Margarita

She is a major character in *Xenoux's Strife* and the main protagonist of *Margarita's Ambitions*. In the former, she serves as Xenoux's helper during her rough childhood, while in the latter, she struggles to meet her abusive father's expectations and ultimately seeks to be free of him.

## Other Info

### Family

Dylan (father), Carmen (mother), Flaco, Charlie, Bakugo, and Mylo (brothers), Malva and Cleo (deceased stepmothers), Xenoux, Kaylie, and Blue (half-sisters), Kenneth (half-brother), Stephen (former trainer)

## **Physical Appearance**

She is unusually large for a Miraidon with longer and more powerful limbs. She has more vivid violet skin, and her face and abdomen are yellow. Most of her tail is gray, save for 4 black stripes near the tip. Her head antennae glow with light purple energy that fades to yellow and then black near the tops. She has large black eyes with yellow pupilless irises in between two black stripes, and a black casque with sharp metallic scales. Her cheeks and the accents on her legs and shoulders are light blue. The energy circular growth on her throat glows yellow with light purple underneath; in the middle portion of her tail, the coloring is reversed. Both, however, are accented on the bottom by light blue streaks. Her legs and feet resemble a theropod dinosaur's, and her large hands each have 5 fingers. Her lower legs are black. She has a long, black forked tongue and mouthful of needle-like teeth complete with 2 long, curved venomous fangs in her upper jaw like in many snake species. Her body is more elongated than most individuals of her species, and she can extend her body length, allowing her to slither like a snake when necessary. The lightning bolt on her tail is larger and yellow with light purple lines segmenting it, making it vaguely resemble a rattlesnake's tail rattle. When not in Ultimate Mode, the end of her tail has an actual metal rattle which is very long and black. Her back has several diamond-shaped markings varying in size; these markings are light blue with black borders and yellow centers. Her eyes will glow when she is angry.

As a baby, she had a pre-button on the end of her tail, but it gained more segments and turned into a rattle as she aged. She also had larger eyes and less defined markings. At the beginning of *Margarita's Ambitions*, she had five buttons on her rattle.

## ***Margarita's Ambitions***

### **Chapter 1**

The story begins with a young Margarita in her family's territory, play-fighting with her four brothers. She chases Flaco around and tackles him to the ground. The two roll until they bump into Charlie, who's playing with Mylo. Suddenly, their mother calls them over; they all stop playing and rush over to her. Cleo informs them their father will be arriving shortly and ushers them into the family cave. She has them line up, reminding them that Dylan always likes to see his kids lined up in a row when he come over.

Dylan arrives and eyes his children, giving them a small smile. Margarita becomes nervous as he asks them if they've been behaving well while he's been gone. Bakugo replies yes, which his siblings reluctantly echo. Dylan rumbles his approval and pets each of them on the head, adding for them to keep up their good behavior. He then tells Carmen he wants to talk to her, which the kids take as their que to leave. They bid their father goodbye and go outside, while Dylan tells them to play nice.

### **Chapter 2**

Margarita and her siblings are trying to acclimate to having Dylan around. Flaco seems to be struggling with it the most since he can't understand how Dylan seems at home already when he usually doesn't visit very often or for very long. While they're playing with their toys, which are rocks, sticks, leaves, and Berry seeds, Charlie and Bakugo get into a scuffle about sharing a rock. Margarita tries to stop them, but they ignore her and continue bickering, which turns to yelling. She and Flaco then see a large shadow looming over them and whip around to see Dylan in front of them. Dylan, with an annoyed expression on his face, makes a low growl, prompting Charlie and Bakugo to stop fighting. All five youngsters look up at him fearfully as he asks what's going on.

Mylo tells him it's nothing, and Dylan snaps that it better be nothing, saying he won't have hot-headed ruffians for kids. Bakugo gets offended and opens his mouth to protest, but Margarita quickly silences him with a glare. Dylan tells Charlie and Bakugo that if they can't share and play nice, then they can't play at all. The two brothers apologize, lowering their heads, and Dylan snaps that if he catches any of them fighting again, then he'll spank them all. The sibling quintet gazes up at him in shock after hearing this. Dylan tells them to be quiet and stay where he and Carmen can see them before eyeing Margarita. She blinks nervously at him, and he thrusts his head down to face her, asking if she has to say something. Margarita wordlessly shakes her head no, and Dylan walks away, lashing his tail. The siblings watch him go and decide to play more quietly.

Soon after, Carmen calls them to come inside the cave since Dylan wants to keep an eye on them. Margarita reluctantly follows her brothers, shuddering at the sight of Dylan. They enter the cave and go to the farthest possible place from their father, where they start play-fighting. Margarita spars with Bakugo; however, she accidentally bites him too hard, drawing blood and causing him to yell in pain. She gasps and apologizes to her brother, who forgives her, but Dylan stomps over and reveals he saw what happened. He glares at Margarita and demands to know why she bit Bakugo. Margarita, shaking, tells him it was an accident, but her father doesn't believe her and reprimands her for fighting with her brother.

Carmen walks over, revealing she saw them play-fighting, and tries to tell Dylan this, but he shouts her down, refusing to listen. He decides to spank all five kids to teach them a lesson. Carmen, worried, protests that he doesn't have to since they're just kids who don't know better, but Dylan tells her to shut up. He snarls that she's being too soft on them, especially Margarita, believing she should talk more often. Margarita snaps and angrily tells him to shut up, saying he's being too hard on them. Her siblings gasp, and Dylan glares at her, asking her to repeat what she said. Margarita does so, adding that he should leave if he chooses to treat her and her brothers like pets instead of kids. Carmen gasps in shock and the boys are speechless. Dylan loses his temper and yells he's not going anywhere, it's his home, and he makes the rules. He grabs Margarita by the midsection, ordering her to come with him, and takes her to a smaller damp side tunnel with a muddy floor.

Dylan puts his daughter down and gently uses Mud Slap on her to prevent her from resisting. Covered and immobilized in sticky mud, Margarita has no choice but to take whatever punishment her father dishes out. Dylan holds his daughter by the midsection again with one hand and tells her to lift her tail. Margarita obeys, knowing what will happen, and braces herself. Dylan holds her tail with his thumb and spanks Margarita's rear end hard 20 times. He snaps it'll teach her and puts her down again, telling her to sit there and think about her words until he tells her she can come out. Margarita sits still and sadly watches as her father walks away.

### **Chapter 3**

A long time later, Dylan returns to where Margarita is sitting and tells her she can get up. He picks her up and carries her outside, where he bathes her in a small nearby pool to wash the mud off her body. Margarita puts up with it despite disliking baths. Dylan puts her down and warns her to watch herself around him, and she reluctantly submits to his authority. He asks her to tell her mother he's going hunting, then runs off. Margarita walks back to the cave, where she tells Carmen. Her mother, fearing for her safety, sternly warns her to control herself around him, as he tends to be very rough with his other children, even hitting them. She tells her daughter that things could've gotten much worse for her. Shocked, Margarita asks if Dylan really has other mates and children, which Carmen confirms, revealing she's Dylan's third mate. She says she doesn't know what happened to his other two mates.

Margarita looks at the ground, processing this information, and becomes worried for her safety and her brothers'. She asks Carmen why she won't leave Dylan, and her mother looks at her in shock, not knowing how to answer. Carmen simply tells Margarita to go practice the hunting techniques she taught her and her brothers. Margarita does so, and Bakugo asks if she's okay, to which she answers yes. Mylo says he's glad she's okay, and Flaco chimes that they thought Dylan might actually hurt her. Margarita replies he didn't, but chooses not to reveal the information that Carmen just told her. Instead, she suggests they go on a hunt and learn to catch live prey. Her brothers ecstatically agree, eager to show the results of their training to their mother.

They head into the woods nearby, where they cooperate and successfully catch two Lechonk almost as big as them. They bring back their prey, and Carmen is elated to see it, remarking she's proud of them for remembering their lessons. She lets them eat their food while she collects new leaves for their bedding. After the meal, the siblings play with the bones, having eaten all the flesh.

Soon after, Dylan returns bloody, bruised, and without prey. The five siblings stop playing and look at him, frightened of his new appearance. Mylo asks what happened, and Flaco yells for Carmen. Their mother arrives and gasps at seeing her mate like this, asking why he returned empty-handed. Dylan doesn't answer, and Carmen tells the kids to go outside. Margarita and her brothers hurry outside and hide behind a large boulder near the cave entrance to listen. Carmen asks Dylan what happened, but he remains silent. After a long pause, Margarita sees Carmen's eyes widen in shock and deduces that Dylan did something wrong. She and her brothers watch in utter silence as Carmen asks Dylan what he did.

Dylan reveals he got into a fight with Malva, one of his other mates, and went after her daughter, both of whom were in their territory. He adds that he accidentally wounded them both before Malva defeated him, shocking Carmen. Dylan warns her not to tell the kids or anyone else, threatening to get physical if she does. He tells her he's here to stay and reveals he can kill other Koraidon and Miraidon, horrifying both Carmen and the kids. Carmen, worried for her offspring, replies that she won't tell a soul and Dylan can do whatever he wants, infuriating Margarita. However, she calms down, knowing none of them are a match for their father. She then relays what Carmen told her earlier to her brothers, shocking them, as well as Dylan's intention to stay permanently. Charlie asks what they'll do, and Margarita suggests running away when their parents are asleep, revealing she's worried for all their safety. Though reluctant to leave their mother behind, her brothers see sense in this and agree in unison. They wait behind the the boulder until Carmen calls them in, knowing to keep their mouths shut.

At nightfall, Dylan and Carmen bed down, and the kids notice him getting on top of her in a mating position and holding her down. They watch and wait until their parents fall asleep, then regretfully whisper their goodbyes before sneaking out of the cave one last time. Margarita leads them through the woods out of their parents' territory, realizing they're on their own now. Some time later, they stop to drink at a pond and huddle up to sleep under some thick vegetation, hoping the smell of their surroundings will mask their own.

### **Chapter 4**

The next morning, the five siblings are woken up by a Mew who stumbled upon their hideout. They panic upon seeing him and prepare to defend themselves. Margarita gives a warning by rattling her tail, but the Mew is unfazed and reaches out to Bakugo. All five siblings begin to hiss loudly, and Margarita extends her body, coiling up in front of her brothers to defend them. She then stops rattling and shows her unusually pronounced fangs, snapping at the Mew to back off. The Mew stops and stares at her, and Margarita senses his confusion. Flicking out her tongue, she picks up the scent particles of two approaching Mewtwo and warns her brothers. Everyone hears two voices calling out the Mew's name, which is revealed to be Gumball. Margarita again tells Gumball to back off, warning that she'll bite him if he doesn't. However, Gumball still doesn't move. Flaco informs his sister that Gumball didn't seem to understand what she said. A shocked and confused Margarita asks how a Mew Gumball's age wouldn't be able to understand basic speech.

Before Flaco can answer, the Mewtwo Margarita scented arrive. One of them, a male, spots the five siblings huddled in the bushes and Gumball hovering in front of them. The siblings tense as he points at them, and the other Mewtwo, a female, rushes forward, yelling out to Gumball. The Mew sees Margarita's rattle and reaches out; the Miraidon and her brothers back away in fear, repeatedly flicking out her tongue to smell and taste the air while rattling loudly. Gumball, ignoring the Mewtwos' calls to him, eyes Margarita, bursting out "Diamond!" and reaches out to her. Charlie warns his sister that the Mew is after the diamond markings on her back. Margarita tries to back up further, but Gumball touches her. Instinctively, Margarita panics and bites Gumball's arm, causing him to scream and back away. The female Mewtwo rushes to grab him and pulls him away, giving him medicine to get rid of Margarita's venom. The male Mewtwo hurries over to treat Gumball's bite. Seeing that both Mewtwo are distracted, Margarita hisses to her brothers to flee while they can. She shortens her body and runs off with the others in tow, and they soon manage to escape the small family, later taking cover in a hollow log.

### **Chapter 5**

During another encounter with Gumball and the Mewtwo the next day, Margarita is injured and separated from her brothers while being taken to a medical facility in the nearby suburbs. There, two men and a Togruta treat her wounds and take her to their house, where she meets a Koraidon with a broken jaw who introduces herself as Xenoux. The two discover they're half-sisters and quickly bond.

### **Chapter 9**

Three years later, Margarita and Xenoux are "teens" who have adapted to living with people. When Xenoux wants to return to the wild and Amelia denies her request, Margarita reluctantly teaches Xenoux how to fight and defend herself. She wishes her sister good luck, and Xenoux later escapes that night. A few days later, Margarita, who covers for Xenoux, decides to sneak out herself due to an intense longing to reunite with her family.

### **Chapter 10**

While searching for her brothers in the wild, Margarita is captured by Pokémon hunters who later imprison her with other serpentine Pokémon. She meets and befriends several of them while they're all transported to a volcanic environment and herded into a massive fiery cavern with geysers and lava pits. Margarita discovers that upon entering, all of the other Pokémon mysteriously gain segmented tail rattles, diamond marks on their backs, and venomous fangs like hers, but they disappear once they've left the cavern. While exploring her prison, she discovers numerous treasures, including gold, jewelry, and Terastal shards and orbs. This makes her realize that the hunters, who live near the cavern, intend to keep her and the others imprisoned here to make them serve as guards and kill or ward off anyone who tries to steal the treasures. Margarita reports her findings and relays what she just figured out to the other Pokémon, and discovers that Mylo and Charlie are also imprisoned. She reunites with her brothers and meets another female Miraidon named Blue, whom she discovers is another of her half-sisters. Blue befriends Margarita and her brothers, and they vow to figure out a way to escape their prison. Blue later informs Margarita that there are locked gates at the cavern entrance. Everyone later goes to sleep for the night, with the four Miraidon huddled up with each other. Margarita is soon lulled to sleep by the sound of everyone's tails quietly rattling involuntarily.

### **Chapter 11**

A while later, Margarita wakes up to the sound of footsteps in the cavern. She looks out over Charlie's head to see five people and a Charmeleon tiptoeing among the serpents. Spotting them head in the direction of the treasure, she silently slithers after them. However, the other Pokémon wake up and rattle their tails upon seeing the newcomers, surrounding them and prompting Margarita to do the same. She signals for everyone to stop rattling and asks the newcomers who they are and what they're doing here. One woman responds that she won't tell them, which gives Margarita an idea. She tells the visitors that she and the other serpents know what they're after and proposes a bargain: they'll let them get the treasure unscathed in exchange for helping them escape the cavern. The newcomers reluctantly agree, and Blue promises she and the others won't hurt them.

## **Personality**

Margarita is usually very quiet and shows little to no emotion. Even at a young age, she is very cautious, patient and intelligent, and also deeply loyal to those she cares about. She will cautiously observe and judge a person's character before deciding whether or not they warrant her trust. She is also very slow to anger, though she could get mad faster as a kid. She'll also show normal emotions in certain situations, such as when she snaps at Dylan and gets mad at him for being too hard on her and her siblings, and when she becomes frightened when having to start a firefight in order for her and Kiki to survive.

## **Skills and Abilities**

* **Hadron Engine:** The signature Ability of her species. Turns the ground into Electric Terrain when she enters a battle. The futuristic engine within her also boosts her Sp. Attack stat on Electric Terrain.

## **Quotes**

**Carmen:** "Dylan, please! You don't have to spank them. They're just kids and they don't know any better."

**Dylan:** "Shut up, Carmen! You're bein' too soft on them, especially Margarita. Our only daughter doesn't talk as much as she should."

**Margarita:** "*You* shut up, Dad. You're being too hard on us."

**Dylan:** (glares at her) "What did you say to me, young lady?"

**Margarita:** (snarling at her father) "I said you're being too hard on us. If you're gonna keep treating us like pets instead of your kids, then maybe you should leave."

**Carmen:** (gasps) "Margarita!"

**Dylan:** "I'm not goin' anywhere! This is my home, so I make the rules! Come with me."

## **Trivia**

* Her appearance is based off a typical Miraidon with several traits from a western diamondback rattlesnake.
* Unlike most of her species, Margarita is more prone to emotional stress due to her early exposure to violence as a kid. Because of this, her rattle will gain more segments when she is angry or scared, like in life-threatening situations. This also enables her to breathe toxic gas and spit venom from her fangs at opponents, much like a spitting cobra.