The steam coming off of the battalion of Salandits seemed to cover the field in a haze. Each of them snapped at the group. Liam stepped forward as Caspian stepped back. Costello saw as Lada’s outstretched hand seemed to act as an invisible barrier, blocking the horde from pouncing on them. It was taunting, inviting for a mistake.

“It appears we’re at an impasse here, and I thought you’d be mature enough to negotiate.” Her words were smooth as silk, each with the backing tone of a heckler.

“Hey, we are plenty mature,” retorted Ion. “ Mature enough to know that your little game of lust is disgusting.”

Costello knew that these exchanges of jabs would not buy them enough time to leave. It was do-or-die time. Yet going through all his options, he could only really find two.

Option A

“Look. None of us want to be doing this, but you were the ones who kidnapped us. And unfortunately, that doesn’t line up with our goal of not being kidnapped.”

“Also you’re a bitch!”

Costello was not going to look at Zata, he was going to focus on this.

“You think you can just go on stealing from people for your little gold pile? I’ve seen bigger assortments from a homeless Sableye!”

“Well now. Assault, followed by libel. Aren’t we going down the list of offenses? And this group of yours is supposed to represent the best and brightest of the guilds. Such a shame you don’t have the mind in you to do something. Oh, Boysss~

Option B

“Hey, Esme. How many Rocks can you make at one time.”

“At the same size as before? Not many.”

“Do it Roka, give her some air!”

“On it.”

Again, her voice rang in all of their ears.“~Time to take care of the have-nots.”

As the mass of lizards pushed forward. The lion’s heat surged around the group. Claws outstretched and ready to tear as the Gligar flew high on the heated air. While the flame and blizzard bought them time, it was desperation if anything. Yet as her wings rose above the rest, they could feel the sudden chill as a shadow came above them.

The Salandits were wholly screwed. The rocks rained down on them, pummeling them into the dirt. While they weren’t wholly taken out of the fight. They were certainly worse for wear. The group, however, was able to huddle up before the impact. Under the turquoise shield of Floe’s protection. They remained unharmed. Liam was the first to break the silence as they looked at the bodies caught under the mass of rubble.

“Alrighty. Everyone ok?”

“Yes, Liam.” The sweat on Floe’s brow was starting to frost over as soon as it came. “ Though I do have to ask your companion. How did you know I would be able to get the Protect out in time.”

“I didn’t.”

“Cos, dude. Now is not the time for jokes.”

Cos stared straight at Liam. The grin on the rabbit's face slowly faded away as he came to the realization.

The lizards were unmoving. A few were still standing but barely. They were still outnumbered but with the numbers greatly decreased, Costello could see a fighting chance. At the very least, Ion was willing to put them down.

“So what the hell do we do now?”

“Weak Pokemon follow the leader.” Liam pointed his paw straight at the seductress. “ Put the Salazzle down.”

Both Zata and Ion could only utter the word in celebration of this occasion.

“Finally!”

As the light green sphere of protection started to fall, a trail of the darker green spheres of energy started to float away from the fallen lizards. While each sphere was small, there was enough to bring a bit of light to the forest floor. Those who weren’t already on their back, felt the last remnants of strength start to fail them. The closest among them couldn’t even get their embers alight before falling onto the floor. Leaving the opening wave fell and their bodies created a mountain fleshly separation between Costello and them.

“Liam, this isn’t the best match-up! What now?”

“Huh? Right! Cos, and Floe. You’ll have to hang back, sorry. Caspian, once they open up again, you need to push forward. Zata, keep her attention and bash ‘er. The rest of ya-”

Liam’s last words were undercut by the sudden wave of energy that blew away the pile of bodies giving them momentary relief. Fortunately for Roka, it was a little to the right of where he was standing. Unfortunately for Costello, he was currently occupying that space.

To feel a Hyper Beam is to feel what it would be like to stand in front of an oven when it’s just finished cooking. To experience a Hyper Beam is for that Oven to have enough force to blow through several trees. Luckily for the young lizard, he only went through 1 and a half.

“Shit, Cos! Esme, get him out of there and then stone these freaks. The rest of us need to take care of the tossers.

As Esme glided off to deal with the issue of the lizard stuck in a tree. The others decided to take care of business. Floe’s Roar was enough to deafen those who dared stand in earshot as all except the Salazzle were flung backward. With the huddled and confused mass of Salandits, Ion ran straight towards the thick of it, her fur standing on edge while mini-arcs of lightning shot up from her. As the Spark of her move came into contact with her enemies, the sudden flash of light and stiffening of muscles was enough to leave those foes incapacitated. Any who weren’t amid a right tasering was getting picked off by Liam and Caspian. The alligator would douse those caught unaware while Liam’s Assurance would finish them off, the dark string of his paw leaving a mark that wouldn’t heal for at least a week.  Sera pushed whatever razor sharp leaves she could muster into each attack, leaving them off their balance.

This, of course, left Roka and Zata to face off with the main boss. With the small embers burning on the forest floor, the smile of the Lizard seemed ever more menacing.

“Well, well. The Lion and the Wyrmling wish to test their might?”

“I’ve been tested by you long enough, hag! You fall here, by my power!”

“You mean the power of you and your friend. Of course, the dragon is simply the weapon of the more capable. Trust me, deary. I’ve gotten tired of them. And they will of you.”

Another mocking word couldn’t be said as Zata rushed headlong at the taunting reptilian. Yet even as she blocked out her words, a Dragon Pulse to her face was enough to blow her back.

While the battle raged on, Costello was left where was launched. Though one and a half trees sideways and with a comical amount of splinters.

So that’s where you are. Knocked through a tree.

“Anything Broken.”

A handful of ribs. 5 exactly. You won’t feel it till you stop fighting.

“How do you know that?”

You know that answer.

“It's another question for later then.”

You also have revenge on Liam for the grass thing and a breakdown for later. So much for you to do.

“Strike the revenge thing off the record. He was scared about the rock stuff, it counts.” Costello tried to move his form away from the needles sticking into his side.

We are Petty, aren’t we?

“Be honest with me.

Always am.

“Is this what life is going to be now?”

More than likely.

“Damn.”

“Costello! Are you alright?” Esme’s voice was clear from the treetops as she glided down to meet him. Her face turned a lighter shade of purple at the sight of him hanging through a tree. “Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!”

With the urgency one could best give a Pokemon who had just been sent flying, Esme helped Costello out of the tree, apologizing all the way for potentially making him worse.

“Look I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t look fine!”

“I only broke 5 of my ribs. I think there’s some internal bleeding but I should be able to hold that back till the end.”

“ That is not helping your case! “ Esme’s wings were already in motion as she wrapped her stinger around Costello. “We need to get you to a hospital, now!”

Even with the stinger and the broken ribs. Dear Lord, did the stinger not help the ribs, Costello wasn’t going to get pulled off the team.

“If they’re still fighting. Then I’m still fighting.”

Esme sized up the lizard. Maybe with a bit of force, she could drag him off. But that look in his eye. He was going to drag his body back no matter how far she took him. “Are you sure,” she asked. She pleaded for him to just lie back so they could handle this.

With a bit of green spilling out of Costello’s mouth, he could only just sputter out a response. “Positive.”

“Why! Won’t! You! Die?!”

“I’m very unkillable, dearie. You have to try better than that. I bet I won’t miss a wink tonight”

With such a spitfire comic, Roka saw it fit to spit some fire into her eye.

“Oh. So you think you’re funny.”

A wry smirk answered her annoyance. “I’m a goddamn comedian.”

“You little shi-”

Before the curse could leave her maw, the hammer of a Dragon Tail found its way to the cheek of Lada.

“Oh, you Arcdamn-”

Another blow. This time paw of darkness onto her temple from behind. With the darkly burnt print on the top of her head, Liam flipped from her scaly skull in front of her.

“Perfect landing! Guess your boys aren’t as tough, ya old bird.”

Lada’s seething would have to wait as she looked around the battlefield. Whoever was left was currently having their fires put out by Caspian and whatever resistance was getting turned into frosty pops by Floe.

“So what’s it gonna be? Either come with us. Or fight a losing battle.”

“Whichever you want. You ugly hag.”

Even with her boys full of love, her eyes filled with a murderous rage. As she arched her back, the pheromones seemed to fill the air. While the others were out cold, 7 of them were able to pop back up with renewed fervor. They swarmed around their mistress as though to form a sea of bodies to protect her.

“Love never dies, impertinent idiots.”

“But it fades.”

Costello had dragged himself back, holding his stomach as Esme helped him stay steady.

“Well, the little thing hasn’t gone down just yet.” On her hind legs, Lada stood. Towering over the group. “ Let’s make you regret that.”

On one side were 10 of them. Each of them was worse for wear.

Costello standing on his own with the adrenaline fading. A kind of ache was growing in his sternum and he wanted to puke. Judging by the flavor, it was some kind of blood.

Are you going to give?

“Hell no.”

Costello had Pokemon who needed him here. He needed to be here. His role was to be in this organization and cowering out at this time for something as silly as an injury. He owed Liam and Braviary everything. His home, his job, his future. He owed them now. He could get better later.

Liam was ready and steady to take them down. This was what he lived for. What he was born for and from. If his parents could see him now, he’d know they’d be cheering him on. Mr.Braviary would certainly get on his case for not running, but now wasn’t the time for inaction. A little bit of cheek was enough for a lifetime.

Floe was more than mildly amused by this whole situation. A few fights back in Mistico but nothing she couldn’t handle. Now she was in the middle of a brawl with some lust jezebel and her male floozies. With some memory-addled lizard by her side and the kid from the locked-down Autumn Embers, she was bound to be on this journey for the long one. Even if the A.E. lead turned out to be nothing, they certainly weren’t uninteresting.

With Zata, she was born for this. Dragon types in the heat of battle and there was no better opponent than this. A woman who talked too much and her gaggle of goons. No matter getting put on the sidelines. No more getting used. No more getting pushed into the corner by everyone around her. She was the hammer and blade. And she was going to cut this lizard down.

Caspian had no idea what the hell was happening. He lost one letter and now he was in the midst of this. Was the letter even here? Why were the Salandits here? Nothing made sense and that doctor didn’t help. Screw it. He came to bite and help his friends. That much he knew.

There was Lada, there was beating her up, and there was going home. That was Roka’s way. Lie in the Sun once the job was done.

Get up. Rock Slide. Rock Slide again. Get Up. Rock Slide. Rock Slide again. Don’t hit anyone, don’t hit anyone, for the love of Arceus don’t hit anyone.

Ion knew one thing. She was going to shock the shit out of this woman.

Sera had no other goal than to put the rest of them down. A grass type pushing down the fire types. Wouldn't that be a story to tell?

All had their motives, yet all of them were focused on one thing. As a team, they were going to take them all down.

On the other side, there were 8 of them.

Love Her. Hate Them. Adore her. Destroy them. Keep her Safe. Leave them in tatters.

As the queen, she had to be on top. Of course, she had her competitors, that much was clear. But with how this was going, the others were certainly in worse shape. She was going to be on top. No matter what.

The Wind blew.

The Embers died.

The moment came.

Costello and Zata rushed at the wall of flesh covering Lada. The blood from Costello’s throat spurted out but he kept firm. The hammer of Zata’s tail crashed into the opposing side, the feeling of bones splintering reverberating through her tail. Yet as those two fell away, another came to replace them, spitting fire at two. Each of them was forced to pull back as the flames disrupted Zata’s momentum and the flamethrower consumed Costello. Whatever flames were left barely grazed the side of Sera, but even that was enough to keep her off her guard. Though Costello did have the more pressing issues when it came to matters of fire.

“To be on fire is a difficult thing,” Costello thought. In all honesty, his direct words were along the lines of that he could not be welcomed into public society. Either way, the feeling of the heat torching his scales and the blinding light may have been from the flames or the pain. To be on fire was a very difficult thing.

With that in mind, Another storm of assaults was launched at the two. Albeit this time, it was a more literal storm. The snow came fast and furious with the frost overtaking the wall, slowing down the moving mass surrounding Lada. As she retaliated with a Flamethrower to keep her subjects from freezing, she found herself with a cacophony of rocks slamming into her, leaving another two down for the count. The protective force had slowed. 6 left.

“Would you let your queen fall here? Defend me!”

And on her command, two of her thralls sprinted at the group, with another two at either side of them. The bigger Salandit bit onto the neck of Costello and started to bite down with the ferocity of a feral animal. With malice on his mind, he tightened his strength onto the shoulder for a better grip.

Currently, you are burned and getting bitten. A burn isn’t the same as a literal skin burn but you’ll get that.

“Difference! How?!”

Basically, the way moves interact with the energy inside you is weird. Getting burned means that your energy is currently on fire. Which explains why every so often, you’ll go up in flames. You’re also facing a literal burn on your neck there but-

“Ahhhhhhh!”

You knew that.

The Salandit’s bite wasn’t enough to pierce the skin but it was enough to grip onto Costello tight. And with that grip, he had enough room to let the fires burn through. A horrid smell filled Costello’s nostrils as his skin became dangerously close to cooking temperature.

“Shit, Cos!” As Liam turned his back, dark purple fangs sank into his shoulder.

See what happens when you lose focus. You didn’t train with that bruiser for nothing. Ready up and fight.

Costello wasn’t going to be a liability. No matter what. Even with the flames roasting his neck, he tried his damnedest to pound his captor to a pulp. Again.

And Again.

And Again.

And Again.

Till the green on his hand/paw was left feeling as though he had bashed it against a brick wall. With each hit, the grip loosened till the combat could be pushed off, revealing the sickly orange covering Costello’s neck.

Adrenaline still pumping. Keep going or scream. 4 left.

A paw with no light struck the face of Liam’s assaulter, knocking him backward and underneath the shadow of an overhead Esme.

“Rock Slide, please don’t hit anyone!”

As the rock manifested itself underneath her patagium, it was swiftly dropped underneath her unfortunate victim.

“Thank Arceus. Now just the three.”

With another down, it was time for Caspian to make his move. While his jaw was fiending for a bite, he knew he had to be responsible with it. As he looked over to Ion, she nodded.

Similar wavelengths.

With a blast of his water gun, he drenched the 3 in front of him. Such insolence would only be responded to by a combination of Hyperbeam and Flamethrower. With snappiness and minor anxiety comes reflexes however and with those reflexes, he was able to dodge just in the knick of time, with only one of his red bumps taking the damage.

She felt it. Her underlings were thoroughly trashed and she was left with the main 2 boys. This couldn’t get any-

It struck like lightning. Or to better put it, she struck like lightning. Even with the natural body heat drying them off, enough time hadn’t passed for them to rid themselves of their watery slick. The furry annoyance had caught them off guard and was currently hitting them with enough volts to turn them stiff. Her final two minions were down for the count.

“You… ugly…. inconsiderate ingrate!”

With all of her attempts at beauty ripped back, all that was left was the Hyper Beam to blow them into oblivion. Yet as she opened her maw, the darkness consumed her vision and her head began to burst with pain. All she could see before it all went dark was the dragging of a golden tail in front of her.

Costello looked out onto the scene. Some fires here and there, as well as the destruction of wildlife. Nothing too major. But they were finished. No more toxic love, no more Salandits, and their first mission was finally a success. As he looked towards Liam, a hug was already incoming. He could not avoid it, even if he wanted to. The feeling of relief filled his body.

As well as the feeling of 5 cracked ribs as he finally allowed himself to scream.