Today was turning into a fiasco. It had started ordinarily enough, and had anyone told Force then that he would soon find himself in such a situation, facing against some ragged bird-like creature alongside the Espeon whose life had been thrown into ruin by Diablos' actions, he...probably would have found it credible, but been at a loss to describe what sequence of events might have brought the day to this outcome.
The Riolu pushed himself back to his feet, regarding the Sigilyph with narrowed eyes. Shadow had already assumed a battle stance of his own, yet Force still hesitated. There was something amiss about the Pokemon, but he couldn't quite put his paw on it. All Riolu were trained practically from birth to learn how to manipulate and read aura, and utilize these abilities both in and outside of battle. Picking up vibes from those around him was practically second-nature, and thanks to the experience gained from joining with Kaito's group, he had learned how to sense abnormalities in the surrounding area. This skill was invaluable for locating objects or areas with a higher concentration of energy.
Aura was the essence of life. It left traces within everything, so ancient artifacts and sites often carried a 'foreign' feel to them, something unusual and very noticeable when compared to more mundane items or sites.
With training, a Riolu could even gain incredible insight into individuals, but it was an ability that was extremely difficult to master, and better wielded by the older, more experienced Lucario. Force still lacked the skill to make such clear distinctions, but he had enough training to know when something was different, or when it was the source of something more ominous and unsettling.
As Force produced another sphere of aura fire within his paw, a beam of magenta light fired from the Sigilyph's eye, striking the ground at the Riolu's feet, tearing up part of the ground and sending him sprawling to the grass. Groaning slightly, Force got back up, his red eyes flickering with a hint of concern, even though the expression was hidden from his facial expression.
This Pokemon was unquestionably strong. He could feel the power surging within the past two psychic attacks, and facing a psychic opponent was already considered extreme folly for young Riolu, or even reasonably competent Riolu. Unfortunately, in such a situation, there wasn't much choice, and he was more than used to being thrown around like a rag doll.
Shadow's gemstone glowed for a moment, and a small sphere of condensed psychic energy torpedoed towards the Sigilyph. It exploded upon the surface of the guardian Pokemon's body, but for all appearances, it had little to no effect. The guardian's upper eye glanced towards Shadow, and its wings flapped vigorously, producing a pair of air currents that cleaved through the air, forcing Shadow to dive sideways to avoid it, practically colliding with Force in the process.
The Sigilyph replicated the technique, directing another current of air towards the two. Shadow dodged more gracefully this time, and Force strafed around the invisible barrier's perimeter. Warmth rushed through his body as aura formed between the Riolu's paws, and he quickly hurled the glowing sphere towards their opponent.
A magenta beam of light fired from the guardian's eye, piercing the aura sphere with enough firepower to split it apart, each half spiraling off-course and then dissipating entirely. Unwilling to leave himself open, Force conjured up another sphere and flung it at the Sigilyph. This time his attack got through, and sent the Sigilyph recoiling backwards. As if waiting for this cue, Shadow launched another psychic bolt of his own at their foe, but just like the first attempt, the projectile exploded against its body with no visible signs of damage.
"Shadow, it's a Psychic-type," Force scolded the Espeon. Shadow shot him an annoyed glance in reply, but further banter was cut short by the Sigilyph conjuring a sphere of ghostly energy from its lower torso. Before either of them could do anything, it launched the Shadow Ball in the Espeon's direction. Shadow shifted his body in time to avoid a direct hit, but the sphere detonated at his feet with enough force to send him tumbling across the grass.
"I'm fine," the Espeon snapped in response to the unasked question, his silver eyes flashing with pain and anger as he stood up. Force didn't even bother coming up with a retort, his eyes narrowed at their foe. The Sigilyph still hadn't said anything since arriving at the scene, yet it attacked them methodically, not giving either of them a chance to get under its guard, or even devise a strategy with the other one.
What was it after?
Warmth again flowed through Force's body as he formed another aura projectile between his paws, but this time he flung it away from the Sigilyph, watching with satisfaction as the sphere changed direction mid-flight, and struck the Sigilyph from behind, knocking the psychic Pokemon off-balance. Its eye glowed briefly, and Force felt energy engulfing his body, immobilizing him with an invisible grasp. Unlike before, it didn't immediately throw him backwards, but instead seemed to consider him. Then its eye glowed more brightly than before, and blue energy waves emanated from its body.
Force braced himself for impact, but to his incredible surprise, Shadow darted into the path of the psychic wave, the silver gem embedded in his forehead glowing. A semi-transparent barrier formed around the Espeon, neutralizing the majority of the psychic assault, and what residual energy remained came into contact with Shadow instead, pushing him backwards, nearer to Force.
Shadow panted a little from the exertion of his barrier, and Force could only stare at the Espeon in surprise. They had literally been giving one another death glares not even twenty minutes ago, yet without wasting a second's thought, Shadow had intercepted an attack meant for him. True, Force wasn't going to trust this sort of selflessness to last forever, but it was a good sign regardless.
The Sigilyph blinked with all three eyes, and it took Force a moment to realize that he was no longer being held within a psychic grip.
"Damn it...how are we supposed to fight this thing?" he wondered. So far, every attempt of using his aura abilities in battle had done little to no damage, and Shadow wasn't faring any better. Against a psychic opponent, there was almost no chance that he could win, and fleeing wasn't even an option.
"Cece fought it at close range," Shadow answered quietly, his voice practically a whisper. "And overpowered it with fire."
"Close range?" Force repeated incredulously. "You want me to get super close to a Psychic-type? I'll get slaughtered!"
Shadow nodded seriously. "At that range, it can't aim very well."
Force scowled. True, Riolu and their kin were trained to use direct combat over projectile tactics, but he had gotten disillusioned over the years from being knocked down and humiliated whenever he fought even the weakest of his peers. Battle filled him with no joy, only pain and misery. Strength eluded him always, and he had unknowingly relied so heavily on Diablos' power to boost his aura that he had neglected to hone his direct combat prowess.
It irked him to know that Shadow was probably right, but there was no way such a methodical adversary like this Ruins guardian would allow him to run that close. If he so much as tried to get within close range, he would be telekinetically thrown backwards, or bombarded with a variety of projectiles so strong he'd be lucky to get up afterwards.
"I have an idea," Force said, keeping his eyes on the hovering menace, and speaking so softly that his mouth barely moved. Shadow didn't say anything, but his ear twitched, the only indication that he was listening. Perhaps, like himself, Shadow realized that they had to communicate subtly to not let the Sigilyph recognize the threat underneath.
Before Force could elaborate, the Sigilyph slashed its wings, producing a sharpened gale of wind that forced the two apart. Shadow's gemstone glowed and he fired another condensed sphere of energy that did about as much damage as the previous attempts. As the Sigilyph prepared a Shadow Ball in retaliation, Force focused his energy, his red eyes watching the psychic Pokemon warily. Warmth spread through him, but rather than produce another projectile between his paws, the Riolu instead devoted all his effort to his natural aura abilities, synchronizing his mind and aura with that of the Sigilyph and the rest of his surroundings.
It was a basic technique that nevertheless proved invaluable in battle. Once one was fully harmonized with their surroundings, they obtained a low level of foresight that enabled them to read their opponents' movements and intentions before they could even act on them. Masters of this skill often proved to be some of the most formidable Lucario, capable of dodging almost anything sent their way, and strike with the speed and precision of a ninja.
If he could tap into that skill, then maybe he had a chance after all.
"Your idea?"
Force blinked. The voice had resonated within his mind, but it was unquestionably Shadow's tone. A moment later, it clicked. The black-furred Espeon was using telepathy.
"At my signal, use your telekinesis to toss me onto the Sigilyph," Force responded mentally. He had more than enough experience communicating with Iris to know how to communicate via a telepathic link. More impressive was that Shadow had successfully linked to him at all - that wasn't an easy feat for an inexperienced psychic. It was just a step short of being able to read his mind, but the Riolu doubted Shadow would be able to pull that one off in the heat of battle. It also occurred to him that Shadow had probably been attempting to establish this link back when he had drawn the Sigilyph's attention earlier.
He wasn't sure if Shadow understood, but he had to put that concern out of mind for now, and trust that the Espeon would be able to follow the directions, because that was his best chance to get close enough to strike. Force closed his eyes briefly and steadied his breathing, refocusing on the task at hand.
Blue aura surrounded the Riolu's body, warmth flooding through him from head to toe, and his senses became heightened to everything around him. It was just like back at the Solaceon Ruins, moments before encountering Shadow.
As if responding to the mental mention of his name, the Espeon glanced over at Force, and his silver eyes widened in momentary surprise. The Sigilyph immediately turned its attention towards Force instead, and its eye glowed with ominous blue light.
Force didn't give the Sigilyph a chance to catch him in its psychic grip again. His eyes could almost see the faint shimmering in the air as psychic energy moved through the air towards him. With every bit of speed he could muster, he dashed towards the Sigilyph, then threw himself forward onto his stomach, slipping underneath the reach of the psychic energy. He winced a little in pain as his stomach passed over broken twigs and small rocks, but it served his purpose of evading the attack. He was now behind the guardian, but it hadn't seemed to realize this yet.
Knowing he had a limited window of opportunity before the Sigilyph figured out where he had gone, he hastened to his feet and flicked his paw in Shadow's direction, wordlessly providing the signal. A moment later, he felt energy encompassing his body, and then the sensation of being thrown.
Shadow's psychic boost enabled Force to land on the psychic guardian's back, his weight dragging the Sigilyph off-balance. At the same time, he drew back his fist, allowing aura to flow into his paw, and then drove it as hard as he could into one of the Sigilyph's wings.
Unlike normal birds, it turned out a Sigilyph did not have hollow bones in its wings. On the contrary, it felt like he was punching an incredibly durable rock. The aura surrounding his paw cushioned the impact, but the strike still brought tears of pain to the Riolu's eyes. Even worse was that the blow caused the Sigilyph to screech shrilly, and Force instinctively tried to clasp his paws over his ears to drown out the deafening noise, only to lose his balance and fall to the grass below.
The landing forced the air from his lungs, and his back spasmed in pain. Gritting his teeth to keep from whimpering, Force pushed himself to his knees, hardly daring to look up at the still-hovering monster of an opponent. As he clenched his fist to test the extent of his injury, his eyes lingered on the bracelet around his wrist. The stone was pulsing softly, and he could feel warmth still spreading through his body, giving him energy and strengthening his focus...but even that didn't seem to be enough to fight against this foe.
"Are you okay?" Shadow asked, his tone carrying a note of genuine concern, and Force managed a weak smile in return, but then gasped as he felt a powerful psychic grip engulfing his right arm, all but dragging him to his feet as his wrist was lifted upwards against his will.
Force struggled vainly against the psychic grip. Not only could he not free his paw, but it was keeping him from striking at the Sigilyph with his left paw. "Let go!" the Riolu growled, tugging so forcefully that he feared that he might dislocate his arm at this rate.
The Sigilyph's gaze was focused not on him, but on the bracelet...no, not on the bracelet, but on the stone embedded on the bracelet. Was that what it was after? Why did it care about the stone they had taken from...oh.
Almost as if from a dream, he recalled the text deciphered at the entrance of the Solaceon Ruins. The text warning intruders to beware the guardians. He and Lin had never come across a guardian, but Cecilia evidently had, and had beaten it. If this Sigilyph was the same one from the Ruins, then maybe it had pursued them to retrieve what had been removed from its post.
Why it had taken so long to find them, if that was the case? The stone had been sitting in the Chateau for the last week. It didn't even take that long for him to get to the Chateau on foot.
Wait...even if they returned the stolen stone, what would it do to them as punishment for stealing it?
Sudden fear gripped the Riolu's heart, and without wasting another moment to think about it, he focused as intently as he could. The pulsing stone at his wrist glowed vibrantly, so much that Force practically had to shut his eyes from the incredible glow. Warmth spread through him again, banishing the cold terror from his body and replacing it with a surge of energy.
And the power...it surged through his body like lightning, replacing weariness and discomfort with a sense of giddiness. He hadn't felt this much strength in his body since the first day he had received Diablos' gift.
Force drew back his left paw, channeling aura into his fist, and then lashed out at the Sigilyph. The sphere of aura surrounding his paw launched away from his hand, and struck the Sigilyph directly in its single eye.
A deafening, high-pitched screech filled the air, and Force felt the psychic grip on his paw falter, enabling him to rip free of the psychic Pokemon's grasp. He didn't wait for the the guardian to recover, and instead used both paws to conjure up another powerful aura sphere, moving closer and launching it at the bird-like creature at point-blank range.
The sphere exploded forcefully on impact, and Force tumbled backwards, only to land gracefully on the grass, as if he had performed an acrobatic stunt without even realizing it. Blue aura surrounded his entire body, and he somehow knew that his eyes were glowing with the same light, picking up the aura of everything all around them.
A vague blue shimmer illuminated the Sigilyph's body, and to Force's surprise, the aura rapidly darkened until a pure black, malevolent coloration surrounded its body instead. At the same time, a intensely sharp pain shot through his chest, and he clutched instinctively at his heart, as if he had just been stabbed. The pain was immediately followed by a wave of discomfort clawing at his gut, and from just behind him, he heard Shadow inhale sharply, as if his body had been dunked in ice water.
He could feel it. He could sense it all so clearly now.
Shadow blinked in alarm as a humorless chuckle escaped Force's throat. It was a strange, almost hysterical laugh, as if his mind had simply ceased to grasp the dire circumstances and found the entire thing inexplicably funny.
"Shadow...it's got the third fragment," Force said, looking over his shoulder at the ebony Espeon, his eyes still glowing with the same vibrant blue color as the aura surrounding his body. "The piece Lin broke at the Ruins...this thing's got it."
Shadow blinked, visibly unnerved by Force's glowing eyes and manner. "But it's not possessed...its eyes don't match."
Force furrowed his brow, silently conceding that the Espeon had a point. Despite having traces of Diablos' aura within it, and the fact it resonated with them, the Sigilyph did not seem possessed, and Diablos had seemed to value the survival of those bonded with his soul pieces, so having the Sigilyph attack them didn't seem like something Diablos would encourage.
On the other hand, Diablos had wanted Force to carry the stone to test out whether he could unlock any of its abilities. It would not surprise Force in the slightest if it turned out that Diablos believed its power was best unlocked under stressful or dangerous circumstances, and therefore manipulated a Sigilyph into attacking him to find out. Gaining power when the chips are down. That seemed to fit the notion of "inner darkness" that the Spiritomb had spoken of the other night.
The more he thought on it, the more plausible this theory became. Diablos said he could pinpoint the locations of those who carried his fragments. Then he might have known that Shadow was in the area back then, and definitely had to have known this morning, when he recommended Force carry the stone.
Force gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Did everything that happened in his life now come as the result of the Spiritomb's machinations? Was there anything that he could still truly call his own?
His eyes flicked back to the pulsing stone at his wrist. Hmm...Diablos had said its power didn't resonate with him, but with Force instead. Maybe that was something he could call his own. A power he could use for himself, once he figured out its purpose and workings. A power that he didn't have to resent owning because of its association with a malevolent being.
"Force!"
Iris' voice shook the Riolu from his daze, and he turned to see the Kirlia rushing over to them, the sight of her making some of the weight in his chest lift. Her pink eyes were wide with concern, and he could only imagine what the situation looked like to her, with the ebony Espeon and him fighting against this Sigilyph, as powerful aura surrounded his body.
"Stay back!" Force commanded sternly, and Iris stumbled to a halt, surprise and concern flashing across her face. "It's too dangerous right now," he explained. As he spoke, he was aware that the Sigilyph was recovering from its temporary incapacitation from the previous attack.
"But I..." Iris began.
"Do as he says," a second voice cut in firmly, and the white-furred quadruped from earlier, Astrid or whatever her name was, stepped into view. Her green eyes were fixed on Force more so than the Sigilyph, and she was frowning seriously. "That power you're using is unstable. It's not meant to be wielded by a Riolu."
"What do you...?" Force frowned, and looked himself over. "I've got it just fine...right?"
Astrid shook her head. "It's bound by your mental and emotional state or whatever. Trust me, your control is shaky at best. You can't handle that-"
"Are you saying I'm weak?" Force snapped, clenching his fist. The aura flames surrounding his body intensified, and Iris squeaked in alarm.
"...I really suck at this," Astrid muttered.
"You really do," Shadow sighed.
Force ignored the exchange, silently aware that his breathing pace had heightened, and his body was rapidly becoming fatigued, as if he had just run a marathon. However, all this did was make him more aggravated. Did he really have such low stamina, that this fight was taking a toll on him? Of course he did, that's why he was the weakest Riolu among his peers. No stamina, only a ridiculous amount of endurance for taking hits without suffering severe injuries.
"N-no one's saying you're weak, Force," Iris insisted, taking nervous steps towards the agitated Riolu.
"Wait, stay back!" Astrid insisted. "If he loses control of-"
"I won't lose control of it!" Force snapped, but at that moment, an intense jolt of pain shot through his body, and his eyes bulged. He gasped in pain, clutching both sides of his head.
"Force!" Iris gasped, and darted forward, despite the Absol's warning. When she got close, she collided with the psychic barrier and cried out in surprise and pain, tumbling backwards and sprawling onto the grass, dazed but seemingly unharmed.
"There's a barrier of some kind there," Shadow offered helpfully. "Probably tied to that thing," he added, nodding towards the Sigilyph. Astrid furrowed her brow thoughtfully.
"Okay. Let me try this, then," she said, and her eyes flashed green, and both herself and Shadow glowed with a faint green light. In the blink of an eye, the two Pokemon had seemingly switched places, with the Absol now standing within the barrier's perimeter, and Shadow now standing outside of it, where Astrid had been standing moments earlier.
Disoriented, Shadow looked around wildly. "What did you just do?"
"Baton Pass," Astrid responded cheerfully. "I'll take your place in this battle."
"...why?" the Espeon wondered blankly, although he probably shouldn't be complaining.
"Because it's a Psychic-type, and you know how much of an advantage I have over those," Astrid answered, her tail wagging. Force gave her a resentful look. "You can sit back, too, just don't overdo it with your stone, okay?" she said, a little more seriously than her previous statement.
Without waiting for an answer, she turned her focus to the hovering guardian Pokemon, and a glint of excitement appeared in her eyes. Without further fanfare, she lunged at the psychic creature, the blade-like horn on her head glowing with a vicious black energy. The Sigilyph countered by flapping its wings, producing a razor-sharp current of air, yet Astrid maneuvered between the currents with incredible agility, reappearing behind the guardian and bringing her glowing horn viciously across its back. Black tendrils of energy tore through the Sigilyph's back, and it let out a screech of pain.
Before it could even consider a form of retaliation, Astrid pounced on top of it, and sank her teeth into the stalk that seemed to be the rough equivalent of its neck, her weight and viciousness more than enough to drag the Pokemon from the air until it collapsed on the grass beneath her, twitching.
"Aww, that was over too fast," the Absol whined, pawing at the downed Sigilyph like a bored child. Shadow, Force, and Iris just gaped at her incredulously, until she blinked at them. "What? It's a Psychic-type. How long did you expect it to take me?"
