Is it wrong to have ideals that are different from others? Is it wrong for wanting to be different?
The sun was angry that day. Its rays radiated to the ground, making the already arid land hotter than before. Rocks made up the entirety of the area, from the jagged path ahead to the two sides that towered above it. They were scattered and sharp, condemning anyone that will carelessly tread on them. Heat was evident from the rising moisture coming from the rocks, and finding shade in this place would be considered a miracle. Skeletons can be seen on the trail, a proof of the danger of travelling through here. This is what Spike Canyon looked like in the morning.
Despite the challenging geography of the place, a traveller and his companion braved through it at a fast pace. They were using a chariot - type of vehicle, with two wheels, wooden sides, and a flat roof that covered it. It is quite small, just enough to fit four Aipoms. The color of deep brown dominated the vehicle, with stripes of gold running along the wheels.
At the front, pulling the vehicle, was a black creature. It strode on all fours, its powerful legs providing thrust. Bolt - shaped stripes adorned it, the same color as its mane : a blinding white. The creature's fur was covered in dirt, and its eyes were bloodshot. Bruises can be seen throughout its body, but despite its condition it continued. Sparks of electricity jumped to the air as the Zebstrika propelled itself faster, creating a trail of dust behind them.
The pokémon inside the chariot braced itself to adjust with the increasing speed. It is purple, with yellow hands, ears and a hand - like tail. It examined the path ahead, using its limbs to stay steady. The path they are now taking curved sharply to the right. Straight ahead lies an instrument of death for any speeding body: a gigantic wall of rock with pointed rocks that stared back at the pokémon. That's bad news for them. "Typstorm! Can we make it!?" the Aipom shouted at the Zebstrika.
Typstorm didn't look back, focused on the challenge ahead of them. "We should! Or all my running will be all for naught!" He was nearly drained of energy at this point, but he knew that he can't stop. Though he can't see it, he was aware of their pursuers, and formidable ones at that, if the chaos they caused weren't enough for proof. He gasped for air, and recalled the events that led to this desperate situation.
Aytaro the Aipom was assigned on a surveillance mission by his guild. As a transportation specialist, Typstorm was chosen as his companion, and the Zebstrika obliged, unable to resist the call of adventure. Winding forest trails, steep and jagged canyons, wild grasslands; all of that they passed just to provide information. At first, there were no signs of the enemy, not even a trace. They have covered a wide area, and they were just about to give up when they passed a fire in the forest on the way home. They investigated it and it turned out that it was no ordinary fire, it was a burning village whose inhabits were brutally murdered. There were no survivors, except an unconscious Tyrogue a little far off from the village. A quick discussion resulted with them deciding to take him to their guild and report the incident, but ever since then they got the feeling that they were being followed. Every night they sense their presence and have to quickly move. But they weren't sure how many there were. The two changed their course in hopes of losing them, but it just confirmed their existence, with few minor attacks, and Typstorm has been on the run since then. And now..
The Aipom braced itself for support, getting ready for the dangerous curve. One wrong move , one miscalculated step will result in their deaths. Aytaro could hear his heart beating in excitement and fear. The curve came closer. Fifteen meters. Aytaro can see the wicked spikes welcoming them. Ten. Typstorm's speed doubled. Five. Aytaro winced as something hit the back, shaking the vehicle a little. Two!
With a rapid movement of his legs, Typstorm quickly bolted to the right. The chariot didn't change its direction, continuing on the original path and in an instant; Aytaro's face was an inch away from the sharp rocks. All the color was drained out of him. He thought that it was his end, but he was thrown to the sides as the vehicle is suddenly pulled from another direction, avoiding the killer wall with pure luck. The chariot's left side was destroyed by the rocks as it scraped the rough surface. Fortunately the wheel is still intact. And despite those complications Aytaro was thankful of Typstorm who, after the rapid turn, had managed to make an amazing pull to save his companions still ran.
Aytaro sighed in relief. Trickles of sweat rained down from his face. His heartbeat was fast, and he struggled to control the sweat falling down his face. Typstorm wasn't any better. But they have survived the turn. Now that's one problem out of their way. He eyed the unconscious figure beside him who was still out cold, unaware of what's happening around him.
Their relief came crashing down when a strong electric current destroyed the remains of the chariot, the blast creating a shockwave that threw them on the ground. Typstorm reared and turned, his eyes wide and mouth hung open. The Zebstrika was so surprised at the sudden change of weight and lost control, crashing to the jagged sides of the wall. Even Aytaro was trembling, finding no energy to stand up. The enemies have caught up to them, and they're as helpless as a Magikarp surrounded by electric - types.
Aytaro looked for the origin of the attack. It wasn't from behind, so it must be from above. And he was correct, he saw a Jolteon that towered above the canyon. Its hair was spiked up, sending electric charges to the air. Two eyes stared at the trio, boring holes at their own. It stood up proudly, as if it was a predator that had found an easy and meaty prey. This appearance and stance quickly alerted the Aipom that this was the enemy.
The yellow pokémon smiled at Aytaro, and even if he was brave, that smile sent chills running down his spine. He was feeling very sore now, like he was subjected to an hour of beating from a Machoke. Add to that the factor of being tired and this fight will be impossible to win. He looked around the area - now their battlefield. They were ambushed at a narrow place, with only a few tens of meters until the rocky walls meet. Above him, several rocks - flattened at the side facing the sky - pointed from the sides, and even the ground is housed by some jagged pieces of rocks. Aytaro realized that if they battle the Jolteon, surely one would be killed. And they're still not sure if their enemy has accomplices in hiding. That would be their ticket to the afterlife for his only ally right now was a battered Zebstrika and an unconscious Tyrogue. Not to mention the fact that they were exhausted - low on endurance, speed, and strength.
Time seemed to slow down as he saw the enemy move. His heart started to pound again, matched only by his mind racing with thoughts and plans to defeat it. Pain shot through his body as he stood up. He yelped in pain, but he had to fight so he assumed a battle stance: his hands balled into fists and raised his left foot forward and the tail by his right. "Typstorm, take the Tyrogue and move aside. I'll handle this," he ordered in a hoarse voice.
The fatigued and injured Zebstrika stood up, shaking off the destroyed equipment from his body. Torrents of sweat came down from him, and Aytaro could clearly see him bleeding. "Hell no! You might get killed! Besides I'm still -". A painful sound of bones breaking resonated as one of his front legs collapsed. "Yeouch!"
Aytaro smirked weakly. "See? That's why I told you to stay aside. But can you still stand? I don't want distractions, and that Tyrogue over there is a perfect one."
Typstorm nodded. "Do I have a choice? Good luck." His face folded in frustration when he stood up and walked to the Tyrogue's side. Typstorm paused for a moment, and thought. "Uh, how am I supposed to carry him again?" he asked the Aipom but to no avail. Aytaro was currently occupied, glaring daggers at the enemy.
Time seemed to be in a standstill. The only movement that happened was a few rocks falling from the top. Aytaro and the Jolteon battled for intimidation. Neither one wants to lose. Their glares were so deadly that Typstorm considered not repeating his question.
"Hey! How was I supposed to carry him?! I've no hands!" Typstorm finally questioned, although it was more of a shout.
"Just go!" Aytaro shouted. Right after he said it, three things happened. The Jolteon above made its first move. Typstorm, noticing that the battle had begun, quickly grabbed the Tyrogue with his mouth and ran. The Jolteon leaped from the canyon, which puzzled the Aipom at first, but everything became clear when the enemy landed on one of the flat rocks and leapt once again. 'So he's using the rocks to get here!'
But this time it didn't land, instead it let itself fall and as it did, the enemy looked anything but scared. Maneuvering in mid -air, it managed to get close to the rocky surface. It made a quick leap, enabling its body to move at a straight path without falling. 'Ah!' Aytaro whipped his tail forward, summoning several star - shaped projectiles. The attack targeted the Jolteon, but it was skilled. The Jolteon leapt to the side and completely evedad it. The Jolteon's momentum remained unchanged. 'Damn!' Aytaro fired another Swift, which was evaded again, destroying a rock that exploded into a spray of dust. All he got as a result was rubble quickly falling from above, nearly covering the Jolteon like a smokescreen. 'One last try.' Aytaro fired; it missed. Instead, it hit the rocks on the Jolteon's side, completely hiding the enemy in a wave of dust.
Aytaro was now fighting an enemy he can't see. He considered sending another attack, but without a specific target he would just waste his stamina. There are no hiding places either, nullifying the chance of any surprise attack. Aytaro drew back near canyon wall behind him. He had to be careful and alert; an attack can come from any direction. He scrutinized the falling dust. The Jolteon should come any second from now. Sparks of electricity shooting out of the dust caught the Aipom's attention, and within an instant the they transformed into bolts. It looked like a thunderstorm, but instead of clouds were dust.
Aytaro smirked when he recognized the attack. 'The disadvantage of Volt Tackle is that you can't change direction. Now I just have to know where it's coming from.' He planted his tail on the ground, ready to use it as propulsion anytime.
The seconds that followed were tense, and quickly as a lightning the battle started. The dust storm's center suddenly faded to reveal the enemy. Aytaro reacted quickly to barely avoid the attack by using his tail. The scowl on the Jolteon's face slowly turned into shock as it realized what would happen next. Aytaro didn't waste the opportunity and whipped his tail on the Jolteon, multiplying the damage it would get due to momentum.
The force sent the Jolteon crashing to the canyon wall. The impact created long cracks along the wall that generated loud rumbles. Aytaro, wanting to make sure that he's fighting only one enemy, looked up. No one appeared on the top. 'Good.' He heard the Jolteon groan from behind, and when he turned, it was already standing amidst a cloud of dust. "Not a very good entrance wasn't it?", Aytaro teased. The Jolteon's face crumpled to that of anger, with its eyes screaming murder. That told Aytaro that it was provoked. It didn't wait any longer and attacked, charging towards the Aipom. Now, Aytaro expected a physical attack, so what the Jolteon did caught him really off - guard. It released a powerful surge of electricity, and of course, Aytaro didn't manage to avoid. Aytaro howled due to the damage. Getting fried by electricity was extremely bad, especially when one has existing wounds. Aytaro felt his skin becoming numb. 'Once this attack is over', he thought, 'I would hammer that Jolteon to the ground.'
But the Jolteon sustained the Thunderbolt. This wasn't good for the Aipom, he had to do something. It's a little hard to move, but it's not impossible. He tried moving his feet, but that only caused the pain to intensify. That left him with only one option, an attack that was treated like a joke since earlier.
The Aipom sent a Swift out of the blue, surprising the Jolteon. The Jolteon's eyes widened. It was forced to cancel the Thunderbolt, else it would be hit by Aytaro's attack. The Jolteon stepped to the side, intently watching Aytaro. "Where did your companions go?" it hissed in a deep masculine voice.
Aytaro ignored the question and asked, "Why are you chasing us, enemy?" They circled each other, the Jolteon glaring at him, but soon emitted maniacal laugh. Aytaro glared back, gritting his teeth. "What's so funny?"
"Sorry. It's just -" it snorted, "you're asking the reason why I'm chasing you, when you already said that I'm your enemy in the same sentence." The laughter died, the scowl on its face returning. "You want to know the reason?!" It pounced on Aytaro, but the Aipom evaded it. "Its because you saw our activity when we're supposed to keep it secret! I saw you in the forest, and recognised you're from the East. And more than that, you have a survivor in your hands! We're supposed to slaughter them all, no survivors! And I'll be in trouble once you escape. Since you look like you won't let me pass to kill that survivor, I'll just do it after I'm done with you. No one escapes from Villeon alive!"
A clapping sound reverberated throughout the canyon. It was from Aytaro. "Wonderful speech! But now that I know why, I have no reason to turn him in." Aytaro stood using his tail, "I'm sorry to say, but you would fall under the hands of Aytaro!"
A sudden Thunderbolt came from Villeon, but Aytaro's movements were faster and proved to be hard to predict. He moved to the left, to the right, diagonally and vertically. Villeon released another one, and Aytaro jumped high with his tail and used it to send a Swift to the Jolteon while his face displayed a slight grin.
"Stop moving you little prick! I can't hit you!" Villeon shouted as it avoided the Swift. But Aytaro didn't stop, because why would he? Right before him is an enemy who can kill him, so he will have to be paralyzed first to make him stop. Villeon decided to use Quick Attack and in just an instant, he closed the distance between the two. But Aytaro was faster, and the moment Villeon got close, he countered with Double Slap. The Jolteon was hit square in the face, causing him to tumble backwards. This served as an opening for Aytaro, and he tackled Villeon followed by a Swift attack. Villeon's skill served himself merit as he managed to avoid some, but the ones that hit dealt considerable damage. He grimaced in pain and drew back, longing for air. Aytaro laughed, amused at the frustrated Jolteon. This battle might become easy after all.
"Argh!", Villeon shouted in irritation. He charged using Quick Attack again, but to no avail. Right before it hit Aytaro, the Aipom crouched and landed a well - placed counter just beneath Villeon's jaw. That attack resulted in Villeon staggering backwards, howling in pain, again.
Aytaro watched as Villeon struggled to stand. 'I could end this now!', the Aipom thought. But that plan changed when Villeon did what he didn't expect: running away. Of course, the Aipom followed him, but he was confused. Why? Was Villeon tired? But based on what he saw, the Jolteon's just out of breath. That's a sign of tiredness, but he should still be able to attack. 'What's he planning?'
Villeon suddenly stopped. Aytaro did the same and assumed his fighting stance. Villeon kept his back turned from Aytaro, which can be considered as suicide, but somehow the Aipom's getting a bad feeling about this. Aytaro could attack right now, but with a nearly - depleted stamina and the possibility of missing, he settled on waiting. And for the second time that day, Aytaro was in a standoff with the same enemy.
Sweat was now pouring from Aytaro at this point. The surroundings were no less hot than earlier, and it got hotter every passing minute. Aytaro wiped off the trickling sweat, and this was the moment the Jolteon chose to attack. A sudden and powered Thunderbolt materialized before Aytaro's eyes, and the Aipom was surprised that he only managed to counter it with Swift. The two attacks collided, creating an explosion that covered a wide area.
But Villeon wasn't done yet. A running Jolteon greeted Aytaro when the explosion cleared up. It's a normal tackle, which Aytaro could avoid easily. And he did, just by jumping high in the air. That turned out to be his biggest mistake.
Villeon stopped and smirked. "You can't change direction in the air!" He released an electric surge towards Aytaro, and the Aipom found himself getting electrified the next moment. The attack dissipated afterwards, but Aytaro wasn't delighted. It was a Thunder Wave, therefore he's so screwed now.
He fell to the ground face first. His smile faltered. Millions of thoughts raced in his mind, thinking of how to get out in this situation. 'No, this shouldn't be happening. I was winning, right? Where did I go wrong?' Villeon took advantage of his predicament right away. He tackled Aytaro, sending him to the canyon's edge and wounding him. Villeon emitted a low maniacal laugh, and another tackle pushed Aytaro to the pointed rocks, injuring him even more. Some rocks even pierced him
His mouth hung open in shock. His vision was blurred, he can see two enemies before him. He tried to move, but his body won't listen. He could feel the blood slowly flowing out of his body, draining the energy left in him. His sight was getting dimmer every second. All of these told Aytaro that he has no chance of winning now. He was pinned.
Villeon laughed. "Ha! Where's that determination of yours now huh?!" He attacked with Thunderbolt, and Aytaro being unable to retaliate, winced in pain. "Where's that confidence now?!" The Jolteon jumped back. Aytaro's body was shaking, he was uncertain. He should've been more careful. He knew that the enemy is quite skilled, but he got confident and messed up. Now he will meet his end, all just because of his overconfidence.
Villeon continued to move backwards, creating a good space between them. His fur spiked up yet again, bolts of electricity jumping from it. Villeon walked forward, getting faster every second until he was running. And as he did, the electricity around him increased in intensity. It was his first move in the battle, a Volt Tackle. Villeon is sprinting now. His attack was bright, but Aytaro noticed that to his side, something red glowed, matching the attack's luminosity. Something red or orange and it's hot. Was it another enemy? Aytaro wouldn't know. The distance between them decreased. Five seconds away. Three. Two!
The Jolteon's attack came, and Villeon tried to hit Aytaro. He tried, because at the last second before the attack connected, a Flame Charge came from the side, surprising both Aytaro and Villeon. Villeon violently flew to the walls, mopping the ground of rocks. "Arceus!" He crashed on the wall so hard the wall fractured, resulting in falling debris of various sizes - dust, pebbles, rocks - burying him.
Aytaro was frozen from where he lay. What in the world happened just now? For a second, he thought that he was about to die. But then comes his savior who he didn't expect. From where the Jolteon once stood is a quadruped black pokémon. Its mane and stripes were blinding white, and Aytaro could faintly see it smiling. It was Typstorm.
"Say Aytaro, weren't you the one saying that you don't need me? Now look at what happened. If I didn't come you'll be dead by now!" the Zebstrika laughed, proud of himself.
Aytaro was so relieved that to say he's happy was an understatement. But he's drained of energy, so he couldn't do anything. "Must. Get. Guild. They. Know. This," he muttered with difficulty.
Typstorm noticed Aytaro's injuries and immediately acted. "We have to get you treated! This will hurt, but it's the only way." He lowered his head and bit one of his arms without exerting too much force. He lifted Aytaro using it, and slightly threw him on his back, with the Aipom landing front first. Aytaro whimpered in pain. "Sorry! But that's the only way I can put you on my back. I did the same for the Tyrogue, and he didn't complain so you shouldn't too. Anyway let's go!" Typstorm broke into a fast run.
The Zebstrika, wanting his companion to stay awake, told the Aipom of what had transpired after he left. "You know, while you're fighting the guy over there, I ran as fast as I can far away from here. The next terrain is a grassland, and with a stroke of luck, I spotted an Oran Berry tree. I ate as much as I can, then rushed off here. Anyways I placed him under the tree and oh my Arceus we should head there right away!"
But Aytaro wasn't listening. He was thinking of what the Jolteon said earlier. He's chasing them mainly because they have a survivor? Just what is the reason behind that?
Although he can't see Villeon, he knew that he was probably bleeding to death. At least that's what he wanted to happen. As he drifted to unconsciousness, one question remained in his mind. Was the Jolteon their only pursuer?
