Year 901, Middle of the Outlands…

"A natural born talent, that one is."

"Getting him to work for you is like striking a vein of pure elementium. Once you have him, you're set for life."

"Every gang in the Outlands is gunning to get his attention. We need his genius to serve us, no one else!"

…What was so special about that Boltund?

The teenaged Pikachu struggled to find an answer to his conundrum as he was plagued by the commotion in the trading grounds. His efforts to get back to work selling stolen furs was put on hold with his attention finally grasped by the parading hound showing off his strange, whirring contraptions to the dazzled audience of thugs.

"Say goodbye to the world of wooden prosthetics and ancient cannons!" the Boltund exclaimed. "With my talent for metal and electricity, I can give you weapons that'll make you the top dog of this lawless land!" He bowed to the audience. "For a small fee, I shall be the one to change your destinies."

His short speech was enough to rouse the audience into clambering for his assistance, throwing gold coins on stage and screaming his name: Caractacus MacGyver.

"Tch." Ulrich went back to stacking furs on the stand shelves. "What's so special about that guy? He doesn't look any different to any other Boltund around these parts."

"Your eyes ain't good at sniffing potential," said the Dunsparce manning the stand, smoking from his pipe. He blew smoke in Ulrich's face. "That boy…is a natural talent."

Ulrich fanned the smoke from his face. "Did you say my eyes can't…sniff?"

"A genius like that doesn't come around in the Outlands often," the Dunsparce continued. "Most of them get picked up by the big cities so they can harness and nurture that talent. That one's a straggler still waiting to get picked up by the big names, but now he's rooted in this barren wasteland. Everyone wants a piece of MacGyver."

Ulrich scoffed. "So he talks a big game and makes fancy toys. Big deal."

The Dunsparce chuckled. "You ain't too bright."

Ulrich scowled. "And you're a shitty boss."

"Heh. He's a descendent of the arbiters. MacGyver is one of the originals who first came to this land according to the old stories." The boss took a second to puff a ring of smoke in Ulrich's face. "He's a genius."

"He's an idiot masquerading as a clown." Ulrich clenched his fist. "Folk like us have to work our tails off just to make a living out here, but this dancing fool comes along and draws in the crowds like a fanciful bard out on a stroll. Where's the fairness in that?"

"If you're talking about fairness in the Outlands, then you really aren't bright. That's the natural progression of things. Talent always has an edge over skill."

Ulrich scowled. "I call bullshit. Skill always triumphs over talent, and that joker doesn't deserve the recognition he gets just for being born better!"

"Heh. Well, what are you going to do about it, lad?"

"…" Ulrich pulled out a few gold coins from his pocket and glared at them. "Is there anyone selling a Thunder Stone here?"

Ever since that day, Ulrich dedicated every second of his life to training his Psycho Core technique, pushing it beyond its limits to achieve power unlike anything ever seen. Pure, concentrated power bursting from his very being capable of eradicating all that stood in his way.

This was the mark of skill.

"Everything I worked for…was to show arrogant gods like you who really rule the Outlands!"

Ulrich rained down a barrage of psionic blasts, decimating the surface of Copper Gorge in a glorious array of teal light. Those caught in the blast would surely be overwhelmed by the power being outputted, but his target was no ordinary thug.

Caractacus dashed through the explosive volley as if it was a crisp spring morning through the flower fields. As Ulrich's attacks destroyed the land around them, the shots that struck the hound were promptly negated and absorbed through his Negative Field. Each attack negated refreshed his brain and fueled his barrier, making it nigh impossible for anyone or anything to reach him. Even the ground crumbling beneath his paws posed no threat.

He laughed, leaping through the air as the ground gave out under him. He dove into the canyon in front of him, dragging his metallic claws through the side before jumping the rest of the way to solid ground. A rockslide rained down over him, but their kinetic energy was immediately absorbed upon hitting his barrier, leaving the partially suspended in the air until he moved out of the way.

Caractacus looked over his shoulder and sneered as Ulrich chased him down into the canyon. "And here I thought the thugs chasing after me would be the highlight of my life! Guess there are worse things than greedy scumbags wanting a piece of my brilliance!"

Ulrich growled. "10% Psycho Core: Scattering Honor!" He summoned two large orbs of psionic energy and fired mini shots through the canyon. He peppered holes into the walls, causing more rockslides to rain over the Boltund.

Caractacus breezed through them without a care, not even a single pebble being able to reach him. He smirked over his shoulder. "Hey, want to see something cool?" He stopped, spun himself around, and lowered his head.

Before Ulrich could retort, something fired out from the back of Caractacus' jacket. It took Ulrich a split second to notice before craning his neck out of the way. He winced as the object sliced across his skin and sailed into the rock walls, embedding itself into them. Upon checking over his shoulder, Ulrich realized it was a small throwing glaive.

"Huh?!"

Caractacus threw off his jacket, revealing a metallic harness strapped to his back. Ulrich could see the little gears turning on the surface while electricity danced off it. "You like? A little something I invented in case I needed to kill one of my clients. No one ever expects death from an honorable bow."

Ulrich scowled. These machines…he's channeling electricity through them and compelling them to move at his whim. What sorcery has his mind tapped into?

"Have another!" The device suddenly clicked, and two more glaives fired out from the slit in the pack.

Now expecting it, Ulrich waved his hand and guided the glaives around him. "Even if I can't hurt you, the same applies to you!"

Caractacus smirked. "We'll see. I'm just testing some inventions on you. Besides, I'm not here to fight you. I'm just here to stall for time. My real invention should be coming by any minute for the field test."

Ulrich channeled his Almighty Blast. "I'm not giving you a second to—"

BANG!

Ulrich's eyes widened as something fast and hard sniped him across his wounded cheek, tearing open the self-inflicted burn scar. He covered his bleeding face and felt something grainy mixed with the blood. He pulled his hand away and looked at the sparkling grains.

"Sand?"

"Oi! ASSHOLE!" Ulrich spun around with a start and saw something standing at the top of the canyon, the sun shining behind them. It was none other than the foulmouthed Gligar of the Broken Glass company, Amos Lancaster.

Aside from his usual poncho fluttering in the small sandstorm around him, he came equipped with new features. Where was once a makeshift gunarm was now a metallic pincer modelled in size and shape to resemble a Gliscor's. Each snap of the metal pincer created sparks, and it spun along the wrist. Attached to his tail was a metallic stinger. It composed of a glass bauble with Amos' venom flowing around inside and a metal stinger on the end.

With his new pincer, he adjusted the shaded goggles strapped over his eyes, a gift he found upon his awakening. "Round two. Think you can keep up?"

Ulrich growled. "Yooooou…!"

Caractacus sat down and crossed his forelegs, bursting with laughter. "Took you long enough! I could've ended this guy any time I wanted, but I can't have an unsatisfied customer! How are the new upgrades working for you?"

Amos punched his pincers together. "We're about to find out."

Ulrich aimed his Almighty Blast at the Gligar. "So, you got some new gear? Big deal. I'll break them just like all the rest!" He let loose and fired onto the cliffside.

Smacking his tail down, Amos took off into the sky on a cloud of sand, dodging the crumbling landmass. Spreading his wings, he dove into the canyon and took off ahead. "Try and keep up, idiot!" he shouted back.

Ulrich clenched his fists. "You're going to regret challenging me, Lancaster!" He pointed down at Caractacus and yelled, "I'm not through with you yet!" With that, he took off after Amos.

Caractacus smirked as the two disappeared around the corner. "A shame I couldn't give him a proper introduction to the new prosthetics, but I'm sure he'll figure it out as he goes."

Despite the fact he was being chased down by a deranged mercenary, Amos couldn't believe how smoothly he was flying. After months of not being able to properly navigate through the air, he almost forgot what it felt like to fly with perfect balance. Neither side felt lacking, and his new stinger offered the perfect counterweight to help him steer. On top of all his practice learning to maneuver through Sandstorm with the handicap…

"This is the best I've flown in forever!" He summoned up another burst of sand and sailed even faster through the canyon with a cocky grin on his face. "That crackpot wasn't a waste of time after all!" He winced, feeling a stinging pain in his arm and tail. Still, I only just came out of surgery. I can't overdo it, even if I'm patched up.

"Lancaster!" Amos looked back as Ulrich started catching up. He charged energy through his hand and fired. "30% Psycho Core: True Sight!"

The zigzagging beam of electricity followed after Amos. Though composed of electricity, the psychic energy infused within it would still do a number on him. Amos tucked his wings in and dove down with the beam hot on his trail. He spiraled towards the ground, coating himself in a whirlwind of sand, and immediately flew back up. The beam came down too fast and struck the earth instead.

Amos burst out of the sand and plucked a bullet from under his poncho. "Blaze Bullet!" He loaded the bullet into an opening in the back of his mechanical pincer, then opened it. A barrel extended out from the inside. Spinning the pincer a full one-eighty degrees clockwise, it fired the flaming bullet at Ulrich.

Ulrich stuck his hand out, stopping the bullet with Psychic and parting the trailing flames around him. "Same old tricks, Lancaster! Doesn't matter what form it takes, a gun is still a gun!"

Amos loaded another bullet in. "Drill Bullet!" He fired again, sending for a bullet wrapped in an aura of spiraling energy.

Ulrich dodged around the shot and sped toward the Gligar. "60% Psycho Core—" He clenched his fist and channeled an eruption of psionic electricity through it. "Glorious Punch!"

Using his mechanical pincer, Amos shielded against the punch. Though he was hammering into it with all he had, Ulrich was shocked the pincer didn't immediately break at the first impact. Amos flew back once the energy exploded against him, sending him spiraling through the air before catching himself on the sandy winds.

"It didn't even crack?" Ulrich glared. "What the hell did that nutty scientist do?"

Even Amos couldn't help being surprised by the lack of a scratch. He glared at it curiously. Don't tell me…this is made from that same unbreakable elementium he has been harvesting? He even went through the trouble of using that? He's aiming to impress.

"40% Psycho Core: Almighty Blast!" Ulrich took aim and fired the wide laser at Amos.

Amos noticed the attack in time and flew out of its path. His skin hissed from the close contact with the heat, but he managed to get away safely. He dove back into the canyon and took flight through the winding path. Ulrich ceased firing and chased after him.

"25% Psycho Core: Superior Storm!" Ulrich summoned and fired off a barrage of larger psycho-electric orbs, each one blasting holes into the earth and causing localized tremors that shook the earth loose.

Amos ducked and weaved through the raining shots, able to see them with greater clarity thanks to his new goggles. I can see as clearly as I can at night. And these things are way more comfortable than those shitty glasses.

Ulrich tossed up a bunch of his Superior Storm, then clenched his fists. "1% Psycho Core: Gentle Seedling!" With a swipe of his fists, he telekinetically threw all the energy spheres at once.

Amos created a strong updraft of sand and barely flew over the careening attacks. Their combined mass impacted the ground and detonated into a blinding explosion that ripped through the earth. The shockwaves erupting out through the canyon reached Amos and sent him spiraling through the air.

"Agh!" Amos grunted.

Ulrich rode along the shockwave and caught up with Amos. "60% Psycho Core: Glorious Punch!" With his fist alight with psionic electricity, he socked Amos in the stomach, lightning crackling off on impact.

"GAAAAH!" Amos gasped, spitting blood into Ulrich's face.

"It doesn't matter how many upgrades you get! You can't beat me in a contest of speed and power!"

Amos gritted his teeth and mustered the strength to grab Ulrich's arm. "Want…a bet?" He reared his arm back and subtly twisted his metal pincer.

Ulrich's eyes widened as a curved blade glowing in a white light sprung out from a hidden slit on the pincer's surface. "What the—" He punched Amos' grip off and barely dodged the uppercut. However, the tip of the blade caught his skin and delivered a gnarly slash from his chest to his stomach. Blood sprayed out from the wound. "Gah!"

Amos smirked, raising the blade up to the sunlight. "Heh. This…feels good."

Ten Minutes Earlier…

"Y-You shouldn't be moving so soon! You just came off the anesthesia—"

"I don't care." Amos massaged his wrist, watching as his new pincer twisted and turned with ease. He didn't even have to think too much about moving it. It almost felt natural. "Did the crackpot leave you any instructions on how this thing works?"

Evelot narrowed her eyes. "It's…well, he said there's certain safety mechanisms installed. You have to turn the pincer a certain way to use some of the features." She shuffled over and tapped on the top half of the pincer. "See this hidden slit here?"

"Yeah?"

"Turn it counterclockwise while it's closed until you hear a click, then just…think about something ejecting from it. Think of it like flicking a finger—oh, wait, no. Uh, well, you get what I mean."

Amos glared at the pincer before doing as instructed. He turned it a bit, then gasped as a glowing curved blade popped out from the slit. "What the…?" He waved the blade carefully through the air before taking a few practice swings. "Not too cumbersome, but why is it…?"

"Heh. Caractacus asked for a favor during the building process. Luckily for him, I had a stored vial of liquified Guillotine, and he figured it would be a good fit for the pincer."

Amos' eyes widened. "Guillotine?"

"Combined with the sharpness of the blade, it should cut through just about anything."

"…" He smirked. "Shnee-heehee."

"AAAGH!" Ulrich quickly burned his wounds closed, nearly passing out from the pain again "I can't keep doing that—" He felt a flash of metal coming for his neck and barely dodged it in time.

Amos caught himself on an updraft of sand and took off into the sky. I haven't used Guillotine in a long time. Feels nice to have it again, even if it's just an attachment. He twisted his pincer and retracted the blade. Caractacus really went all out with these upgrades.

Ulrich roared. "I've had it with you! 50% Psycho Core: Overwhelming Presence!" He released a shockwave of psionic energy from his body, demolishing the earth around him.

Amos dove back into the canyon and flew off as rockslides rained down over him. The shockwave petered out before it could reach him, but the damage carried out across the walls and tore the canyon apart. With a flap of wings, he shot up into the air and escaped yet another rockslide.

"40% Psycho Core: Almighty Blast!" Ulrich caught up with Amos and fired at him.

Amos dove down, escaping the beam's path, and loaded a bullet into his pincer. "Blaze Bullet!" Turning himself upside-down, he aimed and fired the fire-streaking bullet.

Ulrich dodged and shielded himself from the blazing trail before firing another Almighty Blast. Amos kicked off another cloud of sand to dodge and landed on the destroyed canyon wall. He picked up another bullet, spat Venoshock on it, and loaded it into the pincer.

"Maximum Venom Bullet!" He craned his arm around and fired a bullet surging with poisonous energy.

Ulrich, who was stunned from using Almighty Blast twice in a row, couldn't fully dodge the bullet in time. It grazed across his skin, tearing flesh off his arm. He howled in pain and covered his bleeding arm, hissing as he felt the poison burning into his raw flesh. "AAAAAGH!"

Amos kicked off the wall and took flight. "What's the matter, mercenary? I thought you were supposed to be fast! Seems you've never had to push yourself this far!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH! SHUT UP!" he screamed.

Amos glared. Caractacus must've pushed him into burning more energy than he was capable of. It's starting to take its toll on him. He's still fast, but all those Agility boosts he gave himself don't amount to much anymore. I have a better chance of tagging him with a bullet. He glared at his mechanical stinger. And there's still this thing in case I need to get more personal.

"10% Psycho Core: Scattering Honor!" Ulrich summoned two large psionic spheres and rained down a flurry of electro shots.

Amos glided along the pathway of sand, weaving through the volley of attacks, before launching himself higher into the air. "Neat trick. Here's mine." He opened his pincer and started spinning it counterclockwise. Sand swirled and flowed into the hidden vents along the sides. "Sandstorm Rapid Fire!"

By simultaneously compressing sand through the pincer and pushing wind through, the high-speed revolving pincer fired a stream of compressed sand bullets at Ulrich.

"What the—" Ulrich dodged out of the way, but screamed out in pain as several shots struck him in the back. He took off higher into the air and growled as the bullets started chasing him. "They're…curving?!"

Amos continuously fired sand bullets after the flying Raichu, manipulating the sand particles around them to change their trajectory. Because the bullets were made from his own sand, it granted him far better maneuverability than ever. He wasn't just turning the shots anymore. He was manually controlling their paths for as long as the bullets remained compressed.

That crackpot…we thought of everything.

Ulrich hurtled himself higher and higher into the sky with the bullets hot on his trail. However, the further they flew, the quicker they eroded into sand particles. Eventually, all the bullets broke down and scattered in the wind.

"Tch. So, they have a range." He cupped his hands together and channeled a massive amount of energy between them. "Those puny bullets hurt like hell, but they can't break through skin! This, however, will turn your bones to dust! 80% Psycho Core: Grand Array!" His veins lit up with the violent crackling of psionic electricity exploding through his muscles. "TAKE THIS!"

He released a barrage of powerful lasers from between his hands, each one half the width of a standard Almighty Blast while still carrying their destructive potential. Each one struck the ground with such force that it seared holes through the earth, vaporizing the surrounding land to ash.

Amos kicked off on a cloud of sand and raced through the storm of lasers striking down on the canyon. He shielded himself against the shockwaves erupting out from all over. His Sandstorm was disrupted in the blast, causing him to lose balance with more lasers coming down on his location.

"You can't escape this!" Ulrich roared. "I won't rest until everything's been destroyed!"

Amos' eyes widened as several lasers came barreling down toward him. "Shit!" He crossed his arms and prepared for the worst.

"Maximum Output: Negative Space!"

The lasers came to a dead stop, striking into an invisible field just above Amos. He caught the air under his wings and gasped as a faint yellow dome composed of electricity revealed itself, effortlessly absorbing the lasers and transferring their energy into arcs of lightning. Amos followed the trails leading back to the source of the enlarged barrier: Caractacus.

The Boltund, with his forelegs crossed smugly, laughed as he absorbed the electricity. "How are my inventions treating you, Lancaster? I'm glad to see you were able to figure out most of the functions on your first try."

Ulrich growled. "YOOOOOOU!" He increased the power of his Grand Array, raining down even more lasers on top of the barrier.

Amos landed beside Caractacus and saw everything but the land encompassed inside the barrier being reduced to ash. The world outside was shaking and crumbling, but everything within the barrier remained still and serene. Even while casting such a large barrier, Caractacus wasn't remotely winded. If anything, Ulrich was just fueling the barrier's strength.

"When it comes to a battle of attrition, I'll always win," Caractacus said calmly. "Shame about Copper Gorge, though. It was a such a lovely piece of history until this brute went about destroying it." He laughed. "Then again, after the renovations I made to this place…!"

The raining lasers ceased. The dust quickly settled as Ulrich started flying circles around the barrier, which began to shrink down to its normal size around Caractacus and Amos.

Ulrich panted, his skin burning from overusing his own technique. His lungs felt like they were on fire, and his muscles felt like they were being torn apart by hacksaws. His vision started to go out, the fluids in his eyes evaporating from the heat he generated.

"You can't…stay in there forever! Psycho Field Core!" He punched his fists together and generated a field of electricity around himself. As soon as it activated, his speed dramatically increased. He zipped through the air back and forth with such speed that he was nothing more than a teal blur to the duo.

Amos grimaced. "I can't keep track of him anymore. Even with his injuries, he's moving way too fast for me."

Caractacus chuckled. "Is he really giving you that much trouble?"

"You could help!" Amos growled.

"Fighting really isn't my forte. I prefer to let my intellect do the fighting for me." He smirked. "You can take him."

"He'll flatten me at those speeds!"

"Speed. Power. It's all irrelevant to true genius." Caractacus reached inside his shirt and pulled out a small bag. "I took the liberty of requesting a few bullet types for you, courtesy of Evelot."

Amos took and poured the bag of bullets into his pincer. "Wait, how did you get—"

"Ms. Burkhard was kind enough to lend her assistance in secret."

"…Tch." Amos pocketed the bullets and turned away, hiding his smug smile. "Suit yourself. Just try not to be too useless down here."

"I'll do my best."

Amos smacked his tail down and took off into the sky. Now outside Caractacus' barrier, Ulrich sped towards the flying Gligar. "So, someone decides to fight like a man! I'm going to unravel your stomach and strangle you with it!"

With precious seconds before collision, Amos loaded a bullet into his pincer and fired. "Entangling Bullet!" The light green bullet erupted into a forest of webs across the air.

Ulrich gasped and crashed through the webbing. It tangled around his arms and legs and dragged him into the canyon where the webs latched onto the walls. "What the—"

Amos loaded a second bullet and fired, this time bursting into a blue cyclone of fire. "Flame Vortex Bullet!"

The flames struck and ignited the webs, setting everything around Ulrich ablaze. The flames quickly advanced toward the Raichu, ready to burn him alive, but he gathered up all his energy and released a rupturing shockwave across the canyon. "50% Psycho Core: Overwhelming Presence!"

The blast extinguished the flames and dismantled the webbing into threads. Ulrich ripped the last of the webs off his skin and prepared to fly, but Amos dove down while he was distracted and sucker punched him with his metal pincer. That brief moment of disorientation allowed Amos to latch on and stab his mechanical stinger into the Raichu's stomach.

"Maximum Venom!" Venom flowed through the transparent stinger before injected into Ulrich, violently erupting out of the entry wound from the sheer volume being pumped into him.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Ulrich screamed.

Amos sneered. "What's the matter? Can't handle a little venom?"

Mustering the strength to endure, Ulrich grabbed onto Amos in return. "20% Psycho Core: Supreme Aura!" His fur ignited with psionic electricity and lit Amos up like a bonfire.

"GAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Amos pulled his stinger free and headbutted Ulrich into letting him go. He suspended himself in the air with patches of his skin burning in a teal glow.

"60% Psycho Core—" Amos doubled over and coughed up blood as Ulrich suddenly hammered his electrified fist into his gut. "Glorious Punch!" He tensed his muscles and punched with such force that he threw Amos across the canyon, slamming him through the destroyed walls. Not giving himself a second to breathe, he cupped his hands together and channeled his energy. "80% Psycho Core: Grand Array!" He braced himself and unleashed the blinding fury of dozens of lasers straight for the earth walls.

Caractacus leapt down from his perch and dove into the lasers' path, nullifying them against his barrier. "No, no! No more of that!"

His timely rescue gave Amos the opportunity to spring back into the sky. Taking aim, he fired a Drill Bullet through the Grand Array. The spiraling aura scraped along the lasers before flying straight for Ulrich.

"50% Psycho Core: Overwhelming Presence!" Ulrich released his psionic energy out into an explosive shockwave, blowing the bullet away and slamming into Caractacus' Negative Space, throwing him into the rock walls.

The barrier sponged Caractacus' landing and absorbed the kinetic energy slamming into him. He laughed madly. "Someone's ticked off!"

Amos growled as he was blown back by the shockwave and sent hurtling into the sky. He spread his wings to even himself out, then loaded another bullet into his pincer. "Displace Bullet!" He fired through the shockwave once it petered out.

Ulrich, sensing the bullet, swiped his hand and blocked it with a dislodged boulder, which teleported as soon as it was shot. "40% Psycho Core: Almighty Blast!" He fired into the sky, blood exploding out in cuts along his arm.

With little time to dodge, Amos dove through the approaching beam and unsheathed his Guillotine blade. With a howling wary cry, he spun his body and slammed into the beam like a serrated top. The cutting power of his blade split a path through the powerful psionic blast that carried him straight to Ulrich.

Ulrich, seeing his beam being cut in two, cancelled it. "What—"

Amos dove out from the fading light and grabbed Ulrich's neck. "Die!" He threw an underhanded swing. Ulrich tilted his head back, but the tip of the blade caught into his cheek and dragged all the way up to his left eye. A blood geyser erupted from his face as Amos' blade cut through.

"GYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ulrich backed off, covered his bleeding face. "MMMMRRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Amos floated gently on the air and looked at the blood dripping off his blade. Ulrich's deformed eye sat atop the tip. He scoffed, clutching his other pincer around the eye and crushing it, splashing the blood across his face.

Ulrich dragged his hand down from his face to his chest, smearing the blood into his fur. He snarled with anger, his expression twisting in a hideous scowl with the void in his face gushing with blood. His psychic energy flared, staving off further blood loss. "I'll END YOU!"

By the time Amos blinked, he was seized by the neck and slammed into the canyon. Rocks jabbed into his back, one punching through his wing. Ulrich grabbed him by the face, shoving him deeper into the wall, and erupted in a furious storm of psionic electricity. The sheer power exploding off his fur seared the earth around them and caused the canyon to collapse further.

"I…refuse to be some somebody in the Outlands' legacy!" he roared. "I'm going to prove to everyone that even a nobody like me can be someone! You'll be the memory in this worthless wasteland, you sack of shit—"

Something pulsed through Ulrich's body, causing his attack to waver. He trembled, immediately covering his mouth as he vomited bile and blood. His vision waned for a moment, and his breathing became heavier.

"W…What—" He gasped as something stabbed into his stomach.

"Looks like…the venom is kicking in," Amos growled. "Maximum…Venom!"

He injected another dose of venom into Ulrich. The Raichu, rather than pull away, slammed his palm into Amos' chest and buried him deeper into the wall until the stinger came loose. Once it did, he reared his hand back and summoned a massive ball of psionic electricity.

"75% Psycho Core: Universal—"

BANG, BANG, BANG!

Ulrich's attack fizzled out as something shot him in the back three times. They were miniature throwing glaives. He pulled away from the wall and glowered into the canyon where Caractacus mockingly waved from.

"Hey. You really shouldn't be turning your back so much. Face your opponent…so you can mock their existence."

Ulrich clenched his teeth. "You—" However, upon turning his back to Amos, he was grabbed by the tail.

"And…you shouldn't turn your back on me!" Amos opened his pincer and slammed it into Ulrich's stomach. "Ice Rending Bullet!"

He fired a frozen bullet through Ulrich, causing not only blood to burst out from his back, but for his Psycho Field Core to be dismantled on the spot. With his speed and power boost nullified, Amos closed his metal pincer and started wailing on Ulrich's face, beating him senselessly with blood splashing across his face. They fell from the rock wall and careened toward the ground.

Ulrich struggled to concentrate between each punch, but managed to throw one back and knock Amos off. He barely caught onto his tail before he hit the ground, leaving Amos to land on his back.

Ulrich's wounds didn't bleed as he kept his Psychic perpetually active. He couldn't risk sealing anymore wounds closed, but it took all his focus to keep most of his blood inside.

He clenched his bloodied teeth tightly. "My body is being torn apart piece by piece…" He twisted his wrist and violently ejected electricity through his palm. "Let me return the favor…to you, Copper Gorge!"

As Amos stood up, he felt the air stirring. He looked up and saw a vortex of psionic electricity forming in the air, attracting all loose rubble and dust in the air. "What the…?"

Caractacus whistled. "Now he's mad."

"90% Psycho Core: Gravitas Vortex!"

Like guiding a ball on a string, Ulrich whipped the swirling mass of psionic energy around himself, smashing it through Copper Gorge and tearing it apart as it passed through. Strips of earth were torn out and added to the growing vortex, winding around and around and growing stronger with each revolution. The attractive flow of energy drew in everything, its reach growing the more it consumed.

Amos felt his feet sweeping out from under himself, nearly falling into the vortex's attraction. Caractacus bit down on his tail in time and passed his Negative Space onto Amos, sparing him of being sucked in. Even as he watched the attack grow and grow, his eyes continued to sparkle with joy.

"Scintillating! HA! Guess he isn't all talk! Bravo!" he cheered.

"Why are you celebrating this?!" Amos snapped.

Ulrich didn't have a destination for where he guided his Gravitas Vortex. He simply focused on hitting everything he could inside the gorge. It grew and grew the more in consumed, tearing more of the Copper Gorge around him into a giant crater. Soon, it passed over Caractacus' Negative Space, tearing the ground around it apart and carrying them up with it.

"WHOA!" Amos gripped onto their chunk of ground as they were thrown around inside the vortex.

Caractacus laughed. "Gravity itself is dead! We've entered the center of a singularity!"

"YOU'RE SAYING NONSENSE!"

"I'm saying we're riding the ultimate storm, my friend!"

"STOP ENJOYING THIS!"

More and more the Gravitas Vortex grew, reaching a size so large that it was comparable to a storm cloud swirling through the sky. No longer did it have to be close to the ground. The sheer attractive force it produced compelled the earth to rip itself loose and join in the expanding mass of terrain.

Ulrich no longer wanted for money or fame. His pride in himself was all that mattered, and his desire to kill Caractacus grew infinitely. He will tear apart Copper Gorge itself if he must and bring about destruction on a scale never before seen.

He will…surpass everything.

14th Summer Moon, 906 – Crimehallow, The Outlands

"…Who would you say is the strongest?"

Amadeus looked up from his drink and glanced at Ulrich and Vilgot from across the table. The duo looked at their superior eagerly, wondering for his answer. The Kricketune blinked lazily before returning to his drink, sipping the last of it before pushing it aside.

"Are you asking me for my ranking? Or are you asking because you didn't like Absalom's ranking?"

Vilgot glared. "Well…I guess I was a bit miffed when he said I was weaker than Ali and Wig."

"Eh, I think you're plenty strong, kid," said Alibrand as he passed by to collect Amadeus' mug. "Absalom's just an old relic stuck in his own ways of strength."

"Doesn't appreciate a good muffin!" Wigbrand yelped before the brothers walked away.

Ulrich slammed his fists down. "I'm plenty strong! I'd say I'm far stronger than Babylas! I've never seen him fight! I bet he's all talk!"

Amadeus sat up in his seat and glared at the duo. "Absalom holds value in power. I hold value in technique."

Vilgot tilted his head. "What's the difference?"

"Like night and day. It is the difference between painting on a canvas and painting on the sky."

Ulrich raised his brow. "Uh, you can't paint the sky."

"Can't you?"

"I…uh, yes?"

Amadeus closed his eyes. "Technique is about creating from the abstract. Anyone can use bombs to blow up a building, but an expert on demolition knows the precise way to lay out those bombs to take down a building while causing the least destruction to the surrounding environment. That is power and technique."

"That…sort of makes sense," Vilgot admitted.

"If I had to choose who I would fight to the death among our group, I'd say…Helmut would be the last person I'd wish to face."

Vilgot winced. "That guy? But Absalom said he's weaker than me. By that logic, you would floor him."

"You two don't know him like I do. It's really a privilege he allows you to acknowledge him." Amadeus glanced to the side as the pepper brothers returned with a refill on his mug. He took the mug and sipped his drink. "While Helmut would agree I could beat him in a fight, I argue he would cause the most lasting harm should I survive. Absalom, Babylas…they are stronger than me, but the difference between them and Helmut? I understand their techniques. I fear Helmut's because I can't understand it, even when I know how it works."

Vilgot frowned. "Uh…wow."

"If you two wish to survive in the Outlands, I implore you to understand your weaknesses. All the power and speed in the world…will not save you from the most dangerous prey. An opponent…who views death as just a silent dream."

"None of you—" Ulrich wildly swung his hands over his head, increasing the rotation of his Gravitas Vortex. "—will stand in my league!"

Every inch of Copper Gorge trembled under the gravitational pull of the vortex, its structure slowly being dismantled to fuel the storm. The world will tremble under Ulrich's might and witness the true worth of his power. No matter the gap, he will rise above everything and take his rightful place at the top.

Within the storm, Amos kept a grip on his chunk of earth with only Caractacus' barrier protecting him from danger. "What…do we do?!"

Caractacus smirked. "You lack imagination. I've already ran the simulations on how to beat this fool."

"Well, do something, you crackpot!"

He laughed. "And why should I? I'm not a fighter! I'm a scientist! I want to see how far he can go! I want to see him destroy Copper Gorge!"

"You're insane!" Amos snapped, seizing the Boltund by the collar. "If anything happens to Evelot, I'll—"

Caractacus tilted his head, his expression turning serious. "Why are you wasting my time talking to me?"

Amos' eyes widened. "Huh?"

"This is your fight, remember? I'm just here to provide backup. Don't look to me to bail you out of everything danger. This is the Outlands. You want to destroy the Deadly Seven? Put them in their place yourself. That is your role as their executioner."

Amos stared at the Boltund in shock before slowly releasing his grip. He scoffed and glared through the vortex. "He's going to reach his limit soon."

Caractacus smirked. "Then stop talking about it and take action. This is the Outlands! Don't just outwit your opponent! Out-crazy them! Give him Hell, Lancaster!"

Amos gritted his teeth. "You half-and-half crackpot!" He smacked his tail down and bolted out from the Negative Space. As soon as he entered the Gravitas Vortex, he felt the flow of psychic energy sailing around him, nearly sweeping him up into the currents. He caught onto a passing boulder and used it as a springboard to launch between platforms to the edge of the vortex.

Ulrich sensed something moving against the flow of his vortex and glared up, spotting the tiny purple speck that was Amos. He clenched his fist. "Too late! Now, rupture!"

The psychic energy immediately compressed to the center of the vortex before instantly expanding like the fires of a bomb. It obliterated solid chunks of debris and violently ripped everything in the blast to pieces. High-speed rock rained from the sky and peppered the land like a hail of bullets, tearing out chunks of the earth even at the size of pebbles.

Amos protected himself from the explosion with a condensed veil of sand. Rock slashed through his poncho and cut across his back, but the potential damage was significantly weakened to tolerable levels. Gritting through the pain, he summoned a burst of sand and dove straight for the Alolan Raichu.

"Ulrich!" Amos shouted. He unsheathed his pincer blade and swung down like a buzzsaw.

Ulrich tore a chunk of earth out of the ground with Psychic and held it above himself. Amos' blade slashed through the earth in one clean stroke, suspending him briefly in the air. Ulrich rose and caught the Gligar by his neck before throwing him across the canyon.

"80% Psycho Core: Grand Array!" With energy exploding out from his wounds, he launched a volley of powerful lasers from his hands.

Amos spread his wings and kept steady until he caught the air. He loaded a bullet into his pincer as the lasers converged on him. "Absolute Zero Bullet!" He fired a bullet wrapped in an icy chill, striking into the converging lasers. The instant explosion of ice traveled along the length of the lasers before violently erupting from the sudden change in temperature, spreading an icy mist throughout the canyon.

"60% Psycho Core—" Ulrich burst through the mist with his electrified fist. "Glorious Punch!" He swung where he assumed Amos was with a downward swing, breaking apart the mist. Amos, however, wasn't in sight.

"Maximum Venom!" Ulrich barely dodged out of the way as Amos' stinger thrusted out from behind the mist, the bauble grazing across his side.

"Got you!" Ulrich grabbed his tail and pulled him out of the mist, slamming his palm into the Gligar's stomach. "80% Psycho Core: Grand—"

He wouldn't get the chance to finish. Amos slammed his open pincer into his Ulrich's mouth and twisted. Ulrich tried to tilt his head away, but the shot fired and ripped apart his left cheek, exposing his clenched teeth under the skin. "GYYAAAAAHHH!"

Amos closed his pincer and threw a heavy right hook across Ulrich's torn face. "You…aren't my equal." He kicked off of Ulrich and took the air again.

Blood spurted out from his face, and he struggled to maintain his Psychic around himself. Blood spurted out periodically with each failing flicker of his aura. The left side of his face was barely recognizable. It was mostly raw muscle, bone, and blood. Regardless, Ulrich roared and fired his interrupted Grand Array in retaliation.

Conjuring sand streams through the air, Amos rode along them to dodge around the lasers before shooting himself out from their web of heat. "Sandstorm Rapid Fire!" His pincer rotated and fired a stream of sand bullets, peppering across Ulrich's wounded body.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Ulrich shielded himself, screaming as the sand fired into his raw muscle. The irritating sand buffed across his exposed flesh, leaving microtears that worsened the damage inflicted by himself. "E…ENOUGH! 95% Psycho Core: Triumphant ROAR!"

His scream traveled along the airwaves, vibrating so intensely that it generated into a transparent beam of light that shaved the earth away as it glided across the land. It caught Amos by surprise, barreling down on top of him and flattening him into the ground before being dragged along.

"THIS IS MY STORY! NOT YOURS!" Ulrich screamed. He raised his hand above his head, gathering all his psionic energy into his palm. "NONE OF YOU DESERVE TO STAND IN THE SAME LEAGUE AS ME!"

Amos picked himself up and glared at the gathering energy, sensing a stir in the air that felt different to the Gravitas Vortex. "Is that—"

"This…is all my rage! All my pride! I'll turn you into a blood mist in one shot!" Ulrich reared his hand back, struggling to contain the condensed flow of light. "100% Psycho Core: Everlasting Pride!"

Upon forming the marble-sized ball of light, Ulrich chucked it with all his strength, sending it sailing across the canyon toward Amos. The sheer pressure such a tiny projectile emitted flattened everything around it. The air around it bent around it, forming a cone of wind the caught fire from the intense friction being produced. It was an attack fueled by pure malice for the opposition, and Amos was its sole target.

Unable to avoid such a devastating attack, Amos opted to raise his pincer in defense and brace himself. This shit's going to hurt—

His body violently flew back as soon as the marble of light struck. His pincer upheld its insane durability, but the force slamming into it pressed it hard against his chest. Amos' skin burned under the intense friction blazing against him, and the air in his lungs disintegrated, leaving him nothing to catch his breath.

The marble of light crackled wildly, signaling its eventual detonation. Amos could feel the power rupturing out from such a tiny space, waiting to vaporize everything as soon as it made contact with the air. Everything will be reduced to ash by Ulrich's power alone.

"Burn away…INTO NOTHING!" Ulrich shouted.

Amos had precious few seconds before he inevitably crashed into something, setting off the tiny spark of overwhelming power and vaporizing within the blast. He could barely concentrate over the burning air searing his skin and poncho. It was far more power than he was expecting, and he doubted he could survive such a blast.

However, it wasn't about surviving in this moment. As Caractacus rightly pointed out, this wasn't a battle of wits. This was a battle of insanity, and Amos has gone off the deep end one too many times to fall victim to certain death.

He reached into his burning poncho and grabbed a single bullet. Pushing against the pressure, he reached around his chest and inserted the bullet into his mechanical pincer. Unable to breathe, he let out a silent scream, opening the gun pincer and slamming it into his own shoulder before firing.

The Everlasting Pride reached a dead end and exploded against the canyon wall. A dome of blinding light expanded out from the impact point and rapidly stretched across the vast area of Copper Gorge. Land was uplifted and reduced to dust, expanding across a quarter of the gorge in seconds. The pressure exuding from the explosion rippled across Copper Gorge, splitting fissures open as far as the eye could see.

It was the most brilliant explosion Ulrich ever witnessed.

He raised his hands to the sky and laughed as the dome of light extended into a pillar ripping through the clouds above, carrying the ash of Copper Gorge to the heavens.

"How do you like that?!" Ulrich yelled. "My magnum opus! My will to live! EVERYTHING! This is everything I'm made of! You fools don't hold a candle to my brilliance—"

SHING!

Ulrich's eyes widened as blood exploded out from his right shoulder. His eyes frantically flickered to the blood burst, where he saw his right arm spinning in front of his face before riding along the wind and sailing into the rippling pillar of light ahead.

Ulrich grabbed his bleeding shoulder and screamed out in agony. "RRRAAAAAAAHHH!" Eye burning with anger, he craned his neck back and saw the target of his wrath.

Amos, with blood gushing from his shoulder, hovered above the irate Raichu with his blood dripping off his pincer blade. "Displace…Bullet."

Ulrich gritted his teeth. "You…YOOOOOOUUUUUUU!" He raised his hand above his head, releasing tons of psionic energy into the sky. It twisted and molded into a sphere of light that rapidly eclipsed the sky above them. His wounds exploded with energy and blood, his body ripping itself apart from the sheer volume of energy he was forcibly expelling. "ALL OF YOU…ARE NOTHING!"

Amos aimed his pincer gun. "Go to Hell!"

"1000000% Psycho Core: PRIDE OF THE END—"

"Oi, Pride!" Ulrich's eyes flickered to ground level, where Caractacus stood with his legs spread out and head tilted up. He unhinged his metal jaw and charged up a sparking ball of electricity in front of his muzzle. "You really should've taken the hint!"

Ulrich's eyes widened, immediately realizing the danger. "I've been—"

"—charging me! Positive Cannon!" The ground cracked under his paws as a violent beam of electricity exploded out from his mouth, ripping through the sky in less than a second.

The beam instantly engulfed Ulrich, disrupting his hastily formed attack and burning him alive with the full might of his own power. Caractacus' Negative Space, all the energy nullified in Ulrich's onslaught, was converted into raw power that could burn even an Electric-Type like him. It was too much. Too much to handle.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Ulrich flew up higher and higher into the sky until he breached the snow clouds. With the little strength he had left, he forced himself out of the Positive Cannon's pathway and threw himself into the open skies. His body was burned to a crisp, but the adrenaline burning through his body kept him conscious. His one good eye blazed wildly with the fury of his remaining energy. "NOT! YET!"

"Hey. Ulrich." His eyes widened as Amos suddenly flew up behind him. "What's that old saying?"

Ulrich winced as Amos stabbed his stinger into his back. He frantically looked over his shoulder and saw the Gligar twisting his tail, causing something to click inside the bauble. Random gases started flooding the inside of the stinger, and they reacted to each other violently.

"Pride cometh…before the fall!" He kicked off Ulrich's back, detaching his stinger.

Jets of flame erupted from the stinger and blasted Ulrich back toward the earth. As he was aggressively hurtling toward the ground, the gases exploding within the bauble started flowing through the stinger and entering Ulrich's bloodstream. Cracks of orange light spread across his body with flares of heat igniting out from the skin. They spread up to his face with explosive light jettisoning from his eyes.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!" Ulrich covered his face as it was being torn apart. "I can't lose! I'm the Winds of Pride! I'M…I'M…!" Mist evaporated from his eyes, the remnants of tears being shed. "V…VILGOT! HELP MMMMMMEEEEEEEE—"

What was once an Alolan Raichu burst into flame and descended toward the ground like a meteor breaking through the atmosphere. He hurtled straight toward where Caractacus was standing, who watched the careening fireball with a wicked smile on his muzzle.

Seeing he was in the line of fire, Caractacus quickly jumped out of the way before the fireball crashed into the ground. He dragged himself to a stop and covered his face as hot pebbles hit his face.

He snickered as sparks weakly cracked off his fur. "And thus…concludes my tests." The detached stinger bounced and rolled out from the fiery crater, landing in front of Caractacus' paws. He picked it up and inspected the angles, grinning proudly to himself. "Hah! Not a crack in the glass. Good job, me."

Amos sailed down toward Caractacus, stumbling as he landed on his feet. He collapsed to his knees and panted aloud, dripping with blood. "Oh…Oh my gods…"

Caractacus smirked. "Oh good, you're not dead."

"B…Barely…" Amos paused to catch his breath, then looked over his shoulder toward the rest of the gorge.

The light of Ulrich's final attack had eventually faded, and in its place were the remnants of the western side of Copper Gorge. The twisting canyons full of secret passages…now had a giant, smoking crater where part of itself once stood.

"The…The others…weren't anywhere near there. R-Right?" Amos panted.

Caractacus shrugged. "Burkhard and Magni were further north, and this area is thankfully far away from where my base is, so Faucher should be fine." He glanced down at the flaming wreckage next to them. "Can't say the same for this guy."

Amos looked back at Ulrich, or what remained of him. It was one of the final things Evelot explained before he went off to fight. The mechanical stinger served a dual purpose than just allowing him to inject venom again. It was a last resort countermeasure meant to end fights. Upon twisting the stinger off his tail with the right combination, it would trigger an alchemical reaction to turn it into a powerful projectile. The gases it released were made with the express purpose of burning a target from the inside.

All that remained of Ulrich…was a scorched skeleton.

Amos panted softly before grunting and picking himself up. "Did I…mention that you are one sick crackpot?"

"You could stand to mention it more," Caractacus said. "Not like you didn't plan on ripping him to pieces yourself."

"…He was so young, though."

"People throw their lives away when promised delusions of grandeur. It's like an infection. It eventually reaches a point where it becomes terminal, and a cure is suboptimal, if not nonexistent." Caractacus turned his back to the skeleton and walked away. "He made his choice. He lived with the consequences, and he died for them."

"…" Amos sighed and limped behind the Boltund. "You're not even a little shaken by any of this."

"You've seen it once, you've seen it a thousand times. You're desensitized to this crap like I am."

"Are you really desensitized?"

"…Come on. Let's make sure your friends aren't dead."

Amos sighed, limping a little faster behind the hound. He looked back at Ulrich's burning skeleton. He couldn't place the feeling he was experiencing. He certainly didn't feel bad about what he did, especially after all the shit the duo put his group through, but…he almost wished he gave the Raichu a dignified death.

Tch. What am I thinking? Amos frowned a bit before scoffing. I'm not sure if I believe in life after death, but…here's to hoping you reincarnate into a better life, kid.

"Oi. Burkhard. Wake up."

Phoebe twitched as she felt someone kicking her gently in the side. She cracked her eye open, wincing from the sunlight, before looking up to Amos. The bloodied Gligar hovered over her with an annoyed expression, though…was she hallucinating, or was there relief mixed in there?

She smirked weakly. "Lamecaster. You're not dead?"

"Shame you're still breathing."

"You can't get rid of me that easily—" As she tried to sit up, she doubled over in a fit of coughs. "Ugh…though, a part of me wishes I was dead." She massaged her face. "Is Magni—"

Amos nodded his head toward the Scolipede, who was being helped into Caractacus' wagon with Evelot. "He's still kicking. He looks terrible."

"He is remarkably tough."

"Hmph." Amos looked around. "You two caused a lot of damage over here. Where's Vilgot?"

Phoebe chuckled softly. "Dead. Ulrich?"

"Incinerated."

"Yikes." Using her tail, she pushed herself onto her feet, struggling to stand. "Well, that's three of them out of our hair. I call that a win—whoop!" Her knees gave out, and she toppled forward.

Amos caught her in his arms. "Tch. You're dead weight."

She winked. "You were virtually useless without your fancy upgrades."

"…" Amos smirked to himself before pulling her arm around his shoulder. "Come on. Let's get back to Caractacus' place. I think we all need time to recover."

"Sounds like my kind of afternoon."

Amos helped Phoebe into the wagon before hopping aboard. With everyone secured, Caractacus funneled his electricity through the wheels and drove off back to his hideout, leaving behind the ruins of Copper Gorge to crackle and wither from the long-fought battles.

However, not all was still in the rubble.

From where a pile of earth lay, the results of an avalanche in the final moments of the area's battle, rock began to move from the inside.

A rock was dislodged, and a bloodied green hand stretched out into the sunlight.