Chapter 36: Delusions of Grandeur
I was shocked. Me? A champion? Either he's crazier than I thought, or he's just trying to distract me. Either was, it had worked. While I was busy trying to process what the wannabe dictator had said, his Crobat flew swiftly towards me, launching a Supersonic attack. Luckily, Moka was paying more attention than I was, and she countered the attack with a beat of her wings. "Wake up dammit!" she snapped, rousing me from my thoughts. "You don't get to daydream when it's my ass on the line!"
"Sorry." I muttered, focusing on the battle in front of me. Cyrus' words can wait 'til later. "If they want to play the confusion game, we can do that. Confuse Ray!" I ordered. Cyrus' Crobat was fast, faster than Moka even, but in the cramped space of his office, all that speed meant nothing compared to maneuverability. Moka cornered the enemy bat quickly, nailing him right in the eyes with a ray of light.
"It doesn't matter if you confuse my pokemon. Sooner or later, yours will fall." Cyrus muttered. "Supersonic!"
His Crobat must have been much better trained than the pokemon his underlings used. While the grunts pokemon would barely listen to orders without being confused, his Crobat immediately obeyed, and Moka had to dive out of the way to avoid getting confused herself. It went on like that for a while, Cyrus' Crobat going on the offensive despite his current state of mind, launching Supersonic and Air Cutter attacks one after another. Once again Moka proved to be the superior flier, swooping in and out and around every attack, slowly moving closer to her hovering opponent. Finally, his confusion took it's toll, and he shook his head violently, trying to clear the spots in his eyes.
"Now's our chance!" I called, and Moka was already there, flying directly up to the enemy bat, buffering him with her wings relentlessly. He retaliated with an Air Cutter attack, which couldn't miss at that distance. Moka retreated a respectful distance, small cuts along her flank and wings.
"Enough of this. Come here!" Cyrus barked. The Crobat obeyed, and Cyrus did something else to separate him from the grunts. He produced a Full Restore from his desk, injecting the medicine into his pokemon. Healed and no longer confused, Crobat glared menacingly at Moka. It screeched something at her, and though I couldn't understand it, I got the intent of the insult.
"Oh yeah?" Moka fired back, ruffling herself up. "I'm not the one who attacked a trainer! Who's the dirty fighter now?" She launched an Air Cutter attack for emphasis, knocking the enemy Crobat back. Now clearly pissed, it fired back it's own Air Cutter. Moka tried to evade, but now that Crobat wasn't confused, he could aim better. The attack hit her wing, sending her tumbling to the floor. Flying over, he wasted no time in attacking again while she was helpless.
Only, she wasn't. Using Fly, she sprung up into the air, neatly avoiding the attack. She looped around the room and nailed him from behind, slapping him with her wings. "Come on, I though you were going to teach me a lesson!" she teased, easily avoiding the Supersonic he fired at her. Laughing playfully, she hit him with an Air Cutter, his wounds now clearly worse than her own despite the healing earlier.
"Moka, stop! You're getting a little overconfident." I warned.
"Oh come on, he hasn't hit me with anything worse than a few Air Cutters!" she chuckled, turning to face me. "This'll be over in a flash!" She was facing me, and couldn't see Cyrus' Crobat behind her, murder in his eyes. I yelped out a warning, but it was to late. He hit her, but not with the Air Cutter attack I was expecting. Instead, he used Supersonic. I stopped mid-yell, confused. Why do that? He had her at his mercy, why not attack?
The attack did throw Moka for a loop, as she started flying around erratically. "Moka! Pull yourself together! One more hit and we can beat this guy! Air Cutter!" I encouraged. Sure enough, she was able to pull together long enough to shoot the attack right at her opponent. Shock was plastered across his face right before the move hit him directly in the chest, taking him down. I cheered and returned Moka, not only to cure her confusion but to give her a rest.
Cyrus seemed undisturbed by these turn of events. He calmly recalled the Crobat before releasing his Sneasel. "On to the next one." he muttered.
"Please, that Crobat looked like you're strongest pokemon. This is over already, you just don't know it yet." I said, sending out Kamina. The fighting-type was ready to go, while the Sneasel shrunk away a bit. It clearly knew it was outmatched, but Cyrus didn't look like he was going to switch it out at all. Honestly, I felt sorry for the little guy. "Kamina, end this quick. Aura Sphere." I said. He obeyed, launching the blue orb of energy across the room. The Sneasel didn't even try to dodge, merely taking the attack full force before fainting. "See? Told you this was a waste of time." I taunted.
"We will see." Cyrus replied, still unmoved by what has happening. In a way, it unnerved me. Doesn't he realize that he's loosing? What's wrong with him? I thought as he sent out his final pokemon, a Honchkrow. I was about to order Kamina to attack, when one of my pokeballs opened on its own. There stood Mufasa, growling low at the Honchkrow.
Kamina and I were shocked. "Uh, I'm guessing you want this one?" the Lucario asked softly. Mufasa nodded, striding into place before me. "Um...okay." Kamina said, backing off to stand next to me. He gave me a confused look and I could only shrug in return.
Cyrus didn't seem to mind the change, like everything else that had happened in this battle. "Honchkrow, remind them of the power we showed in Celestic. Night Shade." he ordered. Honchkrow cawed loudly, a black aura surrounding it. The same aura grew around Mufasa, who flinched slightly from the pain as it sapped his energy. He growled again, which turned into a roar as he leaped into the air, electricity flying as he collided with the large bird. The Spark attack wasn't enough, however, and Honchkrow increased the power of the Night Shade, forcing Mufasa to a knee.
"Mufasa! Fall back, let Kamina take over!" I shouted. He didn't seem to listen and I reached for his pokeball, hoping to forcibly return him. The look he gave me stopped me in my tracks. I had never seen Mufasa so angry, so filled with fury before. What is up with him? I thought. He looks like he'll try to attack me if I pull him from the fight! Struggling with every inch, Mufasa got back to his feet. He took a step forward, then another, slowly gaining momentum as he stalked towards Honchkrow. The bird squawked in alarm, looking around for an escape. Unfortunately for it, we were trapped inside the office, and there was nowhere to run. Mufasa gathered all his remaining strength and jumped, roaring in triumph as he struck with another Spark attack. Honchkrow cried out in fear and pain before slumping to the ground. The caster fainted, the Night Shade attack faded away, allowing Mufasa to stand tall above him victory.
Cyrus returned his fallen pokemon. "It seems I was correct about you." he said grimly. His voice startled me, I had almost forgotten he was there, concerned as I was about Mufasa's stability.
"What, that I'm one of the champions, like you? Wake up and smell the coffee man! I'm not part of this legend, and neither are you!" I yelled, fed up with this entire thing. "Now let the guardians go! You've lost."
Cyrus smirked at me again, making my blood boil. "Have I lost? No, not yet." He reached into his pocket, producing a chain or red jewels that glowed softly. "This is the Red Chain, the key to unlocking the prison of the Guardians of time and space. It's all I need to complete my plan."
I raced forward, swiping at the chain but Cyrus proved to be surprisingly fast for his age, jumping over his desk. He must have hit a button or something as he went, because one of the bookcases swung forward, revealing an elevator. He quickly got in, the glass panels sliding shut behind him. The bookcase swung shut and he was gone. "Dammit!" I yelled, hitting his desk angrily.
"Moments like that are the reason I drew away from emotions." Cyrus' voice said. Looking around, I found a speaker on his desk, some kind of intercom. "If you want to save the guardians, by all means do so. They have already given me the key, they are of no use. Take the warp panel behind you, that'll take you to their prison." I turned and sure enough, there was a panel there. "Also, there is a gift for you in the bottom drawer of my desk. Take it, as a reward for beating me." The intercom clicked and went silent.
I glanced worriedly at the drawer he had mentioned. Knowing Cyrus it could be anything. It's probably a bomb or something, I wouldn't put it past him I thought. Kamina seemed to share my thoughts, pushing me back a bit as he bent to open the drawer. His steel typing would keep him from harm if it was dangerous, so I let him open it. I couldn't see around him, but I didn't hear anything like a trap so I had to assume it was benign. "Nick?" Kamina asked after a short pause. "What kind of pokeball is this?" He stood up, holding out a pokeball with a purple top, small bulbs on either side painted a lighter shade of violet. A small, white letter M in the middle was all I needed to see.
"Holy shit, that's a Masterball!" I cried, snatching it out of Kamina's hand. "Where the hell did he get this?" I decided that it didn't matter, pocketing the precious ball. I moved towards the warp panel, before remembering that Mufasa was still out of him ball. I looked over at him. "We're gonna talk about what happened here later. For now, stay in your pokeball unless I call on you. Got it?" He nodded silently before letting me seal him back in the ball. With that, Kamina and I stepped on the warp panel.
I didn't have long to get my bearings as we arrived in the next room. I saw machinery, stacked floor to ceiling along the walls, a large bank of screens on the wall opposite us. Three tanks filled with a pink fluid stood in the center of the room. Floating inside the tanks, cables and wire hung all over them, were the three guardians, Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit. I moved forward to help them when a Golbat flew in font of me, blocking my path.
"I was wondering when I'd see you again." a voice called. In my haste to help the trapped pokemon, I didn't notice Saturn standing in front of the computer bank, the smug smirk I hated on his face. "You seemed like the kind of person who'd end up constantly being a nuisance to us again and again."
"Well I don't like to brag, but yeah, I'm here to kick your ass. Swords Dance." I told Kamina, who charged himself up, a light aura of power emanating off of him.
Saturn's smirk didn't fade a bit. "Yes, by all means, waste time pumping yourself up. Confuse Ray." he ordered. My heart sank a bit as the beam of light left Golbats' eyes, nailing Kamina and confusing him. "Excellent! Now use Air Cutter." Saturn said.
"Kamina, snap out of it! Aura Sphere!" I yelled. He managed to dodge the Air Cutter, but only because in his haste to use Aura Sphere, he tripped and slammed into the hard steel floor. Them he launched the attack, catching only himself in the explosion. "Kamina!" I cried, running towards the dust cloud. Golbat tried to intercept me, but I grabbed Mufasa's pokeball, releasing the lion. "Deal with him!" I ordered, not stopping in the slightest. Mufasa obeyed instantly, no longer affected by whatever had come over him in the battle against Honchkrow. He leaped up, nailing the Golbat with a Spark attack. Before it fainted, it bit into his fur, poison leaking out of its jaw. By now the dust had cleared around Kamina, and I knelt down beside him, feeling his chest.
He was alive and breathing, but barely. After the Swords Dance, the power he had put into the attack was intense, and hitting himself had almost done him in. I grabbed a Hyper Potion out of my bag, spraying him with the medicine as Mufasa spat out the fainted Golbat. Inspecting the black lion, I found that the bats fangs had penetrated his skin, but there was no trace of the poison. Breathing a sigh of relief, I helped Kamina to his feet, now no longer confused.
Saturn made his presence known once again by clapping sarcastically. "An excellent performance, wonderful really. For a second there it actually looked like you cared about your pokemon, that they weren't just tools for you to use."
"I'm not gonna take that from someone like you." I growled. "My team is more than that to me. We're like a family. And it's because of that bond that we won't loose to you, or anyone else!"
Saturn sighed. "I guess there's just no helping some people. Oh well, let's get this over with." he said, releasing Bronzor.
I recalled Mufasa before glancing over at Kamina. "Are you ready for this?" I asked. He nodded, taking a fighting stance. "Alright then, Aura Sphere!" He charged forward, launching the energy attack straight at the floating disk. Bronzor took the hit a lot better than it had at Lake Valor, putting me off slightly. How can it had gotten stronger in only a few days? I thought as it fought back with an Extrasensory attack. Kamina twisted in pain as his mind was assaulted by the psychic type. Gritting his teeth, he fought through it and shot another Aura Sphere, knocking the Bronzor out.
Saturn returned it, the smirk gone from his face. "I grow tired of this game." he spat. "Toxicroak! Take them down." The large amphibian pokemon snickered to itself as it stalked forward. Kamina was still down from the Extrasensory attack, so I quickly returned him and sent out Moka. In the confusion, however, Toxicroak managed to disappear. "What the hell?" I wondered, looking around. There aren't many places for it to hide, where did it go?
Saturns' insufferable smirk was back. "You know, I didn't become a commander for nothing." he said. "I learn from my mistakes. And your Houndoom taught me how easily an opponent can be caught off guard with a move like Faint Attack." The words were barely out of his mouth when the frog reappeared, right behind Moka. She squeaked in surprise before getting hit, knocked to the ground, barely holding on.
"Moka, hold on!" I cried, quickly trying to figure out who to send in against the frightening pokemon. She flapped her wings tiredly, rising into the air again.
"No! I've got this!" she yelled, rising higher. "I'm the only one who can beat him, you know it!" I would have argued, but she was right. Everyone else was either injured, or was a bad matchup for the beast. "Alright, but be careful!" I said.
"How cute, your little Crobat thinks she's tough." Saturn teased. "While I respect her guts, it's going to take more than that to beat us. Toxicroak! Finish this!" he called. Once again, the Toxicroak reappeared behind Moka, swiping at her with his wicked claws. She wasn't about to get caught in the same trap twice, however, and she rolled out of the way before launching herself at the enemy pokemon. Stuck in midair, there was nothing Toxicroak could do but chuckle nervously as she nailed him with a Fly attack, knocking the powerful pokemon out in one hit.
Saturn stared at the unconscious frog in disbelief. "This is unacceptable!" he roared. "That's twice we've lost to you! I won't accept this! What makes you so damn special!? Why do you always win!?" he cried, pointing at me accusingly.
"I already told you Saturn. My team and I are a family. We won't loose to anyone, not you, not Cyrus, nobody." I said.
Saturn turned around and fled, absentmindedly recalling his pokemon before stepping on a hidden warp panel and teleporting away. I chuckled to myself. "Well he was certainly quick to get out of here." I muttered, stepping over to the computer he had been guarding. "Now to get these guys free." I said to myself, quickly moving through the interface. Being a bit of a computer nerd back home, and because the program was designed to be accessible to even the lowest grunt, it wasn't hard to get the tubes open and set the guardians free. The pink fluid spilled out over the floor as the wires connected to them sprang off on their own. The three of them fell a bit before waking up, floating around the room lazily. Azelf and Uxie, identified by their blue and yellow heads, quickly teleported away after they had gathered their senses.
Mesprit, on the other hand, was the only one who seemed to notice me. She floated over, her pink head stopping inches away from my face as she inspected me curiously. "Uh, hi?" I said, waving awkwardly. "Sorry I couldn't stop them from making the key, but I'll still stop Cyrus from waking the Guardians. I guarantee it." I told her.
She smiled lightly. "I know you will." she said, her voice echoing in my head. "The lock is at the Spear Pillar, at the top of Mt. Coronet. My sisters and I will meet you there. Hurry."