Chapter 8: Ariados Gang Part 2

"Holy sh*t! Joshy did you see that! Did you see that!" Sam stood up as everyone in the booth had become silent after watching how Leon approached this fight.

"Yes Sam, I saw it." Josh's attention wasn't on winning the match or even on Leon; instead, he focused on Teddiursa, his expression grave as he observed the Pokémon's condition.

"F*CKING DAMMIT! THAT DAMN USELESS KID! THAT STUPID ODDISH COSTED ME A PRETTY PENNY! F*CK!" Daniel angrily stomped the ground in a fit of rage.

Daniel didn't care about the kid at all; in his mind, Peter was nothing more than an investment.

But this wasn't unique to Daniel; everyone in the spectators' booth viewed these kids not as future members, but as tools to advance their own agendas. 

This mindset was the essence of these brackets since friendship and camaraderie were seen as privileges, and even then, they were rare. 

While members might still respect one another, if they could eliminate a rival to strengthen themselves without repercussions, they would do so without hesitation.

"Whatever there's always next time." Daniel sighed while falling back into his chair.

"What a reckless kid." Jerome rubbed his chin as Bianca scoffed.

"Whatever, his Teddiursa is obviously poisoned and I doubt he is skilled enough to circulate the poison out of its system without hurting itself." Bianca accurately predicted what Teddiursa just did, making Sammy show a serious look.

"Joshy, how many more times does Leon have to fight before he can win?" Sam whispered to Josh who scratched his chin.

"Three." Josh held up three fingers as Sam slumped down in the chair in dismay.

"We're doomed." Sam whimpered however instead of agreeing Josh remained silent for only one reason.

'That kid's form isn't that of an amateur.'

1 hour later

For the past hour, Leon had been intently gazing at a pokeball in his hand before sighing.

'I really hope this works or I'm dead.'

As he tried to calm his nerves, Leon watched every fight intently, already scouting out who he didn't want to face next.

'Don't be that chick priscilla or that weird rock kid.'

"For the first battle of round two it will be Jessica vs. Leon!" The announcer yelled out as Brainna angrily stood up.

"YES! LADY LUCK ISN'T A CUCK!" Leon yelled inside his room, holding up his arms after watching the most recent fight.

"This is bullshit! Jessica just went and hasn't even had time to recover!" Bianca screamed angrily from the sponsor box though everyone just rolled their eyes.

"Brainna you know as well as everyone else that each match is determined at random." Jerome tried to ease Bianca who shrugged him off.

Under her displaced eyes, she watched Jessica and Leon step out of adjacent corners, each grabbing their pokeballs. 

Jessica appeared to be in her early teens, still bearing the marks of her previous fight. Seeing this, Leon sighed with relief, though he knew that his plan could still fall through.

"BEGIN!"

"Ferret, use a quick attack!" Jessica already gave her order before Furret even came out of her ball.

Leon kept clutching the pokeball in his hand as he made a beeline for Jessica as from the bright light emerged Furret, her body enveloped in a radiant glow. 

Closing the distance between them with incredible speed, Furret rushed toward Leon. As she came close enough, Leon clenched his pokeball tightly.

'C'mon Leon don't f*ck this up!' Leon yelled internally as he wound up his pokeball.

"Be careful Furret!" Jessica warned Furret who became villgant upon entering into close quarters with Leon.

Furret squinted vigilantly as Leon's next move unfolded as without a word, he threw the pokeball he had held onto since the match began. 

But instead of the usual burst of light, a red aura enveloped Furret which resulted in a flinching that halted all movements as the red energy attempted to confine her as Furret's hairs stood on end at the weird feeling. 

After scanning Furret's being, the red energy retracted as quickly as it had appeared, recognizing another pokeball's signature. 

As the energy dissipated back into the pokeball, it simply fell to the ground. 

Still frozen, Furret was sent flying to the side as Leon's foot connected with her face, his motion akin to kicking a soccer ball. 

This disruption effectively shattered Jessica's momentum, precisely what Leon had been waiting for while knocking Furret to the side.

"HOLY SH*T!" Sam screamed while tapping Josh's shoulder rapidly.

"Holy sh*t." Josh whispered in surprise.

"Holy sh*t." Everyone in the sponsor box let out at the unbelievable plan that actually worked.

"Holy sh*t." The announcer exasperated at the turn events couldn't help but cuss out.

'HOLY SH*T!' Leon roared with excitement in his mind though his face on the outside remained impassive. 

Furret, still shocked from the previous experience, couldn't help but fall completely to the ground becoming even more speechless at the next event at having Leon's foot dropkick her face.

Furret's stunned state left her vulnerable, allowing Leon to swiftly shift his focus back to Jessica.

He understood that summoning Teddiursa would spell defeat, prompting him to think outside the box and with only two pokeballs from Gabe at his disposal, he couldn't afford to make a misstep.

One was being occupied by Teddiursa but the second one was completely empty and usually to the normal eye this is only a regular pokeball.

Leon had formed a different perspective. While he acknowledged that summoning a pokemon typically emitted a distinctive light, he also understood the limitations of capturing another person's pokemon after trying it briefly.

But the question still remains; does this sort of reaction always happen when a pokeball interferes with a captured pokemon?

The reason for Leon's excitement was partially due to Jessica fighting the last fight but the main aspect of it had to do with Jessica herself.

Everyone Leon had watched seemed to have some fighting abilities but out of all of them, the participants known as Percila and Reggie were by far able to easily destroy Leon in his current state if used against them.

Relief swirled around Leon since his gamble could actually have a chance of working.

Leon had watched Jessica fight and like him, she also went for a fast approach so he figured that she would most likely do the same thing since her Furret only seemed to use two moves, quick attack and fury swipes.

Then from all of this, he assumed that she would command Furret to attack him right off the bat to set the momentum of the fight.

All of this led to the very thing Leon was waiting for being the complete and utter annihilation of Jessica's momentum.

Rushing toward Jessica, he didn't waste a single second knowing he had to end this fight as quickly as possible.

Seeing the oncoming fight, Jessica got into her stance while preparing for Leon's assault.

"FERRET GET UP!" Jessica yelled anxiously as Furret shook her head rapidly at the command of her trainer before turning back to see Leon already within fighting distance of Jessica.

Leon appeared to target Jessica's legs initially, but as she prepared to defend herself with a punch, Leon swiftly altered his trajectory at the final moment, darting past her.

Jessica's eyes widened in disbelief as her fist whiffed through empty air instead of striking Leon's boney body. 

The over extension of her sloppy punch skewed her balance as she instinctively sought to rectify this poor judgment while leaning backwards.

Jessic briefly forgot about Leon as her mind was only jolted of his presence only when Leon's arms encircled her neck.

"ERGH!" Jerssica immediately grunted, feeling Leon's forearm trying with all its might to cut off the circulation to her throat.

Jessica's survival instincts started to flare up as she repeatedly tried to elbow Leon's stomach.

No matter the consequences, Leon was resolute in maintaining his grip, even if it meant risking internal injuries for the kill.

"FE-"

*Cough*

"FURRET!" Jessica's mind felt hazy yet her voice still managed to cry for help.

Furret, witnessing her trainer's distress, made a desperate attempt to intervene, only to encounter a barrier at every turn. 

It was evident that Leon was the cause of Jessica's predicament, but no matter how Furret approached the situation, she found herself thwarted at every attempt.

Whenever Furret attempted to flank Leon, he would swiftly jerk Jessica's body in front of Furret, blocking her path and forcing her to reconsider her approach. 

With each passing moment, Jessica's health deteriorated further, her face turning a deep shade of red, evidence of Leon's tightening grip around her neck.

Desperate to escape the impending threat of death, Jessica thrashed about, launching punches and kicks at Leon in a futile attempt to free herself. 

Even when her elbow found its mark in his eye socket, temporarily stunning him, the pain of the action only tightened the grip around her neck even further. 

Yet, this momentary distraction provided a slight respite, as the muscles constricting her neck momentarily loosened.

Feeling this obvious change in the direct place he had been tirelessly trying to strangle, Leon suddenly twisted and pulled with both his arms.

*Crack*

The sharp crack echoed through the arena, silencing the crowd in an instant. 

It was a sound so distinct that even the faintest noise, like a pen dropping, became noticeable amidst the sudden hush.

*Thump* 

Leon loosened his grip, allowing Jessica's lifeless body to slump onto the arena floor, prompting a wide-eyed reaction from Furret.

"FURRET!" Furret emitted a heartbroken screech, tears streaming down her eyes though instead of sorrow, an intense anger swirled in her pupils. 

Sensing the oncoming Furret, Leon swiftly bent over and started sifting through the deceased Jessica's pocket.

"FURR-"

Leon swiftly recalled Furret before her emotional cry could reach him before immediately gripping the pokeball tightly, he fiddled with it until he confirmed it was in its dormant state. 

Then and only then did he exhale the pent-up tension from the entire stress filled interaction he had just witnessed.

*Huff*

*Huff*

*Huff*

"Damn." Leon breathlessly spoke out after falling next to the lifeless Jessica.

Leon had pushed his body to its absolute limit, nearly succumbing to the overwhelming fatigue that now engulfed him entirely.

"Participant Leon, please make your way off the arena." The announcer once again sounded out right when Leon was about to collapse.

Glaring at the announcer, he didn't voice his disagreement, but internally, he seethed with the desire to pummel the living daylights out of him, a torrent of curses swirling in his mind until he reached his room.

"J-Jessica." Bianca's voice choked while longingly reaching out into the air though inevitably retracted her hand back into a tight fist. 

"I shouldn't have listened to you." Bianca quietly whispered to herself before walking to the door.

She avoided all the eyes currently surrounding her figure and swiftly exited the room prompting a couple sighs with Tommy's being the biggest.

"The first rule of these brackets is to never get attached to a participant; she should know this." Tommy rubbed his forehead knowing Bianca clearly got attached to that girl as it was evident in her reaction.

"Joshy, I think we got a chance." Sam said with hopeful eyes to Josh who facepalmed at her incessant excited jumping.

"Sam, sit down."

"Ok."

Sam heeded Josh's words and silently took a seat beside him, while Jerome observed the pair from the sidelines.

"The kid you chose is very interesting." Jerome rubbed his chin in contemplation, not expecting him to use the capture energy of a pokeball to his advantage.

"He never ceases to surprise us." Josh spoke bluntly, expressing his true feelings since they had virtually no knowledge about him when they first encountered him.

One might perceive Josh and Sam's approach as reckless, but within the Ariados gang, this was standard operating procedure. 

It was far simpler to manipulate the minds of the young orphans scattered throughout the city, a consequence of the rising PokeWaves, and mold them into loyal members of their organization.

Although there were chances of spies from other gangs or affiliates infiltrating, the gang was highly vigilant in these matters, swiftly neutralizing any leaks before they could spread.

"I wonder if he has any more cards up his sleeve." Tommy curiously chimed in from the side, clearly interested in the prospect of Leon.

"I guess we'll have to see." Jerome also started to pay attention to the fights, feeling that this might not have been easy as he thought it would be for his own participant.

Once Leon entered his room and shut the door behind him, he collapsed onto the ground, audibly exhaling uneasy breaths. 

Teddiursa emerged from his pokeball and hurried over to Leon's side, having already recovered considerably during the fight and patiently awaiting Leon's next move.

However Teddiursa didn't expect Leon to fight the whole battle himself.

"Teddi." Teddiursa's face was heavy after seeing Leon's state and accumulated injuries.

Gently lifting up Leon's shirt, Teddiursa saw the blue and purple spots littering his thin boney body and once Teddiursa saw this his face became dark.

"I'm fine, I just need to sit down-"

*THUMP*

"TEDDI!"

30 minutes later

Leon's eyes shot open as the next erratic movement showed him standing up, breathing heavily, his eyes darted around the room only to see Teddiursa calmly sitting in front of the T.V.

"Teddiursa what happened!" Leon stood up though once he did his body fell back to the ground.

Leon, who was still a little discombobulated, didn't even realize that Teddiursa had carried him onto the couch.

So as Leon moved himself forward, did he realize his sudden evaluated position. 

The lack of awareness only caused Leon to succumb to gravity's cruel embrace, face first.

*THUD*

"Teddi." Teddiursa briefly pointed at the ongoing matches in front of him.

Leon quickly raised his head only to immediately widen once he heard the words of the announcer.

"The third round will begin after this match which will decide the final four!-"

"How long have I been out-urgh!" Leon wanted to finish his sentence until the pain overwhelmed him.

Clutching his severely bruised ribs, Leon had realized that all his adrenaline had fully worn off leaving him with immense amounts of pain.

"Ursa." Teddiursa didn't understand time so to try and help Leon, he continued to point at the announcer who was narrating the current events.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU-"

~DEEP BREATH IN~

~DEEP BREATH OUT~

Perhaps it was the pain or the gravity of the situation, but a surge of immense anger flooded Leon's mind, though he quickly reined it in before it could erupt outward.

'Calm down, calm down, Teddiursa didn't do anything wrong.' Leon understood that directing his anger at Teddiursa wouldn't solve anything, especially considering the bear Pokémon was only trying to help. 

With the myriad of problems continually arising before him, he knew he needed to maintain a level head and focus on solutions.

In his original intentions, Leon aimed to meticulously plan out the next fight, knowing Teddiursa would be able to participate. 

However, he vastly underestimated the toll his current physical state had taken on him, succumbing to the accumulated fatigue and fainting.

"Teddiursa, I have a plan." Leon took a deep breath, managing to stand up contrary to what his body was screaming at him not to do. 

Teddiursa nodded his head however once Leon pulled out a pokeball from his pocket did he stand up.

"Teddi!"

"We can't win without this furball's help!" Leon yelled back as Teddiursa's mouth instinctively clamped down.

Leon, like Teddiursa previously, wasn't in any position to fight the next round leaving them with only one option.

"Teddi teddiursa." Teddiursa complained, implying it would be against human rules.

"Tediursa, they never said we couldn't use the pokemon obtained from the people we killed." Leon shrugged, Teddiursa opened his mouth to refute but not a single word that matched his name came out.

*Sigh*

"Teddiursa."

"Great, I'm glad you agree." Leon showed a wicked smile at Teddiursa reluctant sigh, enlarging the pokeball before releasing Furret.

*Thump*

Furret, whose muscles were still affected by the status effect of pokeball, immediately collapsed onto the ground.

Her mind was in disarray for a while before piecing together the events that led to her current situation. It wasn't until she laid eyes on Leon that a horrifying memory came rushing back to her mind.

"FURRET!" Furret screeched in rage as the sight of the human who crushed her trainer's neck made her unable to contain her emotions.

"Teddiursa subdue her!" Leon quickly spoke out, tiredly leaping out the way instinctively.

*BAM*

Furret barely missed Leon as she crashed into the wall behind him, the wall splintered under Furret's force leaving Leon to gulp heavily.

'Jesus f*ck!' Leon had initially dismissed the impact as something akin to being punched by a small child.

However, now he knew that if Furret's attack had landed squarely on his chest, she would have undoubtedly crushed his ribcage.

The entire sequence of her attack was just a second, but both trainer and Pokémon were taken aback by Furret's astonishing speed.

"FURR-"

"TEDDIURSA!" Teddiursa didn't even let Furret finish her anger-fueled speech as he tackled her, pinning her face into the ground.

"FUR FURRET!" Furret tried to squirm away from Teddiursa's hold however every time she did, Teddiursa only squeezed her tighter, mirroring the exact event of both their trainers earlier.

*BAM*

Right before she could manage to slip out of Teddiursa's hold, Leon came over with a broken piece and wood while slamming it into Furret.

Furret's brain jostled inside her skull, leaving her mind furry, however, when she regained her senses, she found herself fully pinned to the ground by Teddiursa.

"FURR-"

"F*CKING LISTEN TO ME YOU HAIRBALL!" Leon roared, ignoring the pain as Furret instinctively closed her mouth.

Leon didn't have the luxury of manipulating or appealing to the obviously distraught Pokémon, so he resorted to the one thing that might work: intimidation.

"I need you to fight for me." Leon lowered his voice though the authority never diminished from it.

"Furret?" Furret asked out incredulously, not believing Leon's words thinking she heard wrong and unconsciously muttered out for further clarification.

"Teddi." Teddiursa rolled his eyes while holding Furret in place knowing this wouldn't and shouldn't work.

"FURRET!" Furret screeched in rage at this murders shameless words, wanting to rip out his spin with her teeth.

"WELL THEN DO YOU WANT TO DIE!" Leon yelled back while gripping his side in pain, making Furret flinch.

"F-Furret!"

"Bullsh*t, I'm your only hope at surviving." Leon immediately spoke out hearing Furret confirmation.

"Fur furret fur furret furret, ret rret urret fur furret!" Furret showed a smile as Teddiursa shoved her head deeper into the ground.

Furret maintained a confident smile as she continued to utter nonsensical threats about Jessica's sponsor, Bianca, coming to her rescue. 

However, both Leon and Teddiursa scoffed simultaneously, causing Furret's ear to twitch in annoyance.

"If your sponsor charishes your trainer like you just said, wouldn't she kill you in the slowest, most painful way possible for failing at your one objective which was being her pokemon?" Leon's words caused Furret to waver slightly, prompting him to silently fist bump himself in satisfaction.

'Good she has that type of personality.' Leon took a shot in the dark, but his description of Bianca hit the mark with surprising accuracy.

In the underworld, men tended to always be the overwhelming majority while the low minority leaned heavily onto women.

Amidst this evident scarcity, female leaders in the gang world were a rare breed. And when they did emerge, their types had inevitably formed, especially among influential women. Typically, there were two distinct archetypes.

One group utilized their charm and allure, leveraging emotions like love or lust to manipulate and advance their agendas. 

Then there were those whom Leon particularly loathed: women who resorted to aggression and skills to assert themselves. 

This usually stemmed from a recognition of the physical disadvantage women faced in terms of brute strength, often essential in confrontations that couldn't require firearms. 

It wasn't about demeaning women, but acknowledging a biological reality. 

In response to this perceived weakness, some women adopted a ferocious, even reckless demeanor, determined to prove their mettle and demand respect. 

Leon's frustration with such individuals stemmed from the unpredictability and difficulty of negotiating with them; their wildcard nature made conversations a hassle. 

There were also those who relied on their own skills or intelligence to advance, but those were the types that either blended into the other two groups as Leon had rarely encountered those pure types in his previous life.

It was important to note, however, that Leon's disdain was not directed at women as a whole, but rather at those whose he couldn't read outright since the unknown always made Leon nervous.

Seeing Furret's hesitant expression, Leon deduced that Bianca was likely an unpredictable individual, prone to emotional outbursts and erratic behavior when faced with adversity.

"Furret you'll be lucky if Bianca decides to kill you immediately. I mean if I was her I would definitely make your death a slow and painful one until I broke you mentally, and once you were just a husk of your former self then I would let you bleed out." Leon picked at his finger nail while side-eyeing Furret.

With each word Leon spoke, Furret's ears drooped further, her expression shifting to one of horror. 

In reality, Furret was just a young Pokémon, discovered as an egg in the forest and raised by Jessica from the beginning. 

It was only when Bianca appeared that Furret ventured out into the wider world. 

Furthermore, Bianca pressured Jessica to hasten Furret's evolution to increase her chances in battles.

With Furret being a young Pokémon and having limited experience with the outside world, she was more susceptible to believing Leon's words.

"Furret." Furret denied his words, but the more they echoed in her child-like mind, the more it started to sway her own internal perceptions.

Despite her tough and hateful exterior, Furret's primal instinct for survival remained strong. Like any creature, she harbored a deep-seated fear of death, a fear that gripped her even in her current predicament.

"You claim all my words are lies, yet you refuse to see any truth in them." Leon shrugged and gestured to Teddiursa, who nodded in agreement. 

Releasing his grip on Furret, she slumped to the ground in confusion, her emotions swirling in a tumultuous whirlwind. 

Leon's persuasive words added to her confusion, making it difficult for her to process everything at once.

Furret was confused and hurt; her trainer had died before her eyes, leaving her feeling powerless and extremely vulnerable as Leon wholly took advantage of everything at his disposable.

"Furret, listen." Leon limped over to Furret and kneeled down, her watery eyes gazed up to see Leon's gentle smile as a sudden flash of Jessica appeared in her eyes which only made her even more vulnerable.

"I might be a lot of things, a scumbag, a murder-" Leon started listing off all his negative traits, gently picking up Furret before setting her in his lap as his hand gently caressed her head.

Initially unwilling, Furret eventually found herself longing for comfort after everything she had experienced. 

Deep down, all she wanted was a hug, and Leon was the only one willing to give her one.

"A backstabber, unempathetic, unprincipled, but listen when I tell you that I always look after what's mine." Leon pulled Furret's tearful face towards him while wiping away her tears.

"I don't want you to die nor do I want anything to happen to you, but what I can do is guarantee that if you become my pokemon I'll protect you." Leon's words made Furret show another painfilled expression, making her cry even more.

"I might be your only hope, and I know that you don't trust me but I can promise you that I won't let Jessica's death be in vain because if I die then her death will mean nothing." As Furret's tears continued to flow, Leon drew her closer to his chest, offering her solace. Teddiursa looked on with a mixture of disbelief and concern.

"Teddi." Teddiursa rubbed his eyes, unable to believe the situation unfolding before him. 

Meanwhile, Leon wore a wicked smile as he held Furret in his embrace, fully aware that he had just captured another Pokémon.

'Thank you for your patronage Jessica.'