Updated 6/6/2017 for a superior reading experience
I sprinted down the road with only a few Pokémon trailing behind me.
Eev did tell me that Steel types are slow. And to never assume anything. Ugh, why does everything have to be so complicated.
I could see the bridge now.
"Eon," I thought, "Are you ready?"
"Yes, we are."
"Good. Then don't do it right away, the bulk of the army is lagging behind and I want to get as many as possible. Tell the others to join in the fight."
"I will."
Bolt rushed past me and nailed one of the Pokémon with a Thunder Bolt. "Slow pokes," she chuckled as she darted to the side. Plantora knocked one of the enemies down with her Leaf Blade. Dim beat down on the steel types with little effect.
"Everyone on me!" I shouted as I continued to run. The three moved in to flank me.
"So, what's the plan?" Bolt asked.
"We lead them back to the bridge where we can focus our strength."
"What?! Why can't we just fight them?" Bolt protested.
"Because," Plantora answered for me, "if we were to fragment our forces, we would be weaker."
"Not to mention our objective is not to defeat the enemy, just hold the bridge," I added.
We rushed onto the bridge as the leading edge of the enemy reached us.
We turned to face them. A Scizor was one of the first to hit us with it's X-Scissor.
We all leapt in different directions. Bolt left a trail of lightning that pelted it.
I launched an Icy Wind at him and the combined effort made the enemy fall.
More started to make their way towards us.
We separated to attack our own targets.
I backed up and examined the trickle of forces.
It seems too small. This can't be their main force. I examined my surroundings. If they try to hit us in the rear…but they wouldn't have any way to get across the river and behind us. I checked to make sure the river was still raging. What's their plan? What are they doing?
I thought hard about the people I "listened in" on. "We couldn't even get our Pokémon to deploy fast enough." They don't have their Pokémon. Their vulnerable! "Everyone, we need to…" A deep crunch resonated through the air.
I looked on to see the four legged metal form of a Metagross standing at the edge of the bridge with other Pokémon swarming behind it.
"EON NOW!" I shouted in my mind. A red blaze engulfed the Steel types from behind.
Most of the Pokémon fell. Several Shieldon protected the Metagross from the hot flames.
In the blink of an eye, I saw a Quagsire leap out of the water and fire a Mud Shot straight at the source of the flames. Even from this far away, it hit Burner! Must have been a Warrior ability that helped make that shot.
"Current!" I yelled. Current shot from the water and tackled the Quagsire. Our biggest threat was still the Metagross and I had no idea what happened to Burner.
The Metagross charged at us with astonishing speed. No, not us. ME!
I barely managed to duck as an enormous metal claw struck the air where I was just standing.
I ran under him, launching an Ice beam at his feet. It froze his legs to the ground.
He quickly broke free as I joined up with the rest of my squad.
I saw something. I took a few steps back and I could see my idea more clearly. That could work, "EON! I have a plan. Put me in touch with everyone." After a moment, I could feel a shift in my mind. "Everyone, I have a plan. Plantora you keep the smaller Pokémon off us. Bolt, be a distraction for the Metagross. Umbreon, try to inflict as much damage as you can. Current use a Surf when I give the order."
I rushed at the metal behemoth. He swung at me.
I shot myself under him and froze the ground as I went.
The Metagross started to slide but he rammed his claws into the ice.
Either way, his mobility is still lessened.
I waved to Dim. Faster than I could blink, Dim rushed in and pounded his back with several attacks. When Metagross reached up a claw to defend itself, Dim darted back into the shadows.
Bolt tried something similar, moving on the rails of the bridge and firing Thunderbolts.
Metagross's cross on his face started to glow and Bolt was enveloped in a pink aura. He violently threw Bolt around like a rag doll.
I darted as fast as I could and aimed an Ice Beam at the tip of the cross.
It shifted its attention towards me and grabbed my leg with one of its claws.
Dim flew towards us, back legs outstretched. He pounded into Metagross's side and sent us flying towards the railing.
Other than a little dazed by the surprise encounter, Metagross was unharmed. "NOW CURRENT!" I shouted.
For one terrifying second, nothing happened. Then a wave, ten times larger than the bridge, formed in front of us.
Before either of us could react, the wave crashed on top of us.
I could see the Metagross still clinging to the bridge in the water.
I lunged at his face and let my body temperature drop. It froze me to his face. An iceberg formed around me and carried us over the side of the bridge and into the river.
The mirror was the only object in the blackness.
I peered into it.
The shiny form of a bleached Eevee stared back at me. It looked scared, beaten, helpless.
Is…is that me? I look so scared, I didn't know a Pokémon could look that scared.
Three large Eevee's appeared in the background grinning like animals about to pounce.
I tried to shout, look out behind you! But nothing came out.
I could see the Eevee mouthing the same words.
I turned my head. There, Burner stalked me.
I looked back into the mirror to see the bullies pounce and beat down on the Eevee.
I was traumatized at the sight, traumatized at the memory.
I turned to see Burner preparing to lunge.
No, I said forcefully, This isn't me, not anymore and this isn't you anymore either. Burner hesitated. You're not the bully I once knew. Deep down you really care for others even if you try to hide it. Burner stood straight with a blank expression and turned into a mist that disappeared into the void.
I turned back towards the mirror. I could see an image deep within. I tried to peer deeper but a light enveloped me, forcing me back.
I pushed against it, desperately trying to see beyond the mirror. I could see moves, my team combining moves in ways I had never imagined. The light's strength became overwhelming and I was pulled out of the dark void.
My head continued to swirl. I opened my eyes to find myself encased in a large iceberg flowing downstream.
I tried to wiggle but couldn't move. I sighed as much as I could in the ice prison as I sent my sparkling stars out in Swift.
They immediately exploded the inside of the ice cage.
I was able to climb out a hole and jump to the nearby shore. Holding my breath, I checked my ice flower. I let out a sigh of relief as I felt the perfect icy form.
I took in my surroundings. The mountains were all around me. No surprise there. When I looked downstream, however, there were open plains with tall dark grass as far as the eye could see. The whole place felt…dark.
That's not Cragspur. I thought.
"Shine!" I looked down. Current was running up to me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it so powerful." He said with genuine… concern?
"It's okay Current," I soothed, "if it were any less powerful, then I wouldn't have been able to pull Metagross over with me."
"Well, I'm glad you're okay." He said with relief. Something about his tone nagged at me.
"Is everything alright Current?"
"Everything's fine. Why do you ask Shine?"
"You're not him," I moved into a fighting stance as stars shimmered around me.
"What do you mean? I'm Current. Aw no, I messed it up."
"Leave!" I growled.
"Fine, fine I'll go." The illusion faded and the Zorua walked back the way he came. I looked on, then climbed up the river's edge.
"Shine!" I looked upstream to see Current swimming towards me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it so powerful." He said with genuine concern? AGAIN?!
"How do I know it's really you Current?" I asked keeping my distance from him.
"The ice muzzle on Burner is a good compliment to the ice shackles you put on her the first day we met." I relaxed.
"How did you defeat the Pokémon that took out Burner?"
"Yeah, you see, about that…" He turned his head upstream. I followed his gaze and saw two eyes staring back at me. "He didn't want to fight me."
"Why not?" The eyes dove back into the water and swam upstream. My gaze followed it all the way up.
"It may have to do with my nickname."
"Your nickname? Current?" We started walking.
"No, my other nickname, The Star of the Sea."
"I assume that you wouldn't be given such a name for no reason?"
"Nope, they gave it to me for no reason." I looked at him. He looked at me. We both giggled. "There is a reason, actually a whole story behind it."
I smiled at the idea of another story, "Can you tell me?" I asked eagerly.
He nodded. "First of all, though, they don't call us Seasearcher for nothing."
I was swimming through the open ocean. Mom and dad were in front of me along with the rest of the salvage squad. My parents were the best swimmers so they led the group to our destination. An unknown light had been spotted far in the deep Southern Ocean and we were to investigate before Nobunaga showed up.
The currents were on our side. We made quick headway to the location.
Nothing appeared out of the ordinary but we combed the ground anyway. Me, Mom and Dad searched together.
I may not be a full adult yet but I want to search on my own.
I kicked at the coral. The branch snapped off and fell atop a strange orb. I swam down to the orb.
"Hey, I think I found something." I yelled, alerting the entire group.
Mom and Dad rushed over immediately. I picked up the sphere. It had blue and white swirling together. It felt cold to the touch.
"That looks like something indeed," my Dad said, "We should take it back immediately."
A Huntail and a Gorebyss lunged at us.
"Nobunaga's forces!"
Dad intercepted the Gorebyss as mom tried to knock down Huntail from afar.
Mom spoke to me, "Listen Current, you have to take that to land. You can't let any other Pokémon have it. Be sure to give it to Glaceon. You have to go NOW!" She shoved me away before the Huntail bit down on me. "SWIM!" She yelled before she tackled the Huntail.
I looked away and tried to swim for shore as fast as my tail could take me.
More Pokémon emerged from the deep.
A Quagsire was rushing at me.
A Vaporeon latched on to his face. A friend. "Go!" He yelled as he engaged in close combat.
I swam as fast as I could, tears streaking down my face.
More Pokémon rushed me and more of my allies blocked them. The orb I was holding became warm.
Countless enemies started to swarm me. I continued going straight.
One blocked my way and I hoped on its head and sprang off him.
Before he could turn on me, a Dewott sliced him with his shells.
All around me my friends and allies fought the Pokémon desperately trying to lunge at me.
A Sharpedo jetted so quickly I could barely see him. In a panic, I tried to swim even faster. I could see beams of light in the corner of my vision as I was able to gain distance from the Sharpedo.
An allied Sharpedo tackled him. The two clashed, using their teeth as shields and swords.
I pressed on, swimming to shore as fast as my tail could take me. Looking down at the orb, I could see cyan beams stretch out of the orb's mist.
A horrifying roar penetrated the deep.
I looked behind me to see a Gyarados charging at me, effortlessly deflecting my ally's attacks.
I can't out run that. I have to defeat it for my friends, for my family.
I turned on a dime and the light rays of the orb grew excruciatingly brilliant. I met the Gyarados' charge at speeds that terrified me. The Gyarados launched a Hyper Beam.
I shifted to the right as the beam lanced past my ear.
I circled around the beam until I got into an optimal position.
I left the ray of light and poured all of my strength into a tackle right at his gut.
The Gyarados fell back.
Not giving any room for him to breath, I dived.
There's my target right underneath his jaw.
I rocketed up and struck my target.
The force of my tackle carried us out of the water and into the air.
I jumped off and prepared for one final attack. I curled my tail in to make a circle and, with the orb shining more brightly than any star, I seemed to float. The light from the orb stretched across the sea to the eyes of all my friends and enemies.
I launched a gigantic Water Gun. It knocked the Gyarados back into the sea.
"And that's how I got my nickname, Star of the Sea."
"Wow," I breathed. One question still nagged me, "What happened to the orb?"
"Oh that," Current hesitated for a second, "I sorta absorbed it."
WHAT?! HOW?!
"Don't look at me, I don't know either. All I know is that one minute it was in my paws, the next it was half way through my chest, then it was gone."
I just walked straight, dumbfounded. Explosions echoed in the distance. This broke me out of my stupor as I looked on. "There's fighting at the bridge."
Current looked up, "There is?"
"Follow me."
I looked towards the ground and started tunneling my way through it. The rocky terrain didn't make it easy to dig through, but it was still better than permafrost. I dug far faster than I walked and, by the vibrations, I could tell we were nearing the fighting.
I looked behind me, "When I surface, fill this cave with as much water as you can."
He leisurely saluted, "Okay boss."
I dug my way right under one of the enemies. I put all of my strength into my attack as I launched myself upwards.
The Bastiodon didn't even see me coming as I hit it right in its belly. The force pushed him on his back and out of the way.
I leapt out of the hole as a geyser rained down upon the field.
I looked behind me to see my group battered and worn.
I smiled as I said, "Lets change this up." I relaxed my heat and let the air chill. It felt like someone was peeling away my skin as I tried to focus on collecting my heat.
Then I released it in a great pulse all at once, turning the once rocky landscape into a frozen wonderland. The Steel types all skidded on the layers of ice.
"Everyone," I yelled, "take a break and support me when you can from afar! Burner, I don't want you melting this so take a rest!" I looked on, planned my route and attacked.
The first Boldore slid towards me.
I leapt out of the way and shot an Icy Wind. His entire body became part of the icy terrain. Two Scizors flew over the ice towards me.
I weaved around their snapping pincers.
These guys are bug steel so none of my normal moves will be effective. I guess I have to do things tactically.
I launched myself underneath them and fired my Icy Wind in such a way that it covered both of them. One fell, its wings frozen to its back.
I didn't have the same luck with the other. He tried to help his friend but a Water Pulse landed on top of them and they fainted.
I smiled over at Current and continued. Three Lairons slid their way towards me, desperately flailing about while trying to get some traction.
I fired an ice beam at their feet, sticking them to the frozen ground.
I saw a Litwick out of the corner of my eye trying desperately to melt the ice.
Oh, no you don't.
I rushed over and bit him right over the head. He fell back, the fire on his head dying.
I felt a rumble at my paws. Darting to the side, an Excadrill burst from the ground where I had been.
I ran circles around her as I fired off my Swift. She tried to dig again.
I fired off an Ice Beam, effectively catching her foot.
I rushed the hole and fired another Ice Beam at her exposed belly.
"Ow!" it felt like a blade went through my side. I looked up and saw five Pawniard skating on the ice. The one skating away from me was obviously responsible for the pain.
They may be able to skate on the ice but their movement is still limited. I'll use that to my advantage.
I smirked as I side-stepped their passes. One tried to make another run at me. As it's blade came close to me, I stuck out a paw. His legs were swept out from under him and he landed face first on the ice. His friends rushed over to help.
I kept my distance. One of the Pawniards tried to charge me while I was distracted.
I grabbed his arms with my appendages and stared him in the eye. He was trying his best not to let his fear show.
I felt a little bad for him so I smiled a warm, comforting smile…I thought it was comforting.
Apparently, it wasn't comforting to him as he tried to head butt me with the axe on his head. I moved to the side and bit his neck with my Ice Fang.
I then picked him up with my appendages and thrust him toward his allies. A huge lightning bolt fell from the sky, striking all of them at once. I recognized it as Thunder. The rest of the forces were retreating.
I turned around and surveyed my handywork. The frozen tundra, the fallen enemies and my…friends.
I relaxed and beamed, We won! Again!
*BOOM*
The earth shook and I saw ice shards fly past me.
I slowly turned around to see a sphere of steel with seven red dots in a circle. The red dots flickered on and off, making pinging noises.
Well doesn't that seem eerily familiar.
It lifted its huge hand and I moved out of the way. It was futile to dodge. When its hand connected with the ground, the earth seemed to warp and I was caught in the field.
I was thrown back, bouncing on the ice that seemed to shatter every time that beast took a step. My group rushed to my aid.
"Alright Burner, get rid of the ice!" I shouted.
"With pleasure!" She said with feeling before bellowing a beam of flame straight at the metal beast.
The ice around us instantly started to melt away.
"Follow my lead and attack when I say."
"Got an idea?" Eon asked.
"Several actually. I just hope they work."
Pantora chuckled, "And testing them in the middle of a fight with a legendary is the best time." Sarcasm oozing from every word.
"Certainly not the worst," I countered, "just follow my lead."
I started forward. They all fell in line behind me.
"Dim to the shadows. Attack when you see openings. We'll try to make them for you."
He nodded and jumped into the rocks.
"Current use Water Gun."
He nodded as he took the lead. He launched his attack straight at the golem.
"Bolt, Thunderbolt!" Bolt charged her attack, aiming for the golem.
I grabbed her head with my appendages and forced her view to the jet of water.
"Do it there!"
Bolt didn't say anything for a moment then nodded and fired the bolts straight into the water. The beam of electrified water arced over the landscape and struck the metal giant making it seem to roar in agony.
Its head turned to us and he fired a Flash Cannon. We all dodged.
"Eon, link us with your telepathy. DISPERSE!" The six of us bolted in different directions as we came close to the giant. It became confused about which to target.
"Plantora, attack it with your Leaf Blades."
"On it." Plantora came in close and ran circles around the golem. It lifted its steely hand into the sky.
"Bolt, Thundershock now!"
A wire of electricity arced out and connected with the outstretched hand. The golem was stunned for a second, enough time for Plantora to come around its back and take one big slice.
The beast whirled around and tried to stomp Plantora but she ducked out of the way.
Dim came from behind and hit its back with Assurance. He sprung off its back, and darted behind the rocks.
The beast started moving towards the bridge.
"Burner stop it!"
Burner rushed out front and used Flamethrower. It slammed the ground with its fists causing huge rock spires to shoot up and block the flames.
"Burner, Eon, use Flamethrower and Psychic to guide the flames on top of his head."
"Now that sounds like fun!" Burner commented.
"It will be difficult but I think I can manage," Eon was a little more hesitant.
Burner bellowed a streak of flames right at the beast's protective wall. A faint aura enveloped the flames, guiding them over the rocks and down on the beast. A thick cloud of dust permeated the air.
"Yeah, perfect hit!" Burner cheered. The metal giant rocketed out of the clouds with Iron Head right at Burner!
It moved too fast for her to dodge. She was struck, went flying and landed with a hard thud.
She didn't get up.
I tried to move to her side but Bolt was faster and carried her off the battlefield.
"Loosen formation! Watch your guard. Current use a Water Pulse!"
We all swarmed the creature. Current fired a ball of water. When it contacted the beast, it exploded into a wave.
I used Ice Beam, freezing all the water midair. It held the beast for a moment letting Dim and Eon get a few attacks in before breaking.
It lunged for Current and caught him with its arm. I could see the sparks of electricity arc over the beast as it charged its attack.
"WE HAVE TO FREE HIM NOW!" Eon and Plantora and I tried desperately to free Current but there was nothing we could do. The creature used Zap Cannon at point blank range on Current.
The beast released him and he fell limply to the ground.
"We need to…"
The creature spared us no time. He lunged at Eon and used Shadow Claw.
Eon fell instantly and the psychic connection broke.
The beast quickly turned to Plantora. Plantora was expertly weaving around the metal golem not letting it land a hit. However, anyone could see that Plantora was struggling in desperation.
If I call a retreat, then she'll get distracted and hit. What can I do? Everything felt like it was falling apart. I don't know what to do. Tears started to form. I…I can't lock up now. I must hold it as long as I can for Eev. New found resolve carried me to my paws and my stars shimmered to life.
Dim rushed the beast from the shadows but he was smacked away. Bolt had returned to the fight but she was obviously fatigued.
"ON ME!" I shouted. Bolt and Dim came to my side. Plantora couldn't get out from under the metal barrage.
I rushed the golem.
I came within touching distance of the creature before I yelled, "BREAK!"
The two left me and I jumped right onto the golem. The metal surface was completely smooth. I had to form balls of ice just to stay on. The beast tried to shake me.
"NOW!" Altogether, the remainder of my group focused their attacks for several good seconds.
The golem launched forward and slammed, face first, into a rocky wall. Pain coursed through me as every part of my body screamed.
Not able to hold on, I started to slide. I plopped onto the ground with a thud. Plantora tried to come to my aid but the beast used Metal Claw on her, knocking her back. Dim came from the rocks above me, landing on the creature's head. Before he could do anything, the golem slammed him into the rocks.
Dim stayed down.
Plantora and Bolt tried to fight off the beast but they were barely dodging its attacks.
Suddenly an arc of electricity came from…EVERYWHERE! They all shot straight towards the metal giant. The giant seemed to scream as more bolts of electricity came from the shadows. Then I saw him, Jolt.
A Shadow Ball came from nowhere with Umbre right behind it, performing a Shadow Ball Assurance combo.
The green blur of Leaf came in and seemed to swarm the beast. Espy hoped down from a rock above me and used Psychic to hold down the creature. Eev came up next to her.
"How long can you hold it down."
"Not long." Espy's voice was clearly strained.
"We only need a little bit," Eev turned, "FLARE! YOUR TURN!"
Flare leapt out onto the road and launched a pillar of fire that engulfed the entire road.
Espy collapsed in front of me. "FLARE!" Eev cried.
Flare jumped out of the way. The metal behemoth came soaring out of the fire and landed right where Flare was.
Bolt came to my side and helped me to my paws. I couldn't stand on my own so she held me up. Her coat was jagged and it made it uncomfortable to brace against.
The ESF were trying their best against the beast but even they were having trouble. Even Eev seemed to be keeping her distance from it.
A wave of psychic energy slammed right into the creature. I looked at the source. A Gallade stood beside its white cloaked master and a Rhyperior stood beside its red dressed master.
"Hey," The red dressed man yelled, "Would you look at that. Its Ieyasu!"
A man walked out from behind the rocks. He was covered completely from head to toe in armor and had a long pillar of metal jetting out from his head. "Good to see you Shingen, Kenshin. I am kind of in the middle of something so if you don't mind…IRON HEAD!"
The beast turned on the two and launched itself forward. The Gallade and its master expertly dodged.
The Rhyperior tried to catch it. The beast charged right through like it wasn't even there.
Then A Forretress jumped out and caught the charging behemoth. The golem stepped back.
"Way to go Forretress!" A man cheered.
More Warriors started to come.
A tall muscular old man came to the front with a Conkeldurr. "You're really going to take that thing on Yoshihiro?" Shingen asked.
Yoshihiro laughed, "He's wounded by both the ESF's. I'm willing to gamble. Conkeldurr use Superpower!" His Pokémon rushed to the front flexing with unimaginable power and charged the beast.
"Don't think were even close to losing yet. Registeel Superpower!" The beast flexed as much as a hunk of metal could and met the charge.
The two clashed in an epic test of strength. Conkeldurr was visibly struggling before the metal golem overpowered it and sent him flying.
"Conkeldurr, no!" Yoshihiro ran after his Pokémon.
"Well that was quick," Another Warrior arrived with a large Serperior towering over him. "Ginchiyo, shall we do our trick."
A female Warrior coated in white and yellow armor walked up, "Let's do this Motonari."
"Serperior, coil!" The Serperior lunged at the behemoth and coiled around its massive form.
The beast was immobilized.
"Now Luxray! Thunder!" Ginchiyo screamed as a Luxray high above the rocks cried out and fired a beam of electricity straight into the sky. The beam fell right onto the golem and Serperior.
I watched in awe as the Serperior only took minor wounds. When the ray ceased, the Serperior leapt off the creature and slithered back to Motonari. The beast stumbled but stood.
"AWE COME ON!" Bolt mirrored my thoughts.
"Is that all you got?" Ieyasu mocked, "Come on show me your true strength. You're still missing someone."
"Sorry but I have been here the whole time."
Mistress!
The Mistress walked from behind one of the rocks. "I was just making sure everything was in order. Now Eev!" I saw Eev smile as the group began to circle around the beast.
"If you think you're going to corral me so easily then I am disappointed. Registeel IRON HEAD!"
Registeel launched itself forward out of the ESF circle.
A Gallade bounced off the rocks and struck the block of metal with a Psycho Cut. The Registeel was pushed back. When it came to a stop, the ground caved in bellow it.
"REGISTEEL!" Ieyasu cried.
"NOW!" The Mistress yelled.
From all sides, from the mountain tops to the roads, Pokémon filled every crevice that I could see.
"ATTACK!"
Every single Pokémon attacked at once, creating a rainbow beam of destruction. The dazzling beam lanced from every corner, I even noticed Eev and the ESF joining in on the assault. The rainbow lasers fell onto the immobilized Registeel. After what felt like hours of the rainbow spectacle, the attacks died down.
The Registeel was still, unmoving. Not even the red lights on its face flickered.
Ieyasu walked up to Registeel and rested a hand on the creature, "At least I was right about one thing today."
The two fled.
"Rest for 30 minutes!" The Mistress shouted, "I want scouts out in a 5-meter radius and a medical tent up by the river!" She moved over to Bolt and I, "Can you walk on your own?"
Bolt nodded.
I just ducked my head.
She picked me up. "You held the bridge long enough for us to cross. You did a great job Shine. Now come on, let's get your group healed up." She carried me off towards the bridge.
The medical tent went up fast and, to my surprise, our group wasn't the only ones in here. It was filled to the brim with injured and battered Pokémon.
I was barely able to sit in one of the cots. The rest of my team was in here too but Bolt seemed to be sleeping. I felt tired but I couldn't sleep. I surveyed the room. The Mistress came up to me.
"How are you feeling?" She asked
"Okay," I lied.
She smiled and poked me in the side. I writhed in agony as I fell to my side.
"You were slammed into a wall by a block of steel. You probably crushed more than bones. Now, before you rest, I need some information. Where did the Valor soldiers come from?"
I looked up at her, fighting through the torment, "They were stationed here." I struggled to recall, "They deployed so fast that they couldn't get their Pokémon ready to attack." Every word felt like it clawed its way out of my lungs.
"Hmm," The Mistress thought, "So they were reinforcements garrisoned to counter us. That means that Ujiyasu and his army is probably protecting the castle. Most of the garrison was destroyed by our combined effort. Nobunaga would have difficulty responding unless he has something else hidden." She thought out loud, "Well you get some rest. You look like you need it."
I watched her as she left.
I sat back up despite my body's protest. When I was fully upright, the pain lessened. I watched the tent.
I heard the cries of Pokémon in deep agony, much worse off than me. At least it felt that way. The Audino rushed around the room trying their best to heal as many as they could. Some of the Pokémon stared at me. Every time I shifted, the pain returned. So I stood upright, fearing to move.
"What you did back there was reckless." Plantora walked up to me. She was partially bandaged but seemed used to the damage. "Flooding the bridge, clinging to the back of the giant. What do you think happened when you left us earlier? They attacked, and without a competent leader, we could barely hold our own."
"Sorry, I just sorta acted," I tried to hide the pain in my words.
Plantora scowled at me, "How long have you been in service?"
I tensed for a moment. I'm technically too young to be in the military and if she finds out…hold on Snow, she isn't talking about that. Calm down. "This is my first time."
"So, you have no experience in battle, leading or anything."
I forced the word out, "No."
She sighed, "Explains a lot, but it leaves more questions than answers. How then, did you become so effective at…everything? The fighting, the leading, everything?"
I tensed as my mind searched for answers I didn't know myself. "Uh…I don't know."
Plantora sighed, "Worth a shot."
I twitched and a deep throbbing leaked through.
As if seeing my pain, she said, "And that's why you shouldn't be so reckless." She came up to me and applied a Hyper Potion. The throbbing lessened. She started to walk away, "Next time be less reckless or others besides yourself are going to get hurt."
I collapsed. My body had reached the end of its endurance. The agony overwhelmed me and I could feel reality slipping away. A Kricketune came into the room and started to play a soft melody on the strings of its body. I surrendered to the slow peaceful melody and it seemed to carry me away from all my troubles. It carried me out of my own body as I drifted off to sleep.
