Chapter Seven
Hijou's Hideout
Haru woke groggily, and saw that Phoebe had already started a fire, and had gotten breakfast from somewhere.
"Where'd that come from?" she asked sleepily, sitting up.
"I was more prepared than any of you," Will said. "Now that you're up, Phoebe has something to say."
Haru turned to her. "Well?"
"Here's the thing. I got caught up in this whole thing in the beginning, but I have a family. I need to get back to them. Haru, there's nothing we can do for you, because you aren't even from this time. And Will, you have an excuse-you're on a journey. I have to go.
"If I can, I'll try and come back, but it isn't likely. I just wanted to tell you this so you would know why I left. Good bye."
With that, the recreated her wings and flew off.
Haru sat for a moment, stunned, then stood. "Well, that gives us all the more reason to go to Hijou's place."
"All right, let's go." Will said, agreeing. The two of them walked into the cave, just like Shinrei had told them to.
A brilliant flash blinded the two of them after their first step, and they lost consciousness.
With Phoebe...
As Phoebe flew over the mountains and towards Fushichou, she thought about the last day. So much had happened, she could hardly believe it had only taken a day. She wondered if she could live a normal life after the events that had taken place.
I hope so, she thought. As she flew over Soyokaze City, she began to tire. So she landed outside the city limits, and checked her watch. Gauging the time change, she figured it was around ten o'clock.
She walked to a convenience store, and purchased a package of Twinkies. She hoped the sugar would give her an energy boost. She ate it, then left the city the same way she came in. Her energy was partially restored, and she flew as fast as she thought safe.
Soon, the skyscrapers of Aete Capital appeared on the horizon. It was noon by then, so she used her credit card to buy a meal at a seafood restaurant. She ordered a platter of Octillery, and was happily chowing down when a silence fell over the city.
It was unnoticeable at first. The conversation level of the other customers slowly dropped, until no one was talking, but looking around nervously as they ate. When they finished, most hurried out into the sunlight.
Then, a voice was broadcast into everyone's minds. "Come to the Tower. Come to the Tower. Come to the Tower."
Phoebe rose, almost not of her own will. That voice had been familiar...
As she exited the restaurant, along with everyone else, she saw that everyone in the city walked down the roads toward the Tower that was the center of Aete Capital.
When Phoebe reached the site, Celebi was floating over the masses of people that had gathered. When the whole city was crowded in as closely as they could get, Celebi spoke.
"People of Aete Capital, you do not know who I am. I am Celebi, one of the most powerful Pokémon there are.I am here to tell you of a horrible menace that is unfolding in this very land.
"A group of people have been performing scientific experiments upon humans. They have designed a process that grafts the body of a human with the power of a Pokémon. They killed all of their experiments, and performed this process on themselves. There are now seventeen of them, and they want to control the world.
"I am here to alert you to this danger, and enlist your help. Each of you will fight these enemies…each of you will fight these enemies…" She repeated these words like a mantra, until the entire city was echoing her.
Phoebe was entranced like the rest of the populace, until she realized who the "enemies" were. That's me! And Haru, and Will, and Kendra!
"NO!" she cried. Her anger gave her strength, and she created her wings. She floated into the air, and pointed at the "Guardian". "She's tricking you! She doesn't really want to help you! She's trying to destroy you!"
"You!" Celebi snarled. "People of Aete Capital, this is one of the ones I have warned you about! You must kill her!"
A roar rose from the many, many people standing below her. Flashes of red light flashed, and Flying Pokémon rose around her. Fearow, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and all other sorts of Flyers screeched, and began to dive at her.
Phoebe realized how stupid she had been. She summoned her power, and formed a blaze that scorched all the birds that tried to get to her, then faded away. Arrowing higher into the air, she again called upon the power of the earth to defend herself.
Heat erupted around her, making the Flyers screech and spiral outward. More Pokémon flashed out of Pokéballs, as the people figured out that the Flyers weren't enough.
Jets of water blasted up toward Phoebe. She let the heat around her evaporate the Water Guns, and flew higher, where the weaker attacks couldn't reach.
There's no point in staying, she realized. I can go back to Will and Haru…
But how do I find them? Maybe I should go back to Fushichou.
That's what I'll do, she decided. Fushichou, here I come! With that, she put all her energy into her wings, and flew for all she was worth to the west.
She was moving much faster than she had been before, but it still took her an hour at least to see the landmark she had been looking for: Pinnacle Rock. Pinnacle Rock was a large spire of stone that stood absolutely alone, with no other mountains or even hills nearby. It was the closest, easiest to recognize thing to Fushichou Town.
When she saw it, she altered her direction, heading north, and just slightly east. Fushichou was just barely to the east of, and many miles to the north of, Pinnacle Rock.
When the scarlet buildings came into view, she relaxed, and let her speed drop. With her speed went her altitude. She slowly glided to a halt just outside the city limits. She walked in confidently, and looked for the street her home was on.
She abruptly noticed that there was no one else around. The entire city was deserted. Fear rose up in her, but she refused to let it control her actions. She squashed it down as best she could, and continued walking to her home.
When she got there, she gripped the doorknob, and flung the door open. "I'm home!" she cried.
Nobody answered. Her fear rose violently again. Walking in, she found something that scared her very badly.
The note she had left a day and a half, maybe two days ago was in the exact same place, as if it hadn't even been touched. With a feeling of sick dread, she realized that it probably hadn't, and either Lugia or Celebi had already gotten to Fushichou.
She collapsed to her knees in grief, all reason gone. She just sat there and sobbed.
Jaime…Jessica…Preston…all gone…
"Poor dear…" a voice whispered. Phoebe didn't hear it, so far into her sadness. A figure cloaked in white leaned over, and wrapped its arms around Phoebe. White light flashed, and they vanished.
Elsewhere…
"Where…are we?" Haru groaned, coming back to the waking world.
"This is a secret, underground cavern that is serving as our temporary hiding place," someone explained. As Haru's vision returned, she saw Rakurai standing there.
"You!" she exclaimed, sitting up. This effort made her very dizzy, so she leaned back on her arms, attempting to regain her equilibrium. "You…where have I seen you before?"
"I was there when Kendra was forced to summon the Titan of Water, if that's what you mean. And I did battle with Kendra…it was fairly one sided, though…" His face twisted with anger and shame. "She beat me and Gekidoku without even trying hard…it was the most humiliating moment of my life."
"Why do you all have Japanese names?" Haru asked. She glanced over at the other bed in the room, where Will was lying prone. He hadn't awakened yet.
"Well, when the Master freed us from the hypnosis of the Guardians--"
"And why do you call him the Master?" Haru interrupted. "Oh, I am sorry. I apologize. Continue, please."
"I'll keep on with the first question. When he freed us, we couldn't remember much of anything, including our names. So he gave us our new names, each of which symbolizes our element. Your name is…Hatsuhana Haru, in the old style, am I right?"
"Yes…it means 'First Flower of Spring'. And it also represents my element…I wonder why?"
"Fate, I would imagine. Or perhaps the meddling of Celebi." Again, Rakurai's face twisted into a silent snarl of rage. "And we call him the Master because…well, Shinrei believes that the hypnosis wasn't completely broken, but only a trace remained. And that trace makes us require someone to follow. We have to have a leader, or else we cannot survive. And Shinrei is one of the people who know the most about hypnosis."
"And have any of you undergone a…transformation?"
"No, not that I know of. Why do you ask?" Rakurai's expression was one of puzzlement.
"Well, while Will and I were fighting Lugia, I performed a Solar Beam at the same time that he used Sky Attack. I absorbed all the extra light, and…Will believes I evolved. I know that I have been using techniques that are not of my element, and techniques that I have never even heard of."
Rakurai frowned. "Can you demonstrate?" Haru nodded, and closed her eyes. She tried to recall the sensation that had filled her while she was being chased by Lugia. That strange feeling of…there!
"Mindless, spiritless…hear the immutable beat…" she intoned. A ghost fluttered into existence over Rakurai, and sparkles of all different colors surrounded him. The ghost vanished, and pink light spiraled in on Rakurai, freezing his arms to his sides, and his jaws clenched together.
"Oh, dear…can I remedy this?" Another idea came to mind. "Ah. That could work." Again, she closed her eyes, and thought back to that fight.
"Life's refreshing breeze, blow in energy!" she chanted. A blue trail of light formed a spiral around Rakurai, and his muscles relaxed, allowing him to move and speak.
"That's what you were talking about…yes, I know what you mean. I will ask Hijou if he can come speak with you."
"No need, Rakurai," another voice laughed. "I'm right here." Haru faintly remembered his voice being sinister…like wet cloth on gravel. But then she realized that Celebi and Lugia had both been there, and had probably influenced her mind so that even Hijou's voice was evil.
Hijou walked into the room. Without his cloak, Haru could see that he was tall, with coal black hair and eyes, and pale skin. He had a large nose, and small, thin lips. His arms were not thick, but muscular, in an acrobatic way, rather than a big, meaty way. He was wearing normal clothes: a blue T-Shirt, and khakis. His feet were adorned in sandals. "Hello, Haru. I saw what you did. How long have you been able to do this?"
"Perhaps…a day, maybe a day and a half. I'm not entirely sure, because I slept before I came here," she replied.
"Rakurai, would you allow Haru and myself to talk?" Hijou asked politely.
"Certainly, Master," Rakurai answered. He nodded his head to the two of them, and left the room.
"Now, I heard how you came about this odd power. I have found an old book that has some writings on this subject." He crooked a finger, and a dark bubble came from the wall. Haru couldn't see how it happened. The wall just seemed to twist, and the pitch black orb just…floated out. It hovered over to Hijou's palm, and a long, narrow tome came out. With another motion, Hijou made it vanish.
"Where is it," he muttered. "Ah! Here. It reads like this.
"'Each chosen one'-that's us, the ones with the powers," Hijou explained. "'has within themselves the power to channel the energies of the earth to heal and destroy. But these are just the crudest uses of their powers. They can call upon the Yin, the healing light, and the Yang, the destructive spirit.'"
"But isn't that the same as what it just said? The 'crude' usages?" Haru interrupted.
"No…let me continue. 'They can also control Time, hastening or slowing the body's reactions and the flow of time around a certain area. The Black and White powers are easily mastered, but Yin and Yang are harder, as is the power of Time.'
"I think what that means is that simply using our powers like this--" He raised a hand, and black lightning flickered around it. "--is a waste of our abilities. That technique you used on Rakurai before is a spell, as you thought. In ancient times, these spells were common, but now, only we can use them." As he spoke, he was flicking through the old book, until he found the page he was looking for. "Here it is! There's a list of spells under the 'Yin' category, and the 'Yang' category. Since 'Yang' is debilitating, or potentially destructive, it will be under that…here!
"It used to be called 'Paralyze'. It was one of the more useful spells. Do you want to study this list, and learn more?"
"Yes, that would be wonderful!" Haru said excitedly. She gently took the book, and looked at the page. Her eyes widened.
The print was tiny, and very difficult to read. She looked at Hijou. "How do you read this?" she asked, amazed.
"I have a special set of contact lenses that I use when I read that book. They are powerful magnifiers. If you would like…" He again summoned the bubble of darkness, but this time pulled out a rather large magnifying glass. "…you could use this." He offered it to her, and she took it gratefully.
"I will be back soon," Hijou stated. "Have fun." He got up, and walked out, shutting the door.
Haru eagerly pored over the various spells and incantations. The first one under the "Yang" column was "Blind", a spell to disable the target's eyes and make them blind. Obviously.
Looking at the other spells, she found that some of them were rather…obscure in meaning. Like the "Foxbird" spell. Why would making someone a coward help? Well, it could be potentially useful, but she doubted she would ever be in a situation where she could use it effectively. And a spell called "Frog"! The ability to turn a target into a frog seemed extremely useful. She made a mental note to look back at that one.
Some of the "Yin" spells were fascinating, though. A spell called "Regen" looked particularly useful; it restored health as time went by, and didn't take any energy after the initial casting. Then, "Protect", a spell much like Reflect and Barrier. "Shell", another spell, seemed to have the same effect as Light Screen and Amnesia. "Wall" was a more difficult spell that combined those two. And there was a spell called "Reflect"! It seemed to be more accurately named than the Reflect she knew; it bounced cast spells in a different direction. And "Float", a spell she believed Will had used on her Doduo. It enabled the recipient to fly.
Turning the page, she ran across a page of "Time Magic" spells. The first one was "Haste", a spell to increase the body's reaction time, followed by "Slow", the exact opposite. Then there was "Don't Move", which was self-explanatory, and "Stop", which froze time around a target for a certain amount of time. She could see the usefulness of these spells, but none of them truly interested her.
Turning the page again, she saw a list of "White Magic" spells. The first one was "Cure", and it was one of the spells she knew. There was also Esuna, a spell to counter any "Yang" magic. And a spell named "Raise". That would be very useful, as it was designed to bring someone back to consciousness and restore their energy.
And a spell she knew she would never be able to cast: "Holy". That seemed to be a very difficult spell to learn. Most of these spells would be much easier to cast if one was Psychic, she imagined.
Once more, she turned the page, and found more spells. "Black Magic". But these were so much easier to understand! There was a "Fire" spell, and "Ice" and "Bolt". Then there was a "Poison", and another spell she had seen Will use, called "Aero".
"Uhh…" Will grunted. He was coming to. Haru turned to him, then got an idea. She turned the book back to the "White Magic" page. She looked at the spell named "Raise". She concentrated on Will, and raised her hands. "Spirits of life, return us…" she murmured.
A column of light shone on Will, and two orbs of shining white light floated down to him. When they touched him, they flashed with dazzling light, blinding Haru. When her vision came back, Will was sitting up, feeling the effects much less than Haru had.
"What…happened?" he said, confused. Haru quickly gave him a rundown of the most recent events.
When he heard about the spells, he scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like that's real."
"It is!" Haru insisted. "That is how I brought you to consciousness. Here, I'll show you another one." She looked at the book, and picked a spell that looked simple. The "Slow" spell.
"Time, rest, and give your kindness to the worthy…" she chanted, eyes closed. Pink light shaped like Roman numerals swirled around Will, losing speed as they moved. With a small flash, the time around Will slowed considerably. Haru opened her eyes to see the effect.
"How…did…you…do…that…?" he asked, incredulously. He moved his arm. It slowly rose, as if it were going through molasses. "This…is…very…tedious…"
"I'll fix it," Haru said. She looked at the book again, then turned back to Will. "Layer upon layer, make your mark now…" Green Roman numerals sparkled around him, and sped up as they flew. They circled in on him, and when they all collided, a green flash brought him back to normal speed.
"Thank you," Will said, grateful to be back to normal speed. It had been incredibly annoying, not being able to speak without pausing between every word. And the whole "moving through molasses" thing didn't feel really good, either.
"You are welcome," Haru giggled. Then she got serious. "Hijou will want to see you soon."
"Wait a sec! What happened to you? After you evolved or whatever, you were all cold and stuff! Now you're back to normal. What happened?"
"She was imbalanced by the evolution," Hijou said, coming back into the room. "Her personality was temporarily altered, but by now, she has returned to her previous state," he explained. He summoned the bubble again, and this time, it floated to the ground, got really big, then rose up, leaving a chair behind. He sat in it, and the bubble vanished again. Will stared.
"How…what…"
"It's a very simple trick, Will. You would be able to do it, with practice. Now, to business. Haru, you do not need to be here; I must discuss some things with Will. You may stay, or you may leave. The choice is yours."
"If I leave, may I take the book with me?" she asked.
"If you'll wait a second," Hijou said, nodding. He gestured, and the tome of ancient knowledge began to vibrate. The shaking grew more and more violent, until the book was blurring, and the blur stretched across twice its original width.
With a sharp crack, the vibrating stopped, and there were two books instead of one. "Take whichever one you choose. Both are exactly the same," Hijou explained. Haru picked up the one on the right, bent her head briefly to the two others, and left the room.
"Now, Will, I have some explaining to do. I trust Haru has brought you up to speed on what happened while you were unconscious?"
"Yes, she did…" Will replied.
"Well, the only spells you can cast are the 'Float' spell, and the 'Aero' spell, both of which I believe you have used before."
"Um…yeah, I did. But Haru can use them! None of them are Grass elemental." Will protested.
"That's precisely it. Grass is Elemental. Flying is a Physical type. The only elemental techniques you can use are the two I told you, 'Float' and 'Aero'. But there are physical techniques you can use." He turned in the book to a page near the front. "This is called 'Geomancy'. It is a kind of physical magic, if you can grasp that concept. It takes the innate…personality, you might say, of the land and turns it into an offensive 'spell'. If you were standing on a rock, for instance, you could harness its power and channel it into a 'Carve Model' spell, which can turn someone into stone. Geomancy is powerful, but risky. It isn't very strong, but it can turn the tide of a battle. When you get down to it, you just have to be plain lucky.
"You can study this book as much as you like; I have many copies of it. Good luck." With that, he left again. Then he came back. "Oh, wait. You'll need this." He pulled a magnifying glass out of nowhere and gave it to Will, then left again.
Will stood, and walked out the door after him. But he was nowhere to be seen. "Odd…" Will muttered. Then, he shrugged, and started wandering.
He quickly found a large natural cavern that had a completely flat floor. Haru was sitting on a rock that was conveniently shaped like a chair, studying that book. Will looked at the book he was holding, which was still on the page of "Geomancy". He scanned the list for the spell that would result from standing on natural stone.
Then he hit his forehead. Hijou had told him! "Carve Model". He looked at what the book said about that.
"'Concentrate on the ground under your feet, and call its power upon your target.'" Which wasn't too hard to understand.
"'Beware: these spells can have adverse effects that take more power to reverse than they do to cause. Choose your target carefully.'" And beside "Carve Model", it said "Turn to stone". He definitely didn't want to turn Haru into stone.
Looking more closely at the cavern, rather than Haru, he saw a row of dummies, probably used to practice on. Some had burns, others large scrapes. Some seemed to have been blown up and put together many times.
But there were two targets that were untouched. Walking over to them, Will saw small names carved into the stone below them. And they were the names of himself and Haru.
He assumed that the targets were there to practice on, so he stood back, and did what the book had said.
The land under his feet felt like stone. That can't be what it meant… Will thought. He concentrated, and felt the land.
It was humming with power, power that wanted to be used. But it was also patient, willing to wait for as many seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, or even years as it needed. He grasped that power, and let it well up around the dummy that was his.
A purple aura surrounded it, and stones flew around it, battering it. But the effect spread to Haru's as well. And hers turned to stone.
"Oops!" Will said, wincing. Haru looked up.
"Will? I did not see you come in." she said.
"You were kinda focused on your book. I didn't want to disturb you."
"Why did you say 'oops'?" she asked, getting up. She walked over to him, skirting the other dummies. "And why is this scarecrow made of stone?"
"Uh…I figured they were practice dummies, and…um…missed mine. The little technique deal thing I used turned it to stone."
"No matter!" Haru said cheerfully. "This gives me an excuse to use one of these new spells." She closed her eyes, and chanted under her breath, one hand outstretched. A trail of white sparkles flew from her hand, and spiraled around the statue. It became a spike of white light that slowly changed the stone back into fabric and straw. "That was Esuna," she explained. "It reverses any 'Yang' magic. Obviously whatever you used had some 'Yang' qualities in it."
"It was Geomancy." Will said sullenly.
"Oh, I read about that!" Haru exclaimed. "It is where you take the power of the land and make something dangerous happen…it is very risky, and you have to be lucky, but it is a very potent ability when used correctly."
Will sighed. "Did you read the whole book?"
"Oh, no, just the parts that were interesting. There is a lot about proper usage and something called a 'Job' that was very dry. I just looked at the lists of spells and techniques. Like the 'Punch Arts'! Can you believe that, with your mind alone, you can restore physical and magical strength? Or that you can simply press a few pressure points and give someone a death sentence? It is amazing what you can do with the right teaching! Of course, I could not do it. The only 'Punch Art' I would be able to use is 'Stigma Magic'. That is like a more efficient Esuna, only less effective." At the blank look on Will's face, she smiled. "I am sorry. I get a little excited when I learn something like this."
"I could tell," Will said dryly.
A bright flash distracted them. Turning, they abruptly found that they were back in the room that had awakened in. A woman in white robes and a hood was laying Phoebe onto one of the beds.
"Ah, you are here, dearies. Thank you for coming," she said, her voice aged. She removed the hood of her robes. She was old, at least sixty, with curly white hair and gray eyes. Her skin was wrinkled, and the color of a walnut. She stood as tall as Will--which was tall for a teenager, and for a little old lady. Who wasn't so little.
"Um…hello," Haru said, a bit confused. "Um…we didn't come here…someone teleported us in."
"Ah, well. It doesn't matter, in the long run," the lady said. "Now. I believe you have learned some healing spells?" she asked, looking at Haru and completely ignoring Will. He crossed his arms, and sulked.
"Yes…I have." Haru answered, a bit thrown off by the lady's manner. "Why?"
"She'll need a Raise and a Cure, most likely. I would get someone else, but they would probably not care about her health, and I can't do it myself. Thank you!" And with another flash, she was gone.
Haru raised her arms, and again murmured the incantation for the Raise spell. A column of light shone around her, and two orbs of light floated down, gracefully landing on her chest. Soft white light shone around her body, building to a blinding flash. When it faded, Phoebe was sitting up, looking confused.
"What…happened?" she asked.
"Hold on for a moment," Haru replied, gathering her energy again. As she cast each spell, it drained her less and less. Chanting the couplet for the Cure spell, she invoked its healing powers.
The blue light completely restored Phoebe's strength. "That feels better. Now, what happened?"
Haru again explained what had happened after Phoebe had left. "Now, what happened to you?"
"Well, I was flying toward Fushichou, and I stopped in Migaru to get a snack. Then I was flying over Aete Capital. I stopped to eat lunch, and Celebi teleported in and hypnotized the entire city. She had me for a while, then I broke free and tried to attack her. But she was much too powerful for me to hurt…wait, that's not what happened!"
"Ah…you have figured it out! I must thank you for guiding me here." Celebi laughed, fading into the room. Phoebe jumped off of the bed, and began to glow, her red aura snapping up into existence. Haru also began to glow brightly.
Will started to run out of the room, shouting, "Help! Celebi is here!" But Celebi Teleported in front of him, and knocked him over with a Psychic blast. Then she threw a barrier around the room, preventing anyone from getting in--or out.
"Mindless, spiritless, hear the immutable beat!" Haru cried, calling upon the Yang spirit to paralyze Celebi.
Caught by surprise, Celebi's left side was frozen before she could throw up a Safeguard. But since she was already halfway paralyzed, it didn't work, and she was completely prevented from acting.
"Now we have you." Phoebe snarled. "Who hypnotized Fushichou Town?" Celebi 'said' nothing. "Tell me!"
"It was Lugia," Celebi snarled. "But there's no way you'll ever catch him with a little spell like this! Especially after I tell them! Which I'm doing right now."
"Oh, no…" Haru gasped. "I can't stop her from using her psychic powers!"
"Okay. Then...we'll have to take care of you," Phoebe sighed. "I'm sorry we have to do this, Celebi. But you used us, and you are enslaving our cities, and...and..." She began to tear up. "You hypnotized my family into thinking I'm evil, and that...do you know how that feels like?!?" She was bellowing, face scarlet, and tears streaming down her face. "Here! Let me try and show you!"
Her aura glowed, stronger than it ever had been. It was furious, snapping red and orange, and shot through with yellow streaks.
She closed her eyes, and poured all her anger and fear and sadness and her other emotions into the swirling, blazing maelstrom of flame that appeared around her. As she fed her raging emotions into it, it grew in size. Haru and Will were forced away from it as the heat around it grew. Celebi couldn't move, and had to endure the agony as her Grass type was bombarded by Fire energy.
When the bonfire had grown to enormous proportions, Phoebe shouted a wordless cry, and flung her arms first. The fire roared down her arms, gathering around Celebi, burning her delicate body. A shrill, keening cry escaped her.
The fire burned around Celebi, scorching every fiber of her body. Her mental shriek was too pain filled and horrible to put into words. Every drop of Phoebe's emotion was feeding the intense, soul rending fire that seemed to be made of pure pain.
The flame began to taper out, as Phoebe lost her drive for revenge. She was an average person, after all. She wasn't used to killing, and causing pain. But the sadness and rage within her were gone. Well, not gone, but diminished. Less right now. The only way Phoebe could phrase it would be that it…was distanced from her.
Haru stepped forward, and raised her arms. "Into the bowels of the earth…Banish Spirit!"
Blue light flickered around Celebi. It started as little bits of color, but grew into a flashing sun that hid her from sight. When it faded, Celebi was on the ground, unconscious.
"What did you...is she…I mean…" Phoebe stammered. Haru shook her head.
"She isn't dead, if that's what you're trying to say. I just made her consciousness…hibernate, I guess. She'll awaken, and by that time, we'll have Hijou and Shinrei in here. Probably whoever is the Ice person, too."
"What about the barrier around the room?" Will pointed out. "Celebi is a very strong psychic. Hijou would be the only one able to get through it, and if there were other properties in it, he would probably have trouble."
"Other properties? What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.
"It--" Haru began. Will cut her off unintentionally.
"Like if it was a dual type barrier. If there were Grass or Ghost type properties in it, Hijou wouldn't be able to break through on his own." Will explained.
"But--"
"But we have someone representing every element except Water here!" Phoebe argued.
"It do--"
"We don't know that," Will countered.
"It doesn't matter!" Haru shouted. Will and Phoebe turned to look at her.
"Look!" Haru snapped, pointing at the doorway. The shimmer of gold in the doorway that had signified the barrier was gone.
"Oh," Will said sheepishly.
"Sorry," Phoebe meekly apologized.
"It's fine, it's fine…I just let my temper get the better of me, is all. I am sorry," Haru replied.
Will raised his eyebrows. "You have a temper? I had no idea,"
"I try to keep it in check most of the time," Haru shrugged.
The wall next to them suddenly shimmered, and began to swirl. The three stared as it became a gateway to somewhere else. Hijou, Shinrei, Rakurai, Gekidoku, Chikaku, and four other people charged through. Two others, including Tatsu, came in through the now-unblocked door.
The four who came through the wall-Phoebe marveled at this; Haru thought it was something commonplace in this time, not noticing the looks of surprise on Will and Phoebe's faces-were as varied as they came. The old woman in white was there, as well as a large man in dark gray. This man looked like a boulder; he was huge, muscular, and hard. The third one was young, with a violet robe. Her eyes were a piercing ice blue, and her hair fell to her shoulders in coal-black waves. The fourth had a silver cloak that seemed metallic somehow. Her hair was bone white with silver stripes, and her eyes were a mercurial gray.
The fifth unknown person, who had come in with the pink-clad Tatsu, was wearing a blue vest with no undershirt, as well as pants that were tight at the top, and grew baggier as they went down, and then abruptly got smaller at the ankle. He had a blue sash for a belt, and brown, steel-tipped boots. His arms, while not as big as the other man's, were still rippling with muscle, and his hands were huge. He had tufts of white hair on either side of his head, but was otherwise bald.
Hijou was now wearing a sword belt, currently unoccupied, as his sword was out and ready to be used. It was curved, and a very bright white. Some kind of flower-Haru recognized a chrysanthemum-decorated the hilt, but the blade was very undecorated, useful, and deadly. "Now we have her," he sneered. Gekidoku pulled out twin flails(a flail is a wooden stick with a chain connected to a spiked ball), and the old man made two massive fists. "Hold. We'll interrogate her first." Turning to Haru, he asked her, "What did you do to her?"
"I used Banish Evil. It's a spell I found in that book. It'll wear off soon," she told him. "Ah. I know the spell you mean." Turning to the tiny "Guardian", he raised the sword. Haru gasped, but Hijou raised his hand to ward off any attempt to interfere. "I'm only going to wake her up," he explained. Placing both his hands on the hilt, he closed his eyes and began to chant.
"No more loss of precious life…Murasame!" he whispered. A pearly glow surrounded it, and rain suddenly began to fall. It didn't make anybody wet, but Haru felt refreshed, the energy drained from casting the spells she had cast restored, at least partially. Celebi stirred, and got up. When she realized that she was surrounded by large, threatening figures, she attempted to Teleport away.
Haru was prepared, though. "Land of all lives, suppress all rebels! Don't Move!" she barked. The color drained from the room, and a ball of red-black light covered Celebi. Stars swirled around it, and it faded away. Celebi was immobilized, prevented from Teleporting as well as using her own legs.
"Good job, Haru-san," Hijou complimented her. Then, he focused on the job at hand. "Now. Celebi, you will tell us what you have planned for the humans."
"What would you do with this knowledge?" Celebi demanded.
"You aren't the questioner here. You will answer, or you will be tortured." Haru's eyes widened, and Phoebe's hand shot to her mouth. Neither had realized how hard Hijou was.
I couldn't do that. There's no way I could ever be that hard, Phoebe thought.
How can he threaten to do that? I can't believe him! Haru was flabbergasted.
"Try to torture me! I have seen pain more than you can imagine!" Celebi shot back.
"You think you have," Hijou said.
He's smiling! He's smiling! Will couldn't believe it either.
"Fine. I'll show you," Hijou replied, coldly calm. "Evil that inhabits all souls…Darkness Sword!"
He swung his sword over his head, and black flame burst from the ground. Another awful scream emerged from Celebi's mind, as well as a shrill wail that was vocal.
The fire faded after a moment. "Ready to talk now?" Hijou said, still smiling!
"We…will…destroy you…parasites…" Celebi gasped. "You…cannot…hurt us…"
"Okay, then…we'll try this again." Again, he repeated the spell.
"I'll…say…nothing!"
"Darkness Sword!"
After this time, Celebi said something useful. "The…Pokemon…will turn…"
Hijou paled. Finally, he feels emotion! Haru 'snarled'.
"If they turn the Pokemon, our society will fall apart!" he exclaimed. "We have to stop this!"
A grim smile filled Celebi's 'voice'. "It's too late. It has begun."
All of the Pokeballs in the room vibrated, and burst. Hijou didn't have any, but many huge Pokemon filled the room. Phoebe was knocked to her feet, and Haru was pressed up against the wall. Will didn't fare much better, a Dragonair knocking him into the wall.
"Kill them, then go to The Place of Meeting!" Celebi commanded. Haru felt her spell dissolve, and Celebi used her Synthesis technique to heal the damage done by the torture.
"Darkness Sword!" Hijou cried, attacking a Kadabra. It was badly injured, but let a Psychic blast rock the room before it Teleported away.
Lightning flashed, and Rakurai's lightning sword crackled into existence in his hand. "Absorb power in the sky and strike! Lightning Stab!" He swung the sword around, and lightning flashed from it. When it hit a Pokemon, it grew enormously, becoming a huge dagger blade that spread shockwaves around. Rakurai wasn't affected by it, but it was slightly debilitating to the others of the human group.
Gekidoku was a blur, dancing around like he was a Pikachu, whizzing by a monster and whacking it twice with his flails. Each spike was coated in poison, so when he attacked a Pokemon, it felt the blow longer than normal. Except for the Poison types floating around.
The oddly dressed man swung his arms a bit, then leapt in front of a Weezing. "Burning anger rising…burst! Wave Fist!" He swung his gigantic clenched hand into the Weezing, and a flash of blue light sent it spiraling away.
Tatsu was fighting with her bare hands. Sometimes, she'd blow at a target. When that happened, either fire, an icy breeze, or a flash of lightning violently attacked whoever she aimed at.
The girl in the silver had a plain sword that she simply swung around, though with expertise. And whoever she hit somehow slowed down. The Dragonair she hit several times, and when she was finished, it was moving very slowly. Like it was Paralyzed.
Phoebe realized that the room was too crowded. "There's not enough room in here!" she shouted. "We have to go to that cavern!" With that, she darted from the room.
Hijou knew she was right. He cleared a space for himself, then focused for a moment. "From the ground, call strength and explode! Shadow Strike!" Much like Rakurai's attack, black lightning came from the ground around every Pokemon, snapping together to make a sword blade. They were all stunned for a moment, and Hijou took the opportunity to get everyone out. "Go! Go! Everyone out!" He waited for his troops to leave, slashing at any Pokemon that tried to interfere.
Haru hurried out, but Tatsu was reluctant to leave. "Let me stay!" she told Hijou. "I can slow them down!"
"But I'm more of a danger to them." Hijou replied. "Go!"
With a sigh, Tatsu ran after the others. After a moment, Hijou followed.
They reached the large natural cavern that Haru and Will had tested out their new powers in quickly. The ones who had been here for a while went to battle stations, but Haru, Will, and Phoebe just stood in the middle of the cavern.
The flood of Pokemon came rushing in, and the three of them had no clue what was happening. Hijou rushed forward, and pushed them down. "Demon's wish to corrupt all souls…Shadow Explosion!"
Black energy coiled around every intruder Pokemon, and exploded, knocking them every which way, most unconscious.
Haru finally leapt into action. She didn't use one of the spells, but a simple Petal Dance.
Hijou's eyes bulged. "No!" he cried, swinging that sword into the cloud of petals. They all turned black, and fell to dust. Haru's shock stopped her from continuing her attack.
"If you use a Pokemon attack, Celebi or Lugia can hypnotize you," he hissed. "Don't do it again!" Turning back to the Pokemon, he swung into action.
Rakurai used Lightning Stab from afar, causing pain at a distance. Tatsu ran in, used one of her elemental techniques, then ran out, fighting guerilla-style. The silver clad lady was in the fray, fighting melee style. The boulder man was using a long distance attack that went through the earth. Haru thought it vaguely familiar, but didn't have time to think on it.
The oddly dressed man was also melee fighting, knocking Pokemon out with just one punch.
Haru racked her brain for a useful spell. Holy is powerful, but I'm not able to cast it right now. What about…yes!
"Silent light, protect us from roaring magic! Shell!" she chanted. Small orbs danced around Hijou, then dissolved. The fragments swirled around him and became a large sphere that faded from sight. But a faint purple glow surrounded him.
Again, she cast the spell on the two melee fighters. She was about to use it on herself when she realized the Pokemon were all unconscious.
Wait. That one wasn't unconscious…it was…her…
"KIREIHANA!" she screamed. Running to her, she hit her knees. She wasn't breathing. Her chest wasn't moving.
"Spirits of life, return us!" she chanted. An angel floated down, and blue light surrounded her poor Pokemon…but she didn't come back. "Spirits of life, return us!!" she repeated. Again, nothing. "Spirits of life, return us!" Still no response.
Tears began to trickle down her cheeks. She repeated the spell. Maybe it just wasn't working because she didn't want it enough. Again. Nothing.
"Kireihana…Kireihana, no…come back…" she whispered. "Spirits…of life…return…us…"
Nothing…Haru looked at Hijou.
"She's dead. She's dead! And it's your fault!!" Getting up, she clenched her fist.
"Haru, you don't know what you're saying," Hijou cautioned her. "They're affecting your mind. Fight it!"
"No! You fight this!" she snarled. She pulled her arm back, fist still clenched. "Pure light…"
"Haru, don't do it!" Hijou pleaded. "You can't handle that spell! It'll destroy you!"
"..shine down…"
"Haru, stop it right now, or I'll be forced to retaliate," Hijou warned her.
"…on bloody impurity! Holy!" She flung her arm forward, opening her hand.
Light shone down on Hijou, with many blue white sparkles. A ringing bell signified the end of the spell as the gentle light changed into a violent explosion of pure energy.
Hijou was flung into the wall of the cavern, in very bad shape. His clothes were ripped, and his skin was covered with cuts and bruises. He got up, coughing. "Haru, please…stop…"
She gathered her energy again, and chanted another spell. "End of an Age, life stops. Reborn Fury!"
Green fire leapt from her body, wrapping itself around Hijou. He screamed, the full throated cry of a man. When the fire faded, he was unconscious. At least, Phoebe thought he was.
"Haru, stop! It wasn't Hijou's fault, and you know it!" Will cried, running to her.
"Yes it was!" she shrieked, whirling on Will. Her voice was hoarse. "Reborn Fury!" Since Will was in good health, as opposed to Hijou, he wasn't badly affected.
"Haru, stop. You know that I have an advantage over you," he said gently, walking forward. "Please, stop, Haru. Please."
"No!" she cried. "You don't know what it feels like to lose a Pokemon!"
Will's eyes burned with an inner light. "Oh, don't I!" he shouted back. "Look!"
A Ninetales lay on the ground, motionless. "Max…Max is gone!" He struggled to keep the pain from his voice. "You aren't the only one who's lost someone. Please, just stop."
"You don't understand!" Haru sobbed. "I can't stay here!" She raised her hands, and vanished.
"What? She can…Teleport?" Will gasped.
"Most people have the ability to use basic Teleportation," the girl in violet told him. "But Haru is obviously a Life Defender."
"What?" Phoebe asked, walking forward. "What does that mean?"
"Each one of us has a certain…class, you might call it," the girl explained. "Like Hijou. He is a self-titled Dark Knight. It sounds pretentious, but it is actually true. He can use techniques that are Dark based, and have never been seen before. Haru is a Life Defender. It is in that book Hijou gave you," she said to Will. "Look through it, and it will explain better than I can." With that, white light filled the room, and everyone but Will and Phoebe were gone.
