Kriesh spread her wings and leaped off the balcony, taking a few moments before beginning to turn in the direction of Jaya's room. At every wingbeat she felt a flutter in her chest, telling her to go back, that this ran contrary to everything she'd done over the past few months.
Marcus's reaction had been easier to digest than anticipated; merely an exclamation of "Oh, that's where I remember her from!" and a request for Kriesh to be careful in case the saboteur tried to strike again. That relieved Kriesh; she'd been expecting anger, but Marcus didn't seem to care about this particular lie.
She felt more at peace than she had for the past couple months as she beat her wings steadily towards the balcony of Jaya's room. Kriesh thought she could see her through the glass now, though it was just foggy enough that she wasn't certain.
As she landed on the metal railing of the balcony, a figure rose up on the other side of the window, large wings spread. Kriesh peered at it, recognizing the form and colors of Totem, Jaya's Sigilyph. A telepathic voice arose in her head. "Why are you here?"
"I want to see Jaya," said Kriesh.
"And why would she want to see you?" Totem asked.
"Because she knows me," said Kriesh. "I-"
"I know who you are," said Totem. "I know where you know Jaya from. My question stands. Why would she want to see you? Now, when the last thing she needs is distraction?"
"I'm not trying to be a distraction," said Kriesh. "I just-"
"Good. Then go," said Totem. "She's having trouble focusing on the second round as it is. She doesn't need any distractions."
"Listen to me," Kriesh said urgently. "Distraction isn't her problem. It's trauma - trauma from losing me and my siblings. If she learns about me…if she learns that I'm okay…it's not going to distract her. It's going to help her. That's all I'm trying to do."
"I am helping her," said Totem.
"You said it yourself," said Kriesh. "She's already having trouble focusing. Is that all your 'help' can do?"
"Are you saying my help is insufficient?" Totem asked angrily.
"I'm saying that I can help more," said Kriesh. "If you'll let me."
Totem remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "And what do you get out of helping one of your Trainer's rivals?"
"I'm not helping a rival," said Kriesh. "I'm helping a friend."
Again there was a brief moment of silence, and then: "I'll be watching, Kriesh. If you do anything to hurt her…anything at all…I will ensure you regret it."
"Of course," said Kriesh. A small flare of Psychic energy burst forth across Totem's body, and the balcony door slid open, revealing the room beyond.
Jaya - for that was indeed who the figure Kriesh couldn't make out had been - looked up as Kriesh slowly fluttered inside. She smiled slightly. "Hi, Kriesh."
Kriesh hopped up onto the bed next to Jaya, her instincts once again telling her to retreat. She ignored them; she knew here was no turning back now.
She looked over at Totem, eyes narrowed. Totem sighed. "Jaya," he said, projecting his voice into Kriesh's mind as well so that she could hear. "This…isn't the first time you've met Kriesh."
"Of course not," said Jaya, sounding puzzled. "We met when Marcus was battling Valerie…and before even that, when I was…"
"Those weren't the first time, either," said Totem.
Kriesh looked up into Jaya's eyes; her heart swelled with joy as she saw them light up and realized Jaya had finally connected the dots. The woman's mouth opened slightly and she reached up; Kriesh buried her cheek in Jaya's hand, relishing the brush of her fingers as she slowly ran them across her face.
"Which one?" Jaya asked quietly.
"Three," Kriesh answered, equally quietly; Totem translated swiftly as Jaya continued to stroke her.
Jaya's eyes welled with tears, something that caused Totem to shift, but before he could do anything Jaya reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around Kriesh's body. Kriesh relaxed, allowing the woman to hug her; it was nearly a minute before she pulled away, looking down at her with wet eyes. "Three…I thought…I thought I'd never see you again…"
"I know," said Kriesh. "I know."
"What…what happened?" Jaya asked. "How did you…" She shook her head. "Tell me…how'd you meet Marcus? How did you…how did you get here?"
Kriesh adjusted her posture, glanced at Totem to make sure he was ready to translate, and then began to speak. No need to talk about Team Rocket - she doesn't need to hear about that. "I suppose…" said Kriesh. "I suppose I should start with when I returned to Kalos…"
"So this is why no one's found her," said Ceruledge.
The fact that he sounded impressed, rather than disgusted, sent another wave of fury through Brambleghast as she eyed the small metallic sphere on one of the many shelves surrounding the three Ghost-types.
"Indeed," said Gholdengo. "All this time, they've been scouring Laverre…except for here. After all, why would the saboteur hide their prisoners mere rooms away from all of the contestants?"
"Prisoners?" Brambleghast asked.
Gholdengo turned to face her. "Well, obviously Jolt's not going to be the last one. I want someone from both of the others - Ilima's Komala should suffice, and one of Marcus's non-Dark-types." He grinned. "Perhaps Cloyster?"
"You leave him alone," Brambleghast snarled.
"If you say so," said Gholdengo, the grin not leaving his face. "Let me put it this way - as long as you don't cause any problems, I'll make sure Cloyster stays safe. Does that sound fair to you?"
Scowling, Brambleghast nodded.
"Good," said Gholdengo. "Now, we should probably get back to the Gym. Raymond won't be too much longer."
The Steel/Ghost-type Pokemon turned and stepped out of the room, out into the second-floor hallway of the apartments, just a few doors away from the rooms of the contestants and their Gym Trainers. As Ceruledge made to follow, Brambleghast rolled up beside him. "What do you think you're doing?" she whispered furiously. "Gholdengo's out of his mind if he thinks this'll help Raymond!"
"Do you think I do not know that?" Ceruledge asked. "I agree with you that Gholdengo has lost his way."
"Then why do you think working with him is a good idea?" Brambleghast asked. "Why did you back him up back there?"
"You heard his talk about 'whatever it takes'," said Ceruledge. "You heard his talk about hurting Raymond, if he must. That is why I am working with him. Not because I think it is a good idea…but because the better his plan works, the less his chance of desperation. Brambleghast…this is the only way to protect Raymond from him. And I am prepared to do what I need to do in order for Raymond to be protected."
Brambleghast sighed as the two of them moved down the hallway after Gholdengo. "This is insane. Where did this come from? Sure, he's always been a bit arrogant, and I've always been worried about just how much power he has, but he's never done anything like this before."
"I know," said Ceruledge. "And that is why I am so scared of his desperation…because this is his desperation. This is Raymond's last chance to avoid stagnation as a Trainer, and Gholdengo is so desperate for Raymond to win that he will do, as he said, whatever it takes to make that a reality. The question is…what is his limit? What is the point where he will turn back? What is the line he will not cross?" Ceruledge stopped moving, turning to look closely at Brambleghast. "I do not wish to find out what that line is. Do you?"
Brambleghast shook her head.
"Then we must do what he commands," said Ceruledge. "If there was any other way, I would take it…but there is not."
There is. Brambleghast held her tongue, though she wished to speak up in protest. If the two of us worked together, we could probably beat him. But it's not for certain…and that is why he stays his hand.
Brambleghast shook her head in disgust as she rolled down the stairs after Ceruledge and Gholdengo, trying her best to push thoughts of sabotage out of her mind and focus on other, happier things.
Kriesh stood silently as Totem finished translating her story. It had been an abbreviated version - she'd seen no need to describe things like Team Flare, the storming of Aether Paradise, or the terrible initial days with Marcus in anything resembling detail - but Kriesh hoped it would be enough.
Jaya's smile was all the answer she needed. "That all sounds wonderful, Th - Kriesh," she said. "I'm glad you found a good Trainer."
Kriesh glanced away guiltily. She's going to ask for me to come back, isn't she?
"Kriesh," said Jaya, "I know you're conflicted." Kriesh swung her head back around, eyes wide. Jaya chuckled. "I know a Fearow's body language - not to mention that I have a feeling that's why you didn't bring this up, say, when we met on the field the other week."
Kriesh lowered her head in shame.
"Don't." Jaya shifted her hand under Kriesh's chin and gently raised it up, looking deep into Kriesh's eyes. "You don't have to feel bad. Kriesh…you have a Trainer. I wouldn't dream of trying to take you away from him."
Kriesh smiled. "Thank you," she whispered. Totem didn't translate, but it was clear Jaya had gotten the gist of it.
Jaya sighed. "You should get back to Marcus," she said. "I have a round to prepare for…and so does he."
Kriesh nodded, recognizing the dismissal for what it was. Slowly, she turned and hopped off the bed; Totem opened the balcony door for her.
As she stepped out, the Sigilyph's voice sounded in her head again. "Thanks, I guess. I…can tell that helped."
Kriesh chose to ignore the reluctance in his words. "No problem," she replied, and then she leaped, spreading her wings as she flew off the balcony. Her wingbeats turned towards Marcus's balcony, her body feeling even lighter than it had been on her approach to Jaya's room.
The next day passed swiftly. Kriesh could tell Marcus would have liked to watch Jaya's round, as he had wanted to watch Raymond's, but only the contestant, their Gym Trainers, and Valerie and her Gym Trainers (as well as their Pokemon, of course) were allowed inside the Gym during the round. Jaya's score, however, was not kept secret - 40 points, double Raymond's score, putting her in the lead by five points.
This had not pleased Raymond, which gratified Kriesh - regardless of whether or not it was him enacting the sabotage, the last thing Kriesh wanted was for him to win off the back of said sabotage. But it also set a high bar for Marcus. Jaya had already been five points ahead of Marcus - he would have to gain a score of 45 points or more in this round in order to even equal her total.
Most of the day had been spent either searching Laverre for any sign of Jolt or the saboteur, though by this point they'd combed pretty much the entire town without success, or preparing for the upcoming challenge. Despite not having been able to see the challenge, Marcus had a pretty good idea of what it was - no single battle could last that long, and so he'd come to the conclusion that the challenge would be a succession of battles, meant to emulate the constant battling a Gym Leader would have to do over the course of a day. This hypothesis meant Drapion, Liepard, Houndoom, and Pangoro had spent the day on endurance training, seeing as while a Pokemon Center could heal wounds and bring back Pokemon from unconsciousness, there was only so much it could do to stimulate endurance, especially since many of the most potent endurance-stimulating medicines had been banned long ago by the Pokemon League in order to try and stop Pokemon from pushing themselves to the point of severe injury or even death.
The rest of the team had also participated in the training, seeing as greater endurance was never a bad thing; as such, Kriesh went to sleep early and exhausted, and the next morning didn't wake up until Marcus released her from her Luxury Ball so she could eat breakfast.
One hurried breakfast later, Marcus was walking swiftly towards the Laverre City Gym, Connie, Theo, and Serena at his side. The people of Laverre had long since returned; Kriesh still hadn't figured out just how Valerie had gotten them all out of Laverre, but that was a question for another time.
As Marcus and his Gym Trainers entered the Gym, Kriesh saw Valerie standing in the entryway, her Gym Trainers gathered around her. The Laverre City Gym Leader smiled. "Ah, good. Right on time. Please, come this way."
"Iron Fist: Crushing Blow!" Pangoro deliberately held back some of his strength as he pounded his opponent - a Ledian - with a vicious right hook. The Ledian staggered, wings fluttering madly to keep it in the air. "Buzz Blades!" the Ledian cried, unleashing a flurry of Flying energy-formed blades in retaliation. Pangoro retaliated with a swift barrage of Bullet Blows, dispersing the Air Slashes before they could touch his body, though the impacts stung his knuckles slightly.
"Buzz Blast!" The Ledian soared up into the air and fired a blast of Bug energy at Pangoro, who fought back the instinct to retaliate with a Rending Blast. Instead, he raised his fists - "Iron Fist!" - and tanked the blast with his reinforced fists, though the force of the blast shoved him backwards slightly.
"Buzz Punch!" The Ledian swooped in, taking full advantage of Pangoro's stumble, fist surrounded with Fighting energy.
"Bullet Punch!" Marcus cried; Pangoro swiftly obeyed, but clearly the Buzz Punch was some sort of priority move - Mach Punch, if Pangoro had to guess - for it struck Pangoro in the stomach before Pangoro's strike could land. The Ledian swiftly ducked as Pangoro recoiled; his massive arm missed the speedy Bug/Flying-type, and it quickly retaliated with another Buzz Blast that sent Pangoro staggering once again.
"Mach Punch again!" the opposing Trainer - one of Valerie's Gym Trainers in disguise once again - cried.
"Defend and retaliate with Arm Thrust!" Marcus retorted.
"Iron Fist: Piston Blow!" Pangoro hauled back and shot his fist forwards straight into the Ledian's attack. The two fists met with a crunch and the Ledian staggered; Pangoro drew his fist back and plunged it forwards again, landing a vicious punch to the Ledian's chest. The Ledian was sent flying across the arena, landing on the ground in a spray of dust.
Pangoro grinned. If this is what being a Gym Leader's Pokemon is going to be like, I don't know why I ever would have wanted anything else.
Marcus had been correct about the content of the Gym Exam's second round - mostly, at least. As Valerie had explained, the second round was a simulation of the daily life of a Gym Leader. That meant constant battles, something that Pangoro relished, but it also meant other, more mundane problems that Marcus would have to address.
Thankfully, those problems could mainly be addressed by Marcus or his Gym Trainers, and as such Pangoro and the rest of the team mostly got to stick with the battles. So far, across three different battles, Pangoro had fought a Clawitzer, a Toxicroak, a clearly out-of-his-depth Minun, and now this Ledian.
All but the Minun had provided a satisfactory challenge, and it was painfully clear that the Minun's Trainer was meant to be unprepared for the rigors of this Gym. Prepared enough to make it past the Gym Trainers, but inadequate to defeat Marcus.
Then again, Pangoro thought, all this is dependent on me holding back my strength.
It still irked him, to a degree. If the only way these adversaries could win was for him to hold back, then why did they deserve to win at all? It wasn't he would have held back if they'd met him in the wild. But when he'd voiced these opinions, Medicham had pulled him aside and reminded him that Trainer society was different than the society of Wild Pokemon; the Gym Challenge was meant to be a test of a Trainer's capabilities, not a desperate fight against overwhelming odds.
He respected Medicham, and to be honest, he understood the Fighting/Psychic-type's words. That didn't mean he agreed with them, but it did mean he would go along with them, for the sake of Marcus and for the sake of the team.
So as Pangoro prepared to meet the Ledian's next charge, he deliberately but subtly loosened his muscles. And as the Ledian lunged, fists ready for close-quarters combat, Pangoro met it with an Iron Fist-boosted punch of intentionally lackluster strength.
So the second round continued.
The day wore on. Pangoro fought, each fight sapping a little of his strength, until he no longer needed to hold back any of it, for the excess strength he'd been leaving off the table was now not a factor. He would never say he didn't enjoy the challenge, but he would admit it was pretty difficult.
It was clearly difficult for Marcus as well, who was beginning to falter under the deluge of requests, orders, and battling expected of him. Twice Pangoro noticed Marcus mixing up a couple orders, sending instructions to the wrong people and generally causing confusion. There were other incidents, too, less severe but worryingly numerous.
And the sabotage didn't help.
Drapion uncharacteristically tripping up in the middle of a battle…one of Marcus's orders somehow not reaching Theo despite Pangoro remembering clearly that Marcus had given said order…a sudden Curse on an enemy Pokemon that Pangoro knew Houndoom had no way of utilizing…all this and more struck them from out of nowhere during the second challenge. Pangoro, however, tried his best to pay them little heed. He was already tired, and saw no reason to try and track down the saboteur - especially since Marcus was handing the situation well.
Mercifully, six long, grueling hours later, the last of the challengers retreated with a shiny new Gym Badge in hand, and Valerie's voice rang out. "That's enough!"
Marcus at once sat down heavily; he'd been standing or walking the entire day, something that his feet weren't exactly happy about. Pangoro watched Valerie intently as she stepped up to Marcus.
"An impressive effort," said Valerie. "You handled your Gym Challengers well - the ones who deserved Gym Badges gained them, the ones who didn't…didn't. I see nothing wrong with your performance on that front. But your inexperience is showing - you were clearly swamped under your tasks at times, and occasionally your Pokemon utilized tricks that I seem to recall you intended to ban."
"I thought the Gym Exam wasn't meant to be affected by inexperience," said Marcus.
"Experience is always a factor, Marcus," said Valerie. "It is not the decider, no, but it is a factor. The simple fact is that the Trainers who have had experience with this sort of thing will naturally do better than the ones who don't. Let me explain something to you, Marcus - two Trainers go up against one another. Both of them have a single Florges. One has been training theirs for ten months, the other for five. Which one wins?"
"Probably the one who trained their Florges for ten months," said Marcus.
"What if the one who'd trained their Florges for five months taught theirs Synthesis, which the other Florges didn't know?" Valerie asked.
"Well, then…" Marcus frowned. "I'm not sure."
"Exactly," said Valerie. "Yes, lesser experience naturally puts one at a disadvantage, but such a disadvantage can be overcome in more ways than time. The third round should demonstrate that - good luck with that."
"Thanks," said Marcus.
"I will give you a score of 35 points," said Valerie. "You may go now - as I told Raymond and Jaya, until all four contestants are finished, you may not discuss the contents of this round with anyone but those who were also there. I believe there is only Ilima still to go - after that, you may talk as you please."
"Yes, Valerie," said Marcus, nodding even as he recalled Pangoro and the rest of the team into their Luxury Balls.
"50 points?" Jaya sounded absolutely flabbergasted.
Ilima nodded. "I helped run a Trainer School for years. I know my way around people - and, of course, Pokemon battling."
Kriesh looked up from her meal. The last day of the second round had passed without major incident, and had mostly been a day of rest for Marcus and his exhausted Dark-types. Ilima had just come back from her second round, which finally allowed the rest of the contestants to talk about their experience.
Jaya frowned. "So…50 plus 25…that means we're tied for first, with 75 each. Raymond's third with 70, and Marcus is last with 65. We're only ten points apart…this third round is going to decide it all, that's for sure."
Marcus glanced around furtively. "So, now that we can talk…did you all get sabotaged?"
"Yeah," said both Jaya and Ilima.
"So did I," said Marcus. "Jaya, have you talked to Valerie again?"
"No," said Jaya, "but I doubt I'll get a different answer."
"Okay, fair," said Marcus. "Still, no more disappearances - that's something, at least."
"I'll take something at this point," said Jaya. "So, Marcus, Ilima. To a successful second round - and the hopes of an equally successful third round?"
"Hear, hear," said Marcus and Ilima, clinking their glasses to Jaya's.
"Raymond is in third." Gholdengo's voice radiated fury as he stared down Haunter-1. "Second-to-last. Explain."
"Gholdengo, he's still within five points of the leaders!" Haunter-1 protested. "He has every chance to come back!"
"Not if he stays in this funk, he doesn't," Gholdengo growled. "Damn those other contestants…their scapegoating of him is what's driven him to this."
Their scapegoating of him is because of you, Brambleghast thought irritatedly. You don't get to blame the other contestants…the fault is yours and yours alone.
"All right, Haunter-1, it looks like I'm going to have to step it up," said Gholdengo. "I want you all to stay near the apartment blocks. Wait for instruction."
"Okay." Haunter-1 and his crew quickly turned and flitted off in different directions, leaving the three Paldean Ghost-types alone.
Gholdengo turned to Ceruledge and Brambleghast. "We need to kick things up a notch. I have a plan, don't worry."
"Let me guess: more kidnapping?" Brambleghast asked. "Who? Ilima's Komala? One of Marcus's team members?"
Gholdengo smiled. "You," he said.
"I'm sorry, what?" Brambleghast asked.
"A fake kidnapping should solve this issue nicely," said Gholdengo. "You see, the problem is that Raymond is the only one not being affected by sabotage. The obvious solution is to pretend that he is indeed being affected. If one of Raymond's Pokemon disappears, rather than bully Raymond, the other contestants will sympathize with him. They will realize that he is not the saboteur, and look elsewhere. Raymond's mind will be cleared, and all will be well."
Brambleghast glared furiously at Gholdengo. "Are you out of your mind?"
"This is the only way to deflect suspicion away from Raymond," said Gholdengo.
"And you think having one of his Pokemon kidnapped is going to make him feel any less nervous?" Brambleghast asked.
"Like I said, he will have the sympathy of his fellow competitors," said Gholdengo. "Listen…I know it is a risk. But at this point we must take risks. Raymond's lead has evaporated. Ilima and Jaya, of all people, are in the lead. Ilima already has everything he could possibly want in Alola, so he doesn't need this. And Jaya's been a sort-of Gym Trainer for one and a half years, not three like Raymond, so there is no way she deserves this more than Raymond."
"I agree with Brambleghast," said Ceruledge unexpectedly. "This is a terrible plan."
"And I suppose you have a better one?" Gholdengo asked.
"Tell him the truth," said Brambleghast.
"Not a chance," Gholdengo growled. "If he knows the truth, he'll just feel even more guilty."
"Gholdengo," said Brambleghast, "at this point it almost feels like you're trying to justify this to yourself as well as us."
Gholdengo's eyes narrowed. "You promised to aid me in helping Raymond. Are you going to betray me now? Let me make one thing clear, Brambleghast - I'm prepared to take you by force if I must. So are you going to go along with this? Or am I going to have to take more drastic measures?"
Brambleghast looked to Ceruledge, then back to Gholdengo. "You think you can take on both of us?"
Beside her, Ceruledge shook his head. "This is not my fight."
Brambleghast glared at Ceruledge. "Are you serious?"
"Gholdengo is right," said Ceruledge. "We pledged to help."
Brambleghast scoffed. "I can't believe this. How much of a coward do you have to be to mindlessly go along with this? How scared of Gholdengo are you?"
"As scared as you should be," said Ceruledge, shoulders slumping. "Go along with him, Brambleghast. You remember what I said back at the apartments, right? If it's the only way to satisfy him…if it's the only way to protect Raymond…it must be done."
Brambleghast looked once more between Ceruledge and the smirking Gholdengo. "I'm done," she murmured.
"What did you say?" Gholdengo asked.
"I said I'm done!" Brambleghast snarled. "I want to help Raymond just as much as you do, but this is going too far! It already has gone too far! You talk so much about Raymond 'deserving' this, but you know what? After what you've done…after all the sabotage you've enacted…he doesn't deserve this! What he deserves is to know the truth!"
"You'd hurt Raymond like that?" Gholdengo asked.
"Stop that!" Brambleghast cried. "Stop trying to use Raymond's well-being to control me! It's become clear that you don't actually know what would hurt him and what wouldn't! Look at him! All you've done this entire time is hurt him! Your plan went off the rails before the first round even ended!"
"My plan was fine until-"
"Your plan was never fine!" Brambleghast shouted. "All your plan entailed was 'hire a bunch of thugs to sabotage the other competitors'! Did you honestly think that was going to go unnoticed? Are you seriously too blind to see that sabotaging everybody except Raymond would only make everyone else suspicious of Raymond? And do you actually think that faking my kidnapping is going to make him feel better? Your plan's already failed! All you're doing is desperately trying to pick up the damn pieces!"
Gholdengo stayed silent, his face slipping into anger.
"And you," Brambleghast growled, turning to Ceruledge, "are just as stupid for going along with this! I know you, Ceruledge! Once upon a time, I thought you were the bravest member of the team! What happened to you?"
Ceruledge looked down. "If you do this, it means Raymond gets disqualified."
"I don't care if it means Raymond gets disqualified!" Brambleghast finished. "I don't care if it means he gets blacklisted! Nothing can be worse for him than this! He has to know the truth! And I'm going to tell him, no matter what you say! I'll get a Psychic - Jaya's Sigilyph, Marcus's Medicham, whoever I need to - and I'll make sure he knows everything!"
"Is this your final decision?" Gholdengo asked. "Think carefully, Brambleghast. Is this truly the path you want to take? I wonder…how is Cloyster doing? Perhaps I should pay him a visit?"
"No," Brambleghast snarled.
"You remember our agreement," said Gholdengo. "If you do this, he is fair game."
Brambleghast scowled. "Once Raymond knows, there's no way he'll let you kidnap anyone else."
"It is not kidnapping!" Gholdengo growled. "I am merely removing obstacles! It is clear, Brambleghast, that you have lost your way. You refuse to see the greater good - you refuse to recognize that this is the only way Raymond will grow stronger! I will come out and say it right now - I will not let you do this, Brambleghast. I will not allow you to sabotage Raymond's attempt to gain further strength."
"You want to try and stop me?" Brambleghast turned away from Gholdengo. "Go right ahead. I can control wind - not even you can catch me. Wind Rider: Ta-"
"Metal Sound."
A terrifyingly loud screech exploded out of Gholdengo; Brambleghast staggered as the noise struck her eardrums, the winds that had begun to form around her dissipating as she lost her concentration.
Before she could react, a burst of Electric energy struck her, and all at once her muscles seized up. Thunder Wave…damn it! Brambleghast shook her head, trying to clear her ears of the ringing, but then Gholdengo stepped into view, raising his hands towards her.
"Good as Gold. Tithe Tide."
Paralysis struck, immobilizing Brambleghast for the one crucial second Gholdengo needed. Before she could even react, a tidal wave of liquid metal flew from Gholdengo, wrapping around her in an instant, encasing her body in a spherical shell.
"With me, Ceruledge," said Gholdengo, his voice muffled, as the metal shell began to move, carrying Brambleghast with it.
"As you command, Gholdengo," said Ceruledge grimly, following closely behind the Steel/Ghost-type that had once been Brambleghast's teammate.