Determination

Barely reacting, Mad-Ji only stared at Max.

{...Say that again?}

"I've been doing some thinking, and… I need to get stronger."

{...And?}

"And I thought that you would be the perfect one to help me with that."

{And since when has your weakness become my problem? As far as I know, we're not friends and I owe you jack-shit.}

"I know, but since you're the strongest here…"

{Then let's make a deal. Turn around, leave, never bother me again and no one gets sent to the hospital, alright?}

Backing up, Mad-Ji was about to close the door, but Max blocked it with one hand.

"Please, Mad-Ji. I really need your help. My girls need me and I want to offer them the best of me."

Not pushing anymore, Mad-Ji glared at Max. She leaned forward, inches away from his face, and glared right into his eyes for a few seconds as if she was trying to find something in his mind. Then, out of nowhere, she grabbed his shoulders and hit Max in the stomach with her knee. In pain and struggling for breath, Max bent forward, but not for very long as the gardevoir uppercut his face, propelling his body headfirst across the corridor into the wall behind him. As he coughed in pain, his nose and mouth beginning to bleed, Mad-Ji walked towards him with the skin on her forearms morphing into a metallic-looking material.

{Me? Train you? Don't make me laugh.} She said with an arrogant but irritated voice. {Just look at yourself. So frail and squishy, a poké-fucking piece of shit like you wouldn't survive ten minutes in boot camp.}

When close to him, she grabbed onto his jaw and raised him into the air, pressing his back against the wall.

{Listen here Nemako, and you listen well. I don't tolerate mockery of any sort, especially from incompetent fuckers like you. Since you seem to be mentally challenged, I'll give you one final warning; Do. Not. Piss me off. Is that understood?}

(Nemako?)

Upon hearing the word, Max felt like he already heard it, but couldn't put his finger on it. Putting that aside and unable to answer anything anyway, Max tried to force her to ungrasp his face, but to no avail. Mad-Ji then clenched her fist harder, hurting Max even more by pressing his lower jaw. As soon as she felt that she'd hurt him enough, she released him, making him fall with a heavy thud.

{Next time, you can bet your ass that I won't stop at just your jaw. That should be something even a braindead magikarp would understand.} She informed him before turning to head back to her room.

"I'm… serious…" Max hardly said due to his extreme pain.

{...What did you say?} She asked, glaring back at him.

"I'm… not mocking you. I… really want… to get stronger. You're a military… so you know stuff. I'm not one to beg… but if I have to…"

Losing patience again, Mad-Ji walked back to him. This time, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and raised him to the height of her head. Max was anticipating and preparing for another hit, but Mad-Ji only stared at him angrily. To her surprise, Max didn't have difficulty looking straight into her eyes, not showing a hint of fear. He was determined. Narrowing her eyes, she released him, making him fall on his ass again.

{...I see that you have slightly more backbone than I thought.}

*Koff* *Koff*

{So, you want to be trained by me?} She asked, arms crossed.

*Koff* "Yes… for them."

With a mix of a growl and a sigh, Mad-Ji closed her eyes for a short moment.

{Five minutes. Outside, front and center, in the garden. You better be there. Don't make me wait...} She aggressively instructed before finally returning to her room.

Coughing less and less, Max stood up with a bit of difficulty. Even though he was in pain, he had to quickly get outside. It was a race against time, and the clock was already ticking. Over the next few minutes, he got used to the pain and managed to keep a steady pace. Now in front of the main hall stairs, Max had engaged them when he encountered one of the maids.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?!" She asked in a panic.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Max replied, quickly dodging her. "But I don't have a second to lose."

"I…" The maid said, looking at Max in horror.

By how aggressively Max replied, she didn't insist and left to resume her chores, but not without staring at him with concern until he wasn't in sight anymore. Four minutes had already passed and he was still on his way. Finally, he saw the patio doors a little further ahead. Accelerating despite the pain, Max pulled it open and hurried outside. He closed it behind him and rushed down the stairs, quickly heading to the most open area of the place, a bit further. When he arrived, he was sure that he was early since he didn't see Mad-Ji. Sighing in relief, he received a rather strong palm thrust behind the head, knocking him onto his knees.

"Fuck…!" He growled, holding his head.

{You're three seconds late.} Mad-Ji informed him, before walking past him.

"What would have happened if it were longer…?" Max wondered, rubbing his head.

{Something much worse. So…} She started while stopping, facing away from him with her fists clenched. {You want to be trained that badly, huh?}

"Y-Yes… for my girls. And..." Max answered, slowly standing up. "For myself too, I guess."

{Isn't that cute.} She mocked. {Well, let's have some fun, then.} She mumbled while cracking her knuckles.

Turning around, Mad-Ji walked near Max. Now used to her attacking him, he raised his hand defensively.

{Lesson one…}

Quickly passing by his defense with ease, Mad-Ji hit him with a hook to the side of the face, making him fall on his side further.

{They are not your girls, understand?} She told him. {We are not, nor will we ever be reduced to a maggot's property. You better register it in your head before I do it for you. And trust me, it won't be mere words.}

"Y-Yes ma'am… understood…" Max said in pain, holding his head.

{Good. It is up to them whether they choose to be with you or not, and if they stay, it's because they want to. A poor choice if you ask me, but shit attracts all kinds of flies. Lesson two…} She followed, kicking him on the side, making him roll over. {You're just a worthless, pathetic, sorry excuse for a human being, so you better forget the idea of getting 'strong for them.' No matter what you do…} She said, pressing one of her footless legs on him while making sure it was hurting him. {You'll stay that way 'til the day you die.}

"I… have to try."

{Are you even listening, Nemako?!} She shouted, pressing her leg harder, making him instinctively grab it. {No matter what you try, you can't change what you are. You were born as one of the weakest creatures on this planet, so you better deal with it and learn your place already!}

"I… don't care."

{Say that again.} She asked, pressing even harder again.

"Ghaa…! I don't care… if I'm the weakest in the universe. If I can just… be stronger than that… even by just a little… I'll be satisfied."

Max's determination sure intrigued Mad-Ji. She inspected him as he was struggling to move her leg away because of the pain.

{...Not only are you weak…} She said, removing her leg. {You're also stupid as hell.}

"I know… Ghaa… I get that a lot." Max replied, rolling to his stomach to stand up.

{You're missing the point… I don't think that you're aware of what you're asking.}

"I do. I already… trained with my… pokemon before."

{No, no. I'm not talking about playful wrestling or light sparring. I'm talking about real training, where you shed blood, sweat, and tears with each session. And on top of that, you're asking a war-torn military pokemon to train you? Don't you see how ridiculous you sound? You won't even be able to train on a pre-volve's level and will fucking die as a result.}

Unable to reply, Max only looked at the ground.

{Just go back to your childish games and forget it.} Mad-Ji said, starting to walk back inside.

"I… don't care… about that either." Max retorted, making her stop again. "Even if it kills me… I won't back down. I've made up my mind, and not even you can make me change it."

{If I really want to, I could.}

"Yet, you won't. Because you don't care if I die, am I wrong?"

{...No.} She replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I know you don't owe me anything. But… I'm ready to do anything. I'm tired of how things are currently, and I am going to change that."

Crossing her arms, Mad-Ji stared at him again.

{...If you weren't such a pathetic softy, maybe you could have been a half-decent soldier.}

"All I want is to be a better pokemon trainer."

{...*Sigh* You really want to suffer that much, don't you? Alright. I'll give you your chance.}

"Thank you," Max replied with a tiny smile.

{Here's how it will go…} She said, almost cutting him off. {If you can survive an hour against me, then I'll consider taking you seriously.}

"An hour? In a real fight?"

{Yes. What's wrong, already chickening out?} She taunted.

"Not really. I'm just… wondering what I can do against psychic abilities?" Max replied, doing the same in a different stance.

{You should have thought about that before engaging in a fight with a pokemon. But don't worry, I'll only be using my fists. I can easily destroy you without anything else.}

"...Alright."

{Oh, and do me a favor.}

"S-Sure…"

{Don't die too quickly.}

"I'll tr-"

*PAFF*

With his mouth still moving from talking, Max was hit with a lightning-fast punch to the jaw with an even faster movement. Barely staying in place without dislocating and almost falling over, Max managed to stay on his feet, only to lose his balance right after. Quickly raising his guard up, Mad-Ji instantly attacked again with an uppercut through his defenses. Before he could even land back on the ground, she chained with multiple punches on each of his torso's pressure points, awfully hurting Max and making him land on his back. Not even having the time to hold himself in pain, Mad-Ji was already on him with a punch brought down from above. Fortunately, this time, he reacted in time and rolled away, avoiding the blow which created a hole where it landed. He tried to quickly stand up, but received a brutal side-kick to the stomach, sending him flying.

{Come on, Nemako! Surely you can at least fight back after all that talk.} Mad-Ji mocked.

"...Fuck…" Max growled, immobilized by the pain on the ground.

{Had enough already? No wonder why you can't do shit on your own. If you're on the ground after a few love taps, you might actually die within the next hour, and it will be on you since it was your idea.}

Despite the pain, Max tried to get up, albeit very slowly.

{Just look at you.} The gardevoir said, hands on her hips. {We're barely a minute in and you're already reduced to a filthy blob. This is too laughable. So much for that so-called 'love' you have for your 'companions.' You would actually do better if you had fought as hard as you've fucked, but I guess I was wrong. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, both would be shitty.}

"Just… shut up…" He retorted quietly.

{Don't worry, if you die here, maybe I'll go for them next and have a little fun.}

"Don't… you dare…" Max growled.

{Then try and stop me, Nemako. Otherwise, their deaths will be on you as well.}

"Tsk. What's up with the 'Nemako' name, anyway? I think I've heard it before, but..."

{You live and fuck a gardevoir and you don't even know that? Fucking hell. If it wasn't for my well-trained brain, your raw stupidity would have caused an aneurysm by now. It's the male version for the word 'worthless' in gardevoirs' culture.}

"Male version?"

{Maybe the word Nemaka will ring a bell.}

"Nemaka? Wait…"

{Wasn't that how your dead friend Jade was called?} Mad-Ji said with a mocking tone.

"You bastard... "

Enduring the pain, Max got angry and launched himself at Mad-Ji and went for the quickest and strongest punch he could muster, which was, unfortunately, the most predictable. With Mad-Ji easily deviating it, she grabbed onto his chin and smashed his head into the ground while holding his arm.

{Weak! Your pitiful display of emotions and willpower is the most you've dealt to me yet. It's a wonder how you managed to survive until now.}

With Mad-Ji holding his head down by the jaw, Max tried to pull her hand away by going for her fingers and wrist, but it felt like even her fingers were stronger than his biceps.

{Is that all you got? I've seen more physical strength from infant ralts compared to you.}

He then spotted her elbows, which were very straight. As he had seen in a movie, he tried to go for it and break it on the other side. For a moment, he thought his tactic could work, especially if she didn't expect it, however, it was like he had just punched a metal pole.

{*Hmpf* Nice try.}

With a stronger grasp, she pulled him up and threw him away, causing him to roll a few feet from her.

{I should thank you, though. I haven't had this much fun in a long time now. So please, keep entertaining me.} Mad-Ji said with a sadistic expression, walking towards Max with clenched fists.

A bit further away, someone was assessing the scene in horror.

{Oh no! Master! He's…}

Hiding behind a cut cedar hedge, Dusk had heard noises as she was not very far and went to investigate, only to witness her master being relentlessly beaten up by Mad-Ji.

{I… We can't let this happen.}

As fast as she could, she ran inside without being seen and went to look for the others. The first one she could find was Bonny, who was still lying on the bed in their bedroom.

{Bonny?} She called out urgently after opening the door.

{What?} The lopunny asked after jumping.

{It's terrible! Master… he's…}

{What's happening to him?}

{It's Mad-Ji… she's… she's gonna kill him.}

{...What?}

{I'll go get Scarlet! You go get the others!} She said before leaving.

{Wait! Hold up!} Bonny loudly said, leaving her bed and the room.

Quickly, Aurora, Bonny, and May had gathered at the patio doors. Without a word, they all exited the mansion and ran towards where Max was being assaulted. As they arrived, Mad-Ji had just thrown him meters away with a projection, in their direction.

{That's enough!} Aurora yelled, getting between the two of them, making her aura burst into power.

{Would you look at that? You poke-sluts didn't learn from last time, did you?} Mad-Ji said with crossed arms.

{Learning has nothing to do with this. No matter how strong the opponent is, we'll always risk our lives to protect our master.} Aurora explained.

{Isn't that cute. So you all came here to die.}

{Well, if it means you leaving him alone…} The lucario said, getting into a defensive stance. {Then so-}

Suddenly, Aurora felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Stand… down… Aurora." Max said, hardly breathing while passing next to her. "I… asked… for this."

{Asked for…? Have you gone insane?!} She complained before looking at Mad-Ji. {What have you done to him? You hypnotized him, didn't you?!}

{That would have been fun, but no. Unfortunately for you, he's telling the truth. He asked for a training session from me, so I'm giving him one.}

{Training session? You're just beating him up senselessly.}

"I told you… Aurora… just stand down. Don't… intervene."

With Aurora about to retort, Scarlet appeared with Dusk.

{Tsk. You better stop this instant.} Scarlet demanded. {Or else…}

{Or else what? You'll come here and get your ass kicked again?} Mad-Ji taunted.

{I won't underestimate you this time.} Scarlet assured, readying two Shadow Balls.

"Enough!" Max shouted, getting between her and Mad-Ji. "I asked… for this, Scarlet. Stay… out of this."

{The hell is wrong with you? Move aside, master. I can't win with you in my way.}

"Then I won't budge. I chose to put myself to this and I'll stay here."

{What? Stop this nonsense and move!}

"No. It's my decision. Can't you just accept it?"

{No! I'll never agree for you to be beaten to death by this monster.}

"Sorry, but you'll have to. I want to get stronger and asked her to help me with that."

{Why? I can do that as well. Why her?}

"Because…"

{If it's power you want, then switch places with us. We'll train instead of you.} Aurora suggested.

"That's not for you to decide." Max firmly told her.

{We can't just-}

{ALL OF YOU MAGGOTS SHUT THE FUCK UP!}

While yelling, Mad-Ji used Hyper Voice, increasing the decibels to an unforgiving level, making everyone drop to the ground holding their ears. Being very sensitive to sound, Bonny was even paralyzed, shaking heavily on the ground. Her echoed voice resonated so far that all of Oxgard must have heard her clearly. It took a little while for the echo to subside entirely. When it did, not a sound was heard, beside a weak wind rustling the trees.

{Who the fuck gave you clowns the impression that we are in a circus here?!} Mad-Ji yelled, slightly quieter this time. {I'm not a fucking nanny looking over a bunch of kindergarteners, so all of you get the fuck out of my face before I lose it.}

"I'm… sorry. Get back and stay out of this!" Max ordered the girls.

Max's pokemon were dumbfounded by his sudden aggression towards them, leaving them to look at each other in confusion.

"I said leave us alone." He ordered. "This is something I must do, so please, just go. Right now, you're just invalidating me and my decisions."

{Are you all deaf?! Fuck off!} Mad-Ji growled.

Not agreeing, no one moved. Mad-Ji was about to explode when Scarlet stood up and walked between Max and the other gardevoir.

{...I dare you to try anything Doll-Face, you can bet your ass that I-} Mad-Ji said before stopping abruptly.

Scarlet's next action then astonished everyone. With their eyes wide open and jaws dropped, they witnessed Scarlet kneeling in front of Mad-Ji.

"S-Scarlet?" Max said, flabbergasted.

{What the fuck is this?} Mad-Ji inquired, not expecting it.

{I'm… begging you. Leave him alone and… take me instead.}

"What are you doing, Scarlet?"

Max was on his way to meet Scarlet, but Mad-Ji stopped him clean with a Shadow Ball before him.

{...Have you no sense of pride?} Mad-Ji demanded, glaring at Scarlet. {Do you feel any shame, submitting yourself in front of the enemy? It's no wonder you're such a disgrace to our species.}

As she was fighting anger and swallowing her pride forcibly, Scarlet grabbed the grass below strongly with a clenched jaw.

{I don't care. If making a fool of myself or having the entire world against me means master's safety, then so be it. So, please… stop hurting him.}

As Mad-Ji was staring at her, the others unexpectedly joined her and did the same.

"Girls! Come back here this instant!" Max commanded, unable to bear the sight before him.

To no one's surprise, none of them listened and kept kneeling in front of Mad-Ji.

{We… are aware of our weakness.} Aurora started. {As our human's companions, it is our duty to keep him safe.}

"Goddamnit! Stop!" Max mumbled, falling on his knees, devastated.

{If getting beaten by you instead of him ensures his safety, then we'll do anything you want.} Scarlet followed.

Scanning them, Mad-Ji sighed loudly.

{No one to redeem the other. You're all a bunch of selfish and disrespectful poké-sluts.} Mad-Ji spat. {If it's not this one treating you like property, it's you shitting all over your trainer's devotion. He was ready to go through hell for all of you, and what did you do? You waltzed on over here and said 'Fuck off weakling, we'll handle it'. Honestly, I should just personally hand-deliver all of you to the Distortion Realm.}

{We just wanted to-} Aurora started before being interrupted by Scarlet with a raised hand.

{You're right. We have no excuses.} Scarlet admitted. {We want what's best for him, but in the end, we only thought about ourselves without considering his desires.} She said with a low head.

{Cut your bullshit. Ass licking isn't the way to butter me up. It doesn't change the fact that you're all useless fucking pieces of shit.} Mad-Ji replied.

Not retorting, Scarlet only looked down.

{...But I see that you're at least starting to realize it, which is a beginning.} She added, arms crossed.

Mad-Ji then closed her eyes and thought for a whole minute.

{Alright. Here's how it will go. I'll agree to train all of you on one condition.} She announced with one finger raised.

{...What… would that be?} Aurora asked, not having a good feeling about it.

{That all of you go through the exact same training regime. And when I say all of you, I mean all of you.} She said, looking at Max.

{What… Do you mean…?} Scarlet asked.

{If you want to get stronger, you will have to do some personal military pokemon training, and your dear trainer will have to do the same training as well.}

{Military… pokemon training?} Aurora repeated. {Wait… like, real pokemon training?}

{What do you think I meant by that?} Mad-Ji replied haughtily.

{But… that will definitely kill him. He won't be able to survive that!} Aurora protested.

{There is a chance, indeed, so you better hope he's tough enough.}

{But… that's insane. How do you expect him to achieve that?}

"It's okay, Aurora," Max affirmed, slowly walking near them. "I'll manage." He added, glaring at Mad-Ji.

{How courageous.} Mad-Ji mocked while rolling her eyes.

{I… refuse.} Aurora protested some more.

{Then no training for anyone.}

"I accept. No need to discuss it any further. I'll start whenever you want."

{No! No way I-}

{Aurora!} Scarlet interrupted. {He already made his decision. Just drop it already.}

{But… how can you…}

{If we really want to get stronger for him… there's nothing we can do besides accept it.}

{No… I… Ghaa!} Aurora growled, punching the ground.

"So when do we start?" Max asked.

{Whoa! Slow down there, Nemako. We still have to see if you can survive an hour against me.} Mad-Ji reminded him.

"But… you just said that if I train with them…"

{Oh. No, no, no. That was the condition to train them, not you. If you want to participate, then you have to stay alive, of course. If you're still breathing after one hour, then I'll let you suffer along with them. In short, everything depends on your survival.}

"I…" Max replied, feeling like he had been bamboozled. "*Sigh*...How long did I last so far?"

{I don't know, nor does it matter.}

"Why would it not?"

{Because the one hour must be consecutive, not cumulative.}

"W-What?"

{That means we have to reset the timer.} Mad-Ji retorted with an annoyed face.

"So… those hits I got until now… were for nothing?"

{Pretty much. But you have only them to blame for interrupting.} She said while looking at the girls.

In an instant, all of them were crushed by guilt.

"...That's not fair."

{Life's not fair. But please, feel free to give up now and live the rest of your life as a spineless pile of failure.}

"...Goddamnit." Max cursed.

With a short moment of hesitation, Max moved a step closer to Mad-Ji.

{You've got guts, I'll give you that much. However…} She said, raising her fists. {It won't keep you alive if that's all you have.}

"Whatever happens, girls, don't intervene," Max instructed, raising his fists as well. "This is between her and me. I'm sorry. You won't like it but bear with it until it's done. I don't plan on dying, but just in case I do, I love you all."

{You… better stay alive…} Aurora said, tears collecting in her eyes.

{Are you done?} Mad-Ji asked impatiently.

"Yes."

As soon as he replied, Mad-Ji quickly moved toward Max, punching him in the side of his head, the noise acting as a starting gong. Throughout the entire hour, Max was beaten senseless by Mad-Ji, with him only able to land a few hits in the air. The scene was nearly unbearable for Max's pokemon, with May jumping at most of the connecting blows, Dusk unable to keep watch most of the time, Aurora using her entire willpower to keep herself from interfering, fighting the urge to stand and help Max, and Bonny simply praying for Max's victory. Strangely enough, Scarlet was just looking at the bloodfest, not showing any reaction at all. With one minute left in the hour-long fight, Max was almost unrecognizable due to how injured he was. With very red eyes, every orifice of his face bleeding, almost every bone in his body was either broken or heavily fissured, a couple of articulations dislocated and getting weaker from the many internal traumas or hemorrhage. Yet despite being barely conscious, he was still standing.

{Well then, I admit that you're a pretty tough punching bag. You managed to survive until now. That's quite a feat for a poképhile like you.} Mad-Ji more or less praised him. {However, no way I'm letting a careless and pathetic human like you become a pokemon trainer. You tried your best, but you just weren't made for this. Now die.}

Rushing at him, one of Mad-Ji's forearms briefly glowed before turning into a metallic appearance and aimed at his stomach, landing a devastating blow to him. The noise was so horribly loud and made Max fly meters away while puking probably the remaining amount of blood he had left, fissuring his spine along the way. With scared expressions on their faces, the girls powerlessly looked at the now inanimate body of Max.

{N-No…} Aurora mumbled, feeling her sadness rising.

After looking at him triumphantly for a short moment, Mad-Ji turned to leave.

{Sorry, but your trainer is no more. He, as well as his 'love' for you, simply weren't strong enough.} She said while walking away. {I suggest you leave now. Hope you all had a plan B in mind because you have no place here anymore.}

{No… it… can't be…} Scarlet mumbled, tears escaping from her wide eyes. {It's not… Master… Max!}

It was at that moment that Scarlet felt something building inside her, something even she had never experienced. It was only a matter of seconds before it was unleashed.

{Wait! Look!} May yelled.

All raising their heads, their watery eyes went wide. Whatever was building up inside Scarlet, it slowly vanished, replaced by hope and relief. Stopping, Mad-Ji turned, with her eyes slightly getting wider as well. Almost entirely unconscious, standing on broken legs and bleeding his last milliliter of blood with a swollen body, Max was up once again, with one hand barely raised in a fist and madly shaking.

{...Huh… You can definitely take a punch, I see.} She commented with crossed arms. {You're already on the verge of death, and yet, here you are, begging for more.}

Mad-Ji then looked at him for a short moment, with him not fazing.

*Sigh*

Teleporting behind him, she karate chopped him behind the neck, knocking him out cold this time, falling on his front side helplessly.

{I'll allow you to heal him just this once.} Mad-Ji announced before walking away.

Knowing that the message was aimed directly at her, Scarlet teleported next to him and immediately put her Healing Pulse to work, with the others crowding around them just as quickly.

{Will he… be okay?} Bonny asked, worried sick.

Not responding, Scarlet focused all of her efforts on the task at hand.

{If anyone can save him, it's her.} Aurora stated.

{Master…} May bemoaned while crying.

{Come on, guys. We should give them some space.} The lucario suggested.

{Is there… Anything we can do to help?} Dusk asked with watery eyes as well.

{If you don't know any healing moves, I'm afraid not.}

{...Stay here, Dusk.} Scarlet requested as they were about to walk away. {Since you're half Psychic-type, I might need you.}

{Okay.}

With Dusk sitting on her knees in front of Scarlet, the others sat a bit further back, too worried to do anything other than watch over them. With Scarlet giving instructions here and there to Dusk, they spent the rest of the day healing him non-stop. Day turned to night by the time Scarlet stopped fearing for his life, and even though Dusk was getting really exhausted, she couldn't stop as it would just regress immediately.

The next time Max opened his eyes, it was early in the morning, and was in his bed. He tried to sit up, but remnant pain kicked in, piercing through his entire body.

"Fuck!" He growled.

Feeling movement, he saw Scarlet to his left, sitting on a chair with her upper half resting on the bed. She was slowly stirred from her sleep by Max moving and straightened her back while rubbing her eyes. After reopening them, she took a few seconds to realize that Max was awake.

{...Master!}

Lazily, she moved onto the bed and hugged Max.

"Oww!" He growled.

{You're finally awake.}

"Yes, but… can you hug with a bit less strength?"

{...Sorry.} She apologized while breaking the hug, sitting on her legs in front of Max, rubbing her slightly watery eyes. {You have been unconscious for three days now. I thought that… we might have lost you.}

"I…"

Grabbing his head with his sore arms, Max wasn't sure of what he remembered.

"What… happened?"

{You almost died. You were a few minutes away from leaving us.} She explained with a melancholic expression.

"Is that so?"

{Yeah. You were bleeding from all of your orifices, and I mean all of them. Most of your organs were deformed and almost crushed with a severe hemorrhage, not to even mention the state of your bones.}

"...Damn. From how I feel, I can easily believe you."

{And… just don't look into a mirror, for a little while at least.}

"I know I'm ugly, but…"

{Just don't. You won't recognize yourself anyway from how deformed your face is.}

"...But…"

{Don't worry, it's nothing permanent.}

"Great." He said, letting himself fall on his back. "Oww!"

{Take it easy by not doing any sudden movements. Your fatal wounds have been taken care of, but you will still feel the pain for a while.} She advised, laying next to him before hugging him.

"Thanks. You must have worked really hard on me."

{I applied Healing Pulse for nearly twenty-four hours straight.} She yawned, exhausted of energy after so much physical and mental work. {But I didn't do everything by myself. Dusk had to help me with her psychic powers too, basically helping me keep things together while I focused on using Healing Pulse. Helena got so worried she even hired a private doctor to check on you from time to time. Saying you're this close to following the light would be an understatement.}"

"...Shit! This is a new record for me. You must be drained."

{But all the effort was worth it in the end.} She gave a tiny smile. {What is a couple of days of life expectancy compared to your life?}

"*Sigh* He laid his head on the pillow again, staring at the ceiling. "So? What's gonna happen now?"

{Mad-Ji agreed to train us all. We were supposed to start as soon as you can walk again.}

"So I did it? I'm sorry, I think I lost it halfway through."

{Yes. She tried to kill you for real, but you survived and got back up again.}

"I… did?" Max replied, astonished.

{Yes. When she hit you with an Iron Punch, I was about to lose it. Luckily, you were still alive and you even got back on your feet again. It was… epic, to say the least.}

"I… see. I didn't know I could do that."

{I did. I always knew that there was strength inside of you that you don't see yourself.}

"Maybe, but… cheating death is beyond plausibility."

{You're just that strong. My mate is a strong human.} She proudly said a bit childishly.

"Don't set your expectations too high. I doubt I'll be able to do that again."

{I'm sure that you could. Anyway, Mad-Ji wanted to see you as soon as you're up.}

"Why?"

{Who knows. She probably wants to shit on you again.}

"*Sigh* Unfortunately, you might be right. But… upsetting her wouldn't be wise."

{Tsk. I hate her. If only I was stronger, I could teach her some manners and shut that reeking maw of hers up.} Scarlet said, annoyed.

"Sadly, there is always someone better or stronger than you somewhere."

{*Hpmf* That doesn't scare me.}

"Careful though. That overconfidence could be dangerous later on. You never know who you'll have to face."

{I don't care. I just want you to be alive and well, that's all.} She argued, tightening her hug.

Despite hurting him, Max did his best not to look bothered.

{...Sorry,} she apologized, untightening her grasp.

"Well, might as well go see what she wants before she drags me to her room by force."

{Okay, but… just five more minutes.}

"Hehe. Alright. I doubt a few extra minutes will bother her."

After a few minutes of snuggling, Scarlet finally let go of Max, allowing him to leave the room towards Mad-Ji's. When in front of her door, he instinctively wanted to run away but told himself that she wouldn't have asked him to come here just to destroy him again. With a quick sigh, he raised a fist to knock.

{It's open.} Mad-Ji said from behind the door before he could even knock.

Gulping in fear, Max grabbed the doorknob and turned it before pushing the door open. Immediately, a draft of very strong female hormones and liquor went into his nose, slightly turning him on instinctively. Slowly entering, he then closed the door behind him and was now in Mad-Ji's room. He then spotted her on her bed, focused and lifting a large dumbbell with one arm, which Max would probably need both his arms and legs to even lift it from the ground, and smoking her strange cigarette again. Despite himself, he couldn't help but stare at her very well-defined biceps contracting and releasing at each movement.

{You better learn to control your thoughts, poképhile. Otherwise, I will rip off your dick, drill a hole through your head and use it to skull-fuck you.} She threatened, not even looking at him.

*Ahem*

Not wanting to be emasculated, Max looked away. Oddly, Mad-Ji's room looked rather normal with all the basic furniture. The only personal things were the few dumbbells near her bed, a pile of round weights, and some paperwork on her desk. The oddest thing being a strange large military bag in a corner.

"You're quite minimalistic," Max commented without receiving any answer.

He then jumped and turned when he heard Mad-Ji drop the dumbbell quite loudly. Not even panting, Mad-Ji took a deep inhalation of her cigarette before loudly exhaling it.

{...Congratulations on surviving, Nemako. You're tougher than you look.}

"...T-Thanks."

{But don't let it go to your head. Just know that if I didn't want to give you a chance, I would have severed your head from the rest of your body at the very start.}

"I… Yeah. I know. I'm used to living and sleeping with someone who can just kill me at any given moment."

{They are your personal fuck-toys, so it doesn't really mean much. But, I suppose it means you have a slim chance of surviving my training.}

"I-"

{But let me ask you something first…} She cut. {That was only a taste of what's to come. Are you really sure you're ready to endure what you just went through on a daily basis?}

"On… a daily basis?" Max asked, a bit shocked.

{If you don't keep up, yes. And trust me, I highly doubt that you will with what I've got in store for you. I won't judge you because you proved that you're more than just a spineless meat-bag, but if you want to change your mind and walk away, now is the time. I don't mind those who are aware of their limits, but I don't tolerate quitters. Once you're in, there is no turning back.} She said with her usual severe face.

"I…"

{The choice is yours, Nemako. Now is the time to choose what path you want to take. The decision you make here will determine what kind of future you will have.}

For a short moment, Max heavily considered stopping here, as it was one of the worst experiences he ever had. However…

"Y...Yes. I'll do it." Max chose.

Mad-Ji then looked at him for a few seconds.

*Hmpf* She huffed before closing her eyes and smiling slightly.

{And just in time, too. I was about to choose for you because I can't stand those who hesitate. Life is a constant war, and on the battlefield, hesitating for even a second can cost the lives of civilians, your entire team, and yourself.}

Mad-Ji then looked at him with the corner of one eye.

{You actually have more fight in you than I gave you credit for.}

"...Maybe you don't see me as a potent pokemon trainer, and… right now, I couldn't prove you wrong. But you have to understand that these girls, my friends, my mates… they're all that I have left. They practically did what no one else would; accept me. I know I'm not the most pleasant person to be with, but… I guess they managed to see through me nonetheless. If getting broken and patched up every day is the price to pay them back, then I'll accept it willingly."

Mad-Ji then stared at him a moment.

{Okay, and?} She nonchalantly asked.

"Huh?"

{I don't know what kind of impression I made, but I'm not really into violin playing and weepy stories. We all have our problems, so there's no need to share yours every time someone says a word to you.}

"I… y-yeah… of course. Sorry for bothering you with that."

{I already knew that anyway, so it's even more bothersome.}

Upon hearing her last sentence, Max wasn't able to contain a tiny chuckle.

{What's so funny?} Mad-Ji asked, annoyed.

"Nothing. It's just… your last statement was a bit out of character, that's all."

{I can go back to being your worst nightmare if that's what you want.} She threatened while menacingly glaring at him.

"No, no. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you. But… as a pokemon lover, I was just hoping that there was more under that disciplined and powerful gardevoir than just war stories."

{Let me get this straight. I don't give a damn about what you love or not, because we are not friends. Your life has the same importance to me as the spider crawling outside my window. Even if there was 'something' under this bitch attitude as you think, it wouldn't be your goddamn business. I'm not here to socialize or make friends or even 'create everlasting bonds,' alright? I'm tasked by Aristide to be here and I'll do as requested, nothing more, nothing less. So you can shove that lovey-dovey, extroverted bullshit where it belongs and fuck off.}

"…Why help us, then? You could've just ignored or harassed us anytime you want. You will still do as tasked."

{Because well-trained individuals are easier to watch over. My mission's chances of success are higher if those under my command can fend for themselves.}

"Oh… I see."

{Anything else?}

"I… guess not."

{Then scram. I don't want my room to reek of your male machismo and odor.}

"Okay. Thanks again for giving us your time, even though it's mostly for personal gain." Max said while heading towards the room's door.

{Whatever you say, you filth-sucking worm.} She insulted before lifting her dumbbell again. {Rest well while you can, because tomorrow at six in the morning will ring the start of the worst days of your life. That goes for your 'mates' too.}

As soon as he was out, Max began to walk away rather slowly. As he walked back to his bedroom, he couldn't help but think about Mad-Ji a little bit. Sure, she had the crappiest attitude and personality in the entire world, but he still felt a little sad for her. She seemed so… lonely. Obviously, she didn't seem to be making any effort to change that, but still. Even though he knew that not every pokemon can be saved, it stung his heart a little every time he thought of it.

After a short while, he decided that a quick bubble bath would be nice and relaxing, as it had been quite a long time since he last had one. Taking a quick detour to the bathroom, he arrived a few minutes later. After getting inside, he arranged the faucets and looked around for something to make the bath all bubbly. He quickly found it and poured some in the water. Soon enough, the water level was rising as well as the bubble layer. Undressing, he got in and laid his back against the wall of the bathtub. However, he jumped when he felt that he laid on something warm and soft with arms coiling around him.

"GAH! Shit, Scarlet! You scared me." Max exclaimed upon seeing that it was his red gardevoir.

{Hihi. Sorry. I just wanted to surprise you.} She apologized with a small smile.

"Well, it worked," Max replied, closing his eyes while releasing his weight on the gardevoir, her crest sliding under his armpit.

{Nice.} She said, coiling her arms around his neck and chest a bit tighter. {I thought that you would have at least invited someone with you.}

"Sorry. You know that I'm not all the way there lately. I just didn't think of it."

{It's okay, master.} She said, gently rubbing his head with one watery hand. {I forgive you.}

Max then let out a loud sigh.

{If you want, I can help you relax even more.}

"I don't know…You've done so much already, plus isn't it dangerous to directly alter one's mind?"

{I won't directly manipulate your brain. I'll just send soothing brain waves that will naturally help you relax.}

"...All natural?"

{All natural.} Scarlet confirmed. {It will be similar to listening to calm music, but it will actually work.}

"Haha. Alright." Max lightly laughed.

With a tiny smile, Scarlet pressed her forehead against the back of his head. Quickly, he felt a very faint feeling of dizziness before being replaced by mild euphoria. Just as she told him, he felt his entire body becoming light and relaxed, as if he were laying on a fluffy cloud.

"Thanks, Scarlet, but what about you? I wish I could do that too."

{No need to. While doing that to someone and being the emotion-sensing pokemon that I am, I have a slight rebound of what I'm giving you, so I'm soothing myself a little with that too.}

"Wow. Simply amazing." Max praised.

{The catch for that, of course, is I require a deep bond with the receiver.}

"Figures."

{...So? What did you two talk about?}

"Not much, actually. She's a woman of few words, even less when it's not insulting. However, she congratulated me for surviving and said that she will start training us as soon as tomorrow."

{...Nice. I hope you didn't 'stare' too much at her.}

"Scarlet…"

{She does have a body you really dig into, so I'm just asking.} The red gardevoir insinuated.

"*Sigh* I would be lying if I said she doesn't have a nice waist and fit stomach, but her arms are a little too big for my taste. Proportion confounded I mean."

{If you say so.} She pouted.

"Aww. I think this is the first time I've seen you so jealous."

{I'm not. She's strong, well-curved… everything that I'm not.}

"Sorry, but you are well-curved yourself. She may be a bit stronger than you, but your face is a thousand times more beautiful."

{...Maybe. But you could get tired of me and go try her instead.}

"Hahahaha! You can't be serious. She told me herself that she would rip my dick off and skull-fuck me with it before I even knew what happened. Also, I'm sure she doesn't have your sexual expertise. I don't know about her, but you know what a male loves and when to be delicate or not. A thing I doubt she's capable of."

{Well… it's not entirely false, but…}

"You're the best gardevoir, Scarlet. Your body, your color, your face, your mind, your character. That is what I'm most into."

{Really?}

"Of course. I'm yours and nobody else's."

Now reassured, Scarlet smiled and tightened her embrace a little.

{Alright. I believe you.}

"You better." Max threatened playfully.

{...I just hope everything will be fine for you. Forcing you to train like a real pokemon.}

"You girls kinda prepared me for that beforehand, so I'm confident that I'll at least stay alive."

{If I can, I'll try to secretly make it easier for you if it gets too difficult.}

"No can do on that one. If Mad-Ji finds out that we cheated in some way, who knows how she'd react. Actually, scratch that. I know far too well how she would react. There's no telling what she might do."

{*Hpmf* If she had someone in her life, she would understand.}

"We don't know. Maybe she does have someone, or rather, did. Anyway, no matter how you look at it, it doesn't change who she is. She doesn't tolerate a lot of things."

{With an attitude like that, surely no one likes her.}

"Don't be mean, Scarlet. I'm sure she has some good qualities. Somewhere, under that thick layer of severeness and brute force."

{If so, they must be pretty well hidden. Whatever, it's not like I care much. I simply have the best thing ever right here.} Scarlet assured, briefly hugging him firmly, making sure not to hold too tight.

"Is that so? Seems someone is in luck here."

{Hihi.} Scarlet giggled before enjoying her moment with her master as long as possible.