(Hello fans of Pokémon! It's been about a month since I updated this story, and for that I would like t apologize. Due to the my acquisition of Pokémon X, my addiction to Grand Theft Auto Five, and the crap-load of homework I've had to deal with in school, I haven't had a chance to write this thing out. But, little by little, I got it done. So here it is! The finale of Book One: Eviction. Pretty suspenseful isn't it? Who's going to die? Who's going to make it? And why the hell did it take so long for me to write this? All these questions and more will be answered inside. So anyway, we pick up right where the last one left off; Visizion is dead, the grass types are being defeated, and Blaziken has Sceptile marked for death. I don't want to give anything else away here… but I would just like to say that this is, in my opinion, the best chapter yet. Not trying to be cocky, but I definitely had more fun writing this one than the other chapter. Anyway, please enjoy! AND WRITE A GOD DAMN REVIEW!)
(WARNING: STORY TURNS EXTREMELY VIOLENT AT CHAPTERS END. BE WARNED.)
Book One: Eviction
Chapter Four
"SCEPTILE!"
Sceptile heard his name being called, but for some reason, it did not register. All his attention was focused on the smoldering remains of his queen; the once great Virizion. In Sceptile's memories, she had always seemed so strong and proud, a polar opposite of what lied before him now. Virizion had been leading the grass types for years and years, even before Scepilte could remember. Seeing her dead and in such a defiled state was immeasurably traumatizing for him.
"SCEPTILE!"
He heard his name again, but continued to ignore it. He did, however, slowly stumble off of his makeshift podium; a dead Rapidash, and touch down onto the cool, trampled grass beneath. His eyes never leaving Virizion, he waved his arms out in search of something to lean on. He could feel himself becoming faint, almost as if he were falling into a deep sleep. The rush of sensations and realizations he had absorbed in the last two minutes had taken their toll on him, and it seemed that things were becoming too much for him to bear.
"SCEPTILE! WHERE ARE YOU?"
Pushing the voice out of his head, Scepilte continued to wave his arms around, searching in vain for something to support himself on. Not finding anything, he crumpled to his knees, and let his hands fall to the ground. Now he was too low to see Virizion's body anymore, but the image was still fresh in his mind. Out of all the Pokémon that could have died in this war, Virizion was the last one that Sceptile had seen coming. After all, she was a legendary, and supposedly, a legendary Pokémon hasn't died in over a thousand years. The story of the last legendary to die, coincidentally the first, was shrouded in mystery, and passed on only through oral tradition. For as long as he could remember, Sceptile had regarded that story as a fluke. A mere tall tale, used to scare children and teach humility. The moral of the story was that nothing was immune from death, not even legends themselves. However, no one revered that story as accurate. As far as the general population was concerned, legendries were immortal. Of course, after the shocking events of this day, nobody would ever make that mistake again.
"SCEPTILE! COME HERE!"
The thing that Sceptile could not understand was how it could be done. He simply could not comprehend what kind of monstrous Pokémon was capable of such an act. Killing a legendary Pokémon? It was like removing a small part of the world itself. Any Pokémon that accomplished such a feat would have had to have been a cold hearted killer. But just then, he remembered which cold blooded killer had done this.
"Blaziken…" He breathed the word quietly, feeling its weight roll over his tongue and fall flat onto the ground. He blinked, formed his hand into a fist, and rose back to his feet.
The rage started slowly. First it was a rush of realizations, as if the truth were some ancient treasure that had been hidden from him beneath a layer of sand, and he now eagerly brushed away the sand, revealing more and more pieces of the mystery. Next, once he had realized what he was looking at, he began to make connections. Linking pain to punches, emotions to friends, deaths to killers, fire to embers, and Virizion to Blaziken.
"He killed her… that monster actually killed her…" He said softly to himself. Then, all at once, he let his rage overtake him. He felt hatred swarm over him like a flood, and suddenly he was flying. Running at full speed, over grass, over fire, over bodies, over everything. Nothing around his held his attention save the sound of a lone voice calling out his name.
"SCEPTILE!"
He knew who the voice belonged to, and nothing in the world would have pleased him more than to end the speaker. He rushed as fast as his body would allow towards the voice, his anger mounting higher and higher as he ran. The Pokémon around him were nothing more than specks as he charged onwards. Meanwhile, the voice was sounding closer.
"SCEPTILE! PLEASE! COME HERE!"
Finally he broke through a crowd, and reached a clearing. There, standing in the center, with his back turned to Sceptile, was the Pokémon who had been calling him. Scepitle, blind with fury, let out a barbaric war cry, then lunged forward.
"GAHHHHHH!" he screamed.
The Pokémon heard his yell, and quickly turned around.
"Sceptile!" exclaimed Grovyle with shock in his voice. He saw the towering frame of Sceptile coming straight for him, and held up his arms in an impulsive defense.
Moments before impact, Sceptile realized who he was looking at. He saw the quivering form of Grovyle, and instantly his thoughts began to clear. Something about that face made his anger go right away. Sceptile stopped his attack, and landed on the ground right in front of Grovyle. He looked at the Pokémon before him, and felt his anger simmer down. Something about his face, the way he looked back at Sceptile, made him change deep inside, and leave his hatred behind.
Grovyle, on the other hand, was horrified. He opened one eye, and, expecting to see Sceptile collide with him, and instead saw the grass Pokémon looking back at him with a sad expression on his face.
"… Sceptile!? What the hell was that? You almost hit me!" he stammered.
Sceptile sighed. "I'm sorry. I just… I thought you were someone else."
Grovyle gave him an inquisitive expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Sceptile realized suddenly that he had been staring straight into Grovyle's eyes the whole time. He quickly turned his gaze away, and put his hands on his forehead. "Nevermind… I just thought I saw something."
"In my eyes? What are you talking about?"
"You reminded me of someone for a moment there. That's it. Now please… let's move on."
Grovyle was puzzled by Sceptile's attitude, but he excused it, mainly because of the circumstances he had just been under. Sceptile just stood up to Blaziken! It had to have taken so much courage to do something like that in front of everyone… and then to have been shown Virizion's body. God, I hope Sceptile is going to be alright…
"Where is Exeggutor?" demanded Sceptile.
Grovyle snapped back to reality. "What? Oh, Exeggutor… I'm not sure, when everyone started going crazy, I ran to try and find you, but I think he stayed behind to fight."
"Fight who?"
"The fire types from before. Arcainine, Magmortar, Growlithe, and Ninetales. They were attacking Leafeon when we showed up. Exeggutor and I were just fighting them when Blaziken appeared on the steps of The Citadel."
Sceptile looked around him, scanning the courtyard. "Were you winning?"
Grovyle was surprised by the question, but he answered it nonetheless. "I don't think so... I mean, I managed to hurt Magmortar pretty bad, and Exeggutor was handling Arcainine, so I don't think we were doing terrible or anything."
"I see. And who hurt you?"
"Hurt me?"
"Yes you. You seem to have a pretty bad mess on your cheek."
Grovyle suddenly remembered his condition. My cheek! Oh god it hurts! Just a few minutes ago, Grovyle had been fighting Magmortar, and had taken a stomp directly to his face. He knew that some of his cheekbone had been broken, but he was not sure quite how bad the injury actually was. One thing he did know, however, was that it hurt like hell.
"Magmortar stomped on my face. It hurts a lot." He said.
Sceptile looked back at him with an interested expression. "You shouldn't have survived that."
Grovyle knew that he had gotten extremely lucky, and had already realized that he shouldn't even be alive at the moment. "I know…"
Sceptile looked down at Grovyle for another moment, then turned back to the courtyard. He focused on a spot in the distance. "I see Exeggutor over there. Let's move."
Gro vyle looked to where Sceptile was pointing, and although he couldn't see Exeggutor, he began to head that way. Sceptile was right behind him. They ran in a very hectic manner, constantly stopping to turn their direction and navigate through the mass of bodies. Everywhere they turned, they saw a fire type or ground type furiously fighting a grass type. Unfortunately, most of the time it appeared that the grass type was losing. There was a noticeably larger amount of dead bodies by now, almost making it hard to run without stepping on one. As for the trees, every single one of them was on fire, casting eerie lights over the formerly green courtyard. All traces of sunlight were gone from the horizon, but these burning trees and bushes were more than enough to provide light.
What will happen when these trees burn out? Will anybody be able to see anything? Wondered Grovyle. Are we even going to be alive long enough to find out…?
"There." Sceptile said as he came to a screeching halt. There, just before him, stood Exeggutor. He was still fighting Arcainine, but now Arcainine was not alone. Growlithe and Ninetales had joined him, and were performing a three-pronged attack. Ninetales stood a ways back, firing off embers. Growlithe circled Exeggutor, trying to distract him and possibly flank his grassy opponent. Arcainine lunged forward repeatedly, but was thrown back by Exeggutor's psychic attacks. Exeggutor himself was starting to show signs of fatigue, his movements were not as decisive or smooth, and even his heads appeared to move slightly out of pace with one another.
Arcainine saw Sceptile, and stopped his attacks. "Well, look who finally showed up! It's our old friend Sceptile!"
Growlithe's ears perked up when he heard the name called out. Ninetales glanced over for a moment, then continued attacking Exeggutor.
"Arcainine. It's been too long, hasn't it?" replied Sceptile.
Arcainine smiled. "You're telling me… I really was beginning to miss the feeling of your flesh beneath my claws. I'll admit, your grassy little friends tear up quite nicely, but I find it much more enjoyable when I rip you apart. Much more fun…"
Grovyle was surprised. Well that was creepy…
Sceptile, however, did not skip a beat. "I'm touched. Really, I am. But unfortunately I can't reciprocate these feelings. Your claws aren't nearly as nice as some of your other friends here, and I much more enjoy being cut by them. Perhaps if you worked on your form a little bit, I would decide that you were good enough for me."
Arcainine's smile faded. "How amusing. You've been fighting all day, and yet you still find the energy for sacrastic small talk."
This time it was Sceptile who smiled. "You know how highly I value proper etiquette."
"Very well. As the host, I would expect you to treat us, your guests, with nothing but the finest manners. Thank you." Responded Arcainine as he let his paws begin to glow.
"Don't mention it." Said Sceptile as he raised his arms to a fighting stance.
"SHUT THE HELL UP AND KILL HIM!" demanded Growlithe. The whole group paused and looked to the tiny dog. He shook with anticipation, and his little tail was wagging. He looked back at them, and let an angry expression take over his face. "DON'T LAUGH AT ME YOU STUPID SHITS!"
And with that, he lunged at Sceptile. Sceptile slid to the right, and spun around. Mid-spin, Growlitle passed behind him in the spot he used to be. Sceptile threw up his tail behind him, and hit Growlithe in the stomach. The attack was forceful enough to send Growlithe up into the air, where he hovered for a moment. Sceptile finished his spin, then leaned back with both arms and prepared a thrusting attack.
Grovyle saw what Sceptile was about to do, and got ready to assist him. He held out his arm perpendicular to his body, then turned to face Growlithe. Sceptile saw what Grovyle was doing, and nodded in agreement. Growlithe began to drop, and once he was in the air in front of Sceptile, the grass Pokémon let loose his attack. He threw forward both arms, and, with palms outstretched, pressed hard into the side of Growlithe's body. The attack sent Growlithe flying again, this time horizontally instead of vertically. He travelled about two feet, then, still in the air, collided with Grovyle's outstretched arm. Contact was made just under the neck, and Growlite fell spinning to the ground.
CLOTHES-LINED!
"Grovyle! Finish him!" Shouted Sceptile.
Grovyle looked down at Growlithe, who lay in a ball on the ground before him. The tiny Pokémon was groaning in pain, slightly twitching, but otherwise not moving at all. Grovyle had always experienced a deep emotional conflict when it came to killing another Pokémon, so when he finally had the opportunity right in front of him, the young grass type felt paralyzed. Kill him…? Now…? But he's completely defenseless…
"Grovyle! Do it now! Hurry up and-" But Sceptile was cut off mid-sentence when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was Arcainine, barreling straight for him in the middle of a heat crash move. Sceptile had about one second until Arcianine made contact with him, so dodging was out of the question. He quickly decided to take the hit, and try to recover. He raised his arms in a blocking fashion, then closed his eyes and braced for impact.
The furry form of Arcainine felt like a brick wall as he collided straight into Sceptile. The heat crash had enough force behind it to send Sceptile rolling backwards, but only a few yards. Arcainine rolled as well, but recovered fast. Once he was on his feet again, he lunged forward to attack the recovering form of Sceptile again. The clash of the leaders had begun yet again.
Meanwhile, Grovyle was still struggling with the choice that he was facing. Right before him laid the unmoving form of Growlithe, an easy kill. Sceptile was now preoccupied with Arcainine, and since Exeggutor was handling Ninetales, he seemed to be on his own.
If I kill him… will it be justified? I mean, it was his choice to come here and join this war. If he is willing to come to my home and fight my people, then he should at least be prepared to face the consequences of his actions. He is not a victim of this war, he is a willing participant. And he is my enemy.
Grovyle raised his arm, and prepared to slash Growlithe in the throat. His arm shook as he prepared, but he had made his decision, and he knew he had to stick with it. Just then, as the executioner's blade was about to fall, Growlithe stirred. He rolled over, and exposed his face to Grovyle's. He was covered in dirt, and small drops of blood adorned him as well. The typically violent expression that Growlithe exhibited disappeared, and was replaced with one of sorrow, confusion, and doubt. Grovyle stood frozen, unable to bring down his arm. Just then, the two locked eyes.
Oh god… I can't do this. Not like this.
Growlithe looked into Grovyle's eyes for a second, and a tiny tear formed. It welled up quickly, and glistened brightly off the burning tress around them. Grovyle stood asphyxiated on the teardrop, completely unable to move. He felt a deep sadness form inside of him, one that not only included pity for Growlithe, but pity for every Pokémon that had ever died.
In that moment, Grovyle made his choice.
I… I will never kill a Pokémon. Never. I swear it to the highest powers above, I cannot and will not ever take the life from a fellow Pokémon. Ever.
Grovyle lowered his arm, and let it hang limp at his side. He exhaled loudly, for he had not even realized how tightly he had been holding his breath. All his muscles relaxed, and he turned away from Growlithe, unable to even look at him now.
Growlithe, however, was dumbfounded. "You… you… you aren't going to kill me?" He stammered. "You're just going to walk away from me…?"
"No. I wont." Replied Grovyle.
Growlithe was silent, then his eyes erupted in rage. "WHY THE HELL NOT!?" he screamed.
Grovyle spun around, surprised at what he was hearing.
"You defeat me! Humiliate me! Desecrate me! THEN YOU JUST WALK AWAY AND LEAVE ME HERE!? COME BACK AND KILL ME!" he demanded.
Grovyle was struggling to understand why Growlithe was behaving like this.
"I have failed! And if I do not accept my punishment honorably, he will make my life hell!"
"Who will?" Asked Grovyle.
"DO YOU KNOW THE KIND OF HORRIBLE LIFE I HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE OF MY FATHER!?"
Grovle was confused for a moment, then realized that Growlithe must have been talking about Arcainine. Growlithe is Arcainine's son! It makes so much sense now! Arcainine is a famous general in the fire type army, so Growlithe must have had to grow up under his shadow for years… I can't imagine the high expectations and pressure he must have felt to succeed.
"HE TREATS ME LIKE SHIT! ABSOLUTE SHIT! And if I don't prove myself to him through battle, I mean nothing to him! NOTHING!"
He's right… Arcainine acted as though he had never even seen Growlithe before. I can't imagine such a father acting in such a cold-hearted way to his son. It's not right…
"AND NOW! NOW! Not only have I failed him by letting you defeat me, But I have also failed him by not dying with honor! YOU BEAT ME! I - *cough!* LOST TO YOU! THAT MEANS I AM NOT WORTHY TO LIVE!" Growlithe was practically crying with anger right now. In fact, Grovyle actually noticed several more teardrops form on his contorted, red face.
Grovyle couldn't think of the right words to say. He simply watched Growlithe on the ground, and said the first thing that came to his mind. "Growlithe, it's not right for you to die just because you lost to me. We all lose sometimes. You just need to stand back up." He reasoned.
"NO I DON'T! I CAN'T! You don't understand the society I live in! YOU NEVER WILL! If you let me live, I will be branded as a coward! A FAILURE! A WASTE OF LIFE! NO ONE WILL EVER TALK TO ME AGAIN! I WILL LIVE A LIFE OF EXCLUSION AND DESTITUTION!"
Grovyle was at a loss for words.
"JUST KILL ME! I SAID KILL ME DAMMIT!" Growlithe's voice softened, he rolled over on his side, and began to weep." Just…. kill me."
"I..." began Grovyle not sure of what he planned to say. Luckily, however, he was cut by others shouting around him. It was Ninetales. Grovyle turned just in time to see her go flying through the air, and land hard on her back. She tried to stand back up, but her leg buckled as soon as she put pressure on it.
"OW! Damn you! What have you done to my leg?!" she demanded.
Exeggutor, evidently the one responsible for her injury, replied calmly. "I find your asking of such a rhetorical question boring at best and suggest you lie still while I finish your life for it's obvious that your ankle is broken and seeing as the nature of these battles rely heavily on running I do not see you participating in more combat anytime soon thus the time has come for you to die."
Ninetales hissed back at him, her face full of anger. "Stay away from me! I don't need my foot to kill you!" and with that, she stood back up. Although Ninetales was able to stand again, it was obvious that she was shaking in pain.
Exeggutor paused for a moment, observing Ninetales as she stood. Then he leaned forward and fired a volley of powerful bullet seeds. Ninetales was unable to dodge, and took the attack head-on. She crumpled to the ground, and lied there still.
Did Exeggutor just kill her? Thought Grovyle. But as he watched the silent form of Ninetales, he noticed her breathing ever so slightly. She was alive. Oh, I guess not.
Exeggutor ran over to where Grovyle stood and addressed him. "Grovyle I can see that you have not carried out your orders in killing this Growlithe while this is a direct violation of command I feel we cannot dwell on it, and should thus move on to our ally Sceptile he surely needs our help."
Grovyle watched as Exeggutor's three heads spoke to him, then nodded once he was done. He took one last look at Growltihe, who was lying on his side. His fur was softly matted with blood, and the tears he had previously shed now either hung limp on his cheek or puddled on the ground. His neck was unusually red, obviously sore and bruised from the impact it had just endured. Both of Growlithe's eyes were open, and they looked straight back into Grovyle's.
"Please…" he whispered.
No. Decided Grovyle. He started to walk away, and finally looked in front of him. There he saw Sceptile and Arcainine, who were locked in a feverish battle. Exeggutor ran to help, and Grovyle pushed forward as well, trying as hard as he could to put the image of Growlithe out of his head, and wondering if he would ever see the tortured little puppy dog ever again.
…
The next time they met, He would not be a mere puppy dog anymore.
…
The fearsome fiery dog lunged forward and slashed at Sceptile. The attack missed, but he was ready with a second one. Arcainine spun around and tried to bite down on the elusive Sceptile, but ended up taking a bite out of air as his grassy opponent escaped again.
Sceptile, facing Arcainine head-on, decided to retaliate. He raised one knee up fast, and connected with the bottom of Arcainine's chin. He pushed forward, and Arcainine's head rose high up into the air. This exposed his neck. Sceptile shifted his weight to the side, then opened his leg, Previously hovering in the air, Sceptile's leg sprang open and kicked right into Arcainine's throat.
"GAAKK!" Blurted out Arcainine as he felt his windpipe being temporarily crushed. He back up as fast as he could, and lowered his head, protecting his neck. He looked back up at his opponent, and saw that Sceptile was not going to give him a moment of rest. A flurry of razor leaves came hurtling towards him, each one glistening with razor-sharp edges. Unable to dodge, Arcainine fired a blast of flamethrower from his mouth, and incinerated the leaves before they could hit him. The strain of spewing fire from his mouth aggravated his sore neck, however, and caused his to recoil in pain. He backed up again, trying to get distance between himself and Sceptile. Once the flames had cleared he looked up, expecting to see another flurry or razor leaves. Instead, however, he saw Sceptile flanked by his two allies; Exeggutor and Grovyle. The three of them stood side by side, with Sceptile in the middle.
Arcainine eyed them cautiously, then stood back up as tall as he could. "Hah. You three must think you're pretty damn cool, don't you!" He snarled.
We are! Thought Grovyle.
Instead of saying that, though, Sceptile instead launched into a tirade. "As you can see, you are completely outnumbered. Magmortar has abandoned you, ran away like a little Skitty that has stubbed her toe. Ninetales has fallen, knocked unconscious by the devastating psychic attacks even you cannot withstand. And Growlithe, in his infinite rage, has fallen to us. Your team is finished Arcainine, and if you had any sense, you would surrender now."
Arcainine snarled quietly as he heard about the failures his team experienced. He backed up again, trying to gain more distance. "Pathetic! It just goes to show that everyone you put trust in will end up letting you down. I have no respect for that gang of losers! And truly the only people I am disappointed in are you three, for not having the guts to actually kill any of them!"
Sceptile shot him a dirty look. "You make me sick."
Arcainine raised his head proudly. "Good."
Sceptile, having head enough, ran forward to meet his foe. Exeggutor followed close behind, prepared to provide tactical support. Grovyle realized that he was needed, so he ran forward as well. Arcainine braced himself, charged up a flamethrower, then let loose the flames. They came billowing forward in a wide arc, covering a lot of ground horizontally, but not making it very far outwards. Sceptile had to sidestep left in order to miss them, but Exeggutor and Grovyle were still far enough away to be untouched.
Grovyle saw the flames begin to clear, and Arcainine materialize behind them. His attention was focused on Sceptile, who was now approaching from the left. Grovyle saw this as a perfect opportunity, and went in for an attack. He slashed forward with his clawed hand, striking Arcainine on the side.
"GRRRR!" said Arcainine as he felt the small claws scratch his skin. He spun around and threw himself at Grovyle, using his shoulder as a battering ram. Grovyle was hit by the attack, and was pushed back about a foot by it. Arcainine recovered, and turned to face Grovyle, he opened his mouth wide, ready to use a fire fang attack, but was suddenly knocked to the ground by a wall of psychic energy. Exeggutor strode steadily forward, firing wave after wave of psyshocks at Arcainine. Arcainine tried to stand up, but felt his head being pushed into the ground beneath someone's foot. It was Sceptile.
"This is your last chance. Surrender or die." He said
Arcainine coughed loudly, then replied in a nasty tone. "Burn in hell you son of a bitch!"
Sceptile pushed his foot down harder, and smiled. "Part of me was hoping you would say that."
Is he going to kill Arcainine?
Sceptile raised his foot off of Arcainine's face. The fiery dog lied still for a moment, then started to pick himself back up. He put one paw on the ground, and had just begun to push himself up when he was shoved back down to the ground. Sceptile kicked as hard as he could into the ribs of Arcainine, not only knocking the air out of him, but also pinning him to the ground again.
"OOOMMPH!" heaved Arcainine.
Sceptile raised his foot again, then came crashing back down on Arcainine's face. "Stay down." He said with a cold sneer.
Arcainine snarled quietly and coughed. There was nothing he could do.
Grovyle watched nervously as the events unfolded in front of him. Whatever you're going to do Sceptile, please hurry up! I can't stand to watch this…
Sceptile knelt down next to Arcainine, then raised his arm up into the air. It glowed a bright green color, slightly darker than usual, but nonetheless menacing. The arm hovered in the air for a moment, then came down.
…
Just before it touched Arcainine's neck, Sceptile stopped. His arm was frozen, as if unable to move.
Arcainine sneered at him. "What's wrong? *cough!* You can't go through with it? *cough!* *cough!* You're pathetic!"
"Shut up." Said Sceptile.
Just then, a terrible sound erupted all around them.
"SCEPTILE!"
Oh no! It's him!
Sceptile stood slowly back up, and turned to face to source of the sound. Exeggutor rushed to his side, and Grovyle followed suit. Together, the three of them stood and watched as a new Pokémon made its way forward.
"Sceptile…." Said the new figure. His body was a mix or red, white, and orange. The pattern was all too familiar for those gathered before him, so no introduction was necessary.
"Blaziken…" said Sceptile.
Blaziken smiled. "It really is you. You know, even after seeing you in The Citadel, then again in the courtyard, I simply couldn't convince myself that it was actually you. After all, I have been 'seeing' you by mistake for an awfully long time now." He began to slowly walk, like a vulture circling its prey.
Sceptile breathed out heavily.
Blaziken continued. "I might be walking along the forest, and suddenly something would catch my eye. I would swear that it had been you, and I might spend days searching to forest to confirm what I thought. Unfortunately, you never turned up, and I simply learned that I was seeing things. How disappointing… I really did miss you."
"So you've grown crazy. It would figure." Said Sceptile.
"Momentarily seeing something that is not there does not make you crazy." Replied Blaziken.
"It does. Especially when you consider how badly you wanted your visions to be true." Shot back Sceptile.
Blaziken smiled widely, and stopped walking. "If that's how you define insanity, then I'm surely not alone here."
"What do you mean."
"You must remember how badly you wanted a certain something to 'be there'. Don't you? Don't you remember how often you saw signs that were not there? Read messages that were never true? And drew conclusions that…. could never be fathomed?" As soon as he said this, Blaziken turned away from Sceptile and started circling again.
What is he talking about? Asked Grovyle. He turned and saw Sceptile clenching his fists tightly. His body appeared to be shaking as well. Whatever it is, it must be getting Sceptile pissed…
"The only difference between my situation and yours is that my visions turned out to be true. In the end, here you are, standing before me in the flesh. As for your visions, they were crushed a long time ago… were they not?" Asked Blaziken.
"Shut up!" Demanded Sceptile, now visibly infuriated.
Blaziken looked pleased. "Excellent. Let your anger consume you."
Exeggutor leaned in to Sceptile's ear and began talking. Grovyle could hear as well. "Sceptile now is not the time for this kind of a confrontation the emotionally charged atmosphere is not beneficial and seeing as time is running out for our forces I suggest we make a decision right now as to whether we fight or flee."
Scepitle, never taking his eyes off of Blaziken, responded. "Fighting him is out of the question. We wouldn't stand a chance."
"Then how do you propose we-"
He was interrupted by Blaziken, however. "And you! Exeggutor. It's been a long time for you as well. Granted, I haven't been seeing visions of YOU in the forest, but make no mistake, you have been on my mind quite a lot recently."
Exeggutor did not reply, but instead locked all six of his eyes of Blaziken, watching carefully for any signs of sudden movement.
"You, I never liked. Not at all actually…" he said in a disappointed tone. "Sceptile, perhaps I considered him a friend, but you annoyed me from the start. And you still annoy me now. Do you still have trouble speaking in that creepy-ass voice?"
Exeggutor still did not reply.
Blaziken frowned. "So boring. You really do bore me." Then, he turned his attention to the final member of the trio; Grovyle. "And who the hell is this? Have you two elected a new little trainee? That's really cute."
Grovyle was shaking with fear. For some reason, every time he looked at Blaziken, he felt a cold sensation in his spine. Almost familiar…
"Where did you find this one? Was he given to you, or did you snatch him up from some sob story of an orphanage?"
"SHUT UP!" Yelled Sceptile, surprising everyone who was present. "You shut the hell up! And you stay the hell away from him! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
Blaziken looked shocked. "Oh. Clearly I hit a nerve there… You must have some kind of feelings for this pathetic little Grovyle." He looked at Sceptile, then down at Grovyle again. "He… He's not your son. Is he?"
Sceptile tensed up and looked as if he was about to scream his head off, but was stopped by Exeggutor, who stepped in front of him, and cut him off. "Dare you possess the audacity to ask such things?"
Blaziken started to get mad. "Of course I have the audacity. I have the audacity to do whatever the hell I want! And as for the Grovyle, clearly there is something that I am not aware of. Both of you are acting awfully strange in regards to him, and I'd like to know what the hell is going on! SCEPTILE! Is he your son or not!"
"No! He is not my father." Said Grovyle, surprised to hear himself speak. All eyes turned to him. "My father was a Sceptile, but he is not this one. My father died many years ago, struck down while I was still in my egg. His memory may be faint in my mind, but he lives on as a hero in my heart."
Blaziken frowned again. "Cute."
Sceptile's face was white.
Exeggutor did not move.
For a moment, everyone was silent. Finally Blaziken spoke. "Well, I suppose I was wrong. This Grovyle is nothing more than as waste of skin, which I will inevitably burn down in a few minutes."
Grovyle nervously looked at Blaziken, his brief moment of bravery erased. Why does everyone care about my father? He died so long ago I can't even remember him… And why did Sceptile get so mad when Blaziken asked about him? And what the hell kind of history do those three have!? It's like they've known each other forever.
"Okay. That's enough talking. I'm sick of hearing you speak, and I have decided the time has come for you to die. All of you." At this, Blaziken's wrists burst to flames.
Exeggutor, for the first time Grovyle had seen, looked panicked. He leaned in again and tried to formulate a plan. "Sceptile we need to start running if we want to escape the situation without confronting Blaziken head-on."
Sceptile was silent for a moment, then spoke. "No. I'm not running. We are going to fight. And I am not going to stop until one of us is dead."
…
"Did you hear that Blaziken?!" shouted Sceptile.
Blaziken cocked his head to the side. "What?"
"I said; I am going to fight you. And I am not going to stop until one of us is dead."
Blaziken smiled. "Excellent. I wouldn't want it any other way."
Then he stopped circling, and eyed his targets. Sceptile stood in the center, flanked on his right by Exeggutor, and on his left by Grovyle. All three of them were showing signs of injuries, as well as battle fatigue. Blaziken knew he was in perfect physical condition.
Finally, Sceptile charged forward. He pulled back and prepared to throw a punch. Blaziken anticipated the moved easily, and simply sidestepped out of the way. Sceptile's momentum carried him past Blaziken several feet. Next was Exeggutor, who fired a volley of bullet seeds at his opponent. Blaziken exhaled and fired a stream of flamethrower, which incinerated all the seeds in a second.
"Is that all you can do? Punches and a couple seeds? You disappoint me, grass types." Taunted Blaziken.
Grovyle approached, slowly, with his arms raised. He had seen how easily Sceptile's attack was dodged, so he decided to be a bit more deliberate in his attempt. Blaziken saw him, and turned to face his foe. Grovyle continued to step slowly forward, prepared to strike at any time. Finally he decided to make his move. He fired a quick jab at Blaziken's head. He dodged easily. Grovyle pulled back his hand, and jabbed again. Blaziken dodged again. He pulled back that hand and decided to try an uppercut. Instead of dodging this, Blaziken stood his ground. He put his hand in front of himself, with his palms facing down. Grovyle's fist came up from bellow, and collided with Blaziken's open palms. They shook slightly from the impact, but otherwise stayed put. Blaziken closed his hands, and dug his claws into Grovyle's leafy skin.
"OWW!" exclained Grovyle.
Blaziken, now holding Grovyle's fist, pulled it in. Grovyle was pulled as well, and he lost his balance. Grovyle began to fall forward, but before he could fall into Blaziken, he felt something crash into his forehead. It was Blaziken's head. He had thrown his head back and used it as a hammer, colliding with Grovyle's forehead and causing serious damage. Blaziken released Grovyle's hands, and Grovyle felt himself fall backwards, thrown from the force of the head-butt.
Grovyle stumbled backwards, and fell to the ground. His head was throbbing with pain. Now not only his cheek hurt, but his forehead as well. From his vantage point on the ground. He saw the fight continue.
Sceptile returned, and was using his leafy arm in a leaf blade attack. His arm glowed green, and his slashes were fast. Blaziken was unfazed as he backed up and systematically dodged each of the swipes. Sceptile sliced to the right, and Blaziken dodged left. Sceptile sliced to the right, and Blaziken dodged left. Sceptile swiped with both arms at once, and Blaziken merely ducked. Finally Sceptile stopped. Blaziken stood for a moment, then retaliated. He shifted his weight to one leg, then lifted his other into the air. His left leg was supporting him, and his right leg was up in the air, bent at the knee. Then he extended his leg forward, and kicked with all his might. His foot hit Sceptile in the side, who was unable to dodge or block. The force of the kick sent him flying across the battlefield, where he landed in a heap on the ground.
Exeggutor approached now, and entered with a powerful wood hammer move. He threw his entire body in the air at Blaziken, who still had his back turned. Exeggutor was in the air, preparing for a body-slam like attack, when Blaziken turned around. Never missing a beat, he dropped to the ground, lowering himself enough that he actually ducked underneath the flying form of Exeggutor. Exeggutor sailed forward, and crashed down on the ground. Blaziken stood back up, and raised his foot into the air. He pointed his leg straight up, then brought it crashing down onto Exeggutor, who lied on the ground, recovering from his missed wood hammer.
Exeggutor groaned three times in pain. Blaziken, meanwhile, was looking perfectly fine.
"Come on now! You three are boring the hell out of me! Sceptile, your attacks are unplanned and completely haphazard. Exeggutor, your weight makes you move slower than a grounded Wailord. And Grovyle, you simply don't have the guts to make a decent advance!"
Hes right. Thought Grovyle. We aren't working as a team at all! The entire point of working as a team is so that we can cover each other's weak aspects, so when we all attack him separately its no surprise that he can pick us off like this. Grovyle stood back up, and looked to his allies. Sceptile stood several feet away, breathing heavily. Exeggutor was trying to stand back up, but Blaziken was holding him down with his foot. Exeggutor squirmed violently, and finally was released. He rolled away from Blaziken, and stood back up. Now, the three grass types stood in a circle around Blaziken, closing him in. They exchanged looks, as if trying to form a strategy.
Clearly none of us can take Blaziken alone. He's just too good of a fighter. That's why we need to coordinate our attacks, like we did on Arcainine!
"Please. Form some kind of a plan. Attacking me one at a time is just pathetic." Said Blaziken.
Sceptile looked at Grovyle, then nodded. The time had come. Exeggutor fired a wave of psyshock, which was dodged by Blaziken. As he dodged, Grovyle and Sceptile dashed forward, trying to catch their opponent off-guard. Blaziken, in the middle of a juke, lifted his leg up, and performed a roundhouse kick. It was directed at Sceptile, who dodged by ducking beneath it. Now Blaziken was exposed, and Grovyle took the opportunity to slash at him with leaf blade. Blaziken anticipated the move, however, and surprisingly was able to dodge. He did this by finishing his roundhouse kick in a strange way. Once his foot made a full rotation, he kept spinning and lowered it to the ground, once it was planted firmly, he shifted his weight and lifted up his other foot. This allowed him to rotate even further and safely escape from Grovyle's attack. Once he was out of range, he put his other foot down and reassumed his stance.
Sceptile used the razor leaves attack. Blaziken was too close to incinerate them, so he raised his arms in an "X" position, and tucked in his head. The leaves hit him, but did very little damage, keeping in mind the type disadvantage. Blaziken reopened his arms once the leaves were done, and fired a spray of flamethrower. It was very wide angled, and clearly intended as a buffer. The flames formed a wide arc, and forced Grovyle to stop a charge he had been attempting. The flames lingered, and appeared like they would linger for longer, until Exeggutor attacked. He fired a leaf storm attack, which whipped up a powerful wind that blew away almost all the flames. The powerful tornado-like storm of leaves continued to blow away the fire, and finally disappeared once it had dispersed any remaining fire.
Grovyle and Sceptile now stood side by side, facing Blaziken head on. They pushed forward at the same time, and diverged slightly, so that they each stood on one side of him. Blaziken's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, trying to watch their movements. Finally Sceptile attacked through a quick jab. Blaziken leaned back and dodged it. Grovyle took the opportunity, and kicked with his back leg. His leg came up behind Blaziken, attempting to hit him in the back. But Blaziken anticipated the move, and hopped forward in a clumsy sort of dodge. Sceptile attacked now, almost as if he was taking turns with Grovyle. He jabbed quickly again, right at Blaziken's shoulder. Blaziken was in no position to dodge, so while he corrected his awkward body position, he had to threw up his arm and used his wrist to block the attack. Sceptile jabbed again, but now, having corrected himself, Blaziken was in a better position to counter. He threw up his other hand, and blocked the attack, He did not take it straight on, however, but instead guided the punch away from him. This gave Grovyle a chance to attack, so he took the opportunity, he swept again with leaf blade. Blaziken, still blocking Sceptile's punch, used his opponent's momentum to carry him in a circle. He carried Sceptile around him, and right into the path of Grovyle. At the last second, Grovyle was able to identify Blaziken's move, and stopped his attack just in time, before it slammed into his ally. Blaziken was not done, however, and continued to use Sceptile's body as a weapon. He pushed into Sceptile's chest, and threw him into Grovyle. Grovyle could not dodge, so he stood helpless as Sceptile fell into him. The two fell to the ground, and landed in a pile on the ground.
Blaziken came forward, and was about to use flamethrower on the two of them, but was interrupted by Exeggutor. The leaves on top of his head glowed purple as he prepared a power whip attack. Blaziken saw it coming, and backed away, just out of range. Exeggutor's whip flew harmlessly past his fiery foe. Blaziken retaliated by raising his foot again, and attempted to kick. The kick was performed with Blaziken's left leg, so to Exeggutor, the attack came from the right. He was too slow for a dodge, so he pulled out one of his secret moves; spiky shield. Exeggutor's whole body turned rigid, and small spikes protruded from his skin. Blaziken's foot connected, and immediately flew back in pain. The expression on Blaziken's face was that of surprised anger. He brought back his leg, and put it down on the ground, then raised his arms, and prepared to fight back again. His fist began to glow with fire, and he prepared to use a fire punch move. Exeggutor had no escape, and was unable to use his spiky shield more than once in rapid succession for fear of failure, so for the time being, he just stood his ground. Before Blaziken could hit him, though, Grovyle and Sceptile returned to the fight. Grovyle fired a volley of razor leaves in front of Blaziken, and forced him to halt his attack. Next Sceptile threw himself at Blaziken and attempted to use the take down move on him. Blaziken decided not to dodge, but instead take the attack head-on. He opened his arms and caught Sceptile, then fell to the ground. Instead of being pinned down, though, Blaziken used Sceptile's momentum to do a somersault and end up on top. Now, Blaziken was on top of Sceptile, who was pinned to the ground.
Sceptile brought up his arms in a block, and was immediately met with a flurry of punches. He was able to block almost all of them, but still sustained some damage. Finally, Blaziken got off of Sceptile, and stood back up. He did that because Grovyle was approaching him, ready to attack. Once Blaziken had backed a few feet away, Sceptile climbed back up to a standing position. Exeggutor ran up next to them. Together, Sceptile, Grovyle, and Exeggutor stood, facing Blaziken, who was only about four yards away. The fight momentarily paused as both sides recovered.
Sceptile was the first to speak. "You're slowing down, old friend. Is there a problem?"
Blaziken replied quickly. "Don't kid yourself. The only reason that you three are alive right now is because I've been holding back. Didn't it strike you as strange, how I only dodged and blocked your attacks, never returning fire?"
Sceptile smiled. "I had assumed it was because you were starting to break under a little pressure."
Blaziken smiled right back at him. "You assume too much. I purposely held back because I wanted to see what you three were capable of. My research has proven to me that you really aren't capable of anything at all! Anyway, now that I've had my fun, it's time for me to start trying don't you think?"
Sceptile hesitated, and then raised his arms in a fighting stance.
Grovyle was getting nervous. He's right… I did notice him dodging a lot more than attacking. Maybe he was holding back.
"No clever response?" asked Blaziken. "Fine by me. You probably would prefer your famous last words to be a bit more serious anyway." With that, his wrists and legs burst into flames, and he charged.
He ran forward three steps, then jumped in the air, and outstretched his leg. The attack was directed at Sceptile, who was able to dodge. Once Blaziken had landed, he began his attack. Sceptile slashed with leaf blade. Blaziken spun around and performed a roundhouse kick that connected with Sceptile's leaf blade, knocking it out of the air. Sceptile's arm wavered, and threw him off balance, Sceptile was now exposed, so Blaziken followed up with a fire punch. His speed was incredible. The punch collided with Sceptile's upper body, and sent him flying backwards, where he fell to the ground. Blaziken watched his opponent fall, then returned to his fighting stance, all the while laughing.
"Hah! Too easy." He gloated. "WHOS NEXT?!"
Grovyle approached, now flanked by Exeggutor. Exeggutor fired a volley of bullet seeds, attempting to provide Grovyle with cover. Blaziken responded by firing a flame thrower into the mass of seeds, and incinerating them all. Grovyle used the opportunity to punch at Blaziken, but missed as Blaziken dodged out of the way. Blaziken then spun around and tried to punch back. Grovyle saw the move coming, and ducked low enough to dodge. Blaziken smiled, as if he had been planning this all along. He brought up his leg, and kneed Grovyle in the face with a quick knee jab. The hit forced Grovyle to stand up, exposing him to a follow-up attack. Blaziken already had his leg in the air by the time Grovyle stood up, engulfed in flames, and moving fast. It was a roundhouse blaze kick, and it was aimed at Grovyle's face. Not just his face in general, but his cheek specifically.
During the preliminary fight, Blaziken had noticed the cheek injury that Grovyle received while he was fighting Magmortar, and decided to capitalize on it. He quickly set up the poor little grass type for a powerful kick, one that would most likely end his life.
Thus, Blaziken manipulated Grovyle in a way that would allow him to kick him square in the cheek with a full force blaze kick. This was no ordinary blaze kick, in fact, but a supercharged one. Blaziken had plenty of time for a windup, so he spared no expense in making sure that it was powerful. His leg came whizzing along, approaching Grovyle's face at breakneck speed. Moments before impact, Grovyle realized what was about to happen. He saw the foot coming at him, he felt the heat of the fire on his face, then shuddered.
Nobody's that good… nobody…
…
The blaze kick made contact with shattering force.
Grovyle felt his cheekbone shatter again. The pain that he experienced as soon as Blaziken made contact was indescribable. Every nerve in his body screamed in pain, a scream so loud that Grovyle felt himself go deaf. In his cheek, he felt an incredible searing hot pain, then nothing. It was as if Blaziken's kick had actually killed the nerves themselves in his cheek. Just before he went deaf, he heard the crackling of his cheekbone as the pieces of it were crunched around and dug into his flesh. The broken bone in his cheek was not all the damage that was done, however, because he also felt his chinbone fracture from the sheer force of the collision. In addition, his upper skull fractured, causing yet more pain to stream up his face. The teeth just behind the point of impact shattered as well, and several of them were knocked out.
All this took place over the course of one second. Finally, Blaziken's foot relented, and removed itself from Grovyle's face. Grovyle felt himself lose feeling in all parts of his body, and go completely numb in the face. He started to crumple to the ground, and as he fell, his vision began to fade. First, just the corners of his sight turned a fuzzy black, but soon, he was seeing double of everything around him. Plus, everything turned slightly black as blood began to rush from his eyes. Just then, he felt himself hit the ground. He landed on the side of his face that had not been destroyed, but it hurt nonetheless. He lied there for a moment; experiencing pain beyond anything he thought could ever be felt.
Oh God…. Oh God oh God oh God…
The world around him was spinning, a mess of colors and shapes moving in all directions. His ears had ceased to work, and now the only thing he heard was the deafening silence of his own excruciating pain. In vain, he attempted to gain his bearings, but was unable to see anything around him. He rolled over and felt his stomach on the ground beneath him. Now aware of where the ground was, he used his arms to push himself up. He was able to get his hands down on the ground in front of him, but when he started to push up, he realized just how weak his arms had become. There was no way he could possibly push himself up after a hit like that. He just had to lie still.
So for the time being, he rolled his head to the side, and tried to make out what was happening around him. This was very difficult, considering he could barely see anything at all. What he did manage to see, however, was the outlines of the Pokémon brawling above. He saw the slim outline of Blaziken, fiery red and moving fast. He appeared to be fighting with Exeggutor, who, in Grovyle's eyes, was nothing more than a brown blur. The two fought briefly, then Grovyle saw Exeggutor fall to the ground. Blaziken appeared to look down at him, then walk away. Walk away… right in his direction!
Blaziken approached, his figure distorted and blurry in the eyes of Grovyle. He stopped when he got within a few feet of Grovyle, and appeared to kneel down. Grovyle was still too weak to pick his head up, but Blaziken was close enough, and on the same level as him too. Blaziken looked into his eyes, and squinted. Then he began speaking. Up until this point, Grovyle had been completely deaf, but as soon as Blaziken spoke, his hearing started to clear up. It was not perfect, but he was able to make out a few words.
"…so…loook…..hhhhit…..and…still...alivvvvve? ...yes." he said. Grovyle saw him tilt his head to the side, and continue speaking. "Well…..…must…hurttttt? ...luck…for….weeeeeak… hah! But…. cantttttt… go…let….livvvvvvve….. can…we?" At this, Blaziken stood back up. He raised his foot into the air, and Grovyle watched helplessly as it burst into flame.
Oh god…. I'm going to die here. Right here on the ground. I… I'm actually going to die….
Blaziken seemed to hesitate all of a sudden. "Now….looook….. farmiliaaaaar….? Almost…. I-" but he suddenly stopped talking and jerked his head to the right. It looked like he had seen something that surprised him. With lightning fast reflexes, he brought his foot to the ground and brought up his arms in a block. He turned his body to the right, and was slammed by a large brown and green mess.
What…?
The mess of vines and dirt completely caught him off-guard, and although Blaziken had a moment to prepare a block, it was not nearly enough to protect him fully. The frenzy plant attack engulfed him, and brought him crashing to the ground. Vines strung around his limbs, and covered him in a huge pile of vegetation several feet thick. Grovyle watched in shock as Blaziken squirmed about beneath the pile, but was unable to free himself. He was having difficulty processing any of this.
Suddenly, Sceptile appeared. He knelt down in front of Grovyle, and looked him over. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just performed some sort of attack. It was then that Grovyle realized that Sceptile had been the one who took down Blaziken in the frenzy plant.
"Exeggutor! Come…..onnnnnn…..pick...fast! ….alivvvvvvve!" shouted Sceptile. Soon, Exeggutor appeared at his side, and Grovyle felt something scoop him up from below. It was Sceptile, who picked up Grovyle and lifted him into the air. Grovyle still felt like he was in a daze, unable to make out any characteristics of things around him. All he saw was a tangled bunch of green leaves circling him as he was laid down on Exeggutor's head. When Sceptile's arms left him, he felt as if he was floating on air, but soon he realized he was being supported by Exeggutor. The big Pokémon was large enough to support his weight, and was doing a fine job of it as well. Grovyle tried to roll over, but instead felt Sceptile's hands push him back in place.
"Stay…..stttttttilllll…." he said. Grovyle got the message, and decided to stop moving around.
Then, suddenly, he felt himself flying. Immediately he began panicking, and thrashing about. Once again, Sceptile calmed him, and got him to lie still.
"Jusssssssst….. walking! Stay…as…..areeeeeee…." he said. Grovyle relished the comforting sound of Scepitle's voice, and tried to remain still. He tilted his head to the side, and tried to take in his surroundings. He saw the field of battle fly past him, and it was then that he realized Exeggutor was simply running.
He….. he's carrying me away…
More colors and shapes flew by in Groyvle's eyes as he tried desperately to stay conscious. After what seemed like an eternity of running, a large green blob entered his vision.
It's the outer wall! We're going to escape from here!
Exeggutor carried him inside, and instantly the atmosphere turned dark. The burning trees of the courtyard were no longer present, causing almost all light to disappear. The glowing flowers that usually illuminated these hallways had all but died, so for the time being, the trio was running blind. Luckily, Exeggutor and Sceptile seemed to know where they were going, and they continued on at a fast pace. All around him, Grovyle saw darkness, and heard nothing. The only thing that assured him he was still alive was the immense throbbing of pain he felt all over his body.
Even if we do make it out of here... I don't think I'm going to survive these injuries…
All sense of time and direction had left him, so Grovyle had no idea how long they had been running. Finally, Exeggutor seemed to stop. He heart faint noises like the sound of a door opening, then the trio began moving again. They ran forward a bit, then stopped abruptly.
What happened? Why did Exeggutor stop?
Just then, Grovyle heard a voice that he had been hoping and praying he would never have to hear again.
…
"GET BACK HERE!"
…
Grovyle felt himself being lowered to the ground. Exeggutor was putting him down. He was laying face-down, but slowly, Grovyle started to roll himself over. Although the pain in his body had not gone down in intensity, he could feel himself regaining some control over his body. After a brief struggle, he was able to turn himself over and face the source of the voice. Just as he had feared, it was Blaziken. And, running up along behind him, was Arcainine.
"…FIRES…..HELL…..WITH…YOU!" he said. Blaziken burned brightly, so much so that he was able to light the entire room by himself. Grovyle took the opportunity to look around, and realized that he was lying inside the room where he had first witnessed the fire types enter. A few feet away was a massive scorched hole in the wall, the very one that Magmortar had blown open along with help from Arcainine.
On the fair side of the room, Grovyle saw a small burnt pile. It was mostly black, but some areas of green could be seen, which led Grovyle to assume that he was looking at a pile of vines. Although his vision was very blurry, he was also able to make out small patches of white and red in the pile. Black ashes were scattered around it too, and lightly layered on top. Groyvle continued to look at this strange object in the corner, as if he were drawn to it for some reason.
What is that...? He wondered.
Then like a slap across the face, Grovyle realized what he was looking at. The realization hit him so fast and hard that he nearly fainted from shock.
Carnivine!
And spontaneously, he felt a rush of power overtake him. Whether it was adrenaline, a psychic energy, or just sheer hatred did not matter to Grovyle, all he knew was that something had begun to overtake him. It flowed through his veins, reaching every inch of his body, empowering him and raising him up with the energy of a madman. Groyvle's vision went completely black. Then, all at once, he could see perfectly clear. He realized that he was now standing on his two feet, supported by a willpower that he almost classified as not his own. All pain left his body, and with it went his sense of feeling in general. He could feel nothing around him, not fatigue, not pressure, not anything.
All Grovyle knew was that he was back on his feet, and back in the game. He looked around in a flurry, trying to take in as much of his surroundings as he could. To his right, he saw Sceptile and Exeggutor engaging Blaziken and Arcainine.
Blaziken kicked furiously, whizzing fiery hits around Sceptiles head. It was obvious that he was holding nothing back in these kicks, intending for each one to be a kill shot. Sceptile, however, was dodging each one with lightning fast reflexes. After several misses, Blaziken put down his foot and leaned in for a punch. Grovyle deflected the punch with his elbow, and returned with a punch of his own. Blaziken used his other hand to catch Sceptile's fist just before it made contact. He squeezed hard, causing a small popping sound to be heard out loud. Sceptile threw his head back and screamed in pain. Blaziken did not relent, however, but instead followed up his attack by pulling on Sceptile's arm and causing him to fall to the ground.
"Sceptile no!" yelled Grovyle as he ran as fast as he could towards his fallen friend.
Blaziken heard Grovyle, and turned to face him. "Oh. Look who's finally woken up. You know kid, I really thought I had killed you back there, but guess I was wrong."
"Get away from him!" Screamed Grovyle.
"Hah! Do you really think a little shit like you can stop me!?" replied Blaziken. As he said this, he formed his hand into a fist, which began to glow with fire.
Grovyle threw himself at Blaziken in a takedown move. Blaziken, not even breaking a sweat, brought forward his hand and slugged Grovyle in the stomach.
"OOOOPHH!" heaved Grovyle as he felt the air leave his lungs. He crumpled to the ground, and looked up to see Blaziken walking away from him.
"Stop squirming. I'll be back to finish you in a second, but first I have someone much more important to deal with." He stopped walking when he reached Sceptile, who was now standing up and supporting himself against a wall behind him. "It's time for you to die, Sceptile. Once and for all."
Grovyle heard a loud thud, and looked over to see Exeggutor get thrown to the ground. Arcainine stood over him, a proud look on his face, and fire flowing from his mane. Instead of delivering the final blow, he pranced over to Blaziken, and stood next to him, evidently wanting to watch Sceptile as he died.
"Please Blaziken, make it as painful as it can be!" he said.
Blaziken did not respond, but clenched his fist tightly.
Sceptile raised his good hand, the one that had not been broken, up in a fighting stance. Blaziken seemed to scoff, and playfully knock the hand out of the way. With his other clawed hand, Blaziken thrust forward and grabbed Sceptile around the neck. Sceptile flailed about, trying to break free. But it was no use, for Blaziken's grip was far too strong. He then used his powerful muscles to lift Sceptile up off the ground and into the air.
"Killing you has been the only thing on my mind for the past decade. Nothing in the world could ever hope to repair the damage you caused me all those years ago but your death." Said Blaziken in a voice that simply imbued evil. "What you did to me… What you did to us! It's beyond forgiveness. And now I will make you pay. Not only you, but this entire accursed city. All of you will die. And I will be the one to deliver!"
Arcainine watched intently as Blaziken spoke, his tail wagging slightly, and his chin raised proudly. It was obvious that Blaziken was not the only one who wanted Sceptile dead. Meanwhile, Grovyle lay completely helpless, trying to breathe again after losing all air in his lungs. The rush of power that had overcome him was still present, but its effects had begun to wear down. Exeggutor was only a couple yards away, trying to stand back up after being leveled by some fiery attack on Arcainine's part.
He's going to kill Sceptile! Worried Grovyle. We were so god damn close! SO GOD DAMN CLOSE! And now he's going to kill the Pokémon that helped me survive this horrible day….. I can't believe…. I…. I can't….
"Any last words?" Asked Blaziken. He loosened his grip, and allowed for a little air to enter Sceptile's throat. Sceptile coughed violently, and wheezed for air. Then he calmed down, and tried to look Blaziken in the eyes.
Sceptile's face was distorted, covered in blood, and lightly layered with tears. Finally he opened his mouth. "You did this to yourself… It wasn't me, and it wasn't the grass types. Blaziken, you were my friend, and I wanted nothing more than for us to stay that way…." He coughed hard, a small splatter of blood coming out of his mouth. "You let your anger consume you… Let the very demons you promised to resist contort your emotions and turn you into… into… this."
Blaziken scoffed. "This? This is the only me there is or ever was."
"No its not." answered Sceptile as he tried dearly to hang onto his fleeting life. "You weren't always like this. And I know you've… done things… that may seem unforgivable, but Blaziken I promise to you that I know in my heart of hearts… that it isn't too late for you to change…"
Blaziken squinted, apparently taking what Sceptile said into consideration. His grip never loosened any further, although it did seem for a moment like he might actually release the poor Pokémon he was holding so tightly.
A single large tear slipped down Sceptile's cheek. "Please," he begged. "It's not too late…"
Blaziken let go.
Sceptile fell crashing to the ground, surprised at his sudden release. He took in several gasping breaths, and then picked himself up. He planted his two hands on the ground, then slowly pushed until he was in a kneeling position, supported by his arms. He coughed once more, lightly sprinkling the floor with his blood, then looked up. His face, tattered and tired form the day's battle, seemed like an oasis of hope. He looked up with such conviction and happiness that Grovyle, watching from a few yards away, dared for a moment to think that maybe things were going to be okay after all.
Sceptile is… going to live…?
Blaziken was still looking intently at the spot in the air where he had been previously holding Scepitle by the throat. His hand now rested at his side, but other than that, he remained perfectly still, as if deep in thought. He gave off a deep aura of contemplation, one that made everyone in the room hold their breath. Exeggutor, Grovyle, and Sceptile were very surprised at how suddenly he had let go of Sceptile, and were beginning to realize that they were about to be let go. Perhaps, it seems, some of Sceptile's words had gotten through Blaziken's tough outer shell, and touched his heart.
But, in a single instandt, all that hope was completely dashed.
…
…
…
Blaziken raised his foot into the air, and brought it down hard on Sceptile's neck.
CRACK!
…
"NOOO!" screamed Exeggutor. Two of his heads remained perfectly still, a look of sheer shock and terror on their faces. The third one, the middle head, however, was the only one who yelled. It held the 'no' for a long time, then finally closed its mouth, and stared.
Grovyle could not move. He felt his entire body go rigid as the loud crack rang throughout the chamber. It echoed off the walls, bounced down from the ceiling, and reverberated through the floors. It poured through the doors, pounded on Grovyle's body, and dug into his ears. He felt the crack continue to travel through his body, up and down his spine, to the tips of each of his fingers, and then finally into his brain. He lied there, dumbfounded and terrified, at a complete loss for words. Unable to move, he simply stared straight on ahead at the unmoving form of Sceptile, and at the long red leg that held it pressed to the ground.
Arcainine smiled. After a brief moment of confusion upon seeing Sceptile fall to the floor, he felt himself become overwhelmed by adrenaline. He furiously wagged his tail, and let fire emanate from his glowing mane. Proudly tapping his foot, he turned his head to survey the rest of the room. Exeggutor was trying to stand up. Grovyle was frozen in shock, and Blaziken… well, Blaziken just stood there, still as a statue.
Blaziken indeed did stand quite still. He looked down at the lifeless form of his old friend, watching a pool of blood begin to form around his neck. He lifted his foot up, and set it lightly on the ground next to the other one. Where there was once a smooth, green stalk-like neck, now laid a bent, bloody, and broken one. Finally, he opened his mouth. "… That's all. I'm done here." Then he turned to face the door, and walked away.
He had already made it halfway to the door when someone spoke up. It was Grovyle.
"You! You… You can't just leave!" he yelled. But Blaziken just kept walking. He didn't even turn around. "COME BACK! You can't just kill him and walk away!"
Blaziken reached the door, and kept walking straight through it. Once in the hallway, he said something over his shoulder. "Arcainine. Kill these two. I will send a squad to collect the bodies."
Grovyle could not believe what was happening. Blaziken was walking right away from him! Not only did he have the indecency to kill Sceptile, but he didn't even have the respect to stay with the body.
He's a monster…
Arcainine approached him, looking excited and ready. "You can either lie still and make this painless, or I can give you a repeat of what Blaziken just did to your friend over there. Your choice." He said.
Grovyle shed a tear. It felt warm as it ran down his face, leaving a single streak of clear, glistening liquid across his already decimated face. The tear stung as it was absorbed by the damaged flesh, but Grovyle did not care. All his emotions were focused on what had just happened. Then, right there, lying on the floor in the destroyed capital city, surrounded by the bodies of his closest friends, facing immeasurable odds and certain death, Grovyle made a promise.
I will never shed another tear. Not for the rest of my life will I ever let a single tear escape my face. I swear it. This world can try as hard as it wants, but I'll never cry again. Never…
Now, satisfied with the promise he had just made, Grovyle decided to make another one. A much less pure one….
"I WILL KILL YOU BLAZIKEN!" He screamed. Blaziken, who was walking in the hallways outside, actually stopped in his tracks. "I WILL NEVER REST UNTIL YOU HAVE PAID FOR THE THINGS YOU'VE DONE! NEVER!"
Blaziken did not turn around, but did pause momentarily. He breathed once, long and calmly. Then he responded. "Son, you haven't the faintest idea of what you speak." He said. Then, he continued walking.
Grovyle felt a familiar feeling overcome him; hatred. He hated Blaziken for what he had done to Sceptile, and above that, he hated Blaziken for everything he stood for. He hated the cold cruelty expressed by Blaziken, he hated the sheer power he possessed, he even hated the image of his face. He hated the way he walked, the way he talked, the simple fact that he was even capable of breathing. Grovyle's rage grew more and more, building upon itself, and skyrocketing past the point of reason. The scene of Sceptile's neck breaking played over and over again in his mind in slow motion. Finally, he gave in to the hatred.
He jumped to his feet, possessed with the energy of a madman. He frantically swung his head about, looking for anything he could vent his anger on. His eyes settled almost immediately on the perfect target.
"YOU!" He screamed as he jumped into the air and crashed head-first into Arcainine.
Arcainine was surprised by how fast and viciously Grovyle attacked, so he was completely unable to dodge. At the last second, he tried to raise his claws to deflect the tackle, but was unsuccessful. Grovyle's weight and momentum sent Arcainine crashing to the floor. Grovyle pinned him to the ground on his back, with one of with legs on each side of Arcainine's stomach. Arcainine quickly tried to counter by biting, but was completely shut down by a punch to the face from Grovyle.
Grovyle felt the sting of the first punch as it hit Arcainine's face, and realized he had never felt this way before. He punched again, determined to let his anger out on the dog Pokémon that lay before him. After the third punch, he realized that his anger was only getting stronger, so he decided to try and punch harder. Soon Groyvle began to lose track of what he was doing, and ended up pummeling Arcainine's face again and again and again. Somewhere near the ninth or tenth punch, Grovyle felt a splatter of blood hit his face. His first reaction was that of anger, complete and utter rage at being bleed upon. He responded by simply punching harder and harder.
With each punch, Grovyle felt his rage build even larger. What he had originally decided to try as a means to alleviate his anger had simply amplified it, and taken it to a place he had never been before. Each punch started to blend together as more and more of Arcainine's blood splattered onto his face. Not even pausing to wipe it away, he continued to brutally pummel his opponent. Soon Arcainine's paws were being used to shield his face, but Grovyle did not care. He just kept slugging away. His vision began to turn dark again, a mix of deep crimson red and dark, definite red. All he could see was the bloody remains of Arcainine before him, a sight that normally would have repulsed him instantly. In this case, however, it only made him angrier. Soon he began to see Blaziken's face where Arcainine's had been, smiling, mocking him.
"GAAAAAHHHHHHH! DIE!"
He put both his hand together, and brought them down hard onto Blaziken's face in a powerful smash. Just before they connected, the face disappeared; replaced instead with the pained, bloody expression of Arcainine. Grovyle screamed in anger, thinking that Blaziken had eluded him again. He brought up his arms again, and smashed down once more. This time, he heard the faint sound of bones breaking.
But Grovyle simply did not care.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE DDDDIIIIEEEEE!"
Arcainine, now howling in pain and anguish, tried desperately to protect himself. Every attempt he made, however was swatted away by Grovyle's fists; a force that seemed to grow stronger with each hit. In the far off distance, Grovyle heard someone calling his name, yelling at him to stop. This merely made him angrier, and made him furious that someone was trying to stop him.
He threw himself into Arcainine, using every single part of his body to smash the Pokémon in whatever way he could; fists, elbows, wrists, shoulders, anything that could cause damage. Now Grovyle couldn't see anything at all, other than a mess of red and black colors. His rage had reached its peak, and he pounded down on Arcainine's face as hard as he had ever pounded on anything before. More blood splattered across his face and body, and the soft sound of crunching bones greeted his fists upon every hit. Arcainine continued to howl in pain, begging and screaming for mercy. These cries fell onto deaf ears, however, because Grovyle had no intention of stopping.
Finally, Arcainine began to quiet down. His howls turned to whimpers, and his paws fell limp at his side. Whatever was left of his eyes were closed, and whatever was left of his mouth finally shut. Grovyle, still consumed with anger, refused to stop. He punched harder and harder, unable to make himself do any more damage than he already had. Once again, he heard someone shouting at him to stop, closer this time. He tried to ignore it, but suddenly felt himself flying through the air. He crashed into a wall on the near side of the room, and slumped to the floor. He looked up, expecting, hoping, to see Blaziken, but only saw Exeggutor.
"EXEGGUTOR! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" he screamed.
Exeggutor , also breathing heavily, responded with the same conviction. "WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU!?" he yelled, all three heads screaming at the top of their lungs. "YOU JUST KILLED HIM! YOU DIDN'T NEED TO KILL HIM! AND YOU DIDN'T NEED TO MUTILATE HIS GOD DAMN BODY!"
Grovyle felt the anger start to leave his body.
I did what…?
"YOU KILLED HIM! You killed him!" yelled Exeggutor.
I…. killed him…? Killed who? Arcainine…? Oh God no….
"JUST LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO HIM! IT WAS COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR!"
Grovyle looked to where Exeggutor motioned, and almost threw up. Arcianine lay on the ground, sprawled out onto his back, soaked in blood, and not moving at all. His paws were broken and twisted, evidently torn apart by some violent force. His neck was snapped, broken at the base and pouring blood. But worst of all was his face. Arcainine's face was completely unrecognizable; simply a torn and twisted mess of flesh and bones. The entire area was covered in blood, and broken bones lay scattered about. His head was twisted awkwardly to the side, and the entire inside of his brain was exposed. Grovyle looked for another second, and then actually vomited.
Exeggutor watched carefully, heaving and trying to control his own anger at what just took place. He looked down at Grovyle, throwing up onto the floor, and felt nothing but pity. Then he decided he needed to calm down, and focus on the present, not the past.
Grovyle, meanwhile, was a complete emotional wreck. He finished vomiting, and tried to wipe his mouth clean, when he started to wipe his arm across, he felt his face only get wetter. He looked down to see his arms completely soaked in blood. The blood covered his arms up to the elbows, and remained spotty from there. He looked down to his stomach and saw that covered with blood as well.
Oh god… What the hell is wrong with me!? I just killed him!
Exeggutor watched him intently, looking angrier than Groyvle had ever seen him. Slowly, however, his expressions began to disappear as his three faces controls their emotions. Once all three of them had calmed down enough, he took a long breath.
"Sigh….." he said. "Grovyle."
Grovyle looked up, holding his hands out in front of him. He was staring at his hands, trying to comprehend the bloody sight that was before him. When Exeggutor called his name, he looked up and stared with his mouth hanging open, unable to speak.
Exeggutor paused, then started talking in his usual fashion. "Grovyle what has conspired here is of a nature that truly is despicable I do not intend to imply that you are directly responsible for this but the time for confusion has left us and now we must come to grips with what has really happened."
Grovyle, almost relieved to hear Exeggutor talking "normally" again, was still at a loss for words. He did manage to spit out a few, however. "I… killed him…?"
"Yes Grovyle you did kill him and although it was extremely violently I do not believe that it was unnecessary at all especially if we consider our primary goal here as attempting an escape speaking of which if we hope to escape from here with our lives then we must leave right this instant Blaziken said that reinforcements would be on their way soon and we are in no condition to be doing any more fighting today agreed?"
Grovyle felt a surge of anger as he heard Blaziken's name out loud.
NO! I need to calm down! I just let my anger take control of me, and then this happened… I can't let myself do that again.
Exeggutor looked at him as if he was expecting a response.
But Groyvle's head simply began to spin. We need to get out of here… We need to go now… He tried to stand up, but felt himself go limp. The feelings of adrenaline and power he had previously experienced had completely abandoned him. All his fatigue from the day was finally catching up with him.
"Come here and climb onto my head if you are too weak to walk yourself I do not mind carrying you if it means securing your safety and our escape." Said Exeggutor as he hurried over to Grovyle's side.
Grovyle managed to get up onto one leg, and decided he was well enough to walk. He held up his hand in a motion that told Exeggutor to stop.
"Its fine… I can walk." As he said this, he felt a surge of blood rush from his head. He started to feel faint, and his vision turned black. His ears fell deaf as well. Then, he felt himself lose control over his body, and he fell to the ground. Finally, almost mercifully, he blacked out.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Where…am…I…?
…
…
Groyvle's eyes opened. He looked around, and saw nothing but green. After a second, he realized that he was looking at the leaves on Exeggutor's head once more. He was lying on top of Exeggutor, who was carrying him. He tried to lift his head, but felt completely powerless to do so. He could, however, feel a large wrapping on his face that covered his destroyed cheek. It was tightly strung, but made with cheap materials like leaves and vines. The wrapping circled his entire face, and covered it almost entirely. The only opening was located at Grovyle's mouth, which allowed him to breathe, and his left eye, which allowed him to see. For a moment, he squirmed around.
"Stay still please." Said a voice from somewhere.
Grovyle realized it was Exeggutor, and that he had no choice but to obey. He raised his eye to the sky and saw a large pillar of smoke rising up into the sky. It had to be a few miles tall, and at least ten miles away. A large mountain blocked his view of the source of the smoke, but he knew all too well what it was.
Home…
…
He mustered all the energy he had left, and tried to open his mouth. It pained him greatly to do so, but he had a question he simply had to ask. "Where….are…we…going…?" he said.
Exeggutor, still walking, replied. "Anywhere. Anywhere… but here…"
Groyvle thought for a moment, then closed his eyes. He breathed deeply, a motion that caused pain to shoot up his chest. He was tired, too tired to stay awake. Finally, he blacked out again. But just before he fainted, a single thought crossed his mind. It was a sad one, but he knew it was absolutely true.
…
Anywhere but here… that sounds like a fine place to go…
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End Chapter Four
End Book One: Eviction
(And that's all folks. Book One: Eviction is finished. I hope that you didn't think that part at the end was too violent or bloody, I just really wanted to illustrate Arcainine's death as vividly as I could. As for Sceptile's death, what did you think about that? Blaziken has to be one of my top three favorite Pokémon, and writing about him has definitely been my favorite part of this story. Book Two: Refuge will be coming out shortly, and expect a lot of changes. First of all, chapter lengths are going to be much shorter. Chapter four was 14,000 words, a new personal record for me, and it's not one I intend to break any time soon. Since the new chapters will be much shorter, you can hopefully expect them to be posted faster and given more detail to. Anyway, this next book is going to follow the same protagonist; Grovyle, as he travels across the land with Exeggutor. The two are in search of refuge from the ravages of their home, so don't expect nearly as many people to die as quickly. Expect a bunch of new characters to appear, of all different types. I am considering a second main character, but I'm still on the drawing board for that one. And finally, expect to see some serious explanations. I raised a lot of questions in book one and I intend to answer all of them throughout book two. Chief amongst those questions in your head is probably; what the hell is the deal with Blaziken and Exeggutor and Sceptile? Did they used to know each other? The answer to that is yes, but I'm not going to tell you the circumstances of their friendship. That's something that you'll just have to wait for. And on that note, I'd like to introduce a new segment to these stories. I really want to see some reviews of the story, so I'm starting up a new segment called Question of the Day. Basically, at the end of every new chapter I post, I'll ask a question about what happened in the story so far. This will be an open ended question, so please bring me your craziest ideas and theories. Believe it or not, crazy is what I'm looking for. Anyway, post your answers in the review, and also throw in your opinion on how my story is going so far. It means a ton to hear what you guys have to say. I don't really care about getting follows or favorites, because that's just a number to me. What really matters to me is hearing actual people's opinions. So, answer the question, and if your answer is the closest one to correct, or if it's just a really cool or funny idea, I'll give a shout-out to you in the AN of my next chapter. Now, let's hear it.
QOTD: Blaziken, Exeggutor, and Sceptile seem to be hinting at the fact that they used to be quite close to one another. What theories or ideas do you have as to the nature of their old friendship?
So just answer that question in the reviews, and make your voice heard. Also, if you want to tell me that my story sucked, and that it's the worst thing you've ever read, tell me that too. Just tell me something. Thanks!)
-Somestoriesdeservetobetold
