Author's Note:
So, normally I don't put these at the beginnings of my chapters, but I did want to preface this chapter by saying that I wasn't entirely confident with how I did this chapter. There is a specific scene that I wasn't sure if I had portrayed the character's reaction and emotions properly, which was why this chapter took so long. I won't say what I thought was wrong, as that would spoil the chapter, but, once you finish, I would love to hear your opinions about it. Again, sorry about the late chapter and I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 28
The Heart of a Doll
Zero awoke to the sound of combat. Vision blurred by his still waking consciousness, Zero could only make out a few moving splotches of colors, but he could hear it. The grunts. The shouts of battle and cries of pain as attacks landed. It was unquestionable, he was in combat.
Out of sheer instinct, Zero jumped to his feet, ignoring the harsh pain that pulsed through him. An unsettling wave of nausea and dizziness crashed into the Riolu, nearly sending him back to the ground, but he refused to stumble. Slowly, everything began to blend into a coherent image. Just as he began to make out the remnants of his destroyed home, when he was suddenly tackled to the ground.
"Get down!" Not a moment later, a massive blast of fire seared the air where Zero's head had been. The flames exploded against a tree across the way, the force of the blast splintering its bark before alighting the tree.
Still slightly dazed, Zero nearly stumbled as his savior quickly hoisted the former human to his feet. "Snap out of it, Zero!"
"Furno?" Zero asked aloud. His vision cleared and he was greeted with his friends heavily bruised and scratched up form.
The Monferno sighed in relief, but quickly narrowed his eyes. "Come on. We need to move! Bella and Stride are holding them off, but I don't know for how long!"
"Holding who off?" Zero asked, though he had an inkling.
"Soldiers," Furno replied grimly. "They attacked came out of nowhere and attacked the tree."
"So the house…"
Furno grimaced; eyes turning sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Zero. It's gone."
Zero felt a crushing weight settle in his stomach. The sole place that remained that held a connection to his past lay destroyed at his feet. Anger flashed through his mind, but only for a moment. As much as it hurt, he couldn't afford to linger. "Let's go."
"You two aren't going anywhere!" a loud, nasally voice called out from behind the duo.
Zero and Furno spun around, immediately on their guard at the unfamiliar voice. Lumbering towards the duo was a large red Pokémon that almost resembled a Blastoise if not for its long, tubular nose and lack of canons. Its shell was oddly designed, almost mirroring an explosion, or at least an artist's rendition of one. They couldn't see the back of the Pokémon's shell, but they could make out several spikes poking out from it, though several of them appeared to be broken.
"What the hell?" Zero heard Furno mumble under his breath.
"Surprised at my appearance?" the Pokémon asked as if having heard Furno. "I'm no surprised. My kind doesn't venture away from the Islands very often…"
"The Islands?" Zero asked.
"…then again, this is a bit of a special occasion," the Pokémon continued, ignoring Zero. He then grinned at the duo. "It's not every day that I'm given an assignment directly from the Emperor. I couldn't ignore that even if I wanted to!"
Zero tensed, taking a subtle step backwards. As he did, however, the odd Pokémon's eyes snapped towards him, causing Zero to freeze in place. The Pokémon grinned at the former human, snorting out a small gout of fire from his nose as a warning. Zero narrowed his eyes.
"There's no running for you, kid," the Pokémon said. "The Emperor was rather specific about bringing the wielder of the Silver Soul to him, so why don't you just surrender and save yourself the pain."
"Not happening," Zero snarled, his entire body tensed in preparation for a fight, Furno mirroring his actions.
"Hmph. I figured you'd say that. No, I hoped you would." The Pokémon's grin became slightly more manic. The air around him seemed to undulate and sway as the heat the Pokémon was giving off reached searing levels. "It's been so long since I've been let off my leash. So long since I've been able to cut loose. There's no way I'd pass this up!"
The Pokémon lurched forward, slamming his fists against the ground. The back of his shell erupting like a volcano, shooting fire into the air. With a roar, the Pokémon cut off the flame and lumbered towards the two Pokémon.
With a growl, Furno launched himself forward with a Mach Punch and met the charging Pokémon head on. With a shout, Furno struck, smashing his fist into the soldier's shell with as much force as he could muster. The soldier barely flinched.
With a laugh, the Pokémon swatted Furno to the side and kept on charging towards Zero. The Riolu in question dove to the side just as the soldier was about to trample him. Falling to a roll, Zero came up on one knee, already coalescing energy in his paw. Just as the soldier was beginning to turn, Zero thrust his palm forward and shot a Vacuum Wave at the soldier.
The ball of condensed wind smashed into the soldier, causing him to grunt, but gave no other sign that the move had affected him. The soldier grinned almost tauntingly at Zero before reeling its head back and inhaling deeply. Zero's eyes widened in realization as he quickly dashed to the side just as the soldier exhaled, shooting a large blast of fire from his nose towards the spot Zero was at.
"Slippery little shit, aren't you?" the soldier sneered, though he didn't seem all too annoyed.
Zero skid to a halt, eyes narrowing. "He's tough."
"Yeah. Hit his shell was like punching a boulder," Furno said as he came to stand next to Zero.
"He doesn't seem very fast though," Zero pointed out. "Maybe we can outrun him and get to Stride?"
"The hell are you two yammering on about?!" the soldier demanded irritably. "Come on and fight!" Not even waiting for a response, the Pokémon opened their mouth and shot an orb of draconic energy at the duo.
Both Zero and Furno lunged towards opposite sides as the attack screamed towards them. Before the Dragon Pulse even detonated, the soldier was moving. Just as his previous attack detonated, the Pokémon shot forward, his speed practically doubling as a whitish blue aura enveloped his body. Furno never had a chance to move out of the way before the soldier crashed into him with a brutal Head Smash.
Furno cried out in agony as the unrelenting force of a super-effective attack slammed into him. The Monferno was flung bonelessly across the forest; crashing into a tree with enough force to splinter its bark and shake its leaves. With a harsh gasp of pain, Furno slumped to the ground in a heap.
"Furno!" Zero shouted in alarm and worry. His gaze whipped towards the soldier, an angry snarl on his lips.
"Looks like that got you pumped!" the soldier exclaimed sounding far too happy for the Riolu's liking. "Come on! Show me what this Silver Soul can do!"
With a growl, Zero shot another Vacuum Wave at the soldier and started moving. Like Zero expected, his attack did very little to his bulky opponent, but it did entice him. Zero could see the borderline feral grin that overtook the soldiers face as he watched Zero circle him. He made no move to attack, seemingly content with seeing how Zero would respond.
Zero eyed the soldier critically, occasionally shooting concerned glances towards Furno. Eventually, Zero took the initiative and dashed forward, shadow-like energy wreathing his paws. With a shout, he viciously swung his ethereal claws at the soldier. Much to Zero's dismay, the soldier merely raised his arms and blocked the attack. Undeterred, Zero continued to slash at the soldiers, relentlessly clawing at his enemies arms.
The soldier just smirked as he weathered the former human's attack, making no move to do anything other than block. This soon changed as a deep orange aura suddenly erupted around the soldier, startling Zero. As the Riolu reared back his arm, the soldier reeled back his fist, all of the fiery energy swarming towards his fist. With a victorious shout, he swung his fist towards the Emanation Pokémon, intent on crushing him with his Revenge fueled fist, but Zero recovered.
Just before the soldier's attack could land, Zero quickly sidestepped, causing the attack to smash into the ground, sending dirt and clumps of dirt flying. Before the soldier could retract their fist, Zero struck his side with a Force Palm. The heavy impact caused the soldier to stumble slightly, but he still didn't fall. With a growl, he swung wide, only for the Riolu to duck under the attack before moving backwards.
The soldier followed Zero, swiping at the young fighting type with his bare fists and small bursts of fire. The Riolu continued to retreat, dodging every attack that came his way as best he could, slowly leading the soldier away from Furno's recovering form. However, the longer Zero dodged, the more annoyed this seemed to make the soldier.
Clearly enraged, the soldier suddenly swung his arm towards the Riolu, bright emerald green energy swirling around his arm in the form of a reptilian claw. Caught off guard by the sudden change in attack, Zero was just barely able to step out of the way. Even so, as the draconic claw swiped past him, he was unable to fully dodge and received a glancing scratch across his flank.
The Riolu cringed under the sharp pain, but didn't fall back. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the soldier's outstretched arm and pulled. Despite the large size difference between the two, the young Riolu wasn't a fighting type for nothing. With no small amount of herculean effort, Zero managed to yank the Pokémon forward, while simultaneously striking the soldier's leg with a Low Sweep. Already off balanced, the sharp kick sent the soldier crashing to the ground.
Still keeping a grip on the soldier's arm, Zero pulled the limb back towards the Pokémon's shell, eliciting a cry of pain from his opponent. With his opponent pinned, Zero brought his free arm up and swung it down towards the center of the soldier's shell with a Force Palm. The moment Zero's attack made contact, the shell exploded.
Zero felt the air being knocked out of his lungs and fire race across his body. He was thrown backwards, further into the forest, without even the slightest chance of protecting himself. He felt himself crash into something hard before it shattered, cutting his body with the shrapnel.
Zero coughed violently as he struggled to regain his breath. His vision was spinning. His body burned and ached. A harsh ringing echoed in his ears. Had the soldier's shell…exploded.
The soldier, rising to his feet, laughed uproariously "What? Don't you know that us Turtonator's have exploding shells?" The soldier lumbered over towards the Riolu. "Ah, right. You don't know about the Islands." The soldier chuckled cruelly. "Ah well, it doesn't matter."
Zero growled, wincing at how feeble it sounded. Slowly, he rose to his feet, opening his eyes to glare at the soldier. The odd fire type smirked down at the former human; enjoyment written across his face. Zero shifted his stance, preparing to attack, when his foot bumped into something. He glanced down and saw that he had nudged perfectly shaped cube of wood amongst the pieces of wood around him.
"A block?" Zero mumbled.
"Don't look away!"
Zero's eyes widened at his mistake. Instinctively, he brought his arms up just in time to block the soldier's vicious punch. Zero grunted under the heavy hit, his knees shaking just from the sudden impact. Then, all at once, the weight vanished, causing Zero to pitch forward ever so slightly. As soon as this happened, an equally heavy strike slammed into Zero's temple, sending the Riolu skidding across the ground. Zero couldn't stop the cry of pain from leaving him as he crashed into the ground; his body grinding against dirt, gravel, splinters of wood, and…fabric?
"The way the Emperor was harping about the Silver Soul, I expected you to have incredible power, if not untrained, but all I see before me is a welp biting off more than he can chew!" the soldier barked.
Cursing his own stupidity, Zero found himself once more struggling to stand. His body cried out for rest. The damage that he had sustained from the house's collapse had already left him struggling just to stand. However, even if he had been at full strength, he still be struggling to hold up against the foe before him. He pushed himself off of the ground, pausing as his paw brushed against something soft that was decidedly not grass.
There was a badly damaged strip of cloth to his right. No, it was a blanket. A blanket that was torn and threadbare and covered in large chunks of broken wood. It was…his bed.
Zero quickly rose to his feet and surveyed the area around him. Larger chunks of wood and broken furniture surrounded him. What's more, Zero could see several old toys scattered amongst the debris. He was in the middle of what was left of his room.
"Such a shame," the soldier continued to speak, unconcerned by the Riolu. "After coming here of all places, I wanted to really cut loose! If I'd known you'd be such a disappointment, then I would have stayed to fight Stride! Especially after what that bastard did to me…"
Zero's eyes flitted towards the Turtonator. "What do you mean?" he demanded, his mind racing. With how things were going, Zero knew all too well that he had no hope of defeating this soldier by himself. Zero would need to stall the soldier long enough for Furno to recover and rejoin the battle.
The soldier didn't even glance towards the Riolu, seemingly caught up in his own rant. "To think, I would end up here again of all places and with the chance to exact my revenge! Yet…instead I have to face a mere pup!" With a growl, he turned towards Zero, making the young Resistance member to tense.
"Revenge?" Zero asked, confused by the Turtonator's words. "You've been here before?"
"That's right," the soldier answered. "Almost three decades ago, I was one of the chosen to lead the attack on the Zarude Division. I had the distinct pleasure of attacking the tree itself. I still remember the flames."
The soldier paused, his expression becoming borderline euphoric. "The hottest flames I've ever produced…I still feel them now. The memories…their flooding through me the longer I stand here! The heat…the destructions…the screams…"
At moment, Zero felt his heart skipped a beat. That sounded an awful lot like what Stride had…
"Oh, I wish that I could have seen the tree fall myself," the soldier lamented. "Unfortunately, that traitor Stride robbed me of that!" The soldier growled, thoughts of his past encounter plaguing him like an actual attack. "If it hadn't been for him throwing me over the side, I would have been able to see the fruits of my labor. Such a shame…"
"What are you saying?"
The Turtonator paused in his rant, gazing towards Zero as if just noticing him. "What was that?"
Zero's fur stood on end. "You…what did you do?"
The soldier blinked. "Huh?
"What did you do?" Zero repeated, his voice hardly audible through his clenched teeth. His form shook with hardly suppressed rage. "What did you do to this place?!"
"Huh? I thought I just answered that," the Turtonator replied. He grinned evilly at the Riolu. "I burned this division down to the ground!"
Zero's eyes sharpened at the soldier's admittance. For a moment, Zero could no longer here anything other than the blood roaring in his ears. Standing in front of him was the one that set the Zarude Division ablaze. The one that had destroyed his home.
"Does that upset you?" the soldier asked tauntingly, though with a tinge of curiosity. "What are you? Some kind of human sympathizer?"
Zero didn't respond. He couldn't. His mind kept flashing back to Stride's story. The loss of his people, for his mother. The fire. The screams. Everything that he had lost. It all flooded his mind, drowning him in those tortuous images and sounds.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" the soldier shouted in annoyance. "What? Have I scared you into silence?!"
Everything that had been building up in him; pain, sadness, loss, guilt, regret, despair, it all fell away. Those emotions, his memories, his purpose, nothing was left. Nothing but rage.
"That's it, isn't it! You're terrified!" the soldier laughed. "I get it. You're in over your head and you've finally realized it! Tell you what, give up now and I'll just knock you out and leave it at that. The one I really want is Stride, if you surrender now, I'll have time to deal with him and return before my deadline. I'll even tell the Emperor how cooperative you were!"
Zero still remained silent.
"What, not good enough for you?" the soldier questioned haughtily. "Hmph. Fine then. Surrender now, and I'll spare your little friend too!" Zero's paw twitched at that and the soldier noticed. He grinned.
"That caught your attention, huh? Just think about it. Your friend's still back there, probably still smarting from my Head Smash. It would be so easy to go back and—" That was all the soldier got out before Zero snapped.
The threat to his friend was too much for Zero's rapidly deteriorating control to bare. In that moment, his mind went completely blank. He didn't know what he was going to do or what he wanted to do, yet his body did. It was fueled, not by his mind and inhibitions, but a primal desire to seek revenge.
Zero, mind in utter disarray, released a howl of pure rage and dashed towards the soldier with reckless abandon. He pounced at the soldier, bright orange energy swirling around his fist like a vortex. The soldier, for his part, only gawked momentarily at this seemingly sudden shift in behavior before smirking. He hunkered down, a claw of emerald energy forming around his own hand as he prepared for the Riolu's attack.
Uncaring of the Turtonator's own attack, Zero swung his fist towards the soldier without hesitation. His own safety was no longer even a factor in the former human's mind. Not caring, or rather incapable of doing even doing so, the former human struck towards his opponent's head—
One for a portal to tear open between the two of them.
In that single second, a mere moment in time, Zero's attack faltered. He felt something softly, yet firmly, grip his outstretched wrist before tossing him away from the soldier. In the same moment, a claw shrouded in shadows lashed out, striking the equally stunned soldier with enough force to send him crashing to the ground.
Zero hit the ground, but quickly rolled to his feet. His shock overtook his anger, dragging it back to the recesses of his mind. As his mind returned to him, Zero realized just who was standing between him and the Turtonator.
"Bella?"
The Banette turned, her expression hard. In an instant, she had floated to the Riolu and struck him across the face.
Unprepared, Zero fell to the ground with a startled cry. The attack hadn't hurt but it left the Riolu stunned. He stared up at the ghost type, subconsciously holding his cheek, too shocked to even ask why. The Banette met his gaze, anger flickering within pink orbs.
She gave a single grunt, her expression hardening. She gestured to him then to the soldier before grunting again. To most, these would be simply wild and pointless gestures, but Zero knew better. He knew exactly what the Banette was trying to convey.
Shame welled within the Emanation Pokémon. He had allowed himself to be goaded into attacking recklessly, and act that would have definitely put him right into the hands of the Emperor. He bowed his head in shame, unable to form the proper words to apologize for his rash behavior.
Bella merely grunted in response and turned back towards the soldier, just as he was rising to his feet. "That was a dirty trick!" he growled, glaring hatefully at the Banette.
Zero tensed, his eyes flickering back towards soldier. Slowly, his anger flickered back to the surface of his mind. He rose to his feet, his hackles bared in a deep growl, but before he could move to attack, Bella swung her arm in front of the Riolu. Startled, the former human could only blink confusedly at the Banette.
"Bella? What…?"
The Marionette Pokémon shook her head and gestured towards the forest. Zero blinked in confusion. Was she telling him to…?
"You won't get the drop on me again!" the soldier suddenly shouted. Once more, a white light engulfed the Turtonator before dissipating. With a harsh yell, the soldier charged forward at far greater speeds than before.
Both Zero and Bella's eyes widened in shock at the sudden burst of speed from their enemy. Both of them leapt out of the way just in time to avoid the soldier's attack. Without a target, the Turtonator's fist smashed into the ground, flinging dirt and gravel in all directions.
"He's so much faster," Zero muttered, his eyes trailing towards the small crater the soldier's fist had left in the ground. "And stronger."
Zero landed with a stumble, his glare fixed on the steadily rising soldier. Despite the Turtonator's frightening power, Zero refused to back down. For what the soldier did to his home, he would fight until the very end!
He lurched forward with a Quick Attack, practically appearing at the soldier's side in a blur of motion. As the soldier turned his enraged glare towards Zero, the Riolu was already in the motion of striking him with a Power-Up Punch.
The attack made satisfying contact with the soldier's face. For a brief moment, Zero allowed a smile to overtake his face as his fist dug into the soldier's flesh. The satisfaction swiftly turned cold as Zero saw the beast's feral grin. Before his mind could catch up, his body was already making preparations to move out of the way, but he was too slow. Too slow to avoid the point-blank Flamethrower that burst from the soldier's snout.
But Bella wasn't.
In a blur, Bella shot across the field, grabbing Zero and diving out of the way as the ruthless flames of the soldier. The ghost gave a sharp cry as she crashed to the ground, but she refused to release her grip on Zero. The duo rolled several feet before coming to a stop in a tangled heap.
"Little pest," the soldier growled.
Bella quickly got back up, sending a question chur towards Zero. "I'm fine," the Riolu replied gruffly. He got up, intent on attacking the soldier once more, when he paused. "Bella, you…"
The Banette glanced at the former human before looking at her arm. Her fabric-like flesh had been blackened and frayed. The soldier's flamethrower must have grazed her when she saved the Riolu. This immediately sent another bolt of anger through the Riolu.
He was hurting someone else. He kept hurting those closest to Zero! He wouldn't let him. He wouldn't let him hurt anyone else close to him—
For the second time, Bella swung her arm in front of Zero, abruptly cutting off his train of thought.
"Bella? What are you…?" Zero's voice trailed off when the ghost type pointed towards the forest away from the soldier, pointing with great intensity. "You…you want me to leave?"
Bella gave a single nod, not taking her eyes off of the Turtonator. Zero stared open-mouthed at his friend for a solid second before his mind seemed to catch up with him.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Zero demanded. "He's way too strong. He knocked out Furno in a single hit and he's only gotten stronger and faster! You can't—!"
The Banette didn't let the Riolu finish. She merely sent Zero a single pleading look before she launched herself towards the soldier.
The Riolu watched gobsmacked as the Banette fearlessly attacked the soldier. Watched as pulses of dark energy and shadows impacted against equally ferocious gouts of fire and draconic energy. All the while, Zero couldn't move.
He didn't make any attempt to run. He didn't make any attempt to help. He just stood there. Anger and fury still bubbled within him like a furnace, but it was clashing with the obligation to heed Bella's plea and the desire to help his friend. He twitched, a half-attempt at a step, and stumbled, nearly falling over. His eyes still glued to the clashing Pokémon before him.
Bella had always been strong, probably the strongest on their team, but she was steadily losing ground. The longer she fought, the more burns and scratches Zero could see appear on Bella's body. The soldier's fire began to spread, engulfing everything in its attempt to reach its quarry.
Zero felt a small prickle of pain in his chest as he watched the fire spread. The rubble of his home. His bed. His toys. They were burning. It was all burning.
A pained screech drew Zero attention back towards Bella just in time to see her collapse, clutching her left arm. Her side was badly burned and her eyes shut in pain. The Turtonator bared down upon the Banette, a twisted grin on his face, fire smoldering around him. His snout began to glow fiery orange.
Zero moved without even knowing it.
"Get away from her!" Zero screamed, fist glowing with energy.
The Turtonator, startled by Zero's sudden shout, looked up and received an explosive punch across his face. They soldier stumbled, his head snapping to the side causing his Flamethrower to shoot wide, decimating a nearby tree. Slightly dazed, he blindly snarled at the former human.
"You little—" The soldier's words were cut off as Zero jumped at the soldier, planting both his feet against the Turtonator's shell before kicking off, sending both the soldier and Zero crashing to the ground.
Zero groaned, his entire body aching and begging for rest. He might have imagined it, but the Turtonator seemed physically weaker. Not in strength, but in general toughness. Before Zero could think on this more or move to climb to his feet, Bella had grabbed the Riolu under his arms and yanked him to his feet, spinning him around to face her.
"What are you…?" Zero's question faded at the angry, confusion, and fear alight in the Banette's eyes. She frantically made gestures towards the forest, silently begging him to run, but Zero shook his head defiantly. "I'm not leaving! I'm not letting him take anything else from me!"
Bella frowned for a moment. She glanced around at the burning wreckage of his home and small light of understanding flickering in her eyes. She shook her head and glared at the Riolu, prepared to argue, only for her face to fall. Before Zero could question this, Bella lunged forward and tackled the Riolu to the ground as a gout of fire seared the space they had been standing.
They hit the ground, rolling across the charred and burned ground. They had hardly stopped moving, when Bella tore herself from Zero's grasp and fired a Shadow Ball at the soldier. The Turtonator cried out in pain as the orb exploded against his chest, sending him crashing back to the ground with an enraged and pain filled shout.
The moment the soldier fell, Bella whirled around towards Zero; anger and confusion alight in her eyes. Zero opened his mouth, prepared to tell her how he couldn't leave her to face the solider alone, when the words died in his throat.
"Bella…you're burning."
And he was right. Blue flames were licking across her feet, slowly spreading up her body. Zero stared in horror and incomprehension as the Marionette Pokémon studied her own body. The ghost type looked unnerved and scared, and expression Zero had never seen before. The Banette turned, her gaze finding something in lying in the smoldering dirt. Zero followed her gaze and his heart stopped.
There, resting in a patch of burning grass, was a doll. A stuffed toy that Zero had just found and just remembered. The toy that Bella had been born from.
A thousand thoughts rushed through Zero's mind, even as he was rushing towards the doll. Before he even registered the pain of the fire biting at his paws, he was trying to put out the toy. He knew on an instinctual level that this toy was connected to Bella. If it burned then she…
"Come on. Come on. Go out. Go out!" Zero cried desperately; frantically patting at the doll. Trying to put out the fire while ignoring the pain, but it wouldn't go out. "Dammit. Dammit!"
Gentle hands suddenly clasped his wrists and pulled him from the burning doll. Zero's head snapped up, a desperate plea on his lips, only for the sound to die out before it even began when he met Bella's eyes.
She was crying. Crying for the first time since Zero had met the Banette. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground. It was pitifully sad sight, one that wrenched Zero's heart. Yet, despite this, Bella was smiling. She was sitting there with a sad yet blindingly bright smile on her face.
Zero shook his head uncomprehendingly. He couldn't understand why she was smiling. She was dying, literally burning away. How could she be smiling? No sooner had this thought crossed his mind, a flood of images flashed before his eyes. Memories of a life not his own.
He remembered waking up, or being born. He remembered his first thoughts being of anger. Anger over being abandoned. The hurt and pain gave way to the need for revenge. To seek out the child who threw him away and get revenge on them. This was his drive.
Until it wasn't.
He remembered searching for days, months, years, and still no sign of them. It was like the child had disappeared off the face of the Earth. Was he dead? He couldn't be sure, but…something in him, the thing that fueled his grudge, told him otherwise. The child was still alive. They had to be.
Then, when it seemed like he'd never find his owner, he did. They looked different, but that feeling in him was not fooled. This was the one who abandoned him. The source of his grudge! They could finally get revenge, but…he couldn't.
In that moment, seeing their child standing before them, that anger and hate he had felt for so many years faded in an instant. The warmth and love that he had forgotten, or that existed before his consciousness. In that moment, he couldn't fathom why he'd ever hate his child. The one that fueled him with so much love. Now, standing before him, he wanted more than to embrace this child and never let him go. To protect him at any cost.
Zero blinked, his mind coming back to him. He stared at Bella, stared into her sad yet happy eyes. The fires had ascended to her chest. Her form was flickered between opaque and see through. He felt something cold drip down the side of his face and splash against his paw. He was crying.
"Bella," Zero all but whispered.
The Banette's smile grew ever so slightly. Her mouth opened, but no grunt or groan left her. Instead, for the first time. Words left her mouth.
"Thank…you…"
Zero's eyes widened. "Bella, no…"
The Banette shook her head and continued to smile. The fires had reached her neck and began to glow. "Good…bye, Atlas," she whispered.
"Bella, don't—!"
Zero's plea fell on deaf ears as the fire completely covered his friend. Zero flinched away as the blue flames brightened, before slowly beginning to fade. When he looked back, Bella was gone.
"Bella? Bella? Belladonna!" Zero frantically looked around for any trace of the Banette as he shouted. Demanding that the Banette stop playing around and reappear. To tackle him with a hug like she always did, but there was no response. Bella didn't reappear. He looked down at the twisted and burnt mass that had once been his toy, now more ash than fabric. The former human felt something break in his chest.
"Well, that was something," the soldier's commented, his harsh voice cutting across the burning clearing. The Turtonator rose to his feet, eyeing the pile of ash with mild curiosity. "I didn't think ghost types burned like that. I'll have to keep that in mind."
Zero's eyes snapped towards the voice. Towards the soldier. The one who caused all this.
Numbly, Zero felt himself rising to his feet, his gaze never leaving the Turtonator. He swayed on his feet, but he paid no mind to his protesting body. The soldier was saying something, something condescending judging by the smirk on his face, but Zero couldn't hear him. He couldn't hear anything the drum-like beating of his own heart.
Something pulsed in him. Something vicious and wild. Something that was begging to be released. Something that sought revenge against the one that had burned away everything of his past.
And Zero had no reason to deny it.
-Resistance-
Stride dove under another bolt of electricity, cursing under his breath as he did so.
"You can't dodge forever!" a Galvantula hissed furiously at the Greninja, his entire body sparking with electricity.
Stride said nothing, rolling on the spot and coming to a knee. Water swiftly coalesced and compressed in between his palms, forming a razor-sharp shuriken. He was about to throw the disk of water when he was forced to lunge out of the way as a Dragon Pulse smashed into the spot he once was.
"Stride!" a Flygon screeched furiously, diving from above, her claws glowing with draconic energy.
With a growl, Stride parried the soldier's Dragon Claw with a Night Slash, only to scream in pain as a Thunderbolt exploded across his back, nearly sending him back to his knees. Biting his tongue, the Greninja forced himself to ignore the pain arcing through him and grabbed the Flygon's arm. The Mystic Pokémon yelped in surprise as she was suddenly pulled in front of their fellow soldier's attack. The electricity did nothing to her as she was a ground type, but it freed Stride from the attack.
With a shout, Stride thrust his hands forward, releasing a high-pressured torrent of water from his hands into the ground-dragon type's back, sending the screaming soldier hurtling towards her ally. The Galvantula shouted in alarm as the Flygon barreled into him, his attack cutting off as his body was crushed under the larger dragon.
Not wasting a moment, the Ninja Pokémon made to run further into the forest, towards Zero and Furno. However, before he could make it more than a couple of steps, he was forced to jump back as an electrified web impacted against the ground in front of him.
"You're not getting away, traitor," the Galvantula spat, rising to his feet far quicker than Stride had anticipated. "The Emperor will reward us greatly for your head."
"Even more when we give him that Silver Soul brat," the Flygon added nastily.
Stride's frigid glare masked his rapidly increasing worry for his former mentees. He had sent Belladonna after the other soldier, a soldier that Stride wished he could forget, but that had been several minutes ago. Best case scenario was that the ghost was able to join up with the other two and they could hold off the soldier for the time being, but these were elites. Stride could tell that just from the first few moments of fighting them. There was no way that the three of them could fight that monster. He needed to get to them and fast!
With a silent growl, Stride sent a Dark Pulse towards the two soldiers, forcing them to leap apart. The EleSpider hissed at the water-dark type and fired several globs of Sticky Web at Stride in hopes to hamper the Greninja's movements. Stride immediately jumped back, avoiding the globs that spread across the ground they impacted against. Just as he landed, Stride was forced to jump yet again as the Flygon flew at him.
Twisting in the air, Stride fired an Ice Beam at the Flygon as he fell, clipping the dragon's wing with his attack. The soldier cried out and crashed to the ground, her right wing partially frozen. Stride landed a few paces away, landing on a single foot. Mindful of the various webs that now lay scattered across the ground.
The Resistance member's gaze snapped towards the Galvantula, just as the electric-bug type shot out a beam of lightning. Stride quickly formed a Water Shuriken and threw it at the attack. The disk of waster sliced through the beam before bursting as the electricity of the attack took hold. The soldier flinched at the ensuing smokescreen, opening his eyes a moment later just in time to see a blade of dark energy screaming towards him.
The soldier cried out as the Night Slash scraped across his body, the force of it sending it flying back. As he tumbled back, he sent several more globs of webbing towards the Greninja, forcing Stride to dodge. By the time the Galvantula hit the ground again, several more web traps had been strewn across the ground.
As this was happening, the Flygon had recovered. She rose to her feet glaring at her frozen wing. With a growl, she smashed her frozen appendage against the ground, shattering the ice encasing it. Quickly shaking out the freed appendage, she launched herself at the Greninja, her claw cloaked in bright light.
Quickly turning around, Stride summoned another Night Slash, bringing the weapon in front of him just in time to block the attack. The two opposing energy clashed violently, sending sparks across the field, if only for a brief moment. Stride's attack was able to stop the soldier's, but the force behind the attack was enough to shove the Ninja Pokémon back several feet with a strained grunt.
Stride glared at the Flygon as he came to a stop, prepared to attack, when he felt his foot catch on something. Something sticky. His heart dropped into his stomach at the same moment the soldiers grinned maliciously. The Greninja only had time to cross his arms before a Charge Beam and a Dragon Breath were streaking towards him.
Stride bit back a scream as the two attacks slammed into him. The attacks exploded on contact, tearing him out of the Sticky Web and hurtling towards one of the trees. He slammed into the tree with enough force to crack the bark and shake its leaves. The Greninja fell to the ground with a pained groan.
Stride coughed painfully as he rose to his feet, cracking an eye open to look at the smug soldiers. With a growl, he pushed himself to his feet, bracing himself against the tree to keep himself standing. He winced as a stray arc of lightning shot across his body. Both of them were strong in their own right, though not as strong as him. Given enough time, he was confident that he would be able to defeat the two of them, but time wasn't exactly on his side.
The Greninja pushed himself off the tree and summoned his blades of dark energy. Maybe if he could disable the Galvantula… He was the one who seemed to be the most capable of keeping him in the clearing. If he could at least defeat him, he could avoid the Flygon long enough to find—
A blood-curdling howl cut through the forest, freezing the three combatants in their tracks. For a moment, all three of forgot what they were there for. All thoughts of combat are sides fled them as they all looked towards the forest. A breeze, unaided by any wind, rushed past them, sending ominous chills through their bodies. Then, nothing.
One second passed. Then another. Still nothing happened. The forest remained eerily silent.
"What the hell was that?" the Flygon asked, unable to keep the quiver out of her voice.
No sooner had she asked this question, a second howl echoed through the forest, this one sounding much closer. The three of them took several unconscious steps backwards, away from whatever was making that sound. Several thundering cracks followed shortly after as if something was smashing through several branches. Before any of them could react, a large shape burst through the canopy and crashed into the clearing between the trio, leaving a sizable crater.
The dust and smoke cleared and the trio gaped at what lay in the center of the crater. revealing the third soldier. The one that had been sent to pursue Zero and Furno. The Turtonator was motionless and covered in bruises and bleeding. His shell was heavily cracked with several of its spiky protrusions appearing to have been snapped off.
"What…?" the Galvantula asked only to be cut off by another howl.
The trio's gazes snapped around in time to see the foliage begin to shift. A low silvery light began to emanate from the forest, steadily getting closer. They all tensed as a figure stepped into the clearing. One cloaked in bright silver light and matching eyes. A figure whose appearance caused Stride to pale drastically.
"Zero."
The Riolu gave no indication that he had heard the Greninja. He glared at everyone in the clearing before releasing a bellowing howl, the silver aura around him pulsing violently. Without a word, the Emanation Pokémon charged.