Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Marsuru]

Zack yanked his head away from his holocaster at the roar of sound, wind whipping and crackling through Sal's side of the line. He made her voice out, but just barely. If he was groggy before, he sat bolt upright at mention of Darkhorse Hunters.

'What, you serious? No, they left me alone. Don't see eye to eye after I beat the s**t outta their top guy.'

He referred, of course, to the Interpol agent Zack overheard talking s**t about their crew of trainers. Apparently Ska's pirates couldn't have been up to much if a random group of losers beat them. It hadn't been an easy battle, but it ended well when Serene Teleported the agent's pokeball belt to the top of the tower while the rest of Zack's team performed a beat down on his remaining pokemon. He smirked at the memory.

'Thats a good thing right? We want to shine a light on the hunters.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Salieri had heard about Zack's battle with their 'top guy', from many stunned acolytes and a few others during her training at the Tower of Mastery. Her disdain for authority led her to avoid Interpol during their occupation, but knowing that one of her crew had clowned on one so hard did bring a smile to her face. It was one of the highlights of her caesura.

"It's only good if they don't arrest us for vigilantism. Among other things. Blackmail was involved in my talk."

Salieri closed her eyes, anchoring to Zack's positive spin on the matter while allowing herself to fall. Banksy turned her head in time to see Sal plummet from the clouds off her shell, still on the call.

"The Fishbone investigation is already wrapped up, keeping it going is a pretense for them to be here." Salieri flipped slowly through the air. "The nobility wants them gone ASAP, so Interpol wants our help giving them a reason to stay."

Sal groaned as she righted herself, falling in a crosslegged position. "What's your take? You know I'm not good with cops."  

[Spinne Biss]

Shalour City Gym[/n]

"I am," Helena would say, the last three days of training behind her. As Loki appeared on the battlefield she'd cross her arms and await the official declaration for the start of the match.  

[Marsuru]

Tower of Mastery - Zack's Room

Zack rubbed his neck as he thought it through, walking over to the window. Interpol ships dotted the sea, opaque blocks atop bright shining waves. An actual military force that wasn't necessarily against them. If any immediate change were to happen in Kalos, it wouldn't come from within, it would come from something like Interpol overthrowing the Court. It would be bloody. But what stake did Interpol truly have in opposing the Court of Kings? Zack doubted very much that, if it came down to it, a deal wouldn't be made between their higher-ups and someone like Lord Nostrad. Maybe that's all this jurisdiction battle was, leverage in some bargain.

In short, they couldn't trust Interpol.

'My take is we're screwed whatever we do,' Zack said, leaning against the windowsill, the sun warming his back. 'But if I had to pick a poison, it wouldn't be the Court. We should figure out exactly what Interpol has on us. Even if we helped them, they still might just serve us up to the nobility as a bargaining chip.'

He paused. 'How specific were they when they said blackmail?'


Shalour City Gym

'Then let's see what you've learned from my grandfather,' Korrina grinned. A pokéball shot out of a hole in the floor, chosen based on Helena's number of badges to provide an appropriate challenge. Korrina caught it without looking. At the Tower, she was known as Successor Korrina, the one who would inherit Gurkinn's place as the master of mega evolution, the protector of her people. Here, Korrina was a gym leader, and would protect her gym just as fiercely.

'Don't think I'll go easy on you just because helped against the pirates,' Korrina said. 'Let's make this two against two.'

She wasn't fazed when Loki appeared; people brought psychics into her gym all the time. One job of a gym leader is to account for weaknesses. Korrina launched her ball into the arena where it exploded in a wave of light.

CHALLENGER HELENA IS READY boomed an automated voice over the gym's speaker system. GYM LEADER KORRINA IS READY ... FIGHT!

As the light cleared, it gave way to Korrina's Scrafty, standing midway into the arena. He took one look at Loki opposite him and rolled his eyes. Hard.

[Aw hell no. I'm ain't fighing a Alakazam if he's just gonna be Teleporting around like some little b***h!' The Taunt would lock down Loki's status moves, limiting him to raw attacks while accurately describing a tedious battle style to fight against. Korrina cupped her hand to her mouth to make sure her voice carried to Helena.

'Just so you know,' she yelled, circling her finger towards the ceiling. 'Any damage to the sprinkler systems, and I have the right to sue.'  

[Jump Einatz]

"They didn't say blackmail, but there were some not so subtle hints towards my time on the Fishbone. You might be fine. Same with your sister and Ben. Depends on what you've been up to."

Salieri couldn't remember any major breakage of laws when she glimpsed Zack's past. She herself hadn't done much in that regard over the caesura. There was some minor (and major) property damage during a few drunken battles with rival trainers at parties. But that was paid for by the spoils of victory. No harm, no foul, right?

The white streak in the air above her that was Banksy changed direction, doubling back and veering down to catch her trainer. Sal kept her free hand on her bandanna to keep it in place. She was rapidly falling to the Kalos Badlands below, a wasteland only home to the Power Plant and an ecosystem of rugged Pokémon. She knew it well.

Interpol was looking like the lesser of two evils. Still, Salieri wasn't one to trust any type of large militant organization. Or most organizations with money in general. It was possible that this was some sort of glorified pissing match between agents and nobility. There was an off chance that Looker and his Pikachu genuinely wanted to do the right thing. Salieri wasn't betting on that.

"Let's say we cooperate. Maybe they have leads we don't know about." A dark glimmer appeared in her eye. "Maybe even something on Nicolette Nostrad."

Throughout the weekend, Salieri still hadn't found any leads on the shadowy figure that was said to lead the Darkhorse Hunters. Even the wealth of Esme's research blanked on that name. Sal thought back on what Faust told her after his defeat. How he and other hunters were acting independently from their boss in acts of fervent nationalism, while Nicolette had lost control over them. Was there even a Nicolette Nostrad?

There has to be. Moze had listed four trainers who had taken part in his spiral of defeat years ago. Faust, the Sniper, was already taken care of. The Duelist, Alanza Taine, was someone Esme had dirt on. However, she hadn't made any league appearances yet. That left one Charmer, who lured Moze into a fall sense of security to present a trap, and Nicolette herself. She's real.

"If they're gonna use us, let's make sure we use them too."  

[Spinne Biss]

Shalour City Gym

[Who needs to run?] Loki would say, voice feigned with calmness. He was absolutely livid. How dare someone talk to him like that? Did he have no respect? No manners? What kind of punk kid? I'll tell you what kind - the kind that gets a charge beam in the face!

Electricity crackled to life in his palm and he would fire it off immediately at the s**t-talking-little-punk.

It helped that Helena had said "charge beam" a moment before. Not that it mattered much, without Miracle Eye that was their only way of hurting the other Pokemon.

"Oh trust me, it won't hurt my pride any if you go easy on me," Helena would say. Winning gym matches was already difficult enough and while she enjoyed the challenge, it wasn't so much that the teen wouldn't take a free pass to victory when allowed.  

[Marsuru]

Zack's room

'Whaat, I've been a good boy,' Zack said, half-grinning. Recently, anyway. Relatively, anyway. He'd always tried to be on the side of the angels, he was just a jerk about it sometimes. A carefully practised and deliberate jerk.

Zack knew what Nicolette meant to Salieri, and what it once meant to him. During, and shortly after, their bonding, Zack would have had the same emotional response to Salieri's past as she did. Their memories, feelings, personalities were entwined to the point that they nearly lost who they were. Now, Zack remembered the highlights, but it didn't trigger his emotions the way it once did. Now any anger or injustice Zack felt regarding Nicolette Nostrad was simple empathy for his friend.

'Never come away empty-handed,' Zack mused as Salieri spoke. 'Alright. Let's cooperate for now and see where that leads, but we don't need to just roll over.' He stepped away from the window and casually paced the room. 'Can't Mia do some computer wiz stuff and like, uh, hack into their systems and see what they have on us?'

Shalour City Gym

As Loki's spoons sparked with raw electric power, Scrafty's eyes shot wide, but he played it off as if he wasn't impressed. [That ain't nothin'!]

The ruffian pokémon pulled his shed skin up as he sauntered forwards while Loki's beam charged. When the psychic type sent it blasting out, Scrafty broke into a run, his own fist crackling with power as he aimed to knock the Charge Beam out of the air with his own 'Thunder Punch!' It collided into the electric blast with a boom, and sent it away at a sharp right angle, spraying up debris as it hit the arena floor, burning a V-shaped scorch mark in its wake.

Scrafty avoided damage this way, but as Loki's Charge Beam still made contact, it had a high chance of boosting the psychic's power level. If the dice rolled above a 4 or above, Loki would get the boost.

Launching himself forward, Scrafty aimed to close the distance. He couldn't let Loki get away, so aimed to slow him down by pulling a 'Scary Face!', his face turning very dark and menacing as he yelled, [I'm gonna get you, ********!]  

[Spinne Biss]

Shalour City Gym

A second flash of light blocked Loki's view of the face entirely - the next charge beam being fired with a crackled 'boom' as it burnt through the air, leaving a glaring images of itself behind for just a moment.

Long enough to obscure the face.  

[Marsuru]

Shalour City Gym

If Loki couldn't see Scrafty, then all the better. He dropped out of his Scary Face, and switched into 'Feint Attack!' By deliberately putting his target out of sight with flashing electricity, Loki's accuracy couldn't be great, which Scrafty put to use by disappearing entirely from sight only to reappear a moment later with his fist colliding into Loki's chin. It would take off a huge chunk of the frail psychic's health with an unavoidable Super Effective strike. In making his way over, he had taken a glancing blow from the Charge Beam, taking only half damage himself, but triggering the chance for a boost.

Close range, Scrafty's specialty, but he had to keep moving. It'd be all the easier for Loki to land a hit now. So he had to 'Keep on the pressure! Feint Attack!' again. If the first one dealt considerable damage, then a second would end the battle there.  

[Spinne Biss]

Shalour City Gym

The feint attack was enough to send Loki backwards, the power of the blow was enough to cause him to cry out but not to lose his cool.

This time he could see it coming, and Loki would dodge around the attack as the Taunt ended. In passing Miracle Eye would flare up, allowing Loki - as Scrafty was likely unable to escape his gaze - to land his psychic hits. Unless the Pokemon could escape mid-step - mid-attack.

Power charged through his body from the Charge Beam but now Loki had a much stronger blow coming.  

[Marsuru]

Shalour City Gym

Scrafty couldn't avoid the Miracle Eye, which shedded his protection against Psychic-type attacks, but he didn't need to. A move like Miracle Eye wouldn't help to mitigate damage from the incoming Feint Attack, so Scrafty completed his move from last turn, somersaulting to whack Loki with his tail.

The force would crack the Alakazam on the top of the head, and send him speeding into the arena floor, unconscious.

[Ding! Ding! Ding! Yeah biiiiiitch!] Scrafty paraded around at his win.  

[Spinne Biss]

Shalour City

Loki would be recalled in a beam of light and Helena would sigh. Okay, one more chance.

The moment her Scizor appeared it was to the first order, an unspoken one of their training.

Strike first, close the distance. Assess once it's closed.

Écarlate would be gone as the flash ended, striking toward his opponent at the speed of a bullet with Bullet Punch. The move landing would hurt, but it wouldn't be enough to strike down his opponent.

However, one thing would likely be made clear. Scrafty was sent out against a Pokemon seven levels less than Écarlate.  

[Marsuru]

Shalour City Gym

'Gotta say, Helena, I'm disappointed,' Korrina said as Scrafty tried on several different victory poses for the people just entering the stands. 'Were you really trained by my grandfather?'

Korrina was genuinely interested in seeing what Helena could do. Gurkinn rarely took on pupils, but he had decided to personally train both Helena and Salieri during the Caesura. What did he see in them? It was her role as Successor to one day have the same insight as her grandfather. If Helena lost here, would it be a personal failing for Korrina if she didn't see the same potential her grandfather did?

'Let's see that potential,' she muttered to herself as Ecarlate materialised.

The sonic boom sounded like cannon fire across the arena. Scrafty barely had time to register that the Scizor had appeared before the battle recommenced. The Bullet Punch took him off his feet, coiling the ruffian pokémon around Ecarlate's claw, putting him in position for some 'Revenge!'

Having already taken damage that turn, Scrafty's Revenge would double from a 60 power move to a 120 power move that would solidly damage the steel bug, even through its thick armour. Positioned as intimately close as they were, and with Scrafty attacking off the rebound of Ecarlate's first strike, the Scizor wouldn't have time to avoid being struck.  

[Spinne Biss]

Shalour City Gym

Écarlate would strike back with his other claw aimed to slam around the Revenging limb from the side as a parry. Within the same motion with grappled claw would tear in the opposite direction thus performing an X-Scissor at the same time as the parry.

If it worked, the Scrafty would both be defeated and deal zero damage, ensuring that Écarlate was at full power for the next match up.

"Fine." Helena would say, eyes on Korinna. The key stone in her bracelet would flare to life alongside the stone on the collar around Écarlate's neck.

"I don't have a lot of time." Because I want to make it to my friends matches and do another one day. "So I'll show you everything I've learned."  

[Marsuru]

Shalour City Gym

Scrafty's revenge whiffed, but barely. It came within a hair of cracking Ecarlate's shell before he was yanked backwards by the Scizor's X-Scissor. Its raw power sent the ruffian pokémon colliding into the ground where he bounced once, rolled, then came to a stop. He got his hands under himself, but as his strength failed, his body got heavier, and his vision darker. [Bi... iittchh...]

Korrina recalled he pokémon with a determined look on her face. That Scizor was dangerous. She hadn't seen any of Helena's training, but she had heard the rumours. Korrina pressed a button on her helmet, and spoke quietly into its microphone, 'Send him in.'

The stands were starting to fill up now, but were still sparse. People dotted the seats, eager to see the first matches of the new week play out. With a thoomph, a pokéball shot out of the hole at Korrina's feet, and once again she caught it without looking. 'Let's give them a show'

Her pokéball opened with a split of bright light. The Lucario landed, kneeling down, his head lowered. He stood upright, slowly coming to his full height before his head snapped up, and he looked Ecarlate dead in the eye. Where Hawlucha and Scrafty were cocky, Lucario was silent, resolute.

'No holding back now, Helena,' Korrina shouted across the arena, holding out her hand. She closed her eyes, feeling her Aura resonate with Lucario's.

Their shared Aura channelled through the keystone in her Mega Glove and the Lucarionite in the pokémon's belt, entering a new wavelength, triggering the transformation. Her keystone began to glow an intense white light, multicoloured reams of energy flying off its surface that gradually saturated the arena. At the same moment, power boiled on the surface of Lucario's body, flying off like embers in a storm. The power went white, blindingly so as a crystalline shell formed around the pokémon before shattering into a thousand jagged pieces.

The shell crumbled before touching the floor, the power faded, ebbing away as the gentle flames of aura settled into Lucario's body. It stood several inches taller, the dark markings on its fur now more intricate, the ends of its limbs dyed crimson. The fledgling crowd went wild at the sight of the Mega Lucario, pulling out their phones to record this event. Some of the more astute spectators turned to Helena, daring to hope that she might pull out a surprise of her own.

Lucario took a step backwards, lifting his paws as he entered a ready stance.

Once Helena prepared Ecarlate, the automated voice would shout through the speakers.

FINAL ROUND ... FIGHT!