Chapter 6
"And Then There Was…"
Something's coming…No…Someone……No……Four someones………
………They're angry…at………something I did………Heh…Why wouldn't they be, huh?……
…They're strong……
I opened my eyes.
Misty!
I heard her scurry onto the balcony.
"Yes…?"
…Gather the strongest electric Pokémon available and bring them to the top of the tower…Also…alert Charizard that there will be a battle soon, and I may need a team of flying Pokémon…Make sure that only the best come. This won't be an easy fight.
There was silence. She hesitated, not leaving and not speaking…
"………Who are we fighting?" she whispered.
……I'm not sure……… I glared at her, but it doesn't matter. They're hostile and that's all that matters. Get moving!
"…Right."
She turned and quickly went downstairs to find the fighters that I'd requested.
I turned my attention back to the four attackers. They were very strong…and very brave too, to come to me like this……And yet, somehow everything seemed familiar but still so very strange and unreal……Wrong even…
That's impossible. There's no such thing as right or wrong…Just me and the rest of the world……They're the bad ones……It's my job to fix them……or kill them.
* * *
By the time Misty had gathered the fifteen best electric Pokémon and Charizard and Pidgeotto had found the five best flying types, the four intruders were just outside the city walls. I hovered in front of the group.
I will face them alone to find out what they want. If they want a fight, then I will give it to them. None of you are to jump in unless I give the word……or if you see me fall in battle…I'm assuming that you'll never have to jump in, but you're here and ready just in case……Now…Good bye.
I flew towards the four powers…As I got closer, I could feel their strengths…and in doing so, I found their weaknesses…
Psychic…Fire…Electricity…Ice……All Flying……
The Legendary Birds…minus one………It would've been easier to get rid of them one by one……but this'll have to do…
I didn't even recognize it as a voice…but I heard a melody…a bitter, sorrowful song……a song of mourning………a battlecry for revenge…
Before I realized it, there they were, directly in front of me. Moltres, the bird of flame. Zapdos, the bird of thunder. Articuno, the bird of ice…And Lugia…the guardian of the sea…The first three flew back and forth or in circles behind Lugia, who simply floated in front of me.
So finally we meet… a strong, yet soft voice said…Normally, it would have seemed to be a friendly voice, but it held in it such contempt…it was almost frightening.
…You're Lugia, huh? I asked.
……That's right………I'm guessing that you are Ashura………
…Right…Not to be confused with Ash, who no longer exists…
Huh!?
It doesn't matter…Tell me why you're here.
Lugia gazed down at me…I could feel both his power and his hatred growing…
…You killed Ho-oh……For that, you must die as well.
I sneered at Lugia. We'll see about that…
With one flap of his wings, Lugia ascended upwards, shadowing the sun.
Ice! Electricity! Fire! Water! NOW!
All four birds sent their attacks spiraling towards me. I wrapped my tail around me and grasped it. A black shield encircled me, but it took all I had to keep it up. They pressed in from all sides, threatening to collapse my shield and leave me vulnerable.
When they stopped, I let my shield down and looked up to see whiteness hit me straight on. I was blinded, then slammed against and the white drove me down……
…No…I can't let them…win…!
I gathered up as much power as I could and shot it forward. The whiteness dissipated, finally allowing me to see again, and my own dark blast nailed Lugia in the jaw. He stumbled back, dazed for a second. I didn't hesitate to power up another attack…but neither did the other three birds. I was pecked, slammed, and smitten from all sides.
A forceful outward attack was enough to drive them away for a moment.
Alright, Lugia…You asked for it.
I powered myself upwards and slammed Lugia in the chest. He was stunned for only a second and then quickly retaliated with a swipe of his wing.
"Mmmoooll!!!"
I didn't even have time to flinch before I was flamed by a Fire Blast from Moltres.
Those three are getting in the way…but I can get rid of them…
You want me!? Come and get me!
I did a flip and sped back to the tower. I was running the risk of getting the tower destroyed and quite possibly some of my best Pokémon killed, but I needed to face Lugia one on one.
The four birds gave chase, forcing me to go nearly at top speed.
Attack! I shouted, Get Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres!…Leave Lugia to me!
…So you're afraid to face us together… Lugia said in a low voice.
Not afraid, just not stupid, I retorted, spinning around to face him. He had to stop to keep from plowing into me and the tower, which wouldn't have been good for either of us.
Come on, I grinned and zipped straight up.
Lugia hesitated for only a second before following me.
In the name of Ho-oh, I will destroy you…
We'll see about that.
Lugia started off by throwing a huge cyclone at me. I dodged to the side and got rid of it with a Razor Wind.
Gonna have to do better than that…
Lugia let out a harsh cry, unexpected from a creature that could sing so beautifully. He formed a glowing yellow sphere and increased its size and power by the second.
Hyper Beam…Well then, this should be a good test of power.
I created a sphere of my own, golden, like the sun that has lost part of its glory…
Lugia fired before I had finished, but I fired too anyway. The attacks hit dead on in a matter of seconds. The explosion rocked both of us and everyone nearby.
"ZARRRRD!!!"
I glanced down to see Charizard rush straight into Moltres. They both plummeted downwards and suddenly burst into flames above the city just below them. They separated and Charizard went in for another rush. Once again, the fire engulfed them in a bright flare.
Charizard! What are you-!?
Before I could finish my sentence, something slammed me hard and crash-landed onto the rooftop of a building. I saw spots for a second then recovered and glared up at Lugia.
We should move away from the city so no innocents will get hurt, he said.
They won't get hurt if I win! I shouted.
I jumped back up and fired a Psychic attack at Lugia. He moved to the side and it passed by him harmlessly. Angered, I surrounded myself by darkness and shot as much of it as I could to Lugia. Dark fingers scraped against him and he cried out in pain. Finally, I had found his weak point.
There's more where that came from……
I zipped up and grabbed onto his neck.
…You want to see Ho-oh again, don't you? I whispered.
He panicked and flapped wildly, trying to throw me off. I just grinned and gave him my best shot.
He convulsed as the darkness swept through his body. His cries came out as mere gurgles and his eyes went wild with pain.
I hea rd a sound of air simply being tossed aside, but it only lasted for a second…Not nearly enough time for me to figure out what it was…and it hit me with the speed of a bullet, knocking me off of Lugia. It grabbed hold of me as we sped through the air and we spun for a long time before finally coming to a stop, giving me a chance to see what…who it was…
He almost looked like he was on fire. A blinding yellow eddy swirled around him, making it hard to make out any distinguishing features, but I recognized him nonetheless.
Nekiro!?
That's right, he whispered, and I'm not going to let you do to Lugia what you did to Ho-oh…
What are you talking about!?
I won't let you hurt Lugia! he shouted.
Oh, I'm not going to just hurt him…
I gasped as a sizzling sensation coursed through me. I watched Nekiro, still holding me in his deathlock, and knew he was the one who'd done it.
I won't let you!! he shouted again.
And here I thought you were never going to leave that room…
This isn't funny!!
Nekiro, you're getting hysterical…
NO!
He suddenly threw me away from him.
…That's not it… he said quieter, …I……You……You have no idea what you're doing, and I can't let you do it……It's my responsibility to-
Don't give me that…You're just scared……
If I was scared would I be trying to stop you!?
With that, he tossed a powerful Psychic attack at me. It hit straight on and knocked me backwards. I moved down and let the rest of it pass over me.
"Mew!" he yelled and fired another one.
This time I flew up and it missed completely.
I thought that you of all Mews would stay on my side……
I can't, he said, Not anymore……
Behind him, I could see that the battle between the other birds was still going strong. Then I saw a shadow loom over him…Lugia.
Nekiro… he said.
Nekiro gasped and looked up.
…Lugia……
Stop it, Nekiro, Lugia said, This is between Ashura and me.
But…!
Lugia shook his head. Leave us be.
Nekiro spun around and faced Lugia angrily. I can't! he yelled, I can't just stand back and watch you fight…! I can't watch you lose!
…Then I must not lose.
Lugia!!
Lugia glided over Nekiro towards me.
…Shall we continue? he asked.
I just nodded.
No! Nekiro shouted, You can't fight him, Lugia! I can't bear to watch you lose…!
I won't lose! Lugia reciprocated, …Have some faith, Nekiro…
……Lugia…….He killed Ho-oh……He'll kill you too…
…Can we get on with this? I asked.
Lugia started to reply, but Nekiro cut in.
You'll fight me, he said, Then if I lose, Lugia will kill you…
Nekiro! Lugia said in shock.
And if I win… Nekiro continued, then you will stop this madness and reconcile everything that you've already ruined…
They stayed quiet as I thought that over.
……Let me get this straight, I said, ……You don't want to kill me?
He shook his head. No, of course not……I just want you back to normal.
I sighed. That's not going to happen, but if you really want to try, I'm not going to argue.
Then let's begin.
Nekiro, are you sure you want to-!? Lugia began.
Yes I'm sure, he said calmly, Ready, Ash?
First of all, my name is Ashura, and second of all, yes.
We both started at the same time with Psychic. They cancelled each other out enough for each of us to remain untouched. We both shot upwards. Nekiro tore towards me, still blazing. I prepared for him with a small ball of darkness, but he moved too fast and destroyed it before I was ready. He jumped over me and kicked back at me with both feet, knocking me forwards. The next thing I knew, his tail flashed before my eyes and found a hold beneath my chin. He grabbed it and pulled me close to him.
It'll only hurt for a little while… he whispered.
He was warm to the touch…but as his tail pressed harder against my throat, I couldn't help but feel cold……Even if he wasn't going to kill me, I couldn't black out, because that would count as a loss…I tugged at the thin appendage that was threatening to ruin everything for me…but I couldn't gather enough strength to wrench it off by force, and I found myself getting weaker by the minute…
Only one other option…If I'm going down I'm taking you with me!
I kicked against the air and flew backwards with Nekiro. That put him off just enough for me to shock him with a small amount of darkness. Then I grabbed his tail with renewed strength and threw him away from me.
I rubbed my bruised neck…He was going to pay for that…
He recovered from the toss quickly and spun to face me again, then fired a Psychic attack. I Teleported to dodge and placed myself right in front of Nekiro. He exclaimed and backed up.
Battles aren't won by those who use the flashiest moves or even the most powerful attacks. Sometimes it just takes flat out will and aggression…
Huh!?
I floated towards him until we were face to face…Then gave him my best Mega Punch. He didn't get pushed back very far, but it certainly surprised him. He clapped his paws over his nose and stared at me wide-eyed.
What the-!?
Here's more!
I gave him another Mega Punch and quickly followed up with a Mega Kick to the chin. I followed that up with a Slam attack.
I guess he got tired of that pretty fast because he blasted everything near him with a Psychic. I was thrown back and decided to wait until the fireworks were over before continuing. After it cleared, he looked even madder than before. He had formed a shining gold colored ball and grew it till it was bigger than he was.
Hyper Beam, huh?
He fired and I hardly had the chance to dodge. It still nicked my whole tail and knocked me off balance and I fell. Nekiro floated downwards, waiting for another opportunity to attack…He waited too long. I flew back up and began using Comet Punch. He didn't even get a chance to blink…
I felt Lugia watching from a distance with growing horror…
This is for your own good, Nekiro…
I ended the battle with a Karate Chop to the back of his head. He finally gave out and fell without any effort to save himself.
Once I was positive that he was unconscious, I dove down and grabbed him under the arms and held him in midair. I immediately wished that my hands were free so that I could cover my ears. Lugia was barreling towards me full of rage and was being very vocal about it too.
What have you done!!? he shouted.
Get a grip! I answered, He's not dead!
…What…?
The great guardian didn't even bother to check if he's alive or not… I muttered to myself.
What was that!?
I let myself focus on the limp Mew I held and sent him back to his room in the tower.
If Lugia could control the waters, the sea must have been boiling at that point…
How could you!?
……For one of the greatest legendary Pokémon in the world, you can't control your temper very well, can you?
Lugia took several deep breaths and tried to regain his composure.
I will kill you, he told me.
I shrugged. Give it a try…but don't think I won't do the same to you!
I slammed into his neck headfirst. He responded by flipping in midair and giving me a full-out Body Slam. Then he backed up a bit and shot at me with a Hydro Pump. I countered it with my shield and it dripped off harmlessly. I could see the frustration in his eyes, and I knew this battle would have as much to do with mind games as it would with fighting…
He powered up a Whirlpool and drove it to me. I flew up just a little, then dove straight through the water column. I think I passed right by Lugia's head and threw it off enough to ruin the attack. He tried to hit me again with an Aeroblast, and it worked. It left me dazed enough for him to get another Body Slam in.
I finally was forced to counterattack with a dark blast just to drive him off. He shot a Hyper Beam at me that I barely dodged but still was seared by the intensity of just being close by. When it had passed by, I noticed that there was a large, smoking black crater in one of the streets where there hadn't been one before…
…Lugia…I'm sure you'll agree with me on this……Let's go somewhere where there's no chance of hurting any passerbys…
Lugia looked down at the crater it had formed and city surrounding it…
……Yes, I suppose you're right… he admitted.
I pointed right outside the city wall to a large, tree covered hill.
Will that work? I asked.
He looked over there and nodded slowly.
I guess it will do…
I sped over there and landed in a semi-clear area. After a while, Lugia landed behind me.
He's getting tired… I noted, but he's not the only one……We're going to have to end this here and now.
* * *
Okay…So you've shown me Psychic and you've showed me Confusion……I mean, I can see the difference between them, but why do you always make it such a big deal?
It took a while for Mewtwo to answer…When he did, he spoke very quietly.
Because Ash…there are really two kinds of Psychics……One you just use to do damage…The other one is used for inflicting pain…and more.
…More?
……If you want, I can show you first-hand…
Uhhh…
He finally looked at me.
It will hurt, he said.
……But I'll be okay, right?
He nodded. …But it will hurt…
I shrugged as off-handedly as I could. I don't mind……Just go easy on me…
He even gulped nervously. …I'll try…
He turned and faced me. Hold still.
Okay… I said, and readied myself for the worst.
I'll start off with a Confusion attack, just to fully illustrate my point.
His eyes glowed blue a cold blueness surrounded me. It tightened around me and before I knew it, everything blurred past me and I smashed flat into the rock wall behind me. The coldness subsided and I slid to the ground.
…Ow… I said…an understatement.
……Stand up… Mewtwo said.
I hauled myself up and stood as firmly as I could, which wasn't much.
Are you ready for Psychic? he asked.
I…Um…As ready as I'll ever be I guess.
All right……This is the quick one. This is the one you would me most likely to use in a battle where your main goal is to simply weaken your opponent……
I nodded.
Mewtwo assumed a fighting stance and between his nads a huge, white-blue ball of pure, powerful energy grew and glowed brighter and brighter, making everything around it a contrast between blinding light and pitch dark.
Shield yourself, Mewtwo said quickly, and fired it straight at me.
In the split second that I was given, I raised a small shield and the next I was surrounded by a rush of roaring, furious whiteness. My shield didn't even seem to exist from the intensity that I felf from it. A second later, I was blown back into the wall again and the Psychic attack had disappeared.
Mewtwo stood motionless except for his tail, which twitched slightly at the tip.
……Get up, Ash… he said, You must be prepared for this next one…It will hurt.
I laughed nervously and got up very slowly.
……Are you ready?
Probably not……but go ahead anyway……
Mewtwo waited a moment. ……Very well then……
He took a deep breath and his eyes became a deep blue. I felt that coldness again, but this time, it seeped inside of me gradually, then it lurched and grabbed me from the inside. I'd never felt pain like that before…It was a freezing and burning and choking torture…I felt like my lungs had collapsed and my heart was about to explode. I could feel myself screaming but I knew that no sound was coming out at all…I was blinded by pain…and felt relief when a cool blackness swallowed up the pain and I finally lost consciousness.
* * *
…Lugia……I'll try to make this as painless as possible…
I heard a roar from far to my right and glanced over to see two beasts of fire crash into the same hill that we were on.
I have to hurry…They need me over there…
I formed a small blade of darkness in my paws and just looked at it for a second…Then I spun around and launched it at Lugia. It hit and spread immediately throughout his body. He gasped and I saw him stretch to his full extent instinctively. I directed a powerful but small amount of darkness to his chest area, where I sought out his heart. Once there, I used the blade to sever his aorta and render it completely useless…
I retracted my attack and stood back…He stood in the same position, shaking viciously…I heard him take one last breath before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell forward slowly, his body connecting with the ground with soft thud, and his head finally came to rest…His eyes closed slowly and he lay still.
…Goodbye, Lugia…
I left swiftly and flew straight up. Charizard and Moltres were still battling furiously, but I could tell that Charizard wasn't doing very well…I also noticed that more than a few trees had been lit on fire and it was spreading quickly.
I can't let that reach the city…and I can't let Moltres win…
I checked the battle at the tower and saw that things weren't very pretty there either…
I'm going to have to move fast…
I reached out to the ocean a few miles away. With Lugia gone it was masterless, and I could easily take advantage of that…I pulled with all m strength and I felt a tidal wave come rapidly to my assistance.
I dared closer to the heated battle below. Charizard was heavily burnt and had a tear in his wing, but was still fighting fiercely. Moltres was bruised, but otherwise fine. Charizard Slashed at Moltres, but he dodged to the side and countered with Flamethrower. Charizard reared back in pain…It had gotten him in the eyes…
…Charizard! I called out, Use Fly!
Charizard glanced up, then flew up, leaving Moltres behind. Moltres let out a battle cry and his body flared even more brightly than before.
Sky Attack…Like that's going to do him any good……
My tidal wave had arrived…It washed over the forest without losing power and rushed to and over Moltres, washing him under the land-borne current.
…When I knew that Moltres's fire had finally been put out, I released the wave and let it seep back to the ocean…Charizard flew lopsidedly back to the city. I went to the tower.
It was devasting. My troops were reduced to less than five each. The balcony itself was broken almost in half and was smoking and iced over at the same time. Articuno and Zapdos had very little injuries to show for their fight.
HEY! You two! I shouted.
They stopped attacking and turned to look at me.
I'm the one you want! I'm the one who killed Ho-oh, Lugia, and Moltres…! Don't you have anything to say to that!?
…I guess they did…Articuno flapped angrily, then shot an Ice Beam at me. I moved to the side, but let it touch my shield and freeze around it. Zapdos gave it a shot with a Thunderbolt. I danced around the static and absorbed it into my shield.
Take this! I offered.
I whipped the ice off, lowered its temperature, and blasted it at Zapdos, aiming for his heart. Without missing a beat, I charged up the electricity that Zapdos had offered me and let Articuno have it.
Zapdos found himself in a prison of ice formed from his core. Articuno was paralyzed and knocked out. They both began a rapid descent to the earth. I helped them by grabbing them with my mind and flung them to the hill where their brothers rested. They were quick to join them…