Ch.10: Battling in the Darkness! Gwyn's Confidence and Choice!
It was of those usual days for our favorite Umbreon. One minute he's stealing something, the next he's being thrown out the building. Although, normally on those days, they would usually take the stolen item back before tossing him to the curb. And usually he wasn't being tossed out by a possessed Floatzel.
Wes rocketed out of the museum and smashed face first into a building across from it. He slid to the ground and pulled his face off the wall, his eyes spinning. "Yeeeeah…that'll teach ya…"
The possessed Floatzel calmly walked out, cracking his knuckles. He chuckled as he observed the shadowy aura surrounding him. "Who knew you could get power like this?" He blasted a building, leaving a gaping hole with shadowy smoke seeping off the edge. "Haha! I could get use to this!"
"Don't get too attached!" He looked up for only a split second as mountains of concrete slammed on top of him. Ella ran pass him and went straight to Wes. "Wes, get up!"
"Five more minutes, Mommy…" He felt a sharp kick in his side and shot up. "Alright, I'm up, jeez!" He rubbed his sore torso. "You don't have to kick me!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, feigning an apologetic expression. "You have your beauty rest while that PSYCHOPATH TEARS UP THE CITY!"
"No need for the sarcastic-" He stopped midsentence when the concrete disintegrated into nothingness from an eruption of shadows. He blinked, then pulled out his Star Amulet. "Yep, I'm on it!"
The Floatzel stepped out and flexed his arms. "That was barely a tickle. You're gonna have to do better than that."
Wes smirked. "Oh, trust me! I'm bringing the pain!" His amulet glowed and his fur turned purple as his inner magic surfaced, multiplied by the amulet's natural abilities. "Here I come!" He charged off like a speeding rocket, a cone of energy surrounding his body.
The possessed weasel stuck his hands out and stopped him in his tracks. "Pathetic!" He grabbed him by the foreleg and lifted him up in the air, preparing to throw him down.
This, however, made Wes' smirk grow larger. "Couldn't agree more!" He grabbed the bottom of the Floatzel's jacket.
When he threw him down, the jacket went over his eyes, blinding him. "H-Hey!" He tried to pull it off. "Rotten rat!"
With his opponent distracted, Wes bent his legs back and kicked him into the air before using Shadow Ball. He didn't fire it immediately as he bestowed magic into the ethereal attack, turning the Shadow Ball purple with black electricity crackling off it. "Take this!" He fired it, trapping the possessed Pokémon in a massive explosion.
But it wasn't over for the weasel. As he fell out of the smoke, Ella jumped into the air and rained down concrete shards, propelling him faster back down. Wes met him at ground level and, just before Floatzel could feel the impact of solid concrete smashing into his face, kicked him right in the jaw, sending him into a building that nearly crumbled from the impact.
The Espeon landed next to her friend and raised a paw. "Haven't teamed up like that in a while."
Wes smiled and high-fived her. "Yeah!" When it came to fighting, Ella had the second best experience in combat, with Wes edging out ahead of her just because he has done this for far longer. They combo well with each other, capable of landing some devastating hits.
Their eyes widened when they saw the rubble shifting. Floatzel walked out of the crumbling house, unfazed by the onslaught of attacks, despite having shards of concrete lodged into his skin. The sight shocked the two Eeveelutions. Those kind of injuries should have knocked him out from pain or blood loss, maybe even death.
Then again, this wasn't their typical baddie.
He chuckled, slowly pulling the shards out of his skin. "Barely a tickle." Darkness surrounding the shard in his hand. "I must admit, you two did catch me off guard. But you can only do that so many times before it becomes predictable."
Wes looked offended. "Me?! Predictable?! Now listen here, buster-"
He cut the Umbreon off by throwing the darkness infused shard at him, a streak of black tailing it. Wes and Ella dodged as it passed them. It struck the ground and exploded. With a sinister gleam in his eyes, the possessed Floatzel dashed at the two with his fins coated in darkness. They saw him coming and jumped out of the way of a slash, cutting through the ground.
Wes landed and fired more magically infused Shadow Balls. Floatzel sliced through them at high speeds, reducing them to nothing but harmless shreds of magic. The Umbreon narrowed his eyes and used Infernius, sending the searing hot ball of white fire his way. Floatzel crossed his arms and blocked it, with the force sending him into the air.
Ella psychically picked up more debris and blasted it upward. They smashed and clung to his body, piling up around him until he became a large ball of debris. The Umbreon used this opportunity to dash towards him. He leaped in the air and landed on the ball. With a smirk, he charged up raw magic in front of his face and aimed it at blank point range. "Mystic Beam!" The beam drilled through the debris orb, tearing through the insides. I got him now!
He was expecting the weasel to be sent flying from the force. What he didn't expect was a hand pushing against the force and grabbing him by the throat, canceling his spell. He choked as he was lifted up, with the Floatzel rising out of the rock.
He smirked. "That all you got?" He created another Spear of Darkness.
Despite being choked, Wes smirked. "Not…quite…" He gave a signal with his paw.
Almost immediately, the ball of rock and debris plummeted back down, making Floatzel lose his grip on Wes. A platform of rock floated next to him and he jumped on it as his opponent fell. Floatzel balanced himself in midair and landed gracefully before dodging the rest of the debris.
Almost immediately, Ella came to his side and tried to land some kicks. He blocked them before grabbing her by the tail, lifting her up, and smashing her against the ground. He raised his fin, but was knocked off balanced by a flying kick from the other Eeveelution. Ella spun in her back and knocked him off his feet, with Wes twisting his body and striking him in the stomach.
Floatzel flipped up, dodging two Shadow Balls. He created two Spears of Darkness and threw them, with Ella erecting a wall of rock from the ground, taking the two attacks. He ran at the wall to bring it down, but was kicked in the face when Wes flipped over it.
He stumbled back and rubbed his nose. Keep on your guard, my pawn. Nightmare's voice echoed through his head. Worry about the Umbreon. The girl is no trouble so long as you get around her psychic attacks.
Yes, my master. Floatzel slammed his fists down and created two large fists of shadows, much to the amusement of Wes. "Aww, look. He can use Shadow Punch." These fists, however, through spikes of flaming shadows at him. He twisted his body, barely dodging them. "Not Shadow Punch! Not Shadow Punch!"
The fists flew down at rapid speeds, creating craters with each strike. Wes twirled his paw and created a glyph under his feet. "Warp Pad!" A fist came flying at him. Once his feet landed on the glyph, his entire being turned into purple light and flew off in the direction of the glyph.
A glyph formed in his pathway and bounced him in another direction. Then another. Then another. He was ricocheting off several glyphs, bouncing off in every direction. Floatzel threw shadows fists at him, and shadow spikes, but they couldn't land any hits. Wes was moving too fast form him to hit.
"Peek-a-boo!" He felt a great force ram him in the back, possibly breaking his spine, and sending him launching over to Ella and reared her legs back and struck him in the jaw.
Wes reverted back to his solid being and smiled widely. "Ha! This guy is too easy!"
He may have spoken too soon, though, as he grabbed Ella and struck her across the cheek. He rose to his feet and practically forced his spine back into alignment. He completely shrugged off the abuse he was getting.
He smirked. "Well, anything else you would like to throw at me?"
Wes narrowed his eyes. That shadow possessing him must be giving him some sort of healing factor. Ugh, that doesn't sound good. Then again, not too different to how I fight Captain Arid. Just…gonna have to hit him harder, I suppose.
He crouched down and smirked. "Buddy, I'm far from giving up."
The possessed Floatzel smirked. "Then be my guest. Show me what you got."
"Oh, he's not the only one." He turned around, his face meeting head first with a street sign. Ella strutted over, seemingly unfazed by his attack. She fortunately placed a psychic field around her body, reducing any significant damage. She gave a sassy smirk. "It's rude to hit a lady, you know."
He flipped up and threw a punch at her. She dodged and threw an uppercut at his chin, then struck him in the gut. Wes met him halfway and slammed his rear paw into his back. On any normal Pokemon, that should have done serious damage, but this guy was practically a zombie. Pain wasn't going to drive the shadow out of him.
With a smirk, he grabbed Wes' head and smashed him into the ground. He stood back and clasped his hands together. "Ring of Shadows!" A circle of darkness appeared under the disoriented Umbreon, erupted upwards in blazing fashion.
"Wes!" Ella shouted worriedly.
Fortunately, unlike his other spells, this one didn't kill Wes. But it did send his now smoking body flying into the air and landing who knows where over some buildings.
Floatzel threw a Spear of Darkness, destroying a building in front of him before walking in the direction Wes flew. Ella glared, then fired a Shadow Ball at him, which he caught. "Little Espeon, do yourself a favor and buzz off?" He flicked it back in her face, blasting her into a wall. "This little dance is reserved for magic users only."
She wiped the blood off her face and glared. Doesn't see me as a threat, huh? Gee, she hasn't heard THAT one before.
With a huff of annoyance, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the building she was sitting in.
Floatzel knocked down more buildings as he searched for Wes, leaving a path of destruction in his wake. "Come on out, Umbreon." He threw Spears of Darkness down the streets, leaving black flames to consume it all. "The time of death is upon you." He extended his claws and dragged them against the walls. The marks sizzled, bubbling profusely before melting said wall down.
"You're out matched compared to me. There's no use in trying to fight back. You've only proven to delay your death. Resistance is futile. The shadows will hunt the ends of the Earth in order to find you. It is what Master desires."
He stopped in his tracks and looked around. His magic aura isn't even present. Did I scare him off? He shook his head. Who am I kidding? The brat's too crazy to flee from danger. He slashed down a wall and walked into an empty living room. The state it was in showed the family was in a rush to escape. "Where are you, Ravenfield?"
That's when he heard the most peculiar sound. One no Pokémon would expect to hear in the midst of battle.
Snoring…loud, obnoxious snoring.
He raised a brow in both curiosity and befuddlement. He followed the sound upstairs, leading him to what he assumed was a bedroom. He kicked the door into splinters and looked inside.
An Umbreon shaped hole was in the ceiling. And sitting on a queen sized bed was the elusive Umbreon himself, snoring loud, but in total bliss. It was as if the impact had no visible effect on him. The scorch marks were there, but not the twisted expression of agonizing pain any shadow would snicker gleefully at when inflicting harm on their prey.
The sight, at first, completely baffled the possessed Floatzel. Then, slowly, that perplexed demeanor transformed into one of irritation. He kept his cool as he walked around the bed, with his fin coating itself in the evil darkness.
"You are proving to be a challenging opponent, Umbreon. Your abilities are to be admired." Whether or not he was hearing any of this in slumber land was beyond him, but he continued. "I congratulate you for surviving this long. No Pokémon of your age has ever lasted this long against our forces." He smirked. "Sadly, it is your time to go." He raised his fin. "If only you were awake for this. I would love to see your face express terror upon seeing your evitable demise." He swung the fin down with all his might. "Your time has come!"
Unfortunately for the shadow, he failed to comprehend the one thing all of his previous foes have learned over the years: Wes was known for playing unfair.
Two rear paws stopped his arm in mid swing and, with a twist of his body, the
Umbreon spun him in place and slammed his forehead into the bedpost. He recoiled back in pain, feeling the droplets of blood pour down his face. He wiped it with his hand and stared at it in shock. He clenched his fist and glared at the sly smiling treasure hunter.
"Thanks for taking so long to find me. I really needed that nap."
The possessed Floatzel whipped his hand down, spreading blood across the floor. He's toying with me. His fins wrapped in darkness as he held them up with an intimidating glare, one that Wes did not shutter from. "Your insolence will be your downfall."
He lay on his back, with one paw behind his head and the other making mouth movements. "'Your insolence will be your downfall'. Play a different tune, spooky. You're nothing but a broken record."
The weasel lunged at him and sliced right down the middle of the bed. Wes flipped back, paws pressing against the wall, then ricocheted off, headbutting him in the skull. Floatzel stumbled back, with his vision blurred. One eyed peeked open, in time to see a white fireball collide at blank point range, blasting him through the wall and back onto the streets.
Wes jumped out and fired magic infused Shadow Balls down at him in rapid fire succession. He crossed his arms and endured the hits before sending a shadow slash at the Umbreon. He twisted his body enough to dodge, but he was left wide open for the top half of the building that has been sliced, sliding down on top of him.
Floatzel stood up, dusted himself off, and created a Spear of Darkness, ready to kill Wes. He almost threw it down, but, much to his unexpected surprise, the debris of a smashed building fell on top of him.
Ella walked down the street with a semi-exhausted expression. "That took a lot out of me…"
Wes kicked his way out of the destroyed house and shook his head once he surfaced. "Thanks for the save…"
The debris started shaking. "Don't thank me yet!" She bit down on his jacket and dragged him away from the explosion of flying debris that soon followed. They turned a corner and watched in hazardously fly by. She sat on her haunches to catch her breath. "Don't…you know any other spells?"
He peeked around the corner, watching the possessed Pokémon blasted through more buildings. "I have a spell book. I could look up something, but it might take some time."
"What about that other spell? Mystic Beam?"
"If I want to do serious damage to him, I need to charge it for a moment, which we don't particularly have."
She groaned and rubbed her face. "Wizards…" She shook her head. "Just find some spell that can help us!"
"Right, right!" He dug through his bag, looking for one of the many spell books he took along with him. He read a bunch of them. He just never had the time to actually practice some of the cooler ones. Treasure hunting usually came first above everything. It was his job, after all.
Floatzel kicked down a wall and huffed. "I'm getting annoyed, Pokémon. Has it occurred to you by now that victory is unachievable? Whereas you grow weaker, I stay in peak physical condition. I do not tire. I do not require sustenance to survive. I can literally keep this up for months. We are beings of the afterlife. You are mortals."
Wes was quickly flipping through pages, trying to find something of use. He remembered seeing a light spell the last time he searched through this book. From what he remembered Professor Geno telling them, concentrated light attacks seemed to have an effect on them. All he needed was something like that and he can gain the edge.
The problem? He never learned said spell and it was going to take him a while to learn it. And they were trying to, you know, NOT DIE!
Floatzel stopped and looked around, sensing Wes' pulsating aura just around the corner. His lips curled up into a sinister smirk as he walked over to them, shadow blade extended. "The game is over, Umbreon." He raised it up high.
Ella got into an attack position, looking ready to pounce. Wes set the book down and started charging Mystic Beam.
"Game. Set. And mat-" He stopped himself from swinging the blade down when he felt a great deal of heat rise behind him. "What in the world…?" He turned around and frowned with a deadpanned expression. "Oh you have got to be kidding-" He became consumed by a massive stream of fire.
Right off the bat, he knew these were the flames of a normal Fire-Type, so they wouldn't have that much lasting damage on a Water-Type with enhanced endurance. However, he could tell the strength was being enhanced by magic. Plus…
"AAAAHHHH!"
…resistance doesn't mean it won't hurt.
Wes and Ella carefully scooted around the flames that were burning the possessed Water-Type. The stream of flames stopped and the weasel fell onto his back, blackened to a crisp.
"Honestly, Wes. Can't you go one day without having someone try and kill you?"
Wes' confused frown made a full one eighty as he looked up at the rooftops to see his beloved big brother. "Flint! Buddy, am I glad to see you!"
He jumped down and dusted his clothes off. "The feeling is mutual." He wrapped his forelegs around him. "Glad you're alright."
Ella gave a wry smile. "Ahem…"
Flint rolled his eyes with a smirk, bringing her into a hug too. "You too, Ella."
Wes pulled back and reached into his bag, holding the sapphire comet flower in full view. "We got the flower just before this joker started attacking us."
"Yeah, I've noticed. A lot of people were running to the shelters to find some cover. Took me forever to get through the mad rush."
"What about Gwyn? Is she alright?" Ella asked.
The Flareon bit his lip, unsure if he should mention the little detail he learned about the potion maker. "She's…fine. She's leading everyone to the shelters as we speak."
Wes glanced back at their fallen opponent and smiled nervously. "Oh, that's good. So we don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt…because this guy looks pissed…"
The other two looked back at the Floatzel as he rose off the ground. His fur, with was covered in bald spots from the flames, regrew in an instant. He dusted himself, cracked his neck a bit, and glared with intense fury at the Flareon, who jumped in fear. "The Supporter of your little team…perfect, the gang is all here." His eyes flashed. "Everyone has been waiting to feast on your decapitated heads."
"Sounds…disgusting," Wes commented bluntly. He shook his head and glared. "Hate to break it to you…" He smirked a bit, "Actually, I don't because I hate you, but all three of us can easily take care of you." He tipped his hat and gave his signature cocky grin. "So, give it your best shot."
Flint narrowed his eyes. Did he say…everyone has been waiting?
Floatzel adjusted his jacket. "Famous last words, Umbreon." He slammed his palm down. "For you see, wherever there is a shadow being casted from the buildings, the creatures that inhabit this world, or anything that escapes the reach of your precious sunlight, there will never be a safe haven against our vast numbers."
The Flareon's eyes widened. Oh no. He gave an audible gulp and stepped back.
Wes noticed this. What's wrong with him? He narrowed his eyes at Floatzel, then noticed his shadow stretching out, spreading across the ground under them. He flinched. "Oh crap…"
The shadows rose up from the ground and took on their monstrous shape. They extended their long claws and sharpened them against each other with wicked grins stretching along their faces.
Floatzel smirked. "Kill them all!"
They laughed loudly and lunged toward them, claws out and aimed at their heads.
They gasped. Flint thought quickly and threw his forelegs around them. "Stop!" His eyes flashed orange and their environment dulled, a monochrome color appearing over everything. Wes and Ella opened their eyes and saw the shadows were frozen in place. Everything stopped moving.
They sighed with relief and collapsed. "Phew…thanks Flint!"
Flint was sweating as he held his head. "We need to move. I can only keep time frozen for so long." They nodded and moved out of the way of the shadows. Wes left a field of magic infused Shadow Balls in their place before following behind.
Time resumed and the shadows crashed into the attacks, exploding on impact. The Eeveelutions ran down the street as they tried to find some cover. The shadows were already on their tail and flew after them. Wes glared and stopped. "TerraSlash!" The ground under him exploded, firing rapid fire shards of earth at the monsters. They shifted their shape to dodge the attacks. One created a Spear of Darkness and threw it at him.
Wes took out his Vortex Amulet and absorbed the attack into the swirling amulet. Two shadows dived down, turning their arms into monstrous claws. He sidestepped from some slashes and kicked them across the face. He held the amulet up and sucked them into the vortex, dragging them into the pocket dimension. He dodged streaks of black flames that rained down on him like meteors.
Ella and Flint looked at each other and nodded. The Flareon used the Magnification Ring spell, created three rings in front of him. Ella fired a Shadow Ball into it. Each time it passed through a ring, it grew larger and more erratic in power. It exploded against the evil shadows, sending flying across the street.
Wes dodged several claw swipes while also fighting back with a series of kicks. "Aquos Mist!" He exhaled the thick mist, shrouding his presence. The shadows, not caring about personal safety, started throwing Spears of Darkness at every direction. Sooner or later, they were going to hit something moving.
The Umbreon jumped and ducked from the attacks, trying to figure out an angle he could work from. He still needed to look up a light spell useful enough to hurt them. If he knew Flash and infused it with magic, he could do considerable harm. Sadly, he didn't. Not even adding magic to his natural glowing rings would help much. Sucking them into his Vortex Amulet, while possible, would take too long and they would find a way around it.
He did take notice of how single minded they were. They only had the desire to kill him, as ordered by Floatzel. They didn't seem to strategize much. They just wanted him dead.
This made him smirk. Alright…I can work with this. He jumped over a group that lunged at him. He formed a glyph under his feet and jumped onto the rooftops. "Oh shadows~!" They glared up at him. He pulled out the map and waved it at them. "Look at what I got!"
Floatzel's eyes flashed. "Get that map!" The shadows screeched and chased after Wes.
He blew a raspberry at them and dashed off. "Catch me if you can, suckers!"
Flint groaned. "What is he doing now?!"
Ella narrowed her eyes in thought before smirking. "Distracting them. Come on!" She ran after them from the ground. Flint followed suit.
The Floatzel glared. "Oh no you don't!" Shadows formed under his feet, hovering him off the ground. He flew after the Eeveelutions.
Wes jumped along the roofs as the shadows came inches to slashing him. It was hard for him to fire backwards without stopping for a moment, so all he could do was run. He was lucky to have a great deal of stamina, because he was going to need it to keep his distance from these monsters.
Flint and Ella kept up with him from below. Flint infused magic into his Flamethrower and fired it at the shadows. He blasted five of them. Just as Ella figured, the group didn't retaliate. They were dead set on getting the map that they completely ignored them, attacked or not.
"Keep blasting more!" Ella shouted.
"Oh no you don't!" They barely dodged a Spear of Darkness that flew in between them. They looked back and saw Floatzel gaining on them. "Prepare to die, mortals!"
Flint looked up and shouted, "Wes! We need help!"
"And I don't?!" he shouted back, dodging another claw swipe.
Ella narrowed her eyes. She skidded to a halt and shouted, blasting psychic waves at Floatzel. She focused on the ground and dislodged a chunk of earth, blasting it at the possessed Pokémon.
He sidestepped from the large block of earth and kicked it, sending it across the city. He smirked as he formed his shadow blade. "Nice try." He lunged at her and swung his blade.
She ducked and kicked him in the gut. Flint jumped over her and blasted a blank point Shadow Ball in his face. He stumbled back and held his face, peering through his fingers with a glare. "Everyone dies!"
Wes jumped down to ground level. "Hurt them and you'll have to deal with me!" He fired a volley of Shadows Balls at him before firing an Infernius spell, singing the possessed weasel's fur. He jumped over his head and kicked him. He flew into his army, who were after Wes.
Floatzel stood up and growled. "Alright…you mortals are getting on my nerves." He spread his arms out. Two spheres of darkness formed in his hands, crackling with black lightning.
The lightning bounced off the ground, lightly tearing it up with the pressure it was emitting. The Eeveelutions stepped back. They could feel the overwhelming pressure being created from the power. It was tearing through the buildings from the sparks alone.
He snickered loudly. "Enough games…let me show you…what true power looks like." He thrusted his arms forwards. The two spheres swirled together, forming one large orb. A wave of darkness pulsed off the sphere, knocking the Eeveelutions off their feet. They sat on their haunches with a groan and looked up at the darkness that enveloped the street. "We are the ultimate evil. We will come out on top. You all will suffer.
"Final Nightfall!" A beam of black magic tore through the streets, obliterating the buildings around them with the mere force of the firing. They toppled to the ground, reduced to rubble and debris.
The Eeveelution's eyes widened as they stared at the deadly attack rushing towards them. There was no time, nor opportunity, to escape. They clenched their eyes shut and held each other as the attack enveloped them in pure darkness.
"Everyone, hurry!" Gwyn shouted as she guided everyone into the shelters. "One at a time! No shoving! There's plenty of room for everyone!"
She was doing well at keep everyone calm…for the first few minutes. With the battle increasing in intensity, not to mention the random shadow spears raining down and destroying their homes, mass panic soon followed. She was doing her best to assure them they're safe. All she wanted was to get them inside and hope they can survive the attack.
"Where's my son?!" Her head snapped in the direction of the frightened mother, a Slurpuff. She was looking around in a panicked state, pushing through the crowd of cowering Pokémon.
Gwyn narrowed her eyes in concern, then heard some crying from the distance. She turned around and smiled upon seeing a lone Swirlix wandering around, scared and confused. "Hey, little Swirlix!" Her eyes glanced up for only a second as she called for him, but she fully looked up upon seeing a flying piece of earth hurtling from the sky. She paled, seeing it was heading straight for the Swirlix. "Kid, run!"
He looked up and gasped in terror as the earth fell toward him. He was paralyzed in fear. He couldn't move. He clenched his eyes shut and held his head down.
A seed flew pass him and stuck into the ground. It glowed and sprouted a massive collection of vines, taking the shape of a large hand. It caught the earth, inches from hitting the young Swirlix. He stared with tears streaming down his eyes as the giant hand threw the rock to the side. He was so in shock, he didn't know how to react.
He felt two arms wrap around him and picked him up. He looked up at Gwyn, who gave a comforting smile. "Let's get you back to your mommy." His eyes shimmered from the tears in his eyes before he cried into her shoulder. She patted his back and carried him through the crowd.
Everyone was inside the shelter. It was, essentially, an empty, underground bunker used to protect from even the strongest of attacks. Everyone was seated on the ground, hugging their legs as they waited for the chaos to end. Families were huddled together and holding each other, not wanting to let go.
"My baby!" Gwyn glanced over and saw the Slurpuff run over.
"Mommy!" He jumped out of Gwyn's arms and into the open arms of his mother.
She hugged him close, tears pouring down her eyes. "I'm so glad you're safe…" She looked up at the disguised Mew and smiled gratefully. "Thank you…thank you so much! I don't know how to repay you…"
Gwyn smiled and dismissed the offer with a wave of her hand. "The safety of your child is repayment enough." The mother thanked her again before walking off, comforting her scared son. The Mew sighed and looked around, checking to see if there was anyone missing.
Everyone seems to be accounted for. She sat down against the wall and rubbed her forehead. Getting everyone into the shelter took a lot out of her. She had to keep everyone in line as they entered the shelter, such as breaking up fights, keeping everyone from getting separated…stuff like that.
She was fortunate everyone listened to her, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get everyone situated. Of course, there were some people who were rather…stubborn about listening to her. Those were the ones who believe the witch rumors surrounding her mother. Honestly, if it weren't for her trying to get everyone to safety, she would have smacked them alongside the heads.
Fortunately, the city was able to coax them into listening, reminding them their lives were in danger anyway. It made Gwyn happy that some people were willing to not let the past influence their judgements.
The bunker rumbled from the battle aboveground. There was no telling how long it would last. Days seemed like a stretch. If anything, it could take all day, so they would have to wait it out until then. She could tell, however, that wasn't their main concern.
With so many homes being destroyed in the fight, no doubt a ton of these people were going to end up homeless until they find a new place of residence. No place to live, nowhere to take care of their children…all they had left was each other.
She hugged her legs and rested her chin on her knees. With the battle outside, she'll lose her home. Everything that she held dear to her. The shop was the only thing of value she owned. The one thing left to her by her mother. If it got destroyed, she wouldn't have anywhere else to go. Or anyone to go to.
Hearing the sounds of battle rage on outside, her mind wandered to the three Eeveelutions that knocked on her door earlier. To think, she was going to spend the day sleeping. Yeah…that's what she had planned for today. Just sleep. Nothing else. Not help make a potion to reveal the location of an ancient artifact that, originally, was only a legend to her.
She wondered how they were doing up there. Considering there was still fighting going on top side, at least she could confirm they were, more than likely, alive. They were determined to help the city against this threat. The way Flint reacted to it meant they've faced this for before, which was rather concerning for the Mew. Whatever they were fighting up there…well, the loud screeches she could hear were telling her they were vicious.
Why was she down here? Should she help them? What if their enemy was after her? What if they were associated with that…horrible witch?
She held her head and groaned. As always, it's her paranoia affecting her decision making. She was too scared of what could happen as opposed to what will happen. They were in danger and she was too scared to do anything about it.
Just like always…
Her encounter with that vile witch left her in a scared state and she didn't know how to move forward. What was stopping her from helping? Fear? Paranoia? The uncertain? A combination of all three? Perhaps.
Maybe staying in this shelter is the best option. She needed to watch over everyone, anyway. She had to stay. She couldn't leave…
"Excuse me, young lady?" She peeked up from her knees a bit, not in the mood to lift her head. There were a group of Pokémon standing in front of her, young and old. An elderly Alakazam stepped forward. "Is there anything troubling you?"
She blinked and rubbed her right eye, unfolding her legs. "N-No…I'm fine. Just…hoping we make it out of this alive."
A Muk crossed his arms with a raised brow. "I don't think that's what's troubling you."
She sighed and looked off to the side. "Look…I want to be left alone right now…"
"You're thinking about those three Pokémon fighting aboveground, aren't you?"
Her eyes widened and she looked up. "How did you know?"
A Kangaskhan crossed her arms and smiled. "Because there were three Eeveelutions walking around earlier asking about Clara Belladonna. You work in that little shop of hers, don't you?"
"Um…well, yes?"
"Well, why are you down here when there are three brave souls risking their lives for us? You should be helping them!"
She jumped back and held her hands up. "N-Now, hold on, I'm no fighter!" At least, that's what she wanted them to believe. She couldn't bring herself to risk her identity. Still, these Pokémon were sharp, catching on to her blatant lie almost immediately.
"You clearly possess great magical capabilities," the elderly Alakazam pointed out. "You saved that poor child earlier."
"W-Well, yeah, I guess! But I can't go out there! It's dangerous!" They jumped from another seismic tremor from the battle. "See?!"
"Still, you look like you want to go help them," the Muk pointed out.
Gwyn's eyes shifted downward. They were reading her like a book, even though her face was obscured by the hood. She kept glancing up, her increasing worry over the Eeveelutions growing stronger with each passing moment.
"Are they your friends?" Kangaskhan suddenly asked.
Her eyes widened a bit by the surprise question. "Are they my friends?" She rubbed the back of her head with an unsure expression. "I mean…I've only known them for a day. I wouldn't say we're friends…"
"Yet you seem pretty worried about them," she pointed out.
She rubbed her arm. "I-I guess…" She clenched her eyes shut. "I just…I can't go up there…"
"Why?" the elderly Alakazam asked.
"Because…because…" She grit her teeth and shook her fists in frustration. "Because I'm scared!" She gripped her head and growled at herself.
"I'm scared! Freakin' scared of the outside world because I feel everyone is out to get me! I've been holding out on my own for years, with little to no interaction with the outside world! I barely know anything about society! I would suffer out there! I could never last!
"And the constant dangers of being targeted and captured! Sold at some black market or being used for a freakin' demonic ritual! I don't know who or what to trust anymore! It's driving me mad!" She paced back and forth, screaming her frustrations at the top of her lungs. The three Pokémon, along with everyone else, watched her with surprised, but somewhat calm expressions. They felt it be best not to aggravate her any further.
"I just…I just don't know who to trust anymore," she mumbled as she sat on the ground, holding herself. "I haven't had anyone guide me or help me understand. I don't know what to do anymore. I need…I need…" She sighed and pressed her forehead against the wall. She exhausted herself from her short burst of anger. "I need…"
The Pokemon all looked at her with worried eyes, unaware that the fighting above has grown quiet for a moment.
She rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry for yelling like that…I'm just…really confused and scared of the world…"
"Why?" the Kangaskhan asked.
Gwyn looked from the corner of her eye. Why? There were so many answers she could give. So many different ways to explain her fears.
Trust issues, being unable to tell whether someone is lying or not. Paranoia, fear of being constantly targeted, even though there is no obvious threat in sight. Weakness, being too frail or not strong enough to defend herself. Lost, unable to deal with the heartache of losing another loved one. Perhaps she suffered from depression as well, as she would still mourn the loss of her mother.
Why? Because she had no one else to turn to. No other family members to raise her. No contact with her father, someone she couldn't remember. No friends, having loss all trust with the outside world. It was just her…only her. No one else.
"Why are you so dead set on helping me?"
The words she said to Flint echoed through her mind. Her mind wandered as she thought back to their conversation.
"Because I've been in your position before."
He lost a parent as well. His father. He knew what it felt like to lose someone dear to him, she could hear it in his voice. And yet, even after going through that, he still had the bravery to move on forward. What made him keep going?
…her mind wandered to Wes. Flint spoke highly of his younger brother. While she wasn't that acquainted with the Umbreon, just hearing about his achievements from his older brother showed the respect he had for him. His cheerful demeanor, his ability to push ahead through tough times…he's the one that helped Flint.
"A true friend always comes back to help a friend in need."
A true friend…he went back to help Wes and Ella. He knew the dangers. Heck, after meeting him for only a moment, she could tell he wasn't too thrilled about fighting…whatever they were fighting up there. Yet, he still went because his friends needed his help.
She never seen such selflessness from anyone…except her mother…
She pulled her forehead off the wall as her eyes widened, shimmering. Her mother sacrificed her life to keep her safe. She fought through the illness to teach her how to survive at such a young age. The gentle glow of her mother burned brightly in her mind, radiating with kindness.
Why? Because she loved her. She would do anything to protect her daughter. And Flint is willing to help her. They all are. Flint trusted her before the cloak fell off. And, even after, he was willing to help, protect, and guide her.
She slowly stood up, wobbling slightly. "Why…?" she mumbled under her breath. The Pokémon tilted their heads as her hands slowly rose up to grab her cloak.
There were Pokémon willing to help her and she almost planned on waiting this entire debacle out like a scared child. She couldn't do that to…her friends. And, from the lack of destruction echoing from up above and the sounds of screechy laughter, they needed her help. She couldn't doubt herself any longer.
Was she scared? No…she was terrified. She was throwing herself into danger without a plan. Without a strategy. Not even the tiniest bit of knowledge on who her opponents were or how to beat them. But she wasn't turning back. Not anymore. Her years of hiding in the dark were done. She wasn't going to stand from the sidelines and let her friends perish.
"Why?" she asked again, a bit louder. She gripped her cloak tightly as she made her way to the exit. "Because I'm afraid of losing everything dear to me." She glared at the ceiling. "I've lived in fear of being targeted for who I am. I had no one to turn to. No one was willing to put themselves out there to help me.
"But they were." She opened the shelter door with a determined glare. "Which is why…I'm not hiding anymore." With that and a flick of her cloak, she walked out of the shelter, with multiple eyes staring at her in awe as the cloak fluttered to the ground with a thud.
The shadows searched over the wreckage from the Final Nightfall spell. There was nothing left from the beams path, not even the remains of any living creature that may have been caught in the blast. While survival was nearly impossible, searching for these three troublemakers was essential.
Floatzel stood by the sidelines with his arms crossed. "Well?"
"Nothing, sir!"
"No traces of them left!"
"They are dead!"
The shadows snickered, happy to have vanquished the nuisances that had stood in the way of their plans. Floatzel, however, wasn't convinced. They were able to hold their ground without any trouble. Even though Final Nightfall was a powerful spell, there was no way it took them out THAT easily.
"Keep looking. We must be sure. Search the area one last time," he ordered. They nodded and searched around again.
As they search, they weren't aware of the small hole of swirling red and green magic poking through space itself. Peering through that hole was a ruby red eye, belonging to Wes. The portal closed and he sighed. "Man, a second later and we would have been dust."
Fortunately, the treasure hunters made it out unscathed. Right before the beam hit them, Wes dragged his friends and himself into the Vortex Amulet. They were currently standing in a plane made up of illuminating white tiles and a dark sky with a tint of purple. This was the inside of the amulet, a collapsed dimension.
Flint flipped through Wes' spell books as he searched for that light spell he wanted. Ella sat off to the side, drink some water from her canteen. While they may have been safe, the shadows will eventually find out about the sudden escape.
The Flareon's paw landed on a page. "Here!" Wes ran over and looked at it. "Lumios Storm. Is this it?"
The Umbreon smiled. "Yep, that's it!"
Ella capped her canteen and put it away. "Fantastic. So what now?"
"I just need to figure out how to do the spell and we're set."
"Good." Ella rubbed her chin as a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Wes…you feel like we forgot something?"
"No, why?"
"I don't know, I just feel like there's something off…"
Their ears perked up upon hearing screeches echo through the plane. They looked up and saw two shadows dive-bomb them with claws extended. They were the shadows Wes dragged in earlier.
Oh, right! Forgot about them! They jumped out of the way and fired Shadow Ball at them. One shadow took the hit while the other lunged at Wes and sliced across his chest.
"Wes!" Flint and Ella shouted.
He skidded across the floor and groaned. His chest had three bleeding slash marks across it. "Well…that stings…" He glanced up as the two shadows lunged at him again. He glared. "Okay, house party's over!" He clapped his paws, sending a ripple throughout the dimension.
In reality, the air rippled before a red and green portal opened up and spat everyone out, reverting back to its amulet form wrapped around Wes' neck. The two unharmed Eeveelutions landed and caught their friend gently.
Floatzel heard the commotion and turned around, smirking. "There you are." He threw a Spear of Darkness at them.
They ducked under it and ran away, to the square in front of the museum. They needed to get Wes bandaged up. But they didn't have any cover.
More Spears of Darkness flew at them. Flint stopped and turned towards them. "Blockade Reflector!" The spears nailed the blue shield, then reflected back at the shadows. They dodged them and fired black flames at them. They ducked under them, feeling the heat rush over their heads. Flint glared and fired Flamethrower.
The shadows dodged once more and swiped the air, knocking them off their feet with shadow winds slamming into them. They smashed into the side of the museum.
Wes groaned as he held his chest. "Not in good condition here…"
Ella glared and stood over Wes, guarding him. "Alright, freaks! If you want that map, you're gonna have to get pass me first!"
"And me!" Flint joined in as he stood over his brother.
Floatzel laughed as he stood in front of the museum, clapping slowly. "I applaud you for your bravery. Protecting your friend with your lives. Truly valiant…" He grinned sadistically. "…but, overall, foolish!" The shadows laughed, irking the two Eeveelutions further.
"I hate to break it to you, Pokémon, but you've lost. I'll give you credit for holding out, not once but, twice against our forces. Certainly something we haven't seen since the war. You're very skilled, most definitely. However, it is useless to resist. We will never tire. We will never stop. And, no matter how many battles you win, we will never lose."
He spread his arms out, charging the two dark orbs from before. He was preparing for a second Final Nightfall. "This is the end for you, Eeveelutions."
The Flareon and Espeon growled lowly. Wes slowly picked himself up, holding his chest with his right foreleg. "We need to stop them."
"Wes, you're injured!" his brother scolded.
The young Ravenfield flashed a cheeky grin. "What? This is merely a scratch." He narrowed his eyes at the possessed Floatzel. "I'm not losing to this joker. I just…need time."
"We can probably hold him off," Ella stated, stepping forward. "But our chances of dodging a second attack like that…not very good."
Flint looked around. Shadows were surrounding them. "And they're preparing for us to use the Vortex Amulet again."
Wes held it up. "We don't have much choice at this point."
Floatzel laughed as he aimed the spell forward, preparing to fire. "This is the end for you, treasure hunters! Any last requests?"
"Well, I can go for an Oran berry smoothie," Wes joked with a smirk.
"Still acting cocky, Umbreon? You're very brave to be facing your inevitable death." The spell slowly took shape, preparing to fire the powerful beam. "Goodbye." The Eeveelutions tensed up as they prepared for the spell.
A seed flew out of nowhere and stuck into Floatzel's fur. He looked down at it in confusion. Suddenly, it sprouted to life, vines surrounding around his body. It wrapped around his hands, canceling his spell. The vines grew red bumps that inflated out, resembling a red fruit with dark red spots.
"What is this?" he questioned slowly, unsure if he should be worried or annoyed.
"Now…explode!" a voice shouted.
The red fruits flashed brightly and exploded, sending a powerful shockwave that destroyed everything within a close radius. The Eeveelutions covered their eyes as dust flew at their faces.
Floatzel stumbled backwards, his body burned beyond belief. As it healed, he looked up with a glare. "Who…is responsible for this?"
Flint narrowed his eyes. "A plant…" He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to Wes. He and Ella had their jaws dropped in shock. He looked where they were staring and gasped with a smile stretching across his face. "Gwyn!"
The green Mew walked into view. Her eyes were narrowed as she made her way closer to the shadows. When she saw these things from a distance, she couldn't help but feel a little worried about fighting them. However, seeing Flint and the others in danger forced her to swallow her nerves and step up. Besides, her fear was being greatly suppressed by a much stronger emotion.
She placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, buster, let's cut to the chase. You came into my city, destroyed many people's homes, and now you're trying to destroy my friends." She glared dangerously. Her tone dripped with venom. "To put it lightly…I'm pissed off." The shadows inched away as her magical aura exploded to life, waving like an intense wildfire.
Wes stuttered loudly. He wasn't sure if was imagining things from blood loss or if he was actually seeing this. "T-That's Gwyn?! Sh-Sh-Sh-She's a…a MEW?!"
Flint smirked. "Yeah, she is."
"You knew?!" Ella shouted. "Why didn't you tell us?!"
"I was a little busy saving your butts," he argued back lightly.
Floatzel finished healing his injuries and glared. "A Mew? How unexpected. Still, a Pokémon is a Pokémon." He snapped his fingers. "Dispose of her."
Five shadows lunged at her with sadistic smirks. Gwyn glared and adjusted her glove. The symbol on the back glowed.
It happened in a flash. A tornado of green slashes engulfed the shadows, leaving them wide eyed in shock. They floated frozen in the air for a moment, unsure what happened, until their bodies were reduced to nothing but wisps.
Floatzel glared as the other shadows stood guard around him. "You have got to be kidding…"
In Gwyn's left hand was a long vine whip. The handle was twisted in a way where she could comfortably grip it. The rest of the vine was covered in sharp thorns. The vine floated around her body, resembling a snake preparing to constrict their prey.
Wes smiled brightly as Ella took medical supplies out of her bag and began treating his wounds. "Oh my Arceus…she is awesome!"
Flint smiled warmly at the Mew. She came back…
Gwyn twirled the whip above her head and whip it down with a loud crack, making the shadows jump. She could feel her blood pumping in excitement. Her heart was beating a million times a minute, just from sheer anticipation. She hasn't been in battle for years, yet she wasn't as rusty as she thought.
She smirked. "Alright…let's see if I still have my fighting spirit."