"WOOF!!"
In the end, it was the hot-tempered Okidogi who could no longer endure the humiliation. With a furious roar, it charged straight at Ogerpon.
So many people were watching.
Even if only to save face, it had no choice but to attack.
Boom!
But desperation ant nothing.
The Thorned Club spun in Ogerpon's hands with blinding speed. Before Okidogi could even react, its vision went dark—
And it collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Its massive body slamd into the ground, leaving a deep crater.
"Poné!"
Ogerpon planted one foot firmly on Okidogi's head.
She did not continue attacking.
Pokémon possessed a natural self-preservation chanism.
So could even shrink their bodies after suffering fatal injuries to preserve their lives.
In theory, as long as their life force was not completely depleted, Pokémon effectively had three chances at survival:
The first was losing the ability to battle.
The second was being attacked again after losing consciousness.
And the third—the last resort—was shrinking to escape death.
Back when Sora watched the ani, he had always wondered:
Don't Pokémon bleed? Don't they lose limbs?
Only after arriving in this world did Nurse Joy explain the truth.
Pokémon absolutely could be maid.
They could be injured.
They could die.
But losing the ability to battle was a blessing from Arceus—a safeguard.
No matter how severe the wounds, a Pokémon that rely fainted could recover with rest and nourishnt.
Bloodmoon Ursaluna losing an eye was proof of the opposite case—
it had been attacked even after collapsing.
That was normal in the wild.
Most battles between wild Pokémon were hunts.
For them, fainting was equivalent to death, because predators would continue attacking—and even consu the fallen.
As for shrinking—the third life—
Not every Pokémon possessed that ability.
Only those with sufficient level and accumulated vitality could sacrifice part of their life force to survive.
Each use ca at a cost.
The more tis a Pokémon escaped death this way, the weaker its life force beca—
until it flickered like a candle in the wind.
The ace Volcarona of Unova Champion Alder was rumored to be in exactly such a state.
Unless beings like Ho-Oh or Xerneas intervened, a Pokémon suffering from life-force depletion had no hope of survival.
The Loyal Three were all above level 50, nearing 60.
And that was already after dying once.
Centuries ago, Pecharunt had been roughly equal in level to Ogerpon, while the Loyal Three had been at least ten levels stronger than they were now.
Yet when faced with Ogerpon's rage-fueled strike—
They didn't just faint.
They didn't even get the chance to shrink.
They fell straight into oblivion.
In truth, at their level, they could have sacrificed life force to shrink and survive.
But they had already used that thod once before.
Such an ergency asure couldn't be triggered again in the short term.
Of course, if Ogerpon truly wanted them dead, she could simply wait.
The shrinking effect never lasted long.
Many wild Pokémon knew this tactic well—
the art of camping the respawn.
"Caw!"
"Gah!"
Seeing Ogerpon's brutal display, Fezandipiti and Munkidori lost all courage.
Fezandipiti flapped its wings and imdiately attempted to escape into the sky.
"Poné?"
Ogerpon would never allow that.
A green Energy Ball ford in her left hand.
Her right hand swung the Thorned Club like a baseball bat—
And she knocked the fleeing bird straight out of the air.
Boom!
The Energy Ball detonated on impact.
A level-77 Ogerpon's attack, even without the Defiant boost, was more than enough to one-shot a level-56 Fezandipiti.
Double KO.
"Guaaah!!!"
With two Loyal Three defeated in rapid succession, the remaining Munkidori—and the villagers behind it—stood frozen in disbelief.
They simply could not process what they had just seen.
Those were the Loyal Three.
Two of them had just been taken down instantly.
Wasn't sothing wrong here?
Weren't the legendary guardians supposed to return heroically—
And make the ogre cry out, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"?
This wasn't how the story was supposed to go.
Thud.
Ignoring the stunned crowd, Munkidori made the most pragmatic decision possible.
It dropped to its knees—
And perford a perfect, textbook dogeza.
"Spare my life! I'll do anything!!"
"Anything?"
Ogerpon tilted her head slightly.
"Do you realize the resolve required to say those words?"
Her gaze swept over the unconscious Okidogi at her feet, then to Fezandipiti lying in the distance.
Finally, it settled on Munkidori.
"You really only think about yourself, don't you?"
"Gaaah…"
Munkidori felt an inexplicable pressure in those words.
But in the face of life and death, what choice did it have?
It was just a pitiful, weak, helpless monkey.
Facing a demon-king-level Ogerpon—
Despair was inevitable.
Who in their right mind would wake up from resurrection only to find the final boss who had wiped them out waiting at the door?
"Poné."
There was no forgiveness.
No rcy.
Ogerpon raised her Thorned Club high—
And brought it down.
With that single strike, all three Loyal Three lay defeated.
"Is that enough?"
Seeing that Ogerpon had no intention of finishing them off, Sora said nothing.
He understood her feelings.
"Poné…"
Ogerpon walked back to him, tucked her mask into her sleeve, and hugged him tightly, rubbing her cheek against him affectionately.
"Mm."
Sora gently stroked her head.
"Let's consider this matter settled for now."
If Ponpon chose revenge, he would support her.
And now—
It was clear she had stepped out of the swamp of her past.
Of course, that didn't an she wouldn't beat them again in the future.
She had let go of obsession.
Not justice.
Besides—
Even if Ogerpon killed them permanently, as long as the villagers continued worshipping them, the Loyal Three would eventually revive again.
By now, they were no different from minor land deities tied to the region.
And frankly, Sora found the idea amusing.
Leaving those three troublemakers with the villagers might be the best punishnt of all.
Guardians?
Don't kid yourselves.
He could easily imagine the chaos they would cause.
The Loyal Three were never virtuous beings.
They were greedy.
Selfish.
Lazy.
If the village truly intended to support them—
Financial ruin would co soon enough.
It takes villains to deal with villains.
Before he cleared Ogerpon's na, he decided—
Those three would make excellent torntors for the stubborn villagers of Kitakami.
—------------------------------
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