Pokémon: Wings of Beginnings
Chapter 23: Tempered Steel
August 17th, 2020
8:31 a.m.
Claire's Room
Another morning. Another day of training. Another day of saving the world. Claire stepped out of the bathroom she just came out from a bath and headed over to her wardrobe. Her body, typical of how Nidoqueen were, while short... sports a layer of muscles. This very muscular build of a woman didn't hinder her beauty, it instead complimented it that she may be not as beautiful as Aria, but she had a perfect body.
Strong, sturdy legs, a thick tapered tail behind her, firm arms... and her torso... it was quite defined. She has visible four-packs down her stomach... A testament of her training and strength. She went to her cabinet and looked around the assortment of clothes she had.
It wasn't much of a variety. Simply coats, blouses, pants... more feminine clothes are less present from her wardrobe... Still, it was well for her in her own opinion... She scanned the wardrobe and then started choosing the clothes that would serve her well for her life today. Hmm... She was going to train with their Sensei in the morning... Then in that case... her combat uniform.
Not much for casuals like most would do. It wouldn't hinder her movement and restrict the joints bending as well as provide some cover from the blasts of her gunblade. Not much for clothes that could be torn easily. That would be... indecent, even for a woman warrior like her. Accessories are unnecessary too.
As she took her clothes to wear for today and removed the towel around her, Claire didn't understand the looks that the members give her most of the time. They keep staring onto her for some reason, she figures. She simply passes off their staring for being 'weird'.
Especially... him.
Whenever Brandt is in close proximity, he is constantly acting weird around her. Blubber, get a warmth in his face looking at her, divulge into quite obvious topics... it seems that the weird actions never end.
"Claire, are you done?" A voice was heard from outside her room. That was from one of her comrades.
Claire turned to the door, holding a breastplate on her arms while in her shirt and pants. "Almost." She answers towards the door. She looks back at the breastplate she held. She was always annoyed with what was on her chest. Large cream mounds covered by her bra and shirt that shake and sway about whenever she did more vigorous manoeuvres, it was incredibly distracting.
She couldn't let her companion waiting. Tardiness won't befit a warrior like her. She took the breastplate she always had a fit them on her chest, she shouldn't have those get in the way of her training afterall. Besides, this also provide extra defense on her part.
She then puts on her full body black coat and nods, heading to the door and opening it. "Good morning, Claire." The one who greeted her was a Mienshao known as Lusiane. She was also in training attire too, indicating that her plan for today wasn't different from the Nidoqueen.
"Hey, Lusiane. Training with Sensei as well?" Claire asks.
"Yes. Sensei is already at the Simulation Room. We shouldn't keep him waiting."
They headed off towards the Simulation Room, it was going to set into an environment this time for training. They passed by several doors along the way, though Claire stopped and looked over at one.
"Is Fran feeling any better today?" Claire asks while she stares at the door.
Lusiane shook her head. "No... it's just like before ever since he collapsed suddenly." It is an unnatural illness... His body appeared physically fine, but having his body heat up and accelerated pulse but able to return back to normal for both without any damages done... No one knows what is happening to him.
"I see..." Claire nods. "He'll get better, won't he?"
"...I don't know. Medicine doesn't work well."
"...The only thing we can do right now is hope he'll get better, huh."
"...Yes."
They resumed walking towards the Simulation Room. The worry for their comrade is still here, but with nothing able to help him, it was best not to worsen his condition. The two females soon arrived at the doors... and they expected as much as they saw their Sensei in front of the doors.
He was trying to open the doors. Electronic doors.
"What should I do again..?" Takan muttered. "That button? No, that's actually a light bulb..."
At before 10 a.m. and after 11 p.m., the doors of the Simulation Room are locked unless a member's badge is used. Lusiane sighed and headed over to Takan's side, drawing out her badge from her pocket and placing it in front of the scanner. The doors open with an beep.
"Sensei, you should use your badge to open it at this hour." Lusiane reminds.
"Badge?" Takan wondered, badge... where was it? Claire soon follows and looked at the nearby spacing of the insectoid's pants. "Sensei, is it that?"
"Oh," Takan went down to the pockets of his hakama and took out a badge. He eyed it for a few moments. "So, it isn't only for identity... Does it have any other functions?"
"..." Both women Pokémon looked at each other. Perhaps explaining now about its functionalities will take too long. "...We should get onto with training, Sensei." Lusiane quickly tells him.
"Right then." Takan agreed and entered the simulation room with the other two.
"Which environment will we be training on?" Claire asks Takan as Lusiane headed over to the control room. She noted that he wore something around his torso, a shirt.
"If it is for you..." Takan told her. "Would like for an underground environment."
"Underground, huh..." Claire nods attentively. It must be a gut feeling. She looked over at Lusiane, remembering the area they explored the day before.
"Underground... alright." Lusiane typed in the commands from the control room. "Cavern interior... No cracks at ceiling..." She finishes the commands, hitting the activation. The surroundings were changed into a virtual world of a cavern's interior. Despite being created of digital data, the simulated creations all felt real inside the Simulation Room. And at an instant, the area similarly darkens heavily.
Claire summons her gunblade and rests it onto her shoulders. As for Takan, he brought out steel katanas at the side of his waist. "Remember when facing opponents in less lightened areas with sounds being echoes." Takan reminded. "Focus on your hearing, don't let the bouncing voices distract you."
Claire responds with a nod as she held her gunblade handle tightly, even the echoes reverberating onto the walls are real too... That duck has really outdone himself after his "contribution"... She looked around the darkened atmosphere, it was hard to clearly make out all of everything around her location... With a target who is more able at close quarters, they will make a sound regardless of what they do to advance.
She loads bullets into the barrel of her gunblade, hearing the whirring of the charge inside the gunblade. She spread it about, Lusiane readied her chakrams while the sound of a blade moved around.
Claire immediately turned sharply to the direction and Lusiane made a throw arching to the side. Lusiane realized the following sound made was her chakram hitting a column of stone.
Claire responded by bringing her gunblade to a downward swing to the left and clashed against a katana. "Mmph..." Even without using his own more commonly used katana set, Takan is still competent into his output of impact from other katanas.
That is their Sensei, alright...
They separate from the clash and Takan jumps back, bring his katana to the side to strike against a chakram thrown at his side, now more successful in avoiding the obstacles.
"Seems you remember." Takan told her.
Lusiane catches her chakram as it returns back to her. "If light is to be caused inside here, we have to act swiftly, most are caused by reaction."
Takan could hear a quick whirring sound, having a small smile at his mandibles. He catches sight of a blade's shape swinging towards him. He swiped some more, them twirling around as they clashed blades. Takan heard some blades whirl, pushed Claire away and parried the chakrams thrown. He swerved to the side to evade a thrust from Claire's gunblade and used his larger arms to block the explosion that sent him skidding back.
The mere flash of light from the explosion allowed all three to capture the floor, walls and top around them. Rocky grounds, many pillars, ceiling... even an adequate sized stream down on the floor.
He's already rusty from using that form of technique, but it doesn't mean he was incapable of using it.
The light dimmed out and all was dark once again... until Claire and Lusiane heard something flowing. A blade of luminous water flowed toward Lusiane. "Tide Form: Serpent's Wake!"
Lusiane could see the quick movement of the blade swing and jumped diagonally much further than the katana's reach... for water rushed through the space that would have hit Lusiane had she dodged just outside the range of the katana.
"Good reflexes." Takan praised. "Another one, Tide Form: Serpent's Wake!"
This time, he directed it at Claire, memorizing that behind her was a section of the digitalized stream. She jumped, the attack hitting the stream that... causes a water serpent to burst out from the struck area, this time much quicker than the initial uses.
Claire felt the newly produced attack come towards her by instinct and with her already jumping, could only defend against it. She braced herself... She panted, feeling her entire energy disappear but charged into the serpent. It dealt no damage against her until she got close to Takan. Takan was still charging the attack when she appeared before him and spun her gunblade. Spheres appeared around her before pulling the trigger.
"Fated Circle!" At her pull, a sphere combusted, which instantly chains into the other spheres and cumulated into a chain explosion around her.
Takan was thrown back as Lusiane used the opportunity of light to hit Takan at his back with a kick. To her surprise, some linen hit her face before the attack connected that she was forced to retreat by using her chakrams as leverage. "..." She took a quick look as to why she was greeted with linen. Seared by the ends... Which means... again.
"...I feel more comfortable." Takan commented about being topless once again. "That was an impressive strike, Leonhart."
"Yeah, though that one, Superboilde... really felt on my literal last legs..." She wasn't even fazed that the older insectoid was bare on his torso as they commonly see the six-packs on his underbelly. A huff as she prepares her gunblade, though she looks at it and frowns. "The blade broke." Sure enough, she has the handle and the blade was broken midway, the remaining of the half scattered around the spot.
"Seems you've grown stronger since we've last trained..." Takan nods. "The blade was unable to take your new strength."
"I'd better pay the blacksmith a visit to get this one fixed up..." Claire comments.
"I see..." Takan crossed some of his smaller arms with a nod and used his larger arms to inspect his katanas. "Same as I too."
Upon saying that, Lusiane took out her phone and told it to abort the simulation. The environment began to divert into 1s and 0s until it was now just an ordinary, plain, white room. "Then the training session is over right now. We have to maintain our weapons every now and then..."
"You are correct, Yundet," Takan agreed. "A weapon helps you battle and you should always care for it."
August 17th, 2020
8:50 a.m.
Blacksmith
Tempering of iron, heating up the furnace of melted rocks. The weapons around the area, new and tempered. All to be repaired and enhanced.
The metallic sounds echoes well as hot iron strikes onto a newly forged blade. The blacksmith working on it put precise focus and strength to shape the blade to its desired form. The blacksmith was none other than the Torterra, Treant Gaian.
"Up at this hour too, Treant?" Lusiane looks at her work.
"..." Treant only nodded while she finished a batch of throwing knives.
"You don't mind if we leave these?" Claire presents her broken gunblade while Takan shows his chipped katanas.
Treant observed the damages of the given weapons. "..." She looked at her Sensei.
"I know you are nervous." Takan held her forearm. "Just follow what I say and you'll be fine. You'll see it is just as easy as any other katanas."
"You'll do fine." Claire assures.
Lusiane quietly observed Treant's behaviour since she saw the nature turtle. It seemed that she was still exhibiting that behaviour since two months ago...
"...Okay." Treant nodded and began to smith the katanas while following Takan's instructions.
Claire looks and nods silently, leaving her gunblade beside several other broken weaponry that are due to be repaired. "I'll have to use the other gunblades for the time being..."
Treant nodded and Claire watched some vines grab one of the gunblades stacked and gave it to her gently. She continued to smith while looking over Takan's body. Someone as ripped as him standing beside her...
"Good, that's how it is..." Takan nodded.
"..." Treant's vines that hammered the katana shook a bit. This felt so familiar. Why...? She longed to hear that but not from an older man.
She didn't know... Not at all, and it hurts...
Takan's eyes noticed the subtle motion of hammering shifting away from the instructions. "Treant?" He called, snapping her from her thoughts.
"..." she refocused and continued to work. Her hammering resumed back to the way it was before, holding onto the iron and slamming it onto the areas of the katana while she continued to listen to the instructions given. "..." Yet, she felt some pain. Emotional pain she never knew. Why it was there? Why did she try to hurt...
"Ubis..." she whispered with a hint of venom about this irrational anger. She never knew but Ubis must be the reason for this pain. Yet, why? She didn't know. These empty holes in her memories didn't help either; due to erasure of the deceased. Maybe there was a link to it...
She continued to temper the katana until it was done. She looked at its handiwork... The blade reflected well from the surroundings it could face, the blunt side is smoothened well and the sharp side is more precise at the center... She turned the katana around a few times... no chips, cracks, deformations present...
She presented the tempered katana to Takan. "Hmm...Good job, Gaian." he complimented and pat her head. Treant was silent as he rubs the top of her head, before she has a pleased mumble come out of her maw. "Sensei..." she whispered, Claire realized how she smiled while she did. She hadn't saw her smile since that day. If only she could continue to have reasons to smile once in a while...
...Forgetting the dead. Now that she thought about it, Claire felt some gap around with her memories. It was because of that that she enjoyed battles. Battles were what thrilled her, not just because she can save lives.
It always put her at the direct edges, like how she remembered vaguely when she was a child before being found. Alone, fended for herself, constantly reaching dire states of stamina which she was able to fight and continue on...
She had the feeling that someone was supposed to come for her, but they never came.
Claire shook her head mentally, the past has already happened, what's done is already done. Yet, why do they feel so hollow? Missing pieces left to be unfound for eternity, unable to complete the puzzles they belong to...
Claire looked at the new gunblade she held. The blade was made of a stronger metal for sure, there was a black shine to it. It was just a base material created to have properties akin to more material Pokémon, but it couldn't be exactly perfect.
Lusiane also checked her own. Her chakrams used in the session are melded from reinforced metals, given a gold shine around the surface of the rings. There are still the handles which she had already trained well to catch them from those areas.
So far, they were well-equipped all thanks to Treant's skills in smithing. An art for battle and...will their lives be like this? As the soldiers they were perceived by the outside world to be? Only able to respond to the call of combat against threats and nothing else? And moving on from casualties without any care in the world? Perfect machines. Machines that don't question what was done. Machine that repeatedly kill to protect. Machines that honed its skills through repetitive training.
August 17th, 2020
9:30 a.m.
Training Grounds
Luigi... Why? Why would he betray them? The event that had him cut off Arubo's fur on his mouth. If it was an inch closer, he would had killed him. Iggy looked at a training dummy he had his hands resting onto after he has paused from hitting it once again. His mind was still plauged by that day... He didn't understand why he would do this...
He wondered, does Luigi know what has happened to Fran?
Iggy breathed out, looking back at the dummy and he brings his arms back in front of him, but lets out a loud breath and he lowers them again. A punch to the face should bring him back. He told himself before. He brought a fist back up, clenching onto it tightly. But where should he start... no one was able to detect his whereabouts afterwards...
No... This... wasn't the time to wander off...
Iggy yells out, bringing his fist back and lunging forward with it directed at the dummy's head. The fist connected with the dummy's head, and it was snapped off from the body... Too strong.
Iggy bit his lip as he watched the head fall from its descent down onto the floor, hearing gunfire. He looks over at Sunai firing with a single hand holding onto his bayonet while his other hand held onto a ledge from a wall. Strange, he wasn't wearing anything at the top. Including the natural bodysuit his species had. The weather wasn't hot at all for they were located somewhere cold. But with all the training they have here, they had already grown accustomed to the chilling environments...
Sunai was definitely a sight. Despite his slim and slender body... He was quite built for that build, having visible four-packs. Though it wasn't as defined as Luigi's, it was still there. The chameleon marksman could tell the look towards his current appearance.
He turned to look at Iggy from where he was. "Yes? Is anything the matter?"
"Nothing..." Iggy answered. "But...I feel like I've been doing the same thing over and over again autonomously after seeing Luigi."
"It is to be expected; with what Arubo told us, there's no knowing what strengths did Luigi gain during that period. And including breaking the Frostforge that Arubo managed to obtain..."
Sunai climbed down the wall to the ground and turned to Iggy. "...I've seen your state for the past few days after that. You're conflicted." Iggy fell silent. "I've already given my answer on that day, and I intend to keep it. But should the worst case happen... You can't allow him to exploit any weaknesses, it's definitely lead more to just your downfall." Sunai continues.
"I know but...What should I do?" Iggy asked. "I...I need more power if I can help him."
"..." Sunai folded his arms. There wasn't much they could do other than train... Something else like something granting them strength...
...Why was that thought familiar?
"Sunai?" Iggy wondered.
"Hm?" Sunai looked at the Infernape. "I was thinking about something... but I cannot confirm right away." He frowned slightly at the thought.
"Sense of déjà vu?" Iggy guessed.
"Possibly."
Iggy looked at his hands, then at the poster of a bird based on some therapy sessions of some members. What they wrote and posted by some members to see if any members know how it looked. So far, blanks were all given... But each remarked that they felt as if they have seen that bird before...
They tend to call it the Vermillion Bird. Brilliant red feathers, to describe... the shape wasn't entirely known, but... They felt as if there was some burning sensation about it... igniting something within them... But most tend to be crude, like childish drawings. The description may not be accurate.
However, because of that exploration the other day. The one they've found with Swamp.
There was a more accurate form, description, information about the Vermillion Bird. "And its chosen l'Cie..." Iggy muttered. Those are the ones whom are given the blessings of the Vermillion Bird, given power beyond their natural capabilities...
...
...But they were also heard to lose all their own free will, and given a task to complete... Should they fail, they will morph into monsters where their old shell is gone. Iggy wondered, will the power be worth the loss of self? To discard your own mortality... is not an easy decision despite how it sounds simple.
A risk but that power would be enough? He didn't know but his head was starting to hurt from too much thinking. Sunai looked at him. "I don't know..." Iggy muttered. "Will it be like forgetting? Becoming a monster means forgetting one's self? Not in the same sense we have."
"...None of us have ever become a I'Cie, so there is no proper answer here. I'd suggest putting the thoughts aside for later." Sunai suggests.
"Even then...It is a choice unlike this." Iggy felt his chest.
"..." Sunai looked at his left hand.
"...Sorry, I am talking my way. The events made me think too much things. Now I know how you feel when you talk."
"That could be a laugh for another time." Sunai turns to the side as he hears the doors of the Training Grounds open. "...And you can put that aside right now."
Claire headed over to Iggy, greeting the both of them.
"Oh...Hey, Claire. Iggy greeted.
"Iggy, we're going on a mission together." Claire tells him. "It's mostly Dulled slaying." She looked at them again. "Training?"
"I was..." Iggy told her. "But sure, I wanted to clear my mind off something to know my answer."
"Hm? Okay then?" Claire nods. "I'll be waiting." She turns around to leave the Training Grounds, the doors opening in front of her and she sees Brandt startled with a jump from the other side, in training gear as well.
"Cuh-Claire!" Brandt yelps.
"Brandt?" Claire wonders. "Training too?"
"..." Brandt began to blubber incoherent words, earning a raised 'brow' from Claire.
"...Weird." she mumbles and passed by him still standing at the door.
"..." After some time, Brandt finally walks into the Training Grounds.
"What's with you?" Iggy asks. "..." Brandt continued to focus looking downwards. He couldn't bother explaining at all... Sunai sighs.
"Alright then..." Iggy sighed. "Guess I'll be joining Claire now. See you two."
"...Sure..." Brandt mumbles while Sunai nods. Iggy left, ready to prepare for the mission while some noises of a small thump, Sunai felt the ground shake slightly, and a girl screaming can be heard nearby. He turned to see Brandt jumping lightly with his feet thumping onto the ground, biting his maw and letting out a strained scream from there.
Sunai just continued his training. He breathed in a composed manner and he pulled the trigger.
"One of the timelines branched by the Spiral. I am part of one of many, why chose this particular timeline?"
"Take a look...A force beyond that realm..."
"...Are you sure it is safe to be here? If End of the Era activates...You'll be extinguished. Doesn't matter if you're a God or force of nature, if you're not of Dimension then..."
"...It is harder... for the one whom turns the Cycle. Not even those of Dimension... can alter the Cycle..."
"Then...Why can't you choose someone else? I am but an Incomplete Phoenix...Is...that...Smeeth?"
"...No... The force beyond the realm... is contained there."
"...Guess she didn't need to hurt herself even more. Okay, let's go...Before the Spiral's Core finds you."
"...Flame of Hope..."
"I am but a Flame of Rebirth but...This flame shall reignite it when the time comes... Very well."
August 17th, 2020
12:00 p.m
Mt. Mortar
Mt. Mortar, the mountain that separated Mahogany Town and Ecruteak City. It was known infamously for being a maze itself that bewilders travellers who enter the cavern of the mountain. Iggy walked with Claire beside him. The blue reptilian looked around their surroundings, hearing the crash of the grand waterfall a distance away. "So, for this mission... is just to search for that flame?" Claire asks.
"Yeah." Iggy replies. "It isn't a place where fire just produces out of nowhere." He looks upwards. "The place is damp, it isn't a natural habitat for a fire producer."
"Yeah." Claire agreed.
They continued onward and saw two paths. "Split up?" Iggy turns to Claire. He looks back at one. "Looks like that one handles more rugged climbing. I'll take that one."
"I'll take this spot then." Claire agreed. Iggy sighed of how mechanical Claire was as she went down one path. She didn't mind at all... Well, she'd know to call the comms when something is up. Iggy looked at the path he selected and headed into there.
It was quite uneventful. No Dulled spotted. Just him and the darkness lit by his flames. He looked at the rugged ledges and walls he could see as he came to a stop, flicking his hands. Iggy jumped up and got a good grip onto the spacing before he started to scale the walls expertly. It was no problem for he was a monkey, climbing was their expertise. He continued to do so until he had reached the very top.
"Hmm..." He surveyed the darker top of the land he is at now... rocks, rocks... and more rocks. It didn't seem anything was of notice yet... he should check in deeper, if able. Another uneventful trek... This silence was killing him with the thoughts of Luigi. 'Why? Could he be here? What should I do?' Many other than the common ran through his mind.
Seems you've come.
"Huh?"
I have been expecting you, go onward.
Iggy looked around, who was that? He didn't know but he had to continue. He had no other choice. Maybe, this was the mission. Iggy kept his wits on as he walks forward, he had to be careful... Whoever that was, he needed to find out. That was when his Dynacrystal felt something. The way his Dynacrystal reacted when meeting a powerful force. The closer he got, the stronger it becomes. He looked back at his chest, feeling the energy intensify around it. It was usually uncommon... It felt the same as when he met Luigi recently but this power was much stronger. Unlike Luigi's case, this was much controlled. Just who was he about to meet?
He continued to walk until he arrived at what he assumes is the meeting area. Fire was lit before him. That was when he finally calculated the overall power of the one he seeks. He could feel the wary tension surging through his entire flesh, grunted as he could feel the reactive force of his own Dynacrystal. What kind of power was this? It must be from the Legendary Bird from the rainbow. The one who embodied rebirth.
The flame floats and waves about from its' spot, unmoving. "..." Iggy eyes the flame, he had to decide what to do should it be... aggressive.
Hmm...I think I should take the form I should be like. Even if the Observer would see that something is wrong. Form?
The flames dispersed and a figure from within touched down to the ground softly. Their cloak blew along the wind created by the pull of gravity.
Iggy instinctively took a step back, getting into a combat-ready stance. The figure had the face of an avian with yellow eyes with blue sclerae. He had light orange feathers, two crests, and a long cream hair. He had three-clawed talons for hands and his feet was stump with three claws from beneath. A... Blaziken? And with the longer hair... a male.
"...Who are you?" Iggy questions.
He wore a simple red vest and a yellow sleeveless shirt underneath. Around his neck was a scarf that had went through many battles and red pants that ended over shoes fitted for his species with the claws sticking out. This look...It showed that he faced many battles. Triumphed over them. This power his Dynacrystal sensed... .It felt like... a might ready to take on an entire army.
But... that isn't possible... No matter the power, every being has their own limitations...
"Seems it has gotten to you." the Blaziken read his face. "I know, you wanted this power. To use this power to save your friend. Is that correct?"
Iggy looked. How did he...? No, how does he... He found his mouth speaking before he realized. "You know Luigi!?"
"They showed me." the Blaziken told him. "He looked so much like Smeeth...Smeeth Duonter at his early days."
"Who did? Who is Smeeth...?"
"I do not know, they were a bird, not like any Pokèmon nor Shed I've seen," the Blaziken answered. "For the second question, he is a Garchomp. Versed in several weaponry and magic."
"...A Shed? What is that? And a bird? No, how is that even..."
"Oh, sorry, forgot this isn't Dimension..." the Blaziken chuckled. How can he so laid-back? "I forgot you were facing its weaker form, the Dulled. For that bird, they never gave me a name. They just wanted me to help."
"What...?" Iggy was lost with all these information coming onto him in just those minutes... What were they even talking about? There are stronger forms of the Dulled? Those were already a problem as it is... and what is this Dimension? So there are places beyond here? "What do you mean, Dimension?"
"I am not from this dimension." the Blaziken answered. "This dimension where you are is called Fidem. I am from the dimension called Dimension. I know, the Observer is kind of an idiot to name something he created like that. Besides, I've been told that it's been like that for a while now. A friend of yours realized it sooner than any of you. He didn't tell you yet." 'Been like that for a while now?' What did he mean by that? He doesn't make any sense.
"Come on, it isn't that hard." the Blaziken sighed. "That ignorant friend figured it out faster than the smartest could. He told you about them all the time. Were you even listening?"
Iggy stared, what was he talking about? He wanted to question some more. But the Blaziken felt some pull. He sighed.
"Oops, the Spiral sensed me." the Blaziken muttered. "Anyways, this power. It is more of a curse. Sure, you have the power to defeat armies but...It throws away the very being that makes you, you. The power I got. The power of reincarnation. I may comeback in a few centuries but...am I still me?" He turned to Iggy. "Are there people you love? If so, will you throw them away just for this?"
Iggy looked at his hands and that day. After Luigi...He wanted power. Power to return him back. However...He felt thought of his friends. How he treated them the days after that incident until now...
"Are you sick of it?" The Blaziken asked. "Living as a machine?"
Iggy kept looking at his hands while they gripped air... he had kept on focusing on getting stronger... But... it all felt as if it was... instinctual... Autonomous. Like he was preparing for something. He felt he had done it before. It...it was hurting him.
"...I..." Iggy mumbles. "...I feel... I'm not a machine... But I..."
"If that is your answer, once that bird flies down, convince your friends not to accept its offer." the Blaziken replied. "No matter what, convince them not to accept it. You will be weak, but it is how all should be." The Blaziken held his chest. "Not to become a monster...Like me, and my friends."
"...What?" Iggy looked at the Blaziken. He shut an eye as he felt his Dynacrystal emerge through his flesh behind his shirt, the glow passing through the linen.
The Blaziken then closed his and a bird shrieked. Iggy felt it...The power of Rebirth. Of change. Of breaking out of the binds. He felt...Hope... A few moments later, the Blaziken moved back and placed his hands on his hips.
"You may only use that if you have the will to reignite hope," he told him. "Why you should live...No, why everyone should live and not end. Just a reminder, you can only use it once. Just once. It is the flame that shall purge the darkness of the end. It has gone long enough." But how will he know when is that moment...? "The flame will be the one to reignite hope."
Iggy looked back at the Blaziken. He begins to see him start to spark fire, which the avian notices.
"Flame of Hope... Bearer of Hope. If one were to find hope against the world's darkness, it shall activate. For now, remember not to accept the offer a force shall give you. An offer that would turn you into a monster. But this...Is just a guide. The thing to help."
Iggy looked as the flames intensify, noticing that the body began to become transparent. He watched as the unknown Blaziken began to depart from the caverns.
"...You're not... a monster. Don't listen... to what they say: You're... a living being." Those words came out of Iggy's mouth.
The Blaziken stopped for a while. He turned to him and smiled.
"Thanks..." he simply said. "I think...We'll see each other again, friend." He then continued his way, his figure disappearing to the corner. Iggy can no longer feel his presence. He stares for a while before he hears a call, his comm? He picked up the call. "Claire?"
He heard her sigh when he answers. "Nothing here," she sighed. "I've reached a dead end."
"Oh... Well... Claire? I've got a bit of a story..."
"Let's hear it on the way back."
"Alright." Iggy nods and ends the call.
"...In simple terms?" Claire sighed. "Why do you mean? Can't you stop speaking like old people?"
"I mean what I said, Claire." Iggy tells her. "That flame... well, otherworldly Pokémon is telling us not to accept power from a being we're to meet. I don't even understand some myself, but..."
"I wonder what it was too..." Claire told him. "Sheds...Is there really something more powerful than Dulled?"
"I don't know... I don't really like the thoughts of that." The two continued their way to the airship, looking at the sky about what was to come. "...Say... the flame also said about... someone realizing something we don't know of yet."
"You mean the one called Smeeth?" Claire wondered. "Hints about being Luigi's father?"
"I don't know of someone like that, but... an ignorant friend who figured out something, and told us all the time... how is that possible?"
"I do not know." Claire wondered. "Ignorant friend...Who is that?"
"It has to be someone we know... at least that much can be said." The two nodded. They didn't know who they were but it seemed should be able to know the answers if they know who they were...
August 17th, 2020
2:00 p.m.
Cafeteria
"Ya'ow, Guy!" Gray exclaimed over the icicle snots over his burger. "I waited for this long!"
"Ahaha~" Guy laughs. "Come fresh from the freezer~..."
"You sneezed!"
"Oh, I did~?"
"You just did a while ago!"
"Ahaha, I'll get another one, Bro~..." Guy left, taking the burger with him to dispose and then order a new one.
Gray huffed and he put his arms onto the table again... "Had to wait again..." he grumbled and his stomach rumbled.
Guy walked silently. He felt someone talk about him yet it was ignored. The things he spoke, did they believe him? That they... have been doing many of the things, their work... repeatedly?
He slows down on his walk and touched his left ear.
...
Blood. Blood all around. His own guts out from the punctured wound by the spike. A hand missing, blood leaking out. He even wondered how he survived that. He blinked, and he was as he was before...
He sighed and began to order a new burger.
Chapter 23 Concluded
A.N. I've decided to give one week after release of the chapter for the QA session. Send in the questions you would like, remember the guidelines!