RS: Voidmoon: My only faithful reviewer. We should have a holiday: Voidmoonday. Celebrated for being the only faithful reviewer of The Castle of the Howling Moon. We thank you!
Vickie: lol…Claws is almost the highest level Pokemon. Besides, he picked on weak Pokemon, so he didn't get so much exp.
And I'm not going to bother with the other reviews. Chapter 9! It has such a fluffy title!
Brotherly Love
(Pokenese)
A Mightyena walked up to Fang, who was tending to his wounds.
"Fang, when should we strike?" He replied, "Tonight, we use all our forces and take out the Houndoom squad."
"What about those humans and their Pokemon?" "They are all weak. They won't be a big threat. Just concentrate on the Houndoom and Houndour. Now get our army ready."
Claws was lying on the ground with a bandage on its side and gut. Zeck was sitting across from him.
"Claws, you know anything about that strange attack the Mightyena used?" Zeck asked.
Claws looked at Zeck for a moment, then said, "The Shade that killed my family, his Pokemon used that attack. It lowered my stats, all of them. Everything was decreased. His Graveler suddenly used Shadow Ball. It had that same black aura those Mightyena had. A friend of the family, a Butterfree, was helping us fight. It used Stun Spore to Paralyze it. But the orb just healed the Graveler. The Shade's Pokemon were all beefed up too. That's all I know."
Zeck thought for a moment. If that attack decreases our stats and increases theirs, then we will be at a major disadvantage. But during the battle I was able to destroy the orb. So, destroying that orb is our first priority.
(Normal)
Brian walked in to the room. Celia and Mike were talking about the battle about to take place. Andy was sitting on a chair, thinking really hard.
Brian said, "I thought of a strategy. We take out Skull and Fang, then we're done! Without the head, the body can't survive!" Celia said to him, "Yeah, but Skull and Fang are really high level. Blaze AND Claws, the strongest Pokemon we have, double teamed Fang and they still lost." Andy spoke up. "Our main advantage is their hatred toward each other. They will concentrate mainly on the other side than pay attention to us. So we should use stealth and try to take them out with one hit."
Brian still asked, "But where do we go? The humans, I mean. Do we watch from the side, or beat the Mightyena and Houndoom with tree branches?"
"I think we should stay out of danger. Our Pokemon should be able to take care of themselves." Celia nodded. Brian said, "Yeah, I guess you're right." Black and Grey were barking now and then, from the tension. Everyone seemed to dread the big battle about to take place. But Zeck wasn't thinking of the coming battle, but trying to remember something that had slipped his mind. The Shade that hadrun away.
The group's Pokemon were scattered around the area surrounding Mike's house. It was dark, and an air of silence was upon them all.
(Pokenese)
Kroc had decided to scout with Zeck. They went deeper into the forest, until they emerged out of it. They saw the Forbidden Woods surrounding the Castle off in the distance. The field they had come across had a river run through. It separated the field into two. A well worn road went through here. It lead all the way to Utila.
"Do you see anything Zeck?" "No. But they are pretty dark colored. They'll be hard to spot."
Zeck jumped on top of a boulder. He scanned the forest they had come out of. He saw movements and several black forms come out. The Mightyena. They hid themselves in good positions for attack. Zeck and Kroc hid behind the large boulder. They saw a pack of Houndoom move from the other side of the forest. They separated and looked for the enemy.
"Zeck, let's get back to the others." "No, we should stay here. If we go back, one of them might see us." So they waited. It was still silent. Both of the sides didn't know they were right next to each other.
One of the Mightyena had wandered off to the side. It was walking along when it almost tripped over something. It was a black and orange boulder with horns. It kept moving. Then it stopped and turned around. He finally realized it wasn't a boulder. The Houndoom howled and blasted the Mightyena with a Flamethrower attack. (lol, the blast heard round the world.)
All over the field the Mightyena and Houndoom engaged in combat. Streams of fire and black orbs flew around. There were at least 60 of them on each side.
"Kroc, how do we tell the others?" "Don't need to. They're already here." Zeck scanned for them and saw a flash of yellow spark up the night. A small blur rushed through and sped toward them. It jumped and landed behind them. When Zeck and Kroc turned around, they saw a bleeding Mightyena being beat up by Claws. He yelled through the fight, "You guys owe me!" Zeck and Kroc ran off to help fight the others too.
Flash and Nidor were working together. As a Houndoom or Mightyena got near, Flash would use Thunder Wave to paralyze them, then Nidor would deliver a Horn Attack to the helpless victim. After a while, there were quite a lot of injured and paralyzed Mightyena and Houndoom lying around them.
Zeck and Kroc fought side by side. Zeck Iron Tailed a Mightyena, pushed off of it, and Kroc fired a stream of water at the Mightyena. It flew backward. Suddenly, it turned into daytime. The sun was shining brightly. One of the Houndoom had used Sunny Day. The Flamethrowers were way stronger than the Mightyena could handle now, so they had to constantly dodge.
Blaze thought We should even out the odds to maintain our neutral advantage.
He jumped and brought his flaming tail down on a Houndoom's face, leaving scorch marks on him. The Houndoom got angry and used a Crunch attack. Blaze dodged, and shot a Flamethrower, taking the Houndoom out.
Fang mercilessly clamped down on a poor Houndoom. Then he blasted a point blank Shadow Ball at him, sending him flying. Fang was still searching for Skull when the Linoone he battled yesterday lunged at him. Fang dodged, and fired another Shadow Ball. The Linoone made copies of himself, hiding his true position. That tactic didn't work against Fang. He sniffed out the Linoone's scent and fired a Shadow Ball to the Linoone directly in front of him. It exploded, and all the clones disappeared. Fang smiled, and was about to run off to fight some more when a quick white form flew down and slashed him across the back.
"So, Linoone. I've underestimated you." "Heh. That's a mistake you'll truly regret!" Claws Slashed at Fang, but he easily dodged and bit Claws's hind leg. He winced in pain, turned around and Headbutted Fang. He was sent flying back into another Mightyena. Claws grinned and got ready for round 2.
Fang then used the same attack that the Mightyena used last time. It became nighttime again. But the Houndoom retaliated by using Sunny Day again. This kept happening until they cancelled each other out.
Blaze made another Houndoom extra crispy. Then he turned around and saw Skull. Blaze charged, firing Embers along the way. Skull dodged by jumping over the flame attack. It charged up a ball of fire in its mouth. Blaze saw this opportunity and used his Flare attack. It caught Skull off guard and roasted him badly. Skull plopped to the floor, seemingly beaten. But then he got back up and Crunched at Blaze. Blaze dodged, but his arm was clamped. He turned around and fired another Ember at Skull. Skull negated it with a Flamethrower. Smoke was everywhere. Skull couldn't see. Blaze ran toward Skull with a Headbutt that made Skull see stars. But he quickly recovered and shot a point blank Flamethrower, knocking Blaze back. Blaze retaliated by using Smokescreen to block off Skull's sight.
The temporary darkness in the night that Fang created had healed all the paralyzed Mightyena. Flash and Nidor were instantly knocked out by 10 quick Shadow Balls fired by the healed Mightyena.
Claws ducked out of the way of a Shadow Ball. He rushed under Fang and sliced at his stomach. Fang jumped in time to avoid a stomach injury but couldn't avoid another cut that sliced his leg. Blood spilled out and Fang was very angry. He blasted 3 Shadow Balls in a row. Claws dodged the first two but he was sent flying by the third. He was so wounded he could barely get up. Fang was about to finish him when a combination of Bullet Seed and Water Gun shoved Fang to the side.
"We're even now!" Zeck yelled as he jumped over a Shadow Ball. Fang was facing three opponents now. He decided to take out the Linoone first, then the Treecko and Totodile.
"Claws, you alright?" Kroc asked worriedly. "I'm fine. Focus on the battle." "Kroc, combo attack now!" Zeck flipped backward, landing on a Houndoom. He collapsed under Zeck. Kroc made a tower of water burst under Zeck, sending him flying into the air. Zeck then fired a stream of Bullet Seed at Fang. But he dodged and shot Shadow Ball back at him. Zeck Iron Tailed it, and fired Absorb. It connected, healing Zeck in the process. Meanwhile, Claws dug underground and surfaced under Fang, surprising him. He lost balance and was knocked to the ground by Claws. Zeck came down with a powerful Iron Tail that sent Fang flying into a boulder, smashing it into little bits. He got back up and snarled.
Kroc then heard Celia scream and ran to help.
(Normal)
Brian and the others were having trouble of their own. They were inside Mike's cabin when Celia saw 4 Houndoom and 3 Mightyena rush out of the woods.
"AAAHHH! They're here!" The Pokemon were fighting outside. A Houndoom busted through the door and saw the people.
"Black, Grey, you guys are our only hope! Use Tackle you two!" Black could be seen as a black blur that bounced off the big Houndoom. Grey was scared stiff.
"Grey, Black needs your help!" He was still rooted to the spot. Meanwhile, Grey was tugging at the Houndoom's foot with his fangs. The Houndoom brushed him aside with is other paw and headed for the humans. Andy grabbed a log from the unused fireplace and swung at the Houndoom. The Houndoom backed up a few feet. Brian grabbed a chair and brought it down on the Houndoom's head. It was dizzy from the blow. Black came back in with a Bite attack, chomping the Houndoom's foot. The pain brought it back to its senses and it fired a Flamethrower that turned the chair Brian was holding into burnt wood.
Andy threw the log at Houndoom and grabbed another. Houndoom dodged the blow and lunged at Andy. Mike tackled Houndoom before he reached Andy and they both tumbled outside. Mike was wrestling the Houndoom when 2 other Houndoom came to help. They had defeated the Mightyena and were going to rip Mike to shreds when a Water Gun knocked out one of them. Kroc was standing behind them with a glare that said don't-you-dare-mess-with-my-friends.
"KROC! YOU'RE HERE TO SAVE US! Use Water Gun again!" The stream of water missed as the 2 Houndoom jumped out of the way and headed toward their foe. Kroc flung her tail out and fired another Water Gun. Her tail slammed into one of the Houndoom's face and the Water Gun hit the other. They both got up and fired Flamethrower at the same time. Kroc took both the attacks and was a panting heavily. The Houndooms rushed in with Crunch, only to be hit by a large blast of water. One more fainted. But the last one charged up energy, then used Mega Drain. The energy blast exploded onto Kroc, healing the Houndoom. Kroc flew back and hit the cabin. The Houndoom got ready for a final Crunch attack when Brian knocked it out by breaking a chair on his head.
"Kroc!" Celia rushed to her injured Pokemon. Kroc smiled weakly, then fainted.
(Pokenese)
Zeck and Claws were left alone to fight Fang.
"Claws, I want you to launch me at him with your tail." "You sure this will work?" "Somewhat positive." "…"
Claws spun around and smacked Zeck with his tail. Zeck flew toward the Mightyena leader and launched a fast Pound attack that caught Fang in the gut when he reared up to jump. Zeck sidestepped a Bite attack and treated Fang with an Iron Tail to the face. Fang toppled over, but got back up, determined to win. Zeck jumped backward and smacked his tail on Claws, sending him flying toward Fang. Claws curled up into a ball. The speeding white ball zoomed into Fang. But he jumped over it, only to be met by a Pound in the face. Thenhe blasted a Shadow Ball, sending Zeck flying back. He landed with a thump. He slowly got back up to see Fang take out Claws with another Shadow Ball.
Blaze saw Skull through the smoke. Skull was struggling to attack Blaze, but couldn't see anything. Blaze used this to his advantage and repeatedly used Ember on Skull. The only thing Skull could do was randomly fire. Bursts of flame shot out from the smoke. One hit Blaze in the face. Skull heard the Charmander cry out and rushed in the direction of the sound. He used a Crunch attack and a beaten Blaze laid in front of him. Skull turned around, torched a Mightyena, and ran off in search of Fang.
Zeck jumped over a powerful Take Down. Fang turned around and used it again. Zeck ducked and Fang flew over him. Zeck jumped again and shot Bullet Seed at Fang when he charged. They connected with Fang, sending him back. He blasted Shadow Balls at Zeck. He quickly Pounded them and rushed toward Fang with a white trajectory following him. The Quick Attack knocked Fang back even more. Fang stopped battling, howled, then ran off. Zeck was confused, then decided to follow.
(Normal)
Black sniffed the ground, then got all excited. He ran over to Grey and they both ran off in the direction of the battle.
Mike, whose wounds were being tended to by Celia, tried going after them, but collapsed. Brian chased them into the woods.
(Pokenese)
Zeck then understood why Fang ran off. He saw Skull at the other end of the battlefield, racing toward Fang. Fang rushed toward Skull too. Seconds before meeting each other, Fang used Shadow Ball and Skull fired a Flamethrower. An explosion rocked the field, knocking out the Mightyena and Houndoom near them. There were still about 20 left on each side.
Fang tore at Skull, but only bit air. Skull had circled around and kicked Fang with his hind legs. The Double Kick was super effective, knocking Fang back really far. Zeck barged in with Bullet Seed, which increased the anger of the combatants. They ignored Zeck completely.
Skull shot another Flamethrower. Fang rolled under it and bit Skull at the shoulder. Skull shook off Fang and Double Kicked again. Fang jumped over Skull and blasted him with a Shadow Ball in midair. Skull was hurt, but not beaten. He fired yet another Flamethrower. This time, the attack met its mark. A burning Mightyena crashed down in front of Skull. But Fang still got up. He spun around so quickly the flame flew off and struck Skull in the face. He was slightly fazed, but that was enough for Fang to launch a Shadow Ball that exploded right in front of him. Both of them flew back, unable to accept defeat as an option. Suddenly, a defeated Houndoom flew past them. It was quickly followed by a Mightyena. Fang and Skull both turned their heads to see 10 Shades with 9 Graveler. One of them had a Golem.
So the Shade I saw run off yesterday informed the main squad to come here. This is bad… Zeck thought.
Fang and Skull turned back at each other and continued fighting. The remaining Mightyena and Houndoom focused their main attention on each other, leaving them defenseless against the Graveler and Golem. Huge boulders were tossed at the battlers, knocking them out instantly. Fang's and Skull's number of troops were getting smaller and smaller. Only about 8 were left on each side.
Zeck had charged in to attack the Shades' Pokemon when he saw Black and Grey run out from the forest with Brian hot on their tails. Brian stopped when he saw Zeck.
Zeck! I'm assuming everyone else is K.O.ed. Okay then. Let's finish this ourselves! Zeck, Bullet Seed the Golem!
Zeck charged at the Golem. He pushed off its hard shell, then launched an onslaught of Bullet Seed at the Golem. It dented its shell, but then it spun around and rammed Zeck. He flew back and almost fainted.
Fang and Skull were still fighting when a boulder struck Skull. He toppled over.Fang laughed at this. But then he quickly followedSkull when a Mega Punch hit him on his side. He rolled over and laid on the ground. He struggled to get up. The Graveler lifted its massive arm and brought it down on Fang. A small black and orange blur got in the way. Skull's eyes widened in horror. Why, Grey? Why?
The crumpled form of Grey lay beside Fang. Fang was really surprised. Black then rushed in to help his friend. But Fang stopped him and told him to go back. Black reluctantly agreed to his brother's command. Skull then erupted. An Overheat attack blasted the Graveler to oblivion. Fang got up and looked at Skull. Skull nodded.
"Alright Houndoom!" "Mightyena!" All over the field the fighting stopped. They looked at their respective leaders. Then they charged at the Graveler. Mightyena launched Shadow Balls while the Houndoom attacked with Double Kick. One by one, the Graveler fell. But then a giant shockwave rippled through the field. Stalagmites rushed up in the ground. All the Mightyena and Houndoom were knocked out. Only Fang, Skull, and Zeck remained.
"This overgrown cave monster is going down!" Fang launched a Shadow Ball that was quickly followed by a Flamethrower. Golem easily deflected them with a Mega Punch. Zeck crept up behind him and Iron Tailed him. He rolled forward for a few feet, then threw chunks of rock at Zeck. He jumped over them and fired Bullet Seed while another Shadow Ball and Flamethrower were launched. But Golem's high defense proved to be too much of a challenge.
"Fools! You puny weaklings can't beat me!" He hit the ground with a Mega Punch, sending a row of stalagmites rushing toward the three. They got out of the way just in time.
"Fang, Skull. I've got an idea. But I need your help." "We're listening." "Both of you, use Shadow Ball and Overheat when I tell you to." "But won't they cancel each other out?" "Just trust me."
Zeck dodged another Rock Throw, then yelled, "NOW!" Fang blasted a giant Shadow Ball. The Overheat attack rushed toward the Shadow Ball. Just as they were about to hit, Zeck rushed in and brought his glowing tail down. The Iron Tail crashed down on the two powerful attacks. They mixed together into a reddish blackish orb. Zeck spun around and gave it one final boost with the strongest Iron Tail he had. The super Shadow Ball/Overheat combo blew into Golem.A massiveexplosion followed.After the dust cleared, a crater was where the Golem had been. His battered and cracked body lay in the center of the crater.
Zeck fell down from exhaustion.He whispered, "We did it…" Then darkness enveloped him.
The trainers retrieved their Pokemon scattered across the battlefield. They found Grey's body and brought him to Mike's cabin. He did the best he could, but he couldn't help him. Skull was by his side the whole time. Black tried licking Fang's wounds, but he was too short. So he jumped all over Fang and got saliva all over his body. The very wet Fang walked up to Skull.
"I'm sorry Skull… I should've taken that hit."
Skull replied, "…Well…I don't have control over Grey's will. I guess he saw the good side of you that I failed to notice. And because of that, I lost my brother. Only by sacrificing himself did I finally see that we shouldn't hurt each other, but help each other instead." Skull sighed, then took one last look at Grey. He turned around and was about to leave when something tugged at his tail. He looked back and to his immense joy, found his injured brother weakly biting him. Skull yelped, then ran back and almost crushed Grey with his embrace. Everyone clapped, then laughed when Grey choked. Black nuzzled his close friend and the four of them knew that the bond they shared was closer than it had ever been before.
(Normal)
Andy looked at the happiness in the room. He walked out the cabin and looked at the rising sun. Brian came out too.
"So, happy ending for everyone, right?"
Andy smiled. "Not for that Golem that Zeck crushed." Brian laughed.
"What happened to those 10 Shades?" "4 of them used to be farmers on Christina's farm. They're going to journey back. The other six are going to Utila. I guess they were shop owners or something."
"I still can't figure out that attack that Fang used." "Mike told me about it. Only a Pokemon with a dark heart bent on evil and destruction can use it. It's called Black Shadow attack. It turns the user into a dark type, along with its original types. The user is allowed to use Shadow Ball. All of its stats are increased by 25 percent. All dark/ghost types in the area won't be afflicted with status conditions. All dark/ghost types' health will be constantly healed slowly. And lastly, all non-dark/ghost types' stats will be lowered by 10. It's a pretty cheap attack, giving the user an unfair advantage. But since Fang and Skull reconciled, Fang won't be able to use it anymore."
"Wow… What are we doing next?" "We're leaving tomorrow morning. We will be traveling to Rivet Town to fight the noble. Only about 2 more days of traveling and we will be there."
Zeck and Blaze came out. Zeck hopped on Brian's shoulder. Brian grinned then said, "I know we will be able to beat this noble guy. He's gonna be sorry he ever signed up for the job."
"Uh… the King of Shadows chose him. He didn't volunteer."
"Fine. He's gonna be sorry that the King of Shadows thought his potential was good so he chose him to be the Noble of Rivet town."
"… isn't that a good thing?"
Brian scratched his head. "Hm… I don't know, actually." Zeck sighed, then Pounded Brian on the head. Zeck, Blaze, and Andy laughed till their stomachs hurt.
"We should get some sleep. We are going to do some serious training tomorrow."
"Okay then. Onward, to Rivet Town!"
Author's Notes: My longest chapter yet! (I think). Phew! This took me a while! Review it! Oh, and tell me if the blood is too gory or not.
