Chapter 36: Nothing Left to Take
"Lewis Frederick, you've pissed me off for the last time. I don't care what anyone has to say, I'm ending this now," Samantha growled as she stared down the Pichu lying barely conscious in the cage connected to the deadly contraption.
"Please... Don't do it..." He muttered.
Unable to understand Lewis, Samantha shrugged and gripped the switch with one hand
"It's a shame. You were a good kid, Lewis. I never thought I'd have to do this, but you gave me no choice."
Behind his anger, Lewis was crying. He knew this was his last breath after Samantha flipped the switch. He didn't want to die, not now. Damian wouldn't want this despite the disappointment he felt inside. At this point, there was no hope for Lewis.
"LEWIS! Don't worry, we're sending someone to help you! We won't let them do this!" Uxie screamed in his head.
Lewis shook his head, "No... Don't put anyone in danger because of me-"
"Don't say that! We will not just sit here. They'll be there in the next five minutes," Azelf snapped.
"There's no point, guys. In one minute, she's going to pull that switch. I'm sorry... I don't want to die but... Maybe I do."
"Do not speak with such negativity, Lewis. There is still hope," Mesprit added.
Lewis shed a torrent of tears as he spoke, "Just tell Damian something for me..."
"Talk to Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit all you want. No one can help you. I'll give you a few moments to say your goodbyes. You've got two minutes" Samantha stated.
"Tell him he was great friend. Tell him that no matter what it takes, don't stop fighting. He's stronger than all of Team Plasma combined and I know he can win. Let him know that wherever I end up after my death, I will always think of him. He doesn't deserve where he's at, but I'm glad he's safe..."
Uxie shook her head, as did her sisters tears running down their cheeks.
"Lewis... We can help you-"
"One more thing... Tell him to take out camps one by one. Show Team Plasma how strong he's gotten. Team Plasma may seem tough, but they're all a bunch of cowards," Lewis grinned, "And tell him to beat Samantha Masters into the ground, and destroy the machine that put us in this mess in he first place."
Samantha sighed, "Times up."
Instantly, she pulled the large power switch and Lewis emitted a deafening shriek as he felt an excruciating pain fill up in his mind. He expected a painless death but he was wrong.
"LEWIS!" The three sisters screamed as they watched the Pichu in the horrific scene.
In mere seconds, Lewis collapsed onto the steel floor of the contraption. Desperation running through his mind as his pain slowly subsided into his eternal slumber.
Lewis closed his eyes and was then no more.
"Lewis! Can you hear me!? Lewis! Come on, talk to us! Please! Please... Please..." Uxie sobbed.
There was no reply. Lewis was gone. Wherever he was now, they only hoped he could live his afterlife in happiness.
Azelf growled, "You evil monster! Samantha Masters, you just made the worst mistake of your life! You will regret all of the pain you've caused. You better be ready, because we are coming for you and all of Team Plasma. Murdering Lewis was the last straw. We are going to burn that place to the ground when we're done with it!"
Samantha acknowledged the voice and grinned, "You're welcome to try. You'll just be another threat out of my way."
Azelf wiped the tears from her face, "I don't care if Damian is here or not. Team Plasma has to go."
"We can't just attack them-"
"Uxie! They killed Lewis! Who's to say they won't start killing Josh, Kate, and the others? Who's to say they won't kill Blaziken!? I'm done sitting around and waiting. I'm telling Absol to get ready, we're getting rid of them now."
"You have a point Azelf. But we don't have a plan even. We cannot enter the facility without knowing where to begin," Mesprit explained.
"What's there to plan? We get in, beat down every human and Pokemon there, set everyone free, then destroy everything we can. That's all there is to it."
Mesprit knew there was no changing her sisters mind, as did Uxie. But that was because they didn't want to change her mind. They were on their sisters side all the way.
"Uxie, let the others know about Lewis. And tell his father too. Mesprit, plan out what we're gonna do about the guys camping outside of us. I'm gonna get Absol and tell him it's time to fight back. And try to get some extra help from some old friends."
"Like who?" asked Uxie.
"Whoever we know. I've talked to Entei about Damian, and I know he wants to help. If he can get Suicune and Raikou to help there's little stopping us at that point," Azelf replied.
Azelf nodded, sighed, and exited the sisters' private chamber. Mesprit following behind her.
"You'll pay for this Team Plasma. All of you will..."
...
Day three. Wow, this nightmare just never ends. Although this evil haunting me was using its power to scare me or torture me it was failing. Knowing everything was an illusion and years of watching rated R horror movies made it bearable. The best part was that the ghost was getting a bit annoyed with my attitude. He got joy from my fear, and as I laughed at his attempts to frighten me he could only growl.
An illusory copy of myself as a Riolu appeared before me. Then behind him were many Team Plasma grunts tackling him to the ground. They knocked him out. The forest swiftly turned into the interior of the complex. I watch as the Riolu was thrown into a contraption, then killed then and there.
I laughed with much heart to tease his attempt to scare me.
"Is that your best? Ohh please, that is exactly how it's not going to go. First of all, I would've fought those guys off and took them all out along with their Pokemon. Next I would've ran off back with Greninja. And even if they did catch me, they wouldn't of gotten too far when Greninja finds them! Look, I dunno of you're with Greninja or not but I'm sure he'd be kinda upset at how bad you are at this," I laughed smugly.
I could hear him growling, and yet another sad attempt to scare me appeared. The would-be frightening image of my family all dead on the ground. Mom, dad, even Angel.
Though the thought was disturbing, it wasn't enough for this guy to pull me down to his level. I was done playing his game. It was time I played with him a bit.
"Look Zoroark... Or... Whoever you are... I don't know why you're doing this, but you don't have to. Maybe... I dunno... You're not in on Greninja's training. I'm just throwin wild guesses out there... Just let me go and let's forget this mess."
"You think I will just let you leave so easily!? No one leaves this place!" The voice of the forest exclaimed.
"But why, though? What's your purpose in scaring me? Sure, it's fun and all but... I'm not scared anymore. I'm just mocking you at this point. Why bother?"
"You're just trying to get in my head! Shut up!" He screamed.
I wasn't sure if it was reflex or perhaps my complex training with Greninja, but I blocked an invisible punch with my right arm in which I countered the attack with a force palm as I felt an unseen figure before me.
And much to my surprise, the forest went from dark and dismal, to bright and lively. Laying ten feet from me, was a Zoroark. He bared his fangs as he stood. I took advantage of my time to strike, firing an aura sphere to the struggling Zoroark. He hit the ground once again as the blast hit with great precision.
I couldn't let him form another illusion, otherwise I'd be back to square one. As I charged another sphere into my paws, he vanished in a black smoke. I closed my eyes to use the little time I had with my aura vision. An outline of his body appeared leaning against a nearby tree, displaying his recovery from my earlier attacks. I fired my newly formed sphere in the direction and shortly heard a loud grunt, followed by a soft thud. I grinned victoriously as I stood over my fallen opponent.
"You're no fighter, you're just a coward. If you really wanted to scare me, you would've been a little more realistic with your fairy tales."
He forced a grin, "You beat me... How?"
"Easy. Sure, day one was pretty hard for me I'll admit. But later on day two I realized nothing was real. I guess after watching a lot of scary movies I'm kind of immune to your show. Another thing I should add, I've seen you more than once. It was just a matter of time before I realized all I had to do was get you to attack me again. So I guess the question now is... Who are you?"
He remained silent.
"Hey, I beat you fair and square. Now I can knock ya out and call it a day, or we can make a truce. What d'ya say?"
He sat up and gave me a look of uncertainty. I kept a flow of aura in my arms in case he decided to make a move.
"Well I don't know this Greninja you keep talking about."
"Then how do you know everything about me?" I asked, "You know my past. My family, my friends. How did you know all of it?"
He wasn't sure how to answer at first. But it wasn't very long before he replied, "I've been watching you, Damian."
I raised my brow.
"You see... This is going to sound strange but... I've been watching you longer than you think. I can't tell you who I really am until the time is right. But I know everything about you, just as I know everything about every other being on this planet. All I can say is finish your training and the time will come when I reveal myself to you. I am interested in meeting with you face to face. I'm not really the Zoroark you see before you. I was merely using his power to... Train you myself. I wanted to see how capable you were of facing your fears."
I was confused. What was this guy talking about?
"I'm a legendary Pokemon who is interested in helping you," he added.
I shook my head and bit my lip, "Sorry I'm just... What the hell are you talking about?"
"I will explain more when the time comes. Now I think it would be best if you made your way back to Greninja. But before you do... I should tell you something important... There isn't much time left and things are soon only going to get tougher from here. Tomorrow will be the end of the battle and the beginning of the war."
I cocked my head to the side, "War?"
He closed his eyes and sighed, "There's nothing you can do to stop it. I cannot tell you anymore than what I already have. Return to Greninja. I will see you in the future. Good luck with your training."
And with that, the Zoroark collapsed before me. Just passed out from nothing.
Of the many questions that arose in my mind, the one that bothered me most...
Beginning of a war? What does that mean?
Authors Notes:
Im back on schedule guys Yay! Lewis is dead?! NOOOOOOOOO! Some of you may have mixed feelings about Lewis and when the time comes for Damian to learn there's no telling his reaction. And who is this mysterious figure brainwashing a clueless Zoroark? Why on Earth was he trying to train Damian? What purpose does he even serve? Don't ask me, I don't write this stuff... Ohh wait...
Anyways I've promised that in the authors notes that I will advertise one story every chapter as requested by readers. This particular person has been a reader and a good friend for a while on this site. I brought her OC, Tay, to life. She's kept herself updated with the story and has reviewed several chapters. Guys, check out PsychicEevee0103 and her story "The Time After".
I will add one more thing. If you guys are interested EDM (Electronic Dance Music) at all. Check out my SoundCloud! I've been trying my hand at some FL Studio lately and I've been gettin pretty good if I do say so. Also, if you guys wanna watch me play video games for four hours, follow me on Twitch! I basically just troll and whatnot on Battlefield 4. When GTA V comes out for PS4, I will have many many broadcasts! Links to my profiles are below. I'm Damian and as always, have a fantastic one! :^D
.tv/freudianduck/mobile
/stukpikzel/tracks