Deep Space

1. Jupiter II

Sitting on a flat-topped boulder, Mars tossed her Pokeball up and caught it, rolling her eyes lazily to see where the ball would go. When she missed and the ball rolled away, she found another off her utility belt and tossed it up and down once more. A high wind from Stark Mountain's core whisked the last ball away, and she defaulted to tapping her boots and kicking up ash. She sighed loudly.

Mars received a hard blow to her shoulders. "Shape up Mars, time to go to work," said Jupiter, striding past her through ash clouds.

"Work...? We don't... Uh..." Mars blinked. "Did you battle him?"

Jupiter pulled a small metal box holstered on a leg strap. Flipping the lid, there were six round slots dug into the black tungsten internals. She slid three of her Pokeballs in the slots, motioning for Mars to join her. "I did, you missed an excellent opportunity to watch me get stomped by some brat."

Lost in thought, Mars slid her three Pokeballs, just before the lid shut. Between the aluminum-lined edges, a neon blue glow emanated. The familiar healing tone buzzed from a tiny speaker that fought the volcano's wind. Mars looked up to Jupiter incredulously. "A portable Pokemon center? Where was that during the fight against him?"

"You wouldn't have needed a second chance to stop him if Team Galactic really mattered anything to you. Knowing you had one chance, you still let him beat you? You're even more of a brat than he is," said Jupiter. She flipped the lid on the machine, releasing pure white smoke into the black ash plume. Mars reattached her Pokeballs to her utility belt, and Jupiter did the same, continuing to stare at Mars. The two staring back at each other, Jupiter was the only one who chose to smile. "We're going to have a lot of fun in prison, you and I. You must have known though, you did choose it-"

"You had a part in it too!" shouted Mars. Jupiter's smile grew wider.

"This is too funny," Jupiter laughed. "Of course, you don't think you'll be arrested if you're in Distortion World with 'Master Cyrus'," she said, heightening her pitch to imitate Mars and made kissy lips.

Mars ground her teeth to a pulp. She opened her mouth several times, choking every time. Jupiter tossed her head back in giggling delight. "What's so funny?!" Mars screamed. Jupiter only laughed harder.

"You, that's what," Jupiter said, turning her eyes onto her with new laser precision.

"Look at me."

Stumbling back accidentally, Mars looked away briefely, before turning the full glare of her red eyes onto her. Jupiter refused to flinch.

"Look at me," said Jupiter. "You see this? We've made eye contact. Your Pokemon look well rested too, and so you must know what that means."

Mars instinctively reached for her belt, thumb landing on Purugly's release and pressing in gently. "Your challenge?"

"Yes," Jupiter said, batting her eyelashes at her. "Make me feel like a princess." Swiftly, she revealed her Pokeball already resting in the palm of her hand. She took three long paces back, eyes continually locked on her.

Breathing heavily, Mars slid her thumb over Purugly's release. "I have the best feeling about this," she lied.

"Three," said Jupiter. It was if that smile had always been there.

Mars exhaled, eyes swarming in the ash and heat. "Two."

"One!"

The Pokeballs whizzed through the smog and out of sight. Two mass eruptions of light scattered the clouds and shook the ground. Purugly landed on the ground, roaring deep from inside it's cavernous chest, shaking thick gray and white clumps of fur away with clumps of dust clinging to the volcano floor.

Hovering gently above the ground, Bronzong shuddered a loud metallic sound before exerting telekinetic force to eye-level with Purugly. Mars held her ground, intensifying her gaze against Jupiter's relaxed arms.

Purugly whipped her tail down and flashed her teeth. "Still feeling good about this? I knew you'd regret it," said Mars.

"Make a move already," said Jupiter. Bronzong's red disk eyes glowed in time with it's low hum.

Mars grimaced. "PURUGLY!" she shouted. "Use Flamethrower!"

Purugly bellowed out a red hot stream of light, blasting out at the Bronzong's direction and crashing down. "Light Screen Bronzong!" said Jupiter over the rumble. Bronzong's red disks flashed white as it's body enveloped in light. The flying magma knocked Bronzong adrift, until it washed on the stone floor below and Bronzong returned to it's drifting zone, completely untouched.

"T-that's now how Light Screen works! Jupiter! That's cheating!"

Jupiter laughed. "Cheating? Are you going to report it to the police? I rename a move and you get both of us arrested?"

"Flamethrower!" Mars said. "If you can't follow the rules, good luck making me do the same."

"Light Screen."

Mars kicked a rock. Balling her fists in anger, she mentally went through her moveset.

"Um, Flamethrower! You'll run out soon!"

"Oh Mars you're so annoying. Bronzong, use Psychic!" Jupiter shouted.

At the unbearable metal sound, Purugly slammed her own head into the ground, mashing it until the noise stopped. Jupiter laughed mockingly, standing firm in the ground as Mars scrambled to get Purugly back up, who was sputtering on the rocks she had created herself. The winds whipped harder and carried more ash between them.

Purugly lurched forward, stumbling on it's own paws. Her yellow eyes had reddened in exhaustion and rolled up to Bronzong's level. Mars brushed her hair back up, eyes and mouth agape, and shot her arm out to Jupiter. "Aha! Prepare-"

"PSYCHIC!"

Bronzong's eyes flickered. Metal arms swinging, it's body reverberated and swung out violently. Mars was forced down by sheer energy, clinging to a small cluster on the cavern floor. Flipping aimlessly, Purugly bounced along the gently angled rock face. She stuck out the correct Pokeball over a small ridge that had stopped her fall and hit the release. The laser stream snagged Purugly just before a tumble in the lava pools.

"Let's try another Pokemon?" Jupiter smiled.

Struggling, Mars leaned up and swapped Purugly's Pokeball for Golbat's. She slid her thumb over the release, and stopped from throwing it into battle. A drained noise emitted from a tiny speaker inside.

"Oh Mars," said Jupiter. "One tiny rule breaks and you crumble."

Mars tried her own Bronzong's Pokeball with the same result. "W... What is this...?"

"Same exact problem from the beginning. If something matters to you, shouldn't you be able to give it your all?" said Jupiter. She knelt down to Mars, who was shaking in anger.

Mars shot up with her arms flying around Jupiter's neck, threatening to flip her over the ridge. Jupiter laughed and kicked her in the side. "Bronzong!" she shouted. "Take a nap on Mars."

The high squeak of Bronzong's parts going loose came awfully close to Mars. Jupiter rolled towards Mars's feet, taking Mars's arms with her. Bronzong's dark outline shuddered as it crashed down on her torso and trapped her grasping arms. Mars wheezed, and then screamed in anger.

Jupiter got to her feet, walking over slowly to Mars while straightening her hair. "I don't like goodnight kisses, you know that already. What am I going to do to a little brat like you?"

"Let me out and I'll show you."

"No, that won't be necessary. You look tired, don't get up," Jupiter said. She delivered a swift kick to Mars's head. Spitting, Mars realized this was the first time she had been hit.

"O-okay," said Mars, coughing, "what's your big plan?"

Jupiter smiled. "Nothing that would interest you. I see your arm is free, don't think you can fool me so easily."

Glaring at up at her, Mars nodded. "You got me, congratulations."

"I bet you'd like a deal right about, wouldn't you? No more stories?"

Mars nodded again.

Jupiter extended her arm. "Okay Mars, give me your Pokeballs. I'll show you Purugly one last time before I dispose of her ugly hide."

As Jupiter reared down on her knees, Mars continued staring up at her. Both paused, waiting for the other, until Jupiter made her move. She pinched Mars's cheeks.

"It's in your best interest to obey, my dear," she seethed in her ear.

"It doesn't sound like you'll find anything to do if I don't," said Mars, forming a smile. "I got back at you. Don't you know it's the little things?"

Jupiter frowned. "You're still in no position to do that. In fact, I bet you don't want to find out what I could entertain myself with. Seen a lot of horror movies Mars?"

Mars shook her head.

"Know how I figured that one out?" Jupiter said, leaning into her ear. "Because you're a PANSY!" she shouted.

The violent reaction Mars had cut her cheek against a chipped rock. She couldn't rub her ear, and twitched involuntarily in her trapped position. Jupiter remained over her, lips inches from her ear. Giggling, she dipped her tongue into the crevaces of her ear, gripping Mars's hair as she did so. Mars shrieked and gently rocked Bronzong's titanic body in her struggle.

"My gosh Mars, you're so immature."

"AAAAA!! STOP!! WHAT THE HECK?!" Mars wailed. "What do you think you're doing?"

Jupiter sneered and shouted. "You know how to fix this, don't you?"

"I surrender! I surrender already!"

"You wanted to know what I was doing? I was proving a point," said Jupiter, getting to her feet. She released Mars's hair and wrist, and the young commander caught her breath from screaming.

"You're always proving a point..." she breathed. "You... You think you're so smart..."

Delivering a swift kick to Mars's back, Jupiter shouted. "If you knew a smart person when you saw one, of course. I suppose you couldn't look in the mirror then."

Mars tried to tend to the fresh cut on her arm, stuffing her sliced uniform onto the uniform. She turned, Jupiter presenting the box to her once more, and then looking up at Jupiter's dead serious face. Subconsciously, she reached for her last three Pokeballs.

"This has gone on too long, time to say goodbye."

She looked down at the Pokeballs in her fist, and up to Jupiter, who stood impatiently.

"Oh what?" said Jupiter. "You like this game? Want to keep going? You're such a baby Mars, I beat you already! Didn't your mother tell you to be a good sport?"

"Shut it."

"No!" shouted Jupiter. "No! All you're going to get out of this is another beating. What am I supposed to do? Don't you dare tell me now you liked the ear licking thing. That's not all I've got. Do I need to break your fingernails off? I know how ticklish you are, don't think I forgot. I'd hate to send you to the hospital. After all, you've got a long life of running to get to."

Mars sighed. "It's torture enough just talking to you. Here, take your stupid prize," she said. It felt like eternity as she slowly handed the Pokeballs up. They slid into the slots neatly, and Jupiter shut the lid.

"It's fits perfectly, thank you," she smiled. The lid slammed shut, locks clamping.

"That's new..." said Mars, sniffling slightly.

"Are you going to cry? Are you?!" Jupiter shrieked. "This is NOTHING! I can give you something to cry over. Bronzong, return!"

The red laser shot out and enveloped Bronzong. With the weight gone, Mars shot up to her feet, but before she could get off her knees Jupiter slammed into her full force, sending them over the edge she had been leaning on. Jupiter rammed Mars in the head, breaking Mars's focus. Eyes returning to focus, Mars saw the sheen of purple fingernails right before she received a blow to the jaw.

Both commanders slid down the dusty stone floor. They had been stopped by Mars's skirt bunching up on a trapped boulder, Jupiter sliding up atop her. With quick thinking, she jammed her boots under Jupiter's torso and kicked with all her strength up. Jupiter tipped up over Mars's heels and tumbled away. Mars rolled onto her palms and finally found footing. Catching her breath, she saw Jupiter had returned to her feet, and was approaching much quicker than Mars. She eyed the steady limp she had earned, looking at the gash in the exposed bands on Jupiter's legs.

Mars smiled. "Geez, you're fit."

"Thank you, let's keep it that way."

Jupiter swung hard into Mars's stomach. Mars naturally bowed over and then propelled herself between her legs. She caught herself pushing off of Mars's back and rolling down onto a gravel face. When Mars wheeled around, Jupiter was still down. Biting her lip, she kicked Jupiter in the stomach. Jupiter dropped to the ground again, cutting her palms on the gravel.

"Key, NOW. I don't have all day," Mars shouted.

Jupiter rocked onto her toes. Her long wisps of purple hair had come undone in the struggle. An obvious cut had appeared in a nasty bruise on her cheek and nose. She looked dizzy, her legs weak. Mars walked up and grabbed her collar, kicking her feet out from under her until she was supporting her. Holding her up tipped her forward, and Mars realized how heavy she was.

"Wait... Hold up..."

Mars squinted to see where she was looking, shaking her thick red hair out of her eyes against the wind. Jupiter's head was dark and backlit. Mars looked down and realized they stood ten feet from a magma pool. "Fair is fair, I'm sorry."

Updated Below

Extending her arm, Jupiter clutched Purugly’s Pokeball. Her finger hovered over the release aimed over the magma pool. Mars shrieked and took a step back.

“Jupiter, wait! Please don’t,” pleaded Mars.

“I’ll tell you when I have a reason to not. You’re not giving me any reason, are you? You won’t even try?”

Fighting for words, Mars’s lip trembled. “P-Purugly… She’s innocent… I’m the one you have a fight with! I should be the one you’re threatening!”

“Now it clicks, doesn’t it? It was always this way. Pokemon to their trainer, trainer to their Pokemon. That compassion you feel isn’t compassion, because compassion isn’t selfish,” Jupiter smirked.

“Jupiter… Please…”

Jupiter widened her eyes in mock surprise, mouth agape in a taunting grin. Her finger twitched. Mars lurched forward in panic.

“I get it, Purugly is a piece of you. Killing her would be like killing you,” said Jupiter.

Mars nodded.

“Right,” Jupiter smiled. She swung her arm slow and wide, pointing the Pokeball at Mars. “Then I suppose everything you want is good for you?”

Before Mars could protest, Jupiter hit the release. The whooshing sound of released energy overwhelmed the ‘fainted’ tri-tone in the Pokeball. Purugly materialized out of bright blue light and crashed down on Mars.

“Same problem!” Jupiter laughed. “Same exact problem! You know what that is Mars? A science!”

Mars groaned beneath Purugly’s weight. “You don’t sound like yourself Jupiter, I don’t get it.”