April's Team: Mars; Burn (Charizard); Happy (Ludicolo); Thunder (Electabuzz); Sam (Riolu/Latios)
Red's Team: Mewtwo; Volt (Pikachu); Behemoth (Snorlax); Jake (Charizard); Marine (Blastoise);
Vine (Venusaur)
Lucien's Team: Soul (Lucario); Tia (Latias); Vesuvius (Typhlosion); Shogun (Samurott); Draco (Shiny Dragonite); Bliss (Blissey)
James' Team: Gardevoir; Nidoqueen; Ninetails; Sceptile; Corey (Mewvee)
Alright, here's the chapter. To be honest, the reason it took this long to get the chapter out was because I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with the chapter. Eventually I settled on this. Well, that and I was hunting all last week, and my cross country team made it to state, so my schedule won't fully slow down until next week. But that's beside the point. Anyways, thank you all for the support and for giving me the motivation to keep writing. I wouldn't be doing this without you! Enjoy!
POV: Lucien
A soft white light penetrated through the dust and destruction, lazy tendrils reaching out to wrap around the blue lightning that crackled and hummed. Zekrom's fist inched closer and closer towards me, slowly breaking through the all-but-useless protect I had erected. My entire body tingled, and I felt power begin to surge through me as my body began to change. My torso itched and I felt myself grow taller, my legs and arms extending by a few inches. Zekrom roared and broke through, his fist connecting with my face and sending an insane bolt of blue death into my body. But I felt nothing.
The white light suddenly exploded forth from my body, destroying any and all of my senses. I could see, hear, feel, taste, and smell nothing. As soon as this started however, it stopped. I found myself in the middle of a lightning-scorched plateau, one that had been recently made from our fighting. I blinked and looked down at my well-toned body. I was taller, at least seven feet tall, the scars that once littered my body now gone. On my left and right shoulders I discovered that identical yin-yang symbols had appeared. The only garment I wore was the too-short rags that were my pants and two-foot chains that were wrapped around my ankles.
I looked down at my hands, discovering that my wrists, like my ankles, had a chain wrapped around them, the ends extending about two feet before ending, attached to nothing. A black teardrop sat in the middle of my left palm, a white teardrop in the middle of my right. My back felt heavier, so I risked a glance at it. To my obvious surprise, I found that a pair of wings had sprouted from my shoulder blades.
Their silvery feathers sparkled brilliantly, white and black flecks scattered throughout my newfound plumage. Experimentally, I tried to stretch them, finding that it wasn't much different from moving any of my other limbs. I'd still have to get used to them, though, finding that I had to mentally force my wings to open. I stretched out my wings to their fullest extent, estimating that I must have about a thirty-five foot wingspan.
"What….just happened?" Zekrom said, picking himself up off of the ground about twenty feet in front of me. I shook my head, folding my wings. They fit very snugly on my back, not overextending anywhere on my body.
"I have no idea." I said honestly, getting into a fighting stance and taking a few experimental swings. I felt lithe and powerful, my body filled with renewed vigor. My power felt different, though, as if it had changed along with me. I didn't feel the normal buzz of electricity when I tried to charge an electric attack, or the heat that came from thinking about fire. "I think I just evolved." I deduced.
"You," Palkia said, hovering above me, "What are you?" I shrugged, scratching my head, my hand recoiling in surprise as I touched bone. In confusion, I reached back up and ran my fingers along the pair of spiraling horns that extended from just above my temples to about nine inches behind my head. I wondered just how much I had changed, silently touching my face to make sure it was still human. From what I could tell, it was. I grabbed a lock of my now shaggy hair and pulled it down so I could see it. My hair was now white.
"I have no clue." I muttered, looking at my hands again. "This is bloody insane." Zekrom and Palkia continued to watch silently as I stretched, cracking my back and raising my hands above my head. I kicked my legs a few times, marveling at their length and speed. I felt incredible, invulnerable even. My power was overflowing, and it didn't feel as unstable as it was before. It felt as if I would actually be able to control it now, rather than having it burst forth in response to my emotions.
"I'm sorry, but we don't have time to waste." Palkia said, suddenly appearing behind me, having moved through a rift in space that remained open behind her. Thunk. Her fist collided with a black mass that had suddenly appeared between me and her in the form of a shield.
"Hmph." I said, twisting and launching a side kick, my foot slamming into Palkia's chest and sending her tumbling backwards. My chains rattled, and the black shield remolded itself to take the shape of an orb about ten inches in diameter. I lowered my foot and extended my left hand towards it, letting the orb settle into my palm, discovering that it was weightless. As I watched, it began to shrink, sinking into my skin as if it hadn't even existed. The teardrop on my palm looked larger. "That's….weird." I said, turning towards Zekrom. He growled at me, and I smiled. As much as I wanted to explore my new body more, there were more pressing matters that need to be attended to.
"This fight has suddenly become much more dangerous." He noted. I nodded and shrugged.
"Hell, no one was expecting this. Want to dance? I want to see how this body moves." I said, moving into my fighting stance. Zekrom growled and crouched, making himself seem more like an animal than a human.
"We will still kill you." He snarled. I sensed Palkia rising behind me, obviously pissed off. I smirked and grabbed one of my chains, twirling it.
"We'll see."
POV CHANGE: Zekrom
Lucien was much more dangerous now. I barely had time to evade his first attack; a spinning kick that he launched from twenty feet away. I roared and leapt high into the air, thankful for my attuned senses that had detected the wave of air hurtling towards me. Palkia moved next, charging a beam of pink energy and firing. Lucien didn't even more, the same black orb from before suddenly appearing out of his hand and forming a shield that deflected the attack. I cursed and fired a bolt of lightning, which Lucien dodged with astounding speed. He muttered something and thrust a palm towards Palkia, throwing her backwards without even touching her.
"What the hell is going on?" I muttered, dropping to the ground and glaring at Lucien. His mismatched eyes glittered as they soaked in every detail they could. One iris was pitch black, with a white pupil, while the other was precisely the opposite; a white eye with a black pupil. His jet-black horns protruded out of his head, shockingly offset in his white hair. Almost everything about him seemed…different. "How am I supposed to fight him without knowing….well, anything?" Lucien once again started to experimentally thrust his hands, kicking up dust with each palm thrust. The black orb floated back into Lucien's body with a ripple and shimmer, causing him to shudder. His wings stretched open, and he grinned, turning to face me. Electricity crackled around me, and I scowled.
"I did not expect this to happen." The Devil said. I clenched my fists and shuddered. No shit, really? A random thought flashed through my mind; one of me beating the crap out of the Devil, who I envisioned as demon-like. Where had that come from?
I gritted my teeth and fired a thunderbolt at him, not really sure what else to do. Lucien rolled towards me, effectively dodging the attack, and swung his fist haphazardly. The chain attached to his wrist extended as it swung through the air, wrapping itself around me before I had a chance to figure out what was going on. Lucien grinned, wrapping the chain around his hand and tightening the slack. With a swift jerk, he threw me off balance, before heaving on the chain. I hurtled towards Lucien, who was ready with a cocked fist. Wham. I suddenly found myself on my back, my face feeling like a steamboat had just become a little too friendly with it. My vision was blurred and my mind groggy.
"That was for all the lightning, you prick." Lucien hissed. I could vaguely make out the form of Palkia as she dropped from the sky, pink energy surrounding her body. Black energy poured from Lucien's body as he spun towards her, meeting her head with his fist, a black ball of energy exploding from his knuckles. The two struggled for a second, before the black beam of energy began to overpower Palkia. I growled and concentrated, charging a beam of electricity in my mouth. I aimed it at Lucien and fired, the yellow beam scoring a direct hit. He howled and arched his back, his attack sputtering out of existence and allowing Palkia to run full force into Lucien.
The two crashed together, Palkia's pink aura becoming malicious and destructive as it met Lucien. He tumbled backwards as Palkia crashed to the ground. I leapt to my feet, determined to keep Lucien off balance and off guard. Electrical energy surrounded me as I charged him, slamming my fist into his gut, followed by a knee to the groin and an elbow to the face. I hissed and felt a surge of power as I grabbed him and unleashed my second most powerful attack; fusion bolt.
"GAAAAAH!" He roared, the electrical energy frying every nerve in his system.
"Zekrom! Out of the way!" Palkia shouted. I didn't ask questions, instead leaping out of the way as Palkia hit Lucien once again with a spacial rend. Galaxies whirled into existence around Lucien, and he disappeared into the swirling mass. "Get ready. I don't think he'll be killed from-" Palkia was cut off when her attack was interrupted by dozens of pure white waves exploding from within. One of the slashes slammed into the mountain at my feet, cutting straight through the rock as if it was butter. I cursed to myself, determined to avoid those. It would be bad if either of us were hit. The waves stopped, and spacial rend dissipated, revealing Lucien, wings outstretched and a grim look on his face. In either hand he held identical stark white katanas, while his chest was covered with a black breastplate. The breastplate shimmered and sank back into his body.
"That's enough." He said, his voice dangerously low. I blinked, and in that instant, Lucien disappeared. Cold metal pressed itself up against the back of my neck, Lucien suddenly reappearing behind me, his katana prepared to strike. "I don't want to fight you."
"Get away from him." Palkia said, her voice dangerously low. Lucien snorted.
"Then leave me alone." He said. "Or, better yet, fight Namuba with me." He let that last comment hang in the air, and for a second, I considered it. I don't like the Devil; neither I nor Palkia do. So why would we work for him? Are we blind, are we doing it because we are being manipulated and controlled, or are we doing it of our own volition? The Devil seems evil. He seems like someone you would fight, not work for. I considered joining Lucien. But something stopped me. It was a small feeling in my gut that told me no.
"T-turn against the Devil?" Palkia asked, as if this idea had just occurred to her. I closed my eyes and shook my head, turning around to face Lucien. His blade was now across my throat. My gut told me to test Lucien, to see what his reasons were, and see if the aligned with my personal ideals.
"What is your reason for fighting him?" I asked, gritting my teeth and clenching my fists. "As much as I would like to turn against that….Devil, I cannot. How can I trust you? How do I know what your reasons for fighting him are? Fighting you, I get the feeling you are not a bad man, but there is something else…something that is nagging at me. And I cannot join you until I am sure that your reason for doing all this, the reason that the Devil needs to be wiped out, is just." I said. Lucien's face remained blank, but he nodded to me, taking a step back.
"Zekrom, we should-"
"No, Palkia. You sit out of this for now. I want to fight him one-on-one." I said, holding one hand up to stop her from stepping forward. "I'm beginning to remember who I was, and understand who I am. Zekrom…I remember that name. The deity of ideals. I must fight him to understand his reasons for fighting. Until I am sure they are ideal, then I cannot fight against the Devil." I said. Palkia studied me for a moment before nodding, taking a step back. I raised my fists, and prepared to fight. Lucien nodded and grinned, raising his swords.
"Now you're starting to sound more like Zekrom. Let's dance." He said. I charged.
POV CHANGE: Nameless
The Hall of Origins was a mess. Palkia was in an uproar about the rips in space his human counterpart was creating, and wanted to simply go obliterate her. Giratina was pissed about condemned souls, and wanted to banish the four human legendaries into oblivion for all eternity. Dialga was on the defensive, shouting 'NOT YET. MY CHALLENGE IS NOT YET COMPLETE.' The other legendaries were divided on either side, most choosing Palkia and Giratina's side, with fewer siding with Dialga. The only three who remained calm were Zekrom, Reshiram, and Arceus, who could see the ideals, truths, and everything thereof in the situation.
"ENOUGH!" Arceus boomed, silencing the entire hall from his shining throne. I sat above him, fiddling with my clay figures and humming an unknown tune. "Dialga, your test for Gardevoir has been separated from the rest of the world. The only ones who can help her are you and myself." He said, completely forgetting about me, as per usual. Dialga started to protest, but was cut off by Palkia's snarling voice.
"So I may go and obliterate the false ones, then?" He growled. I chuckled to myself, seeing how injured his pride was at having a human claim the title of Palkia, the Space Deity.
"No! They are all children! Don't kill them, but I agree that they shouldn't run free." Mew chattered, zooming around in circles as Mew spoke. Almost immediately, the legendaries began to bicker again.
"SILENCE!" Arceus roared. "OR I WILL SEND YOU ALL TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL DOMAINS LIKE THE CHILDREN YOU ARE!" Amidst lots of muttering, the legendaries finally calmed down. "Dialga's test is not to be interfered with, that I agreed to. However, I will also not sit back and let the chosen champions be killed. Suicune, you and your brothers will be sent to guard Mars and Rose. Zapdos, Articuno, you are to go aid your brother Moltres. Mew," Arceus said, turning towards the hyperactive pink blob of a Pokémon, "you are to defend Latias. That is all I can do. Only the ones directly affected by Dialga's test will be allowed to go to the Sevii Islands until Gardevoir's fight is resolved. Is this understood?" Arceus asked. The legendaries grumbled, and Arceus boomed again.
"I said, UNDERSTOOD?" He asked. The collective heads of the legendaries nodded, with an audible 'yes.' "Good. You are dismissed." He said. The legendaries filtered out, the chosen guardians disappearing in a flash of light. He sighed, and I put one of my clay figures on the top of his throne, floating down in front of him. I was in the form of a simple ball of light. "Children." He said with a weary smile.
"Hm." I said. "And? What of Lucien's fight?" I asked proudly. Lucien had turned out better than I could have hoped, choosing to be neither an angel of Arceus, nor a demon of destruction. I had created to man, and he was turning out to be the best thing I could have possibly interfered with.
"Yes. That. I can feel everything that happens within that mountain, what the man Namuba has done. And it is the outcome of Lucien's fight that will determine what we, the legendaries, will do." He said. "Either we will let them live in peace, or I will order the obliteration of a species, something I have not done since the birth of time." I nodded and opened a rift, watching Lucien's fight. It had been dragging on for over two hours now, Lucien's and Zekrom's sparring in the skies taking over an hour to complete. I had seen everything that had happened up until now. Lucien and Zekrom fought, April had woken up, Yen and Luna struggled through the forest, Red lay defeated by the hands of the human Giratina, and Gardevoir…I shook my head. Her fate was sealed. Now all that was left was for Lucien to finish his fight, and all hell would rain down upon the island.
POV CHANGE: Mars
I hadn't realized how much of a Teddiursa Aerodactyl actually was. Underneath his gruff exterior, he was absolutely adorable. That was all I could think of to describe him. Sam giggled while the two played, Aerodactyl pretending to not know where he was until Sam would do something really spontaneous to get his attention. The big guy seemed to adore kids, and was nothing but gentle with both Sam and April. It reminded me how young the two are, too.
"Those two really hit it off." Rose said, watching as Sam began to tickle Aerodactyl, who fell over in a fit of laughter. She had arrived but five minutes ago, scaring me half to death as she emerged from the jungle. Apparently, she thought that sticking with us seemed to be better than being off on her own. I didn't know what insane logic that might have come from, because we seemed to be disaster magnets.
"Yeah." I said, nodding and glancing at April. She had treated everyone's injuries as best she could with her meager supplies, and then curled into a ball and fell asleep next to me. We sat in silence for a second, before Rose continued.
"What do you think is going on?" She asked. I shook my head.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, divine retribution from the legendaries is long overdue. We can't keep doing this." I muttered, thinking of the fusion Pokémon. Rose nodded in agreement. We watched Sam and Aerodactyl play for a bit more, before I sighed and shook my head. "Do you know what's going on with the legendaries?" I asked. Rose thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"No, not really. At first I thought they were just choosing champions, but now I don't think that is the case." She said. I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. All the stories I've heard about champions of the legendaries didn't have tests and crap like this. They just kind of…chose, being the all-knowing beings they are." I said. Rose nodded. We were silent again, having run out of small talk. Something was picking at my brain, making me nervous, but I couldn't figure out what it was. So instead of thinking about it, I watched the shadows creep across the sand. Wait…..there shouldn't be any shadows. It's nighttime. "Oh." I said.
I leapt to my feet as black fire erupted around us as the shadows began to swirl. Aerodactyl and Sam were trapped outside of the barrier of fire, which bent over the top of us, creating a dome. In fact, it was only me, Rose, and April trapped inside the barrier. April still slept next to me, oblivious to the impending danger. Rose muttered a string of curses as she shot a flamethrower at the fire, the flames simply being absorbed. Then I shuddered. Pure malice radiated from the flames, hatred and pain that brought with it thoughts of anguish and terror. Rose stood stock-still, her face drained of blood as tormenting thoughts crashed through her brain.
Thoughts of watching my family die, letting April die, letting everyone I cared about die invaded my consciousness. Images of war and terror flashed before my eyes, and I felt my legs freeze. I couldn't move. Then, out of the darkness of the flames, emerged the strangest creature I had ever seen. Its golden armor glimmered, its six black wings fluttered, and death radiated from the human-like Giratina swirled into existence. Its presence intensified the feelings of terror. I gritted my teeth and swallowed my fear, forcing my limbs to move and my feet to work.
"Who are you?!" I demanded.
"I am that which is despised and loathed. I am Fear itself, Anguish incarnate, Torment in a human form." Its voice was raspy and metallic, each syllable driving daggers of fear into my body. For a moment, I was frozen, unable to move because of the fear. Then I found myself wondering why I could understand it. It looked like a fusion, so I hadn't expected to actually get an answer. As if sensing my question, it answered. "Fear, Pain, and Death are something all creatures understand." He said.
"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice a mere squeak. Steeling my nerves and forcing down my fear, I spoke up. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" I bellowed. Rose and April remained silent through all of this, and, fearing for their lives, I allowed myself to be distracted by them. April's eyes were wide with fear as she lay in the fetal position on the ground, unmoving. Rose had broken down, weeping silently into her paws as she was confronted with her terrors.
"They have succumbed to Fear. You appear to be more resilient than the others." Giratina said, following my gaze.
"Others?" I managed to get out, wondering at his choice of words.
"Yes. Others. They put up a brave fight, but eventually the succumbed to fear, just as your friends did, just as you will." It said, waving one black-clawed hand. A hole of pure hate opened, dumping Red and an unconscious Mewtwo on the ground. Red was paralyzed, his eyes closed and half dead. The thought of April becoming like that sent a wave of adrenaline through my body, and my nerves hardened. "You, along with your companions, will become like this. Then I will take you to the Voice, and maybe then he'll shut up." My gaze turned to him, and I felt power surge through me as I mega evolved.
"I won't let that happen." I growled. Giratina didn't look compelled to speak more, instead raising one hand. A black ball of energy formed in his palm, emanating negative emotions. My knees felt weak when confronted with it, but I stayed standing, charging my horn with pure, dark energy. Words felt congested in my throat, as if they would hold no meaning before this being. Giratina raised an eyebrow, and the ball shot towards me. I barely dodged it, and raced towards Giratina. I swung my horn, the blade slashing at darkness.
"Over here." Giratina's voice seemed to reverberate throughout the dome, driving more daggers into my heart. I whirled around to look at him, only to take a black ball to the face. Absolute terror shot through me, and I fell to the ground, mind racing in fear, and breath ragged. My heart pounded in my chest as my eyes fell upon April, whose face was drained of all color. I gritted my teeth and stood, glaring defiantly at Giratina. I would NOT lose to this guy.
"Shut up." I snarled, firing an ice beam. It passed harmlessly through Giratina, as if he was made of shadows. He teleported in front of me, and I leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding one dark claw. I got the feeling that if he touched me, it would be game over. No matter how much courage I may have, it wouldn't be enough to overcome the fear it would instill. And so the dance began. I would charge and swing, the attack hitting nothing, and then I would dodge one of his attacks. It seemed to go on for eternity, and I felt myself getting more and more exhausted, the fear weighing heavily on my heart and mind. Then I slipped. My paw slid on the sand, and Giratina touched me. Icy cold fear radiated from where his claw sank into me, freezing me where I stood. In a final act of defiance, before I fell, I hit him back.
"GAAAAAAAAH!" I howled, slamming a night slash into his face. Giratina stumbled backwards, the flame barrier flickering. He blinked in surprise, and I chuckled, falling onto the ground. I was all but frozen from the fear, but I felt strangely satisfied, realizing that I had resigned myself to hitting himself at least once before succumbing.
"Impressive." Giratina said, studying me. My chuckles seemed to interest him, and black flames began to form in front of him. "It may be more trouble than it's worth to keep you alive." He said. I closed my eyes and smiled a grim smile. So this was it, huh? All I ended up doing was hitting the guy. BABOOOOM! My eyes flew open just in time to see one of the most awe-inspiring scenes I had ever laid my eyes upon. The black flames died into nothingness as a wave of water crashed upon it, flames flowed over it, and lightning boomed around it. Before me stood the three legendary dogs, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. Suicune stood atop a tidal wave, purple hair and streamers billowing in the wind. Raikou was surrounded by thunderbolts, grains of sand rising around him as the magnetic field was altered by his mere presence. Entei stood atop a red-hot tower of glass, formed from the intense heat of his flames. Giratina was stunned. In an instant, the three of them moved, Entei grabbing Rose and Red, Raikou hauling April and Mewtwo, and Suicune landing in front of me. Entei and Raikou moved Rose and April out of the way before coming to stand next to Suicune, between me and Giratina.
"So that's your champion, huh, Suicune?" Raikou asked. Suicune nodded, not even glancing back at me.
"Yes. Now let us focus on the task at hand, Raikou. No getting sidetracked this time." Suicune said.
"Aw, you know me, fast as a thunderbolt, get the job done quick. You guys just can't keep up." Raikou said. Entei snorted.
"We'll see, Raikou. This guy'll be nothing but a crisp by the time I'm through with him. Mess with a volcano, and you're bound to get incinerated." He growled. Suicune shook his head.
"You two, always trying to one-up each other. It hasn't changed since we were pups." He said with a sigh.
"Nope." Entei said.
"Not a chance. Shall we begin?" Raikou asked. Suicune nodded.
"Yes. Mars, you just relax. We'll take care of this punk." Suicune said. The thought of sitting back and relaxing while the three legendary dogs fought this guy struck a nerve, and I began to struggle to my feet. No way was I letting them fight alone. They'd pissed me off enough already, and I'd feel like crap if I let them save me.
"Like hell." I groaned, standing up and steeling my nerves once more. "I'm not letting you have all the fun." I growled. They were silent for a second before Raikou laughed.
"You sure know how to pick 'em, Suicune." He said. Suicune smiled smugly and nodded. Raikou turned his head slightly to look at me. "Sure thing kid, just don't get in the way. Ready, brothers? Let's show this pup just what the three legendary dogs are capable of."
"For once, I agree." Entei said. "Let's unleash hell on him." And the dog trio leapt into battle, me at their heels.
Well, there we go. Let me know if there are any breaks in the storytelling, and any grammatical errors, after all, I can't catch everything. Thanks for the support, I wouldn't do this without you guys!
