no_ufo_ending | [Victory Road] Ic Inbox

If you go down to the woods today,
you're sure of a big surprise.

If you go down to the woods today,
you'd better go in disguise!

For every cultist every there was,
will meet his end out there because

today's the day the receiver is taking his photos.

Henry Townshend, who had precariously placed himself in the park's canopy to take a photo of some Sentret snoozing in a little hollow, quite suddenly descended from a nearby deciduous like a goddamned drop bear and landed directly on top of poor unsuspecting Walter Sullivan.

The sound he made was indescribable.

Walter had no means or warning to brace himself, dodge or try to catch whoever was falling on top of him. So he ended up crushed under Henry who was shrieking at him, completely leading Walter to believe he was being attacked by some large, falling Pokemon.

He scrambled to get out from under Henry, also shouting and holding Assumption tightly to his chest protectively. Upon seeing Henry he pulled himself to his feet, wrapping both arms around Assumption. "Henry?" Why was Henry falling on him?? He took a step back away from him. Not because of Henry...

Assumption was gripping tightly onto Walter's arms, eyes locked on Henry warily. His little body was trembling, no longer with happy energy. Walter swallowed. "I-I'm not-" He's not here for a fight, he's not here for Henry, he was going to meet Heather-

Henry thought that he'd made himself perfectly clear the last time the two of them had interacted. However much progress he'd been making thanks to the residents of Shark House both humoring him and helping him heal, all that went out the window the second he'd noticed his enemy underfoot.

He couldn't help being overpowered by the memory flood that Walter triggered. His blood wouldn't let him. It was like the chocolate milk incident all over again--only with less throwing up into a bush and with more throwing himself at serial killers.

Henry lifted his head and snarled as he squatted awkwardly in the snow and slush and dead grass of the park. He scuttled forward several paces not unlike the writhing horrors Walter had decorated his otherworlds with before staggering to his feet.

"I told you--I warned you--I--"

"I'm not here for you." Walter found his words, still clutching Assumption tight to him. The little Cubone was growling softly in response to Henry's snarl. It was a little frightening in a way, to hear such a hostile sound coming from Assumption.

He just needed to convince Henry to let them go- "I'm here to see Miss Mason and her Pokemon."

"They don't want to see you." Henry kept moving forward, ignoring the little Cubone's warning. His own Pokemon were nowhere to be found--either in storage on his belt or simply at home.

"...what?" A stab of fear sliced through Walter's chest. Why would- Had this been- a trap? No. No, why would...would they truly use their Pokemon to lure him here? He thought back to when they had come to see him for the first time, how nervous the Pokemon had been when they saw him.

"They want to see Assumption." But...would they hurt Assumption like that?

The fear melted away to hate. How could they do this? How could they do this to Assumption? In his arms, the Cubone was shaking his head stubbornly. No! They were his friends, they wouldn't do this! Walter took several steps back, swallowing against the hallow feeling in his throat.

"You're trying to brainwash them! Prince won't even look at me now that he's been mixed up with you!"

Gee, Henry, y'think that might be because you're a frothing mess? Because you're a frothing mess. You're getting spit on your little Torkoal hoodie there. Okay.

"I'm going to do my job!"

And with that, he lunged at Walter once again, the way he had on the misty Goldenrod streets months ago.

"I haven't-!" But before he could say anything, Henry's hands were on his neck again and he was too close, Walter tried to back away and push Henry back, loosening his grip on Assumption.

Hanging onto Walter's arm, Assumption wheeled his legs in the air before finally dropping safely to the ground, ducking out from under their feet as Henry kept closing on Walter's space. He gave a last, warning shout at Henry.
"Stop it! You're being a bad human!"

Henry the Bad Human had NO TIME for the squeaking of a macabre masked dinobaby. He was trying to serve justice here! He did, however, learn his lesson about throats from the last time they scuffled and once he had hold of the man he drew one hand back and sent a fist into his nose.

"This is for Cynthia!"

Walter's head snapped back, pain bursting from his now bloody nose. He wasn't even really resisting, just trying to get hold of Henry - one hand had been clutching Henry's hoodie when the fist connected. Walter's pained grunt didn't cover up an enraged scream from below them.

Macabre masked dinobaby has had Enough. In a flash of rage, he charged forward, smashing his bone club just below Henry's knee. A disjointed, childlike voice seemed to echo from nowhere.
"S͔̟̙̀͞ͅT͔͞ͅÒ̵͇͎̘̖̯̞͙̫̕P҉̞̗̺̘͈͡ ͏̞͉̼̹͟Ì̪T͇͙̥̝͕̪̬̺͟!"

That felt good. He'd daydreamed of socking Walter for years and now that he was in a fight where he could think, it was even more rewarding. Time slowed and he reeled back to deliver another.

But then Assumption crushed all of Henry's dreams and probably his tibia.

That felt bad.

Henry hollered and released Walter as though he'd been burned and stumbled backwards, hopping on one leg and then falling.

The moment he fell, he was on Assumption's level. The enraged Pokemon lunged at Henry's face, drawing back the club for another strike, this one directly aimed across his face. If Henry had time to look he would notice that, along with a look of pure, anger-fueled hate, there was something wrong - Assumption's eyes were pure silver. But he probably didn't as the bone cracked over his cheek.

Walter righted himself - or tried to, still a little dazed by the blow. He'd been expecting another punch so for it to not come was giving him time to try and focus again. He registered that Henry was on the floor and there was still a lot of screaming.
"Assumption..." He murmured. Where was his Pokemon? Wasn't he by his feet?

There was no time for him to react. Even though he'd been a Pokemon a couple of times during one of those strange Weekends, he couldn't hope to have the reflexes to avoid one in battle mode. The club met its mark and sickly colors swam in Henry's vision as pain lit up his whole skull.

Henry drew his hands up, fingers curled into faux claws as he cringed. He blindly groped for Assumption with a shout. He had no gun. He had no golf club. All he could do was hope his arms were longer than Assumpion's and his club combined.

Assumption thrashed, avoiding Henry's hands and pulling his club back. A red mist swam through his mind and all he could think of was how Henry wanted to kill Walter and if he didn't stop him, then Henry would do it and take Walter away from him just as his mother had been. He brought the club down again, and again, striking over Henry's face.

Walter finally gathered his senses from Henry's blow, looking down and staring in shock as Assumption viciously beat Henry. He had seen Assumption fight other Pokemon and get really into it but this? This was completely different.
"Assumption." He tried to speak gently, awkwardly lowering himself and hesitantly reaching out to his Pokemon. He didn't want to try and stop Assumption and get caught up in his blind rage.

Henry took several more blows before he was finally able to fight through the pain and confusion enough to really register what was going on. Memories of being ganged up on by the dogs surged to the front of his thoughts. His throat! He had to protect his throat.

Suddenly he came alive and thrashed wildly before rolling over and driving his face into the snow. It seared against the cuts and slowly blooming bruises on his face. He covered his head with his arms as best he could and screamed.

It was incredible how much power one small Pokemon could hold when pitted against a human. Henry didn't battle much--he preferred to care for his Pokemon as though they were a bunch of colorful therapy animals. It didn't even occur to him to call out to any he may have brought with him. This was going to have to change.

Assumption snarled. He wanted Henry to look at him when he hit him, to face what a Bad Reciever he'd been-! He got another swing to the back of Henry's head anyway.

But then Walter touched him. He turned and look up at his trainer. Assumption was already very familiar with Walter's expressions but he could feel the worry and fear flowing from his trainer and began to shake, tears welling up. He didn't want Walter to be afraid of him. He didn't want Walter to flinch away from him like that. Slightly splattered in Henry's blood, the little Pokemon began to cry mournfully at the thought of making Walter dislike him.

Walter quickly gathered Assumption up, stepping away from Henry. "Shhh....shhh." He murmured softly. He looked over Henry. It wasn't as messy as Cynthia but...he had clearly just been savagely attacked.

Henry kept his hands and arms over his head even after the blows stopped coming. He hadn't been so thoroughly rattled since...well...when he'd actually been in the Otherworld. The pain was so strange, too. It came in horrible electric icy waves but it felt...home-y. Like a pair of shoes you'd forgotten about and slipped on for the first time in years. It fit. Familiar. Not comfortable exactly, but Henry had been so submerged in thoughts of his terrible adventure with Walter that the wounds Assumption marked him with seemed to complete the picture. He was in Hell again. Fridged, bleeding, biting hell with bones and meat.

And Henry...didn't want to be a part of it any longer. This was what he'd been wanting to avoid and yet--twice now--he'd thrown himself right back into it, metaphorical guns blazing. This was what Heather was trying to get him to avoid. This was where...Heather would have ended up if she hadn't reined herself in. Henry squeezed his eyes shut to block out the blood and ice and also so he could heave a shaky defeated sigh. She was right. She was right.

It sucked being the Receiver of Wisdom. Wisdom never came cheap.

Edited 2017-02-01 17:51 (UTC)

Walter looked down at Assumption, then back to Henry, expression hardening. He wasn't sorry. He wasn't sorry for Henry getting attacked by Assumption, even as he looked down on Henry's battered form. A part of him still couldn't believe that Assumption had done this. Had...had intervened and protected him. He would've let Henry kill him but Assumption wouldn't let that happen.

Assumption's sobs began to calm, leaving the two men in the throbbing silence that followed. Henry's blood was smeared over Assumption's club and over Walter's coat, where he had held Assumption to him. Walter breathed in and exhaled. He felt...something, when he looked at Henry. Not pity. Not shame either. But some kind of remorse. Assumption had been such a sweet, good Pokemon. And now his paws were bloody, because of Walter. Another youth, taken by the Order and baptised in blood.

Would...would the Jennies come and take Assumption away? Without meaning to, he tightened his hold on the little Cubone. He couldn't lose him. He'd rather die than lose Assumption. Walter recalled Assumption to his pokeball with a gentle whisper to hide his bloody state. And, pulling out his Pokegear and turning, Walter turned and started walking briskly towards the Pokemon Centre.

He'd inform Heather of Henry's location. He'd get out of Goldenrod immediately. He didn't know what Henry would tell Heather; hopefully, Walter prayed that he would tell her that he had attacked him, not Assumption.

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