-South of the bridge between Aurora and Ignis, Aurora Encampment, Chan-
So many injured to deal with. I need something of a more permanent understudy… maybe one of those two Indeedee if we survive this fight with some of Ignis’s most powerful Pokémon.
I turned to head back north and watch the fight with that horrifying Rapidash when someone shouted out to me.
“Chan, is the bridge still… oh…” King Evan had finally arrived with help and he wilted when he saw that almost all Aurora’s units were out of commission. He was such a kind king, don’t know about good with money… but still happy to serve him and still be on retainer for the castle.
“What do you think, since you don’t see any fire types on this side of the bridge that aren’t friends or at the very least friendly?” I answered the unspoken question anyway. Most of our injured were burned or brutally battered beyond belief, their spirits were willing even if their bodies weren’t and even the five buizels on the mend were still wanting to get back in the fight.
Evan looked to Teddy Griz was acting as our last line of defense, with a Torchic that once hired Team Harmony for training assistance and a Cyndaquil from the enemy side that decided to switch to Aurora’s side. Should our last few friends holding the north go down, then Griz was the last ditch effort and I’ve done my best to keep him standing.
I had quickly destroyed the five Bullet Buizel’s notion that they even could get back into it with their injuries.
“Come on guys, we need to get over there!” Evan had the three Rockruff brothers with him as he charged across the bridge. “Is that Captain Skeeball?!”
I looked to the northwest and sighed… mostly in relief.
-North side of the bridge, Favela-
We had a Sneasel, the Skiddo that was me, a Buizel, two Perverts of the Plains and a Muk that’s been actively tanking attacks for us to help protect his girlfriend who was one of those aforementioned perverts. Not to mention the Rain Dance Buizel was out of energy for all of his water attacks, I was out of energy for Surf and even if we did have water attacks… it really wouldn’t help given how much we’ve hit the flying Rapidash with.
“Neigh!” That better not be the last thing I hear from the Rapidash before I die, because it was pretty annoying that they were saying the word ‘neigh’ a lot. I think it might actually be a speech problem.
The Demon Rapidash with feathered wings twirled up in the air and then came diving right for us at high speed, we readied ourselves for more close up fighting with a physical powerhouse that was going to tear us apart inch by inch.
Just when the Rapidash would have hit Quetal as he readied an Aerial Ace attack, a massive amount of water slammed into the Rapidash from the side knocking the demon from the air. Looking at who was firing the attack, I saw Wilhelm the Wailord and on him was…
“Skitty Squad, Go!” It was Captain Skeeball, never thought I’d be so happy to see that weird feline.
Speaking of crazy felines, she and her Skitty Squad jumped into the hydro pump to ride it towards the Rapidash while rapidly rolling along the top of the Hydro Pump and their tails started glowing. “Unit Command, Wave Motion Fun!”
This would be a turning point, as the Rapidash actually took two Hydro Pump assisted Iron Tail attacks and three still quite as painful three battering tail slaps when the Iron Tails failed to hold on the other of the Skitty Squad members.
-Ignis north of the Hurricane forged vortex, ???-
I had to make things right, including admitting to and fixing my own mistakes. I would start by dealing with a problem that is going to plague all the kingdoms if I didn’t stop him here.
-Inside the vortex, ‘Blade Hoof’ Shanty (Title of ‘Captain’ possibly back in the running) and ‘Bio-Mechanical Bakery Bird’ Dodo vs. Lu ‘Backstabber’ Bu-
Shanty didn’t care if the water wasn’t exactly clean, even learning the fact that pure water doesn’t conduct electrical or lightning energy and all water type attacks from aquatic Pokémon definitely conducted said energy, she used her free right hoof to draw a massive ball of water from the Surf attack that had burst through the winds. She greedily chugged as much of it as she safely could while trying not to spill any.
The water had at least let Shanty know Favela was doing okay.
Drinking the water from a Pokémon attack was probably not entirely healthy, but Shanty seriously needed some fluids in her body. She wasn’t in the mood to be being too picky about getting at least some refreshment after nearly sweating herself out in the swirling flames. She would have preferred a flood of rum, but beggars couldn’t be choosers and Shanty was very much not afraid to beg for food and drink as needed.
It was ludicrous that Lu Bu hadn’t broken nearly as much of a sweat, he wasn’t even gasping for life like Shanty was on Dodo’s back as the metal ostrich prepared to face down the still quite deadly Lu Bu.
Dodo warbled a challenge to Lu Bu while spreading his small mechanical wings. He still hasn’t recovered his full size yet, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. Shanty on his back held onto him with her right hoof and raised her weapon in her left ready to continue a battle of losing attrition.
“Dodo, don’t be getting hit by that weapon, it is being very dangerous.” Shanty warned before she leaned forward and her heart beat synced up with her buddy as he dragged a right metallic talon along the ground and prepared to charge Lu Bu.
There wasn’t a sound to announce the fight starting anew, just Lu Bu bringing up his weapon in a defensive hold as he marched forward and was glaring down both Shanty and Dodo with a flat emotionless expression.
Dodo burst forward and Lu Bu swung his weapon when Dodo didn’t look like they would be able to stop in time. He would be proven wrong as Dodo stopped in an instant allowing his weapon to pass by entirely.
Lu Bu’s weapon having badly whiffed when Dodo stopped on a dime, the metal ostrich followed up the sudden opening by lunging forward with a left kicked.
Lu bu swiftly blocked the kick with the shaft of his weapon and tried to perform a kick of his own. His kick didn’t land as he took a blow to the underside of his chin for the attempt, when Dodo hopped up and kicked with his other leg.
Shanty followed Dodo’s attack with a slash across Lu Bu’s right shoulder to his left hip with her weapon, the damage was quite fleeting given he healed from it in seconds.
Dodo quickly hopped back and to the side to avoid being hit with a thrust as Lu Bu had recovered from stunning the blow alarmingly fast.
Lu Bu leapt after the retreating bird and brought his twirling weapon into an overhead slam, it transformed into an axe on the way down.
Dodo hopped back and then had to jump straight up to avoid the shockwave of cutting force that dug furrows into the several times abused dirt in the area.
Lu Bu wasn’t giving Dodo too much time to react to his next action as he leapt up after the metal bird and swung for him with the halberd.
Shanty deflected the blow from actually hitting Dodo with a quick swing, they were both knocked back and falling from the deflection.
Lu Bu immediately swapped his weapon to the Scythe to swing at Shanty and Dodo several times, launching several circular saw shaped blasts of air at them.
Dodo had to dodge frantically and avoided any chance of Shanty getting hurt as he maneuvered around the slicing air with slightly more agility than he had before he nearly died by being melted in lava. He eventually had to dodge away from the swirling wall of wind as the ground was shifting as chunks of rock and dirt flew, chunks of the ground shifted upwards and others crumpled.
Shanty held on as Dodo maneuvered the shifting land scape with her right hoof, she could feel or move her hind legs, but she could still channel magic through them. It certainly helped with staying attached to Dodo’s backside.
Lu Bu didn’t drop to the ground to chase after Dodo, instead he stayed in the air flapping his left wing for a moment to scrutinize Dodo and his quick moving form. Soon he started diving down for them spiraling at them.
Dodo dodged out of the way of the initial attempt to tackle him and nearly got his head slice off when Lu Bu swerved and swung out at him, only for Shanty to deflect the blow and Dodo dodged the next three with several quick rapid steps back.
It was readily apparently that Shanty and Dodo hadn’t had any practice at fighting like this, but they were making the best of the situation. Dodo being actively faster to react to things and Shanty being able to put up an impressive defense under the onslaught of constant blazingly fast attacks was wearing away at Shanty having to deflect them.
Dodo then stepped into Lu bu’s attack caught the shaft of his weapon by the wing and quickly stabbed Lu Bu in the left shoulder with his beak and backed off, only managing to do so successfully because Shanty deflected the close up attack of a chain and sickle that swinging for them.
Upon dodging the follow up sword swipe, Dodo opened his mouth and blasted Lu Bu up close with a rock hard square blackened thing.
Shanty didn’t know what kind of baked good that was and couldn’t identify what it could have been, but it hit hard and pushed Lu Bu back pretty well.
“Ugh… cornbread!” Lu Bu answered the silent question with quite an amount of distaste and some actual emotion for once, making Shanty wonder what Lu Bu had against cornbread… well when it was not blackened, rock hard and fired at an incredibly damaging velocity.
The square slab left Lu Bu with an injured eye for a few seconds before it healed and he took off high in the air.
“What is he doing?” Shanty asked as Dodo gave a distorted warble of concern at Lu Bu hovering high above them and pointed himself downwards while building up energy for something while angling at the center of the vortex. “Uh Dodo… do you be having any new tricks?”
Dodo warbled in the positive while looking at Shanty, a silent conversation passed between them.
“That is being nice for if we are falling, but you can’t be using it yet can you… so how about using my talents as your own?” Shanty had a bond with Dodo, she had seen Pom share her talents with Dolly. So why couldn’t Dodo use Shanty’s talents in the same vein?
It wasn’t like Pom had a monopoly on weird familiar skills… now Shanty was considering what it would be like to suddenly be capable of spitting baked goods everywhere or what other things she could get from Dodo sharing his talents with her. Shanty could think of several goods uses for super speed when only moving in a straight line.
It was around this point that Lu Bu pulled out his bow and notched the now arrow shaped weapon to the string and pulled back charging up the arrow with a large amount of raw energy.
“Dodo start climbing the wind, we be needing to attack him!” Despite Shanty saying that and it seeming to be impossible, the bird braid that was Dodo tried anyway trusting Shanty implicitly.
With a leap Dodo slammed his talons home into the wall of wind, Shanty immediately started sharing her talent with him and he started moving along with the wind while running upwards in a spiral. He and Shanty barely made it more than a twenty feet off the ground when Lu Bu announced his attack that could be heard over the roaring winds.
It was a fact that Shanty never questioned how she managed to hear him over all of the noise when he was speaking normally. Shanty wasn’t going to bother as she had more important things to worry about as she had to concentrate on giving Dodo her special ability to climb any surface… even odd ones like the wall so of wind they were rapidly climbing up.
“Shoot.” Lu Bu’s weapon was now glowing with a massive amount of energy, the arrow struck the ground with an immense amount of force and an explosion of energy rose upwards behind Dodo who doubled his pace to beyond breakneck to out run the contained blast threatening to suck them in and engulf them.
Dodo managed to outrun the energy wave with Shanty looking behind them fright as he leapt up and tried to deliver a spinning left kick to Lu Bu. Tried because Lu Bu Flew by and almost managed to claw Shanty with his talons as he entered a steep dive for where his weapon landed.
The marks in Shanty’s back were not too deep, but she was bleeding again. Dodo also got a bit scratched up, with a flare of his new wings Dodo flipped, twisted and began falling after Lu Bu. The mechanical ostrich didn’t like Shanty getting hurt and he most certainly wasn’t happy to hear her grunting in pain.
Dodo turned his head to Shanty as they fell and warbled worriedly.
“I’m being okay, I’m not be quite Pom levels of injured yet.” Well Shanty was trying to be convincing at the very least, but Dodo wasn’t about tell Shanty they were going to stop fighting if she wanted to continue.
Below them Lu Bu pulled the air from the ground and it turned back into a halberd which he readied and swung upwards when Dodo and Shanty were close enough.
With a flare of his wings spreading out, Dodo slowed his falling momentum immensely with some blue energy blooming forth from beneath his wings and an odd humming noise of a replicated Egg Mobile system activated. The halberd missed Dodo’s stomach by an inch.
Dodo lashed out with his right leg to grapple Lu Bu’s left shoulder in a crushing grip as he stomped down on Lu Bu’s face with his left, cracking his skull quite a bit judging by the noise before Dodo kicked off of him when Lu Bu’s weapon changed into wing guards and he tried to smash the spikes on them together on Dodo.
Dodo gave off a distorted angry warble while taking on an aggressive stance while facing off against Lu Bu.
Lu Bu charged Dodo and the metallic ostrich swung his beak to deflect the halberd with a decent power cutting arc.
Unlike Shanty, Dodo actually managed to knock Lu BU off balance. Dodo had more size and force to put behind Shanty’s blade arc technique.
Dodo followed up by launching a kick that was deflected by the back end of the shaft of Lu Bu’s weapon and with a back swing was struck across the chest in a screech of metal.
Wailing out in pain, Dodo staggered back with a painful looking rent opened around his chest.
“Please be being more careful Dodo!” Like Shanty needed to remind her big metal friend that she couldn’t currently walk and if he went down then she was next on the chopping block.
Dodo narrowly avoided the next three attacks from Lu Bu who was back to wielding his halberd within a second.
Lu Bu did seem to be running low on his red glow and looked to be almost out of power and seemed to be growing more and more ferocious for it in return by the second. There wasn’t an ounce of fear to be seen coming from the guy.
Lu Bu was still pressuring Dodo immensely and on occasion Shanty lent him aid with a swing or two from her cane scythe when she could work up more than the strength to just hold onto Dodo and give him her strength.
Shanty cut in to defend or even attack Lu Bu when Dodo created an opening with his beak deflecting their opponent to be balance. She even managed to score some decent hits of opportunity, as much as a small five second gash could be considered decent, Dodo kept backing away from Lu Bu and finding good opportunities to launch an attack.
Dodo suddenly lunged forward swinging both his small wings upward to generate arcs, only do be blocked when Lu Bu’s weapon shifted to wing guards and blocked both attack and he pushing forward with his to block Dodo from swinging his own. Shanty managed to get a cut across Lu Bu’s left leg, before she was almost stabbed by the sudden change in armament and was thrusting his sword for her.
Dodo hasty sidestep through the rider and himself off balance and flailing on his right leg with his left going upwards in a protective manner.
Lu Bu changed weapons and slammed his scythe like a hook into the base of Dodo’s right leg, he twist the blade downwards and pulled harshly toppling Dodo over.
At least Dodo made sure to topple in a way that he didn’t crush Shanty.
“You may work well together, but you still do not have enough power.” Lu Bu changed his weapon to an axe and leapt to hack at Dodo as a threat, compared to the rider.
“Riptide!” Shanty fired a blast of blinding water into Lu Bu’s face when he swung his weapon downwards.
After taking a moment to shake his head and clear his sight, he saw that his axe had missed and that Dodo had managed to not only evade the axe, but had also leapt over the cutting shockwave.
After a few steps, Dodo let a warble of pain and looked to his right ankle sparking and sputtering, he turned a glare back to Lu Bu.
Lu Bu’s weapon changed as he leapt forward raising his halberd high upwards for a lethal horizontal swipe.
The weirdest response to this was for Dodo to pluck Shanty from his back with his beak and then toss her forward.
Shanty quickly hooked the horizontally held halberd above Lu Bu’s head with her cane and swung her limp legs into slashing up his face and chest as she flew over his head and flopped onto the ground behind him.
Lu Bu went to swing at a prone Shanty’s neck when Dodo jumped forward with his left leg slammed into his side, with the red glow was getting less present by the second.
Lu Bu responded lashing his sword at Dodo who backed off.
Shanty slammed the hook her cane into the ground and heaved herself forward, using it to pivot into spinning on her back and slashing off several of Lu Bu’s tail feathers as she spun pass his backside to strike him twice.
“I tire of your struggling.” Lu Bu tried to stab Shanty, only for her to roll away and he tried to rip the sword through the dirt towards her torso.
Lu Bu would have succeeded in tearing her in half too considering how quickly he shoved the sword towards her trying to drag herself way with her scythe cane. If Dodo hadn’t dove to the side near him and fired an undercooked cupcake into his face, with the special and highly unusual ingredient of squid ink.
The distraction allowed Shanty enough time to hook Lu Bu’s weapon as he swung it wildly and blindly, his involuntary change in swing made Shanty go flying back to Dodo. Afterward Lu Bu quickly wiped the black inky mess away with his feathers.
Dodo managed to catch Shanty in his beak and put her back on his back, without aggravating her injuries much less his own.
“Too well coordinated… a connection like me and Red Hare.” When Lu Bu said that, Shanty and Dodo looked to each other with a bit of worry. “Hm-hm-hm…”
Lu Bu leapt back several times and his weapon change into a chain and sickle, he looked ready to charge forward when the Hurricane forces winds of the vortex were breached… and utterly destroyed.
Dodo and Lu Bu hopped backwards several times as Wilhelm, the Wailord transport and biggest member of the Skitty Squad plowed a path between them using a winged Rapidash’s body as the plow.
They watched as the whinnying monstrosity was basically being mulching under the whale’s girth in what was clearly one of this Pokémon world’s most devastating Giga Impacts going off.
Eventually the two stopped moving, the Rapidash struggling weakly to get out from under the Wilhelm’s nose and then fell unconscious after letting out a loud yell.
“Woo… that was close one my beloved knocked out hubby… victory for…. the heroic and…. fantastical… Skitty Squad.” Captain Skeeball stated while huffing and puffing, looking fairly ragged and her Skitty Squad looked to be barely standing.
King Evan and the Rockruff Brothers moved to help pick up a badly beaten Geoff and started transporting him across the bridge. The Muk was carrying injured Wooloo, Favela and Quetal had seen better days themselves.
Lu Bu who was staring at the fact that Red Hare had been beaten, after totaling at least five units worth of Pokémon by himself as a one horse army unto himself, turned back to Shanty and Dodo.
“You are just lucky to have even had enough forces to knock Red Hare unconscious, you’ll be less likely to do the same to me.” Lu Bu not caring that Red Hare had been defeated, he still wanted to conclude his fight with Shanty. “I will not be defeated unless I die standing.”
“…unfit for fighting, get them out of here!” Chan was yelling at Evan and the three Rockruff Brothers.
Favela whined and looked towards Shanty, but didn’t get a choice about where she was going when she was lifted up and carried off by one of the rock puppies.
“You hear that Dodo, the bird thinks he can be taking my head. Let’s show him why that notion is wrong!” Despite not being able to use her hind legs Shanty was in good spirits, Dodo was less confident with his right ankle being badly damaged by Lu Bu’s scythe blade. “My dream of horizons is not going unlived!”
Favela looked towards Shanty with a slight swell in her heart at those words.
“Horizons were mean to burn.” Lu Bu responded, his Hurricane arena having been broken by raw force didn’t bother him one bit. There wasn’t anyone coming to Shanty and Dodo’s aid.
“Hold out a bit longer Shanty!” Evan shouted as he started dragging the last Buizel across the bridge covered in nasty burns with his paws.
Lu Bu charged forward and changed his weapon to wing guards, he swung his right wing for Dodo and follow the rightward spin with a kick that dented Dodo’s belly and staggered him, Shanty tried to retaliate from Dodo’s back only to get a clang as the wing guards stopped her attempted cutting arc cold.
The weapon change was sudden and the waited end of the chain slapped out for Dodo’s head as the sickle swept around for Shanty’s neck, she slashed the sickle blade back with her right hoof and then swung her weapon to deflect the weighted end when it was swept back around at her skull.
Dodo lunged forward and attempted to skewer Lu Bu for going after Shanty, when his weapon changed in an instant.
“Parry.” As soon as Dodo’s beak struck the blade, cuts opened up along his neck… if Dodo needed his throat to leave he would have been much worse off than agony he was currently experiencing as he staggered back.
A quick switch of weapons again and the weighted end of the sickle and chain hit struck joint in Dodo’s left leg swiftly and without warning.
Dodo nearly fell onto his left side, but manage to stay upright with his right leg as the sickle end of the chain flew forth for his head.
The sickle was deflected by weak Shanty, who was quickly running out strength to give to Dodo as her own was flagging due to bleeding. She gave Dodo one particular talent that she knew Dodo would know when to use, like right that instant as Lu Bu swung his weapon having changed into an axe mid swing at them.
“RarrRRrr-!” Dodo warbled violently, managing to get the sound out even with the damage to his throat, he did so while spreading his wing. A powerful Pirate Shout barrier deflected the axe with impossible precision, Dodo could feel Shanty’s spirit was still going strong in the shout, even if her body currently wasn’t.
Dodo used Shanty’s spirit and his own to shout out the technique with enough force to actually stun physically Lu Bu, paralyzing him on the spot and leaving him open to reprisal.
Dodo slashed his left and right wings across Lu Bu’s chest created bloody mess in the shape of an X, then hopped onto his left leg despite how painful it was for the joint to bend even by the smallest amount and kicked with his right leg.
Even if said kick was agonizing on Dodo’s ankle, the kick carved its way up Lu Bu’s front in a painful cutting arc to send Lu Bu flipping backwards with a halfway broken off beak once Dodo’s talons struck home against his face. Landing on his face with a broken beak had to be even worse.
The red glow permeating Lu Bu’s body finally died out. Dodo teetered back and forth on his damaged legs, only to flop onto his backside and give off a distorted and painful sounding whine to Shanty.
“You be doing good enough Dodo… hopefully he be staying down after losing his glow…” Much to Shanty’s horror, Lu Bu still got up from that series of blows within the next twenty seconds, dashing her hopes that the battle was over.
Lu Bu pressed his right wing against the ground and pushed himself to be standing, his beak had fixed itself, but his chest now notably had a large X-shaped scar on it… he was no longer healing from damage at a rapid pace. Not that Shanty could take advantage of that fact, because his wounds had still sealed themselves in a ridiculously fast rate.
“You can be breaking our bodies, but never our spirits!” At Shanty’s strong and clear words Dodo struggled back into a standing position, but he looked anything but ready to go another round with the deranged warrior.
Dodo warbled in agreement with Shanty’s sentiment.
“You can break my body as much as you want, I will always get back up and end the lives of those who think themselves great warriors before me. Their tales end where mine continues.” So saying this, Lu Bu pulled out his bow and his weapon changed into an arrow again. The arrow started glowing with immense power as Lu Bu started backing far away and took aim at Shanty and Dodo with the bridge behind them. “Your weird shout defense will not stop this next attack, for this attack will pierce all in its ways.”
“Dodo… if we don’t get through this, I’m glad that you were my first mate.” Shanty was wracking her mind for what to do Dodo wouldn’t be able to cross that distance with damaged legs in time. “Also I’m not just a warrior, I am pirate!”
Dodo was still making the effort to move forward though, even if it killed the both of them Shanty was willing him into motion.
The glow of the arrow grew ostensibly brighter as Shanty and Dodo didn’t blink in the face of death.
“HYPER-…. BEAM-….” Lu Bu was putting every ounce of Hyper Beam strength into this one attack, he could do no less for such a wonderful battle. It was unfortunate for his opponent that even after having gotten through his Morning Sun armor, they would not survive long enough to bring him down and their fate was sealed. “-SHOOT!”
The arrow flew forth with devastating force tearing apart the very fabric of the world around it, even then Shanty and Dodo stood in its path with grim faces. Lu Bu admitted that they weren’t coward in the face of their demise, a lofty achievement in the face of true destruction.
The destruction and distortions of the world around the arrow as it flew promised death and both Shanty and Dodo didn’t move.
Quetal had made quite a good case for not letting the bridge be destroyed, the fire types would need aid after all this if they were willing to even ask for it. At least farming help from the grass types, but the grass types likely wouldn’t do that without Aurora being an intermediary.
The bridge absolutely needed to stay standing against the destructive wave coming for Shanty and Dodo.
That required a standing bridge, a people willing to bridge the gap despite all of Ignis’s attempts to burn away it’s good will and a less than reluctant country willing to help those in need like Aurora.
“Aurora will save Ignis, even if I die here!” Declared Shanty, and Dodo shouted alongside her, their spirits intertwining and the pressure wave from their combined shout, not vocal in nature, but their very spirits screaming into the void slowed the stupidly powerful arrow down immensely when the force of their spirits hit it.
The arrow wasn’t stopping though, its destructive power continued forward. The arrow slowly and literally eating its way through Shanty and Dodo’s combined spirits. Trying to shred their souls with raw force to break through their combined silent screaming and force of will.
“AHHHHHH-!” The light grew brighter in Shanty’s eyes as the arrow crept ever close to her and Dodo, they weren’t going to move aside.
“Yoink.” Suddenly the light died out and the arrow disappeared entirely from existence at the sound of someone’s voice.
Both Shanty and Dodo collapsed, the solid mass of destruction between them Lu Bu speaking more for the power behind the attack would have obliterated them on every level it feasibly could have achieved and then the attack just stopped out of nowhere.
Shanty looked up and blinked, she had a weak grin on her face and Dodo nudged her lightly with his beak she weakly raised a leg and started crying as she barely managed to get her leg around Dodo’s head. Her body was broken, but it seems this wasn’t her day to die.
“What… how… that’s… impossible… nothing could have stopped that attack until its completion!” Lu Bu yelled in shock, anger and a numerous amount of emotions passing by his face.
“Well now… I wouldn’t exactly say that, THRUST!” There was no amount time in which Lu Bu could have feasibly even reacted to the voice behind him… he was suffering from using every bit of Hyper Beam energy at once. The withdrawal left him frozen place to be stabbed with his own weapon through the back.
His weapon, in the form of the pronged sword, pierced through him violently and out the center of the X on his chest.
“X marks the spot as you pirates would say, heh...heh...” Said a halfway joyful voice before it pulled the weapon through Lu Bu’s body while twisting it violent, Lu Bu flopped to the ground and would bleed out in a minute due to multiple destroyed organs in that single devastating attack that caught him off guard from behind. He had no further strength to survive such a mortal wound. The voice continued a little bit quieter. “Sorry I’m late to the party…”
-Behind Lu Bu’s slowly dying form, ???-
“I am Hideyoshi Toyotomi current King of Ignis and I’m quite sorry for everything that’s happened to the other kingdoms… I apologize profusely and cannot possibly do enough to fix all the mistakes I’ve made, I will throw myself to your mercy. Please… don’t destroy my kingdom!” I moved forward beyond Lu Bu’s form and tossed Lu Bu’s infamous weapon forward and far in front of me, I bowed putting my palms on the ground and silently begged for help and would receive whatever punishment they decide is just. I would not use that weapon ever again if I could help it. “Please help me restore my kingdom… you can do whatever you want to me. Just… don’t hurt my people, if there is anyone to blame for all of this… it’s me.”
With tears in my eyes, I let myself be judged by the neighboring kingdom of Aurora.
-King Evan-
He did just save Shanty and Dodo’s lives, not to mention everyone else’s across the bridge, but he just basically ended Lu Bu’s… okay Evan you can do this.
I can’t smile about the way things ended here, but I can at least try to help him fix things if he’s being genuine in his need to do so. I was a king and for once in my life… I had to act like one for real.
“I am King Evan of Aurora, I cannot truly judge you solely alone, for Greenleaf too was greatly wronged. They should be in on the decision I cannot make here alone in a given instant or haste. Though I appreciate you saving the lives of my friends and possibly everyone on the other side of the bridge to the south who could not move due to injuries. Should that attack have continued for miles, a lot more deaths would have occurred here.” I closed my eyes and though on what to do with the Monferno. The blue browed, orange furred monkey with the flaming tail was still bowing down, blubbering and groveling on the ground. After such an amazing feat of power as what he just pulled off, that he even threw down the weapon showed the spirit of his character… when he could have continued the bloodshed and taken Aurora for his own. He likely saw the injured… he was not a conqueror, he was someone who understood that he’s made some major mistakes. “To that end, I bade you end the civil war in your country with haste and tell your people what they need to hear to continue on without your presence for long enough to acquire a judgement, then remand yourself over to the custody of Aurora. We will treat your kingdom with the respect it deserves, but should they fight us we will not hold back. We will be contacting Greenleaf about all of this.”
The Monferno let out a tearful howl, possibly both in relief and grief.
Being a king was hard work. I think Hideyoshi understood that, considering he came here alone to throw himself at the mercy of the kingdoms for not keeping his civil war within Ignis. I trusted he would do the right thing.
There was the only other reason he came here alone without an army backing him… he was going to try and talk down the rebels by himself no matter how stupid that may have sounded to do alone.
In fact… that was something I would have done personally.
I looked to see Dodo was breathing, if what he could even do that with a perforated neck.
As for the goat… Shanty wasn’t.
“Chan, emergency!” I shouted with alarm, the Chansey was a blaze of speed to help Shanty where she laid.
Shanty wasn’t the only severe injury around, as I soon spotted Smolder on the ground barely breathing as well.
-Kingdom of Violight, Castle Jail Cell, Pom-
“So we’ll be able to leave soon, we have character witnesses to prove we are not here on purpose much less mean any harm.” I didn’t feel happy about not being able to rush to the assistance of where I knew Shanty, Smolder and Ocellus would be. We needed a good standing with this kingdom, they were at least amiable and the peace discussions and rewritten alliances Maiden Jig were going well. “We can only hope and pray that our friends in Aurora are alright.”
-Origin Space, Arceus-
“Curious.” I said calmly.
“Dad, that attack had enough power in it to almost match you doing a full powered and supercharged Judgment attack.” Ah yes, Mew was still reeling from the fact that the attack was stopped by that rather unusual trait of Hideyoshi’s. "There was quite a bit of divinity in it as well... I... don't quite understand how Shanty and Dodo managed to slow it down."
The ability to steal a mystical weapon from the user, no matter what that weapon may be doing at the time and be able to use it as the user does to a limited ability.
What an interesting monkeyshine that was, but now the monkey seeks to make amendments for all the trouble he’s caused.
Will Hideyoshi succeed…. or not? There’s also the one called Tamamo to keep an eye on, a shiny Ninetails.
-Equus, Airship Mauled, Arizona-
“Hey now, it’s nice to see you guys too… but uh... do you have to be so comfy?!” It was nice to see Pepper, Tamale and Kayamba Paca. Kayamba was better known these days as Rattle the Snow Cone King. I was sandwiched between all three of them.
Pepper nodded and made several gestures that I understood from having been around Paprika long enough.
“Huh, you don’t say…” I then saw Tamale wink at me and waggle his brows. “Yeah, yeah, rub the pun in that you guys don’t talk.”
As far as in-laws go, these three were easy to get along with, provided Tamale and I could get into a bit of a scrap later.
"Wait... who's watching all your Cria?" Thankfully my worries were put to rest when Pepper made some gestures that things would be alright.