Hello, everybody! This is pretty much just going to be a filler chapter concerning A's training with X. Let's begin...
A slowly came back to consciousness and was aware of a terrible pain on the back of his neck and somewhere between his shoulder blades. He groaned as he sat up, catching the attention of the ultra-powered Gallade not too far from him.
"Finally awake are you? Sorry, I didn't think I hit you that hard. Either that or you're weak." Anger flared in A, but after a moment, he calmed himself, remembering his training with Virizion. For a moment, the Gallade regarded him with shock, and he asked
"How did you do that so quickly?" A frowned, then asked
"Do what?" X rolled his eyes, then said
"How did you go from anger to calm so quickly? Most humans would have blatantly lashed out at me, whereupon I would send them back to the floor. Yet, even as a human, you managed to control your emotions very well." As A stood and brushed himself off, he replied
"I'm not sure whether to be pleased or insulted." X laughed, then said
"It's really a compliment, mostly for not rising to the bait. It seems I won't have to waste any time teaching you about that. Which leaves plenty of room for building your strength and stamina, as well as helping you unlock your final technique." A raised an eyebrow and asked
"You know my final technique?" X hesitated, then gave a half-shrug, half-nod.
"Well, I don't know what it is, but all of us Arceus Knights have a final technique. When the rest join us for battle, by the way, you might find yourself challenged."
"Why would that be?" A asked, frowning. X told him
"For the most part, Arceus only employs the dead as his knights, ensuring they won't die; you know, because they're already dead. You are the one exception I have seen so far. I don't know if there are any other resurrected knights besides yourself. On top of that, you're one of two humans that comprise the Knights; the rest of us are pokemon." A placed a hand to his chin in thought, then asked
"Do we all have swords? Or do some have specialized weapons?" X hesitated for a moment, then said
"I'm not too sure on that point. I know that several of us, including you and I, utilize swords. However, I cannot speak for the rest of our brethren. Be that as it may, you will undoubtedly be challenged to check your strength. We won't accept laggards on our small but overpowering group, so you have to be trained and taught. Arceus informed me that you had some training, but he didn't go into specifics, telling me you would be able to explain." A smirked and said
"Well, as long as you don't keep knocking me out, we might get somewhere." X smirked and shot back
"Don't unwittingly challenge me again; I won't go as easy next time." A shivered, then shook the feeling off and said
"Okay. Well, considering how far the Musketeers trained me, you might have enough to go off of." X frowned and asked
"The Musketeers trained you? They currently have a sever vendetta against humans. How did you convince them to train you?" A thought for a second, then replied
"Well, that vendetta must wear off within the next fifty to eighty years, because three of them didn't have an issue with me, although Cobalion was rather... difficult in the beginning." X frowned and said
"I believe we have a bit of a lack of communication here. You said that three of the Musketeers dealt amiably with you, yet you mention Cobalion as having not liked you. How exactly does that work?" A himself frowned and asked
"Is Keldeo not part of their group at this time?" X cocked his head and repeated
"Keldeo? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that name." A grunted, then said
"I guess that's just another thing that occurs within my lifetime. You might be surprised to learn this, but I was transported here from the future by Arceus. Maybe I shouldn't have said that, but since we were having a problem with communication, it was probably necessary."
"The future? I thought you dwelled in another dimension entirely." A shook his head and responded
"Nope. If I have my bearings correct, Arceus transported me from about eighty, eighty-five years in the future. And believe me, I have seen a lot in my time." X chuckled and said
"Don't tell me about having an extended lifetime; I've probably had far more life experience than you." Keeping things amicable, A held up his hands and said
"You probably have. But I'm not exactly a pathetic child, you know." X nodded and said
"I never said you were. Anyway, I'm sure we could talk the entire time we're here, but we should really move on with your training." Concerned, A asked X
"Do you have the time allotment cleared with Warlord Aeruthael? He might need our assistance at some point in battle, and if we're not there, we might end up losing." X threw back his head and laughed loudly, then straightened up and said
"You don't have to worry too much about time. It would take too long to explain; suffice to say that I will spend the next six months in here training you, and when we return it will only be the night of the same day I whisked you in here. Just accept it and don't waste time, alright?" A decided to just accept this nonsense as fact and drew his sword, ready to train. X, however, motioned for him to put it away.
"You're not ready for that just yet. Instead, take this." He tossed something long and thin to A, and when he caught it proved to be a wooden sword. A held it up and said
"You're kidding, right?" X lifted an eyebrow and asked
"Oh? You'd rather I cut you to ribbons?" A thought for a bit, then said
"On second thought, this seems like an excellent place to start." X smirked, then brought out his own wooden sword. He began to strike a series of poses with it, confusing A until he glanced at him and said
"You should really be copying me. Some of these moves have the potential to save your life, and considering where we're going, that will serve you well." A jumped and tried to get a grip on his wooden weapon, then took a deep breath and began to copy X's movements as best he could manage. It wasn't easy since many of them required more dexterity than he currently possessed. But that would be something that would more than likely be addressed. Once they were finished executing the moves, A wiped the sweat off his brow and straightened, wincing like the old man he had once been. X noticed this and said
"You're not quitting already, are you?" A shook his head and replied
"Of course not, I'm just not used to this yet. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll get the hang of it." X smirked and told him
"I give you a week to have this down. We're not going anywhere since I have plenty of supplies to keep us going for the six months, and there isn't exactly anything else to do here." A nodded and began executing the first of the maneuvers again, saying
"One week, then." X nodded approvingly and began showing him the complicated style again.
XXXXXXXXXX
By the end of the week, A was very proficient with the steps of swordplay, and had even begun to pick up speed when executing them. A woke up for their regular routine, quickly getting up before the Gallade felt the need to. His wooden sword was tossed at him and he caught it gracefully. He wasn't entirely sure just what this Gallade Knight was accomplishing with him, but he was not going to argue it when clearly he was already stronger than a week ago, though that was going to be put to the test today.
"Now, we spar." A stood for a moment, dumbfounded, then raised a finger and said dumbly
"Uh..." X smirked and told him
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. This is just to test how well you memorized the steps of swordplay. The trick is you can mix them infinitely in any way you wish to accomplish a goal. Plus, I'm testing your speed, strength, and stamina. And if I can get an idea of your reflexes, that'll be a bonus. Now, prepare yourself."
And just like that he disappeared. A whirled around, searching for him, keeping his knees flexed. He stepped carefully, testing the ground with his foot before placing his weight. It was pretty well flat in this area, but X had a nasty habit of tripping him up, perhaps with string/wire, deliberately moving his foot, or the ever-cliché banana peel.
So he searched, keeping his breathing deep and low, his ears and eyes wide open, and his instincts sharp. He heard X's voice ring out, but he couldn't tell from where.
"Good, keeping yourself alert; that will indeed keep you alive. Remember, keep your legs springy and flexible so you can adapt to any change in environment." A nodded but didn't respond. He suddenly heard a sound, as if a breath of wind, and he expertly swung his arm behind him and raised the sword, hopefully deflecting a strike. His hand was twisted painfully and he dropped his sword with a clattering noise. He jumped and rolled, springing to his feet, refusing to give in to the pain he felt, thinking back on Virizion's words.
"Good, you know to drop your weapon if holding it will only cause further harm. However, I did give you the opportunity to get away without having to drop it. Excellent tactic, moving away where you are certain your enemy is hiding. Not always successful, especially against multiple opponents, but useful nonetheless." He stopped talking and set back on the offensive, whereas A moved on the defense. He knew if he wanted to have a ghost of a chance, he needed his weapon. However, he was equally certain that X would have some guard over it. So he slowly moved, not necessarily toward it, but enough so that, in the event X attacked, he might be able to retrieve it in time.
He continued stepping lightly, refusing to give in so early. He heard the sound again and rushed to the ground, making sure he would have plenty opportunity to stand back up, which he did. He immediately sprinted for the sword, hoping X would be occupied from the undoubtable lag his attack would require. Today would not be a day for small victories, however.
X appeared before A, halting his progress and kicking the wooden sword away. Resorted to his hands and feet, A put his fists in front of his face, splayed his legs apart for optimal balance, and kept his arms moving in front of his body. His body was relaxed to make for easier movements, and upon seeing all of this, X chuckled and said
"Fight like a man and die like a dog, huh? That's good; it means you won't give up until the bitter end."
"Nor will I" A said before quickly jabbing at X. He disappeared again and appeared behind A, which he was somewhat expecting. He quickly turned and tried catching the sword X swung at him. He blocked the move, and although it stung, A tried slugging him again. Predictably, X vanished one more time and appeared above him.
A backtracked quickly, keeping his balance as best he could during the maneuver. X came to a stop on the ground in front of him, and A kicked at him before he could get up. X smirked and caught his foot in one hand. A immediately tried pulling back, but with a deft flick of the wrist, X caused A to fall to the ground. A scrambled up and quickly searched for X again. He wasn't around, so A raised his guard again. He stepped quietly, being careful about his steps again.
Suddenly he felt something underneath his foot. Unsure of what it was, he placed his foot carefully around the object. He spared a passing glance he was afraid to give, lest X come in for a finishing attack. He spotted his sword, but he made no reaction. Instead, he searched around him again. He knew X was there; he just couldn't be seen. So with carefulness, he reached down as if he was going to pick up the weapon.
He saw a flash of green and quickly brought up his fist, colliding into X's chest, to the left of his spike. X whuffed and stopped where he was, still holding his sword in a position to club A over the head. A gulped when he saw this, and he nervously said
"Geez, if this is you on easy, I'd hate to go against you when you're trying." X chuckled, then stooped and picked the dropped weapon back up, handing it to A and saying
"Good job for your first battle. You did much better than I expected, so we'll try that again and see what happens. Try to keep a hold of your weapon this time; it might help you." A nodded and returned to his side of the battlefield, ready to see what he could do this round.
XXXXXXXXXX
Two months had passed for A now, and during this time he became much faster, far stronger, and could last longer in battle than he could before, but he was still using the wooden sword. X had told him, depending on how he progressed, they would move onto their real swords within a few weeks, give or take a few days.
A was excited to learn that he was progressing very quickly indeed, far faster than X expected, which made him pleased. X had gotten into the finer details of sword mastery, and even began explaining a method he could utilize his sword as a multipurpose weapon, able to throw it and even call it back. They hadn't applied it yet because X wanted to make sure A knew what he was doing before he actually tried it.
Today was another sparring day, and to check the length of his progress, X was going to go easy on him again. With the exception, of course, of blindfolding A so it wasn't unduly unmatched. A protested it, but the Gallade told him
"You must be prepared for the scenario of being blinded while in battle. It happens more often than you think, and developing this skill is a worthy endeavor. All you have to do is land a hit on me, then we can break for the day. Now then, let us begin."
A settled into a battle crouch and waited. He noticed while his eyes were covered and he couldn't rely on vision to aid him, his ears tried to compensate for what his eyes couldn't do. He kept himself light and moved as carefully as ever, his breathing hardly noticeable now. He held his breath for a moment, instinct flaring up. He heard a small whoosh on his right and dodged left, striking slightly before the area he heard the noise. He alighted back on his feet and waited for the next attacked.
He could hear light footsteps that were closely matched to his, and he stopped. The footsteps stopped as well, and he walked again, hearing them once more. He stopped again and waited for the footsteps to stop. When they did, he made to move his foot, then suddenly sprang backward and swung his arm away from his body, completing the backflip without hitting anything.
He landed lightly and settled into a crouch again, and he heard X tell him
"Very perceptive. And I certainly didn't expect you to employ such methods, which nearly succeeded, I might tell you. You have certainly gotten far in such a short time."
The compliment was genuine, but it was a ruse as well. While he was complimented, X would probably expect him to lower his guard. If he had used this method when A first started out, that would have well happened. All he needed was that split-second advantage he wouldn't expect him to take advantage of, and he could claim victory.
He waited with baited breath, and when he heard the faint oncoming rush of air, he swiftly dodged and feinted a downward strike. He heard the sound of someone alighting not too far to his left, and he deftly threw the sword in that direction.
There was a soft bonk and a loud
"Ow!" A smirked, then lifted his blindfold to find X rubbing the back of his head. X smirked and said
"Stupid and unorthodox, but effective nonetheless. That should only be a last resort, however, so don't do that again." A bowed to him and X smiled, saying
"Alright, let's go over your sword technique now."
XXXXXXXXXX
The fourth month in, A was becoming far more proficient than he ever had been with his sword before. Where before it was fairly light, now it was as heavy as a feather. Plus, he found he could utilize its power far more effectively than before, which made him hopeful that he would soon master the ultimate technique, Judgement.
X had been a harder drill sergeant when he drew his sword than when he used the wooden one. Moreover, he had been increasing his difficulty level to help improve A. It was definitely working, but A went to his sleep roll with more bruises and scrapes than he would have liked.
The time had arrived for them to do a normal sword battle; no powers, no special moves, just a regular sword fight. X and A stood on opposite sides of the field, facing off against each other. They both bowed in courtesy, then settled into their battle stances. X made the first move as the Gallade ran up to him with prodigious speed, but A was accustomed to this and swung his sword to meet X's attack.
Blade clashed against blade and the two were held up in a drive for dominance. X pushed hard against A, and since he was taller he could bear down on him. A refused to back down, however, and he dug his feet into the ground for a firm grip, pushing hard back. What X didn't know was that A was slowly crouching his legs deliberately, whereas X believed he was pushing him down.
A gathered power in his legs, and when he felt ready, he loosed a shout and pushed up against X, taking him by surprise. X stumbled only very slightly, and A tried to capitalize on this by jabbing at him, keeping his arm bent. X deflected the attack and jabbed back, but A moved to the right, using his sword to bang his wrist and push the weapon further away from him. Then he tried to push his sword up against his throat, but before the motion was halfway finished, X brought his arm up and extended his elbow sword, blocking A's attack.
A growled and pushed him back, saying
"What happened to not using our powers?" X smirked and retracted his blade, telling him
"That's a natural part of my body; it doesn't require the use of my powers, so it's fair game. Care to call me on it?"
A lowered himself into a crouch and pounced, twisting his body in midair to avoid X's strike. He swung down with his blessed blade, meeting up against X's own sword, and completed his aerial assault by touching down on the ground lightly. He raised his sword in anticipation of X's counter-attack and wasn't disappointed. Swords clashed as A stood back up and began to execute a series of deft movements combined with wicked strikes. X either deflected or dodged all of them, and when A could take no more, he flopped down, beginning to heave for breath. He expected X to swoop in for the victory, but he was sheathing his sword, saying
"You're doing very well. You should keep in mind, though, that your opponent won't always adhere to their word, especially not your enemies that lean toward the side of evil. Be prepared for anything on the battlefield. If you wish to keep it honor-bound, wait for your opponent to violate the terms first; then it's fair game."
A nodded, and he and X went to continue his technique training. He was trying to learn his ultimate technique, and although he was getting there, it seemed as unattainable as before. But he refused to give up.
XXXXXXXXXX
It was the final day of the month that X told A he would be returning home, since the power concerning his dimension needed to be replenished, which X said would take a few months, but in the time of this dimension. A didn't challenge him on this matter, but instead drew his sword and prepared for their final battle.
In this one, X told A he wasn't necessarily going to go all out, but this challenge would be harder than all the others. Fortunately by this time, A was accustomed to relentless beatings, and he also could jump to heights that exceeded human height by several feet. A never got tired of that, and he couldn't wait to show Rose and the others the extent of his new abilities.
X disappeared and A closed his eyes, trying to predict where X would show up. He jumped and performed a backflip, blocking X's upward strike; he had predicted A would jump over him, and A had predicted that he would strike above him. Now A tried bracing his foot against X's back to shove him away. However, X rushed forward and leaving A without support. A caught the ground with his left hand and quickly pushed himself back, expecting a series of strikes from X.
Here, however, he was surprised. X had sent a flurry of shadows from the tip of his sword, aiming directly at A. A covered the sword in darkness and struck against the shadows with precision, and when there was a break in the attack, he shot flames at the Gallade. He raised a psychic shield to deflect the pyre; A shot a blast of darkness, shattering the shield and causing him to flinch. A rushed forward with a flow of air to speed his progress.
X saw it coming and raised his sword, covering it with shadows again. A covered his blade with shadows also and clashed their weapons together, creating a harsh and discordant clang. X shoved A back and fired a Psycho Cut at him, which A easily sliced. Then X fired a flurry of Psycho Cuts at him, whereupon A summoned the power of dark and began swinging with a passion, cutting up all the variously colored attacks with precision.
The battle continued much in this manner, with sweeps, head-butts, and even punches and kicks, but neither party would yield to the other. After an excruciating twenty minutes of this, however, X and A stood ten feet apart, both panting heavily. X smirked, then bowed to A and sheathed his sword. Slightly surprised, A returned the gesture and replaced his own blade into its scabbard. X walked forward and held out a hand. A ventured forth cautiously and grasped it, expecting some sort of continuation of the battle. However, X started to shake his hand, saying
"Congratulations; you are officially an Arceus Knight. Welcome to our sector, brother." Shocked, A bowed again and said
"Thank you. What does this mean for me now?" X smiled, then told him
"We have bi-annual meetings, or meetings every two years, where we gather and report to Arceus what has occurred to us during g the intervening time. I believe you have attended at least one meeting of the gods?" A nodded and said
"Yes, two total so far." X nodded and said
"Well, our meetings are much like that, but only between the Arceus Knights and Arceus himself. What is your position?"
"Guardian of Pokemon." X contemplated for a moment, then said
"I'll let you know when the next meeting is; we meet in the Hall of Origin, at Arceus' meeting room. You should know where that is." A nodded and X continued.
"One more thing you should know; when you unlock your ultimate technique, whatever it may be, you will also unlock your full battle form." A cocked his head in confusion and asked
"Full battle form?" X chuckled and said
"It would be easier to demonstrate." With that, he took his cloak off, but a black pillar of something covered him. A would have sworn it was fire, but it was difficult to be sure. When it settled down, his full battle form was revealed and A couldn't help but stare in amazement.
X was wearing black armor, had black wings, and his blade had split into two separate swords connected by chains to his hands. X now wore a mask over his face, which was iron and had horns on it. It was black and grey, had eye holes, with a skull-like appearance.
"Whoa..." was A's reply. X chuckled and said
"Yours won't look exactly like this, but I'm sure it will be glorious nevertheless."
After another pillar of black-whatever, X appeared in his regular form and opened up the portal back to the den he was claiming while he was participating in the war. X grabbed A by the arm and flew forward, disorienting A a bit whenever they exited the realm. By Alpha's eyes, it was about night, but he wasn't sure how much time had really passed. X grabbed A's attention and said
"Remember, in this realm you have only been gone for the day. Your pokemon might be very surprised where you got your newfound strength, so enjoy the surprise while it lasts." A chuckled and X released him. X said
"Until next time, brother." And he was gone. A took a deep breath and began walking to the mansion, and whenever he neared it, he called out to Rose. She appeared within a second, and she rushed him, saying
"Where have you been?! Are you alright, did he hurt you, when did you-"
"Rose," A cut her off "I'm fine. All he did was take me to his special training dimension and worked me over. Tell me, how long was I gone?" Rose frowned in confusion but answered
"The whole day. Why?" A chuckled and replied
"Well, I know you're not going to believe me, but for me it was six months." Rose's eyes widened in shock, so A walked with her back to the house, weaving the tale of his adventure.
There we go, now A is much stronger. He should be quite the asset to the war now, huh? So, review and tell me what you think.
