Political Peril


Cutey Punny entered the mayor’s office. The Cinccino mayor was looking out of the window, a cup of coffee in her paw. She silently sipped her lukewarm beverage, seemingly unaware of the hero’s presence. After taking a few steps towards the desk, the costumed heroine forced a cough in an attempt to grab her attention.

“Punctual as ever, Cutey Punny,” Mayor Hanna Cinnabell said, choosing not to turn around as she partook in another sip of her coffee. “I am so glad you have arrived.”

“I am here and reporting for heroic duty, Mayor Cinnabell!” Cutey Punny announced, saluting Hanna even though she could not witness it. “Is there some sort of dilemma? You seemed awfully calm over the communicator.”

There was no response at first. Hanna was too engrossed in savouring her morning coffee, which was unusual behaviour for someone of her stature. Cutey Punny was quick to pick up on this, but didn’t want to say anything. She wanted to keep her professionalism and wait for the mayor to elaborate on the reason she was called.

“Well, there is a reason for that, Miss Cutey Punny,” Hanna eventually responded, turning around to finally look at her popular visitor. She had a wild grin on her face, but the most striking feature was her snow-white eyes. “There is no reason to fear. Everything is as it should be.”

The masked Lopunny gasped, instantly noticing and recognizing the mayor’s off-putting pair of eyes. It was the distinct sign she was being mind controlled. Being an experienced fighter for justice as she was, there were many villains she fought that resorted to sinister mind-altering tactics.

“Mayor, your mind and words are currently not your own!” Cutey Punny declared, pointing at the brainwashed Cinccino and putting on an overdramatic heroic tone of voice. “Threat not,Mayor Cinnabell! I shall seek out and vanquish the thief of your free will!”

Hanna chuckled to herself, walking over to put the empty cup on her desk. “There is no need to ham it up all the time, Miss Punny; as amusing as I sometimes find it,” she stated, jumping up on her chair. “I do take offense to calling my master a thief, however. His plans that he has told me hold no ill will for me, nor the people of this region.”

Cutey cleared her throat, shaking off the embarrassment she was feeling for her random outburst. “I seriously doubt anyone who felt the desire to brainwash you has any good intentions for you, let alone anyone else that isn’t them!” she said, her tone now more serious. “Who is your master?”

“Oh? You don’t know? I do believe you have met him before. His name is Deviosis,” the mayor revealed, her pupil-less white eyes giving a potent glow while she spoke his name. “Master will steer not only my town, but the entire region into true peace and prosperity.”

Cutey Punny had encountered Deviosis numerous times in her career. He was a Malamar, so he was naturally a powerful hypnotist.However, he wasn’t the type of adversary who would break into manic laughter after divulging their sinister schemes. Unlike the rest of her rogue gallery, he was typically respectful and almost gentleman-like in nature. If it wasn’t for his goal of brainwashing innocent Pokemon to do his bidding, he might have been someone Cutey Punny would like.

Cutey sighed. “I know it will be a waste of time to convince you otherwise,” she stated, shaking her head. “The only way to remove his influence on you is to find him myself and defeat him. Hopefully before he brainwashes someone else.”

“Sorry, Miss Punny, I cannot allow you to harass the master. He isn’t evil and doesn’t deserve to be lumped into your ‘rogue gallery’, as it were,” Hanna remarked, taking something out of the top drawer of her desk. She held it up for Cutey to see, revealing it to be a slumber orb. “Don’t worry, you will still get to see the master, albeit in a way that saves him from any harm.”

Acting fast, Cutey Punny dashed forward and grabbed the paw Hanna was holding the sphere in. “I am sorry, Mayor Cinnabell, but I can’t allow that!” she commented, taking the orb off Hanna’s grip with her free hand.

“Ah, you have done very well so far, Mayor Cinnabell!” a male voice spoke from behind the heroic rabbit. “I knew such an underhanded trick would fail to subdue you, Miss Cutey Punny. You are not one to be underestimated, after all.”

Cutey Punny turned her head around and saw Deviosis the Malamar was in the doorway. At his side was a Clefarble and Hoenn Linoone standing on their hind legs. The fairy-type on his right had a relaxed smile on her face while the Linoone had a tiny scowl. Their eyes were a matching snow-white, not unlike the ones Hanna had.

“Deviosis! Mayor McNear? Mayor Badgerton?” Cutey Punny exclaimed, looking at the two mayors with an expression of shock.

“Oh, if it isn’t Cutey Punny! I didn’t expect to see you this soon!” The Clefarble mayor, Claudia McNear, commented, giving the heroine a small wave.

“Hmpf. It appears she is one of her moods, too,” Lionel Badgerton, the Linoone mayor noted, taking out a cigar from his jacket pocket. “You better unhand her at once, Cutey Punny! I always disliked your rambunctious behavior.”

“You’ve brainwashed them, too? I take it that your diabolical plot this time around is hypnotizing all the mayors!” Cutey Punny deduced, letting go of Mayor Cinnabell’s paw to unsheath her sabre. “Whatever you have planned will be squashed by the weight of justice!”

“No need for hostility, Cutey Punny! Master Deviosis is here only to help us,” Claudia began to explain.

“Don’t waste your breath on her, my dear,” Deviosis suddenly spoke, interrupting her. He floated slowly towards Cutey Punny, not intimidated by her pointing her weapon at him. The patterns on his body started to softly glow. “Words alone will not convince her to lay down her arms and acknowledge my worthy cause. I am afraid I must insist on invading your mind to make you realize your own folly.”

“Just try it, Deviosis!” Cutey Punny thought to herself, glaring at the mind-capturing villain. “If he thinks he can brainwash me like he did to many others, he should be prepared to be disappointed! I’ve fitted my mask with special lens that cancels out visual hypnosis,” she tightened her grip on her sabre, a confident smirk emerging on her face. “In the confusion I shall strike you down.”

She was so distracted that she didn’t notice Hanna had jumped up onto her desk. Not only did the Cincinno take back the Slumber Orb, she also removed Cutey Punny’s mask. “You won’t see the Master's glorious light with these on, Miss Punny!” she said, stuffing the mask into her pocket.

“What?! Ho -” she gasped, a look of horror dawning on her face as she remembered a crucial fact.

Lionel exhaled a plume of smoke, a smirk breaking through his grumpy expression “Did you really forget that we know of your anti-hypnosis mask, Cutey Punny?” he asked. “We made sure the master knew of this, too. Despite your bravado, you are still a reckless girl!”

“Cut out the misogyny, Lionel, will you?” Claudia requested, taking a side-glance at her fellow mayor, narrowing her eyes.

“Now then, gaze at me and fall under my power, Cutey Punny!” Deviosis exclaimed, puffing out his chest as the patterns on his belly glew brightly.

“NO!” Cutey Punny shouted, shielding her eyes from the mesmerizing shine with her arm. She attempted to back away, only for her back to hit Hanna’s desk.

“There is no reason to resist Master Deviosis, Cutey Punny,” Hanna, Claudia and Lionel all spoke in unison, their voices all equally monotone. Their eyes are as luminous as a light bulb.

Cutey Punny, not willing to submit to the call of evil, performed a backflip onto the table, kicking Deviosis in the process. She swirled around and kicked the chair with all her might, sending it flying through the window, smashing it. She then dove through the new opening and landed on her feet outside.

“I hate to flee, but I can’t fight in such a confined space with the mayors there…” Cutey Punny said, commenting on her escape.

Cutey Punny ran off in the direction of the town, not daring to take even a single glance behind her. Deviosis was hovering next to the smashed window, just watching as his furry prey made her escape. In spite of his failure to add the heroine to his brainwashed entourage, Deviosis remained in a good mood.

“Hop along, my dear bunny. Our paths will cross again sooner than you think….”


To be continued