This is definitely the first part of a two-parter. Unfortunately, I couldn't put (Part 1 of 2)/(Part 2 of 2) in the titles, because the second part is also the end of the arc, and as such it won't fit thanks to length limitations.
Also, this chapter has about 13,500 words. Nothing like a Geosenge-length chapter to kick off the finale of this arc! I'm pretty sure the next chapter is going to be just as long, if not longer...
Cloyster hopped down another stair, thankful for the plush carpeting that masked his movement. He could see Gholdengo through the banister; the Steel/Ghost-type seemed completely at ease as he stepped down the last couple stairs.
Where is he going?
Cloyster slid down another stair, then another, making sure he didn't lose his balance and fall down the stairs. Gholdengo was walking across the lobby of the building, heading towards the building's front door. He raised a hand; the doorknob of the front door turned and the door slid open.
Gholdengo stepped into the doorframe, and then stopped. He turned to the side; Cloyster could see his mouth moving, but was too far away to see.
Cloyster moved closer, sliding down the carpeted stairs until he reached the bottom. Swiftly, he ducked behind one of the lobby's tables and shifted closer, moving from cover to cover.
He completely missed the dark shadow that slipped down the stairs and moved into cover behind him, his senses too focused on trying to listen to Gholdengo.
"…one more and we're done." Gholdengo's voice was becoming clearer now as Cloyster moved closer.
"Done?" The other voice was new to Cloyster.
"Oh, yes," said Gholdengo. "And once he's won, I need you to do something for me, okay?"
"What?" the other voice asked.
Gholdengo chuckled slightly. "Head into the woods," he said. "And don't speak a word of this to anyone. It's unlikely that this'll be traced back to you, but if it is, you cannot let anybody know about what happened between us. If you do…if anybody finds out the truth…Raymond will surely be stripped of his title. And you don't want that, do you?"
"No, of course not!" said the other voice.
"Good," said Gholdengo. "Now, maintain your posts. By this time tomorrow, Raymond will be the new Laverre City Gym Leader!"
The Steel/Ghost-type turned on his heel and strode back into the room. Cloyster ducked behind a table leg, watching closely as Gholdengo moved past him and began to walk up the stairs. Slowly, he shifted out of cover as Gholdengo disappeared up the staircase. Something fishy's definitely going on with Gholdengo…I hate to think it, but I'm worried that-
Two hushed voices sounded. "Get him!"
Cloyster spun to see a pair of Ghost-types - a Haunter and a Misdreavus - lunging out of the shadows, Ghost energy flickering on their bodies, hands reaching for him. "Impenetrable Shell!" he whispered furiously, raising a swift Protect barrier to deflect them, but while the Misdreavus slammed into it and reeled backwards, the Haunter managed to react fast enough to dodge, shifting around the barrier and lunging for Cloyster's side with what was definitely a Curse radiating from his claws.
And then the unmistakable form of Seeker-Of-Endings charged out from behind another table, horn-blade glinting with Dark energy. The Haunter didn't have any time to react before the Absol slashed downwards, cutting a line across the Haunter's back. The Haunter's scream was abruptly cut off as Seeker-Of-Endings clamped a Dark energy-wreathed paw around his mouth and slammed him hard into the floor. The Misdreavus recoiled, eyes wide, as Seeker-Of-Endings twisted to face her. Her mouth opened, but Seeker-Of-Endings was faster; a flurry of Pursuit rays slammed into the Misdreavus before she could call out, and Seeker-Of-Endings charged her as she reeled, horn-blade flashing with Dark energy.
Stunned, the Misdreavus couldn't dodge or counter in time. Seeker-Of-Endings slashed downwards, and the second of the two Ghost-types fell motionless to the floor.
Cloyster stared at Seeker-Of-Endings as the Absol turned to face him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I was going to ask the same thing," Seeker-Of-Endings growled. "What in Arceus's name were you thinking? Following Gholdengo like that…are you trying to be the next Pokemon to get kidnapped?"
"I didn't know," said Cloyster. "I saw him open Marcus's door, and I thought either he was investigating the saboteur, or he was the saboteur. I couldn't be sure-"
"So you followed him, without gathering anyone to watch your back!" Seeker-Of-Endings snarled.
"I wanted to make sure Brambleghast was okay!" Cloyster whispered.
Seeker-Of-Endings sighed. "Of course it's about Brambleghast. This is why I've never fallen in love…this kind of idiocy is always the result."
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Cloyster asked.
"I am investigating," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "I want Marcus to win. That means catching the saboteur. I was about to leave the building when I saw you following Gholdengo."
"No, no, no, you don't understand!" said Cloyster. "I think all this stuff is happening in the building!"
Seeker-Of-Endings raised an eyebrow.
"Think about it!" said Cloyster. "We've been scouring Laverre for days with no luck! We've looked in every building except for one! Because who would hide all of the kidnapped Pokemon in the same building as the people who'd be looking for them?"
"And…the saboteur would know that." Seeker-Of-Endings shook his head. "What an idiot I've been…if Gholdengo's really the saboteur, and if he's been hiding all of this right under our noses, I'm going to feel like a complete fool."
The Absol looked closely at Cloyster. "All right, keep following Gholdengo," he said. "Keep doing what you were doing - not too far, not too close, and always quiet."
"And what are you going to be doing?" Cloyster asked.
"I'm going to keep doing what I was doing." Seeker-Of-Endings smiled thinly. "Watching your back."
Cloyster crept up the last couple stairs, glancing around the corner to make sure no one was watching. He knew Seeker-Of-Endings was somewhere behind him, but the Absol was excellent at not being seen, even when Cloyster was actively looking for him.
Ahead of him, he saw one of the doors on the near side of the hallway cracked open slightly. Not Marcus's door, nor any of the other contestants' - this was a door that Cloyster hadn't seen being used throughout the Gym Exam.
Could this be where Gholdengo went?
Moving quickly but quietly and hugging the wall, Cloyster rolled down the length of the hallway, once again thanking Arceus for the plush carpet that masked his movements. As he drew closer, he thought he could hear hushed voices. Slowly, he shifted closer still, straining his ears to try and make out the words.
"…not too late." Again he caught Gholdengo's voice midsentence. "You are my teammate. Even now. If you just promise to stay quiet, and if you keep to that promise, I'll spare you."
"You know I can't do that, Gholdengo." Cloyster nearly jumped at the sound of Brambleghast's voice. It was so quiet he could barely hear it, as if it was muffled by something, but he could still barely make it out.
"Why not?" Gholdengo sounded almost hurt. "Why would you throw your life away?"
"You want me to make this easy for you," said Brambleghast. "You don't want to live with the guilt of killing one of your own teammates. The others, fine. You can forget them. But you know me."
"Shut up," Gholdengo snarled.
"I'm not going to help you, Gholdengo," said Brambleghast. "If you want my silence, you're going to have to kill me. And you're going to have to live with that."
Cloyster's heart leaped into his throat and he gasped slightly. When did this progress to murder?
Gholdengo chuckled darkly. "You chose this path," he said. "This lies on your head."
Cloyster heard Gholdengo's footsteps begin to sound. Is he going to kill her? Terror charged his movement; he ignored Seeker-Of-Endings' whispered cry of "Wait!", lunging through the half-open door.
He regretted it the instant he was through, but by that point it was too late.
Gholdengo was standing in front of three large metal spheres, a duo of Ghost-types on either side of him to make four in total - a Haunter, two Gastly, and a Duskull. As Cloyster entered, Gholdengo turned, curling his lip.
"Leave her alone," Cloyster snarled.
"Cloyster!" Brambleghast cried from one of the three large metal spheres sitting at the back of the room; Cloyster couldn't see which one she was in, though he assumed it was the leftmost one.
Gholdengo shot out a hand; behind Cloyster, the door closed, sealing him inside. "You four, scour the hallways," Gholdengo ordered the four Ghost-types alongside him. "He could have friends." With swift nods, the Ghost-types lunged forwards, streaming past Cloyster and slipping through the walls in an instant.
Cloyster murmured a quick prayer to Arceus that Seeker-Of-Endings would get out okay. It wasn't like the Absol was weak, but still, four-on-one odds was always a difficult proposition.
"I was always going to capture one of Marcus's Pokemon tonight," said Gholdengo. "But part of me hoped it would be you. You have caused me by far the most grief out of all of your teammates."
"What did I do to you?" Cloyster asked furiously.
"You charmed Brambleghast," said Gholdengo. "Distracted her from her duties. Had you not interfered, she would have gone along with me. But because of you, she decided that her conscience was more important than her Trainer."
"That's not true at all!" Brambleghast cried.
"Shut up!" Gholdengo snarled. "You made a promise when you joined Raymond! To help him get stronger! But thanks to you," he turned back to Cloyster, "she decided to stab him in the back! To try and throw all my plans into jeopardy, to expose my actions and ruin Raymond based on pure sentiment!"
"You're wrong," said Cloyster. "She's only trying to do the right thing. For Arceus's sake, it's a friendly tournament!"
"Maybe for you," Gholdengo retorted. "That's all it is to your Trainer, right? A friendly tournament? For Raymond, it's everything. If he loses this, he stagnates, and he'll never grow stronger as a Trainer! The fact that you and your Trainer treat this so lightly only shows that Raymond is the only Trainer who deserves to win this!"
"So you're resorting to kidnapping and murder?" Cloyster cried. "Are you insane?"
"Not insane," said Gholdengo. "Simply willing to do whatever it takes to make my Trainer strong. Now that you are in the way of my Trainer's dream…I'm going to kill you, Cloyster. And while I normally don't enjoy it, I think I'm going to derive a little bit of pleasure from watching you die. Good as Gold: Tithe Tide."
Cloyster tensed as Gholdengo unleashed a wave of liquid metal from his body, a wave that grew in both width and height as it swept across the room towards Gholdengo.
"Skill Link: Water Blast!" Cloyster countered with a swift Surf that he duplicated even as he launched the attack; two massive waves of Water energy slammed into the oncoming Tithe Tide, stopping it cold in an eruption of energy.
"Thunderbolt."
Gholdengo leaped out of the dissipating wave, firing a bolt of Electric energy from one outstretched hand. "Impenetrable Shell!" Cloyster cried, raising a Protect to block it.
"Good as Gold: Body Manipulation." Gholdengo dissolved into liquid metal in midair, surging down and across the ground in an instant. Before Cloyster's Protect could drop, Gholdengo was already between him and it, rising up back into his normal form.
"Thunder Wave."
Cloyster had no defense. The Electric energy slammed into his body, and Cloyster immediately felt his joints freeze up as paralysis took hold. Gholdengo grinned. "Good as Gold: Golden Grasp." His upraised arm split into two coiling tendrils that lashed around Cloyster's shell and hoisted him into the air.
Cloyster attempted to summon forth another Wave Blast, but paralysis froze him again. Gholdengo's chuckling turned into full-blown laughter as he raised Cloyster high above his head. With a snarl he jerked his morphed hand to the side and slammed Cloyster hard into one of the room's walls, then ripped him away, raised his hand, and threw it down with such force that when Cloyster's body struck the floor, it kept going, only coming to a rest a couple inches in.
Gholdengo hoisted Cloyster off the ground again. Cloyster felt a sudden terrible pressure as Gholdengo began to squeeze his tendrils tightly. A terrifying crack came from Cloyster's shell; at once, images of Phlegethon began to dance in Cloyster's mind, and all thought of resistance disappeared from his mind, replaced by sheer terror. "N…no…" he whimpered. "Stop…"
"Gholdengo, stop it!" Brambleghast's voice rang out again.
"Why?" Gholdengo twisted his head around to glare at the metal spheres. "Why should I? Why should I do anything you say, you damn traitor? You want to throw away everything Raymond's created for this piece of crap?" He squeezed harder; Cloyster whimpered in pain as his shell cracked all around him. "You deserve this! He deserves this! This could all have been avoided if you'd just let Raymond have his win!"
"If you do this, you'll never be able to hide it!" Brambleghast cried desperately.
Gholdengo stopped squeezing.
Brambleghast frantically continued to speak. "Suffocation can be attributed to Ghost-types, sure. But no random wild Ghost-type can break a Cloyster's shell. They'll realize that. And they'll keep investigating. You kill him now, your plan falls apart for good."
Gholdengo clenched his fist, a low growl coming from deep in his throat, but nodded slowly. "You're right, Brambleghast," he admitted. "Guess you two get to die together. Good as Gold: Steel Entrapment."
More tendrils lashed out from Gholdengo's body, twining together in a large metallic sphere even as they surrounded Cloyster. Cloyster felt the newly made sphere moving through the air as Gholdengo spoke up once more. "I made his sphere a little smaller, so that he'll suffocate faster," he said. "That way you get to hear his dying gasps!" He broke into another mad bout of laughter.
Cloyster glanced around nervously, quickly realizing that Gholdengo had left no way to see out of the prison. Gholdengo finished laughing, breathing heavily for a second before speaking once again. "You two had best say your goodbyes," he said. "Once Raymond's finished…so are you." Another burst of laughter escaped him as he turned and trotted away, his footsteps and the sound of the door opening and closing making it clear he'd left the room.
Brambleghast's voice sounded. "Cloyster, are you all right?"
"Yeah…" Cloyster checked his shell for lasting damage, but thankfully what cracks Gholdengo had inflicted had only been hairline. He could already feel the Thunder Wave wearing off now that Gholdengo had stopped concentrating. "Yeah," he said. "I'm all right."
Brambleghast sighed. "I wish I could say the same," she murmured. "Gholdengo's been my teammate for three years, and I've been hoping some of that loyalty remains, but he's blinded himself to anything except Raymond's victory. His friends, his morals, his heart…none of that even matters to him anymore. He's gone mad…and we're all going to die because of it."
"Hey, cheer up," said Cloyster. "We're not dead yet."
"We might as well be," said Brambleghast morosely. "Unless you had a plan besides charge in here and hope you could beat Gholdengo?"
"Um…" Cloyster grinned, remembering a certain Absol. "About that…"
The sun had risen over the rooftops of Laverre when Medicham was awakened to the sound of Marcus rifling through his Luxury Balls. "Marcus?" she asked sleepily. "Is something wrong?"
"The door's open and Cloyster's missing," Marcus growled; Medicham at once was fully awake. "What in Distortion…I could have sworn I locked it…"
"Has anyone seen Seeker-Of-Endings?"
That was Serena's voice; Medicham peered out of her Luxury Ball to see the blonde-haired Trainer standing in Marcus's open door. "I can't find him…he might have been…"
"Cloyster's missing too," said Marcus. "And right before my battle with Raymond - the saboteur's desperate."
"Yeah, the implication's pretty clear," said Marcus. "Same thing that was 'offered' to Jaya - if we win, Cloyster and Seeker-Of-Endings die."
Medicham felt herself shivering uncontrollably. Was this saboteur seriously strong enough to overcome a Herald? And Cloyster…she imagined him quivering, terrified, in some dark hole, at the mercy of whatever monster had kidnapped him and the others. She could tell Marcus was having similar thoughts; his hands were shaking nervously as he placed the Luxury Balls of his Dark-type team members onto his belt one by one.
No wonder Jaya chose to throw her fights…if it was to save Cloyster from dying I'm not sure what I wouldn't do.
"What do we do?" Serena asked.
"I'm not sure," Marcus murmured. He clenched his fists tightly. "I hate this. I promised Jaya…and I know it's exactly what the saboteur wants…but this position isn't as important as the lives of our Pokemon. Given a choice between winning this battle and saving Cloyster…I'll pick saving Cloyster every day of the week."
"So that's it?" Serena frowned. "We're just giving up? Letting Raymond win?"
"Look, Serena," said Marcus. "We've spent days combing Laverre without success. Even though we think it's likely Raymond, we don't know, and we don't have any clues that would answer either of those questions! Time's up - we can't delay any longer. And if we beat Raymond, Cloyster and Seeker-Of-Endings die. Would you rather that happen?"
Serena looked down at the floor. "No," she admitted. "No, I wouldn't."
Marcus sighed. "Let's grab some breakfast," he said. "And then I'll go to the Gym, and I'll fight, and I'll lose. Maybe…" He squeezed his eyes shut, as though trying to block out Serena's face. "Maybe he just beats me normally, and I don't have to feel too guilty. I guess…that's the best we can hope for now."
Medicham felt utterly defeated as she chewed morosely on a Sitrus Berry. She could tell the rest of the group felt the same way: Marcus and his Gym Trainers were picking at their breakfasts, and their teams weren't eating that much either. It felt like they had failed personally - they had been the ones in charge of finding the saboteur and his captives, and they had failed.
The saboteur had won.
The room seemed empty without Cloyster and Seeker-Of-Endings. Medicham couldn't believe she missed the Absol - the Herald. But, no matter how she personally felt about him, he was a member of the group that formed Marcus's Gym Trainers. An awful thought came to her mind - what would happen to them afterwards? Marcus had failed - was that it? Would they all go their separate ways - Theo back to Viridian, Connie back to Spikemuth, Serena back to Vaniville - never to see each other again?
Was the dream over? Just like that?
Medicham bent over and took another bite, trying to hold back the tears of humiliation. Maybe if we'd just worked a little harder…searched a little longer…there must be some stone we left unturned…
"Marcus! Marcus!"
The urgent whisper brought all of their attention - even the Trainers. Medicham's head whipped around to see none other than Seeker-Of-Endings sliding out from under a nearby table.
"Seeker!" Serena completely forgot to call him Absol in the presence of Connie and Theo - thankfully, they seemed to not be paying much attention, more concerned with how quickly Serena rushed over to the Absol and hugged him tightly. "I was so worried…" she murmured into his fur.
"There's more to be worried about," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "I know who the saboteur is…and I know where the captured Pokemon are."
Quickly, Seeker-Of-Endings spilled the story of how he and Cloyster had found the saboteur. Medicham sighed, cursing Cloyster for being such a fool, but at the same time knew that without his foolishness, the saboteur would never have been revealed.
"I couldn't find a way back to the room through all the swarming Ghost-types," Seeker-Of-Endings finished. "So I hid down here and waited. I knew you'd come down for breakfast, and I knew they wouldn't dare stay here in the morning, because they don't want to be spotted by anyone. I'm sorry for worrying you, Serena, but I didn't want to risk getting captured as well."
Marcus leaned back in his chair. "So it's not Raymond. Just one of his Pokemon whose loyalty has descended into outright fanaticism, and what's basically a gang of hired thugs."
"Sounds like it." Serena's eyes were steely. "I can't believe they were operating right under our noses the entire time!"
"Shh!" Connie raised a finger to her lips. "If they're still around, they might hear you, and if they know we're onto them, they'll kill Cloyster and the others!"
"Exactly," said Marcus. "Which means we have to attend the battle with Raymond as planned. All of us."
"So we're going to do nothing?" Theo balled his fists.
"We're going to do nothing," said Marcus. "We have to be there for the entire battle. Our Pokemon, on the other hand, don't - we want them to be seen arriving, so as to hold off Gholdengo's suspicion further, but during our strategy session we can release them, let them escape the Gym, and if anybody asks, they're watching the battle from our Pokeballs."
The group looked doubtful. "I know it's risky," said Marcus. "But if Gholdengo finds out we're onto him before the captured Pokemon are free, things get a lot more complicated. And besides…I trust my team. Do you trust yours?"
"I do," said Connie; Serena and Theo backed her up with nods.
"Medicham, you know the stakes," said Marcus. "There's no way all of you are going to be able to sneak past that many wild Ghost-types; you're going to have to fight your way through. But try and get there as sneakily as possible - we don't want the Ghost-types seeing you coming, because they'll sure as Distortion dispatch some Ghosts to warn Gholdengo. Got that?"
"Got it." Medicham nodded, determination flooding her. She glanced around at the rest of the group, who looked equally determined. They'd been given a second wind - they would not waste it.
No matter how many Ghost-types they had to fight their way through, they would not stop until the captured Pokemon were rescued and delivered from Gholdengo's clutches.
"Remember, Marcus," said Theo, "all this is a moot point if Raymond beats you."
"Then he won't," said Marcus, his voice low. "After this, there's no way in Distortion I'm letting Gholdengo have his way." He stood from his seat. "Let's get to the Gym. I've got a battle to win."
Jaya and Ilima's battle was up first. Medicham's initial thought upon hearing the news was that they could easily sneak out while those two Trainers were fighting, but that was before she'd spotted Raymond leaving the Gym - his Gym Trainers told Marcus upon query that Raymond hadn't slept well last night, and as such had gone back to take a short nap before his battle with Marcus.
If Raymond was at the apartments, then so was Gholdengo, and as such the team remained at the Laverre Gym, nervousness rising with every passing minute.
The battle lasted about fifteen minutes; Jaya gave a good show, but in the end she had come into the battle intending to lose, and so she did, handing Ilima a meaningless victory. The score was just as close as it had been at the end of the second round - Raymond was last with 80 points, while Marcus, Jaya, and Ilima were all tied with 85. But since both Jaya and Ilima had won only one of their third-round matches, no more points were possible for them. Now the winner was guaranteed to be Raymond or Marcus.
It was truly down to the last battle. Winner takes all.
When Valerie called for the preparation phase for Marcus and Raymond's battle, Medicham waited for Raymond to return. But he didn't, not until about two minutes before the preparation phase ended. The timing was so bad Medicham had to wonder if Raymond was in on it - regardless, there was almost no time to escape the Gym before the battle began. All Marcus and his Gym Trainers were able to do was release their teams and offer quick utterances of "Good luck" before they had to rush to the arena for Marcus's battle.
So it was that, even as Valerie's voice rang through the building, announcing the beginning of the final battle of the third round of the Gym Exam, Medicham led Kriesh, Kamado, Trevenant, and the gathered teams of Connie, Serena, and Theo out of the Laverre City Gym, all of them moving as quietly as possible to ensure the Ghost-types surrounding the apartment block didn't see them coming until it was too late.
"Where are your Pokemon?" Maria asked.
Marcus looked up at Raymond's Gym Trainer. "Watching from their Luxury Balls." He pointed to where the Luxury Balls not containing his Dark-type team members were sitting on the belts of Connie, Theo, and Serena.
Maria nodded slowly, saying nothing more. Gholdengo paid the conversation little heed; his eyes were focused on his Trainer, the Trainer who, after this battle, would finally gain the Gym Leader position he deserved.
It had taken a lot of effort, a lot of close calls, but Gholdengo could at last be satisfied that he'd won. Even if Marcus did somehow retain his full mental capabilities after the disappearance of his Cloyster, there was no way he'd win knowing that Cloyster's life would be endangered if he did.
Gholdengo leaned back with a chuckle, exulting in his victory even as Marcus and Raymond walked onto the field. Valerie stepped forwards. "All four of my Gym Trainers have judged one match. I shall judge this last match myself."
Marcus and Raymond accepted her words with mute nods.
"Though if I may, Marcus…" Valerie turned her eyes to the stands. "Where are your Pokemon? Are they not usually watching from the stands?"
Gholdengo felt as if someone had punched him hard in the gut. If his Pokemon aren't where they usually are…if they aren't watching the match…that can only mean one thing.
Cloyster did have a friend. They know.
"They know."
"What?" Ceruledge asked from his seat beside him.
"We have to go." Gholdengo stood swiftly. "Now. They know…Marcus's team knows. They're probably on their way to the apartments right now."
"Seriously?" Ceruledge asked.
"Yes," Gholdengo snarled impatiently. "If they get past the Ghosts…if they free the captured Pokemon…then Raymond's done. We must go at once!"
Swiftly, Gholdengo turned on his heel and made for the exit, Ceruledge following a half-step behind.
Liepard stifled a hiss as she saw Gholdengo and Ceruledge rush towards the exit. Damn it, Valerie…you're a good person, but did you have to open your mouth?
There was no time to change the plan - the others were already gone. Liepard could only hope that they would be able to defeat Gholdengo and Ceruledge. The fact that the Fire/Ghost-type was working with Gholdengo was another irritating curveball. But it was one that the others would have to face alone.
All Liepard could do was help win this battle. Theo's comment had not left her head. All this is a moot point if Raymond beats you.
Raymond was a Ghost-type Trainer. Marcus's Pokemon had an inherent advantage. But Liepard knew better than to underestimate him. He had three years of experience - there was no question he'd come up with plenty of counters to Dark-types.
And so as Liepard was released from her Luxury Ball, she tensed in readiness for what she knew would be a difficult battle.
Raymond's choice for his first Pokemon was his Froslass. From the Ice/Ghost-type's lithe frame, Liepard had no doubt she was fast. But Liepard was fast too. She readied herself for a battle of speed.
"Are the battlers ready?" Valerie asked. Raymond and Marcus nodded.
"Then let us begin," said Valerie. Raymond's mouth opened the instant the word 'begin' left Valerie's mouth. "Icy Wind! Slow it down!"
"Ghostly Chill!" Froslass raised her arms; a wave of Ice energy flowed from her form, expanding as it blew upon the wind towards Liepard.
"Copycat! Block it!"
"Imitateur!" Without Prankster, Liepard cut it awfully close, but as the Icy Wind flew towards her an identical wave burst out from her body to meet it. The two attacks dissipated against one another; Liepard felt an eerie coldness as they collided, but she felt no impact on her person.
"Rush her! Night Slash!" Marcus ordered.
"Ice Punch!" Raymond cried.
With snarls of "Tranche Vicieuse!" and "Chilling Blow!", Froslass and Liepard lunged at each other. Liepard's slashing claw met a spectral fist of Ice energy, and the center of the room was engulfed in a blue-black explosion of energy.
"We're nearly there," Medicham whispered. They'd spent the past fifteen minutes on a journey that normally took five, skulking through the streets of Laverre in an attempt to avoid being seen or heard by the Ghost-types at the apartment block.
"Good." Behind her, Kriesh's eyes narrowed. "I'm looking forward to beating up these Ghost-types. How can wild Pokemon be so monstrous?"
"I doubt they know the full extent of what they're doing," said Medicham.
"They should know that sabotage and kidnapping is wrong," Kriesh growled.
"Ghosts notoriously have a flawed sense of 'right' and 'wrong'," Theo's Weavile pointed out from behind them. "They consider far too many things to be 'harmless pranks', and a wild Ghost-type is one of the easiest Pokemon to manipulate. It's one of the main reasons Ghost is regarded as one of the 'evil' types; so many evil Trainers use them precisely because they're so easy to manipulate."
"Aren't Dark-types regarded as one of the 'evil' types too?" Serena's Delphox asked.
"Yes," said Weavile. "They and Poison-types have the same reason for being evil - since so many discriminate against them for being the 'evil' types, many choose to be evil because it's the only thing they feel they're capable of being. That's something Trainers like Karen and Theo are trying to avert. Now quiet - the Ghosts will be listening."
As Weavile said this, Medicham peeked around the corner of the final building. She at once jerked her head back. "Ghosts. At least twenty. Nobody else is around."
"Probably don't want to get anywhere near a horde of wild Ghost-types," murmured Connie's Tyranitar.
"True that," said Medicham. "Does this mean they can be convinced to walk away?"
Seeker-Of-Endings frowned. "Maybe…they seemed pretty loyal to Gholdengo, but we could try manipulation before violence."
"Let's do it," said Medicham. "But with our full force. Let's make sure they understand what they'll face if they refuse."
"Agreed," said Kriesh; a chorus of hushed voices indicated the rest of the group agreed as well.
With one last look at the rest of the group, Medicham stepped out from behind the building.
"Intruders!" The reaction was swift; the Ghost-types instantly began to form up in a battle line, glaring at the oncoming Fighting/Psychic-type. Their eyes began to fill with nervousness as the rest of the group stepped out. Medicham couldn't blame them - twenty-two Trained Pokemon, many of them Dark-types, up against a group of Wild Ghost-types that may have been slightly larger in terms of numbers? There was only one way that battle was going to work out.
"Ghost-types!" Medicham raised her voice. "We do not wish to fight! We only desire to rescue our friends!"
The Ghost-types remained silent.
"Please, let us pass in peace," said Medicham. "Trust me - if you choose conflict, you will lose."
One of the Ghost-types, a Haunter, shifted forwards, moving in front of the rest of the group. "I recognize you."
Medicham cocked her head.
"You and the Fearow are two of the Pokemon who freed us from Heliolisk," said the Haunter.
Right…Medicham only now realized that these were the same Ghost-types that had been watching Brambleghast and Cloyster's duel behind the apartments. Well, at least they know us - that'll make negotiations that much easier.
"Yes, we are," said Medicham. "What is your name?"
"I am Haunter-1," said the Haunter.
"Will you let us pass, Haunter-1?" Medicham asked. "Knowing that we only act in good faith?"
"We know that you are good at heart," said Haunter-1. "And yet you failed."
"Failed?" Medicham asked.
"Heliolisk came back," said Haunter-1. "Mere days after you freed him from us, he returned."
Medicham racked her brain for what she remembered of Heliolisk. Truth be told, she had all but forgotten about the imperious Electric/Normal-type. Marcus had given him over to a rehabilitation facility…and then, from Trevenant's account, he'd reappeared in Geosenge and gotten himself crushed by a collapsing ceiling. Of course…after he escaped from the rehabilitation facility, of course he would have gone straight back to his Ghost-types.
"But we had found a new savior," said Haunter-1. "A Golurk. He defeated Heliolisk for good. And some time later, that Golurk became part of the team of the Trainer you call Raymond. So, Medicham, we owe Golurk a great debt as well. To turn on Raymond - to go against what Gholdengo has told us to do - is to betray our true savior. And we cannot do that."
"See what I mean?" Weavile whispered. "Easily manipulated."
"Shh!" Kriesh hushed Weavile swiftly.
"I understand," said Medicham. "I understand that Golurk did a great service for you. And I apologize for our failure to protect you from Heliolisk. But what Gholdengo is commanding of you is wrong. This is not some harmless prank - Pokemon's lives are in danger." Medicham decided now would be a good idea to play her trump card. "Listen to me. Gholdengo is just like Heliolisk. He is manipulating you for his own gain. Using your bond with Golurk against you."
A bout of laughter interrupted Medicham's words. Familiar laughter. Medicham's blood ran cold as she looked up, up into the grinning face of Gholdengo.
He was standing on a balcony directly over the entrance to the apartments, overlooking the lawn. Medicham's fists clenched. Damn it…he's found us out!
"Oh, please, look who's talking," said Gholdengo. "You're the one trying to manipulate them. You're the one trying to use your bond against them. Ceruledge!"
The group's eyes flicked towards the entrance to the apartments as the door swung open and Ceruledge stepped through. The Fire/Ghost-type strode down the steps, and behind him streamed a horde of Ghost-types much larger than the one that had initially faced Medicham and the rest of the group.
"There has to be at least a hundred Ghosts in there," Delphox murmured uncomfortably.
"I'm seeing a hundred and fifty," Tyranitar growled. "And that's not even counting Ceruledge."
Gholdengo chuckled again. "This could all have been avoided if you'd just stood back and let Raymond have his win," he said. "Can you honestly claim that your Trainer deserves it more? He hasn't even been training for a year; Raymond's been training for three! How can your Trainer possibly deserve this position more than him?"
"After this," Medicham retorted, "Raymond deserves nothing."
Gholdengo curled his lip. "I do believe your captured friends are close by," he said. "I think I shall pay them a visit."
"Don't touch them!" Kriesh snarled.
"Oh, I promise." Gholdengo grinned from ear to ear. "I won't lay a finger on them. Ghosts? These foes seek to stand in the way of Raymond's dream. Are you going to let them?"
Haunter-1's body blazed with Ghost energy. "Never!" he cried. "Ghost-types, attack!"
"Attack!" Medicham cried as the line of Ghost-types rushed forwards. Around her, the Trained Pokemon surged forth to meet them, firing a flurry of energy blasts that sent at least a dozen of their adversaries to the ground before the lines even closed. But Medicham only had eyes for Gholdengo; the Steel/Ghost-type was stepping back through the sliding glass door, shutting it behind him as he walked away from the battle.
"No!" Kriesh bellowed; the Fearow's great wings erupted in Flying energy as she leaped into the air, hurling herself over the battle and streaking towards the balcony where Gholdengo had been standing. Serena's Altaria rose up alongside her, blasting a duo of Ghost-types that tried to intercept her away with a flurry of Air Slashes, while Tyranitar and Serena's Jolteon unleashed a flurry of Rock and Electric energy that swept four more out of the sky, clearing a path for Kriesh.
Medicham watched closely as the Fearow lunged towards the balcony, disappearing over the edge. Then she turned and waded into the battle that had broken out across the lawn, knowing her team, and her friends, needed her.
"Chilling Flurry!"
Liepard hissed as she barely evaded a barrage of Ice energy from Raymond's Froslass. The Ice/Ghost-type was keeping her on her toes with a nonstop barrage of ranged attacks, forcing Liepard to prioritize defense over offense.
It was an untenable strategy, Liepard knew, and yet she could not find an opening to strike back with anything more than a swift Pursuit. As usual, Froslass simply deflected the Dark-type rays with another blast of Ice energy, then countered with an Ice Beam, a cry of "Chilling Beam!" escaping her. Once more Liepard was forced to backpedal, barely avoiding the beam of Ice energy and barely keeping her balance.
This is getting nowhere!
"Aider: Houndoom!" she cried. She was finding in these fights that she was relying more and more on leeching techniques from the Fire/Dark-type, taking full advantage of the fact that much of his arsenal was ranged attacks. Unfortunately, she whiffed - Fire Fang was useless in this situation - and was forced back onto the defensive as Froslass launched another Chilling Flurry at her.
"Stop playing around and finish it!" Raymond cried. "Snowscape!"
Froslass raised her head to the ceiling. "Chilling Snow!" A burst of Ice energy exploded across the ceiling, and snow began to fall, tumbling gently to the ground.
Liepard wouldn't deny she was confused. She'd heard of weather conditions before, of course; weather-setting moves were highly popular in Unova. But she'd always thought the Ice-type weather condition had been hail. Was it different in Paldea?
"I don't know what he's doing, but let's put a stop to it!" Marcus called. "Night Slash, quick!"
"Tranche Vicieuse!" Liepard snarled, hurling herself at Froslass with claws outstretched.
"Aurora Veil!"
"Chilling Cloak!" Froslass called; the falling snow began to whip around her, forming a barrier. Liepard flung her blow, and to her surprise it didn't impact the barrier, but Froslass barely flinched even at the super-effective attack. The Aurora Veil was cold to the touch; Liepard recoiled, her paw freezing.
"Draining Kiss!" Raymond ordered.
Froslass smirked. "Ghostly Smooch." The Ice/Ghost-type dove upon the recoiling Liepard. "Sucker Punch!" Marcus ordered swiftly; Liepard did so with a snarl of "Tranche Ventouse!", but again her blow had no appreciable impact. Froslass's head touched Liepard's side, and her entire body lit up with pain as Fairy energy surged forth, leeching stamina from Liepard's body and numbing the pain from what little damage Liepard had dealt.
"Chilling Flurry!" As Liepard staggered from the Draining Kiss, Froslass struck her with a blast of Ice energy even stronger than the ones she'd been throwing at Liepard previously. The blast was enough to send Liepard flying across the arena; she rolled to her feet, her sides stinging painfully.
So Aurora Veil is like Reflect and Light Screen. Good to know…now how do I get past it?
"Keep launching Blizzards, now that she's weakened!" Raymond cried.
"Liepard, Hone Claws!" Marcus ordered. "Enough boosts, and not even her Aurora Veil can blunt your attacks!"
That sounded fine to Liepard. "Augmenter L'Attaque!" she cried, feeling the aura of power surrounding her as she tapped into the technique, boosting her strength and accuracy.
"Chilling Flurry!" Froslass cried. Weakened as she was, Liepard barely managed to dodge in time, but dodge she did. "Augmenter L'Attaque!"
Raymond's eyes widened. "Stop her! Froslass, Blizzard, then Confuse Ray where she lands!"
"Copycat!" Marcus cried.
Froslass's Chilling Flurry was answered by an identical copy, and Liepard easily avoided the Confuse Ray that Froslass followed up with. The tables had turned; now it was Froslass that was looking desperate. Another Hone Claws went off, strengthening Liepard even more; she felt as if she would explode from power overload if she tried for another.
"Taunt!" Marcus cried.
"Blizzard again!" Raymond ordered as Liepard hissed "Raillerie!" The Taunt settled on Froslass, who narrowed her eyes and at once rushed Liepard, firing a swift Chilling Flurry from her hands as she went.
Liepard avoided the attack and lunged at the charging Froslass. "Tranche Vicieuse!" she cried.
"Chilling Blow!" Froslass raised a hand to block the attack. But the Hone Claws-boosted strike punched through the Aurora Veil that still surrounded Froslass's body, punched through the hand, and drove straight into Froslass's stomach. Froslass doubled over, gasping; the Aurora Veil flickered into nothingness as Froslass staggered.
Liepard smirked. There we go. "Tranche Vicieuse!"
"Destiny Bond!" Raymond ordered.
Liepard's smirk disappeared as fast as a Speed Boost Ninjask. She tried to pull back, but she was already committed to the strike. Froslass's eyes narrowed to slits. "Ghostly Sacrifice."
Liepard's paw hit home, and even as Froslass crumpled under the massively boosted attack an irresistible wave of pain slammed into Liepard, driving her into unconsciousness as well.
The sliding glass door shattered around Kriesh, shards flying everywhere as she hurled herself through. She felt pain across her wings but kept going. I have to stop Gholdengo!
The Steel/Ghost-type in question spun to face her with insane speed, raising one hand. "Good as Gold: Tithe Tide." A wave of metal surged from his outstretched hand, rising quickly as it swept across the room towards Kriesh.
"Earth Impact!" Kriesh summoned Ground energy around her and dove straight into the oncoming wave of metal. She felt resistance, but narrowed her eyes and poured more of her strength into her charge. Metal cracked and bent under her beak, the force of her Ground-type attack too much for even the solid wall of metal Gholdengo had raised.
In terms of Pokemon typings, Steel was weak to Ground, Fire, and Fighting. That extended to common metals as well. Metal cracked against the upheaval of Ground, shattered from the sheer power of Fighting, and melted under the heat of Fire. It wasn't like those typings could automatically break through metal, but it was easier to break through a metal wall with a Ground-type technique than with, say, a Bug-type technique.
Kriesh had spent the past two months practicing her Ground-type techniques. The metal was nothing to her.
With a screech, the wall caved in, revealing Gholdengo standing on the other side. Wings spread, Kriesh summoned forth another Earth Impact and leaped forwards. She didn't realize until too late that Gholdengo was grinning.
"Good as Gold. Steel Spikes."
Behind her, something cracked, and the next thing Kriesh knew two gigantic spears of metal shot through her wings from behind, slamming into the floor and instantly arresting her flight. The Ground energy dissipated from across her body as she struggled vainly to escape.
"Thunder Wave."
Not likely. "Earth Impact!" Kriesh hissed, summoning forth her anti-Electric training over the past two months. She summoned more Ground energy and spat it at the oncoming burst of Electric energy, dissipating it in midair.
Gholdengo sidestepped the oncoming Ground energy. "Oh, just stop it!" he snarled. "Stop trying! You can't beat me!"
"Wanna bet?" Kriesh retorted. "Earth Impact!"
Flaring Ground energy across her wings, she pushed with all her might against the twin metal spears. As she did so, she used Roost, numbing the pain at least a little bit. Blood sprayed from her wings as she ripped them away from the spears; the agony nearly blinded her, but she shook her head, clearing her vision. She glared furiously at Gholdengo, who had taken a small step back. "Earth Impact!" she bellowed, surrounding her entire body with Ground energy and lunging at the Steel/Ghost-type, fury overwhelming the pain ripping through her ruined wings.
"Good as Gold: Body Manipulation!" Gholdengo cried; his body seemed to dissolve into liquid metal, flowing to the side to evade Kriesh's charge. "Good as Gold: Tithe Tide!" he growled, unleashing another swift wave of metal as Kriesh skidded to a halt.
Kriesh tapped into her reserves of Flying energy and leaped upwards, barely clearing the crest of the wave and narrowly avoiding hitting her head on the roof. "Flurry Impact!" she cried as she twisted, aiming a barrage of Pursuit rays towards Gholdengo.
Gholdengo scowled as he threw both hands to the sky. "Good as Gold: Make It Rain!"
A barrage of golden coins flew from his hands, ripping through Kriesh's Flurry Impact and continuing towards her. Kriesh summoned Normal energy to her beak, hoping the power of the attack would be sufficient to cleave through the oncoming shower of coins. "Beam Impact!"
Gholdengo didn't even twitch as the breathtakingly large beam of Normal energy exploded from Kriesh's beak. The Hyper Beam slammed into the Make It Rain and carved out a cylindrical section, blasting the coins right back into Gholdengo. Gholdengo raised a hand and absorbed the coins back into his body even as the Hyper Beam shot straight through his Ghost-type form. The remaining coins flew to either side of Kriesh, missing her entirely.
She had about half a second to smirk before Gholdengo shifted his hand again. "Good as Gold: Steel Spikes."
The coins flying past her suddenly sprouted spines, and Kriesh had no way of reacting in time. She screeched in pain as bloody lines opened up all over her body, the spikes carving across her skin in every direction. She dimly registered a snarl of "Thunderbolt!" from Gholdengo, but was too stunned and in pain to manifest anything resembling a defense.
Electric energy ripped through her body, multiplying the pain tenfold; Kriesh dropped out of the sky, unable to keep herself aloft. She hit the ground chin-first, nearly blacking out from the impact. By the time her vision refocused, Gholdengo was standing over her, face split in a mad grin.
"I warned you," he whispered. "I warned you all. But did you listen? No, you just had to play the hero! And now you're going to die along with all the rest of them!" He threw back his head and cackled, arms spread wide, mirthful in the face of his victory.
And as easy a target as Kriesh had ever had.
"Flurry Impact."
She relished the cry of pain as the barrage of Pursuit rays slammed into Gholdengo's unprotected chest, sending him staggering backwards. She did not, however, relish the fury that adorned his face as Gholdengo raised his head to glare at her.
"Fine. Be that way. Good as Gold: Steel Spikes."
Metallic spears flew from his outstretched hand, curving through the air and impaling Kriesh from several directions. The pain was finally too much; unconsciousness took her before she could even think about launching another defiant attack.
Medicham was astonished at how swiftly the front lawn of the apartment building had descended into outright chaos. Her allies were more than equal to the Ghost-types one-on-one, but there seemed no end to their Ghostly foes. It didn't help that many of them were tough enough that one attack wasn't enough to bring them down; all around Medicham could see Ghosts rising off the ground, shaking their heads, and flinging themselves back into the fight.
She looked around at the battle, spotting Theo's Crawdaunt cleaving through a Phantump with his Hyper Cutter-enhanced claws, spotting Connie's Zweilous blasting a pair of Gastly out of the sky with a powerful Fire Blast, spotting Serena's Jolteon and Sylveon utilizing a Discharge/Hyper Voice combo to clear out an entire section of Ghost-types while her Umbreon leaped between them, finishing them off with swift paw-strikes or bites.
Medicham felt a small measure of pride at the sight of Kamado sending an onrushing Golett staggering with a Dragon Claw. He's grown so much since he first joined the team. Nearby, Trevenant raised his branchlike claws with a cry of "Harvest!" Vines erupted from the earth, grasping a trio of Ghost-types and plucking them out of the air. Medicham ignored their piteous cries as they fell, more concerned with the Duskull that had just appeared out of thin air in front of her, a flickering ghostly flame that was almost certainly a Will-O-Wisp atop its arm.
A swift Aura Avoidance was enough for Medicham to evade the Duskull's swinging arm. "Fire Strike!" she cried, slamming a swift Fire energy-enhanced punch into it and sending it flying. Another Ghost - a Shuppet - came in from her left; more instinctively than anything, Medicham twisted and drove an Ice Strike straight into its face, tossing the Shuppet away like a leaf on the wind.
A wrathful snarl drew Medicham's attention; she twisted in time to see Ceruledge bearing down upon her, his two ghostly flaming arm-blades flickering. I was wondering when he'd show up. She clenched her fists. I'm not going to let him stop me.
"Flickering Step!" The Shadow Sneak was almost expected; Medicham was poised to twist the instant Ceruledge disappeared, and as he reappeared behind her Medicham rounded upon him. "Thunder Strike!"
"Flash Fire: Bitter Blade!"
Ceruledge's arm-blade flashed as it swept out towards Medicham, slamming into Medicham's thrown Thunder Strike in a burst of Electric and Fire energy. Ceruledge raised his other arm, pointing it straight at Medicham. "Flash Fire: Searing Spear!"
Even with Aura Avoidance, Medicham barely evaded the fiery spear that Ceruledge's left arm-blade suddenly elongated into. Ceruledge drew back, spinning in a circle; raising one armored leg, he twisted and slammed it into Medicham's gut as she recoiled from his spear. Medicham staggered, grunting in pain; Ceruledge crouched, then leaped, his right arm-blade drawn back. "Flash Fire: Bitter Blade!"
"No."
An elongated horn arose between them, blocking the attack, and Seeker-Of-Endings rose up, his horn-blade in a lock with Ceruledge's arm-blade. "Help Kriesh," said Seeker-Of-Endings. "I will fight him."
Medicham nodded swiftly; leaving Ceruledge and Seeker-Of-Endings behind, she turned and dashed for the door of the apartment block. Part of her hoped Kriesh could handle Gholdengo, but deep inside she knew the Fearow was likely already losing. If Gholdengo was powerful enough to so easily overcome Cloyster, there was no way Kriesh would be able to win a one-on-one fight with him.
She needed help.
A Gastly attempted to get in Medicham's way; Medicham sent it tumbling backwards with a Psychic Blast, not even breaking stride. A Pumpkaboo warranted only a Fire Strike, again without pausing. The doors loomed ahead; Medicham sprinted for them, ignoring the sounds of combat all around her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a large Haunter lunging towards her, but didn't have time to turn before Connie's Thievul abruptly slammed into it and knocked it to the ground. Lowering her head, Medicham pushed herself to run even faster.
The door cracked open before her, and Medicham hurled herself inside. As she did so, she heard a clear shriek of agony from upstairs, a shriek that was rapidly cut off.
Kriesh! Gritting her teeth, Medicham lunged for the staircase. She took the steps two at a time, not caring whether she was heard.
She only hoped she wasn't too late to save Kriesh.
"Flash Fire: Bitter Blade!"
Ceruledge slashed downwards, Seeker-Of-Endings raised his head, and their two blades clashed yet again. Ceruledge spun, ghostly flames playing across his blades, and swung at Seeker-Of-Endings' right cheek, but again the Absol swiftly blocked. Ceruledge launched into a frenzy of slashes; some Seeker-Of-Endings blocked, others he neatly dodged with Detect.
In a brief opening he fired a flurry of Pursuit rays at Ceruledge. "Flash Fire: Searing Shield!" Ceruledge cried, raising one of his arm-blades; the arm-blade expanded into a shield, intercepting the rays. "Flash Fire: Searing Spear!" Ceruledge cried; Seeker-Of-Endings was forced to tap into Detect to evade the suddenly extending weapon, and Ceruledge was quick to try and take advantage. But Seeker-Of-Endings parried sword-swipe and spear-thrust alike with swift, precise movements of his horn.
Now Ceruledge used Shadow Sneak, trying to teleport behind Seeker-Of-Endings and slash at him from behind. Seeker-Of-Endings was having none of it; in the space between Ceruledge's disappearance and reappearance Seeker-Of-Endings used Double Team, and Ceruledge appeared behind him only to see half a dozen Absols facing him.
Ceruledge raised both his hands, clasping them together. "Flash Fire: Lava Longsword!"
The arm-blades coalesced, extending into one massive blade, and Ceruledge swung it swiftly through all of Seeker-Of-Endings' Double Team copies; Seeker-Of-Endings himself had to jump backwards hastily, and even then he barely avoided the swinging longsword. Ceruledge pressed, swinging it again; Seeker-Of-Endings raised his horn-blade to deflect it, but even with Dark energy playing around the horn he still felt the impact jar him from his stance.
Again Ceruledge disappeared in a Shadow Sneak; this time Seeker-Of-Endings was too staggered to properly respond, and all he could do was swivel and clumsily parry Ceruledge's longsword. Now Ceruledge definitively had the upper hand, lashing out with a swift flurry of blows that Seeker-Of-Endings was hard-pressed to deflect.
Screw this. I'm fighting on his terms - I need to fight on mine.
Seeker-Of-Endings used Double Team again, but this time surrounding Ceruledge instead of all in a line. Then he used Pursuit, firing each ray from the mouth of one of his duplicates. Unfortunately, Ceruledge had a counter for that, too - he simply used Shadow Sneak again, teleporting out of the circle of duplicates and reappearing a decent ways away from Seeker-Of-Endings.
"Let's see how well you handle this." Ceruledge brought both arms together once again. "Flash Fire: Glowing Gatling!"
The two arm-blades coalesced into a multi-barreled gun that at once began firing a barrage of fiery bullets, ripping apart three of Seeker-Of-Endings' duplicates in moments. Seeker-Of-Endings dove to the side as his remaining two duplicates dissolved; Ceruledge continued to fire, following him with a trail of flaming bullets. Several of his own Ghost-type allies fell before Ceruledge's barrage as he tried to hit Seeker-Of-Endings.
Seeker-Of-Endings tapped into Detect once more; he skidded to a halt, ducked to the ground, and leaped back the way he'd come. Ceruledge's hail of bullets flew over Seeker-Of-Endings' head, and Seeker-Of-Endings charged Ceruledge, horn-blade flashing.
Ceruledge's Gatling gun began to morph into another ranged weapon. "Flash Fire: Bitter Bazooka."
The explosive shell that launched from the fiery bazooka slammed into the earth near Seeker-Of-Endings as he used Detect to avoid the shot. It didn't matter; the force of the explosion was enough to bowl the Absol over, sending him rolling horn-over-tail across the ground.
He only stopped rolling when he ran into Ceruledge's foot; swiftly, he looked up to see Ceruledge's Bitter Bazooka leveled at his face.
"How can you do this?" Seeker-Of-Endings growled. "How can you possibly align with Gholdengo? Do you honestly think what he's doing is right?"
Ceruledge glared at Seeker-Of-Endings. "No," he retorted. "I don't think what he's doing is right. But what choice do I have?"
He cocked his Bitter Bazooka. "At this point, with him, it's kill or be killed. And when it comes down to it…I'd rather live."
"Jellicent!"
"Drapion!"
Sending me out second? Drapion grinned as he found himself on the battlefield. Taking some lessons from Jaya, are we?
In truth, he was quite pleased with this. He didn't want to face Golurk - he'd had enough of Earthquakes from Ilima's Kangaskhan - and Gengar would be quite a slippery opponent. By contrast, Jellicent looked slow, relying more on bulk than on speed.
A perfect matchup for Drapion.
"Begin!" Valerie called, and again Raymond's order came on the heels of her cry. "Water Spout!"
"Dig!" Marcus retorted.
"Watery Grave!" Jellicent burbled, but even as he shot a massive spray of Water energy into the air Drapion raised his claws and buried them into the ground. "Burrow!" The Water energy slammed uselessly into the spot where he'd once been as Drapion disappeared into the earth.
If this thing has Earthquake, I don't care what Marcus says, I'm done with Dig.
"Surf!" Raymond called.
"Floodwaters!" As the sound of Water energy sprayed from Jellicent once more, Drapion began to tunnel upwards. The Water/Ghost-type was directly above him now; he could hear Water energy rushing into the tunnel he'd just dug. Jellicent was clearly trying to flush him out.
Oh, I'm coming out all right.
"Battle Armor: Slam!" Drapion exploded out of the ground, claws driving into Jellicent's body. "Strength Sap!" Raymond cried; even as Drapion carried Jellicent upwards, then downwards into the floor, he felt himself grow inexplicably weaker. Drapion recoiled, letting go of Jellicent and allowing the Water/Ghost-type to rise from his crater.
"No Escape!"
"Water Gun!" Raymond ordered; Jellicent, with a snarl of "Rain Shower!", retaliated with a barrage of Water energy that blew up the Pursuit rays in midair. "Floodwaters!" Another Surf came at Drapion, expanding as it went.
"Block!" A Protect was sufficient to part the Surf around Drapion, leaving the Poison/Dark-type untouched. "Blast!"
"Water Shot!" As Drapion had predicted, Jellicent simply blew the X-shaped blast of Poison energy out of the sky with what was likely a Bubble Beam. But out of the dissipating smoke lunged Drapion, fury in his eyes. "Battle Armor: Slam!"
"Strength Sap!"
Once more, Drapion seemed to lose strength upon touching Jellicent, but at least he had dealt a hefty hit. Quickly, Drapion spun, attempting to follow up on the successful blow. "Battle Armor: Slam!"
"Water Rush!" Jellicent launched himself at Drapion way faster than Drapion had expected from him. Water energy exploded against Drapion's face and he staggered; Jellicent followed up with a swift Strength Sap, draining even more of Drapion's power.
"Bite him!" Marcus ordered.
"Rend!" Drapion snarled, lunging forwards with teeth gnashing. Jellicent took the blow with a gurgle of pain as Drapion sank his teeth in deep.
"Strength Sap!"
This had the side effect of allowing Jellicent to decrease even more of Drapion's strength. Snarling, Drapion recoiled, lashing out with his claws to deter Jellicent's pursuit; Jellicent returned fire with a burble of "Water Shot!", but Drapion was able to deter the blast with a swift activation of Battle Armor.
He's got an impressive array of Water-type techniques…but from the looks of it, that and Strength Sap are all he really has.
Drapion readied to lunge forwards, to take advantage of Jellicent's failed technique, but his legs suddenly gave out under him. Drapion toppled to the ground, a snarl coming from his throat. Was that all just Strength Sap?
"What's the matter?" Jellicent gurgled. "Not enough strength to stand?"
"Damn you," Drapion snarled. I should have been paying more attention. I got cocky - let him get me with too many Strength Saps - and now I'm going to lose to this utter clown of a Pokemon.
No. Not now. Not like this.
"No Escape! Blast!" Drapion snarled. Jellicent narrowed his round eyes. "Watery Grave!" A staggeringly large blast of Water energy exploded out of Jellicent's body, ripping through both attacks and surging so quickly towards Drapion that he barely managed to raise a Protect in time.
Of course - he's using Water Spout.
Water Spout, Drapion knew, was an attack that was stronger the more stamina a Pokemon had. A fresh Pokemon could use it to summon a torrent of Water energy larger and stronger than any other Water-type attack, but a wounded Pokemon could only summon about half that Water energy, if they were lucky. The problem was, Jellicent's Strength Saps were increasing his stamina at the cost of Drapion's strength, allowing him to keep firing off ridiculously powerful Water Spouts.
That's a nasty combo…but I know Jellicent's vulnerable to Dig. Drapion clenched his claws. I think I've got enough strength to pull out a win, but only just. Another Strength Sap and I'll have to get Marcus to recall me - I'm pretty sure I can regain my strength once I get into my Luxury Ball.
"Burrow!" Drapion snarled. As he dropped underground, he was painfully aware that he was digging slower, the technique impacted by his drained strength. "Floodwaters!" Jellicent burbled from above him, again seeking to flood the tunnels and force him out.
The problem was, he was digging so slowly that it might actually work.
He heard water rushing into the tunnel after him, felt a chill as liquid began to slosh over his body. Grimacing, he forced himself further into his Dig, hammering at the walls, drawing upon the Ground energy in his body to shift the earth around him. The water was up to his belly and growing swiftly higher.
Drapion was under Jellicent now.
Snarling, he forced himself upwards, carrying himself out of the water. The water rose after him, rising just as fast, if not faster, than he could dig. Almost there…almost…almost…
There!
"Rend!" This time, Drapion didn't bother with Battle Armor. No amount of Strength Sap can erase poison. He sunk his claws straight into Jellicent's underbelly. Jellicent gurgled in distress, tentacles waving through the air.
"Grasp!" Drapion unleashed a point-blank Infestation on the staggering Jellicent even as the purpling of Jellicent's body indicated a successful injection of poison.
"Floodwaters!" Jellicent retaliated with a close-in Surf, hurling Drapion away in a tide of Water energy, but the damage had been done; when he tried to follow up with a Watery Grave, it was much weaker than the last ones had been, and Drapion easily batted it away with a Protect.
Now all he had to do was stall - and from the looks of it, both Jellicent and Raymond knew it. "Hold on, Jellicent!" Raymond cried. "It's time - use your ultimate attack!"
Drapion gritted his teeth as Jellicent's body flared with Ghost and Water energy. From the Water/Ghost-type's underbelly came a column of Water energy that slammed into the floor and began to expand out. Jellicent disgorged more; before Drapion's eyes, the Water energy began to rise and rise. A crescent wave began to form, growing higher and higher. Ghost energy played around it; a chorus of spectral voices arose in a ghastly chant, mingled with hard-edged laughter as the wave nearly touched the ceiling. Jellicent's eyes gleamed through the Ghost energy-filled waters, his gurgling voice arising over the spectral chants and laughs.
"Ultimate Attack: Davy Jones' Locker!"
The wave flew forwards, unnaturally expanded by the Ghost energy that surrounded it, coming down upon Drapion from high above. What I wouldn't give to be a Dry Skin Heliolisk right about now. Drapion grimaced. This wasn't going to be fun.
"Charge!" Marcus cried. "Straight into the wave!"
Drapion's eyes widened. Was his Trainer insane? Nonetheless, the order had been given, and Drapion would freely admit, it wasn't like he had a better plan. Crouching, he summoned all the Battle Armor he could manage, flared Dark energy across his entire body, and lunged into the oncoming wall of water.
The first thing he registered was that the water was unnaturally chilly; his insides felt like they were freezing over. That must be the Ghost energy at work. Drapion forced himself to keep moving, knowing that there had to be an end to the wave. He could feel the waters tearing at him, trying to push him back, but with Battle Armor and the Dark energy surrounding him, he was able to resist to some extent and continue pushing.
He could feel the air in his lungs rapidly draining; he could already feel a tightness in his chest. He pushed forwards more. The only escape would be out the other side. The water was growing lighter - that had to be a good sign.
Drapion pushed. The pressure of the water was receding slightly, the force of it lessening and lessening. Drapion gathered all his remaining strength and, with one final heave of effort, leaped out of the water in a shower of dissipating energy.
The look on Jellicent's face was worth all the effort.
"Blast!" Drapion snarled; unprepared, Jellicent couldn't muster a defense in time. The X-shaped burst struck Jellicent and knocked him straight out of the sky; the Water energy ceased to disgorge from his underbelly as he toppled to the ground. As Jellicent fell, Drapion summoned all of his Battle Armor to one of his arms and readied it for when Jellicent dropped into range. Jellicent attempted to fire a Water Shot at Drapion, but a swift Protect put an end to that hope, and now Jellicent had fallen almost to the ground, tentacles waving wildly.
"Battle Armor: Slam!"
Drapion launched his clublike fist upwards, burying it in Jellicent's underbelly, arresting Jellicent's momentum and tossing him in the opposite direction. The Water/Ghost-type flipped upside down as he flew and landed on the ground headfirst. His tentacles slumped to the floor all around him; the last remnants of Davy Jones' Locker dissolved into Water energy and came down around him as well, collecting into a small puddle on the ground.
As Raymond recalled Jellicent, Drapion had to fight back the feeling of victory. Unlike the previous two battles, he hadn't been sent out as the closer - Raymond still had two Pokemon. The battle wasn't over yet.
But as Drapion exulted over Jellicent's defeat, he found it hard to imagine that Raymond could pull off a comeback from here.
Medicham skidded into the hallway. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kriesh slumped on the floor of one of the rooms, unconscious or worse. Gholdengo was nowhere to be seen, but Medicham could hear cackling coming from further down the hallway. She clenched her fists and hurled herself down the hallway. No time to check on Kriesh…I hope she's still alive.
And I hope she delayed Gholdengo long enough.
Medicham charged, listening to the cackling as it grew louder and louder. Not there…not there…not there…there! She turned on her heel, swiftly eyeing the door that lay between her and Gholdengo.
"Pure Power: Aura Strike!"
One Fighting energy-enhanced punch was enough to send the door flying off its hinges, tumbling to the ground in a crumpled heap. Gholdengo was standing in the middle of the room with back turned and hands outstretched; a silvery sheen was forming over four large spheres sitting on the shelf at the back of the room.
He's Steel/Ghost. Aura won't work…my best bet is Fire.
"Fire Strike!" Medicham kicked off the ground and leaped at Gholdengo, one flaming fist drawn back.
"Good as Gold. Body Transmutation: Tungsten."
Gholdengo's entire body shifted from gold to a silver-white color as Medicham's Fire Strike slammed into the small of his back. He barely twitched; his feet skidded forwards about an inch from the sheer force of Medicham's punch, but he barely seemed affected.
Gholdengo turned to face Medicham, his gaze mocking. "Too little, too late," he said. "Their fates are sealed…literally and figuratively." He chuckled at his own twisted joke. "They only have an hour or so to live now. Just think, Medicham…this could all have been avoided if you'd just been good little pawns and let my Trainer have the win he deserves."
"How…" Medicham was torn between absolute fury at Gholdengo's words and actions, and pure shock that he didn't seem to have taken any damage from a super-effective attack.
Gholdengo grinned. "Tungsten is the most heat-resistant metal in the world," he said, "with a melting point of over six thousand degrees fahrenheit. Your pitiful Fire Punch isn't even close to that temperature. By transmuting my body into tungsten, I can make myself practically immune to Fire-type moves."
Medicham stared up at him with eyes wide. He can just negate one of his type weaknesses so casually? For Arceus's sake…how strong is Gholdengo?
"You see now?" Gholdengo asked. "You see how outmatched you are? You brought this on yourself, Medicham. Had you and your friends just let Raymond win, I wouldn't have been driven to this. This is your fault!" He gestured to the now-sealed spheres. "They're dying because of you!"
Medicham fixed her eyes on the spheres. "No," she growled. "Don't you dare try and lay this upon anyone else. You could have stopped at any time. You made these choices. You are the one who chose to try and commit mass murder over an Arceus-damned Gym Exam!"
"Only because none of you would let Raymond have the win he deserves!" Gholdengo cried. "Can't you see? Ilima already has her Island Trial, Jaya is too inexperienced, Marcus is even more inexperienced than Jaya! None of them deserve this more than Raymond! So how dare you try and destroy his dream!" Gholdengo's eyes narrowed to slits as he drew back a hand. Medicham, sensing an attack coming, tapped into Aura Avoidance and swiftly evaded the clumsy punch Gholdengo threw at her.
"Thunder Strike!"
"Good as Gold! Body Transmutation: Copper!"
Gholdengo's body changed from the silver-white color of tungsten to a shiny bronze hue, and as Medicham's punch landed all of the Electric energy seemed to be siphoned from her fist into Gholdengo's body. The attack that landed seemed to have slightly more of an impact, but not by much.
"Ice Strike!" Medicham brought her other fist around, knowing the attack wouldn't be nearly as effective but hoping Gholdengo wouldn't have some other ridiculous metal he could transform his body into to negate it.
She was sadly disappointed. "Good as Gold! Body Transmutation: Steel!"
The color of Gholdengo's body changed to a steely gray color, and yet again Medicham's fist had little to no impact. Gholdengo giggled at this latest failure. "I have tested metal after metal!" he cried. "Analyzed their capabilities for energy resistance! I have spent years coming up with metals that can counter specific types of energy! What makes you think an inexperienced battler such as you can do anything to me? Good as Gold: Tithe Tide!"
Gholdengo finally launched an attack, a wave of liquid metal pouring from his outstretched hands. Medicham sprang backwards, landing on her feet as the metal surged towards her, rising into the air, nearly scraping the ceiling. "Pure Power: Aura Strike Barrage!" she cried, drawing both her fists back.
Gholdengo may have been Steel/Ghost-type, but his summoned metal walls certainly weren't. Medicham threw her flurry of Aura-enhanced punches, and the metal erupted in a shower of shards, ripped to shreds by Medicham's barrage.
Grimacing, Gholdengo raised a hand. "Good as Gold: Steel Spikes." The flying shards erupted in a forest of spears, all lancing out towards Medicham. But again she tapped into Aura Avoidance; her Aura found her a clear path between the spears, and her body moved to obey, slipping between the flying spines and leaving herself untouched.
Gholdengo scowled. "You're only delaying the inevitable, Medicham. You can't hurt me, but sooner or later, my attacks will find their mark."
Medicham lunged forwards in answer. I can't hit him with a single elemental punch - he'll just shift into tungsten or copper or steel and block it. But if I hit him with two at the same time, he'll have to choose.
It wasn't a technique Medicham was used to, but the theory was easy enough. Focusing, she summoned Fire energy to her right hand and Electric energy to her left as she charged. "Thunder-Fire Dual Strike!" she cried, flinging both her hands at Gholdengo.
"Good as Gold: Body Manipulation."
He didn't even bother taking the attacks; before Medicham's eyes his body folded inwards, becoming pencil-thin, and Medicham's energy-wreathed fists flew to either side. Gholdengo grinned, one hand drawn back, a Shadow Ball forming in it as Medicham's head neared Gholdengo's body.
If he thinks my fists are my only weapons, he's wrong.
"Psychic Strike!"
Psychic energy blazed across her head, and Gholdengo's eyes barely had time to widen before Medicham slammed her forehead into his folded-up stomach. This time the attack clearly caused very real pain; Gholdengo staggered, snarling in agony at the blow. Almost on reflex, he released his Shadow Ball nearly point-blank at Medicham; Medicham couldn't dodge in time, not even with Detect, and the sphere of Ghost energy slammed into her stomach and doubled her over even as it wreaked havoc within her mind.
But she was fresh - even from a combatant as strong as Gholdengo, one Shadow Ball wasn't going to bring her down. Gritting her teeth, she shook her head, clearing the mental pain as best she could. She rose in time to see Gholdengo expand back to his normal body size, fists clenched in fury and expression stormy.
"No defense against Psychic attacks, huh?" Medicham smirked.
"That was a lucky hit." Gholdengo raised his fists towards Medicham. "You won't get a second one. Good as Gold: Make It Rain."
A flurry of golden coins flew from Gholdengo's knuckles, soaring across the room towards Medicham. Medicham planted her feet. "Pure Power: Aura Blast Barrage!" A counter-flurry of Aura Blasts flew from her hands, the lower amount of blasts counterbalanced by greater power and type advantage. Each Aura Blast blew half a dozen coins out of the sky; the two attacks seemed to counter one another perfectly, neither attack gaining or losing ground.
Abruptly Gholdengo leaped out of the barrage of explosions, hands elongating, rising to a point. "Good as Gold: Steel Sword!"
Medicham barely dodged his first slash with Aura Avoidance. As the second blade came around, Medicham clenched her right fist. "Pure Power: Aura Shield!" she cried, raising a fist to block the second slash. An ovular barrier of Aura arose between her arm and the slashing blade. But the blade passed right through the shield of Aura and ripped into her flesh, carving a deep gash along the side of her right forearm.
"Forget I'm Ghost-type?" Gholdengo mocked. A Shadow Ball formed between his blades and flew straight into Medicham's chin even as she staggered from his successful slash. Medicham was blown backwards, slamming into one of the room's walls. Again she recovered, but it was slower, and her right arm seared with pain.
So his arm-blades aren't constructs like the rest of his metals, but extensions of himself. How does that even work? Medicham shook her head. No matter - I'll have to use the elemental punches against those.
And I really have to be more prepared for those point-blank Shadow Balls. A few more hits like that and I'm not getting up.
"Good as Gold: Tithe Tide!" Gholdengo bellowed, unleashing another wave of metal from his body.
This time, Medicham had no desire to exert her wounded arm in another Aura Strike Flurry. So she raised one foot and stomped it. "Pure Power: Aura Wave!" The shockwave of Aura that blasted out from her foot was sufficient to blast the wave to smithereens, not even close enough to her for Gholdengo to attempt to sprout spikes from the shattered remains.
Once more Gholdengo lunged, arm-blades held to his sides and slightly back as he rushed her. "I am getting tired of this!" he cried. "Just let it happen!"
"Never." Medicham glared at Gholdengo, eyes focusing to a point on his forehead. If he has no defense against Psychic-type attacks, this should at least stagger him.
"Psychic Blast."
"Gah!" Gholdengo stumbled mid-stride as the sudden burst of Psychic energy assailed his mind. Medicham still hadn't worked out how to transform that Psychic energy into Mind, but over the past two months she and Darkrai had worked together to hone her Psychic Blast, making it a lot stronger than it had once been.
Medicham saw Gholdengo stagger and hurled herself at him immediately. "Fire Strike!" she cried; up until the moment of impact, she feared the cry of his voice, but he was too staggered to mount a defense.
The super-effective attack landed, and Gholdengo screamed out in pain as Fire energy - energy that he likely hadn't felt in a while - burst into his chest and licked at his body.
Gholdengo flew backwards, tumbling to the floor as he did so, his body sending up a spray of dust as he skidded to a halt. Medicham did not hesitate; she charged once more, knowing that she needed to take advantage of the opening. "Fire Strike!"
But Gholdengo recovered far more swiftly than he had any right to. "Good as Gold: Body Manipulation."
His body shifted into liquid metal and abruptly surged forwards; Medicham's fist slammed into the ground even as Gholdengo's dissolved body slid through her legs and around her feet. "Good as Gold: Steel Shackles," Gholdengo growled; the metal around Medicham's legs hardened, and with a swift yank Gholdengo pulled Medicham's legs out from under her. She toppled to the floor face-first; something cracked in her nose, and blood began to pour from it.
"Good as Gold: Steel Sword."
The next thing Medicham knew, one of Gholdengo's arm-blades was extended through the center of her chest.
The pain took a few seconds to hit. Medicham stared dumbly at the blade piercing through her body; what did it was the blade recoiling, Gholdengo withdrawing his sword to leave a gaping wound behind. Bile rose up in Medicham's throat; abruptly an impact slammed into her side as Gholdengo kicked her, sending her flying across the room and into another wall.
She fell to the ground and at once vomited, the strain of the twin blows too much for her. Panting, she clamped her hands to her chest, trying to stop the flow of blood, and rose to her knees to see Gholdengo approaching her.
"This is what you get," Gholdengo growled. "This is what you get for standing in front of Raymond's dream. His ascension to the position of Gym Leader will not be stopped. Even if I have to kill you and everyone else on your team to ensure that."
Medicham looked up helplessly at Gholdengo, unable to even find the strength to stand.
"In the end," said Gholdengo with a ghastly grin, "you were always going to lose."