the latter's Medicham to leap forwards and strike it down with a powerful Force Palm.
"That's better." Mercury said, stepping forwards to stand right in front of him, while Houndoom gave a sharp tug on his burning arm to force him to his knees.
"What the… hell are you doing?!" Jasper grunted, doing his best not to cry out as Houndoom roasted the flesh on his arm. Over in the house that Ursaring had knocked it into, Lucario rose to its feet and stepped outside, quickly spotting the predicament its trainer was in. Its eyes widened with fury, and it tried to sprint forwards, only for a Golbat to descend from above and unleash a shrill Supersonic cry that made Lucario stumble to a stop and then stagger back, teetering about dizzily. Following the Golbat's appearance came Nickel, strolling over to stand behind Mercury.
He wasn't the only traitor. With Lucario both confused and paralysed, it was completely helpless as a Sudowoodo and Toxicroak ambushed it in unison. Toxicroak pushed ahead, sticking a leg out low and kicking Lucario's feet out, and Sudowoodo followed up with a Hammer Arm of its own that drove the Fighting/Steel-Type Pokemon into the ground.
"Car… Cario…" Lucario groaned weakly, unable to get back up. Brass and Copper joined Nickel in all standing behind Mercury and looking down at their Leader.
"Percy warned me about this." Jasper grunted, as Houndoom finally released his arm and took a step back, leaving him kneeling there before them, "Said I should be careful around you all. Is this how far you're going, Mercury? A Gym Leader's duty is to the people they lead, not the other way around… you'd really let your petty, selfish ambitions take precedence over helping these people during this crisis?"
Mercury didn't say anything at first. She stared at him, as the village burned all around them and the wild Pokemon continued to run rampant. Then she kicked him across the face, hard. It knocked him onto his side, and he clamped his mouth shut to muffle a cry of pain as he landed on his burned arm.
"Shut up." Mercury demanded, "Shut the hell up, you self-righteous , pig-headed, egotisticalPIECE OF TRASH! Just shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
Jasper opened his mouth to spit out a glob of blood, along with a couple of teeth.
"You were so proud of your power, of being the strongest trainer around." Mercury said coldly, "You were always so self-assured, so completely certain in the ways that you did things, and now that we're HERE after all this time you're still such a COMPLETE MORON! Don't you understand? Don't you get that this isn't just opportunism on my part? This crisis- everything that's been going wrong the past several months- I caused it, Jasper! I incited tensions, got villagers and trainers squabbling, and then while you were busy I built up my following and deliberately provoked the Pokemon living here on Iron Island! I did all of this! Specifically to get here, so that I could kill you and take your title for myself!"
"I should have known when you stopped being a nuisance." Jasper mumbled, beginning to cry from the pain despite himself. And despite that pain and his tears, he also began to laugh. It was a pained, wheezing laugh.
"Something funny?" Mercury snapped.
"I was such an idiot…" Jasper said, rolling over onto his back and staring up at the sight of the sky being blotted out by smoke, "Always doing things my way, always being such a blunt instrument, never seeing the bigger picture until you spelled it out for me…"
"Yes. You were." Mercury said.
"I was such an idiot…" Jasper said, "AND YOU STILL COULDN'T BEAT ME IN A POKEMON BATTLE! HOHOHO!"
In spite of what was about to come, Jasper laughed. No longer a wheeze, he laughed deeply with his eyes closed and tears streaming down the sides of his head and the smell of his own roasted flesh mixing with the smell of smoke. He laid there and laughed right in Mercury's face, as if his pain had simply vanished.
It was about to, very soon.
Mercury's face darkened.
"Houndoom. Use Fire Fang." She whispered. Jasper's laughter stopped a few seconds later, but the echoes of it seemed to hang in the air for minutes to come.
-O-
Mercury may as well have sung out in joy for how elated she evidently was when she ultimately returned to the Gym in order to deliver the news of Jasper's unfortunate passing. The story which she and her allies gave was the simple and believable tale that Jasper had been overwhelmed by the might of the attacking Pokemon and was finished off by them. With his headstrong tendencies and the fact that his group of trainers had been the smallest of them all, it was believable in isolation to reality that he had gone out that way. It was cold comfort when Mercury added that they had been able to drive the attacking Pokemon away from Pastoria Village.
With Jasper's untimely passing, the villagers who were holed up in the Gym had all taken a leave in order to give the trainers a chance to discuss privately how they would be moving forwards after the tragedy. The whole conversation was a farce, because not a single trainer among them was brave enough to speak up and voice the lone truth that they all knew without a shadow of a doubt. So instead, they stood around and discussed memorials and funerals and how Jasper's family would be looked after, and Mercury even made suggestions of her own, as if she wouldn't be dancing on any memorial they erected. It was only when the topic of a successor came up that it finally all came out.
"Now that Jasper is dead, it is simply how it is that we need a new Gym Leader to replace him." Mercury said calmly while her eyes shone with glee, "We all know that it's not merely empty boasting on my part to say I was the strongest trainer after Jasper himself, meaning that I am now the strongest trainer in the Gym outright. It is for that reason that I nominate myself as the new Gym Leader of Iron Island."
"Seconded." Copper piped up, "ACHOO!"
"Thirded." Brass added. Murmurs and chatter broke out amongst the gathered trainers as many of them similarly voiced their approval for Mercury as the next Gym Leader. There were a few hushed whispers exchanged between the trainers who hadn't been brought over to her side, but only one such trainer had the confidence to stand up.
"What the HELL are you all saying?!" Mike demanded, "You- we- Mercury killed our Leader! Let's not beat around the bush or pretend otherwise! Whether through abandoning him when he needed help or outright doing the deed herself, Mercury murdered Jasper and now she's standing here in front of us and demanding the title she could never earn herself, and we're all just allowing it?! WHAT IS THIS?"
"That is quite the accusation to hurl at me, Michael." Mercury said coolly, making a show of examining her nails, "Murder? You think I would go so far? Do you have any evidence to back up such an outrageous claim?"
"Evidence?" Mike sputtered, "What kind of evidence? Anyone with half a brain can tell that Jasper didn't just die because of some dumb mistake!"
"Well then it's a good thing most of us have a full brain, and not just a half." Mercury said, "You have no evidence. And really, does it matter whether I did or I didn't? The Gym Leader of Iron Island is the law, meaning that there's nothing to be done about it even if I am guilty. Now, how about we make things simple and have a show of hands for who votes me in as the new Leader?"
Two thirds of the trainers raised their hands, something which made the glee in Mercury's eyes glow even brighter, because only half of those hands were coming from trainers that she had recruited prior to Jasper's death.
"That looks like a clear majority." Mercury said, "In that case, as Gym Leader of Iron Island, I'd like to exonerate myself."
"You… you…" Mike said, "This is madness!"
"Call it what you will." Mercury said, "But the rule of Iron Island has always been that of the strong. The Gym Leader rules because they are stronger than any other trainer, and that kind of mindset is what will lead this Gym going forwards. If you've got any issues with my way of doing things, Michael, you're more than welcome to battle me over it."
She watched him closely to see if he would actually have the balls to rise to the challenge, and was disappointed but not surprised to see him sit himself back down to stew in his own indignation.
"Moving on from that little outburst." Mercury continued, "As Leader, it will be my responsibility to lead this island moving forwards into the rebuilding efforts. But before we discuss any of that, I feel that with Jasper's passing and my rise, this change in the way things are done warrants a change in the way we all view each other. From now on, instead of merely thinking of us as Gym trainers, I'd rather that we all be seen… as a Team."
-O-
Standing in the doorway of his half-ashen house, staring at the state that things had been left in after the fires, Percival couldn't even find it within himself to muster up any semblance of gratitude for the fact that the house was still standing in the first place. The Spruce household was one of the furthest away from the Eterna Grove, so it seemed that when the Pokemon came and attacked and the fires started, his house had been one of the last to be touched, and by that point the Gym trainers had already arrived, and so many of the belongings within the house had managed to survive.
"Am I supposed to be thankful?" Percival mumbled, making his way over to a bookcase that stood against the wall, next to which was a hammer and an anvil along with a basket of hollowed Apricorns.
"Didn't I tell you, Jasper?" He continued, bending over to grab one of the Apricorns out from the basket, "Didn't I tell you to be wary of them? Didn't I warn you?"
If he expected some kind of answer, none came. He fell to his knees, Apricorn clutched in his hands.
Then came a rapping on the frame of the doorway. Percival didn't need to look to know who it was, instead hurling the Apricorn over his head in an attempt to strike the visitor with it.
"You know why I am here?" Copper asked as he caught the Apricorn in his hand, "ACHOO!"
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Percival retorted, still kneeling and still staring at the singed floor before him, "I didn't quite piece it together at the time, but Mercury and all her cronies were behind the Pokemon rampage, weren't they? You needed that kind of crisis in order to soften Jasper up and get an opening."
"You're smarter than he was." Copper said, "He merely thought it was an attack of opportunism until Mercury told him. ACHOO!"
"And does the glorious Leader of Team Steel think that I'll bend the knee so easily now that the only trainer who could keep her in check is gone?" Percival said, "Does she think that I'll craft Pokeballs to be used by the trainer who killed my best friend?"
"She thinks that you will have no choice. ACHOO!"
"I know what she thinks she can threaten me with." Percival muttered, "That's what happens to the problematic trainers, isn't it? Mike, Gina, Reggie… the ones who agreed with Jasper, and who might get it in their heads to follow her lead? That's the problem with backstabbing, you're always left glancing back every other second."
"Mercury has no plans to kill you if you don't cooperate." Copper said, "However, you will be returning to the Team Steel base with me. I am a trainer, and you are not. And then that will leave your son to fend for himself. ACHOO!"
"Magnus?" Percival said, stiffening slightly, "I see now, that's what you're threatening me with."
"You will not be allowed to leave the Team Steel base under any circumstances." Copper said, "Team Steel will care for your son, however. The more you cooperate, the better he will be cared for. That is the basis of our agreement. ACHOO!"
"Very well. I won't embarrass myself with some futile fit of defiance." Percival said, rising to his feet. Despite his words however, Copper still took one of his Pokeballs out and sent out his Toxicroak, who went over to Percival and prodded him from behind to get him moving forwards. Percival frowned with indignation at it, but nonetheless obliged and followed Copper out of his home. The two walked in silence, with Toxicroak following at the rear, and they made their way to the building that had once been known as the Iron Island Gym, but was now being rebranded as the Team Steel base.
Construction work had begun on the great fence that surrounded the grounds of the base, part of which included a grander gate, but while that work was underway the passage into the base was wide-open for Copper and Percival to enter together. And right as they entered, they were greeted by the sight of none other than Mercury and Walter standing across from each other in front of the main building. Both trainers had a Pokemon out, a Medicham on Mercury's side and a Floatzel on Walter's. Floatzel was currently sprawled out on the ground with swirly eyes.
"Floatzel…?" Walter mumbled, falling to his knees before his partner.
"HA! Man, I can't believe that was the best you could manage!" Mercury jeered, "The great and mighty former Gym Leader of Iron Island, the legendary trainer who retired before any of us had a chance to battle him, and that's what he has to show for all that?"
"This is what I get for retiring, isn't it?" Walter said sullenly, "Leaving that idiot son of mine to deal with upstarts like you while I stuck my head in the sand to everything happening…"
"That retirement didn't do you any favours, geezer." Mercury said, "Did you really think I would be taken down by some feeble, elderly piece of trash who hasn't had a serious battle in a decade?"
"Feeble… elderly…?" Walter murmured, returning Floatzel to its Pokeball.
"The only reason I'm sparing you is because your granddaughter already lost her father recently." Mercury said coldly, "But time heals all wounds and leaves room for new ones. Keep that in mind, in case you ever get too antsy for your retirement again."
She returned Medicham to its own Pokeball and turned her attention away from Walter over to the newly arrived Copper and Percival. At the sight of them, a smile broke out on her face, akin to that of a predator finally catching its prey, and she walked over to the two of them.
"Hello there, Mister Spruce." Mercury greeted with faux-sweetness, "I'm so glad that you're here at Team Steel's base! I know that you did such good work with the former Leader, making Pokeballs for new trainers and all that, so I was looking forward to getting to touch base with you. But before that, I think we should have a couple of the grunts show you to your new accommodations. Once you've settled in, and we've brought over all your old tools, then I think we can get started on a very long and very prosperous business relationship."
-O-
Less than a week after Percival had begun his stay in the Gym, he found the door to his smithing room being thrown open by an irate Mercury, who was flanked by both Brass and Copper. She had one of the Pokeballs he had crafted in one hand, and her Houndoom's Pokeball in the other hand. Held beside each other, it became apparent how the red of the newer Pokeball was a couple of shades lighter than that of the older Pokeball, and he knew that time had played no part in such a difference.
"Can I help you, Mercury?" Percival said from where he sat in the corner of the room, currently working at hollowing out an Apricorn.
"You thought you were being so clever, didn't you?" Mercury growled.
"I come from a long line of intellectuals. It's what is to be expected of me, isn't it?" Percival said, "You'll need to specify, however. I am such a clever man that no one instance comes to mind right now."
Rather than answer, Mercury tossed the paler Pokeball towards him, and it landed in his lap. Percival put his tool and his Apricorn down and picked the Pokeball up to examine it.
"Not my finest work, I'll be the first to admit." He remarked, "Though you have been rushing me to make quite a few of these since I arrived here, so it's really more your fault than it is mine."
"I gave you the benefit of the doubt, you piece of trash." Mercury said, "When the first few grunts failed to catch anything, I figured it was their fault. They didn't weaken the Pokemon enough, they should have used status conditions, something like that. And then it kept happening, again and again until I realised that no-one on Team Steel has been able to catch a Pokemon with the Pokeballs you've been making us."
"Well that's not very clever of me, handing out defective products to those who are so generously caring for my son." Percival said, "That would actually be rather stupid of me, wouldn't it? Yes, very stupid indeed, so it is a good thing that not a single one of the Pokeballs I have made for you have been defective."
"Careful Spruce." Copper cautioned, "ACHOO!"
"Oh, they're not defective, are they?" Mercury said, "Then I suppose it was simply some failing on my part, when I threw one at a paralysed Starly that had been beaten within an inch of consciousness and it still broke out."
"As long as you're willing to take accountability." Percival said wryly, which only served to incense Mercury even further.
"I want answers." She demanded, "Explain what exactly you've been doing to make these Pokeballs defective. Then I want an apology delivered on your hands and knees along with fifty Pokeballs that actually work."
"As I said, these Pokeballs I have been providing have not been defective." Percival said, "They are merely of a different design to the standard. Certain Apricorns have certain effects on different types of Pokemon, and we Pokeball smiths use them to create all manner of Pokeballs. Dive, Net, Luxury, so on and so forth. Those special types are a bit too fancy for my tastes, I've always preferred the traditional types, but I did come up with a special design of my own. If I were to christen them, the most apt name would be to label them as… Trust Balls."
"Trust Balls." Mercury repeated flatly.
"Yes, not the best, but Friend Ball was already taken." Percival said, "A Trust Ball is perfectly capable of catching a Pokemon. It can catch any type of Pokemon, in fact! The only stipulation is that the Pokemon must want to be caught, otherwise the ball will fail. With that in mind, Mercury, I believe that any failed attempts to catch Pokemon with these Trust Balls are issues of skill on your part. If that is all, you can leave and allow me to get back to work."
"The Pokemon has to want to be caught?" Mercury scoffed, "What, more self-righteous, sappy CRAP that you want to cram down all our throats?"
"I believe that my years of study and practice have earned me the freedom to self-expression." Percival said.
"You can have your self-expression when you win it from me." Mercury said, "Iron Island is under the rule of the strong now."
"And you rule from a throne of lies." Percival retorted, "You were too weak to beat Jasper in battle, so you schemed and stabbed him in the back. That is not strength."
"It's strength of mind!" Mercury snapped, "Something he was sorely lacking in, but you already know, don't you? You were the one who sniffed us out that day, right there as we were about to do it… but you were too weak to do anything about it. You and him, a weakling and an idiot. Such harmony, don't you think?"
"And yet the idiot was too strong for you, and now the weakling has outsmarted you." Percival said.
"Hey, don't get so high and mighty!" Brass interjected hotly, "We've still got your son in our care! There was an agreement between us, there was, and it's not right that we uphold our end and look after your son while you go around and betray us like this!"
Rather than forcing Percival into submission, Brass' complaint had the opposite effect, as it instead sent him into a fit of laughter.
"Pokekekekeke… POKEKEKEKEKE!" Percival cackled.
"H-Hey! What's so funny?" Brass said.
"Betray you? Uphold your end?" Percival said, wiping a tear from his eye, "What's funny is the sheer ludicrousness for you to speak of such things. I already told you I was a clever man. Do you think I am foolish enough to have trusted your word after you stabbed my best friend in the back? Magnus is not being cared for by Team Steel at all! If you had any intentions of honouring our agreement, you would have given me enough freedom to verify his wellbeing for myself!"
The two Team Steel Admins present exchanged looks, while Mercury just glared at him. After a couple of seconds of silence, Copper spoke up.
"He has us there." Copper admitted, "Truthfully, we have no idea what has become of your son. He could be dead for all we know. ACHOO!"
"And maybe he will die if you don't rein in that little rebellious attitude of yours and start following orders like a good little captive." Mercury said.
"I already know you don't have the stomach to kill a child, Mercury." Percival said, "No, you have… nothing to threaten me with, other than that. You already knew it would have to come to this if your bluff didn't work, though, didn't you? We both know how this is going to turn out. I'm surprised at your restraint, actually."
"It's a waste of good talent, and it doesn't leave me in a good position." Mercury said, "But there's nothing that can be done if you're not going to fall in line, is there?"
"Nothing to be done indeed." Percival said.
-O-
The following day was a historic occasion, but not the kind that one could look back on with any semblance of pride in having been there to witness it. But it was history, nonetheless, and so a large crowd of people from all over Iron Island had gathered out the front of the Team Steel base in order to see what was about to happen. Many of them had done so at the firm insistence of Team Steel's members, while others had done so out of a sense of obligation, though they could not possibly explain to who or what.
All of the people gathered were met with the sight of Leader Mercury standing above the closed gates to the Team Steel base. Behind her stood Copper and Brass, the two Admins of Team Steel, and in front of her knelt Percival. What drew everyone's attention, however, was the gallows that had been temporarily erected atop the gate where they were currently standing, with the noose having been looped around Percival's neck.
"PEOPLE OF IRON ISLAND, THIS MAN TRIED TO TRICK ME AND THE REST OF TEAM STEEL!" Mercury announced, silencing what little chatter there had been amongst the crowd, "HE DISOBEYED US, HE DEFIED US, AND NOW THIS IS WHERE HE IS ENDING UP!"
"She does love the sound of her own voice, doesn't she?" Percival muttered to Brass and Copper, whose gazes remained fixed out on the horizon as they pointedly ignored him.
"MANY OF YOU HAVE ALREADY NOTICED THAT CERTAIN TRAINERS WHO DON'T AGREE WITH TEAM STEEL'S WAY OF DOING THINGS HAVE GONE MISSING." Mercury continued, "AND THAT'S PART OF WHY WE'RE ALL HERE NOW, FOR WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN! THERE WILL BE NO DISAPPEARANCE OR AMBIGUITY TODAY! EVERYONE ON IRON ISLAND WILL OBEY TEAM STEEL, OR THIS IS WHAT WE'LL DO TO THEM!"
She raised a foot and went to shove Percival off the platform, but stopped as Brass suddenly spoke up.
"Wait." The Admin said, and he elaborated as his Leader turned to look at him, "He's earned some last words, hasn't he?"
"Oh, should I have been rehearsing?" Percival quipped.
"Fine." Mercury grunted, lowering her foot, "Speak up, you piece of trash."
Percival closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them again, he looked out at the crowd that was here to witness his execution, and there were a hundred different things that he could say which all floated through his mind. But then he spotted a particular someone in the crowd, and he knew in that moment what message he would leave this world with.
"STRONG POKEMON! WEAK POKEMON!" Percival roared with a sudden ferocity, "THIS IS ONLY THE SELFISH PERCEPTION OF TRAINERS! TRULY SKILLED TRAINERS GROW STRONGER ALONGSIDE THEIR TREASURED POKEMON PARTNERS! NO MATTER WHAT HAS HAPPENED TODAY, OR YESTERDAY, OR ANY DAY BEFORE THAT, THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND POKEMON IS AS INEVITABLE AND UNSTOPPABLE AS THE SUNRISE ITSELF! TRAINERS WHO VALUE THAT FRIENDSHIP WILL EMERGE, AND THEY ARE THE ONES WHO WILL STAND TRIUMPHANT AS THE STRONGEST OF ALL!"
"What a waste of breath." Mercury spat. Raising her foot again, she planted her heel against his back and shoved him off the platform.
Percival's body fell.
The rope went taut.
Down on the ground below, Magnus Spruce watched with wide unblinking eyes as his father's body went completely still. He was the only child among the crowd, because every other child had at least one parent or guardian who could protect them from bearing witness to such a horrible sight. Magnus had nobody.
The sight of Percival's body hanging from the rope was a sobering one, and much of the crowd began to disperse and return to their respective villages. Many hollow and fearful looks were shared among all of them, though some of them did linger about to watch as Magnus walked out and approached the body. With how long the rope had been, he was about eye-level with his father's ankles. Almost absentmindedly, Magnus reached out and poked his father's feet, making the body sway slightly in the air.
"Dad?" Magnus asked quietly, his eyes still wide and unblinking. Behind him, the remnants of the crowd all muttered to each other.
"…What the heck is that kid doing?"
"…Looks kinda familiar, you recognise who he is?"
"…wonder what kind of irresponsible…"
"…an orphan or a runaway or something?"
"…Percival's kid. Oh Arc, that means he's lost his mother and father…"
"…look after him? He must be all alone if he's here…"
"…just another mouth to feed if I did, and we're struggling as is…"
From where she stood up on the gate, Mercury watched Magnus approach the body and watched the remaining audience as they all talked and shirked responsibility for him. In her left hand, she was clutching a small brown sack, which she promptly tossed down onto the ground, allowing its contents to spill out in the air. Almost a dozen Pokeballs- Percival's Trust Balls- rained down from above around where Magnus was standing. It was a confusing sight, and silenced much of the chatter as the spectators looked up to Mercury as if expecting an explanation, but she merely turned and walked away, making her way down from the platform atop the gate with her Admins following behind her.
"…bunch of Pokeballs?"
"…supposed to use them or something?"
"…kind of paler than a normal Pokeball…"
"…have to join Team Steel if you're a trainer…"
Amidst all the chatter from the confused spectators, Magnus silently walked over to one of the Pokeballs strewn across the ground and picked it up. The ball's red top had a clear finish, allowing him to see his own reflection in its surface as he held it out in front of his face. He looked back at his father, and he smiled.
"Okay, dad! I'll go do all the stuff you told me about making friends with Pokemon!" Magnus exclaimed with a bright-eyed enthusiasm and ear-to-ear grin that contrasted with the tears that were beginning to steadily stream down his face, "And then we'll get really strong together! We'll become the strongest of all, dad! Just like you said!"
-O-
On the first day after his father's execution, Spruce ventured out into the Eterna Grove in order to begin his journey to becoming a trainer. The Grove was nothing new to him, it was a familiar landscape which he had run amok all throughout for several years at this point, getting quite a few bumps and bruises and scratches and scuffs in doing so. Many of the Pokemon had regarded him as a sort of harmless nuisance that they would shoo away if need be, or sometimes even tolerate and find some measure of amusement in, up until the past couple of months where they had been downright hostile towards him.
Even that hostility, however, paled in comparison to the sheer animosity that seemed to radiate from every single part of the Grove as Spruce wandered through it, nary a Pokemon in sight. Their absence was, perhaps, a mercy of sorts, as the Pokemon knew exactly how they would react to the presence of any human intruding upon their lands, and so distanced themselves from him in recognition of his age and the restraint that entailed on their part. Mercy and restraint that they had not been shown before.
It was pointless either way, as Spruce bounded through the grove with single-minded determination that shoved to the side all thoughts of hunger or thirst or tiredness, until he finally managed to track down a Pokemon. And with bright eyes and an even brighter smile, he ran over to the wild Luxio that was simply wandering about.
"HEY!" Spruce waved, getting the attention of the Pokemon as he approached, "I'm Magnus! We've met before, when I annoyed you and you scratched me and chased me off, but it's okay that you did that! Do you wanna be my-!"
"LUXIO!" Luxio roared, sparks of electricity flaring up around its mane and striking the ground between it and Spruce. He skidded to a stop and hopped to the side, trying to avoid getting electrocuted, and ended up tumbling across the ground, but kept on with his energy despite falling.
"Okay! I can stay back here if that's what you'd prefer!" Spruce said as he shifted into a sitting position, "Anyway, I was asking you if you wanted to be my friend?"
"Luxio…" Luxio growled menacingly, electricity crackling through its mane once again, though not striking anything this time.
"I can't catch you yet because I'm too young, but it won't be long before I can!" Spruce continued, "Just, um… seven-hundred more sleeps! Yeah, seven-hundred! That's a good number because it's got two zeroes at the end. But until I can catch you, we can just hang out together! There's not really much food in my house, and it got kind of burned in that fire, so I guess I'd just live out here in the Grove with you! How does that sound? Wanna be friends?"
"Luxio… Lux… I… OOOOOO!" Luxio bellowed, generating an even greater amount of electricity and lashing out once again. The electricity struck Spruce, shocking him and enveloping his entire body in a bright yellow glow for several seconds, before finally coming to an end and allowing his toasted form to collapse on the ground. Satisfied with its work and the message that it had sent, Luxio turned and took off.
-O-
On the second day after his father's execution, Spruce awoke in the Eterna Grove. After his meeting with Luxio, he'd been beaten up by a Machop, bitten by a Bibarel, stung by a Beedrill and then licked by a Gastly. Such an eventful day had left him far too tired and sore to make the trek back to Pastoria Village and sleep under his own roof. Luckily, the weather hadn't been too extreme, so he had just had to suffer through a standard chilly night before awakening with renewed vigour and the same goal as yesterday.
Before Spruce could go about trying to find a Pokemon to befriend, however, he had a parched throat to attend to. All that running around and chatting up Pokemon until they attacked him had worked up quite a thirst, and so he crept through the Grove, careful to avoid the wild Pokemon lest they attack him, until he came upon a creek which he could drink from.
Kneeling beside the creek, Spruce cupped his hands together and dipped them into the water. Gulping each handful down, his throat was quickly soothed, and the water helped to settle his rumbling stomach as well, so he continued to drink greedily even after his thirst had been quenched. After his seventh drink of water, however, he noticed a blue and black fish beneath the surface- a Finneon. Just as soon as he noticed it, he also noticed that it was swimming upwards, and the Finneon jumped up out of the water and turned itself in the air to face him.
"Hi! My name's-!" Spruce began to introduce himself to the Pokemon, only for the Finneon to open its mouth and release a powerful jet of water. The water splashed him in the face with such force that it blasted him into the air, sending him flying back from the creek to slam painfully against the trunk of a tree.
"FINNEON!" Finneon yelled just before it dropped back down into the water and swam away, leaving a dazed and aching Spruce behind.
-O-
The third day progressed much the same as the first day and the second day did, with Spruce seeking out every Pokemon he could find and doing his best to befriend it as he, a child, possibly could. He was bitten and scratched and burned and shocked and sprayed and all manner of things, though he had by then managed to find a comfortable sleeping spot in the Grove. On the fourth day, he decided to shake things up by making the journey from the Grove all the way to the Oreburgh Cave, and the less that was said about his time there, the better.
Now on the fifth day, with a painfully empty stomach, clothes that had been shredded almost to tatters and a body that was riddled with minor injuries, he decided to try taking a different approach. Although the Oreburgh Cave had been a mistake, that didn't mean he should limit himself to just the Pokemon found on the ground in the Grove. It was that way of thinking that had led him to one of the many trees in the Grove, which happened to have a Starly perched atop one of its higher branches.
Climbing trees wasn't anything new to Spruce, and even with both hands he couldn't count the number of times he'd fallen out of one, though he would normally have eaten a filling breakfast in the morning before going out and trying to do such a thing. Oh well, that just meant he would have to make extra sure that he didn't fall.
With one foot braced against the trunk, he sought out one of the lower branches with his hand and grabbed onto it, tugging on it to test how it could support his weight before using it in order to begin his ascent up the tree. He climbed carefully and deliberately, taking his time to make sure he wouldn't fall as he ascended.
Unfortunately for Spruce, the Starly that he had wanted to approach noticed him as he was about halfway up the tree, and it hopped off the branch in order to fly over to him and flap its wings in his face aggressively as it butted into him, trying to do its best to make him fall from the tree.
"STARLY! STAR, STARLY!" Starly squawked, pecking at his face for good measure as Spruce tried to weather it all and not fall.
"Hey- ow! Okay I- ah! I get it, I'll- ouch! I'll climb down, stop- oof! Stop attacking- AAAAHH!"
All of a sudden, his hand which had been clasped firmly around a branch so that he could hold himself to the tree lost its grip and the Starly's flapping its wings and ramming into him managed to knock him from the tree. With a surprised scream, Spruce fell and crashed into the ground below, landing on his back, from where he stared up at the Starly which returned to the branch it had been perched on, looking quite satisfied with its work.
"Ow…"
-O-
All of it caught up to Spruce on the seventh day. During all his time spent in the Eterna Grove, he had not had anything to eat, as all the food he was able to find he was forced away from by the Pokemon, and he didn't dare try to pick berries from the great berry garden in the heart of the Grove. Youthful exuberance and sheer determination had kept him going for quite some time in spite of it all, and drinking from the creek helped to settle his stomach, but the energy he was expending every waking moment had to come from somewhere.
There he was, with a weak body and a rumbling stomach and a lightheaded feeling that persisted no matter how long he waited to get his bearings. It was practically impossible for him to run about as he had been doing so before in such a condition, with even walking being an effort, so he sat with his back to a tree, relying on it for support to keep him upright.
'I'm really hungry.' Spruce thought to himself, 'I'm probably gonna have to go to the berry garden to get something to eat. Just a small snack, though, so the Pokemon don't get mad. Once I've eaten, I'm sure I can find one of them who wants to be my friend! Actually, maybe I should take a berry with me to give as a gift. Pokemon like food, so they'd probably appreciate that.'
The thought of it brought a weak smile to his face as his eyes began to droop shut.
'I'm kind of tired, though.' He reflected, 'Maybe I should take a short rest before I go to the berry garden. Yeah, that sounds good. Just a short rest, then I can go get something to eat…'
Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to drift off elsewhere after the feeling of drowsiness that was overcoming him. Before he could properly follow that feeling, however, he was startled back into an awakened state as something soft collided with his forehead and his eyes snapped open.
"Huhwha?" Spruce mumbled, reaching up to rub his eyes. Almost instantly, he was able to spot the object that had collided with his forehead, that being a succulent Oran Berry that was now lying in his lap. He blinked, and then rubbed his eyes again, and then picked it up.
'Is this a dream? Where did this come from?' He wondered to himself. Looking around, the first place he checked was above him, to see if it might have possibly fallen from above, though if he had thought more carefully about it he would have known that wasn't possible. Turning his attention straight ahead, he squinted at one of the trees, which had a furry black leg and blue tail poking out from behind it.
"Hello?!" He called out to the concealed Pokemon, "Pokemon behind the tree?"
There were a couple seconds of silence after his call, but then a Riolu stepped out from behind the tree with a curious look in its eye as it gazed at him. In return, his own eyes lit up at the sight of it, and he held the Oran Berry out towards it.
"Hi! I'm Magnus!" He greeted, "Do you wanna eat this?"
His offer seemed to aggravate the Pokemon, oddly enough, as Riolu's look of curiosity became one of irritation, and it scurried forwards in order to plant a paw against the hand he was holding the Oran Berry in, and mash it against his face.
"Riolu! Lu, Lu! Rio Riolu!" Riolu said indignantly, squishing the Oran Berry against his face as it did.
"Huh?" Spruce said, "Oh! Oh, are you the one who gave this to me?"
"Lu." Riolu huffed, lowering its paw and taking a step back, crossing its arms as it did so.
"Thanks a bunch!" Spruce said, "I was really hungry, but the Pokemon here aren't super happy about sharing food with a human here…"
He went to take a bite of the berry, but then stopped at the last second, and gave Riolu a look.
"Hey, Riolu…" Spruce said tentatively, "Let's be friends!"
-O-
Five years from the fateful encounter that had truly set Spruce on the path to becoming a trainer, and with two more encounters of a similar type under his belt, he had found himself in front of the Team Steel base. His conditions had improved drastically since that first week he spent in the Grove, which showed itself in his well-fed and athletic condition. But whereas he was physically better off, he was emotionally much worse than he had been all those years ago, because he found himself on his knees in front of the base's open gate, staring with hollow eyes at the sight of Ria- his partner - lying on the ground with swirly eyes before Mercury's Houndoom, which barely looked like it had even been in a fight today.
The two other Pokeballs on Spruce's belt felt ten times heavier as he held Ria's Pokeball out in front of him, silently returning the Pokemon and then returning the Pokeball to its place. Mercury did the same, returning Houndoom to its Pokeball and putting the Pokeball away before crossing her arms and giving Spruce a cocky smirk.
"Did you really think you were gonna come out of that Grove after all these years and take me down with the power of vengeance and friendship, like some kind of storybook hero?" Mercury taunted, "When I tossed those useless Trust Balls away, I never thought that anyone- let alone that trash's kid- would go out and actually use them!"
"I'm gonna crush you in a battle!" Spruce retorted, the hollowness in his eyes being replaced by a blaze of fury, "I'm gonna be the stronger trainer and then I'm gonna beat you so bad that you'll cry about it!"
"HA!" Mercury laughed, "That's cute of you to say, you stupid little brat. Honestly, I usually kill trainers who make a big fuss about trying to take me down because it means I don't have to worry about keeping an eye out for conspiracies."
Spruce froze slightly at her brazen admission.
"Buuuuuut," Mercury continued, "I don't really have the stomach to go around killing kids, unfortunately enough. You're almost out of luck there, brat, but you're squeezing by. You get to live for today, but I reckon you've only got a year or two left before I'll be happy to put you in the ground to join your daddy."
"I will beat you." Spruce whispered, his fists clenching at his sides.
"Better be absolutely sure about that kinda thing the next time you come knocking on that big gate to try and take me down." Mercury warned, "Because if I still manage to beat you into the ground like I just did today, then that'll be where you stay."
-O-
"A trainer is supposed to have to bond with their Pokemon." Spruce said bitterly, "They're supposed to respect them and treat them well and care for them. That's what the old Leader believed, that's what my dad always taught me, but I did all of that and I still couldn't beat Mercury! I… I saw how strong you are, Luffy. Is that strength all that matters? Has Mercury been right all along, do I just need to find someone stronger than her who's nice enough to make things better for everyone else?"
The trainer's gaze was turned towards the ground, with tears having begun to blur his vision as he recounted his experiences, so he wiped them away and looked up to meet Luffy's gaze, only to find that the pirate had begun to pick his nose and had his attention focused on Walter.
"Hey, old guy, can you lead me to where Mercu-lady and these Team Thief guys are?" Luffy asked, "I don't think Spruce is gonna lead me."
"Hey!" Spruce snapped, "Listen to me while I'm explaining important stuff!"
"Riolu! Rio!" Ria added, pointing an accusatory paw at Luffy.
"He was." Zoro said bluntly, having walked over to one of the nearby houses to lean against while Spruce had been talking.
"Yeah, I was." Luffy nodded, briefly glancing back at Spruce, "But then you started talking about stuff that didn't matter so I stopped paying attention. Old guy, can you lead the way?"
"You might be better off with that chef of yours guiding you, he can afford to rush where I can't." Walter said.
"Stuff that doesn't matter?!" Spruce said.
"All that stuff about strength and friendship and fighting Mercu-lady." Luffy clarified, "That stuff doesn't matter."
"Riolu?" Ria said.
"That stuff about strength and friendship is why this is all happening!" Spruce said, "It's why I fought her! Why my dad died! Why the last Leader died!"
"It doesn't matter if you're just going to be all stupid about it." Luffy said, "You and Mercu-lady got strong for the same reasons as each other, and the same reason as why I got strong. We all got strong so we could make our dreams come true, so the only thing that matters is who can be strong enough to make their dream happen!"
"Riolu…" Ria murmured, slightly awed by the conviction with which Luffy spoke.
"The only thing that matters is being strong?" Spruce said, his eyes narrowing.
"Everyone has dreams!" Luffy continued, "Good guys and bad guys! There are tons of other people in the world who want to become King of the Pirates as well, but I'm the one who's gonna do it! And that's why I'm strong, so I can beat everyone else and find the One Piece before they can! The only thing you're proving by waiting around and not fighting her is that you're too weak and scared, and so she's the one with the better dream."
"He's right, Magnus." Walter admitted, "HOHOHO! He's got a way of putting his foot in his mouth and then yanking it back out again, but he's quite right with what he's saying!"
"And what happens if I lose, and if I die?" Spruce hissed, "There'd be nobody left on this entire island who would stand up to her!"
"You won't die." Luffy said calmly.
"I won't die?" Spruce said.
"You won't die, because I won't let you!" Luffy said, "You have to join my crew first!"
"It's a waste of time trying to argue over this." Zoro said, "It was already set in stone that Luffy was going to take Mercury down before you and I even met."
"It was?" Luffy said.
"The old guy." Zoro said, gesturing to Walter, "He fed me after I ended up on the shore."
"He fed you?" Luffy said quietly.
"I fed you?" Walter blinked, before seemingly cottoning onto the implications and waving his hands out in front of him, "Oh! Oh, don't think I had to starve myself to scrounge the food up or anything, see it's because I'm a fisherman and so I supply food to the islanders and Team Steel and…"
Nobody paid attention to his explanation clarifying why he had been in a position to easily feed Zoro and why it was not some incredible selfless gesture on his part and merely standard old man hospitality.
"He served me a plate of grilled fish." Zoro said with a deathly seriousness that was almost comical given the subject matter.
"Old guy, you want Mercu-lady to get beaten up, right?" Luffy asked Walter, who was still carrying on with his explanation.
"-and so because of when I met Mister Roronoa, it met that the fish I fed him would have just gone to Team Steel- Oh!" Walter cut himself off, and he looked from Luffy and Zoro over to Spruce and Ria, "I… Yes, I want Mercury to be stopped. I want her to be crushed, and have everything she has built torn to the ground. These feeble, elderly hands can't do it themselves, but I want her to be beaten until she feels a fraction of the pain she has inflicted on this island."
"Okay then!" Luffy nodded, "We better go find Sanji!"
"Tch. What do you need that stupid love-cook for?" Zoro scoffed, "You've got me."
"You can't cook, though." Luffy said, "After we get done beating Mercu-lady up, I wanna have a really big lunch!"
"I'd be glad to catch some fish to go in that lunch of yours!" Walter said cheerfully.
"Yeah, that sounds great." Luffy said, "Hey, Spruce, you gonna come with us?"
At his name being uttered, Spruce was snapped out of his introspection, seeing Zoro and Luffy both having their backs to him, with the latter looking back over his shoulder expectantly at him. He swallowed, and glanced down at Ria.
"Riolu…" Ria said with a solemn nod.
"Come on, Magnus." Walter said, "Don't overthink it."
Their comments both encouraged him, but didn't quite spur him into action, as Spruce found himself staring into Luffy's eyes, seemingly searching for some kind of answer in them. Luffy was silent as he stared right back, until Spruce finally managed to find the answer he had been looking for after a few seconds.
"Yes." Spruce said firmly, "Let's go beat Mercury up together, Captain."