Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Spinne Biss]

Coumarine Gym

This was it, the moment they crossed the rubicon into chaos. Loki shot around the bullet seed, the five blasts whizzing through the hail beside him. The wide curve gave him time to set his eyes on his opponent.

"Psyshock."

All five spoons came to life with a bright pink glow. Each of them fired off a small beam and once the five beams met at the center they would converge into a power wave of psionic energy.If it hit, the blast would slam into Abomasnow and hit the opponent right in his defense stat where he would suffer the most damage.

***

Route 12 - Fourrage Road

Grant stiffened up as his 'body' tensed when Hazard closed the distance between them. The young ghosts eyes would fall to the remains of his own body and the anxiety would begin to settle within him.

And he screamed again as the memory of everything hit him all at once. His meeting with Gaston Bacque, his death. The death of his Pokemon. That monsters retreat into the distance. The pain that cursed his ghostly soul.

"There!" he shouted, pointing off into the distance. "There!" Louder this time and then Grant was off, leading the way.  

[Marsuru]

Unknown Cave

Ratio sensed Moze approach before he ever heard the knock. His protégé had done well to master Aura to the extent he had in such a short timeframe, few others would detect Moze if he wished to remain hidden, but Ratio could always feel his presence. Ratio's own teacher compared Aura usage to any other art form; one could learn its fundamentals with enough talent and effort, but true skill took years, and mastery took a lifetime.

What greeted Moze in Ratio's chamber was a far cry from anything the outside world saw. The black robes and powerful frame were gone. Instead stood a frail figure, entirely bald with skin that was pink and scarred where his flesh had been peeled away then allowed to heal over and over again. He stood on limbs like black cables that connected directly to stumps. It was the bare minimum that Celarsi was able to bestow while regenerating its lost mass.

Ratio's Ditto had become his body, his arms and legs and anything else he now missed. Thanks to Jean Pierre, the past fourteen years of Ratio's life had been a living hell. His humanity stripped away, his body rendered a mockery of the human figure. Without Celarsi encasing Ratio's true form in its own tissue, his skin would crack and bleed with every painful movement.

A merciful god would have snuffed the life from him long ago, but Ratio had too much to do to allow for that.

'I am,' Ratio said, stepping up from a fire that blazed intensely, and filled the room with a blistering heat. Ratio would often spend hours here, honing his Aura through meditation, his senses expanding beyond their cave to connect to the world around him.

He moved stiffly, like an old man. Ferox lay in front of the fire, the beast quelled and calm. A far cry from its battle frenzy. Ratio scratched the Arcanine behind its ears with claw-like fingers as he passed, though the motion caused his flesh to tear and blood to flow as a weak drip.

'It is... nice to see you so joyful, Moze,' Ratio said, stepping away from the fire. By now, his student would be used to seeing him like this. 'A beloved reunion, long overdue.'

He needn't speak with Moze directly anymore. The boy had progressed enough that they could converse entirely by Aura if they so chose, but this way had its benefits. It reminded Ratio that he was still human, for one.

'Have you checked on our guest recently?'

Route 12 - Fourrage Road

Zack sighed. They were having no luck. Dexio was just as s**t with maps as he was. Worse, actually, as he appeared to have the thing upside down. s**t, maybe they needed a compass.

'Found anything, Serene?' he asked. The Kirlia dropped out of her psychic trance to shake her head. Zack rubbed his neck. 'Hazard? Hazard.'

The ghost type was off like a shot, sailing along the trail like a train on a track. Zack yanked Dexio into motion and recalled Serene in a whip of light as they took off after the Gengar. They passed along trees and slid down a bank before entering a lightly thicketed woodland area. Hazard floated through some trees, but Zack saw a gap leading around them and chased after.

They came out at the base of a hill, which Hazard disappeared into. Grunting, Zack ran uphill with Dexio gasping for breath behind him. He crested it to see Hazard floating below, continuing her route towards a farmhouse in the distance. On the outside there were wide gated fields with several Skiddo grazing on them. Some kind of ranch?

'There,' Zack said, smiling to himself. Hazard floated up to the entrance to the ranch and stopped, bobbing around and laughing, apparently to herself.

---

[HERE? Kekekeke! You saw him go HERE?!] Hazard cackled, whizzing around Grant. [You were killed by a farmer?? Kekeke! How embarrassing!]  

[Spinne Biss]

Route 12 - Fourrage Road

"Shut up!" Grant shouted, ethereal voice echoing his rage. "Shut up and kill him." The trainer commanded as he looked at the Gengar. "Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him! KILL! HIM!"

He felt so helpless now, unable to tear the farmhouse from its base, unable to choke his murderer all by himself. He wanted to share and drown his killer in rage.

"Kill him so I can look him in the eyes."  

[Marsuru]

[Kekeke! Okay!] Hazard bounced around, finding Grant's bloodlust hysterical. She stopped when she noticed Zack heading down the trail. Her trainer's early morning runs had clearly paid off since he wasn't even breathless by the time he reached her. [Oh nuts, I gotta do what he says. Kekeke! He might say kill him so who knoooows?? Kekeke!]

Zack came to a stop. Half anticipating a fight, Zack told Dexio to hang back and observe. If he saw anyone coming, he was to call Zack. If it looked like Zack was in trouble, he was to call everyone else. Zack didn't want any of his loved ones to end up a smear, but he didn't fancy it for himself either.

'This is it,' the trainer said to himself, walking through Grant's ghost. He felt a slight chill, but accounted it to the breeze. 'Hazard, keep me covered.'

He sent the ghost type to explore as he approached the door. A couple of Skiddo stopped eating grass to watch him lazily, their heads tilted with interest. The sign on the way in said Baa de Mer Ranch and advertised Skiddo riding - family friendly fun - they even had kids on the sign. Zack almost felt silly treating this place like a hive of monsters, but this was the best lead they had.

The trainer knocked on the door and waited a minute. In the distance, he could see Dexio as a dot beside some bushes, waving furiously before giving him a minuscule thumbs up. That kid needed to learn to chill out, seriously.

Eventually, the door unlatched, and out stepped an old farmer. Heavy set, skin tanned from long days outdoors. He scratched a shock of white stubble as he looked Zack up and down.

'Yer a customer?' he asked, voice all gruff and gravel.
'No, I'm selling cookies,' Zack replied, sizing the guy up. Not the friendliest person in the world. Was he the one who killed Grant Mei?

In the bushes nearby, Serene concentrated hard on the new person, trying to use her Telepathy to read his thoughts. If he was the killer, she would intervene. Zack waited for his pokémon to do something, but after an awkward moment passed, nothing happened.

'Yer funny,' the old farmer said. 'In a "I think I'm funny but I really am not" kind of way. Come on in an' talk to the wife. She'll handle yer business.'

The old farmer slouched back inside, and Zack followed. He made sure to appreciate what might be his last touch of sunlight before entering the shaded farmhouse. It was cool inside, the walls made of stone perhaps centuries old. There were wonky edges just about everywhere, not a straight line in sight. Even the furniture was made from gnarled and twisted wood. If he weren't so on edge, Zack might even have thought of it as idyllic.

'Wipe yer shoes at the door. Mah name's Adrian Ramos, this 'ere's the wife, Audrey.'
'Hi,' Zack said to the portly old woman making her way down the stairs. The farmhouse smelled of her musty perfume. This was definitely an old person's house. Zack was starting to have some serious doubts that either of these could be the killer, but something was still pricking his sixth sense.

What was wrong about this picture?

---

[Kekeke, come this way,] Hazard said to Grant, waving for him to follow. She flew over the farmhouse, and if Grant concentrated on his new ghostly powers, he'd be able to fly too. [Let's sneak in the back and see what happens, kekeke!]  

[Spinne Biss]

Route 12 - Farmhouse

"I'm coming!" Grant shouted, finding his new ability to fly to be both terrifying and calming. He'd join Hazard around the back of the farm house before pressing his hand to the wall and slowly phasing inside.  

[Marsuru]

Audrey began asking Zack questions about what kind of Skiddo he wanted to rent, how much it would cost, and so on, but he only half listened. His attention was on scanning the farmhouse for anything unusual.

He counted a few cracked tiles above the kitchen counter, and a pot of broth ready to bubble over on the stove. The table had been recently tidied, still wet from being wiped down. Zack's eyes followed along the wall, recognising a portrait of Lord Nostrad above the fireplace. Below it was crest that Zack assumed was the Nostrad family crest, inscribed with some Kalosian phrase that Zack took to be their house motto. Looketh thee down upon thy unprivileged or some s**t.

'That's a nice picture,' Zack said, cutting Audrey off. Adrian looked up from his armchair, where he'd settled in to read a book.
'Lord Nostrad'll see the country right,' Adrian grunted. 'Kalos's fer Kalosians. Uh, no offence intended.'
'None... taken,' Zack replied, frowning. He had a bad feeling about this. 'You two like the nobility?'
'My, of course,' said Audrey, walking behind Zack. 'Adrian's family is a minor house. We're part of a, ah, offshoot branch.'

'Cousin's a big name gym leader in the city,' Adrian said, back to looking at his book.
'We do what we can to keep the honour of the nobility alive,' Audrey said, taking the bubbling broth from the stove.

---

[OH MY GOD! YOU DISAPPEARED INTO A WALL! AAAAAHHHHH!] Hazard howled before floating through the air like a leaf on the breeze and flying through the wall after Grant.

They came out into a small guest bedroom. Lightly furnished, it had a bed, dresser and bookstand that looked about as old as the house. Hazard floated around the room, inspecting things but not really sure what she was looking for. What she didn't notice was that the bed was still a mess.

[Kekeke, what do you think?] she asked Grant, picking her nose for some ghostly snot.  

[Spinne Biss]

Route 12 - Farmhouse

Granted looked through the room, his rage keeping his inquisitive mind from kicking in. "They're ******** lazy," he snapped, pointing at the messy bed. He looked over the book stand and the dress, reaching out and finding he couldn't touch it. Then he'd peak his head into the drawers. He could phase but see nothing through the darkness.

"A little help?"  

[Marsuru]

'Riiiight,' Zack said. Two big fans of the nobility, blind to the fact that they lived in a place that literally smelled of s**t and perfume, hoping that some imagined greatness would rub off on them. Didn't make them killers.

He walked around about as much as seemed appropriate. Wasn't like he could just wander into the rest of their house, but he didn't like standing still. Outside, Serene concentrated on the old couple with all of her psychic power. During the Caesura, she and Zack had practised using their telepathic link, much in the same way Benedict communicated with Manny.

Zack wasn't the biggest fan of it, but a skill like that could prove useful in a situation like this. While Zack talked, Serene scanned, feeding back the couple's emotions to the trainer. They were starting to get impatient.

'What do you think about commoners winning the league?'
Adrian put down his book. 'Whaddya? Either rent a Skiddo or git out!'

Anger, explosive anger. Was that the right thread to pull? Zack doubled down.

'Only I've fought noble trainers, and they ain't s**t,' Zack said, watching Audrey's face turn red.
'Wash out yer mouth!' she hissed. 'Yer nothin' but a filthy foreigner!'
'Git outta our ********' make me, a*****e,' Zack shot back and Adrian leapt from his seat. He might've been old, but he had farmer's muscle and that wasn't to scoff at. Before he reached Zack, the trainer grabbed a chair and broke it over the old man's face. Audrey shrieked in horror. Drastic, Zack thought, but he was after a killer, and he wasn't going to take chances.

Adrian went down, but he wasn't out. Grabbing Zack's shirt by the fistful, the old man dragged him forward, smashing Zack's forehead with his own and loosing a line of blood. ******** did it smart. Zack staggered back, but wasn't released, allowing Adrian to pummel him in the stomach, across the face, with one final blow knocking him to the floor.

s**t. This guy could actually fight. Zack grit his teeth, and kicked Adrian's knee, hearing a crunch that sent the old farmer toppling, hitting his head on the table as he fell to the floor. Then there was silence, broken only by Audrey's continued screams.

Zack stood up slowly, eyes wide. Had he gone too far? The old man didn't move. ********, he was starting to panic. He could feel his breath growing short, and it wasn't from the fight. Time to slow down, to compartmentalise. He was here to look for the Darkhorse Hunter who killed Grant Mei. He was the good guy.

'Stop screamin' lady!' Zack shouted, but Audrey grew louder if anything. She rushed into the kitchen, pulling her drawers apart for a knife. 'God dammit. Stop.'

She rushed him, so Zack punched her in the face. Audrey fell into her kitchen counter, the knife clattering to the floor. He really, really hoped that these were the Darkhorse Hunters.

'You know the nobles are killing people, don't you?' Zack said, shoving Audrey into a chair. Her eyes brimmed with fear and anger, but Zack pushed it aside. 'You ********' love them so much, but they're killing people!'
'An' it's worth it,' Audrey spat. 'Every las' one o' you stinkin' commoners can rot in hell 'cause it's worth it!'

Zack resisted the urge to lash out again. Kelly, these are the people who wouldn't think twice if you died. They're the people who want it. Zack balled his fist tight and walked away in a tight circle before rounding back and getting in Audrey's face. 'I'm gonna make you talk. Hazard!'

---

Hazard couldn't stop laughing, rolling around in the air. She swooped down and puuuuulled the drawer open a touch to let the light in.

[Ohhh, you're absolutely KILLING me! What a hoot! Kekeke!]

She could hear commotion in the next room over. Indistinct shouting, some bangs, and screams. Sounds like a party! Then more shouts before finally Zack called her name.

[I need to do somethiiing. Don't go away! Kekeke!] And Hazard flew through the wall into the main room.  

[Spinne Biss]

Route 12 - Farmhouse

Grant watched Hazard leave and decided he wasn't going to wait in one place. No, instead he'd begin to investigate the little house. Waiting for the Gengar to be gone, counting to five, and then he'd slip out into the wall outside of the room and start looking through them himself.  

[Marsuru]

Route 12 - Farmhouse

If Grant missed the scene taking place in the main room, he would find a fairly humble farmhouse with modest furnishings. Aside from the portrait of Lord Nostrad, there wasn't very much fancy about the Ramos' home. One of the back rooms, however had no door, which Grant would realise once slipping through the wall to enter it.

Inside the hidden room, several travel packs were laid out, each containing a supply of rations and tools one might use when venturing off route. All designed to accommodate for any grisly hunt. Technology more advanced than anything else in the house sat along the far wall - a large computer monitor that displayed a feed of trainers and their movements. If Grant looked, he'd see a notification reading that Helena Redgrave and her friends, each listed by their full names, had entered Coumarine City and were headed for the gym.

---

'We- we don't hunt the trainers,' Audrey said, eyes glassed over as she slumped in her chair. Hazard stood beside Zack, her own eyes glowing with Hypnosis. Audrey was in a deep slumber, but able to answer Zack's questions. He felt sick at what he was doing, but they weren't going to get results if they ******** around. He'd end up like Looker, meekly chasing his own tail.

Her head rolled over, as if controlled by strings. 'We don't hunt 'em ourselves, but we help 'em who do.'
'Who did you help recently?' Zack asked. Audrey stared into nothing, the scent of her perfume ready to make Zack sick. 'Audrey, speak to me.'
'He stayed a few days. In the guest room,' Audrey said, voice slow and croaky. 'Weird one, he was. Said he had a job nearby. Wasn't listenin' to the order.'
'What order?'

They were finally getting somewhere. Zack glanced over his shoulder at Adrian lying lifelessly on the floor.

'The order not to kill. From Nicolette,' Audrey whispered the name, but it was one Zack had heard before. 'Nicolette Nostrad.'

That gave him some hope. They weren't killing trainers. Except this Darkhorse Hunter was. He'd strolled out of this farmhouse, murdered a kid, then strolled right back for supper.

'Audrey, listen to me. I need to find the hunter who stayed here,' Zack knelt down so that he was eye to eye with her blank expression. 'What was he called?'
She seemed to struggle, like the name was lost before ever reaching her lips. Then she croaked, speaking with effort. 'Bacque. Gaston Bacque. No, was that it...? Yes... Bacque...'
'Bacque,' Zack said to himself, trying to remember if he'd heard of a trainer by that name. He glanced back to Adrian, then felt a chill when the old man wasn't lifeless on the floor.

Serene's link flared to life. He didn't need to understand her words when her feelings spoke loud and clear: TURN AROUND.

'Yer ********' dead!' Adrian's mighty arms caught Zack around the throat and lifted him off the floor. Hazard flew backwards in surprise as the old man raged. Zack couldn't breathe. He felt the noose tighten, hard against his windpipe. One clean wrench, and Adrian'd break his neck before Hazard could do a thing.  

[Spinne Biss]

Route 12 - Farmhouse

The scales would begin to fall off of Emily as she stood on the hill overlooking the farmhouse. "Damn." she'd say at the exact moment her hidden Tentacruel would swing a massive tentacle at the side of Dexio's head to knock him unconscious.

"He really made us exercise for this." Looking down at the little farmhouse it was quaint. Cute. The brunette looked to her right as Magmortar seemed to bleed into reality. Kecleon was somewhere near as well, but hidden.

"Just blow the door up."

"Mag." Magmortar would say, aiming a cannon arm at the farmhouse. A fire ball shot out from it, spinning into the five appendage shape of a person before colliding with the door and exploding. The force of it was likely to blow anyone in the front room off of their feet as fire instantly consumed the old wood of the farmhouse face.

The moment Magmortar had fired, Emily was off, hunting knife drawn as she used the momentum of the downward hill to charge at the farmhouse, her Pokemon following after.  

[Spinne Biss]

Route 12 - Farmhouse

Grant was busy looking over the monitor when the explosion happened. He'd look immediately toward the explosions direction and then phase his way into the main room.

"What the?" everything was smoke and fire.  

[Jump Einatz]

Unknown Cave

Prou hadn't gotten used to seeing Moze's new friend without his costume. Watching him move so gingerly and unavoidably ripping his own skin made her wince. She was used to the dingier side of life, but this man seemed hardly a man at all anymore. It pained her to see him this way, even though they had just met. Ratio had been nothing but kind to her, and considerate of her reunion with Moze.

"Feels good, man, feels good." Moze set the plate aside on a table close to the chair he knew Ratio preferred. He leaned over and took Ratio's place beside the fire, reaching out to scratch Ferox under her chin.

Bryony had been a scientist for Team Flare, until Ratio took her from the Glittering Cave. Now she was their 'guest', feeding them information and moderating their tech. It didn't take much to persuade her to cooperate. Moze had learned a little Aura went a long way, and Ratio's mastery of Aura left plenty to spare.

"She's not so whiny anymore. Honestly, I think she's just glad to be working in a lab again. We still haven't heard a peep from Team Flare in days, though." He pointed to the lunch he had made. "You gotta eat. I know we're next to an inferno but fish sucks when it's cold."

Moze went from leaning to simply sitting on the floor. "Hey, I saw on the news my sis won her fourth badge today. Had to give 'em the Soledad shine!" He beamed. It was no secret that someday soon, Moze wanted to bring Salieri into the fold. The secret visits to see Arnaud and Mia were taxing on his psyche. The shame of what he had done to her still lingered, but at this point he longed to be with his family again enough that he could find the courage to face her. It was the life he chose to lead that made him want to wait. Only when he was sure Salieri could be protected, safe, and on board would he reunite with her.

"Helena won one too. She's fighting for her fourth now. Want me to put it on?"

Coumarine Gym

Mega Abomasnow's bulkier frame gave him more power than his ordinary counterpart. It also made movement cumbersome. True to his demeanor, Ramos was willing to remain patient.

"Leech Seed."

Loki's wide dodge gave Abomasnow ample time to track the Psychic's path. As the beams from the spoon were to converge, Abomasnow lowered one of his burly upper branches. It opened up, and from its cannon-like shape fired a large navy green seed in an arc as he led the shot at Loki's path.

If Loki moved to dodge mid convergence, he'd have to swerve his attack, causing it to miss. If he fired it regardless, the Psyshock beam would land, but he would get hit by the seed, which would burrow thin vines into him and sap his health slowly. Dodge or hit, the choice was theirs to make.

Lumiose City

Music thumped in Mia's earbuds as she walked, nearly in rhythm with the beat. Bass, her Noibat, fluttered around in time with the song, having one of those earbuds for himself. One plate of her dad's breakfast special, a spliff, and shower later, Mia was feeling physically refreshed. Mentally, she was doing jumping jacks, surfing her phone for information on Agent Looker and 'the Detective' from Interpol.

Her nose was too buried in the screen for her to see that the street was busy when she crossed. Bass, panicking, squealed and wrapped his claws around Mia's shoulders, steering her in another direction.

As she unintentionally and miraculously avoided getting hit by a car and a Gogoat in rapid succession, she predictably came up with very few results. Agent Looker was listed as an agent in the public Interpol database, but many of his case files were still classified, even the ones that had resolved. He was lauded for helping to stop Team Galactic a few years back, but elected to work solo or in partnerships rather than teams.

As for the Detective, Mia had nothing to work with except that he implied he was a Pokémon. That didn't bring up any results either. She would have to dig harder in Gotengo to learn more.

It was after the next intersection that she received Benedict's text, and had to read it a few times to make sure she wasn't too high. A sponsorship for a commoner? It was incredibly rare, and sounded too good to be true. Mia had to wrap her head around that move. Ben had milked his media appearance after saving Ambrette Town, and got positive attention post Fishbone. But was that enough for Betrand Balibar to sponsor him?

"The ******** is happening today," she mumbled, typing out a response.

~Wtf~
~I'll get what I can. Call me in 30?~

At his birthday party the night before, Mia had apologized to Ben about the way she acted when they had met. He had been talking about weaponizing a murderous curse, but she had been so distraught over her experience at the Hotel Richissme that she lost her cool and failed to consider his trauma. Fortunately, Benedict had taken it in stride, and still trusted her enough to tell her about these things. Mia was glad to have reestablished her cool, but it was exhausting being the control center for Salieri's crew.

"We're back to having weird days again," she lamented to Bass, who was sitting on her head and sighing with relief after saving her life.

She was so wrapped up in what was happening that she didn't notice Juliet Nostrad walking past her on the street, also very absorbed in her phone. She and Benedict had exchanged a few texts over the caesura. He had invited her to his birthday party, which she genuinely appreciated considering the circumstances they met under. Juliet had assumed he was scared of her, the way so many people seemed to be.

Her own fear kept her away from the party. Between apparently making a mockery of her family name at the last ball, and getting the boot out of Gotengo, she was wary of gatherings. The humiliation still stung. So she'd politely declined his offer.

But she did send him a book from her collection on the history of Pokémon horse racing. It was the least she could do.

Juliet assumed that would be that, until she got his text today. What did Betrand want with Benedict? Whatever it was, she knew she could not stand that man. He was an oafish braggart, who touted might over everything. Knowing which spoon was the right one to hold, and when, could be the least of Ben's worries.

She stopped to sit on a bench under an orange tree and type her response.

~Yes. Run.~
~Why does he want to meet you?~

Coumarine City

Salieri and Matheson stopped running only when they got to the Gym, as Sal had refused to stop and Math didn't want to lose her. The two of them were panting, hands on knees and out of breath outside. Two miles in about ten minutes. It was ridiculous for no reason.

"Could've...used...key..." Math wheezed, holding up Metis in one hand. The Klefki let out a high pitched Korok noise.

Salieri waved him off with a middle finger, and Matheson collapsed on a rock. Sal plopped down on the grass, her back resting against the rock between Math's legs. "I'm...gonna barf..."

Math shook his head with dull panic. "Really?"
"Nah. Nah." Salieri had felt that multiple times today, for multiple reasons, but it still hadn't happened. "I'm good."

He guzzled on his water bottle before passing it to her. She drank while lifting up her Pokégear to check her texts. She read Ben's, her eyes bugged, and she spat a Water Gun on the path in front of her. "Here it comes," Math groaned weakly.

"Are you SERIOUS right now!?" she yelled to nobody in particular. Her mind was thoroughly boggled. Helena and Benedict? What was Balibar playing at? Everything about it screamed suspect. There was no way he wanted a commoner or a foreigner to win the league. She decided the sponsorship had to be another kind of ploy. Maybe one to keep those two under his thumb.

"Breathe." Math sat up and rubbed her shoulders gently, speaking the one word mantra Gurkinn drilled into her for the past three days. It wasn't a secret martial arts thing. It was just to keep her emotions in check. "Breathe."

"I'll breathe your head off," Sal retorted, but she did as she was told. Her blood still ran hot, though her desire to scream rapidly lowered. She typed back, doing a relatively good job of not exploding.

~What did you say?~
~Helena got sponsored too~
~I have a bad feeling about this.Talk later?~

"Good, good," Matheson chanted, sounding like a certain Sith lord. "Let the peace flow through you-ow!" He reeled back after Sal pinched him, and thus the shoulder rub came to a stop.
"Why would Balibar sponsor them, Math?" she asked, prodding him for noble knowledge. "I don't get it."

Math looked off into the distance, pensive. "I don't either, Sal. It's unheard of."  

[Spinne Biss]

Coumarine Gym

Loki took the leech seed, feeling the blossom of the tiny petals as they intended to heal his opponent. That only meant one thing - he'd have to take him down and hard.

"Teleshock." Helena said and Loki abided. He'd disappear in an instant, reappearing behind the massive snowman as the five spoons spun in his telekinetic grasp. The opponent would have to turn and attack/dodge if he wanted to get away this time which allowed Loki to fire off another psyshock from behind. If it hit, Loki would use the reeling of his opponent to press the spoons into Abomasnow so that he wouldn't be able to escape the last one.  

[Marsuru]

((Sal's reaction rofl ))

Route 12 - Farmhouse

Adrian's thick muscles tightened on Zack's throat. He struggled, striking the farmer's gut with a blow that should have toppled him, but to no avail. His vision started to go dark as breath didn't reach his lungs. Zack's strength left him, and each desperate strike came out weaker than the last.

Then, everything exploded.

The rush of heat blew out the windows in a spray of glass shards. The table went flying as the door blew apart, shockwave throwing Audrey off her chair. Zack staggered under Adrian's weight, but managed to catch himself against the kitchen counter and remain upright, seizing the moment to shove the old man off of him.

Flames raged at the door, and Zack trained his eyes on it, anticipating that whatever came through was not going to be his biggest fan.

'The ******** is going on here?'

Unknown Cave

'Yes, let's... observe,' Ratio said, breathless when every movement was an agony that even he found difficult to ignore.

He had sensed Helena's arrival the moment she stepped foot in Kalos. Initially, it had been difficult to discern which of the two Redgrave children owned such a malleable spirit, one he could hone to his advantage, and so he sent Fury to watch over them. It was only once Ratio met Zack in person in Glittering Cave that he could sense a deep weakness within the trainer, and decided that Helena was the better candidate.

'Turn the sound up... if you will.'