φ
"I thiiiink, we're here!" With a heave, Bonnie pushed open the heavy door before her, carving a stream of light straight through the dark room beyond. It was pitch-black from what she could see, everywhere but where the light reached the back wall. There, she found her target: A conspicuously large switch, labeled 'power conduit breaker.' "Jackpot!"
With a giggle and a hop, Bonnie raced ahead, Dedenne at her side as they reached the switch. Bonnie leapt up and grabbed onto it with all her might, while Dedenne grabbed onto her ankle to assist. Between the both of them, they had just enough weight to pull it down.
"Missioooon, success!" Stumbling to her feet, Bonnie cheered, plucking Dedenne off the ground and tossing him into the air to celebrate. "I knew we could do it, Dedenne!"
"Ne ne ne!"
Moments after their celebrations began, the fruit of their labor began to show itself. The lights in the room, silent up till now, began to sputter and flicker to life. The pitch-black, featureless room soon was anything but. This was a storage room, with rows and rows of shelves across the whole length of the floor. Boxes of nondescript items and equipment surrounded them, with a clear layer of dust over it all.
"Hehe, guess we should head back now. Right, Dedenne?"
"Dede!" With one last squeezy hug to celebrate their success, Bonnie and Dedenne started towards the door—
"Whoa!"
—Only to be stopped when the ground shook. Bonnie blinked, unsure if that was the facility or just a minor quake. After a moment, however, she realized it was neither. Another shake followed it.
Those were footsteps.
"Oh jeeze." The lights flickered, glowing brighter and dimmer in quick succession, before spiking into a blinding white. "Aaaah!"
"Dedenne!?" The ground rumbled several more times before the lights dimmed. By the time Bonnie and Dedenne managed to recover, it was too late. They were trapped.
Electivire was at the door.
"Vireeeee."
"Ah shoot, shoot, shoot!" In an instant, Bonnie's heart rate shot up, freezing her still as she watched the humongous Pokémon lumber through the door. Even as the Electivire pulled themself through the tight fit, they shook their fist at the two, showing them something surprising: A blistered mark, right where Dedenne had used Bite earlier today. "Ah shoot!
They had to leave. They had to get back to Clemont. They promised they'd come back as soon as they were done. They promised— Bonnie furrowed her brows, before she looked down at Dedenne.
"We also promised to avoid trouble, huh, Dedenne?" She received a nod of affirmation from her partner, as he took on her same determined expression. "Guess that no matter what happens, we're gonna have to break a promise!"
"Ne ne ne!" With a cry that called for a challenge, Dedenne bounced out of Bonnie's hands, taking a stance she soon followed suit with. As they did, the Electivire finally made their way into the room.
"Okay, you big, dumb, meanie! You don't scare us!" Her declaration was echoed by Dedenne, before being refuted by Electivire. The goliath let out a roar as they took a single step, shaking the ground at Bonnie's feet. Yet still she remained standing. "We're gonna kick your butt! Just watch! Dedenne, Thundershock!"
"Ne ne! Dedenne!" Curling his body together, Dedenne fired a quick shot of electricity, one that struck and enraged their assailant.
Electivire locked their eyes onto Dedenne, and charged.
"Dodge them!" Caught off guard by the sudden forward assault, Bonnie sent Dedenne racing across the room, diving beneath one of the many shelves of the storage room. That was no obstacle for Electivire, however, who barreled through it and sent the whole thing toppling over. "Dedenne!?"
"Ne ne— ne!" Popping out of the rubble, Dedenne appeared unharmed, before he jumped back and away from the lumbering Electivire.
"Okay good! Now Thundershock, and keep moving away!" Bonnie watched with bated breath as Dedenne fired at Electivire's back, enraging the beast while they pulled themselves free of the shelf. They lurched for Dedenne, only to trip and pound their fists into the ground. At that, Bonnie got an idea. "Jump into another shelf, Dedenne! And keep using Thundershock!"
"Dede!" Hopping away from Electivire's lunging hand, Dedenne began climbing the layers of another shelf, firing little shots of electricity with every jump. Each shock only seemed to anger Electivire more, however. They tore through the boxes and metal shelves, only barely missing the tiny, nimble frame that was Dedenne.
"To the next shelf, Dedenne!" When Dedenne reached the end of the shelf he'd been traversing, he leapt to the next, just as his previous platform collapsed underneath his feet. Electivire roared as they followed in pursuit. "Now Tackle them!"
Dedenne stumbled for only a moment before he turned back, running along the top shelf and surprising the Electivire into a pause. That pause was just what Dedenne needed, as he leapt and bonked his head right into his opponent's.
"Vire!?" Electivire stumbled back while Dedenne made a break for the shelves on the other side of the room.
"Yes!" Bonnie cheered. They were actually holding their own, using the shelves to keep out of reach! "Okay Dedenne! Now use— Huh!?"
"Electi— Vire!" Electivire roared, grabbing the shattered shelf at their side and tossing it. The tangled mass of metal only just barely missed the sprinting Dedenne, before crashing into a row of shelves and sending them toppling. Dedenne's cover had been destroyed!
Electivire pounded their fists against the ground, and took off into a sprint.
"Shoot! Dedenne, go for those other shelves, quick!" Bonnie gulped, watching Dedenne scurry with all his might. Cover, they needed cover!
Dedenne leapt behind another shelf, slipping between boxes and over crates in a mad dash to escape Electivire's grasp. Every time they got close to grabbing Dedenne, Bonnie's Pokémon would fire a blast of electricity to stymie them.
"Good job Dedenne, now, climb—!"
"Elect— Elect— Electivire!" Growing enraged by Dedenne's continuous escapes, Electivire grabbed a hold of the entire shelf and began shaking it, sending boxes crashing down and shattering on the ground. Dedenne had to hold on for dear life, until his opponent shook him free.
"Dedenne, no!"
With a heave, Electivire sent the whole shelf toppling over, launching Dedenne out of it with a harsh jerk of the metal. Bonnie's partner rolled across the ground, dazed and confused, and then, was soon captured.
"Vire!" Lurching forward, Electivire snatched Dedenne and hoisted him into the air. In an instant, Dedenne was pinned, trapped in the iron grip of his guffawing opponent.
"Ne! De, de!"
"Oh no, Dedenne! Quick, use Bite again!" Bonnie hopped up and down as Electivire turned, putting their back to her. Despite her command, however, Dedenne didn't seem receptive. He snapped at her.
"Nenene! Dedenne!"
"Of course you know Bite! Everyone knows— Fine! I'll do it!" With a running start, Bonnie leapt at the Electivire, latching onto their back and quickly climbing up to their head. "Take this!"
"Electi— Vire!?" Startled by the sudden second assailant, Electivire stumbled forward, before roaring out in pain. Bonnie had bit them! "Vire!"
In a fit of anger, Electivire sent Bonnie flying. Then, they reared back and launched Dedenne as well. The two partners crashed into a pile of cardboard boxes, which shattered under their weight.
"Euuuugh." Bonnie groaned and rubbed her head, the collision dazing her and sending her vision spinning.
When it focused, her heart skipped three beats at once.
The Electivire stood tall in the center of the room, their head grazing the ceiling as they made a fist and rolled their shoulders. The exit stood there at their left, so close yet so inaccessible. Bonnie and Dedenne could never make it there before their opponent barreled down on them.
Bonnie's breathing grew heavy as she scrambled back, Dedenne in her arms, until she felt herself butt against the wall.
"Oh, jeeze."
"Electi… vire." There was a cold disdain in their voice as they addressed Bonnie and Dedenne. The meaning came through loud and clear.
This was it, the end of the line.
Cornered. They were cornered. Those words played on repeat in Bonnie's mind, as she felt her blood run cold and turn to slush. Her arms grew heavy even as they held Dedenne up to her, even as Electivire took a step closer.
"Deden? Dedenne!"
"No… No, no, no." Bonnie kicked against the ground, trying to back up despite the wall in her way. With each move she took, Electivire just got closer, and escape seemed even farther. Tears began to form in her eyes as she clenched them shut. "No, no, no! Clemont!"
She called out for her brother with a cry he'd never hear, a cry that did not deter her assailant. With a grunt, Electivire raised their foot into the air.
"De de! Dedenne!" Dedenne tried shaking Bonnie out of it, tried to reach her through her tears, but to no avail. His partner, his Bonnie, was sobbing. All because of this big, dumb meanie! It drove Dedenne mad. With furrowed brows and an angry growl, Dedenne turned to Electivire. "Dedenne! Dedenne!"
Electricity crackled at Dedenne's cheek pouches as he stepped forward, surprising the Electivire into a pause. Who was this little mouse, come to challenge them?!
Dedenne would show them.
"De-de-nne!" With tears welling up in his own eyes, Dedenne fired the strongest, brightest Thundershock he could manage. It slammed into Electivire, pushed them back several paces, as Dedenne poured everything he could into the attack. "De-de— nne!"
The Thundershock faltered, but Dedenne pushed through. He couldn't do with just a sputter of electricity, a spark and crackle like he usually managed. He needed something stronger, something unwavering as his determination. He needed—!
"Thunderbolt." Bonnie whispered the words in astonishment, as she stared in shock at Dedenne's attack. Thunderbolt was a whole different beast from Thundershock. Thicker, brighter, more sustained— This new move outmatched Thundershock in every way Bonnie could think.
Seeing that attack, that move that Ash had called his favorite, it put a realization in Bonnie's mind. She stood up.
Electivire stumbled back, shocked by the sudden swell of power from their tiny foe, shocked by how sustained he could hold his fire. There was no doubt about it, Dedenne and Bonnie had caught them off guard.
But that didn't mean they were close to beating them.
"Viiiiire." With its senses realigned, Electivire growled, electricity lighting up at their fists and in their back tendrils. No more games. They would show them who was on top here. "Electi-vire!"
With a wretched call, Electivire fired their counterattack— Thunder, a move that slammed away Dedenne's Thunderbolt in an instant!
"Vire! Vire! Electivire!" They weren't done there. Wrenching their fists back, Electivire sent a storm of Thunder raining down on Bonnie and Dedenne. The blasts shattered concrete and eviscerated crates, only barely missing their targets as the two leapt to dodge.
Landing on her knees, Bonnie threw her hands forward.
"Tch! We can do that too, Dedenne! Thunderbolt!" Dedenne was quick to comply— Only to get sideswiped by a bolt of Thunder first! The little guy was sent spinning as Bonnie groaned and went on the move again. "No fair! We can't attack and defend at the same time!"
Her cry was heeded by the Electivire, who laughed in her face. They were mocking her! Another Thunder was fired, and once again Dedenne was sent spinning.
Bonnie's realization from before clicked into an idea.
"Keep spinning, Dedenne! Don't stop!" Dedenne balked at the command, before quickly complying, dropping onto his back to help keep his momentum going.
The clean spin, and Thunderbolt— This was what they needed!
"Just like Ash and Pikachu, Dedenne!" Ducking beneath one last Thunder, Bonnie soon stood proud. "Use Thunderbolt!"
"De-de-nne!" Dedenne crackled with his newfound energy, before igniting with electricity! The golden aura deflected a coursing bolt of Thunder, adding its energy to his spin. As tendrils began to form at Dedenne's side, Bonnie knew this was it.
"Counter Shield!" The bands of electricity shot forth, slamming away Electivire's electricity and shocking them all in one. They could only watch as their attacks were wiped away in an instant. Bonnie cheered. "You're doing it, Dedenne!"
"Ne ne ne!"
"Vire! Electivire—!" Electivire roared and raised a foot, ready to end the trick with another quake. Dedenne was too fast, however! The tendrils of his electricity slammed into Electivire, knocking them off balance, sending them careening to the side. With a thud, they fell back into a shattered shelf. "Electi—!?"
They fell away from the door.
Remembering her promise to her brother, Bonnie took a deep breath.
"Come on, Dedenne! Let's go!" With that, she sprinted for the exit, scooping Dedenne off the ground as his attack came to an end. The Counter Shield had left his head spinning, but it had done the job!
With Electivire dazed and confused, Bonnie and Dedenne escaped back out into the maintenance hall.
Φ
"Luxio! Please stoooop!" Clemont grappled for his very life as gravity flipped once again, sending him sliding off the ceiling towards the front wall. He crashed against this new ground, his stomach doing flips while he rolled away. "Please! Just! Let! Me! Talk!"
Each word pleaded for mercy, chased down by a shot of lightning that crashed at Clemont's heels. The right wall. He had to get to the right wall! In just a moment—
"Luuuuxio!"
—gravity would flip again! Clemont hit the deck, sliding down the rest of the distance, before he took off again. The back wall would be next!
"Luxio! If you don't get off the tower— Eugh!" A shot of lightning flew overhead "—Then the magnetic locks can't disengage! That means—!"
Clemont's jumpsuit slipped from his waist, the sleeve sending him tripping across the ground. It was fortunate, however, for a bolt of lightning flew overhead just a moment later. Clemont gulped before breaking into a sprint.
"I-if the locks don't disengage, the power can't flow into the primary— Ack!"
"Luxio!"
Another flip of gravity came, with Clemont not making it this time. As the wall became floor and the floor became wall, Clemont was forced to jump, stumbling when his knees cried out in pain. After a moment, Clemont cried out too. "Grah! How can I explain graduate-level electrical engineering to you, if you won't even listen to me!?"
Just as Clemont said that, the sound of an intercom came to life.
"Clock's ticking, Clemont. What's taking you?" It was Doctor Richards, linking in from the control room. His impatience sent Clemont's exhausted mind racing.
"It's a little harder than you'd think! What with the diamagnetic levitation going on!"
"Tch. The brightest mind in Kalos can't deal with a little pressure?" With that, the feed cut out, leaving Clemont to his thoughts again. His thoughts, and the rampaging Pokémon he somehow needed to handle.
"Okay, appeals to logic won't work. Need to—" He jumped, leaping from the back wall to the ceiling now. The pattern was clear in his mind. "Need to get straight to the point!"
As Clemont ran for the front wall, he and Luxio exchanged a look.
"Luxio— I'm sorry!" His words stalled another bolt of lightning, as Luxio paused. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind all those years ago. I'm sorry for—!"
Luxio's brows furrowed.
"Xio!" With a snap, Luxio whipped his head back, flipping gravity once more. This time, Clemont was ready, making the jump as he went for the left wall next.
"I'm s-sorry for not appreciating you! I was a different person back then!" Front, right, back, top, then front, left, back, top. Whether Luxio knew it or not, that was the pattern he was following. Finding that pattern was the only reason Clemont could keep up with all this. "I was a d-different person, a bad person, someone who—"
Another flip, as gravity went to the left wall. The back would be next.
"—Someone who put his scientific pursuits over his connection with others. I—! Ah?!" A bolt of lightning slammed the ground at Clemont's feet, sending him jumping back in shock.
Luxio didn't want to hear it.
But Clemont wouldn't give him the choice.
"I wanted to find you again, but I didn't, out of shame, and I'm sorry!" Clemont slammed against the back wall, as a second later it became his floor. With each cycle he was buying himself more and more time. It almost tempted him to let his heaving lungs rest for a moment, if it weren't for the dire circumstances. He faced Luxio, as his gaze made his old friend pause. "But I'm here now. I want to make things better. So please, just let me make things bet—"
"Luxio?! Xio-lu. Xio!" Luxio's expression turned into a disdainful snarl. Though it had been years since Clemont had known his friend, his meaning came through, loud and clear.
Clemont could never just make things better.
"Xio! Luxio!" With a roar that sent Clemont flinching, Luxio flipped gravity once again. Except, it wasn't to the ceiling, like the pattern predicted. It was to the front wall.
In an instant, Clemont was sent into freefall.
"Huh!?" 4.9 meters. In one second, Clemont knew he would fall 4.9 meters. 19.6 meters in two seconds, then 44.1 meters in three. After that, the ground. He had to think fast. Thinking fast was all he had left. "Come on, come on!"
There, along the floor he was flying past. There was a piece of equipment bolted to the ground. If he could just—!
"Eureka!" Unfurling the jumpsuit from his waist, Clemont produced a pseudo parachute from his clothing. It couldn't catch any air, but it could catch this! "Come ooon! Gotcha!"
With barely a moment to spare, Clemont caught onto the machine with his jumpsuit. It broke his fall, stretching the material to its absolute limit in an instant. The equipment, unfit for this sort of abuse, buckled and cracked next.
"Oh, jeeze—!" Just like that, the machine broke, and Clemont fell the remaining distance. He landed with a thud, the equipment he'd destroyed crashing down a few feet away. He was bruised, but otherwise uninjured. "Euuuugh."
Clemont had barely a moment to rest, when the intercom came online again.
"Seriously Clemont, time is running out. Get Luxio down, now!" Doctor Richard's patience was running dry, and honestly, so was Clemont's. As he stumbled to his feet, rubbing a scrape on his chin, Clemont stared up at Luxio.
"Okay… Okay. We have to do this now… Apologies, will have to come later." His mind buzzed with ideas, running far faster than he ever could. There had to be some way to do this, some way to get Luxio down. The pattern, could the pattern be the key? Even if Luxio had changed it, Clemont bet he could figure out what it was now.
Front, right, back, top, then front, left, back, top. Except now, Luxio was skipping the top. Which meant— Eureka!
"Xio! Luuuxio!" A snap from Luxio put Clemont on the run once again. The right wall would be next, if his assumption about the pattern still held. And did he pray it would hold. His jumpsuit only had one last save left in it.
He was going to need it.
Landing onto the right wall with a thud, Clemont looked up at Luxio as he ran.
"I know, I know I can't just take back what happened." A shot of lightning crashed at his heels. Still, he kept going. "I know I can't just make things better!"
Two shots of lightning now, with one sending him tumbling back. Yet, he rolled to his feet and continued on.
"But I'm going to do everything I can to make it up to you!" Three shots of lightning came in quick succession, just barely missing Clemont as he leapt to the back wall. This was the last jump he was going to be making. With a sprint, he went for one of the antenna's overlooking the tower. "Before that— Before I can even begin to beg for your forgiveness, I need to stop you!"
His claim was bold and unyielding, and the sheer assuredness of it put Luxio at pause. That pause was just what Clemont needed. Pulling the sleeves of his loose jumpsuit back up, Clemont wrapped them tight around the metal antenna. He was ready.
"Luxio!" Luxio had had enough. Throwing his head back, he sent gravity reeling once more, flipping it not to the ceiling, but to the front wall again.
Just like Clemont had thought.
"Perfect!" Clemont hung on for dear life, as the weight beneath his feet disappeared, leaving him dangling on what was now the ceiling. A sheer drop stood between him and the ground now, and in the middle of it all, Luxio. Clemont took a deep breath, before letting go.
"L-Luxio!?" Luxio stared up in shock, stalling a Thunderbolt he was about to fire. With that decision, it was done.
Clemont slammed into Luxio, knocking him off his perch and sending the both of them tumbling to the front wall. With an unceremonious thud, the two landed, before sliding back down to the floor below.
Luxio's Electric Terrain faded away. Gravity was returning to normal. The deed was done.
Clemont coughed and sputtered, rubbing his head as he sat up, pressing his back to the wall. It'd be a minor miracle if he didn't get a concussion from all this, and a major one if he didn't walk away with a sprained something. Every fiber of his body was malfunctioning in some way, from his burning lungs and strained muscles, to his exhausted legs and blurry vision.
As said vision focused, and he saw the golden aura of Electric Terrain fade, Clemont gave a sigh of relief. When he saw Luxio lying in a heap beside him, that relief faltered.
The two didn't say anything for a while, as Clemont tried to muster some words together. Now that the immediate danger had passed, that fiery determination from before was seemingly absent. Clemont paused to pull his jumpsuit back on, before he began to speak.
"Luxio." He started slow, keeping his voice quiet. After a moment, Luxio responded with a bitter grumble.
Shaking his own head clear, Luxio looked up at Clemont. He was listening.
"I was serious about what I said, about… wanting to make it up to you. I want—"
The intercom buzzed to life, its static-laden sound filling the room and interrupting Clemont all at once.
"Thank you for your efforts, Clemont. Power is rerouting now. You've done it." Clemont breathed a sigh of relief at the news from Doctor Richards. So Bonnie must've succeeded at her task. "For now, your work is done. I advise you to exit the chamber immediately, and make sure it stays inside."
Blinking, Clemont turned and looked up towards where the voice came from.
"What do you mean? Why would I—" Clemont grunted, as he stumbled to his feet. "—Why would I do that?"
A moment of quiet came, ominous quiet. The tension in the air rose, as Luxio stood up himself, and took a step back from Clemont. Richards spoke up.
"The excess energy is going to be flooding into the chamber in one minute. It should hopefully knock out that thing in one fell swoop."
Clemont felt the hair at the back of his neck rise.
"But, that amount of energy, it would be dangerous!" Whipping around, Clemont faced Luxio, who was staring at him with a furrowed expression. "That could seriously hurt him!"
Luxio paused at that comment, his anger fading into quiet curiosity.
"Why do you care, Clemont? It's just a wild Pokémon."
"Luxio is more than that! Luxio is my friend!" Richards' apathy was startling to Clemont, who glared up at the intercom speaker as if he was looking at the man himself. Unfortunately, his nastiest look did little to dissuade.
Richards snorted.
"Sure kid. Whatever. You can drag your 'friend' to the nearest Pokémon Center when this is over. The surge is coming in thirty seconds."
Panic. Panic, panic, panic. Clemont turned to Luxio, reaching out to him without a thought— bad move. Luxio reeled back and hissed at him, stepping back towards the tower.
"We have to go! If we don't, you could be—!"
"Lu! Luxio, xio-lu!" No dice, Luxio refused to be touched again. He dived away from Clemont's outreached hand.
The antennas on the walls began to hum with charging energy. Fifteen seconds.
"Luxio, please! I'm trying to help you! Please let—!" Clemont furrowed his brows and groaned. "This is for your own good!"
With a sudden leap, Clemont pounced onto Luxio, wrapping his arms tight around his friend's chest. Even as Luxio bucked away and pushed against Clemont, he refused to let go. He couldn't let go, not after getting this far.
Electricity began to crackle in the antennas. The industrial hum of the facility was growing deafening. Five seconds!
"Maximize grounding area!" Clemont fell to his knees, holding his friend as close as he could. "Luxio! I—!"
Electricity. Bright golden, blinding electricity. It flooded into the chamber from each wall, before routing into the tower in the very center. The air grew heavy with static, and soon, Clemont and Luxio were drowning in it.
Electricity coursed through Clemont's body, sending his muscles reeling and his lungs burning. More than any errant shock from Pikachu or Dedenne, the force thundering down on him now was like nothing else. He could barely breathe as he fought against the pain, each nerve in his body lighting up all at once.
He had to hold on though. He had to be here, to ground the electricity that Luxio would've otherwise taken alone. He had to, because—
"I won't abandon you again!"
All at once, Clemont felt consciousness slip away.
Φ
Thirty seconds after the power began flooding in, the light show ran its course. The excess electricity had been contained and now things were operating normally again.
Luxio panted, his chest heaving as he shook off the attack. Even as an Electric-Type, that was obscene. Any longer and he'd have been knocked out as well.
Knocked out. Clemont had been knocked out.
The boy's body slid off of his, falling to the ground as Luxio backed away. Clemont… Clemont had saved him. Clemont put his own body on the line, for what?
Luxio stared at him, watching his chest rise and fall slowly. Clemont's words echoed through his mind.
For him— Clemont had done it for him.
Luxio furrowed his brows and looked up to the intercom, baring his teeth as he let out a scornful growl. With a pace like that of a predator, he started towards the exit door.
A few minutes later, Clemont's body began to stir.
φ
"We're here, we're here, we're here!"
The door to the maintenance tunnels flew open as Bonnie and Dedenne tumbled into the control room. With a great heave the two slammed the gate behind them, locking it and pressing their backs to it for safe measure.
Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief, while Dedenne wiped sweat from his brow.
"We did the thing, Mr. Richards! We—"
"Yes, I know! Shut up!" The man snapped at Bonnie, not even giving the courtesy of looking at her as he tapped away at his computer. Videos flashed across his screen, too fast for Bonnie to follow, as he muttered. "Come on, come on. There has to be a way!"
Bonnie furrowed her brows, before she approached.
"What's going—" Not a moment could pass it seemed, before she got interrupted again.
The door her brother had gone down slammed open— except it wasn't her brother who had returned. Bonnie froze as she found Luxio standing at the gate, staring at Doctor Richards.
"Luxio!"
"No. No, no, n—!" Richards struggled in his seat, attempting to pull himself up, but it was too late. A crack of lightning flew across the room, and in a flash, it was lights out for the good doctor.
Bonnie gasped, leaping back as she realized it was just her and Luxio now. The ferocious Electric-Type turned, staring her down with a bitter, angry growl.
For a moment, Bonnie hesitated, before she furrowed her brows.
"We're not afraid of you! We dealt with a way bigger bad guy!" In time with her haughty declaration, Dedenne hopped out of Bonnie's bag, taking position at her side. He squeaked out his own call of defiance, his words seeming to make Luxio pause and stare. "Alright Dedenne, get ready! We're gonna do another Counter—!"
"Stop!" Another voice entered the fray— Not Bonnie's, not Doctor Richards', but instead, Clemont's. He stumbled through the door, looking worse for wear in more ways than one. His jumpsuit was charred and torn, and he looked practically on the verge of passing out. Regardless, he called out once again. "Please don't fight! There's no reason to anymore!"
"But big brother! They hurt Mr. Richards!" Bonnie's voice turned from pride to concern in an instant, as she watched her brother stumble after the Pokémon at the center of all this. "They hurt you, Clemont!"
Clemont came to a stop at Luxio's side, grimacing as he saw the lone engineer lying on the floor. Richards was alive, breathing most definitely. Luxio had just knocked him out clean. After a moment, his grimace turned to a scowl.
"Luxio is reacting to his environment— Dr. Richards tried to hurt him much more to begin with." Tempering himself, Clemont then turned to Luxio, his frown not disappearing. "However, that does not mean I approve of this! We do not attack people who can't defend themselves, Luxio!"
Luxio huffed, and looked away. Despite their unstated truce, he was not taking requests on his methods, let alone orders.
Clemont sighed, looking at his sister after a moment. Her eyes were filled with concern, a heart-wrenching concern he wished her never to feel. At that, he put on a smile and approached her.
"I'm glad you made it back without any issue, Bonnie. If it wasn't for you, everything I did would've been pointless." With a chuckle, he ruffled his little sister's hair, until he shook a giggle out of her. After a moment, that giggle slipped into a sheepish look.
"Well, we had a little issue. We sorta, ran into a hiccup," she explained, as Dedenne hopped up onto her shoulder. Clemont, for his part, seemed too relieved to consider what she met.
"You'll have to tell me about it after we get back to the train. For now, we should radio for emergency services to get everyone help, and get the station manned as soon as possible." Approaching Doctor Richards' workstation, Clemont began to tap away at the keys. "Just as I thought, power and communication with the outside has been restored!"
"Yay!" Bonnie cheered, hoisting Dedenne up into the air as she celebrated. The day was saved! Things were finally over with! They were—!
Bonnie paused, as she remembered the Luxio in the room.
He stared up at her brother, only looking away when Clemont turned from the monitor. There was a look on Luxio's face, one Bonnie could just about parse— Bashfulness.
After a moment, Luxio approached.
"Huh?" Caught off guard by the slow approach of his old friend, Clemont paused. Luxio was trying to say something, that much was obvious. Clemont just couldn't parse what. "Is something the matter?"
Luxio refused to answer verbally, looking away as he got right up into Clemont's personal space. After a moment of sheepish grandstanding, Luxio pressed against Clemont's chest.
His meaning became clear in an instant.
"Would, you like to come with me?" There was a pause, before Luxio pulled back and nodded yes. All at once, Clemont felt a warmth building in his chest. All of his efforts, all the guts he had to spill back in the energy chamber, it amounted to something after all! For a moment, Clemont wanted to jump for joy, before he tempered himself. "Luxio."
He frowned.
"You've caused a lot of pain for a lot of people, people who didn't deserve it." He began slowly, drawing on a tone he usually reserved for his most stern talks. "I can't fully blame you for what you did to Doctor Richards, or to me. On some level, we both earned what we got today. However—"
Kneeling down, Clemont put a hand on Luxio's shoulder.
"We can't hurt people who've done nothing to us, or people who can't defend themselves anymore. As a scientist, an engineer— As a Gym Leader —I have a responsibility to do no harm, and to make people's lives better." Clemont did something that surprised Luxio then. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a Poké ball. "And now, you'll have that responsibility too. Do you understand?"
Luxio looked at Clemont with a stare that carried astonishment, confusion, and wonder— And underneath it all, respect. That Clemont could trust him to live up to such ideals, after everything Luxio had done, it seemed insane.
Then again, perhaps Luxio wasn't alone in doing wrong and trying to make up for it. Clemont was a living example of that.
If he could forgive Clemont, perhaps Luxio could trust Clemont to forgive him as well.
With a bow of his head, Luxio nodded and submitted to Clemont's terms.
Clemont smiled.
"Welcome back then, old friend."
With a click, he pressed the ball to Luxio's fur.