-[DrEam]SEquEncE=#003.2/-
"Ugh. This is taking too long," Moxy complained. The moon was a ghastly haze behind the translucent clouds, and the sounds of occasional Wingull squawks made the salty air feel ominous.
Moxy and Aiden were stationed on a flat roof of one of the smaller apartments overlooking a narrow alleyway. The girl checked her watch again, and it was about four o'clock in the morning. Her eyes carried dark bags from sleeplessness, and she was tapping her fingers against the balcony impatiently.
"You need to learn to enjoy the moment. Just relax…" Aiden trailed off as he took a sip of coffee. The words 'Sippin' Slurpuff's' was printed on the side of his to-go cup. Moxy took her cup on the balcony edge and held it up to her mouth. However, only a few dribblets of the bitter coffee touched her tongue.
"Yeah, because I'm totally enjoying standing around here at four in the morning just so we can ambush someone," she huffed before tossing the empty cup over her shoulder. Her hands trembled, and she told herself it was from the caffeine rather than her crippling anxiety. She had a looming feeling that she shouldn't be here, and she wanted to just get up and leave.
Another five minutes of silence passed. To her dread, a man in a tuxedo had entered the alley. She assumed Aiden would tell her it's time, but fortunately, he just watched him pass by.
"Trick question," Aiden started suddenly, "Why didn't we mug the person who just passed through?"
"Because he was dangerous?" she tried.
"Yes, but there is more to it. Give me a quick profile," he asked.
Moxy thought harder, "Well, he was wearing a suit. That means he's wealthy. And rich means resources. A person like him wouldn't just walk through an alley if he could avoid it, especially this late at night. So, he would have been prepared. He was also alert, too, so it would be difficult for us to surprise him."
Aiden gave her a long look before responding, "Very good assessment. He also had four pokeballs clipped under his suit if you noticed. What was the first rule I told you when you started?"
"Pick your battles. Never fight an enemy who is more than a match."
He nodded before turning to look back down at the alleyway, and Moxy followed his gaze. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Despite her keen observations, she couldn't identify the root of her anxiety. It was the same old nab and bag. However, taking something from someone's home and taking something from someone by force were mutually exclusive. And she was far from being an intimidating person.
"You'll be fine," Aiden sensed her worry. "Kirlia will be down there to back you up. Now, do you still have it where I told you to put it?"
Moxy frowned as she clicked open a holster on the side of her belt and pulled out a small, black pistol. Its glossy exterior reflected against the moon, and it felt alien as it laid in her palm.
"This is another thing I don't understand. Why do I need a gun if I have a pokemon?"
"Kirlia's probably going to hide until things go south," he explained, his eyes trained on the gun. "This isn't about efficiency. It's a test that you should be able to do things without the help of your partners. I need to know you can take care of yourself, and if you have the guts to do what's necessary."
He went back to his watch, and that's when the shadow of a tall figure was thrown against the side of the cobblestone building across theirs. The man who entered the alley had his hands buried in the pockets of his red and yellow jumpsuit. A single pokeball hung to his side, and Moxy noticed he was constantly correcting the direction he was walking in. Aiden had also caught on to this because he gave her a nod.
"Don't be anxious," Aiden spoke quickly. "I know you can do this. You just need to believe in yourself. Speak deep from your throat, project your voice, and act like you have nothing to lose. Pretend this guy hurts Buneary's for a living if you have to. Are you ready?"
Moxy gave him a tiny nod. A lie of an acknowledgment. She was most definitely not prepared for this.
Aiden motioned Kirlia who was silently waiting behind them. The pokemon's horns glowed, and Moxy could no longer feel the floor. Kirlia used her telekinesis to lift her and Moxy into the air, and slowly they began to descend right behind the man.
He was tall, like Aiden, and lush, golden bristles stuck out from behind the red cap he sported. As they got closer, she'd realized this man was much bigger than suggested, and she doubted her gun would do anything to him. She could even see the little nubs where his back muscles showed through his jacket.
As soon as they landed, Moxy lifted the gun and pointed it at the man. Kirlia quickly hid behind a dumpster, her twiggy legs making no noise. Moxy imagined the man had long, green hair and a slender body, like Janice. Instead of making her more hardy, it just made her cringe.
"Put your hands up," she ordered with as much confidence as she could muster. Her heart sank upon hearing her coarse, high-pitched voice. To her dismay, the man walked on as if she weren't there.
"I said. Hands. Up," She repeated, deeply this time, while cocking her pistol, its loud sound the more intimidating factor. Gladly, it was enough to make the man stop. However, instead of following her orders, he simply turned to face her. His jaw was deep and profound, and there wasn't the slightest bit of fear behind his narrow, turquoise eyes.
'Of all the people…' she thought, gulping hard while she kept her head down. "Empty your pockets or I'll-"
"Or you'll what?" he interrupted her, his sardonic voice irritating Moxy more than intimidating her. The man raised his head as he stared down the tiny girl, his hands never leaving his pockets.
"Are you blind? I'll s-shoot you, idiot!" she stammered, and she silently cursed herself for that. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of her head as she turned off the safety trigger, and the gun began to clack under her trembling fingers.
The man chuckled before taking a single, slow step forward. "I don't think you've got the guts to do it."
Moxy clicked her tongue in annoyance before clasping her left palm under the grip of the gun.
"Just drop your crap on the floor, and I'll let you leave unharmed."
For a second, the man's eyes seemed to glow, and his wide mouth curled into an amusing smirk.
"I have a better idea."
Like a gunman doing a quickdraw, his hand flew out of his pocket. A tiny, black, and yellow ball had begun to enlarge in his palm. However, before he had a chance to let out who or whatever was inside, two black-as-night tendrils shot out from around the corner of the dumpster. They zipped around the man's legs and arms until reaching his hand, where the shadow twisted around the man's finger.
"ARRGH!" he exasperated in pain, his finger unable to click the release. He tried to move, but the shadow tightened around his body.
Moxy turned around to see Kirlia standing completely still, the moon casting her overly-extended shadow towards the infuriated trainer. A vein stuck out of her right temple, and she glanced at Moxy with straining eyes as if telling her to make a move already.
Moxy ran up to the trainer, cramming the gun in the back of her slacks before rifling through his back pocket. She pulled out his phone and wallet, and after she had opened his wallet, she dangled a measly four dollars between her fingers.
This guy is broke, Moxy made a short scoff, and the man shot her a teeth-gritting glare.
Suddenly, his ultraball began to vibrate violently. In unexpected haste, Kirlia sent out another tendril that fastened around the ball to keep it from opening. A distressed whimper left Kirlia's mouth as she was brought down to one knee.
"That little shit is at its breaking point," the man threatened with a shaking voice. "And when I get out of this, you're both dead!"
Moxy gulped as she immediately pocketed the wallet and phone. A small part of her wanted to pull her gun back out. Shoot him in the leg and escape. But her hand disobeyed her command. There were consequences, and if the man bled out, she didn't know if she could live with it. Even though he was a total jackass.
Moxy took a few steps back. She looked at Kirlia and shook her head quickly.
"Kheerrr..." Kirlia growled, her face displaying anger like she lost any semblance of respect for Moxy.
Within a span of a second, Moxy and Kirlia sprinted the opposite way of the alley as fast as they could, the latter floating. With the Shadow Sneak broken, the man flung his uncontrollable ultraball straight towards the duo like a baseball pitcher. Multi-colored light exploded behind her, and a metallic voice beeped like an angry alarm. Moxy turned her head to see her pursuer. The pokemon's three eyeball-heads buzzed to life, its line of sight fixated on Moxy as it chased her and Kirlia down the alley at an alarming speed.
"Thunderbolt!" the man ordered his pokemon. The Magneton's middle screw head sparked with yellow energy, and Moxy heard the reverberating pulse of it charging.
"Turn!" Moxy yelled, seizing Kirlia and pulling her into her chest before pivoting her heel into an intersecting alleyway. A torrent of electricity flew past her, the shockwave of its cracking impact created a breeze behind her. Around them, lights from buildings began to switch on, and people were peering through their windows in surprise and fear.
Another turn later, she had come across an open marketplace overlooking the dark, frothing ocean. Wooden stalls of all sorts stood peacefully to her left and right.
Magneton beeped in repeated succession as it zoomed after them. Moxy dived to the side as the robot flew past her. Its momentum caused it to careen into a berry stand. Pecha and Cheri berries exploded into the air, and Magneton rag-dolled over the metal fence that bordered the market. Moxy cheered in her mind, thankful the Magneton couldn't control its flight. She stood up and continued running away. She awaited the dunking sound of Magneton's body hitting the water, but it never came. In a stroke of curiosity, she turned her head towards the pokemon's pitfall, and she instantly regretted it.
The moon reflected along Magneton's silvery body as it hovered over the edge, electricity charging in its spinning magnets. It rose into the air, and Moxy wasted no second. With Kirlia still hanging desperately in her arms, she zigzagged around the multiple market stands while Thunderbolts struck her immediate vicinity like lightning gone awry. Any stalls unfortunate to be in her path burst into flames, and shards of splinters exploded all around her.
"I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOUR BONES UNDER MY BOOTS," the angry trainer's voice penetrated the sounds of destruction in the marketplace.
All for a damn wallet, Moxy thought. Suddenly, Kirlia climbed Moxy's chest and looked behind them. One startled yelp later, and red energy encased Moxy's body.
"Woah!" Moxy yelled. She became weightless, and she could no longer feel the ground. A ring of red, blue, and yellow orbs whizzed underneath her feet before colliding with another stall in a spectacular explosion. She did her best to shield her eyes, but with Kirlia in her arms, she was forced to endure the hot wind and splinters that struck her face.
Emerging out of the cloud of smoke, she sailed through the air and over the carcass of the poor, wooden stall that was blown to smithereens. Kirlia's horns grew brighter, and Moxy involuntarily spun around in mid-air. Kirlia's irises turned purple, and three ghastly orbs formed in front of her before she fired them.
The Confuse Ray traveled in a straight line at the Magneton, but its three heads came apart before the move could collide. Magneton whirred angrily as its heads locked back together, and its magnets spun rapidly before it discharged another Tri-Attack. Moxy was bug-eyed as the volley of multi-colored orbs barreled towards her. Since she was restrained by Kirlia's Psychic, she couldn't move out of the way, which made their advancing ever the more menacing.
Luckily, Moxy gravitated downwards, and the ring of energy grazed the top of her hood. Kirlia used her telekinesis to turn them both back the way they were running, and the two glided slowly down to ground level. As soon as Moxy's feet touched the cobblestone floor, the red energy dispersed off her body, and her legs found movement once again. Kirlia made tiny wheezes, and she tightened her clutch around Moxy's arms.
A large archway was up ahead, signifying the exit. Beyond that, she saw a manhole that led into the sewers underneath Slateport.
"There!" she told Kirlia. However, the second she passed through the archway, a Thunderbolt struck the stone blocks directly beneath her, cratering it and blowing her clear of the blast.
She felt a sharp pain in her elbow as she tumbled down the street while tucking Kirlia in her arms. Her ears rang, and her vision was fuzzy as she looked down to make sure the little pokemon was okay. Kirlia gave Moxy a weak look, and her body began to distort.
"No! Don't you dare leave me again!" Moxy yelled, her grip on the pokemon tightening as to keep her from escaping, but it was all for naught. Kirlia snapped from existence, and Moxy's arms wisped through the thousands of glittering shards scattered before her.
No measure of disappointment would live up to yet another betrayal. Again, Moxy found herself questioning Aiden's logic; Kirlia saved her own hide rather than staying to fight.
The humming of electromagnetism behind her sent a shiver down her spine, and she used all her might to get up. Looking over her shoulder, she saw two dark silhouettes loom over her. She pulled her gun out, but a bolt of electricity blasted the gun with Braviary-like accuracy. It clattered to the ground, charred beyond belief. Moxy clutched her seared hand in pain, and her breath rasped short as she tried to escape. However, the Magneton flew overhead and blocked her path with outstretched magnets and a dangerous buzzing.
"I'm sorr- ACK!" Moxy was interrupted when the trainer gripped his large, burly fingers around her throat, his facial expression enough to bring an Ursaring to its knees. She gasped for air, and her attempts at clawing his face were unsuccessful.
"Looks like your own pokemon decided to ditch you," he ridiculed, and his mouth was close enough that she almost threw up upon smelling the alcohol in his breath. "What a pathetic trainer. No wonder you resorted to stealing."
Her response was to kick him in the shin as hard as possible. His face contorted in pain for a second, but in the end, all her kick did was make him angrier.
"Electrocute this bitch," he scowled, letting go of her throat. Without warning, the man shoved her frail body backward. The back of her skull banged against Magneton's solid-steel body, and before she could coddle her bruise, two of Magneton's six magnets clasped her arms. She gritted her teeth, her bones locking up to Magneton's powerful electric attack.
The white sparks lit up the man's obsessed gaze. "More power."
As he finished, the Magneton's humming grew louder, and her body went limp. Her ears rumbled with the sound of static electricity from the Thunder Wave, and her eyeballs wanted to pop out of their sockets. She opened her mouth to scream, but all she could make was a pitiful whimper. Moxy tried to think of a way to break free, but between her baking brain and the red and white flashes pulsing in her vision, it was in vain.
Suddenly, the flashes of electricity stopped. Her dead nerves couldn't feel the Magneton letting go of her body as she crumpled to the floor. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the robotic pokemon flailing its magnets all over the place while beeping erratically.
"What the hell!?" the man yelled, his once gleeful face now plastered with surprise as he ran to his pokemon to calm it down. A small, white figure ran up to Moxy, and the side of her head trickled with blood from an open gash. Kirlia rummaged into one of Moxy's side pouches and yanked out a yellow spray bottle. Shockingly, the pokemon was able to spray the bottle using both of her hands.
"You used Confuse Ray," Moxy stretched out her once-paralyzed jaw, "One of your parents must have been part of the Duskull line. Explains how you can use a variety of ghost-type moves while being such a young pokemon. Or maybe Aiden is just that good of a trainer."
Kirlia was silent as she hurried to finish treating Moxy's paralysis.
"Er… thank you. For coming back for me," Moxy retried. Kirlia looked up at her for a moment, and she nodded.
Behind them, the trainer had already calmed down his Magneton, and their eyes were now fixed on Moxy.
"Blow them to pieces, you stupid robot!" he seethed, conking Magneton on the back of its top head. The Magneton hastily created a cluster of gray orbs from its rotating magnets before unleashing them at the duo. Moxy tried to move, but her legs were still paralyzed. Kirlia dropped the aerosol canister, and her palms shot out in front of her as a transparent, dome barrier materialized around them. The orbs latched onto the shield one by one before exploding in a cloud of smoke, and Kirlia's discomfort was made visible with each strike.
"Tag me with your teleportation marker!" Moxy shrilled through the deafening assault, enough for Kirlia to hear. "Quickly, before the smoke clears!"
Kirlia red eyes darted at Moxy, her doubtful expression turning sour as her shield tanked another Magnet Bomb.
"Trust me."
As soon as the barrage grew silent, the dome shield fizzled out as Kirlia brought her palms to Moxy's right arm. A touch later and her forearm took on a mirror-like affinity. The girl hid her arm behind her back.
"Now get the Magneton's attention and run for the edge. Go!" she finished. Kirlia gave her a quick nod, and as soon as the smoke dispersed Kirlia's body began to shimmer and distort. About ten clones of itself instantly materialized all over Moxy's side of the street, like an army of ballerinas.
Another smirk crept along the man's face. "Double Team isn't going to help you. Magnet Bomb, again!"
As soon as those last words left his mouth, the squad of Kirlia's broke into different directions. It was a massacre as the Magnet Bombs latched onto the clones. When they exploded, the clone's fizzled out like a reflection in the water. The other trainer was already approaching Moxy as she shielded her eyes from the debris using her left arm.
"You're starting to irritate me. Screw the cops. I'll let them clean the mess after I paint this street with your blood."
"What the hell is wrong with you?!", Moxy screamed. "Can't you see all the destruction you're causing? And for a wallet! It's completely pointless!"
"Whatever, my father already pays the city thousands in renovations. Plus, you assaulted me first, at gunpoint. Who do you think the judge is going to believe? Me or some lowlife?"
It's official. I must have the worst luck ever to run into this psychopath.
To her side, she saw the last of the Kirlia clones evaporate. One ear-splitting boom later, and a final Magnet Bomb exploded into the real Kirlia. She skidded across the ground and landed at the edge of the railing. The right side of her body was covered in soot, and her skirt was frayed at the edges. Stumbling to her tiny feet, she created a disproportionate purple orb and shot it desperately in Magneton's direction. The robot curved around the attack with ease as it continued to barrel towards her, its body igniting with yellow sparks. With an anguished cry, Kirlia dove for the ocean. Moxy could see her floating wobbly just above the surface of the water.
"Don't let it get away!" the man yelled. Magneton used its bottom magnets to levitate off the edge, its body still charging with electricity as it gave chase.
The man reached his hands for Moxy's face again, but the girl threw her right arm out. Its reflective properties made him hesitate before his face twisted in fear. He looked out to the dark ocean, the color draining from his face as his Magneton was still giving chase a few yards out. It zapped Kirlia, but she just poofed into nonexistence.
Kirlia's form immediately resurged on top of Moxy's arm. She trembled, and Moxy wasn't sure if it was in anger or pain. The man stared at them in bewilderment.
"You really are an idiot, you know that?" Moxy deadpanned. His eyebrows narrowed, but before he could retort, Kirlia let loose a purple orb at the man. The orb broke into several smaller orbs, and they danced around him eerily before fizzling out into nothing. He stumbled a little, but nothing else followed.
"Again!" Moxy ordered. Kirlia let out a weak cry as she shot him with another Confuse Ray. This time, the trainer's gaze trailed off to the side. Moxy shoved Kirlia, causing her to hiccup a final Confuse Ray at the man.
"Everythings... dizzy," he muttered while wobbling about in his spot. He immediately drew his hands up to his puffed-up mouth.
"Ugh that's gross," Moxy grimaced as the man regurgitated his dinner all over the cobblestone surface. She had to shimmy backward, lest his pooling vomit touched her paralyzed legs.
"I'm…gonna…get…urg." a drop of vomit dripped from his mouth before he collapsed to the floor with a satisfying thump.
"Take Magneton's pokeball out of his pocket," Moxy said, putting Kirlia down gently from her perch on her arm. The pokemon tottered beside the unconscious trainer as she fished around his pocket. Kirlia was panting heavily, and her knees buckled. Moxy hoped the medics back at the base would be able to patch her up. The yellow and black ball gleamed under the moonlight, and Kirlia tossed it to Moxy.
Suddenly, Magneton appeared from the side, its body humming with electricity. Kirlia tried to create another shield, but her small arms trembled weakly instead. Energy churned between Magneton's magnets, forming a sparking ball of electricity. However, before it had a chance to hurl it, the pokemon was swathed in red, beaming light. The sphere of electricity dissolved onto the cobblestone floor.
Moxy sighed before tossing the ultraball towards the man.
"What a nightmare…" she spoke her thoughts out loud.
Her head pulsated, and an uncomfortable feeling welled inside her gut. Moxy tried to bring herself to her feet, but her legs still wouldn't budge.
"Right…" she remembered, reaching for the Full Heal beside her. She pulled her pant legs up, revealing her ankle, and she began to spray it. Her head throbbed again, this time a little more painfully.
"Thank you again, Kirlia," Moxy started. "Do you know if-" she stopped. Kirlia was nowhere to be seen.
"Kirlia? Where are you?" Moxy spoke a little louder, and she spun around to locate the pokemon. "If you're playing another prank on me, I swear to Arceus I'm going to-"
She was cut off when she couldn't find the trainer's unconscious body either.
THUD
Moxy swiveled around to see the manhole clang like something was trying to escape from it. Around her, the towering buildings melted into a gray ooze. The manhole thudded again, and this time purple smoke spewed from its opening.
Moxy tried to get up, but her legs wouldn't obey her. She sprayed again, but the bottle began to spew the same stuff coming out of the manhole, and she fearfully tossed it aside.
"A prank, no. A nightmare, on the other hand…" A hollow voice rang out in her head, and her skull felt like it was being scraped from the inside.
Not again, Moxy thought before covering her mouth to cough. Blood had soaked her now sickly, white palm, and she could taste the saltiness on her tongue.
"What's the matter? We had such fun the last time." The voice said with a disappointed tone. Moxy might have felt bad were it not for the other three voices that spoke in unison.
Moxy punched herself on the head, trying to force herself out of the nightmare.
"A useless effort. The state you're in, you couldn't even wake up if you wanted to."
"What do you mean?" As she said that her mind flared with images. An angry, black beast charging towards her. A pink pokemon over her body, almost like it was protecting her. A sharp pain erupted in her belly and shoulder, and she toppled onto her side while clutching her wounds.
The manhole burst into the air, and the smoke spewing from it was unleashed into the melting world surrounding her. No longer were the moon or clouds in sight. Only a void of black stretching along what used to be the sky. The purple smoke coalesced, forming an eerie visage consisting of two punched-in holes and a monstrous mouth.
It finally clicked in her head. "I… I remember now. The Mightyena was acting so strangely… but it was you! You made the pokemon attack me! Why!?"
The tower of smoke bellowed in a low-pitch, its demonic voice changing to how an unruly king might sound. Imposing and fierce with a hint of guile, "A warning. To show you that you cannot possibly escape my endless influence. I infused your aura with my energy so that all who are sinister can sense my presence in you. Like a virus to be eradicated."
Aiden said the patrolling pokemon would attack me if I were an intruder, she thought before speaking up. "You've possessed me, somehow, to aggravate the Mightyena. But why? Do you want me dead?! Then just do it here and now! I'd rather die than suffer anymore!"
As soon as Moxy finished she began to regret those words. She instinctively brought her arm up, awaiting whatever pain the demon wished to inflict on her.
"Try again," it boomed.
"Urf," Moxy whimpered in fright. "Just why are you doing this to me?"
"To remedy your... agitation, the reason is but a simple task you must accomplish. If you seek to stop this suffering, you must release my spirit from my tomb."
"Release you?" her eyebrows narrowed. "Why should I let an evil asshole like you out of wherever you're trapped?" she was surprised at her sudden adamance.
"Because you and I are products of a cruel world. A world that's strewn us aside without so much as a glance. I can feel it. Resonating deep within your soul, like I've felt the first time we met. That feeling is vengeance. And you should embrace it. At this moment, your soul is desperately clutching to your mortal, fragile body. Soon, you will fade into an eternal slumber. So, as you ask 'why release this monster?', I will ask, 'how much do you value your pathetic life?'"
"I..." she was speechless.
"Nobody will remember you. Nobody will care about you. Nobody but me. And now, at the gate between life and death, I alone am granting you a second chance."
"But you took my li-"
"It's all the same," the voice grew infuriated, each word spelled out to Moxy like she was a child. "My realm abandons any notions of civil law. It. Is. Simple. I, the predator, have you, the prey, in my grasp. Do you wish to live a full life, or die a short one? That is my reasoning. And if that isn't a good enough reason, then…"
The smoke howled like a raging wind before unleashing its gusty breath directly at Moxy. A purple tornado swirled around her, and she felt her red hair rise in the gale.
"I will simply find a new host to will. After I've reduced your mind to dust! Now, make your choice!"
The tornado seemed to get smaller and smaller as it closed in on her. Moxy covered her eyes with her arms, and a blade of wind managed to graze her cheek. She could feel the stinging pain on her face, and she rubbed the area to find her fingers dribbled with blood. Even though it was just a dream, it felt too real. And if what it was saying was true, then she was most likely never going to wake up again.
"Okay! Okay!" she called out, her teary eyes dissipating any form of confidence she had. "I'll help you! Just tell me where to go and I'll do it!"
The tornado died the moment she said that. The cloud opened its mouth, and its long, ghastly tongue carpeted out towards the girl. The tip seemingly drooped to Moxy's level, and her eyebrows raised in question. A layer of smoke formed above it, creating a lavender strip of paper. The words, or more likely symbols, on it were incomprehensible to her. However, the dotted line at the bottom of the paper, she understood.
"The blood," it hollowed out as another wispy tendril pointed to her cheek and then to the line. "Your name."
"What does it say?" she asked.
"Life for life," It replied. She opened her mouth to retort, but the smoke growled. The tendril's wicked tip hovered just an inch away from her eye.
That was all it took for her not to question the absurdity of signing something in a dream as she wetted her index finger in blood. She smeared the only name she'd been given onto the surprisingly sturdy piece of paper. Regret welled up the moment she lifted her finger off the paper, and she couldn't help feeling like she had given this lowly creature her soul on a silver platter.
The smoke laughed upon seeing that Moxy hadn't provided her last name. "No surname? I was right in choosing you as my champion. Someone who has no obligation to... family," he said that last part with obvious disdain.
"Like hell I'm your champion. After I release you, I want you out of my head."
The smoke's echoed growl seemed to click rapidly, and the paper vanished into purple embers. Its tongue ebbed back into its monstrous maw.
"As you wish. But first, because I am a mon of my word."
Smoke at the foot of the monster expanded, and Moxy was startled when it swept across her ankles. From it, a tiny, purple wisp swirled up and around Moxy's body. It was like a ribbon dancer, and Moxy couldn't help but feel charmed by its movements. However, that feeling soon vanished as the wisp dug itself through Moxy's nostrils. Her eyes watered from the stinging pain. As soon as it entered it was gone. She burst into a coughing fit, and the hurt in her stomach and shoulder seemed to alleviate.
"There is no backing from our agreement now. You owe me a debt, signed in blood," the voice boomed.
"What the hell did you do to me?!" Moxy demanded. Her insides felt as cold as a dead body.
"Go to the north," it continued, ignoring her hysterics, "where the land's ruthless winds formed the desert ruins. Find my tomb, and destroy it, so I may once again breathe in your realm."
Moxy was puzzled, but one thought crossed her mind. "The desert in the north? Do you mean Route 111? Out of all the places, you choose the one place anyone with a sane mind would never go. People get lost in that desert!"
"My subordinates will lead you. However, the journey will be as harsh as the land itself. You have all the time to prepare. But if you ignore me, I will make no hesitations to take back what I gave. Only when I'm free will the debt be paid. Until then, your life is- GAAHHHH!"
A terrible scream echoed throughout the darkness. The last building had finished melting, turning the city into a field of gray paste that went on for miles. The smoke seemed to distort like bad reception from a television. Moxy didn't know how to react. Should she try to attack it now that it was in pain? How would she even do it?
Before she could do anything, however, the voice ordered wearily, "Do not dally. Till next time... champion."
And with an exhausted laugh, the smoke shrank back into the manhole. As soon as the last of the smoke disappeared, Moxy yelped as her world flipped upside down. She began falling upwards and towards the abyss that was the sky. She screamed, flailed her legs, and tried to get a grip, but it was no use. The void drew closer and closer, and out of its inky depths, she could make out two, purple eyes glaring back at her. As soon as she was caught in its jaws, her vision erupted into nothingness.