The Tinkaton lifted her head. She was covered in wounds, but her eyes were still fierce.
"That's right." Her voice was a bit hoarse, but her answer was crisp.
"Impossible!" Armarouge's volume spiked. "You'd only just evolved into Tinkaton—how could you possibly have the strength to take down my underling? He's not the sharpest tool, sure, but he's no weakling! You definitely had help. Talk—where are your helpers?"
There was no way she'd sell out Jason and Gast.
"For that useless lackey of yours, why would I need help?" Tinkaton's lip curled with disdain. "I took him out myself."
"Still mouthing off!"
Armarouge's temper blew. He had his pride—if word got out that one of his guys got solo'd by this one, how was he supposed to save face?
He didn't want to waste another word. He flicked a hand at his underlings. "Hit her! Keep hitting until she tells the truth!"
The Espathra and Farigiraf swarmed in.
A wave of psychic force slammed into Tinkaton, wringing a grunt out of her. A Farigiraf rushed in from the flank and fired a Twin Beam. Tinkaton gritted her teeth and tanked the hits; her armor rang and rattled, but she didn't let out a single cry.
The caged Tinkatink saw their Big Sis being beaten and burst into tears, hurling themselves against the telekinetic bars to no effect.
Watching her stubbornness only irritated Armarouge more.
He wanted revenge for his underling—wipe out every Pokémon involved. Which meant he wasn't going to kill her quickly. First came the torment.
He turned, trying to flatter the two silent bosses at his side—Iron Crown and Iron Leaves. "Boss, Second—want to warm up a little?"
Iron Crown didn't even lift an eyelid. "Boring."
Iron Leaves shot the beleaguered Tinkaton a glance and sneered. "If you've got time, find someone strong to bully. What's the point of picking on the weak?"
Cold voice, genuine contempt.
Snubbed, Armarouge didn't dare show a hint of displeasure. He kept the smile pasted on. "Yes, yes—of course. My bad."
He turned back, the smile dropping into a hard scowl. If the bosses were bored, he'd better finish the job. "Turn it up!" he barked. "Just don't let her die!"
The strikes came faster. Tinkaton's resistance weakened; her consciousness wavered.
And just as she was about to collapse—
"Zing!"
A bright yellow beam lanced out of the black tunnel, moving at blistering speed. It drilled into the attacking Espathra and Farigiraf—surging electricity blew them off their feet and skidded them across the ground, smoke curling off their bodies.
The sudden reversal froze everyone. The assault stopped at once.
Armarouge whirled toward the deep passage, armor shimmering with heat from his rage. "Who's there! Get out here!"
His roar echoed through the cavern. All eyes snapped to the tunnel mouth where the charge beam had come from.
Footsteps sounded in the dark—unhurried, steady, ringing in every ear.
A silhouette stepped into the light: a sleek, humanoid frame with a hard metallic sheen; a distinctive head; and twin arm-mounted lightblades humming softly with energy.
Iron Valiant.
The moment it appeared, it drew every gaze. The Lokix and Espathra instinctively backed up a step; just standing there, the newcomer radiated pressure. Bound to the floor, Tinkaton forced her head up to look. She didn't know it, but from that earlier shot, it didn't seem like an enemy.
Armarouge narrowed his eyes, studying Iron Valiant. The metal body made something click. He glanced back at the two new bosses—Iron Crown and Iron Leaves. Their designs… looked related.
"Boss, Second—one of yours?" he probed.
It seemed likely. Those two had come out of nowhere themselves—maybe they had outside forces. This newcomer could be their plant, back to report.
But Iron Crown and Iron Leaves shook their heads in unison.
"No," Iron Crown said flatly.
Iron Leaves also denied it, though its gaze never left Iron Valiant. "Looks like more and more Pokémon are leaving Area Zero," it mused, baffling Armarouge.
Area Zero? What was that?
He didn't dare ask. He only felt there was some history here he didn't understand.
Iron Valiant's face was set. It ignored Armarouge entirely, locking onto Iron Crown and Iron Leaves. From the first glance it had sensed a shared origin—and a massive threat. Power pulsed in both of them, a tier above its own. Hard opponents.
Yet, unexpectedly, they didn't seem eager to move. They watched it like appraisers eying a piece of gear.
"Since you've left Area Zero, want to run with us?" Iron Crown invited. Future-born Paradox Pokémon should stick together—and this one looked strong enough to recruit.
Iron Valiant's expressionless face showed a flicker of scorn. "I already have a boss," it said, firm as steel.
That gave the two a moment's pause. "Pity," Iron Leaves said, a trace of regret in its voice. "So you're here to wreck the place, then?"
Iron Valiant nodded. Its blades brightened. "If that's how you want to understand it."
Its goal was clear: free the Tinkaton and every Tinkatink. If they wouldn't let them go, it would take the direct route.
Negotiations over.
Iron Crown and Iron Leaves' eyes went cold. No more chatter. If the other wouldn't play along, it didn't need to exist.
Iron Crown looked to Armarouge and gave the order: "Eliminate it."
Four simple words sealed Iron Valiant's fate.
Armarouge lit up. He'd disliked this poser from the start. And if this guy joined them, he'd probably get bumped from third to fourth place. He'd already had to swallow going from top dog to number three—number four was unacceptable. With the bosses' blessing, this was the perfect target to make a statement.
"Heh, got it! Boss, Second—watch me."
He bared his teeth in a grin and waved his underlings forward. "You lot—go! Teach him how things work here!"
He wasn't going first. With the enemy's strength unknown, better to send the goons to probe and wear him down.
Several sturdy Lokix and Farigiraf leapt to obey and charged Iron Valiant. One Lokix was fastest, scissoring down with X-Scissor aimed at Iron Valiant's head. A Farigiraf opened its mouth from the side and fired a Shadow Ball. Tight teamwork—they'd done this before.
But they were up against Iron Valiant.
Facing the pincer, it didn't even move its feet. Its stance dipped, and just before the X-Scissor landed, its right blade whipped upward.
Clang!
A crisp ring—Lokix's proud scythes met the lightblade and stopped dead. A surge of force blasted down the blade, numbing its arms and pitching its body backward.
At the same time, Iron Valiant's left blade traced a strange arc and met the incoming Shadow Ball.
Fwoom!
The lightblade split the projectile cleanly; it popped into raw energy and faded into the air.
It all happened in a blink. One exchange, two threats neutralized.
The charging grunts blinked, stunned by the speed.
Iron Valiant's counter had only begun. It gave them no time to breathe. Batting aside the Lokix's strike, it stepped in; before the bug could recover, the right blade came down in a purple-tinged arc.
"Psycho Cut!"
The Lokix managed only a terrified shriek before the blow landed square. Its bulk launched across the cavern and slammed into the rock wall with a boom, then slid down, out cold.
One-shot.
Without pausing, Iron Valiant pivoted to the Farigiraf. Seeing things go south, it tried to bolt—but it could never outrun Iron Valiant. The swordsman's figure vanished and reappeared behind it; the left blade swept across.
Another single stroke. The Farigiraf didn't even scream before it was hewn sideways, sharing its partner's fate.
The remaining grunts were petrified. What was this monster? From start to finish—three seconds?
They froze, then turned tail as Iron Valiant slowly swept its cold gaze over them. Panic yelps, and they fled. The brawl collapsed into a rout in seconds.
Armarouge's grin had long since fossilized. Fear crept in. He'd imagined lots of outcomes—maybe the opponent was strong and the grunts would need effort; maybe the opponent was all show and would get mobbed down. He hadn't imagined… this. His trusted hitters didn't last a single move. This wasn't "strong vs. weak"; it was different weight classes.
Instinct said: back off. Let the bosses handle this hard bone. No need to steal the spotlight.
The very instant the thought formed, two icy stares pinned his back—Iron Crown and Iron Leaves. Emotionless eyes, but the killing intent was clear: take one step back and your end will be worse than that Lokix's.
Armarouge froze. No retreat. Either grit his teeth and take Iron Valiant down… or get taken down by the bosses.
Between two evils, choose the lesser. Compared to the unfathomable Paradox pair, this Iron Valiant… wasn't completely unbeatable, right?
He hyped himself up. Right—he was Armarouge, veteran of countless fights. How could he be scared off by some rando?
He inhaled, shoved his fear down. The cannons on his shoulders roared to life; flames pooled in his hands.
"You fool—I'll send you to the afterlife myself!"
He bellowed to pump himself up, then drove forward on both feet.
"Armor Cannon!"
~~~
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