Chapter Fourteen: The Battle Begins! Ashura and Yuna Vs. Nikura!

"Now, I'm gonna spill your blood all over the cave floor!" Nikura exclaimed as he charged his crystal fist with dark aura. "Get ready, Yuna! Here he comes!" Ashura told his friend, to which she nodded and entered a fighting stance.

Battle!
Ashura and Yuna Vs. Nikura!
Ready?
FIGHT!

Nikura wasted no time in launching a large volley of crystals at his foes. Our heroes easily evaded the attack, but something felt off... as if Nikura wanted them to dodge it. Soon after, they found out why; the fiend had shot two crystal spikes from the ground. Ash was struck on his own crystal arm, so he was safe. Yuna, however, wasn't as lucky. The second spire had made a gash in her arm. The raven-haired soon rushed to her side. "Yuna! Are you okay?" he asked the white-haired Aura Alchemist, who merely shrugged off her pain. "I'm fine! Just go after Nikura!" she responded as she used Aura Regen on her arm. Soon, she was back in the fight, and ready for payback.

Soon, white vines shot from the ground, on her command, and pierced Nikura's flesh arm. The clone then clutched the wounded appendage in pain. "Dammit... you'll pay for that..." he growled as he summoned yet another crystal spire. This time, the two heroes were able to evade once more. Unfortunately... the attack smashed into the Renkinji Ore on the wall. Nikura quickly grabbed the fallen ore... and began to glow a sinister red. Slowly, he rose from the ground, a sadistic smile on his face. "Yes... this is it! The power I've searched for for so long! Now... IT'S MINE!" he shouted as more dark aura surrounded him, eventually enveloping himself in a ball of energy that was nineteen times his size.

Minutes passed... the light died down... and the group was met with the shock of their life... in front of them was a huge demon that looked almost exactly like Nikura! The only differences: he had blood-red armor plating on his lower arms. His legs were gone now, replaced by a long, serpentine lower-body with the same spiked ring that surrounded Nikura's tail. He had two wings now, and both eyes were golden yellow with black scleras.

The fiend looked at the two heroes with a sadistic look. "Behold the true power of Dark Aura Alchemy! Behold the power of... YOKORA!" he shouted to the heavens, uttering a maniacal laugh. Soon, he began to emit a powerful surge of Dark Aura from the ground. A surge that slowly corrupted everything around it. "Now, Ashura! Watch in terror as everything you know and love is devoured by darkness!" he shouted as he continued to corrupt everything.

"This is bad... really, really bad..." Yuna managed to say, still shocked. Ashura couldn't believe it; Nikura finally won. He soon fell to his knees, ready to accept defeat... until... memories of his time with Yuna flooded his mind. "No... it isn't over... I can't let it end like this!" he declared before a brilliant white-and-blue aura surrounded him. The aura came from the deposits of ore, causing shock to the demon pokemon. "What? This can't be... he's... absorbing the ore's power!"

"After I was abandoned by my former friends, I was on the verge of giving up life... I couldn't take the lonliness anymore... but then, Yuna came into my life... and restored my will to live... she understood my pain, and she accepted me for what I am..." he continued as the aura grew more intense. "I owe her for that... I owe her everything... but that's not why I chose to pursue this goal... it's because... she brought love back into my life..." Yuna was shocked at those words. She brought love back into his life? Did that mean... he loved her? Her inner question was soon answered. "I will not give up... I will continue to fight... for my mother, whom I love dearly, but not just for her... but for the other woman I love as well... for Yuna!" he finished, causing even more shock to the white-haired teen. He loved her... and he was fighting this battle for her.

Soon, the aura surrounding Ashura bacame blinding, and everyone, even Nikura, shielded their eyes. When the light died down, everyone was met with shock... in Ashura's place was a being with a white face, torso plate, lower arm plates, hands, and lower armor, which had a tail protruding from of the posterior. The neck, midriff, and upper arms were a medium grey. Protruding from its back were large, angelic blue wings, and two haloes were found; one above its head and the other circling the tip of its tail. What really stood out about it, though, was the fact that it bore a resemblance to Ashura, from its long, raven-black hair to the marks on its face.

The angellic-looking pokemon then glared at the demon. "Alright, you fiend! It's time to meet your end! Yokora, meet Tenshiora!" he shouted at the demon pokemon, who was still shocked at the ordeal, but nonetheless decided to fight him.

The final battle was about to begin...