"Why does someone like you have La Primera's Pokemon?!"
Celot grabbed his own face, leaning back in an exaggerated laugh at Kuzey's expense. The ruinous white Pokemon, Chien-Pao, slinked between his spread legs as it watched red trickling down the boy's half-frozen arm. Its sapphire eyes tracked every falling droplet; a predator's fixation.
"Oh!" Celot gasped for air, patting his own stomach as he moved to wipe a tear from his eye. "Oh, that's perfect. Chien-Pao, you've got a fan! All the way out here in Kalos. Ain't that nice?" The frigid cat only stared.
"Ain't it obvious, kiddleton?" teased the Operative, stooping down to run his hand across the thick white fur of Chien-Pao's neck. "This beast and I, we're alike. Predators cut from the same cloth. It's only natural that we'd fall in with one another, when the stars aligned… and a ball was lifted from one Top Champion's person."
Kuzey bristled. "You! If you hurt her, I'll –"
"You'll what?" Celot flicked a piece of shattered gravel, catching Kuzey between the eyes and knocking him back prone. "I like the spunk, spunko. But I know those eyes. You're trying to be soooo brave right now, ain't ya? For who? Her?" He tilted his head left, in the direction of Herri, the orange-haired girl coated almost entirely in a layer of frost, her Yamask unconscious in her lap. "You're gonna give me a cavity with all that sweetness, boy. But you're not brave, let's be real. I know those eyes."
No. Kuzey shut his eyes and looked away, and heard a scrambling as Celot skidded closer. He could feel the tension as the Operative leaned just over him, the smell of tobacco and peppermint on his heavy breath. "Ah-ah! You can't hide it that easy, I can smell it too, sonny." A hand wrapped around his shirt's collar. "Those are coward's eyes." Kuzey grit his teeth. "Oh yeah, there it is. The denial scowl. If it weren't so cold, the tears might start. Wanna cry, little man? Cry then. That's a coward's right. Prey's right."
A finger jabbed Kuzey's cheek, twisting clockwise and pressing hard against his teeth. "A good coward oughta know when to cut and run. But you, you didn't know your place. You're stupid. You tried to be brave. What's that get ya? Gets ya this."
Celot's arm wheeled back and swung back around hard into the boy's stomach. Pain radiated outward, pulsing into every digit of every limb as his body shook limp in Celot's grasp. A mixture of spit and something splattered between his teeth and shot onto his predator's shoulder. In response, Celot yelped in a high voice and let him go; Kuzey tumbled back to the frozen ground as the Operative yanked a handkerchief from his pocket and rubbed it on his shoulder, whinging beneath his breath.
"Oh, ew ew ew. Nasty! Grody little freak." Celot shuddered in disgust as he tossed the cloth away, not even daring to look at it any longer.
"Kuzey!" Emma attempted to reach toward the boy even as his squirmed on the ground, but her suit remained frozen solid despite her best attempts to break free. Celot snapped his fingers at the immobilized woman.
"Nasty stuff, huh? Y'know, they say this Pokemon was part of a set of cursed treasures that toppled a whole kingdom. When ya see it in action, kinda makes you believe it!" He dusted off his hands against his red pants and leaned back, popping the joints in his spine as a few strands of hair stood up. "Guess I better be collecting the goods and moseying on outta here, huh? It was nice testing my new partner out on you all, but maybe ya ought've called for help instead of picking a figh—" Celot stopped, and sniffed the air. Then he felt it, as more hair stood.
Wildly, without an instant's preparation or flash he dove to his right, rolling near twenty feet as the spot he'd once occupied lit up in a tremendous flash of electric energy. He came to a stop flat on his belly before hurrying back up, Chien-Pao returning to his side after it had dashed in the opposite direction. It was halfway up in that awkward stance that a bright spotlight shone down on him from above.
Kuzey rolled onto his back, his swimming vision only barely able to make out a figure standing on the very edge of the upraised Magenta plaza above them.
"They called for help all right!" A man's voice shouted down at Celot. Then the figure extended his hand, a blue and yellow jumpsuit reflecting the brilliant lights of the City of Light in every direction. A shadow at his side leaped down, its wild fur crackling with energy as it wound up its arms.
"Electivire!" the man pushed a thick pair of glasses up and then cast the same arm out dramatically. "Thunderbolt!"
The shadow flipped in the air and hollered in a booming voice as streaks of black and yellow fur coursed with sheer power. "ELEK! TEE! VIRE!" Then it clenched, and the stored power blasted away from it in pouring streams of brilliant light. Celot had to dodge again, skipping backwards and away from the trio pressed against the building and only narrowly avoiding a pealing bolt shot his way. Chien-Pao chose to counter, dashing between the shots of lightning before taking to the air in a pouncing leap. But the Electivire, well over twice its size in height and bulk alike tightened its tremendous, frightening smile. Its trainer responded to the attack, "Thunder Punch!"
The power converged again, now in the Electivire's right fist as it made a half-spin in the air clockwise; just as Chien-Pao came within an instant of the yellow ogre, it pivoted back the other way and connected.
For just a moment there was darkness. Kuzey's eyes were focused now; nothing could possibly be on his mind but the sight of the bright white orb floating in the air above him, as Chien-Pao took the full brunt of that Thunder Punch in its face. All the lights of the city faded away against the brilliance of that violent star; the sparks flying between Electivire's fist and Chien-Pao's bewildered face; and above them, the triumphant grin of a skinny young man with bright blonde hair as wild as the lightning of his Pokemon.
"Clemont!" Emma called out to him from her position, overjoyed. "You made it!"
The star dispersed, and its victim hurtled back to the ground. Chien-Pao smacked once against the ruined pier before flipping midair on the bounce and landing once again on its face, humiliated if not harmed. Electivire slammed heavy to the ground and scattering dust from the impact, its fiendish glare illuminated by crackles of lightning across its body. High above, Clemont threw a two-fingered salute to Emma, then stepped off the edge of the platform. Just as he began to plummet two apparatuses strapped to his sides opened, and powerful jets of air slowed his descent, bringing him gracefully to the pier below. At least, until he hit the ground and hopped about four steps forward in a lean to keep from falling on his face. "Sorry I'm late, Emma!" He put his hands on his hips and cut a pose, staring down Celot from behind his circular spectacles. "As for you. Did you really think you could stir up trouble in Lumiose City without answering to its Gym Leader?"
The fanged man shrugged, tugging at the sleeve from his shoulder. "Eh. Kinda."
Clemont frowned, and the device strapped to him opened up again. From this angle, Kuzey saw it like some kind of automatic backpack; this time it dispensed a trio of Pokeballs, from it appearing a trio of small Electric-type Pokemon: a Plusle, a Minun, and a Pachirisu. Chien-Pao eyed the small critters as they ran, but this was no time to chase prey. Electivire approached, confident with is monstrous smile as Clemont followed behind him. Celot stood square behind his partner, focused fully on their new opponents. The time to play games had ended.
"All right, partner." Celot ran his hand back through his snow white hair, in sync with his companion as it prepared to pounce, bristling fur standing along its back. "Sacred Sword!" The elaborate fangs sprouting from Chien-Pao's mouth glowed with tremendous power in response to Celot's command, and he darted forward in a zig-zag pattern.
"Simpleton!" Clemont and Electivire were ready for him and made identical dismissive flicks of their wrist. "Brick Break, Electivire!"
"Vi-VIRE!" Electivire rushed forward with another spin, its massive arms matching its momentum to smack recklessly against Chien-Pao's blades. The two attacks burst off of one another like a pair of explosions, sending both Pokemon spinning away from one another before they caught their footing and collided once more. Chien-Pao leaped upward and hurtled forward, missing Electivire by inches as its feet shimmied it to the side and swung downward. But the catlike Pokemon was more nimble and arched its back into an incredible angle, catching Electivire in the side of its arm before it made contact. The ogre-like Pokemon cried out in pain but didn't flinch, smacking Chien-Pao away with one of its two prehensile tails as it buzzed with electricity.
Chien-Pao skidded about fifteen feet, finally managing to end its travel as its paws dug into the rubble of the pier. Celot was quick to seize the momentum again yelled "Icicle Crash!"
His Pokemon snarled, letting its frame tense and contort as it prepared to strike. All along its sloping body, the perfect ice crystals that covered it began to shake and splinter, forming a hazy cloud of shards that surrounded it like a deadly fog. "CHI!" And with a yell, every single one of those shards fired in a supreme barrage.
"Charge, Electivire!" Clemont's Pokemon threw its arms out in a protective stance, shielding him as it concentrated all of its electric charge into a field surrounding its own body. The aura of crackling yellow met the oncoming hail head-on, the charge vaporizing every shard of ice as it neared. All around Electivire mist blossomed outward, the vapor of Icicle Crash shrouding it and Clemont alike. It was a supremely effective defense to meet a supreme attack; the proof of it lie on the opposite side of the river. The outermost edges of Chien-Pao's move had passed around Electivire's Charge, and instead struck the pier on the far side of the river; and where it had the stone and concrete had been pounded to fine dust, slipping into the water beneath like a stream of sand.
"Nice job, Electivire!" Clemont praised his partner proudly before crossing his arms and glaring at Celot opposite him. "You, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired. Your Pokemon's power is out of control! You've got no precision, no throttle on your engine! Your edge in raw strength won't hold up against a Pokemon and a Trainer in sync!" Electivire threw up a thumb and grinned pointing at itself in agreement with Clemont. "A pair like us."
All Celot could do was chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt the admonishment. "Well, what can I say? We're a new act, Chien-Pao and I. Teamwork comes with time. But as far as our natures… I'd say we're a perfect fit." Chien-Pao readied itself for battle again, tiring of talk with a flick of its tail while icy claws slid out of its paws. "So long as we stoke each other's predatory instincts, the rest will slide into place." Celot adjusted his shades and leaned forward, getting himself back into the flow. "So for now, how about we keep the footwork fleet on this dance, and see how late this night'll go?"
As both sides threw themselves back into the fray, the Plusle approached Kuzey, eyeing him curiously while bursts of ice and lightning blanketed the battlefield behind it. Its companions ran off to the right, toward the other victims of Chein-Pao's Blizzard attack. The boy blinked, one eye at a time, leaning a little closer toward the little thing. "Plus, Plus!" It came close, and Kuzey felt an unbelievable warmth in his core as the little red mouse nuzzled up to his chest. Its entire body vibrated at tremendous speed, generating a gentle electric current that began to spread through every inch of him, melting away the ice still clinging to his body. It felt like death's claw itself was being wrenched off him. But gently, he pushed the little Pokemon away. "Plus?"
Kuzey pointed to the shape beside him; Crest, still immobile and frozen to the ground. "Please…" he begged. "Help my Pokemon first."
Plusle made a little noise, clearly looking less than hopefully at Kuzey's own shape, but it acquiesced and moved to Crest's side. Kuzey crawled beside him, stooped over the pair as Plusle worked. Little strips of light wriggled out of the red fur on its cheeks, its ears, its paws. Everything that could generate a current the mouse was rubbing across Crest's body, patiently distributing a coating of voltage that began to work away at the frost across his little form. Soon the layer began to shift and shimmer in the light as it melted, pouring off Crest in mini waves. "Come on. Come on." Kuzey had stopped blinking, desperate to catch the moment he twitched, he breathed, the second Crest gave him the sign he needed. Be okay. Be –
"…det…" the top of his Charcadet's helmet twitched, as just a smoulder peeked through the top of its helmet. Then Crest's eyes opened, and shut again in surprise as his trainer yanked him into a hug.
"You're okay!" Kuzey squeezed him tighter, unaware of the raging battle not twenty paces away. All that mattered was his partner was all right.
"Ca-Char!" Crest squeezed back; he thought exactly the same.
"Pachi-pachi!" The two were jolted back by the sound of Plusle's companion, the Pachirisu, as it finished shocking off the ice trapping Emma in place, while her Espurr watched from a safe distance, mewing in worry. Immediately, her visor lit up as power surged, and she scrambled to her feet. Granbull was returned to its Pokeball in a red beam, and she retrieved a yellow crystal from a compartment on her midsection that she pressed against the ball's central button. A light engulfed the medicine as it was absorbed into the ball, to heal her partner's injuries.
The masked trainer turned her attention back to the battle, as she observed Clemont and his Electivire try and hold back the outrageous power of that Operative and the thing called Chien-Pao.
"Emma!"
She gasped as Kuzey stumbled over, Crest still cradled in his arm. "Kuzey!" She reached out and grabbed to steady him as he nearly tipped. "Your arm!"
"It's f-fine." The boy shook his head even as more red dripped off his shredded sleeve. "What about you and Herri?"
The two watched as Minun, the last of the trio, was joined by Pachirisu and Plusle in the task of thawing Herri and Yaya out of the bed of ice they'd been half-coated in. They were the hardest hit by Chien-Pao's attack, from Kuzey's observation. He took a step over, but Emma gently held him still and pointed at the white beast.
"You said you know that Pokemon?"
He nodded. "Chien-Pao. It's one of four, called the Treasures of Ruin. They're ancient objects that became filled with negative emotion, and turned into Pokemon. But they're one of a kind, and La Primera owns all four." His eyes narrowed. "I don't… I don't know how this guy has it."
"Any weaknesses?"
"It's, uh, Dark and Ice-type, I'm pretty sure. So Fighting moves." Emma nodded, and stepped out of the boy's way as she walked towards the fight. "W-what are you doing?!"
"You take care of Herri," she coached him as she broke into a run. "I've got this part covered!"
Celot leaped back again, barely avoiding a burst of lightning from his opponent's wild attacks. Electivire was a brutal opponent, swinging widely and with ferocious speed to deny Chien-Pao any advantage from its natural agility. But his new partner was a force to be reckoned with, and its lithe body let it soak up these amazing attacks and let them flow over its limp body. Even as a Thunder Punch rocketed the icy cat upward, it simply moved with the momentum, and from high in the air shot a Blizzard straight downward. The outrageous volley of wind and ice threatened to crack even the stone of the pier, but that pesky Charge attack buffered the shimmering ogre well enough to keep it warm even as the battlefield was clouded by thick fog. And when the worst of it was past –
"Thunderbolt!" That was when the ogre would retaliate, channeling its raw power straight upward into a spear of lightning that pierced Chien-Pao, scattering painful jolts across the ruinous Pokemon. Yet when it landed on its feet, Celot only smiled and let his tongue run across his oversized metal fang.
"You're a mighty fine opponent, Mr. Gym Leader," he lauded, arms outstretched. "Gives me chills seeing the way prey like you struggles. Gives me purpose. Sacred Sword!"
Chien-Pao took heed, its sword-fangs shimmering once again as it closed the gap; Electivire rocked it with yet another Thunder Punch, but the treasure was getting a sense for how its opponent struck. This time, as the blow struck it from below and took it up, it took the moment to roll forward and sink its fangs straight into Electivire's shoulder.
The Electric-type screamed the scream of a subwoofer giving out; waves of static and bassy squeals spiraled out of it as it sank to one knee, lashing at its assailant with both tails; jabbing at its side they unleashed the full brunt of a point blank Thunderbolt, yet Chien-Pao clamped even tighter, twisting its lithe body to swink its strike deeper and deeper. "Electivire!" Clemont stepped closer, but the warning swipe of one of its tails forced him to keep away and keep safe.
"That's the sound!" Celot leaned forward, his hands playing in the back pockets of his red trousers as he observed the killstrike playing out. "Get 'em deep partner! First blood tonight goes to Invictus Magnus Oberon!"
"Nuh-uh! It goes to me!" Emma leaped into the fray quite literally as she bulleted from the ground into a flying two-footed kick that struck Celot straight in his side. An undignified "BWUFF" of air was expelled from the mercenary as he somersaulted away from the impact, leaving the self-styled Looker in his former position, tossing a fresh Pokeball into the fray. "Malamar, use Superpower!"
From the resulting flash came a man-sized squidlike Pokemon, its impressive tentacled mane swaying as its two finned arms began to wind up. "Ma-Malamal!" In it dove, catching Chien-Pao completely unguarded in its attempt to eliminate Electivire, wrapping its muscly arms around the cat before its muscles clenched so tightly a red light was expelled from its translucent skin. In a terrible twirl the Malamar twisted, tearing Chien-Pao clear of Electivire in a quit jet of spittle and blood, before completing the move with a slam into the stone so outrageous that the jettisoned bits of stone that propelled upward began striking the underside of the upraised Magenta Plaza.
In the crater, for the first time since the battle began, Chien-Pao was still against its own will. Shuddering in pain, it could only feebly struggle against the weight of Malamar's wide arms holding it pinned.
"D'aw, CRAP! My jacket!" Celot had finally ceased his helpless flipping, stopping at a kneeling position a distance away from Emma and Celot only to gesture at the layer of dust coating his bolero coat. "This thing was expensive, sugarboots! And also," he pointed accusingly. "CHEATER!"
"Said the ruthless killer!" Emma taunted back. "There's no rules in a Pokemon battle against a heartless creep like you! Prepare to feel justice Lumiose style!"
In response, Celot snatched two Pokeballs off of his person, and glared at his newest ire from behind his dark shades. "You want no rules? I can play by no rules!"
This time it was the blonde interloper who spoke up, rapidly pressing buttons of some kind on a device on his wrist. "Not in my city you don't! Emma, crank your suit's output to max for a sec!"
"Ga-huh?!" Emma's hands went wild, sliding all over her suit trying to remember where the controls were. "Go-got it!" She found a switch on the back of her neck, and the E on her visor suddenly shifted into a shimmering pink color as heat and energy began rising throughout every joint of the Essentia Suit. At that same moment, the contraptions on Clemont's hips produced a new toy, a dish at the end of a prehensile metal arm that produced a rapid pinging noise.
Celot tossed his Pokeballs; "Perrserker! Persian! Get your claws out!"
Clink. Clak. Two Pokeballs smacked against the ground, failing to even expand in size, let alone bring out the Pokemon contained within. The Operative flinched. "Aw, jeez, which one of you nerds is doing the thing?!"
It was Clemont who adjusted his spectacles and gave a big grin to the crook. "Oh, that'd just be my Nullifier Ray, thanks so much! As a Gym Leader, and the man responsible for maintaining Lumiose's power grid, I'm given special leeway by the League into developing otherwise restricted gear. Gear that includes functions such as jamming the electronics of no-good criminals' Pokeballs!"
A moaning moue gripped Celot's face as he inched back in trepidation. "That's mighty inconvenient for a guy like me, ain't it?"
"Yep." Emma nodded to her accomplice, then she and Clemont moved into a pincer formation, Electivire moving up the rear as Malamar pinned Chien-Pao to the ground. "Y'know, I have sympathy for a lot of crooks. Things are hard for people, and they do what they've got to to get by. I used to be there, in that same place, before someone reached a hand out to me and gave me the chance to do more with my life than scrounge for the bits other people threw away. But you…" Her head made an up-and-down sweep, looking at his fancy pants, his expensive jacket, and the ostentatious metal beneath his lip. "You're rich. You don't do this because you have to. You just think it's fun." She pointed a hand out and tightened it to a fist. "Guys like you, I kinda just wish would disappear."
Kuzey knelt by Herri's side, hand on her frigid shoulder as the trio of Electric-types kept at their job. For his own part Crest was chipping in, managing to regain a bit of his flame and hold it closer to the frozen girl. She was conscious, her eyes barely open as she nodded back and forth, unbalanced in the delirium of her cold. "K-K-K-Ku-"
"I'm h-here, Herri," Kuzey assured her even as he continued to shiver alongside her. "You're gonna be fine."
"K-K-K-Ku…" the fog of her breath dispersed around the tip of his nose. "Ku-zey. H-h-he-help m-m-me-me—"
Her hand was free now, and he made to grab it even as it was erratically trying to raise up. "It's okay, they've got you, you're gonna be"
Her eyes opened wider, a spark in the mist. "NUH! Nuh-nuh-n-no!" Her hand shivered in his grip, and she pushed it as far forward as she could, gesturing at something. "He-he-help m-m-me-uh—"
He let her hand go. Mia. Kuzey spun on his heels and looked out onto the battlefield. "No!" There was no time to make a plan, all he could do was dash forward, move toward his allies as they surrounded Celot. "Don't let him move!" he screamed in his hoarse voice, the chill of the air muffling him. "Don't—"
Another massive explosion rocked The Box, as the wall behind Kuzey was blown wide open; he barely managed to start diving before stray bricks smacked along his back, and with a cry he was thrown to the ground. And above him came hurtling a masked, lanky man, howling in pain as Lenny skidded away from the kaboom. Just behind him came his Pokemon, as Krokorok did a midair spin before landing right on the back of its battered master – who responded appropriately with a wail of misery.
Kuzey flipped over to look back at the carnage, seeing smoke and flickering lights blazing out of the fiery wreckage of the club as the other two weirdos from before – Lonnie and Libby – sprinted as fast as they could away from the Toxtricity that was pummeling the daylights out of some poor Sneasel. Behind that sight was Aunt Vi, arms crossed as she stepped out into the open air and cracking her neck before observing the scene playing out before her. She and Kuzey locked eyes, but she didn't scream, or cry out, or even hesitate like he expected of her. She only ascertained him, eyes wide.
In that same moment, Clemont and Emma had turned back hearing the confusion, glancing at the source of the explosion for only an instant; the only instant Celot needed.
"Now! Ruination!" Malamar barely had time to cry out before a belch of inky, crippling fog rolled out of Chien-Pao's mouth, its evil soaking through the squid with weight and entropy. For just a second, its strength was sapped away, and in the fog it slouched attempting to prevent itself from toppling over. As soon as its grip slacked, Chien-Pao flailed with every limb until it found purchase on the ground and yanked itself to freedom, leaping away to its master's side and cutting a terrible figure in the mixing fog of the battlefield, black shadow and blue fog intertwining around the fanged treasure and its fanged master.
Emma and Clemont turned back to Celot, and saw the Operative saluting them with a smile. "Too slow!" The smog of Ruination rolled over them too, and both trainers fell to their knees as exhausting agony stripped every bit of fight left in them.
"Grgh!" Emma's suit worked in overdrive attempting to make her body move, but found itself as its limit as Ruination caused its circuits to burst in fizzling sparks one by one. "How did that Pokemon still have so much strength left?!
"Rule one of being the bad guy:" taunted Celot, running his hand through the top of Chien-Pao's furry head. "Your strongest technique should always be your exit strategy. And after some careful risk management – and strategic motion…"
He kneeled down, the fog dispersing just enough to reveal that in the chaos of combat, he had gotten himself within arm's reach of Mia, still unconscious on the ground. "I think after a workout like this, I can call one of two a stellar success!"
"No!" Far back, Kuzey was forcing himself back onto his feet. As Celot wrapped his arms around Mia and flung her over his shoulder, he was pouring every last ounce of his power into his legs. He had to move, he had to get there. He'll get there and -
You'll WHAT?
Celot's words drummed in his head over and over, taunting the boy's uselessness. But he couldn't be useless right now. Herri asked him to help Mia. "I have to-!"
Celot produced a button from his jacket pocket and pressed it with a flourish of his arm; above them, a shadow on the underside of Magenta Plaza stirred, descending slowly as the distant lights revealed it to be a modestly-sized hoverjet, carried on wings that spread down from a folded-upward position, emblazoned with the same silver F's that were on the trio of goons racing to their leader's side only moments ahead of Kuzey. Libby was at the head of the pack, rolling across the ground and cackling as she snatched Celot's disabled Pokeballs. Behind her came Lonnie, dragging Lenny like an oversized rucksack as the skinniest brat kicked and whined to the Krokorok sprinting beside him. His complaints whipped a vile smile for just a second as he was dragged past Emma, and he sneaked out a kick that knocked the immobile trainer flat. "Ha! That'll learn you, ya freakin' do-gooder!"
The jet made its land beside Celot, its turbines throttled but spinning for a quick takeoff as he waved to his minions. "Come, come, my children! We're off on our fantastic voyage!" Unceremonious, he threw open the rear hatch of the vehicle and tossed Mia's body onto the metal floor with a panging reverb. Libby made it to him first, handing him the pair of Pokeballs; "Nabbed these for ya, boss-man!"
"Excellent work, you little such-and-such!" Celot congratulated her as Lonnie came up behind her, brandishing Mia's "companion."
"And I grabbed her rock!"
Celot clasped his hands together and chortled, "So you did!" He took the stone from his minion and chucked it into the back of the hoverjet with the rest of their pink-haired haul. "You know what? I'm glad I brought you guys. Now all aboard!" He raised his hand in a spinning motion to hurry them all along as Lonnie hauled Lenny into his seat, and he prepared to join them.
"STOP!" Celot sighed, shaking himself out as he was reminded of Kuzey's existence charging toward the jet.
The mercenary took a step closer and set a hand on his hip, observing the battered boy. He let him get closer; twenty yards; ten; five… that was close enough. He lifted his hand in signal, and Chien-Pao leaped into his path. The Ice-type snarled, pushing Kuzey back onto his rear and pinned him to the ground; its claws like shards of ice coaxed outward, poking against his shirt and sending shots of deep chill into his chest. Kuzey held still as the breath caught in his throat and the beating of his heart seized; the twin sapphire beads of Chien-Pao's eyes made contact with his own and burrowed in. What was he going to do? How was he going to fight back? How was he going to save Mia?
He wasn't. Utterly helpless. All he could do was sit still, and pray the Pokemon wouldn't kill him.
Celot giggled, twisting the tension further into Kuzey's freezing heart with the lackadaisical sound. "There you go, coward. C'mon, Chien-Pao. We're out."
Coward.
Chien-Pao hopped into the back of the hoverjet as its turbines spun back up, while Celot occupied the front passenger seat as Lonnie set the vehicle into motion, beginning their ascent.
A flash of light to Kuzey's left barely registered as he watched Mia slip away.
"Magnezone!" cried Clemont. "Magnetic Flux, now!"
The grey shape in Kuzey's peripheral vision extended its magnet-like limbs outward, projecting massive attracting waves that held the jet in place as its turbines whirred harder and harder; a tug of war between the Pokemon and the aircraft had begun. Magnezone howled in a static-filled bellow as it strained with all its power, as inch by inch the hoverjet began to return to the ground below. Out the open side of the jet leaned Lenny his arms wrapped around the midsection of his Krokorok as it wound up the first aid kit clutched in its clawed hand.
"Hey!" the underling screeched over the competing noise of the jet and the Pokemon holding it still. "Get BENT!"
Krokorok used Fling, sending its makeshift projectile flying like a bullet, smacking straight into one of its target's magnets. In a burst of light and a crunching sound, the magnet splintered, and a fragment shot away from the impact at speeds nearly too fast to catch. Then Magnezone fell, crashing to the ground as the jet rocked back and forth from the sudden lurching speed it regained. It ascended quickly now, moving above Magenta Plaza in only seconds before it tilted forward. Kuzey reached a hand out, staring between his middle and forefinger at the little dot of the jet as it slipped over the skyscrapers of Lumiose, and out of his sight.
"Mia…"
Black pools swirled over his vision and he fell backward; he felt colder now, even with Chien-Pao's paw off of his chest he felt colder than he'd ever felt. Arms wrapped around him and pulled him off the ground, and he heard his Aunt's voice saying something to him. But it was so cold, he could only hear the howling of bitter winds swirling around an engine. And one word.
"Coward."
Bounvialle walked back to the others, stroking her nephew's hair with her free hand as she stared down at her boy. His arm had been torn up by the ice, and every inch of him was coated in dust, fragments of stone, and little flecks of dried red from the flying debris of the battle. Her thumb touched the top of his forehead, and stroked up, pushing a lock of hair off his face; he'd grown up so much since the last time she'd seen him. But right now all she saw was the awestruck little boy who'd cling to her massive leg whenever she came to visit. Seeing him like this… Her baby's face winced in pain, and she him whisper that word to himself again. Coward.
"Oh, Kuzey." She hefted him up a little so she could hold him more comfortably as she walked back to the others. Emma had pulled Herri away from the wall of The Box, just in case it became any less stable, and on a clear portion of the pier was applying first aid to the bare sections of her skin. Off to her side, Crest and Yaya had already been healed, and the Pokemon were taking a well-earned nap together. The carrot top girl looked up at her; or rather, no, she was looking at her nephew.
"Mia," she asked between shuddering breaths. "Where's Mia?"
Vi shook her head. "They took her. I'm sorry."
"But we're going to find her." Clemont kneeled down beside Herri and gave a reassuring smile to her, which was not returned by any expression in the slightest on the stone-faced teen.
"Does that mean you have a plan?" asked Emma. The Gym Leader of Lumiose rubbed his hands together in anticipation before wrapping a finger and thumb around the edge of his specs.
"Indeed it does. Magnezone express a magnetic field unique to each individual of the species that they can detect from any distance. And a piece of Magnezone is currently embedded in the side of their aircraft. No matter where that thing goes, we can track it." He gave Herri a thumbs-up and his most confident face. "No matter where on Earth they take your friend, they can't hide from me, Miss…"
"Herri," she told him. "Thanks, Mr. Nerd." Clemont groaned, feeling that one stab right into his midsection. He stood back up and laughed it off, dusting dust that wasn't there off of his sleeve.
Emma shook her friend's hand. "Thanks so much, Clemont. You really saved the day this time." He only laughed it off and shooed the notion away with a waving hand.
"Hey, I can't let you Lookers do all the hard work. Lumiose, and its people, are my responsibility as Gym Leader." The smile slipped away, and he looked Kuzey and Herri's way with a sterner kind of face. "Putting kids through this… I won't let this all start again."
"Does that mean what I think it does?" asked Emma. He grunted and affirmed her.
"Don't you think the same?"
"What's that mean?" Herri interjected. The pair of adults looked at her with difficult expressions.
"Things like this have happened before in Kalos. Weirdly-dressed freaks coming out of nowhere, committing inscrutable crimes." Clemont pressed a finger to his temple in thought. "And that letter, the 'F'. If I had to make a guess, our new enemies have something to do with the ones we faced in the past. A group named Team Flare"
Emma cut in. "But if they're involved…"
"I know," Clemont answered. "If it comes to that, we'll deal with it. But right now we should make certain of things. I'm gonna head back to the Gym and ask Bonnie to watch over things. I don't know how long we're gonna be gone. In the meantime, you should take these guys to see Professor Sycamore. Make certain."
Emma nodded. "Already the plan. We'll meet back up when we're finished?"
"Count on it!" Clemont waved to Herri and Vi, then played with the device on his wrist until the propulsion system in his equipment spewed to life again. With a kick, he leaped off the ground and took to the skies, darting up the distant ramp to the streets of the city as he went toward the massive tower at Lumiose's Center.
Emma's eyes, meanwhile, were fixed on the column of red and blue lights proceeding from every direction toward the ruined nightclub, as smoke and flame continued pouring out its top. "There's the firefighters and paramedics. I'll go grab their attention, you guys just sit tight here for a second."
A little slowly with her Essentia Suit torn to shreds, Emma jogged around the side of the crumbling building to flag down assistance, while Vi set Kuzey down on the ground next to Herri, then locking gazes with the misty-eyed mystery girl.
"Do you resent him?"
Herri tilted her head for a moment, but she didn't question the older woman's meaning. She put her hand over her stomach.
"A little disgusted. A little angry too. Mia's gone, and he couldn't stop them."
She put her hand over the boy, and mimicked the way she saw Vi pat his hair, slowly moving her hand back and forth over his head. He formed the word again. Coward.
"… Yeah. He's a coward." She nodded quietly to herself, talking herself through some decision Vi couldn't picture. "There was nothing he could do, so he did everything he could. He's a kind coward."
Vi smiled, and hefted her giant frame back onto its feet. "I'm gonna, hm, check the perimeter, make sure nobody still needs help. Watch him for me?"
Herri nodded curtly, silent as Kuzey's aunt trotted away, leaving her alone with the boy for the first time since that morning, when Mia had leaped onto their café table. She sighed through her nose, waiting patiently as the boy stirred. His magenta eyes flickered around as he took in his surroundings, winced once as he felt the pain of his injuries, then locked in place when he spotted hers. His lower lip dropped, and a breath fell out as he stumbled on his words.
"I couldn't save Mia."
"Me neither."
Herri extended a hand, and pulled Kuzey up so he could sit and face her. Distant sirens and the faint crackling of the burning building on the other end of the pier were their only company now. Beside their sleeping Pokemon, they both just stared at each other for a moment that Kuzey didn't measure, taking in the grime and bruises that now covered one another.
He broke the silence. "I couldn't do anything."
"You couldn't," Herri agreed. "You froze up again."
It stung; but it was true. Kuzey bowed his head. "I'm sorry—"
Herri shook her head, and put a finger under his chin to push it back up and make him look at her. "I don't know Mia. Not really. But she looks like me, and there's a reason for that. I want to know what that reason is. And I want to find it out with her." She put her hand on her chest. "I care about her. And you do too. But you don't have a good reason; you just do. You're kind, Kuzey. But you're a coward."
"I'm sorry—"
"Stop that," she chided. "Let me finish. We both want to save Mia, and you need to be brave. So I'll do it."
"…Huh?"
Herri slapped her chest, her dress puffing out in a wave from the impact. "I'll be your bravery. You keep doing what your kindness tells you to do. And when you freeze up, or try to run away, I'll keep pushing you forward." She extended her hand, and stared unblinking at him. In the swirling purple fog of her eyes, Kuzey swore he saw something stir. "And together, we'll get Mia back. Do we have a deal, coward?"
Kuzey looked down at the girl's hand. All at once the day's events shot through his mind at breakneck speeds. He saw that hand holding a beautiful pebble submerged in crystal water. He saw it shoving overloaded bags of clothing into his arms. He saw it toying with a piece of biscotti, twirling through her fingers. He saw it pressed against Mia's face, exploring her own features from an impossible angle. He saw it trembling as it tried to point him to Mia before Celot could take her. Then he grabbed it firm with his own.
"Deal. Partners."
He heard a hocking noise, and yelped in disgust as Herri spit on their hands, causing him to withdraw immediately. "Wha-Ugh! What was that for?!"
"To make it official."
The slightest curl at the right corner of Herri's lip twitched up, and she blinked once at the boy. "Let's get along, partner."
Oh, why not. He beamed back at her in agreement. Tonight, that was the most incredible smile he could've asked for.