Andrew held his flippers open wide to greet Charlie. The Marshtomp was happy, unnaturally happy. He bore a great big smile— the largest smile he had ever made as a Marshtomp—despite his left eye having swollen shut and streams of blood dripping from both his nostrils.
His torso was covered in bruises, the orange of his stomach interrupted by blood, bumps, and discolored patches. Dozens of shallow cuts littered his flippers, with the end of his right one almost entirely covered in dried blood. Only his legs appeared relatively untouched, as there were a couple of bruises and hardly any blood.
Charlie's jaw dropped in shock. "My Arceus, Andrew. What happened?! Are you alright? Do we need to get you to the infirmary?"
"Charlie," Andrew wheezed cheerily. "I feel better than I ever have!"
The Raichu put a paw to his forehead before sighing. "You need medical attention, like right now. Have you seen yourself?"
Andrew looked down. He ran a flipper along his stomach. "I'll admit it doesn't look too pretty, but I've been worse!"
"No you haven't."
"Well, maybe not," he chuckled. "But if you're gonna send me to god-knows-where, at least let me tell you the story of what happened. Don't you wanna know the secrets?"
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Not really."
"Pleeeeeeeease," Andrew whined, his bottom lip protruding.
"Andrew!" the Raichu yelled, stomping the ground. "I'm not screwing around here! You're bleeding, I need to get you help."
Andrew humphed. He crossed his flippers in dissatisfaction, a sharp pain shooting through them. He resisted the urge to wince. "I need to tell you my story."
"You can tell me after you get your eye treated." Charlie demanded, turning around and attempting to make his way toward the castle. However, his long tail wisped in Andrew's direction. Despite his state, he caught the edge of Charlie's appendage before letting out a sinister laugh.
"No, too late. I'm telling the story."
It was an oddly warm day. Despite this, the air was dry, extremely dry. A deep voice within Andrew prodded him. It was keenly aware and deeply upset. Why is it so dry? Why does it feel… so terrible?
"Oh, why? Why?!" Andrew yelled dramatically. He then let out a light giggle before continuing on his way.
A familiar sensation would return to him. A shiver ran down his back. He was being watched. Somehow he knew that a set of eyes, or even some external presence without eyes could sense him. However, he could not fully sense it.
His pace quickened and so too did his heart. His walking turned into speed-walking, his speed-walking into jogging, and his jogging into an all-out sprint.
Andrew was in a full-blown panic. He was running for his life.
His instincts would be proven as seemingly out of nowhere, a voice sounded in his mind.
"Where do you think you're going, Andrew?"
"Shut up!" Andrew yelled before running more frantically.
Suddenly, a Zorua appeared directly in his path. Andrew barely had enough time to slam his feet into the dirt, desperately attempting to avoid colliding with Ryder. He stopped only inches in front of him.
"Oh," Andrew scoffed. "Just you."
Ryder laughed before sticking his tongue out. "Just me, eh? Seemed like little ol' me gave you quite the fright back there, Andy."
"Don't ever call me that."
The Zorua began to pace around him. "Why not? I think it suits ya! Sure it sounds like a five-year-old's name—but hey, Andy—if you weren't a Marshtomp, I'd think you were hatched yesterday."
"Ryder, can we not do this now? Unlike you, I actually have a goddamn job," Andrew spat as he shoved the Zorua out of his way and continued walking.
Ryder let out an obnoxiously high-pitched "Hey!" before accelerating to get back in front of Andrew. "I have a job! And don't pretend you aren't the reason Jason and I lost our last ones!"
"Poor Ryder. Poor Jason," Andrew huffed, his eyes narrowing. "Get out of my way. I'm busy."
"Busy?" laughed Ryder. "A little someone told me that someone said, that someone said, that another Pokemon said that you hardly do any work! Who'd've thought?"
Andrew scowled, a pressure beginning to build in his stomach. Stupid Flaaffy! That stupid goddamn bitch, I'll kill her! I should kill her! She deserves to die, she's terrible. She's crazy and she's trying to kill me so I need to stop her, right? Right?!
"The hell do you want, Ryder?" murmured Andrew.
Suddenly, the Zorua's smirk disappeared from his snout. His body seemed to grow stiffer and more tense. He put his head down. "...Do you really wanna know?"
"I really want you to leave me alone."
"I'll leave you alone if you hear me out, Andrew," Ryder said seriously.
The Marshtompshrugge, before glancing at his flipper as if to check a nonexistent watch. "I suppose that I have a minute. Make it quick."
"It's about my mom. Ever since she went to jail, y'know, it's been real hard for me. I get that she made some mistakes here and there. Sure, maybe she hung out with the wrong crowd or got convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy, but it was an honest mistake on her part. Promise!" Ryder pleaded, his eyes large and glistening.
Andrew nodded lazily, feigning understanding. "Yeah, that's rough buddy. Who'd she kill?"
"Chief Rime… You don't remember?" the Zorua asked quizzically, tilting his head.
Andrew stared off toward the horizon. "That does ring a bell, now that you mention it. Wait a second." He paused, then took a step back, the pressure in his stomach returning as he pointed his flipper at Ryder. "I remember! She tried to kill me! Are you fucking serious, man?"
Ryder stepped back too. "Look, she's not perfect Andrew." There was a quiver in his voice. I'm trying to be reasonable with you here—"
"Reasonable?!" he interrupted. "Let me guess. You came all the way out here, followed me for god knows how long, so you could beg me to let someone who tried to kill me, out of prison. Are you mad?"
Ryder held up his paw in concession and sighed. "She's not doing well, Andrew. I've been visiting her a lot since I got back and she's got this real bad cough, she looks pretty weak. I know my mom, she's not weak. I don't think she has much time left. I'm not asking you to just let her out of jail with no strings attached."
"Then what do you want?" Andrew asked, crossing his flippers.
"I heard that Mirage used to write these waivers. Basically, if some prisoner wasn't doing too hot and they didn't think they seemed dangerous, they could get a pass to visit their family for a bit. Just for a few weeks, I think. In the state she's in, I don't think my mom could scratch a beached Magikarp," Ryder explained. "I know you don't like me, and believe me, I hate your fishy guts. But as a fellow Pokemon, I'm asking for you to do this one mercy for me."
The Marshtomp cleared his throat. "Let me get this straight. You come to me, insult me, and then ask for me to give your mom—who attempted to murder me—a get-out-of-jail-free card. So you can hang out with her before she kicks the bucket. Right?"
Ryder frowned. "Please, Andrew. I'm begging you. No more games, no tricks, no illusions. If you do it for me, at least do it for Jason. I know it'd make him happy to see me happy."
"Jason? I hate him more than I hate you!" Andrew spat. Upon his command, a small blob of mud welled from his stomach and gathered in his mouth. He spat it out, the muck flying and landing on the ground beside Ryder's front paws. A tiny bit of it splashed onto them, causing the Marshtomp to grin. "My answer is… No!"
"I'll do anything! I'm sorry for being mean to you, I'm sorry for the interrogation, I'm sorry for the Resistance, I'm sorry for every time I've ever upset you!" Ryder pleaded, his eyes glossy as tears welled up in them.
Andrew rolled his eyes and groaned. "You know I'm not Mirage. I don't do things like Mirage."
"He at least had some sympathy! What if it was your mom, Andrew? Think about it. What if I was the president and you were in my position?!" the Zorua cried out, tears dripping down his face.
Andrew tilted his head. "Hmm… My mom sucks. I hate her. Luckily I don't have to deal with her anymore. But hey, look how much freedom I have!" he taunted, leaning close to Ryder's snout.
The Zorua bared his teeth, sniffling and wheezing. His eyes drowned his cheeks in tears. "Y-You really are a p-piece of shit, aren't you, A-Andy? M-Makes se-sense that you hate your mom. Probably was r-real nuts!" He wore a psychotic smile. "The apple can't fall too far from the tree."
"Are you calling me crazy? Because I'm not crazy. I'm the least crazy person—Pokemon—whatever the hell I am, to ever walk the goddamn Earth," Andrew shot back. He lurched forward before poking Ryder in the chest. "I think you're crazy. After all, 'the apple can't fall too far from the tree.' I'm doing society a service by letting her rot to death alone in there, without her son."
Ryder let out something between a yell and sob—a horrible sound to Andrew. He pulled his head back, and launched it straight forward at the Marshtomp.
Andrew was caught off guard as the Zorua struck him square in the chest with his head. Andrew stumbled back, pain rushing and pulsating from the now-bruised spot where Ryder headbutted him.
"You asshole!" shouted the Zorua. "After everything you've done, I gave you a chance! But fine, let's do it this way, Andy. Maybe you'll let her out after I crack your skull in half!" With those words announced, Ryder began to charge at full speed toward Andrew again.
The Marshtomp curled his flippers into fists, waving them in the air. "You're on, you piece of mother-"
He was unable to finish his sentence as Ryder collided with him yet again, striking the exact same spot on his chest as before. Pain shot deeper through his upper torso, smothering and burning.
"GAH!" Andrew yelled.
He charged up a water cannon, a rumbling resounding from within him as the pressure grew stronger and stronger. A huge jet of water flew out from his mouth at Ryder. The Zorua ran straight into the water, however he was unable to overpower it. The jet immediately overwhelmed him and pushed him back several feet.
His body was soaked, his fur darkened and hanging toward the ground. Ryder shook himself from side to side—much like a dog, drops of water flying off his body.
"That all you got, Andy? I could do better in my sleep," Ryder said, before sticking his snout up.
What's he doing? Should I like… punch him? Andrew mused, not having expected the Zorua to simply stand motionless before him.
Ryder let out a long, deep breath. It was oddly loud. Andrew could see Ryder's breath, as though the temperature in that second had fallen below freezing.
The Marshtomp stared, still confused. A strange presence then enveloped him. He felt cold—Not just cold, but as though his body had been submerged in ice water. Despite the unpleasantness of the feeling, however, it did not hurt him.
Unfortunately, the strange vortex which appeared around Andrew threatened to.
A strange object rose up from the ground and engulfed him. It did not seem to be made of any tangible substance. The vortex was a mixture of swirling blacks, grays, and purples, twisting around him at dizzying speeds.
With each passing moment, the vortex battered him, the resulting sensation like taking a sucker punch to every part of his body. Andrew couldn't help but gasp and yell. Every inch of his skin cried out in pain. His fins resonated with the agony, a pain twice that of his skin's surging through them. Everything felt terrible.
After another agonizing moment, the vortex dissipated. Relief washed over Andrew as the mounting pain ceased all at once, the Marshtomp exhaling. However, the toll of the anguish quickly set in and he fell to his knees—or rather where his knees had been when he was a human.
His fingers touched the ground. A sharp pain shot through them, reigniting some of his agony. He could not escape it.
"Wh-What did y-you do?!" the battered, bruised Marshtomp snapped.
Ryder chuckled, trotting over to Andrew with a bounce in his step. "Wow, Andy. I expected you to put up more of a fight. I've heard all this talk of you being this scary menace in the papers! If ya really were, would I be able to do this?"
Ryder held up his paw. He flashed a grin, then thrust it straight into Andrew's left eye. The Marshtomp squeezed it shut, but it was no use. The damage was done. The left side of his head throbbed in agony.
Andrew tried to open his left eye.
It didn't open.
The hell?!
"Ooh, I got ya real good, Drewster," mocked Ryder.
Andrew forced himself onto his feet, his legs wobbling.
"I wonder what would happen if I…" the Zorua murmured, before tapping Andrew's stomach.
The Marshtomp breathed loudly, a primal rage building up and quickly overpowering any rational thought left in him.
"I'LL SHOW YOU ASSHOLE!" Andrew screamed.
Completely disregarding the pain and swollen-shut eye, Andrew quickly pulled his flipper back and threw it straight into Ryder's snout. The Zorua's head was knocked back, but otherwise, his position remained the same.
He feigned a frown and rolled his eyes. "Ouuuch, that huuuurt."
A few drops of blood trickled out of Ryder's nose. But his only reaction was to laugh before he charged at Andrew.
Andrew shifted quickly to the side, causing the Zorua to miss. Ryder skidded to a halt to recover, but it was too late as Andrew reached out and grabbed his ears. He tugged forcefully dragging Ryder towards him before spitting a stream of mud across his face.
Ryder let out a screech and yanked himself free with a grunt.
The Zorua pounced on Andrew. He bared his claws as he repeatedly swiped Andrew's torso and flippers. Ryder's claws cut Andrew's skin like a knife cutting bread, each swipe eliciting a small cut that spilled bountiful, dark red blood, much to the Marshtomp's chagrin.
Andrew kicked his leg out, connecting with Ryder's underbelly and sending him reeling backward. The Zorua slid on the ground, his hind legs tripping over his tail, causing him to fall to the ground, tumbling onto his back. Andrew dashed toward Ryder as droplets of blood flew off him and spattered onto the dirt. Upon reaching him, Andrew raised his leg as high as he could before forcefully bringing it down on Ryder's chest.
The Zorua attempted to stand up, but then the foot slammed into his lower chest. He wheezed. Saliva shot from his mouth, some of which spattered on Andrew's face. He brushed it off nonchalantly. He panted, catching his breath before looking down at Ryder.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
The Marshtomp tried to look around, to no avail. "What the—?"
His field of vision had been reduced to only about a foot in each direction. Everything beyond that was obscured by a thick, black mist.
Andrew stomped the ground. "I thought you said no more—" He coughed. "—Illusions!"
"Th-That was before!" Ryder said boastfully but with weakness in his voice. "You used kicks, why c-can't I throw some of my own?"
Through the mist, Andrew could make out a figure in the distance. It was about his height. It had a slender build, with a long, thick tail swaying behind it. The figure crept closer and closer before some of the mist parted to reveal none other than…
Thomas.
The Servine stuck his nose up. "I've never loved you! You're just a big crybaby and hope you die in a hole!"
"Ha ha, very funny," said Andrew, rolling his eyes. "Do you believe I'm stupid enough to believe that Thomas would ever say that to me? Plus, you got his accent all wrong."
"Oh, Andrew," Ryder spoke through the illusory Thomas' mouth. "You think that I'm dumb enough to believe that I'd upset you with an obviously fake illusion? You think I'm an idiot, I bet." He took a step forward. "But believe it or not, I got exactly what I wanted."
"And what might that be?" questioned Andrew, tilting his head.
The impostor smiled deviously. "You letting your guard down."
Ryder, still appearing as Thomas lunged at Andrew. His mouth was wide open. However, instead of Thomas' sharp canines the illusion had several rows of razor-sharp teeth—like how Andrew imagined the mouth of a Zorua to look.
Andrew had little time to react. He took a step back but it was not enough—Ryder warped back into his normal form before he clamped down on Andrew's right shoulder.
"YOW! Get off me, you maniac!" Andrew yelled.
Ryder, of course, gave no response, only biting down with increasing strength.
The illusion had now faded entirely. The black mist had left to reveal the battered Zorua, attached by the mouth to the shoulder of the bloodied Marshtomp, on a desolate path now stained red with the blood leaking out of both of their wounds.
Ryder finally let go of Andrew, backing away and letting him fall to the ground one last time. Blood was spewing out of the newly created gaping wound in his right shoulder.
The Marshtomp's eyes were wide and teeth changed. It felt like the flipper had been set on fire, the force of all Ryder's prior attacks centered in one spot. He felt woozy.
Ryder walked over slowly, mocking Andrew as he lay injured on the ground below. "It really didn't have to be like this. You could've just given me what I wanted. Everyone could've won." He spat on Andrew, the saliva red with blood. "But no. Your stupid ego, Andrew. You couldn't say yes to me. I tried to believe there was some good in you, really! But I think somewhere up in my noggin I knew it was gonna end this way. I accept that."
Ryder became blurry—not because of his messed-up fur or any of his illusions—but because Andrew's vision was failing. His left eye refused to open, and he found it increasingly hard to keep his right one open. He could feel the warmth of his blood surrounding him.
How much have I lost? Oh, god, Arceus! Arceus, man, I need you right now. If you could like—I dunno, maybe strike down Ryder where he stands, I'd really appreciate that. I promise that I'll be better if you just kill him. Please do it! It's me or him right now, and I'm way better!
"Nothing to say?" Ryder huffed.
Andrew smiled weakly. "N-Not much to say, is there? You gonna kill me or…?"
"Kill you?" Ryder repeated with a snort. "I wish, dude. But, y'know, as much as he hates your guts, Jason wouldn't want that. And I'd do anything for that Pokemon. Plus, I'm better than you. You'd kill me if I were on the ground bleeding. For a sec, I thought I would be. You put up an okay fight for a politician."
Using whatever strength he had left, Andrew raised his flipper. He then proudly raised the finger in its center for Ryder to see.
The Zorua humphed and turned his head away. "Oh well, that's how it's going to be! I'll be taking my leave now. Hope to never see you again, Andy. But if you do go lookin' for me, I won't be kind enough to let you live next time; I'd be doing the world a service anyway. See ya!"
Thump thump thump.
Andrew felt his head fin vibrate. Dark smoke began to rise from beneath Ryder's feet, much like the mist which he had been trapped in only moments ago. It traveled up the Zorua's body, quickly swallowing him.
Thump thump thump.
Before the mist could reach his head, from in front of Ryder, a gray figure leaped into the air. Andrew grinned as the figure's blade shone in the sunlight before cascading down atop the Zorua, his metal foot connecting with the poor fox's body.
"Shit!" yelled Ryder and the Bisharp landed with all its weight on top of Ryder's body. The mist dissipated, the illusion wore off. There was a sharp, horrible cracking sound as Ryder's back caved downward unnaturally. His limbs failed and he fell flat on the ground.
The Bisharp leaped off of Ryder with surprising elegance. The Zorua's limbs barely responded to his commands as he got up and limped forward, attempting to drag himself away.
Thank you Arceus!
A second Bisharp rushed in. It dashed around Ryder and over to Andrew. The Bisharp stared down at the Marshtomp for a moment. Slowly, he reached downward, sneaking his claw behind Andrew's back carefully so as not to further cut his bludgeoned skin.
The Bisharp pulled Andrew to his feet, the Marshtomp wobbling for a second as he stabilized. He looked up at the Bisharp. "Thanks."
The Bisharp blinked, but gave no further response.
Andrew turned his gaze to Ryder, who was unconscious. The other Bisharp hoisted him onto his shoulder carelessly, dangling him and not taking any precaution to ensure that the Zorua wasn't cut, though he appeared not to be.
Andrew found it hard to focus. His vision was going back and forth between crisp and blurry.
Still, he chuckled weakly. "I guess he'll be spending all the time with his mom that he wants now, right guys?"
Of course, the Bisharps did not respond.
The one carrying Ryder began to lumber away. Andrew could merely fantasize about unimaginable horrors the Zorua was being taken to. The other Bisharp stood with Andrew.
"Do you want me to follow you or…?" the Marshtimp asked him.
The guard blinked.
"You know that you're allowed to talk, right? Because if it's some sort of respect thing you got going on where you can't speak to me, I promise it's cool."
For this first time Andrew had ever seen… the Bisharp gave a response, simply shaking his head. However, no words or vocalizations of any kind followed.
"Oh," Andrew muttered as he put a flipper to his injured shoulder, a jolt of pain shooting through it. "So, it's not a respect thing?"
The Bisharp shook his head again.
"Well then, what is it?"
The Bisharp blinked.
"Alright," Andrew conceded. He coughed a couple of times, quickly regaining his composure. "Then I suppose you're free to go. I'll make it to the castle in a minute. Just need to clean myself up a bit."
The guard shrugged. He began making his way toward the other guard, who was little more than a small gray dot on the horizon.
"Then I just stood around for a few minutes because there's no way I'm walking all the way to the water after getting beat up… and then you came! Which more or less brings us to the present," explained Andrew in an oddly happy tone.
Charlie nodded slowly in a slightly sarcastic fashion. "Uh-huh, that is… certainly something."
"Yeah. I figured that the guards would've told you, but then I remembered that they aren't exactly the most talkative people."
"Andrew," Charlie muttered as he narrowed his eyes, inspecting the injured Pokemon. "Did you by any chance hit your head while fighting Ryder?"
Andrew shrugged. "Who knows? Probably! But all I care about is that I feel great right now. I'm on top of the world! Ryder's going to jail, Ryder's going to jail~!" He began to repeat the chant in a sing-song voice. "Ryder's going to~!"
"Y-Yes Andrew. He's going to jail," the Raichu interrupted But I really think we need to-"
But before Charlie could finish his sentence, Andrew felt a great pressure weighing down on him. He couldn't feel his flippers, legs, head, fins, or anything at all. He watched as the ground came nearer and nearer, though he didn't feel a thing even as his mind registered he was about to it. The whole world faded to black.
As Andrew's eyes opened, a familiar sensation would wash over him, in more ways than one.
I'm underwater?
Andrew's body was submerged in a tank of water. The surrounding liquid was pleasantly warm, soothing the aches ailing him. The water provided a familiar sensation, not one easily discerned by Andrew but an instinctual satisfaction. He did not have to look far within his Marshtomp self to know his body loved water.
His vision was crisper. His heart rate was steady and relaxed. He turned his gaze upward, only to see that his eyes were just a few inches below the waterline. He sighed.
If only I could have been put in a hot spring. Or, at least the ocean.
Andrew had no desire to sit up. The pain he was feeling paled in comparison to what he had experienced earlier, though it still persisted. Luckily, he could at least feel his limbs.
Against his better judgment, Andrew slowly pushed himself up, using his left flipper so as not to aggravate the wound on his right shoulder.
The feel of the world above was terrible, horrible, the worst thing Andrew had ever felt. It was cold, dark, gray, and dull. It was lifeless and sterile. He was in a room with white walls, no windows, and a tiled floor. A curtain hung over the right side of the tank, and a painting of a striking gray Ninetales hung on the wall to his left.
"Where am I?" he whispered to himself.
Andrew craned his head around, his eyes landing on a blank wall. He tried to lean forward but was quickly met with a sharp pain in his neck stopping him. His legs didn't hurt… but they felt so nice submerged in the water.
He let out a content groan. "Maybe a few more minutes in whatever this thing is wouldn't hurt."
He slid back into the tank, the warmth reclaiming him. He relaxed for another moment before hearing a creaking noise. Andrew pushed himself back up to see a Blissey strolling into the room, followed by an anxious-looking Charlie.
The Blissey eyed the Marshtomp before walking to the tank. She placed a paw on his forehead and muttered. "Yes, yes, very good." She turned to Charlie. "Judging from his progress today, he should make a full recovery within the next week or two. He didn't appear to have sustained any major injuries, but let me know if he's having any concussion symptoms."
The Blissey cupped her paw and began to whisper to Charlie, though Andrew could still hear.
"His skull's a bit too thick for me to perform my usual test. Other than that, he's free to leave, Mister Raichu."
Charlie nodded. "Thank you, Doctor B. See you next month."
The Blissey smiled, waddled around Charlie and behind the curtain, then out of Andrew's sight.
"I see you're awake," Charlie said to the Marshtomp.
Andrew rubbed his shoulder. "Yeah, looks like it."
"You've been out for almost a day. Got beat up pretty bad. The doctor said you might have a concussion, but she's not sure," he said calmly.
The Marshtomp let out a pained groan, slowly lifting a leg to climb out of the chamber. Charlie rushed over and grabbed his flipper. The Raichu held onto him firmly, helping him down from the wall of the tank and onto the hard, cool floor.
"We told Thomas what happened and he sounded pretty upset. He was waiting here overnight for you to wake up, but had to go into work."
Andrew squinted. "Go into work? When I'm in the hospital? That doesn't sound like him at all."
"Well…" Charlie murmured, grimacing. "We had to kick him out because he kept demanding to see Ryder so he could, and I quote: 'strangle that impoverished animal until he coughed out his throat.'"
He smiled. "That's more like it!"
"I'm confused, I really am. You're going to have to explain to me why you keep getting into all these fights," the Raichu sighed, shaking his head. "But I'll give you some time to decompress. I know what it feels like to get beat up… Is there anything I can do for you?"
The Marshtomp began to tremble, holding onto Charlie's arm for dear life.
"I need to speak to Chloe."
AN: I have an announcement. I've finally finished up my notes for the final chapters of Dissent Into Madness. This means that I finally know the exact number of chapters this fic is going to be that number being… 53! I was aiming for 50, but I did need a little bit of extra time to tell every part of the story I wish to tell. I know I've talked about the end being sight, how far we've come, blah blah blah, quite a bit over these past few months, but this really is it. We are in the homestretch. Only ten chapters left.
And with that, a big thanks to DaGamestar, DoomHuntley, Zee102, and Sonic Ramon!
Sorry I haven't responded to comments in a little bit, I've been busy. I'll do that soon. Of course, any and all comments are appreciated. See you soon!