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Route 10 - The Crater

Living to die is a waste.

'You don't get it do you?'

"If you can't risk your life, then your life is worthless!" Haxorus' blade was stronger with the Sword Dance, and he stepped into the sideways swing, turning his whole body into the motion so that only his side would be parallel to Ratio, the rest of him distanced enough to, in Goldberg's opinion, avoid any deep wounds.

The blood that drained from each motion of effort was a weight. One that Goldberg had long gotten over. There were fighters that quit with pain, fighters that quit when it got hard to move, fighters that could ignore pain, fighters that could ignore a shot to the genitals, or fighting just as ferocious while winded, and then there was Goldberg.

But even the giant had limits. The foggy haze of blood loss wasn't a detriment to him, just his life. It only focused him, sharpened him, as his brain shut down non-essential areas. Even if he collapsed within the next few seconds, it would be a fatal mistake for anyone to just ignore Goldberg's assault.

Route 10 - The Crater

Aegislash shimmered with the power of Swords Dance, burning away the remains of Goldberg's blood until the blade shone fresh. By removing his connection to Goldberg's aura, Ratio could no longer read the man's mind or movements. He had only decades of experience to fall back on. Goldberg rushed and swung, so Ratio judged the distance and leapt backwards, out of Goldberg's range.

As his foot touched down, Ratio would spin, his cloak flying out behind him. At the end of the spin, he would sling Aegislash's blade like a throwing knife, aimed to plunge into Goldberg's chest, sinking up to the hilt.

Route 10 - The Crater

Aegislash span through the air from the force of Goldberg's deflection, arcing around before being caught by its master. Ratio held the sword pokémon at his side, deliberating over Goldberg. He barely spared the Haxorus a glance, though he was prepared to end it if the pokémon sought more battle. Then Goldberg was shot with string, each String Shot distributing the admin's weight and lifting him into the air.

'Matheson Leroux,' Ratio said, ignoring the question. He hadn't recognised the noble personally, as the trainer was far too young for that. Instead, he had seen his picture in a frame. Behind his mask, Ratio's eyes glowed red around the irises. 'You're afraid, Matheson, yet you think it brave that you stand before me, seeking answers. It isn't bravery that drives you, but recklessness. This isn't your world. Run along home.'

Route 10 - The Crater

'A child has no idea of the world around him. How blindly he places faith in that which keeps him warm, when that warmth comes straight from the fires of hell.' Ratio didn't shift his gaze from Matheson. The suggestion that Matheson might try to fight him could've been amusing on any other day. But here, now, it was simply wasting time. Ratio indicated Goldberg with a twitch of his head. 'Take him and go. Return home. Your uncle would not wish to see you harmed.'

With that, Ratio would turn and walk away, ascending to the edge of the crater. Ferox put herself between Matheson and her master, growling lightly, as if daring him to try anything. Then she followed close behind, as the assassin made for Bryony's Lab, where he hoped he wasn't too late.

Route 10 - The Crater

Ratio barely broke his stride when the pink dome manifested before him, barring exit. Almost as soon as Metis completed the Fairy Lock, and before any of Titania's attempts to prevent battle worked, Ferox turned and unleashed a wild Roar. The air shook horribly, but the worst of it gathered in a single point; the Klefki. Roar would force the pokémon back into its ball and shatter Fairy Lock, then drag another of Matheson's pokémon into battle. But at that point it didn't matter.

'Ferox,' Ratio said over his shoulder as he crested the crater's edge. 'Entertain our young noble.'

At this command, Ferox growled, as if disgruntled over such a trifling task. Regardless, she prowled the rise between Matheson's team and her master. Though small for an Arcanine, each shift of her body displayed bundles of tight muscle rippling beneath her short fur. Each deadly fang seemed unnaturally long and sharp as blades. And she seemed eager to use them.

Once out of the crater, Ratio would step onto thin air, suspended by his Aegislash and its renewed Magnet Rise. This way he would be free of any traps as he launched himself towards Bryony's lab, cloak blowing behind him like a thousand bat wings.

Route 10 - The Crater

Matheson's shouts fell on deaf ears, but he had bigger problems to contend with. The sandstorm didn't last long. Almost as soon as it started, Ferox launched a ball of fire into the sky above the battlefield. The Sunny Day shone bright, amplifying the sun's effect over the crater and burning the Sandstorm away. As excess sand settled on the breeze, the crater span into a whirlpool and for a moment, Ferox was trapped.

If the Arcanine had a reputation, it would be for her speed. Most Arcanine were capable of running over 6200 miles in day, around 260 miles per hour at a steady pace. Ferox surpassed this; her limbs, then her body, turned into a blur of motion. She hit the Sand Tomb's epicentre, and ran along with it. Working off the same theory of Rapid Spin's diffusion, the force of her hitting against Sand Tomb at its point of origin would cease its motion. Within seconds of running around its core in a red and white circle, Ferox would break free of Atlas's attack, the crater settling into a soft bed of sand.

Wind would send sand flying as Ferox streaked out, arcing behind Atlas. Unless either Matheson or the hippo pokémon had a way of countering the situation's sudden reversal, Ferox would launch a Fire Blast at the Hippowdon's back, and send it flying in a powerful explosion. Then, without stopping, she would make to tackle Matheson to the ground, snarling fire-hot breath into his face until he passed out.

Lumiose City - Moreau Library

Zack stretched as he wandered around the library, patrolling between rows of bookshelves. Excepting his first day in Lumiose City, where he'd wanted to research the Creature, he hadn't taken the time to see what the Moreau Library had on offer. The books on the ground floor were a mix of Kalosian and National, while the second offered books exclusively in Kalosian, and the third had the exact same layout but in National. It was an odd feeling going between floors two and three, looking at identical displays where only the words were different, but Zack liked it.

As he descended the stairs to ground level, a shatter and a bang echoed from the kitchen behind the shop counter, followed by a barrage of angry Kalosian shouting. Zack jumped the last few steps and hurried over as something small and furry bolted from the counter, its arms loaded with stolen food. One of the Aunts stopped in the kitchen doorway, yelling rapid Kalosian and shaking her fist. The Espurr didn't look back, its wide-eyes fixed on nothing as it darted away in a straight line.

It didn't stop. Not until Zack grabbed it by the fur between its shoulders and lifted it off the ground. The snacks crumbled from its grasp, and scattered on the carpet. Sweets in wrappers, little pies and cakes, even a couple of baguettes fell at the trainer's feet as he turned the Espurr around and caught its eye.

'Busted,' Zack grinned. The Espurr struggled and kicked, but it wasn't going anywhere.
'Ah, Zack, yet again you are my 'ero! Thank you!' the Aunt from the kitchen hurried over, clutching a bookshelf for support as she doddered to a stop. Zack still had no idea how to tell the two twins apart.

'Hey, no problem,' said Zack, holding the Espurr in both hands. It had stopped trying to get away, but now drooled a little as it stared at the food on the floor.
'This rascal, this little rodent...' the Aunt took the Espurr away from Zack and turned it over in her palm. The pokémon began to panic, its little nub limbs flailing about, its mouth open in silent protest, as the old lady slapped it repeatedly on the backside with surprising speed. 'This pest knows it is not allowed in our kitchen!'

Zack winced until the patting sounds died down, and the Aunt passed the defeated Espurr back into his grasp.

'Tell my niece, tell 'er she knows what 'appens when she forgets to feed 'er pokémon!'
'It's not very responsible, is it?' Zack said, shaking his head and suppressing another grin.
'No, it is not. Ah, not like you at all, my Zack.' The Aunt placed her thin and wrinkly hands on Zack's cheeks, patting one affectionately. He sort of froze in place, while Espurr shied away from the sound.

After extracting himself from the situation, which involved promising to come back for dinner sometime, Zack made his way back up to the third floor and spotted Esme by one of the bay windows. The sky was cloudless and a deep blue, while light filtered between the crosshatched lead lining the old window panes. Esme sat on the windowsill, staring off into space. For a second, Zack's heart pounded hard in his chest, and both he and Espurr shared the same blank expression.

'Your aunt said you need to feed this thing more,' Zack said, plonking Espurr on the ledge in front of its owner. Esme looked down at it and sighed.
'Oh, Chatite, what have we said?' she spoke like a mother talking to a toddler, and sure enough the pokémon stared at the floor, shuffling its feet and looking ashamed. 'You silly thing, come here. If you want something to eat, you come to me. Kleptomania is unbecoming of a pokémon.'

Esme winked at Zack, then turned Chatite around, sat it on her leg, and started tickling its tummy. For the first time, Zack saw what looked like an emotion spread across the pokémon's face, its eyes closed in enjoyment. He never really had a relationship like that with any of his pokémon. Not for a long time, anyway. He suddenly had an idea. Zack went back to the table they'd been sitting at earlier and retrieved half a dozen untouched sandwiches. They were a little dry by now, but they'd do.

'What about these?' he said, stacking them between his hands. The Espurr's nose caught their scent, and its eyes shot open. Then it looked between the food on offer, and its trainer, a bead of saliva working its way down the pokémon's chin.
'Ah, go on then,' Esme said, placing Chatite onto the windowsill where it scurried over and grabbed the sandwiches from Zack's hands. It sat down and munched away happily.
'Waste not, want not, right?' Zack shrugged. Esme spared him a smile, but it quickly dropped, turning to shock.

The glass in front of her face exploded in a thin stream that cascaded along the carpet. A stone no bigger than a marble came to rest near one of the bookshelves. Before either Zack or Esme could figure out what had happened, another window popped open, and another, both with rocks sliding across the carpet, glass flying everywhere. Furious, Esme grabbed the nearest handle, threw the window open and stuck her head outside.

'Look, there she is! I knew this had to be the place!' Gremlin said from his perch on Wayne's shoulder, just as Wayne lobbed another rock and smashed another window.
'I guess it had to be one of these places,' Wayne said, glancing down the street as he threw a rock up and down. They stood beside one of the street's decorative trees, and had evidently been fetching stones from the gravel at its base.
'Hey lady!' Gremlin shouted, 'is Zack Redgrave up there with you? It's really important!'

'You're paying for those windows, connard!' Esme yelled back. Her voice carried down Estival Avenue, and anyone who hadn't been watching Wayne throw rocks at a library was watching now.
'What'd she say?' Gremlin asked Wayne, who shrugged.
'I think she said her name is Connor, but she's a pretty feminine looking dude if that's the case.'
'Why would anyone open a window just to say their name? That's stupid, Wayne. You're stupid!'
'Am not!'
'Yes you are!'

'Hey, knock it off,' Zack called down, leaning out of another window frame with a frown on his face. Wayne and Gremlin, who had been pulling at each other's faces, relaxed and looked up at him. 'You don't need to throw rocks to get my attention. What's the matter, is a phone call too complex?'
'I had to take the battery out, we're being tracked,' Wayne shouted. 'I've no idea what happened, but someone's trying to beat us up!'
'No s**t,' Esme muttered. She pulled her head back and spoke only to Zack. 'Whoever it is'll have to wait in line.'

Zack grinned, and leant out of the window again. 'Just get lost, guys. This place is for smart people only. You'll die if you get any closer.'
'Whaaat?'
'Shut up, Wayne. Zack, this is important.' Gremlin glared at Zack, a pleading look in his eye. 'If you don't help us beat the Hariyama Brothers, I won't ever get bacon waffle fries again! If you ever truly valued our friendship, you'll help me now.'

Sighing, the trainer shook his head. His Holo Caster started to beep, and for a moment, Zack disappeared from view. A few seconds later, he threw the window wide open and jumped out, falling from the third floor with nothing but street below. Light blazed all around him like a second sun. Wayne and Gremlin cowered beneath the rush of air as Antiq materialised overhead, her great wings blasting down on them. Then she took off, flying over rooftops and into the distance, her screeches echoing through the city.

'Huh, for a second I thought he was gonna help,' Wayne said, rubbing his cheeks.
'I can't believe he'd do this to me,' Gremlin held his head in his hands, devastated. Then he perked up. 'Hey, Connor! Maybe you'll--!'

Gremlin didn't get a chance to finish, for he had to duck under a finely-thrown rock that went whizzing overhead. Esme had another one ready in her hand.

'Maybe what? You little d**k!' Esme launched another stone, and this one missed only because Wayne had bolted.
'Run for it!' Gremlin shrieked as a third stone went flying past their heads. People parted as the duo ran through, some of them ducking behind trees and cars in case any stones came their way.

Wayne ran and ran, and didn't realise until too late that he'd run straight into the festival.

Lumiose City - South Pokémon Center

[Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in...]

The soft, gentle pokémonese voice spoke from a speaker in the wall, set into white tiles and disguised by bushy potted plants. Zack's pokémon lay in bath tanks filled with mud, their eyes closed. Peaceful. At rest. Malis's tail stuck in the air as he lay on his back, nearly all of his body hidden by a layer of black mud. His flame flickered contentedly, like a candle in a pleasant breeze.

[Let go of all your impurities. Put your mind at ease. Breathe in. Breathe out...]

Malis released a long sigh, his hot breath combusting into little flicks of ember. On his right, there was a great slomping sound as Fatass turned over in his swimming pool-sized bath, his back slick with black. Lethal bubbled away in his basin, glancing around like he wasn't sure what he was meant to be doing. Hazard and Serene sat on a bench nearby, Serene reading a picture book. Mud baths didn't do much for ghosts, who had no muscles, and Serene's injury prevented her from trying it.

But none of that mattered to Malis. He slid further into the bath. All he had to do was breathe in. Breathe out.

[Breathe in...] The door almost exploded off its hinges, hitting the wall with a gunshot bang. Malis sat bolt-upright, a jackhammer attacking inside his chest. Zack stood in the doorway, out of breath, and with a pair of pokémon center orderlies hanging off his shoulders. The whole team, except for Fatass, who snored loudly, looked at him at once.

'Sir, you're really not supposed to be back here!' one of the orderlies cried, on the verge of tears.
'They've not finished their treatment!'

But Zack ignored them, his mouth hanging open indignantly. 'You guys have spas?' He looked around and shook his head. 'Nevermind. We got a job to do, let's go!'

Lethal jumped out of his bath, squirting mud to propel himself across the room. It sprayed across the walls and belted the plants, and some caught Malis in the face. The Charmander grumbled, wiping filth from his eyes and climbing to his feet. Hazard tried lifting Fatass up to wake him, but the Snorlax was far too heavy. All she accomplished was getting mud all over her hands. Serene quietly closed her book and put it back on the shelf, then teleported across the room. Mud streaked across the floor tiles, dripping from the pokémon, who lined up before their trainer. Zack fetched his pokéballs from a tray near the door. They'd been kept pleasantly warm by a hot towel, which struck Zack as one step too far.

He recalled his team and set off down the corridor, leaping over the orderlies, who had given up and now lay in a pile. One comforted the other, who continued to sob.

'Sir? Sir! You're supposed to sign out your pokémon at the front desk!'
'You can't leave the spa in this condition!' shrieked the other through angry tears.
'I'll pay you back when I'm rich!' Zack called over his shoulder, sprinting back the way he came.

He banged through the final set of doors into the pokémon center lobby. It was far busier, and the atmosphere was completely different, reminding Zack of an airport. The trainer found the stairs, replaying the short video clip Salieri had sent him in his mind. The Creature. And right after Elizabeth Leroux promised him a reward if he caught it. What perfect timing. Zack pushed to the front of the line for the Teleport Zone, and entered one of the booths, ignoring the protests of a nearby Bugcatcher.

An Abra's face appeared on a computer display, asking where Zack wanted to go. He tapped his way into selecting Cyllage City, which he hoped would be closer to the Creature than Geosenge Town. As soon as Zack scanned his trainer card, an Abra teleported into the booth, grabbed him by the chest, and they vanished into thin air.

((I'll edit it in the profile after this, but all of Ferox's advanced moves have 8PP. With Dune in the fight, they'll be depleting twice as fast ninja Also I've changed how Ignition works slightly so I can't spam it))

Route 10 - The Crater

Ferox pinned Matheson's unconscious body with her paw. As she pressed on his chest, his ribs would bend to their limit, and threaten to shatter. As Reynard and Banksy's attacks came at Ferox, her body heat skyrocketed and she used Ignition; the fiery tornado technique that turned the Fashion Patrol Squad into ash. Issuing outwards with Ferox and Matheson safe in the eye of the storm, it would first crash into and diffuse Reynard's Sand Attack, then rush to meet Banksy head on.

Unless the Vaporeon and Torkoal could turn themselves away from the Arcanine's attack in time, they'd be engulfed by powerful flame. Thanks to their type resistances against fire, they wouldn't be turned to cinder, but they would lose consciousness. If Banksy allowed herself to be hit, the force of the Ignition should be enough to divert her course away from Ferox and into the side of the crater. If she hit her target, however, Ferox would brace herself against the attack to stay grounded, and the shockwaves wouldn't just damage her, but ripple into Matheson as well.

Dune and Salieri would have to give up on their attack if they didn't want to plunge into such intense flames. Neither of them resisted fire, and would fare no better than the members of Team Flare.

Cyllage City

Zack ran out of the pokémon center into an unfamiliar place. Normally his first act of business would be to take in the city's atmosphere while heading to the center, but there wasn't any time for that today. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He caught sight of some flag poles that sectioned off what looked like a race track from the main roads, and judged which way was north from the position of their shadows. Zack ran around the pokémon center, heading towards Route 10. It stretched before him, a jungle of grass and trees with dozens of enormous stone pillars stretching into the sky. Zack had seen a lot of the world, but even he had to admit it was impressive. He doubted something like that could've been built by humans.

An enormous blast of fire ripped into the sky, jolting Zack's attention back to earth. The creature was just ahead of him, and with it money, as well as the answer to a question that had nagged at him since he first saw the window break: why did it kill Gabriel Leroux? It was then he noticed the crowd.

'Stand back, stand back, nothing to see here!'

The flustered cops shouted the same and similar while struggling to keep a teeming line of trainers from breaking through. Some of their uniforms looked half-done and dirty, like they'd been retrieved from the floor, and nearer the route Zack spotted a pair of police helping someone who had been stripped down to their underwear to their feet.

He didn't want to know.

'There clearly is something to see! Look, it's a load of fire!'
'We want to see what's causing it!'
'Like I said, there's nothing to see.' The police officer was going red in the face. 'It's just a gas explosion!'
'A gas explosion? In the middle of Route 10? Twice?'

'I don't have time for this,' Zack said to himself, checking he had enough space. A second later, Antiq flew high over the line of trainers as Zack pulled himself onto her back. He slid into place on her hump, gripping either side of the giant Aerodactyl's neck with his legs and hands. Wind flapped his hair and clothes, but not even wind's chill could quell the excitement bubbling in Zack's gut. Ignoring the protests below, the trainer flew for Route 10.

Route 10 - Bryony's Lab

The lab camp was dead. The essentials were packed and gone, leaving behind only a carcass stripped of meat. Ratio didn't touch down, too cautious to risk falling into any of Ska's traps, and instead hung in the air by the power of Aegislash's Magnet Rise. Behind his white mask, his cold eyes darted about, picking out detail, sensing disturbances. But something was wrong. He should've noticed it sooner.

'Ah, of course,' the assassin mused to himself, looking at the nearest pillar. It stretched magnificently into the sky, its point daring to meet the clouds. Few were as tall as this, yet once upon a time they all must have been. Ratio could feel it now, once he reached for it. Strange energy radiated from the pillars, causing a subtle disturbance in his Aura abilities. The false memory gleaned from Jeff, and now his attempts to track Bryony's aura...

They couldn't have gotten far. Ratio refocused, taking the pillars into account as he read the area for signs of life. The grass seemed with aura that distinctly belonged to pokémon. He needed to find humans. Some to the south where he'd been... further north, near the end of the field. He had them. Magnet Rise intensified, and Ratio flew higher over the camp, a blackened angel, a silhouette in the sun.

Then, fixing on Bryony's group, he shot towards them like a bullet.