Hybrid: Topaz Edition

by LuxBeacon

Our story centers around Topaz Heart, nephew of Volkner. He has set his sights on becoming a gym trainer worthy of the Sinnoh League, but in order to do that he takes risks. So many risks. Assaulting smugglers, beating up gang members, infiltrating terrorist bases, actually crazy rivals, getting lost underground and being a huge nerd. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

42. Burning of Lax Falls (Ch42)

{}=Pokemon Speaking; []=Telepathic Speaking

---

The mission continues onward as our compatriots have won another battle against the insipid invaders. Clearpool Pond has been liberated and the group's reputation has spread even farther amongst the denizens. Although, their heroics do not land peacefully amongst all in the Great Marsh. Our heroes enter day 3 to endure another trial.

---

~x1x~

PoV: Topaz Heart

Location: Cragged Path Campsite - Great Marsh

Time: March - Day 3 - Extra Early Morning

"Topaz, Donut, get up!" A voice hissed in my ear.

I figured it was my dreams tricking me into waking up, but I was far too cozy to be tricked. I snuggled deeper into my pillow… Until it was snatched from me.

"Topaz, wake the hell up, someone's here," the voice hissed again. I groggily opened my eyes trying to gain focus on whoever the hell was talking to me to see it was Jade in his rose patterned pajamas.

I got up slowly, just realizing that besides Donut who was still asleep, none of our other pokemon were in the tent. "An enemy?"

"Seems so, they want us all out."

All of us? For an ambush? What's going on?

I reached over to Donut, pinching his red cheeks to wake him up. He gave me a jolt, but it helped me wake up.

{What?} he spat dangerously, a quarter awake now.

"Enemy pokemon. We've gotta move," I warned him.

He was pissed, but understanding as we followed Jade out of our tent. Everyone was already out in their sleepwear, but stood with clear tension as I turned to see our uninvited guests.

Before us stood a Darmanitan, Primeape and Oranguru front and center.

The Darmanitan wore intricate metal braces around his arm. The Oranguru wore a floral crown and an unusually extravagant fan with leaves from several different trees. Meanwhile the Primeape wore an eyepatch made of vines and leaves with his body adorned with faded scars, his face stressed with hate.

So the ringleaders have come to greet us.

Oranguru turned to us as we exited the tent along with everyone else. Mine and Jade's team stood in front of our tent defensively, glaring at our enemies. Lou seemed especially on edge, his eyes slitted and his mandibles positioned directly at them. Oranguru, despite this, calmly turned her head back towards Amethyst, mumbling something causing her to narrow her eyes. {Like hell,} she hissed dangerously.

{She wants to create a temporary telepathic link so we can all understand each other,} Donut translated for us.

As if we trust her with our minds.

Amethyst and Gautier exchanged a momentary glance, before Amethyst turned back to Oranguru.

{I can do an auto translate thing, I'm used to working with humans. Try anything and we'll crush you,} Amethyst warned her as she focused. Oranguru did not seem perturbed as she replied calmly. Quickly the familiar psychic touch of Amethyst graced my mind.

Once finished, Isadora stepped to the forefront with Wilona. Both of them were glaring at the group, taking relaxed stances but obviously on guard. "What do you want?"

[My name is Bloom, I speak on behalf of The Heterupts as one of the negotiators,] she introduced herself gesturing towards the braced Darmanitan. [These are our commanders, Riev.] She then gestured to the Primeape who seemed to be shaking with fury, hence why Isadora and Wilona seemed to be more on guard. [And Margrave.]

Heterupt? I believe that means to destroy that which is different. Unless they speak Dutch.

He snarled at the mention of his name, causing several of our pokemon to react. Bloom simply put her fan in front of him, causing him to back off a bit.

[No need to introduce yourselves, we know who you all are. What we wish to know is how long you intend to interfere?]

Isadora crossed her arms, not a hint of fear or hesitancy in her or Wilona. "If you knew who we were, you wouldn't need to ask that. We intend on ensuring the stability and safety of the Marsh, and Sinnoh as a whole, so long as we draw breath."

Riev chuckled. [You keep pushing us and you may stop breathing soon.]

Wilona just glanced at him. [You keep trying to disturb our homeland and you will be evicted from it.]

[We are here to inform you of our predicament,] Bloom continued. [We did not come to this land to stay, but we are trying to establish our own lives. We have accepted no human aid nor do any of us collaborate with them. We quietly settled during the winter, but now is a period for growth. The Heterupts are trying to live as any other wild pokemon would, which requires violent measures at times, but the wilderness does not abide by human regulations. We as a group have discussed your actions and have found them offensive and disturbing.]

"You're calling us offensive and disturbing for fighting back!?" I questioned aghast.

Jade actually stifled a laugh at the absurdity of it all as Amethyst hovered in front of Bloom, glaring at her.

{No, you're not trying to live as any other wild pokemon would. Several among us have lived like that, and some like myself fight to keep that opportunity upheld. It's one thing to find territory and take it for yourselves, live as a group. It's another to force others out of their homes, take their land and resources and claim innocence when that comes back to bite you. If you were trying to live your lives in peace, working with everyone else in the wild, we wouldn't be here.}

[Working with everyone else? How many more must we work with, we've been integrating more members into our troop by the day. Sinnohans might I add,] Riev blustered as he raised a palm. [Or should we expect all Houndoom to be cozy with Mareep? That the Honchkrow nurture Weedle? We are all different species, but in the end we are all simians who work together. If the other species cannot find such cohesion, then they will be toppled.]

[Your circumstances are not like theirs,] Marjorie interjected. Her voice was poised and controlled, even moreso than Eva's as she stood neutrally. [You are formerly members of an elite human poaching force that traveled across the world hunting wild pokemon. Your group wasn't naturally formed. Unlike every other Kalos pokemon that has come here, you do not seem to want to fit in naturally.]

Riev sneered at her. [Spoken like a true human's pet.]

Marjorie took a pause. [...excuse me?]

[Now remind us where you are from again? Hey Bloom, maybe you two grew up on the same island cuz she sure as fuck ain't belong here either.} Riev laughed, pounding the ground, causing it to shake.

Eva's eyes bugged out as she stepped forward. "How dare you speak to her like that, you repulsive vagabond! Marjorie is no one's pet and Sinnoh is her home. I will not have you speak such indignant, disgraceful statements towards my best friend!"

Margrave seemed to take that as a challenge as he turned his attention onto Eva. She didn't back down though, although Isadora did step directly in front of her family.

[Oh how nice, you're equals,] Riev mocked her as he turned to Isadora. [This is your spawn, ain't she? I've been told you all skulk around the Marsh a bit and I can see the family resemblance. So tell me,] Riev leaned in mockingly. [How much that little berry cost ya?]

Eva looked like she was about to explode. Clarabel glared at him with true ferocity, Sylvia baring her fangs, hackles raised and standing at an angle. Marjorie was uncomfortable, but handling it.

Isadora didn't so much as bat an eye. However. If looks could kill, hers and Wilona's would've vaporized the three. She met Riev with an icy glare of her own, stepping forwards to get in his face. "A round trip plane ticket. I took Eva to Akala, so she could see more of the world. Understand that just because you're raised around given people, brought up a given way, that doesn't need to define you. There's much to be learned from all walks of life. And the two met on that trip. Because I will never support slavers." She narrowed her eyes, as if they were slits. Her voice was steady, yet she radiated fury. "And I would appreciate that if you are to demean my daughter and insinuate I would parlay with your ilk to find her dearest friend, then your leader would at the very least stop cowering in the shadows and say it to my face."

Leader?

Lou, Amethyst, Marjorie and Flax all glanced towards the same tree that Isadora and Wilona were staring at. From there I could see two vicious eyes amidst the leaves before the figure leaped from the tree, shaking the entire branch. They landed ceremoniously in front of Bloom, kicking up a cloud of dust. She simply brushed off the dust with her fan as a Primeape nearly twice the size of Margrave stood before us.

All three pokemon immediately bowed before him as he looked down at us all. His Primeape shackles were adorned with golden chains, likely stolen. Compared to Margrave he was significantly more muscular. His eyes were focused and clear, fur perfectly groomed and anger controlled.

This Primeape… this is him.

[What the rumors say are true. You are dangerous,] the Primeape spoke, their voice deep, slicked with a sense of danger I hadn't felt in a long time.

It's like if Benedetto were a pokemon.

{Heeef!} someone gasped from behind me and I turned to see Cenza stricken with terror at the arrival of this pokemon. Her reaction to the Mankey the first day paled in comparison.

Primeape leered down at her and immediately Violet picked her off her shoulders and held her in her arms protectively while Zenara stood defensively before her. Even Meliae, who had been silently observing, felt pertinent to stand up.

[So you remember me, huh Dedenne?] Primeape asked casually.

"Her name is Cenza," Violet said, looking up at the Primeape without an ounce of fear.

[Oh yes, I do remember her saying that when we met. Yes Cenza… we got along so well. Don't you remember, Cenza? We were going to find you a new family, where'd you be loved. Now why'd you have to go and run away like that, you caused me a lot of trouble,] he said simply.

{Y-you… you!} Cenza didn't even have the words, she was on the verge of a panic attack, her red cheeks sparking unusually out of control.

Violet looked down at her with concern, holding her closer to try and console her as she looked up at Primeape. "Why do you intentionally intimidate her?"

Primeape focused his attention on Violet. [Because she's the one who got away, Nyx. She was defective, but a valued score. Quite easy to catch too, just needed a bit of love. Then we lost her and well…] He turned his attention onto me. [You know how the rest of the story goes, Lux.]

At the sound of my pseudonym Margrave started to convulse with rage, rising from his bowing position and nearly leaping towards me. Lou and Donut immediately took a stand, but Margrave's assault was halted entirely by Primeape holding out his arm.

[Now now, Margrave, we're negotiating,] Primeape appeased him. Margrave ceased, but he didn't relax. Eyeing us all savagely.

Arceus…

{What the fuck's your problem?} Donut demanded, one of his few showcases of anger. {This isn't negotiating, you're just here to stir shit up and for what?}

Bloom and Riev rose up in turn. [This is our leader, the head of the Heterupts, Kakuen the Primeape,] Bloom introduced him. [He insisted we gauge you firsthand to see if you were worthy of his time.]

His name is Kakuen? After the demon monkey? This guy is a sick fucker.

[So far I can see why Isadora and Wilona are so famed across this swamp,] Kakuen explained before pointing between me and Violet. [But after speaking to you, Nyx, I had thought Lux was the dumb one. Yet you ask such foolish questions.]

The dumb one!?

{Mind your tongue or lose it, wretch!} Lou shot back, his patience already thin.

"You no longer need to perpetuate such atrocities," she said simply. She had yet to show any fear or even really hatred for them. "You are no longer beholden to wretched humans. Cenza wanted to live her life, Benedetto with his ilk would have snuffed it out. They no longer dictate your lives, you do. And yet you carry on their wishes regardless, rather than trying to heal from their desolation."

[That is-] Bloom began.

[No, she is right. That was the old me talkin',] Kakuen cut her off. [Another surprise, I hadn't expected you to be the bleeding heart of the two? Does that make Lux the cold, callous one?]

{Topaz doesn't have a mean bone in his body!} Holyn declared, turning attention to him. {He'd never talk like you, ever!}

I smiled down at him while Riev sniffed his nose at him. [So this is their new help? I expected better from you, Lux.]

How fucking dare he talk to Holyn like that!?

"I expect you all to be burning in hell after wasting your miserable lives tearing down better people," I said succinctly, us each exchanging foul looks. "I was hoping you'd be different, have an ounce of kindness within you. I should've known better considering your subordinates and how you torment others, projecting your own trauma onto us. Our bonds are based on friendship and consent, not kidnapping and oppression."

"Clearly you misunderstand the dynamic of myself and Lux with our companions," Violet spoke up again, her voice a bit firmer. "Holyn is not a pet, employee or other such human obligation. He is family. We respect one another as family does. I do not hold animosity for you personally. This does not matter, I am not the target. So I defer to those who are the target of such actions. Such as Amethyst, Cenza and Meliae."

At that, Meliae snorted in agreement before leering down at Kakuen, spreading out her leaves and blocking the sun as she zeroed in on him. {You talk like victims and innocents when you would raze the swamp if it pleased you. You decry those who stop you as if you brought kindness rather than destruction and death. As of yet, you have yet to convince me you should not reap what you sow.}

[We are willing to renegotiate our ways if it'll please the other denizens,] Bloom offered. [Although, we have to take into account that your party killed one of our own first.]

"Bull. Shit," Jade spoke up for the first time. "Renegotiate? What ground do you stand on to say that? You literally kidnapped, enslaved and sold other pokemon and you want to negotiate new terms to please the others? Even your own allies think that's nonsense."

[None of you care about that Simipour. You're wasting our time with meaningless drivel.] Flax added, his voice venomous. [Leave.]

And it was true, it was bullshit. Margrave and Riev each looked at Bloom skeptically although Kakuen looked intrigued. [Now you're a new one, but maybe Bloom has a point. I think we can negotiate something.]

{Unless it's about us kicking your teeth in, stuff it!} Zenara bleated furiously.

Isadora looked livid with the way they kept speaking, but didn't let that leech into her words any more than necessary. "I highly doubt any negotiations were had, meaning there can be no renegotiation," she asserted pointedly to Bloom before looking back at Kakuen. "As we said before, so long as you cause no problems, we have no issue with your presence. If this meeting has, somehow, sparked an idea that would allow you to live in peace, we'll hear it."

But we all know you're full of shit didn't need to be said.

{I'd argue none of them deserve peace, but I kinda wanna hear what new tale he'll spin now,} Shizu joked.

Kakuen seemed interested. [We can live in peace… in the right conditions. The majority of my troop would be satisfied with the land we've got now, but our upper echelons? Ya see they need more particular accommodations. Luxury, if ya know what I mean.]

Eva's face blanched, Marjorie was downright shocked. "This hedonistic sentient piece of filth cannot mean…"

Wilona almost snorted in amusement. Almost. She merely narrowed her eyes. {You must earn your place in the Garden and prove you will not disturb it. As of now, any newborn could tell you embody what never to do. Perhaps it is a new concept to you, but land is not merely yours for the taking. Much less sacred land.}

Kakuen sighed, although he clearly knew that'd be the answer. [Then I suppose we'll have to make do with what we've got. This all could've been resolved right now. I would've excused you for taking my monkeys and killing Simipour, but now I'd look weak to let that slide.] His body language shifted to something wicked, his true nature. [And I've never been one for weakness.]

{And yet you aggravate those who can and will destroy you,} Wilona growled, bristling in response.

I eyed their group, how they all glared at us.

They need to be the ones squirming for once.

"Are you trying to avenge Benedetto? Was your pride damaged because some children managed to overthrow your organization? Don't blame us because you're all so fucking weak," I asked, cockily. "You can be proud though. It's taken us longer to topple you than it did him, but your people are far weaker. There's no hope for you besides begging forgiveness."

{You've survived a long winter and the Sinnoh wilderness only to face once again. It seems you all have an addiction to suffering. Each of you will pay for antagonizing my comrades. Especially you, Riev, I do not see a peaceful end for you in any timeline,} Lou scoffed as he faced Margrave. {Margrave, yes? You were tasked with hunting down Cenza weren't you? Still an untamed freak, I see. I remember how you failed along with every one of your cohorts. You will again mind you, but you'll lose more than just your eye.}

Margrave growled at Lou, barely holding back a froth. Donut eyed us both, seeming to catch on to our game.

{Ooooh… I remember now. After we caught you all in the net one of the grunts said his favorite Mankey lost an eye and how he needed to be replaced. I didn't really care, but it's kind of sad how replaceable you all are once you stop working…} Donut sneered at Margrave. {Awww, was that you?}

He exploded. It was only Riev barely managing to catch and hold his arms that kept him from leaping forward and trying to turn us to paste. Frothing at the mouth, he looked back with miniscule eyes filled only with seething wrath.

[Let me FUCKING go, I need to beat them to death with their own skulls!] He looked back at me, Donut and Lou. Snorting and screeching in a vehement frenzy. [Everything was FINE, we were unstoppable, and then these FUCKS come in and RUIN IT! We had it ALL and now we're scrounging for SCRAPS! This is supposed to be for the ones we sell, not US! Some shitty ass KIDS even! Not a League or Rangers, kids and their PETS! I'M GOING TO SLAUGHTER ALL OF YOU!] Beyond that, everything he said devolved into unhinged, feral howling.

So this is a pokemon succumbing to the depths of their animalistic nature.

Donut folded his arms, tilting his head with a mocking expression. {Oh did I hit a nerve? Come any closer and I'll hit all of them.}

I frowned as I turned towards Kakuen.

"You're an unhinged monster just as shitty as Benedetto and Pangoro. You only brought Margrave to remind him of how much he wanted to kill us. You all clearly hold extreme vitriol against me, Violet and everyone that stopped you. And because our existence undermines your authority, you want us all dead or debased. This is a power play to establish dominance by eliminating the people that inspired hope into the Kalos pokemon, and who have spread that hope wherever they go."

I pointed at him, my determination firm as his eyes narrowed in hate.

"An adequate plan, if you were actually capable of pulling it off. You may think you're strong and smart, but my team is stronger and much smarter. You and your ambitions will be burned in the light and yes in this case, I will be the cold and callous one if it means peace."

Amethyst floated over, getting right in Kakuen's face.

Even though her rage made the air around her thrum with power, she was smirking. {Y'know, for a bunch of puppets cut from their strings and looking to avenge the puppeteer, you're awfully good at ignoring who cut them. Benjy's only alive because Lux convinced me it'd be more fitting if he lives in misery for the rest of his pitiful, pathetic life. Maybe you were hot shit in Kalos. Heck, Benjy and Pangoro too. And look where that got 'em.} She leaned in further, a sneering grin across her face. {This is Sinnoh, our home turf. And here? We've already seen that you ain't shit. You're just the leftovers from when we tore your sick gig apart. And I'm thrilled to play the cleanup crew.}

Kakuen couldn't hide his anger as he clenched his fists. It was physiologically impossible. Instead, he just glared at us as he stepped back to join his group.

[I know your faces and I know your names. We will not stop until you're all dead. So far, I've been willing to let it go, but I will not lose what I have gained.] He pointed at all of us. [Watch your step, I've got a lot of dangerous fucks on command and they've been dying for a crack at you.]

{Bring every last one,} Lou dared him, his body now pulsing with fury. {Do not bring a fraction, do not bring the minimum, do not hold back. I want you all to know hopelessness in your final moments and ensure not a single trace of you remains.}

Kakuen looked him up and down as he jumped back into the trees, Riev carrying Margrave with him. Bloom prepared to go when Cenza called out to her.

{Why!? Why are you still doing this!?} she weeped.

Bloom glanced at her, sighing before following the others, leaving Cenza's question unanswered and her crying for a reason. The rest of us were simultaneously impassioned and drained.

Amethyst watched them go, growling before rubbing her eyes. {That sucked. Who else wants to nap and snap their spines at once?}

Isadora breathed a heavy sigh before looking at us all. "We should get ready for the day and be on our guard. Whatever comes next, we can assume they've tried to account for us in their planning."

With that we silently began our morning routine, thinking about what will come next.

---

~x2x~

PoV: Topaz Heart

Location: Augurite Road - Great Marsh

Time: March - Day 3 - Morning

After that unwelcome wakeup, we readied ourselves and continued on our way.

Cenza was still unnerved by the whole event, but we managed to calm her down. For now Violet, kept her close to her chest as she rested at the back of the group with Meliae and Rheneas with her. Jade and his team were in front of them, Isadora and Eva led in the front and my team was right behind.

The road we were on now was filled with black boulders and intermixed with the wild fauna. I couldn't help but inspect them until I saw one with a glittering ore on the surface.

My mineral senses are tingling.

"Donut, can you cut out this chunk right here?" I pointed to how much I wanted as his tail turned silver and he sliced cleanly through it. I picked up the shard noting the black smooth, glassy surface and sharp edges. "So this is why they call it Augurite Road. Thanks, I can't wait to put it in our room."

"What's up, Topaz?" Isadora inquired from up front.

I pocketed the shard as I ran up to her. "Rock collecting, but I also think I'm beginning to understand our opponent's strategy."

Isadora turned back to me. "What's your assessment, then?"

"Now that we've met them and know their personalities, I can compare that to their past actions and try to make sense of them," I explained. "Last year the grunt pokemon escaped the grunts and Kakuen became their leader. They've begun amassing their own territory and have begun overstepping to an intolerable degree."

I gestured to Meliae. "I believe meddling with the Tropius was them pushing their boundaries. I doubt they intended for a full frontal attack, especially when we first encountered them."

{They seem pretty eager to,} Shizu noted.

I shook my head. "If they wanted to take over the Tropius' land they wouldn't send such a motley crew. The fruit trees on Tropius' land are too enticing for simian pokemon to ignore, but Tropius are way too much work to defeat. Unless something changed, I'd assume that's where Kakuen would cease spreading his territory."

Isadora hummed slightly. "I agree with you for the most part, but I do think they intended to take over the grove. Just not at that moment. That was more a scouting party, and they were to get away with whatever they could. They're too confident in their own power to think they'd lose that bout."

"From what I know, Tropius invest a lot of energy into their kin and protecting them constantly would stress them out. If Furious George kept building his forces in that time, he'd wait them out before attacking," Jade suggested.

Amethyst sputtered. {Furious George?}

"They needed to be humbled after tryna sell us all those high and mighty names," Jade scoffed. Amethyst howled in laughter, clearly loving the new name.

{Or attack intermittently from various angles,} Meliae noted. The interaction from earlier had more than earned me her trust. {The herd keeps a closer eye on our young earlier in the year, but keeping up that vigil for moons against concentrated efforts would be exhausting. That's part of why I was so eager to find them and destroy the threat they pose, before they become more of a problem than they already are.}

I nodded. "Exactly. I'd underestimated the scale of their forces at the time, but now I'm assuming the worst. If they want something they'll try and take it, even if it takes months."

Isadora crossed her arms. "They did tip their hand more than they intended, though. It's clear that while they might be smarter than the last time you saw them, their tactics and stratagems are still very basic."

"He has a couple capable pawns that can lead forces and subjugate peaceful, more passive pokemon at least," Jade noted.

"Continuing on that Jade, the attack at Clearpool Pond," I added. "That was a showcase of Heterupts' lesser forces attacking with the intent to capture. Driving all the denizens out of their way and freezing any who oppose. Mankey raving on land overwhelming pokemon with their unusual fury. It's scary and alarming, most anyone would be too perturbed to return."

{So he attacked the pond because it was easy?} Holyn asked.

{Kakuen gauged that as a location they could reasonably take and keep consistently, unlike the groves. A convenient watering hole for their seemingly endless forces that is likely close to their main base,} Lou explained. {Our first encounter could've been a fluke, but the second? The names Lux and Nyx have begun to spread and Kakuen has already reacted. He met us to check how much force he must apply to squash us.}

"Lou's right. He's an unrelenting bastard, but he's not sitting on his hands here," I mumbled. "If he plans on claiming more territory, I suspect he's going to be sending his best."

Isadora slowed before stopping, turning to look at us with a grave expression. "About that. Determining who gets what treatment, that is. I want to make something clear, before we enter into further combat. So listen close."

She waited to make sure we were all paying attention before continuing.

"The usual procedure for expeditions of this nature would be to avoid as much death as possible. But, to be frank, that's not my call to make here. The League listens to myself and the others who escaped Helheim as to how to deal with Galactic. I may be experienced with groups of this nature, but this group in particular never hurt me or my family directly."

"They seem adamant on trying," Eva huffed to herself.

She looked at Meliae, Amethyst and Cenza. "That's not the case for you. I'll ask that you avoid killing anyone where you can, but that's just it. I'm asking that, not ordering that. If you come across someone you think would be better dead than alive. I'll trust you with that."

She then looked at myself, Donut, Lou, Holyn, Violet and Zenara. "Meanwhile, you six clearly have rapport with the Kalosian Pokemon. More than the rest of us do. So while I'll still be the one leading you all, if something pertaining to the group comes up you believe you know better than I do? Don't hesitate to inform me. Am I clear?"

We all verbally affirmed her. After that discussion we were all more on the same page on how to proceed from now on: cautiously.

Before we could continue, Gautier's body began to blink. {Several pokemon are approaching us.}

"Hostiles?" Jade questioned.

Gautier blinked again, considering the entities more closely. {I detect stress and caution, but no hostility. Amethyst can fact check me.}

She nodded, looking at us. {Definitely not part of the Heterupts. Not enough bitch.}

"So more wilds?" Jade hummed.

Is there already another problem?

The leaves rustled, a couple frightened Aipom holding Goomy swinging with their tails towards us. Above them flew a Noctowl, scanning the area behind them. Behind them followed Seedot, Smeargle, Yanma and Buizel. When one of the Goomy caught sight of us though, they started squeaking, causing the group to stop and look at us. Lou buzzed at the Noctowl though.

[Lou, please fly to the back, we'll handle this,] I ordered him telepathically and he silently obeyed.

The Noctowl flew down, landing in front of the Aipom protectively. They hooted something, Amethyst nodding. {That's us, Lux, Nyx and friends. What's up?}

They're asking for us?

{We should loop in everyone,} Gautier suggested.

Amethyst nodded, but she couldn't help but chuckle slightly. {You get this fancy new thing that means I don't need to keep the group chat up all the time, and then I just end up doing it anyway. Alright, one sec.}

Rogelio should really work on that.

The familiar touch of her mind against mine reached me before the Aipom in front began speaking. [Can you hear me?]

"Loud and clear," I said as myself, Donut and Holyn stepped forward. Violet and her team stood beside us as well. "I'm Lux, need help?"

[We heard about what you did at Clearpool Pond and that you're working with Meliae. Also how you're the only humans the Kalosians trust,] Aipom surveyed us all. [Are you all really here to stop the Heterupts?]

{That's the goal,} Donut confirmed.

[How much do you know about them?] Noctowl hooted.

"They're former poacher pokemon from other regions that escaped after Benedetto's group was dismantled. They're led by Kakuen the Primeape with Bloom, Riev and Margrave as direct subordinates. They also seem hellbent on taking as much territory they can hold while making everyone's lives worse," I listed. "They introduced themselves this morning and gave us their evil spiel."

[Then you know what we expected. My friends saw the fiends leap through the trees outside of their usual domain and suspected they intended to confront you all,] Noctowl hummed. [But we came to warn you of the strongest commander, far stronger than Kakuen.]

{So he's the boss without being the strongest? Well at least we know the Heterupts aren't a meritocracy,} Donut huffed.

Aipom nodded, holding Goomy close. [She calls herself Ursula the Slaking.]

"Slaking? That's… hmmm," I grimaced. That was more firepower than I expected Kakuen to have at whim.

[You know of their kind?] Noctowl asked.

"Slaking aren't simians, are they?" Jade pondered. "I guess they do have ape traits…"

{And they were going on about being smarter,} Amethyst snickered as she shook her head.

{This Ursula? She's incredibly powerful, demolishing anyone who challenges her, but only in short bursts right?} Donut asked. {Our mentors warned us about pokemon like that.}

[Yes. She came to our shared territory over a moon ago with several Vigoroth and something,] Aipom grimaced. [She appeared to be with children and Elder Vyland, a Snorlax, was willing to accommodate her, but she didn't trust him. Ursula and her goons forced him out and everyone else she didn't like in one day and none of us could stop her. The Elder is still sleeping in an attempt to recover from the injuries, but he's too old to fend her off.] Aipom turned sullen at the memory along with their pokemon peers.

Amethyst slammed one of her paws into the other. {Sounds like a job for us. Just point us in the right direction and we'll run her outta there.}

Noctowl pointed northeast, a bit off the most obvious path. [Ursula typically resides in a cave, but she's been seen near the high trees with her offspring. Only her most trusted are allowed in the vicinity and any who dares come close, even by accident, is attacked. Follow the sound of the waterfall and you'll find it. If you see any bamboo, you're in the right spot.]

[She's made us Aipom serve her, so please don't hurt them,] Aipom insisted.

"Got it. Slaking typically stop living in trees due to their immense size upon evolution, but their offspring have to, so they will stay close by for a time," I noted based on my memories of the dex.

Zenara grinned, wool sparking. {If they want a fight, I'm ready for one!}

Goomy looked at her with hope. [Please make them go away, I liked that place a lot. I don't wanna go away because of them again…]

I leaned down to be closer to Goomy. "This is the last time they take your home away from you. We'll dethrone Ursula and bring peace back to Lax Falls."

{Yeah, we're here to take out all the baddies and that's exactly what we're gonna do,} Holyn promised.

All the wild pokemon seemed pleased by our resolve whispering amongst themselves. Noctowl turned to us a bit more assuredly. [We send you towards a dangerous foe and yet you readily accept the challenge. I'm ashamed, but even I have grown too dependent on the Elder's protection. Please, all of you. If she is too much, retreat.]

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Violet spoke kindly. "You should not need to anticipate the remnants of human desolation coming to take your homes. Before the day is done, you will have your lands returned to you."

[Then please accept this,] Aipom gestured with his tail, ushering Lotad over whose brim was filled with berries. [We gathered what we thought you might need for the fight. Please take it.]

Holyn shook his head. {No no, it's okay, Lux and Nyx have everything they need in their backpacks! Save those for yourselves, okay?}

"We do not go empty handed, I assure you," Violet said as she picked a small ball off her belt and held it out to them. It was smaller than a Pokeball, and looked to be made of threads. "When I throw this, it releases a large cloud of smoke. I have these and other such items I have created for situations such as this. Please, do not utilize your resources on us. Save them for yourselves, you need them."

Aipom and Lotad seemed unsure until they gazed into Violet's eyes. She wanted to make sure they absolutely knew they wouldn't have to give up anything else to get their home back. And they conceded, with Lotad stepping back.

[For now, we'll leave you all to strategize. We'll be watching from afar in case anything happens once the battle starts,] Aipom informed us.

[Call on us at any time,] Noctowl insisted.

Donut frowned. {Only as a last resort.}

With that the wild pokemon headed northeast to our next expected destination. Giving us some time to think. Lou skulked back to my side, much calmer now that Noctowl was out of sight.

{You're not stopping me from dealing with Ursula myself,} Meliae spoke up first. {You may help, but I intend on ousting her myself.}

{Makes sense, you're the best here at tanking,} Amethyst agreed. Clarabel looked a bit disappointed, but did not object.

{I'm not strong, but I want to stay with Meliae. If it gets too dangerous, I'll bounce out,} Rheneas insisted.

Isadora nodded. "So then Meliae, Rheneas, myself and Wilona will be the ones handling Ursula primarily. I doubt the rest of you won't have to deal with her at all, but you are not to make yourselves the main targets. They spend all that time resting so they can exhibit genuinely amazing feats in short bursts. And we can't afford to simply outlast them."

Eva held her hands as she turned to her mother in concern. "Are Slaking truly so dangerous, Mom?"

She grimaced, looking at her. "Unfortunately, I speak from experience. Alone they're manageable from range. With support… that's different."

That statement seemed to worsen Eva's fears as she picked up Marjorie to hold. Sylvia leaned against her mother for support. Even Jade looked rather pessimistic about the coming events as Flax perched himself on his shoulder.

Isadora seemed to catch the uneasiness quickly.

"And because I have that experience alongside Wilona," Isadora continued, "We know how to handle them better than most. We weren't as strong then, and they're likely not as strong as the one we faced. Better backed up, certainly, but I've no doubt I can count on you all."

{We haven't even seen her yet and she scares me,} Holyn muttered, his anxiety creeping up again.

Amethyst floated down, rubbing his head gently. {We'll be okay. This isn't us freaking out. It's more about us having to actually plan a little and try, instead of charging in crazily. Take me, for instance. I'm not about to win fistfights with Slaking anytime soon, but I don't need to. They're not nearly as strong if you're out of arm's reach, and I can fly and throw shit at them from afar. We just need someone who can handle them up close so I'm not flying around the whole time.} She grinned up at Meliae. {And it just so happens Meliae is here and ready to whup ass.}

I rubbed my chin. "I suspect their strategy will likely be Ursula coming in for the big blows and her subordinates supporting her when she's truant. Course, that's only the most obvious strategy. I doubt she'll be that predictable."

"Then we'll have to outplay her," Eva confirmed, a little less afraid as we began discussing more in-depth measures on how to liberate Lax Falls.

---

~x3x~

PoV: Topaz Heart

Location: Lax Falls - Great Marsh

Time: March - Day 3 - Afternoon

Once we devised a plan, we made our way towards Lax Falls. According to Rheneas, it was a pleasant location where weaker pokemon resided. A small territory with few denizens, but for generations it's been guarded by Snorlax and in exchange pokemon find them delicious food. The current elder had been protecting the territory for a long time, their successor traveling with a trainer to become stronger.

It was lush land with tall trees, nestled amongst the mountains with several caves excavated by Dugtrio for the Snorlax to sleep in. The base of the waterfall was where most of the pokemon drank their water and it's there that Ursula had made herself comfortable.

In some of the trees closest to her were some baby Slakoth sleeping, while a few Oranguru sat by her side. Next to them were a couple Aipom with large leaves, fanning Ursula while glancing around nervously. Like the other commanders she had her own unique flair wearing a leafy poncho around her neck.

Clearly, the Aipom would rather be anywhere but there. Another similarly spooked Aipom came up with some berries, filling the stone bowl Ursula was eating out of.

She already sickens me, treating them like her slaves. Looks like there's no pans or simis here. Her group seems a bit more meticulous.

All around the center area, several Primeape and Vigoroth stood guard, glancing over and huffing at any stray rustling of the bushes. A few Passimian as well kept lookout in small groups, but they seemed unconcerned. I noted how the Passimian all wore brown leaves, indicating their allegiance to Ursula.

I bet they're all thinking they got the easiest job.

As we surveyed the area, a couple Vigoroth turned with claws bared to a rustling of leaves. They just grunted and relaxed again though when a Passimian with an armful of berries walked out of the forest, walking through the camp with them. It was hard to tell from how far away we were, but they didn't seem nearly as content or aggressive as the others. Nor did they seem to have brown leaves. Or any on them at all, for that matter.

They then walked up to the three Aipom, dropping off the berries and giving all of them a rub on the head before leaping off. Before they vanished into the forest again, though, I noticed them glance back at the three.

Well at least there's some compassion for the pokemon's lives they've ruined. Regardless, we're taking them all down.

Once they were gone, all was quiet once more for a time. That was the cue.

Another Vigoroth looked at some rustling bushes, seeing the end of Zenara's tail moving among them. They barked something, her tail standing on end and the bulb shooting a small jolt at the Vigoroth. Nothing that'd be a real attack, just something to annoy them as she ran off.

It worked like a charm as their eyes bugged out and they began immediately chasing after her. A couple Vigoroth looked over, but just grumbled and went back to guarding.

About half a minute later, a Primeape noticed Holyn rustling through the underbrush and gave chase without needing to be prodded. The same continued with Marjorie and Flax, just a single guard at a time following them. The Passimian above still seemed relaxed, just hanging off of a particularly high branch lazily.

It wasn't until the sixth guard left, chasing Zenara again, that one of them narrowed their eyes a little. They chittered something to the other Passimian before grumbling, swinging down and surveying the surrounding forest a little more closely. Ursula took notice, but she just snorted and rolled over.

The next time Flax came out, they grabbed a pinecone and hucked it with near perfect accuracy. Fortunately, he was small and didn't need to do much beyond duck to the side and run off as another Primeape ran after him. The Passimian groaned and accompanied them after Flax.

The other Passimian didn't seem all that concerned until it'd been several minutes and none of the ones that'd left had come back.

They leaned over, putting a hand to their mouth to likely call something. The roar of a Persian that made them hesitate for a split second.

It's go time.

I saw the familiar ripple of psychic energy as several small spheres, some made of thread and others made from metal, rolled from the forest into the center of the clearing. That drew all the Heterupts' attention, one of the Vigoroth walking up to nudge one.

Then they all erupted into smoke, blinding light and a cacophony of piercing whines. Violet ran out with Amethyst and Zenara right beside her while all the guards were screeching, holding their heads and trying to clear them. Right with them emerged Jade wearing his cloak accompanied by Flax, Shizu and Gautier running beside him.

Isadora and Wilona dropped down from a tree, right in front of Ursula and the Pokemon around her. Wilona growled something, gesturing with her tail. The Aipom didn't need to be told twice as all three bolted behind her.

One of the Primeape a bit further away from the blast went to intercept, Wilona sending out a spray of glowing stars that surged through the air towards them and forcing them away. By the time they went to continue their pursuit, the ground shook as they were now staring down a very angry Meliae, Rheneas sending down a hail of psychic pellets down at them.

I glanced at Eva and Sylvia who were hiding in another tree close by as we each jumped into the fray, Donut and Lou right with me as they each shocked a pair of unsuspecting Vigoroth from their branch. Sylvia similarly clawed a Passimian out of her way, shredding their fur. Clarabel charged forward from the bushes a nervous wreck, but successfully trampled a pair of stunned Vigoroth.

I glanced towards Ursula, in the center of all the chaos, except she still hadn't even bothered to get off her ass yet. At most she looked pissed that her bowl of berries had been spilled out of reach. It wasn't until she saw the Slakoth in the trees looking concerned that she sighed, rolling back over and propping her head up with a fist. [Can't you all just jump off a cliff, save me the trouble? I have shit to do today. Like not doing anything, or not fighting a bunch of upstarts.]

Amethyst and Gautier currently worked together to uphold the auto telepathic field.

Wilona just glared at her, Meliae walking up behind her and Isadora. {And I'd prefer to not have to run some foul monsters out of the Marsh, but here we are.}

Ursula snorted in disgust before pushing herself up, standing on all fours finally. [Fine. Your funeral.]

She acts exactly how I expected.

With that she charged forwards frighteningly fast, yet Isadora and Wilona both dodged to the side with room to spare as Meliae raised a foot and stamped down on her. She caught it, somehow bringing her stomp to a full stop before actually pushing her back slightly with a retaliatory push. Rheneas held onto Meliae's head for dear life, throwing psychic pellets at Ursula's face.

Wilona fired a Hyper Beam right into the back of her head, which only pushed her off balance. It took Isadora charging headlong into her legs to actually make her lose her footing.

She's been trained. This isn't raw power she's throwing around, she's been through some fights.

She caught herself, one of her arms shooting out towards Isadora. Miraculously, she managed to skirt out of the way as Meliae sent a hail of glowing seeds the size of boulders down at Ursula.

And just like boulders, she slammed her fists into them and sent them either careening off or splitting apart on the spot. Her fists burst into flame as she leapt up at Meliae, who met her head on with a roaring headbutt cloaked in draconic energy.

Two titans fighting, wow. Hope Meliae crushes her face.

The two struggled for a moment before Wilona leapt up, slashing at her with claws wreathed in light. I could see them actually get past Ursula's fur, drawing blood from a few cuts across her back. Meliae used the momentary wince to pivot, slamming Ursula into the ground and leaving a crater beneath her tail.

Okay they're overwhelming her even like this. Soon she'll have to go on cooldown and they can really nail her.

As Ursula began picking herself up, shaking her head and moving slower than she had before, one of the Oranguru by her waved their fan, eyes glowing with psychic energy. Ursula's eyes snapped open with the same energy, fists bursting into flames again as she rushed Meliae. Neither she, Isadora nor Wilona seemed surprised by this as Meliae let loose a crackling beam of draconic energy, Wilona and Isadora coming from opposite angles of Ursula to continue their assault.

Oranguru began waving their fan again to use another psychic move only to be ripped out of their perch by Shizu's flaming maw. The Oranguru attempted to beat her off with their fan, as she switched from fire to darkness. She blasted the poor ape point blank before dropping them unceremoniously.

Jade and Flax walked beside her, observing her takedown as they turned to see three Vigoroth leap towards Ursula. Jade calmly removed a water balloon from his bag, lobbing it into their general direction whilst Flax shot it out of the sky once it was as close as possible to all three. The contents burst throughout the air, each of the wild monkeys inhaling the contents before gagging as they fell out of the trees, rubbing their heads into the ground in delirium.

Gautier psychically forced them to the ground as he shot a web over them all, pinning them and Oranguru before they began surveying for more of Ursula's guard. Flax pointed upwards at another Oranguru who seemed to be setting up a Reflect around Ursuala's body.

He raised his hands to fire a Pin Missile, but he didn't need to as the Reflect suddenly shattered. They looked surprised, then looked at Amethyst who shot a blast of lightning right in their face as Zenara charged into their stomach. Flax then changed his target to the Oranguru perched above their head, knocking them clean out of the tree.

Even so, there were still plenty of monkeys that needed to be dealt with as both groups continued to take down Ursula's supporters.

Which left Eva and my team to take out everyone else.

Whilst they were moving, I used my grappling hook to swing from trees, gathering a large gaggle of Vigoroth swinging right behind me. Once I felt I had gotten a comfortable amount behind me, I perched myself onto a branch and tossed a flashbang right behind me, another gift from Vika. The Vigoroth's senses went haywire as several of them fell from the trees whilst I swung even further away from them.

Before they could regain their bearings on the ground, Donut jumped into the middle from the group. He began darting to each one with an orange fist, slamming their joints before they could react. Once he had gotten each one at least once, he jumped out of the fray allowing Holyn to freeze them all in an extra charged Ice Beam.

As we were working on that, Eva and her team handled business.

I'd yet to see Eva fight, but despite her previous fear she seemed to have no qualms maneuvering around Primeape with elegance and grace. Her opponent punched towards her wildly, allowing her to guide the punch downwards as she tripped him up and slammed him into the dirt.

She inhaled deeply, taking a step back and palmstriking the back of their head with all her might, embedding their head deeper into the ground. She gazed down at her opponent as I could swear a blue sparkle seemed to dissipate from her body.

She's absolutely got technique, but that power… there was more to it. Her pendant sparkled too, so there is a connection.

Marjorie meanwhile treated battle like a dance as she elegantly held off three Passimian who kept passing each other their coconuts in an attempt to strike her. When a coconut passed by Marjorie she kicked it away, forcing one of them to leave formation to catch it which is when she tripped them with a Grass Knot. Clarabel jumped into the fray, crushing the Passimian before they could get up.

The other two prepared to toss again only for Sylvia to blow a Blizzard up their backs, freezing them each so Marjorie could roundhouse kick them both.

Alright, everyone is moving along well as is. What's Lou up to?

I looked up in the sky to see monkeys fleeing in terror amongst the trees as Lou flew behind them, chomping his mandibles with absolute abandon. Every monkey he passed was slashed by the air itself as he cut through them all with precise Acrobatics as they were sent careening to the ground below in agony.

Alright, all is going well.

Looking back over at the fight with Ursula, most Oranguru were down for the count. Some Vigoroth were trying to get berries to her, but the various stones and psychic blasts from Amethyst and Rheneas were making that difficult. Isadora and Wilona seemed a bit winded, but nothing they couldn't manage. Meliae continued to barrage Ursula with volleys of Seed Bomb and blasts of Dragon Pulse.

Ursula herself didn't look like she was about to go down, but she was getting slower, her breaks between attacks longer without Pokemon to support her and minimize the effects of Truant.

Nonetheless, she continued to meet Meliae's attacks with haymaker after haymaker. Only barely being too slow to catch Isadora and Wilona as they pestered her. I saw the telltale sparks of paralysis flickering across her fur as well.

Meliae was clearly scuffed, dents in her armor especially around her legs and some burn marks here and there, but they were large for a more typically sized Pokemon. For her, they looked more like scratches that were the cause of more annoyance than pain. She was more tired than Isadora and Wilona were, but she was having no trouble outlasting the fight compared to Ursula.

Not too bad, but it's still taking a while. We'll have to finish up the goons and join the fight.

As I prepared to focus on a new fight, a fire erupted into the sky from the cliffs above the battle followed by raved howling. The battle halted as I looked up to see a Darmanitan with Darumaka, Simisear and Pansear right behind them.

Riev? No, he doesn't have bangles. This one is new.

The Darmanitan leered down until his focus fell on Ursula. [You know I couldn't believe it myself when I heard you were under attack, but what amazes me more is the fact that you're losing!] The Darmanitan roared, his cohorts behind them snickering. [You hoarding all these elite fighters made them soft, just like my brother said would happen.]

Ursula glared, hurling off another of Meliae's stomps. [As if you wouldn't already be crushed. I can handle this, fuck off.]

Excellent camaraderie.

[I didn't come all the way here to gawk!]

[Could've fooled me,] Ursula grumbled as she slammed into Meliae with Facade, pushing her back slightly and earning a grunt before holding up a hand and diverging a retaliatory Solar Beam with a Fire Punch. [Shut yer yap, Caellach!]

The Darmanitan Caellach ignored her as he eyed her flaming hands as well as her opponents. He whispered something to his fellow Darmanitan and Darumaka which began passing something on as they fled to the trees. The Simisear and Pansear remained with Caellach.

His expression darkened. [I've assessed the situation and you cannot handle this, but worry not I'll help you. As long as Kakuen knows that I was the one who took down Lux and Nyx!]

[You're not taking anyone down, ya big poser!] Sylvia taunted, ears tilted back.

"The only ones going down are you and your insufferable brother! Now come and fight us already!" Eva shouted.

[With pleasure,] Caellach grinned madly as he and the monkeys leaped from the cliffs and into the battle as one group.

{Topaz!} Donut called as he ran over to me, having defeated more enemies. {Those reinforcements-}

"Yeah I know, they're gonna surround us and attack from all sides, but we handle them as we would the others. Any allies that get burned can come to us trainers," I assured him.

They don't seem much tougher than what we're currently dealing with. Just have to stay vigilant and-

I smelled smoke. That wasn't abnormal, Shizu had been using fire the entire fight. Except, it never lingered because she set nothing on fire. No, I was beginning to smell wood burning and the consistent crackle of fire.

Ursula glared over at Caellach, snarling. [Are you insane?! What use is territory if it's a charcoal husk?!]

[What use is territory if you can't keep it? If you'd bothered to listen to Kakuen, you'd know these wretches plan to take everything we've gained. They must die by any means necessary,] he reminded her. [We'll douse it afterwards and make the Lotad clean up the mess right after our enemies burn. Besides, fire is no concern for you.]

[Just because I can get out doesn't mean the troop can!] She roared. [You would sacrifice your own for a feeble, desperate gambit?!]

Caellach snarled back, pounding his chest. [You'd sacrifice my own if it saved yours! My own are fire types, they'll manage. If you want it to stop, get your lackeys together and start fighting like you fucking mean it, you lazy excuse for a commander!]

And here I was hoping he wasn't as shit as his brother.

As they argued a fireball started careening through the sky, igniting a bush Jade's group was nearby. Jade shielded Flax and Gautier from the flames as Shizu ran over, her horns glowing as she sucked in the flames before they did any significant damage.

"They're trying to set us on fire and they won't shut up. How grand," Jade spat.

{They're extremists. Most of fire can't live in charred wasteland. Our prey need somewhere to live,} Shizu admonished them. {If this gets too out of control, ash will contaminate the water and burn down the fauna. I'll drain what I can, just stay close.}

[There are other issues,] Flax neutrally stated as Darumaka and Vigoroth began emerging from the bushes.

Jade grimaced as he held up a balloon. "Then we deal with our enemies and the fire. Move out!" As he tossed the balloon into the crowd, splashing several of them whilst Flax went on the offensive. He launched a petal storm towards the Darumaka as Gautier reinforced it with psychic energy. They had more trouble dealing with fire types than normal and fighting, but they were trying.

Ursula scowled, looking up at a specific tree. Flames were grasping at the branches, and I could see the Slakoth from before looking down in terror as the flames came closer.

Eva grimaced up above. "Those Slakoth aren't even a month old, excessive smoke inhalation and the flames would be deadly. We must save them!"

Even if their mom's a bitch, they don't deserve this.

"You're right, hold on," I assured her as she held onto me. I aimed high until I found a suitable branch to fire my grappling hook onto. I shot, and it latched on, pulling us up effortlessly. Once we were in the trees we each hopped onto one of the thicker branches.

We rushed over to them, hopping from branch to branch until we finally made it to the Slakoth. They were tiny and tried shimmying away from us, but since they're sloths they barely moved.

I knelt down as I tried to evoke a friendly presence. Babies were innocent, they still had a chance to be good. Their mother deserves punishment, not them. "We're friends and we're gonna keep you safe. Don't be scared."

Whether or not they completely understood my words I was unsure, but they understood our intent as they seemed to calm down. Eva picked up two, while I picked up one, all of them automatically clinging to our backs.

I turned to Eva. "I'll drop them off and then get you three."

"No need," Eva assured me as she pulled out a small glider with miniature rockets attached to it. "Let's recoup with the others."

I nodded as we made our descent with each of our respective tools. It seemed Eva's glider had a control module on the handle, allowing her to easily steer where she needed to go.

From my vantage point I noted Violet and Amethyst had begun running around, each equipped with high powered fire extinguishers while Zenara handled the majority of the pokemon that tried to stop them. I could also see Ursula watching Eva and myself like a hawk, whilst fending off the others.

Meliae please hold her back.

As soon as we landed close to Donut and the others, a horde of Vigoroth and Passimian ran straight for us, likely to retake the children.

Fuck, need to buy some time.

"Holyn, Clarabel, make a wall!" I pleaded.

Holyn and Clarabel stomped into the ground forming a Stone Edge wall nailing a few in the gut, but the rest just climbed over or punched through it. Donut and Sylvia struck those who did with Thunderbolt and Disarming Voice.

Ursula overtook the rest of them, swiping aside the wall as if it was made of cardboard. She glared down at me and Eva, but didn't attack. Instead she bared her fangs. [Give. Them. Now.]

Fuck.

All of our pokemon ran to defend us as we held the children. Clarabel's body was clearly shaking in fear, but even she did not stand down. Meanwhile, Holyn's red eyes glowed with a ferociousness I'd never seen from him.

"Alright, no one move. We'll hand over the babies peacefully; we just wanted to save them from the fire," I explained. We didn't want to instigate a fight unprepared, and Isadora had told us to not make ourselves the main targets.

I immediately put my Slakoth down as Eva struggled to get hers to stop clinging to her shirt. It seemed they liked her too much. Ursula was rapidly losing patience. I surveyed everyone around us as fast as I began gently trying to pull the Slakoth off her.

Majorie, Sylvia and Holyn can't hold her back. Clarabel could tank, but I don't want to put her in that position. Donut with his Light Ball could absolutely hurt her… but I don't think he can stop her from inflicting damage, unless…

I noted how heavily Ursula was breathing, her stiff movements as she glared down on us, considering how much faster this'd be if she just attacked us and took them. Except she couldn't. She had to recharge.

Thank fuck!

I eyed Wilona stalking her from behind, the eyes of a predator ready to do anything for her child. The sloth queen had gotten far too close to her children and she intended to make her regret it.

She's not in position yet. Just need a few more seconds to maximize our chances of survival.

I managed to pull one Slakoth off Eva as I laid them next to their sibling before helping her with the oddly clingy one. For such a lazy creature, they sure had a grip and I absolutely wasn't going to be the one to make them cry for pulling too hard.

Finding the strength to move again, Ursula reached for the two children on the ground. Our time was running out.

Donut seemed to catch on as he took a step in front of his pokemon peers, in case she aimed for him at least he could dodge and buy any time. That is until Wilona finally moved in, leaping from Ursula's periphery, claws glowing a bright white. She slashed across Ursula's face, roaring fervently the whole process.

{Leave my children alone!} Wilona howled.

Blood splattered onto the ground as Ursula reeled back in agony, holding onto her face. Meliae came flying in, crashing onto her back, crushing her beneath her as she and Rheneas each charged up attacks, aiming directly at her nape. Wilona whirled around, pouncing again as she made her claws and teeth sunk deep this time.

Isadora suddenly jumped in next to us, pointing anywhere but here.

"Run!" She shouted as she turned back to a rising Ursula.

Before I could even say anything, I turned to Eva to find a Passimian tactfully prying the last Slakoth from Eva's back before scooping up the other two. She was too stunned to even speak, so I grabbed her arm and ran with our teams right behind us.

I made sure to turn around to note that Ursula's attention had calmed, as Passimian passed the children off to another Vigoroth. Although, the gashes across her face were absolutely gonna scar.

Good.

We all breathed a sigh of relief.

{Mom saved us like I knew she would,} Sylvia cheered as she rubbed up against Clarabel. {You were so brave, Clara, I'm so proud!}

{Even though you're super shy, you stood up for your friends. That's what matters most,} Holyn added, his demeanor back to normal.

"Holyn, Clarabel, your quick reactions may very well have saved us. Great work on the wall," I praised them.

Clarabel looked absolutely drained, but pleased by the compliments. {It was terrifying, but I wanted to keep you all safe.}

"I'm sorry, my hands were shaking, I should've been able to remove them faster," Eva apologized. "Thank you all for covering my faults."

{We share the same faults, I was equally terrified,} Marjorie admitted.

I gripped Eva's shoulder to console us both. "It's all good, they just wouldn't let go. You should thank the others for pinning Ursula down. As soon as I saw them I knew they wouldn't let anyone hurt us."

{Just because she didn't crush us, doesn't mean someone else won't. Let's keep moving before Smokey burns us all to hell,} Donut ushered us. We nodded as we went back on the move.

Holyn and Sylvia worked together using Ice Beam and Blizzard to douse the flames so the rest of us defended them from harm.

Thank Arceus Lyle sold us that Ice Beam TM.

Violet ran over, countering the blasts of fire with a blast from her fire extinguisher. It had an entire backpack section on it, leading into a hose with a configurable nozzle. Whatever was coming out wasn't water, instead a highly pressurized gas that tore away the flames like blowing out a candle. What parts of the blast washed over the opposing Pokemon seemed to take the breath from their lungs, leaving them winded.

"Pressurized CO2," Violet said gravely. Her expression was grim as she whirled to extinguish another tree. "Suffocates fire, provides plants with resources, non-lethal."

[Help!] Violet's head swiveled as she saw a Darumaka, flames high all around them. There wasn't any path out that wouldn't get them burned.

Without hesitation, Violet doused the whole area and put out the flames, looking at the Darumaka now catching their breath. "Are you well?"

Cenza ruffled her nose at them. {Violet, wait-}

[Never better,] they snickered before leaping towards her, fist glowing with orange energy.

{No!} Cenza shouted as she glowed with pink energy, charging off Violet's shoulder and colliding with Darumaka's fist. Unfortunately, she couldn't withstand their might as she was pushed right back into Violet's arms, somewhat dazed. Darumaka at the very least was halted momentarily as Violet stepped back, now protectively cradling Cenza.

"Cenza!?" Violet pleaded urgently.

Darumaka leapt again into the air with an orange fist ready to strike. That is until Jade flanked them with his hatchet covered in Flax's thorns. He switched the weapon to the blunt side as he punted the pokemon out of the air with all his might. The Darumaka flew cleanly through the air with a wound and a bit of poison to go with it.

They crashed several yards away, furious and with a vengeance, but clearly reeling from sudden dizziness. Jade stepped forward, glancing behind at Violet. "I figured they'd try something like this." Gautier waddled next to him. "But that's okay, it leaves them vulnerable too."

Darumaka started running towards him this time with fire as Jade picked up Gautier who was gathering fighting energy into his entire body. "A bit closer…"

Once Darumaka leapt into the air once again Jade tossed Gautier into their opponent, smacking them square in the face before crushing them underneath his weight. He promptly hopped off, admiring his unconscious opponent.

{It's primitive, but it worked,} Gautier buzzed as he sprayed them with web.

"Thank you all for the assistance," Violet said to Jade, Gautier and Cenza.

Jade turned to her as Flax and Shizu arrived by his side. He frowned, but not in the same way he looked at her before. "I know an act when I see one and I know you do too. Parse the truth from the lies."

[Keep that in mind so we don't have to go out of our way again,] Flax added.

{It was an honest mistake, Flax! Zenara is right over there and Violet is fast, she can dodge attacks!} Cenza defended her.

Violet looked like she wanted to say something, but for now just went back to focusing on extinguishing the flames. Feeling genuinely surprised by that entire exchange, I turned my attention to Caellach who had mostly been ordering his troops around, shooting fire wherever he had to.

Our pokemon had kept him off Isadora's group, but as the fire got bigger it became clear he needed to go down.

"Holyn," I called out to him as he froze another fire. "Go with Eva's team to keep putting out fires. Lou, Donut and I are gonna stop Caellach."

{Just the three of you?} Marjorie asked concernedly.

I smiled at her as I looked back at Caellach, sizing him up. "Well… really only one of them will do, but I don't wanna be caught defenseless."

{We'll be fine, you show him up!} Holyn cheered.

"Ensure he knows his brother will be dealt with by us," Eva reminded me.

I smirked as I waved over Lou to come join us as the three of us ran over to him.

Everyone else is too preoccupied or unsuited to fight him. We'll end this quickly and move on.

[Can't you do anything yourself, Ursula?] Caellach demanded while she snorted in irritation, Caellach barreling towards Wilona coated in orange light.

He didn't get far as a laser blast of electricity hit him squarely in the chest, blasting him off course and into one of the craggy walls on either side of the waterfall. A few rocks shuddered loose from the impact, but he just pulled himself up and shook his head.

[Do you mind?!] He screeched.

{This is a battlefield, pay attention,} Lou said, as we all sauntered over to him.

"We promised the wild pokemon we would get their homes back and you decide to burn it just for a chance to get rid of us? You're almost as disgusting as your brother," I spat.

He grumbled, slamming the ground as he stood firmly. [Your fault for siding with the weaklings. Don't blame me for your dumb shit decisions.]

{Are they really dumb decisions when we're winning and you're losing?} Donut questioned. {You can't beat us so go away. Pangoro and Meowstic lost to us ages ago and we were way weaker back then. You're nothing.}

[Shows what you know! We could wipe the floor with those assholes!] he screeched as he leapt at us, flames wreathing his fists.

I grappled onto a low branch, dodging his attack whilst throwing another flashbang in his face to daze him. Donut spindashed into the ground, leaping into the air and smashing into Caellach's gut. Lou flew above him, firing a roaring Thunderbolt straight into his face. He flew back, smashing into the ground.

Caellach got up again, a bit more slowly as Donut ran straight for him at breakneck speeds. Caellach punched where he expected Donut to be, only to catch an afterimage and a shudder as the remnants of Static slowed him down. Nonetheless, he kept trying as Donut kept bouncing off his body far faster than he could react. He ignited his entire body, dispelling several afterimages. Donut shielded himself from the heatwave using an electric field, smirking at his opponent.

{Angry already? I can go much faster,} Donut promised him, the Light Ball around his neck glistening as the air popped upon his movement.

One second he was several yards away, the next his fist was embedded in Caellach's gut, creating a shockwave that sent him flying straight into Lou's mandible.

Lou sprayed his body with mud, dispelling whatever flames he intended to make before tossing him into the air. He locked onto his target, his mandibles glowing as he slashed Caellach countless times within seconds.

Caellach remained suspended in air, his eyes full of pain that he never had time to comprehend as Donut aligned from below him while Lou flew above. They glowed with a vivid light, firing from both sides with an intense thunderbolt.

Once finished, the charred ape fell to the ground in shambles, utterly defeated as Lou shot a web over him to make sure he stayed down.

{It seems we know quite more than he does,} Donut huffed.

Lou leered at their fallen opponent as he flew high into the air, aimed towards the sky and fired a thundering, vibrant beam drawing the attention of all.

{Caellach is defeated! Withdraw or die!} He commanded, his voice echoing above all else. {Set another flame and your life is forfeit!}

He's not gonna kill anyone, but it sure doesn't sound like that to them.

Everyone paused to look over, even Ursula. She just grumbled, fuming as she left the fight with Meliae, Isadora and Wilona behind as if it were nothing. [Could've done it myself, but this fuck comes in, sets the whole damn place on fire, grandstands and then gets demolished.]

She glanced behind her as she walked towards Caellach, and thus us. [Fall back!] she bellowed. [Caellach fucked this up, recuperate what you can and escape the fire!]

Of course they won't do anything to stop the fire even after objecting to it.

The Vigoroth, Primeape, Passimian and Oranguru all followed without question, the one Vigoroth holding Ursula's Slakoth flanked by several others as they disappeared into the forest.

Lou leered at her without an ounce of fear, only utter contempt. Donut, Holyn and Marjorie couldn't take her, but he was a threat. Even to her. {This never would've happened if you had cooperated with the natives. You're as craven as the most avaricious Honchkrow.}

She glanced at him. [They folded like leaves. Not my problem.] Then she looked at Caellach, grunting in disapproval. [Kids would've been fine without this fuck coming in.]

Something wrong clicked in my head at her words. Something deeply wrong as I raised my hand to protest.

Caellach was only just coming around, just conscious enough to watch in horror as Ursula's fist slammed into his skull. A sickening crunch choked out into the clearing. She just shoved aside the shattered cranium, crushed brain and grabbed Caellach's spine, blood soaking into her fur as she dragged him behind her like a sack of potatoes.

[Teach Riev to send his shit brother after me, get in my business, the asshole,] she muttered as she lumbered off.

I literally could not comprehend what just happened. Whatever feeling I had in my legs was gone. I fell to the ground and watched Ursula leave a bloody trail in her wake. I covered my mouth in shock, unable to hear anything around me beyond the high pitched whine in my ears. I was sure I was being shaken by either Lou, Donut or both, but I couldn't even respond.

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, oh my fucking god that's his fucking spine, there's so much blood, I can't-

I barely felt hands on my shoulders as someone pulled me away, picked me up and moving me somewhere else. Colors were just a blur, the world spinning around me. I was being held in place. I could only barely make out a soothing, feminine voice speaking through the ringing in my ears.

{General!} I heard Lou call my name. Everything was so dizzying. I felt sick to the bone. I wasn't sure what was happening around me, and for once I no longer wished to know.

"Breathe. Let it out. I'm here," I heard Isadora say faintly.

I tried to grip onto her voice for some clarity. We still weren't safe, I needed to be okay. But the thought of Ursula coming back for us disturbed me to a level I wasn't prepared for.

I can't… think…

It hurt too much to think. All I could imagine was that happening to any of my friends. How could we go on after that? Is this what it takes to make a difference? Is this what Cynthia and her team had to go through to find her sister? Is this what Garland, Vika and the others experienced?

The memory of when we saved her kids, how she bowled through everything only to stop a foot away popped back into my memory.

That was the final straw. I heaved into a bucket that Isadora had prepared for me. I just emptied all my fear, trauma, hate and energy into that bucket until nothing came out. Once I finished, Isadora handed me a napkin to wipe my face, a piece of bread and some water. I took all of it gratefully as I could feel myself calm down.

"Eat the bread first, it'll soak up the bile in your throat. Then the water won't hurt to drink," she soothed.

No… no, I need to keep moving.

"What about-" I started.

"You need a moment. That's okay. All this isn't on your shoulders alone, remember? You can help others and yourself better after you ground yourself," she spoke softly but firmly. "Trust me."

A surge of foreign feelings suddenly became more apparent. A mix of mourning, concern and remembrance. As well as a motherly aura. It was a similar feeling to how I felt whenever my Grandma walked me through the park or helped my Grandmum bake bread in Alola.

I relaxed, noticing Donut and Lou looking at me with absolute concern. I rubbed my eyes to see them better as I smiled to try and show them that I was okay. Neither seemed to believe me, but they seemed content that I was stable.

Let this day be over, Dialga please.

---

~x4x~

PoV: Violet

Location: Lax Falls - Great Marsh

Time: March - Day 3 - Afternoon

Follow the smoke. Listen for dry cracking. Rest can be had when the forest is no longer alight.

Without having to battle the Heterupts, the job of quelling the flames became significantly easier. Not least because no more were being set. Just the thought alone made me grimace.

Clearly I underestimated the degree to which Benedetto and his ilk shattered and rebuilt their minds. I doubt there is much left of the Pokemon they once were now.

Zenara ran beside me along with Flax, Cenza still on my shoulder. Zenara had yet to say anything after Ursula crushed Riev's skull. She didn't seem nearly as shaken as Topaz, as she had yet to throw up, but she was still clearly unnerved. Still, the moment I went to run towards more flames, she followed without hesitation.

I do not deserve you, dear Zenara.

Cenza seemed to have recovered completely after saving me from my blunder. She was shaken, but she resisted the attack and continued to keep me alert. Memories of how she saved me from Meowstic resurfaced, but I did not falter. We were both well. I would do better next time.

Meanwhile, Jade, Gautier and Shizu were accompanying Amethyst. Surprisingly Flax elected to join me. He did not trust my judgment, which was understandable. I have failed Cenza twice already.

We passed by some underbrush that had lit aflame, the bark of a tree slowly cracking from the heat. I aimed the nozzle, let loose another focused blast of carbon dioxide, and continued running as the flames were snuffed out. Without the oxygen they needed to burn, they burned out as quickly as they'd been set. Even though the smell of smoke lingered, the underbrush no longer bathed in sunset hues was confirmation enough.

Flax's services proved invaluable. Whatever pokemon we couldn't reach his vines could, pulling them to safety. However, he winced whenever they moved across burning wood. I urged him to not use his own water to heal pokemon if possible. I had potions. If he became too dry, he may catch alight.

My concern for all my pokemon partners grew by the second. Fairies do not cope well with flames. Zenara's wool could catch fire or cause heat stroke. Flax was dehydrating rapidly. Yet, they all continued to fight and use their abilities.

I must improve the extinguisher. My friends would not be straining themselves to this extent if it were sufficient. I only hope my efforts in the moment will make up for my failure to make it effective enough.

Startled squealing coming from a tree further ahead reached my ears. Tilting further into my run, I sprinted alongside my companions. There, we found a Passimian in a tree. They were chittering to some Wurmple in a knothole, but the larva refused to leave. The silk I could just make out from the flames' illumination explained why.

Silcoon and Cascoon. They cannot leave so easily, and the Wurmple are unwilling to leave their siblings behind.

Flax squinted at the scene, aiming his flowers at Passimian's back. Readying a decisive attack while they were unaware. The Passimian looked around, eyes widening upon seeing us. [Don't shoot! Not an enemy! I promise!]

Flax didn't believe her. But he followed Jade's tactics, so that expected. Either way, the flames still needed to be put out.
I aimed the nozzle and she winced, looking confused as the compressed gas bathed the tree and its brush.

She looked startled and winded, hanging onto the branch she was on, breathing deeply. I ran over to the tree, Zenara right by my side, checking on the Wurmple. One Silcoon and Cascoon each nestled in the knothole, and I breathed a sigh of relief upon noting the fire had yet to make it to the edges of their home.

We were in time, thank Arceus.

Meanwhile, as the Passimian caught her breath, she looked at me. [You're Nyx, right?]

I nodded. "I am, yes."

She looked relieved, stepping away from the knothole. [Thanks for not attacking me. I'm not your enemy, promise. I need to go find more Pokemon in need of help, can I bring them to you if they're injured?]

I could feel Flax's piercing gaze on my back, watching us both. I gestured to where Lax Falls were. "I will continue to douse the flames. The falls are where we will gather, that is where any medical assistance will be given."

She wrung her hands nervously. [And they won't attack me on sight? I get why, but…]

I gave her a small smile. "My sister is a Meowstic. I am linked with her, hence my ability to understand your words. She will alert the others."

Passimian nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. [Thank you!] And with that, she swung off into the trees, in the direction where some more smoke was blowing.

I then looked at the Wurmple, Silcoon and Cascoon. "Are you well? Do you need anything?"

They looked amongst each other nervously before shaking their heads. All the same, I reached into my bag and pulled out both an Oran and Occa berry, leaving them at the entrance of the knothole before leaping down once more.

It only took me a moment to determine where more smoke was coming from in the area I was to check. I set off once more with Zenara right on my heels, Cenza still safely on my shoulder. She had not protested my decision, which bode well.

[We don't need a poacher's help,] Flax said as he used vines to match our pace. [She's an unknown variable. Passimian seems kind now, but when it's convenient she'll switch sides.]

"Perhaps," I replied honestly. I could not see the future, what he was saying may well have been true. "But I will not hold actions taken under duress against the victims. She may rescue wild Pokemon before they get injured we would not have reached in time. She asked for a chance. She deserves that much."

[Then it's on your head if she hurts anyone,] Flax reminded me.

"I know," was all I said as a reply.

{...she seemed nice,} Zenara spoke up. {She didn't seem like a meanie, like the others. I'm glad Violet didn't ask us to attack her.} She smiled up at me. {I trust you, and this is why.}

Tears may have welled in my eyes beyond the acrid air we ventured through, but now was not the time. I reached down, stroking her head as best I could while running. "Thank you, Zenara."

[Copy copy, does everyone read me?] Topaz's voice rang through each of our heads via Amethyst's group link.

[We all hear you, what's up?] Amethyst asked.

[Perfect. I'm with Donut by the falls on triage, but I really think we need some help with these flames. Amethyst, Lou, I was hoping you two could loop in local water and ground types to douse the flames,] he explained.

He's already back to work despite Isadora's orders. Expected.

[I can do that as I go, I don't wanna abandon the fires we've got here. I'll send out a signal to anyone who can hear it and keep doing that.]

[I've been dousing flames with Mud Shot, but I shall recoup with the local water users. I spotted Masquerain further down the path that I'd like to request. It will take me less than five minutes to reach them,] Lou added.

[Whoever's willing to help,] Topaz stated. [Make sure they fly out of the smoke's direction.]

[I have something as well,] I added once they had finished. [A Passimian was attempting to help a family of Wurmple, Silcoon and Cascoon escape from a fire before we arrived.] I paused for a moment to extinguish another patch of flames. [She asked if I could handle injured Pokemon. I relayed that Lax Falls would be the better place to take them. If a Passimian comes to the falls with Pokemon in her arms, please do not immediately attack her.]

[So she didn't retreat with the others… alright, I'll keep an eye out,] Topaz noted. [Violet, from your position I spy the local Aipom nearby. If you rally them, I think they'd start helping too. They're understandably scared, but they just need some motivation. Just make sure they know we're covering for them, even now. Holyn, Jade, keep it up on your ends.]

[Roger!] Holyn confirmed.

[Will do,] Jade added.

[Affirmative.] With that, I looked through the smoke through my goggles as best I could. Sure enough, nearer to the river stood the Aipom. One the one we had met earlier, the other three the ones who fled. The first one still held Goomy.

In the end, we must ask them for assistance because of my ineptitude.
I ran over, waving to them. They tensed initially, but relaxed a bit on seeing me. Still tense, but more from the situation. "We need aid in extinguishing the fires. We will make certain no one disrupts you along with assisting, are you willing to help us?"

{I'll make sure you're safe! And the quicker they're out, the better all your homes will be!} Zenara bleated.

[If you want your homes to remain habitable we need everyone pitching in,] Flax urged them.

{Please, we all have to work together!} Cenza pleaded.

All of the Aipom looked unsure, glancing between each other. The Goomy though looked straight into my eyes. I met them with my own. I remembered this one. How terrified they were.

Too hesitant to leave their cage after we freed them, only moving once everyone else had. Now, I did not see the same person. I saw someone who had steeled themselves for anything, just needing to be reminded of that.

Your strength eclipses anything I could hope to attain.

Goomy looked up at their Aipom friend. {There's no one left to fight, we just have to help put out fires. As long as we all look out for each other, we'll be fine!}

The Aipom looked down at Goomy before looking at all of us again. Their expression shifted from fear to determination as they nodded. {We did say we'd help, so we will. We'll get everyone involved!}

The other Aipom were quickly rallied. They all grabbed fists of dirt with their tails and leapt into the trees, the Aipom holding Goomy running to find the others.

[Progress,] Flax noted. [This zone will be handled better now.]

"Yet we must not stop here," I replied before running towards more flames.

I will not let this place burn. I have seen the aftermath, and I refuse to allow that to happen here.

As we continued, more and more of the native Pokemon joined our efforts. Barboach sending muddy waves over burning banks, Wooper and Buizel scampering about to douse the flames.

Sandshrew and Phanpy sent mounds of dirt and sand over the burning brush, burying the flames before moving on. I kept extinguishing whatever I could, once again thankful that no more fires were being set.

If only Mother had been in a similar situation back then…

Lou returned to the fray even faster than he said, a horde of Masquerain raining on the highest flames with water and Lou's mud. From both Holyn and Amethyst's zones I saw them rallying Lotad and Hippopotas to aid. In the distance were Topaz and Donut taking an injured Shellos from Passimian before she returned to the fray.

I could not see Wilona or Isadora, but I did see several dark clouds being sent into the sky from behind Meliae. A single Rain Dance would not be enough to douse the flames in their entirety.

Meliae was less than equipped to quench the flames. Yet she repeatedly drank from the falls before spewing water out over the smoking treetops. Rheneas hopped around, throwing sheets of dirt on the underbrush.

From afar while still extinguishing flames, I saw multiple Aipom setting several Goomy down gently in a shallow part of the falls.

The water began to swirl around in a spiral as they sucked in the sediments of the river, their body shining bright white, ebon clouds crackling with energy swirling around them. I was only able to look directly at them because of my goggles, my heart in my throat for a moment. This was pivotal. I could only hope they saw this land as their home now.

As their form began to grow, I watched the shape of the shell on their back form. Before it began to grow, larger, thicker. Quickly engulfing the main body in what I knew to be a steel shell that would better protect them from the cold climate. As the light faded, they looked at the sky from out of their new, glistening shell and let out a cascade of dark clouds into the sky.

Thunder rumbled amidst the clouds as rain began to pelt down. The hissing of flames dying out all around us was music to our ears as I stopped running, taking a moment to gaze up at the sky. Feeling the water rain down upon me.

As I could have only dreamed. Sinnoh, Hisui, is their home to them now. May your shell serve you well in your life here, Sliggoo.

---

~x5x~

PoV: Topaz Heart

Location: Lax Falls - Great Marsh

Time: March - Day 3 - Late Afternoon

Thanks to the shelled Sliggoo (a revelation I wanted to address later) and their rain dance creating a proper storm, all of the fire was doused in its entirety. Many plants were singed and wild pokemon suffered from slight burns, but nothing appeared to be serious. We contacted Destiny, who summoned more League members to remove the Heterupts we captured and to assist in the area's recuperation.

The local wild pokemon sang our praises and escorted us to a cave within their territory where we'd be able to rest safely. The majority of the wild pokemon took to cleaning up their land after the battle's turmoil and settling back into place. We wanted to help, but our health was a concern.

Most of us weren't especially injured, but the fight had taken its toll. The first thing we did once we sat down was check for smoke inhalation. Violet had plenty of advanced oxygen masks for us, but Isadora added Gracidea petals to the filter, refreshing our lungs to a condition better than the day had started.

Us trainers used our Pokedexes to analyze our teams conditions, utilizing the health update Prof Rowan added to the Sinnoh dex at our behest. Using that knowledge we treated our teams accordingly so they were in tiptop shape, before applying that knowledge to the rest of the pokemon in our group.

Meliae, as she had done the most tanking, had received the most damage. While she appeared surprisingly well, she was sore and appreciated some knowledgeable care.

Once that was settled we all essentially collapsed, eating some food while processing the events that had transpired. Wild pokemon stood around on our watch, keeping an eye out for trouble, so we could afford to let down our guard.

Lou informed me he knew one of the Masquerain he'd met and that he needed to discuss important topics relating to our fight with the Heterupts. I trusted he knew what he was doing and let him handle things.

The electric types of our team were resting together to expedite their recharge process.

The psychic types of our group sat together in group meditation, stabilizing their minds after so much stress.

The grass types were lounging in a nearby pond, the most bothered by the fire and in great need of refreshment.

The various other pokemon sat about in their own ways, commiserating.

Violet was checking up on her extinguisher after so much use, whilst Jade watched TV on his phone. Holyn specifically sat by my side, content to be my emotional rock. Eva, after drinking a strange blue concoction reminiscent of a mana potion from a game, conked out on Isadora's lap with Sylvia curled up on her head.

I swear her drink sparkled, there's definitely something magical going on with her.

The Passimian that Violet vouched for remained, even after her allies were taken by the League. She was adamant on not leaving and oddly enough, Flax vouched for her. Granted, he likely had his own agenda. For now she sat alone several yards from us, under watch by several wild pokemon. She seemed resigned to the scrutiny, waiting peacefully as she brushed soot from her body.

Passimian are extremely group oriented. To have no leaves is already a sign she doesn't align herself with the Heterupts.

To me she looked rather familiar, but I was disturbed when Jade got up to sit next to me. "I saw the aftermath of… Caellach," Jade grimaced. "He was a bastard, but… I did not see that coming."

I looked down sadly. "I didn't need to see it all," I sighed.

"You good? To keep going, I mean? I've never seen you fall apart like that," he asked. "It was one thing with Simipour, but this…"

I turned to him in shock. "What? Of course I am. I hadn't even considered stopping."

"Seriously? Even after what you saw?" He questioned.

I stared off into the distance in thought. "It was a terrifying, horrifying murder. I never want to see anything like that again… which is why I need to keep helping. If me being here saves lives, then this is where I'm meant to be. It's dangerous, but I know how much suffering there'll be if I don't try to intervene. Like what if I never met Cenza, Amethyst and Violet? What would've happened to them or the Kalos pokemon?"

I looked down in shame. "I am prepared for a lot, but that was the breaking point. I'm sorry I froze, it was just so… disturbing."

The imagery of death didn't elude me. I've seen dead pokemon before, it's life, it happens. We learn about prey and predators in school and all the gory details that go along with it and it was manageable. I suppose since we were desensitized so young it meant less, or perhaps because since they weren't human bodies it wasn't as triggering. Either way, what I saw was definitely not in any nature documentary I've seen.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Isadora sighed, stroking Eva's hair gently in her sleep. "I hadn't ruled that out as a possibility, but I was hoping their group camaraderie would be stronger than the lessons they learned from slavers. Clearly, it isn't… but I am especially sorry I ever allowed her to get so close to any of you."

"Caellach absolutely deserved punishment, but…" I winced.

"She's prolly used to throwing around her weight uncontested, so even after that she'll receive no punishment," Jade sneered, pointing at me. "Plus, she likely wanted to send a message to you and the others. That it could happen to you next."

"Not on our watch," Isadora spoke firmly. "You did the right thing, listening to her and not engaging. That gave us time to get there and prevent her from attacking you. And I doubt she'll be so quick to recover next time we encounter her."

I gave her a small smile. "I'd been keeping an eye on her stamina throughout the battle and her recovery periods grew longer and combat periods shorter. I figured Ursula smashing the rock wall would be just enough to activate Truant. You all were amazing out there."

Holyn preened at the compliment, while Wilona purred softly.

"Like I said. We've dealt with Slaking before. We had to learn how to exploit what weaknesses they do have." She sighed, looking at Jade. "I'm just glad your and Violet's teams kept the Oranguru occupied. Whatever their strength, a Slaking that's been Skill Swapped is much more problematic to combat."

"Amethyst and Gautier easily tracked them all down. There was more than we expected, but we cleaned them out," Jade answered proudly before considering something. "Although… isn't Truant meant to keep Slaking from destroying their own bodies? What happens if they disable it?"

Isadora grimaced. "In the short term? It's nothing debilitating. That's why you'll see it in League matches occasionally; it functions not unlike a burst of adrenaline for a few minutes. Usually, a few minutes of an unleashed Slaking is enough to win the fight before it becomes a problem. Extended use… I'm sure you know what happens to Primeape that get too enraged."

Their body breaks down if they're lucky. Dead if not.

Jade hummed at the response, filing it for later as he looked up at Isadora. "Slaking… you fought them in Helheim, right?"

She was in Helheim? Oh, Jade did say she knew Garland when we first met. That explains the vibe I get from her.

She nodded. "And while we escaped. We've trained a few times afterwards against them, mostly to make sure we could handle ourselves better for the future. I'm glad it came in handy, not so glad that it needed to."

"Slaking are pokemon you typically don't see, but can absolutely destroy unsuspecting trainers. With the strategies she employed, this could've been a lot worse. It wasn't for the best reasons, but I'm grateful you and Wilona could guide us through it."

She nodded slowly, looking at me. "I know Jade asked before, but are you sure you're well enough to continue, Topaz? What you saw was a lot, and I don't want you to feel like you can't bow out. If you need the time to process, just say so."

I shook my head immediately. "If I bow out now, it'll take way longer to process anything. I don't think I'm completely okay, but stopping now won't make it better." I gave her a firm look. "The day after I met Violet, I saw countless cages filled to the brim with wild pokemon in horrid conditions. All it did was motivate me to blow through every obstacle in my way even faster. I can't stop now when the same group is still tormenting them and more, when we're so close to ending it all."

Jade glanced at me before turning to Isadora. "You've probably seen worse than this, haven't you?"

She looked between us, then at the still sleeping Eva before looking back at us. "Are you ready for the honest answer to that question?"

"Two bodies have dropped in the last two days," Jade stated plainly.

"That's not a yes," she replied just as bluntly.

"Judging by that answer, you've seen worse yet you keep going. What motivates you?" I asked sincerely.

She sighed, looking up at the ceiling of the cave. "Too much to name. To make sure those who couldn't come with us didn't die in vain. To make sure that never happens again. To value the life I nearly had taken from me. The family that was waiting for me, and the family I made in that shithole." She looked at us, a grim expression on her face. "Galactic genuinely believes their goal will make the world a better place. There's no way forward but through them. And I intend to be one of those who scatters them like so many sands to the wind, once and for all."

We each considered her statement. Garland and Vika felt similarly I imagined. Even though they weren't quite as in the field as Isadora, they still helped us prepare for the battles to come. In case the worst happened.

Oddly enough, that made me feel better. Jade and I have never suffered like they did, and because of that they did whatever they could to protect us, even when we ran straight into danger. When I teamed up with Amethyst and Violet without telling Volkner, we only had each other. But now I know there's so many people at our backs, rooting for us.

"I needed to hear that," I told her, earning a look from Jade. "I'm told I tend to walk brazenly at a moment's whim, so I often forget how many people consider me." I smiled at her. "I want to go home with everyone safe and sound mission accomplished. And tell everyone that helped me prepare how much it saved me."

She smiled at that. "Preparation is the key. I'm glad you recognize the work that goes into it. And I'm sure they'll be happy to hear it helped, because they want to see you come home safe and sound."

"Wow, you got Topaz to admit how much of a fool he is sometimes. About time, he needed to be humbled and mothered," Jade affirmed, patting my back.

"I've got my grandma!" I rebutted.

"She spoils you, hush."

Isadora laughed at our bickering as the conversation shifted towards lighter topics until we each returned to our quiet relaxation. I walked closer to the entrance of the cave with Holyn to enjoy the beauty of the forest when I noticed Zenara get up from the other electrics to speak with Violet.

{Violet? Can I ask you something?}

She looked at Zenara. "Of course. What is it?"

She sat down next to her. {The stuff with Caellach earlier just… doesn't make sense.} She looked up at Violet again, who was listening attentively. Amethyst had opened an eye as she continued. {They're bad guys. That's why we're fighting them. But they fought each other, and one of the leaders killed another. They're bad guys, so maybe they fight each other. But they're a group, and they worked together before. Why would they work together at all if they don't care about each other that much? It doesn't make sense.}

Violet considered her answer before putting a hand on Zenara's head. "It is all they know. They have spent so much time with one another, even when the circumstances keeping them together exist no longer, they still stay together. They are likely scared, as all they have known was torn from them. Despite their disdain for one another, it is familiarity they have in foreign lands. They do not know how to survive in the wild. They do not know healthy group dynamics, how to truly work together. They either do not think they are doing wrong, or they no longer care."

{... is that why you wanna give them a chance? Like Mareeta?} she asked.

Mareeta? Is that Passimian's name?

Violet nodded. "None of them were brought together by choice. Some simply did not know what to do, so they followed orders as they had done for lengths of time I do not know. That does not mean they wanted this life. If they truly want another path, I wish to give it to them. It is the least I can do."

{So if Kakuen and Bloom and everyone was trying to change, you'd help them become not bad guys anymore?}

"Exactly. But I cannot make them take something they do not want. Perhaps, given time, they could be better. But I am not the important one in this situation. The Pokemon they have hurt are. The Pokemon they will hurt are. Even if there is a mote of light within them, that does not excuse inaction when they threaten the light of others. Not for hopes that they will see the error of what they have been taught."

Zenara sat with that for a moment, leaning against Violet. The two were quiet for a time. Zenara processing, and Amethyst and Violet ready to help when she was ready. {So they're still the bad guys, and we gotta stop them. But that doesn't mean we can't feel bad for them, cuz they were made into bad guys by worse guys. And we can try and help, but if they don't wanna be helped, we gotta beat 'em up. Cuz it'd hurt people if we didn't. Right?}

Violet smiled sadly, rubbing Zenara's head. "Indeed. Not all enemies are the same, and I attempt to assist those who can do better but were never given the chance. It is only right."

Zenara seemed satisfied with that. {It's all still kinda confusing, but that helped lots. Thanks, Violet.}

"Anytime, Zenara," she said. Unexpectedly, Flax walked over to them.

{Our enemies do not deserve help,} he boldly stated. {They steal, hurt and kill whenever they want. They have no sympathy. Regardless of their past I am sure Cenza or those Sliggoo will never forgive them for what they put them through.}

He turned towards Violet. {Now that I've fought alongside you and Topaz, I am beginning to understand your methodology. I am not convinced of your trusting nature towards enemy pokemon though, but I am interested to learn more about the Passimian you trusted.}

On the surface he doesn't seem friendly, but he's much more open minded than he usually is right now.

Flax turned his attention towards Mareeta who was sitting, turned away from us. Suddenly, two vines encircled her legs from straight out the ground and before she could even reach for them, they dragged her to the mouth of the cave before Flax. She was pulled against the ground, a trail of dirt and mud carved in her wake. We all turned to the scene in surprise, closing in to investigate, even Eva waking up in confusion.

{My roses are blooming and my leaves hydrated, so it's time you say your piece,} Flax stated simply.

Mareeta pried the vines off of her legs before wiping the mud off of her face, grimacing at him. [I would've come over if you asked, you didn't have to dig a new trench with my face.]

{Why did you ask to stay here?} Flax questioned her, ignoring her protest.

She blinked, looking at him as she shook herself off some. [...is this a trick question? Because I didn't want to stay with the Heterupts. I didn't want to be part of them to begin with.]

Flax sized her up. {Elaborate.}

She sighed, hugging her legs, her shoulders drooping. [Me and Bloom didn't choose to be taken from Alola. Bendetto grabbed us, same as anyone else. Just figured we could fight. When Lux and Nyx took him down, I thought maybe we could go back to the way things were. At least a little bit. But Bloom liked having people at her beck and call. She liked what Kakuen proposed. I tried to convince her otherwise, and even though she was still nice to me, she never listened. And by that point I would've been hunted down if I tried to leave. So I just… tried to do things that weren't fucked up. Get food, take care of injured or sick, stuff like that. I couldn't make Bloom change, but she'd at least give me the first pick of jobs. Never really understood why I wanted the 'menial' ones, but she didn't argue.]

[I kept trying, but no luck there. So I ended up with Ursula, since I can fight and was the only one willing to do the 'boring jobs'. So I've been with her, and then…] she gestured to him, and the rest of us. [Then today happened.]

{So you were both taken into this life, although it seems Bloom has stuck to it considering her gaudy leafage,} Lou noted.

She grimaced, curling up tighter. [I thought once we weren't just some weapons to be pointed around, we could go back home together. Pick up our lives, at least a little.] She tucked her head into her knees, her tail curling around her legs. [Turns out my friend died long ago.]

{I'm sorry about your friend,} Holyn sympathized.

She looked up, giving him a sad smile. [I'm just sorry I didn't figure it out sooner. Maybe then I wouldn't have been stuck helping a bunch of monsters.]

{Question, how did you all get out exactly?} Donut questioned.

She looked over at him. [When Cenza ran off, Benedetto sent out a few people to get her. When they didn't come back, he sent some more. Had us look for her. Then the ones who had our Pokeballs got arrested, and we just sorta. Bailed. Some of us got found and taken by the humans here, everyone else managed to evade them and group up. Everyone had their reasons for not going back. I wanted to find Bloom before we figured out a way back. That didn't go well.]

She gestured towards us again. [When you raided Benedetto's hideout, Kakuen got loose. He was nothing back then, but he's survived Benedetto's group the longest. Once you chased the submarine, he took as many grunts' pokeballs as he could and got the hell out before Sinnohans could stop him. He earned a lot of 'mons respect after that, so he started taking charge. Pokemon that'd been ignored for ages by their grunts finally got a taste of recognition. Everyone was starting to get a taste of individualism, power. Riev, Margrave, Ursula? Those names didn't exist before we got out. Even Kakuen, he named himself after a creature from Sinnohan and Johtonian lore to fit in with his new life.]

"Seems like they all underwent a rebrand," Jade pondered. "I can only imagine how good it felt after years of being used by humans that'd replace you in a heartbeat to finally have a pokemon call the shots in such a lush land."

"And since Kakuen knows human operations so well he was able to maintain a similar structure that worked while putting himself at the top and his most loyal subjects by his side," Eva added, rubbing her eyes awake. "Even Ursula can't claim much territory or protect young on her own, she needs pawns and he provided those."

Amethyst sighed. {Sorry about that. Me and Violet would've tried to make sure everything was made right before we moved on, and then we got caught up in League stuff.}

Mareeta shook her head. [You had your own problems, and you fixed loads by solving the one Benedetto made himself. And you're here now.]

"Why stay with us, then?" Violet asked. "I failed to account for that before, and it harmed you for months. Why trust us now?"

Mareeta looked at us all. [Because you're here to make things right. I said I didn't fight because I wouldn't support the Heterupts, not because I can't. I need to stop what Bloom's become. The friend I knew would want that. The least I can do is honor her wishes. And all of you are going to stop her and Kakuen from making things even worse. I want to help.]

Flax looked disgruntled as he turned to his own team. {Do you believe her?}

{I do not detect dishonesty. She appears sincere, but as with all my estimates there's a margin of error and she could change her mind,} Gautier cautioned him.

"I believe her," I spoke up, drawing attention to me as I gestured to Violet. "Violet wouldn't have vouched for her without a reason, right?"

{She trusted that Darumaka,} Flax reminded me.

{Oh um… can we say something?} A new voice alerted us at the mouth of the cave, the same four Aipom that we'd been working with. {While most of the Heterupts are awful, Mareeta has never been mean. Whenever the others bullied us, she put them back in line and always made sure we were fed. She also kept Bloom from taking us away to work for Margrave.}

{She can fight too! Most of the monkeys don't bother her cuz of it,} another Aipom promised. {She's strong, but gentle. It's why Ursula wanted her around for her babies.}

Eva's eyes widened as she pointed at Mareeta. "I knew I recognized you! You're the Passimian that got the Slakoth off me!"

She smiled a little, rubbing the back of her head before remembering her hand was muddy and jittering it. [They can be clingy, and I think all of us wanted to avoid Ursula getting any angrier.]

{I must thank you for helping my partner,} Marjorie curtsied. {You had your chance to hurt her and take the child, yet you did not. That speaks to your valor.}

[I just wanted to help, that's all,] Mareeta shook her head.

Wilona walked up to her, sitting in front of us while Isadora came up behind her. They seemed to share a quick glance with Cenza before speaking. {We'll need to keep an eye on you, but I see no reason to prevent you from proving yourself trustworthy. Your words and actions thus far have been honest, and having someone who understands the Heterupts from the inside would help us greatly. Are you willing to agree to those terms?}

Mareeta nodded without hesitation. [I'll tell you whatever I can to help. I promise.]

A small smile quirked up on Wilona's face. {Good, now go wash yourself off before the mud in your fur dries.}

She chuckled a little bit, nodding as she got up and walked to the river with the Aipom beside her. Isadora scratched Wilona's ears a bit before looking at the rest of us. "She won't be a part of the watch rotation, but she seems trustworthy. All the same, keep your guard up. Just in case."

We all affirmed, understanding how some caution is required. Flax seemed suitably satisfied with this result. He had no intention of trusting her, but we could still use her to end things faster. I suppose that was fine, it seemed like she didn't deserve to be hated. Cenza didn't object or advocate for her though, so it seems like Wilona took that in account when assessing her. Perhaps, Flax was concerned about Cenza's wellbeing in his own way.

At least I can understand just about every pokemon here now. So many different personalities, but even when we disagree I can tell the other is just advocating for everyone's safety.

---

Group

Gym Trainer: Topaz Heart

Brothers in Arms: Lou (Vikavolt), Donut (Pikachu), Holyn (Cranidos).

Deck: Fool, Devil, Strength, Hermit, Fortune, Hierophant.

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Human Companion: Violet

Pokemon Family: Amethyst (MeowsticF), Zenara (Mareep), Cenza (Dedenne).

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Blooming Celebrity: Jade Forrest

Co-Stars: Flax (Roselia), Shizu (Houndoom), Gautier (Dottler).

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Aspiring Lady: Evangeline 'Eva' Morebucks

Ladies of Grace: Marjorie (Steenee), Sylvia (Delcatty), Clarabel (Lairon).

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Mistresses of Grace: Isadora Morebucks & Wilona the Persian

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Allies: Meliae (Tropius), Rheneas (Spoink), Mareeta (Passimian).