Hello again! Sorry for going silent because I got busy with my new job. But I'm back with, not one, but TWO chapters!
But before that, there's something that I want to address first.
To some guest reviewers, I see that you got a problem with the story elements, like slavery, and how Raphtalia should get rid of the Slave Seal, as well as calling it a "useless element", "stripping of free will and subtle mind", as well as pointing out "why slavery a thing in that world?" amongst other things. But allow me to retort: If you got a problem with that, you should take it up with Aneko Yusagi, the author of The Rising of the Shield Hero. As this being a fan fiction, any elements that I put in the story, whether the aforementioned series or Pokemon, is based from the original sources. Aside from the OCs that appeared in this story, of course. Yes, I have problems against slavery, but that's something that just... happened in that story, okay? Plus, some elements of the stories do take on some realistic parts of the world, so I'm sorry if you can't handle the cold-hearted truth. One of the genre for this series is Dark Fantasy, by the way. As for why Raphtalia is keeping the Slave Seal is, as seen in a previous chapter, is a symbol of her devotion to Naofumi and she kept it out of her OWN. FREE. WILL. And no, it has NOTHING to do with S fetishes. She's not Darkness from KonoSuba. Plus, she'll lose the seal anyway when a "certain event" happened to her. I'm also sorry if your kiddie minds couldn't handle what this story brings. And for the record, if you still don't like this story, or the series for that matter, you can go look for another story that seems to fit your taste. So, don't complicate things for me and those who enjoyed the story.
And with that said, on to the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Rising of the Shield Hero or Pokemon. Just the OCs that were made for this story.
Chapter 14: Evil Incarnate
After walking for a while, the party and Melty decided to stop and hide amongst the trees and what appeared to be a ruin of a small shack of sorts as they took some time to catch their breaths. Seeing that there was a nearby town not far from where they are, Naofumi sent Raphtalia to go to towns undercover along with Tyler's Scrafty to see if the kingdom had branded them as fugitives or not. It did not take long for the two to return.
"How did it go?" Tyler asked as he and the others came out of hiding.
"It's official, homies. We're full-blown criminals now." Scrafty informed them as he lifted the "hood" that was covering his face. He then proceeded to throw out wanted posters of the party, including Hydreigon, to the ground for everyone to see. "Those motherfuckers're pretty clever because they got the video broadcasted in all of the towns and villages we came across and they edited that shit to make it look convincing."
"While there were some changes, the clear image of Hydreigon wrecking through the knights is unchanged." Raphtalia added as she too lifted her hood. "Though it's not any better."
"You don't say?" Naofumi said as he pulled what appeared to be a rosary with a uniquely designed cross as it is a combination of a sword, spear, and a bow.
"My word. Where did you obtain that?" Merleo said as he immediately recognized the item.
"It was lying on the ground next to me. I picked it up when Kurisu was knocking out Hydreigon." Naofumi answered.
"Merleo, do you know what that is?" Chelsea asked.
"Indeed I do. All too well, as a matter of fact." Merleo said. "That rosary originated from the Three Heroes Chruch."
"Three Heroes Church, huh?" Naofumi repeated, having heard the name before. "Either way, this whole setup must've been one of that bastard king's hairbrained ideas." He glanced towards Melty, who was being comforted by both Kurisu and Filo. "Thanks to her father's stupid actions, we got nowhere to go."
"My father can't be behind this!" Melty denied the accusation.
"All right, little lady. Then who else do you think is behind this whole mess?" Scrafty asked.
"My sister… probably." Melty answered with uncertainty.
"So, she planned to kill you and take your place as crown princess, is that what you're saying?" Naofumi asked as Melty replied with a nod. "But I know those knights that harassed us were under the king's direct control. It is natural to assume that he's caught in the middle of it." He continued. "If I'm right, those guys would love nothing more than to frame the mythical Devil of the Shield for this whole thing."
"Father would never stoop to something so low!"
"Did you forget that asshole wants the Pokémon, OUR Pokémon, to become slaves for those three bozos?" Tyler reminded her and everyone else. "As that was bad enough, I bet he was the one who told that one knight to rile Hydreigon up."
"And there's that. All the more reason why he is a trash of this kingdom." Naofumi remarked.
"You're wrong! Father is… Father is…" The young princess was still in denial.
"I really can't understand why he sticks up for him. That scumbag…" The cynical young man said.
"You're wrong! You're very wrong…"
"How so…?" Kurisu asked.
"You're totally wrong! Why can't either of you understand!? We don't have time to fight each other! There are problems before that we have to solve together!" No matter how much she tried, Naofumi ignored her pleas. "Talk to Father one more time, I beg you!"
"I'm afraid that is no longer possible." Merleo said. "As much as I appreciated that you are doing this on behalf of your mother, King Aultcray has reached to a point where simply apologizing is no longer sufficient."
"What are you saying, Merleo!? How can you talk to Father like that!?"
"It pained me to realize just how oblivious you are to His Majesty's recent actions, but the 'Father' you once knew is no longer present." The former court mage continued. "He is now a man who has allowed his personal feelings to dictate his decision making."
Melty got teary-eyed when he said that, refusing to believe that to be true. "That's not… Father is…"
Kurisu stepped between her and the rest of the group, facing her friends. "Stop it. No good is going to come talking about this." she said.
"We're only speaking the truth here, Kurisu." Naofumi told her.
"And you think a child like her is going to accept it that easily? Kids have people they look up to. Most of the time, that person is their own family. Besides, given how insistent she is in you two reconciling, I doubt she knows everything that happened."
"You say that but-"
Kurisu was getting tired with how biased Naofumi was acting, even if she did understand the reason and grabbed him by the armor. "Excuse us for a moment." she said, dragging the guy to another part of the woods, to everyone's confusion. Especially the Shield Hero himself, who was shocked at the strength she possessed.
Once at a good distance away from them, Kurisu released her grip on Naofumi and turned to him. "Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Straightening himself up, Naofumi turned to her with a raised brow. "Huh? What do you mean 'what's wrong with me?'"
"Don't you think you're being unfair to Melty?"
At that question, Naofumi hardened his eyes in a glare. "This again? I hope you realize you're only being soft on her just because she's a kid."
"Say if I am. That doesn't mean you can just brush that aside and focus on her bloodline."
"Both the trash of a father and bitch of a sister did me wrong. And she expects me to apologize to her dad? Like hell she's any different."
Kurisu got more annoyed to see him not budging on this situation and took in a breath. "Then riddle me this, Naofumi: Back when you got framed, did anyone believe you?"
"Of course they didn't!" the Shield Hero exclaimed, irked that she had to bring up that time of his life.
"Why do you think that is?" Kurisu continued, unfazed by the angry expression he was giving her. "They only listened to one side of the story, didn't they? The side I bet the king and that bratty princess want them to listen to. It didn't help that they had guards on their side, who I bet fabricated whatever 'evidence' was there, if any at all. Melty is exactly like that. A person who listened to only one side— the side that she trusted more because it's from her family. Instead of egging her on and blatantly insulting her father— regardless of the wrong he really did to us— why don't you just give her a chance before it's too late?"
"Before what? Before she dies, still thinking that trash is on the right?"
At that outburst, Kurisu pressed her lips together, and looked down, an unwanted memory flashing in her mind. As for Naofumi, upon noticing the change and taking a moment to think on what he said, he soon realized why Kurisu was being extra pushy about this.
"O—Oh…"
"Yeah, 'Oh.'" Kurisu said, getting out of the memory lane. "You want to still be like that? Fine. Be that way, and distance yourself from Melty. Just know if it does happen, that's on you."
The two proceeded to come back where the others were.
"Welcome back, you two!" Tyler greeted them before realizing the tense look on the two. "So, uh… what was it that you two were talking about to make you look tense?"
"It was nothing too serious…" Naofumi assured despite how Kurisu glared at him.
"I'm not gonna pry if you don't wanna talk about it…"
"Anyway, we're just waiting for you because we want to discuss something." Chelsea began. "It looks like we have to leave the country because I spotted a few torches moving in the distance. I can tell that those are the search parties under that bitch's payroll."
"Considering we are now outlaws, that's a fair point." Merleo then turned to the young princess. "What shall you do, Princess Melty?"
"I'll see if I can return to the capital and convince Father—"
"Not to disrespect you, Mel, but that's a horrible idea." Chelsea dissuaded her. "If that bitch hears that you're planning to go back to the capital, you'll be dead."
"So, what can we do?" Tyler asked as Naofumi remembered the words that Kurisu told him.
"You want to still be like that? Fine. Be that way, and distance yourself from Melty. Just know if it does happen, that's on you."
As much as it pained him to admit it, Naofumi felt that Kurisu may be right about him being unfair. As much as he hated Melty for being related to her troublesome father and sister, even he felt something was not right when that one knight rushed towards one of the princesses that he was sworn to protect. If it was not for Tyler's Hydreigon, he would have stepped in. While he still has lingering doubts about Melty, it was crystal clear that her life is in the same situation as him and his party right now, in danger.
"You could just stay with us and we all can keep you safe." Naofumi proposed, shocking everyone in the vicinity. "Don't get me wrong. I still think that you're no different than that annoying geezer and that bitch. But letting you go back to the capital with a high possibility that you're going to be killed leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
"Naofumi…" Kurisu mouthed as she saw her leader approaching the wagon.
"I can promise you that, if nothing else."
"Come with us, please?" Filo asked.
"All right." Melty complied.
"We'll leave before dawn. Make sure you're ready." Naofumi said as he picked a bag from the wagon.
"Master Naofumi. Where are we going?" Raphtalia asked.
"I'll explain it on the way, but first we'll have to leave the wagon here." Naofumi said.
"What!? Why!?" Filo exclaimed.
"The route we're going is something that the wagon can't go. We'll come back for it once this mess blows over." Naofumi told her.
"If you say so, Master." Filo proceeded to go towards the wagon to grab something that she could carry.
"So, we're going to our destination by foot? Fine with me. I'm used to traveling anywhere walking." Tyler said as he returned Scrafty to his Poké Ball before he pulled out a bag.
The rest of the party pulled their belongings out of the wagon before they hid said wagon and went towards wherever Naofumi was leading them to.
Several hours have passed since the party and Melty walk through the rough, mountainous terrain in order to evade the search parties. It was then that Naofumi told the party and Melty where they were going.
"So, you're telling me that instead of Shieldfreeden, we're goin' to Siltvelt?" Tyler said as he kept walking. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that country basically like Melromarc, but the other way around?"
"Does that mean we're going to be slaves by the time we reach there?" Chelsea added, fearing for the worst.
"True, but that may not be the case if you tell them that we are affiliated with the Shield Hero." Merleo explained. "Believe it or not, they are devoted to the Shield Hero despite the fact that the wielder is a human."
"We'll think of something when we arrive there. I doubt they'll touch you if I tell them you're with me." Naofumi assured them as he looked to his left and right to see if there was someone hiding, but fortunately he found no one. "All clear. We should rest a bit and have lunch before making our way again."
"Sounds good to me." Tyler said as he and the others unloaded the belongings that they had been carrying.
Both Tyler and Chelsea proceeded to take out some stuff from their bag, but this went not unnoticed.
"Tyler. Chelsea." The two Kalosian Trainers turned to see Raphtalia, who called out to them. "I've been wondering this whole time, but how come you're able to store so many items in your bags?"
"You know, I'm a little curious about that myself." Naofumi chimed in. "I've seen Tyler pulling something out more times than I can count ever since he joined my party. From the looks of it, those bags aren't really different from the ones in my world."
The statement confused the otherworldly trainers. "Hold up. Bags in your world don't hold much?" Tyler asked.
"I noticed the ones in this world are more limited in holding possessions, but is that also true in your world?" Chelsea followed.
Naofumi looked at them with an incredulous look in his eyes. "Last I remember, bags can only carry what looks like it can fit in it. I don't remember seeing one that can carry tents, food, and all other stuff you've pulled out of it. At least not the sort of tents you use. Even the bags hikers carry can only hold sleeping bags." He then turned towards Kurisu. "Kurisu, you tell them. Something's not right with the bags they carry."
Rather than agree with him, though, Kurisu stared at him in confusion. "Isn't it normal for some bags?"
At her question, Naofumi and Raphtalia—the latter who had been nodding in agreement to her master's statement—turned to her in bafflement. "Come again?" the former asked.
"I don't know how it is in your world… Actually, in my world, we do have bags that can only hold the amount they look like they can hold like you say, but there are also bags that can hold a lot more than they seem to be capable of, like Tyler and Chelsea's bags. Though, those sorts of bags are restricted to people depending on their age, occupation, and/or reasoning for having them."
That caught the Kalosian Trainers' attention. "They restrict the usage of these bags in your world?" Chelsea asked.
"I'm going to assume your world is peaceful and say you'd be surprised at how frequent criminal activities are in my world. Can you just imagine a criminal getting their hands on these bags? Even if we do have metal detectors to detect weapons, Poké Balls are different. Especially if the criminal is the type who robs people of their Pokémon."
Tyler tapped his chin in thought at the bags. "But when she puts it that way about the bags, I guess it would make sense." he stated. "So, there are no Pokémon Trainers in your world? That is, people who have Pokémon with that occupation. You make it sound like these bags are a rarity over there."
"Oh, I didn't say that. We do have Pokémon Trainers, but they're a bit different from what you explained about how they are in your world. How to say it…? Do you guys have schools in your world?"
"We do, though not mandatory." Chelsea answered, having a feeling that school was something important in Kurisu's world if it is brought up in this conversation.
"In my world, and probably Naofumi's, all children and teenagers attend schools. After a long day of studying is done, they either go home or attend club activities after school."
Raphtalia became lost there, unfamiliar with 'school' or 'club activities'. Naofumi, on the other hand, understood it perfectly. "Yep. That exactly sounds the same in my world." he nodded.
"Amongst the club activities, half of those clubs are sports teams. Amongst that group is the Pokémon Trainers Team."
That piqued all interest. "There is a school activity just for being Pokémon Trainers?" Tyler asked.
"Yep. And like any sports club, you're often tested to see if you have what it takes to join the club. Unlike them, though, you also have to abide by a contract that makes you a trusted individual to take part in the activities. A breach in that contract will strip you of the right of ever being a trainer."
That last part especially spooked Tyler and Chelsea, as being a Pokémon Trainer was not as heavily restricted as Kurisu was putting it in their world.
"Yeesh. Talk about harsh." Chelsea muttered. "But you changed the subject. What does that have to do with the bags?"
"Because all participating members get one of those upon acceptance into the club. Limited one per person, of course, under the promise that they use it for Trainer-related activities only. Meaning no thievery nor sneaking in weapons, to name a couple."
"Hmm… If you think about our situation right now, we kinda did the Pokémon Trainer name dirty." Chelsea noted.
"Not entirely so. Like I said, I don't how it works in your world. I didn't say Pokémon Trainers are the only ones allowed to use those bags. In fact, my waist bag is one of those." The revelation brought more surprise to the group, especially the majority of them, as she opened the bag up. "It's been a while since I last dug into this, though, since I rarely have any reason to take anything out since arriving here. Aside from the food I carry for my Pokémon, I also packed some spare Poké Balls in case I need to catch wild Pokémon, healing items, berries, battle items, additional food, some general items or machines I often find lying around, and several other things." As she listed out what she supposedly has in her small bag, Kurisu took out some of the listed items, baffling Naofumi and co even more at how much she was able to carry in the bag alone. "Since I was an officer intern, I was told to get one of these bags for police purposes. Mostly to assist my Pokémon in battle or subdue any wild rampaging Pokémon and send them back to the wild where they belong."
While the majority of the group was still left speechless at the amount of stuff she took out, Tyler and Chelsea took interest in what she had out. "Oh, you have Battle Items? We could've used these during the Wave." Tyler said.
"You're forgetting that these are one-use only, so I rather save them when absolutely necessary." Kurisu reasoned.
"You even have TMs here. Some really good ones!" Chelsea said, picking one up.
"Yeah. There's a shop just for these not far from my work place that gives generous discounts to customers based on occupation."
"Whoa. Man, your world is so strict with jobs." Tyler stated.
"If you ask me, yours sound more carefree with these sorts of things."
"Um. Excuse me. Are you three really going off in your own little world after showing us that?!" Naofumi questioned, still baffled by the space the trainers' bags carry. "Also, Kurisu! You said it yourself! Not all bags in your world carry as much as the one you have, so surely you know all that stuff is too much for a waist bag to carry alone! How the heck is it possible for something that small to carry all that stuff?!"
It was silent when he asked that. The three Pokémon trainers turned to one another, realizing some truth in Naofumi's question. Kurisu aside, Tyler and Chelsea saw the bags sold in this world, and they can only carry up to the amount they physically look like they can carry. So as to the question of how their bags can hold so much…
"… No idea." they replied in unison.
"That answer again?"
"We really don't know what to tell you, man. It's just how it is." Tyler said as Naofumi said as he and the others looked at the items that Kurisu brought out before she put them all back into her bag.
The Shield Hero then saw a couple of "disks" being among the items that Kurisu has. 'What are those disks for? I don't think they're normal…' He wondered in his thoughts before he decided to forget the thought for the moment as he prepared lunch.
(Somewhere…)
"GRAAAAAH!" A big lizard-like monster roared in pain as result of being struck by a ghostly fist before falling to the ground, dead.
Standing before the dead monster was the same blob-like creature from earlier. But he was not alone.
Standing besides him is a bipedal, humanoid creature that is seemingly made out of clay. Its body is primarily covered by two shades of gray. Its head features two bewitching, green eyes and a stub-like gray-colored crest on top. Two pairs of crisscrossing brown bands extend around its spherical body meeting at a gray square with a green swirl in the center. Two large stone-like blocks act as its feet and two more such blocks adorn its "forearms"; each arm ends in a dark gray-colored, crude three-fingered hand.
"…" The clay creature simply gazed at its defeated opponent as its corpse disappeared.
"Oh wow! You're so strong!" The blue blob creature exclaimed. "I'm glad I ran to you! I thought I was a goner."
The clay creature turned to face it and just nodded, accepting the gratitude.
"You don't talk much, huh? I'm Wobbuffet, by the way. And…you're a Golett, right?" The creature named Wobbuffet introduced himself.
The clay creature named Golett simply nodded once more.
"Huh. I've seen plenty of Golett before but you're colored very differently." Wobbuffet said before he came in an epiphany. "Are you one of those Shiny—"
"Well, well. What do we have here? A pair of strange monsters." The two Pokémon turned to see the newcomers.
It was a group of knights, who were drawn by the sounds of the fighting from earlier.
"Yikes!" He immediately went behind the Ground and Ghost type Pokémon.
"Not exactly the Devil of the Shield and his party members but still just as good!" The knight maliciously smirked at the two. "Either you come with us quietly like good monsters or we'll have to bring you in by force." He and his cohorts unsheathed their swords.
Unfortunately, Golett remain unfazed by the threat and proceeded went into a defensive position. It knew that they were knights but it was disgusted that they acted more like brigands. Like bandits. So, it would rather fight than submit to their authority.
"You're resisting, huh? Poor choice. Attack!" The knights let out a battle cry before charging towards the two lost Pokémon.
"Here they come!" Wobbuffet exclaimed as Golett rearing back one of its fist, ready to fight.
(With Naofumi and co.)
Due to the fact that he knew that he, his party, and Melty was pursued by Malty and her forces at this very moment, Naofumi wasted no time in preparing the food as fast and carefully as possible. After several minutes, he finished cooking the meal and they decided to dig in so that they could leave as soon as they were done having lunch. As everyone, including the Pokemon that the party had summoned to eat, was eating, Raphtalia seemed to have something in her mind as she looked at all of the Pokémon eating before her. Well, almost all of the Pokémon.
"Something wrong, Raphtalia?" The racoon dog demihuman turned to see Tyler, who was calling out to her.
"I'm fine…" Raphtalia tried to assure him, but he was not buying that excuse.
"I'm not Kurisu, but even I can tell you're thinkin' of something." It was then that he knew what his teammate was thinking. "Is this have something with how Hydreigon called you a 'half-breeded freak?'"
"No!" Everyone turned to see Filo, who was shouting at the mere mention of the name. "That dragon's a really bad meanie! He almost killed Mel and me!"
"Filo! Calm down…" Melty decided to calm her best friend down.
"I'm not calming down, Mel! That dragon almost killed you!" Filo ranted. "This is why I hate Dragons! They're a bunch of meanies! And that three headed one is nothing but a big bully!"
"Yo! No one's dissin' my homie Hydreigon and gets away with it!" Scrafty stood up and glared at the Filolial Queen. "I know you and your BFF barely survived him going Primeape shit, I know that! But you shouldn't–"
"Scrafty, that's enough!" Tyler interrupted him, shocking him.
"Say what!? Tyler, are you shittin' me right now!?" The Hoodlum Pokémon was flabbergasted. "Are you gonna let her talk shit to Hydreigon like that?"
"Of course, I don't. But that reaction of hers is pretty justified." Tyler said. "Considerin' what happened yesterday, I really don't blame her for being traumatized by the experience. You're prolly saying the same stuff too if you're in her shoes." He then turned towards Raphtalia right after seeing Scrafty backing off. "Don't take what he said yesterday personally, Raphtalia. He was so pissed off that he didn't realize that he insulted you."
"It's fine…" Raphtalia said. "And from how he refused to come out from his Poké Ball, I think he felt guilty about it and decided to stay inside the Poké Ball."
"And if you want to blame someone, blame that one knight who provoked Hydreigon."
"Now that you mentioned it, I saw that his personality completely turned one-eighty the second that knight called him 'evil.'" Naofumi remarked. "Hydreigon didn't strike me as the type to go fly off the handle."
"I seemed to recall your words that this was not the first time this sort of thing happened." Merleo added. "Care to elaborate?"
Tyler just sighed as he knew something like this came up sooner or later. "I ain't sure how to explain this but…" He began. "I guess you all deserve to know—"
A blue energy came out from Tyler, revealing a certain Pokémon coming out from said energy.
"I think this is the part where I should be the one to tell them." Hydreigon told his partner somberly. "After everything I did, I owe them that much at least."
Immediately, Filo went behind her master's back. "S-Stay away from me!"
"I kinda expected that reaction out of you and I don't blame you for it." The Dark and Dragon type Pokémon remarked.
"So, you remember what you did yesterday?" Kurisu asked.
"Yeah. All of it." He continued.
"And that means—"
"Yeah. I remember that I almost killed Melty just so I can break Filo's spirit first before killing her too."
"At least you don't destroy an entire village this time around." Tyler stated, shocking the others.
"Hold on, Hydreigon destroyed a village the last time he went on a rampage!?" Naofumi exclaimed.
Kurisu went silent as she processed what she just heard. This was not the first time she heard reports about a Pokémon leveling a settlement during one of their rampages. Especially if it was about a Pokémon who was usually docile and well-mannered most of the time.
"That is quite excessive." Merleo added.
"Oh, wow…" Chelsea mouthed, just as surprised as the others.
"And before you ask: They were kinda asking for it." Tyler said, surprising the others even further.
"Not to disrespect you, but there's nothing justified in destroying a village!" Melty said.
"What exactly did the villagers do to earn his ire?" Raphtalia said. "That doesn't seem like something Hydreigon would do."
"And you're right, Hydreigon isn't really the type to do something like that." Tyler continued. "But remember how that one knight provoked him?"
"You mean like how he called him e—" Raphtalia said before Naofumi clamped her mouth shut with his hand.
"You idiot! Are you trying to get all of us killed!?" Naofumi scolded her, knowing what would happen if she uttered that word.
"What were you trying to say?" Hydreigon asked.
"She said how they called you an empathetic dragon! Yeah." Naofumi said as Raphtalia nodded at him, following her master's lead.
"You were about to say 'evil', weren't you?" Instead of going full-on "rage mode", Hydreigon just simply sighed in resignation. "It's fine. It's not the words that I have a problem with, it's the emotion that fueled that word."
"I see now." Raphtalia said, remembering how she was called a 'filthy demihuman' countless times before meeting her current master. She would have lashed out as well had not been the Slave Crest keeping her in check. But that thought never crossed her mind once Naofumi entered her life.
"The emotion that you mentioned being…" Merleo began.
"Prejudice. Which is not that different from how demihumans were treated in this world." Hydreigon said. "Usually, I'm able to just shrug it off easily. But then I realize overtime that it's easier said than done."
"But then, does that mean you were angry at Filo deep down from the moment that she hatched?" Raphtalia wondered.
"I am, but how could I snap at her? She's still young." He continued. "… is what I thought at first. But every time I'm out at the field, she immediately hurls insults just because I'm a dragon. And restraining that anger becomes much harder."
"And eventually, it culminates in you suddenly blowing up from all of that pent-up rage and attacking everyone, friends and foes alike." Kurisu theorized.
"Yup."
"I get it…" Naofumi remarked as he somewhat saw a part of himself in Hydreigon. With people harassing them just for something that they have.
"But that doesn't seem to answer as to why that has something to do with Hydreigon destroying a village." Melty inquired.
"Well, let me tell you how it all happened." Tyler said as he began to tell them the story. "It was around a few hours after he evolved into Hydreigon…"
(Flashback)
The full moon was illuminating the night sky as it shone upon a forest. Inside said forest was Tyler evading Hydreigon's moves to test out how his new form was able to fight.
"That's some firepower, buddy!" Tyler complimented as he saw one of the trees was destroyed. "I guess that means your Special Attack stat is higher than your Attack."
"(Got that right, man! And there's more where that came from.)" Hydreigon nodded, accepting his Trainer's compliment as he fired another Dragon Pulseat him.
"Oh, shit!" Tyler proceeded to dodge that move, causing it to miss and cause a flock of Spearow to fly away for safety. "That was a close one."
But just as they were about to continue, they heard something not too far from where they were.
"The hell is that sound?" Tyler asked. "It sounded like they're havin' a party or something."
"(Dunno. Why don't we check it out?)" His partner asked him. While he cannot understand it, Tyler seemed to know what his Pokémon was trying to say.
"Only one way to find out." Tyler proceeded to follow to where the music come from with his partner in tow.
After a little walking, he and his partner stumbled upon a village, who were in the middle of a celebration of some kind. Tyler noticed that there were banners of Hydreigon on every corner of the village.
"It looks like they're celebratin' a festival about you, buddy. Not you specifically, but it's about Hydreigon in general" Tyler told his partner. "I say we join them."
"(That looks exciting! We should that.)" Hydreigon said as they slipped among the crowds that were too busy partying to notice.
"It's not every day you run into a festival. Let's party!" Tyler proceeded to dance around the crowd as his partner did the same.
Things were good and everyone was enjoying them as the festival kept on going. That is… until one of the villagers bumped on Hydreigon.
"Hey! Watch where you're going—" The man froze as he finally took a good look at the one that he bumped into.
"(Oh. Sorry about that. I didn't watch where–)"
"Hy-Hy-Hydreigon! A Hydreigon! There's a Hydreigon!" The man screamed as all of the villagers stopped what they were doing and donned the same fearful expression as that man.
"What the!? Where does it come from!?"
"Why is one coming out here!?"
"We're doomed! That thing is going to destroy our village!"
It was then that Tyler stopped dancing as he finally noticed the villagers were scared of his partner.
"What the…? The hell are they freakin' out for?" Tyler said in a confused tone.
"(I have no clue.)" The Dark and Dragon type Pokémon shrugged as he also found this confusing as his Trainer.
"You." Tyler turned to see an elderly man approaching him. He also realized that the villagers were looking at him funny… And not in a good way.
"Yeah, me. What's up?" The delinquent-looking Trainer greeted.
"Does that… thing belong to you?" The man asked him.
"Yeah, Hydreigon's with me. What about it?" He answered, not knowing where the elderly man was going with this.
"I'll have to ask you to take that beastly Pokémon and leave. It's not welcomed here." The man ordered, shocking Tyler and Hydreigon.
"Hold on, what do you mean my buddy is 'not welcomed here?'" Tyler retorted. "I thought this village was partyin' to celebrate something about Hydreigon. To… honor them or whatever you called."
"Honor them? Why do we worship such evil Pokémon? Hydreigon is truly a savage among savages. We're celebrating because to show that we're safe from those horrid creatures!"
"(Oh, wow… I did not expect these villager to be racists…)" The Dark and Dragon type Pokémon mouthed as this was the first time he was treated by such disdain.
"Hey! You take it back! My buddy isn't like that!" Tyler defended his partner.
"Oh? How can you be so sure?" The elderly man questioned him. "Their kind is the embodiment of evil and always attacks people on sight! The fact that you have, the fact that anyone wants that savage monster as a partner is beyond me!"
"Yeah! We don't want that kind of Pokémon here!"
"Our village will be much safer without that thing flying around and making a mess of things!"
Tyler could not believe how prejudiced the villagers were and Hydreigon became uncomfortable with the hateful gaze of the villagers. He always came to Hydreigon like a brother he never had. And he was happy that he was able to witness his partner evolve into the final stage. He has heard from his Pokédex that Hydreigon are usually aggressive in the wild. But he also knew his partner more than anyone that Hydreigon is incapable of doing so unless there was someone who gave him a reason to.
"Look, I don't know what exactly gave you the idea that Hydreigon is an evil Pokémon, but trust me. My Hydreigon ain't like the others because he's pretty chill. I know that because we've been together for quite awhile." Tyler said, hoping he could reason the villagers.
"Liar! Like could ever believe the words of a heretic like you!" One of the villagers shouted.
"Heretic!? Come on, isn't that over the top–" Tyler tried to calm the tension but to no avail.
"Of all the many Dragon type Pokemon out there, why do you have to pick that evil beast out of all Pokemon? It just goes to show that you're a horrible person!"
The delinquent-looking Trainer widened his eyes at the accusation.
"I agree! Anyone who's willing to have them on their team is a villain!"
"I mean, theTrainer already looked like a thug. Why not improve the image even further by catching the most evil Dragon type Pokemon of all time?"
It was then that tension became extremely high between the two visitors and the villagers.
"(Now, now. I think there's a misunderstanding around here. Why don't we talk this over and–)" Hydreigon flew forward and attempted to try convincing the villagers that he meant no harm. Emphasized on "attempted"…
"Gaaah! It's going to attack!" One of the villagers jumped into a wrong conclusion, causing the others to follow suit.
"(Wha–!? No, I'm not! I just want to talk–)" The Brutal Pokemon tried to reason with the villagers, but to no avail.
"Stand back! I'll handle this!" A young man stepped forward from amongst the crowd with a Poké Ball in hand. "Come on out, Noivern!"
The young man threw his Poké Ball in the air, causing a Pokémon to come up to fight Hydreigon.
It is a large, draconic Pokémon that resembles a bat. It is primarily black with a purple underbelly and greenish turquoise wing membranes. It has a purple lower jaw; a large, red, V-shaped nose; two fang-like projections on its upper lip; yellow eyes; and a greenish-turquoise color between its eyes and nose. Its large, teardrop-shaped ears have alternating rings of blue-green and black on the interiors and resemble loudspeakers. Around its neck is a fluffy mane of white fur that is longer in the back. Its wings have three red claws on the middle joint and are divided into segments by two black wing fingers. On the back of the wing, the final segment is purple. Noivern's feet have two toes each and a red, claw-like growth on top of each toe. It has a long, whip-like tail with a blue-green underside and two spines near the tip.
"Is that…?" Tyler pulled out his Pokédex to see what the Pokémon is.
"Noivern, the Sound Wave Pokémon. A Flying and Dragon type. And the evolved form of Noibat. The ultrasonic waves it emits from its ears can reduce a large boulder to pebbles. It swoops out of the dark to attack."
"Now, Noivern! Use Dragon Pulse!" The young man commanded his Pokémon.
Noivern screeched as it formed a ball of multicolored energy in its mouth and fired a multicolored dragon-shaped beam of energy from it at Hydreigon.
"The hell!? Counter it with your Dragon Pulse!" Tyler retorted.
Hydreigon formed a ball of multicolored energy in the mouths of each of his three heads before firing a multicolored dragon-shaped energy from them as it collided with Noivern's Dragon Pulse, canceling both of them out.
"Hey! What the hell was that for!? We ain't lookin' for a fight!" Tyler told the Trainer who sic his Noivern at them.
"You should've left when the village elder told you to. Now you and that Hydreigon will pay!" The young man retorted. "Now, use Air Slash!"
Noivern's wings glow light blue. It then flaps its wings, firing multiple light-blue, glowing blades of energy from them at the Hydreigon.
"Dodge them, buddy!" Tyler said as his partner did his best to evade the move.
"Perfect. Now dive in and use Super Fang!" Once its Trainer gave the command, Noivern swooped in as it flew towards Hydreigon with its teeth glowing.
"Hydreigon, watch out!" Tyler tried to warn him but Noivern beat him to it as it sank its glowing fangs onto Hydreigon's middle neck.
"(Shit! That hurts!)" The Dark and Dragon type Pokémon roared in pain as he felt his stamina was cut in half.
"That's more like it!"
"Sucks to be him that Noivern is faster."
"It won't take long for that evil Pokémon to be put down in its place!"
Tyler could hear the audience jeering at his partner. It made him sick with how excited they were.
"The hell's wrong with you people!? We're literally just passing by! We don't deserve this!"
"Shut up, you Hydreigon sympathizer!" One of the villagers threw a rock, hitting his face.
"Gah!" Tyler shouted in pain as he clutched his head as he bled from it.
"(Tyler!) Don't worry, I'll–Gaah!)" Hydreigon roared at his partner out of worry before he was struck by another Air Slashwhen he wasn't looking.
"Look at us when you're fighting, dumbass dragon." The young man told it.
"Yeah! They don't deserve to be anyone's Pokémon!" A woman added as she too threw a rock at him. It was then that every villager threw rocks at the poor Trainer.
"They're a plague to Dragon type Pokémon everywhere!"
"I heard a leader of a villainous team used one!"
"A good Hydreigon is one that should stay away from humans!"
Tyler tried his best to protect himself from the villager's rocks while also trying to focus on the battle at hand, something that he finds very hard to do.
"(You know what? Screw this!)" Hydreigon decided to abandon the battle for the moment in order to protect his Trainer from being pelted by rocks, but the villagers saw this differently…
"Aaah! It's coming right for us!" One of the villagers screamed in fear.
"Noivern! Stop him with Dragon Pulse!" The opposing Trainer commanded as the Sound Wave Pokémon fired another Dragon Pulse right towards Hydreigon's open back.
"No!" Tyler proceeded to rush past his partner.
"(What are you…?)" Hydreigon widened his eyes as he turned around and realized that his Trainer took a hit that was aiming for him. "(Tyler, no!)" He roared as he saw his Trainer fall to the side.
"Tch! He got in the way." The Trainer cursed himself.
The Brutal Pokémon flew towards his Trainer and to see if he was all right. "(You okay, buddy? Tell me you're okay!)"
Fortunately, Tyler was able to open his eyes and smiled. "Hey, buddy. I'm okay."
"(I'm so relieved–Gaaah!)" Hydreigon sighed in relief before a lasso wrapped around his middle neck and was pulled back. Two more lassos wrapped around the two lower necks and he was pulled even further back.
"Hydreigon!" Tyler mustered his energy and saw that some of the villagers were restraining his partner. "Hey! The hell you are doing to my buddy!"
"What's it look like? Putting it out of its misery!" One of the villagers answered. "The world will be much more peaceful with one less Hydreigon roaming around."
"You're all basically condemning him just by existing!" Tyler said. "Like I keep saying, my buddy isn't like that!"
"Young man, that thing is not your friend. He is a monster. Monsters like that don't have a heart. All it knows is to cause pain and destruction." The village elder stated.
"How could you say that!? That's just you being afraid of them because you never dare to interact with one like I do!" Tyler said. "You're the real monsters for doing something like this to him. He looks scary, but he also acts more human than you bastards!"
"That's enough out of you!" One of the villagers punched him in the gut, causing Tyler to gag as he clutched his stomach.
"(No!)" The Brutal Pokémon tried his best to break free from his restraints just so he can assist his Trainer.
"Still have some fight left in you, huh? Noivern!" With the snap of the opposing Trainer's fingers, Noivern proceeded to unleash one moreAir Slash, damaging him greatly as he was unable to dodge or block it.
"Take that! You evil dragon!"
"A monster like you should be punished for staining this village's purity with your filth!"
Even now, Hydreigon could not believe what he was seeing. For the first time in his life, he was in a front row seat of the ugly nature of humanity. While he was no stranger to this sort of thing, this was the first time that it was directed at him. He really could not fathom why they were treating him like a villain even though he never interacted with them, let alone did something to offend them. All he ever did was try to fit in during the celebration. And now, not only that he will be persecuted severely by these racist villagers but his partner got hurt in the process.
'(It makes no sense at all! My Trainer did not deserve this. I did not deserve this! And yet, WHY are both of us getting punished for this!? WHY are we the bad guys here!?)' He pondered… before something snapped in Hydreigon.
Enough is enough.
"Come on everyone! Let's teach this evil dragon a lesson—" One of the villagers said before he was sent flying when Hydreigon somehow pulled the lasso with an extraordinary strength, causing him to crash into one of the stalls. "Ohhhh…"
"(You too! Let go, you motherfucker!)" The Dark and Dragon type Pokémon then sent the second villager flying into one of the other stalls, knocking him out. He then proceeded to bite through the last lasso before he turned towards the villagers with his most frightening glare and a growl.
"N-Nice… Hydreigon." One of the villagers tried to calm the "dragon" down.
"(You want a monster? Fine! I'll gladly play the part! Eat this!)" Hydreigon roared as he launched a Tri Attack at the villagers.
"Gahh!" Some of the villagers screamed in pain as they were hit by the attack.
"Everybody, run!" One of the villagers said as they all scrambled away from the raging Dragon type Pokémon.
"(You fucking cowards! I'll burn this village to the ground!)" The Dark and Dragon type Pokémon proceeded to fire another Tri Attack at the fleeing villagers. While they missed, the attack ended up destroying a house. He openly fired another one, and it hit some of the villagers.
"Stop that evil thing! It's destroying our home—Gaah!" The village elder said before he was blasted away by a Dark Pulse, greatly injuring him.
"Elder!" Noivern's Trainer cried out. "Noivern! Take down that bastard with Dragon Claw!"
A light-green aura forms around each of Noivern's hands and they turn into a claw-like shape. Noivern then proceeded to try to hit Hydreigon with them. But what happened next was that Hydreigon got the drop on Noivern at the last second as he had his lower heads bite down Noivern's wings, canceling the move.
"What!? How!?" The young man asked as Hydreigon has his middle head and used Dragon Pulseon the restrained Noivern, damaging it greatly. It was not over as the two other heads then began firing their own Dragon Pulseat the vulnerable Dragon type Pokémon, which resulted in Noivern crashing to a house.
"Noivern!" Its Trainer rushed to check the wellbeing of his Pokémon. When he managed to find it, Noivern was lying on its back and it had swirly eyes, revealing that it had fainted.
Now with the thorn on his side out of the way, Hydreigon proceeded to keep blasting everywhere and everyone with his moves. Causing the majority of the villagers getting injured and also having their homes destroyed.
"(I won't stop until I make all of you pay for your pissing me off!)" The enraged Pokémon roared to the dark night sky as he lay waste to this accursed village. In a matter of minutes, all of the buildings were blasted to kingdom come and the villagers laid on the ground unconscious. Alive, but injured… Was what he initially thought as he heard a coughing in the distance. He turned to see that the village's elder was lying down on the ground, still conscious.
"Ohhh…." The man groaned before he widened his eyes and saw that the one Pokémon that he and the others provoked into terrorizing the village was hovering before him. "P-Please! Have mercy on us! We did not—Gaack!"
Instead of letting him finish, Hydreigon bit the man in the neck with his left head before lifting the body up.
"(Any last words, you old geezer?)" The enraged Pokémon asked the man.
"I cannot… understand what you are saying…" Just for that response, Hydreigon had his right head ready with a Dark Pulse.
"Dude! Stop! That's enough!" Tyler called out his partner, causing said partner to glance towards him. "You destroyed a freakin' village and then blasting its villagers left and right! I think they got the message loud and clear. So stop it!"
"(Why are you stopping me, Tyler? This bastards attacked us when we did nothing! You saw that, right?" Hydreigon tried to reason with his Trainer.
"Yeah, I know that much. I have eyes and ears too! But what you're doing ain't no different than those bastards!" He retorted.
"(Talking back to me now, are you?)" The Brutal Pokémon proceeded to let go of the man, causing him to hastily scramble to safety. "(I see how it is. Then you're also part of the problem!)" He immediately did the unthinkable… launching a Dragon Pulseat his own Trainer!
"Crap!" Tyler jumped out of the way as the move destroyed what was left of a stand. "What the hell, Hydreigon!? Did you just do that!?"
"(I just did, 'pal'! The problem is that you're too soft! You have to use brute force to get these thickheaded bastards to understand! Even if you ended up destroying them! Like this!)" He wasted no effort for firing a Dark Pulse, but his Trainer dodged it.
"Shit!" He cursed under his breath before dodging moves after moves. Let it not be said that Tyler was not athletic. This was the result of training his body, on top of training his Pokémon team. One of which is dodging moves from Pokémon due to having used himself as target practice for his team on a regular basis. 'Welp. It's now or never!' He said to himself as he ran towards his enraged partner.
Hydreigon roared before firing a Tri Attackat Tyler, only for him to evade it before it could hit him.
"Sorry, what I'm about to do to you pal. It won't kill you, but it won't tickle you either!" Tyler said as he reared back one of his fists. "Wake up!" He yelled as he punched Hydreigon across his face.
"(Draah!)" Hydreigon roared in pain as he felt the punch. Before he can retaliate, he felt woozy and promptly fell to the ground, out cold.
"Sorry that I had to do this to you, buddy. But you were askin' for it." Tyler proceeded to pull out his Poke Ball. "Return!" Just like that, the unconscious Hydreigon was sent back to his Poke Ball to recuperate. But just as he was about to leave…
"I thank you to put that savage beast under control." Tyler turned around to see the village elder. He immediately decided to walk towards the man. "You see now? That monster doesn't deserve to be someone's Pokemon. It's too wild–"
"Cut the shit, you goddamn, racist geezer! " Tyler retorted as he grabbed the village elder by the collar and looked at him with his most furious expression, which stopped the man. "Let's set something straight, okay? I didn't you do that just to save your worthless ass. I did that so my buddy won't destroy anymore than he already has. You assholes are the ones who started this crap! We were just about to leave but then you ended up making fuss of this. And now look where that got you?" He gestured to the ruined remains of the village. "Again, this is all you. My partner is the most kindhearted Pokemon I have ever met. You pushed him into really destroying your damn village. I hope you burn in hell you dumb, racist SONS OF BITCHES!" He punched village elder, knocking him to the ground before leaving towards somewhere far, far away from the village…
(Flashback end)
"...And that's how it all happened." Tyler said as he concluded his story. "Even though I did get questioned by the police, they were on my side because it was self-defense and have the villagers wrote an apology letter to me and Hydreigon. Though they ask me to come visit, I'm gonna make it clear that I'm NEVER going back to that shithole again."
Everyone has varied expressions on their faces as Tyler finished talking. It was a mix of anger, sadness, and disgust that were planted in their faces.
"Yeah, I really don't blame Hydreigon for losing his patience with those villagers. Those bastards poked a powerful, three-headed dragon with a figurative stick and then he snapped and destroyed the village." Naofumi commented. "What do you think the end results will be?"
"That is horrible. Poor Hydreigon…" Raphtalia added. From what she was hearing, those villagers acted no different than some of the humans' treatment of demihuman.
"I'd feel bad about them, but like Tyler said, they brought the destruction of their village on themselves." Chelsea said.
"That's so wrong on so many levels. Festivals that demean a Pokémon without knowing context like the one Tyler described should be banned. In fact, it should never be held to begin with." Kurisu commented with venom in her tone. It reminded too much of the abuse her late friend suffered.
"But keep in mind that they just happened to harass the one Hydreigon that is not aggressive or wild. Who's to say that the villagers aren't wrong about it." Melty said.
"Yeah! Dragons are–" Naofumi immediately shut Filo's mouth before she could say anything… unnecessary.
"Come on, Filo. Learn your lesson already! The reason Hydreigon beat you up when he's angry is that you kept say stuffs like this! We're already in a tough situation already, so don't make it worse." He told her. "Otherwise, I'm not gonna feed you anymore. Is that clear?" Filo had no choice but to obey, especially if it concerned food. Even if she didn't, the slave seal will force her to obey the command anyway.
"Actually, I have an answer for that." Kurisu then pulled out her Poryphone to open the Pokedex app.
"Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokémon. A Dark and Dragon type. It's said that Hydreigon grew ferocious because people in times long past loathed it, considering it to be evil incarnate and attacking it relentlessly."
"So, even the Pokedex acknowledged that it's the people's fault for making Hydreigon a vicious Pokémon." Naofumi mused. "Like I said, try poking the dragon with a stick and see where that gets you."
"It is one's nature to fear the unknown." Merleo said. "And unfortunately, that fear would often lead to many worst actions."
"So, that's what happened…" Melty mouthed as she felt remorse of ever doubting Tyler's Hydreigon.
"..." Filo did not say anything as she was contemplating on what she just heard. Was it really her fault that Hydreigon ended up attacking her and got Melty in the crossfire? Hydreigon truly did not do anything to her and yet she was the one trying to pick a fight with him. It was only when he was provoked by the knights to his breaking point that he finally retaliated against her.
"Listen, I really can't blame you if you started hating me for the things I did…" Hydreigon began. "But having to endure hasn't been any easier for me. Being judged before you really get to know them."
"While it's true there are many biased people no matter what world you found yourself into…" Kurisu began. "But you really shouldn't hold that burden all by yourself. Some people will welcome you but some people won't. But does it really matter? Don't do it for them, do it for you. Haters will always be haters, but they will be those who don't. You should focus and fight for those who believe in you instead of those who treated you like a monster. And when you're in a tight situation…" She approached the Brutal Pokémon before patting him gently on the shoulder. "Remember that you are not alone in this. You got Tyler, your teammates, and all of us."
Hydreigon was more or less surprised by Kurisu's speech towards him. Not only did she not hold a grudge against him for being a slave to his anger, but have gave him useful advice. It was something he needed to hear long ago.
"Kurisu's right, buddy." The Dark and Dragon type Pokémon turned to see his Trainer. "There was never a day where I didn't regret catching you. You've been with me longer than anyone on my team." Tyler continued. "Why do you think I stick with you even after you destroyed that village? Because I know you better than anyone. You're a really nice guy, you know that? So, what if you're evil incarnate? That doesn't change the fact that you are who you are."
"Yeah, homie! Fuck those pussies! You don't hafta listen what they have to say." Scrafty chimed in. "You still good in my book. And that's all I need."
"Yeah, Hydreigon! Those bullies don't know a single thing about you. Don't let them get to you." Dunsparce added.
"You're the leader of our team, Hydreigon! We're with you all the way." Vivillon said.
"I haven't been with the team that long, but I can tell you're someone I can rely, Hydreigon." Rapidash added.
"You know, I'm not the type to give you that sappy stuffs…" Gengar began. "But what I do know is that you're gonna make content out of them by screwing their opinions of you. I know I would." The Shadow Pokemon said in his own way.
"You guys…" Hydreigon looked to see that most of everyone supported him. Fortunately, it lifted his spirits tremendously.
Little did he know, he was being observed by one Pokémon.
"Hydreigon…" Altaria mouthed as everyone went back to eating their meal.
(Somewhere…)
Wobbuffet was panting as he tried to catch his breath with Golett. The two Pokémon managed to fight off the knights long enough for one of them, which was a certain Shiny Pokemon, to find an opening for them to escape. For the moment, they were hiding near some big bushes.
"I think… we lost them. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we managed to shake them off from our tail." Wobbuffet said.
Golett put a finger in front of his face, motioning his fellow Pokémon to be quiet before pointing in a direction where they could see the same group of knights that attacked them.
"Tch! Where are those freaks of nature ran to? They should not be able to run this far." The leader of the group muttered.
"Sir, I like to inform you that we really should be looking for the Shield Devil and his party." One of his subordinates reminded him.
"I guess it can't be helped. We'll run into those monsters again eventually." And with that, the knights left.
Then, Wobbuffet and Golett poked from the bushes.
"Good. It looks like we lost them." Wobbuffet sighed in relief before he was patted by his fellow Pokemon. It then pointed one of its fingers towards the direction that the knights went.
"Wait. You're not thinking of following them, are you? But we just barely got away from them." The Patient Pokémon replied.
"..." The Automaton Pokémon simply ran ahead to said direction.
"Wha!? Hey! Don't leave me by myself!" Wobbuffet said as he went after his "bodyguard."
Next: Heroes on the Run
Party Data
Tyler Bryant - Level 44
- Hydreigon (Male) - Level 71
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, Tri Attack
- Vivillon (Elegant Pattern) (Female) - Level 68
Ability: ?
Moves: Hurricane, Signal Beam
- Scrafty (Male) - Level 69
Ability: ?
Moves: High Jump Kick, Stone Edge, Iron Head, Crunch
- Rapidash (Female) - Level 67
Ability: ?
Moves: Megahorn, Flamethrower, Protect, Extreme Speed
- Dunsparce (Male) - Level 68
Ability: Serene Grace
Moves: Thunderbolt, Drill Run, Coil, Last Resort
- Gengar (Male) - Level 69
Ability: ?
Moves: Shadow Ball, Icy Wind, Sludge Bomb
Naofumi Iwatani - Level 39
- Lairon (Male) - Level 34
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Headbutt, Protect, Iron Head, Rock Slide
- Quilladin (Male) - Level 26
Ability: ?
Moves: Vine Whip, Bite, Needle Arm, Pin Missile
Raphtalia - Level 40*
- Linoone (Female) - Level 24
Ability: Pickup
Moves: Headbutt, Pin Missile, Slash
- Honedge (Male) - Level 34
Ability: No Guard
Moves: Slash, Swords Dance, Fury Cutter
Filo - Level 40*
Kurisu Hanatabi - Level 40*
- Riolu (Male) - Level 38
Ability: ?
Moves: Force Palm, Quick Attack, Metal Claw, Quick Guard
- Floette (Red Flower) (Female) - Level 49
Ability: ?
Moves: Vine Whip, Moonblast, Aromatherapy
Chelsea Arel - Level 43
- Vanilluxe (Female) - Level 67
Ability: ?
Moves: Water Pulse
- Delphox (Female) - Level 70
Ability: ?
Moves: Mystical Fire, Psychic, Shadow Ball
- Rhyperior (Male) Level 68
Ability: Solid Rock
Moves: Dig, Megahorn, Rock Wrecker, Thunder Punch
- Sawsbuck (Spring Form) (Male) - Level 65
Ability: ?
Moves: Double Edge, Horn Leech, Jump Kick
- Arbok (Female) - Level 68
Ability: Intimidation
Moves: Toxic, Venoshock, Sucker Punch
- Altaria (Female) - Level 68
Ability: ?
Moves: Dragon Claw, Cotton Guard
Merleo Goneri - Level 40*
- Kadabra (Male) - Level 18
Ability: ?
Moves: Teleport
That's about it for this chapter. Nothing much going own other than explaining Hydreigon's backstory and the "bags" that Pokémon Trainers have.
Noivern is chosen to be the Pokémon that a Hydreigon-hater used is a nod to how in a Pokédex entry, Hydreigon is afraid of Noivern due to how the latter is able to defeat the former, especially at night. And the scene is how I reply to that entry. And speaking of recent Pokédex entry, Hydreigon's entry is from Pokémon Violet. I mean, who wouldn't get ferocious when you harassed someone so many times over a paranoia? Also, the part about Hydreigon destroying a village also references the Sword entry.
Leave a review as always and see you on the next chapter!