Chapter 8: Brothers

The peak of Snowpoint radiated a calming aura, as the moments before the storm. Bayne noticed a murky figure in the distance while patiently standing on the top of the mountain. The pokemon was small, which meant his strength was speed. The Blaziken calculated strategies in his head, but in the end, decided to let his instincts carry the reins. The form reached the apex, and ceased movement.

"So you were stupid enough to wait on me…greetings hero." The Weavile sauntered towards Bayne confidently. Snow melted and vaporized around the Blaziken's body as his anger intensified. The Weavile laughed at the site.

"…Calm down…is this the image you want to portray to your executioner? Attitude goes a long way when I decide whether or not to show mercy. Oh yeah…the name's Dreamer." The Weavile continued to walk closer to Bayne, whose rage had reached a boiling point.

"I'm not much for formalities…" The Blaziken leaped off the peak in front of Dreamer, slowly forming a fighting stance. This caused the Weavile to cackle even louder.

"Oh! You really want to face me?! Hahaha!" The burst of laughter caused Dreamer to close his eyes for a split second…Bayne vanished.

"…You're a fast one…hero…" Dreamer scanned the area, searching for the darting Blaziken. A flicker of light entered his vision.

"Too slow!" The Weavile sidestepped a plummeting sky kick as Bayne's foot smashed a crater into the mountain's peak. The Blaziken vanished again, inciting a sigh from Dreamer.

"Your speed is impressive Blaziken…but not quite on me level!" Bayne appeared behind Dreamer and unleashed a barrage of kicks. The Weavile ducked and dodged every strike, tiring the Blaziken after dozens of kicks. Bayne flipped away from his foe and regrouped.

"Damn…" A smile crossed Bayne's face, causing a look of confusion to form on Dreamer.

"Why are you smiling?! Do you wish to die?!" Weavile gritted his teeth at the insolence. Bayne continued to grin.

"Not really…I haven't faced anyone as strong as you in a death match in years…my body is shaking!" Bayne unbridled a ferocious laugh, much to the Weavile's dismay.

"You're a fool…laugh it up before I slaughter you!" Dreamer launched himself towards Bayne, claws formed into one razor-sharp blade. The strike connected.

"….What?" Weavile looked up in astonishment at his hand. Bayne had caught the strike effortlessly in his palm.

"You are faster than I thought…but stop this!" Dreamer's leg whipped around to smash Bayne's head, but was caught in the Blaziken's other hand. The Weavile's free arm was too short to connect with the large fire type.

"Down you go…" Dreamer smashed into the surface of the mountain as Bayne body slammed him violently. The Blaziken raised his heel to the sky for a killing blow, only to notice that the Weavile had vanished.

"Still too slow! Hahaha!" Weavile's foot crushed into the side of Bayne's face, launching him into a snow covered rock formation. The Blaziken shook it off in a hurried state. Blood leaked subtly from his mouth and nostrils.

"Well then…tiny Pokemon…" He wiped the blood away from his face before it froze, and searched for the speedy Dreamer.

"What now hero?!" The Weavile circled Bayne like a cyclone, so fast that he seemed to be in multiple places at once. He darted out of formation, cracking into the Blaziken's shin, the entered the cyclone again.

"No Pokemon on the planet can match my speed! What made you think you stood a chance?!" Blaziken attempted to stand once again, only to be chopped down by the swift ice type. A grunt of agony escaped Bayne's mouth.

"You're a damn fool! I do not see why the master even worried about you to begin with! What a waste…I could've fought somebody worthy!" Dreamer landed a bone-crushing uppercut on the Blaziken's chin, launching him skyward.

"Let's end this charade of a battle…" Dreamer leaped in the atmosphere, above the wounded Blaziken.

"Dark Pulse…" A mass of dark energy burrowed into Bayne, sending him careening into the snowy apex. The shot also launched Dreamer even higher. The Blaziken could only watch as the Weavile plummeted towards him, claws at the ready. He still smiled.

"I've had enough of that ridiculous smile! Night Slash!" Dreamer plunged like a meteor into the mountain, impaling Bayne with his icy claws. The dust cleared, and the Weavile attempted to pull his claws from the Blaziken's midsection.

"haha…" Dreamer was astonished when a force pulled on his claw. Bayne was still conscious, and laughing. The Weavile desperately pulled at his claw, trying to escape.

"What the Hell?!" Dreamer's body became…warm. A wretched grin grew wider on the Blaziken's face as a fiery aura surrounded the two combatants, vaporizing the snow.

"A weakling like you could never defeat me…though this is the worst wound I have suffered in a very long time…" The clouds began to disintegrate from Bayne's intense heat. His body began to change.

"What…is happening?! What are you?!" Bayne rose to his feet, still clutching the Weavile's tiny claw.

"This…my Pokemon brother…is what I like to call a mega evolution." Dreamer's eyes grew wide at the statement.

"But…I thought certain stones were needed for that! How is it possible you found them before us?!" The Weavile struggled in Bayne's grasp. The Blaziken grew in size as his fur began to change colors. A large X-shaped crest formed on his chest.

"That is what I thought as well…but it seems my training regimen was simply too much for my normal body to handle…so I had to evolve again." Bayne contemplated an idea as he held the Weavile eight feet off the ground.

"Would you like to make a deal?" The Blaziken asked a nodding Dreamer.

"Sure…I'm not really in a position to argue here…" The Weavile had stopped struggling, as it seemed rather futile at this point.

"I will let you live…but you must train…train until you feel you are ready to face me again. Then, we will fight. Be warned…next time the loser will not walk away." Bayne dropped the Weavile who was eager to step away from the blazing heat.

"Very well…you will regret this decision…hero." Dreamer bitterly stated as he walked away from the battlefield. A voice entered Bayne's head.

"I…want…blood…blood…blood…blood…"

The Blaziken's head began to pound at the noise, causing Dreamer to stop and turn at the scene. This was…a grim error. The mountain top started to shake, affected by Bayne's immense aura.

"What tha…" Dreamer stopped, losing sight of the Blaziken.

"I change my mind. You die here…" The Weavile gazed up at the Blaziken in horror. Blinding pain struck the ice type.

"Blast burn…" The entire peak detonated, shining a brilliant light throughout the Sinnoh region. When it faded, the newly revealed Snowpoint was missing the very peak it was famous for. Bayne's body returned to normal, and the battle was won. The Blaziken glanced around at the flattened area, but never found a Weavile among the newly forming snow.