Chapter Text
"Why? Why do this?" Topher didn't really care right now, but he had to distract her so Areina could bring out her Pokemon.
Masa smiled maniacally. "Gale says that Pokemon come in two groups: Pure and vile. I have to get rid of the vile ones by any means necessary. Including pain." her smile widened to the point in which it looked painful.
"Force Palm!"
Topher looked up in time to see what he assumed was Areina's Lucario hit Stunfisk. It flew across the room and hit the wall.
"Yeah!" Areina yelled.
Masa glared and sent out a scaly yellow Pokemon. Heliosk?
Topher countered with Bergmite and Carbink. "Icy Smack Down!"
Carbinks created rock, and Bergmite used Icy Wind to propel it forward. Heliosk and Stunfisk dodged this combo and countered with a double Thunder.
"Protect!" Topher commanded. A solid barrier of pure energy separated them from Masa and her Pokemon.
"No fair!" Masa wined.
"Carbink, Keep it up!" Topher yelled. He then turned to Areina. "Go now. Hurry, protect doesn't last forever."
Areina crossed her arms. "No, Topher. I can't ." She argued. "She's way too strong."
"Exactly." Topher said. "We can't beat her. But my team and your team will be more than enough. Run and call the others. I'll be fine."
"No-"
"She wants me." Topher explained. "My team beat her Bishop. She wants revenge, and if I leave, she'll follow. But if you leave, she'll give me priority and stay. Besides, I have a Pokemon with protect. You don't."
Areina nodded. Topher knew she would. His plan was logical, and it was there best bet.
Then she did something that surprised him. She hugged him.
"I know I ain't know ya long, but... Be safe."
Then she yelled "let's go, Lucario!" He swept her up in his arms and ran with blinding swiftness.
Behind him, the barrier broke. Topher turned to face her.
"Any means necessary." she whispered.
Areina would of died if it weren't for Lucario's speed.
From the sky, a column of Thunder hit the ground where they had been standing half a second ago.
Areina got down and faced the black and yellow, ginormous, Pokemon named Electrovire. "Lucario, Bone Rush!"
"Lucario, Dodge! " Areina yelled.
Electrivire shot another column of Electricity at them. Areina ducked and Lucario jumped and attacked from the air with Bone Rush. Lucario swiped the "bone" (actually a bone shaped baton made of Lucario's aura energy) at Electrivire's head.
"Yeah!" Areina yelled. But Electrivire wasn't done yet.
Above it's head, giant rocks formed. It shot them at the two of them. Lucario pushed Areina out of the way and got covered by the rocks. Lucario cried out in pain as the webbing shocked him.
Areina pulled out two Pokeballs. "Swellow, free Lucario with Razor Wind! Staraptor , use Air Slash on Electrivire!"
Both flying Pokemon emerged from their balls and swiftly flew towards their targets. "Star!" Staraptor shouted as it cut the boulders into pebbles using a gust of wind sharper than sword blades.
"Lucario!" Lucario jumped out of the vortex effortlessly. He landed next to Areina with minimal injuries.
Meanwhile, Swellow was trying to find an opening, but couldn't with columns of electricity being shot at him every few seconds.
"Help him, Staraptor ! Razor Wind! Swellow, Air Cutter!" the two pokemon created a vortex of sharp winds and debris that enveloped Electrivire.
"Now, Aura Sphere!" Lucario jumped above the vortex and sent a ball of blue aura into the center of the vortex. It caused a massive explosion that sent up debris and sand everywhere.
When the smoke and sand cleared , Areina saw that Electrivire had fainted.
"Weaville, counter with Night Slash!" Nayeem yelled. Weaville slashed as Dugtrio, who disappeared. Into the ground.
"Weaville, freeze the ground so it can't break out!" Weaville used Ice Beam on the desert floor and a sheet of ice formed.
Nayeem smiled. But it was a short victory - Dugtrio broke out and threw Weaville into the air. She fainted before she hit the ground.
"Now, use Mud Shot on the girl." Volterre said with no expression.
Nayeem ducked to avoid the attack. "Go, Murkrow!" she shouted as she called out Murkrow.
Mightyena slashed at Pyroar, who dodged it by hopping onto a rock pillar and shooting a column of flames at Mightyena. Mightyena jumped out of the way and used Snarl, which was a soundwave that flung Pyroar back. Or it should have, except Pyroar dug it's nails into the ground and endured it.
"Damn it!" Lucy cursed. "Crunch!"
Mightyena surged forward and went to bite Pyroar , who dodged.
"Pyroar, you must prevail!" Joseph screamed. "Masa will not be pleased if we lose!"
Who is Masa? Why is he so scared of her? Lucy thought as she commanded Mightyena to attack again.
Topher glared at Masa. "Bergmite, Sharpen, then Icy Wind! Carbink, Smackdown!" Carbink launched a high speed rock at Stunfisk, who hopped away. Meanwhile, Bergmite was raising his attack power with Sharpen. He launched his attack right after Carbink. It hit Heliolisk who froze instantly.
"Take Down! Tackle!" Both Pokemon rushed at the fallen Pokemon.
"Thunder!" Masa yelled.
The ice exploded of off Heliolisk in a flash of light and electricity from Stunfisk, knocking Bergmite and Carbink into the air.
"Parabolic Charge!" a ring or electricity surrounded Heliolisk . Stunfisk started to use
"Don't let it hit you." Topher yelled. "If it does, it'll drain your health!"
Carbink and Bergmite jumped to the left and right to dodge the tendrils of electricity that jumped out and tried to grab them. Was it Topher's imagination, or were they giving Carbink a harder time?
"Eerie Impulse!"
A wave of yellow energy hit both Pokemon. Crap.Topher thought. That weakened their special attack greatly. So only physical attacks then. But-
"Parabolic Charge!" The attack hit them both, draining their health and giving it to Heliolisk.
Masa laughed. "I'd stop hesitating if I were you." she said, sounding much older than she was. "I watched your battle yesterday, Topher. You would've won... But you lost your head. Your plan fell apart, and so did you. You hesitate and take to long to plan ahead. You need to realize that you can't plan for every contingency. You have to just go with it."
"Why are you telling me this? What angle are you playing ?"
Masa shook her head. "None. I'm helping you. You're not my enemy." She looked him in the eye. "The job of my church is to purify by any means necessary. That means in order to help people , we have to hurt them. We must separate them from bad Pokemon like your Carbink." So I was right. Topher thought. Heliosk was aiming at Carbink.
"Your friend's escape would've set us back a lot. No one has escaped a Bishop before you three... Our reputation must stay as spotless as possible if we're to free this world from sin."
"I..." Topher was floored. Masa was a little girl... And yet she sounded so old and so experienced. "This was all because of your reputation?!"
She shook her head. "No. Not just that. I also wanted to know... "
"Know what?"
"Well... Gale says that Converts to our church are always welcome."
"Converts? Wait, you want me?" Forget earlier, this was really surprising. "But why? I'm not anything special."
Masa shook her head again. "Gale says that no one is. We're all insignificant compared to Arceus and Alleos. That's why we need people like you and your friends. To spread the word. If the pet trainers of one of Kalos 's most popular gym leaders were to defect to us, it would make quite the impression. And Gale wanted to preserve her reputation after Joey's incident, so I took this as an opportunity. "
Topher backed up, as did Carbink and Bergmite. "So... You decided to attack us in order to save face and possibly recruit us if possible."
Masa nodded. "So, what do you say?"
"What do I..?"
"What do you say? Would you like to join us? Do you pledge yourself to Alleos and Arceus and The Hallowed Church?" Masa held out her hand.
Topher took it.
"Yay!" Masa exclaimed. "Now you can-"
Topher grabbed Masa and put her in a headlock.
Heliosk and Stunfisk jumped forward, but Bergmite hit Stunfisk with Take Down while Carbink followed that up with a Smackdown that jettisoned Heliolisk into the Stunfisk. Begmite froze them both.
"Icy... Smackdown!" Topher grunted as
"No! Not my babies!" Masa screamed.
Carbink shot a stone at frozen Heliolisk and Stunfisk, and Bergmite propelled it with Icy Wind. It hit the block of ice they were in out of the sky before it even started falling.
Masa broke free from Topher and ran to them." You hurt my babies!"
Topher glared at her. "How dare you."
Masa looked up at him. "I..."
"How dare you!" Topher shouted. "You were perfectly willing to let Stunfisk get hurt earlier, in fact you told it to hurt itself. You don't mind separating Pokemon and their trainers. Don't you dare pretend to give a damn now.
Masa wiped her eye. "You're right..." she muttered. "I don't! Manetric! Eelectrik!" she threw two Pokeballs.
"Icy-" Topher started. But the pair was too fast.
Topher writhed in agony as they shocked him. "How dare you, insult me and humiliate me." Masa screeched. Topher could barely hear her over the ringing in his ears. But he could see her just fine. Her composure, her innocent child act, was completely gone. In it's place was the face of just another raving madman.
"You're not joining The Hallowed Church," In the distance, Topher could see his Pokemon fighting off attacks from the two Pokemon. Topher tried to get up, but he couldn't move. "You aren't going to do anything anymore." she brought out an Emolga. "Kill him!" Topher braced himself.
"Ice Beam! Earth Power!"
"Psychic!"
Topher fell asleep. Later, he would be told that Dino's Poliwhirl froze Emolga and Allison's Gothita - no, Gothorita- threw it at Manetrik, then the ground beneath them erupted. Later he would be told that Mello jumped in front of their combined attack and Loli used Psychic to hold them in place, while Mello used Earth Power to finish them. Later he would be told that Gastly stole Masa's Pokeball belt so she couldn't summon anything else- not that she had anything else.
Later he would hear about how they had saved him again.