Chapter 70: D.Z. vs Rugar
An ambience of stunned silence filled the area as every single head was turned towards the direction D.Z. had punched the Seismitoad in, the counter he flew into now with a large gaping hole due to his weight. After several silent, shocked moments, Laura was the first to finally speak. "Did… did he just punch a pokemon without attacking?" she asked.
"I… I think so," Zack's trainer replied to her. "I didn't know he was that strong."
"Me neither," Laura said. "Are you sure he didn't use some kind of special punch?"
"I think he only knows Focus Punch if I remember right from thos D.C.A. guys," Zack's trainer answered. "If he did use that move combined with that strength, this fight would already be over."
"Wait, what do you mean it would already be over?" she asked him. "He crashed into a cafe counter! How does that not count as an automatic win?"
"Rugar!" Jawline called out to him. "Stand yerself up, matie! You ain't gonna let some landlubber get the better of ye, are ye?"
From the wrecked part of the counter, Rugar's bulbous fingers clasped each side of what he could hoist himself up with, groaning a response to him. "Of course not, Cap'n. I wasn't expecting him to have such strength. I won't let me guard down again." He then shifted his attention down upon the Drowzee who remained standing where he was, glaring daggers right at him with not an ounce of fear to be seen. "Ye say ye don't care what happens to these passengers onboard this vessel? Ye don't have the slightest hesitation that we'd slaughter them due to your actio-"
"Shut the hell up!" D.Z. yelled, pointing a finger at him. "What happens to others is not my concern! All I want to do is live my life the way I want to, to be left alone by others!" He shifted his focus over towards Laura. "And yet that's the one thing I can't seem to do, not since I was taken from my home." He then returned his focus upon Rugar. "That why I'm making this ship my new home. It's got everything I could ever need. But now you and your stupid gang of water freaks are keeping me from that life I seek to live here, so if none of you are going to leave me alone, then I'll make you!"
The pokemon watching all this unfold gave blank, blinking stares, finding his argument to be selfish and slightly petty considering he was stealing things upon the ship and believing himself to be the victim. On the other hand however, considering the strength they just witnessed from him, they all chose to stay silent and let the Drowzee dig his own grave, aside from silently agreeing with one another their thoughts upon the pokemon.
"So yer blaming us for what exactly?" Rugar questioned him, scratching his head. "Because to me it sounds like you're just looking for an excuse to- hey!"
The reason for his abrupt change in the conversation was due to the fact that D.Z. had closed his eyes, relaxing his body with furrowed eyes. Rugar's eye twitched, annoyed with the fact he couldn't finish his sentences without the Drowzee interrupting him, whether it be by mouth or, in this case, straight up ignoring him. "Ye know what? Screw it! I'll just kill ye right here and now!" Rugar then breathed in and fired off another round of Mud Shot. Right as he did so, D.Z. shot opened his eyes and dodged the attack, jumping to the left, using the palm of his left hand to support his body as he spun around and launched himself back up to his feet.
Rugar fired off another volley of Mud Shot which D.Z. backflipped several times before it struck the spot he was previously standing at. Rugar growled as he fired a third round, but by this time, D.Z. was already on the move, running in one direction while some of the humans and pokemon got doused by the mud. "Quit moving!" Rugar growled as D.Z. ran by a piece of the broken pot, scooping it up and hurling it towards the Seismitoad. Seeing the incoming shard, Rugar quickly reacted by firing a stream of bubbles from his mouth, knocking the piece away. D.Z., meanwhile, took the opportunity to run right for his opponent, slamming straight into his side, knocking the Seismitoad off balance.
Surprised by his strength, Rugar fell onto his side, D.Z. toppling over him as a result. Growling, Rugar shoved the Drowzee off him, making a quick recovery to his feet before his opponent could. Acting quickly, Rugar grabbed onto one of D.Z.'s arms, pivoting his body to a degree of one hundred and eighty before he lifted the Drowzee up, hurling him over his shoulder onto the floor below.
D.Z. let out a grunt of pain as he was slammed down, unable to recover from Rugar's next attack as the toad pokemon brought his hand down upon him in a swift chop, cracking the ground beneath the Drowzee; a shockwave of power following suit as it made contact with all the passengers in the lobby, albeit not as strong compared to what D.Z. took on; or he would have had he not caught the Seismitoad's hand mere centimeters from his face, struggling to keep the attack from landing upon him in full.
"Ye are strong, I'll give ye that," Rugar said grinning as he placed all his strength into his arm, attempting to land the blow. "But yer strength means nothing to a pokemon larger than ye! Type advantage means nothing! Experience is all that matters and it's experience that gives me the edge over ye!"
"Shut the hell up already!" D.Z. yelled as he diverted the attack down to the spot next to his head, allowing that section of the floor to take what was left of the attack, allowing D.Z. the opportunity to get back onto his feet. Because he was close up with the Seismitoad, he threw out a fist, landing a blow up on Rugar's face, knocking him back. The force of the punch was enough to cause Rugar to stagger back some, but due to his large size, he was quickly able to recover and return the attack to D.Z., bouncing him off the floor and into the air. He then fired off another stream of bubbles, sending the Drowzee flying back.
D.Z. rolled across the floor, quickly recovering as he charged the Seismitoad. Rugar, seeing his opponent charging him, opted to do the same. As the two neared one another, they both reeled back their fists and began to deliver the other a flurry of blows to one another; blocking one punch while delivering another and so forth. Both pokemon were evenly matched in strength as each blow was delivered, one with pure strength backing him up while the other had his size and bulk to help him. It was an even exchange as both D.Z. and Rugar made blow after blow against one another. The passengers, meanwhile, all held their breaths, tense on who the victor would eventually be.
"Please, D.Z.," Laura said quietly to herself as she watched her pokemon repeatedly take every single blow. "You've got to win this. I believe in you!"
The flurry of punches soon lessened due to both pokemon tuckering themselves out, their bodies worn from exerting their energy as they attempted to keep throwing their fists at each other. "Ye know," Rugar said, panting. "Ye must enjoy the miserable life ye lead, plundering from others and blaming them when they retaliate. Course, I could care less what ye do."
"Then why bother saying anything about it?" D.Z. asked him angrily. "You're just like everyone else! If you had just left me alone I wouldn't have to be here wasting my time with you."
"Then allow me to rectify my mistake," Rugar said. "I'll make sure yer time wasn't as 'wasteful' as ye claimed it to be."
"It's already too late for that!" D.Z. shouted. "You already destroyed what I collected so I'm going to make sure you don't bother with the likes of me ever again; and if anyone else gets in my way I'll make sure they won't!"
"Ye done yet?" Rugar asked, his arms folded with an unamused look.
"I will be once I'm done with y-" D.Z. went to say, only to be interrupted as Rugar pounced on him with an all out punch, grabbing him by the arm while in mid-air and began throwing him down upon the ground, repeatedly. D.Z stood no chance in stopping him as, with every blow against the floor, he let out a grunt, his body already sore from the flurry of punches he received. This only added to it and would possibly bruise him if anything.
After a solid minute of tossing D.Z. around, Rugar then held him up by his arms and kicked him, letting go of his arms as D.Z. staggered back, clutching at his stomach. "Yer a disgrace to poke kind," Rugar said. "Selfish, shallow, and petty. Ye won't have to worry about me or anyone else bothering ye ever again cause I be ending this."
With that, Rugar bloated his chest, sucking in air as he readied a final attack. D.Z., meanwhile, glared up at him, slowly straightening himself as Rugar let out a large stream of water. "Hydro Pump!"
"D.Z.! No!" Laura cried out as the water hit him directly, sending him all the way back into a wall. People and pokemon scrambled out of the way as the water splashed in all directions, soaking a few who were still close by.
Watching her fall to her knees, Ted couldn't help but feel like, no… he knew he could have done more yet stood idly by to keep his eyes on Jawline on the off chance he interfered. Even if he were to make the attempt to rescue D.Z. there was no doubt that Jawline would stop him before he had a chance to. Still, he had to at least try and hope that D.Z. could endure.
As he crouched to take a launching start, he paused, having to blink as he noticed something off about the Seismitoad's attack. At first he thought he might have been imagining things, but looking closer, he noticed that the Hydro Pump was no longer upon the wall. As a matter of fact, Ted swore he saw the attack being pushed back, his suspicions being confirmed a split second later as the attack was now a small distance from the wall. Gasps were heard as people and pokemon took notice as the attack continued to be gradually pushed back, even Ted himself was astounded yet intrigued by what he saw.
With his eyes glowing blue, the same blue aura that encased the Hydro Pump, D.Z. slowly staggered his way forward towards the Seismitoad, gaining his footing with each step he took until the attack was no longer a bother to him. It was like he had an invisible shield before him, protecting him from being drenched any further.
"No way!" Laura said as she watched D.Z. get closer to his opponent. "Is… is he using Psychic?"
"I don't think that's Psychic?" Zack's trainer said. "He's not experienced enough to know that attack."
"How can you tell?" Laura asked him.
"Because of he did know Psychic he wouldn't have allowed himself to be caught," was her reply from him. "This is Confusion. I remember the D.C.A. mentioning him having that move as well."
"Oh yeah," Laura said as she turned her attention back to the fight. "Guess I did forget that."
Ruger, having noticed the Drowzee pushing back his attack, put everything he could into the Hydro Pump to knock him back, but to no avail was it making a difference in any way. Rugar's eyes bulged as D.Z. quickly came up upon him, trying desperately to push him back. His attack was stopped instantly as D.Z. clamped a hand over his mouth, encasing his entire body in the blue, psychic aura he was channeling.
Rugar felt his legs leave the ground as D.Z. used his Confusion to act as his strength; the Seismitoad's muffled screams escaping as he failed his legs wildly, fear overtaking him as he desperately tried to pry D.Z.'s hand off him, but his grip was already firm upon him.
"Rugar!" Jawline cried out, shocked to see his second mate in peril. He reached down for his sword to unsheath and interfere when the same psychic aura encased both his arm and his sword.
"I wouldn't if I were you," D.Z. said without turning his head. "I'll deal with you when I'm done with him."
Hearing this, Rugar let one hand go of the Drowzee's hand as he quickly reached for his sword and made to swing it down upon his foe. Just before he could land his strike, D.Z. instantly stopped it, instilling more fear into the Seismitoad as he watched his sword begin to bend and twist around. Never in his life had he met anyone who had power that exceeded his. In any other circumstance, it would be just another challenge for him to overcome and come out victorious. In this case, however, he was completely at the mercy of someone he never imagined could make him fear for his life.
"I told you I was going to make sure you would never bother me again," D.Z. said in a calm anger. "And I'll make sure to deliver just that."
Rugar's eyes widened with terror as he felt his arm begin to twist, just like his sword. Due to him being encased by the psychic aura, he could neither kick, flail, or make any attempt to fight back. All he could do was let out a muffled screams and a cry as D Z. continued to slowly twist his arm, readying to snap it.
"That's enough, D.Z.," Ted called out to him, prompting him to look back in his direction. Ted's entire demeanor had changed to a serious look, his body still crouched like he was fixing to leap off the chair, only his direction was shifted in D.Z.'s direction. "If you continue I will fight you regardless."
"As if you could," D.Z. said. "But fine. You and I still have unfinished business so I'll finish this up quickly."
Relinquishing his hold on Rugar's arm, he lowered the Seismitoad down, turning until they were both facing the casino. Setting Rugar down upon the ground, D.Z. released his hold on him, dissipating his Confusion as Rugar found himself able to move again. Slumping to the floor, Rugar panted heavily, relieved that he was spared from having his arm broken; or worse. However, while he was recovering from the fear he almost went through, he failed to realize that D.Z. had moved on to using another attack.
It wasn't until he felt the aura of immense power did he look up, taking note of D.Z.'s glowing fist, his immense expression towards him as he reeled his fist back, angling his body to deliver the final blow. Rugar attempted to get up and dodge the attack, but found himself unable to do so due to his jellified legs. All he could do was watch as the Drowzee's fist barreled straight for him, slugging him hard in his own face.
In a single millisecond that it took a single person or pokemon to blink, Rugar shot off like a rocket into the casino. Barely anyone saw what had happened, only what came after; that being the sound of a loud crash followed by the sound of the jackpot winning effect. Other than that being the only sound that filled the area, the entire lobby was once again left in an ambient state of silence as D.Z. lowered his fist, turning until he was facing Jawline's direction.
The Feraligatr he was currently facing had a similar shocked expression upon his face over the fact that one of his strongest crew members was taken down. Never had he thought there would be anyone who could beat his second mate.
"Rugar…" he said almost wordlessly as he stared off into the casino where the Seismitoad now lied; unconscious in a pile of coins pouring onto him. He then looked towards D.Z. after a few moments before slowly unsheathing his sword. "Ye have some gall to take out me second mate! Now ye will learn what happens when ye cross me."
"Then I'll just do the same to you that I did to him," D.Z. said.
"As if I'll give ye the chance," Jawline said. "Ye already wasted yer power. I won't give ye the time to recover it."
Jawline took a step forward, prompting Ted to quickly change his position to launch himself at the Feraligatr. As he did, Jawline himself leapt towards D.Z., giving Ted no time to react as all he could do was watch as the sword Jawline held was raised into the air before being struck down upon the Drowzee.
Laura cried out for her pokemon as blood went splattering everywhere, prompting some of the passengers to turn their heads with closed eyes from the gruesome scene before them. The few members of Jawline's crew who were still within the lobby grinned and chuckled at their captain's assured victory. This, without a doubt, would surely show everyone just how gruesome they really were.
"C-cap'n…"
Jawline froze in place upon hearing the sudden weakened voice cry out.
"...why?..."
Jawline's eyes widened as he took a look at the pokemon before him, the expression on the rest of his crew turning to that of shock as they all now stared at the Quagsire Jawline had sent into the casino minutes earlier, a large gash across his torso from the sword Jawline held. Bewilderment plagued Jawline's mind; a mixture of shock and confusion plastered upon his face.
"Me… me crew mate! H-how? Why did you…"
"I must apologize," someone said suddenly, prompting Jawline to glance at the pokemon who currently stood behind his crew member, a claw placed upon the Quagsire's back. With his eyes gleaming, reflecting Jawline's own reflection back at him, stood a familiar looking Sableye; poised, calm, and collective as he simply peered up at the Feraligatr before him. His other claw was raised upon the back of D.Z. who appeared confused as to what had just occurred as his turned head was upon the Sableye, wondering who he was and what he just did. "I did give him plenty of opportunity to cease his attack, but I did have to force my claw in the end."
"Wh…" Jawline stuttered, his brain processing as to what was occurring currently. "Who be ye? What did ye just do? Answer me!"
"Proper introductions are to be had then," the Sableye replied, lowering his claws from both pokemon, allowing the Quagsire's body to crumple upon the floor. " My name is Shift; and I would kindly like to request for you to leave the ship if you may."