Superhuman Samurai Scyther Squad
Dash woke up with the dawn. Rustling the leaves that made up his tree nest, he stretched and flexed his sharp-edged wings. He sniffed the air and thought: `Well, here's a nice day. Maybe we'll go down to the stream and bathe tomorrow. And maybe we'll swing by the apple grove for some lunch the day after that. I wonder what Fearless Leader has planned for our migration.' He hopped out of the tree. All around him, multitudinous Scythers of varying ages emerged from various hiding places. Several hatchlings tried to leave their nest at once, and ended up landing right on top of each other, squeaking indignantly. A group of juveniles preened and sharpened their blades. Other juveniles sparred for practice. Dash spotted someone he knew and shouted, "Yo! Hip! Over here!" A scarred young Scyther came closer and said, "Howdy, Dash. What's up?" Dash nonchalantly preened a bit and replied, "Not much. Does Fearless Leader have anything planned?" Hip slid his right blade over the cutting edge of his left wing and said, "Fearless Leader is Blazer. Buzz is Fearless Leader." Dash shook his wings and shouted, "Stick a pinecone in it! There's been another deposition?" Stepping back a little bit, Hip replied, "Yep. Blazer's gone." Dash's wings drooped as he said, "I wish I could have said goodbye. Well, those are the breaks." He quietly made the traditional sign of acceptance of another's ascent to a higher rank, lowering his wings, crossing his blades over his chest, looking down and closing his eyes. Then he shook his wings harder and said, "Wait a minute… Buzz is Fearless Leader now? Buzz? He never won a fight in his life! How did he manage to get to be Fearless Leader?" Hip preened and replied, "He just got lucky, I guess." Dash playfully swiped the air and said, "Oh, well. That's how it is."
…Ash and his friends walked through the forest. They were just a few miles from the Indigo Plateau. It would be just a few more hours until they could have a hot dinner. Ash was startled to hear a low, mournful cry. Instinct urged him to find its source. He led Misty and Brock off the path and into the dark forest. Misty griped, "Ash, what are you doing? Do you want to get us lost again?" Before Ash could even think up a reply, the three burst into a clearing. When she saw what lay there, Misty knew Ash had been right to leave the trail. A lone, badly injured Scyther lay sprawled in the middle of the clearing. Misty praised Ash's intuition as they began to tend to its wounds. She asked, "Ash, how did you know that this Scyther was here? I couldn't tell where the sound came from…" Ash replied as he worked, "I don't know. I could only hear it faintly. It's just that something inside me…felt its presence, its need…I couldn't turn away. It's the strangest thing…" He looked away, then said, "Looking at this Scyther makes me feel…I don't know. It's like I'm looking at myself. We're both fighters, the two of us…"
The sky was a buzzing blur of wildly whirring wings as the Scyther swarm took to the air. Buzz was well in the lead, in the customary position held by Fearless Leader, and everyone else was following him. The hatchlings were at the very center of the swarm, bumbling about on inexperienced wings and sometimes running into each other. The juveniles restlessly jockeyed for position and sometimes indulged in small aerial battles as they flew. The adults, feeling no need to fight, flew all together in a great cloud, side by side. Dash eyed Buzz, flying in the lead position, and wondered just how the young Scyther had managed to defeat the great Blazer. Buzz had never won a battle in his entire life. And now he was Fearless Leader. He could remember Buzz's birth. Did being able to remember the current Fearless Leader's birth mean that he was getting old?
…Bandaged up and on the mend, the Scyther lay on top of Ash's sleeping bag. It was resting reasonably quietly, but it would tense and hiss if anyone came near. Soon it fell asleep. Acting on instinct, Ash quietly walked up beside it and knelt. He laid a gentle hand on its head and began to stroke it gently. He did that for several minutes. Then he saw that its eyes were open. It was awake! He shuddered, expecting it to take a swipe at him with its vicious blades, but it didn't. It just looked at him quietly. Ash said, "Hello. Let me guess what happened, okay? There was a challenge. You lost. I'm sure you fought with everything you had. When you get all better, you can go for a rematch against him. I'll even help. Would you like that?" The Scyther raised its head and nodded. Then it settled down and seemed to wait for him to say more. Ash scratched his head. The Scyther understood every word he said. How could it understand him if it had never seen a human before in its life? The Scyther seemed to…know him. Ash smiled and said; "You feel it too, don't you? You feel the kinship between us. We're alike. You know what? I'm a fighter too. At least, everybody says that about me. It earned me a reputation only a real Scyther would believe." The Scyther tried to sit up, but failed. Ash chided gently, "No, no, no. Stay down. You're hurt badly, remember?" The Scyther nodded again. Ash continued, "I was the toughest kid in the whole school. Everyone was real nice to me. They had to be; otherwise I'd mop the floor with them. I was sloppy and undisciplined, but I was the best there was. Others came; professionals, but their skill couldn't match my raw power. I was unstoppable! Then, one day, I just…stopped. The thrill of sheer strength lost its savor. So I decided to try to acquire the skill to match my power. If I can match power to skill, I think…no, I know… I'll be the best there ever was!" The Scyther stared at him, enthralled. He shook his head and said, "I forgot to tell you. I had a nickname, and even the toughest kids in school trembled in awe when it was spoken. My deeds were legendary even in my time, and my name struck fear into the hearts of all. Bully and bullied alike quaked with fear at the mention of…the Scyther of Glenbard." The Scyther fairly jumped. Ash said, "Is it really that much of a shock, finding out what I am? Maybe that's why we seem to understand each other. Like-minded individuals are often drawn together by fate. Maybe I was meant to find you. Now lie down and chill…"
They stopped by a stream. Some of the adults sat on the banks and chatted. Others bathed. The hatchlings went wading and just ran around. The juveniles sparred again. Hip waded into the water up to his knees and began splashing. Pouncing around and splashing fiercely, he soaked everyone around him. Dash shouted, "Hip! You're splashing everybody! Quit it!" Hip promptly stopped. He looked up at Dash with a big silver fish clenched in his jaws and said, "What do you want?" Dash replied, "Never mind, Hip. Never mind." Hip swallowed the fish in one gulp and then left the water. He left the water and walked closer to a clustered group of adults. They were talking and laughing about all sorts of stuff. Dash followed him and they both joined in the conversation. They started talking about recent events. Dash said, "I smell a rat with Buzz. I know I should call him Fearless Leader, but there's something fishy going on…"
…The Scyther had healed enough to stand up and walk around. It still couldn't fly yet, but its unyielding determination would insure a quick recovery. Ash shared his lunch with the Scyther. He'd recently foraged and found some delicious apples. The Scyther really seemed to like the taste of fresh apples as much as Ash did. It looked like they were on the road to becoming good friends as the Scyther quietly passed slices of apple to Ash…
The swarm's next stop was the apple grove. Everybody sat down. Several Scythers climbed trees and used their blades to cut down the ripe, succulent fruit. Everyone was eating. Dash really liked eating apples. Hip was off amusing the hatchlings. He threw an apple into the air and swiped the air with his blade three times. Six neat slices of apple landed on the grass. The happily squeaking hatchlings then ate the apple slices. The juveniles played 'catch the apple'. They ran this way and that, snapping up the thrown fruits in midair. The adults watched them at play. Then they started eating the apples as they fell. Once they were all full, they lay down and went right to sleep where they stood.
…Dawn. The Scyther awakened early and stretched. It felt good enough to try flying. It was time to return to the swarm and show the upstart who had challenged a thing or two. But it had something that it had to do first. It slowly, quietly walked over to where Ash slept. It knelt beside him and just looked at him for a few seconds. It sniffed him delicately to memorize his scent for future identification, and then gently licked him on the cheek to say goodbye. It wanted to remember his scent for all time, so it would never forget the human that saved it. Then it spread its Dash-edged wings and quickly flew away. Ash awakened seconds later. He saw the Scyther flying away and quickly roused his friends. Moving quickly, they followed the Scyther on its passage through the morning sky…
A sudden splash of hot liquid awakened all the Scythers simultaneously. They all awakened screaming. There were cries of "Yuck! Disgusting! What is this nasty stuff? What's going on here?" Flailing about, they soon discovered that they were caught in a net. There were cries of "A net! A net! We're in a net!" Dash, buried under a pile of struggling Scythers, shouted, "Cut it open! Cut it open!" All the Scythers lashed out at once, but the hot liquid stuck them all together because it was sticky and gooey like glue. Someone fairly shrieked, "We're stuck together! Great!" Hip shouted, "Buzz! Buzz, Fearless Leader, what do we do now?" Buzz replied, "I don't know! I don't know!"
…Ash and his friends charged through the forest, following the Scyther. No matter how fast they ran, the Scyther was faster. All of a sudden, they burst into a small clearing. The trees on one side were full of ripe, juicy apples. In the middle of a clearing, they saw a pile of irate Scythers struggling in a net. They all appeared to be covered with…taffy? Yes, it was taffy. Jessie and James of Team Rocket stood off to one side, gloating. The Scythers were all stuck together, and so they couldn't break free. But where was their Scyther? As if on cue, a single Scyther dropped out of the sky like a big green missile. It took out Team Rocket in less than an instant, sending them blasting off again. It paused for a moment, and then darted forward to slash open the net that held the other Scythers…
There was a quick green blur, and the net fell away. Blazer stood before them, wings spread wide and blades held ready to attack. He said, "So, Buzz, I guess you finally discovered that it takes more than strength to make a good Fearless Leader, huh?" Buzz cried, "Blazer!" Dash tore himself free of the sticky mess and flew over to Blazer. The old Scyther looked as if he had been beaten up badly, but he appeared to be back at full strength. Buzz, having cleaned his wings off in the few spare seconds allowed by everybody's shock, flew straight up and out of the sticky, gooey mess. It was then that Dash realized it. Buzz wasn't injured in the slightest. But how in the world could that be, unless…unless… Dash whispered in shock, "There never was a dominance fight."
"…Look," Misty said, "They appear to be talking." Indeed, the two Scythers stood face to face. A series of raspy trills passed between the two. A third hovered above the pile. But what could they be talking about? They appeared to be talking about the third Scyther. Ash, Misty and Brock could feel the tremendous tension in the air as the Scythers talked. Brock said, "I wonder what they're saying." Misty replied, "I wonder that too…"
Blazer lowered his wings ever so slightly and replied, "That's absolutely right, Dash. Buzz jumped me from behind and knocked me around, then knocked me out. When I woke up, he told me he had just beaten me and that I had better leave. He said I had probably blocked the memory from my mind. And I believed him. Until now." He turned from Dash to Buzz and continued in a low, angry voice, "Now I know that there was no true dominance battle between us, Buzz. Just treachery." The word passed between the sticky Scythers, and they looked on Buzz with new eyes. They all prepared to attack him, but Blazer held them back. He stepped forward and said, "See that, Buzz? They're all ready to kill you. But I have something much sweeter in mind for you. Listen well."
…Misty squealed, "They're gonna fight! They're gonna fight!" The entire pile had erupted into a large number of irate Scythers. They all threatened the one that still hovered. The one that was still hovering looked frightened. The group was ready to attack, but one Scyther held them back. Ash shouted, "It's my pal! My pal's in charge of the situation! Now there's a Scyther with leadership skills!" Misty cut in, "So they're not going to fight after all?" Brock interrupted, "Quiet. Let's all listen to what the Scyther has to say." Misty and Ash promptly shut up as the one Scyther began to speak in a series of growls. All the other Scythers kept totally quiet and listened to what it had to say. Nobody moved…
He swiped the air with his blades several times, then said an a low voice, "You are lone and outcast. You are friendless and hated. Death is between us, and that shall never change. Our paths will not cross while any of us live." Buzz quickly flew away and was out of sight in just seconds. With him gone from the area in general, everyone began to concentrate on getting cleaned off. The gooey gunk couldn't be scraped off with a blade. They learned that much in mere seconds. And they couldn't reach the stream with any speed since they couldn't fly. So how could they get rid of the sticky goo that coated all of them? Curious, Hip licked at the goo covering his left wing. He paused for a moment, then shouted, "Hey! This stuff tastes good!" Everyone started licking themselves and each other. There were numerous happy wordless replies confirming his statement.
…Misty asked, "What did it say?" Ash replied, "That, Misty, we may never know." Brock cut in, "But the good thing is that they're not fighting, right?" The Scythers were all together, frantically licking themselves to get clean. There were numerous trills that sounded happy. Ash said, "They sure seem like they like the taffy." Brock took a step back and said, "I never thought in my life that I'd ever see a Scyther. Now I'm looking at about three hundred Scythers, coated in taffy and licking each other. My life is so weird…"
Blazer watched them clean up. Dash came up beside him and said softly, "You beat Buzz. Actually, Buzz never beat you. Not fairly, anyway. It doesn't matter. What makes a difference is what is going to happen next, and what we do now. By the law, you are now Fearless Leader." Then he spoke again, louder this time as he said the ritual words, "Fearless Leader is Buzz. Blazer is Fearless Leader." Blazer shook his head and replied, "No, I'm not, Dash. I don't think I can be Fearless Leader again, Dash. I've got a serious life debt going with this human over here." He gestured toward Ash with one blade. Then he continued, "Besides, I can't be satisfied with remaining here. There's a whole world out there beyond this forest. And there are hundreds of powerful opponents out there, just waiting for me to trash them. If I leave here, I'll be on my way to putting my skills to the ultimate test. And, believe me, I want that. I want it with all my heart and soul. I have to move on and begin a new life. I can't stay here, Dash. So I have something to say. Fearless Leader is Blazer. Dash is Fearless Leader." That shocked Dash greatly. He jumped and fairly squealed, "Me? You choose me?" He fidgeted nervously, then said, "You have to be kidding me. You're kidding, right?" Dash watched with shocked eyes as a veritable sea of Scythers crossed their blades over their chests, lowered their wings, looked down and closed their eyes. He said, "I guess you're not."
"…Hey, Ash," Misty said, "I think they're talking about you." Ash had indeed seen the one Scyther gesture towards him, but what they were saying about him was a total mystery to all of them. Brock said, "Wow. Those Scythers sure seem to hold that one in very high regard. It's probably telling them how you saved its life." Ash, unconvinced, replied, "How I saved its life. Right." Misty said, "No, really. Scythers are very loyal creatures, Ash. It's very hard to earn their respect, but once you have it… Having a Scyther respect you means you have a friend forever. Rain or shine, good or bad, once a Scyther respects you it'll never abandon you. It'll stay with you until the bitter end…"
Blazer said, "I'm going with him, Dash. My mind is made up. Goodbye." He turned away from Dash and the group and walked over to the humans. Folding his Dash-edged wings, he nudged Ash and said, "I'm ready to go." Dash and the others just watched. The human looked shocked. Blazer asked, "What's the matter? You didn't expect me to join you?" He nodded to the others and said, "Check it out, guys. I think I messed him up." Dash asked, "See how dull this guy is? You sure you want to go with him?" Blazer replied, "Yes, I'm sure! Do you really think I haven't given this serious thought? I said it before and it looks like I'm going to have to say it again. I have made my decision. There can be no going back now, Dash. I'm going with him on his journey and that is that. Maybe I'll see you around. Maybe I won't. If I'm lucky, I'll visit. See you, everyone."
…Brock said, "It looks like the Scyther wants to come with you, Ash." Ash replied, "But it belongs here. I only wanted to help it get back at the one who hurt it." Misty cut in, "Well, Ash, the Scyther picked you and that's that." Ash turned to the Scyther and said, "That might not be a bad idea, Misty. Maybe we might make a good team. Are you ready to go, pal?" The Scyther nodded. Ash, Misty, Brock and the Scyther walked away…
Dash and the others solemnly watched Blazer leave with the humans. Good old Blazer, who had never treated anybody wrong, who had never lost a battle in his life. Hip came up beside him and said, "Dash, I've been doing some serious thinking here. Hundreds of powerful opponents out there, huh? That sounds good to me. I really want to follow Blazer." Others chimed assent. Then Dash said, "Wherever Fearless Leader goes, the swarm is supposed to follow him, right? That's the law, isn't it? Blazer is Fearless Leader. So shouldn't we follow?" Hip replied, "Yes, Dash, we should follow!" Seeing the look on Dash's face, he added, "Not only that, but we will follow!" They all took to the air, following Blazer and the humans. Dash cried, "Here we go! Look out, world! Here comes the Superhuman Samurai Scyther Squad!" Knowing the need for speed, several adults scooped up the hatchlings, which were still bumbling through the sky. Even the battle-hungry juveniles ceased their fights and just flew quietly. Dash flew in the position held by Fearless Leader. That blew his mind. Hip flew beside him. All the others flew in a great cloud behind him. They didn't make much noise as they flew. There was only the sound of their sharp-edged wings cutting the air. Hip nudged Dash's leg and said, "You think Blazer and the humans know we're coming?" Dash cocked his head and replied, "I think we're going to catch them by surprise. Won't they be knocked for a loop?" Hip said, "It'll be worth it for the look on Blazer's face alone! Let's do it!"
…Jessie and James jumped Ash and his friends. This time, they had reinforcements. Twenty low-ranking Team Rocket soldiers backed them up. They weren't interested in Ash and his friends at all, this time around. They only wanted to get the Scyther that had caused them such trouble. Neither Ash nor the Scyther surrendered or backed down. The Scyther didn't appear scared in the least. Ash crowed, "All right! A fight! I love fights!" The Scyther nodded and stepped up to stand beside him. Then the battle began…
The swarm of Scythers rode high in the sky, their speed-blurred forms partially obscured by the afternoon sun at their backs. They scanned the ground all together, looking this way and that way. Hip gestured at the ground with one blade and shouted, "Take a look down there, Dash! Blazer and the humans are in a fight with the same guys who tried to catch us in the net!" Dash didn't miss a beat. He said, "We're going in for a landing now, everyone! Get ready for a real fight!" Each and every Scyther swiped at the air in ritualistic challenge and prepared to dive. Hip exclaimed happily, "Cool! The human's in a fight already! He's more like one of us than I thought! Maybe this was a good idea after all, Dash!" Dash ordered, "Everybody circle around! We attack on my command!"
…Ash jumped backward as one of the Team Rocket soldiers narrowly missed hitting him. His clothes received a few rips as the Scyther almost got thrown on top of him. Misty and Brock were faring little better than he was. Ash cast a quick sideways glance at the Scyther, who was panting hard and appeared to be exhausted, and said, "I'm sorry to say this… I think we're going to lose this one in a major way, pal." The Scyther slyly returned his sideways glance and then hissed fiercely at the Team Rocket soldiers. It wouldn't just give up without at least putting up a darn good fight. Neither would Ash. They jumped into the fray once again. Things quickly went downhill from there. Ash, Misty, Brock and the Scyther were herded together. They were far too tired and beat up to fight back any longer. They had given it all they had as it was. Just when it looked like things were over for the lot of them, an amazing thing happened. They heard a queer shriek given voice by over a hundred throats as a huge cloud of battle-ready Scythers descended from the sky to engage the Team Rocket soldiers in fierce battle. The swarm had come to help them out! The Scyther was just as shocked as Ash and his friends, but the shock passed quickly. When the shock passed Ash and his friends (including the Scyther) found themselves fighting the Team Rocket soldiers alongside the swarm…
Dash shouted, "Yahoo! Let's fight! Hip, you take those guys and go that way! I'll take these other guys over this way! I'm counting on the juveniles to keep the hatchlings out of harm's way! Okay, kids? There are still two hundred of us, and we can take these dorks down easily!" Hip replied, "Works for me! Let's go! Scyther Squad…strike!" They hit the ground hard and some of them purposely landed on Team Rocket soldiers. Once they were on the ground, they quickly struck up fighting poses and launched an attack.
…Ash and his friends stood stone still, shocked, as the Scythers made high speed attacks on the Team Rocket soldiers. The one Scyther who had picked Ash as a friend stood stone still as well, shocked by the sudden appearance of the swarm it had left behind. They had followed it, and they appeared to be protecting it and its friends. As the Team Rocket soldiers began to beat a hasty retreat before the assault of the Scythers, Ash said, "They followed us! Why did they follow us?" Brock replied, "Your friend must have been the swarm's leader. Wherever the leader goes, the swarm goes. The swarm follows who the leader follows. The leader decided to follow you." Ash cut in, "You mean…" Brock finished, "Ash, YOU are now the leader of this particular Scyther swarm!"
Flapping his wings wildly, Blazer ran up to Dash and fairly screamed at him, "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay in the forest!" Dash calmly replied, "I didn't face you in fair combat, nor did I beat you. That negates your appointing me to the position of Fearless Leader. No matter what you may say, you are still Fearless Leader. Wherever you go, we go. Whoever you follow, we follow." Blazer said, "Who I follow, you follow?" He gestured toward the human with one blade and continued, "I follow him." Dash replied, "Then, by the law, we shall follow him as well. I'm guessing… Fearless Leader is Blazer. Human is Fearless Leader. Would I be correct in saying that?" Blade said, "You got it." He lowered his wings, stepped to the side…and laughed. Dash asked, "What's so funny, Blazer?" Blade got serious quickly, saying, "Do you know how long I've wished someone would just call me Blazer?" Hip cut in, "That's fine, but why were you laughing?" Blazer gestured toward the human and replied, "You should have seen him when the fight started! I swear, guys, we were a pair of Scythers on overdrive!" Dash echoed, "A pair of Scythers? There was only one of you before we showed up!" Blazer replied, "No, Dash. There wasn't. He's just a plain old ordinary human to you, but really he's not human at all! He's like us in the only way that really matters. None of the other humans are even remotely like him! He outclasses even the pros! They called him the Scyther of Glenbard! Now, I don't know a darned thing about whatever the heck this Glenbard place is supposed to be, but he's a lot more like a real Scyther, more like genuine Fearless Leader material, than some Scythers I've met during my life!" Hip cut in; "You wouldn't be talking about Buzz now, would you? He was such a jerk." Dash snapped, "Shut the heck up, Hip. So you're saying the human is one of us, right? That means that, by our most fundamental law, he is now our Fearless Leader." Hip interrupted, "Hey! Wait! Wait! So the human just becomes Fearless Leader without so much as a challenge fight?" Blazer smacked him over the head with one blade, then snarled, "His whole life has led up to this point! He's a natural born Fearless Leader!" He turned away, stomped back a few steps, then said in a quiet voice, "Let me explain it to you. I know him, guys. I know him like I know myself, if not better. He's happiest when he's fighting. He has a true warrior's pride, and he hasn't been beaten in a fair fight yet." Hip shrugged, then said, "You're right. He's Fearless Leader." Moving as one, all the three hundred Scythers turned to face the human. They crossed their blades over their chests, lowered their wings, looked down and closed their eyes. Even the juveniles did it. The hatchlings imitated the others.
Dash woke up with the dawn. Rustling the leaves that made up his tree nest, he stretched and flexed his sharp-edged wings. He sniffed the air and thought: `Well, here's a nice day. Maybe we'll go down to the stream and bathe tomorrow. And maybe we'll swing by the apple grove for some lunch the day after that. I wonder what Fearless Leader has planned for our migration.' He hopped out of the tree. All around him, multitudinous Scythers of varying ages emerged from various hiding places. Several hatchlings tried to leave their nest at once, and ended up landing right on top of each other, squeaking indignantly. A group of juveniles preened and sharpened their blades. Other juveniles sparred for practice. Dash spotted someone he knew and shouted, "Yo! Hip! Over here!" A scarred young Scyther came closer and said, "Howdy, Dash. What's up?" Dash nonchalantly preened a bit and replied, "Not much. Does Fearless Leader have anything planned?" Hip slid his right blade over the cutting edge of his left wing and said, "Fearless Leader is Blazer. Buzz is Fearless Leader." Dash shook his wings and shouted, "Stick a pinecone in it! There's been another deposition?" Stepping back a little bit, Hip replied, "Yep. Blazer's gone." Dash's wings drooped as he said, "I wish I could have said goodbye. Well, those are the breaks." He quietly made the traditional sign of acceptance of another's ascent to a higher rank, lowering his wings, crossing his blades over his chest, looking down and closing his eyes. Then he shook his wings harder and said, "Wait a minute… Buzz is Fearless Leader now? Buzz? He never won a fight in his life! How did he manage to get to be Fearless Leader?" Hip preened and replied, "He just got lucky, I guess." Dash playfully swiped the air and said, "Oh, well. That's how it is."
…Ash and his friends walked through the forest. They were just a few miles from the Indigo Plateau. It would be just a few more hours until they could have a hot dinner. Ash was startled to hear a low, mournful cry. Instinct urged him to find its source. He led Misty and Brock off the path and into the dark forest. Misty griped, "Ash, what are you doing? Do you want to get us lost again?" Before Ash could even think up a reply, the three burst into a clearing. When she saw what lay there, Misty knew Ash had been right to leave the trail. A lone, badly injured Scyther lay sprawled in the middle of the clearing. Misty praised Ash's intuition as they began to tend to its wounds. She asked, "Ash, how did you know that this Scyther was here? I couldn't tell where the sound came from…" Ash replied as he worked, "I don't know. I could only hear it faintly. It's just that something inside me…felt its presence, its need…I couldn't turn away. It's the strangest thing…" He looked away, then said, "Looking at this Scyther makes me feel…I don't know. It's like I'm looking at myself. We're both fighters, the two of us…"
The sky was a buzzing blur of wildly whirring wings as the Scyther swarm took to the air. Buzz was well in the lead, in the customary position held by Fearless Leader, and everyone else was following him. The hatchlings were at the very center of the swarm, bumbling about on inexperienced wings and sometimes running into each other. The juveniles restlessly jockeyed for position and sometimes indulged in small aerial battles as they flew. The adults, feeling no need to fight, flew all together in a great cloud, side by side. Dash eyed Buzz, flying in the lead position, and wondered just how the young Scyther had managed to defeat the great Blazer. Buzz had never won a battle in his entire life. And now he was Fearless Leader. He could remember Buzz's birth. Did being able to remember the current Fearless Leader's birth mean that he was getting old?
…Bandaged up and on the mend, the Scyther lay on top of Ash's sleeping bag. It was resting reasonably quietly, but it would tense and hiss if anyone came near. Soon it fell asleep. Acting on instinct, Ash quietly walked up beside it and knelt. He laid a gentle hand on its head and began to stroke it gently. He did that for several minutes. Then he saw that its eyes were open. It was awake! He shuddered, expecting it to take a swipe at him with its vicious blades, but it didn't. It just looked at him quietly. Ash said, "Hello. Let me guess what happened, okay? There was a challenge. You lost. I'm sure you fought with everything you had. When you get all better, you can go for a rematch against him. I'll even help. Would you like that?" The Scyther raised its head and nodded. Then it settled down and seemed to wait for him to say more. Ash scratched his head. The Scyther understood every word he said. How could it understand him if it had never seen a human before in its life? The Scyther seemed to…know him. Ash smiled and said; "You feel it too, don't you? You feel the kinship between us. We're alike. You know what? I'm a fighter too. At least, everybody says that about me. It earned me a reputation only a real Scyther would believe." The Scyther tried to sit up, but failed. Ash chided gently, "No, no, no. Stay down. You're hurt badly, remember?" The Scyther nodded again. Ash continued, "I was the toughest kid in the whole school. Everyone was real nice to me. They had to be; otherwise I'd mop the floor with them. I was sloppy and undisciplined, but I was the best there was. Others came; professionals, but their skill couldn't match my raw power. I was unstoppable! Then, one day, I just…stopped. The thrill of sheer strength lost its savor. So I decided to try to acquire the skill to match my power. If I can match power to skill, I think…no, I know… I'll be the best there ever was!" The Scyther stared at him, enthralled. He shook his head and said, "I forgot to tell you. I had a nickname, and even the toughest kids in school trembled in awe when it was spoken. My deeds were legendary even in my time, and my name struck fear into the hearts of all. Bully and bullied alike quaked with fear at the mention of…the Scyther of Glenbard." The Scyther fairly jumped. Ash said, "Is it really that much of a shock, finding out what I am? Maybe that's why we seem to understand each other. Like-minded individuals are often drawn together by fate. Maybe I was meant to find you. Now lie down and chill…"
They stopped by a stream. Some of the adults sat on the banks and chatted. Others bathed. The hatchlings went wading and just ran around. The juveniles sparred again. Hip waded into the water up to his knees and began splashing. Pouncing around and splashing fiercely, he soaked everyone around him. Dash shouted, "Hip! You're splashing everybody! Quit it!" Hip promptly stopped. He looked up at Dash with a big silver fish clenched in his jaws and said, "What do you want?" Dash replied, "Never mind, Hip. Never mind." Hip swallowed the fish in one gulp and then left the water. He left the water and walked closer to a clustered group of adults. They were talking and laughing about all sorts of stuff. Dash followed him and they both joined in the conversation. They started talking about recent events. Dash said, "I smell a rat with Buzz. I know I should call him Fearless Leader, but there's something fishy going on…"
…The Scyther had healed enough to stand up and walk around. It still couldn't fly yet, but its unyielding determination would insure a quick recovery. Ash shared his lunch with the Scyther. He'd recently foraged and found some delicious apples. The Scyther really seemed to like the taste of fresh apples as much as Ash did. It looked like they were on the road to becoming good friends as the Scyther quietly passed slices of apple to Ash…
The swarm's next stop was the apple grove. Everybody sat down. Several Scythers climbed trees and used their blades to cut down the ripe, succulent fruit. Everyone was eating. Dash really liked eating apples. Hip was off amusing the hatchlings. He threw an apple into the air and swiped the air with his blade three times. Six neat slices of apple landed on the grass. The happily squeaking hatchlings then ate the apple slices. The juveniles played 'catch the apple'. They ran this way and that, snapping up the thrown fruits in midair. The adults watched them at play. Then they started eating the apples as they fell. Once they were all full, they lay down and went right to sleep where they stood.
…Dawn. The Scyther awakened early and stretched. It felt good enough to try flying. It was time to return to the swarm and show the upstart who had challenged a thing or two. But it had something that it had to do first. It slowly, quietly walked over to where Ash slept. It knelt beside him and just looked at him for a few seconds. It sniffed him delicately to memorize his scent for future identification, and then gently licked him on the cheek to say goodbye. It wanted to remember his scent for all time, so it would never forget the human that saved it. Then it spread its Dash-edged wings and quickly flew away. Ash awakened seconds later. He saw the Scyther flying away and quickly roused his friends. Moving quickly, they followed the Scyther on its passage through the morning sky…
A sudden splash of hot liquid awakened all the Scythers simultaneously. They all awakened screaming. There were cries of "Yuck! Disgusting! What is this nasty stuff? What's going on here?" Flailing about, they soon discovered that they were caught in a net. There were cries of "A net! A net! We're in a net!" Dash, buried under a pile of struggling Scythers, shouted, "Cut it open! Cut it open!" All the Scythers lashed out at once, but the hot liquid stuck them all together because it was sticky and gooey like glue. Someone fairly shrieked, "We're stuck together! Great!" Hip shouted, "Buzz! Buzz, Fearless Leader, what do we do now?" Buzz replied, "I don't know! I don't know!"
…Ash and his friends charged through the forest, following the Scyther. No matter how fast they ran, the Scyther was faster. All of a sudden, they burst into a small clearing. The trees on one side were full of ripe, juicy apples. In the middle of a clearing, they saw a pile of irate Scythers struggling in a net. They all appeared to be covered with…taffy? Yes, it was taffy. Jessie and James of Team Rocket stood off to one side, gloating. The Scythers were all stuck together, and so they couldn't break free. But where was their Scyther? As if on cue, a single Scyther dropped out of the sky like a big green missile. It took out Team Rocket in less than an instant, sending them blasting off again. It paused for a moment, and then darted forward to slash open the net that held the other Scythers…
There was a quick green blur, and the net fell away. Blazer stood before them, wings spread wide and blades held ready to attack. He said, "So, Buzz, I guess you finally discovered that it takes more than strength to make a good Fearless Leader, huh?" Buzz cried, "Blazer!" Dash tore himself free of the sticky mess and flew over to Blazer. The old Scyther looked as if he had been beaten up badly, but he appeared to be back at full strength. Buzz, having cleaned his wings off in the few spare seconds allowed by everybody's shock, flew straight up and out of the sticky, gooey mess. It was then that Dash realized it. Buzz wasn't injured in the slightest. But how in the world could that be, unless…unless… Dash whispered in shock, "There never was a dominance fight."
"…Look," Misty said, "They appear to be talking." Indeed, the two Scythers stood face to face. A series of raspy trills passed between the two. A third hovered above the pile. But what could they be talking about? They appeared to be talking about the third Scyther. Ash, Misty and Brock could feel the tremendous tension in the air as the Scythers talked. Brock said, "I wonder what they're saying." Misty replied, "I wonder that too…"
Blazer lowered his wings ever so slightly and replied, "That's absolutely right, Dash. Buzz jumped me from behind and knocked me around, then knocked me out. When I woke up, he told me he had just beaten me and that I had better leave. He said I had probably blocked the memory from my mind. And I believed him. Until now." He turned from Dash to Buzz and continued in a low, angry voice, "Now I know that there was no true dominance battle between us, Buzz. Just treachery." The word passed between the sticky Scythers, and they looked on Buzz with new eyes. They all prepared to attack him, but Blazer held them back. He stepped forward and said, "See that, Buzz? They're all ready to kill you. But I have something much sweeter in mind for you. Listen well."
…Misty squealed, "They're gonna fight! They're gonna fight!" The entire pile had erupted into a large number of irate Scythers. They all threatened the one that still hovered. The one that was still hovering looked frightened. The group was ready to attack, but one Scyther held them back. Ash shouted, "It's my pal! My pal's in charge of the situation! Now there's a Scyther with leadership skills!" Misty cut in, "So they're not going to fight after all?" Brock interrupted, "Quiet. Let's all listen to what the Scyther has to say." Misty and Ash promptly shut up as the one Scyther began to speak in a series of growls. All the other Scythers kept totally quiet and listened to what it had to say. Nobody moved…
He swiped the air with his blades several times, then said an a low voice, "You are lone and outcast. You are friendless and hated. Death is between us, and that shall never change. Our paths will not cross while any of us live." Buzz quickly flew away and was out of sight in just seconds. With him gone from the area in general, everyone began to concentrate on getting cleaned off. The gooey gunk couldn't be scraped off with a blade. They learned that much in mere seconds. And they couldn't reach the stream with any speed since they couldn't fly. So how could they get rid of the sticky goo that coated all of them? Curious, Hip licked at the goo covering his left wing. He paused for a moment, then shouted, "Hey! This stuff tastes good!" Everyone started licking themselves and each other. There were numerous happy wordless replies confirming his statement.
…Misty asked, "What did it say?" Ash replied, "That, Misty, we may never know." Brock cut in, "But the good thing is that they're not fighting, right?" The Scythers were all together, frantically licking themselves to get clean. There were numerous trills that sounded happy. Ash said, "They sure seem like they like the taffy." Brock took a step back and said, "I never thought in my life that I'd ever see a Scyther. Now I'm looking at about three hundred Scythers, coated in taffy and licking each other. My life is so weird…"
Blazer watched them clean up. Dash came up beside him and said softly, "You beat Buzz. Actually, Buzz never beat you. Not fairly, anyway. It doesn't matter. What makes a difference is what is going to happen next, and what we do now. By the law, you are now Fearless Leader." Then he spoke again, louder this time as he said the ritual words, "Fearless Leader is Buzz. Blazer is Fearless Leader." Blazer shook his head and replied, "No, I'm not, Dash. I don't think I can be Fearless Leader again, Dash. I've got a serious life debt going with this human over here." He gestured toward Ash with one blade. Then he continued, "Besides, I can't be satisfied with remaining here. There's a whole world out there beyond this forest. And there are hundreds of powerful opponents out there, just waiting for me to trash them. If I leave here, I'll be on my way to putting my skills to the ultimate test. And, believe me, I want that. I want it with all my heart and soul. I have to move on and begin a new life. I can't stay here, Dash. So I have something to say. Fearless Leader is Blazer. Dash is Fearless Leader." That shocked Dash greatly. He jumped and fairly squealed, "Me? You choose me?" He fidgeted nervously, then said, "You have to be kidding me. You're kidding, right?" Dash watched with shocked eyes as a veritable sea of Scythers crossed their blades over their chests, lowered their wings, looked down and closed their eyes. He said, "I guess you're not."
"…Hey, Ash," Misty said, "I think they're talking about you." Ash had indeed seen the one Scyther gesture towards him, but what they were saying about him was a total mystery to all of them. Brock said, "Wow. Those Scythers sure seem to hold that one in very high regard. It's probably telling them how you saved its life." Ash, unconvinced, replied, "How I saved its life. Right." Misty said, "No, really. Scythers are very loyal creatures, Ash. It's very hard to earn their respect, but once you have it… Having a Scyther respect you means you have a friend forever. Rain or shine, good or bad, once a Scyther respects you it'll never abandon you. It'll stay with you until the bitter end…"
Blazer said, "I'm going with him, Dash. My mind is made up. Goodbye." He turned away from Dash and the group and walked over to the humans. Folding his Dash-edged wings, he nudged Ash and said, "I'm ready to go." Dash and the others just watched. The human looked shocked. Blazer asked, "What's the matter? You didn't expect me to join you?" He nodded to the others and said, "Check it out, guys. I think I messed him up." Dash asked, "See how dull this guy is? You sure you want to go with him?" Blazer replied, "Yes, I'm sure! Do you really think I haven't given this serious thought? I said it before and it looks like I'm going to have to say it again. I have made my decision. There can be no going back now, Dash. I'm going with him on his journey and that is that. Maybe I'll see you around. Maybe I won't. If I'm lucky, I'll visit. See you, everyone."
…Brock said, "It looks like the Scyther wants to come with you, Ash." Ash replied, "But it belongs here. I only wanted to help it get back at the one who hurt it." Misty cut in, "Well, Ash, the Scyther picked you and that's that." Ash turned to the Scyther and said, "That might not be a bad idea, Misty. Maybe we might make a good team. Are you ready to go, pal?" The Scyther nodded. Ash, Misty, Brock and the Scyther walked away…
Dash and the others solemnly watched Blazer leave with the humans. Good old Blazer, who had never treated anybody wrong, who had never lost a battle in his life. Hip came up beside him and said, "Dash, I've been doing some serious thinking here. Hundreds of powerful opponents out there, huh? That sounds good to me. I really want to follow Blazer." Others chimed assent. Then Dash said, "Wherever Fearless Leader goes, the swarm is supposed to follow him, right? That's the law, isn't it? Blazer is Fearless Leader. So shouldn't we follow?" Hip replied, "Yes, Dash, we should follow!" Seeing the look on Dash's face, he added, "Not only that, but we will follow!" They all took to the air, following Blazer and the humans. Dash cried, "Here we go! Look out, world! Here comes the Superhuman Samurai Scyther Squad!" Knowing the need for speed, several adults scooped up the hatchlings, which were still bumbling through the sky. Even the battle-hungry juveniles ceased their fights and just flew quietly. Dash flew in the position held by Fearless Leader. That blew his mind. Hip flew beside him. All the others flew in a great cloud behind him. They didn't make much noise as they flew. There was only the sound of their sharp-edged wings cutting the air. Hip nudged Dash's leg and said, "You think Blazer and the humans know we're coming?" Dash cocked his head and replied, "I think we're going to catch them by surprise. Won't they be knocked for a loop?" Hip said, "It'll be worth it for the look on Blazer's face alone! Let's do it!"
…Jessie and James jumped Ash and his friends. This time, they had reinforcements. Twenty low-ranking Team Rocket soldiers backed them up. They weren't interested in Ash and his friends at all, this time around. They only wanted to get the Scyther that had caused them such trouble. Neither Ash nor the Scyther surrendered or backed down. The Scyther didn't appear scared in the least. Ash crowed, "All right! A fight! I love fights!" The Scyther nodded and stepped up to stand beside him. Then the battle began…
The swarm of Scythers rode high in the sky, their speed-blurred forms partially obscured by the afternoon sun at their backs. They scanned the ground all together, looking this way and that way. Hip gestured at the ground with one blade and shouted, "Take a look down there, Dash! Blazer and the humans are in a fight with the same guys who tried to catch us in the net!" Dash didn't miss a beat. He said, "We're going in for a landing now, everyone! Get ready for a real fight!" Each and every Scyther swiped at the air in ritualistic challenge and prepared to dive. Hip exclaimed happily, "Cool! The human's in a fight already! He's more like one of us than I thought! Maybe this was a good idea after all, Dash!" Dash ordered, "Everybody circle around! We attack on my command!"
…Ash jumped backward as one of the Team Rocket soldiers narrowly missed hitting him. His clothes received a few rips as the Scyther almost got thrown on top of him. Misty and Brock were faring little better than he was. Ash cast a quick sideways glance at the Scyther, who was panting hard and appeared to be exhausted, and said, "I'm sorry to say this… I think we're going to lose this one in a major way, pal." The Scyther slyly returned his sideways glance and then hissed fiercely at the Team Rocket soldiers. It wouldn't just give up without at least putting up a darn good fight. Neither would Ash. They jumped into the fray once again. Things quickly went downhill from there. Ash, Misty, Brock and the Scyther were herded together. They were far too tired and beat up to fight back any longer. They had given it all they had as it was. Just when it looked like things were over for the lot of them, an amazing thing happened. They heard a queer shriek given voice by over a hundred throats as a huge cloud of battle-ready Scythers descended from the sky to engage the Team Rocket soldiers in fierce battle. The swarm had come to help them out! The Scyther was just as shocked as Ash and his friends, but the shock passed quickly. When the shock passed Ash and his friends (including the Scyther) found themselves fighting the Team Rocket soldiers alongside the swarm…
Dash shouted, "Yahoo! Let's fight! Hip, you take those guys and go that way! I'll take these other guys over this way! I'm counting on the juveniles to keep the hatchlings out of harm's way! Okay, kids? There are still two hundred of us, and we can take these dorks down easily!" Hip replied, "Works for me! Let's go! Scyther Squad…strike!" They hit the ground hard and some of them purposely landed on Team Rocket soldiers. Once they were on the ground, they quickly struck up fighting poses and launched an attack.
…Ash and his friends stood stone still, shocked, as the Scythers made high speed attacks on the Team Rocket soldiers. The one Scyther who had picked Ash as a friend stood stone still as well, shocked by the sudden appearance of the swarm it had left behind. They had followed it, and they appeared to be protecting it and its friends. As the Team Rocket soldiers began to beat a hasty retreat before the assault of the Scythers, Ash said, "They followed us! Why did they follow us?" Brock replied, "Your friend must have been the swarm's leader. Wherever the leader goes, the swarm goes. The swarm follows who the leader follows. The leader decided to follow you." Ash cut in, "You mean…" Brock finished, "Ash, YOU are now the leader of this particular Scyther swarm!"
Flapping his wings wildly, Blazer ran up to Dash and fairly screamed at him, "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay in the forest!" Dash calmly replied, "I didn't face you in fair combat, nor did I beat you. That negates your appointing me to the position of Fearless Leader. No matter what you may say, you are still Fearless Leader. Wherever you go, we go. Whoever you follow, we follow." Blazer said, "Who I follow, you follow?" He gestured toward the human with one blade and continued, "I follow him." Dash replied, "Then, by the law, we shall follow him as well. I'm guessing… Fearless Leader is Blazer. Human is Fearless Leader. Would I be correct in saying that?" Blade said, "You got it." He lowered his wings, stepped to the side…and laughed. Dash asked, "What's so funny, Blazer?" Blade got serious quickly, saying, "Do you know how long I've wished someone would just call me Blazer?" Hip cut in, "That's fine, but why were you laughing?" Blazer gestured toward the human and replied, "You should have seen him when the fight started! I swear, guys, we were a pair of Scythers on overdrive!" Dash echoed, "A pair of Scythers? There was only one of you before we showed up!" Blazer replied, "No, Dash. There wasn't. He's just a plain old ordinary human to you, but really he's not human at all! He's like us in the only way that really matters. None of the other humans are even remotely like him! He outclasses even the pros! They called him the Scyther of Glenbard! Now, I don't know a darned thing about whatever the heck this Glenbard place is supposed to be, but he's a lot more like a real Scyther, more like genuine Fearless Leader material, than some Scythers I've met during my life!" Hip cut in; "You wouldn't be talking about Buzz now, would you? He was such a jerk." Dash snapped, "Shut the heck up, Hip. So you're saying the human is one of us, right? That means that, by our most fundamental law, he is now our Fearless Leader." Hip interrupted, "Hey! Wait! Wait! So the human just becomes Fearless Leader without so much as a challenge fight?" Blazer smacked him over the head with one blade, then snarled, "His whole life has led up to this point! He's a natural born Fearless Leader!" He turned away, stomped back a few steps, then said in a quiet voice, "Let me explain it to you. I know him, guys. I know him like I know myself, if not better. He's happiest when he's fighting. He has a true warrior's pride, and he hasn't been beaten in a fair fight yet." Hip shrugged, then said, "You're right. He's Fearless Leader." Moving as one, all the three hundred Scythers turned to face the human. They crossed their blades over their chests, lowered their wings, looked down and closed their eyes. Even the juveniles did it. The hatchlings imitated the others.