WOAH! Was that just lightning I just saw? -blinks- Yup...better upload this chapter!
Chapter Forty-Four
The Den was completely silent for several seconds before Mom slowly got up to her feet a did a sort of half run/stagger over to April, shoving a very surprised Anthony out of the way, and flinging her arms around the woman that was just a Dragonair.
"Mom!" my mother sobbed into April's long hair. "Mom—oh god—you're finally—finally back---" she hiccupped. April returned the embrace, but with a lot more dignity.
"I told you that we would meet again," April said, pulling Mom off of her, and then glared at Anthony.
"You," he hissed.
"You," she retorted. "Pity...I thought we sealed you away those years ago."
"Yes, well, you just said yourself that damn Prophecy would be fulfilled," he growled, but then slowly grinned. Evilly, of course, how else would he grin? "Of course, I will make sure it doesn't happen."
April raised an eyebrow. "You really think you know everything about the Den, don't you? About the Dragons?" She chuckled, shaking her head. "You don't know the half of it. How am I, a woman later reported to have 'drowned herself due to severe depression', here now?"
I noticed Mom turn a deep red and suddenly stare at her feet, but April didn't see and kept right on staring, waiting for an explanation from this evil dude.
Anthony gave a slight half-shrug. "I will admit these Dragons have many mystical powers—" April flinched. "—Yet, they will soon be under my control. Or should I say...my puppet's control." His gaze shifted over to Darrell, and I looked over at him. He was standing totally still, looking at a point past everyone's heads.
"Not tonight," April said, raising her hands and send some sort of power blast at Anthony. "Now if you don't mind, I have to talk to Lindsey here for a minute, so just hold your Ponytas."
He tried to dodge her attack, but he was too slow and it caught him—freezing him in some kind of ice aura.
"What the heck?" I asked.
April turned to me, her green eyes filled with amusement. "Oh, that's just a little spell I learned...should hold him for a few minutes. I desperately need to talk to you—chosen Tamer."
I blinked. "Eh?"
April sighed, and Mom kept on staring on her feet, probably mad that her two-hundred dollar custom-made riding boots were totally trashed.
"Lindsey," April began carefully, brushing some of her looong hair from her face. "I'm sure you're confused right now—"
"You got that right."
"And have a lot of questions—"
"Where do I begin?"
"But you're going to have to hold everything while I get this straightened out." She paused and rubbed her temples. "Oh man, this is so odd...I haven't assumed this human form in so many years..."
"Too many," Mom muttered. April shot a look at her, but didn't say anything.
"We should be attacking him now, while he is under that spell," Darrell suddenly said, and I jumped at the sound of his voice. Without thinking, I laced my hand in his, thinking that, duh, he was probably right—why weren't we beating the crap out of Anthony?
"It wouldn't do any good," April replied, frowning a little at our clasped hands. "That's what I need to explain." She stared at me. "Aren't you wondering about that dress? Why you have the abilities you have?"
"That and more—like what the hell is going on?"
April ignored that. "Lindsey—yes, I have been watching you, more times than the moments you've seen me—I wanted you to get a glimpse, though, at a true Dragon, so you just may be better prepared for your time down here." Mom shuffled her feet, but still didn't say anything.
"In fact...I was the Dragonair that gave you the powers to breathe underwater and read and speak the Dragon's language...or rather, Mystic was."
"Mystic?" I shivered slightly at the name.
April's eyes suddenly filled with unexpected tears. "There is a longer story to it, but the short version is that Mystic was the Dragonair to give me my abilities. She also died to protect me. It was inscribed into the Dragon Laws that shall that ever happen, I would have to share my body at a certain point in my life so she could relive again—I suppose as a token of gratitude."
"What does that have to do with me?" I asked.
April rubbed her temples again. "I'm getting ahead of myself," she murmured. "That dress—it means you are the chosen Tamer," she tried to explain. "It was written in the Tamer's Prophecy when Lynn came to create it that you—"
"GET DOWN!" Darrell suddenly interrupted, pulling me behind him by our grasped hands and shoving me behind him, ducking. April and Mom also lowered themselves as a huge attack of some sort blasted inches away from the tops of our heads, hitting the wall instead.
"You stupid little puppet," I heard Anthony growl. "You have some nerve of protecting your precious little Tamer girl when it was your hands that were meant to destroy them!"
"What?" I whispered into Darrell's back, getting a fluttering feeling in my stomach again.
Darrell didn't reply for a minute, but I could tell he was getting angry since he was squeezing my hand so tightly, I was sure he was going to break my fingers.
"Maybe my hands, but your spirit," he said in a deep, cold voice that gave me the chills. "And you are not going to have me destroy anything anymore. I am forever finished as being a part of the Hunter Clan." He glanced over at Umbreon, Absol, and Kitsune, who were standing near us, looking confused, yet ready for any sort of battle.
"Absol, Swords Dance," Darrell commanded, and I felt like hitting him. What the heck was he doing?! Pokemon attacks wouldn't be able to get rid of Anthony, no matter how many Attack power-ups were used.
Still, Absol knelt down slightly and became surrounded by a silvery glow. My eyes widened and I squeezed Darrell's hand a little as I saw sword-like shapes start to protrude from the aura. Was that supposed to happen? I had never seen a Swords Dance attack in person, but I was pretty sure it didn't involve actually swords...
The Dark Pokemon let out a cry as my and Darrell's fingers tightened, and at that moment, a long, shiny object suddenly appeared out of one of the shapes. I blinked—was that...?
I let my hand slip from Darrell's and slowly walked over to Absol, my dress and hair billowing around me. I grabbed the object by the handle and pulled for what seemed like forever, until the glow finally subsided and Absol collapsed.
Now in my hands was an actual sword, long and shining like the crystal walls. The handle was shaped just like the Dragonair handle on the door down here, and some wing-like design was sticking out of the sides of the handle.
But it was more than what it looked like; it was the power I felt holding that sword. Something flowed through me, and I realized I had had this feeling only one other time—when the Dragonair called Mystic had given me my abilities.
I heard April gasp, and I spun around, still clutching the sword. Darrell was staring at the floor for some reason, and Mom looked really surprised and confused. I didn't blame her.
Anthony looked totally bewildered, but then laughed evilly. Grrr. "So this is what the Pokemon that are due to protect you send you? A sword? Very amusing, since you did say yourself I am just a ghost."
I stared at the long, shiny piece of metal in my hands, and I knew I wanted nothing more than to slice Anthony's head off with it. Or some other body part. I unconsciously glanced over towards the back of the Den—where Steve and Ivy's bodies had been left, untouched. I gulped, feeling sick to my stomach. I wanted to chop Anthony into itty-bitty pieces, but my two best friends on the planet had died to let me hear the whole story. The least I could was force it out of him before I chopped him up.
"Listen dude," I said in my cold, clear voice. "This ain't no ordinary sword. I can feel it in my bones." I pointed the blade straight at his heart—that is, if he even had one. "Tell me your side of the story and nobody gets hurt."
He held his hands up, like I was arresting him or something. "All right then, little Tamer," he replied, and I heard April mutter something I would never have thought to have come out of any human's mouth. Geez, she really did hate him that bad.
I stretched out my arm a little, somehow balancing that massive piece of metal. "Talk," I growled. "Tell me the rest of what you know—after all, you did tell Steve that's what you would do. You wouldn't want two innocent people's lives to be in vain, now would you?" I paused. "Oh wait, didn't you already destroy a bunch of Dragons? Never mind, then. Shall I hack apart your body parts now?"
Anthony smirked. "You Tamers are so stupid. Every generation, you believe you can destroy me for good, and what happens? I find a new host. A new stupid human to do the Hunting for me." I saw Mom cast a glance at Dad out of the corner of my eye, and my stomach churned. Was Dad once a host for this evil dude?
No.
No way.
No way in hell was Anthony going to ever get away with this.
Not if I could help it.
Anger rose from inside of me, and I couldn't help quivering, but everyone could see that my shaking was with rage, not fear. Was this how Steve and Ivy felt before they were so wrongly killed? Were they so mad with what was going on, that their panic was actually anger? I had no idea—and now, I would never know.
For some really weird reason, as I rose the sword above my head, glowing a strange blue and my hair floating everywhere, I thought of the time they had visited me in Hoenn, and we sang karaoke for what felt like all night. I was up there on the stage, in my one-shoulder top...and Ivy was looking around at the cute Hoenn guys. Steve smiled at me. I never could tell if it was because he liked my voice that day, or what just so glad to see me. What was he feeling then? Did he know what he knew in those last two words he had spoken to me?
I almost smiled then and there, if I didn't really want to kill someone right now. Why hadn't I been able to return Steve's love in that way? I mean, I've always loved him like a brother...I knew him years before I knew Darrell. I bet Darrell didn't even know my favorite song, for crying out loud. Why was I so attached to him, and basically pledged my heart before I even knew the guy? It was almost as if I didn't have the power to stop it.
The power...
My mind drifted back towards that karaoke night in Hoenn. That first song that I sang...it was for them, and it was always for them. It was for everyone, and everything. Without thinking, I suddenly started to cry out the words.
"There comes a time
When you face the toughest of fights..."
When had my voice become so meek? When did it get so pitiful? I almost expected Steve to sit up and point and laugh at me while Ivy conked him in the head with something.
"Searching for a sign...
Lost in the darkest of nights."
Heh. Nights. How many times have I snuck out to meet Darrell, and Mom and Dad still had no clue? Why was he out at nighttime, anyway? Came with being a Hunter that had an Umbreon and Absol, I guess.
"The wind blows so cold,
Standing alone,
Before the battle's begun."
No. It had begun the second Steve's hand left mine. The minute I realized that even though I wasn't alone, in my heart I was. I was nothing without Steve and Ivy, no matter how many Darrells or Dragons or whatever I had. Nothing in this universe could replace them. Ever.
"But deep in your soul,
The future unfolds,
As right as the rays of the sun."
My voice was becoming stronger, as the aura around me. I tried to remember the point Steve had flashed his infamous smile at me. This point in the song? I had no idea. Little details like that sorta melted together.
"You got to believe,
}In the power of love."
How corny.
"You've got to believe,
In the power of love.
The power of love."
How so very, very cheesy. Why did I sing this song anyway? What had possessed me? I'm not a 'believe in power of love' kind of girl. Not at that point in my life, anyway.
"Raising emotion,
There's a light that flows from the heart."
I wasn't sure I had a light anymore. Emotion, yes, but no...even Darrell couldn't bring me back the happiness Steve and Ivy had given me my whole life. The happiness we felt with each other. We never even really needed to say anything—we could've just sat there in my room for hours and stare at the ceiling, and have a good time.
"It's a chain reaction,
And nothing can keep us apart!"
I was bellowing the lyrics now, as if I were standing in front of a microphone. What was going on? I didn't know. I didn't care. I didn't even care that I didn't have the whole story—one thought was running through my mind: how to get rid of the guy that was going to make me miserable from here on out, alive or dead.
"Stand by my side,
There's nothing to hide,
Together, we'll fight to the end."
Ha. Surprisingly, my voice didn't falter here, even though I knew it was a big fat lie. Steve and Ivy said they would always be there for me...no matter what, they were, and I had faith that they would. There wasn't anything we wouldn't do for each other...but I guess in their eyes, that included dying for me. Idiots.
"Take hold of my hand,
And you'll understand,
What it actually means to be friends!"
There was more than one voice now. I had no idea if Mom and April knew the lyrics, or Darrell actually knew them or what, but I wasn't the only one singing. Or was I going even more crazy? Well, I'm already crazy. Crazy for letting my friends die the way they did. We were supposed to grow old together and harass starting Pokemon trainers. At least, that's what Steve would always say, anyway.
"Lindsey..." Mom whispered, in awe. I think. All of my focus was on Anthony, and thinking of the fastest way to send him to the hot, scary underground place.
I had no idea that I was floating. I didn't know what I was doing at all. So much was happening, and yet nothing was. I wasn't doing anything but singing my heart—or what was left of it—out, belting lyrics that only I could fully appreciate. I was about to sing the next chorus line, but something stopped me.
'Dnahsrem atneso hcehty beidl lahst ahtwo nsitahtt sohehes itirew opliveeh tyortsedre verofot!'
My heart stopped. Dragon language...but that was no Dragonair. It was April. I knew I shouldn't have really been as surprised as I was, but I think it was more so of what she was saying rather than the language she was singing in.
I understood perfectly, but for once, I wish I didn't.
"No," I whispered, not noticing I was floating back down to the ground, my anger aura subsiding. The sword was glowing, though.
"No." This couldn't be it. I was hearing things wrong. All the loud noises that have been going on have made me deaf. April's tongue was all inflated from...not being human? Yeah, that was it. Those damn Dragonair tongues, what they could do to you...
April repeated the chant, but this time, I bluntly refused to accept it.
"NO!" I cried, finally turning around, the sword dangling in my hands. "DON'T YOU SEE?! I'VE LOST EVERYTHING! I'M LOSING EVERYTHING, AND DON'T EVEN TRY TO TELL ME OTHERWISE! IT'S NOT GOING TO BE MY HANDS THAT SETTLE EVERYTHING!"
April narrowed her eyes, somehow making them look really evil. Oh god, no, no, no...can't she see? I've lost Steve and Ivy, and now...
Darrell looked up at me with the blankest look in his eyes, and my stomach did flip-flops. No...there was no possible way ever that he was okay with what was going on. No flipping way.
"Lindsey..." April whispered.
I understood what April was saying, what she had been chanting, but I didn't want to. I couldn't.
I was the 'Chosen Tamer'. I was the one who would eventually bring eternal peace to all Dragon Pokemon. Anthony would die by my hand.
But you can't kill a ghost...and sealing him away did no good whatsoever. No, in order to get rid of the Evil Power once and for all, I had to destroy his current host.
Meaning that, in order to ensure the safety of all Dragon Pokemon that were apparently my responsibility from the day I was born...
I would have to kill Darrell.
I stared at him, my stomach fluttering. The sword was dangerously close to slipping from my grasp, and I knew I couldn't let it because once it fell, I would not have the strength to lift it back up and do the one thing I was meant to do.
"No." I looked away from Darrell, at once realizing something that certainly explained a lot. I didn't stare at anyone, but more so the wall.
"I can't, don't you see?" I was on the verge of tears, but I put my free hand on my stomach, right above my cross belt, and clutched the smooth material of the dress. For some reason, it comforted me, but it was all my courage that told me to say the words that slipped from my mouth next.
"There's no way I can kill the father of my child!"
DRAMA! XD
And no reviewer replies since there's a storm going on and the power could go out at any second, which would suck really bad....
Oh yes, and before I forget, I a drawing of Lindsey in that dress so many of you thought was spiffy...here is link! Take out the spaces: www. deviantart. com/ deviation /9258214
Review and get pie! YAY!