𝐗𝐈
𝐩𝐨𝐯.: 𝐲/𝐧
You shield Mairin as the strike rains down on your head. You ready yourself for pain, however are surprised when none comes. The sound of metal breaking is deafening. For a moment, you think your vest has opened.
Then you see the small parts of the broken blade scattered all around you. A small piece hits your face, leaving a little cut to draw blood.
You look back up, seeing the man stagger back in surprise, staring at the handle left in his palm. Then, he continues his assault with whatever is left of the broken sword now. You call out enraged before jumping up on him.
This is... not how you imagined things would go this evening. Then again, when you had been forced to wear this suit last minute, you knew it couldn't be a good one either.
Fights are usually fun. Given both attacker and defender stand on the same ground. But when there is a crying girl shaking and cowering behind you, it turns sour.
Given she's the Kings only daughter, of course she is an accordingly great target. It didn't take long for the first man to try and slice her up. Not when you're here to prevent it, however. You don't want to imagine what could've happened if you weren't here, such as the King had originally requested before being talked out of it by the prince himself.
Talking of prince, you had lost track of him ever since the chaos begun. People started screaming when the windows shattered and you grabbed ahold of Mairin, pulling her against you protectively. You had no chance to come to the prince's aid, as deep as the desire ran.
Much more than protecting him, you knew he would want you to protect his little sister. So you did exactly that.
That these men had iron and titanium swords was indeed a little unfair. You can't just grab their blades mid air like you did with their wooden relatives in training. You had to dodge, then try punching them down. And still, despite not fearing death, this situation was making you start to feel... desperate.
As you're tackled to the ground, Mairin's screams in the background, you felt it even more so. Before you have a chance to fight back though, the woman is thrown off of you. Grey eyes meet yours and you can't explain the wave of relief that floods your chest.
"Augustine," you breathe.
He doesn't answer, simply stares down at you. Then, with quick hands, he fishes something from out of his pocket. You stand up, watching him draw a key. It looks old and rusty. Years of decay gnaw at it.
You know what it's for immediately. How can you not? Not when this thing has been mockingly held infront of your face so many times. Not when this thing is the ticket to freedom you have been denied for so long.
Despite the war raging inside this room, the screams of terror and fury echoing through the air, you feel your senses dullen until all that's left is this forsaken key and it's holder.
The prince speaks.
Still, all you perceive is the motion he makes.
The lock on your backside clicks as the key is pushed inside. It's turned around and suddenly, your chest can expand all at once without disruption. Sir Leon, still caught up with fighting back the attackers, looks over in great terror.
The prince doesn't hesitate to run over to Mairin,— grabbing and carrying her away with fast strides. You hear his footsteps leave.
First, you perceive the light tug of cloth on your shoulders. Then, a slow drag. You feel heaviness leave your back as the vest falls to the ground with a loud thump. You almost stumble, moved by its movement and weight.
You breathe in, and feel no restriction against your ribcage as it extends to maximum. You hold the air trapped for a moment longer, then exhale. You look down at your palm. You're not sure why you feel like crying. This is what it feels like, to be free. And yet, you had none of it.
You close your eyes,— as despair begins to slowly turn into anger.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
𝐩𝐨𝐯.: 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧
I watch in great surprise, as brother opens y/n's vest. It's risky, even I know. But, seeing how things were looking right now, it couldn't get any worse. I was scared when the men came through the windows. Even more though, I was scared for my brother. I had y/n to watch out for me. He had no one. Everyone who tried harming me, tasted a bit of her wrath. She flung these men around like they were made of wood.
I felt protected with her. Still, the thought of losing my brother, the whole situation, panicked shouts everywhere, it made me cry tears of fear and overwhelm. Even more so when I had lost track of him in the crowd.
He is all I have left. I can't lose him. I can't live with father only.
A click sounds in my ears. I wipe my tears with my sleeve, watching him finally run towards me. I reach up to him with shaking hands, and he picks me up easily. I bury my head in his chest, holding onto him tightly.
"It's alright Mairin, everything's alright. I'm here now," he utters. He sounds breathless. From fighting bad men, most likely.
He runs away with me. I only look up once he stops, kneeling down. Though he never stops holding me.
"Y/n;" I whisper. I turn my head just in time to see the transformation. I realize in this moment that I had never seen a hybrid transform before. They had always been stopped from doing so by these odd vests. Now y/n's had been shed.
Bones crack with sickening crunches. She leans forwards onto her hands moments later, howling in pain. Her skin changes colour. As all her human features and curves disappear, she grows dramatically in size, causing her clothes to rip apart. She grows and grows and my grip on my brother tightens when she doesn't stop.
She is taller than Augustine when she does eventually. Everything has grown in size. There's bones on her back now, enveloping her like a ribcage. Sharp teeth sit in her mouth, I see because she fletches them at the attackers.
Everyone had stopped to see what was happening. Even the knights stare frightened at her, unsure how to handle the situation. I still don't fear her, not even when faced with her size. She is still y/n under all that. People always preach to look past appearances and see the soul beneath. Why are hybrids excluded in this view?
A voice yells at us. I look up to see a man approaching, targeting the King's children. Two birds with one stone, he must probably think.
Augustine moves, sliding me off his knee to grab his sword, though he doesn't have to protect us. The man can't even get to us. He's hurled into the air as the stomping hybrid comes to stand before us protectively, howling loudly as if to point this out.
The room abruptly picks back up where it had left off. Men cling to eachother's throat, fighting despite not knowing their opposite. If they did, there is a high chance all of this wouldn't be happening in the first place. If only they'd sit down and talk to the other instead of... this.
With y/n's transformation, they tides have suddenly turned against them. The balance had been completely knocked off, and the fight is clearly in our favour now. It takes a lot of men to fight her. They all stand around her, trying to attack, but she either blocks or kicks them away. Sometimes a hit connects. It doesn't seem to bother her, though the blood dripping from said wounds says otherwise.
Augustine has returned to holding me. It's my fault he can't fight. He must feel obliged to protect me. Then again, I'm glad he isn't out there, risking his life. Although I can see it in his gaze he yearns to be on the battlefield. Besides her. It doesn't help that he absolutely despises having to be protected. Even more so when others get hurt because of it.
Y/n suddenly opens her mouth. Before I have a chance to see what's happening, my brother forces my head away and back into his chest. I feel his hand against the back of my head, holding me close.
I hear screaming. Loud, painful screaming. I hear the pleads of men and women as they scream their heart out, only for them to be silenced. Heat radiates against my back. It smells weird.
A loud wail of, "RETREAT;" is hollered through the room, only for the same voice to call out in pain.
It doesn't take much longer for the attack to finally be stopped. I breathe into my brothers chest, looking up at him when his grip on me finally loosens. I see him stare ahead with wide eyes, a face of concern adorning his features. His lips are slightly parted.
I take the chance to look at the scene. There, amidst dead bodies and black dust, stands a tall, graceful Pokémon. Slender legs and sturdy body, the canine licks its fangs, the last breaths of smoke escaping mouth and snout.
Silence has returned to the giant ballroom. I make out father. He, too, is alive. Beaten just the tiniest bit. He walks forwards with aggressive gaze, then halts before her and raises his puny sword. Y/n eyes him unimpressed.
The attackers had been defeated. Now there was only one danger left.
The knights, who had been fighting alongside her previously, carefully circle around her, swords at the ready.
She looks around.
There is a very real chance she could defeat all of us. Everyone had seen her strength. The power of destruction she holds. Her eyes land on mine and we gaze at one another. In her (e/c), I can make out y/n. Despite what she looks like, it's her.
She's not a monster.
She protected me. She risked her life for my survival. A monster wouldn't do that. She has nothing to gain from this. She did it out of pure compassion. I watch as she closes her eyes.
I hear cracking. The distinct sound of bones breaking and moving against eachother. My brows furrow deeply as I see the transformation once more. It sounds horrible, I didn't want to imagine what it felt like, having this done to your body. As I keep on watching, brother sits me down carefully on the floor. His arms leave mine as he stands up to dash towards them.
The howls turn into silent gasps and hisses. Then, she stands before the men, naked as the day she was born, bleeding wounds and bruises littering her body. Bruises she had gotten while protecting us.
She stares at my father, then at the red tip of his blade still directed at her. She huffs a powerless laugh.
"Don't worry. I can only transform once every few hours." She sounds awfully tired.
Suddenly, she wavers. Her naked feet tap on the ground, making small pitter patter noises. Instead of the floor, she crashes into my brother instead. He wraps his arms around her securely, holding her close. He lowers her down carefully and she hisses at the contact with the icy floor. No second later, he drapes his white jacket across her, his eyes finding the crowd around him.
"We need to get her some medical help, hurry!"
"Put the vest back on," father booms in return. Augustine looks at him in disbelief.
"What?"
"You heard me," father says. "Get away from her Augustine. It's too dangerous!"
Augustine switches back to looking at y/n. I can see her staring at my brother with tired eyes, fixing on nothing but him. I feel my heart swell uncomfortably. The red spot on the vest grows in size and his eyes fill with panic.
"You cannot be serious! She protected us! Get her help!"
"Get him away!"
Arms grab my brother upon fathers demand, forcefully pulling him away from her side. He struggles against their grip, though is powerless against three men.
"You can't do that father!"
I watch horrified, as the jacket is pulled away from y/n, exposing her to the cold air once more. She closes her eyes. The heavy vest is laid across her chest, then they sit her up to secure it from around her backside too. Only once they're done, does father nod.
"You shall bring her to the royal physician. This is a mere exception. And get her a muzzle while you're at it. I don't want to see her run around without it anymore."
The addressed knights bow their heads, pushing a balled fist against their chests.
"Yes, your Majesty."
"We will be having a serious conversation later, Augustine."
My struggling brother and father share a burning look. Y/n is carried by two men, one arm of hers each around a pair of shoulders. Her feet are dragged across the floor. Blood has pooled on the spot where she laid and Augustine, still held onto, stares at it motionlessly.
Once father is gone, he springs to life at once, ripping himself free of their grasp. He runs off, into the direction y/n has been dragged off too.
I look at it the puddle of blood, then spare a concerned look y/n's way. I used to me jealous of the women my brother held in his arms. I was afraid they took him away from me, forever. He is all I have, I could never prevail in this world without his guidance.
But not anymore.
The same fear doesn't apply when it comes to y/n. I liked her a lot. I knew she needed it more than I did. And I knew that my brother liked her more than he pretended to, that much is obvious.
The question begs,- does the same apply for her as well?
People come dashing to me. Shaken servants circle around me, checking me for injuries. I have none, luckily.
I bristle.
Father didn't even care enough to check on me.