Chapter 12
Wrath of the Soul
No one spoke. No one moved. Hardly anyone dared breathe. Resistance members and soldiers alike could only stare in awe at the sight before them. The Riolu, the child that, up until that point, had seemed helpless or insignificant, now stood tall over his unconscious friend. The odd silvery fire that suddenly encompassed him burned like a beacon in the slowly dying light of the desert. His eyes, like the light that surrounded him, burned just as brightly, yet held no warmth.
The Riolu exuded an almost palpable pressure, nearly threatening to crush them into the red sand. Slowly, in an almost listless move, Zero turned his head, observing the group with his odd, silver eyes. What was more unnerving, was the emptiness within his silver orbs. They were blank, devoid of any emotion or cognition.
"This is it," Stride murmured, breaking the silence. "The Silver Soul…"
Orion's surprised look faded at Stride's words. "Impossible," he snarled, brow furrowing in annoyance. "The Silver Soul is a myth!"
"Use your eyes, Orion!" Stride snapped. "What else could it be?!"
"I don't know and I don't care! Nothing has changed!" Orion turned to his teammates. "What the hell are you lot standing there for?! We have a job to do!"
Orion's teammates looked uncertain, eyeing the glowing Riolu warily. When none of them made to move towards the Riolu, Orion grew annoyed. "What are you waiting for?! He's just a child! Get over there and—" Orion's next words never left his mouth as, at that moment, Zero's eyes snapped towards him. In a moment, Zero seemed to disappear from his spot and reappear directly in front of Orion. The Lucario only had time to bring up his arm up to defend himself before Zero threw a punch.
Orion grunted in pain at the sudden impact, having brought up his paw to catch the Riolu's punch, before groaning when the pain hit. Orion stumbled back; the bones in his paw vibrating from the Riolu's single punch. The blow itself didn't hurt the Lucario that much compared to some of the other Pokémon he's fought, but it seemed to leave his paw with a burning sensation. Glancing down, the aura Pokémon's eyes widened as he saw wisps of the silver fire clinging to his palm. Exactly where Zero had made contact.
"What…?" Orion didn't get the chance to fully comprehend what was occurring before Zero leapt into the air and delivered a harsh kick to the side of Orion's head, sending the Lucario crashing to the ground several yards away.
Once more, shock overtook the assembled group, their collective gaze split between the Riolu and the downed Lucario. In just a matter of seconds, the ex-resistance member had been struck twice before he could even react by a child of all things. It was simply inconceivable.
From his spot in the sand, Orion groaned. Pushing himself onto his elbows, Orion stared at the Riolu, the odd flame on his paw and the new one on his temple momentarily forgotten. A myriad of emotions filtered across his face, the most prominent being confusion, denial, anger, and a hint of fear. Zero just continued to stare at his evolution, his face remaining unexpressive. His eyes seemingly burning through the Lucario's soul.
Gritting his teeth, Orion hardened his expression. He glared at the stoic Riolu before shifting his gaze to the other soldiers. "Get him!"
The Lucario's shout seemed to rouse his fellow soldiers from their stupor. While many of them still looked unsure, most likely due to how quick the Riolu was in dispatching the Lucario, but Orion's team acted. At once, Undine, Volt, Scorch, and Wisp lunged at the Riolu from all sides in a pincer-like formation. Zero's gaze never left the Lucario, even as the other three soldiers closed in on him, until the last moment when his impassive expression broke, shifting into a feral snarl.
Then he roared.
Immediately, everyone present was forced to cover their ears as the ear-splitting sound. The very air seemed to be distorted by the feral cry as if the Riolu was using Screech, the sand rippling under Zero's shout. Then, just as quickly as it started, the scream ceased bathing the area in silence once more. However, before the soldiers could recover, Zero struck.
Moving just as quickly as he did when attacking Orion, Zero seemingly appeared before the Arcanine. The comparatively massive fire type stared down at the Riolu, his eyes widening in surprise before he was smashed into the sand by a sharp chop to his head.
Roaring in pain, Scorch got back to his feet. He glared hatefully at the Riolu, whose feral glare matched his. Flames burned behind clenched teeth as the Legendary Pokémon prepared to unleash a blast of fire, but just as he began to open his mouth, he was struck again. Flames dissipating, Scorch crashed to the ground, softly groaning.
Zero stared at the prone Arcanine a second longer before leaping away as a torrent of water and a bolt of electricity shot towards him. Hardly pausing to land, Zero shot towards his attackers, focusing on the Vaporeon. Said water type's hackles rose in defiance as she dodged the Riolu's initial strike. Her eyes widened minutely as the sand exploded upward in a large pillar, but she refused to let that deter. Inhaling deeply, the Bubble Jet Pokémon released a large frigid beam of energy that froze the pillar of sand solid before gravity could take hold of it.
Landing lightly on her feet, the Vaporeon smirked at the pillar of opaque ice. She turned her smug expression to Orion, who was still recovering from the blows he had received. "Ha! That wasn't so—" A sharp snap cut through Undine's words, causing her to freeze.
Numerous cracks shot up the frozen pillar, the entire structure creaking ominously before splintering into numerous pieces. Before Undine could react, she felt small, furry fingers curl around her throat. With a choked cry, the Vaporeon was lifted into the air and slammed into the sand with enough force to push the air out of her lungs.
Dazed, Undine struggled weakly against the Riolu's tightening grip. Her eyes met the Riolu's and felt ice grip her heart. Where once, his gaze was blank, Zero's eyes burned with a type of wild fury that the Undine had never experienced before. His mouth was pulled into a vicious snarl, his canines bared in a permanent growl.
The Riolu's grip tightened, causing Undine to choke. Her struggles picked up, her heartrate spiking. Genuine fear gripped her like a frigid claw. Despite her struggles, the child's grip only tightened, burning pain surrounding her throat as whatever energy that surrounded the young Emanation Pokémon burned her neck. She gaped, trying to get air, but the Riolu didn't relent.
The Riolu…he wasn't the child from before. No, not anymore. In its place was a monster and Undine was sure that that this monster was going to kill her.
Just as the edges of her vision began to blacken, Volt joined the fray. With a wild gleam in his eye, he shot forward, a white light encompassing his body, increasing his speed. Just as the large mouse was about to strike, Zero released the Vaporeon, spun around, and kicked the Raichu away. With a pained cry, Volt managed to right himself and land on all fours. With a growl, he lifted his head to glare at the impudent child that had just attacked him, only to balk when said child was right in front of him.
The Riolu growled wildly, his teeth bared into a snarl. A spark of recognition flickered within the Riolu's eyes and his growl became more menacing, his eyes flashing wildly. With a roar, Zero lunged forward, forcing Volt to jump back. Gritting his teeth, Volt unleashed a point-blank Thunderbolt at Riolu as he struck the ground, the ensuing light and explosion, obscuring his vision. Not even a second passed before Zero burst from the smoke, appearing unfazed by the attack, and punched the startled Raichu in the stomach.
Coughing violently, the Mouse Pokémon felt his feet leave the ground, his entire body lifted into the air from the force of Zero's punch. Hardly able to regain his bearings, Volt cried out in pain as a sharp pain shot through his lower back. Zero, just as Volt had begun to ascend from the force of the blow he had received, had managed to grab the Raichu's wire-like tail, completely stopping Volt's momentum. With a roar, Zero slammed the Raichu into the ground.
Volt cried out in pain, hardly able to breath and unable to move. Zero growled lowly, moving to continue his attack on the downed Pokémon. Before he could attack, however, a sphere of dark energy exploded against his back.
Zero stumbled slightly, but remained standing. Straightening, Zero turned towards Wisp, a growl on his lips. Wisp, took a step back, fear shooting through them as the wild glare focused on them. However, their fear was quick to pass as a thought occurred to them. The Riolu had simply been throwing punches. Simple attacks like that would do nothing to a ghost type. They were perfectly safe. The ghost type's thoughts came to a crashing halt as the Riolu was suddenly in front of them, his arm knocked back in preparation for a punch.
Their single eye widened as they instinctively moved backwards, but was unable to move out of the way of the punch heading towards them. The Beckon Pokémon only had time to think of how futile the Riolu's attempt at punching a ghost type before they felt the harsh impact.
Their single eye widened momentarily, their mind struggling to comprehend what had happened. It wasn't an attack. The Riolu hadn't used a move. He had simply punched the Dusclops. The attack shouldn't have even been able to touch them! What was—?
Everything stopped. Wisp's eyes contracted; their mind blank.
Then he screamed.
Wisp fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, writhing in pain. The odd light that stuck to wherever Zero touched, burning almost more violently on Wisp than their fellow soldiers. Upon closer inspection, visible lines, stemming from the odd light, spread a short distance across their body, almost as if they were cracks in his body.
Wisp's screams soon died down, turning to ragged pants as their struggled to stand. Just being touched by the Riolu had caused a startling amount of pain. Their entire body shivered violently against their will; their very being, the bits and pieces that made up their body, was struggling to stay together. It was like a single punch from the fighting type was enough to cause his very being to fall apart!
Wisp's single eye narrowed in fury up at the Riolu, who had lost his almost feral expression, reverting to the passive state he had been in at the beginning. Around the Riolu, the other members of Orion's team were beginning to get to their feet, all of them wearing murderous looks on their faces. Without a single word being uttered between them, they all charged at the Riolu.
Zero didn't react to the four soldiers closed in on him at first. He simple stood there; staring straight ahead with his empty gaze. It was only when the four of them were moments away from striking him that he moved. Moving faster than any of the soldiers could react, Zero crossed his arms across his chest before throwing them outward with a loud shout. Immediately, the silvery aura that surrounded him pulsed and flared ferociously. In the next moment, it erupted outward, reminiscent of Zero's Vacuum Wave, but on a much grander scale, completely engulfing Zero's attackers in silver light.
All this happened in the span of a single second. In the next, Undine, Volt, Scorch, and Wisp were all flung across the sand, seemingly unconscious. Around them, the spectators stared in shock at what had just transpired.
"Wh-What's going on?" the Typhlosion demanded, eyes blown wide with fear and shock. "How is this happening, Orion?!"
"I don't know!" Orion snapped angrily. This wasn't going at all like he had planned. It was supposed to be a simple mission. Destroy the Groudon Division, interrogate Stride, and kill him when he didn't give them answers. None of this was supposed to happen!
Orion grit his teeth. His burning eyes focused on Zero, the cause of all this. The little upstart just had to sit there and be silent and he would have been perfectly fine. Instead, he had to go and awaken…whatever the hell this was!
Orion's own aura flared, a deep blue, almost purple color. A long bone appeared in his paw. Silver Soul or not, the little brat would not stand in his way!
Orion shot forward with staff in hand. With a silent growl, he swung his Bone Rush at the Riolu, seeking to knock him out before he could do any more damage, but he never got the chance. Just as the attack was about to make contact, his attack was suddenly stopped. Orion couldn't even begin to hold back his shock as he stared down at the Riolu that was holding his Bone Rush attack.
Zero turned his head to looked at Orion, his expression slowly shifting from blank to a deadly snarl. Orion would never admit it, but he started shaking under the intensity of the look. His grip on his weapon slackened and he took an involuntary step back. Before he even realized what was happening, a heavy blow and sent him sprawling across the sand.
Coughing, Orion pushed himself onto his elbows, staring up in horror at the encroaching Riolu. "What…are you?"
Zero didn't respond. He simply raised his paw towards the Lucario. The swirling silver light surrounding Zero slowly began to slither towards his outstretched paw, coalescing into a small orb of aura. Seeing this, Orion's eyes, if possible, widened even further as he recognized the attack.
"Aura Sphere…but that's impossible!"
Zero just snarled in response. He was about to unleash his attack, to eradicate the Pokémon before him. Just as he was about to do so and fire his attack, a Shadow Ball shot towards him, impacting against the silver sphere, causing both attacks to detonate.
Zero cried out in pain, thrown backwards by the explosion. He collapsed to the ground, but he quickly returned to his feet. Pain lanced through his paw, cutting through the fog that clouded the Riolu's mind. For a moment, he wondered where he was and what was going on, then he saw Wisp, his attacker.
Immediately, fury surrounded the young Riolu's mind, sending his consciousness back into the recesses of his mind, leaving fury in its wake. With an animalistic roar, Zero rushed towards the Dusclops, the aura around his paws morphing to form sharp claws, the silvery light becoming more opaque.
Wisp startled, stepping backwards at the sudden burst of movement. Narrowing their eye, they shot a shadow encased punch towards the emanation Pokémon, forcing the Riolu to abandon his charge in order to avoid the attack. Smirking, Wisp flicked their hand to the side, causing the shadowy fist to make a U-turn, once more heading straight towards Zero. Sensing the attack, Zero dodged again, but Wisp just moved their hand again, causing their attack to change course.
"Running is futile against my Shadow Punch!" Wisp boasted; his earlier fear forgotten. "I can control the direction it takes and the attack won't stop until it hits you! Even if there is a mountain in its way, you won't esc—"
After moving out of the way of the fist for the fourth time, seemingly annoyed, Zero spun around and slashed at the attack with his ethereal claws. There was a sharp hiss before the shadows burst like a balloon, wisps of dark energy fluttering towards the ground before dispersing like smoke.
"Wha—" Wisp didn't even get the chance fully react before Zero was upon him once again.
Wisp screeched in agony as Zero's silver claws wrenched through their body, leaving glowing claw marks across their stomach. More jagged lines appeared on their body, almost completely encompassing them. A dark, smoke-like mist began to pour from the claw marks. They fell to their knees, hands braced against the sand. There was no mistaking it now, their body was vibrating, shifting in various directions before coming back together. This repeated several times.
Still shifting, Wisp looked up at the Riolu that was now standing before them. One fear addled red eye met blank yet burning silver. Slowly, Zero raised his paw, a sphere of silver light beginning to coalesce into a familiar sphere. Raspy pants filtered out from the ghost type's as they struggled to maintain a hold on their form. Frantically, their eye swiveled to Orion, a desperate gleam in their eye.
"Please! Orion! Help me!" they shouted desperately; reaching out a shifting hand towards Orion.
The Lucario in question physically recoiled, his eyes darting between Wisp and Zero. Steeling his expression, he turned to his fellow soldiers. "We're leaving."
"What?!" the Typhlosion exclaimed. "We're just leaving?! What about our task?!"
"Our task was to bring down the Groudon Division and garner information regarding the Silver Soul." Orion cast another glance at the Riolu. "And we have completed both of those tasks."
"O-Orion?" Wisp questioned.
The Lucario didn't even bother looking at the Beacon Pokémon. He addressed the rest of the assembled soldiers. "We're moving out! Quickly, while we still can!"
"Orion, PLEASE!" Wisp screamed in desperation. They tried to crawl towards him, but they collapsed, their entire body shifting violently. "Don't leave me!"
Without so much as a passing glance towards their 'ally', the group of soldiers all fled across the desert. Orion paused only long enough to send one last hateful glare towards Stride (though it was ignored as the Greninja was watching the battle fixatedly) before turning tail and running, leaving Wisp to their fate.
Despair fell upon Wisp like a boulder, their outstretched hand falling limply onto the sand. They had left them. Left them to die. Empty red eyes looked up at their executioner. They couldn't move, they couldn't fight. They could only remain still and watch as the Riolu unleashed his attack; the blinding light of the ensuing explosion being the last thing that they saw.
-Resistance-
Stride swallowed thickly; his mouth rather dry from the long explanation he had just given. Before him, the three members of the Tribunal sat in silence, digesting the events that had just heard.
"And after resistance member Zero unleashed his final attack, there was no trace of this Wisp character save for a few wisps of black smoke?" Regulus questioned.
"That is correct," Stride responded. "After that, Zero passed out and I returned with those the survived the siege. I believe the majority of them are still in the clinic. If you wish, I'm sure they could confirm what I have told you."
"There is no need," Regulus said with a dismissive wave. "We have already conferred with those that returned from the Groudon Division, including your other protégé, Furno. Their stories do seem to match your own…"
"This…can't be real," Roman said in disbelief.
"It is very real," Stride confirmed. "It is as I said, the Silver Soul exists within Zero."
"This is impossible. I can't believe this!" Roman shouted, banging his clawed fist against the table before him. "The Silver Soul is just a myth!"
"Then how do you explain the corroborating statements of those that witnessed the events?" Katherine questioned. "Three others confirmed everything that Stride has told us. Including the fate of the Dusclops, Wisp."
"It could have been some kind of technique!" Roman argued. "From what they described, it could have easily have been Final Gambit!"
"Final Gambit does not cause a silver aura to surround the user nor allow a Pokémon to damage a ghost type without using a move."
Roman growled; his expression mutinous, but he was unable to come up with any way to refute his fellow Tribunal member. "Fine!" he snapped. "Let's say we believe that this…child possesses the prophesized power said to be the key to defeating a 'Great Darkness', what do we do now?"
"We finally start fighting back," Stride stated.
"Start fighting back?" Roman repeated, appearing to be taken aback. His confusion soon turned to anger as he roared at the Greninja. "We have been doing nothing but fight back for decades!"
"No, we have been surviving," Stride refuted calmly. "We haven't initiated in conflict with the Emperor's forces in years, we have only responded to their attacks. It is no secret that we have been losing territory and the attack on the Groudon Division is proof that the Emperor is growing bolder in their attacks. With the Silver Soul, we finally have the means to take back Lyore!"
"Do you intend to send a child to fight our battle?!" Katherine asked, alarmed by the Greninja's insinuation.
"Of course not. At least…not right away," Stride answered. "As he is now, Zero has little to no control over the Silver Soul. He will need to train the ability if we wish to win this war."
"We can't just pin all our hopes on one child!" Roman argued.
"That child is our only chance at survival!" Stride shouted back. "We've been fighting a losing battle for years now! Now matter how many recruits we get, or how long we hold the few territories we currently have, that fact will always remain. We need the Silver Soul if we want to have any hope of winning this war!"
Roman growled dangerously, his claws digging into the table as he struggled not to lose his temper. He might have failed in this task had Regulus not reached over and placed a calming hand on the dragon's shoulder.
"Calm yourself Roman. There is no reason to get worked up. Regardless of whether or not the Silver Soul will end this conflict, it is undeniably a useful asset." The Haxorus grumbled incoherently, but seemed to calm down, though he was openly glaring at the Greninja.
"What I wish to know is what exactly this Silver Soul is," Katherine mused. "The increase of power can be overlooked, as several known moves are able to do the same thing, but the effects it had on Wisp…"
Regulus interlaced his fingers in contemplation. "Hmm… The Silver Soul. A soul as pure and pristine as silver…"
"Regulus?" Katherine questioned.
Regulus frowned in thought. "There are many theories onto how ghost types came into being. While it is true that ghost types require some vestiges of sleep, food, water, and air, the amount they require varies from ghost type to ghost type, but it is still less than any other known type. Because of this, it is suspected that they possess a different physiology than other Pokémon, however, due to their body's rate of decomposition, there have been no extensive autopsies on a ghost type. That's not even including the fact that some ghost types simply fade away when they die."
"But Dusclops are not known to simply fade with they pass," Katherine pointed out. "Do you believe that this ability has something to do with how Wisp passed."
"I do," Regulus confirmed. "One of the theories that I mentioned is that ghost types are the amalgamations of a dying Pokémon's last wish, personal grudges that transcend even death, or even an undying will to live. In other words, it is believed that ghost types are the souls of the fallen."
"So what?" Roman questioned.
"I believe, that whatever this power is, it targets a victim's very soul and damages it," Regulus answered.
"It…targets a Pokémon's soul?" Katherine asked, eyes wide in surprise.
"I had a similar thought," Stride said. "It would make sense that a ghost type, a theorized entity comprised entirely of a soul energy, or aura, if you are to believe the teachings of past Lucario, it would make since that the power of the Silver Soul would be highly effective against ghost types."
"And the rumors that the Emperor is in fact a ghost type…" Katherine began.
"It would mean that Zero is our best chance at defeating the Emperor," Stride finished. "And for that reason…he needs to be trained."
As the quartet continued to converse, the subject of their discussion slept on, oblivious to the plans being made around him on both sides.
