A/N: Another massive uptick in chapter length (I'm sorry), for my second longest chapter ever...roughly 1000 words shorter than Ch. 10, and celebrating Cody Frost, submitted by ScholarX (HodgePodge97). Again, no idea if they're still active, but, deeply appreciative that they left me a character all those years ago. Also, since the stats aren't working on the site, a review to let me know how you guys are feeling would be pretty rad. We're also looking at maybe about 5-6 more chapters before we come to close here, so almost there!
Summary: He promised he would always be with her, even if she became a monster.
Lake Slowpoke, 45 Days Before the Fall
He had been with Victoria as long as he could remember, and she had always been strong. Maybe not as strong as Connor or Ryuu, but still very strong. In fact, Cody didn't know if he would have been able to stomach three superhumans all at once, all of them knowing about 'mastery' and all of the 'terrible things it wrought' or…something like that.
That spiel was usually something that came out of Ryuu. Cody paused to correct himself. That was something that came from Ryuu after he had found Avia, the Sigilyph. Cody couldn't believe the thing was really a Pokemon; it looked more like an uncompromising machine, but the shifting expressions had said otherwise, even if she never left Ryuu's side when outside of her Poke-ball. Cody remembered the first time when the change in Ryuu became apparent. Him and Connor had gotten into a fight that day, first a normal practice match, and then something serious. Connor wasn't someone that liked to be criticized, and the whole thing had escalated from there. That eventually led to their split and Ryuu falling out with the three of them. He never imagined that Victoria would have taken the blow so hard.
Victoria had always been a little hard-nosed but also surprisingly comical when she got comfortable and Cody took pride in having picked up some of his wit from both her and Connor, even if it was usually barbed to some degree. But she had lost most of that if not all of it, and it usually came up only when she wanted to break someone. Her battles were usually over so quickly that the feat alone would usually be enough and Cody realized a long time ago that at the end of it all, it was validation for her; Victoria had essentially traded in her wit for psychological safety. It was an interesting thought; traveling with a shifty thing like Marus wasn't necessarily something Cody would have called safe.
If anything, that puts us even more on edge…
It also became apparent early on that Cody despised Marus in every sense of the word. It had been the three of them traveling together for a while now and Marus carried himself with a sense of superiority over the two of them, possibly by the virtue of his own belief of 'having a purpose' or some other lame reason. Cody even thought to have Arcanine scorch the boy while he slept but recalled that both him and Victoria had barely fazed him the first time they fought him.
And aside from that, Marus could read minds, and crystal clear at that. Or, he at least knew whenever someone focused hard on him. He had already called him out multiple times to put him "back in his place" and in the face of that, Cody always relented and Victoria was always curiously quiet. Cody scoffed. Biting her tongue was more like it.
Victoria was too desperate to let her only chance at Ryuu slip away from her and Cody was far too attached to Victoria to let her go about the whole thing alone. He was also eager to prove that he wasn't a kid anymore. His Serpent Tremor formation had nearly taken down Marus before and he had crafted the notion entirely on his own. Cody figured that it had to count for something, even if his second attempt at it had ended in disaster. The thought left him somber.
They had been moving at an intense pace since Marus recruited them and Ecruteak hadn't been too demanding, even if Victoria had done most of the work, Cody had played off the entire event as if it hadn't been an issue. But, he had lost his Sandslash in the scuffle and as upsetting as it really had been, Cody never broke face. He didn't want Victoria to see how much lethality got under his skin a second time.
That was something he couldn't afford. Marus watched him especially closely and Cody refused to become ammunition for him to use against Victoria. Connor had taught him the art of acting and Cody was going to make damn sure he would stay in practice. If he were honest, something did strike at him when Seria had asked him why he did what he did and he did tell her that it was all his choice to follow Victoria, but that did not change the fact that he was hesitant about certain actions.
And that hesitance did not stop him or Arcanine from battling the numerous trainers that had come their way after Marus had pulled them to move on from Ecruteak. Cody quickly figured that Marus had already brought attention to himself, even though Cody had no idea how.
The trainers that had come after them were also strong. He had yet to see any gym leaders and he was thankful for that, but he also had no idea how long that was going to last. The battles had been non-stop and Cody had wished that they could have just taken Ryuu and ran at the Bell Tower back in Ecruteak.
The three of them had fought their way to this place in the chaos of it all, a temple placed en route between Mahoghany and Blackthorn. Each of them had been wary to stop but ultimately decided on it when the exhaustion between all three of them had become apparent. At the very least, it had shown that Marus wasn't a complete freak of nature.
Cody's legs gave way and he crumpled into the grass near one of the temple ponds. They had gotten lucky. The Slowpoke Temple, made obvious by a giant bronze statue of Slowpoke sitting in the middle, was a temple and training center run by a woman named Madeleine. It had actually happened to be closed when they arrived but Madeleine had let them stay there to catch their bearings, thanks to his skillful lying.
It was also a chance for his Pokemon to hang back and relax too. His Arcanine laid not too far from him, sometimes tossing or rolling a little in his sleep and Cody smiled at that; Arcanine deserved it. Vibrava had snapped from his poke-ball to follow Victoria around, something he had done since he had evolved from the Trapinch she had caught for him. Cody wouldn't be surprised if Vibrava didn't trust Marus too deeply either. His body burned as he sat up. He could see Hypno close to the Slowpoke statue and also, with Madaleine. It had been awhile since Cody had actually seen the Pokemon do it, but they were both there, eyes closed and legs crossed; meditation was something Cody was too fidgety for. For a moment, it felt like everyone was there again. Cody chuckled to himself. It dawned on him that all of the Pokemon with him had been given to or caught for him. They were the only ones he had ever used and it was that understanding between Cody and his Pokemon that caught quite a few of the trainers that came after them off guard. A lot of them said that he battled beyond his years and that was true, but he had learned from the best. Magmortar and Arcanine were his powerhouses and seeing his same Magmortar standing tall over the pond, Cody couldn't help but be proud of himself and his Pokemon.
He had been so proud at that moment that he pressed his tongue against the room of his mouth to keep from crying, and put a hand over his mouth just to be certain. He was so proud of how strong he and his Pokemon were together, and of their individual strengths that the crushing realization of Sandslash being gone had caught him flat-footed and threatened to take him under.
He had closed his eyes when the tears came, tightened them when they racked his chest and ran through his body. Sandslash was the only Pokemon he had caught himself. They had all been there and they had all been proud of him. Cody had had help with everyone else, but Sandslash had been the Pokemon he had wanted to raise himself. The Serpent Tremor was even a name that the two of them had agreed on, and he had been so proud when Marus fell for it.
Cody knew that the others felt it too. Arcanine became a little more barbed, tighter in his execution in battles and Hypno had retreated further into his pendulum practices. Vibrava spent his spare moments with Victoria when he could and Magmortar…
Magmortar had grown somber, pensive even and the Pokemon had taken to doing what he did now, and that was standing tall, staring into space or his reflection. It was easy for him to maintain the outward appearance of power, but the difference Cody felt in the Pokemon's cauldron had been unlike anything he had ever felt before. Magmortar's battling had taken on an entirely different weight after Sandslash, much like Arcanine's and they both pressured any of the bounty hunters that came after them with the most crushing efficiency they could manage and that pressure had left them floored.
But Cody never killed them.
He sent them scurrying back to the Pokemon center, hoping that he hadn't roughed up the Pokemon or the trainer too much. He might have learned the art of acting and ruthlessness from Connor, but in the end, Ryuu had also taught him mercy, and ironically enough, it had been Connor's sister to remind Cody the importance of that same concept.
He would never become someone's 'Sandslash'.
He sniffled and wiped his nose hurriedly when he heard footsteps in the grass. No one could see him like this.
"If you were crying hard, then it's going to take more than that to get rid of the evidence." Cody perked up and he bristled, passing a glance over to Magmortar, who had turned his attention his way too before turning around.
"Yeah? Well, it's not like you'd know anything about it anyway," Cody said dismissively. Cody folded his arms and turned away from him.
"I'm not surprised you don't think so." His voice was level this time. Even-keeled and even thoughtful to an extent. "I don't expect a kid to really understand how deeply this runs for me. At least, not at this scale." Cody turned to him completely now. He was going to tear Marus a new one. He didn't know anything outside of anger or rage; he couldn't. He opened his mouth for a scathing retort but the words fell back into his chest when came face to face with Marus.
He had sat down a little ways behind him, to give him space. His arms dangled over his knees as he leaned forward; a wistful smile was scrawled into his face.
"Anger is really just…distorted sadness or hurt, you know. Maybe even grief too." Cody was silent for a moment.
"There's no point trying to act like you're my friend or whatever. You read my mind or whatever it is you do enough times to know that I don't really like you." Marus shrugged.
"I know that." Cody made note of his response. Still even, he thought. "Everything is even because…having a Pokemon partner die is…" Marus paused, a half-life of something deep, despondence, flashing. That…was real… came Cody's next thought. "Hard…"
"No big words to throw me off?" It was closer to a murmur if Cody were honest. Marus chuckled. It was low, lifeless. Despondent.
"You think I'm trying to manipulate you, don't you?"
"I know a psycho when I see one." Another hollow laugh.
"The promise I made to you and Victoria is real, Cody."
"You really expect me to believe that?" Cody swallowed nothing in an attempt to keep his voice level. The last thing he needed was Victoria overhearing them. "You…beat my sister into submission outside of Ecruteak and then worked on her desperation…" He felt more tears coming on. Why wasn't he stronger? "Of course I don't trust you!"
"That's fair." The anger evaporated almost immediately. This had to be the most collected and solemn Cody had ever seen Marus. "Victoria is stubborn and hard-nosed. And both of you are skeptical and not from here. I…can't expect you to really understand what I'm doing or why I need to do it. But there is one thing that I do understand and that is desperation. I promised you two what I did because at the end of it all, I can make due on that promise, after I get to Ho-oh."
"Then toss us aside like the supervillains do in the movies," came another low murmur. Cody had made note of the fact that it had become difficult to speak, that his throat left him dry. He wasn't quite sure if it were because he felt a nervousness or a disbelief that Marus seemed…genuine. "I know how this goes."
"That would make sense, if I had any reason to want to hurt you."
"Who's to say you don't?"
"I say so, because my actual goal is to die.."
"Die?" It came out as a stupor. "What do you mean, 'die'?" Marus's eyes broke away, looking into the grass and then back to him again, this time with a baleful smile, and Cody could see the sides of his mouth had become lined deeply with age.
"It's where everyone I know is…" Another pause and youth came back into his skin again. "It's where my Pokemon is, too." Cody could feel Marus taking in his expression and Cody wondered for a slight moment if Marus might have some other hidden thing he wasn't telling them.
But either way, Cody realized that Marus had him convinced.
"...Do you really have a way to turn things back?"
"I wouldn't have made the promise if I didn't." He shifted, sitting cross-legged now. "But, that's enough of that. I will say that I'm sorry about the Sandslash." Cody felt his mouth twitch; he fought it down.
No smiling…
"Betrayals are dumb," Marus suddenly said. "The only thing I want to do is die, and die in peace. I have no reason to betray and make things harder for you. That is reserved for people who get in my way. So consider this an equal deal." Cody could only nod at that and sat in silence as Marus stood up to leave.
"...Hey," Cody's voice caught the boy mid-step. For a moment, Cody was certain Marus would turn to him with some semblance of annoyance, anything to help Cody place him squarely into the realm of mistrust. Instead, Marus turned to him slowly, eyes and face blank; he was listening. "How do you read minds?" He saw Marus's brows wriggle in confusion at that. "You messed up my sister pretty good getting in her head and all."
"If I told you, you would just have more reason to not trust me, and we can't have that. Not when we've been hounded this entire time by all these pests like we have. Judging from how the moon sits at night, they've been after us for almost two entire weeks…" Marus turned the whole of his expression to Cody. His eyes were sharp. "You don't think you're imagining things, do you?"
I knew I couldn't trust him!
"No," Cody spat. "And you're a shitty liar. You know we can rest here because of me, right? I can pick out a shitty lie when I see one." Marus's chuckle that followed was candid and his eyes went bashfully to the ground and it caught Cody off-guard. What had nearly floored him was how Marus changed before his eyes. It was wholly different from the things that Victoria swore she saw, or even from moments from earlier where Cody wasn't quite sure if Marus were young or old.
This was a confirmation that Marus was both at the same time and to call Marus strange would be an understatement. Cody was certain that he had seen lines form in his face when they spoke earlier. He had made a distinct note of them even as they were talking, as Marus faced him head on. Marus was, in that moment, so much older.
Marus's skin looked alive and teemed with a particular sense of strength and youth. The dullness in those grey eyes became bright steel and resolute, replete with a tireless conviction that Cody knew wasn't there in his exhaustion moments ago.
Cody couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Marus lifted his head up, a bright toothy grin that was so childish and alive.
"You can't really believe what you're seeing, huh?" That jolted Cody to attention.
"No, I can't… And…this is what I mean! How do you–I mean, I don't understand…! You were old and the next moment you–"
"Cody," Cody froze. "If I told you everything, it would only get more bombastic than what you saw already. And that was the most basic of things…It's really something that I don't really even understand…" Those last few words were hushed.
"Then…how do you expect me to trust you blindly the same way Victoria does…?" Cody's voice had fallen flat. He hated asking the same questions, and he typically wouldn't have to say much to glean the info that he wanted.
But Marus was clearly and unmistakably different.
"If I told you everything," he repeated. "Then you would still be apprehensive of me. But just know that the same thing that you saw just now, is the same thing that will bring your family back together." And for the second time, Marus offered him a baleful grin. "I will crush anyone who gets in the way of the goal I want. The only people that die are the ones that get in my way." A pause. "And I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to spill blood like this after all this time. But, these 'authorities' have left me no choice. I would rather keep you with me but you can choose to leave if you really want to, and feel free to take Victoria if you want, but I doubt she'll leave. All I ask of either of you is to please stay out of my way if you do."
"...You sound like you actually trust us." Cody had said that more timidly than intended but he was still reeling, still off-balance and utterly confused at Marus's humanness. He had been so merciless, bloodthirsty and arrogant when they fought. He had changed, or at the very least, was very unstable.
"I do," came Marus's short reply. "And because you trust me, I won't betray you. I promise." And then, Marus turned on his heels and Cody was silent as he watched him go.
Maybe…he really could fix everything…
He said he would help them and all the two of them had to do was stick by him, but Marus was an anomaly entirely different and though she had seen a lot of different things, especially during her stints as a thief, Victoria hadn't ever seen someone physically change before her eyes.
Marus had done and continued to do the impossible. He shapeshifted on a whim to outright ignoring death when bounty hunters came after him without hesitation. She found it strange that the bounty hunters largely ignored her and Cody, honing in on Marus which meant he was the one that held an alarmingly massive price over his head. Victoria decided it was nice to not have that kind of pressure and to not have to look over her shoulder for once, but she would promptly step between the trainers and Marus when things got out of hand and that was always hard to tell.
Marus was smooth with his words, a talent that reminded her of Connor but at the same time was different from him. Marus's glib talk was reinforced by actions phasing through and into the bounty hunters' minds and sense of self that some of them had given up on their mission and turned tail in self-doubt. The ones that weren't taken off their game completely had been picked at enough for Marus to cut them down. Marus's choice of weapons always varied at that too. He had brought light into his hands and made a sword out of it when they had clashed, but the course of multiple trainers had seen Marus use swords, spears, halberds and even maces; it had become apparent that Marus did not belong in their time.
But he always managed.
For the trainers that came after them with powerful Pokemon that left him checked, her and Cody would step in and if Marus's hadn't been enough to deter the hired muscle, then certainly either her or Cody would be.
Cody's team had drawn inward since they had lost his Sandslash. It had been a bit of a tiny thing, but Cody had caught it himself, and while the three of them were proud of them, Victoria was the most proud. It had marked to her and possibly for him too that he was coming into his own. Sandslash was the crux of his terribly named 'Serpent Tremor' technique or formation–whichever it was– and other than the name, it was an impressive little tactic.
Losing Sandslash to Juliet's Luxray was something Victoria hadn't planned for; she didn't even think that Mastery would have kicked in the way it did then. Desperation was a crass method to reach for it anyway, and both Jaret and Juliet had gotten lucky when Kingdra applied her pressure. Cody had never been on the receiving end of Mastery before and Victoria knew that it had cut him deeply, even if he didn't say much about it, but his battling had become tighter, faster and more polished.
More of Connor's influence, I bet…
Madeleine had put them each up in their own rooms, though Cody had refused and opted to sleep outside near the pond with the whole of their Pokemon. Some habits died hard, she supposed. The accommodation had been basic but also the most comfortable she had been in the last month but even so, Victoria couldn't sleep and had tossed and turned most of the night and with a frown, she climbed out of bed and stepped outside.
They had spent the entire day in a much needed recovery. She had seen all of Cody's Pokemon fanned about the temple and lounging about; his Vibrava hadn't left her alone the entire time either and followed her wherever she chose to go. Kingdra had taken up space inside of the pond while the rest of her Pokemon save the Charizard she had stolen from the Valley followed suit in what became a gathering among both her and Cody's Pokemon.
She couldn't help but think of how Kaito would have caused such a scene.
They were all there now even, fanning about the pond. Cody slept in a tent he had pitched Madeleine provided not too far from them. Kingdra and Cloyster were nowhere to be seen, which meant that the both of them more than likely sat at the pond floor.
It was dark out but she could feel dawn approaching soon. She yawned and exhaustion pulsed through her frame, causing her to buckle. They had been doing too much and it was taking a toll. Without a doubt, they should have already been in Blackthorn at the pace they had been moving. The bounty hunters were never really the problem. It had been the sheer number of them that had made an impression.
Of the three of them, it had been Marus that had killed the most of them, citing that they chose to die by getting in their way, the ones that didn't turn tail. Killing itself wasn't very new to Victoria either and if she steeled herself sufficiently enough, the idea and action would roll off her back.
It was, and always would be Cody she worried about.
She had employed some of her mastery, in order to get the job done or rebuff the hunters as quickly as possible, sometimes coming to erase whole teams with a blink of Kingdra's Hydro Pump mastery, or Dewgong's flash freezing with Frost Breath to get her point across; She had picked up on Cody's aversion to her lethality, but it was what she had to do.
Cody had even tried to help her at one moment when she had pushed too hard in one of the fights and had fought off a particularly abrasive trainer and his Magneton that was going to pull her apart through Thunder Wave. He had saved her then, and that had been another testimony to his strength and the fact that he wasn't a child anymore. He had tried to tend to her, look after her to make sure that the Magneton hadn't pulled anything too far out of socket. It was a part of the mercy that Ryuu had shown him before they had split apart.
Cody had let that same bounty hunter go too, even when Victoria had snapped at him to finish the job. She had told him that Cody had to kill the bounty hunter or he would come back to mess up how far they'd come along. Cody's voice had been low and solemn when he spoke, the same way it had been before when they met Marus, and it continued to crop up more and more after that. "We have to make sure you're ok, Vicky," was all he said. "We got a read on him and he didn't stop us today so we'll be ready for him next time." It was an off-the-cuff lie, and a great one at that. The subtext that Victoria picked up had been him stating his aversion to killing, and alongside that, Cody pleading with her to stop. She hadn't responded when he had said it. If anything, Victoria would simply do it herself.
And besides, Marus had made his promise, a deep promise that at first she didn't believe but had grown to gradually accept that his premise may have actually had weight to it. She had no idea of how Marus was going to do it, but she didn't care. All she needed to do was to get him to Ho-oh, his shrine or whatever all of it was.
It was beyond her how Cody could find any way to hold doubt about them getting their family together again. When Marus made due on his promise, everything that had been done to get there wouldn't matter. And neither would the things she had done before she met Ryuu. She took a deep breath before climbing to her feet and she lifted a hand to block out some of the rising sun rays. She could see the sun coming up quickly over the trees; they would be heading out soon.
Cody had been on edge for most of the stay at the Slowpoke Temple. Cody corrected himself. Last night had been fine for the most part, and he hadn't even expected Marus to be so human underneath all the things he had seen in the beginning. He had bumped into Marus again at some point after the pond and Cody had found out a little more than he had bargained for. Wraiths were certainly something he thought only existed in books and whatnot. Wraiths carried things, or at least, that was how he had explained it. The Marus that made his impression was raw, inhuman and unstable before he was able to come back down into his body completely. Cody was quiet when he had told him that, The more Marus spoke of it, the more Cody was able to connect things and begin to understand. Cody had never asked for the information, but Cody was sure he understood why Marus had told him.
It was trust.
His appearance hadn't changed, Cody noticed and life was still glowing bright under his skin; Marus was strong. Cody turned his attention over to Victoria. She was strong too, tall and immovable but not infallible like he used to pressure was beginning to get to her.
"Hey sis," there was a subtle flash of her eyes to show she was listening. "...Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," came a sharp reply. Cody fought back the urge to shrink away.
"If you say so. But I know how stubborn you can be. And I'm your brother. You don't have to hide–" She whirled to face him, mouth open for a scathing retort but Marus's arm came between them.
"Now's not the time." Victoria had turned to him indignant and Cody's eyes followed. Marus paid neither of them any mind. His focus had been so stern that Cody couldn't help but follow to find a group of trainers blocking their way.
There's more of them? The three of them were all older, countenance lined with focus and experience. The three of them wore brimmed hats that covered their eyes. That's strange… For a moment, everything had stopped; they were making sure they had the right targets, and they were moving through their tactics fast. Which meant like every other bounty hunter that had come after them, they were strong.
No, something skittered through his spine. Something's different. Cody's eyes scanned over them again. Two women, one on each side and one man in the middle. The man in the center and woman on his right left Cody shaken, mainly because it felt like he knew them. Cody looked to Victoria and the disbelief in her expression said everything that she couldn't.
"I had really hoped I would be seeing the 'Leviathan' under better circumstances." Cody tensed, snapping to attention with his hand at his waist. His finger twitched over his belt in consideration.
"How do you know that," Cody spat. One of the hunters, the woman on the right, turned her focus onto him and he nearly buckled.
"Oh, and Cody. You were always a hot-blooded little tyke. Well, after Victoria had gotten you all taken care of. Sorry, but my, look at how you've grown." The breath caught in his throat and Cody flicked another glance over to Victoria.
She didn't blink. Her jaw was clenched and Cody could see that she was desperately trying her best to make sense out of what it was they were seeing. Marus stepped in front of the both of them then.
"Messing with their heads will only get you so far. They're with me and we have a goal, so I'll need you to get out of my way." Marus's voice was acidic and commanding. This is how Marus had sounded when he was a 'wraith' as he put it.
"Marus," he paused and craned back to face them.
"Victoria?" She had relaxed a bit. Her jaw and shoulder had slackened and Cody could see her chest rising and falling just a bit.
"You should find a different way to get to Blackthorn."
"And leave you here to fight them exhausted like you are?"
"We're all in the same boat."
"So we should fight together then."
"No." She had been especially strong in her response and it was the most stern Cody had seen her be with Marus. Her voice shrank afterwards. "I need you to get as close as you can to whatever it is you have to do. I can't keep letting you get stopped up by these bounty hunters. Besides, once you do what you have to do, all the stuff it took to help get what you need won't matter." Her lips twitched back into a smirk, the one that always confirmed that Victoria was going to jump all in. "I'll get to show Ryuu what for. You have to let me do this."
Marus was silent at first but shrugged.
"Yeah I see. Then, I'll let you handle it." and seconds later, he dispersed into light and Cody brought his focus back to the three trainers to gauge their reactions and all three were wrought with the same disbelief that he had learned to hide so well, save for that woman on the right.
Her focus sat more on the both of them than it did Marus.
"How do you know Leviathan?"
"Don't worry about that," the man interjected. He stepped forward with a ball in his hand. "All that you need to understand is that the bounty on all of your heads is pricey. 20,000 poké for a kid dead or alive is generous."
"You're not going to lay a finger on him." Cody shivered. Had he ever heard Victoria speak so violently? She had always said things about making Ryuu pay and hurting him, but she never once said it with such conviction. "If you're looking for bounty prices, Cody's the small fry. You should come after me. Marus is off the table until you can take me down." The man sneered.
"Yes, the Leviathan, Victoria Reed," The man spoke slow, and arrogantly. "You're right. The Leviathan has been wanted in Castelia for years, and to think she turns up to give us the 120,000 poké causing chaos and death in Johto, of all places." Victoria's face twitched and she bit back a sneer; Cody felt his chest wind tighter.
Victoria was pissed.
"You're so confident." She said that calmly and beside that single itch of fury, Cody saw nothing else. Vicky… "And you won't even show your face past that ugly landing platform of a hat."
"You're just as distasteful as all of the stories." They both flicked their attention to the other woman. Cody froze as he caught sight of the massive body that hung behind her, wings jutting out from behind her. They flapped, lifting the body from behind her, above her and the dragon's eyes settled on the both of them; the Pokemon had plans. Neither of them had heard a capsule click or anything of the sort. "You don't think Arlen would actually show his face after you've caused so much chaos do you? You're still in the business and on call if we ever need you again." The woman gestured to the man in the center. "If he were to show his face out in the open and claim to be looking for 'Victoria Reed, well, that would put a target on his back, wouldn't it? We've heard of the recklessness you two have gotten yourselves into. You know how Arlen likes to prove his points."
Cody didn't dare look at Victoria.
"Arlen…?" Victoria's voice came flat.
"You've made such a mess of things, girl. Don't you remember what I taught you?" Victoria was quiet and the silence pulled Cody to turn to her. There's no way that's Arlen! Vicky wouldn't buy that!
Victoria had shifted in the other direction and her eyes fell to the ground in a way that Cody would have mistaken for despair or despondence if he didn't know her so well. It had taken a bit for him to hear it, but Victoria turned back to them and threw her head back in laughter.
Cody swallowed.
She wasn't just pissed, Victoria was livid. Victoria's eyes fixated on the Salamence immediately, and Cody had read her thoughts through the expression. Salamence typically poked at her memories, but the ones that were strong stirred up something especially vicious. The hunters had done their best to look far ahead into Victoria's tells. They had been waiting for her command, her infamous 'snipe' but each of them were shocked when the order never came; Victoria simply snapped her fingers and the woman alongside her Salamence, were blown apart in an instant.
Cody saw the fear he had felt materialize across the man's face and he fell back at a distance. The other woman however, didn't move. She was steely and unfaltering in her observation. Victoria placed herself between Cody and the remaining two hunters.
"I don't think you really understand who you're dealing with, 'Arlen'. You want me to remember what you taught me?" She scoffed. "Do you remember what you taught me?" And then she was cackling. "You think I was actively going to fall for that shit!? Get real!" Victoria snapped her fingers, and another blast sliced forward. Cody heard a click this time, a solid impact and then a command.
"Fire Blast!" Cody snapped into action, whipping a ball in front of Victoria that snapped open to bring his Arcanine to life. The flames swirled into the Pokemon.
"Get em' back!" Arcanine retaliated, spewing fire back and they broke before it. "Sis!"
"I'm fine, Cody." Cody could feel the sulfur in her voice, and Kingdra had come into view behind her. Victoria had already been a step ahead of them. Cody looked to the two hunters left. A Bastidon sat at the woman's side while Jolteon had sat next to 'Arlen'. He looked their way, straining to ignore the woman and her Salamence strewn about.
That was what Marus should have looked like. Cody heard one of the hunters scold the other one.
"You idiot. You and Maya took it too far with the Arlen act."
"How was I supposed to know Victoria would hold her head together as well as she did?"
"Hey," Cody cut in. "Why don't you guys just cut your losses and get out of the way?" Cody stopped himself from turning to the remains. His voice felt heavy. "You saw what Vicky did to your friend over there. It might be better to save you some time and limbs." The woman look over to Arlen.
"I should really leave you in your own grave here. I only signed on with you because I wanted to find these two. The real Arlen ingrains loyalty in people he works with."
There's his name again, Cody thought. He turned to Victoria again to catch her smirk. It was more menacing than it had been in a while, and the last time Cody was sure she had reveled this much in rage and power probably had to be when she fought Juliet and Virgil.
Where he lost Sandslash.
He felt the two move again, and Cody readied himself. Arlen's Jolteon flashed in and out of sight; the Pokemon was fast. A spike zipped by him, and then another one had lanced through his sleeve. He blinked once and Arlen's Jolteon phased into sight again. He saw the fur bristle and Cody reached back, grabbing hold of a tuft of fur he knew would be there and when Cody snapped out of range he was surprised that the force didn't pop his shoulder out of place. His eyes fell to the ball he had left at Jolteon's feet. When the Pokemon followed suit, the capsule clicked open and Jolteon was sent barreling away immediately after. Jolteon had been fast, fast enough to force Cody to flick at his waist in panic. It was both good and bad luck that he had called on Magmortar; the Pokemon was going to make short work of Jolteon.
I don't want to kill him… He could see Jolteon recovering fast, which meant that Magmortar hadn't put his all into that Fire Punch. Magmortar had tapped in, but said nothing. Jolteon crouched low, his eyes drawing to and narrowing back on Cody. Cody numbly registered Victoria engaging the rest of Arlen's team. I don't want to make you someone's Sandslash… Jolteon snapped forward andCody looked away.
"Fire Blast…" Cody heard Magmortar shift and felt the heat from the blast; it had been a particularly strong one but heard a hiss of steam rather than Jolteon, and that grabbed Cody's attention after he had gotten to safety.
A cloud of steam billowed from where he had seen the Jolteon bolt from and with Magmortar's sudden entry, Cody figured it would be on the defensive. The needle came too fast for Cody to comprehend and it lashed into his shoulder, just barely and his arm went cold.
The second one would've struck him in the knee but a burst of body heat from Arcanine had melted it on the spot. The steam crystallized into a smoky gray wall then before shuddering and caving down into more fog.
A third shard flung after then, this time even larger than the second. Arcanine caught that one too with a burst of fire and melted it away.
Or most of it.
The Glaceon caught him entirely by surprise. The ice wall had been a set up, and this Glaceon had banked on the steam to cover its movements. The piece of ice that flung his way had been Glaceon itself, charging headfirst after him. The ice sheet had been a faux weather effect, enough to give the Glaceon the boost it needed to ambush him.
Cody realized at that moment who he was fighting.
The air froze, gathering together at the Glaceon's mouth and aimed directly at him. Magmortar was too far, and Glaceon had caught even Arcanine off guard, the only way this trainer would know how.
Julia had come looking for him and Victoria, a good friend of Arlen's and she wouldn't actually think to kill him. It had to be a test, or at least keeping face for this faux Arlen or something of the sort. He was right, as the Glaceon shifted, but the Ice Beam struck him in the same shoulder from earlier and the icy burn whisked his breath away and clawed at his vision. He heard Arcanine and Magmortar both roar something protective when he hit the ground. He still didn't think Julia was going to kill them, but at the very least, she had gotten him good. He didn't hear much of either of his Pokemon after that, although he figured that might have been because they came to understand that this was a test too, and that he clearly must have failed it. It was a small price to pay, in his eyes.
Killing was not an option.
She hadn't had any time to look after Cody. Julia's ambush had happened almost immediately and while Cody could handle himself, the last thing Victoria would have wanted would be for him to go against Julia of all people.
'Arlen', despite being much more of a coward with his guise unmasked, still came after her with a commendable pressure. The Jolteon that had teamed up with Julia's Glaceon had come back around to apply extra pressure alongside Julia's Glaceon, all the while she battled Arlen's mountain of a Pokemon: a Tyranitar that held much stronger than his trainer. The three of them were relentless at that, and Victoria found herself mostly dodging and cycling between when to call out a Pokemon and when to return them.
Kingdra had been in her corner, right up until after they had blown apart that 'Maya' or whatever her name had been. Kingdra had harbored her own rage against Salamence, just like Victoria did. Calling on a reference like Ryuu and Sagark was a surefire way to get yourself way in more than you could handle with both of them.
Kingdra, however, figured her work had been done. She could outmaneuver and deal with the rest of "Arlen's" team if she really wanted, but held back against it. "Too brutal" had been the cadence in the Pokemon's gaze, and Victoria had picked out the subtext that it also meant too easy. She narrowly ducked out of line from a thunderbolt, but lost her footing and tumbled into the dirt. Her bones burst with pain; that Hydro Pump from earlier had come back to haunt her.
She didn't stop and gave in to a roll forward, just as she heard something, more than likely the Tyranitar, stomp where she had been.
"Julia, you're just going to hang back," she heard Arlen ask. The arrogance was creeping back into his tone, the certainty that led people to their defeats, and a trend that Victoria figured she would continue. "You've only used your Glaceon. Your Bastidon was just a shield. No Rhyperior or Drapion?"
"You're the one that came for the bounty, Sterling. It's your fight if you're going to have a time of it."
"Did you really come all this way with us to really find them? You mean you've never had an intention for the money on their heads?" She had strained to listen for a second but she rolled away again, an Ice beam biting into the place she had just been.
Tyranitar was a problem. She snuck a glance over in Cody's direction, quickly patching together that Julia's Glaceon had broken off from pursuing her. It was instead sitting back over by Cody, as if to guard him. The Pokemon was reared up defensively toward both Magmortar and Arcanine, who were forced at bay. The Glaceon however, also kept a surprisingly short eye out toward Arlen–Sterling's– way. She brought her focus back to the fight, back to the Tyranitar.
It held its ground, and that was strange. Victoria also made note of the Jolteon that had come back to his side as well with a satisfied smirk.
"You move really well, Victoria."
"Yeah, well, Arlen taught me well," she spat. "Let's add the years of practice while we're at it." Her eyes went to Julia. "And why are you with him, anyway? You said you were looking for us." Victoria clenched her jaw. She was borrowing time. There was no telling how long Cody could hold out before the ice started to take its effect, and Pokemon afflicted maladies were always so much more potent. The hypothermia could, and would kill him much faster.
"And I found you."
"For a shitty bounty?"
"No, something that you're familiar with, Victoria."
"Which is!?" Julia's eyes broke away, over to the right, an end to the conversation, and one of Julia's tells to warn her to glance to the opposite side, an old mafia code.
Sterling…! Victoria followed to the left to see a phantom hand phasing through air, aiming for her neck. She snapped back and a heavy handed pulse sent a shock wave through her. She nearly stumbled a second time.
It was very faint the second time, but she heard, felt space distorting just marginally near her, this time at her back, and she turned to another hand, this time balled into a fist to strike her. The fist had come just short of each when Victoria stepped back the second time, but noticeably slower. She knew Sterling had picked up on her ailing body. He might have been a bit of a coward, but wasn't stupid, and Victoria entertained the possibility that he might know about Mastery and the drawbacks, even if that was an impossibility.
Victoria had been fully expecting the third punch, and when it came, she had managed her way a hair's breadth out of reach. The Shadow Punch had surprised her the first time, but she had gotten a read on it, and she would send a ball, Cloyster's ball, back into the phase space with the Pokemon, inevitably back to Sterling and skewer him,
She hadn't counted on a pokeball to fly from the ghost hand. It bopped against her head and snapped open, and the act itself had caught her wildly unaware. When was the last time that had happened?
Another massive body took form, heavy, stout and a fighter. It was fast, snatching her off her feet even with the small time it had airborne, and was going to drive her down into the dirt, head first; Throh was going to kill her if she didn't do something, but what could she do? Throh held her like death, her arms locked against her side and he was not going to let go; a poke ball was out of the question.
She had to do something.
Ryuu came to mind. That boy, that eagle eyed, stern, emotionally stunted boy, had done numerous things, some of them, a lot of them she couldn't believe, and all of them after he had found that "Avia". She had seen him do impossible things, changing his eyes or piecing together Levitas's bones or fur if he got too excited in a fight with just his hands alone.
And it had all started with Avia, and by extension, Mastery. Victoria drew blood when she bit her lip, hoping that she wouldn't feel too much of anything.
Julia saw the earth split when Throh slammed Victoria into the ground. Storm Throw wasn't a weak technique by any means, but the way that Throh had applied it was staggering. On top of that, it wasn't as if Julia hadn't seen stronger renditions of the move beforehand. She had, but it was usually by Pokemon who were far larger than Sterling's soldier. If anything, it was impressive that someone like Sterling was even capable of ingraining Storm Throw into a Pokemon so completely. He had a lot of experience under his belt, that was certain, but he panicked rather easily and was thin in spirit. If Victoria had taken down his Tyranitar as instantly as she had done Maya's Salamence, then Julia would have been able to really discuss the reason why she had come there with both of them anyway.
"Well, I guess that's that." Sterling turned to her then. "You know, you never did go into detail why you were looking for that Victoria. I find it hard to believe that you really wanted nothing to do with the bounty." He passed a glance over to Cody. He had gone under sometime ago, which meant the ice was doing its work. Glaceon kept the boy's Pokemon at a sizable distance; she held the boy, and by extension, the both of them at her mercy.
The three of them just had to keep up their charade.
"The bounty wasn't what I was looking for at all. I came along with you for the reasons I told you when I went looking for them: Arlen wanted me to relay a message, and it would ultimately be their choice if they wanted to adhere to it or not. With her being dead, and you collecting the bounty, you don't think that will really put you at odds with Arlen?" He shrugged.
"I can't really say, but I could just pay the man off if it comes down to it. What's one courier to the vast market of possibility anyway? I can give him a cut, 30,000 poké and we could call it even, couldn't we?" Julia was quiet for a moment. Her eyes came back to the split dirt. Sterling's three Pokemon sat by his side, their eyes following back to the crater too.
"Arlen is a man of funding, yes," she finally said. "But you won't be able to get that bounty money to pay your pardon until you bring her body back as proof you got her. That's a solid day or two back to Mahogany if you want to be safe about it. Traveling with a dead body by Pokemon or whatever you choose isn't really smart…or sanitary." Sterling laughed at that.
"Well, I suppose you're right. But, I will apologize for messing up your relay mission or whatever." A pause, and Julia saw his eyes slither back over to Cody. "What about him?"
"What about him?"
"Victoria said he's the small fry, and 'go through her to get him'. Well, I did, and that is an extra sum of money if you don't want him."
"He stays alive," she replied sharply. "He's already been through so much. He's just a kid."
"If you say so, but you're the one that put an Ice Shard through his shoulder. But, I can respect it, so long as you leave him like that so I don't have to deal with the headache when he wakes up." Julia fought down the pull at her lips; he was such a crass man. It was impressive that he had gotten through to Victoria at all.
"I can do that, but that's if you make it back." He turned to her ardent and defensive, but before he could say anything, she pointed forward back to where Throh had won. A hand clasped at the dirt, struggling to pull the rest of the weight up. The other hand came quickly and soon they hoisted the form of a very much alive Victoria Reed.
She had rolled onto the ground then, eyes closed and chest heaving from sheer exertion. It was a wonder that she could move at all.
"You won't lay a finger on him…" That had been the first thing she said, a wispy shadow of a threat from earlier. Then, she rolled onto all fours, fighting to pick herself back up to her feet. "I'm not going to let you hurt him!" Julia didn't have to look to Sterling to feel his panic already surging.
He really didn't deserve his Tyranitar, or his Jolteon for that matter. But they were both loyal, standing by his side and prepared to die for him. He still had a Skarmory in reserve and a Sandslash at that, and if he had been the one to really battle Cody head on, she wondered how that boy's Sandslash would've fared against Sterling's. She hoped it would be better.
She could feel Sterling staring at her wildly for an answer, and it was an answer that she didn't have for him. She was just as impressed that Throh hadn't snapped her neck, or at least shattered every bone in her body. More than anything, Victoria shouldn't have been able to stand.
"I don't understand," she heard him murmur, but it was a tad stronger than what she had grown accustomed to hearing from him. "But, she can barely stand. I don't know how she dealt with Maya and her Salamence so easily of all things, but she can't have a lot left."
"...You say that like I'm going to help you this time." The look he gave her was the panic that she had been waiting for. "Your bounty, your fight." He let out a taut breath of frustration and he looked at his Pokemon at his side.
"Alright," he growled. "We'll make this quick.
She should have died. With how the thrumming has escalated into a full-on sensation of active withering, Victoria would have preferred it. She had no idea how much rest it was going to take to bring her body back to the youth so many people took for granted or just wasted altogether. Throh had casted her down, directly on her neck and with all of his weight. It would have and should have killed her.
Ryuu had always had his hands in interesting things since he found Avia, and he did make an attempt to teach her and Connor about what he had found. He had become more stern, more frigid and seemingly, cold to the touch. He would be so very far away when he was with them, and always in the realm of Avia.
It was Avia's realm that had given him his Mastery, and by extension, his healing hands when he had found and recruited Pioggia as they had began to practice their journey of mastery together too, and that had led to Victoria's journey into Mastery where she came to understand and obtain an anomaly like Ryuu's hands, but for her, it had been Cloyster's defense. Her legs strained under her. She hoped that in her actual old age, she would fare better than this. She saw Sterling lift a hand for a command to finish her and his Tyranitar stepped forward. Victoria could see the ball of silver in its mouth, and the sheen spread outward to the rest of the Tyranitar's body
He was abruptly moving faster then, faster than what Victoria gave it credit for. The silver sphere came up then, closer than what Victoria's tired frame would avoid, and the pain was too immobilizing by far. A ball, three of them left her waist and from pure memory alone, she knew that one of them had been Kingdra's.
Feel bad for abandoning me now, huh?
Tyranitar's first blast broke over carapace. A cacophony of hysteria, laughter followed after.
"Shaaaaaaah!" The smile that came from her was surprisingly soft, a culmination of all of Victoria's current weakness and relief. She heard his shell shift and pressure fire off in Tyranitar's direction. She had heard at least four solid points of impact, enough to stagger and stumble the Pokemon. Her legs caved then and she leaned against his shell. She felt him tense. He was ready for her harsh criticism even then, but Victoria found that she could only mumble up a tender 'thanks'.
Night pulled at her eyes. The ability she had gained from her and Cloyster's mastery of Iron Defense, Iron Body, as she dubbed it for convenience, had left her entirely drained, and she was certain that Sterling still had at least one more Pokemon to give, and even more strength at that.
She pushed herself, however weakly, from Cloyster. She felt Jolteon form on her flank, just like she knew he would; he was simply too fast for Cloyster and he knew that too, so when Jolteon flung a ball of lightning her way, Victoria let herself fall. The bolt passed over her and past Cloyster and the Pokemon placed himself between her and Jolteon. Victoria heard Tyranitar's footsteps; the Pokemon had finally decided to close the distance. Or at least, Sterling wanted to make sure she died this time, and from the way he had his Pokemon close in from both sides, Victoria figured he was planning to make due on that.
She heard another faint whisper, a fourth Shadow Punch that Victoria nearly froze against as she had learned to take it more seriously. Cloyster twisted slightly to let the fist fly past him. Victoria understood.
"Clamp…!" Cloyster smirked and his shell bit down on the fist. He twisted again and further this time, nearly turning into a complete circle to wrest a massive Golurk from whatever phase realm that had been hiding it.
Sterling was clever.
A tinge of worry grasped her then. How was Cody? How long did he have? How much longer would she have to deal with this annoying thorn in her side? As fickle as he was, Sterling was well-coordinated with his Pokemon, and it hadn't slipped by her that she was now within range of three of his Pokemon, and there was no way Cloyster could protect her from them all, not without another active Mastery attempt. She wasn't sure if the attempt would leave withered permanently or if she would die outright; it simply wasn't an option. The three of them closed in, just as Victoria felt water shifting between and under her fingers before it pulled away from her. Something had sent it out to gauge her and where she was and again, she understood exactly what was happening. She fell back into the dirt, smiling. For a fleeting moment, everything felt normal again. The three Pokemon were within arms reach before a torrent of water had swept them from their feet and into a current, whirling impossibly strong and impossibly high into the air. She could only watch from the center with Cloyster as Sterling's Pokemon struggled.
Dewgong was swirling in the Whirlpool she had created, observing the three of them and waiting for Victoria to give the order. Dewgong was a fighter but not a killer, something that Victoria didn't think she would put the Pokemon through anytime soon but she was willing and Victoria figured that was to be expected when she admired Kingdra the way she did. Victoria unhooked a fourth ball from her belt and placed it into the whirlpool and watched it spiral upwards toward the three of them.
The ball bumped into the Golurk first, snapping open to reveal an actual killer, her Crawdaunt she had gotten specifically from Arlen for any of the less than savory things she may have had to do. The first thing Victoria had seen was a void of shadow teeming from Crawdaunt's pincer when he had opened them, snapping onto Golurk's arms to squeeze. The arm cracked at first, then splintered away into dust. Crawdaunt had dispatched the other arm too when Golurk had gone to counter it and then did away with the Pokemon entirely.
Crawdaunt had turned his attention to the Tyranitar then, knocking it around before knocking it loose from the whirlpool in his excitement. Kingdra had made her re-entrance then, and was certain that the Pokemon wouldn't be a problem after that.
Jolteon was left suspended in the air though, and Victoria had noted that among the three, Jolteon had been a problem consistently. Crawdaunt had come back down to her and she could see it in the Pokemon that he needed more. He hadn't dismantled or destroyed enough yet. He was just beginning to relish in his power.
"That's enough, Crawdaunt." She saw the Pokemon deflate, and she brought the Pokemon back into his ball. When she called after Dewgong, the Pokemon had dispelled the whirlpool and even brought the Jolteon down timidly at her request; the Pokemon had lost consciousness some minutes ago. She found herself impressed with how well it'd fought, and figured that the Pokemon could have used a more courageous trainer and had hoped that Cody would see things the same when he woke back up.
She found her way to her feet and the strength to find the eyes of a bewildered Sterling and an impassive but albeit impressed Julia.
"If you're going to chase after a bounty," Julia said. "Then you should cull that arrogance of yours and make sure the job is done immediately."
"But…She…she shouldn't have been able to do that…!" Those had been Sterling's last words before he was blown into a mesh of flesh and bone.
Victoria hadn't missed a step and her eyes fell venomously onto Julia.
"What gives? You came looking for us, right? Were you really trying to kill us?" Julia shook her head with a sigh. "And why did you let him try to play off Arlen, of all people!?"
"Victoria," Victoria paused from the woman's tone alone. "I did come looking for you, and it was a shame that you had blown away Maya first. I had been hoping he would have been the first to go. You cut it close with Tyranitar and that Ancient Power."
"But why did you let him push everything so far!?" A thought came back to her then.
"Don't worry, Cody's fine." Victoria had turned to him. The ice on his shoulder had melted away, and she saw him stir for a moment. "Glaceon can control their body heat. She has ways of helping Cody maintain his temperature. Cody's Pokemon and Glaceon came to an agreement that you were far too occupied to pick up on."
Victoria didn't have the strength to be angry, but her eyes moved from Julia, to the Jolteon and then over to Cody. She turned back to Julia. "I should still kill you for putting him in danger like that."
"You're not really in the best shape to fight, Victoria."
"It'll be enough to handle you…!" They both knew she was lying. Julia sighed again, quiet at first.
"This isn't Arlen asking you for another thievery trip to Sinnoh if that's what you're worried about. In all honesty, Arlen sent me to find you so he knows you're okay." She opened her mouth to respond on a reflex, but then closed it. She wouldn't have quite called the static she felt disbelief, but something else. Not quite happy.
Relief.
Her legs gave way and she sank into the dirt. She wanted to cry then, because even after all of this time, Arlen hadn't left her or Cody entirely by themselves.
"...Does he want us to come back…?" It took a vast amount of effort to keep her voice even; Julia's face twitched with familiar observation.
"Not at the moment, no. But you know how it is for him, though. He has a lot of pull with the Castelia Dondozo." Julia took a breath. "But, there's no telling how long he can maintain his set-up for you. Things change."
"But I'm so close to catching Ryuu again!" Her tone came out disgustingly desperate. "The Dondozo won't try to kill him, will they!?" Julia bade a hand.
"I don't think they would go that far. But, things do change, and Arlen and myself are getting older, Victoria."
"Don't say that. Don't." All Victoria received in response was a shrug, but she was happy when Julia changed the topic.
"Thievery is still a hot job, especially out in Sinnoh."
"Didn't you say Arlen kept me out of that?"
"I did, but the Dondozo recently reconnected with an old client out in Sinnoh. I get it if you wouldn't want to remember." The realization drained what little strength Victoria had mustered back up.
"Not Andaras. Please tell me it's anyone but Andaras." She had said that more for herself than anyone. Ryuu had stepped away from them, and her after her thievery and subsequent return to it, but she had been especially careful to cover her tracks with any ties to the Dondozo. At least, anything deeper than Arlen.
Ryuu would never have forgiven her for Potluck.
"I've been told Nikolai's managed a bit of a buyout with some of the law enforcement that way. Looker might be a tireless zealot but not everyone is like him."
"Nikolai bought the law enforcement?"
" Something like that. Potluck is lucrative, Victoria. You know that. I've come all this way to find you and let you know, and I'm surprised you haven't picked up on the high signs that it's here in Johto."
"I…haven't been to Goldenrod," was all she could manage. "But, there were places in and around Mahoghany that I guess I knew instinctively to avoid…" The edges of her eyes were burning then, and it was impossible for her to fight the tears.
"I can't go back to that, Julia." Her voice, Victoria Reed's voice, was infinitesimal. "I can't."
"Arlen's doing everything that he can to throw the idea out of the window, but you did have the most luck over there." Victoria cursed, but it came off closer to a pained wail.
And then, bawling.
She should have stayed home, and listened to her overprotective and slightly overbearing father, the one that forbade Pokemon journeys at ten years old and the one she had defied outright in frustration.
She would have never gotten involved with the thievery, or the Potluck that was forged from the Pokerus extraction.
She would have been a normal girl, making due on the real interest she had in fighting. Instead of killing, she would have fought for sport.
She would have delved more into people, infinitely interested in their complexity. Instead of breaking people, she might have actually tried to help them, and alongside all of that, she would have never found Cody, and she would have never met Ryuu.
She heard herself sobbing, and a fleeting thought wondering if she were even the same person passed through her mind then. She snatched an arm away when she felt Julia kneel to console her.
Fire burned into her veins, and into the eyes where her tears began. She was glowering at Julia. How could this woman, the woman that showed her how to battle, bring her this kind of information. She was one of the strongest people she knew, better than Ryuu she'd wager, and Arlen's bodyguard. Why couldn't she have just killed anyone that wanted to bring her back?
"You came here to tell me that?"
"Would you have preferred them to send more 'Sterlings' after you?"
"Couldn't you have just killed them!?"
"Nothing is set in stone, and you know I can't do that." She was right, and Victoria wanted to scream fury at her. Another pitiful wail came out instead. She was so burned out, so tired, but she couldn't accept the possibility.
She wouldn't.
Julia saw the glint in her eyes, and of course she did; she saw everything.
"You're in no shape to fight, Vi." She was right again, and also again, Victoria didn't care. If she got him back, she would know her own strength for certain. She would never have to be Victoria Reed again.
She didn't have it in her to bring Kingdra to the fore, but she would have refused anyway; she respected Julia too much. Cloyster could've gone as well, but as strong as he was, Julia was stronger. That left her with Crawdaunt or Dewgong... A thought flickered, and Victoria followed it, flicking a thumb to her waist for a ball to spring to life.
Charizard, the one she had stolen, coalesced into view, still standing just as tall as he had been when she had first snatched him. He had been unruly in the beginning, and proud of his strength; something Victoria had beaten from him thoroughly for him to understand who he belonged to, building him from the ground up and came to especially respect Kingdra if not her, although she was certain that there was a definite trust now, and a familiar twist of regret had flared against the thought, especially when she realize that she cared about him. It was an ironic twist; he was meant to be sold off in the beginning.
He peered back at her, expression blank where there used to be defiance.
"Yeah," She had tried to muster up as much solidarity as she could. "You. We're going to battle for real this time, you got it?"
"Victoria," pleaded Julia. "Don't."
"I can't let Andaras pull me back into Potluck. Not when I know what it does, and not when I'm this close!" Julia sighed, a wisp of a sullen half-smile curling the sides of her mouth.
"That Ryuu really did a number on you, didn't he?" Victoria choked out a laugh.
"You have no idea…" She swallowed nothing and struggled to her feet. It took everything she had to hold her composure under Julia's eyes, and more importantly, she needed something to distract her from her frailty and all of the desperation that came with it. She didn't need any of this, and someone had to pay. When she bade a trembling hand out, and Charizard burst forward, she didn't expect anything other than Julia's Bastidon to stop him.
Magmortar…?
"Victoria," No. "Stop it." She was hesitant at first, but she forced herself to look back to where Cody should have been. His tone was edged the same ways his eyes were. The realization barreled down on her at the last moment.
That was a demand.
"I…can't let you do this!"
Julia had said something, some nonsense that she couldn't comprehend. Not when Cody had made a demand of her. His stance was strong and his expression unfaltering but Victoria could pick out his subtleties, from his overzealous stare down to how he attempted to hide behind a tightened half-expression. He had recently been able to see what she could really do, and what she had been doing, if it came down to it, when she refused to take him on her "trips", and that left him both at a loss and terrified of her actions,
Maybe terrified of her.
Something broke then, and her disbelief contorted into anger, into fury. Everything she did had a purpose, and she never pursued senseless violence. Cody knew her better than that. He was supposed to.
She couldn't keep up with the happenings after that. There was a time where she had fazed in, Cody somehow on top of her in an attempt to restrain her. Another moment brought Julia short hair and newly recent age lines into focus, her expression utterly utilitarian and unmoved. The rest had been the din and clashes of battles, slowing down to become a full picture when pain forced her back into her body.
She was back to her tears.
And somehow, and for some reason, they were both still there, helping her to feet, Cody volunteering to take on the brunt of her weight, something that agitated her by reflex. She had always been the one to protect him. That was how things had always been, and the last semblance of what she had known. It wasn't supposed to change. If things kept changing, then that meant Cody would eventually leave, and that one day, neither Arlen or Julia would be there. She caved and attempted to force what she thought was inevitable.
And yet, they were still there with her, one on each side of them. They should have been angry with her. They should have left her right there after they had won. Cody carried her gingerly, and at the rate they were going, it would take them a few days longer to reach Blackthorn. Victoria wondered if Marus would be able to hold his own when he got there; the thought would have to wait; she simply didn't have the capacity to ponder what-ifs. All she could find the strength to do was to lean against her little brother and cry.