Hindering Card

Lysandre stood imposingly tall, studying the situation briefly before announcing, nonchalant:

"Pyroar – deal with them."

The lion leapt from behind his back, interposing fiercely between us.

"Huh! Don't think we'll make it easy on you either!" Calem scoffed, stepping in front of me and sending out his Pokémon.

Absol and Pyroar faced each other, locking angry glares as they waited for their instructions.

"Pardon the interruption, but it's just business, really..." The bald admin laughed, assuming his position by Lysandre's side "we're kind of in the middle of something!" He sent out Swalot.

"And we're in a rush..." The red-haired lady by his side walked forward, and a Houndoom joined the battle.

"Altaria, go!" Calem didn't hesitate.

"This is just coward..." I tensed my fists. We were used to taking on the massive battles with Team Flare... But Lysandre's Pokémon were in the same level as ours – facing him by ourselves would prove challenging enough, let alone with those two admins supporting him. "Charizard, go and get..." I commanded... But, looking back to seek him, I spotted those eyes again – the angry submission he seemed forced to perform. "Dammit..." I felt a drop of cold sweat roll down my forehead "I can't help you, Calem!"

"I've got this!" Calem assured me, retrieving his attention to the battle in front of him and inquiring nothing on Charizard's situation.

...But no matter what he said, as I predicted, their Pokémon were too strong for Calem to take out on his own, and one by one his party grew exhausted.

The admins laughed as they saw him grow nervous – as they saw him run out of moves to use, most of them proving little effective against their seemingly never-ending party. Lysandre said nothing and showed nothing but the graveness in his face – not a muscle twitched with pride or otherwise as Pyroar missed no hit, and caused serious damage with each one of them. No mercy moved the massive man either.

"Careful!" I screamed, covering my eyes with my hands as Meowstic, the last Pokémon standing, obliviously got in the way of Pyroar's Take Down just as he attempted to dodge a Mightyena's attack. I heard the soft thud of the furry body being launched up, then falling back down. Calem ran to him.

"This is the end of the line for you" Lysandre roared in his thunder-like voice "If you'll excuse me, I'll have to take on further measures to guarantee the safe execution of my plan..." And he assumed large steps towards Calem's direction.

Calem was distracted attending to his Pokémon – he was surprised into a shock when Lysandre grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him up.

"H-Hey!!!"

"Let him go!" I jumped on him, grabbing the arm that held Calem and trying to pull him free.

"Excuse-me" he repeated, grabbing me with as much ease as he had done Calem, and now effectively holding us both in a considerable distance from each other and from his body, in a way that our kicks and punches could hardly reach him.

"Take these children into custody" He ordered, pulling us to the Admins.

Charizard stomped and roared behind us, protesting... but one glance from Lysandre put his rage in check, and we were again dragged towards the strange pair.

I faced their evil smiles, scowling at them and swearing, mentally trying to come up with a plan. The woman stretched her hand, presumptuously waiting to grab me... I kicked the floor, tightened my legs, tried to resist... but neither mine, nor Calem's efforts to stop Lysandre seemed to give him the least trouble. The skinny, pale fingers adorned with red nail polish approached, and how ardently I despised them now! Closing my eyes, I fought harder, wishing to escape...

I opened them again when gushing hot air blew across my face – a fire blaze flew furiously through the space between us, the woman immediately retracting her hand having suffered a burn caused by the hot air alone – the attack itself had dodged us by very little.

"What the hell?" she swore, jumping back.

I turned my neck, looking over Lysandre's great hand on my shoulder – Delphox pointed his wand, the fire swirling around the tip of it. From behind him, Shauna jumped out.

"Why are you just standing there?! Stop them!!" The woman ordered angrily, and her Mightyena and Swalot ran ahead.

Lysandre turned around, still pulling us with him – Trevor and Tierno were also there: Raichu and Crawdaunt by their sides.

"Guys!" Calem smiled.

"Their Pokémon are weak!" I warned "Go for the admins!"

Lysandre swirled us around, disoriented, trying to both dodge attacks and keep track of the battle as a pandemonium of Pokémon surrounded us. Calem didn't miss his cue – using the man's distraction, he held Lysandre's arm in both his hands and kicked the side of his knee. The gigantic man groaned faintly, and Calem pulled himself free, instantly jumping back, far from his reach. I tried to do the same, but Lysandre's grip tightened, pulling me closer to his torso as he stretched his arm trying to grab Calem.

"We'll hold them here, go inside and take care of that weapon!" Trevor astutely yelled from a distance.

Calem hesitated, moving confusedly from one side to the other, trying to position himself in the fight – searching for ways to help the guys, or a place where to hit Lysandre hard enough to set me free from his hand.

"Go!" I yelled, and it still wouldn't have sufficed, if it weren't for an Admin realizing his attempt and aiming an attack at him.

Giving us one last glance, Calem ran to the elevator, and fortunately managed to close the door behind him in time to escape Team Flare.

I smiled, much more relieved now. Lysandre turned back to the fight, his body shaking with tension.

Team Flare's defeated Pokémon piled up, and Trevor, Tierno and Shauna loudly celebrated their ongoing victory – the mood was still chaotic, the voices were many, and most of them hard to make out. Lysandre moved me around – he turned here and there, potentially forgetting there was a living person under his grasp; he tried to issue an order no one understood, waited for a break in the noise, then screamed at his subordinates, only to have his thunder voice blended with the Pokémon's cries. No one could hear him, however louder his voice grew, moved by a growing rage... Until it snapped!

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" He roared at the top of his lungs, bringing silence to everyone around. As soon as he attested he had his crew's attention, he hurled me at them, pushing me with enough strength to steal my balance so I couldn't run off, and the two admins held me by the arms, one at each side, forcing me down on my knees.

Without pronouncing a word on his intention, Lysandre paced in my friends' direction. He picked up a pokeball from his blazer, sent it forward, and out came an intimidating Gyarados.

Hope ended as quickly as it came, then: One swell move, and the gang's party was easily wiped out.

"I won't repeat my notice!" Lysandre threatened.

"Well, we won't back off!!!" Tierno challenged, shaking a chubby fist.

"We'll stand by our friends, no matter what!" Shauna pursued in her cheesy cuteness.

"We have to help Calem!" Trevor struggled with himself.

I moved my eyes to Charizard, who obediently watched from my side. I eyed him long enough for him to look at me – wounded pride burned in his pupils, like they did previously when we were under Sycamore, when I knew he couldn't fight… but there had been a way around that. From the heat in his eyes, I knew there was a way around this, too!

"Well, buddy..." I started, facing him intently. The flame burned brighter "You can hold that big guy, can't you?!"

His nostrils widened in a quick huff, his wings also silently moving, preparing. I smiled confidently.

"Let's go!" Trevor broke off, running courageously ahead like one devoid of reason. Shauna and Tierno, for lack of a better plan, followed.

Lysandre turned quickly and merely pointed – the serpent-like body of his Gyarados swiftly slithered, giving chase to them.

"Go, Charizard!" I ordered, and his heavy steps echoed loudly as they hit the floor.

The gang stopped before the elevator door and braced themselves as Gyarados thrashed in their direction, meeting my stubborn Charizard on the way and almost pushing him against them.

Charizard sunk his claws on the ground, taking in the impact, and with his arms he held Gyarados back by the fangs.

Shauna's worried eyes turned to me.

"He won't hold it for long – go!!" I yelled.

"Alright, let's deactivate that thing!" Tierno stirred and, just like Calem had done, the trio disappeared inside the elevator. The door quickly closed after them.

It was all I could do – and as far as Charizard could go. My heart throbbed with the thrill of adrenaline one last time, then beat calmly, relieved. Everyone had succeeded in invading Team Flare's hideout and I was the only one left outside, doing what I did best: getting captured. This time it didn't matter though - this time I smiled as the admin nervously called Lysandre, whose emotions were unreadable by now, but probably oscillated between rage and madness. I wasn't afraid of what any of them could do to me, as long as that weapon was being dealt with.

Gyarados stretched his mouth open as far as he could, while Charizard still struggled with holding his fangs. I thought he could swallow my Pokémon in one mouthful if he managed to break free...

Lysandre walked up to where I was being held. He examined me from his superior height with a cold blue glance framed by tensed crimson eyebrows.

"How very noble..." he declared, little impressed "That even under your current circumstances you should still have a hindering card up your bound sleeve"

Though he paid me a confusing compliment, I felt a poignant pain of shame and wounded pride by kneeling before him as I did – with my arms firmly seized and held open, as if he was some sort of king at whose mercy I lay, defeated.

"Formidable, indeed!" he observed, seemingly pointing out something that poured from my eyes "Sycamore was right in recommending me beware of your small tricks, and I was right in recommending him be aware of your potential! The first time I saw you, I knew this was to be expected, however undeveloped that same flame shone back then!"

He seized my coat and removed me from their hold, pulling me against his torso, where he passed his arm around my waist and lifted my body, neutralizing any escape attempt I might invest on.

"Gyarados, you fool!" He mildly shook his head from one side to the other as he passed our Pokémon on his way to the elevator, carrying me with one arm. "Your targets have fled already. I don't remember ordering you to hold such a pointless confrontation!" and, lifting his Pokeball, Gyarados got called back – Charizard fell forward to the ground, too stubbornly engaged in holding his adversary to let go.

"Bring her Pokémon, too!" Lysandre ordered his crew as he carried me into the elevator.