Interlude~Andres Beltoma
Andres awoke violently, having lights shone in his face as he was shaken into consciousness. He was surrounded by 3 men in a dark room with cement walls on all sides, one flickering light hanging down in the center of the room. There were scorch marks on the floor, but the room was unnaturally cold.
"Can someone turn off the A/C, and get me some water while you're at it." A punch to the face was the only response Andres received. He spat out blood as he tried to get up, only to find himself chained to the wall. He struggled, the chains making a grinding noise as they rubbed against each other, but the manacles held fast.
He tried to think back, trying to think of how he could have ended up here. He'd gone out last night, in his bipedal dog form. He wasn't sure what it was called or how it was possible, but over the last week as the city descended into chaos, he'd found himself able to change into it. At first he'd been afraid to go out, the city being filled with chaos. Andres simply stared at himself in the mirror, unsure of what to think about the blue dog that took his place. He had small clumps at his wrists, almost looking like a wrist guard. His ears spiked up, and he had two black appendages under them. He'd been confused about it, and eventually went to sleep, only to wake up in his human body.
He decided it must have been a weird dream until he looked outside, the city on fire. The only good point of note was that his apartment apparently had good sound proofing, he hadn't been able to hear much of the chaos. After a couple days of rationing what was left in his fridge, and the city being a lot quieter than before, he'd gone out adventuring. The first night he only went a block or so away from his apartment. The next few nights he eventually made it to a grocery store. It had been raided already, the aisles littered with trash and the shelves devoid of any food. He saw blotches of red on the ground, which hopefully wasn't blood, but he wasn't going to go check. The absence of bodies made him optimistic, but the state of the city likely proved otherwise.
Oh yeah, that's where they got him. There were sounds coming from the entrance of the Safeway, scraping sounds mixed with footsteps. He'd seen plenty of other people in the city, but everyone seemed wary of each other, sticking to small groups and avoiding eye contact with anyone else, but these people seemed different. For starters, there was a giant bug creature walking among them, standing head and shoulders above any of the grunts, its purple carapace dripping a purple liquid that sizzled when it touched the ground. They seemed to be talking like normal, with the bug creature hissing alongside them. Was it laughing? Andres walked closer, hiding behind the aisle wall to try and stay hidden, but accidentally kicked an empty can, which promptly rolled forward a few feet before colliding with the legs of an empty shopping cart. Andres flinched with every sound the can made, but the men didn't seem to notice. The bug however, had frozen the second Andres had kicked the can. It's mouth pincers made clicking noises, almost excited, as it realized there was prey nearby. The men stopped talking, realizing something was up as their insectoid gargantuan mass of an ally had stopped walking with them. The air seemed to still as nobody made a sound, before the bug whipped into action, shooting forward as if a bullet from a gun.
Andres didn't even have time to think 'oh shit' before the barrier between aisles that he was behind exploded, the purple bug tearing through it like paper. He tripped at first, trying to get away, before getting into a full on sprint as he tried to get away. It was to no avail as the bug caught up to him with ease, its legs making a clacking noise on the ground as each of its legs plowed forward. The bug lowered its head and slammed into Andres from the side as it passed by, sending him flying into the wall. A white light encompassed the room as he hit the wall. There was a massive dent in the wall, but a small blue mass appeared below.
"Oh a Riolu, the boss will like this one, I hear these are real fighters. He'll do good in the pits."
Andres heard one of the grunts saying something as he tried to get up, his body significantly shorter than it was 5 seconds ago. He was back in that dog form. But seeing the bug in front of him, he felt his body filled with energy. It felt like an adrenaline rush, only much more. There were other sensations too, he could feel something welling up in his body, coagulating around his wrists. The bug, a blur before, he could see now had four legs and was sprinting forward like a horse, head lowered with horns aimed right for his abdomen. But it seemed much slower than before, so he was able to sidestep the charge with ease. His nimble body also moved a lot faster than he was used to, so although he was able to sidestep the charge, he tripped over his own feet, looking more like he was diving out of the way instead.
For some reason, the thrill of the fight, the blood pumping in his veins, all of the sensations around him were giving him a body high like he'd never experienced before. Andres laughed as he slammed his fists together in challenge, only to be surprised when a silvery light exploded out from the contact, making a shrill noise that caused everyone present to drop to their knees with their hands over their ears. The bug only seemed angrier than before, pawing at the ground with a menacing glint in its eyes. The purple sludge it was constantly secreting welled up in its mouth, before shooting out almost faster than Andres could react, just getting his left arm as he sidestepped. The sludge burned, but didn't eat through his skin like it had the ground. More like a nasty sunburn than anything else.
Could he run away? The people seemed to be blocking the entrance, and Andres didn't think he was bulletproof. A somewhat resistance to the sludge was reassuring, but bullets are bullets. So, a fight then. At least it was something he knew. Being a cop meant he got into brawls more often than he'd like, but then again they were nothing like this. Outgunned, outmanned, and no backup on the way. But that silvery thing earlier seemed like it did some damage, maybe he had some other moves up his sleeve. He tried to access that silvery energy, he still felt a pool of it at his wrists, when the light seemed to emit from his wrist guard looking appendage on his arm. The light extended into a two pronged claw, on each arm. Okay, he could do something with this. He lowered his arms, looking up at the bug that seemed a little warrier than before.
Andres charged. The bug lowered its head in response, its horns glowing a neon green. He got all of halfway, staring up at the bug, bringing his arms in front of him ready to skewer the enemy, when he slipped on a puddle of that sludge the bug had been secreting, falling onto the floor backwards. The last thing he remembered was a flash of purple as the bug charged in on his fallen form. Right, that's how he got here.
He looked up at his captors, "so which one of you is that monstrous bug?"
"The scolipede? He's one of our gatherers for the pits. That was the only reason he doesn't have to fight in them. Although I reckon he wouldn't do half bad, at least against anyone that isn't Vulcan."
"Who the hell is Vulcan?"
"Oh, you'll see soon enough. See you actually gave a fight when getting gathered, and I hear that you're a fighter in nature. That already puts you past the first couple rounds. And there's only one contestant for the later rounds anymore, Vulcan killed all the rest. So hopefully you can actually put on a show for us, the last two nights have been pretty dull."
"What about that druddigon?" One of the other grunts asked.
"I mean he wasn't half bad, actually put a scratch on Vulcan, but he still didn't even last minute."
The grunt looked back at Andres, a wicked smile on his face. "Ya know, after seeing what you Evos can do with your powers I was actually pretty jealous. But you, I don't envy at all. Good luck kid, you'll sure as hell need it." The grunt bellowed a deep laugh as he walked out of the room. The other lackeys followed him out of the room, leaving Andres alone.
He had no idea what to make of all that, but maybe if he could shift into that other form he could try to escape. He was able to shift last time because he'd been knocked into that wall. So maybe he just needed to hurt himself. Andres stopped himself, there were a couple other options worth trying before self mutilation. He tried focusing on that form, picturing what he'd seen in the mirror, but nothing happened. After exhausting a couple other methods, he figured self mutilation might just be the only option.
The room shifted, making Andres fall down. The ceiling split in two as the quiet room erupted into noise. Cheers, screams, jeers and laughter flooded the room as the cacophony of thousands of voices erupted into existence. The floor raised, breaking the chain that connected him to the wall as he rose above it. The floor kept rising until he rose past the ceiling, where he saw he was in an underground stadium, cameras all over with people and other beasts among the crowd.
"the undefeated VULCAN!" Andres heard the tail end of what seemed to be an introduction as the crowd erupted into cheers.
"And our contender, who actually put up a fight against one of our gatherers. His species is known for its loyalty and fighting prowess, we bring you a Riolu!"
The audience was a mix of cheers and confusion, as Andres' very human form was thrust into the spotlight.
"It seems he may be having some performance issues, but hey it happens to the best of us." Scattered laughter came from the crowd.
There seemed to be an arena in the middle, which his platform had raised him right next to. The complex around seemed to be made of concrete and steel, but the arena was earthen with rock spires spread about. There seemed to be an exit in the corner behind him, which he started moving towards, when four glowing red orbs appeared in the dark entryway. Two massive dogs with black fur made their presence known as drool fell onto the ground when they growled at Andres. Their massive teeth and red eyes made Andres scramble the other direction, finding himself in the middle of the arena.
"That's what we have our mightyena for anyway. The contender has taken his spot in the ring. And now, VULCANNNNN!" The announcer's voice reverberated on the last note, a deep thrum that coincided with the drums in the background. The beat of the drums seemed to quicken in pace as a massive shadow rose from the other corner. The ground shook with every step, the massive behemoth the size of a bulldozer, making the rocks around Andres bounce with every step forward.
White light coalesced around Andres as he found himself in his dog form. So was it adrenaline then? Or Fear. The small blue dog looked like a termite in front of the colossus that was Vulcan.
Andres looked up as a toddler does to its parent, but with fear clear in his eyes.
The beast looked like it was made of rocks, its body as wide as a tank, a massive horn nearly the size of Andres sprouted from between its eyes. A huge tail with a boulder at the end swung from side to side with every step. Its arms had claws that looked like they could crush steel beams, a jagged spike at the other end at its elbow. Its armored rock carapace looked impenetrable. Even the swing of the tail while walking looked enough to knock Andres out.
Andres willed his arms to form those metal claws like before, but they seemed inconsequential in the presence of this titan.
The colossus shifted to its side, Andres just seeing the lights above being blotted out before realizing the fight had begun. The massive boulder of a tail slammed down, destroying the earth in its wake as Riolu jumped back. Andres' sweat dropped, not even a second in and he had almost died. He jumped forward, slashing the titan as it pulled its tail from the ground. But the Rhyperior was ready, swiping its claws at Andres' head. He barely dodged, twisting in the air to jump on the Rhyperiors arm before jumping away.
In this form, Andres' felt like his reflexes were dialed to eleven. He'd always been agile and athletic before, but he never would have been able to dodge a swipe with a flip as a human.
Not that it helped him, if he got close, Vulcan could crush him easily. No, he wouldn't be able to win this fight. Escape then. There were still those guard dogs at the exits, but there seemed to be more exits among the audience. To get over the walls though, he wouldn't be able to jump. Looking back over at the massive earthen rhino, Andres got an idea.
Reigniting his metal claws, he rushed the giant. Sliding under a swipe, Riolu jumped on Rhyperiors tail. Vulcan immediately responded by swinging his tail, but Riolu jumped off the tail in the same motion, using the momentum to soar towards the spectator stands. He would land near that giant brown bear that stood among a couple human compatriots, then go up two rows and over to the exit. He wasn't sure what the complex would look like but if he could switch back to human he should be able to escape.
Andres' was torn from his planning as his body slammed into an invisible barrier in front of the spectators, which shimmered a light pink before disappearing again. His form dropped to the ground, making a plume of dust as he landed.
So, a fight then. Andres reassessed his enemy, no longer looking for a way to escape, but a way to win. Vulcan's tail was smaller near the end where the boulder was attached. If he severed that, the beast would lose one of its best weapons and its balance would be off for the rest of the fight. Its arms were thick up until the elbow, but from there til the shoulder, while still meaty, might be able to be whittled down and cut off. Every other part of the beast was too well armored to do any damage, or at least he wouldn't be able to without being crushed first. It's head and neck were too well armored, as well as its torso. If he severed limbs, maybe the beast would bleed out and die.
Now, to test if the titan can bleed. Andres' reignited his claws. The Rhyperior raised its palms at
Riolu, shooting out rocks at blinding speeds. Andres' swiped at them with his claws, tearing each rock in two before it could reach him. He grinned, he was getting good at this. He sprinted at Vulcan, the ground shooting up with every step from the speed and force he was putting in each step. He jumped up and feinted a swipe at Vulcan's eyes, before ducking under its arms and swiping at its tail, right at the base of the boulder. Sparks flew, the rock barely scratched. What the hell was this thing made of? A backhand swipe from Vulcan sent Andres flying into a rock spire. The colossus gave a deep bellow, laughing. Before Riolu could recover, Vulcan stomped one foot on the ground, the arena trembling under the blow. The rock spire collapsed onto Andres' prone form.
"And it looks like Vulcan has finally scored a hit! And then followed it up with an Earthquake! This is the longest anyone has survived against Vulcan since that Serperior four nights ago, but it looks like it'll end the same as the others. Good show little dog, but your life ends here." The crowd roared as Vulcan approached his prey.
The rubble exploded as a pissed looking Riolu shakily stood up. It held its shoulder, which was bleeding profusely, but its determined glare looked almost cute on the tiny form compared to the massive titan that was closing in. A white light exploded from the Riolu, as a certain weight encompassed the room.
"And it looks like Riolu has another surprise for us tonight! We are witnessing a live evolution. Now I thought evolution was just a rumor, as I certainly haven't seen it happen these last two weeks, but would you look at that. Our Vulcan may actually have a run for his money tonight!"
Vulcan didn't seem to care though, having not stopped its dead set walk toward the Riolu, not even missing a step as the white light exploded out. He reached into the light and slammed his fist shut, not intending to let his prey escape. It would seem the Riolu, now a Lucario, barely saw him coming, trying to jump out of the way even as he recovered from the process of evolution, but wasn't quite fast enough, its leg getting caught in the vice grip of the titan.
"And Vulcan has snagged his prey! Looks like this is it."
Vulcan slammed Lucario into the ground over and over again, the newly healed Evo quickly becoming battered again. Andres tried to force himself out of the grip, but Rhyperior would not be defied.
A loud snap that was audible even in the stands echoed through the arena. Andres screamed out, his leg no longer bending the right way. Vulcan threw the Lucario into another rock spire, which exploded out at the contact.
"Wow this dog can really take a beating, even after being put through a blender, and having its leg broken, it can still stand up! We definitely won't be forgetting this one anytime soon." Cheers for Lucario started being heard from the stands, but they were drowned out by the calls for blood from the Vulcan sections of the stands.
Andres' shakily stood up on one leg, leaning on the rubble. He didn't see a way he could win this. His metal claws before had barely scratched the titan. He looked down, he was much bigger than before. He was apparently a lot more durable too, that beating he'd taken not actually hurting that much besides his leg, which burned immensely and refused to move. The adrenaline helped him ignore it too. He wiped the blood from his lip and looked forward. Vulcan shot a couple more rocks at him from his palms, but Andres swiped them away absentmindedly. He willed the metal claws to come into existence. They were much bigger than before, having grown from the size of butter knives to katanas. These, these might be able to cut that ridiculously hard carapace.
Actually closing the distance posed a challenge though. He pushed forward with one foot flipping forward, cutting off the swords on his arms as he landed on his paws, doing a front handspring and launching himself towards Vulcan. His balance was a little off as his other leg hung behind him as dead weight, but he adjusted by swinging his arm in an arc, before reigniting his metal claws, bringing them out in front of him as he launched headfirst towards the titan. Vulcan brought his arms above his head, bringing them down as Lucario closed the distance.
The metal swords sunk into Vulcan to the hilt, poking out the back of the massive creature. Andres relished and smiled before he felt his body being slammed into the ground as Rhyperiors hands came down in a hammer arm, shattering Andres' ribcage and turning his organs to slush. Andres looked up from the ground, seeing giant black marks on Vulcans torso where his swords had bit through the beast's armor. His vision started to fail him as his body refused to move.
"And this is it for Lucario, he put up a hell of a fight, but Vulcan's will is absolute. We'll remember you little dog, but this is goodbye." The crowd roared, half screaming for Lucario to be spared while the rest chanted for blood.
A giant foot rose above Andres, the stadium lights blocked from the massive presence of a titan. The ground shook as the foot came down, crushing everything in its path utterly and completely. Rhyperior roared as it claimed its victory.