Chapter 5
Wisteria
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? ? : ? ?, ? ? ? ? ?, ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
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The first thing to come to my mind as I arose from my sleep was that, for the first time in what seemed like ages, I felt well-rested.
I don't think I can remember the last time I felt so revitalized after a night's rest, especially after having arrived at this frozen mountaintop. Despite having only just woken up, my body felt completely refreshed, revitalized and energetic; a powerful combination that put me in an unusually optimistic mood.
Perhaps my deep and fruitful rest can be attributed to just how comfortable the place I was in was. While it certainly wasn't the room of a fancy hotel, it was infinitely better than the cave that I had chosen to sleep in for the past week. The room, so to speak, was far smaller than my previous abode, though most certainly not cramped. And though the stone walls and floor made it clear that I was in another cave of sorts, the variety of furniture that furnished its interior made it feel extraordinarily homely. Even the bed that I had just woken from, though somewhat crudely made, did wonders to make myself feel comfortable.
But most fascinating of all was the ceiling. Unlike the rest of the cave, the roof was made of transparent, solid ice. The sight was as mesmerizing as it was striking, looking more like an art instalment than a practical ceiling. Adding to its effect were the orange and yellow hues that shone from the ceiling, the light refracting off its chiselled surface and filling the cave with a warm and welcoming glow. It was a beautiful sight to behold.
…Light?
A realization dawned upon me.
But… How?
There was no way that it could have been an electric or gas-lit lamp; the room proved without a doubt that this place didn't have the necessary infrastructure for such technologically advanced comforts. And it certainly wasn't light from outside. For starters, I couldn't even see the entrance to this room, let alone a ray of sunlight.
The homely glow of the cave brought about another realization that I had not really considered up until now.
It's… It's warm in here.
It had taken me a while to notice, but the numbing cold was no longer eating away through my body. And no sooner had I realized it, I had sprawled out back on the bed, relishing in the comforting heat.
Oh, how I had longed for its motherly embrace! After a full week of relentless cold, the feeling of warmth enveloping my body like honey was utterly blissful. It wasn't even an exaggeration to call this place warm; I could genuinely feel the warmth and not just a lack of cold.
The feeling was so indulgent that, were someone to tell me now that I had died and gone to heaven, I would not have hesitated to believe them. In fact, as far as I could tell, it was the only explanation I could think of as to why the frozen ceiling wasn't immediately melting from this heat.
That said, the illusion of the afterlife could only stay with me for so long. Upon closer inspection of my surroundings, I noticed a small campfire burning within the confines of a stone pit in the corner of the room, its flickering flame inviting me to come closer. The lit-up ceiling and warmth all made sense now, with the campfire burning away like that. Even if there was no electricity or gas here, this single fire would most definitely be enough to provide everything that its owner would need.
Like Dustox drawn to light, I got up, trying to move closer to the open flame. But as I jumped off the bed and onto the ground a sharp pain shot through my front leg, rendering me immobile as I collapsed onto the floor in a gasping heap.
With laboured breaths, I turn my head to look at my shoulder. Half my body is wrapped in bandages. The ones on me are clean, most likely having been put on me just recently. The same can't be said for the piles of used bandages littered around the bed, which were drenched with blood.
Oh yeah… I was stabbed, wasn't I?
The revelation wasn't a surprise; I can still remember the events of yesterday with vivid detail. What was a surprise was just how little this wound of mine actually hurt. Yes, jumping off the bed was sheer agony, but the simple fact of the matter was that, for someone who had just been impaled by a frozen spear, my wound didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. Rather, as long as I didn't put any weight or pressure on my front leg, the wound didn't hurt at all.
I have to say, despite everything, I'm unusually calm. Certainly, I wasn't this calm when I first arrived here in that escape pod. But unlike last week, I have the benefit of having a rather well-developed understanding of where I am and what had happened to me. Of course, I still have no idea where this place is geographically speaking, but given the events of yesterday and the nature of the place I'm in right now, it's probably safe to say that I'm in the home of whoever had rescued me.
Which should mean that this home I'm in should belong to…
"You really ought to stay in bed, dear. Your body is in no shape to be running about."
Looks like my hunch was on the mark.
With a slight pang of anticipation, I turned my head around to finally meet the owner of that familiar silky voice. Standing, or, rather, floating in front of me was a lone Froslass. Middle-aged and of average height and build, she had an air of mature elegance to her that seemed incredibly out of place for the environment that we were in. Surely, a Pokémon like her would be much more suited to a high-end bar or a fancy dinner party than this wasteland.
"Are… A-Are you W-Wisteria…?"
She seemed surprised by my question, though the way she displayed it was so refined that I could have easily mistaken it for mere intrigue.
"Oh my, you were awake when I found you?"
I nod quickly in reply.
"Well then, that certainly does make things easier to explain. Yes, I am Wisteria. And you are?"
I stumble over my words as I replied.
"I… I'm K-Kiteki… Umm… N-Nice… Nice to m-meet you…"
I'm not entirely sure what to say next. It certainly isn't the fact that I don't want to talk to her; I really do. Especially given that she seems to be the first properly amiable Pokémon that I've met in quite a while. But I keep drawing blanks when I try to come up with a conversation topic. Curse my social ineptitude!
"I… Umm… T-Thank you… For… For r-rescuing me…"
Wisteria giggled in reply, her laughter feminine and, dare I say, classy.
"You're very welcome, dear~."
Her gentle smile slowly turned into a concerned frown as she floated over next to me, immediately beginning to inspect my bandages.
"I was getting quite worried about you, dear… You've been sleeping for three days. It's a relief that you've finally waken up."
Three… Three days…?!
Her words were nothing short of a major shock to me. It had felt like I had only slept for just a few hours, not for half a week. Though, when I considered all that had happened to me, three days seemed like a much more reasonable span of time. As a matter of fact, given that I had been impaled through the arm, my current recovery was extraordinary. It wouldn't be completely wrong to say that my extended rest played some role in my speedy recovery, but the most likely explanation was that whoever tended to my injuries did an incredible job at it.
"Did you… Did you p-put on these bandages…?"
"Mhmm~. How are you feeling, dear? Does it hurt anywhere?"
I shook my head in reply.
"N-No, I… I'm p-pretty good… T-Thank you…"
She smiled warmly before reaching down to pick me up off the floor, setting me back down onto the bed that I had jumped off from. I have to say, the warmth of her hands was quite unexpected; I had always assumed all ice types to feel cold to the touch.
"You must be hungry, correct?"
She's very perceptive. I've been starving since I got to this frozen hellhole, even more so now than ever before. The pecha berry I stole did help alleviate my hunger momentarily, but now that my body had used up all its energy to heal itself, I've reverted back to being absolutely famished again.
Or maybe it's natural to assume somebody would be hungry after not eating for three days? Basic decency seemed so hard to come by around here that, for a moment, it didn't even occur to me that there were other Pokémon who have the capacity to care for others. Besides, she's done a lot more than offer me food while I was under her care. The realization makes me ashamed of my own stupidity.
Wisteria, on the other hand, hurriedly hovered over towards the corner of the room, before coming back with two aspear berries.
"I'm afraid I don't have any proper food ready for you at the moment, do forgive me." She sat down next to me, handing me a berry. "It's a little sour, but do eat up, dear. After all, it's important for a growing girl to get enough nutrition."
B-But… I s-stopped growing two years ago!
Do I really look that underage? I mean, I know that I'm quite small for an Eevee, but give another two years and I'd be legally classified as an adult!
Of course, that was the least of my concerns when I'm this hungry. I've never had an aspear berry before; they're not native to Federation territory. But given how hungry I am, I'm not about to get picky with what I'm being fed with.
I make quick work of the fruit, ravenously devouring it with vigour. It's a little too sour for my liking, but unlike the pecha berry I ate a few days ago, this aspear berry isn't rotting away. Perhaps it was due to my hunger warping my sense of taste, but whatever the reason, this aspear tastes phenomenal.
Wisteria, on the other hand, simply watched me eat before eating her own berry in a dainty manner. Once I noticed it, I couldn't help but watch with unabashed confusion and fascination. Her restrained and poised mannerisms seemed incredibly peculiar.
I must have been staring a little too much because she stops halfway through eating her fruit, turning her eyes towards me.
"Hmm…? What's the matter, dear?"
"Err, I… Umm, I mean, it's nothing really, but… I'm just k-kind surprised that you would b-bother to e-eat like that…."
"Even though I live in a place like this, correct?"
I nod sheepishly. I can't help but feel a little apologetic; the question seemed so rude now that I've said it.
"I suppose you're right… Most of us here don't bother with our manners anymore."
I may have just imagined it, but something about the way she said that seemed quite sorrowful. I studied her closely, but I couldn't read anything more beyond what she had said.
"But we're better than that, aren't we dear? After all, a lady must always look the part~."
I nod quickly in reply, a silly smile rising up my cheeks. Being called a lady felt a lot better than I thought it would, even more so when the one calling me that was someone as poised as her.
Wisteria laughed, before making her way over to the campfire, throwing away her aspear core into the flames. I would have done the same, had I not blindly eaten the whole berry in my hunger-fuelled frenzy.
"So then, dear. What heinous crime did you commit to deserve this?"
What…?
I reply with open confusion.
"Ex… Excuse me…?"
Wisteria turns to look me in the eye, her gentle smile now replaced with a rather stern frown.
"Crime, dear. What did you do to get sent all the way here? Murder? Arson? Or perhaps treason? They don't send Pokémon up here for something as small as petty theft, you know."
I'm struggling to come to grips with the gravity of what I'm being told. If her words are true, then that has to mean that I had done something awful to deserve this place. But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn't think of anything that I had done that was deserving of punishment quite like this. I've had no prior run-ins with the authority, nor have I ever willingly nor knowingly broken the law.
Unless…?
Is it because of my dad? Does this mean that I really did kill him? I can go on endlessly about how it was an accident, how I had no intention to do so, how I would have loved to see a different outcome if I could. But Pokéslaughter is still a serious crime, regardless of the motives. And if me being here has to do with me committing a crime of such magnitude, then it has to mean that the one truly responsible, the one truly guilty can be none other than me.
"C…Crime…"
Does this mean that it was divine punishment that brought me here? I don't recall having been tried by a court of law, but if God deems that I was guilty of my crime then so be it. I've already resigned myself to the title of 'Arthur's Murderer' long ago, so this doesn't change anything. To put it in another way, were I to be sent to trial right now, I would immediately stand at the defendant's seat and say "Your Honour, let us not waste time; I am guilty of all crimes charged against me."
The least I can do now is give Wisteria an honest reply. But after telling her the events that led me to this place, I have to say that I definitely wasn't expecting her response.
"Oh, sweetie… I'm so sorry to hear that…"
Instead of berating me, she instead rushes over towards me, pulling me into a tight hug.
"That's not a crime, dear. You did nothing wrong."
I hadn't realized just how much I had longed for contact with someone else until now. Though my heart ached as she hugged me, her tight embrace made me feel safe and secure in her arms. The warmth of her embrace, along with the relief from someone else's affirmation that I was innocent, was comforting enough to bring tears to my eyes.
It's amazing just how effective a simple hug could be to my fraying emotions. Despite the fact that I had essentially just met this Pokémon, I had already grown incredibly comfortable around her. Even after considering just how much of an introvert I am, it's startling to be reminded just how desperate for companionship I was.
But… Aren't I getting a little too comfortable?
It's slowly beginning to dawn on me, but the truth of the matter was that nothing about my current situation made any sense. Now that I'm no longer delirious from exhaustion and pain, my mind had begun to come up with a series of questions that demanded answers, most pressing of which being none other than the Froslass that was holding me tightly in her embrace.
Though there was nothing I could have done to prevent myself getting whisked away by her, not to mention the fact that her doing so had most definitely saved my life, the rest of my actions upon having woken up here could only be described as extremely careless. I still have no idea why she brought me here, what her motives are, nor what she plans to do with me once I recovered.
I'm still not completely out of the woods yet.
I have to stay sharp.
Wiping away my tears, I waited patiently for her to release me from her embrace, my sense of security having been replaced with deepening anxiety.
"Why… W-Why did you bring me here…?"
She must have understood what I meant with my question because she let loose a heavy sigh in response.
"Sweetie, relax. I understand why you're so on edge, but I'm not like Ivan." She paused, looking rather thoughtful before continuing. "Though, I would refrain from getting too comfortable with the others here. Not everyone is as amiable as I am, Ivan in particular."
Something about my question must have struck a chord deep within her because her gentle smile was completely replaced by a rather sorrowful frown.
"The truth is that I've lived here for ten years, dear. It's an awfully long time to be all alone, especially when the neighbourhood is so… Disagreeable."
I stare at her, stunned by her words.
"T-Ten… Ten years…? That…. That must have been s-so hard on you…"
She simply smiled sadly in reply. I decided to quickly move the conversation along.
"So… Y-You… You want me to l-live with you…?
She rose from the bed, floating next to me with a smile on her face.
"I suppose you could put it like that, dear~. Yes, I would like for you to keep me company."
"And w-what do I get in r-return…?"
"Other than the joy of never being alone?" She slowly floated over towards the campfire, pulling out a handful of cut logs from a small pile next to it before putting them in the fire. "Well, there's shelter and warmth and… From the state that I found you in, I dare say you could do with some food and medical care as well, don't you think?"
I'm rather speechless at her offer. I don't think it was wrong for me to have been suspicious of her, but now that I'm getting a better understanding of who she was, she seemed much more like a lonely grandmother living in the middle of nowhere as opposed to the image of a refined lady that I had initially thought her to be.
"…And if you would still rather be left alone, then you're free to leave my home anytime, dear. I shan't stop you if that is what you truly desire."
Wisteria pointed towards the back of the room, in the opposite direction of the fire. I hadn't noticed it the first time I surveyed the place given how dark that corner of the room was, but there was a small wooden hatch embedded into the stone wall. No doubt it was the entrance to her home.
To be fair, it wasn't as if I had found my time in her home unpleasant. In fact, finally finding food and warmth after a long time of making it on my own was more than enough to entice me to her offer. Rather, I had simply wanted to see her motives for bringing me here. And judging by her last statement, I think it's safe to say that choosing to stay here would put me in no real danger, if not less so than living on my own.
Of course, there was one other question that was lingering in the back of my head.
"But… W-Why me…?"
Upon hearing my question, Wisteria stopped, clutching a piece of wood in her hand as she smiled a sad, desolate smile; an expression that I hadn't even thought possible to come from someone like her. Her reaction made me worry that I had unknowingly crossed some boundary that I shouldn't have ventured near.
"You… You remind me of my own daughter, dear."
Seeing her listless smile hit me with a sense of guilt so strong that I felt responsible for the lonely, longing look on her face. It dawned upon me now that the Pokémon in front of me had a life of her own before she wound up here. And though I have no idea what had happened to her, or what she had done to deserve an eternal banishment in a place like this, it was plain to see that being trapped here for ten years would make anyone desperate to relive some of the better times of their lives. Even I could tell that, behind that forced smile of hers, she was reminiscing of better times, of happier moments of her past. The revelation seemed utterly tragic.
Despite the agony in my front leg, I limped over next to her, looking up at her with renewed resolution.
"T-Then I'll stay!"
I had no reason to refuse her offer. Here we were, the two of us, me having lost my dad and she having lost her daughter. It worked out to be beneficial to the both of us; I'd be stupid to let a chance like this pass me by.
Wisteria looked upon me, evidently surprised by my decision. She stared at me for a moment before reaching down to carefully pick me up, before pulling me into a gentle embrace. I could feel her trembling slightly as she hugged me, her voice barely a whisper as she spoke.
"Thank you, dear."
For the first time since meeting her, I hugged her back.
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17:30, July 6, Unified Year 4731 - ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?, Near Wisteria's den
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The sky howled with the winds of a fierce blizzard, it's ferocious, rolling gale blotting out the sun. I pressed myself against the frozen earth as razor-sharp shards of ice whistled past my ears, kicked up in a flurry of snow by the savage winds. By all definitions of the term, this snowstorm looked absolutely deadly.
Despite all this, I didn't feel an ounce of fear. As a matter of fact, as blizzards go, this was probably the safest I had felt while being stuck in one. After all, this wasn't a natural blizzard. No, this was all Wisteria's doing.
It's been about three months since Wisteria had taken me under her wing. And while I was apprehensive around her for the first few weeks, I've grown to trust her to the point that I'm comfortable enough to let her use her Blizzard attack on me. Of course, if she wanted to, she could kill me right now. She's certainly powerful enough to do so, but I'm confident that she'll hold back from using her full power.
And, as I had predicted, just as her blizzard was starting to become a little too much of a handful, its ferocious winds vanished into thin air, leaving behind the deep blue of the endless, sunny sky.
Off in the distance, I could see Wisteria returning to form after having used her attack. I called out to her, waving with the paw of my now fully healed front leg, to which she replied by letting out a sigh, smiling wearily as she did so.
"Dear, don't you think you're being a little too relaxed?"
"He-he-he, it's okay, mum! I know you wouldn't hurt me!"
Things had changed between the two of us during the past three months that I had spent with Wisteria, none of which I had initially expected but all of which I welcomed.
For starters, Wisteria's asked me to start calling her 'mum' or 'mother' instead of by name. I had originally only obliged out of courtesy, but now, even though we've only been together for about three months, I'm more than comfortable with calling her my mum. Not just because I had gotten used to it, but because she fit the role so well. So much so that I've now come to see her as the mother I never had. Wisteria, as it turns out, was, and still is, an excellent parent. I both envy and sympathize for her previous daughter for having had Wisteria as their mother in an earlier time.
Perhaps it's because of Wisteria's motherly nature that, ever since I recovered from my encounter with Ivan all those months ago, she's insisted that she train me so that I could fend for myself.
While she claimed that our sessions together were more focused on self-defence rather than outright combat, she would oftentimes go out of her way to describe in astonishing detail some of her more preferred methods of attack. "After all, dear," she would say, "Sometimes, the best defence is to go on the offence."
Regardless of her method of teaching, I'm not about to complain when they were so clearly producing noticeable results. It's only been three months, but I can already feel my body becoming stronger thanks to her. I can run faster and further, I'm quicker and nimbler on my paws, and though I wouldn't call myself physically powerful, I was leaps and bounds ahead of my frail former self. Even the cold had become less of a concern to me; my fur had grown out a little because of the constant cold. It appears that even my body has begun to adapt to its surroundings on its own.
Following suit of my physical metamorphosis was the change in my mental attitude. Perhaps it was because of my newfound strength, but I've discovered a growing confidence in both myself and my actions. I still have the same tendency for aversion from confrontation and conflict that I had in the past, but I'm a lot more willing now to take risks that I would have never dared to do before. In short, I've gotten braver and bolder, and I for one am thrilled by the change.
By all means, I was a new and improved version of myself. Wisteria even says that I'm growing prettier by the day, though with no mirror to check, I have no idea how true her words are. That said, if I had to name one shortcoming of my metamorphosis, it would be that, despite everything, I was still small.
Regardless, despite all of my newfound changes, it was plain to see that, through Wisteria's eyes, I was still little more than her vulnerable child. Even after having explained to her that I was on the eve of adulthood, she still insists on being hyper-vigilant when it comes to my safety. Even now, I could see her hurrying over towards me, wearing a worried smile that only a parent could have.
"Are you sure you're fine, dear? I'm afraid that last Blizzard of mine was ever so slightly stronger than usual."
I beamed proudly in reply. It's not every day that you get to boast that you emerged unscathed from an attack as powerful as Blizzard, even if the one using it had deliberately weakened it for my sake.
"Mum, I'm fine, really!"
Wisteria, unfortunately, didn't seem to share the same sentiment as I did.
"Dear, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but please don't try to push yoursel-"
"Mum, please… I… I can take a lot more than this."
Wisteria had only really been subjecting me to her Blizzard in an effort to raise my pain tolerance, as well as to nurture my resistance to the cold. That being said, it had been a long time since I had grown accustomed to her attacks, and by now, even she was beginning to question the necessity to continue with this particular method of training. After all, we had reached a stage where, were she to make her attacks any more powerful, it would be a guarantee that I would suffer at least some form of significant injury; a risk that Wisteria was quite clearly unwilling to take.
She paused for a considerable amount of time, staring me in the eye before putting her hand on her forehead as she sighed.
"I suppose we could try something different, dear. Very well, let us raise the ante, so to speak, shall we?"
Her smile faded, replaced by an uncharacteristically serious gaze. Her sudden shift in attitude is unsettling enough to draw my full, undivided attention.
"Dear, before we start, I want you to remember that my Shadow Ball should be ineffective against you. No matter what happens, nothing I do will be done with the intent to hurt you. Do you understand?"
I nod quickly in response. Whatever she's planning, it was no doubt different enough to warrant her reaffirming my assured safety.
"Of course, that doesn't mean that I want you to take this lightly either. I want you to imagine my attacks to be none other than absolutely lethal, dear. After all, I'm going to be giving it my everything as well."
I'm starting to grow uneasy at the thought of what she was planning to do. Even if ghost type attacks are ineffective against me, Wisteria is still so vastly more powerful as compared to me that even her Shadow Ball, a move that should technically do nothing to me, would still be powerful enough to leave me winded.
No… Now isn't the time to start getting cold feet.
Despite the inherent dangers that she was warning me about, this was exactly the sort of training that I had been asking from her. It would be unbelievably shameful of me if I were to refuse to go along with this after constantly bothering her about it. Swallowing my fears, I look up to Wisteria and give her a determined nod.
No sooner had I done so, the sky rapidly turned into a striking shade of red, rendering me frozen in place out of shock. The snow-covered earth, which had once shone a radiant white, had now changed to a sinister, black void. The transformation around me was so dramatic that, for a moment, the environment I had found myself in was utterly unrecognisable. What I was witnessing appeared so surreal that it seemed more appropriate to call it a dream, or rather, a nightmare.
I wasn't so completely oblivious as to what was really happening. Froslass are known to have the ability to conjure up illusions and hallucinations in others, but as with all moves and abilities, there are only a handful of them that are actually able to perform this skill. And though this ability was usually limited to simple mirages or slight alterations in vision, that certainly wasn't the case with Wisteria; she was one of a very rare few who had completely mastered it.
I had experienced this only once before; about a month ago when I had asked Wisteria to try it out on me out of sheer curiosity. Needless to say, the experience is just as unsettling now as it was back then.
In the distance, I could see Wisteria's silhouette; an inky shadow of her image. I'm amazed at how quickly she had managed to put distance between the two of us, along with how quietly she had managed to do so. I hadn't even noticed her moving away from me, though whether that was because of her own capabilities or because I was so preoccupied with the changes happening around me, I couldn't quite figure out.
Not that I had much time to think because as soon as I spotted her, she launched a Shadow Ball straight towards me. I hurriedly dived to the right as the black and purple orb raced past me with blistering speed, leaving behind a wake of sinister energy.
Getting back up onto my paws, I could hear Wisteria calling out to me, her voice distorted as it echoed from all directions. I'm certain that, had I not been intimately familiar with the sound of her voice, what I was hearing now would terrify me to my core.
"Dear, try to create an opening that will let you escape. Use your attacks and abilities if you have to!"
"Even the new ones?"
"Yes, sweetie. Even the new ones."
I groaned in reply.
Wisteria had taught me two new moves just a few weeks ago. The first of the two, Shadow Ball, seemed like an obvious choice. Even I could see the benefit of having a ranged attack in my possession; especially given that my physical strength was my weakest attribute. Unfortunately, whether it be because it was a move that us Eevee aren't capable of learning naturally or because I was just incompetent at learning new moves, I was having an incredibly difficult time with just coming to grips with the new attack, let alone mastering it.
Things were even worse with regards to Attract, the second move that she had taught me, primary of my concerns being that I wasn't completely comfortable with being taught a move of this nature. To be quite honest, I would be lying if I said that using it didn't make me feel incredibly conspicuous for all the wrong reasons. Wisteria, in an effort to convince me to her ways, made the argument that it was useful to have a versatile move like it, saying "You can get away with a lot of things if you use it right, dear~"; an opinion that I simply couldn't share.
My thoughts were interrupted as a ball of dark energy exploded next to me with ominous intent, its force ripping me from the thoughts in my head and throwing me back to reality, or at the very least, the closest thing to it. Quickly scanning my surroundings, I watched with disbelief as the sky filled with what seemed like hundreds of dark orbs, her Shadow Ball having summoned projectiles so numerous that the attack looked more like a swarm of Beedrill, rearing to charge in with suicidal, malicious intent.
"Focus, dear! Now is not the time to let your mind wander!"
I shook my head, regaining my focus, before crouching down as I readied myself for the hundreds of orbs that had begun to accelerate towards me.
The only reasonable explanation I could think of was that some, if not most of these balls were fake; a product of Wisteria's mastery of deception. My suspicions were confirmed as the first volley of Shadow Balls struck the ground, carpet bombing the area around me. While the scenery around me lit up in an explosion of black and purple smoke, many of the attacks produced no noticeable shockwaves as they made contact with the blackened earth. Of course, I certainly wasn't willing to find out which was which, especially given that, up until the point of impact, it was practically impossible to tell which were real or not.
Not that I could spare a thought for their analysis, because just trying to dodge these attacks was costing me almost all of my focus and concentration. I looked up, hoping to find some respite from the merciless barrage, only to find that Wisteria had already readied another salvo. Her attacks were bombarding the ground with the frequency of raindrops on a fierce, stormy day.
"Sweetie, you can't keep dodging forever." Wisteria's voice cut through the air; her tone unusually stern. "Try to think out of the box, dear!"
I didn't need her to remind me. I'm more than well aware that, with each moment I spend dodging, my opponent will have more time to analyze my movements, more time to decipher my patterns, and more chances to land a hit on me. Like Wisteria had told me countless times before, repetition was a guarantee for instant failure in battle. Unless I can come up with something quick, it was only going to be a matter of time before I get hit.
But… What can I do…?
One look at my situation was all that I needed to know that it was impossible to run away. And given the sheer difference in level between the two of us, it was impossible to beat Wisteria in a fair fight; even more so now with the illusions that she had conjured up.
It's not that I'm struggling to understand what Wisteria was trying to achieve with her attacks. Rather, her tactic was unbelievably simple; to overwhelm me through sheer volume alone. While it was, perhaps, a little medieval in complexity, it was still undeniably effective for the given situation. It's plain to see that she's got me exactly where she wants me, anchoring me in place with nowhere to run or hide. Yet, despite the pressure and stress that she was putting me through, I had to concede that, were I in her shoes, I would most probably have done the same. There's no need to come up with some convoluted plan that has multiple potential points of failure when a simple, straightforward plan can achieve the same, if not better, result.
I dive to my side, rolling on the ground as I narrowly avoided another attack, my brain running on overdrive as I tried to formulate a plan while dodging an army's worth of attacks. If running away was out of the option, and fighting her head on suicidal, then the best alternative would be to create a distraction that would let me get away, or better yet, immobilize her.
This immediately disqualified the two moves I had previously known and kept with me, Tackle and Covet, due to the simple fact that they currently had nothing to offer me at all. Unlike Quick Attack, Tackle gave me no extra benefits, and as for Covet, well… What was I even going to steal?
I ducked under another black orb, quickly glancing around me to reassess my situation. The seemingly endless amount of Shadow Balls that struck the ground had cratered the entire landscape, the inky darkness of the earth potholed and dimpled like an unkempt teenager's face. Worse still was the dark, low-hanging smoke that coated the ground all around me, its purple fumes thick enough that even breathing was starting to become uncomfortable.
Wait… That… That's it!
Shadow Ball! I've been staring down the answer all this time! If I could detonate a Shadow Ball in just the right way, I could theoretically make it explode to produce a significant amount of smoke; perfect for providing me cover to make my escape. It wouldn't even have to be a powerful attack since my goal isn't to cause harm or injury. Rather, as long as I can create a large enough smokescreen, I should be able to make my escape.
That said, there was no possible way I was going to be able to do that with my own attack. My Shadow Ball was still so pathetically weak that getting hit by it was about as painful as being wafted by a paper fan. Expecting my attack to be able to create a smokescreen anywhere near the size that I needed was, to put it nicely, little more than whimsical thinking on my part.
Of course, the same couldn't be said for Wisteria's Shadow Ball. In fact, seeing the strength of her attack at full power makes me glad of my immunity to ghost type attacks; were I not, getting hit by it would most definitely be a certain path to a grizzly outcome.
Her shadow ball seemed perfect in all aspects. All, that is, except for the fact that they were Wisteria's. As long as these were her attacks, she would be able to control where they were heading, what they would do and how powerful they were.
Unless… Unless I force them to work in my favour.
If they're guaranteed to explode on contact, then I should be able to make them explode in the air. I just need them to hit something before they reach me.
…My own Shadow Ball!
I stare down an incoming attack, focusing as I readied myself to launch my own attack right at it. Drawing in a sharp breath, I began to summon forth energy from within me to create a Shadow Ball of my own. The act of doing so made me wince; whatever the reason, trying to use this attack always seemed to make my stomach churn with ominous pain. Even so, I still managed to form my own orb of dark energy, launching it straight at the incoming ball.
I have to admit, the way it slowly sailed towards her looked woefully pathetic. The attack limped through the air so unenthusiastically that, for a fleeting moment, I worried that it would run out of steam, give up, and simply drop from the sky. Had I meant to go on the offensive with that move, I would have immediately moved on to something else. But since all I needed was for it to connect, I stared with undivided attention as the distance between the two attacks quickly disappeared.
I watched with expectant eyes as my attack connected with hers.
My Shadow Ball simply phased right through hers.
S…S-Shit…! I forgot! Some of these are fake!
The reminder was such a shock that it forced a swear out of me. I can't believe how foolish and shortsighted I was to have forgotten about it so quickly!
Having gone through my attack, the Shadow Ball hurtled towards me with savage speed. I flinched as it struck me, but like it had done so with my attack, it simply passed through my body and disappeared into the ground.
Focus… Come on, focus…!
My plan hasn't failed… Yet. Landing a strike on one of Wisteria's real attacks should produce the result I need, but finding it was going to be a challenge. The only real difference between the real and fake Shadow Balls was that the fake ones didn't exude the same malicious energy as the real ones do. That should, in theory, make it a simple task for an experienced fighter to identify which ones are which, but when there are this many rushing towards me from all directions, it was a complete toss-up as to figuring them out.
Identifying the correct target wasn't the only concern that I had. Given that I hadn't mastered this attack yet, there were only so many times I could use it before I ran out of steam, so blindly firing my Shadow Ball and hoping for the best just isn't going to work. Worse still, if Wisteria picks up on what I'm trying to do, she's no doubt going to change her attack patterns. And quite frankly, despite my improvements from our rigorous training programme, I wasn't quite capable enough to formulate a new plan and execute it in the middle of a fight; I'm just not that adaptable yet.
No, I have to make my next shot count. It's not a matter of life and death, but I desperately need to prove to her that I'm capable of much greater things now. If I fail, there's no telling when she'll give me another chance. But, as things are right now, trying to figure out which orb to target just isn't going to work. There has to be another way.
If… If I can't pick one in particular, then what if I singled out its aura…?
I entertained the thought for a little while as I twirled around another incoming attack. Shadow Ball is essentially just dark energy that had been weaponized, and so, while I can't figure out which attacks are real or fake, I can feel the oppressive aura of all the real attacks coming my way. And though the sheer number of them made it impossible to track down the source of each one, even I could tell that some areas were radiating more energy than others.
The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. If I focused my attention onto a single hotspot of energy and aimed right in the middle of it, then, just maybe, I'll have a chance at scoring a hit.
I have to rely on gut feeling.
Single out the most sinister aura that I can feel, and stare right down the middle of it.
There's no need to try and figure out which ones are real and which ones are not. All I have to do is aim for the one that was giving off the darkest aura.
…Found you.
I launch another Shadow Ball, my eyes following it apprehensively as it slowly flew towards my newfound target.
The ear-splitting explosion that rocked the ground was all the confirmation I needed. Looking up, I watched with mesmerized eyes as a thick, black cloud of smoke rapidly expanded through the air, setting a nearly impenetrable smokescreen right between Wisteria and me.
Right on cue, the plethora of Shadow Balls that were charging towards me vanished from sight, with no new attacks taking up their place, confirming that she had lost visual of my location. The realization made me want to call out to her to tell her that I had won. After all, wasn't this all that she had wanted me to do?
But as I opened my mouth to shout, another thought creeps into my mind. While it was true that I had accomplished my initial objective, were this to be a real combat scenario, it would be more than likely that my opponent would simply charge through the smoke; especially so if he or she was significantly more powerful than I was.
No, I'm not done yet. Rather, my work is still incomplete. Since I've gone through all this effort to shield myself from her, I might as well do this properly. I've given myself a potential couple of seconds to make a run for it. It's time to make it a guaranteed escape.
Wisteria hadn't moved an inch this whole time. It's just a reasoned estimate since I can't see her through the smoke, but I'm willing to bet that she still hasn't moved from her spot. And if that was true, it would be an opportunity far too valuable for me to simply let slip by.
I need to immobilize her.
Trying my best to remember her last location, I quickly let loose an Attract, a glowing, pink heart rapidly materializing in front of me before shooting straight towards her. Having no eyes on me as I did so helped immensely; it's a lot less embarrassing and a lot easier to focus when there isn't anyone watching me do it.
Through the hole that it had just punched out, I watched as it sailed straight into her, vanishing in a puff of pink smoke as soon as it made contact with her. Even I could tell that, cloaked by the thick smoke, it would have been impossible for her to have seen the attack coming, let alone react to it.
For a moment, it seemed as if nothing had happened. I held my breath in, my heart pounding away furiously within the confines of my chest.
Then all at once, the illusions and hallucinations vanished around me, returning me back to the land of cold white snow and endless blue sky.
Turning my eyes back towards Wisteria, I hurriedly checked to see if she was alright, the frosty mountain winds having already swept the smokescreen away. To my delight, I realized that the attack had no effect on Wisteria, who, after looking momentarily stunned by what had happened, simply brushed herself off before flashing me a proud smile.
Despite my exhaustion, I bounded towards her, looking up at her expectantly.
"Well…? How did I do?"
Wisteria slowly glided over towards me, shaking her head as she laughed at my enthusiasm.
"Dear, do you really have to ask?" She picked me up from the snow and gave me a tight hug, kissing me on the forehead as she did so. "You were absolutely brilliant, dear. I'm so proud of you, my little angel."
I hugged her back, smiling with a silly grin as I nuzzled her under her chin. It was clear that I had proved myself to her, and the feeling of doing so was immensely satisfying, to say the least.
Giving me one last kiss on my cheek, Wisteria gently put me back down onto the snow before beginning to make her way back up the mountain, gesturing for me to come follow her.
"Let's go home and get some rest, dear. After all, we have a long day tomorrow to look forward to."
I nodded in reply before hurriedly running after her, wishing that our time together would never end.
