章 38: Wickedness
{You can't…what now?} bawled Bonny, hardly believing what Scarlet said.
{You heard me, I can't track him. Either he's too far away for me to know where he is, which is very unlikely since I could track him on the other side of the planet, or either…}
At that, if Scarlet's skin wasn't already white, it would have turned a bit pale.
{What?} Asked Bonny, starting to panic.
{…Either a pokemon is blocking his brain waves.}
{What kind of pokemon could do that?}
{…Another psychic,} answered Scarlet with a slightly shaky voice as she tried once again to wake Dusk up.
{…Damnit,} Cursed Bonny, starting to get anxious.
{Is she…} started May.
{No, she's just unconscious. She seems to have been put to sleep with Hypnosis, which strengthens my suspicions over a psychic pokemon,} explained Scarlet.
{Then what are we waiting for? We must retrieve him at once!} Bonny blurted eagerly.
{How do you plan on doing that without me?}
{In this situation, I think your nose will be more than useful Aurora,} pointed out Bonny while looking at the lucario.
{I can try, but if he had trouble with another psychic, it's possible that they also know teleport,} hypothesized Aurora.
{… Which means?} inquired Bonny, getting impatient.
{Which means that if he's too far away, I'm afraid that even I won't be able to do a thing.}
{Just try and we will see.}
{Alright.}
Closing her eyes to focus on her nose as much as possible, Aurora began to sniff around for a moment.
{… There! It's very faint but… I can… barely smell him… that way,} told Aurora, pointing to a direction.
{Alright, let's go.}
{You go ahead. I'll stay here and try to wake up Dusk. We'll join as soon as she's up,} urged Scarlet.
{Understood.}
{I'll stay as well. With my size, I'll only slow you down,} told May.
With Bonny nodding, both she and Aurora dashed towards their master as fast as they could.
{… Don't worry. I can already tell that those two will make a good team together, so I'm sure they will retrieve master in one piece,} reassured Scarlet, sensing that May was feeling useless and worried.
{I know. It's just my size can really be a handicap sometimes.}
{Everyone can't have everything May. Both Bonny and Aurora are quite fast while you are one hell of a tough mawile.}
{I guess…} she conceded, not feeling very cheered up.
{Anyway, it's better that way. If there is more than one, there's a possibility that a few of them could have stayed behind around here, so someone to watch my back is not too bad.} informed Scarlet, bringing a very faint smile to the mawile.
"… Hmnggh…" Grumbled Max as he was regaining consciousness. "What… happened?" He mumbled while opening his eyes.
{Gard, gardevoir garde,} Said a voice behind him.
"Is that… a gardevoir's voice?"
When he was fully conscious with his eyes opened, he was staring at the ground and saw that he was on his knees and felt that his arms were in the air and restrained by something. Raising his head, he saw in front of him a gardevoir and a gallade staring at him. Between them, a rather tall dark green gardevoir was approaching him.
{For a disgusting human, you sure recover pretty fast from Hypnosis,} ranted the tall gardevoir before stopping a few meters in front of him.
"… Eh, for a pretty gardevoir, you sure are tall," joked Max with a grin.
{Tsk, a human clown huh? Gykt,} replied the gardevoir to the gallade next to him.
Not even nodding or anything, the gallade went next to Max before punching him hard on the side of his face, almost breaking his jaw.
"Ghaaa." Bellowed Max.
{I advise you to not show any disrespect towards me human,} Haughtily warned the tall gardevoir.
"...Well, can I at least ask who you are and what the hell is going on?"
Not responding, the gardevoir only looked at the gallade, at which he punched Max once again at the same place.
"Phhaa!" Painfully growled Max. "You asshole."
This time, the gallade kicked him in the stomach.
"Khhaa!"
{He can do this all day human, so I highly recommend you to speak only when told to. But do as you want. A human being beaten up is always fun to watch,} goaded the gardevoir while smirking.
"I see that you must be a sick bitch then," taunted Max before spitting some blood.
As the gallade was about to hit him again, the gardevoir stopped him.
{Either you're brave or really stupid, human. Either way, you look like a pretty tough human. That's good. That way, I can have fun beating you up for a very long time until you die from blood loss.}
"… Eh, I was wondering, you don't seem that surprised that I can understand pokemon."
After smiling, the tall gardevoir then put one hand over the human's forehead before sending a pretty strong electrical discharge.
"YYhhhaAA!" Yelled in pain Max until she was done a few seconds later.
{Because I saw in your mind how you managed to do it.}
"My… mind?"
{I didn't stay long in there since it was filled with disgusting things that almost made me puke. Mating with a human, what a sick and disgusting pokemon your slutty gardevoir is.}
"… Don't you dare… speak like that about her," groaned Max before trying to bite the gardevoir.
{Aggressive and stubborn. I think I'm gonna have so much fun breaking you.} She replied sadistically before punching his face as well.
{How far is he now?} Asked Bonny, running next to Aurora.
{The smell is getting stronger. We should be pretty close by now.}
A moment after she finished her sentence, a gallade appeared from the treetops and landed in front of them, forcing them to stop.
{Turn around intruders, you have no business here,} the pokemon ordered.
{Fuck you jerk, we're here to save our master. You better let us pass,} Snarled Bonny.
At that, the gallade made his arm blades grow threateningly.
{I'm afraid that's impossible,} He retorted while getting in a fighting position.
{… You go get your master. I'll stay here and fight this loser in the meantime,} suggested Aurora to Bonny, getting ready as well while growling.
{Are you sure? He looks pretty strong.}
{Do you want to save your master?}
{… Of course.}
{Then we don't have much choice.}
For a moment, Bonny hesitated but quickly complied, knowing that every second lost here was a second that could bring her master closer to death.
{… Alright,} complied Bonny, facing the gallade as well.
{I'll make you an opening so you can get past him.}
{Be careful.}
{Don't worry, I'm not planning on dying here.}
At that, both Bonny and Aurora charged towards the gallade, at which he did the same. Purposely going slower than Aurora, Bonny let the lucario pass in front of her. Using Bone Rush, both of her move and the gallade's arm blades clashed together, immobilizing the gallade.
{Now!} roared Aurora.
Taking the opportunity, Bonny dashed passed them and continued towards their previous direction.
{No intruders must escape,} bawled the gallade before turning around to pursue Bonny.
{You won't go anywhere!} blurted Aurora before tossing a powerful Aura Sphere between him and Bonny, stopping him. {I'm your opponent,} she added after the gallade turned to face her.
Staring at her for a moment, the gallade made its arm blade a bit longer before readying himself again.
{So be it,} he said before both of them charged at each other.
{… My sense of smell isn't as strong as Aurora's, but I can already catch glimpses of master's smell. That must mean that he's really close,} mumbled Bonny as she was still running towards Max.
After a few minutes of more running, she saw the opening of a small clearing in front of her.
{There he is.}
Jumping over a bush, Bonny then got in the clearing and landed in front of a bunch of gardevoirs and gallades. As soon as she landed, all the present pokemon turned to look at her. The first thing she noticed was Max in the middle.
{Master!} she screamed.
{Hmpf, I guess that good for nothing gallade failed his job,} jeered the tall dark green gardevoir.
While getting in a fighting position, Bonny noticed the state of her master. His body, but mostly his face, was covered in blood, bruises, and cut.
{What did you do to him you jerks?} Bonny demanded aggressively.
After one step, Bonny was interrupted by the group.
{Uh uh uuhhh,} hummed the tall gardevoir, wagging a finger from left to right, while two gardevoir that was behind Max created a Shadow Ball in their hands, next to Max's head. {You make a move, and the head of your precious trainer explodes into pieces.
{You… bitch!} insulted Bonny, stopping completely while staring hatefully at the gardevoir.
{What a rude lopunny you are. How about I teach you some manners.}
Using her powers, the tall gardevoir made Bonny glow before starting to lift her. When she was a couples inches away from the ground, the gardevoir brutally threw her against a nearby tree, making her painfully squeak.
{Aah, nothing like the sound of a pokemon that has been put in its place,} sadistically said the gardevoir with an unhealthy grin. {But for good measure…}
Still using her power, the gardevoir lifted Bonny again before throwing her even harder at another tree.
{Khhhaaa!} painfully squeaked Bonny again.
{Hahhaha!} laughed the dark green gardevoir.
"Stop it you fucking ugly slut!" ordered Max, sassing her.
{… You better watch your tongue human, or else,} she warned before using her telekinesis to make his tongue stuck out. {You could lose it,} she threatened while pulling his tongue quite strongly. {Actually, I think I will just do that. But before that, I think you deserve a little show first.}
Using psychic abilities, the tall gardevoir lifted Bonny again, but this time, a lot higher in the air. For a moment, the gardevoir kept raising Bonny in the air until she was only a small dot in the sky. Then, the gardevoir's hand stopped glowing.
{Even a pokemon like her can't survive a fall that high. I think we're about to see a beautiful firework, hahaha!} laughed the sadistic gardevoir.
"YOU FUCKING INBRED BITCH! YOU BETTER NOT LET HER DIE OR ELSE I'M THE ONE THAT WILL KILL YOU!" yelled furiously Max to the gardevoir while struggling.
{Patience human, your turn will come soon,} replied the gardevoir with an evil grin.
For a moment, Max kept yelling and struggling until Bonny was halfway down to the ground, getting closer at a tremendous speed. After struggling a short moment, Bonny resigned herself and got ready for the impact. Unable to do anything, tears began to escape Max's eyes as he turned away after closing his eyes, not wanting to see the atrocity. However, a few seconds after he should have heard an impact noise, there was still nothing to be heard.
{Oh, I see she managed to find us as well.} Said almost emotionlessly the tall gardevoir, looking towards the woods.
Opening his eyes, Max saw Bonny unconscious, probably due to the imminent death stress and fall velocity, floating a meter away from the ground while being surrounded by blue energy. From the forest, Max could see Scarlet floating a few meters above the ground as well with a glowing hand, and she wasn't looking happy. Not at all. Not speaking, Scarlet gently put Bonny behind her while staring at the tall gardevoir. A few seconds after Bonny was on the ground, the rest of his team popped out from the woods too, with Aurora having a few blood stains on her fur, but no apparent wounds.
{Well, you must be that human's slutty plaything.} jeered the tall gardevoir, crossing her arms while facing Scarlet.
Looking at him, Max could clearly see Scarlet's rage increasing when she noticed his wounds.
{And you must be that muk excreta that will suffer from a horrible and slow death.} blustered Scarlet with rage filling her voice.
{Ooh, really scary when you say it all alone in front of a couple of us.}
{Perfect. More to kill,} she rejoined before preparing two Shadow Balls.
Before she could move, a gallade had put one of its arm blades over Max's throat while another gardevoir got behind him with a sparky hand, now having three gardevoir aiming at him, forcing Scarlet to stop.
{Tsk tsk tsk, I don't think you understand the situation you're in here, so I'll try to make it simple for you. You try anything, and nothing will be left of your disgusting pokemon raping human. That also applies to you,} threatened the gardevoir while looking at the rest of the team.
Glaring at her with raging eyes, Scarlet made her Shadow Balls disappear before clenching her fists.
{Good girl,} she praised while two gallade went next to Scarlet, grabbed her arms, and pushed her on her knees, holding her like that.
{Care to tell me what you want before I have the chance to kill you?} angrily demanded Scarlet.
{What I want? Haha. Nothing, really. I just want to have fun with this human over here. Torture, humiliation, I love having fun with humans.}
{… I see. You must be that sick gardevoir I heard about then. Qilala was it?} jeered Scarlet with a grin.
{It's Qsalyla, you human's slut,} replied aggressively the gardevoir, known as Qsalyla, before kicking Scarlet in the face.
{Eh, you hit like a sissy human baby. Ghaaa….} taunted Scarlet before the two gallade pressed harder on her elbows.
{If you don't want the same fate as your human, you better watch your words,} angrily warned Qsalyla.
"Who is she?" asked Max to Scarlet, not in the best of his shape.
{Her? Besides being one of the most hated pokemon in the region, she's nothing.}
{Hmm, scratch that, I think you're gonna get worse than your human,} corrected the evil gardevoir.
With that, Qsalyla grinned mischievously before going next to Max.
{Don't you dare touch him,} snarled Scarlet.
{Oh, and what are you gonna do if I do?} She rejoined before brushing her fingers across his face, at which Max tried to move his head away.
{Then you can be sure that I won't rest until I kill you.}
{Really? How about this then?}
Leaning forwards, Qsalyla grabbed Max's cheeks and forced him to face her before pressing her lips against his.
{You. Fucking. Bitch,} growled Scarlet while struggling, quickly put to a stop with the two gallade pressing on her even more.
For a moment, Scarlet was forced to watch her lover making out with another gardevoir. She could see that Max was trying to get away, but was unable to as she was too strong.
{… Pfhet,} Spat Qsalyla on the ground after breaking the kiss. {Disgusting,} she added before looking at Scarlet with a triumphant smile.
{Do you really think you will get away with this?} demanded aggressively Scarlet.
{Oh, I will. No one around here dares to go against me. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. Even something like this. You.} called the dark green gardevoir before pointing to a smaller pale green gardevoir.
{M-me?} she shyly answered.
{Mate with the human,} she ordered.
{W-what? W-why?}
{Because I want to break that worthless gardevoir before killing her.}
{B-but…}
{Do as I say or you will take her place,} threateningly commanded Qsalyla.
{O-o-okay,} cowardly complied the pale green gardevoir before shyly getting in front of the human. {I'm… s-sorry.} lowly apologized the gardevoir to the human while getting on her knees in front of the slightly disfigured human.
"… It's okay," said Max, feeling that she was only acting in fear.
{… What's taking you so long? Undress him already,} commanded the leading gardevoir.
Sheepishly squeaking, the pale green began to work on Max's pants with a very guilty and sad expression.
{I can't wait to see your face when you witness your human mating with another gardevoir,} sneered Qsalyla while facing Scarlet.
{You have no idea what I have in store for you,} angrily retorted Scarlet.
{Ah, can't wait to see that,} Provocatively answered back the evil pokemon.
"Pang" "Powff" "Cooch"
Upon hearing those noises, Qsalyla turned to face Max again to see two of the three gardevoirs and the gallade on the ground with the last gardevoir above the gallade she had knocked out.
"Silscian, what's the meaning of this?" asked Qsalyla, slightly confused.
Not responding, the gardevoir only grinned before dashing towards her. With Qsalyla moving away, the gardevoir kept dashing towards Scarlet and hit one of the gallade, sending it flying a couple of meters away from her.
{Now!} commanded the gardevoir while looking at Scarlet.
For half a second, Scarlet was confused as well but quickly get over it to take the presented opportunity and used her power to smash her last restrainer against a tree, knocking him out cold instantly. Before she could turn towards Qsalyla, the gardevoir next to her was glowing blue, but oddly, not moving.
{What the… why are my psychic powers not working on you?} angrily asked Qsalyla, trying to harm the betrayer.
Before anyone could say anything, the last gallade that the gardevoir had hit came back and hit her with Close Combat before finishing with a heavy punch that sent her close to the leader gardevoir.
{Who the hell are you?} demanded Qsalyla with sparking hands to the gardevoir that was on the ground and on her belly.
Then, the gardevoir flashed a moment before changing form. A second later, both Scarlet and Max had their eyes wide open. Rising from the ground and quickly towering Qsalyla, a zoroark was standing intimidatingly in front of her.
{You again! What the hell are you doing here?} asked Scarlet, recognizing the zoroark.
That size, that large silhouette… the first time Max saw her, it was in the rays of the moonlight, so he couldn't have a perfect visual of her. Nevertheless, he recognized her as well. A head taller than Max, a bulky and intimidating physique… it was the same zoroark that almost killed him a few days ago. Now that he had a good look at her in the bright light of the day, Max noticed that her body was quite well proportioned and was making it really obvious that she was a female with her wide hips. If it wasn't for her quite beastly appearance and slightly too slim abdomen, she would be looking like an hourglass-shaped human.
{What are you doing here?} demanded again Qsalyla with an authoritative tone. {You're in my territory here, so you better get back to yours before I make you.}
{Eh, isn't that cute. I may be in your territory, but it just so happens that you're now in possession of my prey,} replied the zoroark with a nonchalant smile.
{Your prey? Ah, don't make me laugh. As soon as they are in my territory, they become mine.}
{I'm guessing you're not very familiar with the hunting rules,} said the zoroark, putting her red clawed paws on her hips.
{Hmpf, and I couldn't care less. If you go away right now, I may think about forgetting your trespassing.}
{Not without what I'm here for,} Calmly denied the dark type pokemon.
{Have it your way,} retorted Qsalyla before readying a Shadow Ball.
{Out of the way!} commanded Scarlet before passing next to the zoroark and dashing towards the dark green gardevoir with Fire Punch.
With Qsalyla making her shadow ball disappear so she could block Scarlet's attack, Max's gardevoir used her power to quickly lift him and throw him away from the battle. Unfortunately, she was too focused on attacking the other gardevoir so she didn't put a lot of power into her psychic abilities, making him not go very far.
{Master!} yelled Bonny as she and the others began to rush towards him.
However, at that moment, the rest of Qsalyla's group began to move as well. Most of them charged towards Bonny's squad as the rest went towards the zoroark and Scarlet to help their leader. Since Max was closer to the incoming hostile pokemon, the group was over him before his team could reach him. Fortunately for him, most of them ignored him until one particular gallade hit his face with his knee. Feeling dizzy, he then saw Scarlet smashing a gallade against a tree before impaling him with a pointy branch. Before losing consciousness, he heard her madly screaming while facing the other gallades and gardevoirs before everything went dark.
Maybe half an hour later, Max was awakened by a painful headache.
"Gnha," Bellowed Max before opening his eyes.
He then saw that he was looking at the sky with his back on the ground. Trying to gather his sense, a pretty nasty smell hit his nose.
"Shit…" muttered Max before rolling to his side to stand from his belly.
Unfortunately, he couldn't go far as his track was cut short by a gardevoir who was looking at him blankly from the ground.
"The fuck?" he mumbled after his heart skipped a beat.
Looking down, Max gasped in surprise and almost had a heart attack when he saw that the head that was looking at him was just… a head… decapitated from the rest of its body with the trail of blood under it. Quickly moving away on his back, his movement was again stopped by something moist blocking him behind him. Turning around, Max then saw what could be the rest of the gardevoir's body. "Could be" because it wasn't in one piece with a missing head and almost emptied of its organs.
"Holy fuck!"
With the adrenaline rush of the scene, Max quickly got on his feet. After the dizziness of standing up too quickly wore off, Max himself didn't even believe what he had in front of his very eyes. Blood, corpses, and the smell of death was covering a large zone around Max.
"What. The actual. Fuck," he muttered, feeling like puking.
Then, his sickness almost instantly faded away when he saw a red gardevoir in the distance on the ground between the corpses, not moving.
"SCARLET!" screamed Max before rushing towards her as fast as he could.
Even though he was almost tripping on corpses and slippery organs with the stinking smell of death around him, Max kept going straight forwards until he was next to Scarlet.
"Scarlet! Scarlet!" he loudly interpellated before getting on his knees and made her back lean against them.
Not responding, her eyes were closed and she was breathing weakly, looking unconscious. Besides being covered in blood, she didn't seem to have any injuries.
"Scarlet! Can you hear me? Goddammit," he groaned, not knowing what to do.
At this moment, the zoroark from before appeared next to him.
{Don't worry, she's just unconscious,} reassured the zoroark.
Staring at the zoroark a moment, Max didn't know if he should trust her or not, but he had to admit that without her, maybe he would be dead by now.
"… What happened?" he asked, completely lost.
{I'm guessing that your gardevoir let out her true nature,} answered the zoroark pretty emotionlessly.
"What about the others?" inquired Max, looking around.
{I moved them away to spare them from seeing what happened here.}
"So they…"
{No, they didn't see your gardevoir doing that. Well, I hope they didn't.}
"… Thanks," thanked Max, relieved a bit.
{You should join them now. They are worried sick.}
"Yeah. I-"
As Max was speaking, both of them saw a gardevoir moving among the corpses.
{Looks like someone managed to survive,} pointed out the zoroark.
"… Can you take her to the others?" requested Max to the dark pokemon.
{What are you gonna do?}
"… I don't know. I'll see when I get there."
{… Alright.}
Taking Scarlet in her arms, the zoroark left to join the rest of Max's team that was away from that bloody battlefield. Standing up, Max got closer to the still alive gardevoir with his eyes locked on her. Then, as his rage was building up while getting closer, his anger quickly faded away when he recognized the gardevoir. It was the pale green one that was almost forced to mate with him, but with a few wounds.
"Are you… okay?" asked Max before touching her shoulder.
{NO! Please! Don't kill me, I didn't want any of this to happen!} she cowardly blathered, on her back while shielding her face with her arms.
"Calm down, calm down, it's just me," Max said to try and reassure her.
Unshielding her face, the gardevoir didn't seem reassured when she noticed who it was.
{P-please, don't hurt me,} She begged with teary eyes.
"I won't, please calm down."
It took the gardevoir a moment to calm down, but she managed to do it after staring at Max for a couple of seconds.
{… You… don't want to… k-kill me?} she queried with a shaky voice.
"Why would I?"
{Because… I was with Qsalyla and… I almost…}
"It wasn't your fault. You only seem to be a nice pokemon that has been forced to do things."
{… Well… that's… not entirely false.}
"We should get those wounds of yours checked."
Again, the gardevoir stared at Max, almost suspiciously.
{… Why are you helping me?}
"Isn't that obvious?"
{...}
"Because I love pokemon, especially the kind ones."
For a few seconds, she was quite lost at words.
{… You… shouldn't,} She stammered, looking away. {You shouldn't trust me.}
"Well, complete trust will be a big word, but I don't sense evilness in you. The way your eyes were looking when that gardevoir gave that order… they weren't evil or hateful ones, but looking more like they were asking for help."
{… How…}
"Let's just say that this is my area of expertise."
Not knowing what to do, the gardevoir looked away again.
"It may sound mean, but if you don't want help, I won't insist, but since I'm offering, why don't you just accept it?"
{… I don't want to cause you any trouble. Your other companions will surely hate me.}
"I'll take care of that," said Max while offering his hand.
Thinking for a moment, the gardevoir was really hesitant at accepting his help. Surely she didn't want to be a burden to him, but she won't survive on her own in that state, especially now that she was all alone. Not looking Max in the eyes, she shyly grabbed his hand, after which he helped her stand.
{Maahh,} bellowed the gardevoir when on her legs.
"You okay?" Asked Max, holding her.
{Yeah, don't worry about me,} She simply replied, not wanting the human to know where she was hurt.
"As soon as Scarlet comes back to herself, I'll convince her that you're not a threat and heal you," decided Max before starting to walk towards where the zoroark left while helping the gardevoir move.
{I don't want to ask too much,} She kindly expressed.
"That's the thing, you didn't ask, I proposed. Sorry, whether you like it or not, I'm not gonna let you stay like that."
The gardevoir was quite impressed and surprised at the human kindness, even after what just happen.
{… Thanks.} She shyly thanked.
"Don't mention it. And after you're back on your feet, a matter of speech, of course, you can tell me a bit more about yourself."
{I don't especially want to bother you with my insignificant life.}
"Eh, something we have in common since mine isn't that much better. One more reason for you to tell me."
{… If you really want to.}
For a moment, Max and the gardevoir kept walking through the woods always straight forwards until Max realized that he didn't know where the others were.
"Shit, where are they?" muttered Max, looking around.
{… They're… that way.} informed the gardevoir, pointing to her left.
"Oh, thanks."
{… Sure.} she simply replied.
For maybe half an hour, Max and the gardevoir kept walking until they arrived at a small clearing with his tent already pitched with the rest of his team around it. As Bonny was doing a hundred steps in front of the tent, Dusk and May were sitting next to it, all having a worried look on their faces.
{Master!} shouted Bonny as soon as she noticed him.
"Bonny…"
Wanting to join his companion, Max then looked at the gardevoir.
{Don't worry about me, I can stand on my own now,} reassured the gardevoir.
After nodding, Max gently left her before rushing towards and take her in his arms.
{I'm so glad that you're okay master!} she exclaimed, almost crying.
"Me too Bonny, you have no idea," said Max, strongly hugging his lopunny. "For a moment, I thought I would lose you."
{Me too, I thought that was the end.}
For a couple of seconds, they kept hugging until Max broke it.
"Everything is okay now," assured Max, wiping the tears off of her fur under her eyes.
{… Yeah,} acknowledged Bonny, rubbing one eye. {… Who is she?} she asked, starting to glare at the gardevoir.
"Not an enemy," defended Max while going towards Dusk and May to hug them as well. "Glad to see that you are all okay."
{We're fine master, don't worry,} reassured May.
"You sure do. Those bastards attacked you and you don't even look injured."
{That was so scary.} confided Dusk.
{We did end up with a few wounds. After all, they were twice as many as us. But we had to use your potions on your bag to heal ourselves.} informed Bonny.
"Good thinking."
{But unfortunately, we used all of them.}
"Doesn't matter. What does is that you're all okay. Wait, where's Aurora?" inquired Max, looking around.
{Relax, I was just over here,} reassured the lucario as she was coming out of a nearby bush.
"Thank god you're okay too," replied Max before quickly going near her.
{I just needed a small walk.}
Extending his arms, Max quickly stopped as the lucario gave him a 'What do you think you're doing' face.
"Sorry. Glad to see you in one piece Aurora," said Max, handing her his hand.
{… Same I guess,} she answered, shaking his hand.
"And where is Scarlet?"
{Inside the tent, still unconscious. She was looking terrible, but the zoroark told us that she didn't have any injuries,} answered Bonny after sitting next to Dusk and May.
"Where is she now?"
{Gone as soon as she dropped Scarlet here.}
"… Okay. I guess everybody's fine then," proclaimed Max, sighing in relief.
{Barely, but yeah.}
"I wonder what she was doing here though. I mean, she's pretty far away from her 'territory'," Pondered Max.
{Who knows, but I won't question it since she helped you and Scarlet get out of that wasp nest.}
"You're right. I just wished I could have thanked her properly."
{Not wanting to be rude master, but I'm still wondering what one of those gardevoirs is doing with you,} said Bonny, staring at the stranger, making her look away in shame.
"She's… a nice gardevoir that got trapped in the trouble we've been through," explained Max, making the gardevoir shyly look at them.
{… I see.} replied Bonny, not fully believing it.
Not wanting her savior to lie for her, the gardevoir put a hand on his shoulder before shaking her head.
{He more or less told the truth. What your master wanted to say is that… I was in the group of that sadistic gardevoir, Qsalyla.}
{What?} growled Aurora.
{Why are you helping her then?} demanded Bonny.
"Girls, calm down. It's true, she was in the group that attacked us."
{Then why-}
"However, when I see her, she didn't seem as evil as the others. She wasn't even looking like she wanted to be with them."
{I never agreed with what Qsalyla did, neither with her previous actions whatsoever. I just… didn't have a choice but to follow,} She shared, looking guilty.
"To me, she was just following them and participating in their acts against her will."
{… That could be a trick. I don't trust her,} protested Aurora.
{I… understand your mistrust. Your master just wanted to help me with my wounds, but as soon as it's done, I'll leave.}
"There's no rush. But we do indeed need to take care of those injuries. Unfortunately, we don't have any potions left."
{Maybe I could help you some more then,} told a voice above them.
Looking up, Max and the others saw the zoroark resting on the branch of a tree, looking at them.
"You could?"
{Indeed,} confirmed the zoroark before tossing at him two pink and white flowers.
{Those flowers have medicinal properties. Just crushed them as much as possible before applying them to the wounds. It will prevent infections and will help her heal faster.}
"Thanks," thanked Max, taking the flowers.
{No problem. However human, do you mind if I speak to you after that?}
"Not really."
{Good. Join me when you're done,} replied the zoroark before going further in the woods.
"All right, come here," said Max, motioning the gardevoir to follow.
The gardevoir then followed Max to a nearby tree before asking her to sit. Doing as instructed, Max crushed the flowers until it was almost looking like juicy paste before starting to apply the medicine on the gardevoir's wounds.
{Hnmg,} slightly growled the gardevoir.
"Surely it must hurt."
{Yeah, it stings a bit.}
"Good medicine is never pleasant for any senses."
A moment later, Max was finally done as he had just enough to cover all of her injuries.
"Alright, I'm gonna see what that zoroark wants. In the meantime, you should rest."
{O-okay,} she obeyed, not feeling reassured.
"Hey," gently said Max before grabbing her hand and gently rubbed it. "You're safe here and in good hands. You risk nothing with us, I promise," reassured Max before she shyly nodded. "I'm counting on you girls to keep an eye on both Scarlet and her, okay?" he requested to his team.
{Sure thing master. If you say she's not a threat, I trust your judgment,} assured Bonny.
"Thanks, Bonny."
At that, Max headed towards the direction where the zoroark had disappeared. Oddly, Max walked for a few minutes without seeing her anywhere.
"What's up with her? She asked me to come see her and she's not even here. Hey! Where are you?!" called out Max.
Waiting for a moment, still no response. As he was inspecting his surroundings, Max suddenly felt a paw on his back.
{Bhoo,} said the zoroark at the same time as she touched him.
"Whoaah!" exclaimed Max, quickly turning around.
{Hehe, you must always be aware of your surrounding if you don't want to become easy prey,} lectured the zoroark with a smirk while having her paws on her hips.
The size of that zoroark was still impressing Max, intimidating as shit. Surely she was bigger than any normal zoroark.
"Hope you didn't ask me to come here just to scare me."
{Even though it was quite fun, no.}
"Well, I'm listening."
{I'm not the kind to walk in a circle, so I'll get straight to the point. I wish to accompany you.}
"… Excuse me?" expressed Max, not sure of what he heard.
{You are what humans call a 'trainer', right?}
"Y-yeah, pretty much."
{Then I'm sure you don't mind having another companion with you.}
Upon hearing her words, Max hardly believed what she just asked.
"I… don't know what to say, honestly," said Max, a bit dumbfounded.
{Is it that rare for a pokemon to ask you to accompany you?} asked the zoroark, crossing her arms.
"No, but, from all pokemon, I would never have thought about you asking me that."
{Is there a problem with me?} inquired the pokemon, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not that. It's just… we kind of had a harsh start and… aren't you supposed to have a territory to defend?"
{That? Pfft. I was only defending it because everyone needs a spot to hunt for food. If I'm traveling with you, I won't really need it anymore.}
"Well…"
{Master?} called out Bonny, a bit in the distance.
"Yes?" answered Max, looking behind the zoroark to see Bonny a bit further.
{Scarlet is awake. Maybe you want to see her.}
"Alright, coming. We'll talk about this later if you don't mind."
{Not at all. You must be worried about your love.}
"Hemm…" groaned Max, staring at the zoroark.
{Hey, don't look at me. It's not my fault if you are both quite obvious about it,} stated the dark type pokemon with a small grin.
Sighing while shaking his head desperately, Max then went to Bonny so they could both go back to the camp. A few minutes later, they were back and only Aurora was outside with the pale gardevoir still in the same spot, probably meaning that the others were in the tent with Scarlet.
"How is she doing?" asked Max to Aurora.
{I don't know. Those two rushed inside as soon as they discovered she was awake,} said Aurora, sounding like she didn't care.
"Can't really blame them," commented Max before he and Bonny went inside the tent as well.
{Alright girls, let's give Scarlet some space,} told Bonny to May and Dusk that was sitting next to the now awake red gardevoir.
After they nodded, Bonny let Max inside before the other two left them alone.
"How are you doing?" asked Max, sitting next to her.
{Not that bad master, I just tired myself out a bit too much, that's all. Nothing that some rest can't fix,} She responded a bit weakly while turning her head towards him.
Then, Max quickly eyed Scarlet's body.
{Sorry master, you will have to wait until I have more energy before that,} joked Scarlet.
"No, that's not that. I noticed that you were… a bit dirty before I left you with that zoroark, but now you're all clean."
{Oh yeah, I regained consciousness a moment in the arms of that pokemon when I noticed the state of my body. All I had to do is a quick psychic cleanup, which lead to making myself fall unconscious again.}
"Eh, you're so careless sometimes love," chuckled Max, rubbing her cheek.
{You're one to talk.}
"Hehe, true. So… do you remember… what happened?"
{Most of it, yes. The best explanation is that I lost control again. Seeing her hurting you…}
"It's okay. What's important is that we're both alright."
{Yeah. I've gotten too close to losing you lately and I think it's starting to get on my sanity. Every time, I think more and more about what would I do if I lose you. Each time, nothing good comes out of it.}
"Then try not to think too much about it."
{Hmpf, easy to say. Losing you is pretty much losing my life's purpose, so I can let you imagine what it means.}
"I guess. At least it's over now."
{Honestly master, I don't know,} said Scarlet with her smile fading away.
"What do you mean?"
{… Even though I was able to get rid of her subordinates, she managed to escape.}
"… Do you think we'll have trouble with her again in the future?"
{I don't know, but it's very unlikely. Even if she's known to be an execrable being, she should know when she's no match against someone.}
"Hope so. Thanks to that zoroark, the others didn't see any of that."
{Yeah. Unfortunately, you know how I react when someone touches my things.}
"Hehe, yeah, unfortunately," Snickered Max, stroking her hair. "But I still think you might have overdone things."
{Can't help it,} She replied with a smile. {… If you don't mind master, I would like to rest a bit. I'm starting to feel dizzy again.}
"No problem, my love," conceded Max before standing up.
{Ahem,} interrupted Scarlet, faking clearing her throat.
"Yes?"
{I almost lost you again and you're not even gonna kiss me?} She coaxed with a tiny grin.
"… Eh, silly me."
Leaning over Scarlet, Max then gave her a quick kiss before leaving her alone. After leaving the tent, Max then looked at the gardevoir that was still sitting at the base of a tree but with her head resting on her arms and knees.
"Feeling okay here?" asked Max when next to her.
Raising her head, the gardevoir looked at the human with worried eyes before looking at the ground again.
{You… shouldn't help me. I don't deserve it,} bemoaned the pokemon.
"It's not about if you deserve it or not, but more about what's the right thing to do," told Max, sitting next to her. "To me, you do deserve to be helped."
{I may have not agreed with my group actions, but I was still part of it.}
"Don't blame yourself, I'm sure you had your reasons."
{…}
"Why don't you tell me more about you and how you ended up with that kind of group as we agreed earlier?"
{… You're still sure about that? It won't make much of a difference about what I participated in.}
"Maybe, but it will tell me what kind of pokemon you are."
{… If I can't avoid it. It all began when my parents died years ago. I was alone and I never have been able to know who did it.}
"Who did it? Because they were…"
{Purposely killed, yes.} finished the gardevoir.
"Shit."
{Unfortunately, I never was able to find the culprit.}
"Surely he or she didn't want you to get your revenge, so he fled."
{Maybe. After that, I tried to survive on my own, but there are limits to what a small kirlia can do. One day, as I was being attacked by an ursaring, Qsalyla appeared and saved me.}
"She did?" blurted Max, surprised.
{I know me too. These days I don't see a lot of sense in that, but she did. She said that in exchange for her protection, I have to follow her and do whatever she asked.}
"… Did she force you to do… nasty things?"
{The first times she asked, I refused, but every time I disobeyed, she made the others beat me up.}
"… What a bitch."
{Eventually, I couldn't say no anymore as I found myself doing things I don't want to talk about. Luckily, I wasn't really good at those, so since Qsalyla wants quality work, she asked someone else most of the time to do it. The only times she asked something of me was when she knew that it would humiliate me in some way, like what she almost made me do to you. Other than that, she was using me for ungrateful tasks.}
"And I'm guessing you weren't allowed to leave them."
{That's right. She threatened me that if ever tried to leave them, she would track me down and kill me.}
"… Ouch, that's heavy stuff. In that case, it would be dangerous for you to stay alone around here then," speculated Max, rubbing his chin.
{W-why?} Shyly inquired the gardevoir.
"Scarlet told me that Qsalyla managed to survive and flee."
At his words, fear began to be apparent on her face.
{She's… still alive?} She stammered.
"That's what Scarlet told me."
At that, the gardevoir then crossed her arms with her hands on her shoulders before starting to shake a bit.
{… If she ever found out that I'm still alive and that I fraternized with you, I'm dead.}
"Is she that rancorous?"
{More than you think. I've never met anyone that was able to resist her or even make her flee, but you should be careful from now on because there's a chance that she will try to get her revenge after… she gets rid of me,} she fretted.
For a moment, Max then thought about the situation and what he could do.
"… That's, of course, if you're alone."
Not getting what he was trying to say, the gardevoir looked at him with a mix of fear and puzzled expression.
"If I take you with us, you should be safe, right?"
{… W-what?} exclaimed the pokemon, shocked.
"Why not? If that zoroark joins us, there will still be one place left in my team.
{… I…}
For a moment, the gardevoir didn't know what to say.
{I'm… I'm sorry… but I can't accept,} she denied, looking away.
"Why not?"
{Because I will only bring you trouble. Qsalyla knows my brain waves too well, so she could track us very easily.}
"Didn't you just say that she will come to us eventually anyway? The only change that it would make is that we will be stronger if we are all together."
{I said there is a chance. It's possible that after she kills me, her anger will be satisfied enough to give up on chasing you.}
"But… there is no way I can abandon you like this."
{I'm… sorry mister human, but it's the best thing to do. I can't just risk the life of a kind human like you this way.}
For a moment, Max went thoughtful again before taking out a pokeball.
"Do you know what this is?" asked Max while showing her the ball.
{I… already saw one on a human that Qsalyla had… n-nevermind, but no, I don't really know what this is.}
"It's a pokeball, a device that allows a pokemon to safely travel with a human. Surely she won't be able to track you in there."
{… You think?} queried the gardevoir, slightly curious.
"It contains a very small artificial pokemon environment. In there, you could feel at home while being protected."
{I… don't know,} replied the pokemon, hesitant.
"What's the risk? Scarlet and the others are pretty strong. If Scarlet managed to scare her, imagine the whole team."
{Do you really think that they will accept me?}
"I won't lie, it could take some time before they even consider you as a friend, but they trust me, so they won't do anything against you," pointed out Max, making the gardevoir think for a moment. "You can also join us on our daily training. That way, we could even make you stronger."
{Stronger?}
"Why yes. It's more or less the goal of a trainer to make his companions stronger."
For a moment, the gardevoir was thoughtful while nervously playing with her fingers.
{I… still don't think it's a good idea.}
"I won't force you, but I want to insist on you accepting. You probably don't know it, but I would die for my companions, and unfortunately, they would for me too."
{You don't seem very pleased by that.}
"Not really. I don't want any of my companions getting hurt or killed."
{… You seem to be a very devoted human.}
"I am. I love pokemon and I'll do anything to protect those who deserve it, like you."
{W-what about those who don't then?} inquired the gardevoir, blushing slightly.
"I'm not your typical 'too nice' type of guy. Some do deserve to die, even worse sometimes, especially if they hurt my lovely companions."
{… I… hardly can tell if you're a good or bad human.}
"I won't lie, I'm good if you're good. The first time I saw you, I immediately noticed that you were."
{Even if…}
"Yeah. Acting against your own will doesn't count for me. Acting in fear doesn't make you a bad person, or pokemon."
{… I must admit that you're quite something for a human,} praised the gardevoir with a very faint smile. {You're honest, kind, and very loyal. And… I don't know why, but I do… feel safe around you,} she confessed.
"Then why not accept?"
{Because it still feels a bit weird with how we 'met'. Without the recent circumstances, maybe I would have been more inclined to accept.}
"Those are trivial details."
{… Okay,} Said the gardevoir after hesitating one last time.
"You accept?"
{On one condition.}
"Sure, what is it?"
{That you keep me in that pokeball as much as possible.}
"Why?"
{A few minutes outside is enough for my brain waves to be detected. If you let me out only for my basic needs, then I guess it would be pretty safe to be with you.}
"… I don't really like keeping a pokemon trapped in there for too long, but if you think it's the best solution…"
{It is.}
"… Alright. I'll have to capture you first though."
{Sure.}
Making his pokeball grow, Max gently tapped it on the gardevoir before she was dematerialized inside it. After shaking three times, the red light on the pokeball then disappeared, meaning that she was caught. A few seconds later, Max let her out.
"How is it?" asked Max, standing up.
{It… looks quite small indeed, but safe.}
"Glad to hear. Well, I guess it's time to present you to the others then."
{Hope they won't hate me too much,} fretted the gardevoir.
"You will soon find out that they are not like that."
{… Okay.}
"Girls! Can you get over here please?" Max called out, making all of the team gathering next to him, minus Scarlet. "Girls, I would like to present our newest team member."
{Really?} replied Bonny, looking at her suspiciously.
{What is her name?} asked May, suspicious as well.
"Oh, right, your name. I'm guessing you already have one of yours," said Max, facing the gardevoir.
{Yes, but I don't mind you giving me another one.}
"Why?"
{I… it's a name Qsalyla gave me and… I don't really like it.}
"Can I hear it?"
{… Nemaka.} she answered, looking away.
"It's a pretty name actually."
{It means 'Failure' in gardevoir's language.}
"… Yeah, I think another one is indeed required. Now, let me think… Jade could be a pretty name but…" started to mumble Max.
{Jade is fine.} Said the gardevoir.
"Are you sure? Because half of the gardevoir's owners name their pokemon either Jade or Emerald."
{It's okay. Anyway, if I pass most of my time in that pokeball, no one will hear it often.}
"Fair enough."
{Are you sure it's safe?} asked Aurora, not trusting her.
"Why shouldn't it be?"
{She could still be on that gardevoir's side and could try to trick us.}
{For once, I agree with Aurora. We don't know her and that could indeed be a trap.} added Bonny.
"Weren't you supposed to be the one that trusts my judgment?"
{I do and that's why I accept your decision. However, it doesn't change the fact that it's a possibility.}
"… I'm willing to take the risk." replied Max while looking at Jade, which was feeling out of place.
{… Alright. I just hope you know what you are doing.} said Bonny, crossing her arms.
"I do, don't worry."
{Hmpf, don't cry to me if she backstabs you.} commented Aurora.
"I won't give you that pleasure if it happens." retorted Max, making Aurora huff. "Now, the moment of truth. I still need the approval of Scarlet."
{You're talking about… that red gardevoir?} said Jade, starting to feel nervous again.
"She will be the hardest to convince, but she's a reasonable gardevoir. Once she knows that you're a nice gardevoir, she won't object." confidently said, Max.
{… i-if you say so.} Nervously said, Jade.
"I'll stay with you, don't worry."
At that, Max then led Jade towards the tent.
"Scarlet? I'm sorry to bother you, but there is someone I would like to present you."
{Really? Who could that be?} Answered Scarlet inside the tent.
As Max and Jade entered the tent, the rest of the team was a bit further and staring at the tent.
{Do you think… everything will be okay?} asked Dusk to Bonny.
{Can't tell. Scarlet is quite the possessive type, so I don't know.}
{I bet you anything that she won't agree.} commented Aurora.
{Let's wait to find out.}
Suddenly, a second after Bonny had spoked, a big Shadow Ball passed through the tent, ripping it in the process, before exploding a few meters from it.
{What the?} exclaimed Bonny before she and the others took a few steps back.
"… Wait Scarlet…" exclaimed Max while stepping out of the tent while pulling Jade behind him. "Can't you at least let me explain?"
Now outside, Max then tackled away Jade from their position, dodging another incoming Shadow Ball that had destroyed half of the tent on the way.
{What is happening?} asked May, starting to get scared.
{I suppose Scarlet didn't like the idea.} answered Bonny, ready to intervene.
Coming from the ripped part of the tent, Scarlet was floating towards Max and Jade with the angriest expression she ever made.
{Stay away from my master you slutty scumbag.} she ordered while having both of her hands glowing in blue.
"Scarlet, wait!" called Max.
Not listening while having her eyes locked at the pale green gardevoir, Scarlet used her power to lift Jade in the air, but only by the neck, choking her in process.
{Looks like there was a survivor. If it wasn't for that bitch that ran away, you would be dead like all the others.} Angrily said Scarlet while tightening the pressure on her throat, choking Jade even more.
As Jade was starting to heavily coughing without being able to regain her breath, Max quickly getting on his feet and got between her and Scarlet, breaking the red gardevoir's focus.
{'Ghhhaasp' 'koff' 'koff'.} coughed Jade on the ground after she was released from Scarlet's psychic powers.
{… Master. What, is, the meaning of this?} asked Scarlet, now staring angrily at Max.
"I told you to let me explain. She's not what you think."
{She was with that pathetic excuse of a pokemon. She deserves the same fate as the others. Now, step aside so I can finish what I started.} commanded Scarlet, making a hand glowing on blue.
"… No." Said Max, hiding Jade completely.
{… What?} replied Scarlet, shocked.
"I won't let you."
{… Are you… protecting her?} continued Scarlet, rage starting to fill her voice.
"Yes. She's not a bad pokemon and never intended to hurt me in the first place."
{I don't care about the bullshit she can say!} loudly exclaimed Scarlet.
"But it's true, I felt it."
{You… felt it?}
"Yes. Besides…" said Max before taking out Jade's pokeball. "She's our new team member now."
Upon seeing the pokeball and hearing Max saying that, Scarlet began to lose it as rage, hate and anger overwhelmed her mind. Staring at Max with anger-filled eyes, Scarlet's fingers went all stiff and bent in a claw style while starting to growl.
{You… ASSHOLE.} yelled Scarlet before using her powers to lift Max and strongly threw him on the ground behind her on his belly.
Before he could move, Scarlet went next to him, lift him once again to turn him before slamming him back into the ground on his back.
"Dhaa." Painfully growled Max.
At that, the rest of the team began to rush towards Max to help him, but Max stopped them by motioning them to stay put.
{Is this a joke?} furiously asked Scarlet with her mind only focused on Max.
"I'm… afraid not," answered Max while adrenaline began to rush in his brain.
{You… little prick.} Growled Scarlet before sitting on his chest and put a hand on his throat, slightly choking him. {I trusted you… I gave you everything I had and even myself… and you thank me by going with another gardevoir? I knew I shouldn't have trusted a human. You're all the same.}
"No… please Scarlet… it's not what you think." tried to explain Max, starting to have difficulties breathing.
At this moment, Max's team wanted to intervene again, but Max shook his head, telling them to stay out of this.
{You. Betrayed. Me.} Angrily snarled Scarlet while tightening her grasp on his throat.
"No… I… didn't." hardly told Max.
{I was foolish to trust a human. You should be like the others. DEAD!} She yelled before creating a Shadow Ball in one hand a few inches away from Max's head.
Deciding that it was time to act, Max used both his arms to hit the inside of Scarlet's elbow of the arm that choking him to get away from her grasp. After succeeding, Max quickly used all of his weight to slap Scarlet as strong as possible across the face, making the slapping noise resonate through the forest. Now with her head to the side due to the impact, Scarlet then stared blankly at nothing in particular, processing what just happened.
"Snap out of it Scarlet!" loudly ordered Max.
After her Shadow Ball vanished, Scarlet's only movement was to move her hand over her cheek where a red hand form was printed on it.
"… You calmed down yet?" asked Max after letting Scarlet having a few seconds of processing.
Not responding, Scarlet only looked at Max in the eyes. Max was almost scared by that. Not because there was still filled with anger, but also by any possible emotion, a living being could experience.
"Look, I know you don't like it, but-"
Unable to finish, Scarlet suddenly teleported away, leaving Max staring at the sky while lying on the ground.
{Master!} loudly exclaimed Bonny while all of his team rushed towards him. {Are you okay?}
"More or less. It's not my first near-death experience," told Max, sitting up before facing Jade. "Are you okay Jade?"
{Y-yeah. Me neither, it's not the first time I experienced something like that.} said Jade, rubbing her throat.
"As long as you're okay," replied Max, making Jade look away a bit shyly.
{What… was that?} asked May.
"…"
{I would also like to know what the hell just happened.} told Aurora.
"Well…" Started Max, looking at Bonny, at which she motioned no. "I… guess she's more on edge than we first thought after that evil gardevoir episode." lied Max.
{Don't try to bullshit me, I know when a human lies.} angrily retorted Aurora.
Remaining silent, Max then began to struggle between telling them the truth or not.
{… Do you think it's wise to say it now?} lowly asked Bonny.
"… Aurora can already see through me, so I can't get away from it now." lowly answered Max.
{What are you trying to hide?} asked Aurora, getting impatient.
After thinking about his words, Max heavily sighed.
"I guess… I have no choice but to tell you now."
{Tell us what?} said Dusk, a bit stressed.
"That Scarlet isn't… really the one you think she is." started Max.
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