Chapter Text
Madoka’s standing on water.
Her reflection is shown. She looks fine. Her hair’s kept up, by her two pink ribbons. Her school uniform is a bit dirty but there’s nothing a bit of soap and water can’t fix it. She has a few scratches on her skin, most notably on her face with a visible cut on her cheek.
But she looks fine.
She feels okay.
So then why does she feel as though she shouldn’t be here?
Pokemon wander around Eterna Forest. Unlike the previous routes, they seem more friendly and tame. The girl’s very own Pokemon are dancing and playing with them.
Even in a situation like this, they can unwind.
But to the girl’s, they can’t.
Yuma looks off. She’s keeping a close eye on the surroundings, her eyes searching and looking through any oddity or even a fallen leaf. Every step she takes, she takes with caution within them.
She looks to Madoka with concern, with a hint of fear.
Maybe sadness too?
Sayaka’s sword is out. She keeps trying to drive all the Pokemon away.
She slashes at a Burmy, but Madoka grabs her wrist. “Sayaka!” She yells out. The Burmy gets a chance to squirm away, running away from Sayaka’s path.
Sayaka frowns, gritting her teeth. “What’d you do that for?!” She yelled, pulling her arm away from Madoka’s grasp.
”You were about to hurt it…”
”Madoka…Any one of these could kill us. I don’t want to risk that.”
Madoka’s eyes widened. So that was it then. Kyoko and Iroha were…
She sits down. There’s a couple of chairs present. Madoka doesn’t know how or why they’re there, but better to sit down for a little while.
Her shoes sway. She places her hands on her knees in patience.
Something has to happen, right?
Madoka was watching over the Pokemon. Ralts, Bronzor, and Chikorita.
Trapninch and Castform were gone now.
They were playing, laughing while they ran around the forest.
”STAY BACK!”
That’s how it started.
Madoka sways her head, humming to herself a little tune.
Her shoes tap against the water.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Two magical girls were dueling it out in Eterna Forest.
”Lapras, Ice Shard!”
Madoka, Sayaka, and Yuma were caught in the crossfire of it.
One of them, a girl with blue hair, catches the sights of the three girls. Normally, she would have told them off. To buzz off and go.
That option’s off the table.
”Run!” Rena shouts. “Lapras will guide you! I’ll handle Alina—“
A green cube releases, letting out what appears to be a sheep’s shepherd. But it has no human face.
Sayaka’s eyes widened. “A Familiar! But how?!—“
”Fools!” The green haired girl, Alina if Rena is correct, cheerfully singed. In the palm of her hand was a green cube, much like the one that let out the familiar. “To even think you could defeat me? HAHAHAHA! Idiots! Vous n'aviez aucune chance!” Laughter comes from her.
Rena keeps fighting her, but Sayaka and Yuma stay close to Madoka.
The familiar moves to struck, aiming his weapon at Madoka. The pink haired girl stands, frightened and terrified to even move.
She’s history. Or at least that’s what she thought.
Bullets fire out, attacking and disintegrating the Familiar.
Two more magical girls appear.
”Go,” Homura turns her head to Sayaka. “We’ll handle Alina.”
Sayaka raises a eyebrow, “I…How did you know—“
”No time for questions! Are you going to Eterna City or not?” Mabayu speaks up from behind, taking out her scissors.
Sayaka takes Madoka’s hand and starts running, stirring clear from the battle. Madoka narrows her eyes at Homura’s figure.
To her, she looks familiar……
In the back of Madoka’s throat, she can feel something coming up. It feels like acid and bile, but nothing at the same time.
It feels heavy and light.
”Fall over and die already!”
Ivysaur springs to action, vines wrapping around Lapras. Farfetch’d comes over and cuts the vines with such ease and precision.
Alina’s had enough of them.
Rena, with her bulky yet fragile Lapras. And those two newcomers. They have nothing to do with her business!
She’s only here for Alina!
She looks down at Ivysaur, while she grits her teeth. She nudges her head, intending to get a message across to him.
Ivysaur sees her gesture, and nods his head.
Get the other three.
Her mouth feels weird. Her body feels strange. Her hands grab onto the chair’s handles, as if to support her.
Something is stuck in her throat—
Her body thrusts, she falls out her chair and lands on the ground.
Sayaka’s hand holds onto Madoka’s, tightly. It’s like a vice grip, she hadn’t even realized it. But she knows why.
That Alina girl looks dangerous.
It was a good call that Mabayu let her Torterra keep Cut. If she hadn’t, they would have gotten behind Madoka.
And if they did that, then Madoka’s group would know that Homura and Mabayu was stalking them.
”Now!”
Torterra stomped the ground, sending out one singular large root.
Alina smirked, seeing it emerged from the ground. “Really…? That’s what your Pokemon does—“
Homura shot her shoulder, with a loud bang filling the forest.
”AAAHHHHHHH! YOU!—“
“Was that a…”
”It was a gun shot. Whoever that girl is…They’re dealing with that twisted magical girl.”
Madoka nodded her head to Sayaka’s words.
”We should be up close…Oh! Look at that mansion!” Yuma pointed ahead, running.
Sayaka let out a chuckle. “And that exit! We’re close!”
Madoka laughs, as does Yuma.
Finally. It finally seems like everything is back to normal for once.
In a second, Madoka’s body throws up whatever was stuck in her throat.
Her arms tremble, and her mind feels scrambled.
All this feels wrong.
“AH!”
Yuma’s cry shakes Madoka out of that reality. It’s Alina’s Ivysaur, it trailed behind them, running after them.
Sayaka pulls out her sword, pushing Madoka behind her. Yuma runs to stand alongside her, and all three of the girl’s Pokemon join the two magical girls.
Homura reloads the gun and points it to Alina. “Talk.”
Rena’s trident is pointed directly at Alina’s throat. Mabayu only watches from behind the two.
To Alina, one thing is clear.
They want answers.
She lets out a huff. Buy some time, that’s what she’ll do. She won’t lose to these girls.
She grins. “Hah…You really think this will stop the Wings of Magius? Our plan is already set. We will save every magical girl from their fate! Clair comme le jour!”
Homura narrows her eyes. “How?”
Another grin from Alina.
Chikorita runs and charges at Ivysaur. The dual-type is able to dodge to the left, but its worries aren’t over yet.
Bronzor sends out a wave of psychic energy, distorting Ivysaur. Ralts follows up behind Bronzor, hiding to his attack.
Ivysaur tries to stand, to stay balance, but it can’t.
Sayaka glares and notices the Pokemon’s distortion. With her sword, she runs up to slash the Pokemon.
But Ivysaur regains his own mind. Vines grow out of its bulb, and grab hold of Sayaka’s sword. He takes a moment to look around his surroundings.
Two magical girls, three Pokemon, and another girl all against him…
Wait.
The pink haired girl isn’t attacking.
“The Wings of Magius is using Dialga’s powers to release every single magical girl’s fate! We’ve already sealed the deal with him, you can’t stop us! Soon, there will be no need for any witches or magical girls every again.” Alina smirks.
Homura lets out a small groan. Alina’s being fooled.
Rena’s expression turns grim. “That’s why you were after that Pokemon.”
Alina turns to Rena, narrowing her eyes at her.
Ivysaur’s bulb opens up, and out comes a cloud of purple spores. Everyone steps back, a bit raffled and shock.
”Ugh!” Sayaka covers her nose. “What is this stuff?!”
Madoka covers her mouth and nose, but she could have sworn she inhaled some of this.
“Not my problem anymore. Besides, it was making a mess, too clean, too spotless for my liking…No imagination, even!” Alina scoffed.
Homura turns the gun. “How much do you know about Cy—“
She freezes.
Mabayu noticed her tensed up state, unfolding her arms. “Homura?”
Rena’s eyes trail Homura, as does Mabayu.
Something is wrong. “Where’s Madoka…?!”
Dealing with the Ivysaur was easier than they expected.
Sayaka didn’t even break a sweat, neither did Yuma.
”Huh…” Sayaka mutters to herself. “I thought that would…”
”Don’t say you wanted a challenge!” Yuma frowns, coming from behind.
”N-No of course not!” She frowned back. “It’s not like that, I swear!”
Yuma could only shake her head, pouting just a bit. “Don’t say it or you’ll jinx it.”
”Alright, alright, I won’t!” Sayaka shrugs it off. “Madoka! Hey, Madoka! We dealt with the Ivysaur! We can head to—“
Coughing is heard from Madoka. There is no ‘you did great’ but just coughing.
”…Madoka…?”
Yuma runs up to Madoka, the little girl’s expression turns grim, almost lifeless.
Her grip on her staff tightens, grabbing Madoka as the pink-haired girl slowly crumpled down to her knees.
In the ordeal of the battle, they forgot about Madoka.
She was coughing out blood.
Homura shouldn’t have been so careless. The countless talks with Cyrus and Volo made her too soft. Damn it!
She should have never let Madoka out of her sights!
In her hands is a small item, an antidote.
If her suspicions are correct, that Ivysaur was strong and smart enough to use poison in such a wide area like this.
Sayaka and Yuma wouldn’t be affected that much. It was Madoka that was concerning.
”MADOKA! MADOKA!”
Madoka’s head was spinning. The ground feels wet like water, but water doesn’t run down her hands or sips through her fingers.
Her mouth feels wet. Not with water.
Yuma is healing her. Over and over again.
Madoka can hear a faint voice coming from her Ralts.
”Master! MASTER! Stay with us!”
Most of all, Madoka can hear Sayaka’s desperate pleas. Her pleas to keep her eyes open. To not go.
To not leave her.
Homura’s jumping through time. Over and over again.
Mabayu follows with her, at a much slower pace. But she still keeps following behind her.
“Yuma…? Did you do it…?!”
”…Sayaka, I…No…I…”
Ten seconds.
Homura and Mabayu were late by ten seconds.
The sensation of iron is in her mouth. The lingering taste of it hits her mouth immediately before she sees what she threw up.
Madoka is dead.
She’s dead.