Ever Play Competitive - Chapter 19
...
Disclaimer: I do not own any franchises mentioned in this story. This is fan-based work of fiction.
Beta: Gerald_of_Revea
-Lance-
He should have been excited.
Was he prepared? Yes. Was he mentally ready? Yes. But excited to battle Cloud? No. Not like this.
All he could feel in this moment in time was disappointment.
Their battle should be with their entire team, a full six-on-six Pokémon battle. That wasn’t what this battle was.
He was missing out on half a battle.
Cloud is the closest measure he has for Red, not in terms of style, but in terms of strength.
Where Cloud could find the smallest chip in someone’s armor, Red is an unrelenting force. He still planned to beat both of them.
Red is impossible to read. Closer to a robot than an actual human. Even with keen eyes like his own, he didn’t think he ever saw him blink. Cloud, on the other hand?
His knowledge on Pokémon was unnatural. The things he has been proven correct on alone make his level of knowledge on par with the regional professors. And any doubts about his ability in combat were put to rest after his battle with Geeta.
He was certain Cloud was the most knowledgeable person on Pokémon he had ever met, perhaps even surpassing Bill.
But with brilliance came madness.
“I want you to imagine something. Imagine you know exactly what move your opponent can make. Not only that, but you can also make sure that every single attack your Pokémon makes is a critical hit. That it will always hit. That your opponent's attack will miss if it is even the slightest bit inaccurate. What do you think the chance of winning is against those odds?”
‘Save states,’ as Cloud called it. An ability to go back to fixed points in time that’s chosen by the user. There isn’t a limit to how often he can do things, only a cost analysis.
Is it worth the effort?
It was utter madness.
Humans were not Pokémon that could so easily travel in time. A golden path to victory against all odds. It just wasn’t impossible.
He had to rewatch his own battle against Red to ensure he wasn’t going mad as well. It wasn’t as Cloud said. There were no critical hits; every time his Pokémon attacked, they succeeded in hitting their opponent.
But they were not strong enough to make a single Pokémon faint.
He didn’t know whether Cloud was crazy, schizophrenic, or delusional. What he did know was that he hid it well. In private, he explained his theory, but he never spoke a word about it on his livestream.
He even thought it to be a false flag of some sort. A way to put Red off his trail. Cloud’s behaviour during the tournament said otherwise.
So he did nothing, deciding to let the chips fall where they may.
He looked up into the stands, taking a small breath as his eyes landed on his cousin. In her hands was a sign saying ‘Cloud #1’, which she was waving frantically.
She never quite did forgive him for interrupting their ‘fated’ meeting. He would have been more hurt if she hadn’t also made it this far in the tournament. It made it easier to rationalize the betrayal. Clair just didn’t want to fight her lovable cousin.
A moment passed before he let out a sigh.
He couldn’t even convince himself that that was true.
“You’ve gotten stronger since I last saw you,” Cloud said in lieu of a greeting. “Think you are ready?”
He took a moment, pushing away any self-doubt and burying it deep within.
All that matters is winning.
He said nothing, instead giving Cloud a respectful nod, before letting out his first Pokémon.
Cloud did the same, and two dragons took to the battlefield.
‘Dracovish,’ he observed, pleased with the choice. It was going to be either Dracovish or Chansey. Any other Pokémon and its counter wouldn’t have worked nearly as well.
Garchomp. It was the best Pokémon he had in his repertoire to start off the battle. The best counter for Cloud's favorites.
Despite that, he didn’t like the look Cloud was sporting. As soon as he saw Garchomp, his face became serious. Pensive. Thoughtful.
If he wanted to win this battle, he couldn’t give Cloud any time to think.
“Lance vs Cloud, let the battle begin!”
Speed. That’s what Cloud has been relying on to win most of his battles. The faster Pokémon made the first move. With a Choice Scarf, he has almost always gone first.
So he got one of his own.
“Garchomp, Outrage!”
“Rend!” 
A One-Hit KO. That was what he was hoping for in the first round. He wasn’t that lucky.
As soon as the match began, Cloud Terastalized his Pokémon, the Dracovish changing from Water-Dragon temporarily to a monotypical Water Type. It's what saved it from the worst of a Garchomp’s Outrage.
Fishious Rend was stronger. Powered by the Terastalization, the retaliatory strike was deeper, but that didn’t matter. It was not strong enough.
Garchomp shook off Dracovish before he sprang forward, its claw meeting Dracovish’s glowing jaw, launching it into the air, causing everyone to still.
The Pokémon twisted in the air, the force of the attack causing the Pokémon to spin, before it unceremoniously landed, unable to move.
“Dracovish is unable to battle! The first round goes to Lance!”
He didn’t pay attention to the crowd. In this battle, the only person he needed to worry about was Cloud. Everyone else was just a distraction.
Terastalization? Used. Dracovish? Fainted. Garchomp?
He took a closer look at his Pokémon; the bite mark was deep, bruising around the affected area. But that wasn’t what made him pause.
His Pokémon was shaking.
Garchomp stumbled, looking frantically around the battlefield, before he saw Cloud, who was returning Dracovish.
Cloud released his Chansey, and he had to stop the smirk from tugging on his lips.
The plan was going much better than he had hoped.
“Let the second round begin!”
“Garchomp, return!” He called, immediately switching to his next Pokémon. The benefits were threefold. Garchomp would no longer be confused, limited to using only Outrage, and he had the exact Pokémon he wanted to use against Chansey.
Chansey was also unnaturally defensive, but it was strong thanks to an item and relying on stall strategies.
Something that he was already prepared to deal with.
When Dragonite took to the field, it didn’t have time to think before it was grabbed by Chansey.
And tossed into the air.
‘That move makes no sense,’ he scowled, watching Dragonite flail in the air. The name of the move is a misnomer. It doesn’t cause an Earthquake; it makes the Pokémon being tossed go limp, and feeling is only returned once it lands.
However, there was one benefit from it, even if only slight.
The dust cloud from after the attack provided him with the perfect smokescreen.
With Dracovish gone, Cloud’s strongest was removed from play. And it meant he could go all out.
Within the cloud, a light pierced through; a figure started to emerge.
He looked to his arm and clenched his fist, power coursing through his body.
He turned back to his Pokémon, the air becoming displaced, with his Pokémon now glowing a bright white.
And then he started to change.
An extra pair of wings started to grow; his tail elongated, and the true form of Dragonite started to emerge.
His Pokémon flapped his wings, and the air was cleared.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence throughout the stadium. Only for it to be drowned out by roars of cheers, disbelief, and amazement.
And then he saw Cloud.
And for a brief moment, he felt his heart still.
He said nothing in the silence. There was no shock, fear, or even incredulity. In fact, it was the opposite.
Cloud looked like he was doing his best to hold back a laugh.
A spark of rage ignited within him at the slight against his strongest partner. How dare they look down on the anchor of his team? Then, the heat receded, snuffed out by a sudden, freezing realization that doused it.
He had seen this play before.
A man who had brought a legendary Pokémon to fight Cloud, thinking that the Pokémon alone would easily be able to defeat Cloud and his team. And then, being proved vastly wrong because he didn’t know the strengths of his own Pokémon.
A man who lost because of a lack of information. On a Pokémon only he had.
And somehow, Cloud knew better.
And Cloud was acting very similarly to when he saw Regigigas. 
‘I’ve made a mistake somehow’, he scowled, his glare intensifying. “Dragon Dance!”
-Sonia-
“Did you know about this?!” she asked Meowth, who was looking at her blankly.
“What do I know-why are you asking me?” He flailed his arms. “Ask Cyclone, not me!”
She didn’t bother. He would rather lie and say he knew something than admit otherwise. “What about Cloud? Has he said anything about it?”
“Hold on, I’m checking now,” Meowth said, his tongue sticking out. “Hmm, doesn’t look like-wait, Cloud doesn’t think Dragonite will ever have a Mega Evolution…because of its name?”
She peeked over Meowth’s shoulder, her thoughts coming to a halt as she read Cloud’s notes.
Dragonite- the forever cursed Pokémon. It will never get a Mega Evolution cus of its English translation. GF wouldn’t know wtf to call the stone. This is because all their creativity died with the move to 3D.”
“This is actual gibberish,” She said, dragging her hands down her face. “I just know Cloud will read this and say it makes perfect sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Cyclone answered, making her groan.
She looked at Mega-Dragonite, preparing to make as many observations as she could on the new Mega-Evolution, before she suddenly went still, a thought coming to her.
“Would that even work?” she muttered, furiously scribbling down calculations as her mind started to tumble elsewhere, away from the battle.
And on a solution instead.
-Lance-
One move.
That was all it took to change the course of a battle.
“Thunder Wave!”
For every battle so far, Chansey had been using the same four moves. Protect, Soft-Boiled, Toxic, and Seismic Toss. Why did Cloud choose now of all times to change things?
‘I just have to work through this.’ “Dragon Dance, again!”
“Just keep spamming Seismic Toss!”
His scowl deepened as paralysis took hold, the Pokémon going stiff and becoming rooted to the ground. Not a second later, Chansey was upon it, tossing it into the air.
He needed to upset Cloud’s rhythm.
“Roost!”
This time, his Pokémon was able to heal without issue. Despite the paralysis, his was the quicker Pokémon. And while it was clear each Toss was as devastating as the last one, Roost cleared up most of the damage.
However, it was clear enough he couldn’t go on like this. “Dragon Tail!”
“Fuck!” Cloud yelled, and the corner of his lips tugged into a smile, before it immediately went away.
Chatot was the goal. The weak link in Cloud’s team.
The Pokémon Cloud sent out?
He hadn’t even seen it before.
It was a canine. Large. Light blue in color, but he couldn’t discern its typing whatsoever.
The spectators looked similarly confused. He could see trainers fumbling with their Pokédex, but judging by their reactions, the machine didn’t seem to have an answer.
He looked at the jumbotron displaying the names and images of all the Pokémon that had participated in battle, and for Cloud’s new Pokémon, only a series of question marks took its place.

It left everyone wondering the same thing.
‘Who’s that Pokémon?’
“Lance,” Cloud sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Ya done goofed.”
-Cloud-
I was annoyed, “Play Rough!”
I should have switched into Dovahkin as soon as Dragonite used Roost. I was trying to keep Zacian closer to my chest.
“Dual Wingbeat!”
Red knows about Dovahkin. Knows at the very least, he’s strong. My not knowing he was from Mystery Dungeon accidentally crippled his potential. Zacian, on the other hand?
A complete unknown. My hidden trump card against Red.
And Lance fucked that over. Not only that, he fucked over his own battle as well. 
His starter became Zacian’s chew toy.
Zacian disappeared from its spot, biting down hard on Dragonite’s tail to make the Pokémon let out a grunt. But Zacian wasn’t done there. With a violent snap of his neck, Zacian wrenched the massive dragon off its feet and slammed it into the ground. It did so repeatedly, indents forming on the ground wherever Dragonite landed, before eventually, Dragonite was unable to move, shrinking as the mega evolution started to dissipate.
“Dragonite is unable to battle! Please choose your next Pokémon!” 
Hydrogen Bomb vs. Coughing Baby. I would have felt more guilty for beating Lance like this if the bastard hadn’t done it to himself.
“Garchomp! I need you now!”
Probably the best he could do given the situation. With Choice Scarf, Garchomp was actually faster than Zacian.
“Let the battle continue!”
“Zacian, Play Rough again!”
“Garchomp, Outrage!”
Ah.
The poor bastard didn’t even know Zacian was a Fairy-Type.
Garchomp lunged, but the claws simply skittered off Zacian’s fur, completely unaffected. Zacian didn't even flinch; he simply waited for the dragon to get closer, his teeth flaring a brilliant white. 
Zacian went for the throat, pivoting in place, and used Garchomp's momentum to slam the Pokémon into the ground.
“Garchomp is unable to battle! Lance, please choose your final Pokémon!”
-Sonia-
A clean and utter sweep.
Zacian completely tipped the scales of the battle. One minute, Lance had Cloud on the ropes, then Zacian defeated all three of his Pokémon in a row.
She thought when Lance used Archaludon and Dynamaxed, the battle would go in his favor, only for Zacian to easily finish him with Close Combat.
It was a complete wipeout. And his third time beating a champion.
“Congratulations,” she smiled warmly as Cloud entered. “Just three more battles and you win.”
Anabel, Clair, Cloud, Cynthia, Geeta, Red, Leon, and Mustard.
As of now, these are considered the top eight Pokémon trainers in the world. She had been watching each of these trainers battle when she could. They were all truly remarkable trainers who deserved their spots.
Of course, a system like that wasn’t perfect, but she couldn’t control the minds of the masses. Cloud made his disappointment clear about a few trainers that didn’t make it, like Larry or Professor Oak.

Still, she is very excited to see the battles in the quarter-finals, especially now when each contestant is using their full teams, not just three of them.
“Thanks,” he smiled back, “Who’s battling first tomorrow?”
“Clair and Red,” she responded, making Cloud wince. “Don’t think it will go well?”
“Clair has no chance against Red. No one really does.”
Those two had history, though Cloud was tight-lipped about it.
When she asked if Meowth knew about it, his reaction scared her. He was terrified of Red. It was enough for her to put the man firmly in her bad books.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer anymore. “I have an idea on how to help Lucario.”
“Music to my ears,” he smiled, allowing the change in topic. “What’s the plan?”
“Mega Evolution.”
Cloud winced. “I tried Mega-Evolving Lucario before,” he admitted. “It didn’t work. I didn’t expect it to work either, considering…” Cloud said, waving his hands around. “The requirements.”
“And have you tried it just after the purification ritual?”
“That…is not something I’ve tried.” he blinked. “Would that actually work?”
Purification is the process of normalizing a Pokémon. Returning it to its previous state before it became a Shadow Pokémon.
Except Lucario reverses the process, leaving them back to square one.
So, the window between the ritual's end and the reversion was their only chance. A split second to counteract, flooding Lucario with positive emotions. What better way to assimilate that than Mega Evolution?
“I’ve been talking with grandmother about it,” she said slowly. “She thinks there’s a chance it will work, but wants to be there to observe.”
“Ah, so that’s your secret partner then?” he asked, a cheeky grin on his face. “I was starting to get jealous.”
She rolled her eyes at that. This was one of the only good things to come of this. Ignorance is bliss, and finding out that this had happened to so many Pokémon broke her heart. But at the very least, she was able to start mending her relationship with her grandmother.
She just hoped the two wouldn’t be at each other's throats when they first met.
She had enough on her plate as it is.
-Clair, next day-
A mere glare was too shallow a vessel for the ocean of contempt she felt for this dirty, greasy weasel.
Red was silent, like he had been for the entirety of this battle thus far. The visor of his hat hid his eyes and whatever thoughts roamed around in that head of his.
She had lost four of her Pokémon already.
She knew how powerful his Pokémon were. Cloud made that abundantly clear. At least three of his Pokémon should have fainted by now.
Only Charizard had been defeated.
Lance had warned her about him. He was the one trainer he wanted to beat in the tournament. The rest didn’t matter to him (barring Cloud, of course), but that wasn’t why she hated Red.
“You don’t even realize it, do you?” she whispered, to herself more than anyone else.
Red was the only trainer Cloud cared about battling.
Whenever Red used a new Pokémon, he would give an in-depth explanation of how to beat it. Its weaknesses, what to look out for, and how to counter them. Whenever Red had a battle, Cloud was watching it with rapt attention.
He never did something like that for her.
She hated it. 
To him, she was a non-entity, a static-filled placeholder in a bracket she wasn't meant to win. Why waste breath on a "leftover" who would never reach the final stage?
Even now, Cloud’s attention wasn't because of her skill, but as a way to better study Red.
She rejected it.
This battle will be the ultimate proof. Of her power. Of her love. But most importantly? Her worthiness.
Then Cloud can toss the skank and take her as his apprentice instead.
She summoned Flygon to the field, locking eyes with Zapdos as it took to the sky.
It was time to win this.
“Use Stealth Rock!”
Her glare intensified, noticing Zapdos was slightly quicker on the uptake, batting its wings as a tornado started to form.
‘Hurricane!’ she realized, biting back a curse as Flygon got caught in the violent, spiraling winds. He struggled to steady himself, wings straining against the storm’s pull, but Flygon was not down for the count just yet.
She had used Rain Dance earlier to weaken Charizard, and now it was coming back to bite her. Under the rain, accuracy was a formality; Hurricane wouldn’t miss.
Which meant she had to end this as soon as possible. “Double-Edge!”
Flygon exploded into action, a roar escaping as he threw himself into Zapdos. 
‘A speed tie!’ Her eyes widened, and a grin flashed across her face.
Only for it to wither as Flygon plummeted toward the ground, the recoil of the attack finishing the job.
“Both Pokémon are unable to battle, a double knockout!”
For a moment, the roar of the crowd seemed to dampen, swallowed by the steady thud of rain driving into her shoulders.
She took a long, steadying breath and returned Flygon. The anger that had been prickling at her skin began to settle.
Red had already Mega-Evolved and used Dynamax. All that was left for her to worry about were Z-Moves and Terastalization.
She hadn’t used any of them yet.
Not yet.
But he had four Pokémon left, and she didn’t even know what most of them were.
‘No, I can’t doubt him like this.’
Compared to him, a Pokémon like Zapdos was nothing.
The moment passed, and everything came into focus.
Red released Gengar, the Pokémon brushing off the Stealth Rocks that came towards him.
She didn’t reach for a Pokéball.
She reached for the sky.
The action caused some confusion. She stood there, rigid, rain glistening against her skin as seconds started to tick by.
She didn’t blame them. They were ignorant of the truth. The difference between the strong and the strongest. But they would learn.
The weather started to clear, and then, the people started to notice.
Some started to run, wary that the Pokémon was wild. Some were still, scared to move in the presence of the beast.
It was a slow and steady descent. The creature didn’t need to roar to announce its presence; it was recognized on sight.
The single most deadly Pokémon that entered the arena. 
Rayquaza, the sovereign of the sky.
No one spoke. They couldn’t.
In the shadow of a god, there were no more trainers.
Only witnesses.
And then, she whispered a single command.
“Destroy.”
-Cloud- 
What.
[CurrentlyHuman: Everyone that's there, you need to run.]
[R0sanNA: Is that…is that Rayquaza?]
[Cremulon: Not even Cloud can beat Rayquaza!]
How the fuck.
[Gerald_Of_Revea: Damn, Clair, I wasn't familiar with your game.]
[Xx_Oblivion_xX: Hold on, I’m confused, is that Rayquaza wild?!]
[MilesAhead: Yo, this has got to be against the rules, can we all just bring Pokémon from the Sky!]
How in the flying fuck does Clair have Rayquaza?
“Cloud, what are we going to do?”
I didn’t have an answer for her; I wasn’t sure myself.
“We keep rolling.”
We all turned to look at Meowth, Sonia looking at him with disbelief.
“Nobody is in danger yet,” he said, slowly turning to face her. “We. Keep. Rolling.”
“Danger, yet?! That’s Rayquaza! There’s-”
“A battle that needs to be finished.”
Psyclone’s words broke the tension, if only for a moment. The argument was suddenly drowned out by a blinding, searing light erupting from the center of the battlefield.
“Rayquaza…can Mega-Evolve?”
None of us answered her.
[Everpeach: What the shit?]
[DJDarkness: I can’t handle this, I think I’m going to throw up]
[FoldMuncher: End the stream!]
I heard a sharp intake of breath as the light died down, Rayquaza’s true form revealed. It became bigger. Its fins became longer and sharper, glowing with golden light.

“Dragon Ascent!”
The signature move of Mega-Rayquaza. It allows Rayquaza to Mega Evolve without the use of a Mega Stone.
Rayquaza moved like lightning; one moment he was on his side of the field, the next, he passed Gengar. 
I watched, transfixed, mesmerized, as a dome of searing light erupted from the impact, engulfing Gengar and the battlefield itself. The attack whipped up a breeze so strong that even those in the stands could feel it, holding on tightly to the nearby seats and barriers.
As the explosion started to die down and the surrounding area became clearer, the end result was clear. Gengar lay in the center of the crater, severely hurt from the attack, having fainted upon impact.
[Azazyel: How do you even beat that?]
[Lorekeeper: @ Azazyel Six Ice-Beams and a dream]
[MayMayhem: And when that doesn’t work?!]
[Lorekeeper: More Ice-Beams.]
“She shouldn’t be this strong,” I whispered, though all heard it.
It made no sense. How did she meet Rayquaza in the first place? She’s just a Gym Leader; she wasn’t supposed to make it this far.
I searched for a referee, but was found wanting. Already, a lot of people had left the stadium in fright, though the panic of it being a wild Pokémon had been quelled.
While Regigigas originally caused a stir, it did not have the crushing weight of despair that Rayquaza radiated. And that was doubly so when it Mega-Evolved.
I looked at Clair, a sinking feeling anchoring in my chest.
‘Does…she actually stand a chance?’
Red returned Gengar and revealed his fourth Pokémon, Lapras, letting out an excited thrill as she joined the battle.
Only to cut herself off when she saw her opponent.
I reeled back as rock pillars lurched from the ground, burying themselves into Lapras’s hide, surprising her before the battle could even start.
‘Stealth Rock,’ I snapped my fingers, having forgotten Clair used the move earlier against Zapdos. For an Ice type like Lapras, it was a crippling attack.
I started to recall my battle with Red, how Raiden used Thunder three times in a row and missed all of them against Lapras. It made me feel a weariness that I hadn’t felt before the battle started.
That weariness shot up to ten in one move.
“What is she doing?!” Sonia hissed, watching the impossible start to take place. “We need to end this- now. The strain she is putting on her body. It will-”
“You can’t stop her.”
The words from Psyclone made her pause, turning to him.
“That woman doesn’t care about what she does to herself.”
“All the more reason to stop this! She won’t be able to-”
“She knows the consequences.”
“...What?” Sonia whispered.
“The only thing on her mind is winning this battle, no matter what.”
It was stupid. Reckless…but it was undeniably turning the battle in her favor.
Mega Rayquaza was already extremely strong, but Clair planned ahead. It wasn’t enough. Not if she wanted to win this.
Mega Evolution and Dynamax. Clair combined both of them for this one chance to win.
The act alone probably took away years off her lifespan.
Against Mega Rayquaza, there was a slim chance Lapras survived. Slim. Minute. Against Mega-Dynamax-Rayquaza?
“Max Airstream!”
A Hurricane whipped up on the field, followed by a series of tornados that blocked my view of the field. The ground was ripped up, rocks and debris floating in the air, before Lapras was hit by the full brunt of the storm.
The Pokémon shared the same fate as Gengar, knocked out before it could use a single attack.
‘This isn’t right.’
Red should’ve done something there. Revert back a save, switch Pokémon; Something. He wasted a perfectly good Pokémon on nothing. Why would he—.
I paused, a few seconds passing before I wiped the sweat off my forehead, taking a slow breath.
I can’t predict him.
Red returned Lapras, saying nothing, before sending out his fifth Pokémon, Venusaur, taking center stage.
“She isn’t stopping,” Sonia breathed, looking at me in fear. I understood why immediately.
Clair shakily raised her hand in the air, her Tera Orb glowing brightly, before throwing it at Rayquaza. The Pokémon was encompassed in a blinding light. The light died down, revealing Rayquaza in its full glory.
It was barely contained in the field. Being both mega-evolved and Dynamaxed made it bigger than most Pokémon could ever compare to. Now its scales glistened in the light, terastalization having made an unseen monster.
Mega-Terastalize-Dynamax Rayquaza.
“Max Wyrmwind!”
Already hurt by the Stealth Rock, Venusaur didn’t even have a chance to use a single move before collapsing under the weight of the attack.
“She’s winning.”
It made no sense. It was Clair. If it were someone like Cynthia or Leon, I could understand it. But Clair? 
This entire tournament, I’ve been preparing. Waiting with anticipation for Red to show his next Pokémon, just so I could have the best team to match his.
It was a slow, methodical thing. I’ve spent countless hours, sleepless nights, and anything to give even the barest hint of a better chance of beating him.
No trainer would come close. They would help, but none of them are prepared to beat someone like Red. Not when they didn’t know what they were going up against in the first place.
Clair had tossed away all that hard work in the span of two minutes.
A bitter spark of resentment bubbled up. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. There were still two more battles that I had to-
I paused, briefly looking down at the palm of my hands. ‘When did I start thinking like this?’
I wasn’t worried Clair would lose. 
I was worried Clair would win. 
Red stepped forward, pulling his cap down before he sent out his final Pokémon.
A collective silence settled throughout the stadium. No cheers, no screams, but a suffocating silence instead.
How does one describe the ancestor of all Pokémon?
It was small. Pink. Fluffy. Vaguely resembling a kitten that had too big a head for such a small body. Next were its wide eyes, that was looking around the arena in childlike wonder.
It looked at Rayquaza, but there was no fear or malice in its gaze.
It simply tilted its head and let out a soft, melodic chirp, crinkling its eyes.
‘Shit,’ I thought, whipping my head to look at Psyclone, my biggest fear proving true.
His armor started to groan, steel buckling under an unnatural force. There was a heavy thud as plates started to collapse inward, the suit of armor he had been using as a cover becoming unrecognizable.
“Psyclone!” I rushed to his side. “Buddy, stop!”
He wasn’t listening.
Piece by piece, all of his armor started to rip off, a purple aura surrounding him. As the helmet snapped, his burning red eyes shone through.
And they were locked on Mew with unadulterated hate.