Chapter 14: The Midnight Wolves
Up in the Pokémon Heavens, Arceus and the other legends were extremely observant...
In the Wellspring Cave, Pikachu, Fraxure, and Samurott were intensely focused...
In the Diamond Domain, it was deathly silent with Princess Diancie showing her signature glare of determination along with Dace…
Why?
Because it was finally time for Meloetta and Jaymes to begin the ultimate training quest for the Dragobsidianite and the corresponding key stone in Unashi Forest.
We last left our lovely couple just entering the dense forest with none of the blood-thirsty Midnight Wolves in sight just yet. They were now in a wide open grassy plain with approximately ten trees surrounding them and various rocks as well. When they faced each other, that's when the training was officially underway.
"Alright, Meloetta." Jaymes started in a strict tone of his extremely deep voice, which didn't make her shiver for the first time since they met. "First of all, do you know which Fighting-Type moves you can learn?"
"Close Combat, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Low Kick, Wake-Up Slap, Rock Smash, Low Sweep, Power-Up Punch, and Focus Blast." Meloetta replied briefly. The young aspiring ninja nodded in understanding with crossed arms, making him appear full of authority. "The only one I remember using before the humans disappeared is Close Combat, but since I lost it, well…"
"A move like that can really help you out since you've got Aria Balance. That sounds like a move that has negative effects."
"It lowers both defenses."
"And with Aria Balance, you can raise up your defenses with it and Genesect will have no idea." If that'll be the case, then I sure do hope that the Dragobsidian has a unique ability to match it. "You wanna bring that move back?"
"It helped me out before and it can really do it again, yes." Right at that last word, a pleasant chime was heard from the MoveDex tablet and they both turned towards it with surprise before Jaymes volunteered to check it out. He jumped with wide eyes as he saw it:
"You've just learned Close Combat without even trying." Wow… that was fast.
"If only learning new moves was that easy for real…" Hearing that sarcastic tone in the Harmony Pokémon's adorable voice made him chuckle as he stood up with the tablet still in his hand.
"Heh, well… we'll just have to keep it moving and then, we can just focus on turning these last four fighting type moves into ninjitsu moves. I have a good feeling that you'll be the best kunoichi since my Mother's rise to the top in the Street Fighter tournaments." I hope I don't take the word 'legend' off of her résumé, though. "Now, I'm guessing you'll want Drain Punch next, right?"
"Power-Up Punch." Another chime. Jaymes raised an eyebrow with astonishment, but before could ask why… "I have Recover."
"…oh. Of course. I'm looking right at it, too." The young ninja blushed after that was said and this made Meloetta giggle.
"Awww, it's okay. You're excited to teach me."
"Thanks. That made me feel better. Now, you mentioned Focus Blast, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, if we can make it look like a more powerful version of my Mother's famous Yoroitoshi, it'll provide ten times more damage. Give him a taste of what he nearly did to you prior to your arrival here in this world."
"That's perfect!" Another chime rang in and there was Focus Blast in the eighth slot. "There's one more slot left before the locked move."
"Choose wisely now, Meloetta." And it's taking me a little bit of time to think. Having Focus Blast will possibly set off an unexpected explosion, Close Combat will make me defensively stronger, and Power-Up Punch will double my attack at each hit. So, what to use last? Hmmmm… "…Low Kick." One last chime and this made the young ninja raise an eyebrow with a smirk on his face, making his anomalous eyes look extremely sexy towards the Harmony Pokémon. Ohhhhh, my… Something else is vibrating and it's not my treble clef. It's between my legs and it's getting wet as well. "Uh, does that not impress you?"
"It does." Jaymes admitted as he now saw that there was only one move left for her to learn and it still remained in stone with a padlock. "What I'm wondering is what exactly is the difference between Low Kick and Low Sweep?"
"Low Sweep causes damage that varies on the weight of a Pokémon. Low Kick causes normal damage, but can lower an opponent's speed by a level."
"Ah! That makes sense. Well, Meloetta. We're ready…" A howl was heard and it was awfully close. "…and right on time. Are you ready to fight like a ninja?"
"Yes." This is it now. No turning back for either of us. We either live, retrieve the Dragobsidianite, and fight Genesect… or fail and die. It's a risky gamble than betting on a Pokémon battle's conclusion, especially Ash's battles.
A few seconds later, about ten Midnight Wolves appeared before the couple in a circle that never intimidated them. They had pitch black fur that was ruffled without care all over and their eyes glowed a solid blood red as they snarled with immense amounts of drool from their sharp jaws. Jaymes and Meloetta both kept their strong fighting stances in check with their backs against each other for added security as they carefully watched the blood-thirsty pack circle them like prey. Two slow minutes went by before Jaymes decided to finally give his Harmony Pokémon girlfriend a first lesson.
"Remember how I told you that flight doesn't solve everything?" He whispered low enough for only Meloetta to hear and she slightly nodded so as not to risk making any sudden movements. "Well, this is where it comes to play. In a moment, they'll start attacking us and since there's 10 of them, you can handle one half while I handle the other. I've noticed that you've got excellent flexibility and stamina since I've met you. Try to use those skills WITHOUT your telekinetic flight whilst fighting these dangerous wolves. I have complete faith in you, Meloetta. Just focus on your targets. Don't worry about me." How can I not? Why if you get devoured? "Understand?" Again, Meloetta nodded slightly to avoid provoking the perilous dogs early. "Alright. You've got the moves. Let's do this!"
Right at that last word, Jaymes pulled out six kunai knives and that immediately pissed five wolves off as they made a leap for him, but he jumped out of the way to dodge them and throw several knives at them. Seeing that attack prompted the other half of wolves to do the same towards Meloetta and she miraculously made a perfect set of three quick roundhouse kicks in the same manner as Ibuki, knocking them all back to their feet, but they immediately sprung right back at her as she started a serious combo towards them one at a time. It was like a massacre version of Close Combat and at every hit, she gained more defensive power. During that time, she managed to hold down one wolf atop of its head as she did a sultry one-handed cartwheel while she used Psychic with that one hand, rendering him dead instantly and the kicks from the cartwheel knocked two wolves down upon their heads, landing nose first into the stone cold dirt before she regained her composure quickly enough to follow-up with a Focus Blast shoot out from her slender hands towards two more wolves behind the unconscious ones, sending them flying away into the distance with howls emitting from them on the way. That gave her a sense that more reinforcements were approaching after that, but she maintained focus as there were still two more wolves to be dealt with until then. She kept her brave fighting stance in check as she watched the two unconscious wolves carefully. She promised herself not to worry about Jaymes and kept it.
As for the young ninja, he just made a ten-point landing on top of two out of the five wolves he had to deal with and, with a blood-curdling sound of two head cracking simultaneously, he rendered them dead in an instant, leaving just three wolves left for him. They were left unscathed from the kunai attack at the very start of the fight, but they stalked him with snarls and red eyes that were full of revenge. He kept his feet on the two dead monsters as he got back in a defensive stance with three more knives in one hand. Seconds later, one of the wolves started to leap for him, but died instantly by a knife thrown by Jaymes, right at his forehead. The remaining two continued to circle him with caution and, as if on cue, Meloetta's theory was proven true as twenty more wolves surrounded the entire scene, completely shocking all who saw it.
Up in the Pokémon Heavens, every single Legendary watched this unfold with horror, having Victini overreact just a little bit by frantically clinging on to Yveltal, who showed an annoyed look in his blue eyes for a moment.
"Unbelievable!" Arceus whispered with worry. "These wolves were no match for them at first and Meloetta was very graceful without her power of flight, but reinforcements came to them within a matter of minutes!"
"P-p-p-p-please tell me this is part of the training, too! Please!" Victini panicked while still clinging on to the Destruction Pokémon's neck. "They look deadlier than Genesect!"
"We mustn't lose hope." Kyogre declared in a deep male voice in his Primal Reversion Form. "They've done well so far. They have to keep going."
"This has to be a part of the training process." Xerneas added with confidence. "The more targets, the better… especially for a ninja. Trust me. I've learned this from many Greninja back in Kalos."
"And I'm not even desperate enough to believe you." Yveltal agreed, even with the small Victory Pokémon clinging to him like a koala.
"You can do it, Meloetta and Jaymes." Arceus prayed. "Don't let those wolves intimidate you."
Meanwhile, at the Wellspring Cave…
Samurott, Pikachu, and Fraxure all had game faces. Deep inside, they were all afraid for the couple, but they never lost hope. This was for Jaymes' sake and whatever happened to them was all part of the plan. They remained silent the entire time and never wanted to talk about it… at least, not until the fight was over.
At the Diamond Domain, every Carbink squeaked in panic, but it never bothered Diancie and Dace as they remained focused with strong glares of bravery within their eyes, having the Diamond Domain Princess look ten times more sinister. She did have one thing to say to Dace telepathically:
"Deep down, those Midnight Wolves are cowards. They can and will be defeated. I want to meet Jaymes in person. They cannot win with combined powers alone."
That small speech was enough to silence the surrounding Carbink and made the elder nod in agreement. Pretty soon, they all looked on with faithful gleams in their eyes.
As for Genesect and Giratina in the Void of Darkness, the two looked on with an evil smile and a desperate stare respectfully. They jumped when ten wolves each went after Meloetta and Jaymes simultaneously, but the two still managed to dodge and counterattack, having them both endure the many bites and scratches that followed. Twenty was too many for them, but despite this, they never slowed down. It was an absolute blood bath at this point and Genesect loved what he saw while Giratina sensed that smile, but never interfered since the Paleozoic Pokémon couldn't do any more than that.
Heh, heh, heh, heh. I love where this is going. They don't stand a chance against those carnivorous creatures. Kill them both for me. KILL THEM!
Back in the forest, it's only been a slow five minutes, but the battle seemed like it lasted more than that as Meloetta and Jaymes somehow managed to fight just like Ibuki against a bunch of monstrous wolves: snapping necks, throwing knives in Jaymes' case, and using strong Psychic powers in Meloetta's case without the flight. It was back down to where their started again… ten wolves… and more were arriving through the wilderness, hungry for more. Both Jaymes and Meloetta were smothered in their own blood and kneeled down, but when they saw 29 more wolves approach them… well…
"There's… there's too many of them." Meloetta complained breathlessly as she used Recover. I hope Jaymes doesn't die. He cannot die just yet. These wolves are deadlier than Ibuki predicted. "What can we do?"
"Ugh…" Jaymes struggled to get to his feet, but to no avail. That immediately prompted the wolves to slowly approach him and ONLY him, seeing that he was about to be fresh meat in a few moment. The young ninja collapsed to the grass within his own pool of blood and Meloetta gasped with extreme horror as she was about to fly towards him, but stopped herself as the ninja continued. "…n… no, Meloetta. Don't… worry about me, remember?" But, you're about to be eaten alive! I can't leave you! "This is my first training journey after all. I don't expect to pass as well. You're doing well enough to go for the Dragobsidianite." He then finally found enough strength to get back up to his feet, making the 39 wolves stand back with extreme caution. Meloetta saw through the strong stance of him standing up straight. His lower legs were still shaking, but he ignored it. "Go… go get it for me."
"NO!" Meloetta screamed before she released an even bigger shrill with her Hyper Voice, a move she just learned that removed Psyshock immediately. Thanks to her constant Psycho Boosts from earlier, her Hyper Voice was fifty times more powerful than ever before! Somehow, the shrieking didn't bother Jaymes as he was slowly losing his life with so much of his blood oozing out as he leaned up against a rock to keep himself from falling. The shrilling scream made the Midnight Wolves whine just as loudly with terror as their ears were literally bleeding along with their brains. Blood was started to ooze out of their eyes, nose, open mouths, teeth, and ears all at once and Meloetta noticed, but never stopped. Not until all of the remaining 39 wolves were dead.
Up in the Pokémon Heavens…
Arceus wasted no time muting the same footage, due to the fact that no matter what, Hyper Voice caused damage to all Pokémon. Just seeing her scream was convincing enough to them all and Uxie nodded with satisfaction.
"She's finally learned the next most important move next to the final one she must learn." She declared in a sultry, deep echoing voice through telepathy. "Psyshock has been permanently replaced by it."
"I knew someday she would learn Hyper Voice." Arceus confessed. "I had the patience of a human saint. Psycho Boost increased its power to the max, thanks to Aria Balance. Above all, she did physically attack those wolves 99 percent of the time since this journey began."
"That's incredible!" Jirachi cheered. "But, isn't there one wolf missing? I'm only seeing 49."
"The Alpha Male of the Pack… he's the one guarding the Dragobsidianite and the Keystone bracelet within a cave about seventy miles East of their current location. Since that's the case, he's completely oblivious of the entire attack we see before us right now. Not even Meloetta's Hyper Voice is reaching his ears."
"Is he asleep?" Mew asked in a cute female voice. Arceus shook his head.
"No. He rarely sleeps. How rarely is the mystery. The point is this head of the pack is not to be feared, unlike the others here that are slowly dying one by one as we speak."
"And I know why." Mewtwo started out. "He's patiently waiting for Jaymes to arrive. He knew he would come to existence eventually and come for the stone. He knows… that he's the only one that can wield it." This shocked everyone around him, especially Victini, who finally fell off of Yveltal's neck as he fainted.
"Astonishing!" Arceus exclaimed. "And Ibuki had no knowledge of this. We must inform her of this…"
"…not yet." Xerneas finished immediately after the Alpha Pokémon's last word, which made him look at her with utmost attention. "Let they approach and talk to the Alpha Male first, so we'll have an official confirmation of the encounter." Arceus nodded in agreement with the Life Pokémon's proposal.
"Agreed."
As for the Diamond Domain…
"YES!" Merrick cheered along with other Carbink, which made Princess Diancie and Elder Dace smile… or at least, make it look like a smile for Dace. "Meloetta's learned Hyper Voice right on time! Those wolves can't stand it! HA, HAAA!"
"Indeed, they can't." Diancie agreed calmly as she slowly palmed her small hands together in prayer, which was actually creating a diamond within them. It was glowing amber brown and Dace never questioned her about it. The cheers continued as the Jewel Pokémon Princess then allowed a glowing yellow essence at the size of an average dinner plate float before her and she gently placed the diamond standing upright within it, allowing it to slowly spin on the tip and levitate above the plate simultaneously. Right on that cue, that's when the cheering stopped and was replaced with fascinating 'ooohs' from the crowd as they saw that Jaymes was glowing that same golden brown aura around his entire body as he was just losing consciousness up against that boulder. Meloetta stopped her screams right then and there and the wolves were still left to suffer from the pain of their brains exploding as she approached him with apprehension. Diancie kept her regal look of confidence on her face as she now focused on the footage upon the giant crystal.
In the Void of Darkness…
Genesect was shocked at what he was seeing. After he had high hopes of the wolves killing Meloetta and Jaymes, they were all thrown out like garbage when he saw that glowing aura surrounding Jaymes while he was now in the Harmony Pokémon's arms for comfort. Giratina was surprised as well, but he hid his smile from the Paleozoic Pokémon. They both had one thing in common, however: Neither of them knew what was happening to Jaymes. They did know that, whatever's happening, it's a good thing… and Genesect hates it.
NOOOOOOOO! Those wolves were so close! What the fuck is happening to Jaymes?! It better not be what I think it is! It won't matter. They'll both die at my hands when this is over!
Back at the forest…
All 49 wolves have finally died by the time Jaymes felt the aura healing him when it reached its brightest glow. Meloetta felt that essence within him as she let go and stood back to admire him with an adorable smile.
That's Diancie's Life Diamond. I've heard stories of how it's healed so many people and Pokémon before. I expected her to have one for Jaymes since she's watched him since his birth. (Gasp!) Could that mean that she…? No. It can't possibly… I have to ask her.
"I know what you're wondering right now, Meloetta." Diancie rang through her headset right on cue with her thoughts. The Harmony Pokémon showed a look of absolute shock as she allowed the Diamond Domain Princess to continue. "Have I used this Life Diamond for Jaymes throughout his whole life? And to answer that question, yes. I have. His family just… somehow never noticed. They thought it was his own healing aura and I've allowed that to be their theory the entire time."
"…So, that's how he was able to maintain his sanity towards all of his haters during his teenage years. It was you! You helped him gain control."
"The last thing I needed to see was Jaymes going to jail for a beating that was caused by a violent exchange of words about his Mother's skills being fake. That would hinder his future as a ninja obsolete forever and I didn't want it to happen. His parents' constant words of wisdom weren't suffice, so I had to assist in the health of Jaymes' emotions. And now that the Dragobsidianite is within a seventy mile reach from your location, you can approach it with ease tomorrow. He's healed of everything that his past and present held and the journey is nearly complete. You haven't mastered Ibuki's Yoroitoshi and Hashinsho yet." I'm… I'm speechless. I can't believe it all. Diancie's been a guardian angel towards him for his entire life and she's not stopping now. Maybe this factor is just what I needed to hear in order to gain the confidence that he'll maintain his soul within the Dragobsidian when it awakens. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Meloetta? You seem shocked."
"…I am, damn it." Meloetta exclaimed with partial humor. "I'm speechless as well. Just wait until Ibuki and the rest of the Totanukis hear about this. They'll be as surprised as I am right now."
"I'll see, won't I?" After that was said, Diancie's communications was cut off for now once again as the Harmony Pokémon just looked over at the young aspiring ninja and saw that all of his wounds were gone and he was back to his old self as he turned towards her with a charming smile that made her blush once more as she walked up to him in a sultry manner.
"Are you alright now?" She asked sweetly as she wrapped her arms around his neck at the exact same time his massive arms wrapped around her back.
"Yes, I'm fine." Jaymes replied. "What was that glow that healed me just now? I feel… reborn after that. Was that you?"
"I wish it was, but no. It was Diancie. She used a Life Diamond that was specially created with your mind, body, and spirit. She told me everything about your past and how she's helped you control your emotions and your actions corresponding to those emotions with the diamond. She's been doing it for your whole… entire… life, Jaymes. Trust me. She never lies!" Jaymes was taken aback by that entire finding, but remained in her arms as he was wide eyed with shock.
"And I believe you, Meloetta. Should we tell my family about it?"
"It's something worth sharing at the dinner table later, yes. For now, we've defeated all but one of those Midnight Wolves with nothing but our ninja skills." I wish I could've watched myself during that bloody battle, too. I wonder… "How… how did I do?" Ohhhhh, shit-I'm-shaking-again.
"Why are you shaking, first of all? You have no need to be nervous. You were fantastic, my love." He calmed down her fearful shivering with a single stroke of her left cheek with a smooth thumb, which also made her smile as well. "You were practically an exact replica of my beloved Mother, much better than I was when I first started training at age 5." Was I? Wow… just… wow. "Heh, heh. You're kinda cute when you're thunderstruck."
"…you're not jealous of me because of it?"
"No, of course not. If I was, I would've said so." Jaymes then proved his theory by giving her a warm, protective embrace within his muscular arms, which made her return the hug around his torso this time. "I'm so proud of you for learning so quickly."
"So am I, Jaymes. So am I."
I wanna be in his arms forever. He's so gentle, it's getting harder and harder to believe every day. I guess this training session's over for now, but now, as we're heading back to the campsite to eat dinner, I'm thinking that now's the time to learn how to turn Close Combat into the Hashinsho and Focus Blast into the Yoroitoshi. Once I do, it'll be a breeze from here on out… hopefully. As for Jaymes and the Dragobsidian, I'm already praying for their success with Diancie tomorrow night as well. I know I can't be there, so maybe tomorrow morning before training and breakfast, I'll give him a touchy-feely appetizer.
I… hope he's hungry for some Harmony Juice. Tee, hee, hee!
To be continued…