ஐ ▪ D i e . R o m a n t i c ▪ ஐ
This Is The Nightmare We Die Complete
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◦ ˚∙ღ∙˚ ◦ author's note ◦ ˚∙ღ∙˚ ◦
This is my first story on fanfiction (Y). The first three chapters are unlike most Pokémon stories, so for a more traditional feel, you'll need to read on until at least chapter four. This is just me telling you not to give up on me if you find these first few chapters boring. ;)
Chapters will be long. I won't change that. Character history will be developed in the next chapter, including why the characters have such… erm… you'll see if you read. They're not morphs though. Stay tuned to find out who they really are. & this is dedicated to the beautiful Just-Another-Meaningless-Soul. xx Reviews are welcome whatever the weather. -smile-
◦ ˚∙ღ∙˚ ◦ disclaimer ◦ ˚∙ღ∙˚ ◦
I grudgingly admit Pokémon is not my creation. The song "Die Romantic" is owned by the band Aiden ((character reference!)), & "Thank You For The Venom" belongs to My Chemical Romance. I'm just a failure, aren't I? xP
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Chapter oo1:
You're Running After Something That You'll Never Kill
If this is what you want then fire at will…
He snatched up her hand instinctively when the soft padding of paws on the tarnished ground quickened to a thunderous pace. Plumes of dry earth spiralled frantically from the hasty movements, shielding all that remained faithful to the landscape, until more humans and Pokémon alike bounded upon the scene and crashed fearlessly into such veils, scattering the fragmented pieces of the children's last defence.
The hollow of the tree trunk arched low inside, creating a squat chamber for hiding within, floored and canopied by tough wooden knots. Aiden was hunched over, uncomfortably numb, back following the smooth curve the trunk made. The way his eyes were scrunched closed suggested his lack of desire to ever open them again; his lack of desire to see the destruction and sense the pain he had that day. Natural black locks plastered themselves to his damp forehead for the earlier trials had already left him perspiring. At fifteen years, Aiden stood taller than his comrades, and although not the oldest he was often the most respected by the younger children. His breath echoed emptily in the void that filled his thoughts, sending his body into nervous convulsions whenever the seriousness of the situation constricted his mind. Of course he was trained to deal with such a responsibility, but never had he expected it. No one had for seventeen years. But suddenly everyone and everything that ever mattered to him had its gaze fixed on him and six others, three too small to defend even themselves. He tried to use the fear to motivate himself, but all it did was haunt him with words hinting he wasn't good enough.
The pressure towered above them all, the pulse of their hearts louder than the drone of limitless feet and paws racing to meet them. Aiden swallowed hard, reminding himself he hadn't tasted clean water in twenty-eight hours. Momentarily he swooned, dizziness overpowering him, before his back collided with the side of the trunk once more, supporting him in his struggle. If only the numbness had died, his tongue would feel swollen. His flesh would feel bruised and cut. His surrender would feel somewhat heavenly.
He wanted to give in. It meant death, but throughout his battle the prospect became more and more welcome. Now was the time he felt most vulnerable, so now was the time he decided he could finally let go.
He didn't dare think about it twice. It might have resulted in him clinging on to life. So with no last words, his senses disengaged.
He lost the will to live.
He urged every muscle in his body to relax, to rest, to admit defeat. Slowly, beneath heavy eyelids his eyes rolled back, his mouth hung open and his lungs began to slow. The steady metronome of his heart wavered, almost faltered, when his constructed demise was abruptly disturbed.
The nerves in his hand flourished once more. Wearily, his light brown eyes flickered open as he glanced down suspiciously at his fingers, tracing the form of the entwined hand up to the arm and finally the face. The light that he had thought to have lost glimmered briefly upon merging his gaze with hers.
Loyal as ever, she still clung to him. Her hand squeezed his tighter now, for she realised Aiden's wishes to give in. Her lip trembled before she steadied herself, dark eyes pleading.
One of his best friends stood before him, begging him silently not to be so easily deceived by the concept of death. He blinked naturally once, but found himself blinking more and more as tears suddenly began to fall, pattering softly on his sleeve. He looked at her through a veil of emotion, and watched as she shook her head and gave him a small, grim smile. "Please," she whispered, "we need you Aiden…"
"Leila," he started quietly, but choked on his own words as his voice broke. His bit his lip and hung his head bitterly, causing Leila to utter a small whimper and envelope him in her arms. Her cloak hung limply around her battered figure, and her face was smudged with grime but she could never have been as dirty as the lies they had been fed for all those years.
Leila, only two months older than Aiden, barely reached the height of Aiden's chin, but size wasn't something to separate the pair. Aiden nuzzled his forehead into her shoulder crook, breathing in the scent of her blonde hair. Aiden's tears fell onto her cloak, and with every one he counted he wished only the best for them – as if magically they could all be transported out of this danger. But he knew better. Nowhere was safe now.
Aiden held on to her for fear of being separated. As one of the people that had kept his life glued together and filled with adventure, he couldn't bear losing her. Three years had passed since they both graduated from their basic village schooling, and those three years had been filled with him longing for her embrace, and the day when he could finally tell her how much she meant to him; how much he thought he loved her. He had lived in cowardice for too long, and although this might've been his last day he couldn't pull together any words that might've even made any sense, let alone make her aware of her importance. All he could do was savour the moment, and hope against all odds that this wasn't the final day he'd have to be with her.
Four-year-old Raven was hopelessly clutching Leila's back, her small sobs muffled in Leila's hair. Her tiny fists clenched round the material Leila wore, she climbed further up and switched positions to sit upon Aiden's shoulders and mourn into his nest of hair instead.
Another set of arms cradled the others. Oldest of them all, at seventeen years old, Noel approached them sorrowfully, but with hard set blue eyes determined not to cry. A small collection of scars littered his left cheek, but he pretended they didn't bother him, and wore them proudly as though they were medals. The six year old that hadn't yet lessened her grip on his forearm, Lydia, stared up at her elders questioningly with huge eyes and a lopsided frown. "Why do you cry?" she wondered helplessly, "Why do you cry when we are so much luckier than the others?"
Leila gasped slightly before holding her breath, releasing her grip on Aiden's shoulders and scooping up little Lydia who immediately began twisting Leila's hair into wonderful shapes.
"Sadly, she's right though," added Sid matter-of-factly. The last male of the group was only twelve years old, old enough to defend himself but still young enough to be arrogant and almost act uneducated at times. His small, shallow grey eyes scanned the situation disapprovingly, and he hoisted a small girl, Brooke, over his shoulders where she could sleep more comfortably.
"Be quiet Sid!" Leila snapped, hugging Lydia tightly. "You see what's happened to those around us and you think it's not enough to be sad about? You're just heartless."
"No Leila, it's not that. It's the fact that instead of whining about how we hate the predicament we're in we should actually try and make it better. Jeez…" he replied, venom laced in his voice.
"Guys…" Noel warned, but the argument raged on.
"Oh! So you have some genius plan do you? If I remember correctly it was you who told us we'd be safe in the forest! Well guess what? We walked straight into their trap!" Leila hissed, voicing rising with anger.
"Guys!" Noel said, clearer and a little more urgently.
"You want me to cry 'cause that'll make me human, but I can't make mistakes? Oh wow. That's real nice of you, honey. Not hypocritical in the least!" Sid shouted back.
"Guys!" Noel practically screamed, but it was too late.
Soft sniffing noises could be heard through the walls of their makeshift chamber. All fell silent, and faces paled. Lydia's nails dug into Leila's neck.
"Nine, canine!" they heard a Pokémon bark, and then a rush of human voices.
"They're in there!" wheezed one voice, when the trunk rocked dangerously. Those contained within held their breath.
"Go Aggron!" another commanded, voice powerful but noticeably feminine, and even from their dark confinement the children could sense the flash of pearly light. A low roar reverberated around them, causing the ground to shake and their bodies to shake harder.
Suddenly, light spilled in from a crack, torn cleanly. A steel-plated, reptilian head appeared, eyes closed, before two claws struck the wooden roof and ripped it apart. Raven hurled her head back and screamed sharply, as men and women all gathered around the Aggron. Aiden panicked briefly as his comrades' eyes settled on him, so hurriedly he pressed a clammy palm onto Raven's lips, softening the shriek until it vanished altogether. Fortunately the din of wood crashing to the ground and being trodden on by the Aggron was loud enough for those outside to preoccupy them from the shrieking inside the trunk.
Sluggishly, the sun had hoisted its exhausted body over them all, casting elongated shadows onto the harsh terrain. Slow, daunting footsteps caused the ground to throb in uncertainty as silhouettes followed the shadows' lead, promoting rivalry even where the light couldn't reach. Sid clenched his fists as colour gradually graced his slim face.
An incredible daiquiri of colour dithered in the sky. Wrathful reds, melancholic blues, venomous purples and all other colours within the earthly spectrum churned and glinted in the eyes of the children. Noel, Sid and Leila took several dainty steps backwards until they too were pressed against the wall of the trunk and shrouded in shadow. The darkness that screened them differed from the darkness that hid their predators' faces however, for each child knew that it was the opposing force that was shaded in the small humiliation that they called loss. Somehow they were going to win. Or decades of demanding work would all be in vain.
"Ma'am, I've just received confirmation that both ends of the fallen tree have been blocked by three members on each side, so if-" a young voice reported as another silhouette appeared.
"Shush Pablo!" the same woman that had sent out the Aggron demanded. He gulped and immediately closed his mouth allowing the woman to speak more softly. "They're in there…"
A silence dappled only by the uneven breathing of the children, covered conveniently by the low grunting of the Aggron and the continuous panting of the Arcanine, was discomfort enough as the tension mounted higher. Aiden tried to focus on who he thought to be woman figure, but the bad lighting was of no advantage to him in this case. The air was thick with dread, knowing that if they didn't survive now there was no hope for any of their families.
Noel's eyes searched frenziedly left and right for an escape route, but true to Pablo's words more human-shaped shadows laced the exits. As if finding no other way to assist his situation, with shaking hands he tugged off his gloves, bent over to replace them in his boots as he had no pockets, and rubbed his palms together. Lydia gave a slight snivel at the sight of this, but Raven and the now awake Brooke could only watch in bewilderment, not knowing what would come after what seemed like such a calm series of actions.
Aiden finally removed his hands from Raven's mouth trusting her not to yell out. As Leila and Sid both detached the smaller children Aiden pulled off his own gloves and stuffed them in his pockets, before spitting upon his own hands and rubbing it into the wounds that adorned them.
Leila was a little more hesitant, but removed hers before allowing a tear to silently dance down her cheek. She held the gloves in her hands and stared down at them longingly, as if urging them to jump back on to her hands, before Aiden noticed and gently pulled them out of his grasp, smiling bleakly as they too went into his pocket. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words could be voiced, so her arms once more wrapped themselves around his stomach. Far beneath her arms he felt his insides knot themselves around each other. If reality had allowed it his heart would have beat faster.
Sid was far less considerate to the consequences of his actions. He ripped the gloves off with his teeth and tossed them aside mercilessly. He tightened and loosened his fists, causing the bones to crack.
A bitter wind picked up, draining the last blemishes of relief. Aggron raised its jaws to the sky and roared menacingly, only as brutal to the ears as undoubtedly brutal the way it could create carnage. The children reluctantly shivered, slowly becoming further encased in mere terror. Leila had turned away from Aiden with her hands firmly pressed against her mouth, stifling the wailing she longed to release.
"Right," Noel addressed the group whilst wrapping his cloak around more tightly, "we're up against an Aggron and an Arcanine from what we can tell so far. That's steel, rock and fire types? Alright, primarily ground attacks, but if they prove too difficult a water assault or two won't go amiss. Of course, this is only if we need to attack. We don't need to go taking any lives unless there's no other way, do we?" At this Leila bit down harshly on her fist, barely muting the soft cry. Noel looked apologetically at her, but continued. "The only question is how we approach this. Do we head straight out the hole in the trunk? Or escape either left or right where three guards will be sent to stop us either way? I don't know so… vote? All those for-"
A threatening crackle quickly disrupted the conversation, sending the smaller children into a flurry of alarm. Noel, Leila and Aiden spun around slowly as they had been taught to, attempting to show determination before what could be the final fight.
Only an enemy did not cause the noise.
Sid stood before them all, almost in plain view to those nearer the opening in the trunk. His two hands were outstretched in front of him, trembling, and with every shudder he suppressed his hands darkened maliciously, becoming charred through the efforts and troubles a twelve year old should not have to suffer. Aiden looked down at his own, open wounds still freely bleeding and puce-coloured flesh turning grey under the astound half-light.
"Sid, what are you doing?" Noel hissed angrily, refusing to advance upon Sid for fear of being seen.
In the open palm of Sid's left hand an orb of astounding hue set to an arctic temperature has being conjured, near shattering, rolling melodiously, almost stunningly albeit for the blackening skin that endured such torture beneath it. His right hand contrasted. His fingers had crushed themselves into a rigid fist, positively glowing with might and sending static waves darting up his forearm, sizzling violently.
"Trust me," he reassured through gritted teeth, "shut up a minute… listen to them… They're gonna attack us… if we don't… first." Then quietly, almost distraughtly, he added, "They're gonna attack us if… I don't first."
Brooke, Raven and Lydia had found comfort in each other's arms, scared for not only their future, but also everyone else's that they cared for. Upon seeing Sid focusing all this energy, Noel shepherded the small girls nearer him in case the worst happened.
Leila took three brisk paces forward before stopping herself from reaching the light. Pressing her ear against the cold wood of the trunk, voices were barely audible but existent.
"But Ma'am," Pablo was arguing intensely, "Doctor Gabor has set the task, and Doctor Rein will soon be here to check up on the mission. The troops were given strict ord-"
"Silence Pablo! I think you'll find the troops are under my orders, and I shall be doing things the way I want. Oh dear Pablo, you'd have to be a fool to disagree, would you not? You haven't even dared to ask of what my glorious plan is…"
"Ma'am I must object! I-"
Leila pulled away from the trunk's wall. "They will attack," she murmured, "but they are having trouble deciding who is the higher force, and how to attack, or whatever else." Leila sighed, as the balls of energy in the hands of Sid enlarged reasonably. Sid grimaced. Leila looked at Sid sadly and added, "If it's a case of survival, then Sid's doing the right thing… I don't want to do it… but if we were to survive…" She pursed her lips and pressed her ear against the trunk once more.
"You always did act upon impulse, didn't you?" Noel commented upon Sid's behaviour, but not angrily. His tone was strangely loving, almost fatherly.
Sid grunted as his wrists began to char. "I... just do… what I think is… right…" he mumbled, unable to keep his words stringed together.
Sympathetically, Noel nodded. "Yeah I know. You always had the best interests at heart. Sorry… if it ever seemed like I didn't understand that…"
Sid closed his eyes, and for a moment no one could recognise if he was concentrating hard, or holding back tears. "That's alright", he said, rather monotonically, and his eyes snapped open, as the grey in his eyes glinted like steel, showing the well known determination he had that could never die down.
"Alright then…" added Noel, "Everyone concentrate. This could possibly be the hardest battle we've faced so far. There's so much at risk; we can't bear to lose. We could live to die another day… or this could be our final battle…"
Aiden's eyes met Noel's. "A final battle? Seriously now, would that really be so bad? All we do is fight. How is this life made for us?"
Noel stared at him, silent and stoic. Leila removed her ear from the walls, looking shocked. She forced her eyes to switch positions to focus upon Aiden, then Noel, and then Aiden again. But nothing could have tasted as sour as the words that casually dripped out from Aiden's mouth. Finally, her knees buckled.
Aiden saw this, and bent down to meet her. Finding the depression he had caused deep in her eyes, he lifted her up, whispering, "Don't be like that now… Just ignore me… I don't know what I'm saying… It's just… hard… I know it, you know it… and… I just don't like it…"
Leila kissed him fondly on the cheek, provoking a blush to surface. "I know, Aiden… I know…"
The noise level had dropped suddenly, as the crackling from Sid's hands halted. Everyone's eyes averted to the power that lay there.
"How… long do you think it'll… take my hands… to heal?" Sid grunted. Both hands and wrists were tense shades of black and grey, but what he held in his hands could have easily been mistaken for the sun and the moon settled high above the world. He had worked hard, and now wanted to know how much time he had to sacrifice.
"I think…" Noel pondered, "I think if they were to heal properly, no more than two and a half hours. Your skin has always been able to heal quicker as you are younger anyway. But if they follow us… you might have to force yourself to fight Sid. Your powers won't be to their maximum potential and your hands will take longer to heal after the strain… but we can't bear to lose you…" He sighed. "You do know that if you didn't charge for so long your hands would be of a better use after? Why did you charge for so long?"
"I thought that was… obvious," Sid stated, "We need the… best getaway… we can… right? So I'm gonna give… them something to… preoccupy them…"
Noel smiled proudly, "You're sacrificing for us. Your family will be proud, Sid. They will reward you greatly…" He paused momentarily, and continued after some thought. "You sure you want to do this?"
Sid nodded solemnly. "Just say when… alright?"
"Okay," Noel answered, and turned to Aiden and Leila. "Pick up one of the little ones, and run for the north, back to the village. We'll get the survivors to help. If you are ambushed, don't be afraid to attack, and try to get in contact with another one of us. But remember, we're here to live. Only hurt them if you absolutely have to…"
"Use a Sand-Attack," Sid interjected, "but make it a… big one… so it actually does damage… y'know… It's a ground type… move, powerful against… rock, steel… and fire, and… will create a nice… camouflage…"
Noel looked at Sid sceptically for a moment, before smiling weakly. "Sounds good… Right, we know what we're doing?"
"Yes Sir," Aiden agreed with a half-smile, and pulled Leila over to the three cowering girls. Lydia immediately spread her arms for Leila to pick her up, and Raven had latched herself onto Noel's leg, which left Aiden to carry Brooke. She wrapped her legs around Aiden's torso and her arms wrapped themselves around Aiden's neck so tightly he convulsed once more and feared he'd pass out in the time of great need.
Noel removed Raven from his leg and placed her over his shoulder. "Are we ready?" he asked quietly, and almost fearfully.
Breathing in deeply the air from the forest that might not have ever been tasted again, Leila and Aiden, hands united once more, nodded.
"Okay then," Noel said, and turned to Sid who had fallen to his knees trying to control the power he held. "Sid?"
"Yeah?" Sid gasped in response.
"Fire at will."
The orbs pulsated angrily, fighting harshly with Sid's willpower to break free. They wouldn't have to wait much longer though. A drop of sweat plummeted from the stress lines that creased his face as he recovered the last dregs of his stamina.
Three.
Sid's eyes were open, and wide, absorbing the light and cherishing the power in his hands, whilst fearing it also. His wounds would take time to heal, but he could take it. He was always annoyed when his older siblings told him he was useless, or that he'd never amount to anything. He was determined to prove them wrong.
Two.
His brain couldn't take the pressure for much longer. His head throbbed in agony, as light flushed his eyes and all his remaining energy whirred inside and waltzed down to his fingertips. The hardest was still to come. When his mind told him to go, all the force would rush out of his body and onto the field, and still he'd have to keep stable enough to control it.
One.
The last few moments before he let go. He almost didn't want to. The feelings were ensured to be painful, although it was questionable if he could feel anything at all now. The day had left him changed, and he didn't yet know whether for the better or for the worse. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax himself, as his mind pronounced that final, fateful syllable.
"Go!" he screamed vibrantly, but wondered if he had ever said it. The rushing in his ears made him forget everything natural around him for he had to focus on the task. But he was struggling to stand up, leaning on his one foot and shaking violently. The power was above him and he hardly understood how he could have created it.
The others had heard his prompt, and with small girls clutching them helplessly they moved to the hole in the trunk and streamed out to the call of opposing humans and Pokémon.
Following their lead, Sid rolled outside to find that the children had already attracted a lot of attention. Most of the rival trainers and rival Pokémon alike had their eyes fixed on them, some running to catch them alongside their Pokémon, some releasing even more Pokémon. The Arcanine and Aggron stood only feet away from where they previously stood, however, and beside them stood the female figure that owned them.
Obediently, Leila had let loose a large Sand-Attack, which set many into bouts of coughing and wheezing. Some dared not venture any further into it, much like the Arcanine and the Aggron who understandably feared their weakness.
Eyes bloodshot and tired, Sid threw his left hand in the air first, aimed upwards but forward towards the trees, palm open and ball hoisted into the air. His senses were alight, his fingertips were tingling, and with a new rush of fresh air to the lungs he spread his fingers wide, throwing almost every strand of conscious behaviour into the fingers.
At the same time he raised his right hand slowly, still balled into a fist and still glowing dazzlingly. All other thoughts he possessed, he flooded into this hand, ready to strike whenever his fist loosened.
"Aurora beam…" Sid muttered under his breath as to not attract too much attention. The energy escaped from the fingers on his left hand at the very words, and his knees quaked in weariness as he finally stood up, but he could never realise this. Things were far more spectacular airborne.
The ball levitated contentedly in the air for a moment, until Sid's command penetrated its icy core. A gust of cold enclosed within the most beautiful and rich colour sought its target insistently, moving alongside the thoughts that Sid radiated towards it. The emitted beam billowed, and almost concealed the whole battle scene. Many of the rivals could be seen falling to the ground shivering, cold and weary but never dead. The group of trees Sid had aimed for immediately became frosted; bulking in extra weight for its mask of ice was far more than six inches thick, glinting maliciously in the strange lighting. In reply, the Arcanine that fiercely guarded its owner sent a flurry of embers to skip over the barren floor, warming it immensely contrary to their small stature. The woman spun round aggressively, seeking the source of such cold. Spotting Sid, she pointed and yelled at her troops, but it was all too late as Sid released his final hand.
The muscles in his fingers relaxed but his fingertips seared with pain, being the strings to the puppet of electrical catastrophe. "Thunder," Sid grimaced, as the waves of static swiftly became huge surges of electricity. Aurora Beam still active and aimed for the tree, he set his Thunder assault in the same path.
The trees almost seemed to collapse as the attack swivelled through the air, and upon collision the elements slid into each other unmercifully and without grace, creating uproar. Luminous waves of energy swelled angrily, sending the trainers into a state of awe. None issued an attack, for terror or wonder had righteously taken its grasp upon them. Sid strained harder, and the bones in his hands began to creak. A last push ushered a heart-wrenching yell from Sid, startling the woman into calling more commands still. Nonetheless, the troops were paralysed with emotion.
The electricity enveloped the tree, reflecting off the rough surface of the ice to create an illusion of an angelic force, a shaft of amazing light. Cobalt and white oozed from the illusion, sending ripples of colour to casually dance upon the faces of the onlookers and rarely gilding their features delicately. The feud between the ice and electric expanded, and resounding crunching noises echoed as blindingly vivid rays scattered shattered ice and currents of electricity everywhere. Knowing that the woman before him was close enough to him to be safe, his guided the Aurora Beam towards her and her Pokémon, whilst his electrical charge ran dry. Softly, but stricken with fright, her screams echoed through the haze. A mist shrouded the scene, and Sid's arms fell limply to his sides as he lost the will to attack any longer. Silently, he stepped forward, warily.
When vision was better, he looked around pleased at his work but exhausted enough to not be able to value it in its entirety. The trees, cloaked in ice and cracked by lighting, had rained upon the Pokémon, men and women, hitting them hard as they fell from the sky. Most lay unconscious, although a few lay shivering and begging for forgiveness. One or two remained trapped in blocks of ice, but Sid was sure that when they were found fire Pokémon would be given the order to thaw them out, meaning that death would not take them yet.
To his left lay a block of ice, and inside of it a canine Pokémon was still, frozen, its face a disturbing picture of mingled panic and distress. Its lustrous fur was caught in the wind before it had been frozen, so it splayed out wondrously, tousled but glamorous. Beside it was the woman, dishevelled and stunned, frozen only up to her waist with her left arm captivated also but her right arm flailing madly in the air. Sid took three calm paces up to her, and studied her under raised eyebrows.
Noticing his stare, she spat at the floor by his feet. "You're one of them, aren't you?" she asked, shivering, already knowing the answer.
"Wow. You scientists are the clever ones aren't you? Glad to know that people with your understanding will be saving the world from unknown diseases and creating better contraptions to seal away the mightiest of Pokémon. Oh, I feel oh-so-safe…" he replied mockingly, knowing he sounded naïve, and yet unable to smile. Her smirk was enough to discompose him. The sparkle in her eyes suggested it wasn't over yet.
"Well, well. We are a bit of a wit, aren't we? Well hear you me, you and your precious village aren't going to see the dawn unless you change your ways. What do you think about it? Is it worth those precious lives?"
"No thank you," Sid suppressed a fake yawn, "what's life without a bit of a challenge, eh?"
Still smirking, she slowly raised her arm to point a crooked finger at him. "Fine. But believe me, a challenge it shall be. Just keep on your toes, little boy…"
"Yes Ma'am," he saluted sarcastically, and moved towards the cloud of dust that was beginning to fade.
"Seriously little boy," she called, hiding a laugh, "you better watch your back!"
Sid spun round to make a witty remark, but could only stare at the beast that lumbered after him, before sprinting purposefully away in the remains of the sandstorm. The air was thick enough with it to make it harder to see at Sid's height, but not thick enough to hurt.
So the woman's Aggron recklessly rumbled on, growling fearlessly at Sid's small figure.
Running continuously, not being able to see where he was going, he soon met the rock face of Twinspire Peak, stretching for a vast expanse of ground. Horror grasped his throat, squeezing the breath out of him, not allowing him to concentrate fully. Slowly, as taught, he turned round to the cumbersome footsteps of the steel creature, watching as it approached with flame in its eyes. It didn't need a command; it simply raised its heavy, iron fists into the air intending to drop them on its foe. Seeing this, Sid panicked and dived to his left, narrowly missing the giant paw. The Aggron removed it from the earth easily, leaving a titanic dent where it had crashed.
Sid grasped his one hand with the other, ignoring the pain and focusing only on the enlightenment he'd gain from winning this battle. He'd encountered Aron before, and even Lairon, but something of this size was a definite accomplishment for a twelve year old. That enlightenment was inspiration enough, and pumped the adrenaline round, serving as a second heartbeat – another chance to live. Because in the end, that was all he wanted to do. Live.
All inspiration, every drop of physical and mental energy, was transferred into his two combined fists. The Aggron slowly began to raise his too, but Sid knew he had time. He was quivering manically, but this would be the finishing blow. Sid imagined rocks and the cold, hard ground, and all the damage that they could create. His hands tingled in excitement, not pain for although they remained blackened they were still blessed with the incredible motivation the insight of victory provided. As if magnetic, small clods of mud and strangely shaped rocks attached themselves to his fists. Sid smiled briefly, and watched Aggron raise his to the sky, before Sid slammed his painfully into the ground. "Earthquake!" he cried, although quietened by his lack of energy.
A heightened sense of gravity threw Sid to the ground and the dry earth beneath his fists cracked and rumbled and forgotten leaves stirred restlessly. Suddenly, everything shook, first rhythmically, then perilously, and Aggron's eyes widened in its deepest fear. High above, from the rock face, boulders were hurled down, racing to attack the Aggron, and frustrating it by furthering its lack of balance as they smashed into him. Sid lay on the ground, arms covering his head now, eyes closed and wishing for it to end.
Aggron spun dizzily, tumbled, and fell to the ground as unconsciousness rolled over it. It groaned one last time, until its tail fell limp and eyes blinked close.
Pride would have lifted Sid's spirits, and celebration would have occurred in the very back of his mind had he seen, but the mass effort had left him tired. As the boulders fell, they gathered around him and on top of him, burying him.
When the dust cleared, only his head and left arm were visible as he rested beneath them, unmoving…