To the guest reviewer who pointed out that all Mandibuzz are females, thank you very much! Guess I should've done more research…anyway, I've gone back through and fixed that problem, so Mandibuzz is now female. I'm looking forward to your full review!
Kriesh sighed in irritation as she gazed around, searching for any signs of life in this forsaken forest. But nothing stared back at her except for trees and mist. Kriesh knew Trevenant was somewhere down there, moving from tree to tree, but judging by the fact that they hadn't contacted her for the past ten minutes, Kriesh was fairly certain they hadn't found anything either.
It was all so frustrating. Honestly, Kriesh didn't really know if she hadn't already looked in this part of the Slumbering Weald, because everything looked exactly the same. It felt like she was going in circles, checking the same areas over and over again.
We're never going to find them like this.
But Kriesh kept looking anyway. She had both Aspectum and Auditus still going, the sounds of the forest filling Kriesh's ears from half a mile in every direction as she scanned tree after tree with her enhanced sight. It had been months since she'd strained the technique this much; she could feel her eyes watering and her mind pounding with the beginnings of a vicious headache. But she knew that she could not drop the technique until she found Wooloo, Hop, and Gloria. That was her mission, and she would not be swayed by something as simple as exhaustion.
A voice sprang into her mind. Medicham's. "Liepard and Pangoro came back," she said. "Apparently Hop and Gloria were attacked by a large group of wild Flying-types led by a Corviknight. The rest of the team's assembling back at Marcus - we need you to come in as well."
Kriesh sighed. "On my way," she said. Concentrating Auditus, she quickly established Medicham and Marcus's location as about a quarter-mile northeast of them. Kriesh knew she didn't need to search for Trevenant - Medicham's Psychic communication would have reached them as well - and so she turned and spread her wings, readying them to fly back to Marcus. Failure rankled bitterly in her mind; sighing again, she cast out Aspectum and Auditus one last time, quickly scanning her surroundings just in case she'd happened to miss something, anything-
A flutter of wings.
It was coming from the south, a little bit to the east as well. Kriesh focused Auditus on that area as she heard another flutter, then another and another. She could not see through the trees that far, but as more and more wingbeats came, Kriesh realized that this was no mere patrol of wandering wild Pokemon.
This was a gang. The only reason Pokemon would be traveling in groups such as this would be either forced migration or an attack. And judging by the fact that the group of fliers seemed to be heading in Marcus's direction, Kriesh was fairly certain it was likely the latter.
Attacked by wild Flying-types? A hunch was beginning to stir in Kriesh's mind.
"Sniper: Vox," Kriesh whispered, aiming her voice at the point a quarter-mile away - about the upper limit of where the technique could reach even after months of training - where she knew Medicham was. "You've got incoming. Fliers. Many. A quarter-mile to the south and closing fast."
"Got it," Medicham responded telepathically. She said nothing more, but a quick application of Auditus to the northeast let Kriesh know that Marcus was beginning to move to the south, along with the rest of the team.
Throwing Auditus out to the south once more, Kriesh began to rise, moving to the east so that she could get between Marcus and the incoming Flying-types. She knew the best move was probably to get back to Marcus as fast as possible rather than attempting to fly an intercept course, but she wanted to be certain what her enemies were before she did that. It was a risk, sure, but she was fairly sure she could outfly a group of Wild Pokemon if it came to that.
As soon as Kriesh arrived at her desired location, she found a sturdy enough branch to stand upon relatively quickly; the Slumbering Weald had no shortage of them. "Sniper: Vox," Kriesh whispered as she settled down. Aiming her voice at Medicham once more, she said, "I'm between Marcus and the horde. Trying to do some scouting before I go back."
Medicham's telepathic response came swiftly. "Don't do anything too risky, Kriesh."
"I won't." Kriesh dropped Vox and turned, readying to cast out her senses again.
"Kriesh?"
Kriesh very nearly jumped off the branch at the sound of Trevenant's voice; she shot a glare at the Grass/Ghost-type as they emerged from the side of the tree onto Kriesh's branch. "How many times?" she whispered angrily.
Trevenant chuckled. "Okay, serious time - what are you doing here? Shouldn't we be getting back to Marcus?"
"You heard about the Flying-types, right?" Kriesh asked. At Trevenant's nod she added, "I just want to get a look at what we're up against."
"We're up against Flying-types," Trevenant pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Thank you, Trevenant," Kriesh murmured sarcastically, tapping into Aspectum and Auditus once more as she spoke. At once she stiffened; the enemies were flying a lot faster than Marcus was moving, even though the Trainer was practically sprinting through the forest.
Crap. Tailwind. Kriesh stifled a curse. With Tailwind in play, there was no longer a guarantee that Kriesh could outfly these enemies. And they were getting worryingly close, worryingly fast.
"What's wrong?" Trevenant asked.
"They're definitely under a Tailwind," Kriesh murmured. "Which means this is definitely an attack, and they're gonna be here a lot faster than Marcus. We'll need to fend for ourselves for maybe a minute."
"No retreating, then?" Trevenant queried.
"No, they'll be on us before we get to Marcus," Kriesh growled. "Ugh, this was stupid. I should've-"
"Shh." Trevenant covered Kriesh's beak with a vine. "Don't worry. We're in the middle of a forest, aren't we?"
"Yeah," Kriesh murmured; it took a few seconds before she realized just what Trevenant meant by that. "Oh."
"Yep." Trevenant's grin stretched to the edges of their face. "Relax, Kriesh. We need a minute? I can give us a minute."
Kriesh smirked. "I'm getting the feeling I'm going to enjoy this."
"Yeah, so am I," said Trevenant; the Grass/Ghost-type swiftly stepped back, dematerializing into the tree in a flicker of Overgrow.
Left alone once more, Kriesh swiftly sent a third Vox-borne message to Medicham, apprising her of the new situation. As she did so, she kept her eyes peeled, listening as Marcus and the incoming Flying-types raced to get to Kriesh and Trevenant first. It wasn't much of a contest with Tailwind in play. Kriesh narrowed her eyes, focusing on the south with Aspectum.
It took several more agonizing seconds before the first of the enemy fliers came into view. It was followed by the second and third together, and then an entire horde behind.
Kriesh felt a measure of shock - she could see at least a hundred Flying-types, a mixture of Rookidees and Corvisquires, and still more were coming on behind them in a torrent of flapping wings. This isn't some standard Wild Pokemon attack - this is a horde. Kriesh steadied herself. "Trevenant," she murmured, "now would be a good time to do your thing."
There were a few agonizing seconds where she didn't think Trevenant had heard, as more and more Rookidees and Corvisquires came into view, talons outstretched and eyes glowing with fury, their hostile intent obvious from their piercing battlecries alone.
And then the forest spoke.
"HARVEST: FOREST'S CURSE."
Kriesh knew full well that in Kalos, fighting a Trevenant in the forest was considered suicide. In fact, she'd given her old flock that warning many times. Now, she reflected, she could see exactly why that warning had been given so much prominence.
The entirety of the Slumbering Weald surrounding the horde seemed to explode to life in an instant. Trees twisted and lashed out with dozens of snaggly branches. Leaves flew from above, a barrage of green projectiles to throw all those impacted into complete disarray. Grasses sprouted ten times as tall as normal, grasping those who tried to drop and dragging them down. And to top it all off, a barrage of mingled Confuse Rays, Curses, and Will-O-Wisps was flying out of the trees as well, felling at least half a dozen Flying-types who managed to get clear of the nature-borne onslaught.
The horde of Rookidees and Corvisquires collapsed in an instant. Some of the Corvisquires called out orders, but the Rookidees had already fallen into near-total chaos, flying every which way in a desperate effort to escape the surging forest. At least three dozen Flying-types were unlucky enough to be caught. The Corvisquires managed to break free, utilizing swift expenditures of Flying energy to tear away the grasping branches and grasses, but the Rookidees were unable to, struggling uselessly as Trevenant drained their vitality away with the Leech Seeds that he seemed to have imbued into every one of his branches.
For a moment, Kriesh wondered if Trevenant alone would be enough to fend off this horde. And then a loud, commanding voice spoke up. "Enough!"
Kriesh turned her gaze upwards to see a pair of much larger Flying-types descending from above. One was a massive Corviknight, his steely wings spread and eyes glaring down at the scene; the other was a Mandibuzz who was already plunging down towards the fracas, Flying energy glowing across its wings. "Shifty Slash!" the Mandibuzz snarled; a barrage of Air Slashes flew from the Dark/Flying-type's wings, and a roar came from the forest as several clusters of branches were torn clean off by the super-effective attacks.
These would be the commanders of this assault. Kriesh swallowed; swiftly, she used Vox to warn Medicham, by now not very far away at all, of these two new arrivals. In that time, Corviknight and Mandibuzz's arrival had galvanized the horde into rallying. Trevenant's attacks were now met with concentrated formations, multiple Rookidee and Corvisquire working together to free their fellows, ripping apart bark and sending grasses and branches flying.
As that battle continued, Trevenant once again stepped backwards out of the tree next to Kriesh, grimacing in pain. "I got a few of 'em," they said. "They're just grunts, but that Mandibuzz is pretty strong, and I'm willing to bet that Corviknight is too."
"Do you think you can keep going?" Kriesh asked.
"Of course," said Trevenant, grinning once more. "It'll take more than a few Air Slashes to bring me down. But if help doesn't show up soon, we're gonna have to start thinking about a fighting retreat."
As if on cue, Cloyster's voice rang out from under them. "There they are!"
Glancing down, Kriesh spotted Cloyster and Kamado springing out of the undergrowth. "Skill Link: Ice Flurry!" Cloyster cried. A storm of icicles flew upwards, multiplying as they did so; a many-throated screech erupted as two dozen enemy fliers fell, their bodies pierced by multiple icy projectiles.
"Hey, Kriesh!" Kamado cried. "We weren't back at Marcus yet; Medicham told us to go on ahead!"
"Good thing you did!" Kriesh gestured to the gigantic flock of Rookidees and Corvisquires battling back the forest around them. "Trevenant could use some help!"
"Yeah!" said Trevenant from beside her. "Trevenant could definitely use some help!"
Kamado chuckled. "Got it! Rock Manipulation!" Twisting, Kamado called upon Ancient Power; an entire section of Rock energy-wreathed earth in front of the Tyrantrum lifted off the ground, split into several smaller sections, and flung itself at the horde, felling several more enemies and sowing further chaos.
"Idiots!" the Corviknight cried from above. "It's just a few Trained Pokemon! Get it together, and find the Trainer!"
They're aiming for Marcus. Kriesh felt fury rising in her throat. "Cloyster!" she shouted. "Beam Split!"
"You got it!" Cloyster yelled back.
Kriesh opened her mouth. "Sniper: Beam Impact!"
"Skill Link!" Cloyster called. "Attack Duplication!"
Even as the Hyper Beam left Kriesh's beak, it shivered and split into three. The trio of blistering beams of Energy slammed into the horde, eliciting more startled and agonized cries. Several of those hit were flung backwards into their fellows, and the group, which had been on the verge of rallying from Cloyster and Kamado's attacks, fell into chaos again.
But then Kriesh saw the Mandibuzz's eyes lock on her branch, and realized that with the attack she'd broken both her and Trevenant's cover. The Dark/Flying-type snarled in fury. "Ambush, to the left!" she called, wings spread wide. "Shifty Slash!" Another barrage of Air Slashes flew from her wings, arcing down towards the branch upon which Kriesh and Trevenant were standing.
"Go!" Drapion lunged out of the undergrowth, Marcus and the rest of the team at his heels. "Get him - we've got this!" His eyes lit up with rage as he unleashed a No Escape, flinging a barrage of rays into the horde and sending a further four Rookidees plummeting to the ground.
Nodding, Kriesh lunged upwards, seeing as she did so Trevenant drawing back into the side of the tree to avoid any effects of Mandibuzz's attack. Kriesh twisted, spinning to avoid the barrage; her beak opened and she unleashed another Sniper-boosted Beam Impact at the descending Mandibuzz, but the Dark/Flying-type's body flared with Tailwind and she dodged the curving beam, continuing on towards Kriesh even as the beam circled around and came after her.
She's trying to redirect it to me. Kriesh grimaced. Clearly an experienced battler - is she Trained? Regardless, it's not going to work. It's been a long time since I've been worried about being hit by my own techniques.
Calling upon Agility, Kriesh twisted, lunging sideways to avoid Mandibuzz's charge and her own Beam Impact. Whirling again, Mandibuzz snarled "Shifty Wave!" and unleashed a Dark Pulse at the retreating form of Kriesh. Kriesh countered with yet another Beam Impact, this one a straight shot that blasted through the Dark Pulse and flew past Mandibuzz's shoulder.
Mandibuzz glared at Kriesh as the two Flying-types rose, the initial exchange done. "Not bad," she admitted. "But you can't protect your Trainer forever."
Kriesh glared back. "You wanna bet on that?"
"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Fearow," Mandibuzz snarled. "Shifty Charge!"
"Sniper: Sky Impact!" Calling upon her Ability to steady herself, Kriesh lunged at the charging Mandibuzz, and the two Flying-types came together in a flurry of clashing beaks and talons.
A horde of over a hundred Rookidees and Corvisquires should have been intimidating. A couple years ago it would have been, sheer numbers enough to compensate for lack of individual power. But so many had fallen already, and before Medicham, Marcus, and Marcus's Dark-types had even arrived, the remainder had been scattered by the chaos Trevenant had unleashed upon them combined with the barrage of attacks let loose by Kriesh, Kamado, and Cloyster. Now clusters of two or three dozen Rookidee or single Corvisquires were coming at the team individually, and though they came from every direction, the team was strong and numerous enough to easily handle each group individually.
By all rights this battle should have been over already. Even with their numbers, the sheer amount of fallen should have alerted the horde that their adversaries were too strong for them, and they should have already fled. But every time they seemed to falter, the Corviknight hanging in the sky above shrieked out in defiance, ordering them to continue onwards. His voice was hard, his tone uncompromising - for whatever reason, he wanted Marcus hurt, or even killed, at all costs.
Medicham gritted her teeth. Not while we've got anything to say about it.
"Aura Blast Barrage!" Medicham called, flinging out her arm as a Corvisquire and half a dozen Rookidees came at her in a clump. From her outstretched hand came a succession of blasts that sent them all flying into the bushes and trees behind them; not a single one rose back up to challenge her again. To Medicham's right, she could see Cloyster unleashing barrage after barrage of duplicated projectiles, shredding ranks of Rookidees with each volley, while simultaneously bringing up Protect barriers to deflect any Flying-types that attempted to get through. Kamado stood above him, sniping Flying-types out of the sky with blasts of Rock energy or Strong Jaw-formed aerial blades. And any attempt by the Flying-types to establish any sort of formation was swiftly disrupted by the surrounding trees reaching out and grasping at any Rookidee or Corvisquire they could reach, or unleashing Confuse Rays, Will-O-Wisps, Curses, and Leech Seeds to disable those unlucky enough to be hit.
Medicham smirked. Trevenant was very much in his element.
On the left, Marcus's Dark-types were working in perfect harmony. Drapion and Liepard were standing side by side, hurling flurries of Pursuit rays at any Rookidee or Corvisquire they saw. Any Flying-types that made it past that was dealt with by Houndoom - the Dark/Fire-type wasn't using his Fire-type moves, not wanting to accidentally burn down the forest, but his Dark Surges and other assorted ranged attacks were more than enough to pick off straggling Flying-types - or Pangoro, who was alternating between firing Focus Blasts and Dark Pulses at his foes and simply punching them out of the sky with rapid Bullet Punches that effectively neutralized anyone who came within arm's reach of the Dark/Fighting-type.
And Medicham was holding the center. She drew her attention away from the Dark-types to the left in time to spot another group of Rookidees chargin her. Another Aura Blast Barrage was sufficient to send them all falling to the ground. A Corvisquire came in from above, talons extended as it streaked towards Marcus; Medicham let fly with a Psychic, stunning it and causing it to drop out of the sky, and then caught it with a rapid Thunder Punch as it fell into her range. The Corvisquire was blasted away, its unconscious body crackling with Electric energy.
Yet still, despite all the punishment and all the casualties, the horde pushed forwards, spurred on by the shouts of the Corviknight above. Medicham had been hoping that Kriesh would handle him, but apparently that Mandibuzz was stronger than expected, for she could still hear shrieks and the clash of energy as the two of them battled somewhere Medicham couldn't see. Which left Corviknight free to call out order after order; it was legitimately frightening how much his cries were impacting the battle, for every bellow from his beak seemed to give the enemies new life. Medicham could even see some who had already fallen rising from the bushes, eyes wild as they forced themselves to push through wounds that should have knocked them out just to please their leader.
"Marcus," Medicham said rapidly, "we need more firepower. The longer this takes, the more likely it is that one of these Flying-types gets a lucky hit on you."
"Yeah, you're right," said Marcus, before opening his mouth. "Everyone, get back! Houndoom, in front of me!"
Marcus's intent was immediately obvious. With a barrage of ranged attacks that felled at least two dozen more adversaries, the team scrambled backwards, forming a tight circle around Marcus with Houndoom in the center. The trees around them ceased to shift as Trevenant leaped out of a nearby tree trunk to join the rest of the team. "Forward, now!" the Corviknight bellowed triumphantly; gleeful cries emanated from the remaining Rookidees and Corvisquires - still a hundred or so, all told - as they charged, seeing their foes retreating.
"Houndoom, do it!" Marcus yelled. "Inferno!"
Houndoom stepped forwards, eyes narrowed as he stared down the oncoming Flying-types. "You will go no further," he growled. "Flash Fire: Flame Surge."
Horrified screams erupted from the horde as a tidal wave of Blaze burst from Houndoom's gaping maw. It twisted and expanded, setting ablaze every tree it touched. Through the whirling flames, Medicham could see Rookidees and Corvisquires falling, trailing flames behind them. The forest burned, and the Flying-types burned with it.
The horde broke. It didn't matter how many frenzied orders and threats Corviknight screeched at the top of his lungs; no amount of discipline could survive a full-blown forest fire. Rookidees flew away in all directions as fast as their wings could carry them; some Corvisquires tried to stop the rout, shouting over the din, but Houndoom, continuing to tap into his Ability, directed spurts of concentrated Blaze at anyone who tried to mount a rally. The smart Corvisquires followed the Rookidees in fleeing the battlefield; the rest fell.
Medicham couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat as she saw so many Flying-types tumbling limply out of the sky. A true master of Blaze would be able to release the flames from each individual body, leaving them unconscious but not dead. Houndoom was no master, even with Flash Fire; more likely than not at least some Rookidees and Corvisquires were already dead, and more would follow. But Medicham knew she couldn't dwell on such pity. These Flying-types had come with murder in their hearts, each and every one.
Even if they'd just been following orders, that didn't excuse them in any way.
"Cowards!" Corviknight bellowed from above. "Traitors! Worthless scum! Fine! I'll slaughter them all myself!" Steel energy flared across his entire body as he dove downwards, streaking over the flames, his wings spread wide. "Die!"
Houndoom readied a Flamethrower, but Medicham threw out her single hand. "I'll handle this," she said, both telepathically and out loud. The rest of the team nodded, maintaining their circle around Marcus just in case, while Houndoom turned his attention to controlling the flames he'd unleashed, drawing it back from the trees lest his Inferno transform into a disastrous wildfire.
"I'll take the stragglers!" Trevenant said cheerfully. "Forest's Curse!" They slid back into the side of a tree; a few seconds later, renewed screams arose from the fleeing Rookidees and Corvisquires as Trevenant hurried them along with another onslaught of manipulated branches and various status moves.
Satisfied, Medicham turned her attention upwards as Corviknight came down, massive wings ripping through the treetops. His eyes glowed red in the light of the still-retracting flames, panting a terrifying image as he pounced, one wing drawn back and ready to swipe. "Mirror Wing!"
"Pure Power: Aura Blast!" In a fraction of a second, Medicham created and tossed an Aura Sphere at the oncoming Corviknight. Corviknight was still under the influence of Tailwind, though, and managed to dive out of the way. He twisted, lunged once more for Marcus-
-and was caught in the beak by a Pure Power-boosted Aura Strike.
His startled cry echoed through the half-burnt trees as he was sent flying backwards through a couple; scorched by flames, the trees could not stand against the Steel/Flying-type's flight, and two tree trunks shattered entirely, their boughs falling to the ground, while the third was stove in so deeply that Medicham was surprised that tree was still up. As Corviknight, his flight finally arrested, fell to the ground in a tangle of steely feathers, Medicham began to stride forwards, fist clenched and Aura flaring across her body.
The light of Houndoom's flames lit Kriesh and Mandibuzz with a glowing red as the two sparred in the air. The Dark/Flying-type was weaker and slower, but her continued Tailwind was allowing her to keep up with Kriesh, and neither one had been able to land a clean hit for a while, though their attacks had continued unabated for a minute on end, possibly two.
"Fall!" Mandibuzz snarled. "Shifty Wave!"
"No chance!" Kriesh backwinged, plunging downwards to avoid Mandibuzz's Dark Pulse. "Flurry Impact!" The seeking rays wouldn't hurt Mandibuzz much, but they would distract and harry her, and most importantly force her back.
Mandibuzz grimaced as a couple of the rays caught her. "Ha!" she snarled. "Now this is more like it! This is the true power of a Trained Pokemon!"
"I thought we were supposed to be weak," Kriesh growled.
"Oh, that's just what Corviknight thinks," said Mandibuzz. "That's not my ideology. I'm just looking for an army. And when Corviknight falters, I'll take his."
"Why?" Kriesh demanded.
"Simple," said Mandibuzz. "With an army, with all this power I've amassed, the whole of the Slumbering Weald will be mine!"
"And what of those who don't want that?" Kriesh countered.
"Who cares about them?" Mandibuzz cried. "My entire life I've been fighting for scraps! I deserve this!"
Kriesh frowned, remembering the Swarmlord, so many months and years ago. "No one deserves that kind of power," she retorted.
"Then we are at an impasse," said Mandibuzz. "And such an impasse can only be resolved through battle!" Her wings began to glow with Dark energy. "Your Ability - Sniper, was it? Perfect aim isn't half bad - those curving Hyper Beams are certainly hard to avoid! But let's see if it can compete with my Overcoat Ability! With it, I have total control over the very feathers that adorn my body, allowing me to shift and manipulate them at will!" Several of Mandibuzz's feathers spontaneously detached from her body. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Flechettes!"
"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh cried as Mandibuzz's feathers streaked towards her. Another barrage of Pursuit rays was sufficient to blast the oncoming feathers out of the sky. Overcoat seems akin to Multiscale…scale manipulation vs. feather manipulation. But while Multiscale shifts scales across one's body, Overcoat seems to be even more versatile, though it appears to exchange some defensive utility for that versatility.
After all, feathers are a lot softer than scales.
Kriesh lunged forwards, seeking to take advantage of that lower defense. Mandibuzz shifted. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Sword!" One wing, its feathers sharpened into a blade and flowing with Flying energy, shot out in a swift overhead blow; Kriesh twisted out of the way, narrowly avoiding the strike, and lunged for Mandibuzz's side. "Sniper: Sky Impact!"
"Overcoat: Feather Coat Defense!" Mandibuzz's other wing came up, glowing with Steel energy of all things. It was like slamming into a wall; Kriesh stumbled backwards, barely keeping her wings beating, and Mandibuzz lunged with another Shifty Feather Sword that Kriesh only narrowly avoided with a quick backwing.
Iron Defense? I don't know how she learned that, but regardless, that completely shores up her vulnerability. It doesn't matter how soft feathers are when they're hardened by Steel energy - with that combo, she's got all the versatility of Overcoat with none of the drawbacks.
Mandibuzz pressed, swinging feather-sword after feather-sword at Kriesh. Kriesh continued to backwing, deflecting some of Mandibuzz's attacks with swipes of her own wings or stabs of her beak. Finally, Mandibuzz, by now panting slightly, overcommitted on a swing, and Kriesh lunged backwards, beak opening wide. "Sniper: Beam Impact!"
"Overcoat: Feather Coat Full Defense!" This time both wings came up, reinforced with Overcoat and Iron Defense, but even so Mandibuzz was thrown away by the sheer force of Kriesh's Hyper Beam. Her protected wings caught the blast, holding it back even as it propelled her across the sky. Kriesh fired her Beam Impact until she had to pause for breath, by which point Mandibuzz was quite a ways away from her; swiftly, the Dark/Flying-type spread her wings once more, tossing away the remaining vestiges of energy.
Mandibuzz laughed gleefully as she twisted and shot upwards under a renewed application of Tailwind. "I haven't been pressed like this in a long time!" she shrieked. "But let's see how you handle this! Overcoat: Shifty Feather Flechette Storm!"
Kriesh shook her head - her mind felt strangely cloudy all of a sudden - and narrowed her eyes as Mandibuzz spread her wings wide. Dozens of feathers detached from her body, glowing with Flying energy; twisting in midair, the storm of feathers plummeted, all aiming towards Kriesh. Spreading her own wings, Kriesh turned and fled, flying as fast as she could through the air as behind her Mandibuzz's barrage of feathers slammed into the treetops.
She was just ahead of the feather barrage, but Mandibuzz was turning faster than Kriesh could fly, and the storm of feathers was catching up. Grimacing, Kriesh ceased her flight, twisting and bringing her wings up. "Steel Impact!" she cried, taking a page out of Mandibuzz's book; two Steel Wings were enough to improvise a makeshift Iron Defense, and a ping-ping-ping sound came from Kriesh's upraised wings as Mandibuzz's feathers bounced off the steely surface.
She has to run out of feathers sometime…
Glancing upwards, Kriesh felt a measure of irritation at the sight of Mandibuzz's feathers regrowing as fast as she detached and fired them. Of course Overcoat lets her regrow her feathers…guess I'm not going to beat her by playing defensive.
"Beam Impact!" Kriesh bellowed, abandoning her patchwork Iron Defense in favor of countering the stream of feathers with her own attack. Mandibuzz dove to the side as her feather storm was subsumed in an instant; twisting, she dove downwards towards Kriesh, Tailwind blazing across her body. "Yes!" she cried. "This kind of challenge…this is what drives me! This is why I strive to become stronger every day, why I work to break the bonds that I have labored against since I've been born!"
"Sky Impact!" Kriesh shook her head again and launched herself upwards, aiming to meet Mandibuzz's beak with her own.
"This is why I fight!" Mandibuzz yelled. "Overcoat: Full Feather Body! Shifty Charge!"
An array of feathers coalesced in front of Mandibuzz as she dropped, forming a mask of sharpened feathers that threatened to protect Mandibuzz from Kriesh's charge and provide additional power to her own. Kriesh glared at Mandibuzz. "Sniper: Beak Impact!" she cried, focusing all the Flying energy she could muster into a single point right at the tip of her beak and aiming that tip right for a gap between two of Mandibuzz's feathers.
They connected, and Kriesh's Peck pierced right through Mandibuzz's mask and straight into the Dark/Flying-type's left eye.
"Argh!" Mandibuzz recoiled, bringing up one wing to cover her eye. "Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh snarled; before Mandibuzz could react, the Hyper Beam lanced out, striking her across the face and sending her spinning across the sky, feathers flying everywhere.
"You paint me as your equal," Kriesh growled. "But you haven't really been paying attention, have you? If you were, you'd realize something. All those techniques, all that power you're throwing around, all that skill you command…and yet you still haven't landed a single proper hit on me, have you?"
Mandibuzz glared with her one good eye at Kriesh. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Flechettes!"
"Flurry Impact." Kriesh effortlessly deflected this latest barrage with her Pursuit rays. "You're not equal to me," she continued. "You are very much inferior. You're wounded, exhausted, and you've used every technique you've got to no avail. This battle is already over. I'll ask you just this once: surrender, and abandon this foolish plan of yours."
"Heh…" Mandibuzz lowered her wing, revealing her left eye swollen shut, but determination still glinted in her right eye. "You're right about one thing, Fearow. This battle is already over. Flatter."
Kriesh blinked. Then blinked again. Her mind was suddenly foggy, filled with odd thoughts that weren't hers. Thoughts that told her how kind Mandibuzz was, how amazing her plan was, how Kriesh should just let her have the dominance she deserved.
Dimly, she heard Mandibuzz's voice, upraised in triumph. "All those compliments!" she cried. "All that praise for how well you were doing, how much you were pressing me…I've been filling your head with Flatter the whole time!"
Through half-closed eyes, Kriesh saw Mandibuzz streaking towards her. "I win, Fearow!" she bellowed, hauling back with a wing that she was shaping into a thick, blunt appendage. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Fist!"
"Steel Impact."
Mandibuzz's remaining eye widened comically as her fist slammed into Kriesh's upraised wall of a wing. Kriesh opened her eyes fully, glaring straight into Mandibuzz's face. "How?" Mandibuzz demanded. "Your mind should be mush!"
"I spar with a Psychic every day," Kriesh snarled. "My mind's stronger than that. Now that you've shown off so many of your techniques, Mandibuzz, I think it's time I showed you a new one of my own."
Kriesh inhaled, relishing the look of fear in Mandibuzz's eye. "Sniper: Vox," she murmured, and then raised her voice as loud as she could. "VOX IMPACT!"
Vox was most often used, as it had been in the minutes before this battle, in order to deliver messages further away than Kriesh's voice normally could. But in recent months, Kriesh had begun working on a more offensive use for Vox. Thanks to Sniper, she could aim her voice anywhere she wanted - including, as it happened, inside one's inner ear.
Such a perfectly precise placement of her voice was difficult, and even after months of practice Kriesh still had not fully mastered Vox Impact. But it was workable enough for limited use. And Mandibuzz's sudden agonized scream told Kriesh that the technique had worked perfectly.
The Dark/Flying-type's steady flight completely fell to pieces, the Tailwind surrounding her body petering out as she lost all concentration. It was clearly all she could do to even stay in the air as Kriesh's voice bellowed straight into her eardrums. Kriesh took full advantage of the stumble; with a cry of "Sky Impact!", which also blasted Mandibuzz's ears, Kriesh surged forwards and slammed bodily into the stumbling Mandibuzz.
"Barrage Impact!" Kriesh snarled; drawing her head back, she unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of beak-strikes into Mandibuzz's reeling body. Mandibuzz screamed, wings flailing desperately. "Overcoat: Shifty Feather Flechette Storm!" she cried, but Kriesh simply dropped, easily dodging the wild flurry of flying feathers.
"Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh snarled, and without Tailwind Mandibuzz was too slow to dodge the curving beam. Kriesh's Hyper Beam drove straight into Mandibuzz's chest, and the Dark/Flying-type's scream of denial and agony trailed off as she was sent flying up and away.
Kriesh watched as Mandibuzz's body arced across the sky; as gravity took hold and Mandibuzz began to fall limply towards the treetops, Kriesh realized she was finally unconscious. She put up a pretty decent fight, Kriesh admitted to herself. But at this point, I'm far beyond the level of even the strongest wild Pokemon. As strong as she was, she never stood a chance.
Shrugging, Kriesh began to flutter back towards the ground, barely even registering that Corviknight was no longer in the sky.
Corviknight's feathers were dented and his breathing was harsh, but he rose regardless as Medicham stepped towards his form. She was vaguely aware of Marcus and the rest of the team watching from behind; they all knew that this was Medicham's fight, and she knew that they wouldn't interfere.
Corviknight let out a chuckle. "That will be the last hit you land on me," he growled. His wings flashed with light as he spread them wide. "My Mirror Armor Ability allows me to reflect any attack you throw at me. Combined with Iron Defense, I am unbreakable!"
Medicham continued to stride forwards, uncaring of what Corviknight was saying.
"And this is what your Trainer throws at me?" Corviknight scoffed. "A crippled Fighting-type? Pathetic! No wonder Trainers are so weak if this is the best they can do!"
Arceus, he's not just tyrannical, he's outright delusional. Medicham fought back the urge to point out the burnt trees all around them, or the many, many bodies of fallen Flying-types strewn around the forest floor, their forms half-shrouded in the mist that still flowed across the ground despite the fact that up until a few seconds ago this place had been filled with Blaze. After all that, he still seriously thinks Trained Pokemon are weak?
"What's the matter?" Corviknight mocked. "Too scared to speak? Good. That's how it should be! Today, you will learn just how weak Trained Pokemon are, for no Trained Pokemon can defeat me!"
With that, Corviknight lunged, Flying energy flaring across his body. "Mirror Beak!"
Medicham tapped into Aura Avoidance. Smoothly, she ducked to the side, allowing Corviknight to sail past her. As he twisted in midair, Medicham raised her palm towards him, forming another sphere of Aura in her outstretched hand. "Pure Power: Aura Blast!" she cried, hurling it at Corviknight.
"Weren't you listening?" Corviknight cried. "That pathetic attack won't work on me! Mirror Armor!"
Smirking, Corviknight raised his glinting wing in defense - and was sent flying backwards as the Aura Blast exploded against the appendage.
This time, Corviknight managed to stop his involuntary flight before he ripped through any more trees. But as he lowered his wing, his eyes were filled with shock and confusion. "How…" He blinked, and in an instant the confusion was replaced by fury. "Whatever you did to get past my defense, I'll make sure it never happens again!"
Twisting, Corviknight kicked up a spray of Ground energy - a textbook, if decently powerful, Sand-Attack. Medicham blasted it away with a swift blast of Mind, revealing Corviknight charging once again, trying to take advantage of the blinding move. "Mirror Beak!"
"Pure Power: Aura Sweep!" Medicham spun herself, bringing up one muscular leg to block Corviknight's charge. Beak met foot and both held, Corviknight's type advantage canceling out Medicham's greater power. "Ha!" Corviknight snarled, whirling to try and strike Medicham with a swift wing-strike. "Mirror Wing!"
But again Aura Avoidance enabled Medicham to easily dodge, leaning back as Corviknight's wing swept overhead. Corviknight reared up, wrath on his face. "Stop dodging and fight me, coward!" he cried, his eyes glowing black.
Taunt.
Medicham stifled a chuckle. Did Corviknight seriously - yes. He does seriously think I have no way of dealing with Taunt.
"Have it your way," Medicham growled, bringing up her arm once again. "Pure Power: Aura Blast Barrage!"
"Mirror Armor!" Corviknight cried, bringing up his shining wings to try and deflect Medicham's assault. Once again, he was sent reeling as the attack pierced through his Mirror Armor and exploded against his wings. Steely feathers flew in several different directions as Corviknight staggered backwards.
Medicham pounced, knowing that with Taunt afflicting her, defense was not an option. "Pure Power!" she cried. "Blaze Strike!"
Along with empowering her Aura and Mind, strengthening the Elemental Punches had been one of the focal points of Medicham's training in the past few years. It was difficult, seeing as none of them matched her typing, and as such her capacity for wielding Blaze, Aurora, and Lightning was nowhere near as high as Mind and Aura. She still couldn't properly manifest Lightning or Aurora in her Thunder and Ice Punches.
But Blaze was a different story. She didn't know why Darkrai had initially focused on Blaze specifically - Lightning and Aurora were much better at shoring up her type weaknesses - but that initial focus meant that while she couldn't consistently pull off Lightning and Aurora…
…Blaze worked just fine.
"Iron Mirror!" Yet again, Corviknight called upon his defense, bringing up a barrier of Steel energy to try and hold off Medicham's assault. And yet again it failed, as Medicham's fist, enshrouded in mingled Aura and Blaze, shattered Corviknight's Iron Defense and drilled straight into his face, hurling him away with a loud shriek of pain.
His body sailed through four half-burnt trees before finally striking an unburnt one and coming to a sudden halt. All four trees collapsed, slamming into the ground one after the other, each one sending up a spray of earth and plant matter. Medicham walked through the dissipating clouds of dirt, watching as Corviknight struggled to his feet.
"You…you can't be doing this!" the Steel/Flying-type cried. "How? How could you break my defense?"
"Simple," said Medicham. "I'm stronger than you."
Corviknight let out a furious screech. "I don't care how strong you are!" he cried. "Try defeating me when you can't even reach me!" Spreading his wings, Corviknight hurled himself into the sky, not stopping until he was high above the treetops. Medicham watched as he spun, glaring down at her. "Come on, then! Where's all that strength now?"
"Do you even have a ranged attack?" Medicham called back. "Because from what I can tell, all you have is melee. Can you even hit me from up there?"
Corviknight looked like he was going to erupt in a bout of furious cursing; then he took in a deep breath, regaining control of his emotions. Instead he let out a shrieking laugh. "Look at you!" he cried. "Standing down there, boasting about how strong you are, and yet you're too scared to come up here and face me in a fair fight! I knew you Trained Pokemon were all cowards!"
Medicham gaped. How in Distortion can someone be this delusional? Sighing, she clenched her fist once more. No matter how stupid Corviknight was, he was still dangerous. Hop and Gloria still hadn't been found - if Corviknight was left conscious, there was always the risk of him finding one of them before Marcus or Leon could.
And there was no question he'd slaughter them in an instant in service of his delusions.
"You want me to come up there?" Medicham asked. "Fine." She raised her hand to the sky. "Pure Power: Aura Platform!"
From her hand, a circular disk of Aura emerged, three feet in diameter and several inches thick. Medicham leaped upon it and willed it to rise. Corviknight's expression as the disk began to carry Medicham up into the sky was a sight to behold.
Aura Platform was one of the multiple products of Medicham's experiments with the limits of her Ability. Being able to manifest strong enough Aura to hold Medicham for an extended period of time had been quite difficult. But she'd managed it a year and a half ago, giving her a much better way to counter high-flying Pokemon than her earlier tactics of 'spamming Aura Blasts and praying'.
Corviknight hung in the sky, openmouthed and unmoving, as Medicham rose up towards him. "What's the matter?" Medicham asked. "Too scared to speak?"
"You…" Corviknight sputtered. "You…" His sputtering turned into yet another bout of laughter. "You idiot!" he cried. "You fell right into my trap! You think reflecting projectiles is my only use for Mirror Armor? Well, think again! Mirror Flash!"
Corviknight's wing shone once again, reflecting the sunlight streaming down from above and sending it straight into Medicham's eyes.
"Ah!" Medicham cried out, instinctively squeezing her eyes shut and throwing up her arm to shield them, but it was too late. For the moment, at least, she was blinded. As much as she hated to give Corviknight credit for anything, Medicham had to admit that was a decent technique he'd been holding in reserve.
Of course, any strategic advantage he would have gained from Medicham being temporarily blind was ruined by his insistence on continuing to talk. "You can't fight me without being able to see!" he bellowed, his voice drawing nearer and nearer. "Like I said, no Trained Pokemon can possibly defeat me! I am Corviknight, leader of the Great Flock! I will usher in a new age of dominance for Wild Pokemon! And no one, least of all you, is going to stop me! Mirror Wing!"
Crouching, Medicham tapped into Aura Avoidance.
Instantly her Aura dragged her to the right. She obeyed its call, bending sideways; a rush of air flew past her face as Corviknight's attack narrowly missed. "Pure Power," she murmured as she felt the wind recede. "Aura Wave."
After all, it didn't matter that she couldn't see where Corviknight was if she used an attack that hit everywhere around her.
Corviknight cried out again as the Aura Wave slammed into him. The cry came from just behind Medicham - clearly he'd been coming around to strike her in the back - and so Medicham at once whirled around, drawing her fist back. "And like I said…I'm stronger than you," she growled. "Think on that. Pure Power: Blaze Strike!"
"Iron Mirror!" Corviknight cried desperately, but once more his defense simply wasn't enough to stave off Medicham. Medicham felt her fist connect with the point of Corviknight's beak, hitting so hard it crumpled inwards. She heard Corviknight scream out in pain, and just a little bit of fear, as he was launched away, his last cry rapidly trailing off as he flew further and further. Still blinded, Medicham had no idea how far she'd launched him. All she knew was that the fight was most definitely over.
Stifling a grunt, she blinked, trying to regain her vision, but still all she could see was light and blurry, vague outlines. One of those blurs shifted to a point directly in front of her. "Medicham, you all right?"
"Kriesh," Medicham recognized. "He got me with a blinding technique - is he gone?"
"Yeah."
"Good," said Medicham. "Can you…guide me down? I'm pretty sure my sight will come back in a minute or two, but…I'd rather not stay up here while it does."
"Sure," said Kriesh. "Down, and a little to the left…"
"That was amazing, Medicham!" Kamado cried. "You were blind and you still beat him! Some 'unbreakable defense', huh?"
Laughter came from all around. Medicham smiled; her vision had returned by the time she'd finally reached the ground, allowing her to fully enjoy her victory with the rest of the team.
"'Ooh, Wild Pokemon are stronger than Trained Pokemon!'" Trevenant backed up. "Where did he even get that idea?"
"I'll bet the Mandibuzz encouraged it," said Kriesh. "I'm pretty sure she was manipulating him in order to get his army."
"Where is that Mandibuzz, by the way?" Liepard asked.
"Yeah," growled Pangoro. "Are we sure she won't come back?"
"I think Marcus will tell Leon about this," said Medicham. "And I think Leon will have it handled. He is the Champion, after all."
"Guys."
The tone of Marcus's voice dispersed all remaining mirth. The gathered team looked up at him. "As much as I get we're all glad that's over…we still have to find Hop and Gloria."
"Right." Medicham looked around, the reality of the situation coming back to her. "Okay, so now that we're in a different place in the Slumbering Weald, it would probably be a good idea to split up into teams of two again, and…"
She trailed off as the sound of rustling leaves came from behind her.
Whirling, Medicham crouched down, readying for battle. The rest of the team did the same, while Marcus took a step back, readying to dart behind his Pokemon if necessary. "Who's there?" Marcus asked.
A female groan came in answer. A familiar one.
Marcus's eyes widened. "Gloria!" He was off before any of his Pokemon could stop him; swiftly, Medicham and the rest of the team scurried after him. Sure enough, on the other side of a small copse of trees, Medicham saw Gloria lying on the ground with Marcus kneeling over her. The girl was stirring feebly, her eyes blinking open. "Marcus?" she asked, her voice faint.
"It's all right, Gloria, you're safe," said Marcus. "Pangoro, pick her up; Kriesh, fly up there and show us the way back. We need to get out of this forest as fast as possible."
Pangoro hesitated, but at a look from Drapion knelt down and picked Gloria up in both arms as gently as possible. As the team turned and began to head back the way they'd come, Kriesh pointing the way from above, Houndoom stepped to Medicham's side. "So do you think that Corviknight's learned his lesson?'
"I don't know," said Medicham. "I certainly hope so…but I really don't know."
Corviknight was in agony. Agony he hadn't felt since before he'd evolved.
He snarled in fury. He was supposed to be unbreakable! But that Medicham had broken him. Hurt him. His beak was crooked, his wings were aching badly, and he was missing quite a few feathers, leaving him feeling uncharacteristically bare.
And by a Trained Pokemon…
Was she truly stronger than me?
Corviknight shook his head. No. A Trained Pokemon could never be stronger than him. She must have used some trick. Weakened him earlier with some move he didn't know. Was that why she'd been dodging so much at the beginning of their fight? So that she could weaken him?
I won't fall for that again. I will restore my Great Flock. I will find that Trained Pokemon. And I will bring pain and suffering upon her for this humiliation!
Corviknight's eyes beheld something below him. Multiple forms moving in the opposite direction he was. His eyes narrowed, for he recognized one of those forms.
That curly, black hair, that dark skin, that cut-up face. There was no question - that was one of the Trainers who had escaped him!
It seemed he was being escorted by another Trainer, this one taller and wearing some sort of brightly colored cape. A large orange Pokemon with gigantic wings was moving behind them, watching them carefully. Corviknight held back a snort. One Pokemon and two Trainers? Easy prey, even in my condition.
I will avenge my defeat with this great victory.
Corviknight descended, letting out a challenging cry. He saw all three of the beings beneath him look up, and took great satisfaction in seeing alarm fill the small Trainer's eyes. "That's…that's the Corviknight!" the Trainer cried. "The one that attacked me and Gloria!"
Corviknight laughed; it came out strangely through his crooked beak, but it still sounded appropriately menacing. He spotted the other Trainer and the orange Pokemon both glaring up at him, and shot his own glare down at them. "You thought you could escape me?" he snarled. "Never! No matter how many worthless tricks you have up your sleeves, we Wild Pokemon of the Slumbering Weald will always prevail through our strength! And soon, all Trainers will know that only death waits for them here! I'll kill you, and then I'll kill your friend as well, and then I'll hunt those other two Trainers down and I'll kill them too! Because I am Corviknight, and I am…"
His voice trailed off as he noticed the orange Pokemon had flown up to join him. The Pokemon's eyes were filled with a burning hatred that, despite all of Corviknight's bravado, made him want to flinch away.
"So you're the one who hurt my Trainer's brother." The orange Pokemon grinned savagely. "Heh…that's good. Because I've been pretty frustrated this past half-hour…and I really needed someone to work out my frustrations on."
Corviknight gulped.
The orange Pokemon opened his mouth, revealing a throat full of fire. "I think you'll do just fine," he snarled. "Wildfire Blaze."
And Corviknight's world became heat and fire and all-encompassing pain.
Corviknight was a fun villain to write. I often go for complex villains with understandable motivations, because I feel that makes for more interesting characters...but sometimes it's fun to write just a straight-up 'bad guy' that everyone can hate.
In terms of power level, Corviknight was around the same level of strength as the Swarmlord. In terms of raw power, he was a little weaker, but if it came down to a fight between the two of them at the power levels they were at during their respective arcs, Corviknight would probably edge it out (if only due to his superior typing).
What a difference three years can make, hm?