Chapter 10: Pushed To The Limit
Giovanni eyed the two combatants with great interest. He had heard rumors about the hostilities between Firefly and Stonehenge, but this was the first time he had actually seen those hostilities himself. As soon as he noticed the two Pokémon eyeing each other he knew this would be an incredibly violent battle.
"Well, it seems we've finally found an opponent 01 doesn't mind going all-out against," he said. At that time one of the scientists made an important discovery.
"Sir, I'm getting strange readings from 01," he said.
"What do you mean 'strange readings'?" Giovanni asked.
"I don't know how it happened sir, but the limits on 01's abilities have been removed. She's fighting at full power," he replied. Many of the other scientists stared at him out of fear. They knew what that meant. They remembered what happened last time. Giovanni didn't forget either.
"Monitor her closely during the battle. Alert me the moment it appears as though 'she' will awaken," he ordered.
"Yes sir," the scientist replied. Giovanni turned his eyes back to the battle. He now had a new reason to observe.
"Come 01. Let her out again. Show me your dark side once more," he said.
Inside of her living quarters Tamra was also watching the battle. She had long since wired her television (thanks to the help of some Electric Pokémon she befriended) to be able to watch the battles taking place inside the battlefield. Once she heard that Firefly would be one of the battling Pokémon she made sure she wasn't going to miss the battle. And once she saw that it was Stonehenge she was battling she knew things could possibly get ugly.
"Good luck, Firefly... and please be careful," she said.
The group had gathered inside of Firefly's den. They couldn't believe that Giovanni had to pick now of all times to call Firefly in for a battle.
"I swear that guy has the worst timing in the world," Farris said. "It's almost like he knew we were meeting here to discuss our escape plan."
"Let's hope not or all of our planning would be for nothing," Aqua said.
"I'm sure Giovanni knows nothing about our plans. This is all just coincidence," Indigo said.
"Coincidence or not the timing is still awful," Rusty said.
"I have to agree," Pearl said as she chewed some ice out of a bag she had with her.
"Too bad we can't be there to support Firefly right now," Mayim said.
"I know," Rubic said. "I wish there was some way we could at least watch her battle." As soon as she said that the room was filled with a bright purple glow. Seconds later the glow faded, revealing what looked like a portal in the middle of the room.
"What the?! Where did that come from?!" Aqua asked.
"I created it." Everyone turned towards the voice to find it was Hoshiko who spoke, the star mark on her forehead giving off a faint purple glow.
"Wait... you mean... but how?!" Shadow said, not able to speak full sentences due to his shock at what he just saw. The others, having seen the same thing, were shocked as well.
"I guess I forgot to mention my powers," Hoshiko said. "You see, I've been given wish-granting powers by Jirachi."
"You mean you can grant wishes?" Mayim asked.
"If it is within my power," Hoshiko replied.
"Wow. So that makes you a chosen as well," Rubic said. Hoshiko looked at her, a confused look on her face.
"Chosen? What do you mean by that?" she asked.
"It's the title we've given to Pokémon that have been given special powers or abilities from one of the Pokémon of the Elder Council," Rusty explained. "Firefly and Indigo are Ho-oh's chosen, Rubic is Celebi's chosen and from what we can tell you've been selected as Jirachi's chosen."
"Ah, I understand now," Hoshiko said.
"Hey! We're getting a picture!" Shadow said. All of the Pokémon gathered around the view screen Hoshiko created and waited to see what was appearing. Once the picture was clear they saw it showed the inside of the battlefield where Firefly was.
"Alright! We get to see the battle!" Shadow cheered.
"Hey! There's Firefly!" Rubic said. Right in the center of the screen was Firefly, obviously ready for battle.
"She looks ready," Indigo commented. "I wonder who she's battling?" The screen panned out to give them a better view of the battle. Once it was far enough for them to see her opponent the emotions in the den were a mix of surprise and anger.
"It's Stonehenge!" Aqua yelled.
"I don't believe it!" Pearl yelled. "Of all the Pokémon here she ended up battling him!"
"I'll never forgive him for what he said about Stickers!" Rubic yelled. "Go on, Firefly! Tear him apart!"
"You know she can't hear you, right," Mayim pointed out.
"So?! It makes me feel better!" Rubic replied. While the others voiced their opinions on the battle Indigo and Farris were silently hoping and praying that Firefly would be able to keep control throughout the battle.
"Come on, Firefly. I know you can do this," Indigo said.
"Please... please don't lose control," Farris said.
The tension down on the battlefield was about as thick as you could get. Both Firefly and Stonehenge were glaring holes straight through one another. If it wasn't obvious before it was clear now that these two did not like each other. The two pawed the ground, each one waiting for the other to make the first move.
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this day," Stonehenge said. "Today, I'll finally be rid of you."
"You really think I'm going to make it that easy, Stone?" Firefly replied.
"Oh, I hope you put up a fight," Stone replied. "That'll just make my victory over you that much more satisfying!" With a loud battle cry Stonehenge charged Firefly with a barrage of Fury Swipes. Firefly used her wings to deflect his attacks while she backed away from him. Then, once she saw an opening, she spun around and delivered a kick to his jaw. The attack knocked him back a bit, but didn't keep him away for very long. As soon as Firefly was facing him again she had to jump out of the way of a Slash attack. From there he went right back into Fury Swipes. Once again Firefly found herself dodging until she found an opening. But instead of delivering a kick she struck him in his stomach with a Quick Attack. But she didn't stop there as she took flight and drove him across the battlefield, slamming him into a boulder. She backed off and let him fall to the ground.
"Just give it up, Stone. You're not strong enough to defeat me," Firefly said in a calm voice. Stonehenge just looked up and glared at Firefly.
"It's... not always the strongest that wins, you know," he said. "Sometimes... it's the smartest!" The next thing Firefly knew she had been blinded by a paw-full of dirt that Stonehenge threw in her eyes. As she tried to regain her vision Stonehenge went on the attack. He caught Firefly with a Slash attack, knocking her back. Stonehenge continued his offensive by knocking up into the air with a Headbutt. He then jumped into the air and slammed her back down with a well-placed Iron Tail. Firefly tried to catch her breath but Stonehenge wasn't about to give her time. He bit down hard on her hind leg and slammed her hard on the ground. Stonehenge backed away and spat, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Firefly trying to fly away.
"And where do you think you're going?!" he yelled. He jumped into the air and came down on her back, forcing her down to the ground. He then slashed her wing, leaving a deep gash that left her grounded for the time being.
"That should keep your ass grounded," he said. He then stepped back and admired his handiwork. His eyes soon fell on her leg, which still bore the bite marks from earlier, blood trickling from the wounds.
"That leg's a real eye-sore," he said. "I think I'll just get rid of it!" He bit down on her leg again and started pulling, trying to rip it off. Firefly screamed in pain. She was confident that at the rate he was going she'd leave with only three legs. In a desperate move Firefly started kicking him with her free leg. After a few good shots Stonehenge released her and stumbled back.
"Now's my chance!" Firefly yelled. She dove at him and bit down on his neck. Stonehenge tried to throw her off, but Firefly refused to let go. After a few seconds a red aura surrounded both of their bodies. Stonehenge could feel energy slowly leaving his body. He now knew what was happening.
"Damn! She's using Leech Life to try and restore her power!" He started thrashing around, trying to shake Firefly loose. But she would not be denied. She hung on, all the while draining energy from Stonehenge. After a few seconds he was able to knock her free with a well-placed Slash. He then spun around and slammed her with an Iron Tail. Fortunately for her Firefly was able to drain enough energy to heal herself to the point where she could move without much pain. However she still needed more to be able to fully heal herself. Stonehenge, however, wasn't about to let that happen. He glared at her while rubbing his neck where she bit him. Meanwhile Firefly was spitting like mad.
"Damn! You taste like week-old Tauros shit!" she yelled. Stonehenge ignored her insult and continued to glare at her. He had no idea she had so many different moves at her disposal. Right at that moment a smirk found it way to his face.
"I see you've got a few new tricks," he said. "Of course, I do too. In fact, I've been hiding one from you this whole time!" He placed his paws on the ground and concentrated.
"Just what the hell is he doing?" Firefly said to herself. Her question was soon answered when seconds later a large 20-foot rock slab shot up out of the ground. Firefly looked on in awe.
"You see, thanks to the Rock DNA Giovanni so graciously decided to inject my body with I can now manipulate the ground itself!" Stonehenge yelled. Then, with one swipe of his paw, he sent the large slab falling towards Firefly. Firefly did nothing but watch as the massive rock slab crashed down on top of her. Stonehenge couldn't help but smile at what he had just done.
"So long. You'll be a thorn in my side no longer," he said.
The scientists were in a state of shock. Never in their wildest dreams did they ever think that a Pokémon other than 02 would be able to defeat 01. And yet here was a relatively unknown (or at least in their eyes) Pokémon that had just crushed their most powerful experiment. Even Giovanni was impressed.
"Seems we have some Pokémon that need a closer look," he said while looking at Stonehenge.
"S-Sir... w-what should..."
"I want all results of this battle on my desk tomorrow morning," Giovanni said. "This one appears to have a great deal of promise." Giovanni would take great pleasure in testing out the possible capabilities of this one.
Everyone in the cave was silent. They had just witnessed Firefly being defeated, possibly killed. No one knew what to think... what to do... what to say. Then, after a few seconds, Rubic started walking towards the view screen.
"No... I don't believe this... I won't believe this. She can't be dead! She can't be!" Rusty walked up to his sister and placed a paw on her shoulder. She looked back at him with pleading eyes, tears threatening to pour out.
"You... You don't think... she's dead, do you?" she asked.
"I don't know what to think right now," Rusty replied. He then looked back towards Indigo. Rubic followed his gaze.
"Well? What do you think? You're real close to her," he said. Indigo closed his eyes and tried to pick up on something, anything that would let him know whether Firefly was alive or not. After a few minutes he opened his eyes.
"I can sense her," he said. All eyes in the room fell on him.
"You mean?" Rubic asked.
"Yeah. She's still alive."
Giovanni was about to announce the end of the battle when one of the scientists made a discovery.
"Sir, 01 is still alive!" He looked at the scientist, not fully believing what he said.
"Are you sure?' Giovanni asked.
"Her vital signs are still strong, sir," the scientist replied. He stepped to the side so Giovanni could see the monitor in front of him. It showed that the vital signs of both Pokémon, Stonehenge and Firefly, were still showing strong readings.
"Very well. Continue the battle," he said. He went back to observing. However, he had no idea how Firefly survived, or where she was.
"Where are you, 01? Where are you hiding?"
Stonehenge was growing impatient. He had defeated his opponent. Hell, he even killed her. Yet he hadn't been allowed to leave yet.
"Hey! What's the damn hold-up?!" he yelled. "I'm supposed to be out of here already!"
"Your opponent still lives," Giovanni said over the loud speaker.
"What?!" Stone yelled. "That's impossible! Didn't you see me crush her under that rock?! There's no way in hell she survived!"
"But she did. Now continue the battle!" Stonehenge let out a frustrated growl as he searched the battlefield for any sign of Firefly. He didn't know how she survived, but when he found her he'd finish the job.
"Firefly! Where the hell are you?!" he yelled. While he searched Firefly was perfectly hidden in the shadows.
"Man, that was a close one," she whispered. "Good thing Empress Ho-oh awakened the rest of my abilities or I'd be a goner right now." She kept her eyes on Stonehenge as he walked all over the battlefield looking for her. Under normal circumstances there was no way she'd need to hide from him. But with the injuries to her leg and wing she'd be taking a huge risk attacking him. She had to heal herself, but there wasn't enough sunlight for Synthesis to be all that effective.
"Darn! If I can't use Synthesis then how am I going to... hold on. Maybe there is another way." She closed her eyes and concentrated. Shortly after her body gave off a dark glow. At first it appeared to be doing nothing, but moments later the gash on her wing vanished as did the bite marks on her leg. With her wounds healed Firefly let the glow fade away.
"Good thing I remembered Moonlight," she said. Now back at full strength she focused her attention back on Stonehenge, who was standing very close to a large area of shadows. Firefly smirked as something came to mind.
"Time for me to have a bit of fun," she said. Then, she completely faded into the shadows.
Stonehenge's frustration was starting to give way to nervousness. After searching for nearly 15 minutes he was starting to wonder if maybe Firefly was stalking him while he searched for her. He slowly walked around, making sure to keep very aware of his surroundings.
"Alright, Firefly! Enough hiding! Come out here and fight!" he yelled, trying to hide the fear in his voice.
"Aw, is little Stonehenge getting scared?" Firefly asked. Stonehenge spun around to see if he could find her. But the strange thing was that her voice seemed to be coming from everywhere.
"Where are you?!" Stone asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Firefly replied. Stone spun around and nervously backed up, coming very close to a large shadowed area. Then, a pair of glowing eyes appeared. That was followed by a long vine coming out of the shadows.
"I'm not kidding here! Get out here!" Stone yelled.
"I have a better idea," Firefly replied. "Why don't you come in." Then, the vine shot forward and wrapped around Stone's neck. He tried to claw the vine off, but before he could he was pulled into the shadows. Then, all was quiet.
After the initial shock of seeing Stonehenge being pulled into the shadows died down everyone waited to see what would happen next. The wait wasn't that long. A couple of minutes later Stonehenge emerged from the shadows, apparently thrown by something or someone, and slammed into a boulder. Then, Firefly calmly walked out. Stonehenge glared at her, his faced a mixture of anger and fear.
"You... How did you do that?!" he demanded.
"You're not the only one that's been hiding a few tricks," Firefly replied. "Now I'm going to ask you again. Give it up." It was one thing for Stonehenge to be beaten, but for his opponent to make a fool of him like Firefly was. That was crossing the line in his opinion.
"Give up? Give up?! I'll show you!" With that Stonehenge charged her, attacking like mad. Normally Firefly would be able to handle him, but in his current state of mind his attacks were wild and unpredictable. Firefly was finding it almost impossible to anticipate where the next attack would come from. She knew that it was only a matter of time before he landed a lucky blow. She had no idea how right she was as the 'luck blow' came shortly after when she took too long to recover from a near miss. Stonehenge managed to catch her with a Slash attack that momentarily stunned her. Seeing his opportunity he slammed her with a Headbutt, sending her crashing into a boulder. The violent impact caused the top of the boulder to break off and fall on top of Firefly's wing, pinning her to the ground. As Firefly tried to pull her wing free Stonehenge saw this as his opportunity to get back on the attack.
"I won't let you get away!" he yelled. He then slammed his paw on the ground, causing four boulder to shoot into the air. With her wing trapped there was no way Firefly could dodge the attack. With no other option she fired off a Flamethrower to try and destroy the boulders before the came down on top of her. Though her attack was strong a Fire type attack would have little to no effect on a Rock type attack. In the end the only thing her Flamethrower did was delay the impact. The boulders slammed on top of her, trapping her inside. With Firefly completely at the mercy of his Rock Tomb Stonehenge started to speak.
"I told you... that you were weak," he said. "You and all of those pathetic friends of yours, you're all weak. Just like that Lickitung. The only difference is that Giovanni saw fit to end her miserable existence instead of pampering her like he is you." With every word he spoke the anger inside of Firefly grew. She glared at him with eyes that held a killing intent.
"You had better hope I don't break out of here, Stonehenge," she said, "because when I do I'm going to..."
"Kill you..." Firefly's body froze. Her mouth hung open and her eyes grew wide out of fear. That voice was one she recognized, one she hoped she'd never hear again. And yet, here it was again. That only meant one thing.
'She' was back.
Firefly's battle with Stonehenge had just taken a turn for the worse when she found herself trapped within a Rock Tomb. But just when it appeared as though things couldn't get any worse a part of Firefly's past that she hoped was gone for good made itself known. Who's voice is it? And what does this mean for the rest of the battle? Find out in the next chapter of Firefly: Queen of the New Breed!
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