Chapter 4: Shirona vs Osaka Team
I held my chest. My heart was beating wildly inside my body. More than that, the sound was ringing in my head. Blood rushed through me. For some reason, the pain in my ears had vanished. Touching them, they were back to normal. Regenerated. But my piercings were gone. I realized they no longer existed anywhere.
"Hey wait a sec. There's still an item left."
"Not 5 marks, it's 7. The inconsistent appearances ain't good."
It was a mystery to me that I was able to breathe normally now. Was my recognition lacking? I couldn't judge. I wasn't being overly optimistic. Surely I wasn't negligent. So I chose the better method, relying on him and her most suited for combat. But in the end, everything had been too naive—I recognized.
George pointed at the last part of the items displayed on the sphere. "They've been beaten. Looks like we don't have to defeat these two. Huh?"
As if noticing something, he turned his face towards me. Then the others around began focusing on me similarly.
The buzzcut man narrowed his eyes. "I've seen these guys before. Lucario and Garchomp? This woman's pets."
Exhaling cigarette smoke slowly, the half-naked man said, "Well, then they're already dead. I've seen them properly."
"Please!" I shouted in a trembling voice.
That plea wasn't towards the men. I tightly embraced the seven balls again. Although two were already emptied, that was irrelevant. I braced myself as if to protect them all.
Speaking clearly to the black sphere I shouted, "Tra...transfer me first! Hurry!"
"Uh."
"Yo, this girl..."
"So what are we doing?"
The sunglasses man with the shortest hair readied his tool among them.
"Nah, I'll do it. We won't get points unless we do something first..."
I couldn't comprehend the last part at all. My field of vision was already opening before me. My lower half was gradually taking shape. Confirming my feet had fully appeared, I tried standing up. But it was impossible. I had no strength entering my body. Despite understanding I needed to escape, my body stubbornly wouldn't budge.
As I knelt there, the others continually got transferred over one after another. The area around resembled a residential district again. Though different from the previous location. The roads seemed a little more pristine.
Arriving here, I didn't commit the blunder of making requests. I already mostly grasped these black suits' nature by now. Once targets were decided, they would casually kill for amusement. I could clearly envision how things would unfold. Therefore, persuasion was meaningless.
Unconsciously, I had taken one of the balls into my hand. Attempting to throw it, my chest shuddered sharply.
Will it be repeated again?
I noticed my fingers had clenched up, unable to open. The arm I tried swinging had frozen stiff like packed in ice.
Should I let them out into that battlefield again, sacrificing them once more? Was I fated to continue nonstop until my entire Pokemon family was depleted? I knew in myself something felt off. I could sense a decisive change from before. Because up till now, it was perfectly natural.
Vrm!
Engine noises.
"Ah, no..."
The sunglasses short hair aiming the cylinder seemed slightly abashed noticing me watching.
"Just guessin, but best blow her n' those balls up, yeah?"
Boom!
Popping sounds occurred.
"Ah!"
I toppled forward. My rolling fingers entered my vision before me. With several fingers mutilated from the base, the pain made me briefly immobile. Despite needing to protect myself somehow, my head was preoccupied by the blood rapidly being lost.
"What do we do with her?"
"Hmm... Oh yeah. Torture and stuff? That will let her spit out where them aliens are at right?"
Whoosh!
One ball got flung through the air by the shockwave when my hand got crushed. Despite getting directly struck, not a single mark showed on it. Depicting a slight arc, it softly reached the ground.
The ball's mouth opened, light emerging. Then within a mere instant, a white bird-like organism appeared.
"Oh, this guy too. Came right out."
Togekiss's movements were fast. Seemingly languid at times normally, right now he exerted utmost effort generating lift from his wings. Passing beneath the men's feet, he lifted my body up. Then sustaining that altitude greatly still.
The black suits continuously aimed what seemed the same black tools. But Togekiss always evaded the directions those mouths faced.
"Don't let it get away!"
"Kyuikyui~~~!"
Letting out a shriek clearly mixed with anger, Togekiss began generating light at its feet. Soon transforming into lightning. Once expanded to a reasonable size, he fiercely launched it towards a single target.
The young man's eyes widened in surprise. Despite that, his reaction remained decent enough. Instantly jumping sideways, separating from the circular bike. He emerged unharmed, but the electricity-struck bike differed. Billowing smoke, it toppled over sideways.
"Toge...kiss..."
I barely produced a voice, prompting the startled round eyes meeting my own. While the rescue efforts were magnificent, he seemed extremely agitated. Tears welled up nonstop as he whimpered.
"Kyu..."
Hovering in midair, he brought both wings together. Thereupon glistening droplets manifested overhead. Dripping down, they fell on my mangled hand. Instantly the scalding pain that tormented me earlier rapidly faded away. The overflowing wound mostly closed beneath those revitalizing drops. The prior bleeding also stopped.
Togekiss's focus remained strictly on fleeing this area as distant as possible apparently. Even light resembling flying ropes launched their way, he didn't attempt counterattacking whatsoever, merely concentrating single-mindedly on gaining distance. I buried my face into that back, once more crying. Utterly detesting my own uselessness.
Once the men were out of sight, I felt that there was something I had overlooked.
The answer arrived promptly.
Gasping, suddenly electronic noises echoed around originating near my head, audible even for Togekiss craning his neck puzzled to check the situation.
That George fellow from earlier said it. The black spheres delineate areas—designate the battlefield in other words. What happens when leaving it, I had witnessed personally.
"Stop!"
After an abrupt midair halt, Togekiss perched on a roof for now. I felt like I couldn't walk properly yet, but I'll probably have some time to rest.
However my current mental state was far from composed. My heart never stopped aching. The tension was overwhelming me to degrees never experienced previously which addled my mind completely white temporarily.
Gradually, I began to understand how cornered we were.
By becoming the target, my family was now in danger. And I couldn't escape completely. We were trapped within this residential area. Was fighting the only option? But I myself was powerless. I couldn't resist those who had such weapons.
Therefore, reliance became my sole option left. Entrusting everything to my longtime partners—the Pokemon I walked beside all this time.
Togekiss tried comforting me by rubbing his wings together affectionately. But it did little to alleviate things.
"Well, calm down."
I shuddered. Before I knew it, a black arm had wrapped around my neck. I tried to move my hands but couldn't. I was just trembling. Too many things had already happened, and I felt left behind in the situation. Fear had frozen my entire body.
"Oops. You don't know what'll happen to your owner?"
The unkempt man, after pointing the sword at Togekiss, briefly pressed it against my neck. Just the sharp metal sensation made me lose any will to resist.
There shouldn't have been anyone around just now. That was my assumption. This man could vanish. That's why I couldn't notice him approaching until it was too late.
"Don't be so scared. Relax."
He let go of me. I quickly turned around and approached Togekiss. If that tool were to be used again, this time I would protect without hesitation. I couldn't bear to see my family die in front of me anymore.
"Okay, Oka."
"…Huh?"
"My name, you know it. What's yours? Ah, nevermind. We don't have time."
I hesitated for a moment before answering. "…Shirona."
"I see. Nice to meet you. Anyway, I have something to tell you. First off, I'm not going to do anything this time. It's like forfeiting. Your pet won't be targeted."
"W-What's going on..." Patience had reached its limit. I clenched my fists. I yelled at the opponent, almost embracing hatred.
"What are you all? What are you doing? Why is this happening... I don't understand. It's abnormal!"
"Settle down."Oka yawned. "To me... you're the abnormal one. There are many questions I want to ask. But first, listen. I'll answer your questions."
I calmly received Togekiss's gaze. After briefly checking his condition, Oka continued speaking.
"It's like some kind of game. We're gathered periodically and forced to fight enemies."
"A game?"
"If you listen until the end. What we have in common is that we've all died once. Only those with such circumstances are summoned by that orb."
I was about to ask another question but stopped just before. The opponent might not be patient. I had no memory of losing my life, but that wasn't the main issue right now.
"It's mostly a matter of life and death. If you die again, it's over. There's hardly any hope. You know we can't escape, right? If we try to expose it, our heads explode."
My chest throbbed sharply. The empty Poké Ball felt unusually heavy.
"Who... is behind this?"
"Don't know. There are various theories. It's pointless to talk about it now."
He sat on the roof. He pressed the handle part of the sword with his fingertips. Then, the blade retracted all at once. Only the handle remained, which was then stored in Oka's hand.
"What's important is how we settle this. Understand?"
I was still standing. I hadn't relaxed enough to sit with him. Although I realized he wouldn't harm me for now, I couldn't let my guard down.
"I don't understand."
"There are some rules to the fight. First, the aliens are enemies. Wiping them out is the objective. And there's a time limit."
He spoke a little faster. "An hour and a half. After that, it's forcibly ended."
"What happens then?"
"Everyone dies."
My mouth fell open in astonishment, realizing Oka was smiling.
"Impossible..."
"Good answer. It's a lie. It won't happen. There's another penalty. Everyone's score drops to zero, that's all."
I took on a frustrated demeanor. To joke like this in such a situation, what kind of mental structure did this man have? It was certainly not normal. I heightened my sense of crisis. Perhaps this man was as dangerous as the other black suits.
But at the same time, I understood. "In other words, if we hold out until then..."
"Correct. There are circumstances on our side too. You don't have to believe it. I want this game to fail. Help me out."
"...Understood."
I changed my mindset. I couldn't keep running away from reality forever. Of course, I didn't see any hope yet, but I would focus on overcoming the current situation. Togekiss seemed to also muster some spirit as it let out a small chirp. Towards him, I raised the Poke Balls.
"Wait wait!" Oka got up.
"What is it?" I asked.
"You gonna put it back inside right? I better stop that."
"What would you understand?"
"I understand the imminent danger better than you." Staring evenly at Togekiss's gaze, after briefly confirming his condition, Oka continued speaking. "We gotta move soon. Ride that bird there, mobility is crucial."
"I won't let you ride."
"I don't need to. I can move on my own."
I still didn't quite comprehend his thought process. Few of this man's opinions seemed agreeable either.
"This one stands out. First, return her and find a hiding place."
"You still don't get it huh."
Sensing people's presence, I promptly looked down from the roof. Far down the street, a black group charged this way. Considerable speed too. I assumed Togekiss's flight had shaken them off substantially, yet they already caught up. Moreover, something even more implausible occurred.
"How are they..."
No matter how I sliced it, their pace outraced plausibility. They directly raced through this winding residential district. Clearly having pinpointed our location.
Oka stood beside me. "Your pets' positions are traceable on radar. That's how we locate aliens. No matter how concealed the spot seems, hiding there remains pointless."
"So what do we do...?"
The one and a half hour time limit felt eternally long. Normally time flies when relaxing with my Pokemon, yet this perpetual tension forcibly imposed made every second seem endless. Since our whereabouts got constantly known, getting outmaneuvered remained possible anytime. Moreover, Togekiss didn't have infinite stamina. I understood we would inevitably get captured proceeding like this.
"Simple matter." He casually directed his sword's hilt towards Togekiss.
"Utilize your tools well. Got four more on you right? They can still buy some time huh."
"What are you saying?"
"I saw it. The two dead ones were also strong, weren't they? The aliens were tough on that one. They usually won easily. This bird can be used just as well as the others, right?"
I couldn't believe his words. This man was praising them. Despite murdering Lucario, he spoke as if nothing abnormal transpired whatsoever. Yet now wasn't the time for outrage over that.
I shook my head. "Meaningless. They're the ones targeted. I must protect..."
"Cut the crap. You get it dontcha? They'll aim for you first, the master. Typical move ambushing the owner ahead of pets. Isn't that your thoughts too? Huh?"
When prompted, Togekiss fluttered his wings before staunchly meeting my eyes. Facing that, honesty eluded me presently. Doubt plagued whether I currently stood in a position still commanding these Pokemon. Both Lucario and Garchomp sacrificed themselves for my sake. I naturally didn't wish repeating that.
However the Pokemon before me seemingly embraced contrary intentions. Letting out a brief kyu, his gaze clearly conveyed 'Leave it to me!' He wanted protecting me, demonstrating that desire.
The black suits reached directly below. Shouting something. If we don't come down now, they threatened flattening the entire building it sounded like.
I hesitated a mere moment. Clenching my teeth, I reevaluated what action I should take here. Then holding what I grasped out front. My arms shook yet remained unyielding. The balls dropped beyond reclaiming them now.
I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the emerged family. I knew their various sides well. We clashed sometimes obviously. Despite associating so closely, never before had I sensed such raw intensity exuding from them.
After the Pokemon briefly glanced my way, they turned their backs. Sharply glowering at the figures gathering below, unmistakable enmity dwelled there. They would show no mercy whatsoever towards existences endangering me—made unambiguously clear.
Roserade in the center faced Togekiss, waving a flower in its left hand. A blue one. Whereupon Togekiss dripped some cold sweat, repeatedly shaking its head vertically. Then approaching me, it made 'get on my back' gestures.
"...Just need to buy time. Flee immediately if it gets dangerous."
The moment I took off with Togekiss, the other Pokemon leapt down from the roof.
"Oh, a bunch of them came at once. Big points massacring them quick." The man with an elongated cylinder-like tool took it out then targeted Gastrodon who was nearest to him.
"Onmyon!" Mikaruge shouted with frigid fury, its usual playful face crumbled. Undulating its violet smoky body, it activated Imprison.
The Pokemon beside it uncomfortably hunkered down. Straight after, black shockwaves discharged from Mikaruge's form. Detonating upon every last one of the black suits in practically the blink of an eye.
Confirming their obliteration, I averted my eyes. Still sensing the urge to glance back constantly, I resisted. That might prove insulting even. Right now entrusting everything to them was my sole option—my partners that I've walked alongside all this time.
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