Fight back

The smoke slowly starts to clear after the explosion that engulfs Marine.

"Ih ih ih... and now we have a roasted turtle," Kumo snickers.

But then...

As the smoke fades away, Kumo notices a translucent sphere surrounding Marine.

Inside it, the squirtle musu is bruised and exhausted, but still standing.

"Ah... ah... that was close," Marine pants.

"You bitch! You used water to cushion the explosion!" Kumo growls.

"Eh eh... didn't expect that, fart lady?" Marine grins.

"How dare you call me a fart lady, you bi—"

Kumo's insult is interrupted when a bubble suddenly flies into her face and explodes.

"What the—"

Marine places her hands together and begins blowing streams of bubbles from them. Dozens of shimmering bubbles start floating all around the battlefield.

Kumo watches them suspiciously.

Then one drifts above her head.

Marine immediately fires a Water Gun at it.

The bubble explodes, releasing a burst of pressurized water that slams into Kumo.

"Agh!"

Marine grins.

The battlefield quickly turns chaotic.

Kumo keeps launching balls of sludge in every direction, trying to hit her opponent before another bubble can explode nearby.

Marine continuously runs around the square, creating more and more floating bubbles while dodging the toxic projectiles.

Several times Kumo nearly hits her.

One sludge bomb explodes next to Marine's leg, splashing poisonous sludge over her boots.

Another grazes her shoulder.

But every time Kumo slows down for even a second, Marine uses the surrounding bubbles against her.

Pop!

A bubble explodes beside Kumo.

Pop!

Another detonates behind her.

Pop!

A third bursts right above her head, drenching her with water.

"You annoying little turtle!" Kumo screams.

"Gotta be faster than that!" Marine laughs.

The koffing musu is slowly being pushed on the defensive.

"Grrr... enough!"

Kumo suddenly releases a massive quantity of toxic smoke.

A thick green cloud spreads through the entire area, hiding everything from view.

Then she floats high above it.

"We can't fail this mission!" she screams furiously. "I'll make you suffocate in an ocean of toxic smoke!"

The battlefield falls silent.

Then...

A Water Gun shoots blindly into the smoke. Another follows. Then another. Five. Six.

At first they seem completely random.

But then the projectiles begin striking the bubbles Marine created earlier.

The explosions of pressurized water blast holes through the smoke screen, scattering the poisonous cloud.

Little by little, visibility returns.

And finally... Kumo becomes visible.

Marine is crouched below, curled into herself as if preparing to spring.

Mana surges around her body.

"Let's see if I can do it like mama..."

"W-what?" Kumo's eyes widen.

"Skull Bash!"

Marine launches herself forward like a cannonball.

"W-Wait! Wait! WAIT!" Kumo desperately hides behind her floating rock.

Too late.

Marine slams into the rock with terrifying ****.

The impact sends both Kumo and her rock flying backwards.

They crash into a nearby wall, and Kumo's semi-gaseous body ends up painfully squashed between the rock and the stone surface.

The wall cracks from the impact.

The smoke finally begins to disappear.

Marine lands heavily on the ground.

The technique clearly exhausts her.

She falls onto her back and spreads her arms.

"I... I did it! Let's go!" she cheers while lying on the ground.

---

Meanwhile, Kitty disappears back into the shadows.

"You talked big a second ago, but how exactly are you planning to stop me? You're too slow" she mocks.

Suddenly she lunges again from the darkness.

But this time Midori is ready.

A vine coils around Midori's arm.

The reinforced vine intercepts Kitty's claws.

"Oh? Nice idea..." Kitty smirks. "But that won't be enough."

With feline agility, she vaults over Midori's head.

Before Midori can react, Kitty lands behind her and sweeps her legs.

Midori falls.

She quickly rolls away and gets back to her feet.

A kick follows toward where Kitty was standing.

Nothing. The meowth girl is already gone.

The battle continues.

Kitty constantly attacks from blind spots.

Each time Midori senses movement, she reinforces her arms with vines and blocks the incoming claws.

Again and again.

Sometimes she manages to stop the attacks.

Sometimes Kitty slips through and leaves another shallow wound.

The shadows become her playground.

Midori keeps turning, searching, trying to predict where the next attack will come from.

But Kitty is simply too fast.

Several more cuts appear on Midori's arms and sides.

Eventually Midori starts breathing heavily.

"Time to finish this fight... Slash!"

Kitty suddenly appears behind her.

Long claws made of Normal-type mana form a cross-shaped attack.

Midori barely manages to raise her arms.

The attack crashes into the vines.

The magical claws cut through them.

The vines snap apart.

But then... The broken vines suddenly burst.

Clouds of spores explode directly into Kitty's face.

"W-What is this?!" Kitty coughs.

She stumbles backwards.

"You really think I was out of options..." Midori pants.

The meowth girl falls to one knee as the spores spread through her body.

"That's a mixture of Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder. I doubt you're immune to all of them."

Kitty drops completely to the ground, her body twitching and weakening under the effects.

"I accumulated them inside the vines so they'd hit you the moment you broke them."

"H-How did you come up with something like that?!" Kitty asks, genuinely frightened.

"Well, if I want to stay by Erik's side, I need to be able to keep up."

Midori slowly raises her hands.

Green mana gathers between them.

A glowing sphere forms.

"And I have another surprise."

"W-What are you planning to do?"

"Trying a new technique..."

The sphere grows larger.

"Energy Ball!"

Midori launches the attack.

"Wait! I'm sor—" The sphere hits Kitty directly and sends her flying backwards.

She crashes into a wall and collapses ****.

Midori finally sits down, exhausted.

"Now... show them what you're made of, Erik..."

---

Meanwhile, your battle continues.

Using the sword's special ability to elongate like a sharp whip, you suddenly catch Jessie off guard and slash across her arm.

"Tsk... so that's not just a fancy sword."

"I was just warming up before."

You immediately rush forward.

A storm of attacks forces Jessie entirely onto the defensive.

She still deflects your strikes with remarkable skill, but her movements aren't as clean as before.

Then, in the middle of your ****, you suddenly step back and swing your sword through empty air.

The blade releases a cloud of spores.

Jessie inhales them.

"What is this stuff?!" she coughs.

"Some nice spores. I think you'll like them."

"Fuck... my body..." The paralysis immediately starts affecting her.

Her movements become slower.

Her reactions become sluggish.

But you aren't doing much better.

The poison inside your body continues spreading.

Your muscles burn. Your breathing becomes heavier.

Jessie blocks another attack. Then another.

Then barely manages to stop a third.

You can see her arms shaking.

Meanwhile your vision blurs slightly from the venom.

The two of you continue exchanging blows.

Neither willing to back down.

Finally Jessie jumps back.

She's bruised and exhausted.

You're tired and poisoned.

"Better... if we end this fight now," Jessie says.

She begins gathering mana into her lance.

You narrow your eyes.

She's right. This needs to end now.

You watch as she prepares Poison Jab once more.

Then, at the last second, you switch weapons.

The Bulbasaur sword disappears.

Marcy's gauntlets materialize around your fists.

You focus completely as she approaches.

"You're a fool! That won't stop me!"

Her lance shoots toward you.

You remain still... Until the very last second.

"Oh no..." you grin.

"I just have the Guts to wait until the last moment."

"Focus Punch!"

Energy explodes around your fist.

Your punch collides directly with her lance.

Jessie's eyes widen.

The overwhelming **** bends the weapon in half.

"W-What?!"

Before she can recover, your other fist follows.

The second punch slams into her.

Jessie desperately raises the broken remains of her weapon to soften the impact.

It isn't enough.

The **** launches her across the square.

She crashes into a wall and collapses ****.

Silence follows.

The walls of flame finally extinguish themselves.

You can see your companions again.

They won their battles too.

Midori immediately rushes toward you and wraps her arms around you.

"Are you okay, Erik?! You look terrible!"

Green healing energy begins flowing through your body.

"T-Thank you... I think I needed that."

"Like expected, the great Marine won!" Marine cheers from the ground.

She's still lying on her back.

You chuckle and walk over to her.

Offering your hand.

Marine grabs it.

You pull her to her feet and she immediately leans against you for support.

Then all three of you turn toward your remaining opponent.

Jessie and Kitty lie ****.

Kumo struggles back into the air and positions herself between them and you.

"I won't let you... touch them..."

Toxic gas begins gathering around her.

A defensive barrier forms.

"Surrender already. You're defeated and trapped."

"Never!" Kumo screams.

"Oh, I think you should, miss."

A powerful voice interrupts the confrontation.

The sound of a walking cane striking stone echoes through the square.

A familiar figure approaches from the entrance.

Lord Giovanni. And several armed guards follow behind him.