Shadow Sky
In her bed, Liz stirred from her sleep, her head throbbing as a headache pierced through her skull. She groaned as she saw a blurry figure of a Gardevoir sitting beside her, sending a soothing energy into her body.
"H-hey…where am I? Who are you?" she asked. The Gardevoir perked up.
Liz, you're okay! the voice sounded incredibly familiar as the Gardevoir hugged her gently.
"Wait…Alicia?" Liz asked. "What happened, when did you evolve."
For starters, you have a severe concussion, so we brought you here. You've been out for nearly three days. Then…the rest of it.
Liz noticed Alicia was getting somber. That's when she heard a heart monitor and a respirator going beside her. She turned her head, dreading what she was about to see. What she imagined couldn't have prepared her for what she saw.
Michael was beside her; his whole body had gauze basically wrapped around it, his skin almost all burned red with the exception of his left arm. It looked like he'd been burned with acid on his entire body, with the damage being the worst on his shoulders and right arm. Liz gasped. "Alicia, tell me what happened," she said, sounding terrified now, trying not to vomit from what she saw mixed with her head throbbing. Alicia saw how she looked and grabbed a bag, holding it for Liz. A second later, Liz rolled over and puked nothing but stomach acid. Alicia tried to comfort Liz, knowing she had been through hell.
Well, it was all going well. We even beat the Cipher admin controlling the whole assault. But… she turned and got the remote for the television. She turned it on to ONBS, keeping the brightness down for the sake of Liz's concussion. Just watch the battle…it'll tell you what happened better than I can.
As the battle was beginning, Snattle pulled out a remote, pressing a button. Almost immediately, a ring of plexiglass came out of the ground, keeping both Michael and Snattle inside the ring with the Pokémon. Michael was confused. "So, we're both stuck in here now. What's your endgame?"
"You'll see in due time. Quagsire, Lanturn, kill this kid and his pathetic team," Snattle said as he threw his two Pokémon out. The first was another one of Wes's iconic Pokémon, a bipedal mud fish with rubbery skin, blue coloring and a purple fin. To the side, the Lanturn was all blue, with yellow rings around his eyes and on his lower jaw. His head had a set of bioluminescent antennae.
Ceres and Boreas went onto the battlefield, and Michael had to wonder why the Cipher admin was sending out a fish in the middle of a mostly dry battlefield. That was when a section of the floor opened below Lanturn that led to a pool of water., almost as if there were sensors in the arena that could detect water-types.
"Now, let me show you how my family has always battled. I, Snattle Vander, shall drown your ambitions," he said. "Quagsire, use Rain Dance!" Lanturn, use Thunder Bolt on that Spheal."
Michael had barely gotten ready to call for an attack when the rain began to fall inside the arena. "Ceres, use Bullet Seed and take out that Quagsire. Boreas, dodge and use Ice Beam. Try to freeze Lanturn!"
Ceres moved fast, launching multiple seeds at the mudfish, it was just the smirk on Snattle's face that made Michael uncertain. Boreas had gathered some chilling ice energy when the electricity lanced through his body from Lanturn's Thunder Bolt. Spheal managed to fire off a small amount of ice for his own attack, but the shot was powerful, taking him out quickly.
Shit, they're all tired from our battles today…the peons were one thing, since they were basically a joke. Snattle is actually a good fighter, Michael thought as he recalled Spheal, seeing that Ceres had landed five successful hits on Quagsire, easily knocking it out. I need to be smart about this.
Then what if I helped. Please, let's try working without verbal commands, Alicia said, ready to jump from her perch on his shoulder to take the empty position on the field.
Not yet. I shouldn't be learning a new technique for battling while I'm in a fight like this, Michael said, taking out Nick's Pokéball. "Nick come out. I need your help." The Jolteon appeared on the field, Michael knowing how important the ability Volt Absorb would be in the battle. The Lanturn would be hindered by that at the very least.
"Well, you've sent your strongest…let me send mine. Go, Lunatone!" The moment the floating rock-type appeared, Michael's shadow monitor responded, showing the ominous aura around the moon-shaped Pokémon. Snattle smirked. "Well, rain is fine, but I think there's another type of weather better than rain." His quip was full of a malicious tone. "Shadow Sky."
Michael was worried when he saw the gemstone on Snattle's outfit glow as a sort of umbrella-shaped barrier formed around him. It got worse as Lunatone gathered extremely concentrated aura, and shot it into the clouds summoned by Rain Dance. The clouds then took on an ominous hue, with purple and red lightning flashing in the clouds. The rain stayed the same for now, but Michael knew something new was on its way.
Alicia put up Protect above Michael, and the rain started to glow violet. As soon as the first drops hit Nick and Ceres, they both flinched. They both looked like they were getting hurt just from being in contact with the liquid, almost like it was burning them on contact.
Michael already had a guess what Shadow Sky was. It was an incredibly concentrated acidic rain. He needed to make this battle fast, but it seemed like Snattle would make that difficult. "Nick, Ceres, I know it hurts. Please, push through. Ceres, use Bullet Seed on Lanturn. Nick, use Thunder Wave on Lunatone!"
"Lunatone, Shadow Wave. Lanturn, Icy Wind. Slow them both down," Snattle said calmly, not caring that Lanturn was also getting burned by the rain.
Ceres shot a stream of seeds at Lanturn as the fish gathered a small orb of icy energy, firing it and creating a wide cone of swirling, freezing air. It was cold enough to make both Nick and Ceres a little more sluggish.
Thankfully, Ceres still managed to use Bullet Seed, pelting Lanturn repeatedly. The electric fish was almost easily knocked out. That was when Michael saw the smirk on Snattle's face. The man was toying with him.
"Go, Castform," he said. The Weather Pokémon appeared in front of Snattle, and Michael half expected the Pokémon to morph to match Shadow Sky's weather. "Weather Ball on Breloom."
The little cloud-like Pokémon seemed to gather mist from the air, launching it into the clouds of acid rain. A second later, the orb fell out of the air, heading straight for Ceres. However, there was one major difference: the orb was now the color of the rain. Ceres didn't see it until it was too late, and it was moving too fast for Michael to say anything. In an instant, Ceres's health dropped to zero. Michael recalled her immediately.
Who next? I have Erebus, Sarah, and Alicia left for this battle, not counting Nick, Michael thought. While he was pondering this, Nick had shot a stream of static electricity at Lunatone, but the floating rock dodged the attack almost too easily. "Alright, Erebus, come out. I need your help!" Michael threw the ball out with a calm demeanor. Alicia could tell that he was hiding his worry.
"Shadow Wave and Weather Ball," Snattle said. He didn't elaborate. He knew this would be a win for him. Michael would fall here, and Snattle would be made governor as soon as the Grand Master took over Orre.
"Nick, Shock Wave on Castform. We need to take it out fast," Michael said. "Erebus, use Bite on Lunatone." He knew that Thunder Wave had missed, so he would need to deal with the other distractions before dealing with a snag.
Nick moved fast, firing a strong ring of electricity from his body, aiming for the small cloud as the little Pokémon launched another orb of mist into the air. The shot reappeared over Nick as the electricity hit Castform. The attacks hit almost simultaneously, with Weather Ball doing significantly more damage.
At the same time, Lunatone had just fired two orbs of Shadow aura, aiming them at Erebus and Nick. The Houndoom managed to dodge the Shadow attack as he ran forward to try and clamp his jaws around the Lunatone. The rock type, being more focused on its own attack, didn't dodge in time. Michael watched the Shadow Pokémon's health drop to about half. "Erebus, let it go and use Ember to finish that Castform!" With the speed of a Houndoom trained by police, Erebus turned and shot a stream of flames that peppered Castform, finishing what Nick had started.
Nick still tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't let him move. The burning of the rain made it harder for Jolteon as well. Michael could tell that his Pokémon was done with this battle. He recalled Nick. "Thank you, buddy. You were great. Now rest up." He took out Sarah's Pokéball. "Come out, Sarah. I need your help."
The Trapinch appeared, ready to help her trainer, even as Michael saw her wincing with each drop of the rain. Across the way, Michael saw Snattle with a smirk again. "Metang, come out," he said. The Pokémon that appeared was the floating mech Pokémon with two powerful arms. Its heavy body moved gracefully in the air, ready to attack.
Not as strong as Maxwell…but maybe I can still show how strong I am against steel-types, Alicia said.
Michael heard Alicia, but kept focus on the battle. "Sarah, use Earth Power on Metang. Erebus, use Ember on Metang too," he said, noticing the rain was fading. "Just bear with the rain for a little longer."
"Oh? Confident in that, aren't we?" Snattle said. "Lunatone, use another Shadow Sky. Keep the storm raging." Lunatone's aura became concentrated in front of it, launching the orb into the sky. It burst into the clouds, giving the sky an even darker shade as the rain restarted.
Michael moved quickly with programming a snag. Erebus was first to attack, launching fire at the steel-type. At the same time, Sarah stomped her orange foot, making the ground shoot up like a platform directly under Metang. Neither attack did anything, as Metang was just as fast with using Protect without a command, the shield holding strong against both attacks.
"Bullet Punch on that Houndoom. Take him out," Snattle said. The Metang's fist shimmered before he flew at his target. The hit was blindingly fast, knocking the Houndoom off his feet.
I'm sorry to put you guys through all this. I won't lose this, Michael said, the snag now ready. He took his stance and threw the ball easily, the energy hand grabbing Lunatone just as Metang went in for another Bullet Punch to do more than just knock out Erebus. Sarah leapt from the ground, headbutting the steel type out, not doing too much damage, but slowing it down enough for Michael to recall Erebus. As soon as Erebus was safe, Lunatone's snag was completed. "Thank you. We won't lose. I promise you," Michael said. Alicia floated to the ground, though her protect shielding over Michael stayed in place.
"Ice Punch," Snattle said. Metang turned to Trapinch with his hands covered in an icy energy. He swung hard, sending her plummeting into the ground. Michael recalled her as soon as she landed, knowing her health had hit zero.
"Alicia, it's just you now. Let's do this!"
Then trust me. Just let me hear your thoughts and I will win this, just like Mom, Alicia said.
I can do that, but you have a serious disadvantage. Are you sure you can win? Michael asked, realizing Alicia had a bit of an ego. She was clearly certain that she could win by virtue of her heritage.
I don't have much of a choice, she said with a wince as the rain hit her. Either I win, or Snattle will probably kill us.
You say that like you know his personality… Michael said.
I never saw his face…but his voice was the first one to greet me when I woke up after the Libra crashed. He had no problem killing Pokémon he deemed too weak to be of use to Cipher.
Michael looked angered as he heard what Alicia said. Then, we will win this, no matter the cost, he said. Start with a Reflect, then use Shock Wave.
Alicia smirked, the link with her trainer getting stronger as they worked. She gathered energy around herself, readying herself for physical attacks. She then gathered some electricity and fired it at Metang.
The steel-type took the hit, but Michael saw it didn't do much to their opponent, maybe taking an eighth of his health. Damn, we can't continue at this pace… Michael said. Metang took that chance to fly at Alicia, ready with another Bullet Punch.
Teleport out of the way, Michael said. Alicia focused for a second, disappearing for a moment before appearing behind where Metang was aiming. Try a Disarming Voice! Alicia took a breath, and shouted, her voice intentionally grating. The attack was a bit more effective, but only a little bit. The type match-up was clearly a problem, but it was less effective than expected. Something was off with Alicia's attacking power. Metang rushed forward and tried to land a Metal Claw. Alicia managed to get out of the way of the actual attack, but Metang took that opportunity to slam its body into her, taking a third of her health.
Michael noticed look of strain on Alicia's face beyond what she should've been feeling at this point. He looked up at the shield over his head, remembering that she had put it up for him. A sense of realization came over him.
Alicia, are you still putting energy into this shield? Michael asked.
Yes. I can't let my trainer get hurt. This rain is painful enough for a Pokémon. I don't want to see what will happen to you if it touches you, Alicia said, looking at her trainer, pleading desperately.
You won't be able to win if you don't take this shield down now! Michael said. You're using too much energy protecting me.
No, I can't let you get hurt! Alicia pleaded, teleporting away from a Bullet Punch.
If you don't drop this shield, we'll lose. Then all of this will have been for nothing! Michael said.
I don't care! Alicia said, looking like she was going to cry. You could easily die in this rain!
Michael grit his teeth. "Alicia, take down the shield. Focus on winning this battle. That's an order!" he called out.
Damn it! she said, crying. Fine, you win. The barrier over Michael dropped, and the rain hit him. The mind-numbing pain was quick to follow. His skin felt like thousands of hot needles were piercing his body. He couldn't stop himself from crying out in pain.
"Fool," Snattle said. "You will die here, never accomplishing anything."
YOU SHUT UP! Alicia said, her eyes full of anger as her body started glowing. I will not let my trainer die. And I won't let you win! Alicia's bright glow enveloped her whole body as she got taller, her dress got longer, making her look almost exactly like her famous mother. The only exception was that she had a faint purple ring around her irises, as if marking her past as a purified shadow Pokémon. I will destroy Cipher with him and Liz. You won't end us here!
Snattle seemed taken aback, especially when he saw Alicia take a breath, preparing to attack. Instead, she took on a green aura as she increased her power. "Calm Mind? That's your trump card?"
Alicia just kept powering up, dodging Metang whenever he got close with an attack, the Bullet Punches causing the steel-type to crash into the ground repeatedly. Metang, however, was still being affected by Shadow Sky just as much as her.
Alicia noticed Michael on his hands and knees, watching the battle as he began to bleed over his entire upper body except for his arm covered by the snag machine. She needed to end this fast. What would Mom do? she thought. Alicia had seen Gwen perform an incredibly powerful attack that might work here…but it was something she didn't believe she could accomplish with her current power. Hyper Voice isn't an option…but maybe…
Without a hesitation, she recalled how it felt whenever her mother would use Ghost-Type attacks. She knew that Metang had to be low enough on health that this attack might actually win the battle for them. She gathered an orb of black ectoplasm, trying to get it ready to throw. Metang saw her preparing and took the momentary lapse in her focus to try another Bullet Punch. Alicia took a breath and threw the orb at the steel tank of a Pokémon. Her attack hit hard, knocking out Metang. Unfortunately, the Pokémon's body kept flying forward, crashing into Alicia.
With his mind barely holding on to his consciousness, Michael saw that the battle was over, with him winning. "Alicia…you won," he said happily before passing out.
Just outside the ring, Marcia and Cameran were both watching in horror, but Cameran kept filming the whole thing, streaming it live to ONBS's channel. The world needed to know exactly what Cipher was doing. It was made worse when they heard Michael make his desperate plea for his Kirlia to stop defending him, only for him to get immediately burned seriously. Marcia stepped away for a moment, grabbing a phone from one of the dead Peons, calling for an ambulance quickly, knowing Michael would need serious medical attention.
She had been turned around when Alicia evolved, giving information to the emergency line operator. She finished the call as Alicia made her last attack, ending the fight.
"Wait, I missed it! Please tell me you got it all," Marcia said.
"Don't worry, I got it," Cameran said, the plexiglass retreating under the battlefield as Shadow Sky's clouds dispersed. He was about to end the stream, but Alicia managed to lift Metang's body off herself with some telekinesis before she started crawling toward Michael. In his gut, Cameran knew this was going to be a once in a lifetime moment, so he kept filming.
Come on, please be alive,Alicia said with some strain in her voice as she got to her trainer's side, reaching for him.
In the back of her mind, Alicia saw the smirking, demented vestige of herself, having evolved as well. All it said was You're too late. Give up and know despair. Those lines were on repeat as she tried to summon her power.
Heal Pulse…maybe that will work on humans too, she said, turning Michael over, seeing his body was covered in what looked like severe acid burns. He was bleeding to the point that his vest was turning red. She held her hand out, sending a ring of healing energy into his body. It seemed to help a little, but only in keeping him from bleeding out. Another one, she said with resolve, despite her voice shaking from the effort. She sent another wave, still only healing him slightly. Tears formed in her eyes as she kept sending energy into her trainer's body, he wouldn't wake no matter what she did. She eventually felt herself passing out from the strain, but she fought harder.
Marcia couldn't help but start crying, the sight of a Pokémon working to the point bordering on suicide. "Where are the paramedics?" she asked. "If they take much longer…they'll both…" As if waiting for that cue, the doors to the stadium opened, and three EMTs entered, carrying a gurney and IV equipment. "Thank Arceus," she said, her voice filled with relief.
Sadly, with the heart-wrenching scene in front of them, nobody noticed as Snattle snuck out of the building, dropping the key card to the Pre-Gym's elevator as he left. It wasn't until later that night that the police collected it, releasing the citizens from the basement.
The video transitioned to the news report that came the day after the stream, where they praised Michael for his efforts that not only stopped Cipher's ambiguous plans, but saved the entire population of Phenac City from a reign of terror. Liz didn't hear a word of it. "Alicia…"
The Gardevoir seemed almost ashamed. I couldn't protect him…I failed him and I failed you, she said.
Liz grabbed the Pokémon's hand, pulling her close, her own tears forming now. "You kept Michael alive. Thank you," she said, choking up as she spoke, hearing the news caster say that doctors of Phenac General Hospital were expecting Michael to make a full recovery.
At this point, all she could do was hope it was true. After all, Michael was still fighting to give all of Orre hope.
Alright, get some rest. I'll be here for you both, she said. I'll let you know when any visitors come.
Well, there's the end of the chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know in the reviews what you thought about it. Let me know where you think I can improve, as it really helps my writing.
Anyway, I'm keeping this outro brief. Until next time ~ jmoul18