Dead, dead, dead, dead!
Okidogi had been beaten to death by one strike of the club!
In Pecharunt's mind, the scene from the past surfaced once again: the sight of Ogerpon wiping them out against type disadvantage after three Swords Dances plus Focus Energy!
On this day, Pecharunt remembered the terror of being dominated by the ogre, and the humiliation of being imprisoned inside its peach shell!
"Oki... dogi..."
Okidogi's weak voice came from the collapsed rubble of the mountain rocks. It lifted one hand with difficulty, trying to ask Pecharunt for help.
Boss, help me again! Please! I'm not dead yet!
Kitakami mochi. As long as I eat a little more mochi covered in seasoning, maybe I can beat her!
My strength still isn't enough. Even after getting this big, I still got knocked away by the other side!
Big Bro, help!
Why are you just watching?!
Okidogi's cries for help only left Pecharunt frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.
Just like what had happened all those years ago.
When all three of its subordinates were defeated by the furious Ogerpon, it could only hide from her attacks with its powerful shell and escape by playing dead.
Fighting?
Now... now it had to fight?!
"Pecha-runt!"
It had been forced into a dead end! But Pecharunt still wanted to run. The problem was that if it had no puppets left to control, then it had no choice but to go in personally and break through the blockade!
How did this happen?! I clearly prepared a perfect plan, controlled all the humans in Kitakami, and even manipulated their Pokémon!
But they still all got taken down!
The people here are too weak! No, no, no, it's not that they're weak. It's that this human I've never seen before is too strong!
An envoy of steel... A Steel-type expert! A type that isn't afraid of toxins!
I've never seen this type before!
Hikaru said, "Looks like Steel-type Pokémon don't live in your homeland."
"However, here in Kitakami, there are quite a few Steel-type Pokémon!"
"Steel does not get poisoned. Even if the Ability Corrosion allows status moves to poison Steel types, Poison-type attacks are still useless against steel!"
"Your Ability, Poison Puppeteer, makes any Pokémon you poison fall into confusion as well. That is also the source of your power to dominate other humans and Pokémon."
"However, it does not work on me!"
Pecharunt felt intense fear.
Its toxin had never failed before. Yet there was actually something in this world called the Steel type!
If a Steel-type Pokémon caught it, wouldn't its precious life be completely over?!
"Pecha!"
Pecharunt immediately had the final remaining Kitakami expert, Muramasa, step forward to block them.
No matter what, take Crawdaunt and hold the other side back!
I'm running!
Use the human Trainer as a shield!
"Hmph. Trying to run?"
Hikaru snapped his wrist, and a flash of white light burst out. Not far behind Pecharunt, a white stone giant appeared!
"Garganacl, block the way!"
The white giant appeared, coldly staring down at the Poison-type Mythical Pokémon. Although Pecharunt was illiterate, it immediately realized that the stone man before it was not a Steel-type Pokémon.
It doesn't have that hard metallic shine. It's stone!
Great! That human is an idiot! He actually sent a Rock-type Pokémon to block my escape!
Then I'll turn you into a puppet too and control you to get away!
Uh, your body looks a little stiff, but I should still be able to escape, right?!
"Pecha-runt!"
Malignant Chain!
A Poison-type special move with 100 power and 100 accuracy!
The user binds the target with a chain made of poison, injecting toxins into it and eroding it. It also has a 50% chance of leaving the target badly poisoned!
Pecharunt directly flung out its signature move, striking Garganacl. After a three-hit barrage, it waited with anticipation for Garganacl to fall into a poisoned state.
However...
Garganacl slapped Pecharunt straight back into the battlefield with the back of its hand!
Worthless thing. Do not show off such cheap tricks in front of me.
"Rock-type Pokémon are indeed not immune to toxins, but there is a difference between salt rock and ordinary rock!"
"Purifying Salt! Garganacl has a unique Ability. It cannot be inflicted with any status condition. Damage it takes from Ghost-type moves is also halved!"
"It cannot be poisoned, and it resists Ghost. Both of your same-type moves have been sealed away!"
"Because... this is the way to deal with evil spirits. Legend says pure salt can erase the power of ghosts, and it is honored as a sacred substance capable of driving away filth and misfortune."
Of course, Pecharunt's level was actually very high.
After its long period of escape and accumulation of power, its level should be the highest among fixed-encounter Pokémon catchable in Scarlet and Violet: level 88!
This was meant to correspond with Nemona's Pokémon levels in the postgame. Because of the postgame level scaling mechanic, in the epilogue plot, the Pokémon belonging to the controlled Nemona were raised to level 86 to 87. Pecharunt, as the final boss holding the line, just happened to be one level higher than the highest-level Pokémon in her team.
Meanwhile, Ogerpon's level in the postgame was 70.
"Garganacl trained in the Great Crater of Paldea for 150 years, and even it is only level 80. Yet you, a peach that did nothing, somehow reached level 88."
"You possess powerful strength, a special ability that controls hearts and fulfills desires, and you are also a Mythical Pokémon. If I let you run wild, the consequences would be serious. You are far too powerful, so I have to seal you away!"
"Pe... Pecha?!"
Pecharunt was shocked.
Waaah! What kind of nonsense are you saying?!
I spent hundreds of years gathering this power! For that, I lost everything: my partners, my family, my masks, my treasures. I have nothing left!
Hikaru shook his head.
"Your partners, your family, and those masks. Not a single one of those things belonged to you. They were all obtained through the Toxic Chain and by robbing others. Affection and friends gained through methods like that are all false!"
"And you killed an innocent person. Once you take a life, you can no longer turn back."
"Pecharunt, do you know what the relationship between people and Pokémon was like at the very beginning?"
"Have you heard of the legendary swordsman of the Sinnoh region?"
Hikaru took a greatsword glittering with cold light from the C Device.
The Instant Sword!
"Modeled after the legendary broken divine sword, this ancient sword pierces into Sinnoh's history. It is the Greatsword of the Instant, capable of parrying all attacks!"
"There was once a young man who obtained a sword. With that sword, he hunted Pokémon everywhere for food. As for those he could not finish eating, he simply threw them away. After one year, he could no longer catch any food. Pokémon had completely vanished from sight."
"After a long journey over mountains and rivers, that young man finally found the Pokémon and asked: Why do you no longer appear?"
"The Pokémon quietly answered: You once swung your blade and harmed my companions. So we too will harm your companions with our fangs and claws. Do not blame us. To protect our companions, we have no choice."
"The young man roared: Ever since I obtained this sword, I forgot that all of you were living beings too. I swear I will never do such a savage thing again. This sword will have no further use. So please, grant me your forgiveness."
"The young man threw the sword to the ground, and the blade broke with a crack. The Pokémon saw this and vanished without a trace."
"The divine sword represents the history of hunting and slaughter, when humans and Pokémon stood opposed. Thousands of years ago, humans used weapons like this to fight Pokémon!"
"But because he came to understand the weight of life, the legendary swordsman was consumed with regret, and that is why he broke the divine sword."
"And yet, the divine sword still has a reason to exist!"
"It exists for Pokémon like you!"
The story of the legendary swordsman may have inspired the later age of X and Y, leading to the design of the character King AZ.
At first, he disregarded life. After he understood the weight of life, he vanished from history. Perhaps he wandered. Perhaps he killed himself.
Hikaru carried the greatsword and approached Pecharunt!
Pecharunt immediately controlled Muramasa.
Quick! Hurry and make Crawdaunt use Crabhammer!
"Crawdaunt!"
Although Crawdaunt did not understand the situation before it either, if its Trainer wanted it to fight to the end, then it had to fight!
"Crawdaunt! Adaptability and Shell Armor are both excellent Abilities. However, I know you!"
"Your Ability is Hyper Cutter!"
"So come back after changing Abilities!"
Hikaru blocked Crawdaunt's Crabhammer with one sword strike, and the Instant Sword erupted with the pressure of a parry!
With one slash, Crawdaunt was sent flying!
The lobster was frightened, but it quickly scrambled up and still intended to keep fighting. Then Dragonpon's enormous mask appeared behind it.
Guaranteed critical hit!
Ivy Cudgel: Dragon!
With a violent smash, Crawdaunt lost the ability to battle!
Along with it, the final member of the Kitakami Ogre Clan, Muramasa, was also taken down by Ogerpon, who suddenly appeared and swept his legs out from under him!
"The Kitakami Ogre Clan's eight members have all been defeated!"
The Another Riders had all fallen!
Watching Hikaru wave the greatsword and send Pokémon flying, Pecharunt was already half-dead from fear. It started shouting in a panicked mess.
Parting Shot!
Parting Shot intimidates the target, lowering the opponent's Attack and Special Attack, then switches the user out with a Pokémon in reserve!
Even if the user is affected by Ingrain, trapping, an inability to escape, Shadow Tag, Arena Trap, or Magnet Pull, it can still switch out!
It could run!
Pecharunt thought that it could flee at any time!
What human? What swordsman? What weight of life?
Wasn't it just that someone lost their life by accident because Pecharunt wanted to be loved? Was there really any need to go this far together with Ogerpon?!
He used a weapon to knock away a Pokémon!
This has to be a joke!
Humans... Are humans really this terrifying?!
"Parting Shot is a Pokémon move, so naturally it only works on Pokémon. How could it possibly work on a human?"
"Pe... Pecha-runt!!!"
Malignant Chain!
Pecharunt flung out Malignant Chain, only for it to be parried back by the Instant Sword in one blow!
Battle Art: Parry!
"Something like this is completely useless!"
The sword pressure carried a typeless shock wave, nearly cutting Pecharunt's true body in half!
"Waaah! Pecha-runt!"
You're not human!
You're not human at all! You're an ogre! An evil ogre even scarier than me!
How could a human possibly use moves with power at this level?!
You and the man who died in the past are not even the same species!
Hikaru held the greatsword.
"Under normal circumstances, why would an adult get angry at a child?"
"But if a child's behavior is especially vile, then they must be taught a lesson!"
Pecharunt suddenly flew into the air.
You bastard! I refuse to believe you can still hit a flying Pokémon!
But because of a certain move, I can't escape, and Parting Shot doesn't work on you. It should at least work on other Pokémon!
Pecharunt used Parting Shot on the barely conscious Okidogi.
It was going to run!
"O-Oki... dogi?!"
Okidogi lay in the pile of rocks, unable to believe it. The boss had gone through so much hardship to revive the three of them, yet now it was throwing down a threat and running away!
Big Bro, are you abandoning us? You... You really are pathetic, running away by yourself!
"Munk... Munkidori!"
"Fez... Fezandipiti!"
Fezandipiti and Munkidori had finally recovered from their status conditions, only for Dragonpon's greatclub to come swinging at them immediately!
"Munkidori!"
Munkidori saw Pecharunt preparing to flee. It had no other choice now, so it immediately shouted at Fezandipiti.
Quick, cover the boss's escape!
What do you mean, the boss is pathetic for running alone? That isn't true!
The boss is only making a tactical retreat. As long as the boss survives, even if we get beaten to death again, we can still be revived through the power of foreign gemstones and poison!
So what if we become puppets? What kind of lives did we have before?
As a dog, he had no strength. As a monkey, I had no wisdom. As a male bird, he was not beautiful!
All of us were failures among our own kind. It was the boss who gave us our current forms and power!
Only death can repay the peach's grace!
"Fez..."
However, Fezandipiti did not seem to think that way. She felt terrified. After all, she had always been the worst at fighting among them, and she had been the last to join the group.
The third member had always had no say, and was practically there just to fill out the numbers. Although she had become beautiful, she was still not particularly strong, and there were Pokémon completely unaffected by her pheromones.
It was true that her wish had been fulfilled, but saying she had to die completely for Boss Pecharunt...
I... I don't think I can do that.
However, whether she could do it or not, she still had to! Fezandipiti looked around at all the Pokémon nearby.
The golden greatsword, the green rocket, the white giant... and that cicada shell that had disappeared earlier. None of these guys were ordinary Pokémon!
This was an absolute dead end!
"Fezandipiti!"
What nonsense about charging to the death for Boss Pecharunt?! Isn't this obviously because we're cornered, and if we don't fight now, we'll die?!
"Munk!" Munkidori released a burst of powerful psychic force. Nothing happened for the moment, but that psychic force would soon take effect!
Future Sight! One of the strongest Psychic-type moves. This move was not merely capable of seeing the future. It could also launch an attack from the future!
Then Psychic!
Munkidori used its strongest Psychic, while Fezandipiti had no choice but to flap his wings. A bright full moon appeared above his head!
Moonblast!
In her Embody Aspect state, Ogerpon shouldered her dragon club!
A Dragon-type iron club had no effect on the Fairy-type Fezandipiti.
So... she would hit the other one!
Thunder Bagua!
Ogerpon smashed Munkidori away with one swing of her club. The tremendously powerful greatclub, guaranteed to land a critical hit, struck so hard that it seemed to cave in Munkidori's skull!
You said you were going to buy time for your boss?!
Psychic power? How could something like that possibly be useful?! Several hundred years of hatred will end here!
"Ponio, grah!"
Ogerpon dodged Moonblast with a Quick Attack. Facing the final Fezandipiti, she took out a mask she had not used yet.
Although this mask did not counter Fezandipiti, it carried a special meaning!
Terastallization would automatically disappear when a battle ended. In a natural battle, a Pokémon holding Tera power could also disperse its Tera energy voluntarily by being defeated!
Ogerpon neither dodged nor blocked, taking one Moonblast head-on with her Dragon typing. The Fairy-type super effective force was only two times, but that was already enough to reach the prerequisite state for breaking Tera. After all, her own HP was not high to begin with.
Then came the next attack.
Future Sight, launched before Munkidori fell, struck Ogerpon's body!
Tera explosion!
However, this was intentional!
"Po! Ni! O!"
Ogerpon used Endure!
Then Synthesis!
"Fe... Fezandipiti?!" Only then did Fezandipiti realize that the harsh sunlight, which had disappeared at some unknown point, had been activated again!
It was... that white giant!
A glow rose from Garganacl's fingertips, and the harsh sunlight returned!
Under sunny weather, Synthesis's recovery greatly increased!
And also...
With a heavy boom, a huge stone fell, and Pecharunt, who had planned to fly away, cried out in pain as Garganacl smashed it down from the sky!
The one responsible for all this was...
"...OMO!"
The cicada ghost was the same as before. No one knew when it had appeared or when it had disappeared. It simply watched secretly, then used Telekinesis just a little.
Telekinesis: a Pokémon hit by this move, except by one-hit knockout moves, will always be hit by other attacks.
Then, the move Garganacl used was naturally Smack Down!
It damages the target and inflicts the grounded state.
If the target is affected by Magnet Rise or Telekinesis, it removes those two effects!
A Pokémon in the grounded state is treated as being on the ground.
"First use Telekinesis to hold it, then use Smack Down to knock it to the ground! Although all you're doing is floating away, as long as something flies up, it is threatened by Smack Down!"
"Ogerpon, Mask Change: Rock!"
"Majestic and awe-inspiring, striking fear into evil spirits! Transform!"
Kamen Rider Kuuga!
Masked Rider Kuuga.
The first Rider of the new world, transformed through a spirit stone!
"Why use Rock to finish the third one?"
"Because what the Rock mask represents among joy, anger, sorrow, and delight is delight. It is the symbol of a heavenly god or Wisdom King, representing the perfection of a realm!"
"Perfection, joy, and authority without anger!"
"You abandoned Flying and gained Poison instead. In the end, you still cannot escape Rock-type judgment!"
Ogerpon suddenly leapt up!
Cornerstone Mask!
A defensive form that draws out the power of rock. With her sturdy stone body, she can withstand any attack and protect herself, enduring heavy impacts like the foundation that supports a home.
However, the Rock type was even stronger when it came to offense!
There were only two high-power Rock-type moves above 90 power with perfect accuracy.
The first was Mighty Cleave!
The second was the Rock-type Ivy Cudgel!
"The mask awakens Ogerpon's power, raising the power of her moves by 20%. With same-type attack bonus, the base power of this strike... no, I should say the base power of every cudgel is..."
"180!"
And although the Dragon Mask had been removed, the raised critical-hit state had not disappeared! There was also the previous plus-four Attack!
After all, this was not a regulated match. This was a no-rules wild fight to the death!
"Expected power... 360!"
In utter alarm, Fezandipiti was struck by Ogerpon's leaping club and sent spinning from the sky into the ground!
Though he was known for special defense, his physical defense was only fairly ordinary.
At the instant he was defeated, however, a feeling of relief and joy welled up in Fezandipiti's heart.
Ah... That's right!
Rather than fighting while terrified, it's better to just get taken down! At least... I know I'm finished now! If I can't do anything, then I don't have to do anything, and I don't have to face this terrifying masked ogre!
So I'll sleep for a while first!
Fezandipiti fainted cleanly and decisively.
Seeing Fezandipiti defeated, and Munkidori half-dead in the distance, trying to crawl up but seemingly already concussed, Hikaru seemed to think of something and suddenly switched to the Capture Styler!
Capture Styler, activate!
A beam of light captured Munkidori as it tried to climb back up!
"Pecha-runt?!"
Pecharunt looked wretchedly at the Loyal Three, who had been defeated once again. Its once-tamed subordinates, whom it had also once considered its friends, were lost again, and it could do nothing. Nothing at all!
Although the password was correct, the system had thrown an error.
So naturally, Pecharunt did not obtain any sudden battlefield power-up. That was a protagonist-exclusive privilege!
"Wuu... Pecha-runt! Waaaah!"
Pecharunt began to cry, then burst into loud sobs!
Up in the sky just now, it had not been doing nothing!
Although it had been running, although it had kept thinking about running, it had already used Nasty Plot!
It had only been too scared to fight. It had only been too scared!
Wuu, waaah! I've lost everything. I'm going to fight you to the end!
Hikaru said, "Fake Tears. The user feigns crying and sheds tears, leaving the opponent at a loss, greatly lowering the target's Special Defense."
Pecharunt was shocked. "Pe... Pecha-runt?!"
Hikaru held the Instant Sword flat, then slammed it down.
"Did you think a lying trick like that would work? You really are a child."
"Pecha-runt!" Seeing that its trick had failed, Pecharunt erupted in anger.
Malignant Chain, again!
This time, I really am fighting you to the end!
Smack!
A strange lump of mud suddenly hit Pecharunt. It only staggered a little and did not pay much attention to it.
Acid Spray, Shadow Ball, Poison Gas, Astonish!
"Pon!"
Rockpon rushed over with a smack, raised Ivy Cudgel, and blasted all those moves apart. Then she smashed Pecharunt into the ground with one strike!
"What a shame. Rock's defensive profile is rather poor, but it just so happens to suppress Poison! It resists Poison twice over, so all your Poison moves are useless!"
"And Nasty Plot six times? Do you really think you used Nasty Plot six times?"
"Clear Smog! Clear Smog always hits, and it resets all of the target's stat changes to zero!"
"Your power was already gone!"
Pecharunt's eyes widened. Following Hikaru's finger, it turned around and saw Munkidori, half-dead as it was, still throwing mud at it!
What does this mean? Weren't you supposed to cover me?!
Just now you were pledging loyalty, and Ogerpon nearly smashed your head in with one club strike. Now you're attacking me?!
"Munkidori?!"
Munkidori itself had not realized it either. Only after the mud had already left its hand did it notice it was attacking its boss!
But that shouldn't be. Just now, that beam of light had transmitted a request that made it feel strangely happy. That was why it had unconsciously acted!
Th-This really wasn't my idea!
Hikaru looked toward Pecharunt, who was furious, anxious, and helpless.
"The Capture Styler is a human device. It can request wild Pokémon to help. Although this request is semi-compulsory, it obeys the Pokémon's own will to the greatest possible extent."
"However, Munkidori is one of the poison puppets. It is a Pokémon controlled by you, meaning all of its will follows your decisions. Under the influence of the Capture Styler, perhaps this one just now briefly manifested free will."
"Perhaps that was the final trace of resentment left behind by a Pokémon turned into a poison puppet!"
Pecharunt stared blankly at Munkidori as it fell again.
So in truth, I never had any companions. If that one resented me in its heart, then... then were those happy times from back then all...
Just wishful thinking?
While Pecharunt stood there in a daze, it stared blankly as Ogerpon's stone greatclub came crashing down.
Ah... I see.
As a Rock Rider representing heavenly gods, perfection, and joy, it is like the end of a precious life.
I waited hundreds of years, but the masks, all nine masks, and that human were never tamed. I still haven't returned to my homeland. I still haven't seen Grandpa and Grandma...
Is this... the time for my end?
The club landed as a critical hit, and Pecharunt was smashed completely into the cracked earth with a bang!
[Pecharunt lost the ability to battle! It fell into a near-death state!]
"Pecha-runt!" Pecharunt trembled, still unwilling to give up. Relying on its extremely high physical defense, it tried once more, just once more, to stand up!
Once more, use Recover...?!
Pecharunt stared at Ogerpon, but nothing happened.
It tried to move its body, but it had sunk into the ground and could not.
All it could see was that thing like a cicada shell, floating and observing it...
This thing again! This hateful thing again!
"Pecha..."
What are you looking at? What is there... to interest you?
You... empty shell!
Shedinja said, "...OMO!"
Hikaru said, "Although Shedinja is an empty shell, it lives happily every day. Meanwhile, although your shell is filled with happiness, you greedily and endlessly kept demanding more, which instead made you unable to be happy."
"So which one of you is truly the empty shell that cannot feel joy? One who cannot feel joy has now reached completion."
"Shedinja's Heal Block."
"For a certain amount of time, the target cannot restore life through moves, Abilities, or held items. All restorative items and abilities become invalid!"
"Garganacl, use Salt Cure on Pecharunt! Sacred salt can erase the power of ghosts and reduce the spread of poison."
"Your history of casually grabbing people and turning them into puppets is over!"
"Next, the time has come to seal you away. How long should you be sealed? The sealing technique I learned from a distant foreign land takes effect for roughly..."
"One thousand years!"
A traveler with wondrous magic was mistaken for an ogre.
The ogre, accompanied by a Pokémon named Ogerpon, subjugated the true evil spirit hidden within history!
Carve this history into memory as well!
[Pecharunt's vision went completely black!]
[Lost xxx Poké Dollars!]
(End of Chapter)
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