[CENTER][SIZE=3][I][B]Chapter 7:
Blaze of Sorrow…[/B][/I][/SIZE=3][/CENTER]
"Uhmm… Kale, exactly how much does he eat?" the wide-eyed blond boy nervously shifted his fingers as he watched the little brown fire monkey gorge on uncanny amounts of cheeseburgers. The Fire type's owner ran a hand through his spiky black hair and smiled sheepishly.
"Well, I've never tried his limit." glancing again at the Chimchar who devoured the food with speed that rivaled most Snorlax, Kale continued explaining "If it's any other food, Pokémon or human, he eats normally and usually in amounts appropriate for his age and species and all that stuff. But when it comes down to cheeseburgers…"
Kale sighed as Rico tried to grab one of the burgers and Blace clawed his hand, eyes burning red and tail flame augmented because of the sudden surge of rage caused by the boy who tried to steal the fire monkey's "heavenly gift".
"Stand back, Rico, seems I'll have to recall him." the red beam reached Blace soon after and he threw one last teary and desperate look at the cheeseburgers before being recalled. Rico triumphantly grabbed one of the burgers and turned to Jed, who was sitting on Kale's left.
"Now that's one Big Eater Pokémon, isn't it, dude? That thing eats more than your Munchlax." the spiky blonde made a face as he realized he hadn't unwrapped his food. Nonetheless, the coordinator continued talking while trying to remove some wrapping stuck between his teeth. "Ya'd neva guess that thin' eats's much, 'ight? Hey, ya listenin'?"
"I don't think he heard a word you said. Jed, what's gotten in to you this time? Werepsyduck agai… oh. Riiight." Kale raised an eyebrow as he traced his friend's stare. On the table next to them, one of the many plastic white ones in the sunny, blue-painted cafeteria of the Pokémon Center, were sitting Vivian, Rebecca and… Steven cornered between them.
And apparently the raven-haired boy, whose own tired stare seemed to pierce the soda can he was clutching, was who Jed's death glare was aimed at. The ruby-haired teen was currently fawning over him, trying to force feed him cake and Vivian, Kale felt a strange sting when he noticed, was mirroring her new eternal rival, apparently dead set not to let Rebecca succeed even in winning over a boy…
Rico shot a glare of his own at Steven and finally throwing the wrapping away, smirked at the other boy. "Ladies, ladies, don't you see who the real man here is?"
The looks the two girls send at him could have tore through rock but the blond just grinned wider and flexed his muscles whilst striking a pose. Kale couldn't help but notice that his new friend's hands were particularly slim and the muscles Rico was "showcasing" were nowhere to be seen. Kale grew more nervous as Rico announced he was going to arm-wrestle his own Hitmonchan to prove his strength to the girls. Not even glancing at the Punching Pokémon who appeared in a flash of white next to him, the young trainer leaned forward and whispered to the other boy.
"A Hitmonchan?! You sure you want to arm-wrestle a [I]Fighting type[/I]?! No offense, dude, but you don't seem to be the most… well-built guy around here." Rico didn't even bother to be silent as he clutched Hitmonchan's gloved hand and the arm-wrestle started. The girls decided to humor their fellow coordinator and watched with mild interest. Even Steven looked up and his black eye, the one that wasn't covered by his fringe, widened with surprise. Kale's eyes did the same- Rico was actually holding his own. The boy's tendons seemed on the verge of exploding and his face was flushed by the strain as he gradually pushed down the gloved hand of the tan-colored Pokémon. Hitmonchan had a strained look on his face but strangely, his arm wasn't even shaking as Rico finally pushed down his gloved hand.
The two female coordinators stared agape, Kale's and Steven's eyebrows were nearly hidden in their hair and Rico punched the air before winking at the girls and posing again. Jed… Jed just continued drilling a hole in Steven with his silvery eyes and blinking in strange patterns every minute. Soon Chatot was out in a white flash, waving his wing in front of his trainer's face as the two girls just waved off Rico and continued their bickering over the other male coordinator. Kale sympathetically patted the blonde's now hunched back and whispered to Chatot.
"Does this happen often? You know…"
"Yay! Jed problems with redheads has! Big ones! Loves female, hate male! Yay!" with a shrug of colorful wings, the Flying type flew off to Hitmonchan and landed on his head. "Yay! Let him win, didn't ya?" the Fighting type shifted nervously under Chatot's knowing stare. The bird-like Pokémon remained that way for around a minute- on Hitmonchan's head, one eye closed and the other staring emptily at his fellow's face until Rebecca decided to give Steven a protective hug and pull him away from Viviane.
"Yay! Better tie Jed. Yay!" Chatot didn't even look away from the nervously fidgeting Hitmonchan, just stated it matter of factly… Before Kale and Rico couldn't even register what that meant, Jed's soda had erupted, crashed in his hand. The teen was on the table now, on all fours as well, and as he somehow produced a green headband and glue stick from his pockets, snarled at Steven.
"YOU! Stop brainwashing my sweet rose petal, who [I]gleams like a Goldeen in the moonlight who puts the neon advertisements of Goldenrod City to shame[/I]." Jed finished the second part of the sentence, which was told with frightening affection considering the mood swing, with a dreamy sigh. Rebecca hid behind Steven and whispered something about the boy protecting her from psychopaths. That apparently was the last straw as Jed produced a leaf out of his bottomless pockets, glued it to the headband and snarled as he tied it around his head.
"That's it you witch doctor! I warned you!" Jed continued growling and Kale was surprised his now four-legged friend hadn't grown canines and claws. "It's partlivin' time! GATSUUG…"
Jed had jumped off of the table, hands crooked like claws, as Chatot appeared out of nowhere in front of him and whacked him with one glowing wing while in mid-air. The colorful bird landed on top of his trainer's head, who was now a muttering heap on the ground, and announced while pruning his feathers:
"Yay! Jed saved Chatot once! Chatot owes Jed! Chatot is here to protect Jed from his own stupidity. Yay!"
The commotions had earned the little group the attention of the whole cafeteria… and it had earned Steven, to the sheer shock of the other males around, the attention of nearly every other girl there…
With their blonde and redhead friends suddenly on the defensive, Steven trying to sink in the ground and a bunch of girls who had decided to harm Jed extensively for trying to attack their new idol, Kale and Rico were the only ones left to defend the teen from being beaten by the bunch of angry girls.
With a lot of sweat, the two boys managed to drag Jed out of the crowd and place him on his chair. Chatot landed on the teen's head and looked around before whacking him once again with his wing. Twice.
"Yay! Two for flinchin'. Yay!"
Kale had just stiffened a giggle when Rico shouted on top of his lungs:
"COME ON! What do you girls find in him that I don't have?!" it seemed the lack of female attention didn't do well to his friend's psychological condition, Kale concluded. Still, he was amazed that Rico didn't flinch under the looks Steven's admirers shot at him.
"Well, he's cute." one of the girls decided to humor Jed. A tough looking guy in the crowd who Kale had seen entering with said girl cracked his knuckles at Steven…
"He's tall." a sporty-looking girl added. A boy dressed like a baseball player in the surrounding crowd clenched his fists…
"And dark." one Goth added as a pale, dark-haired boy in the public muttered something about crucifying…
"He's the best coordinator around. Except me of course." Rebecca grinned widely- she wasn't about to let others compliment Steven more. And so was Viviane… Kale had just noted how complimenting Steven was driving many boys around crazy and was glad and praying that he was fine and not…
"And he can beat anyone in a Pokémon battle!"
… crazy.
"Then I challenge Stevie here to a battle!" Kale's sudden exclamation made Viviane finally face him instead of glaring angrily at her rival. The strange look in her bright blue eyes, somewhat ashamed from what she had said, took him aback for a second but the young trainer continued nonetheless.
"We're having a battle any time you like, Steven. One-on-one, all or nothing!"
"Challenge accepted!" Kale's eyebrow rose as he noticed that Steven had finally cast up his black eyes and had met his look. The spark of determination clearly evident in the eyes of the coordinator, who was now staying upright and talking confidently, hinted to the other boy that he was in for one hell of a battle…
"Jubilife TV?! We're gonna battle in the middle of a TV station?" Kale's shocked voice was drowned in the buzz of the numerous TV shows which were on. Numerous flat screen TVs with amazing size aired different programs, some of them still in the making.
"[I]… praised the soundtrack a lot. Arturo, as the lead guitarist of the "Celesticals" what is your comment? The band seems to ace through the charts this year. And now this…[/I]"
"Because this week the station is open to visitors! And there's a show here which airs several battles every day. Live. The host just happens to be a friend of mine." Rico grinned at the group.
"Oh my gosh! I should've put on a proper dress! I can't be seen on TV wearing casual clothes." Rebecca's musing was soon cut short by Viviane.
"Settle down, Hollowhead, we'll be in the audience. Probably." with this the blonde hastily inspected her two long spiky pigtails. "At least they didn't let all the girls who wanted to support Steven and all the guys who wanted to maim him in. Right?"
"I think they missed one." Kale smiled nervously as he pointed to Jed. The teen was currently shadowing Steven and slowly flexing his fingers. Until Chatot whacked him again…
"[I]…year's participants are unusually varied. We've got trainers coming in from Johto, Kanto, even Hoenn! And there's the fact that the grandson of the guy who holds the record of youngest Sinnoh league winner to this day is in the circuit as well. Any particular news on the more notable participants, Tanya?...[/I]"
"Here we are!" Rico's voice grabbed Kale's attention again as the blond entered one of the studios. The others waited as he approached a young woman with short red hair and a blue-green beret. She seemed to be glad to see the boy and after several minutes she walked to them, shook hands, managed to explain how things in her show are done in record time and dragged them to the show's metallic stadium.
Soon everyone was in place- the gang was in the audience, first row, Kale and Steven on the opposite sides of the bluish-gray field and Kinsey, the host, was just below the gang at her own stand just above the referee.
"Hellooo, Sinnoh! We're here for our third battle today, the fourth day of our monthly "Showdown Live" week, at Pokémon Battle Watch, the show where we do in-depth analysis of hot-blooded battling trainers! Our last match was really impressive and the winner won by a literal avalanche. The benefits of training an Abomasnow, obviously. Personally I prefer Glaceon because…" the cameraman motioned at his wristwatch and Kinsey continued with a sheepish smile. "Battling here today are Steven of Eterna City, on my right, and Kale of Celestic Town, on my left. The tension is palpable here sooo…. Let the match begin!"
In twin flashes of white light, two Pokémon appeared- Kale's Starly and a black levitating orb with a face, surrounded by purple gas. The voice of the blue Pokédex in the trainer's hand (Gastly, the Gas Pokémon. With its gas-like body, it can sneak into any place it desires. However, it can be blown away by wind.) was drowned in Kinsey's somehow disappointed comment.
"The Pokémon that are battling here today are one mean looking Gastly and a… Starly. Don't judge it yet, folks, these guys have a lot of guts and notoriously hard heads! That reminds of last summer when…" the MC was cut off again by her cameraman who reminded her that the battle was on.
"Aerial Ace!" Kale wasn't wasting any time- the little brown bird was now jolting towards Gastly with streaks of slicing air swirling around. The trainer knew it wasn't the smartest thing to start with your trump card move but he wanted to test his opponent's strength… and was kind of offended by Kinsey's comment. Like she knew what awesome team he and Starly were. Besides, Steven knew most of Starly's moves already. And Kale, sadly, realized he knew none of his…
The Starling Pokémon was within meters of Gastly, who was now encircled by eerie blue fireballs upon his trainer's command. The brave bird suddenly disappeared before appearing again above the Ghost type.
"Gastly, Psychic!"
Starly's glow had reached its peak and he was just about to ram into the Gas Pokémon, when his eyes glowed blue and a strange blue aura engulfed the fireballs. They suddenly sped up, forming two crisscrossed eerie rings of blue fire around Gastly. The Flying type crashed dead on and the collision and followed explosion forced them at opposite directions. Gastly grinned mischievously while Starly panted- the attack had somehow ricocheted and while his opponent was hit as well, the bird wasn't expecting it. Both Kale and Starly's trains of thoughts were halted by Steven's confident shout.
"He's baffled now! Hypnosis!"
Twin yellow rings of energy were formed in front of Gastly before shooting towards his bird-like opponent, crisscrossing in the air. The glowing rings were about to make contact when Kale's anxious shout ripped the air apart.
"Agility! Now!"
Starly was gone in a flash and the rings harmlessly crashed in the metallic surface. Kale didn't like how things were going, not a bit. He was as good as gone if the attack had made contact.
"[I]Think, think! Three step combos- waits for a strong attack then forms a shield capable of countering the attack. Then he tries to put his opponent to sleep in the confusion. The shield goes out after the attack but since Starly gets hit two he can easily counter. Unless…[/I]"
"Starly, use the Agility boost for Wing Attack! Keep them coming from different angles!"
The Flying type was in front of Gastly In a flash. Steven had ordered the Will-o-Wisp/Psychic combo again but Starly managed to score several solid hits with his enlarged white-glowing wing before the shield was formed. The brave bird was jolting around his opponent with incredible speed and hitting him hard- the fireballs exploded upon contact but Gastly was caught in the middle- unlike Starly who moved away to his next attack point. The smirk that appeared on Steven's face didn't appeal to Kale…
"Now! Cage him!"
Gastly's eyes glowed blue again and the shield suddenly broke down on separate blue fireballs controlled by the psychic energy. The fireballs soon encircled Starly in a parody of the original shield, now doubling as a cage. The Flying type jolted around helplessly but the small explosions kept him in one place. Upon Steven's command, the twin golden rings were shot at Starly again.
"Double Team!"
Another close call. Numerous copies had just erupted from the original as the rings crashed in the fiery cage. Kale was startled that somehow, somehow Steven knew what to expect- and he had adjusted his style accordingly. Now Kale was sure that the first attack was a feint. Double Team, the attack that Steven wasn't aware of, had saved him.
"Keep circling around!"
"Shadow Ball!"
Gastly took the command to heart and for the first time in this battle, was the one to take offense. Sphere after sphere of crackling black-purple energy crashed in one copy or another. As the numbers of the circling doppelgangers slowly dwindled, Steven's smirk grew wider- he knew Kale was desperate- otherwise he wouldn't have tried to buy time. The bespectacled boy had proven to be a challenge… and Steven liked that. Only in battle, his usual shy self disappeared. Only in battle the timid boy made way for the battler hidden deep within, the one thriving on the matches, admiring the beauty and power and possibilities that contest battles provided.
"This is [I]not[/I] going good for Kale."
"Come on, Rico, I told you he was strong." Rebecca didn't even glance at the boy next to her as she wrote down another note in her decorated notebook. "He didn't ask to be our referee just because of good will. I think. Anyway, he was given the opportunity to see three of his opponents in the contest battling and revealing their styles and strategies. Not that it concerns me, I was about to challenge Blondierella here just to learn her style anyway but…"
"What did you say, Hollowhead? Like hell you'd know anything about my style!" Viviane was flushed red and about to continue but was cut off by the redhead next to her.
"And what about the electric absorption combo? Along with probably half of Jolteon's attacks?"
"Waaait a minute!" Rico pointed accusingly at Rebecca "You saying that you spied on us to gain info? And that you held back on purpose in the battle that devoured my wallet like a bunch of cheeseburgers?!"
"Come on, these are just pocket money for me." Rebecca waved him off "Besides, I didn't need to spy on you in that battle. You've already showed probably every combo you have in the dozen battles you insisted on having. Pretty stupid, actually. That's why I sticked to Spark. Before you made me use Discharge of course. But now Steven here knows his tricks- he tried to finish Kale off with one quick combo. And that Gastly is probably just for the Appeal round. There's no way he'd use the Pokémon he plans on using in the battles tomorrow, on TV!"
Rebecca flicked her ruby hair and scribbled some more before adding:
"And your genius toy that had the brains to use a Pokémon whose moves Steven knows by heart is getting his butt kicked on TV."
Maybe it was just for offending and underestimating Kale or she just liked to oppose everything Rebecca said, but the words stung Viviane in a strange way.
"You wish! Steven may be genius and all that but I've seen Kale pull out strategies you haven't even dreamt of in the thick of battle. Besides, he was forced to use Starly. Out of four moves, Blace only has two of the same type that would work properly in this battle."
Jed suddenly joined the conversation, without even looking away from the field.
"Twenty-two, Twenty-three. Man he got one! Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-fou- got one again! Come on! I'll never count the birdies at this rate!"
Chatot's matter of fact statement voiced what everyone was thinking…
"Yay! When words are unable to describe the stupidity, only facepalm remains! Yay!"
Another Shadow Ball. Another explosion and the last clone disappeared. Gastly was now grinning deviously at the original as Kale braced for the trick he was about to pull… but Steven was a step ahead again.
"Double Team! Then Poison Sting!"
Suddenly Starly was surrounded by a dozen Gastly circling around him at blinding speeds. The eerie race suddenly stopped as the doppelgangers vanished and the original spit out a barrage of glowing purple needles. The attack slammed hard into the little brown bird and sent him crashing down.
"Shadow Ball!"
"Get out of the way! Aerial Ace!"
Starly had just shakily gotten up and was about to dodge and attack… but suddenly he clutched his wing and winced. The realization hit Kale the moment the Shadow Ball made contact. Poison. Starly was a sitting Psyduck now and Kale couldn't do nothing except shout and encourage and try to think of something. One more Shadow Ball. And another. And once again. As the umpteenth sphere of energy headed towards the Flying type, Kale could only think of one desperate gambit.
"Wing Attack! Reflect it back at him!"
It seemed crazy and impossible but somehow, someway, Starly's enlarged glowing wing halted the sphere before hurling it back. Both Gastly and his trainer were taken aback and the Ghost type's own attack exploded in his face.
"Go up! Ram into him!"
Starly, finally able to catch his breath, hastily took off.
"Poison Sting! He can't deflect that!"
"Wing Attack! Use it as a shield!"
The Flying type's enlarged glowing wings, now crossed in front of him, were like a bastion to the purple needles, which crashed harmlessly in it. Gastly was looking genuinely concerned now as Starly finally reached him and hit him with double the usual force by pulling his wings apart. It didn't end there- Starly didn't even bother to move around this time, whacking away one Wing Attack after another. Steven felt obliged not to let his advantage go.
"Psychic! Slam him hard!"
Gastly's eyes glowed blue and Starly was engulfed by the bluish aura. The brown bird was sent crashing down as Kale shouted just before his Pokémon made contact with the hard metallic surface.
"Double Team into Aerial Ace!"
For a moment the field was full of dozens of Starly again before they vanished and the original shot towards his opponent, streams of razor-sharp air around him. The hit was dead-on and Gastly didn't even have time to realize what was happening before Aerial Ace after another slammed into him.
Kale could finally breathe now. Starly was on the verge of collapsing but he had the sheer stubbornness and stamina to pull off another attack or two before Gastly passed out. Without the shield, he couldn't catch a fast moving opponent. Even Psychic required eye contact. Unless Steven had…
"Stay strong, Gastly! Perish Song!"
… a move that covered the whole area.
Starly was stopped mid-attack in his tracks, the sound waves washing over him and the horrible shrieks that put even the cries of the banshees to shame engulfing him, chaining him to an invisible torment device. Every single person in the studio covered their ears, the microphones were hastily turned off in fear of strengthening the attack, but even without a boost, the attack forced Starly to the ground.
Kale could only shout encouragingly once again, this time his words falling on deaf ears, as he watched how the black-purplish jolts of energy crackled around his Pokémon's body. Mirroring chains were around Gastly as well, even he, the attacker flinching, but continuing with the horrible, sick parody of a song nonetheless.
And yet again, Starly rose. His wings were flapping weakly and his eyes tightly shut in pain, but nonetheless, he rose. Even Kale was taken aback and a glimpse of hope illuminated the shrieking hell around him… but the bird fell again. Gastly was visibly straining now, one eye closed, and he prayed that his opponent would finally stay down. One weak flap after another, the Flying type got in the air again… but Kale knew. He knew that despite the stubbornness, the guts and the sheer force of will, Starly couldn't do it. Gastly was hit by just one powerful chain of attacks. The little bird had taken at least a dozen hits.
And with one week flap of his wings, Starly finally fell…
"Don't put yourself down, Kale. You did your best and frankly, you were close to winning."
Kale just waved off Viviane's words and nervously pushed back his black-rimmed glasses.
"Nearly won? My best? Thing is, V, that my best was just fighting for an inch, just trying to hold the barrage of combos he threw at me. Starly managed to get through just 'cause of sheer guts and not my guiding." the boy ran a hand through his black hair with a sigh. Viviane continued consoling with a harsher tone.
"Don't you even dare, mister!" raising her voice, she jabbed him with a finger "You were the one that supported Starly and helped him pull through! You were the one that faced a total mystery today and managed to shrug off nearly everything thrown at him! You were the one that forced Steven to bring out everything of his arsenal!"
"You forgot the awesome Wing Attack combos." V glanced back, surprised to see Jed who was now extending his arm to Kale "Potato sandwich?"
The other boy accepted strange treat after some hesitating and carefully took a bite. Jed just sat next to him and continued talking in strangely out of character, [I]normal/I] voice.
"Being a trainer means that you'll surely lose some times. A lot of times for that matter. There's always a bigger Seaking out there. The point is that you must think where you were wrong and the next time you face that same opponent, prove yourself as a Gyarados. Oh, Viviane, Rebecca asked me to tell you she and Steven are going back to the Center. Just left actually." Jed's voice seemed forced to stay normal at the last two sentences but the teen tried to suppress his antics because of his disheartened friend.
Kale and Viviane could just stare blankly at the older boy. The blonde was about to say something when a sudden explosion echoed in the lobby, followed by a small quake. Soon everybody was panicking and the people working at the station were trying to evacuate the guests at the station as soon as possible. The little group of friends was caught in the rush and they were just several meters away from the exit… when Kale noticed them.
Mirror images of one another, the two young men dressed in the uniform of a Galactic grunt, were shakily sprinting towards the exit. More accurately, one of them was carrying the other on his back. The twins were in an obviously bad shape- Vlad, at least Kale guessed so due to the blonde's upwards fringe position, was limping and the boy couldn't help it but be amazed that despite the injury the grunt was practically flying with his brother on his back. And Draco was looking dizzy, clutching his side where… crimson blood covered his uniform and hand.
Kale was too shocked to realize his friends and the twins were now the only ones left in the station. Quickly clutching Blace's poke ball he was about to sent him out… when Vlad just sprinted past him with a furious and desperate expression on his face.
"Traps! They were active! The whole place was booby-trapped! One after another some freakish energy weapons tried to pulverize us! And when we finally got the darned thing something awakened! It got Draco! Help him! You were the one that sent us down there!"
The group slowly traced Vlad's look… and then they finally noticed the man in a black business suit down the hall. Vivi vaguely remembered him because of his blue-and-yellow striped bowl cut, she had seen him in the crowd during the match. But why this man had stayed despite the evacuation or why Vlad was currently shouting on top of his lungs at him was beyond her.
"Did you get the bag?" the man's cold voice echoed in the lobby because the question had rendered the older twin speechless.
"With all due respect, [I]are you out of your mind, Commander[/I]? My brother was injured in the line of duty and as the commanding officer it's your job to save him! And yes, we've got the darn thing!" with this he tossed a bag Kale hadn't noticed before. The other man just caught it with one hand and soon pulled out a prolonged, hexagonal object with a blue tint from within. Admiring the cerulean glow for a second, his whispers were strangely audible in the palpable silence.
"So they did move the Plates from the original places after all…" the Commander cast up his cold blue eyes and ordered sternly "Dispose of the witnesses."
"What? Witnesses?!" Vlad turned around shakily- he hadn't noticed the kids in his panic after all- and the man's eyes widened as he recognized them. For a minute he just stared blankly and Kale could see the argument currently held in the blue orbs. Draco's weak voice broke the stalemate.
"Commander… they're jus'… some kids. They don't know… a thing. Can't we jus'…leave 'em?"
The Commander met the wounded man's gaze without blinking. For a second Kale hoped that he would agree… but he just pulled out a poke ball- the bottom half blue and the upper white with a blue water drop on the top- and tossed it. In a white flash a weasel-like orange Pokémon standing on its hind legs appeared. Everyone else could just watch, frozen in place as the blue-and-yellow haired man pressed the Plate to the Water type's back and it just fused with it with a faint blue glow. Blue aura surrounded the twin-tailed Pokémon for a moment before it opened its glowing blue predatory eyes.
"Water Gun."
The words had barely registered in the trainer's mind when a current of water, a one with a force that put even a Hydro Canon to shame, rammed into the group of three and send them crashing into the wall. Blace's poke ball, which Kale was still clutching when the devastating torrent hit, burst open to reveal the Chimchar protectively standing in front of his trainer.
"Foolish. Water Gun."
The twin-tailed Pokémon grinned maliciously and spit out another devastating torrent. The rotating water column smashed into the little Chimp Pokémon before he even had time to brace for the attack. The force of the blow lifted him in the air and slammed him into one of the columns in the lobby. Kale could only watch as the stream completely engulfed Blace and the column was covered by a webbing of cracks before snapping completely.
"[I]Blace[/I]!" the young trainer's desperate shout was drowned once again in the near-whisper of the Commander.
"It's no use. He is gone now. And you are next. Team Galactic's noble mission is more important than your lives. Rest assured that you die for the greater good."
The man's alien message had barely registered in Kale's mind when the young boy finally realized the harsh reality. This was going to be their end. There was no one that could save them now- the Purugly of the other Commander he had faced before was like an ordinary house Glameow compared to this… this predator. The Floatzel licked its lips eagerly, revealing two white gleaming fangs. Its trainer had barely ordered the attack before it was executed.
With one swift spin the weasel-like Pokémon lashed out with its twin tails. Twin blades of air, so thick that they were visible and glowing, headed to the group of three. Kale wanted to run, to shout, to hide… but he couldn't. Once again, like when the Onix attacked, the boy could only watch and wait for his immediate destiny. So many places to see, so much friends to be made, so many promises and so many dreams…
"[I]Kale, get out of the way[/I]!"
Pain erupted from the scars on his back as someone slammed into Kale full force. The boy was lifted from his feet and into the air, the sensation of falling combined with the feeling of the miniature blades of air passing his skin by centimeters and shoving every other thought out of his mind. And then he saw him- another body passing him by in mid-air, flying as well due to the inertia of slamming into Kale this hard.
Hazel eyes met vibrant silver and Kale winced when he noticed the crimson droplets oozing from his friend's shoulder. For a second, just for a second, Kale could have sworn he had seen the faintest glow of blue in the slivery orbs, before they both landed with a thud on the harsh cold ground. But instead of lying like a heap like Kale did, Jed dug his hands hard into the cracked and broken tiles. With a swift turn Kale would have never thought his friend was capable of, the teen planted the soles of his feet to what was left of the destroyed column. Kale traced his look and his heart sunk when he noticed that the second wind blade had gone astray, crushing in arc of the exit just above Viviane. The girl made a move, tried to run, but the trainer realized it was too late- the rocks were already falling…
Then the familiar colorful silhouette shot past him again- using the momentum of his own fall, Jed had jolted towards the girl… and the last thing Kale saw before the concrete chunks covered the exit was the teen pushing their female companion out of the way.
His heart skipped a beat when cold clapping reached his ears. The Galactic Commander was still in his place but he was slowly clapping his hands with a smile on his face that looked so unnatural portraying any emotion.
"That boy can make one excellent Galactic, don't you think? Fast reflexes, ability to think under pressure… and enough courage to try and push you out of the way. Not like them." the man gestured to the empty space next to him and the boy realized the twins had used the commotion to escape. "Enough is enough. I don't have anything against you so I'll make it fast. Floatzel, Ice Punch."
Just a second afterwards an orange blur was in front of Kale. The Floatzel reared back its fist, crackling with the electric-like currents of ice energy. The predator's cold eyes met the boy's and with an eerie smile the fist was trust forward…
"[I]Chiim-chaaar[/I]!"
A light brown blur came out of nowhere and slammed face-first into the glowing fist. The sheer force put behind the simple tackle pushed back both attacker and defender but while the Floatzel only snarled in frustration that it had been denied its prey, Blace was completely encased in ice, his usually oh, so lively, tail flame gone.
The boy slowly looked around, not even bothering to lift his head, and shakily got on his feet. One shaky step after another, Kale crossed the distance to his starter and glancing briefly at the eerie ice sculpture that the Chimchar was now, turned to face Floatzel and its owner. Hazel met cold blue once again. And while the hazel eyes showed only mute protest, anger and just a trace of fear, the icy orbs were as empty as ever.
"A shame."
No command was given this time. Floatzel took a deep breath before spitting out the devastating water column again…
The Chimchar could only watch helplessly through the distorted walls of his ice prison. Once again the young Fire type could only look at his trainer as he defended him, all too knowing of the consequences. But this time, this time Blace couldn't intercept the hit, couldn't just roll out from under his trainer as the claws tore deep into the boy's back. And the little monkey felt the beats of his tiny but oh, so vigorous heart that all Fire types had, quicken. The roaring storm of his heartbeat that echoed through the walls of his prison blended with the boiling volcano of emotions within him. Sorrow that he was going to lose his trainer, anger that he was unable to help him, hatred that they wanted to hurt Kale. The Chimchar could feel how with each thunderous beat his prison cracked and shifted, with each thought he wanted to attack, to hurt, to make them pay for it, to tear them apart. And as the world around him drowned in crimson, the rage inside him wanted out, the instincts of the others before him screamed vendetta, the fire in the veins of his ancestors became his own… and the uncontrolled inferno erupted.
Both Kale and the Commander were pushed back by the force of the collision that took place between them. The twisting torrent of water was met full force by a meteor-like fireball, twisting and circling around itself, the likes of which the boy had never seen before. Both attackers were shoved back as well but as the Flamewheel crashed into the wall, denting it and erupting in scorching flames that engulfed everything they touched, Kale fell on his knees. The Pokémon that appeared from inside the spinning inferno, no… no Pokémon, that thing couldn't have been his starter. He refused to believe it and yet he knew it as he gazed into the flaming red eyes that screamed only murder and hatred.
In another vicious roar the rampaging Chimchar was engulfed in the devilish flames once again and shot towards Floatzel. Kale could only watch as attacks collided and waves of fire erupted around Blace every time he made contact just to attack again and again. Bouncing of walls and columns, leaving only devouring fire and destruction in his wake, Blace just continued battering, unable to discern friend from foe.
The Commander tried another attack- Water Pulse by the looks of it- but the tsunami-like wave only halted the attacking Chimchar for a moment before it resumed its crusade. However, the attack had served its purpose. The Commander and his Floatzel were nowhere to be seen now and Blace turned to the only one in the smoke-filled lobby he could attack- Kale.
The young trainer was still on his knees and his head was spinning because of the shock and numerous aches in his whole body. The red-and-orange flames everywhere around him hurt his eyes and he could only watch as the flaming meteor headed towards him with a distorted roar. Smoke filled his lungs and Kale could barely whisper, almost plead, the words:
"Blace… stop it, please. Please…"
But the Fire type didn't, or refused, to hear him and just continued forward, now only meters way from the kneeling boy…
"[I]Blace, stop it![/I]"
The shout tore the boiling air apart and smoke filled Kale's mouth… the Flamewheel was just a meter away from him now and… Blace stopped. The fireball just skidded to a halt and the uncontrollable flames erupted forward, barely splitting in two before the could hit Kale and surrounding him with flames that scorched his clothes and licked his skin… and then they disappeared. The only flames left now were the ones engulfing the burning building.
Kale's eyes met for a moment his starter hazel ones and just as he recognized the apologetic look, his Chimchar- scorched by his own attacks- passed out in his arms. Moments later the trainer followed, the fatigue and lack of air finally catching up to him.
And the only thing left was the raging inferno…
[B]TBC[/B]