Chapter 4: Birds of a Feather Flock Together
After my warning shout, KESFO came to life. I heard various Pokémon yelling out battle cries as they retaliated.
The birds had chosen a good time to attack. The sun had almost completely set, with just enough light for the Starly to see by, but dark enough that the Murkrow were at an advantage.
I was kept preoccupied by the crow I'd punched. It recovered, and came back for me. Giving it a close-range Thunderbolt, I ducked to avoid the bird I'd heard behind me. It charged into its still-sparking ally, and they both fainted dead away.
"Good job!" praised a Kricketot next to me. Nodding at him, I looked up to see a winged shadow approaching, hard to make out through the darkening surroundings.
It was a Starly. I sent it a bolt and watched it careen into a tree. This was a mistake, as I was sent flying by a buffet from its Murkrow ally. Damn! It was so hard to concentrate with all of the sounds surrounding me. I was almost reduced to just instinct and reflexes.
Straightening up shakily, I watched as it came nearer, only to hear it squawk in panic when a thin white rope wrapped around it, and around, and around, until only its beak was seen sticking out of a silk cocoon.
"Thanks, String!" I gasped out, looking up. The String Shot had come from above, and I saw the worm Pokémon nod at me, before turning my attention back to the battle. Distraction had been how I'd gotten hit before; I wasn't dumb enough to make the same mistake again so soon. There was a brief break before me, and I used this time to observe the others' battles.
Krick the prick wasn't a half bad fighter. He lashed out with knifelike arms at the Pokémon surrounding him, blades glowing a bright red, which hurt my eyes in the darkness. The light increased with each hit he made, until he was a whirlwind of spinning knives. Any Pokémon that came near were thrown away with long slashes on their bodies. The whirlwind increased to a tornado of red light that lit up the darkness.
My eyes were drawn away from the spectacle by String. A Starly was attacking him. Growling, I sent a bolt toward it, watching in satisfaction as the bird hit the ground. It was a good thing I knew Thunderbolt, or I'd have been toast. And I was still on the alert; I'd never been in a combat group this big before.
A weird, round bird Pokémon with huge eyes that were closed from unconsciousness was thrown toward me. Looking at the one who threw it, I smiled. The Bidoof from earlier. We nodded to each other, in sync during the clamor of battle, and dived back into the fray.
It was all a blur from there on. I remember fighting, ducking, punching, and sending Thunderbolts everywhere. Hearing the sounds of battle all around me. Screams of pain, death cries and the flapping of wings. Wind, everywhere. And finally, silence.
Around midnight, I looked up, wiping a sticky liquid off my face I faintly identified as blood, to hear multiple injured bird Pokémon flying away. And then I realized that I was surrounded by prone bodies.
At times, I could forget that I'd once been a trained Pokémon. That I'd lived my whole life fighting on multiple fronts. Those times were the peaceful times, the good ones. But other times, like now, I remembered all too well who I was.
And sometimes I wasn't sure that I wanted to be that anymore.
My bleak thoughts were a mismatch for the glow of triumph in my surroundings. Both Krick and the Bidoof smiled at me in the dim moonlight, while Sabine, who I hadn't noticed at all during the battle, hitched her breath in awe at the bodies surrounding me. They were all birds, some dead, some just fainted. Still, I felt like I was going to be sick. String didn't sound too far off from that either. He was hyperventilating. He had taken out a few as well.
"We are thankful for your help, Audino," spoke up A'Tuin. His breathing was even and deep, not the ragged gasps that I could hear from many others. And whereas I was covered in blood, both mine and the birds', he was relatively clean from what I could see.
"Aye," spoke up Krick the prick. "Your skill was a pleasant surprise."
"After seeing you fight so passionately for our cause, I know that I was mistaken earlier. Sorry," said the Bidoof.
I guess I should've been happy that they were acting like this. I mean, isn't it nice when Pokémon who treated you like mold on a rock ended up praising you? But I felt troubled. I never particularly cared for those who valued strength over all else. Those who were now treating me so fondly had been jerks not an hour before. As we walked away from the battle site, seeking shelter and privacy, I observed how they ignored String. As I said before, a Wurmple was expendable to most.
I walked over to my friend, and slung a friendly arm around him. "Hey, you did well."
The worm scowled slightly, and walked away. I frowned, asking, "What's wrong with him?"
"Forget him, he's probably just jealous," said Krick.
Knowing the reason didn't make me any less bothered, if that even was the reason. Shrugging, I listened to the others as they chatted happily among themselves, nodding every so often to make them believe I was paying attention. I wasn't. My mind was on the attack.
That Caractacus was a crafty bastard; I'd give that to him. Not only making it look like he'd attacked the ghosts, but then attacking us in turn, when they had the advantage. Still, he probably wouldn't have been able to do that if A'Tuin had thought more about the attack. I'd heard his leaders discussing the circumstances, how the birds knew that we had known. In the end, I wondered who was more stupid: the bird or the tortoise. If the tortoise hadn't been stupid, then the bird's attack wouldn't have worked. Sometimes I wondered how wise these "great leaders" really were. So maybe not a crafty bastard after all, just a lucky one.
I was driven from my thoughts when Sabine stared at me curiously. Reddening slightly at being caught, I listened in as Krick spoke.
"Without Audino here, I am sure that we would not have won the battle. Amazing as that sounds, it is true," he bowed his head to me briefly, the gesture causing me embarrassment. Giving him a nod in reply, I listened to the proceedings of the group, startled to realize that I had been silently invited into this discussion of the elite. I immediately searched for String; he was outside the circle, watching grimly.
"After this battle, one must conclude that Caractacus predicted our every move. This makes him even more of a threat, and Sabine must be extra careful from now on in her reconnaissance."
I was startled. This had been the wordiest sentence I'd ever heard him speak. I remembered that String had mentioned something about the cricket ignoring those whom he deemed inexperienced.
Two-faced. I felt sick as I listened to them speak, discussing plans about investigating the Old Chateau, and where Caractacus was now, as he hadn't been present in the battle. When I learned that the leaders would be staying back from the investigation, I took the opportunity that was given to me.
"I'll go."
The others stared at me, with varying expressions on their faces, moonlight putting them into high relief. A'Tuin breathed calmly and deeply, no surprise on his craggy mug, though he looked pleased. Krick was the same way, except his expression revealed nothing. That Bidoof from earlier (who I still wasn't sure of) stared at me, eyes slightly widened, breathing rate increased, as was Sabine (who had a little awe as well, but that might just be me imagining it). The others looked calculating.
"Are you sure?" asked the Bidoof.
"Sure I'm sure," I bragged. "I'm a normal type, so ghosts can't touch me."
"True, but they have other attacks which can," spoke up Sabine. Her breathing increased, and I could hear the pounding of her heartbeat. Her tone was flat, but I caught the faintest hint of concern underneath.
"You saw me during the battle," I reminded, fighting back the urge to gag at the memory. "I can take care of myself."
No one spoke at that, their silence a testimony to the sight I'd made, covered in blood (which I hadn't gotten to wash off).
"You should rest first though," one voice piped up above all the others. Turning, I saw String, who stood there, his timidity obvious to everybody by his nervous breaths and hunched posture.
"I will," I nodded (for one thing, I needed to wash the damn blood off), and turned around, leaving the meeting of the greats without even looking back.
I wondered if Sabine was watching, and why I even cared.
ooo
"Hey!" String called. I shifted, having just finished my nap (I'd taken a bath right away). Now it was early morning, but still too dark to really see anything. However, my hearing more than made up for the loss of sight.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"I just want to know," he started, "why did you volunteer to explore the Old Chateau? Are you trying to prove something?"
"Prove something?" I raised an eyebrow. "What would I need to prove?"
"I knew it," he muttered. "Never mind, forget I asked. But do you need any help?" he gazed up at me, forehead furrowed, and though he was staring at me, it felt more like he was seeing through me, looking at something else beyond. It was kind of creepy.
"Um...if you want..." I trailed off, not really knowing what to say from there. The bug finished it for me.
"I do! Please, let me go with you!" the heartbeat sped up.
At this I was really confused. He was such a timid character; I had no idea for the reasoning behind this decision. My thoughts were interrupted by a sharp, confident voice.
"I wish to come as well!"
Turning around, I was greeted with Sabine. Although her heart was beating fast and she had to control her breathing, her normally cute face showed determination.
"Um...okay...?"
She didn't answer my unasked question, but instead gazed unwaveringly at me. I really wanted to know what she was thinking at this point, but kept silent.
Breaking my gaze, the rabbit started to walk toward the group that would investigate that creepy mansion. (Just because I think it's creepy does not mean I'm scared. There's a difference!)
"What's up with her?" asked String. I shrugged, not able to come up with an answer.
"Come on, Slowpokes!" she called back. Exchanging looks, the Wurmple and I hurried to catch up with the rest of the group.
Hello there peeps! It's me Sethera and thanks for reading!
I apologize for the bad battle scene, I'm still learning how to write them!
Also, kudos to Phoenix Vanguard, who has been great enough to review! Speaking of that...there's a link underneath these words that you should click ;)