...
"Meloetta, I need you," Natsu said earnestly, staring at Meloetta. And damn, he meant it. Even though Meloetta's a Mythical Pokémon that can sorta control the Forces of Nature to some extent, her biggest hang-up is being a total scaredy-cat. If Natsu wasn't here, she would probably hide using her unique stealth ability.
"Melo?"
Meloetta looked at Natsu's serious face, soaking up the trust pouring off him. You could tell she felt that.
Natsu, trying to keep his voice from cracking, said, "Meloetta, I know you're scared, but honestly? I'm scared too."
Meloetta's small palm rested lightly on Natsu's chest.
Thump-thump–
Yeah, his heart was pounding like a drum solo. Meloetta, who can sing and mess with Pokémon's emotions—even manipulate them—could totally feel the fear in Natsu's heart. The dude was genuinely terrified.
But seriously, how the hell was he still acting so calm?
Boom!
Another damn lightning bolt. The dazzling thunder just seemed to explode all around them. Meloetta's hair tips could even feel a subtle, powerful current zipping up her body. Although it didn't hurt her, her body trembled and she practically melted into Natsu's embrace.
It was still scared stiff.
The next second, Dragapult began to lean heavily to dodge the attack. Natsu clung onto her with his Psychic powers.
While Meloetta trembled, Natsu's arms held her tightly. Feeling the warmth from his body, Meloetta's trembling quickly vanished. She lifted her head to see Natsu's dignified side. And when Natsu lowered his head, what stared back at him from Meloetta's green eyes was a goddamn warm smile.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
"Meloo."
Meloetta reached out a hand, gently brushing some scorched dust off Natsu's cheek. Natsu was caught off guard, then a huge grin plastered itself across his face.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Natsu looked back at Thundurus in front of him. Thundurus, glowing with blue thunder, looked like some terrifying thunder god controlling every goddamn current in the sky and earth, its five-fingered palm opening and closing, tracking Dragapult's movements. Under its control, "Thunder" seemed as easy as drinking water.
Dragapult, Natsu's biggest ace in the hole, was also his main support. Under Thundurus's relentless assault, all she could do was dodge. Even as Thundurus's rage cranked up, Dragapult's dodging became a nightmare.
"Melo."
Meloetta let out a weak little squeak.
Natsu slowly sighed, his thumb and forefinger lightly pinching Meloetta's round face. He said softly, "My bad, I really shouldn't have pushed you into doing things you didn't want to do."
With that, Natsu patted Dragapult's back.
"Dragapult, get us out of here, fly far away! Once Hydreigon gets rid of that bastard, we're bailing."
"Bartya!"
Dragapult squawked, clearly pissed off. This decision was long, long overdue.
Natsu stared at Thundurus, his hair whipping around wildly from the dense magnetic field and electric currents. The corner of his eye darted towards Hydreigon, but his heart sank a little.
Of course. Mr. S, that top-tier bastard, wasn't going down easy. Even though he'd lost most of his Pokémon fighting Thundurus earlier and was losing his ability to fight, he still summoned his Elite Scolipede. Nidoking was holding off Hydreigon, and Scolipede was fending off Beedrill's absolutely insane attacks. What blew Natsu's mind was how these two Elite-level Pokémon, clearly covered in scars, were exploding with insane power.
It was like they were in a full-blown frenzy. This made it even tougher for Hydreigon and Beedrill to break through their defenses quickly. A brief, tense stalemate.
Meanwhile, Mr. S had a dark look on his face, his eyes sweeping to where Natsu was, subtly, or not so subtly. It was clear as day. He was watching Natsu like a hawk.
If Natsu got sent packing or even killed by Thundurus, he would still have a shot at surviving. Judging by the current mess, Natsu and Dragapult couldn't last much longer. After duking it out with Thundurus, he knew just how terrifying Thundurus's destructive power was when it was enraged. Otherwise, even at full strength, he wouldn't have been so thoroughly humiliated by Natsu, a mere bounty hunter.
However, Dragapult's presence still put a hell of a lot of pressure on him. This wasn't some ordinary Elite Pokémon!
"Melo~"
Meloetta felt way calmer with Natsu comforting her. Looking at Thundurus, she naturally clearly sensed Thundurus's rage. It was this weird, unnatural anger that seemed influenced by some special power, making Thundurus pissed off, but not really the root cause. The most fundamental reason was that as a Legendary Pokémon, it had been improperly provoked.
Who the hell is Thundurus? That's the damn being that can summon thunderstorms and forest fires across the Unova Region. And there's no one else but Landorus who can even put a leash on it. So, yeah, this human probably used some crappy tool, similar to the one this morning in the forest, to screw with its emotions and even try to control it.
That's where Thundurus's rage hit the freakin' roof. That tool was just the spark; sensing the provocation and challenge was why Thundurus was acting like this.
"It's okay, we'll get out of here soon," Natsu reassured her again.
Boom!!
A huge lightning bolt suddenly appeared right over Dragapult's head. Dragapult frowned and flew sideways, barely dodging the strike.
Boom! Boom!
But Thundurus, watching Dragapult fly far away, was getting impatient. Holding two bright blue Electro Balls in both hands, it launched them flying towards the dodging Dragapult at extremely tricky angles, one left, one right.
Natsu's expression twitched.
"Phantom Force."
Ghost-type energy streamed from Dragapult; she suddenly vanished from the Electro Ball's path, dipping into the fourth dimension of Ghost-type Pokémon.
But when she reappeared...
"Meloo!"
Meloetta instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
Bang!
An "Electro Ball" slammed right into Dragapult. She staggered, shook her head twice, thunder crashed down right after, and her body immediately bent into a bizarre arc to dodge it.
Huff puff-
Dragapult gasped for breath, clearly winded.
"Dragapult, you alright?" Natsu asked urgently.
"Bartya."
'I'm fine.'
Natsu frowned.
If this kept up, before Mr. S was dealt with, it was likely they'd be dealt with by Thundurus first.
Should they just give up for now?
After all, neither Natsu nor Mr. S could leave this hellhole at the moment. Natsu was still wrestling with it in his mind. Mr. S's current condition was very bad, and this was the perfect moment; if they pulled back for who knows how long, it'd be tough to say who was the hunter and who was the prey.
Drip-drip-
A drop of blood landed on Meloetta's head. Meloetta opened her eyes instinctively, rubbing her palm on her forehead.
"Melo!"
Meloetta was startled to see blood on her palm. She looked up to where the blood was dripping from.
On Natsu's shoulder, his clothes were completely ripped, and the skin underneath was scorched. Blood trickled from where the charring met his skin.
"Melo!"
Meloetta cried out, her hands frantically pressing on Natsu's wound, but she was so worried about hurting him, she suddenly had no clue what the hell to do, a little flustered.
Pat-
Natsu's palm firmly rubbed her head again.
"It's okay, just a scratch."
"Bartya?" Dragapult also looked at Natsu after hearing Meloetta's cry.
Anger flared in her eyes. This must have been caused by the electric current that sprayed when she tried to twist her body to avoid "Thunder" just now.
Natsu getting hurt made Dragapult blame herself, and at the same time, a surge of rage — rage at herself, and rage at Thundurus — boiled up.
"Relax, it's just a minor injury. Focus on dodging, this isn't the time to get mad," Natsu's voice cut through.
"Bartya!"
Dragapult exhaled sharply.
Indeed, Natsu was right. This was the critical moment; it was either them surviving, or Mr. S surviving.
As for getting Natsu back to the ground? This whole area was completely drowned in a thunderous baptism now, not an inch of intact ground below was intact. The Pokémon below were too damn busy fending for themselves while focusing on Mr. S, so staying with Dragapult was clearly the safest bet for Natsu right now.
"Melo."
Meloetta stared blankly at Natsu's wound.
It must hurt like hell, right?
Why didn't he cry out?
Feeling the touch from Natsu's palm, Meloetta remembered that blood drop from before.
"Meloetta!"
Meloetta's eyes sharpened. The next moment, she twisted her headpiece—that looked like a headset with music notes—and moved the microphone to her mouth.
"Meloetta~~"
"Meloetta?" Natsu looked down at her.
But Meloetta winked at him with a pouting face.
Immediately after, a light and simple song, accompanied by singing, like a bubbling stream, seeped into the hearts of Natsu and Dragapult.
A cheerful and joyful tune. The pain from Natsu's wound lessened and even vanished with the singing.
Only... Thundurus, bathed in its thunder, wasn't affected as the singing tried to reach its storm. Because of the sheer tyrannical current, Meloetta's song shattered before it even reached Thundurus's ears.
"Melo!"
Meloetta pouted at this sight.
"Do you want to get closer to it?" Natsu asked, almost without thinking.
"Meloetta!"
Meloetta nodded defiantly. This was the courage and strength she felt from Natsu.
Meloetta isn't just capable of infecting Pokémon through song, but she's also super sensitive to Pokémon and human emotions. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so damn intrigued by the cute laughter of Eevee and Vulpix.
Hearing this, Natsu chuckled.
"Dragapult."
"Bartya!"
Dragapult understood without Natsu saying another word. She glared at Thundurus with narrowed eyes, her mouth opening the next moment. Terrifying Dragon-type energy erupted from her mouth, and fiery fireballs burst forth like meteors, streaking towards Thundurus.
Draco Meteor!
Thundurus puffed up its arms, rumbling and blazing, meeting the fierce "Draco Meteor" with a "Thunder Punch"!
Bang!!
It exploded loudly, sending meteors scattering everywhere. As the dust cleared, Thundurus looked around, but couldn't see Dragapult's silhouette.
In Distortion World.
"Graaaatinnna-!!"
Giratina roared, as if he'd been waiting for Dragapult's arrival!
Hacker!
Giratina in his true form was like a massive centipede slithering around the Distortion World, golden spikes shooting out from him, moving towards Dragapult, who had just entered here again.
Dragapult was also better prepared this time. Just hold off this move. When she came back, she'd definitely be right next to Thundurus.
Right now, it all depended on Meloetta, that brave little scamp.
"Melolo lolo~~"
A melodious, classic song drifted from Meloetta's microphone.
Relic Song!
With a cheerful and friendly vibe. Giratina's attack suddenly halted.
Meloetta, perched on Dragapult's head, performed an engaging dance, and Giratina's eyes were completely captivated by Meloetta. The hostility in his heart slowly melted away like ice, and doubt began to creep in.
Wasn't that just the Hacker?
Meloetta took a moment to move towards Natsu and winked.
It was like she was saying this big guy could actually be reasoned with.
Giratina, this Pokémon, can be reasoned with? Natsu, hearing this, didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Can Giratina be reasoned with? You'd think every creature in the Pokémon world would be like that.
Meloetta's body shifted. Her waterfall-like hair wrapped around the top of her head, and the singing from "Relic Song" started affecting her. Her hair changed from emerald green to orange-red, her eyes and the jewel on her forehead also turned orange, and her skirt transformed into a petal-like dance skirt, allowing her to dance lightly and gracefully.
Pirouette Forme!
"Bart Ya!"
'We're back!' Dragapult grunted.
The Distortion World spun again. When Dragapult reappeared, she was already right behind Thundurus.
"Meloetta!" Natsu yelled.
"Melo!"
Meloetta immediately jumped from Dragapult's head, diving into the thunder towards Thundurus. As Meloetta entered the thunder, her eyes narrowed as she remembered the wound on Natsu's shoulder.
It must have hurt like hell!
Bang!
Her swirling dance and slender legs were a stark contrast to Thundurus's bulky, muscular body. However, the outcome was clearly different.
Thundurus was kicked right out of the lightning by Meloetta. As the staggering Thundurus turned its head in surprise, it was met by Meloetta's frowning brow and a flurry of...
Double Slaps!
Pa pa pa——
The endless smacking of slender palms against blue cheeks.
Thundurus was slightly stunned for a moment. Before it could even react, it was hit with another Meloetta combo.
Close Combat!
"Melo! Melo! Melo!"
'Let me hit you! Let me hit you! Let me hit you!'
Seeing Thundurus getting slapped so many times, Natsu and Dragapult just looked at each other.
This...
Is pretty damn similar to Aegislash's personality, isn't it?
The blackened ground exploded violently.
"Melo?" Meloetta stared blankly at her hands.
It really didn't hurt at all.
Thundurus: I'm the one hurting, you little shit!
"Meloetta! Now!" Natsu quickly reminded her.
"Melo!" Meloetta responded.
Her form shifted again, from Pirouette Forme back to Aria Forme, and "Relic Song" was sung in a fast minor key.
Thundurus, who had angrily gotten up from the ground intending to retaliate, froze when it heard Meloetta singing, its eyes glazing over for a while. The rage in its heart faded like receding water. Thundurus blinked its eyes and looked at Meloetta in the air; it suddenly remembered.
It was an acquaintance.
Natsu and Dragapult relaxed at the same time as Thundurus stopped.
"Bartya"
Natsu's expression got a little weird when he heard Dragapult's whisper.
Dragapult: 'This is a really good trick, if you get beaten up, you become good friends again.'
Short explanation: If you get beaten up, we become good friends.
...
(End of this chapter)