Having been tasked with battling Crispin, the Fire Type Specialist and 4th ranked member of the BB League elite 4, Mermista was to report to the Savanna Biome and challenge him as soon as she could. However, before that, she took some time to do some catching in the Coastal Biome to grab some handy new additions in preparation for whatever Crispin had.
After swimming around a bit in the Coastal Biome's water zones and exploring the entire biome itself, catching what she needed in Dive and Net Balls, the Princess of Salineas rendevouzed with her support team, consisting of Kathlaa, Flamberge, Kazuma, G. Aqua, Darkness, Himeno, Yoko, Zenji, Toya, Riesz, Belladonna, Tsumugi, Cecilia Alcott and her recently caught Sobble, Mona Magistus and her new Spriggatito, Outrider Amber and her Buneary, Aether, Lumine and Paimon at the border between the Coastal and Savanna Biomes.
"All done getting ready, Mermista?" Flamberge asked.
"I think so. Guess we should get going to Savanna plaza." Mermista said as they entered the Savanna Biome. "Thanks for that quick trade by the way, Tsumugi."
"It's no problem at all. Happy to help." Tsumugi said.
"You sure you're up for this? This is probably gonna be your biggest challenge yet." Kazuma said.
"I'm not worried. Even if Crispin's got tricks up his sleeve, I've got surprises of my own." Mermista said.
"Well, best of luck!" Paimon replied.
As the squad rendezvoused to head to their next Elite Four battle, they would soon come across a blonde haired duo, one being a male with short blonde hair, and purple armored sage clothes, and the other, a twin tail haired female in a very lady like outfit, consisting of a frilly pink top, and simple brown pants that were tailored for a woman's physique, as said lady had quite a few seashells on her person.
"Look at this one, Theodor!" The young woman smiled, as the blonde haired man smiled, showing off some seashells they collected from the Coastal Biome.
"Quite beautiful, Lilinette." Theodor smiled before he soon saw the approaching group. "Ah, the trainers, as Siege stated. Greetings, everyone." Theodor stated with a gentleman's smile and bow.
"Hm? Who are you two?" Kathlaa asked.
"Hiii! My name is Lilinette from House Rosethorn! This is my cousin, Theodor from House Rosethorn! A pleasure to meet you all." Lilinette smiled.
"Okay… so, why are you here? You're kinda in the way, and I've got a pretty important battle to get to." Mermista said.
"It's quite simple! Siege wanted little old me to come and see just how strong you've gotten!" Lilinette smiled. "We're gonna have a duel! But with little monsters you catch in balls!"
"Huh? A double battle, right now?" Flamberge asked.
"Oh, no, you're mistaken. I will not be partaking. It will just be Lilinette." Theodor explained. "And as a reward for our defeat, or rather, regardless of the conclusion, we shall restore all damage done in the battle to your team. Lilinette is an expert healer after all." Theodor explained.
"Siege said we have to use two Pokémon at a time, though. So it's still a doubles match, I guess." Lilinette smiled.
"Alright, I'll bite. How many Pokémon are we using?" Mermista asked.
"Six each! You reaaady~?" Lilinette asked with a smile.
Mermista sighed. "I guess." she said as she took her position.
Cue: Sinnoh Trainer Battle - Zame Remix
You've been challenged by Troubadour Lilinette!
Lilinette sent out Vileplume and Bellossom!
"Vileplume AND Belossom?" Flamberge said.
"Is that… good?" Kathlaa asked.
"My cousin Lilinette is quite fond of Grass types. So if you specialize in Water Types, this might be a difficult task." Theodor declared.
"And unlucky for Mermista, her team is basically all water types." Flamberge said.
"That's not good…" Kathlaa remarked.
"Unless her Pokemon has Ice Type attacks, that is." Cecilia added.
"Great…" Mermista groaned. "Well, can't let Mark down as a fellow Star-Buster so….Dondozo, Tatsugiri, you're up!"
Tossing out two dive balls each, she sent out the Big Catfish Pokemon Dondozo, and the Stretchy Form of the Water/Dragon Type Tatsugiri. Thanks to Tatsugiri's commander ability, the Mimicry Pokémon hopped right in Dondozo's mouth.
"Gah! What a horrid ability! This certainly won't do! Vileplume, Bellossom, double dose of Moonblast!" Lilinette said as the two Grass-types fired balls of light at Dondozo.
Dondozo tanked the hits, protecting its boss.
"Wow, that is one tanky fish!" Kathlaa said.
"It's a big brute…" Lilinette pouted.
"You haven't seen anything yet. Dondozo, Ice Fang on Bellossom!" Mermista said. "Tatsugiri, Dragon Pulse on Vileplume!"
Dondozo leaped into the air and opened its mouth wide, Bellosom literally screaming as she was swallowed hole in the catfish's ice coated jaws. After that, Dondozo spit the knocked out flower Pokémon out, allowing Tatsugiuri to snipe Vileplume with Dragon Pulse from inside its partner's mouth, taking it out as well.
"Yikes…" Kazuma said.
"Wow Mermista… you're brutal." Flamberge stared.
"It worked though." Aether remarked.
"Oh my, how I wish I was that Belossom, getting swallowed whole and being drenched in-" Darkness began to fantasize.
"Darkness, I think you really do have a problem." Himeno said.
"A HUGE problem." Paimon deadpanned.
"Oh how rude indeed! My poor Pokémon! Return!" Lilinette declared. "You'll soon feel my wrath! Go! Torterra and Shiftry!"
The duo of Pokémon were sent out, with Torterra having some blooms on its tree.
"Torterra, use Leaf Storm! Shiftry! Leaf Blade! Teach this brute a lesson!" Lilinette exclaimed.
"Dondozo! Order Up!" Mermista called.
"Order-what?" Lilintette blinked.
Hearing this, Dondozo launched Tatsugiri out of its mouth like a fresh order of sushi and hit Shiftry dead on, cutting off its Leaf Blade attack and raising Dondozo's speed.
"Uh… what kind of attack is that?" Cecilia questioned.
"I… have no clue." Lumine sweatdropped. "But it did help Dodonzo."
Lumine was right, as it did help Dondozo survive only Torterra's Leaf Storm, taking only one super effective hit.
"I am not leaving this battle until that beast falls! Shiftry, Protect! Torterra, Earthquake!" Lilinette said.
While Shiftry protected itself, Toterra shook the ground and finally took Dondozo out, setting Tatsugiri free.
"Whew… That felt so good. Thank you, Torterra." Lilinette said with a bow.
"So much for that strategy." Mermista said. "Alright…. You're up next, Swanna!"
In Dondozo's place, Mermista sent out the Swan pokemon native to Unova.
"Swanna! Great choice, Mermista!" Flamberge cheered.
"Far more manageable. Shiftry, Mega Drain." Lilinette said.
"Swanna, dodge and use Ice Beam on Torterra!" Mermista said, Swanna getting out of range of Shiftrys Mega drain and blasting Torterra with Ice… only for it to survive, as it was munching…. On a Yache Berry.
"Siege said that might be useful! Huzzah!" Lilinette smiled.
"But berries like that are only good for one attack." Mermista smirked. "Tatsugiri, take out Shiftry with Dragon Pulse! Swanna, Ice Beam on Torterra again!"
"Not a second time, I fear!" Lilinette exclaimed. "Torterra, quickly, use Dig! Shiftry, evade that beam and move in with Magical Leaf!"
Torterra swiftly burrowed down, evading the ice blast as Shiftry nimbly evaded the incoming blast, before shooting rainbow leaves at Tatsugiri. Tatsugiri was then finished off while Torterra lay in wait for the next Pokémon.
"(Better choose my next one carefully so I don't get smacked. Swanna will be okay though.)" Mermista thought before getting an idea. "Starter for starter. Go, Primarina!"
Mermistas next Pokémon was the Soloist Pokémon and the final evolution of Popplio, which she had caught during her Pokémon catching hunt at the Perfect Link Tournament.
"Huzzah! A target! Torterra, unleash your power!" Lilinette exclaimed. "Shiftry, follow up with another Leaf Blade!"
Where Torterra struck from down low, Shiftry struck from above, an attempt at a swift execution of Primarina!
"Primarina, Jump!" Mermista called, as Primarina did a stylish backflip that would make any acrobat jealous, shocking Lilinette. "Think I didn't see that coming when I sent her out? Primarina, Moonblast on Shiftry, and Swanna, take out Torterra with Hurricane!"
Both Swanna and Primarina did their thing, taking down both Pokemon with super effective hits.
"Incredible! Are we sure she's still a novice trainer?" Theodor asked his cousin.
"I'm quite certain she's not, my cousin." Lilinette said.
"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you get front row seats to high level pokemon battles. You learn a thing or two." Mermista smirked.
"It is time to send out my trump cards then. Go! Decidueye! Serperior!" Lilinette exclaimed.
A Hisuian Decidueye and Serperior came out, Lilinette's final two Pokémon.
"The same Decidueye that Akira has…" Mona observed. "This will be a challenge."
"Bring it." Mermista said nonchalantly.
"Deciduye, attack Swanna with Rock Tomb! Serperior, attack Primarina with Leaf Storm!" Lilinette ordered.
"Swanna, dodge and return the Favor with hurricane again! Primarina, you counter with Sparkling Aria!" Mermista said.
Swanna weaved through the falling rocks and hit Decidueye with the quad effective flying move, whilst Primaria countered Serperior's attack with her signature move.
It wasn't long before the attacks caused both Grass types to fall incredibly quickly, as Lilinette huffed.
Mermista defeated Troubadour Lilinette!
(End song)
"Well, dear… it seems you win. Quite easily, may I add." Lilinette huffed.
"It's as true as we've heard. You're incredible." Theodor admitted.
"You were amazing, Mermista!" Flamberge said.
"Yeah, consider me non-skeptical now! You had the type disadvantage, and you still kicked her ass!" Kazuma added.
"Well you don't have to rub it in." Lilinette huffed. "But, as promised." Lilinette stated, as she soon tapped her staff, a healing light covering the Pokéballs of Mermista's Pokémon.
Mermista's team is fully healed!
"And here, for the trouble." Theodor stated.
Mermista received 6 Full Restores!
"Thanks, I guess." Mermista said. "So, am I good to take on who I was meant to battle first?"
"You are. Crispin awaits you at Savanna Plaza. Unlike myself, he uses purely barbaric Fire Types. I hope you douse him to smolders." Lilinette remarked. "Come, Theo, let's return home."
Theodor nodded. "Take care, all of you." Theodor stated as he and Lilinette departed from the dimension.
"This Siege character has plenty of interesting allies by his side." Mona mused. "I'm quite tempted to use my divination to see what he sees… but I'd better not risk it."
"Yeah, it's better to ask him ourselves. If we do meet him someday." Aether replied.
"Now, shall we get going to meet Crispin?" Darkness asked.
"Yeah, let's get going." Kazuma answered, as the group made their way to the plaza.
At Savanna plaza, the group arrived, and just as soon as they did, there was Crispin waiting for them.
"Well look who's here! I saw you and these guys come in at the cafeteria!" Crispin said. "So, who's the one taking me on as part of this group?"
"That would be me." Mermista signaled.
"So it's you, huh? Your name's Mermista, right?! I heard you're a Mermaid Princess, man that's wild!" Crispin said. "Just the person to get my energy pumping. I feel like I'm cooking at a nice simmer over here! But we gotta move somewhere for this next part. All of you, follow me!"
The group followed Crispin and his Magmortar to another part of the Savanna Biome.
"I've been waiting for a fiery challenger like you! Your entire group, forming your own club and challenging us all together? Now that's lit! No wonder Kieran and Drayton like you. And if I'm being honest, you guys have kindled my curiosity too!" Crispin said.
"Well, I'm only doing this so Mark can get to Kieran, and as a Star Buster, I can't let him down, so…" Mermista said.
"No sweat, I get it! You have to do your part to defeat the 4 of us so Mark can get his match with Kieran. But I should warn you- my Elite Trial is no joke. So…your challenge is…making the spiciest sandwich you can muster!" Crispin said.
"That's all? Easy. Hand me the…" Mermista said.
"Not so fast. You can't use any ingredients you brought with you. Only stuff from here." Crispin said.
"Okay, I can work with that. How hot you want this sandwich?" Mermista asked.
"Make it super, and I mean SUPER-spicy! I want something so hot it'll have me breathing flames!" Crispin said with excitement in his eyes.
"You know, Paimon can think of one other person that can make a dish spicy. So spicy that it's literally on fire." Paimon mentioned.
"Is it safe to eat though?" Outrider Amber asked.
"...Paimon is afraid to find out." Paimon admitted.
"Is he trying to turn himself into a dragon or something? I don't know why anyone would want something as spicy as he does." Zenji said.
"But this is what I've gotta do to get a battle with him." Mermista said. "He wants Spicy? I'll give him the hottest thing put together between two slices of bread."
Mermista then got to work scrounging up ingredients by talking to the other students in support of Crispin. First, she battled a student for some Potato salad, trading it away to another for some Onions, a cucumber and Prosciutto. Then, she battled another trainer and beat him for a bottle of mayonnaise.
Ironically, mayonnaise was the answer the Mermaid Princess had to give to another trainer to receive some eggs, and cruets of Olive Oil and Vinegar. She then traded the slice of cucumber she had to the girl talking to the last trainer to receive some chili sauce.
She then approached the last three trainers in the area, trading away the prosciutto and olive oil for some jalapenos, the vinegar for mustard, and the eggs for a helping of chorizo. Now she had everything she needed to make Crispin one scorching hot sandwich.
She brought all the ingredients back to the picnic table where the others were waiting.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" G. Aqua asked.
"I'm just making a sandwich, how hard can it be?" Mermista said. "Alright, here we go."
Mermista sliced the bread up and then slathered both ends with a combination of Chili sauce and Mustard. She then piled on the chorizo, onions and Jalapenos, neatly putting them together before finishing it off with the bread on top.
"Order up." Mermista said, presenting her sandwich to Crispin. "One Super-Spicy Sandwich, piled high with all the heat you can eat. Enjoy."
Crispin and his Magmortar then dug into the sandwich. He seemed to be sweating bullets before giving a thumbs up as a sign that the mission was cleared.
"WHOO! This isn't just spicy anymore, it's PAIN! I'm burning up from the inside!" Crispin said. "So you know what? I think I can give you my verdict. You pass! Your sandwich brought the heat like nobody else!"
"How is your mouth not completely on fire after eating that?!" G. Aqua asked.
"I have no idea!" Crispin replied happily. "C'mon, let's head back so we can have our battle!"
"...At least Mermista passed the test, so let's just go with that." Cecilia sweatdropped. "But bloody hell, I'm not making a sandwich like that. And I used to be a bad cook for Arceus' sake."
Crispin took the group back to Savanna Plaza, where they met face to face on the battle court there.
"Alright, Mermista! You all prepped and ready to take me on?" Crispin asked.
"Yeah, let's do it already." Mermista nodded as they took their positions, Crispin having something on his mind as he took his spot.
"So…Mermista! I take it there's some messy history between you guys and Kieran, huh? And it sure seemed like Drayton cooked up this whole scheme to have you guys battle us from the start, too…" Crispin thought aloud. "Gaaaaaah! Everything's getting so complicated! Can't you all just get over yourselves?! If you wanna say something, just say it! If you wanna do something, just do it!"
"Okay, calm down there, buddy." Paimon sweatdropped.
"Uh… you sure like to keep things simple." Mermista said, thrown off by Crispin's outburst.
"Yeah well, I'm not the kinda guy who wastes sweatin' the small stuff! I battle because I wanna battle! And you know what? That's how it should be!" Crispin replied.
(Cue: Battle! BB League Elite 4 - Scarlet and Violet)
"I haven't introduced myself yet! I'm Crispin, the Elite 4 Rep in this Savanna Biome! I wanna win, so that's exactly what I'll do!" Crispin declared.
"Well then… I'm Princess Mermista of Salineas. And..the one who's going to wash you out, cook boy." Mermista said.
"Go ahead and try. Cause the show starts…now! Go! Rotom! Talonflame!" Crispin said sending out Heat Rotom and Talonflame.
"Let's go! Primarina and Milotic!" Mermista called, sending out Primarina and Milotic.
ELITE 4 BATTLE!
Mermista vs Crispin
Begin!
"Let's get it heated up then. Rotom, attack Milotic with Thunderbolt. And Talonflame…use Sunny Day!" Crispin said as the sunlight intensified as electricity was fired into Milotic.
"Sunny Day right off the bat, huh…" Mermista asked.
"Heh! You think this is my first time dealing with Water type specialists like you? I know plenty of trainers who come at me using all Water types. I've taken special measures to combat against people like you." Crispin said.
"Man, Crispin isn't an Elite 4 for nothing." Flamberge said. "With Sunny Day, Mermista's main advantage is weakened, and he's got a way to damage her team little by little."
"Mermista better think of a way around this, or else she's gonna get battered and deep fried!" G. Aqua added.
"I'm sure she'll think of something to counter that." Outrider Amber said.
"Cmon, I'm standing right here, you know that!" Mermista said. "So what if I'm weakened? Doesn't mean I'm powerless. Primarina, use Hyper Voice. Milotic, Recover." Mermista said as Milotic healed itself as Primarina let out a loud shout, which surprised Crispin as it landed super effective hits on both Pokémon.
"Whoa! How did you-?!" Crispin asked before realizing. "Liquid Voice…"
"Liquid wha?" Paimon asked.
"Liquid Voice. An ability only Primarina has. It turns any sound moves it uses into Water Moves." Yoko said. "It's a Hidden Ability, so one would more than likely have to use an Ability Capsule."
"Ability Capsule? What's that?" Riesz asked.
"It's an item that lets you access abilities your Pokémon have but wouldn't normally have in the wild." Toya said.
"Interesting, yet clever." Mona remarked.
"Not a bad play there." Crispin said. "But you're still outclassed. Rotom, Thunderbolt on Milotic. Talonflame, help out with Brave Bird on Milotic as well!" he said as both Pokemon charged at Milotic.
"I'm SO not gonna let you zap Milotic again. Primarina, Sparkling Aria!" Mermista said.
Primarina belted out another song as bubbles showered over both Rotom and Talonflame. Both of them being taken out at once.
"Return!" Crispin said as he recalled both of them. "So you're good. But…there's more than one way to fry some fish. Let's go! Exeggutor! Camerupt!" he said, sending out his next two Pokemon.
"He's got a Grass type mixed in. Guess I should have seen that coming too." Mermista said.
"All right…let's make this match burn bright red. Exeggutor, Solar Beam on Primarina. Camerupt, Zen Headbutt on Milotic!" Crispin commanded.
"Wait…with Sunny Day in effect…" Yoko said as Exeggutor fired quickly and took out Primarina with one hit.
"Of course. Solar Beam can be fired without the charge up time due to the sun appearing." Cecilia remarked.
"Down already. Not only that, but as a Grass-type, Exeggutor is able to cover all of the weaknesses Fire would normally have trouble with." Belladonna said.
"And Mermista's team is all water types. She's got nothing to take that thing out!" Kazuma said.
"Not quite. There is one thing." Mermista said.
"Huh?" Kazuma asked.
"What, you think I was in the Coastal Biome just taking my time? I've got a surprise. Cmon out!" Mermista said, as she threw a new ball and sent out… an Araquanid!
"A Hydro spider?!" Mona gasped.
"Not bad. Araquanid is a Bug type too. Bug types have the advantage over Grass." Toya said.
"And Psychic, which is also one of Exeggutor's types." Tsumugi said. "Araquanid might just be what Mermista needs here!"
"Milotic, Hydro Pump on Camerupt! Araquanid, you know what to do with Exeggutor. Use Bug Buzz!" Mermista said.
Milotic blasted Camerupt with a beam of water, while Araquanid super effectively hit Exeggutor with its bug type move as both Pokémon fell.
"Return!" Crispin said, recalling both. "You're giving me a lot of trouble. Time for you to get it back! Let's go! Magmortar! Blaziken!" he said, sending out his final two.
"Final two and I'm up by 5. I got this." Mermista siad.
"Not for long. Cause now it's time to REALLY turn up the heat!" Crispin said, pulling out a Tera Orb, charging it up, he then terastallized his Blaziken into a pure Fire type. "Magmortar, use Thunderbolt on Milotic. Blaziken…Stone Edge on Araquanid!" he said as both Pokémon attacked, taking down both Milotic and Araquanid.
"Oh boy… Mermista's only got three left!" G. Aqua said.
"(I'd better pick carefully if I wanna win. Can't let Mark down.)" Mermista thought. "(Let's see… Magmortar and Blaziken are both heavy hitters with diverse movesets. No doubt crispin will have tricks up his sleeve. So… ) Let's do this!"
Mermista sent out her next combination. Her first Pokemon was Palafin, and the other…was one of the strongest Water types there is to find. The Dragon Pokemon, Kingdra!
"Whoa, a Kingdra! So that's what you helped Mermista with, Tsumugi!" Flamberge said.
"Well, I managed to catch a Seadra in the Polar Biome and I remember that it needed to be
traded while holding a Dragon Scale." Tsumugi said.
"You're doing well, but fried seafood is still on the menu! Magmortar, Thunderbolt on Palafin and Blaziken, use Shadow Claw on Kingdra!" Crispin said.
"Palafin, get outta there with Flip Turn! Kingdra, fire back with Dragon Pulse!" Mermista said.
Palafin coated itself in water and charged at Magmortar, avoiding the thunderbolt and slamming into it. Magmortar quickly consumed the Passho Berry it had on hand to cut the damage in half before contact, as Palafin went back to Mermista, Kingdra intercepting Blaziken with Dragon Pulse.
"Let's switch this up!" Mermista said, throwing out another ball as appearing in Palafin's place was Basculegion.
"Hey, the Basculin you caught in Kitakami evolved!" Flamberge said.
"Had to make it do a lot of Wave Crashes, but it was worth it." Mermista said.
"Heheheh…Blaziken…didn't get its attack in." Crispin smiled. "Let your anger burn! Let…your Temper Flare!" he called out as Blaziken was ignited on fire.
"Temper…Flare?" Yoko asked.
"This is a special sort of move. It's a good Fire move. And if a previous move fails…its attack power doubles!" Crispin said.
"Temper Flare's power is 75 normally. But if you count that damage multiplier and add on the boost from Blaziken's Terastallization…!" Yoko realized.
"That's a whopping 225, 3 times its normal base power!" Zenji said.
"Blaziken! Aim all that rage and power right at Basculegion!" Crispin ordered as the Terastallized Pokémon attacked, fueled by desperation.
"Oh crap! Mermista, you gotta meet that charge somehow!" Kazuma warned.
"Too late!" Crispin said as Blaziken landed the hit as Basculegion was taken out with that one hit. "And now you're down to two! Well…about to be one." he said as Kingdra was being beaten down by Magmortar.
"I won't…let you take me down." Mermista said. "Kingdra! Hydro Pump!" she said as Kingdra gathered all the power it could muster and fired right at Magmortar, taking it out before it fell itself.
"And then…there was one." Crispin said.
"And I saved the best for last!" Mermista said, sending out Palafin again, this time in its Hero Form.
Crispin just looked deadpanned as Blaziken landed a Shadow Claw on Palafin, damaging it.
"You think a form change will mean anything?" Crispin said as Blaziken continued the assault. "Come to think of it, you did something just as silly in your PLT match. You got cocky just cause of its ability."
"Damn it…" Mermista said.
"Don't give up Mermista!" G. Aqua said. "Mark's counting on you as a Star-Buster so he can battle Kieran!"
"Wait… the Tera Orb!" Mona realized. "Mermista, do you have it?"
"(That's right… I got one at the PLT!)" Mermista realized. "(This is my one chance…to turn it all around! I have to take it!)"
Mermista pulled out her Tera Orb and charged it up before throwing it with all her might, Terastallizing Palafin. And the tera type it gained upon Terastallization was of course Water.
"Terastallizing at this points not gonna help you! Time for you to be turned into my Seafood Special! Blazikien, finish this with Temper Flare!" Crispin called out.
"Palafin, give this all you got! Use Wave Crash!" Mermista called out as both Pokémon slammed into one another as steam gave rise across the battlefield before it showed both Pokemon weakened and tired.
Everyone was on edge before they heard the shattering of crystal as they saw Blaziken reverting before it collapsed to the ground.
(end song)
"SHE DID IT!" G. Aqua cried in joy. "A come from behind victory down to the wire!"
"Phew, that was way too close." Kazuma said in relief.
"Either way, she put out one heck of a fight." Aether smiled.
"Dang…I wanted to win…but I lost. But this is why I like battles and cooking. You either win or don't win. And with cooking, it's either spicy or not spicy. So simple." Crispin said.
"Not sure it's that simple." Mermista said.
It wasn't long before a picture was taken to commemorate the victory.
"Okay…that's the Savanna taken care of." Kazuma said. "David, he better not go losing on us now. Same with the other guy."
"Don't worry about Zeo. He can handle it." Lumine assured. "If Akira can beat Lacey, then so can he. Although… Lacey did mention that she was holding back during her battle with Akira."
"Hmm… then I wonder how Zeo will fare when Lacey actually fights for real." Mona pondered.
In the Savanna Biome, Mark's Dog Pack were racing against Ash's Dusk Lycanroc, Quilava and Tauros as his Poliwag, Milotic and Slowking swam against Vaporeon, Totodile and Buizel.
"Yeah, do it good, guys!" Ash K called out.
"Same with you, Vaporeon. Whip them into shape!" Jexi said. "After this, we'll move on to the Coastal Biome."
"Sure." Mark nodded.
As the group were racing along, a masked figure wearing a black coat over a black shirt and dark blue pants could be seen watching them, complete with dark horns with red marks, the only familiar thing about the figure being his long hair, that wasn't fully blue… but a paler blue than usual, as he held a sword at his side, the mask an intricate design to one owned by one Shizue Izawa… He watched over the race, intently zoned in on Mark as if seeing if Mark would take notice.
Mark then looked straight at the figure, smiled, and waved at them, as this caused the figure to tilt his head, hiding his bewildered eyes.
"Who the…oh…let me guess….friend of Siege?" Ash K asked.
"And a friend of ours." Mark said. "Though I can't say who it is, Siege already has an alternate version of Rimuru on his team…"
The figure would soon warp down to the battlefield, as he approached. "So, I gave it away that easily." The figure remarked, seeming to have responded to the name "Rimuru."
"Oh, so you are another Rimuru?" Mark asked.
"Dunno what you mean by that, bud." FS!Rimuru remarked, removing the mask to show his dulled golden eyes, as there were red vein marks on his face.
"Whoa…it is him." Jexi said. "Weird. One is with his people exploring the Terarium, and we got another here staring down looking for a fight."
"That's multiple realities for ya." Mark agreed. "So, nice to see you again, FS-Rimuru. Sorry we didn't get much time to talk last time, what with me being dumb and dying and all that."
"Hm. Yeah, I've seen enough of that." FS!Rimuru remarked with a scowl, seeming to grow fowler at the mention of death.
Mark noticed this, and realized the mistake. "Oh shoot, sorry! Sorry about that, uh…a-anyway! What's going on with you?" he asked.
"Just constantly thinking about things. What I could have done. What I couldn't have done. The sort." FS!Rimuru remarked, being cryptically dark with that before turning to Mark. "Siege sent me to test to see if you had been keeping up with your training. Said I was supposed to thoroughly test you. More than one battle." FS!Rimuru stated. "So are we gonna talk or are we going to fight?" FS!Rimuru asked, his aura flaring dark as he asked this momentarily.
"You wanna fight now? We're in the middle of a training session." Jexi said.
"Well, I dunno, having a third party would probably help with training." Mark said. "If Rimuru wants to have a battle, I don't mind."
"Hmph." FS!Rimuru remarked, soon summoning his Pokéballs using his magic. "Let's battle."
Cue: Lance Battle Theme Remix (Remastered) - Zame
Mark has been challenged by ? Rimuru Tempest!
? Rimuru sent out Garchomp and Spiritomb!
"I won't use my best Pokémon just yet." FS!Rimuru stated. "Won't need to if you can't even make it past these guys."
"Garchomp and Spiritomb and that's not even his best ones…!?" Ash K. exclaimed.
"I think I made him mad." Mark remarked as he fished out two Pokéballs. "Froslass, Sneasel, let's get going!" he declared.
"Easy. Garchomp, nail down Froslass with a Flamethrower. Spiritomb, use Curse, and Curse that Sneasel." Rimuru declared, as while Spiritomb halved his health, Garchomp spewed out massive flames at mainly Froslass, but it was strong enough that flames lashed at Sneasel too!
Sneasel jumped to avoid the flames. "(Whoa…talk about hot. These people aren't messing around. You okay?)" Sneasel asked.
"(You have much more to worry about)" Spiritomb said in an eerie tone, as suddenly, the ethereal nail it drove into itself drove into Sneasel!
Meanwhile, Garchomp's flames bore down on Froslass to roast it!
"This guy's no joke." Mark said as he observed the situation. "Hmm…I may just have to accept the first loss and-"
"(Damned brute!)" Froslass shouted as she made a ghostly chain shot out of her hands and connected her to Garchomp as the flames bore down on her. "(Fall to me, and know that Lord Deus is all powerful!)"
"(You believe my master would allow such a thing! HAH!)" Garchomp smirked, as Rimuru saw the chains before he dashed in himself, cutting them clean with his blade.
"No Destiny Bond for you." FS!Rimuru declared harshly.
Mark was stunned before he realized something. "Wait, nobody told me we could step in ourselves!" he said as he saw the flames reached Froslass. "In that case…!"
Mark then dashed into the attack and scooped up his Pokémon before he dashed out, holding the Ice/Ghost type in his arms. "You okay, Frosla-?"
"(Unhand me, human!)" Froslass shrieked, Mark immediately doing so. "(Lord Deus is the only one allowed to touch me!)"
"Uh, you're welcome for the save, I guess." Mark replied deadpanned.
"Do you honestly not understand what she's saying? You call yourself a trainer." FS!Rimuru growled. "Wanna know why I stepped in? All my Pokémon are my friends, and they're all connected to me. Battle Bonds with one or two, pah! I've bonded with them ALL!" FS!Rimuru declared.
"What…!?" Mark asked.
"Observe! The mark of our bond, as I now call them by name! Razor, Black Dragon Rush! Karma, Targeted Perish Song- Instant Release!" Rimuru shouted.
Garchomp-Rimuru - Razor
Spiritomb-Rimuru - Karma
The marks revealed themselves as Garchomp showed small horns on his head, and Spiritomb's body mimicked the mask Rimuru held, before they rushed in, as Perish Song was only heard by Froslass, and in much more potency than three turns, and Sneasel was blasted with a 125 Base Power Dragon Rush thanks to Rimuru's enhancements!
"To be a Pokémon Trainer, Master even, you bond so hard that when your Pokémon go down, you feel it! Every time! That's how I operate! Day in, day out, from day one that's how I've done it! And I'll do it till the day I die, until I make sure EVERYONE knows! You don't mess with MY friends and get away with it!" FS!Rimuru yelled, tears streaming down his face that steamed from his anger.
All the mirth left Mark's face as he looked at FS!Rimuru with shaded eyes. "...iot." he mumbled.
"What was that?" FS!Rimuru snarled.
"I said YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" Mark yelled. "Bonding with your Pokémon, feeling their pain…there's nothing wrong with that! I'm glad you've managed to get so close to your Pokémon. But that's not what you're doing at all! You're babying them! I thought you wanted to stand with them, but you're just having them stand behind you, while you keep them from dying on you!"
"You don't get it… do you…" FS!Rimuru snarled. "You have the gall to tell me I'm babying them!? Protecting them is one thing, I'm not keeping them from the fight! But I refuse to let you think it's going to be so easy!"
"Making it hard for me is one thing. That is not what you did." Mark said.
"Because I interrupted your attempt to take out Razor? Look who's talking, the guy who saved his Froslass from being torched!" FS!Rimuru countered.
"The only reason I did that is because I thought you wanted us to fight alongside your Pokémon." Mark frowned. "Clearly, I-"
"DON'T INSINUATE THE FACT I DON'T!" FS!Rimuru snarled. "But Destiny Bond!? That's bullshit, that's throwing your own life away, for what, so you can gain an edge!? So you can trade 'an eye for an eye' and cut your losses, so to speak!? What kind of trainer SACRIFICES his own FRIENDS!? Let alone doesn't UNDERSTAND THEM!?"
"Rimuru, he didn't tell Froslass to do that!" Ash K. spoke up.
"ZIP IT!" FS!Rimuru snarled.
"Don't yell at them!" Mark snarled back. "He was just telling you what he saw. Froslass made the decision to use Destiny Bond on her own!"
"So you let your Pokémon fight for you. Instead of with you." FS!Rimuru growled. "Like you're a damned General? A de-facto military leader!? Is that it!?" FS!Rimuru growled.
"I only give orders to my Pokémon during the toughest battles. Otherwise, I let my Pokémon make their own decisions, because I trust them to be able to take care of themselves! But you? You're no trainer at all!"
"HOW WOULD YOU ACT IF YOU LOST EVERYONE YOU KNOW AND LOVE!? BECAUSE YOU. WEREN'T. STRONG ENOUGH!?" FS!Rimuru exclaimed.
"Don't act like you're the only one who knows what that feels like!" Mark said. "I've lost people too! Galen, the ORC, and now…! …Kieran too. I'm close to losing him too, because I'm not strong enough to help him."
"...Bullshit." FS!Rimuru snarled. "He's alive. He's still alive for you to make that change." FS!Rimuru added. "All of my losses are dead. Gone. Forever. And nothing will change that. Not silly little wishes, or anything else." FS!Rimuru growled.
"…" Mark was silent as he contemplated FS!Rimuru's words, glaring at his opponent. "…I'm done." He said, recalling his knocked out Pokémon.
"I'm done here myself." FS!Rimuru snarled as he recalled Razor and Karma. "I refuse to face a trainer who's lost enough hope from something he still has an attempt to change. I'm through with this silly little charade for someone to tell me I'm babying my Pokémon when I'm refusing to allow someone to sacrifice his own friend, whether he chose to or not, to fall for his own gain."
"Yeah?! Well you know what?!" he countered. "If you aren't going to trust your Pokémon…if you're not going to help them stand on their own feet…then I don't need your help." he said, turning away from FS!Rimuru.
Forsaken Future Rimuru AND Star-Buster Mark have forfeited the match!
(End song)
"I'll put in a word for Siege of what I've seen. I wonder how he'll react to a jaded and hopeless trainer like you." FS!Rimuru remarked darkly.
"Fine. Tell him everything." Mark snapped back. "And tell him that he should send someone else next time…and why."
"I'll do that." FS!Rimuru snarled, bringing up his mask, as his eyes widened to see it cracked, as he shed more tears at seeing it, before he took off in a mix of negative emotions.
Mark didn't spare the alter a second thought as he marched past Jexi and Ash. "Come on guys, we're heading to the Coastal Biome."
"Uh…yeah." Jexi said.
"C-Coming." Ash K said as they followed him.
In the distance watched a certain figure.
"Geez…do I really become that ruthless? Is that what would have happened if I didn't save everyone?" MH!Rimuru said. "Wow….gives me a lot to think about."