Turn 8

A Forbidden Move! The Truesdale Brothers, Part II

For as long as Syrus could remember, he had longed to follow in the prestigious footsteps of his talented brother. Zane seemed successful in everything he tried, and the picture of cool control and absolute power. He could fight, he could run, he could get straight A's, he could impress all the teachers and Mom and Dad and all the other kids, he could do anything. Syrus, on the other hand, could barely keep from tripping over his own feet.

But the little Eevee wasn't going to stand for it anymore. He knew his brother had learned a lot his impressive moves by using those weird little machines with the numbers on them, and Syrus knew just where he kept them.

Syrus struggled to push a chair over to the closet. It was twice his size, but it was worth the effort. Sure, Zane might be mad at Sy for getting into his stuff, but if he could show him he could do moves too -- cool moves! -- Zane would have to be impressed. Maybe he'd even show Syrus a bunch more, and they could both go on to become league champions one day! Or at the very least, maybe Zane would finally give him the time of day...

His fantasies gave him the determination to scramble up into the chair and make a mad grab for the box on the upper shelf. Syrus snatched the box and bit his lip, looking back and forth and swishing his oversized tail nervously. No one was around. He opened the box and peeked inside, but it was dark and his vision wasn't very good anyway. Instead, he stuck his nose under the lid. Sure enough, there was the smell of metal and the odd tingly scent of some kind of contained power.

He hesitated. That smell made him think twice, but he couldn't back down now. He held his breath and reached inside, quickly grabbing the first TM his paw landed on.

Syrus took it out of the box and turned it over in his hands. It was shiny, red, and the number '09' was displayed prominently on it. His finger caught a button, and it sprang into action, the glow within drawing his gaze. Before he realized what was happening, the prongs had latched onto his forehead and a tingling sensation shot down his spine.

The sensation passed and the glow faded. Already terrified of being caught, he shoved the useless TM and the box back onto what he hoped was the right shelf and hopped down off the chair.

But several minutes went by and no one came to punish him, so he relaxed and let excitement creep back into him.

He saw Zane sitting outside, and approached his brother's back fearfully. The taller Eevee was staring out at the sunset, his thoughts apparently on something far away. He paid Syrus no heed. Syrus opened his mouth to speak, but his voice failed him. Swishing his tail impatiently, he bit down on his lip. He was going to get his brother's attention.

There was a large rock in their yard. Syrus stepped over to it and took a deep breath, searching within himself to draw upon whatever power that TM had given him. His hands glowed faintly.

Determination lead him to lean down, and with supernatural strength, he managed to heft up the boulder. It was bigger than him, and he stood wobbling beneath its shadow. "Hey, Zane! Look!"

Zane's ear twitched, and his head slowly turned to Syrus. Much to Syrus's delight, for a split second, his brother's eyes widened with surprise, confusion, and maybe a little bit of awe. "Syrus!"

"I-I used one of your TMs -- now I can do this!" Syrus grinned shakily, wagging his tail. He could feel himself straining, but the power of the attack shouldered most of the burden. The little Eevee had never felt so strong, and he let himself puff up with pride.

Zane strode over quickly, looking over the rock and his little brother furtively and suspiciously. "Which one?"

"It--it had a nine on it, I think it was Take--"

Sudden, furious pain tore through every inch of Syrus's form as the backlash from the attack struck with a vengeance. He cried out and stumbled, and his grip on the boulder slid, his arms giving out --

There was a rush of wind and a thud that was thunderous to Syrus's sensitive ears. Inexplicably, he suddenly found himself twenty feet away and staring at the sky. Zane was holding him down, and the rock had fallen just before Zane had dove in to shove him out of the way. He had just barely cleared the falling boulder himself. Fearful adrenaline had flooded both the boys' systems and made Syrus numb and a little queasy.

Syrus blinked. He caught a glimpse of his brother's face. Beneath the wild teal bangs, the other Eevee -- the one he had admired his entire life for his cool attitude, his indomitable stoicism -- looked terrified.

"Z... Zane?"

Zane closed his eyes and drew himself up. The look passed and a cold, controlled fury took its place. Syrus swallowed a whimper.

"Don't you ever do that again," Zane hissed quietly. He opened his eyes and glared at Syrus in a way that shook the Eevee to his core. "You're not strong enough. You'll just get hurt."

Syrus could only nod feebly and grimace to hold back his tears.

Still...

Though the words were like frozen steel, Syrus's keen ears could not help but pick up that Zane was a little shaken, too.

---

The setting sun illuminated the ocean with a brilliant variety of reds, oranges and pinks. Golden sunlight caught the tips of waves, like someone's riches had been scattered to the sea. But it was wasted, since the guy with the best view to it all was too distracted by his thoughts to appreciate it in the slightest.

Alexis once again found Zane meditating quietly on the tip of the dock, and she no longer knew whether it was psychic intuition that let her find him, or merely habit.

He didn't look at her when she drew up to his side. "What have you found out?"

"Nothing," Alexis sighed, "There's been no sign of Atticus, and now even Chazz is missing. No one's seen him for over a week. I'm getting really worried..."

"People don't disappear into nothingness. There will be some clue at some point." Zane spoke quietly, and to anyone else it would've sounded cold, but Alexis knew him. It was as close as he could get to comforting.

They shared a moment of stoic silence, before a piercing and familiar cry shattered the quiet of the sunset.

"No, Jaden! Get back! I have to do this!"

Zane's ears lifted, and Alexis hovered out over the ocean to get a better look at an outcrop of rocks. Syrus was near the water, with a poorly constructed raft and a stick. He looked ready to jump aboard, and at the top of a path was Jaden, waving his arms and shouting something.

The two Articuno students exchanged a glance, and started down the dock.

---

"Sy, you're crazy!" Jaden tried to reason with his friend, but the little fox had his claws dug into his raft and was prepared to lift off at any moment.

"I'm sorry, Jay," Syrus's ears drooped, and he did sound genuinely apologetic, "But listen, when I'm gone, they'll hafta give you a new partner. You'll be sure to win then."

"Naaa!" Jaden stomped his foot in frustration, while Chumley watched the exchange from behind him. "Sy, either we're staying together, or we're getting expelled together! Nothing else is worth it, so there's no way around it!"

Syrus blinked and lifted his head, and for a brief moment, he looked deeply touched -- but his ears dropped and his eyes widened when he realized Jaden was charging headlong at him and his raft.

There was a splash, the crack of splintering wood and the squeal of an Eevee under attack. Jaden's over-enthusiastic Tackle had broken apart Syrus's raft and set both him and Jaden adrift in the ocean near the rocks. Syrus tried to doggy paddle ineffectively, and Jaden flailed around in the water with him, until they found each other in the water and clung together for dear life.

"I can't swim, Jay!" Syrus whimpered and kept a death grip on the taller boy, and Jaden coughed up a mouthful of salt water.

"And you -- hack! You were gonna go sailing on a home made raft?" Even amidst his coughing, Jaden found the breath to laugh and noogie Syrus affectionately. Syrus just lowered his head.

"Sides," No longer panicking, Jaden stood upright in the shallow water and set Syrus upright along with him, but made no move to remove his friend's clinging arms, "It'd be pretty embarrassing to drown in two feet of water."

Jaden's friendly voice made Syrus smile against his will, and part of the Eevee was immensely glad he didn't have to leave after all, even if it meant they would be expelled. The noogie became less of a noogie and more an excuse to scratch Syrus behind his ears, and Syrus found it impossible to keep his damp tail from wagging slightly --

"What's going on here?"

Zane's voice cut through the Jaden-induced fog of happy that had settled onto Syrus's brain, and the Eevee quickly pulled away from the other boy, tail immediately going still. He turned his gaze to the water. "N-nothing, big bro..."

"So you're Zane, huh?" Jaden narrowed his eyes up at the tall Umbreon, "You saved me a lot of trouble by coming here, y'know! I've been looking for you all day!"

Zane didn't move. "And why's that?"

"'Cause I wanna fight you! I don't believe the things you've said to your little brother! He was gonna go rafting out into the open ocean, just 'cause you were such a jerk to him!" Jaden ended up standing in front of Syrus, who looked horrified that someone would rail at Zane so brazenly. "I'm gonna show him you don't have any room to talk!"

"Are you, now?" Zane smirked faintly, and Alexis sighed to herself as he continued, "A Moltres, showing me my place?"

"You bet I will!" Jaden shook his fist fearlessly at the Dark-type.

"Jaden, no!" Syrus tugged on Jaden's coat, "He's the strongest student in the entire school, he could really hurt you!"

"Well, I ain't afraid, so let's go! Unless you're afraid, Mister I'm-So-Cool-'Cause-I-Have-A-Flappy-Coat-And-Red-Eyes!" Jaden waved his claws with animated motions, trying to rouse Zane's ire with all he had. Unfortunately, all his display got him was a low chuckle.

Zane shrugged. "Sure, I'll fight. You've got spirit."

Everyone collectively blinked at the almost-compliment, and Jaden's scowl became a gleeful grin. "All right! You're on!"

---

By the time they found a suitable arena near the shore, night had descended over the island. Though this didn't bother the two nocturnal fighters in the slightest, their entourage sat in the glow of a floodlight on a boathouse. It threw a yellow haze onto the ground that marked out the makeshift arena, and gave the two boys long shadows that faded into the surrounding darkness.

Despite the tension in the air, Zane looked mildly bored as he stepped into place. The Umbreon's hair and coat were whipped by the wind, but he was otherwise motionless. "I'm waiting, Jaden."

Jaden leapt into the light with a flourish and fell into a fighting pose as he hit the ground. "Yeah, I bet you are! Well, don't worry, this won't take long at all -- Disable!"

The bug-type lunged forward and flung his claws out like a pitcher letting loose a fastball, and the attack was quick enough to strike Zane dead-on. Still, the senior seemed completely unperturbed by the attack; after a moment of stoic silence, he even smiled faintly.

"Very good. You've managed to disable one of my best moves," Zane noted indifferently, closing his eyes.

Jaden blinked a few times, before he pumped his fist in the air victoriously. However, his curiosity cut short his celebration. "Uh... Which one?"

When the Umbreon opened his eyes, the red orbs suddenly possessed a laser-like focus. His long ears were pricked high, and though he otherwise didn't move, it was obvious that he was now in the fight as much as Jaden.

"If you don't defeat me in the next few turns, you'll find out."

The freshman took that as a direct challenge, and showed his acceptance by grinning smugly as he threw himself into a reckless charge forward. Kicked up dirt and a battle cry followed him as he sped along the ground. "Veeeenooo---!"

Zane was completely motionless and apparently oblivious to the oncoming insect, but the Dark-type's coat swished aside at the last moment and Jaden skidded to a halt.

"...nat?"

Jaden suddenly found himself surrounded by a dozen identical teal-haired Umbreons. He stumbled and furrowed his brow, quickly turning around and trying to pinpoint the real one. His eyes scanned one side, while his antennae swept through the air beyond the reach of his vision. Within a scant few seconds of stopping, he had locked on to his target amongst the Double Team clones and shifted direction--

But he sound himself suddenly face down in the dirt, and it took him a moment to realize Zane had delivered a swift and powerful Quick Attack to his back and already withdrawn to launch another. Jaden grimaced slightly. The attack had knocked the breath out of him and if he'd had the skeletal structure of a vertebrate, his shoulder would've been dislocated. Either way, it hurt.

A woosh of displaced air told him that Zane was coming at him again, and he quickly spun to the right so the Dark-type's feet came down hard on pure gravel. The impact stunned his silent opponent for a fraction of a second, and Jaden bit past his pain and rolled back into position to grab hold of the Umbreon's unshod paw.

Jaden wasn't one for studying, but he had taken the time to at least learn what advantages Bug-types had in the arena. Dark wasn't weak against much, and most Bug-type moves posed it no threat even with a vulnerability to them, but he knew it could be his only chance.

Zane was slightly puzzled, since no other opponent had ever chosen to stay on the ground to wrap himself around the senior's foot. But the moment he felt Jaden's fangs sink into his ankle with a determined and surprisingly strong Leech Life attack, he wasted no more time wondering. The Umbreon hissed quietly and kicked free, backtracking away from the bug with the slightest of limps.

"Hah! I gotcha that time--naa!" Jaden preened as he sat up from the ground, but it was cut off by sharp yelp as he just barely dodged a furious Shadow Ball. The sphere of crackling black energy passed inches away from his sore shoulder and slammed into the boathouse, dispersing into nothing and leaving a sizzling burn on the wood.

"Man, you don't play around," Jaden eyed the scorch mark left in the Shadow Ball's wake, and scrambled to his feet. "But hey, neither do I!"

Undaunted, he beckoned Zane with a come hither gesture, and the Umbreon narrowed his eyes. Making sure he had caught his opponent's attention with his taunt, Jaden discretely crossed an arm behind his back power up his own explosive attack. Zane leaned down and ran at him with silent and ruthless speed, like a shadow gliding over the shore, and Jaden spun around to unleash his move.

"Confusion!"

A bright arc of distorted and shapeless energy exploded from Jaden's hands and hit Zane squarely, stopping the Umbreon in his tracks with its blinding light. However, as the attack cleared, it became evident he was completely unharmed.

The only sign he had felt anything at all was one slightly raised eyebrow. "Why would you use a psychic attack on a Dark-type? Did you forget that they don't have any effect?"

Jaden just laughed and pointed at Zane. "Hah! Confused ya, didn't I?"

Zane was well within tackling range, and Jaden pushed off of the soil, diving at the Dark-type and drawing upon Strength, so when he hit, he'd easily send Zane flying --

But once again, he was deprived of the satisfaction of impact. Zane had either moved faster than his eyes could follow, or had literally gone invisible. Jaden stumbled to a stop and again tried to locate his dark opponent.

Suddenly, a hand with a strong grip and long claws clamped down on his arm, and Jaden found himself being spun around like a ragdoll. He kicked his feet in the air helplessly, unable to even see his attacker. He didn't even have time to spout off a witty remark before he was brutally thrown into the soil with all the force Zane could muster.

Jaden scrambled to act, but all he could do was yelp out a protest when his back was used as a springboard. Zane became visible once again as he leapt up into the air and seemed to materialize out of the shadows. He was finished with his Faint Attack, but he wasted no time in powering up something much worse. Jaden rolled onto his back to keep track of him, baring his fangs in frustration.

"Sorry, Jaden," Zane almost seemed suspended in the air above the fighting grounds for a moment, narrowing his eyes down at the freshman. "Your Disable has run out. Time's up."

The Dark-type brought his hands together in front of him. "Psychic."

An enormous shaft of purple energy coalesced around them briefly, before erupting into a huge shaft that plunged down onto Jaden. Alexis, Syrus and Chumley could only look on in horror as the blazing light completely enveloped their friend. There was no question of the outcome of the attack.

The light faded, and Zane landed some ways away with the delicate grace of a cat. He stood by with folded arms and silence as Jaden's three friends ran over to the smoking and unconscious bug's side.

"Jaden!" Syrus fell to his knees and scooped up his friend's limp upper body, "Is he okay!"

Alexis hovered down low and frowned, brushing away Jaden's bangs to examine him. "You'll need to take him to the center, but I think he'll be fine."

This news didn't seem to ease Syrus much, and he pinned his ears back angrily. He lifted his head and shot a surprisingly venomous glare at his older brother, "You didn't have to knock him out!" The Eevee squeezed Jaden protectively, and lost some of his righteous anger as his voice cracked, "He was just fighting because of me..."

Zane started to walk over, and Syrus's fury -- and ears -- fell quickly. Zane loomed over his brother and met his gaze evenly, unruffled by Syrus's umbrage. "So you're saying I should've disrespected his abilities by going easy on him."

Syrus blinked in hurt confusion and hesitated, quickly shaking his head, "Wha? No, I mean, you didn't --- I just didn't want him to get hurt..."

Zane was quiet. Alexis looked at the Dark-type pointedly.

He seemed to concede something and looked up at the moon. "It's the way of the battle. We're all bound to get hurt sooner or later. It's how we get stronger. He knew that. I think you should, too."

Syrus's ears and shoulders sunk low, and he looked down at his comatose roommate instead of Zane. He didn't see Alexis smiling knowingly.

The Umbreon continued. "Jaden deserved the full extent of my abilities. He was a surprisingly worthy opponent."

With that, Zane turned and left for the shadowy path leading back to Articuno Blue. Alexis telekinetically eased Jaden out of Syrus's weak grip and helped set the unconscious bug onto Chumley's broad back. With Jaden in place, they started in the direction of the PokeCenter.

Syrus didn't follow them immediately. He sat where he was, tail curled around himself. He didn't quite know what to make of Zane's words. As cold as they sounded, he thought he heard a silent permission granted in them. In a way Syrus could not quite pinpoint, in that moment, Zane had released some kind of hold he had held over him.

Chumley and Alexis had stopped and looked back at their friends. "Syrus, you coming?"

You'll just get hurt...

Syrus stood up. He took a deep breath and nodded, smiling up at his friends.

...but we all do. It's how we get stronger.

He ran up to join them.

---

Next time...

Syrus: I guess I don't have to be afraid anymore... But this is still a really big fight... I'm still just one little Eevee, how am I supposed to help Jaden against a couple of martial arts experts!

Alexis: You say that like this school's never had an Eevee student before. In fact, I know of one who ended up going pretty far.

Syrus: Oh? Who?

Alexis: I think you might know him. Next time, A Look Into the Past! Zane vs Alexis. I might leave out a few details here and there...

Jaden: No way! I gotta hear this! It's all awesome fighting and explosions, right!

Alexis: Eheheh, well, not quite...