"Anyway, can we get back to the main topic? Marley, how strong is this strange Jimbob guy?"
Marley fought him and lost. She stares at her lap while everyone looks at her, waiting for a response. "He... was strong... Just a little." Akari grabs a hand of the clearly overwhelmed goth girl.
"He swept the floor with you." Barry points out. "Most of us watched the fight."
With closed eyes and her fingers clenched around Akari's hand, Marley turns her head and sticks out her tongue at Barry. "Jerk... But he only has a single pokeball. Umm, as far as I could tell. It was Skuntank."
Skuntank... oh. Dawn holds up her pokedex with the info on it. "Skuntank, the skunk pokemon. A poison and dark type. It sprays a vile-smelling fluid from the tip of its tail to attack, but the stench dulls after a few squirts. Attacks from above confound it."
"Huh..." Marley makes a sound. "Attacks from above confound it... Why didn't I get that hint? I could have had a better chance with Golbat! ... Maybe."
Pokedexes are rather rare - oftentimes, it's a gift from a professor to help collect data. But time and time again, it proves invaluable for battling.
That hint means Lopunny would be a stronger pick. Jump Kick and High Jump Kick can put her out of Skuntank's effective range.
On the other hand, Lucario would be immune to poison. But Lucario is better suited against physical fighters with her ability to peel them off of her or her ability to keep her focus even when struck through Inner Focus.
I definitely need to keep her fit and ready for a battle against Barry. His only solid option against Lucario is his Rapidash, and we'd still win that matchup.
Against Paul... my most likely battle after Jimbob, unless Dawn pulls a miracle out of her sleeve against him somehow... Lopunny would be my best choice. Or perhaps Salazzle? Fuck, I was sure I planned it all out before the battles even began, but now I'm questioning myself again!
Fucking Jimbob! It's his fault. I bet he's yet another old bastard who somehow snuck into the 18-and-under tournament.
Him, Alice, Jessilina, and Jamison. Maaaybe Brock and Nando too. I don't quite believe their claims that they're still 18.
I'm gonna send in a complaint to Team Galactic for fucking that up. When I find the time... So never.
Let's just focus on the battle ahead--
"Swole? It's your turn. The break is over."
"Barry, you suck."
"And you swallow. Chop, chop."
"Yeah, yeah." I shake off my nervous thoughts and return my pokemon to their pokeballs. To be a trainer in the wilderness means to think on my feet.
Thoughts whirl as I approach the stairway. One contingency, one possibility after another with every step I take.
The path becomes clear as the last viewer passes on my left - my foot crunches some charred grass to dust.
When the unknown is thrust before me, I have to pull out all stops. Winning is the priority because losing might mean certain death for me and all of my pokemon.
Lopunny will handle this fight. And if she becomes the best choice in a later match, she will handle that fight too, no matter what. That's just who she is.
Her ball is still in my hands - a pure white marvel with a strip of red going around. How are they made? Nobody knows. What's it like inside? Comfy and nice. Is Lopunny ready to win? Always.
"Remember me?" An inconsequential, forgettable voice tickles at my ears.
I ignore it as I give Lopunny's pokeball a kiss, reading up for the match.
"Either way, I remember you. I'll make you regret the day we crossed paths!"
I look up, seeing an inconsequential, forgettable face. Who the fuck is that? It's a normal guy on the opposite side of the arena. His arms are crossed before his chest, a smug grin is on his face, and a single pokeball clings to his belt. Either it contains Skuntank, or this is a ploy for me to believe he only has a single pokemon - 'make your enemy think you are weak when you are strong'.
I shouldn't underestimate him even if he has a stupid face. "Hello, stupid. I've got no clue who you are."
"You'll remember soon enough." His fists clench, but he keeps calm enough despite the taunt. "Besides, I know more than enough for the both of us, my dear arch-nemesis."
What the fuck? Is he some kind of autist? The fake name hints at it...
"I know you are Swole Solo from Twinleaf Town. Your mother is Elizabeth Solo - formerly Elizabeth Joestar. Your father is Benjamin Solo - currently employed at Team Galactic. You went to a private school in Twinleaf Town, and you were third in the yearly Jubilife Pokemon School tournament."
... That's creepy.
"When you're not training, your personal time is spent flirting with a bunch of girls. Nobody has witnessed your win against Candice, but I think you never won against her at all. You're just a dirty womanizer who stumbles through Sinnoh! And you deserve none of it! Pervert!"
"... Who the actual fuck are you?"
"I am Jimbob Bob Dylan! Remember my name, for you'll scream it in your nightmares!" He readies his pokeball and tosses it high in the air. "Skuntank! Show him real power!"
"Fuck off, freak." I point Lopunny's pokeball and click. "Lopunny, let's go."
Both pokemon arrive at the same time. Lopunny is confused as she arrives - probably as confused as I am - but she quickly gets over it and concentrates on her opponent instead.
Skuntank - a bushy-tailed, purple pokemon with an angry scowl on her face - snarls. She curls her lips in disgust - at her own stench that reaches all the way here or perhaps at the situation; it isn't clear at all.
Jupiter speaks up, "Ready?"
Skunktank and his trainer nod-- hold on... "Wait--"
"Begin!"
"Flamethrower!" Billowing flames appear between the sharp teeth of Skuntank. Her maw opens up, and a stream of fire rushes along the battlefield, singeing the last spots of untouched grass between us and them.
"Just dodge it."
At this distance and with her speed, Lopunny has more than enough time to sidestep the attack. Flamethrower misses, billowing out in a cone as it slows to a stop just inches from my face. The heat licks at my face, and the light blinds my eyes. The barrier shimmers to life a little late, cutting off the flames just after they singed my eyebrows.
Skuntank turns her head, tracing Lopunny's path until she runs out of space but simply hops over the fire, closing the distance between them at the same time.
I close my eyes and switch to Aura sight.
"Poison Gas!" Jimbob's intent is unclear and veiled, as if I'm watching him from afar... as if there were a deep rift between us. However, his words are loud and clear.
"Quick--" I shut my mouth. We'll fight with all tricks. No matter how much of a freak he is, I won't underestimate him. ~"Quick Attack!"
Lopunny sprints across the arena while the flames still billow. Skuntank closes her mouth and tenses up her body.
In the last moment, Skuntank swipes with her claw, aiming for Lopunny's face but missing. Lopunny is too nimble. She rams her shoulder into Skuntank's side.
"Hey! I told you to use Poison Gas! Not whatever that was!" Jimbob screeches. It was Sucker Punch. "Again! Poison Gas!"
~"Double Kick."
The bond between Skuntank and Jimbob is nonexistent. Did he catch her moments before the tournament?
Lopunny kicks twice while Skuntank simply tanks the damage. Darkness seeps from the wounds, and I realize what she's using.
~"Jump!" Instantly, Lopunny hops as fast as she can, barely scraping past Skuntank when she strikes with both of her claws. Payback missed. ~"And Jump Kick!"
"Poison Gas! Poison Gas! Listen to me!"
Lopunny rushes to the ground like a comet, aiming for Skuntank's weak spot. However, Skuntank disappears just as her foot breaks through her body, creating copies of herself at the same time that spread all over the arena.
She breaks through Double Team's illusion, wincing in pain as she craters the ground when her foot strikes.
That Skuntank is far too strong to be Jimbob's pokemon. Where did he get her from?
~"The real one is behind you; get her with Quick Attack."
All illusions prepare Flamethrower, fire bursting through the gaps between Skuntank's sharp teeth. When Lopunny dashes across and kicks Skuntank in the throat, Flamethrower ends early. The other illusions disappear as well, leaving only the real one hacking and coughing in pain.
Pound follows right after, and Lopunny hops away in time before a vicious Crunch could chomp down on her ears.
"Poison Gas!" His orders are completely useless. At best, they are distracting me. Skuntank yet again prepares something else-- it has to be Bite.
~"Hop back further."
Lopunny widens the gap as Suntank runs after her on stubby little legs, giving me a moment to think.
Attacking from above did not work as well as I thought it would.
Skuntank has both melee and ranged options to make our life a pain.
Suddenly, Skuntank stops chasing, closing her eyes and breathing calmly instead. It's something! ~"Stop that with Dizzy Punch!"
With nimble feet, Lopunny bounces on her heels and hops back into close combat. She punches Skuntank, who turns away in the last moment. Whatever it was, they finished in time, but it wasn't an attack.
Lopunny continues her combo with Pound when Skuntank suddenly lets out a deafening Screech. A noise so unbearable that we can't help but cover our ears in sync. Immediately, we jump away again, creating distance before Crunch can hit, and another hop to avoid the follow-up Bite.
If this has been Screech, then the other move must've been Focus Energy. They plan to take us out with one single attack.
Jimbob still screeches ineffective orders. If he's not the one in command of that battle, then who is?
It can't be a recently caught Skuntank. She's far too powerful to stay with such a pathetic trainer.
My Aura sight can't quite get a feel for the bond with her trainer. It's too fuzzy, but it's definitely connecting to someone within this stadium.
Skuntank swipes at the air, black energy dripping like tar from her claws. An afterimage of slashes suddenly swishes through the air, aiming for Lopunny's face. ~"Fake Out!"
Time crawls to a halt. Lopunny evades the slashes as they simply hover in place. She runs past them--
~"Slowly." Lopunny nearly stumbles, surprised when she hears my voice. ~"Take your time. I need to think."
The real trainer we're fighting against is not important. I won't waste my thoughts on them.
Skuntank is going to be vulnerable after Fake Out connects. We're going to abuse that with High Jump Kick. Then, follow up with Jump Kick and Double Kick, just to deal as much damage as we can.
Afterwards, we'll Protect their counter to keep the combo going with Play Rough, then tank whatever is coming and follow up with Payback-- Lopunny was struck by Screech. She might not be able to tank anything.
~"I need to strike now!"
Fuck the doubts. ~"I trust you, Lopunny! Kick off from her back and prepare for High Jump Kick!"
The moment her rabbit foot touches Skuntank, Night Slash zips through the space Lopunny had been in, shattering to pieces just inches from my face again. Something else grew in front of me in place of the psychic barrier, but I won't waste thoughts on that.
In the meantime, Skuntank wastes a full precious second by uselessly looking left and right only to realize where Lopunny is really coming from.
With knee ahead and arms and ears trailing behind, she crashes into Skuntank's neck, cratering the ground beneath them both. ~"Jump Kick!" She uses Skuntank's body as a springboard, jumping as high as she can, stretching out her leg, and aiming with her heel for the same spot. Another impact, and the crater deepens. ~"Double Kick!" The foot that hadn't touched Skuntank yet begins to glow in a faint brown hue before Lopunny stomps on Skuntank's neck yet again.
When her foot comes down a second time, Skuntank's tail starts shining purple. Poison Tail? ~"Protect."
The thick, bushy tail covering Skuntank's body like a blanket, lifts from her back and slaps into Protect. It bounces off uselessly, and Lopunny grabs the opportunity, grabbing a fistful of scruff around Skuntank's neck to pull herself into a grapple.
A vague feeling nags at my attention.
Lopunny hooks an arm around Skuntank's neck and locks it in place with the other arm. Her legs wrap around her torso, and even her ears keep Skuntank immovable in her hold as she tightens her limbs to choke that skunk out. Play Rough.
But something's wrong; I can feel it.
While keeping Skuntank secure with her other limbs, Lopunny switches between punching her opponent in the stomach, ramming her knee into her back, and gnawing at her neck like a rabid animal going for the kill.
My head slowly drifts to the referee as my eyes slowly peel open... as if someone tore my eyelids apart.
Through our bond, I can feel Skuntank struggling against our hold. Every limb strains under the pressure of our muscles, but fueled by fairy-type power, they can keep pushing. Punching, kicking, kneeing, scratching, biting, and even headbutting her opponent.
Jupiter stares at me. Her eyes are only on me.
~"Quick Attack!--" Our bond breaks. My concentration falters when fear grips my heart. Jupiter's deranged smile on her lips takes up all of my attention.
She's baring both rows of her teeth with a grin reaching ear to ear. Taut skin and pinprick small pupils twist her mature face into one of pure malice.
Shining particles of light flicker to life all around Skuntank and Lopunny.
"Quick Attack!" She stops her assault in an instant. Her eyes dart to me, glinting past her furred shoulder, surprise on her face evident that I have to resort to words. "Get out of there, Lopunny!"
Before I can close my eyes in a desperate attempt to rebuild our connection, I spot Jupiter mouth a single word. Slowly, every syllable on its own.
"Ex-"
My eyes widen the rest of the way again. "Quickly!"
"-plo-"
It's too late.
"-sion."
A second sun rises on the battlefield of Veilstone City's park.
A pressure wave washes over me, hurtles through my lungs, and presses air through my throat while slamming into my eardrums.
The psychic wall shimmers to life and already fractures in places. Fire and hot gas press against it, slipping through cracks when shards break off only to pling against the ground, my skin, and the metal of the audience stands.
My ears are ringing. My sight fails after most of my vision turned into blinded smears. I close my eyes yet still see the light burned into my retina. I concentrate, searching for Lopunny beyond the wall.
Hot air blisters the exposed skin on my hands and face, but I find her, standing, just barely, braced with her arms on her knees in the middle of a massive crater.
Panicked voices reach through the smoke, the vaporized dirt, and the raining soil, but Lopunny ignores all of it. She listens for the shallow breathing of Skuntank. The charred, knocked-out pokemon has passed out.
We have won.
Before the dust has even settled, Jupiter's voice echoes from the sound systems. As if this was just any other battle, she speaks, "Skuntank loses by default. Lopunny and Swole Solo from Twinleaf Town win and advance to the semi-finals."
When the psychic wall disappears, smoke still billows from the crater, blanketing the stadium until the wind carries enough away for all to see: Lopunny still stands.
Nothing will ever beat us, no matter what.
Standing deep within a crater, her smile is proud, but her muscles refuse to move, so I carefully aim her pokeball instead. "Lopunny, return."
A beam shoots out, and I can tell, the moment she reaches the confines of her premier ball, she passes out, fast asleep.
My opponent screams up a storm on the other side of the arena. His frustrations sound more like a pitiful tantrum than the bitter stinging sensation of a real loss.
That's because this wasn't his fight. It wasn't his pokemon. It must have been Jupiter's. Her face couldn't have been any more obvious, but now, she looks as if nothing happened.
"Go on, trainers." She giggles into the palm of her hand. A smile on her lips that looks... normal. "Have your banter and then leave. The next fight awaits."
Dawn versus Paul. Then Akari against Ash, and Brock against Barry.
Then it's me against Paul again. Then it will be me against Barry in the finals - or perhaps Brock if he pulls out all the stops? With Lopunny out of commission and Swadloon... Ahem. It's going to be tough. Salazzle and Lucario will need to give their best.
Me too. I will do my very best as their trainer. Losing is not an option.
... Looks like that Jimbob guy finished his monologue, and now it's my turn. "I literally have no idea who you are. Bye."
I turn around and leave, my eyes staying on Jupiter for as long as I can. But she reveals nothing of her thoughts. Just a vapid, lying, casual smile. The type anyone would use when being in a pleased mood.
Approaching the stairs, I'm finally forced to look away from her while I try to suppress the enormous grin growing on my lips. Thunderous applause, cheering friends, and the most energetic crowd I've seen in my life greet me.
The people love explosions. Action, blood, sweat, and matches that are so close that a simple misstep makes the difference between a win and a loss.
In this case, it wasn't even close at all. Trainers automatically lose when using Explosion or Self-Destruct, so it's only useful when they can swap in another pokemon afterwards. Obviously, that's not happening in a 1v1 tournament.
Still, the people loved it. I bet they loved seeing Lopunny still standing at the end of it all. She was so cool.
I reach my friends and listen to the congratulations with a smile on my lips. I thank them all, but... "Well, I would love to hear you all stroking my big, fat... ego some more-"
Ash and Barry boo.
"- But I've gotta look for a little bit of privacy to take care of Lopunny. Dawn, I believe in you. Show Asshole you're not to be underestimated."
"You can count on me! And don't worry, I've already got a strategy in mind!" She's going to lose.
But I kiss her anyway. "Good luck. Love you."
"L-love you too." Her face grows hotter, and she dashes off and away to the battlefield.
I look Zoey over, making sure she's fine before sharing a look with Akari. She places a comforting hand on top of Zoey's thigh in my stead and gives me a nod.
"See you all in 10 minutes. If anyone looks for me, I'll be in the toilets or on the bench in front of them if they are full."
---
A round of goodbyes later, and I'm already heading down the stairs again, out of the temporary stadium, walking along the well-trodden path of the formerly pristine park. A little bit of trash here and there litters the ground, but it's going to feed some Grimer or Trubbish tonight. The same Pidgey I saw the other day are already among the mess, chirping happily and picking out the edible parts from the garbage, like a tossed, half-eaten hot dog.
The day is slowly approaching evening. A check of my clock says it's 3PM, and the tournament is scheduled to last for 1 to 2 more hours. A half-hour break will be between the semifinals and the finals. Lopunny will need as much of the remaining time as she can get to recover her stamina, so I start jogging to the bathrooms.
The temporary building that contains them is currently entirely unoccupied. Not a single man, woman, or child waits in line, so I simply walk through the door and enter inside.
White ceramic tiles, easy to clean, lie along the floor and walls. A wall of mirrors and washbasins is immediately in front of the door, blocking sight from outside to the urinals on the other side.
It doesn't smell bad. A Grimer must've already been through here after the most recent onslaught of visitors. Part of me wonders how effective Grimer actually are at cleaning, considering they are made of slime, but I grip the handle to the last toilet stall anyway. All stalls are empty, but I prefer the last one.
I lower the toilet lid, unclip Lopunny's pokeball, and call her out. She appears standing, in the same pose in which she disappeared, but immediately slumps over, falling into my arms.
A single whiff of her odor makes me gag. "Yuck. You're going to need a serious bath later today."
She pushes herself off me. Sluggishly, her eyelids flutter open. ~"Master?"
"Yep. I'm here. And well fought, Lopunny. Good job."
She grins, but then tilts her head in confusion when I gently push her back until she sits down on the toilet seat.
~"What are we doing in this cramped little space all alone?" She winks.
"The way you stink? Nothing like that."
She sniffs at her arm, eyes bulging before she retches in disgust. ~"Rancid."
"It really is." After pulling free a potion from my backpack, I give her worst wounds a quick spray. "But I'm looking forward to your bath. I think you've earned yourself a little reward."
... I owe Salazzle a reward as well. Might as well take care of them both at the same time.
The potion is doing its wonders. Her cracked, charred skin stops bleeding immediately. A new layer of skin grows underneath her burns as a sigh escapes her lips - the split skin on her lips stitches itself back together too.
Tension all over her body releases as she sags and nearly liquefies.
"I thought the potion stung?"
~"It does, but the wounds hurt more."
Most of the front of her body has been burnt to a crisp. Luckily, it's just superficial for pokemon: as long as they aren't knocked out, wounds just can't reach deep, and I've started treating her early enough for this not to leave any scars either.
Her fur is in an awful condition, though, and it'll take at least a full day to regrow.
That means she won't be as fluffy tonight when we sleep together. It will be her naked skin right against me...
Two nubby growths on her chest stick out like a sore thumb. Her breasts are also more obvious without the thick fur covering her torso.
She's smaller than Dawn but clearly has some cushion over her pectoral muscles. I've felt them often enough while cuddling or while doing her physicals, but seeing them in front of me really is a different story.
She pushes out her chest, crosses her legs, and braces her arms behind her as she strikes a proud pose. ~"You like them? They are better than Salazzle's, aren't they?"
They are in fact a little bit bigger than Salazzle's... Am I feeding Salazzle enough? But I can't admit that. "Don't be silly. All breasts are equally wonderful."
She pouts until I-- "Urgh." Until I pinch my nose shut before giving her a peck on her lips. "Now, let's get some berries into you, and then we'll need to head back. I don't want to miss too much of Dawn's fight."
Lopunny tilts her head, eyes tracking my hands as I reach for the berry case and pull free a small blue berry - "Oran." - She grabs it, stuffs it in her mouth, and chews once before swallowing. ~"Yuck."
A small orange one. I pull the stem off before she eats that. ~"Blegh." - "Leppa."
And a bigger, yellow berry. The Sitrus Berry. Because she has basically been knocked out, I make her eat the whole thing. ~"A little bitter."
Bitter but also sour and fruity. Does Salazzle like them? I should add some to her diet... Or maybe she'd prefer Rawst Berries? They are even more bitter... But they heal burns, so maybe fire pokemon won't like to eat them? I'll have to try them out.
Good grief.
~"What's the matter, master?"
"Oh, I just thought of another task I should take care of. Don't worry about it."
"Looo..." Lopunny hums. She strokes her chin in concentration, only to sniff at the air, cringe in disgust, and pull her hand away from her face again. ~"Why don't you try some of these vacates? Salazzle said it's something humans do."
What is a vacate? "Oh. You mean a vacation." I should take a break. I'm not dumb; I know I can't keep this pace up forever.
... But I must. "I can't take a break. There are too many things I have to do. I just--" I should delegate. Like Akari, get a helping hand or two to shoulder my burdens.
... But I can't. "These are things I have to do. I have to shoulder these burdens. I just have to toughen up."
She frowns. Thoughts, ideas, and solutions bubble in her mind until she looks me in the eyes with her pink, slightly glowing orbs - it's just the ceiling light reflecting off. ~"Sounds complicated."
"Haha. You're so cute, Lopunny; I just want to cuddle you." She spreads her arms, an inviting smile on her face. "But you stink too much. We'll cuddle in the bathtub tonight."
~"Deal!"
With a giddy grin, I check the time on my poketch phone. 10 minutes have already passed, and so I ready Lopunny's pokeball. "Until then, get some more rest. I might still need you today."
"Lo!" She nods with her ears flopping wildly. ~"You can count on me!"
"I know I can." Pinching my nose, I give her another kiss before recalling her and wiping my mouth. A red beam turns her into energy and sucks her into her premier ball. After one last kiss for good measure, I clip her to my belt, unlock the toilet stall and-- "Huh?"
---
Cold wind blows down my neck. A constant noise rattles in my ears, coming from the air ducts above. Pipes criss-cross across the ceiling, some branching off and running along the walls to disappear underground. Cables run alongside the pipes.
It's dark, and the air is stale but buzzing with the sounds of distant, heavy machinery. Fast-paced rhythmic pumping of an engine, hissing of steam vents, rattling conveyor belts - but nothing travels along them. Like a production plant producing nothing at all.
I'm in the middle of a long hallway. The source of the conveyor belts is up ahead. My feet move on their own. Silently, I glide deeper into the dark. Then, the hallway branches out into a chamber. Two shadowy figures lean against the entrance - I pass by without them noticing.
Inside the chamber is a massive cage, its walls made of a type of thick glass and heavy steel beams that are socketed within the ground and ceiling.
Around the cage, dials, measuring instruments, gauges, switches, and levers litter across the surface of a massive control panel, and another one just beside that. The whole room is plastered with an unreasonable amount of control panels.
The longer I look, the more dials and levers appear. An infinite amount that just keeps growing and growing... all to control a single thing.
A tiny chute - barely larger than a pokeball - allows for items to pass out of the cage and to drop onto the conveyor belt, while a closed vault door prevents anyone larger than that from heading inside. Two more shadows guard the vault door.
Most of the room is lit either by the displays on the control panels or by the glaringly bright light passing through the glass walls of the cage.
I try to move closer, but a psychic barrier blocks the way.
My eyes get used to the light, and a breath catches in my throat. A headless woman hangs naked, bound by chains, attached with cables and pipes. Suction cups stick to her breasts while glowing liquid is pumped into the holes of her body.
"M-Mary?" A voice rings out, desperate, full of dread and pain, but also drenched with heartbreaking hope. "I... I found you."
Melancholy. Depression. A way out.
"Mary?" I say. The sound of a zipper slowly closing shut rips through the room while white tiles appear at the edges of my sight. The tiled pattern merges together as if zipped up. "Mary!" I scream. I hammer against the glass... against the bathroom door. The zipper fully zips closed, and I'm back inside the Veilstone City park.
White, sterile, and clean tiles at my feet. The door leading out is in front of me. And near the ceiling: a familiar shadow with blood-red eyes and a golden zipper for a mouth staring back at me. "Banette?"
It was hypnosis... Hold on, doesn't that mean-- "Did you find her?!"
The corners of her zipper rise up, higher than I've ever seen on her before. Her head pokes out fully from the corner before she nods, then the rest of her body follows. She glides down to my level and grabs my hand. "Follow me."
It's a strange feeling. Like a force pulling at my finger while slipping through at the same time. Meanwhile, her voice burrows through my brain like a worm. "Hold on."
"You need to save her." Banette shakes her head. Eyes brimming with tears. "Please. I beg you."
"I will. Just, where is she?" I pull my poketch phone out with my free hand. "And let me tell the others so they won't worry that I've disappeared."
Her hand slackens. Fingers falling limp, she lets go of me. Her eyes widen, and her body sags and deflates.
Then she looks up again. She glares at me with red eyes, her zipper ripping open before she screams. "Don't disappear!"
A sharp pain rushes through my mind, like a hot rod breaking through my skull and tearing my brain to mush. "Argh!"
As fast as it started, it stops again. Banette's head falls limp. "Sorry... Just... Please." The pain lessens. "I beg of you. I need to be with her."
"It's alright." I grunt, still clutching at my forehead. "I wasn't being clear enough. My bad. We'll find her. Right now."
I type out a message to Akari as fast as I can.
Swole: "Something came up. I won't be back for my fights."
"Now. Where is Mary?"
"She's deep underground - underneath the big scary building with metal spikes."
"Underneath Team Galactic's Headquarters?"
She walks through the bathroom door - I follow her outside to see what her ghostly body points at. Just beyond the treeline is the hill leading up to Team Galactic's Headquarters.
"Underneath that one, up there."
It's the tallest building nearby, on account of it standing atop a hill, and it has metal spikes to protect itself from lightning strikes. The wind around here can ionize the air quickly and cause static build-up.
I know a shortcut through the park that drops us off right at the steps to their building.
Looking left and right, I make sure nobody is around to spot me. Then I smack my forehead and check with Aura sight instead.
"Alright." I unclip the pretty pink pokeball with a heart design from my belt. "Lucario, come out."
She appears on the spot, her blue fur standing up threateningly on her hunched back. Then she sees where she is. "Lu?" Her posture relaxes. ~"Is it my turn next?"
"I'm dropping out of the tournament." Hearing those words, her ears stand up alert. "Banette has found Mary--"
~"The ghost? The one you said was not a ghost even though she clearly was one?"
"That one--"
~"Hold on! Did you say Banette?! We have to tell Lopunny!"
"What? Why?"
~"She really wants to beat up that ungrateful bitch-- I mean, cretin. Where is she?-- There!" All of a sudden, her horns rise to the air, her eyes light up blue, and a light shimmer grips Banette around her neck, pulling the pokemon closer to Lucario. ~"You! You have some nerve showing yourself again!"
"Stop it."
~"S-stop it? But Daddy! She abandoned us!"
I cringe at the word daddy. Master is bad enough, but at least I got used to it. The way Lucario - a grown pokemon - says it just doesn't fit right.
"Bane! Banette!" The ghost pokemon croaks through her crushed throat, and then her voice becomes quieter. Sadder. Depressed. "... Banette... nette..."
Lucario's eyes stop glowing. The shimmer disappears, and Banette softly falls to the ground. Her legs give out immediately, and she slumps down into a crying mess. Her voice sounds tortured and lifeless. "Ba- Banette."
~"I-- I did not know. I am sorry."
"Hey." Banette doesn't react. "Hey, Banette. Chin up, will you? We're going to rescue her, right now."
Slowly, with twitching motions, she nods. Her body then dissolves, her limbs becoming one with the shadow until just her head pokes from the ground. She stares at me, crimson eyes filled to the brim with bloody tears, and her voice croaks. ~"Will you carry me once more?"
It didn't feel nearly as painful or bizarre in my brain this time. So, with a smile on my lips, I extend my arms to invite her. "Of course."
Then she dips fully below ground and merges with my shadow.
'Carry me' must have just meant to let her travel with me. Haha... Now I feel dumb with my arms out.