Ch.70: Ella's Shade! A Dance to the Foggy Crossroads Pt.2!
"I'm bored."
Owen looked up from his papers and turned to his eight-year-old daughter, who had her face pressed into the floor. He dropped his quill and turned to her. "Oh, come on, sweetie. Daddy's work is the life of the party, right?"
"I'm. Bored."
"Well, there's a whole slew of things you can do in my office!"
Ella looked up and glared at him. "Like…?"
"Uh…" Owen picked up his stapler. "Kids like playing with staplers, right?" Ella groaned and returned to staring at the floor. "Yeah, probably shouldn't give you that, anyway." He put the stapler down.
"This is so dumb! I wanted to hang out with Wes and Flint today, not sit around and watch you read papers!" She banged her paws on the floor and screamed, "I want to hang out with my friends!"
Owen winced and reached down, picking his screaming child up. "Ella, Ella, calm down!" He sat her down on his desk and smiled. "I wanted to bring you into work to show you what you can look forward to in the future. One day, you will inherit all of this. The rights to the Cipher Weapon Trading company! All yours!"
"Boring!" Ella yelled.
He whined. "Don't be like that, it's a lot of fun."
"All you do is read papers and have boring meetings!"
"Yes, but a lot of Pokémon in Mysto look to us for the finest weapons crafted by the most skillful of hands. It's an important service we provide for adventurers and the like, and you seem like the adventuring type. How can you not love this?"
Ella pouted. "It still sounds super boring."
Owen chuckled. "That's because you're not opening your mind to the possibilities. Hmm…actually, I might have a way to show you what I mean." He pulled open a cabinet under his desk and carefully picked through the files with his large paws. "Oh, how I wish somedays I had your mother's psychic abilities."
He pulled out a file between his digits and set it on the desk. He flipped it open and spread out photos of various weapons for Ella to see. Curious, and super bored, Ella gazed upon the photos, each depicting a different type of weapon with designs she had never seen before. She always imagined swords as just large kitchen knives or clubs as just really ugly sticks.
To her genuine amazement, each weapon seemed to have its own personality behind the design. A green sword with a serpent dragon ornament coiled around the hilt. A lance with a built-in artillery unit. A dual-sided flail which…looked very difficult to use, even for her childlike imagination. A massive tower shield with a scary, ogre-like face on the front.
"Oooooh~." Ella pawed at the pictures. "So pretty~."
Owen smiled. "One of my responsibilities to the company is appraising the value of weapons based on its craftsmanship, history, and materials. There's an artform to how a weapon is made. We sometimes unearth weapons and clean them for museums so many others can learn of its historical context in past battles. Each weapon is designed with a specific purpose, whether magical, physical, or to counter other weapons. It's a vast network of information to dive into."
"That's what you do all day?" Ella asked.
"Well, not every day, but essentially. One of the fun parts of this job is learning about a weapon's history." He pointed at the dragon-coiled sword. "Take this one, for instance. This actually once belonged to a Dragonair king who ruled in the Desert Zone a few centuries ago. It was said that the king was so skilled with this sword that he could cleave through armies like a whirlwind of blades."
"Oooooh~."
"And this dual-sided flail is…evidence that we shouldn't make a flail with twice the likelihood to bludgeon ourselves." He laughed. "There were a lot of strange weapons developed in the past, but Pokémon like to the push the boundaries of what can be crafted. Someone even tried to combine a gun with a sword, and it…was surprisingly more effective than the twin flail."
Ella giggled. "A gunsword? That sounds awesome!"
Owen smiled. "You learn some interesting things in this profession. I got into weapon trading because I have a genuine love for the craft. There's a lot of Pokémon out there who feel defenseless against magic users, so they feel just a little safer with a strong weapon to aid them in battle. Not a lot of Pokémon know how to defend themselves anymore with the rise of magic. We've lost our old ways, bringing in the new age of magic. It's been forever since I've last breathed natural flame when I can just use a fire charm to cook something."
Ella tilted her head. "Do you think I would be super strong with a cool weapon?"
Owen chuckled and patted her head. "Sweetie, I know one day you'll become a strong young woman, with or without magic. With or without a super cool weapon. Your mother and I just want you to live the best life you can. One day, you may just surprise us with the kind of person you become."
Ella smiled and wagged her tail. "I'll have a bigger weapon collection than you!"
"Hahaha! I doubt that. Nobody can top my collection."
"Oh yeah! Bet!"
"HAH! That's my girl!"
"AAAAHHH!"
Ella hopped hurriedly through the arena as a slew of magical attacks bombarded after her. She jumped over a sea of blue flames, slid under a flurry of throwing knives, and leaped to safety from the dozens of magic bombs raining down behind her. Dozens of magical attacks fired on her path ahead, so she kicked off the ground and soared high up in the air, shielding herself from the shockwave.
"This is insane!" she screamed.
"Oh, I don't know." She spun around and snarled at Tabula Rasa's smug grin. "I'd say everything sounds quite sane to me. Too much for you? Maybe you're not cut out for the big leagues, sister—"
"Shut. Your. Mouth!" Ella fired a psychic beam, but Tabula teleported out of the way. She gritted her teeth as her counterpart's laugh echoed inside her mind. She pressed her paws to her head and yelled, "That's not what I meant! Get out of my head!"
"Under you."
"Eh?" She glanced down and gasped as False Ava flew up at her brandishing constructed swords. She threw herself back, wincing as the blades shaved the tips of her whiskers. "Not cool, not cool!" She took off flying with the clone in pursuit. "How are you controlling this many clones at once?!"
Seth watched her flying around as he drummed his claws across his screens. "A normal person couldn't control this many clones at once, my dear, but I am no normal person. You can thank many restless nights of practicing the sacred art of multitasking. I didn't become a mage just because I can copy a Pokémon's battle history. Ah, speaking of which…" He swiped his screen.
False Wilbur aimed its cannon and fired a continuous stream after Ella. She dove down as the beam carved through the wall next to her. She sped circles around the arena before teleporting behind the digital Fraxure. She bucked its face, throwing off its aim, and psychically threw it into False Ava, knocking them both to the ground.
Her eyes darted around and pinpointed False Orville and False Flint flying toward her. She dodged metallic feathers and slid out of the way of Guardian punches. She psychically screamed and blasted them both away. While False Flint tumbled like a stray ball, False Orville clung to the ground with its talons and fired metal feathers into the ground.
Ella stopped attacking as the ground shook beneath her. She teleported away right as metal blades grew out of the ground. She reappeared above them and yelled, "That is overkill! Everything about this is overkill—"
Purple threads caught her abdomen and pulled her out of the air. She flew into a literal clothesline of threads, which she barely ducked under. Once her paws touched the ground, she dodged an array of slashing attacks from False Morgan, who stood in the center of a web of string.
"This feels like karma for giving you a hard time, old man!" She lit up her gem and fired psychic bullets into the Hypno clone, who guarded with a wall of string. "No need to take it so personally!"
"Hunter's World." Her eyes widened as False Ebony appeared above and dropped down on her back. It slammed her face into the ground and pressed its hand on her back. "Viribus Swipe."
"NOPE!" Ella released a shockwave from her body and threw the digital bunny off. "I'm not dealing with your thievery shenanigans—AH!" A bullet fired near her paws. She teleported before a rain of bullets came down on her. She reappeared behind her attacker, False Cybil, and kicked it across the face. "No hard feelings, Cybil!" she shouted up at the stands.
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
"Eh?" She turned around and casted her gaze up at the haunting visage of False Mack and its Timor Persona. Though the clone had a neutral expression, the persona had its signature wicked grin as it laughed maniacally down at her. "Oh…SHIT!"
It clutched its fists together and swung down. Ella rolled out of the way, but was blown back by the shockwave. As she touched the ground, a fierce wind slammed into her and threw her up into the air, wrapping her in a tornado. She peered down at the fan-wielding False Holly, who whipped its fan again to fire blades of air. Ella projected a wide barrier around herself, disrupting the tornado and shielding her from the air blades.
"Can't I just go back to fighting my teammates?!" she yelled.
"Oh honey, do you think it's that simple?" She growled as her counterpart appeared behind her once more. "Is this really too much for the great Ella? I'd assume someone as great as you can handle a little army."
"You make it sound like I have an inflated opinion of myself!" She dropped the shield and fired a psionic beam.
Tabula dodged it and flew circles around the Espeon. "Hmm, yes, I get you don't think too highly of your SKILLS!" She fired back with a much larger beam, blasting Ella out of the air.
Ella crashed and skipped off her back upon landing. With no time to rest, she dodged a sudden Mystic Beam from False Wes and avoided a spear attack from False Gene. She psychically ripped the ground apart and threw them both back in a landslide.
She relaxed her shoulders to catch her breath, but tensed up as she started moving backwards, as well as the loose rubble around her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw she was being dragged into a gravity well conjured by False Hazel. The digital Milktank narrowed its eyes and amplified the attracting force.
Ella whistled and called over two Daybreak batons. She commanded them to impale the ground and grabbed them as her back paws lifted from the dirt. She gritted her teeth as the suction force magnified and dragged her in inch-by-inch. The batons nearly came loose, but Ella psychically pushed them back down.
"Resistance is futile," False Hazel stated. "Surrender."
Ella growled. "Oh yeah? But if I did, you wouldn't get to witness my magnetic personality!" She whistled, calling on the rest of her batons to rocket down onto Hazel. Using the attracting force of the gravity well, they slingshot through and hammered down on the clone before it had a chance to counterattack.
Gravity returned to normal, dropping Ella back down. She whistled and commanded her batons to orbit around her while she surveyed the arena. The clones she attacked were picking themselves back up, looking pristine compared to her. As she tried to catch her breath, they looked as if they hadn't thrown a punch.
"This is getting ridiculous," she grumbled. She glared over her shoulder, spotting Seth on his clifftop pedestal. I don't need to beat the clones, I just need to give that chip-eating fox a good sucker punch to the face. But my lookalike is one step ahead of me. She's a separate program operating independently of Seth's control. She's the one I need to take out first.
Making the first move, she accelerated herself past the clones and ran along the arena walls. Her batons orbited close to her and fired off psionic shots to ward off the clones. She managed to push back a handful of them, but False Krystal and False Orville evaded her through the air. A storm of magic bombs and bladed feathers rained down after her. She sped up as the attacks chased her down. Shockwaves from the bombs nearly threw her off balance, and the bladed feathers came inches to her body. She kicked off the wall, flying through the air in an arc, and fired on the airborne clones with psionic blasts, taking them down.
Without a second to rest, she sensed oncoming movement toward her face. She ducked back, narrowly avoiding a swift punch from False Alex. It twisted its body and kicked her in the back of the head before she could counter. She spun herself to a stop, hovering upside-down, and psychically blasted the clone with the wind.
Threads tied around her ankles and ripped her from the air. False Morgan slammed her into the ground, reeled her in, and kicked her with its heel. Ella landed on her paws and teleported before she could be pulled in again. She reappeared above with psychic energy charging in her gemstone, but Tabula teleported behind her and slapped her with a fully-formed Daybreak.
"AGH!" She caught herself on her own Daybreak, laying into the batons. "Cheap shot," she groaned, rubbing her sore cheek.
Tabula snickered and snapped her digits. Ella's fur stood on end as dozens of magical attacks charged behind her. She cancelled her hovering and went into freefall just as the attacks let loose. She resumed flying inches before hitting the ground and soared circles around Tabula.
"Take this!" Ella swiped her paws and fired off three of her batons.
Tabula raised her paw and stopped the batons with an invisible barrier. She smirked, flicked her paw, and sent the batons flying back at high speed. Ella gasped and contorted her body to dodge the rocketing weapons. They punched through the wall like ballistic missiles.
"I can't do that!" Ella yelled.
Tabula laughed. "I reversed the momentum of your attack and gave it a push. A riskless Mirror Coat, if you will. That kind of advanced mental mechanics is beyond your mind, but nothing to an artificial intelligence like myself."
"You did not just call me dumb!" Ella fired psychic missiles from her gemstone.
Tabula raised both paws and once again reflected the missiles back at her. Ella teleported away just as the missiles decimated the wall behind her. Right as she reappeared, she watched the wall collapsed over the arena in a rockslide, nearly burying half of the clones.
"What fun, I say," Tabula said as she floated upside-down near Ella. "Guess you have the potential for this crap, but you can't get pass that itty bitty barrier you've made for yourself. For someone so supposedly relaxed, you're stressing out—"
"And you're too cocky!" Ella clapped her hands and created an attraction field around herself. The surprise move pulled Tabula in, allowing Ella to arrange her batons and trap the clone in a diamond-shaped, psychic cage.
Tabula stared at her confines before trying to teleport. When she did, however, she banged her head against the roof and fell over. "Ow!" She cradled her aching head. "What did you—"
Ella floated down to eye level and flashed a smug grin. "It's amazing the kind of things you can do with a little creativity. Picked up that little trick after dealing with Hazel's counterpart over there. You won't be getting out of that, by the way. I've contained your psychic powers, so nothing can get in or out. And don't even bother bluffing me that you can. You've been acting so arrogant that you never bothered to get tagged with Flint's Verto. You can't switch places with him."
Tabula smirked. "Oooooh, you're pretty clever."
"And unforgiving on bad days." Ella pressed her paws together and slowly shrank the diamond prison. "Now, let's crush you to pieces and get along with the rest of my day."
Tabula pressed her paws against the walls as they closed in around her. She lowered her head and chuckled. "You still have to contend with Seth."
"I already took out the flyers, and half the others are buried. Everyone else isn't a concern to me. Not as much as you, at least." Ella squeezed the cage tighter around Tabula.
Tabula chuckled. "Perhaps, but…these are so much more than constructs of your friends and loved ones."
Ella heard a crumbling sound below. She looked down and, to her shock, watched the rockslide blow apart in a whirlwind of sand. In the center, floating along the sands, was False Arid. It glared with shining blue eyes and raised its hand, sending out streams of condensed sand.
Ella quickly raised a barrier to stop the sand, wincing as the individual grains grinded across the surface. "This. Is. Noth—"
"Fastidium Force."
She barely turned in time to face the grass monkey, who unleashed a spiraling barrier that shoved everything around it away. It tossed Ella into the sandstorm and broke Tabula out of her cage, sending the Daybreak batons scattering onto the other side of the arena.
Ella shielded her body as the sand particles buffed against her. She looked up to find False Arid hovering above. She channeled energy through her gem, but False Jeffery dove through the sands and tackled her in the face. It screeched and scratched at her in a blind, pathetic fury with its talons.
"Get off me, you stupid parrot!" she shrieked.
She grabbed into False Jeffery's feathers and pried it off. Just as she removed the clone, a giant sand fist crashed down on top of her. She teleported a meter to the right before it smashed her into the ground, then ducked out of the way of an arrow. She looked over her shoulder and spotted False Indigo loading its prosthetic crossbow.
Ella took off as explosive arrows flew at her. She spotted False Cybil position its gun and firing rounds at her. A bullet struck an arrow, and the resulting explosion catapulted Ella forward, throwing her just below Seth's perch. She opened one eye and glared up at the Zoroark.
"Seth!" With both eyes opened and filled with psychic energy, she made the cliff tremble.
"Whoa!" Seth stumbled back, but grabbed onto his screens to keep himself upright. "Still got some fight in you." He pressed a button.
Her senses kicked in. She dodged a sword slash from False Yon, the Wild Fang's Accelgor swordsman. It chased her down with its sword wrapped in a stream of water. She sensed more movement and spotted False Saffiro jumping into the air with Salamander ablaze in blue flame. She dropped out of the air as both clones clashed swords. The combining elements released an explosion of steam that, unfortunately, engulfed Ella.
"AAAAHHHH!"
She crashed into the ground, her body steaming from the blast. Her scarf fluttered off her neck, scorched and ripped. She pressed her paws down and tried to rise. As she looked up, she came face-to-face with False Leigh and False Ambrosine. The digital Steenee pressed its hands against False Leigh's back and channeled a teal magic through the body. False Leigh brandished its battle claws, wrapped in the empowering light.
"…Of course."
Ella hopped backwards, narrowly avoiding a claw swipe from the digital assassin. With nimble steps, she skipped across the arena as the digital Togetic chased her down, shaving the ground with each failed swing at her. Ella kicked off to the side and pivoted off her paw, sliding behind the clone.
"Hello~," Ella whispered before blasting the clone with a close-range, psionic blast. It went sailing through the air, its battle claws slipping from its arms and flying away. She stumbled back and paused a moment to catch her breath. "Can't…keep doing this."
"Aww, too bad." She glared at Tabula as she hovered above her. "Ready to throw in the towel?"
"I'd sooner eat dirt."
Tabula smirked. "You just might. You missed a clone, by the way."
"Eh?" Ella turned away. Her blood ran cold as a monochrome Absol approached her with a sword clenched in its teeth. It spread its legs, assuming an attack stance. Her eyes widened as she backed away from the clone. "Oh no…"
Tabula grinned. "Have fun~."
False Willow's eyes flashed, and it pounced with great speed. Ella barely dodged its sword swing, the blade grazing across her jumpsuit and tearing across the stomach. She rolled to her paws and kicked off into the air. The clone zeroed in on her and followed after her. Ella gasped at the clone's incredible leg strength, almost instantly catching up with her.
"I knew Master Willow was strong, but shit!" Ella conjured a barrier and stopped the clone's sword. "Okay, no sweat. I can totally—"
The clone twisted its body and slashed through the barrier, splitting an entrance open.
"—not do this!" Ella gasped.
The clone spun and kicked down on Ella's head with its heel, spiking the Espeon straight down. She tried to catch herself in a psychic field, but the clone came down hard on her back, stomping with both front paws. She braced her body against the ground, sponging the damage with her overshield.
"Ugh…" She tried to stand, but False Willow spun and bucked her up into the air. It jumped after her and battered her side with the blunt edge of the sword. Ella sailed like a missile and collided with the wall, sending rocks tumbling down with her.
Tabula floated over the rock pile and snickered. "Had enough?"
Ella pushed the rubble off herself and panted. "Not…even close—" She recoiled from a sudden headbutt from False Willow. "AGH!"
The clone spun on its paws and kicked Ella across the side, then twisted into a handstand to bring its hindlegs down on her shoulders. The clone bashed Ella's face into the ground. It jumped back and landed beside Tabula.
Ella, laying in a small crater, weakly lifted her head to glare at the clones. "Y-You…!"
Tabula grinned. "Just give up. You're out of your league, sweetheart." She gestured to the rest of the clone army as it gathered behind her. "And outnumbered. Guess you don't have what it takes to stand alongside your friends, but I guess you already knew this."
Ella clenched her teeth. "Shut up…"
She tried to stand, but the pain in her muscles brought her back down. She rested her head on the ground, panting heavily. Her body trembled as she breathed, her muscles quivering from the aches and bruises. Her jumpsuit, which was protected by her overshield, had started to tear from repeated blows.
Her fur was caked in dust, loosing its amethyst luster. Her gemstone flickered weakly with psychic light. Normally, she would be freaking out over the state of her appearance, but she was too winded to draw her attention to it. She was barely clinging to consciousness.
She could faintly hear her friends in the stands calling her name, pleading for her to get up. She tilted her head and gazed up at the walled-off audience, pounding on the protective shielding and screaming out to her. She could barely make them out, save for smears of color hopping around.
"There's no shame in losing, Ella Cipher," Seth announced from the stands. He spread his arms out and gestured down to the arena. "You put up an amazing fight, but it's time to stop. I wish not to drag out these proceedings any longer than they should. You've reached your limit."
She clenched her eyes shut and pressed her paws down. "Not. Yet." She pushed off the ground, struggling to stand, but her paws slipped against the dusty ground. She smacked the ground in frustration and tried again, only to fall once more.
Seth frowned. "Ella Cipher, that's enough. You can stop now."
"Shove. It." She tried again, seething through clenched teeth. "My friends…are counting on me…to get that key."
"You can't keep fighting." Seth gestured to the stands. "Surely, one of your friends can take over in your place. They—"
"NO!" Ella snapped. "This…is my fight. Besides, I'm not giving you the chance to study more of their data. This. Ends. Toda—AGH!" She slipped again and fell on her face.
Tabula bared her teeth and growled. "Quit being so stubborn and give up. Why won't you quit?"
Ella kept pushing herself up again and again, and kept falling on her face with each failed rise. "I was born…into a world of gods and monsters, and I have to struggle with shit like life careers. I've just ditched my problems when I get the chance, but not…this time!"
"Ella Cipher—" Seth tried to call out, but she ignored him as she attempting to stand. He frowned, slowly raising his hands to his screens. "Why won't you quit?"
"Why won't you?" She glared up at the cliff. "After all, anyone else would've cracked under the workload you gave yourself, all to make some dream come true. So, why won't you quit?"
"…" Seth narrowed his eyes.
"If you ask me, being stubborn is all I have to show for myself, and it got me pretty far." Finally, after numerous failed attempts, Ella found her footing. She dug her paws through the softened earth and lifted herself back up. "Some of us…refuse to quit, even in a world of gods and monsters. So, I'm sorry, but I refuse to stand down. I'm never running away again. I'll stand and fight!"
Ella's fur stood on end as Tabula Rasa appeared behind her with her Daybreak copy. "Don't be so stupid." She swung the staff straight for Ella's head.
SHING!
Ella's eyes widened as the staff went flying out of Tabula's paws. Both Espeon watched the weapon clatter across the ground in a cold silence. They stared at it for a second until something landed near them.
"Actually, I'd say she's incredibly brave."
Ella spun around, briefly forgetting her pain, and gasped. Standing before her, with a sword held between clenched canines, was her mentor, in flesh and blood.
"M-Master Willow!" Ella gasped.
"Willow?!" Ava shouted from the stands.
Willow sheathed her sword and smiled at Ella. "Because it takes real strength to admit your doubts. Your fears, your insecurities, and your pride. Some of us forgot that a long time ago, and we hid away because we didn't want to deal with pain anymore. Yet, you kept going because you never stopped believing in your path. That takes courage to face down a threat, especially for magicless Pokémon like us."
Ella blinked with tears in her eyes. "M-Master—"
"Just Willow. Far as I see, you aren't my student anymore." Willow smiled with a shimmer in her eyes. "And I couldn't be prouder."
Ella smiled back. "Willow…"
"Willow Shadestar." Willow glared up at the cliff and acknowledged Seth's amused grin. "Aren't you aware you're interfering with our match? It was already agreed upon that Ella will face me in single combat."
"You call this single combat?" Willow scoffed. "Way I see, I was giving the poor girl a break. Besides, if you want her to give it her all, maybe give her a moment to show you what she can really do."
Ella's eyes widened. "Eh?"
She smirked. "You've been training with Ava, right? That means she likely taught you something special. I think it's time you finally used it."
Ella frowned. "But I haven't mastered it—"
"Just because you don't know if you can or can't, why should that stop you from at least trying?" She chuckled. "That never stopped me from becoming the badass Absol I am today, right?"
"…" Ella took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks. She exhaled, then smiled at her mentor. "Right. Okay."
Willow nodded, then waved to Seth. "Well, I'll get out of your hair now, Seth. Have fun getting your ass kicked. It's the best free show I could ask for, and I've seen plenty during my little vacation in the Aqua Zone recently."
Seth smirked. "I can see why Ella Cipher gravitated to your teachings. A kindred sass-bucket."
Willow turned toward the stands, but was stopped by a surprise hug from Ella. She wrapped her forelegs gently around her mentor and whispered, "I won't let you down, Willow. I promise."
She smiled and hugged her back. "Don't do it for me. Do this for yourself. Prove to yourself you're strong. The only person who should say Ella Cipher is strong and confident…is Ella Cipher herself."
Ella pulled away and nodded firmly. "Right. I won't let you…I mean, I won't let myself down."
"That's the spirit. Good luck." She turned and, after bending her hindlegs, leaped into the air.
Everyone backed away as the protective shielding opened a path for Willow to dive through. She tumbled and landed on her paws, sliding to a stop beside a startled Vince. She flickered the fur from her eyes and grinned. "So, anyone have popcorn?"
"Willow!"
"Oof!" Willow staggered as Ava threw herself into her with a big hug. She recovered immediately after and smiled wistfully as the Medicham cried into her jacket. "Hey, Ava. Long time, no see."
"I…I was so worried about you," she whimpered. "I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. I was so happy when Ella told me you were safe and sound. Oh Willow, I'm so sorry. I should've been there for you. You've been in a dark place all these years. After what happened to Alex, I—"
"Stop." Willow pushed her back and glared. "Ava, I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm the one who rejected company for so long." She frowned and looked down. "Actually, if it weren't for Courtney, I don't think I would've had the strength to keep living. I should've said something before you all left to live your lives, but…" She closed her eyes. "Maybe I just couldn't handle seeing you without thinking of the others. Clara, Garret, and Alex."
Ava frowned. "Oh…Oh Willow, there's so much you've missed out on. I'm not even sure where to begin." She looked down. "I'm not sure if you know, but—"
"Shh." Willow pressed her claw against her lips. "I know that face, and I know it's not good news." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Not here. Not now." She looked down at the arena. "For now, our attention should be on Ella. Let's watch our student blossom together."
Ava blinked. She wiped her eyes and smiled. "R-Right."
Ebony and Cybil glanced over their shoulders as Saffiro and Oswald entered the box. "Ah. You two are here, too?" Ebony asked.
Saffiro grinned. "We did say we'd come, right?"
"Hmm." Cybil glanced down at the arena. "Well, you're just in time. Looks like the real fights going to start."
Oswald rubbed his hands together. "Sweet. Go, Ella, GO!"
Ella took a deep breath, stretching out the sores in her legs, and faced Tabula Rasa and Seth's other clones. She whistled and called back Daybreak to her side, reattaching it into its staff form.
Tabula whistled and summoned hers back as well. "You can barely stand. How are you going to take down all of us and still defeat Seth?"
Ella smirked. "If you're a copy of me, you'll know what I'm willing to do to win, even if it means afflicting myself with psychic burnout." She spread her stance and steeled her glare. "I didn't think I was ready to do this, but I'm going to see this fight to the end. After that, I'm going to help Team Ravenfield protect the Idol of Origin. Count on it!"
Seth smirked. "A fire is burning in her soul." He slammed his hands against the screens and laughed. "Now that is passion!"
All the clones eyes glowed brighter as blue vein-like marks stretched over their bodies. They each pulled out their respective weapons or activated their spells as, for the first time, they glared down at the Espeon before them. Tabula psychically spun her staff and aimed it at Ella.
"You're going down," Tabula said.
Ella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She raised her head high, generating a psionic aura around herself. Her whiskers swayed upwards, and her fur stood on end. A light shined from her gemstone, piercing through her bangs as they floated over her.
Everything I've been working towards was for this moment, to finally show them what I can do. I'm going to let myself fall behind. I'll stand by my friends and conquer the shadows. In fear and without, I won't turn my back to the future. The future isn't set in stone, and I refuse to let it petrify when there's still clay to mold into my vision. I…will peer into the future I want, and make it a reality.
Psychic energy condensed around her gemstone. A vortex spun atop her forehead, emitting a blinding light around her. Tabula winced and covered her eyes from the light, peering over her foreleg. She could see the Espeon hovering an inch of the ground, as well as the rubble around her paws. A dust storm whipped up around her like a curtain drawing back.
"What is this?" Tabula whispered.
The vortex took shape. In a flash, the light shaped itself into a single, horizontal line across her forehead. After exhaling, Ella faced forward as the line opened wide into a teal eye with a golden pupil in the center.
Tabula's eyes widened. "The third eye…"
The eye flickered around, taking in each individual clone in front of it. Ella rolled her neck as psychic energy overlapped her body, giving her fur and clothes a teal sheen. She whistled, and Daybreak flew back to her side in its staff form. It rested on her nape as she held it in her paw.
"I'll prove to myself…that I can stand among the magic users of this world." Ella dropped into her attack stance. "I'll prove that anyone without magic can face the monsters of this world and carve a path for their futures."
Seth grinned. "That's the spirit!" He swiped across his screens. "Give it your all, Ella Cipher!" The ranged clones let loose their attacks on Ella, filling her vision in a rainbow of magical attacks.
Ella smirked and, to everyone's surprise, jumped straight toward the attacks. Her third eye scanned them and fed the information back to her, almost instantly. It was like she was seeing it through her own eyes. She could see everything as it was unfolding, bot in real time and a slowed future as her third eye absorbed the events ahead. It was surreal, almost overwhelming. She almost lost herself in the mind-numbing flow of information, but she steeled herself as she closed in.
Seeing through the attacks, she skipped off the air and dove through a narrow between a Mystic Beam and False Morgan's string slashes. She shot through like a missile and came out the other end with a dropkick to False Flint's face before the Guardian could catch her. She rebounded into the air just as the attacks exploded into the far wall.
Tabula looked up in shock. "How did she—"
"Death from above!" Ella charged energy through her third eye and brought down a rain of psychic missiles. The explosions riddled the earth below and sent the clones scattering in separate directions.
Tabula shielded herself in a psychic bubble and pinballed off the other clones. She growled and yelled, "Seth, do something!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Seth clapped his hands and summoned two shadow Guardians to his side. More screens generated around him, and the trio wildly typed across them.
The clones recovered from the aerial assault and started moving in more coordinated packs. Blue flames and gunshots fired after the sailing Espeon while False Oswald and False Ava ran up the walls, firing off pressure waves and psychic blades as they ascended.
Ella weaved through the attacks with more ease than before. Her spatial awareness through just her fur was unparalleled, but the information coming through the third eye amplified her awareness times a hundred. She could practically dance around attacks without fear.
"Is that the best you got, Seth? No fancy aiming program to auto lock onto me?" Ella taunted as she dove under a stream of bullets.
Seth smirked, his arms flying around as he inputted commands. "What do I look like, an amateur? Let me show you true skill!"
False Wes fired off Mystic Beam, which Ella dodged. However, False Krystal flew over the beam and dropped down bombs. When they connected, it triggered a violent explosion that ripped the beam apart and tore through the air with a visible shockwave. Ella shielded herself as the blast crashed into her.
She glanced over her shoulder, where a web of string was forming in her path. She manifested a bubble around herself right as she crashed into it. The string untangled and wrapped around the bubble, squeezing down on it. Ella smirked and clapped her paws, expanding the bubble to such size that it snapped the strings apart.
False Wilbur rode alongside with False Tony's Nebula Rider and fired a volley of energy shots from its cannon. Ella flew through the energy volley, catching shots in her psychic field and letting them orbit around her. After collecting three dozens shots, she spun them at high speed and slingshot them into the duo. They tried to evade, but managed to snipe False Tony off its cloud, taking False Wilbur of the sky, too.
Ella sensed something and dodged a flying spear that nearly grazed her fur. She looked down as False Gene ran under her, its spear returning to its hand. It charged a fireball at the tip and fired it at her. She flicked her ball and dispersed the fireball before psychically ripping the ground apart, throwing the clone up in the air.
"Impressive, Ella Cipher!" Seth exclaimed. "I haven't had this much fun in years! Let's kick it up a notch!"
False Arid slammed its hands down and crushed up the broken ground, whipping up a sandstorm over the arena. Ella casted her overshield and plunged through the storm. She scanned her surroundings before spotting False Orville and False Leigh riding the winds, brandishing metal wings and battle claws.
She dodged their fly-by slashes and tried to blast them, but they were using the winds to increase their speed. She closed her eyes and let her third eye trace their movements. Flickering wildly and scanning her targets, Ella channeled psychic orbs in her paws and, following instinct, chucked them into the wind. They soared across the sands before detonating in separate points. The blasts threw the wind off, thus throwing the clones off as they glided by, catching them off-balance in the sandstorm.
Ella opened her eyes and fired psychic missiles at them while they were disoriented, blasting them out of the sands. She turned her attention down and released a psychic shriek that pounded down on False Arid, disrupting its concentration. She increased her weight and crashed down on top of the digital pirate captain.
False Griffin, Saffiro, and Yon came at her with their blades, channeling their respective magics. Ella focused through her third eye as they swung. With minimal movements, she dodged their swords with the wind whipping across her face. Faster and faster they swung, but she kept stepping just out of line of the blades. They pulled back their blades, charging them with magic, and swung for a combined magical blast.
Her third eye widened. With a flick of her paw, she spun the clones around and threw off their aim, firing into another batch of clones. She thrusted both paws and pushed them across the arena.
She let out a sigh of relief and glared as more clones came charging at her. She spun Daybreak around herself and scraped it across the ground, firing rocks like bullets. Some exploded across the clones' heads while a few managed to punch holes through False Gwyn and False Ebony.
Tabula floated up to Seth's level and yelled, "She's overwhelming the clones! Do something!"
Seth grinned. "Time to sacrifice a few pieces. Adaptive Program: Update!" He punched his screen.
Several clones broke down into coded light and swarmed toward Tabula. The Espeon clone convulsed as she absorbed streams of code. Beacons of blue light shined from her eyes and gaping mouth. As more code surrounded her, it encased her in a digital cocoon.
Ella battered False Willow's head and, for a moment, thought she decapitated it. Instead, she watched as the severed head and body disappeared into code and flew toward Tabula. She looked around and saw all other clones breaking down as well.
She smirked and broke Daybreak into its baton forms. "The final battle."
With all the code absorbed, Seth destroyed all but one screen. He slammed his hands down onto it. "All battle damage and strikes taken into account. Come forth, Tabula Rasa!"
The cocoon shattered, releasing a brilliant light that momentarily whited out the area. As the light dimmed, Ella glared up at her clone. Tabula Rasa, now pitch black with streams of blue code running through her fur, roared with her Daybreak spinning around her. Her whiskers were streams of digital, psychic energy, and her gemstone grew into the side and shape of a diamond, wrapping around her head like a flat crown.
"Bring it on!" Tabula yelled.
Ella smirked. "Let's dance!"
The two Espeon soared at each other and collided midair. They wrestled through the air while their batons duked it out all around them, circling and crashing against each other with miniature, psionic shockwaves. The counterparts pulled their heads back and delivered empowered headbutts that caused the air to quake with pressure.
Ella grinned. "You're strong!"
Tabula grinned back. "You, too!"
They broke apart and flew around the arena so fast that a solid ring of psychic energy wrapped around the walls. A myriad of psychic missiles fired out all over, detonating the skies in a brilliant teal light. The audience members shielded themselves as the explosions came close to the protective shielding. They could've sworn they saw cracks in the field before being mended.
The counterparts broke from their speedy flight and collided against with their batons. They slammed their paws together while their batons rocketed into each other. A psionic pressure caused the arena around them to tremble and break apart. The ceiling came down on top of them, but the pressure they exuded caused the rocks to break and fly away before they could get close.
Seth stumbled on his shaking platform, but was also laughing like a madman. "That's the ticket, Ella Cipher! Burst with passion!" He threw himself forward and punched through his screen, shattering it. "No limitations! Give it everything you got!"
Ella screamed a war cry and headbutted Tabula away. She climbed higher into the air and rained down psychic missiles. Tabula countered with a psychic shockwave, destroying all the missiles in one move. She charged up her gem and fired a laser straight for the original.
"Two can play at that game!" Ella retaliated with her own laser.
A stalemate resulted as the two beams pushed against each other before detonating. The shockwave threw them both back, but Ella was able to catch herself in the air while Tabula drove through Seth's cliff.
Ella, hovering high in the air, pressed her paws together and closed her eyes. Let's end this.
Tabula burst out from the ground, consumed in a cloak of psionic energy. "Come at me!" She pressed her paws to the wall and rocketed off at hypersonic speed.
Ella's third eye blazed with energy as her body wrapped in teal light. From her chest, a beam of light shot forth, taking on the shape of an Espeon. An astral projection in her likeness. Her projection glared at the oncoming clone and picked up speed.
Thank you, Seth. Thank you, Willow. Thank you, everyone. Though without a face, one could sense the smile brimming off the astral projection. I think…I know where I'm going now. The fog has lifted, and I see my destiny straight ahead!
Both forces collided into each other, and the air warped around them as the psychic energy exuding off them twisted even light itself. A shining spectacle of colors spinning around the two Espeon as energy spewed between them. Neither showed weakness, pushing harder and harder until the other gave out.
I carve my own destiny, and show the world who Ella Cipher is!
It was hard fought, but the cracks started to show through Tabula Rasa. Seeing them, Ella gave one final push, and her astral projection pierced through the clone, shattering the entire right side of her body. Tabula's eyes widened as the psychic energy fled from her body, and she started to crumble away.
Despite this, a half-smile stayed on her face. "Heh…looks like you conquered your shadow. Do us both proud, Ella…" She crumbled away into data.
The astral projection curved through the air and divebombed behind Seth. He shielded his face behind his sleeve and saw a teal light flash in front of him. When he lowered his arm, he saw Ella standing before him, and bending her hindlegs back.
Ella smirked. "Game over!"
She kicked off the ground and, with nothing standing in her way, headbutted Seth square in the face. He flew off his perch and crashed into the destroyed remains of the arena. Ella landed on the cliff's edge and puffed her chest out as she smiled proudly over the ruined arena.
Seth picked himself out of the ground and held his nose. "Agh…" He pulled his hands away and saw blood on them. He felt the blood dripping from his nose. "…That hurt," he said with a chuckle.
He covered his face just as Ella landed in front of him. He looked around and saw all seven of her batons pointing at him, their backsides flaring with psychic energy and ready to launch into him.
Ella flashed a wry smile and asked, "Do you yield, Seth Highwind?"
"…" Seth chuckled. "You cheeky little imp." He sighed and raised his hands over his head. "Fine, fine. I yield."
The protective shielding in the stands dropped. Ella's friends cheered over her as they jumped down from the wall and ran up to her. Ella, hearing she won, breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto her stomach. Daybreak stuck itself back together and retracted into its dormant form, landing beside her.
"Ella!" She gasped as several Pokémon reached under her and threw her up in celebration. She laughed as they tossed her in a circle a couple times, shouting, "Ella! Ella! Ella!"
"H-Hey! Cut it out!" She laughed, but also worked in a grunt. "Ow! Seriously, stop. I think my spine's bruised."
They caught her and set her down gently. Ebony hooked her arm around her and said, "I knew you could win. All that endurance training really paid off."
"You call beating her up repeatedly endurance training?" Cybil asked with her arms crossed.
"It worked, didn't it?"
Saffiro shook his head. "We missed quite a lot, I see."
Oswald laughed. "Too bad! I could've whipped her into shape a lot faster than Ebony."
She smirked. "Is that a fact, Ozzy?"
"Maybe it is!"
Nebula pushed the two apart with an annoyed huff. "We already had one fight today. Let's not drag everything down with another."
Faye slid up to Ella and handed her a canteen of water. "How are you holding up?"
She weakly took it in her paws, guzzled some water, and wiped her lips. "Everything hurts," she said with a smile.
Faye giggled. "I figured."
"That was awesome!" Cheri exclaimed, jumping around with Carrie. "You were all like BOOM and BAM and take this, evil copycat!"
Angel giggled and patted her daughter's head. "Quite the imaginative description."
Ella chuckled before turning her attention to her two mentors. Ava and Willow approached her, each wearing a proud smile on their faces as they looked down at her. Ella steadied her posture and, after taking a breath, bowed to them.
"Thank you. Both of you. I couldn't have gotten this far without your guid—OOF!" Ella stumbled as the two women pulled her into a group hug. Even though it irritated her injuries, she shrugged it off and hugged them back.
"We just taught you a few tricks," Ava whispered.
"You did the rest on your own," Willow added. "I'd say you've graduated from our teachings. The best of both our worlds."
Ella pulled back and smiled with tears running down her face. "Still, I owe a lot to you two for helping me find myself. You both mean the world to me."
Ava laughed as she wiped her eyes. "Come on, not like this. Now I'm going to cry."
Willow smirked. "You were always the overly sentimental one in our group."
She laughed and punched the Absol's shoulder. "Shut up."
"A fine display, indeed." Eyes fell on Seth as he pulled himself off the ground, cradling his aching face. He winced and massaged his nose. "Ooh, that's going to smart…" He shook his head and smiled. "Regardless of that, you've proven yourself quite well, Ella Cipher."
Ella bowed her head. "Thank you, sir."
"I always had faith in your abilities. That's why I pushed you so hard. After all, why should I go easy on you to prove your worth when you can take on Hell on earth?" He gestured to Willow. "Besides, even with the odds stacked against you, you won't be alone in your fight. Even the weakest link, no matter how others view them, provides something that a team cannot work without. Every little component makes up a grander design, and works in tandem to create a beautiful program."
Ella chuckled. "Uh…sure?"
"Well, metaphors aside—" Seth snapped his claws.
Her eyes widened as a digital magic surged out of the ground, shaping into a sphere that floated in front of her. She held the sphere in her paws and watched it break down. From within, a black key emerged and dropped down into her paws.
"The Key of Darkness. You earned it fair and square."
Ella smiled fondly at the key, curling her digits around it. "I can't believe it…" She laughed, holding the key close to her chest. "Oh man, wait until the others hear about this."
Ava patted her shoulder. "And should the stolen keys be procured, all that remains is the Key of Space."
"The key Wes will be fighting for…" Ella closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I can't believe how close we are. The Idol of Origin is within reach."
Seth crossed his arms. "I never thought I'd see the day someone would unearth that ancient relic. You guys are about to make history. I hope you're ready to take on the task ahead. It won't be easy going forward."
Ella pocketed the key and smirked. "Perhaps, but…" She looked around the arena and laughed. "I've had worse. Besides, I'll have my friends to back me up, right?"
Seth grinned. "That's the spirit."
Ava smiled. "Guess we have one last trip to prepare for. Grandmaster's Magic Academy."
Willow sighed. "Haven't been there in ages. You think they still have that little pizza joint on campus? They made good pizza there."
Ella laughed, then sighed as she held her head. "Oof, I need to lay down for a couple days…" She looked herself over and winced. "Ugh, and take a two-hour bath. Seth, you wouldn't happen to have a spa around here, would you?"
He snapped his claws. "We do now. You earned the rest."
"Sweet!" She walked past her group. "If anyone needs me, I'm taking a well-deserved soak."
Ava laughed. "One moment she's fighting for her life, now she wants to feel pampered. She seems to have her priorities in order."
Willow smiled. "I always had high hopes for her. I never thought I'd get to see her grow into such a capable warrior through my own eyes."
"Do you think she's ready to face the Shadow King?"
"Doubt it, but…" Willow closed her eyes and smiled. "She's not fighting alone. We can't rest easy, but I have hope for the future."