Just as Ruben realized he was about to die again, something dazzling emanated from his chest. He gazed but squinted; a fuzzy vision took precedence over whatever there was. It was something spherical and brilliant. He could barely tell it was his ball.
The glow grew stronger as his body collapsed. All went dark as he fainted.
On the tree above, the two sisters sat casually, their golden and blue locks glittering in the light.
The gold-haired one let out a soft sigh. "Sister, the pretty trash has fainted."
"Yeah, I guess we can't enjoy him," the blue-haired girl replied, her laughter soft.
Their eyes caught the bright object attached to Ruben's chest.
"What is that?"
"No idea," her sister answered, inclining her head forward. "But it is shiny."
None of them realized that it was actually a ball.
Suddenly, the light dimmed. The circular object started to move, first revealing arms and then legs. It changed into this adorable thing in an instant. It was nearly like Pokémon.
The fatty standing nearby sneered. "So this is your beast? Weak, just like you. A pretty trash beast for a pretty trash master." Ruben remained unconscious, his face pale, oblivious to the insult.
The fatty's sneer deepened as he watched the creature. It stood there, silent and harmless, looking almost innocent.
"Pathetic," he said, chuckling. "I'll leave your useless beast thing to Rocky to deal with."
With a wave of his hand, he beckoned his Rocky turtle forward. A great beast appeared; its stony shell was shining, its eyes malevolent. The creature mirrored its master's disdain, glaring down at the small, round beast.
"Pika! Pika!!" the Rocky turtle sneered. Several heavy rocks began to materialize in the air around it, each bigger than the last one. It then suddenly flipped them directly towards Ruben and the round beast.
Just before the rocks could strike them, a shield of translucent blue formed in mid-air over Ruben and the beast alike, shimmering like glass. The boulders struck the shield and then harmlessly bounced back to fall in all directions.
The Rocky turtle froze, its face darkening. "Pika! Pika!!!" it shrieked in growing anger. This time, it summoned boulders bigger than the ones before. Each glistened with a faint aura of energy. Then, with a deafening roar, it launched them at its targets.
The retaliation was immediate. Those boulders flew back with the rebound from the shield, now with twice the strength, towards the fatty and his Rocky turtle. The impact was tremendous, and both of them were sent flying through the air.
The two beauties upon the tree laughed. Their peals of laughter echoed around the clearing.
"Look at that fatty!" the blue-haired one said, snickering.
The rocks almost hit them, but the beauty with blue hair reacted within a flash of an eye. With a casual wave of her finger, sharp green leaves came out of nowhere to tear the rocks to shreds before they could reach her.
"Silly beast," she grumbled, dusting off her sleeve.
Her sister turned to her, a concerned gaze in her eyes. "Sister, are you alright?"
"I am fine," she said, her voice steady. Her glance went to the fatty, who was now hanging on a nearby branch.
"Very disgusting," she growled, staring at him.
Ruben stirred on the ground. A sharp pain ran through his body as he attempted to move his arms and legs. His head pounded, his limbs felt heavy, and every single muscle in his body hurt. He groaned, his voice hoarse.
"Fuck, fuck, that hurts," he grumbled under his breath.
He opened his eyes, blinking slowly as his vision focused. The first thing he saw was the small, rounded beast standing beside him. It had arms. It had legs. It looked vaguely familiar, almost like his sister's favorite Pokémon.
He frowned, his mind clouded with confusion. "What the hell?"
The beast turned towards him, the round of its face glowing in dim light. Its eyes shone, and it chirped softly.
"Ruu ruu!" it called, a high-pitched melodious sound.
Ruben stared at it, confusion melting away. A grin gradually spread across his face. "You did this to them?" he asked, an edge of humor in his tone.
"Ruu ruu!" the beast chirped again, almost as if calling him by name.
"Yes, I'm Ruben," he said, his smirk widening. The pain lingered, but somehow he felt proud. His ball—his beast—had exacted revenge for him.
Above him, he heard voices from the tree.
"Pretty trash, we didn't know you were this powerful," teased the one with blue hair.
"Mighty man, sell your beast to us," her sister added, her voice full of mockery.
Ruben scowled, at a loss for words. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he thought of the thing as a beast. To him, it was just a ball.
Before he could say anything, a shrill voice cut in. "Look out!"
By that time, it was already too late. The fatty, now enraged, had gotten back up. His face contorted with anger, his voice booming across the clearing.
"Rocks of chaos, manifest on this trash!" he bellowed.
His Rocky turtle morphed, its body alight with some sort of dark, chaotic energy. It doubled in size, its shell cracked open, and its eyes burned hot with rage.
Ruben's heart sank. Fear gripped him at the sight of the giant monster.
"Damn," he muttered, barely audible.
The blue-haired beauty exhaled loudly in frustration and disinterest alike. "And here's where it gets messy."
She looked sideways at her sister. "Let's just leave; I don't want my dress getting dirty."
Her sister nodded and spoke with an indifferent tone. "We'll watch from afar," she s
aid, blowing a kiss toward Ruben.
In one second, they were gone, and Ruben felt hopeless.