Dungeon 42 – Team
by NavarWithout any doubt, Brian’s favorite part of being a mechanic was welding. It was so satisfying to listen to the metal melting and cooling down, not to mention the smell. Some, if not most of his friends found his liking weird, but did Brian care? Nope. He was happy doing this.
More precisely, Brian was happy welding the internal machinery of a fridge. A client had asked him to fix it, and of course he said “yes”. How could he not? Brian continued to weld, whistling and humming. Today would be a good day. And he wouldn’t let anything or anyone change that. Not even his grumpy twin–
“…Lance,” Brian stopped welding, a frown formed on his face. Almost everything tasted bitter now, and his frustration grew.
Right. His brother had left months ago, and he was all alone now. Well, not alone. The other team members were still there, but Brian had to admit… things just weren’t the same without his brother around.
Did he do something that pushed Lance away? Their relationship was fine, mostly fine, apart from the revelation during that day in the hospital. Maybe Lance had expected him to shrug the whole thing off.
That wasn’t possible! Brian still struggled to come to terms with his best friend being a killer, even if he stopped doing so, as far as Brian was aware.
He was going on a downward spiral of thoughts, not bothering to check his surroundings anymore, and failed to notice a familiar water-type entering his room.
Brian whined, drooping his ears. “Eh. What’s the point? He’s not coming back. I-I failed to help him.”
Something touched his shoulders. “Boo!”
“YEOW!” Brian shouted, taken aback by the sudden nose and getting back to reality. His shock was such that he dropped the weld, making a drop of hot, molten metal fall on the floor and produce a hissing sound that caught his interest. Brian gasped, seeing it cooling down slowly.
The fox turned his back to see a Floatzel standing right behind him.
Said Floatzel blinked. “Shit, Goggles!”
“W-Wha?” Brian recomposed himself and cleared his throat. “H-Hi, Dexter. Whatcha doing here?”
Dexter shrugged. “I came ‘ere to check on ye. An’ also to talk about our next mission.”
“Oh, right, a mission…” Brian was exhausted, barely moving enough to react, and sat down on his chair again, sighing. “Can’t you and Meg deal with that? Not up for it.”
“We could.” Dexter shook his head. “But nah. Not fun when ye’re not with us. So c’mon, Goggles!”
Brian looked up at his goggles and grumbled. A mission was the last of his priorities right now. Dexter knew that. Meggie knew that. His random neighbor knew that. So why insist on dragging him to it?
“…Wait a sec,” Dexter tilted his head, almost analysing Brian. He then let out a laugh. “Goggles! Ye cut yer mane! gotta say, it looks a lot better now!”
He was right. Brian’s mane, once extending down until reaching his ankles, was now got just a little bit below his neck. It had been cut in half, maybe even more.
Gah! He didn’t care about that right now! Brian stared at Dexter and growled. “…Fine. I’ll go. But I’m the leader on this mission! Now that Lance’s not here, that’s kinda my job…”
“Eh. Hope Pup’s okay, wherever he is…”
Brian managed to smile a bit. “You simp.”
Percival sneezed. He wiped it off, but not before getting a few looks of the passerby Pokémon. The Lucario rolled his eyes and continued to walk. Ahead of him was Scar, waiting for him to get closer.
“…May I ask where we are going today?”
“Of course,” he turned around, walking as a puff of smoke came out of his nostrils. “But you are a smart lad, I am sure you can figure it out yourself.”
Percival looked at the distance, seeing the king’s castle. Was that it? A visit to the monarch. Of course it was. He should have figured it out sooner.
“Alright. What are we doing? Is this another part of the training?”
“Perhaps,” Scar looked back, smiling. “Fret not, I took care of your little… incident.”
“I knew you would,” he shrugged.
Scar glanced around and whispered. “However, there is still a lot of talking about this subject. I suggest we discuss it elsewhere.”
“You started it.”
“And I am also finishing it.”
Not wanting to discuss it any further, Percival shut up. Besides, meeting the king was far more exciting for him. He never did it, and monarchies in general tended to make him curious.
His tail wagged in anticipation. “Do you think the king and I can have a little chat?”
“I do not see why that would be a problem. If anything, Edgar is interested in meeting you.”
“Understandable. And… is he a good king?”
Scar stopped. Unknown to Percival, he had a bigger smile now. “…I assumed he was, but recently I discovered some evidence that says otherwise.”
The auric Pokémon’s ears perked up at that. “Really?”
The Marowak wondered if that was a lack of trust in him. “Correct. I told you there was evidence against Miss Muller, and I was right.”
“You were,” Percival nodded. “I did find it a bit strange that she left it all unguarded.”
Almost confirming his beliefs, Scar acted fast. “She is, or rather, was an arrogant woman.”
“…I can agree with that.”
Something told Scar that wasn’t the end of it, but for the moment, it sufficed. After all, he did spend a lot of time on making sure that Lucario would follow the right path.
This is still odd, Percival thought, following Scar on the road towards the castle. I get that he was right the first time, but twice? It might be a coincidence, or it might be true.
He hardly noticed that Scar was getting far ahead of him until he was told so with a shout, and so Percival ran faster to catch up, deciding to think more about it later.
Brian’s exit was met with the sun almost burning his skin. He hissed and backed away, before putting his goggles on. Dexter was staring at him, and Arceus forbid Brian let that Floatzel make fun of him.
“Uh, ye alright, Goggles?” Dexter asked, tilting his head.
“…I haven’t left my apartment in weeks.”
Dexter wrapped his long arm around Brian’s shoulder and grinned. “Aight, aight. Let’s get ye somethin’ to drink, what do ye think?”
“Don’t want it.”
“And what about the mission?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m here for it? That’s what you dragged me down to do!”
“Too bad, that’s a bust,” a voice said, coming from a Froslass that floated next to them. She smiled. “Sup, Brian. Nice haircut.”
“H-Hey, Meg,” he rubbed the back of his head. “T-Thanks.”
Dexter pretended to pout, and turned his head away in the blink of an eye. “Oh, so when I compliment yer ‘aircut, I get nothing, but when Popsicle does it–”
“Oh, please! I know I’m gorgeous and stunning!” To prove her point, Meggie spun while floating. She had the dexterity of a dancer.
“Guys!” Brian shouted, having had enough of the two. He panted, looking down. “What’s up with the mission? I have a few more requests from clients.”
Dexter and Meggie exchanged looks, and then glanced at Brian with evil grins, showing off their teeth. The Zoroark backed away again. He had no idea what they were about to do.
“Uuuh… guys?”
“Sorry, Brian! But today’s a special day!” Meggie stated.
“Sure ye don’t remember it, Goggles?” Dexter cracked his knuckles. “I’mma give ye a ‘int.”
“T-Today?” Brian stopped to think. What was special about that day?
“It ‘as to do with yer job…”
“Mechanic?” Brian blinked. Something about him being a mechanic. That was it. It had to be.
“Yup! Y’know, fixing stuff and all that jazz!” Meg giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.
“…I still don’t–Oh. The train! The stupid train!”
Brian remembered it. And the realization dawned upon him. His body shivered more.
“S-Shit! I forgot about that gig!” Brian facepalmed, muttering something to himself, some sort of swear.
Dexter crossed his arms. “Yarr. Mayor’s pretty pissed at ye. Might want to check that out there.”
“No need to tell me twice!” Brian dropped to all fours and ran away as fast as he could.
The ice-type watched her friend run and giggled a little more. She sort of missed that. The friendships she came to love in that world. The world she now called “home”.
Still, I kinda miss… the other guy, Meggie began to wander off, but stopped herself. Lance was done with them.
“So, uh, Popsicle… do ye want to go on an actual mission?”
“I have a bit of trouble on my own here,” Meggie looked at him. “I might have, uh… a job too. Other than the team. If there even is a team anymore.”
“Right. ‘Cause Pup did… that,” Dexter scratched his chin. “An’ what’s yer job?”
“I got hired as an assistant on this greenhouse,” she pointed at the smoky sky. “Turns out this isn’t healthy for the folks.”
“Heh. Unless ye be a Grimer.”
“Yeah, I help some grass-types…” Meggie stretched her arms, dropping a few ice flakes on the ground. “I need to go on a shift now, do you want to help? There’s a few boxes that need to be carried.”
“As much as I wanna see Goggles work on that there construction o’ ‘is… eh, sure! ‘Ard labor’s me thing!” Dexter flexed his biceps, bulging them.
“Bet! C’mon!” Meggie walked with the Floatzel.
The garden was beautiful. Percival admired how the plants were organized, how the king’s gardeners did their job, watering the trees and the flowers around. It was almost breathtaking.
“Admiring the view?” Scar asked, looking at him with a smile.
“Yes. I might not agree entirely with monarchies, but I have to admit,” Percival nodded. “The king has a sense of style.”
“I believe this is the second entrance to the castle,” he said. “When I came with the others, we went through the other entrance. This one contains the garden.”
“…Really?” Percival blinked. He looked up, gasping at the sight of a giant statue of the legendary Pokémon Zekrom. “The one who upholds ideals more than anything. Interesting.”
Scar put his hands on his back. “King Edgar erected that statue to serve as a symbol. I can see why it resonates with you.”
“…Maybe I was wrong? This visit might prove to be interesting after all.”
The door in front of them opened, and a Haxorus with obsidian-colored black scales came out of it, slowly walking towards the other two.
Scar bowed at him. “Greetings, mister Vulcan.”
“Greetings,” the dragon then looked at Percival. “Is this your protégée?”
“I am, yes.”
Vulcan extended a claw to the canine, smiling. “It’s a pleasure meeting you. I can tell you’re worthy of the praise Scar has given you.”
“He praises me?” Percival was not surprised, given Scar’s nature. It was still something to be proud of, though, so he flashed a grin as he shook Vulcan’s claw.
“Why would I not praise you?” Scar hummed.
The dragon then nodded to the two and turned around to face the door. Scar and Percival knew to cut the chat short, and so followed him inside the castle.
There, Vulcan glanced at the Lucario. “Ah, my apologies. I forgot to ask you something. I want you to spar with me.”
His ears twitched at the request. “Spar? I can do that. But I want to talk with the king first.”
“There is nothing wrong with that,” Scar said, scratching his chin. This spar should be fun to watch, and to see if Percival had really learned something during the last two months of training.
“Understandable,” Vulcan smiled. The dragon still had his eyes on Percival. “Scar is a good judge of character, but I want to see it for myself. And as a dragon, fighting is in my blood.”
Percival glared, his eyes glowing purple. “I see where you’re coming from. I won’t hold back. And I expect you to do the same.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The fox continued to dart across the city, thanking his past self for never forgetting the toolbelt. He just hoped the mayor wouldn’t punish him, that gig was worth a lot of money, and Brian, despite having the allowance from his dad, wanted to make something by himself.
He coughed, having inhaled a bit of the smoke from the factories. If it wasn’t for that detail, Brian would probably enjoy working there. But for real, fixing and building things was his dream. Too bad his brother wasn’t there to support him. Sure, Meggie and Dexter were fine, but Lance was his family.
“They say family’s forever, but… don’t think that’s true anymore. I miss him…”
Brian had no time to think of that, the mayor was waiting. This job paid too much for him to arrive late. Sure, he wasn’t in it for the money , but had to admit that it was a good plus.
“Okay, now to stop talking to myself,” Brian sighed, running again.
Memories of the day he evolved came flooding back; how he had to learn how to walk on two legs, and how proud he was of getting stronger. Strong enough to protect his friends.
What was that strength useful for now? Nothing. Not a single thing. His body twitched with the thoughts. Useless. His short hair ruffled, and Brian stopped.
He could have done something to help. If he hadn’t overreacted with the revelation, maybe Lance would still be there. He was alone again, like all those years ago. Except this time it was Brian’s fault. Only his.
Almost like someone was crushing him, he felt pressure. Pressure of the thoughts of what could have been, of the possibilities. It was too much, it was overwhelming. His breath became faster, and Brian trembled from fear.
W-What’s going on…? Th-This… this is…
Panic attack. He recognized those symptoms, having helped his brother go through similar feelings so many times before. Now he could work on calming down.
Easy, easy. Just gotta distract myself… where am I?
Checking the streets, Brian saw the city hall on the end of the road, and nodded. Commercial district, it had to be. So he was closer to the rendezvous point. His body stopped shaking, and Brian found the strength to keep going.
He could even see it as he ran. A huge platform, with a few Conkeldurr and Machoke working on the construction. The rails on the floor were being put gently, while some of the engineers welded them to the ground. Brian could even smell the metal, he raised his head. This was the spot!
The fox stopped on his tracks, standing up. He shook off the dust and dirt off himself, walking towards the platform. Right away, one of the workers, a Rhydon, stood out, waving at him.
“Oh, hi there!” Brian waved back, adjusting his toolbelt. “Nice to meetcha!”
The Rhydon nodded, talking with a feminine voice. “Sup, kiddo. You’re ‘ere for the construction job?”
“Yup!” Brian smiled. “The mayor asked me to do it, and here I am!”
“Really? You look kinda young,” she replied, checking a board. “Profile says you’re what… sixteen?”
He pouted in response. Being judged was expected, at least. “Seventeen, actually. Seventeen and two months.”
Rhydon stared at him, almost unmoving. “Well, you did get recommended by the mayor. Can’t really argue against that. C’mon, we should start, I’ll show you the blueprints.”
Unlike Scar’s last meeting with the king, this one was meant to be more quiet. Not having to meet with the nobles already made it better in his eyes. He was walking on a hallway alongside Vulcan and Percival, the latter was checking out the inside.
Like how many portraits of the king there were, spread across the whole room. Vanity, perhaps. In each of them, he smiled, showing off the sharp fangs he possessed. But there was something odd about it. While there were portraits of a family, they were all… black and white.
“…Curious,” Percival said it out loud, much to his annoyance, as it drew the attention of the dragon standing in front of him. Damn it.
“If you have any questions, mister Percival, feel free to ask them,” Vulcan said, nodding.
He stopped to think. Asking about the king’s… private business was interesting, but could he do it? It might make things awkward. He eyed the portraits again, wondering.
“Oh,” Vulcan noticed it, blinking. “Are you perhaps wondering about the king’s lineage?”
“…Yes. Yes, I am.”
The dragon snorted a bit. “That’s fine. Most visitors do. We have nothing to hide about this, so don’t worry.”
Scar nodded. “He is right. If you so desire, ask it. There is no issue.”
Percival sighed. Those words were quite reassuring, enough for him to do it. “Well, what’s wrong with the portraits of his wife? Or his kid? Are… are they dead?”
To that, Vulcan stopped, staring at the Lucario with a blank expression. “I’m afraid… they are. Almost a year ago, our city was attacked, ravaged. It was… a slaughter. Amongst the casualties, the king’s family…”
That was enough for him. Percival made a motion with his paw for Vulcan to stop talking. The whole scenario was too much to bear, and only served to remind him of his family and friends, left behind.
“Alright,” Percival answered. Deep inside, he could sense the pain Vulcan felt, the aura around the dragon proved it. “…I’m sorry to ask it.”
“It’s… it’s alright,” Vulcan sighed. “It’s a tragedy, but we’re better today. The king is better. Sadly… this means that there’s no successor here.”
“In other words, in the event that king Edgar is not fit to rule anymore,” Scar said. “…There is no royal line?”
“Correct,” Vulcan pointed out.
The Marowak now had a small, almost imperceptible smile. If he was holding his club, it might have started flaming right there.
“Understood,” Percival crossed his arms. He felt a small spike on Scar’s aura, but gave it no mind, focusing more on the meeting.
Vulcan continued to walk on the hall, stopping right before a large door, turning to face the other two with a bow.
“My dear guests, our majesty is in this room. If you will, please be respectful towards him.”
“I don’t see why not,” Percival pointed out with a deadpan tone.
“I agree with my protégée, let us go.”
Walking inside the greenhouse, Dexter was able to tell how much different it was from the outside. For one, the air was far cleaner, the temperature was pleasant, and he felt at peace, almost yawning. His twin tails swished.
Not to mention the place had trees! It was almost like an artificial ecosystem, Meggie was lucky to work in that place.
Speaking of, she giggled at his reaction, covering her mouth. “Guess you liked it here.”
“Sure did, popsicle,” the weasel nodded, stretching his arms. “Now, what did ye need me to do ‘ere? Carry stuff?”
“You could say that. There’s a few boxes with fertilizers on the back,” she opened her purse, picking up a key. “Could you help watering the plants too?”
“Popsicle, I came ‘ere with ye to ‘elp. What do ye think me answer be?” At the sight of Meggie glaring at him, he rubbed the back of his head. “…Me answer be aye.”
“Y’know, sometimes I don’t understand half of what you say.”
He stared at her with a not-so-subtle annoyed gaze. “Oh, I be so sorry fer growin’ up with this here accent o’ mine.” Dexter deadpanned at what she said.
“…Still joking?”
“I dunno, ye tell me.”
“Let’s just go,” Meggie sighed, floating to the end of the area that led to a door.
On his way there, Dexter managed to recognize a few of the berry trees, such as Chesto, Oran, and even Tamato. The last one made him remember the sauce. Oh, the sauce was really good.
“Ay, Popsicle. E’er eaten tamato soup?” She only replied by shaking her head. “One o’ the best soups I’ve e’er eaten. Ye should try it sometime. Ma did it a lot for me and Pa.”
“I’m not really a fan of soup?” She wondered. Nope, she wasn’t a fan, with her memory or not. “But maybe I’m just wrong.”
“If ye say so.”
Meggie stopped right before the door, unlocking it. The room inside was smelling like dirt, the rotten stench of fertilizer filling their nostrils. Dexter covered his nose and stuck out his tongue.
“Bleh. ‘Ow can ye work in this here place?”
“Pays well,” she shrugged. “C’mon. My manager didn’t get here yet, we should work on it.”
Dexter flashed a grin again. “Okay then. Where do ye want me to start?”
She touched her chin with her fingers in thought. “Depends. How many boxes can you carry?”
“About three or four, give or take.”
“Then carry two of them, and I’ll prepare the hose so you can water the plants. Got it?”
“Aye, aye, cap’n Popsicle,” he bowed to her and looked at the boxes with a big grin, picking two of them between his large arms with ease. “Be right back!”
The king’s office was fairly large, with open windows so he could see the whole town. As for the monarch, he stood on a rather large chair, smiling at the two visitors and his loyal guard as they entered the room. Percival returned the smile, and bowed to show respect.
“Greetings, your majesty. My name is Percival Evans, it’s a pleasure meeting you.”
“The pleasure is mine,” he extended his stubby arms to the Lucario, who promptly kissed the draconic monarch’s finger.
“Good afternoon,” Scar said, bowing as well. “I have decided to introduce my protégée to you, your majesty.”
The king checked Percival out, eyeing the Lucario from top to bottom with a grin. From the looks of it, Scar had made a good choice of apprentice. But appearances mattered little to him. No, he was interested in something else.
“Tell me, mister Percival. What was your reasoning to join Scar and his allies?”
He had expected such a question already, and sat down to answer. “…Seems you started this so-called interview with the big questions.”
“You’re correct,” Edgar replied, more interested now.
“My reasoning? Your majesty, I believe there is too much evil in the world,” he said, glaring at the king with a sharp gaze. “And it continues to show. Pokémon all around the globe suffer, they suffer from crimes, from the corruption that happens everywhere… I couldn’t stay quiet and let it happen. And Scar showed me the truth.”
This time, the monarch eyed Scar, and then shifted to Percival again. “Really? What is this… truth?”
“Action is necessary,” with a snap of his fingers, Percival created a purple sphere on his paw. “To change the colors of despair to hope. Hope for a better future for us. All of us.”
With such powerful and moving words, it was a little odd they came out of a teenager’s mouth. But Percival looked so much older. The scars on his body made it appear, and Edgar pondered if that teenager had been forced to mature earlier than normal.
“…Sunset Salvation. Our organization’s name. And like it states, I am going to save the world. I have gotten my hands dirty before, and…” Percival closed his fist, destroying the sphere he held. “I’m willing to do it again. All for the sake of justice.”
“Justice, eh?” Edgar asked, taking a deep breath. “Bold words, I have to admit. Do they hold any power, though?”
“My words hold the power, yes. Because I’m working for the greater good. As I have before, your majesty. Do you remember the old mayor on Bright Dawn?”
The monarch scratched his chin. “…I don’t remember his name, but I have vague memories. An Alakazam?”
“I took him down. He’s rotting in jail because of me,” Percival glared, smirking. “It was the right thing to do.”
Now that he thought about it, Edgar had heard the rumors about the mayor’s demise months earlier. Was this kid really responsible for it? If so, maybe he was reliable after all.
“…And I also prevented the fall of the Tree of Life, protected by the mighty Xerneas,” Percival concluded, sighing. “My point is: there’s nothing I wouldn’t do if it meant I could make the world I grew up in a better place.”
Edgar stopped talking. Percival’s speech was convincing enough, and the fact that Scar put so much trust on that child was good as well.
Finally, he came to a decision. “I understand, child. I believe that we will have a great time working together. Can I count on you?”
“Of course you can,” Percival extended his arm, shaking the king’s hand.
Working outside, with all the smoke and heat was worse than Brian thought. Good thing he cut off the mane, his new mullet was much better.
Even so, his fur was beginning to smell bad, and he was sweating a lot. Nonetheless, the job wouldn’t do itself, so he worked on building the rails, welding them to the ground. He focused on that and only that.
And he was good at it. In mere minutes, the part of the rails that was assigned to him was done. Sure, there was far more to do then, but for the day, it was over.
“H-Heh!” Brian could be proud of his work. This would make travelling so much easier. He was doing a good thing. For the common folk.
Unlike his brother, as far as he knew. He didn’t even have a hint of what Lance was doing at the moment. That Lucario had been missing for… so long.
The uneasiness in his heart grew to the point it deafened him to everything else, except someone shouting at him. The Voice sounded familiar, brash and commanding. Was that… his brother?
“Hey!”
Somoene shouted at Brian’s direction, making his ears perk up. He took a look at where the voice came from, and his eyes widened; it was a Lucario. A Lucario waving at him, calling to him.
Sadly, said canine was too far away for Brian to make out any details, but did he care? Nope! The fox simply dashed as fast as he could, ignoring the rest of the workers, he had already done his job anyway.
“C’mere!” The canine shouted once more, seeing Brian getting closer.
What a weird way of getting his attention. Lance would never speak like that, it was too informal. But hey, they hadn’t seen each other in two months, maybe he had changed?
Brian stopped running to catch his breath, and he was close enough to actually check out who called him. He raised his head, panting.
It wasn’t him. The Lucario looked nothing like Lance. No scars, no headband, no grumpy look, nothing. He only had a small band on his arm, but other than that, no. That wasn’t his brother.
“Who… who’re you?” Brian tilted his head, now flushing with embarrassment. How stupid! He should’ve known better.
“…Currently, an idiot,” the Lucario facepalmed. “Shoot, I thought you were one of my friends.”
“And I thought you were my sibling!” Brian raised his arms, a mix of anger and tiredness on him. “S-Sorry. Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help.”
“Oh, uh, sure? I’m Rio,” he nodded. “I’m lookin’ for a Zoroark? He makes dumb jokes, eats a lot. Would probably eat rocks if someone gave them to him.”
“…Huh,” Brian wondered. He never saw anyone like that, so the fox shrugged. “Sorry, not familiar with this guy.”
“Well, I figured as much,” Rio deadpanned. “Uh, who were you looking for?”
“My brother. Lucario too, kinda grumpy, has this big-ass scar? He’s very edgy.”
Rio shook his head. “My bad, don’t know any other Lucario, but I do know a Bisharp that’s edgy, if that helps?”
How could it help? “Not really. Look… I need to get back. Hope you find that Zoroark.”
Rio turned his back on Brian, nodding. “Y-Yeah. Hope you find your brother!”
Brian walked towards the construction again. He hoped Lance would come back soon…
A cold breeze brushed Percival as he walked out of the castle, towards a large, open area filled with grass as far as his eye could see. He took a deep breath. Vulcan and Scar were behind him, but they weren’t alone. A few more dragon-types, like Faxure, Bagon and Druddigon were also there, on the sidelines. They were the royal guard, knights.
Some of them were cheering for Vulcan, while others, only a few, were chanting for Percival. He waved at the audience and turned his back, facing the shiny Haxorus.
“Let’s see what you’re made of, kid.” Vulcan said, slapping his tail on the floor.
“I have a trick or two up my sleeve,” he replied, grinning. “I assume this fight goes until one of us passes out?”
Scar walked where the others were standing, so he could have a better look at the fight. The Marowak sat down, not saying a word.
“That works,” the dragon said. He glanced at the knights. “Another important detail: do you want a weapon? My tusks are tough, and my scales as well. Do you really think you can pierce them?”
“If this makes you feel better, I don’t see why not.”
To that, one of the Fraxure threw a spear towards Percival, the latter promptly grabbing the weapon and inspecting. The blade was sharp, and the spear was long enough for him to use it.
“…You gave me a lance?” His ears twitched, and a small smile spread on his face.
“Anything funny?”
“Not really,” Percival grabbed the weapon and swished it around, before preparing himself for the fight, pointing the lance towards Vulcan.
The dragon lunged in, moving his tail to hit Percival with it ashe draconic appendage began to glow, enveloped in a pinkish aura.
Dragon Tail, Percival thought, dodging the move by moving to his right, and then pointing the spear at Vulcan’s tusks. He knew those would not grow back if they broke, so he went in for the hit.
A metallic spark fizzled between the two fighters as they stared into each other’s eyes. Vulcan then pressed on, his bulkier body put pressure onto Percival’s own, forcing him to retreat slowly.
Vulcan broke contact, backing away. However, he gave Percival no opportunities to counterattack, as he punched the canine right away. The auric Pokémon tried to contain the attack with his arms, but only managed to scream from the pain, his bones even cracked.
“H-Heh! This is great!” Even with that move, Percival was ecstatic. His blood pumped, and he managed to laugh, launching a purple sphere into the ground and unleashing a cloud of dirt.
Blinded for the moment, Vulcan relied on his other senses to tell him where the Lucario was. He focused on the noise. Footsteps, to be precise. Focusing on where they were, he managed to dodge a few hits from Percival. Vulcan regretted not picking a more… convenient field, but it was too late for that.
As the cloud dissipated, Percival was shown to be further away from Vulcan, still holding onto the spear.
“Too scared to attack me, eh?” Vulcan panted. There was something else he could do. He punched the floor and roared.
Percival’s ears twitched as he heard the ground shaking. Was that an earthquake? His mind raced and he looked down to see multiple vines sprouting around him, coiling around the canine’s arms and legs and so, preventing his movement.
“H-Heh…” Vulcan snorted. “This place isn’t the best for fighting, I admit. But I still have ways of using it to my advantage!”
“I didn’t even know Haxorus could learn Grass Knot,” Percival replied, trying to set himself free. Even with this, he still smiled. “But I’m afraid… I haven’t lost yet. As a matter of fact, the one who’s lost… is you!”
With all the strength he gathered, Percival managed to raise his right arm, and that’s when Vulcan gasped at the sight; a rainbow-colored Emera inside a looplet on the canine’s arm. His gaps only got louder as said Emera began to glow, burning through the knots that bound Percival.
When the glow faded, Percival was different. His demeanor seemed much more aggressive than before, and he soon dashed towards Vulcan, piercing his tusks once more.
“T-Tch! I have no idea what’s going on with you, but not bad, kid!” The dragon replied, before opening his mouth, flames spewing from the inside.
“I appreciate the compliment. Coming from a dragon, it’s a delight. But enough talk!” Percival drew his right arm backwards, a taint, silver aura spread across it, and before the flames could hit him, Percival punched the dragon’s gut.
Vulcan squealed in pain, the punch produced a loud, cracking and nearly deafening sound. His first reaction was to back away, coughing up. A rookie mistake, as Percival lunged in, almost hitting the dragon’s neck, except the spear landed on his side harmlessly.
“…What?” The dragon struggled to believe it. Percival had the opportunity to strike, but the kid refused to do it?
“I take it the fight is over,” Percival threw the spear into the ground, panting. “…Did I prove my point? I can defend myself, I can fight.”
Vulcan stood up, still coughing from the impact. He looked down; his scales were normal, without any cracks. So, why was that attack so painful?
“Y-You did,” he finally said, nodding. “But… how? The Bullet Punch, while powerful, shouldn’t do this much damage.”
“This is Mega Evolution,” Percival answered, crossing his arms. “A power-up of sorts. I found out about it during one of my missions. I get… stronger with it.”
Vulcan eyed the Marowak, panting. “Scar… can we talk about this in private? This session’s dismissed. You may all go home.”
Percival raised a brow, but otherwise, paid it no mind. His body soon returned to normal, and left him panting. Despite having better control of this power, it was still exhausting.
The night dawned upon the city, and Brian walked towards his apartment, tired and grumpy. Sure, his job was done for now, but with no signs of his sibling, things were still… odd.
“I hate this,” he said to himself, rubbing his arm. Never had he felt so… alone. Without anyone, anything. No family, since only Arceus knew where his father was. Probably on a mission, far away.
But his friends were there. Literally there. As the fox got near the place he called home, he saw them; Dexter and Meggie, waiting for him.
Things might be odd, and he might not be functioning well without his sibling, but maybe… he wasn’t really alone.
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