Chapter 4: A Grave Situation
"KRRYYAAH!"
Eli's blood ran cold as the creature lunged for him with its tendril-like arm. He sat on the ground, unable to move out of the way or even hear his own thoughts as the pitch-black abomination reached out for him.
"Why can't I move?! Come on! Get up and move!" he screamed internally.
He had a feeling that this was it— he was going to die right then and there in a dusty old graveyard at night after having a fight with one of the Pokémon he respected most. He would never get to tell Lara how he truly felt about her, nor would he get to take her on their date or have his first kiss with her. Thoughts of those he loved and respected whipped through his mind in a flash, filling him with a sense of warmth and comfort. During what he believed to be his final moments, his fear gradually started to subside.
"Maybe I can fight it off… Maybe its not so tough after all…" he thought, unable to cope with the fact that his life was about to end. Unfortunately for him, his mind sprang into motion a little too late. All he could find the strength to do was shut his eyes and brace himself.
THOOM… A few tense seconds passed. He felt his fur get blown back as the full force of the creature's attack was thrown towards him, but for some reason it didn't connect. Unsure of what was going on, Eli cautiously opened one eye and gasped at what he saw. As he expected, the creature had its arm outstretched towards him, the tips of its claw a mere foot or two away from his face. It was poised to grab him, but was instead suspended in motion as a soft blue glow surrounded it. He couldn't quite process what was going on as just moments before, he had believed that he was going to die.
"ELI!" a familiar voice shouted from nearby, rousing the Riolu from his shaken daze. He looked to his left and saw Miron standing amongst the gravestones, with both of his arms outstretched from beneath his black cloak as a blue glow similar to the one that held the shadow beast's arm surrounded him as well.
"What are you waiting for, Eli?! Get out of here and alert the guards back at the temple!" the psychic-fighting Pokémon shouted at him, grunting as he poured everything he had into holding the creature back with telekinesis. Eli scrambled to his feet and began to step backwards, not taking his widened eyes off of the barely-restrained monstrosity. "Stop gawking and go! I can only hold it for so long!" the Medicham yelled as beads of sweat started to drip down his face.
The Riolu looked over to Miron for a moment before finally jumping to his feet and sprinting back through the center of the graveyard and towards the temple. It was a straight run, but he had a considerably long way to go until he reached the northern gate. As he ran, he began to worry about the Medicham as he kept the creature busy. He was aware that telekinesis was notoriously draining and difficult to maintain even for a psychic-type, as it could be considered one of their most powerful techniques. He hoped that his friend would size up the situation and make the right call to retreat if need be.
The creature hissed as it fought against the Medicham's psychic vise that had ensnared its body and managed to raise its other arm to attack. Miron knew that his hold on the creature was strained enough as it was and that an attack from close range would cause him to lose his grip anyway, so he released his telekinesis and did his best to dodge the imminent strike. It roared as its claw slammed into the ground mere seconds after Miron jumped out of the way, sending dust and debris flying up around the point of impact. Despite his dodge, the creature seemed to know exactly where he was as its head whipped towards him, its gleaming white eyes shining through the thin cover of dust it had thrown into the air. It snarled and swiped once more at him through the dust, but the Medicham was quick enough on his feet that he was able to dodge again. Even though he had successfully avoided those two attacks, the psychic-fighting Pokémon was still panting and sweating as he tried to recover from his gratuitous but necessary use of psychic energy.
The dust cloud cleared up as the shadow-beast emerged from it, glaring and growling menacingly at the Medicham as he stood firm, ready to carry on the fight despite his rapidly depleting stamina.
In the meantime, Eli had managed to run about halfway through the graveyard while Miron occupied the shadowy brute. "This is crazy! I have to warn the guards at the temple! We can't let these things hurt anyone else like last time…" he thought as he continued to run, keeping his sights trained on that white wall of salvation ahead of him. In his peripheral vision, he noticed a dark and wispy presence weaving between the gravestones on the side of the path.
He looked ahead and felt his heart drop into his stomach as a swarm of shadow-beings spilled out from between the gravestones and onto the path, cutting him off from his means of escape. There was no doubt they were related to the larger monstrosity he had just escaped from, as they appeared to be made of the same exact black substance and had a vaguely similar body type but were a lot smaller in comparison. Most actually seemed to be around his size, give or take a foot.
"Shit!" he growled in frustration as he came to a stop and glared angrily at the shadow creatures. His heart was pounding out of his chest and his adrenaline was at an all-time high as he frantically tried to decide whether to stand and fight or turn tail the other way. The entities had formed into a dense mob of thirty in front of him, all hissing and growling at the Riolu as they slowly advanced towards him. He figured that he might be able to fight some of them off, but he had his doubts since they vastly outnumbered him and he wasn't that great at battling in the first place. Even without sufficient battle experience, he knew that fighting these things would be vastly different than fighting another Pokémon.
"S-stay back! All of you! I'll fight all of you if I have to!" he growled in the deepest voice he could muster, his body shaking as he quickly and clumsily got into a battling position. He stood his ground as he did his best to keep an eye on all of the creatures at once, his head whipping into a different direction every few seconds as he stared aggressively back into the eyes of the shadowy horde. After running the numbers a bit more in his head, he realized that there was no way he was going to beat back enough of the creatures, and that if he fought them it was basically guaranteed that he would lose. Their predatory gazes didn't deter him from finding the resolve to at least defend himself if it was going to come to that. Speaking to the shadow beasts only seemed to agitate them as they started to shuffle around and prepare to attack. "You hear me?! GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he yelled as loud as he could, right before one of the creatures in front of him snarled and leapt towards him. Eli jumped backwards as the creature made its move, ready to counter at the right moment.
"Bone Rush!"
Eli heard a familiar voice shout as a dark blue light flew into his field of vision from behind, rapidly followed by a blue-furred figure that landed between him and the shadowy horde with a tremendous thud. The force of the impact compelled Eli to shield himself with his arms as dust and debris were blasted into the air. He put down his arms and saw a Lucario in a Guardian's tunic crouching there as he held a long, spear-like bone made of glowing blue Aura— its end embedded in the back of the creature that had just jumped towards him. He kept it pinned it to the ground with the end of the bone for a few moments as it writhed and moaned in distress, until its body morphed into a liquefied state and quickly slithered back into the mob.
Eli felt like collapsing in relief as he not only avoided the attack, but was also saved by the exact Pokémon he wanted to see on his side at that very moment. "Viggo! Am I glad to see you! I thought I was gonna have to fight all these things by myself!" he sighed.
Viggo pulled the bone of Aura out of the ground and flashily spun it a few times before brandishing it sideways at the horde of shadows before him. The horde of creatures seemed utterly transfixed by the bone of Aura, following it with their beady white eyes as if they were starving and the Lucario was tempting them with a plate of delicious food. The versatility of Aura never ceased to amaze Eli, as the blue life energy was also able to be drawn from one's body and tempered into a physical weapon as Viggo had just demonstrated.
"Yeah, don't mention it… Or question it," he murmured bitterly as he kept his eyes trained on their amorphous adversaries.
To Eli, that little jab felt like a punch to the gut, not unlike the one Lara had given him earlier. In comparison however, this one hurt much more. He swallowed without uttering a word, unsure of what to say in response. He wanted to turn back time and stop himself from saying what he did in the mausoleum— or at least say it differently, but that was impossible as far as he knew. Even then, he tried to shunt it from his thoughts as he knew that now was not the time or the place to work such things out. He was reminded of that fact when the creatures started to move in again, as simply coveting the Aura-crafted bone wasn't enough to satiate their hunger.
"At any rate, that's not the problem right now! The whole graveyard appears to be full of these things, and it looks like you, Miron and I are the only ones that know!" Viggo continued, presumably coming to the same conclusion that the Riolu had.
"Well uh, look on the bright side! Now that you're here, we might be able to take them together!" the Riolu suggested as he confidently got back into his fighting stance.
"Just shut up and stay back, Eli! There's no time for that and the two of us aren't exactly a match for all of them!" the Lucario remarked as the creatures started to advance on them again.
"Well that's inspiring, isn't it? And here I thought you were the greatest fighter in Auraciel!" Eli scoffed as he and Viggo took a few steps back.
"What part of shut up do you not get? I'm not exactly in the mood for your crap at the moment," Viggo grunted. "There's no point in fighting all of them right now. We need to get back and help out Miron. He's fighting that big one all by himself and he needs our support!" he explained.
"No wait, I've got an idea! How about you throw me over these shadow-freaks and I go get help at the temple like Miron wanted?" the Riolu suggested.
"Didn't you hear me before? These things are all over the place! You'll just get trapped and I'll have to come save you… Again!" Viggo retorted.
"Will not!"
"ELI!" Viggo yelled in annoyance.
"What?!"
"LISTEN TO MY PLAN!"
"Alright then… SO WHAT'S THE PLAN?!"
"WE RUN BACK ON THE COUNT OF—!"
"OKAY FINE LET'S RUN!" Eli shouted as he turned around and took off running back down the path.
Viggo's eye twitched as the Riolu ran off without a second thought, leaving him standing there while the creatures ganging up on him couldn't help but stare in confusion. He yelled in frustration and swung his Aura bone out in front of him, hitting a few of the beasts across their faces before turning and running after Eli. "IDIOT! We were supposed to run together!" he yelled. The second that Viggo started running, the entire horde of shadow beings charged after him, growling and hissing as they tried to catch up to the fleeing fighting-types.
It didn't take long for Viggo to make pace with Eli, as his legs were nearly twice as long and his muscles were much better developed. Once he was running beside him, he gave the Riolu the dirtiest look he could. As they ran together, Eli stole a quick look back over his shoulder to see if the creatures were still following them. However, he didn't see any of them in pursuit which made it seem as if they had lost them.
"Hey Viggo! Did we give them the slip?" Eli asked as they continued to run.
"I doubt it! They're gonna try and surprise us, just you watch! Stay on guard!" Viggo replied.
Once they finally made it back to the section of the path where Miron was, they could see that the Medicham was visibly struggling to continue his fight. Again and again the shadow beast slammed its large claws into the ground, attempting to squash the psychic-fighting-type as he managed to dodge each and every strike. The ground around the two combatants was rife with pits and cracks created by the creature's incessant attacks, and there were even a few gravestones that had been shattered during the seemingly intense fight. From what they could see, Miron had his fair share of bruises, indicating that not all of his previous dodges had been successful.
The Medicham seemed to sense them as they arrived, and they could hear his telepathic voice echoing within their minds while they ran towards him. "Eli! Captain! Good to see you two safe! Though I'm going to be completely honest with you— I'm barely hanging on!" he told them, sending a wave of fear through their hearts. They could see that he was panting hard as he dodged yet another strike from the beast, and even his mental voice sounded exhausted. "I've used up too much of my stamina with my psychic powers… Even talking to you like this is draining the energy from me so I can't talk for much longer… None of my smaller attacks are doing any damage, so I'm going to have to give it everything I've got with one more big attack!"
Eli and Viggo tried to run even faster to reach him in time. "Hang in there, Miron! We're almost there!" the Lucario called out to him.
"I have faith in both of you…" Miron told them calmly as he stood his ground against the ghoulish monstrosity.
"I've had quite enough of you, Void!" he panted as he pointed to the shadow creature. Both Eli and Viggo were taken aback by their friend's resolve despite his fatigued state. They were even more surprised that the entity— known as a Void, briefly stopped its assault as their friend spoke to it. "You'd best prepare yourself… As long as I'm still able to fight, you won't be plundering the Aura of me or my friends," he stated calmly. "Do you hear me? You will not defile them!"
The Void simply growled back at him, letting out a vile hiss as it raised both of its claws and prepared to attack again.
"MIRON!" Viggo yelled as the void's claws came down upon him.
Suddenly, Miron's pupils glowed a bright blue as he brought his palms close together, manifesting a small, pink orb of psychic energy between them. He stood firm, even in the face of being crushed and maimed by the Void's claw. With one swift and graceful motion, he spread his arms out for a split second before clapping his hands back together, causing the pink orb he had conjured to burst.
"PSYSHOCK!"he shouted as a circular wave of pink, psychic energy exploded from between his hands. The Void that was about to crush him was blown backwards, grunting and hissing in anger as it crashed to the ground and rolled several times as what appeared to be pink bolts of electricity shot through its shadow-like body. Eli and Viggo were stopped in their tracks by Miron's Psyshock, and although they were out of its immediate range, they still had to brace themselves as their fur stood on end from its sheer potency.
Miron stood there for a moment after unleashing his attack, before dropping to his knees and collapsing on the ground. The Riolu and Lucario rushed over and kneeled down next to him as Viggo propped up his head.
"Damn it! He fainted!" he panted while Eli looked on, his face full of worry. "Looks like he really did use up the last of his energy in that attack..."
"We should get him to the mausoleum!" Eli exclaimed.
"Definitely…" the Lucario replied as he picked up the unconscious Miron and slung him over his shoulder. "Stay close to me and take the front. I'll be right behind you while I watch our backs," he ordered.
Eli's fur went stiff as he looked around and poked Viggo on his shoulder. "Um… Viggo?"
"What?"
"I think this is that surprise you were warning me about…" the Riolu gulped.
Viggo looked up and his heart dropped into his stomach. The horde of Voids they had escaped just a few minutes earlier had returned, and they were now surrounding their immediate area. "Yeah, I hate surprises…" he grumbled.
To make matters worse, the larger Void Miron had downed began to shakily stand back up. Its eyes were blazing red and its mouth was twisted into an odious snarl.
"Y-you've gotta be kidding me! Miron's attack didn't work… at all?!" Eli gasped.
"No… Look again!" Viggo observed.
The Lucario was correct, as upon further inspection, the Void was clearly missing its left arm. The severed appendage could be seen on the ground beside the creature, while the gash where it used to be was now crackling with pink electricity. Then, something truly peculiar happened right before their eyes as the arm began to morph into three smaller Voids.
"What the—?!" Eli gasped as the three shadow-beings stood up and ran back to the larger Void before they melded back into its body. Within moments, the black matter that made up the Void's body spouted like blood from its fresh wound and reformed its left arm. "Ugh… I think I'm gonna be sick…" the Riolu groaned.
"Figures!" Viggo scoffed. "Well come on then! We can't just stand around!" he yelled as he and Eli started to run towards the mausoleum. The large Void howled as it and the smaller ones shambled after them.
After making a mad dash through the rows of gravestones, they found themselves back in front of the mausoleum with the horde of Voids not far behind. Viggo ran up the stairs with Miron still over his shoulder and set him down just inside, leaning him up against a column as he crouched down and gave him one more look.
"Seems like he's stable for now, but he's probably not going to recover for at least a few hours…" the Lucario thought as he placed his paw on the Medicham's forehead, the soft blue glow of the shrine from deeper within the room illuminating both of them. "We'll hold out for as long as we can. We won't go down without a fight!"
"Viggo! Get out here!" he heard Eli call. He stood back up and rushed to the entrance of the building where the Riolu was standing. There, he was greeted by the sight of thirty small Voids as well as the bigger one stalking towards the mausoleum. "S-so… Any bright ideas?" Eli asked.
The Lucario might have been the captain of the Auracle Guardian, but he wasn't a super-soldier by any means. He was strong, but not overly so. He was a decent strategist and was good at giving out and executing orders, but he wasn't a master tactician. The situation was dire even when Miron was still fighting alongside them, and now that he had fainted, their odds were looking even dimmer. Time was running out as he racked his brain to find an inkling of an idea he could employ to at least give him and the little Riolu beside him a fighting chance.
Eli was also looking out at the approaching horde of Voids as images of the unblinking eyes of the lifeless animals the Void had dropped at its feet flashed in his mind. He glanced back to Miron's unconscious form, and then behind him to the shrine where the last remaining fragments of Aura belonging to Audrey and several other Pokémon were memorialized. He realized that it wasn't just his', Viggo's, or Miron's lives at stake anymore. The very memories of those that had been lost were in jeopardy as well, and that was not something that sat well with him.
He didn't know that much about Voids on account of only tangling with them once before— and that was several years ago. However, he knew that if they bested him and Viggo and made it inside of the mausoleum, the Aura at the shrine would be stolen by them as well. It was no secret that Eli was known for being selfish, somewhat reckless, and stubborn to a fault. That being said, those familiar with him often found that what he wanted didn't always revolve around enriching himself or accomplishing his own personal goals. Sometimes, what he wanted was a bit harder to pin down and didn't always make perfect sense…
"Got a plan yet, Viggo?" the Riolu asked.
"I'm working on one," he responded as Eli simply stood there and watched the approaching monstrosities. "Look… I'm not gonna sugar-coat it for you, kid. We're in a really tough spot. I'd say our chances of making it out of this mess alive or with our Aura is a thousand to one," he told him as he bit his lower lip.
"You don't say?"
Viggo looked over at Eli and was surprised to see him assume a fighting stance— albeit a bit clumsily, as expected. "What? Do you have an idea?" he asked him.
"Not really…" the Riolu replied as he looked up at Viggo. "I don't know if we'll make it out of this alive or what… But what I do know is that as long as I'm still standing, these bastards aren't going to touch Audrey's Aura. I owe that much to her," he said with a determined spark in his eye.
Viggo was taken aback by the conviction Eli spoke with. He had expected him to start panicking or even retreat, but there he stood— ready to go down fighting in the name of a dear, deceased friend. Perhaps witnessing Miron's resolve a few minutes before had inspired him.
"Well I have to say it seems like your attitude is improving. Let's put our differences aside for now and just focus on getting out of this mess…" Viggo stated as Eli nodded back to him.
Just then, he thought of something he had noticed during all of the chaos. He remembered that the Voids were almost mesmerized by the bone of Aura created by his Bone Rush attack when he used it before. From this simple observation he was able to formulate an idea he hoped would at least buy them some time.
"Eli, I have a plan to keep the smaller Voids away for a bit. You stay here and watch Miron, I shouldn't be long!" the Lucario told him as he jumped off of the stairs and ran to the right. As Eli tilted his head to the side to see what Viggo was up to, he saw him run up near the advancing ring of Voids as a blue glow emanated from between his paws.
"Bone Rush!"
At first Eli thought he was going to try attacking them, but he was surprised to see that wasn't the case at all. Instead, the moment the Lucario conjured his glowing bone of Aura, he firmly planted it into the ground like a post. The Voids' eyes lit up as they spotted the bone in front of them, and those that saw it skittered over and began to devour it. He then ran to the left a few yards and did the same thing, creating another bone of Aura before sticking it in the ground. Just like before, the Voids closest to it were entranced by its blue glow and immediately made a beeline for it before clamoring around it and slowly but surely absorbing the Aura.
The Riolu could see exactly what Viggo was trying to do. Within thirty seconds, the Lucario was able to successfully create a curved line of Aura bones that formed a half-circle perimeter around the front of the mausoleum. It seemed to be doing its job pretty well, but it was obvious that the barrier was only a temporary one as the Voids continued to feast on the fragments of Viggo's own Aura, their ghoulish maws stretching wide open as they inhaled the blue life force while the bones gradually disintegrated. As Viggo returned to the front steps of the mausoleum, Eli could see that a good chunk of his life energy had been paid in order to create so many objects out of his Aura at once. He was panting hard and his movements were slower than before. While his Aura would be gradually replenished, time wasn't something they had on their side.
"Th-there… That should… Hold them off f-for a bit…" Viggo panted as he tried to give Eli a reassuring smile.
"Whoa, its actually working!" the Riolu commented as he watched the Voids slowly eating the Aura bones. "Nice one! I guess they didn't make you captain for nothing, eh?" he chuckled as he gave the Lucario a friendly bump on his arm.
"Thanks, but this is no time to be celebrating… They're eating through those bones faster than I thought, and to be honest I doubt the big one will be take the bait," he said.
Just then, they heard the big Void let out a chilling, hollow-sounding moan as it stood up from behind the crowd of smaller Voids as if to see what all of the fuss was about. It looked around and saw the mob of Voids clamoring around the bones of Aura while the two fighting-type Pokémon stood defiant on the steps of the mausoleum just ahead. Its eyes flashed red and it roared as it lumbered towards its prey. It then dove into a four-legged charge, knocking the smaller Voids out of the way and smashing through several tombstones while running straight for the two fighting-types.
It roared again before it leapt into the air and raised its claws.
"Stay back and guard Miron! Let me handle this!" Viggo growled to Eli as he prepared himself for battle.
"What about you, though!? You're weakened! You're gonna need my h— AGH!" Eli tried to reply, but was interrupted as the Void landed.
The large Void came crashing down at the foot of the stairs, causing the ground to shake for a moment as dust erupted around it. Eli scurried back to the entrance of the mausoleum to take cover while Viggo stood still and shut his eyes as the appendages on the back of his head levitated slightly. He jumped to the left as the Void's claw whipped out of the dust cloud and tore a chunk out of the stairs right where he had been standing. The second his feet touched the stairs again, he suddenly launched directly into the dust cloud. This worried the Riolu since he could no longer keep track of Viggo, but thankfully he didn't have to wait long to see him again.
"Sky… UPPERCUT!" Eli heard him shout as a white flash of light exploded from the center of the dust cloud, followed by the Void flying backwards out of it. The shadowy beast landed a good fifty feet away from the dust cloud, and crashed to the ground on its side.
Eli whistled in awe as the dust finally settled, revealing Viggo standing staunchly with his right paw clenched in the air. "Hhgh… Well that's a start at least…" he scoffed as he lowered his paw. However, something caught his attention as he brought it back down. "Wh-what the-?!" he stammered as his face went flush. The paw he used in his attack had somehow gotten covered in a gooey, dark substance— exactly what the Voids were made out of. He tried to flex his digits, but it seemed as if they were glued shut. A thin layer of black smoke rose from the tar-like substance, and his arm suddenly began to feel heavier and number than usual. He attempted to rub it off using the left sleeve of his tunic, but it only spread there as well.
His thoughts were interrupted by the Void which chuckled deviously as it quickly stood back up. It looked up at him with a twisted grin as its eyes turned back to white.
"Wonderful…" Viggo panted irritably. "Now I… Dislike you twice as much as… I Did before…"
"GRRRAAAH!" the beast roared as it drew its claw back. The sharp claw rapidly reformed into a cluster of five wriggling tendrils before the Void swung its arm towards Viggo. The Lucario dodged to the side as the creature's bouquet of tendrils slammed into the ground next to him, and he jumped once more as the wiggling appendages whipped out towards him and barely missed his feet.
"Damn! I got so caught up in the moment that I overlooked one of the most annoying things about Voids, which is that they're made of a gunk that can stick to objects. If it gets stuck on a living thing it'll start burning up the Aura around the area it touches," he contemplated as he dodged yet another strike from the Void's writhing tendrils. "Lucky me! Now my entire arm is going to go numb, and my Aura still hasn't fully replenished after creating those bones for our fence. I need to find a way to finish this thing off fast!"
Meanwhile, Eli was watching the struggle from the entrance of the mausoleum as he gritted his teeth. He wanted to be out there helping Viggo so very badly, but he knew that it may only make things more complicated. He had already angered Viggo enough that night and he didn't want to screw things up even more. The last thing he wanted was to get someone else hurt because of his own lack of skill or power. He had already been through that once before, after all, and he wasn't eager to relive that experience…
"KRRRYAA!" the Void screamed at the Lucario as the cluster of tendrils on its hand stopped moving and formed together into an array of long, black spikes. Its eyes flashed red again as it roared and pointed its deadly-looking appendage directly at Viggo. All at once, the spikes rapidly extended and stabbed into the ground right at his feet. He jumped back again, panting as his arm now hung limply at his side. The numbing effect from the dark sludge was gradually adding up, and it wouldn't be long until it finally got the best of him unless he did something. His mind flashed back to how Miron used his Psyshock to sever one of its limbs, and he realized something that should've been obvious to him from that very moment.
"I remember now! This big one is made up of several smaller ones… I need to break it apart so Eli and I can have somewhat of a fighting chance!" he thought.
The Void's spikes extended out towards him again, forcing him to sidestep its latest attack. As he did this, the tip of one of the corner spikes barely managed to cut his limp arm through the sleeve of his tunic, drawing a fair amount of blood from the gash.
"VIGGO!" Eli yelled to him after seeing the blood trickle down his arm and onto the ground. However, instead of cry of pain or distress from the Lucario, what followed was complete silence as he stood firm and raised his still-working arm against the Void as it stared back at him.
"Not bad… You actually managed to hit me…" Viggo murmured as his green eyes glowed with an intense fervor. Eli definitely recognized that expression. That was the look Viggo had when he was about to go for absolute broke. "What does that make it now, one to one?"
The Void didn't seem to want to humor him as it retracted its spikes and growled at him before darting forward and slamming its other claw down towards him. Viggo dashed under its attack and leaped up towards its face with his functional paw clenched and glowing. "Two!" he shouted as his Sky Uppercut made contact with its ghoulish mug, a bright burst of white light punctuating its impact. The Void seemed to feel it just as much as his previous uppercut, as it recoiled in anger at being struck again.
"GRRAAH! HSSSSSS!" the Void hissed.
Once Viggo landed back on the ground, it was apparent that his left paw was now covered in the gooey, dark substance as well. He winced as he felt the numbing effects of the sludge immediately take hold of his paw, but he bit his lower lip and prepared to attack again. The Void didn't have much of a chance to counterattack as it was still reeling from the first punch, and Viggo was already leaping up towards its head with his right leg extended.
"Three!" he shouted, delivering a powerful Hi-Jump Kick directly to the Void's face, knocking it back a few more feet. As Eli watched, he could see that the creature's head was starting to twist and deform at an unnatural angle.
"RRRAAAGH!" the Void bellowed as it shook its head and got down all fours once more. As Viggo landed again, it seemed that his right leg also had some of the dark substance on it as well. His arms hung limp at his sides and his right leg wobbled and shook as the numbness set in. Despite his increasingly dwindling stamina and stunned limbs, the look in his eyes made it clear that he wasn't going to falter and was determined to fight until he could no longer stand.
Eli watched with bated breath as the shadow beast lunged forward, determined to end the Lucario whom so boldly stood against it. He wanted to have faith in his companion, but even the Riolu didn't know if Viggo truly still had the strength to continue.
"KRRRRYAAH!" the beast roared as it leapt off the ground and careened towards the Lucario that stood in its path.
The Captain of the Auracle Guardian continued to stand his ground even as the Void rushed towards him. His demeanor was calm and firm as he bent his left leg and stood on his numb right leg— a gutsy move to be sure. The Lucario was able to concentrate enough so that he didn't immediately fall on his bum leg, and was even able to spin his entire body clockwise as he stood on it. He made a quick rotation and unbent his left leg, extending it outwards for one final kick. His foot smashed against the Void's head as it flew right into the path of his kick, tearing it off the creature's body and sending it flying high into the air. The instant that its head was knocked off, the Void's entire body fell into pieces around Viggo. Eli watched in disgust as the pieces of its body morphed into smaller Voids that quickly scrambled to their feet and ran back into the horde while hissing and whimpering.
"And that's… Four…" Viggo murmured.
The Riolu's look of concern quickly turned to one of elation. "Hell yeah! Way to go, Viggo!" He cheered from the steps of the mausoleum.
"AaaaaaaaAAUUUGGGGH!" Both of their ears perked up as they heard the Void's head screaming as it plummeted back to the ground, where it landed not too far from Viggo. It then morphed into a smaller, independent one just like the others before writhing on the ground for a bit, moaning and groaning as tried to get its bearings.
Viggo began to limp towards the Void as his paws and feet were covered in the black, gooey substance. As the Void recovered from its beating and saw him approaching, it jumped to its feet and lunged for him. The unyielding Lucario continued moving forward and met its attack with a swift kick, knocking it back down onto the ground.
"Viggo! Be careful!" Eli called out to him.
"Bastards! No good… Disgusting… Little… BASTARDS!" the Lucario spat as he continued to beat back the Void's many attempts to strike him. After a few more clashes, Eli could see that Viggo was starting to waver while the Void was still as vicious as before despite its smaller size. And then, his breath got caught in his throat as he watched the Lucario stumble to the side, drop to his knees, and after a few tense moments fall to the ground.
"VIGGO! NO!" Eli shouted. He knew that he could no longer wait at the mausoleum for further orders, and that immediate action had to be taken. He reached to the side and ripped off a piece of Miron's black cloak to use as a makeshift bandage for Viggo's wound. He then ran down the stairs of the mausoleum and charged straight at the Void as it loomed over the Lucario's motionless form. The Riolu had now gone against Viggo's orders, but he had done so many times before so he didn't care. He needed to defend his friend right then and there, no matter the threat. "You may be down for the count, Viggo… But I still have energy left to fight!" he thought as he sprinted as fast as his short legs could carry him.
The Void placed its claw on the Lucario's back, presumably to absorb his Aura, but stopped and looked up as it heard footsteps rapidly approaching. It snarled as it spotted the Riolu rushing towards it, and got ready to strike him as he closed in.
In the few moments before clashing with the Void, Eli remembered from watching Viggo's fight with it that they were made up of a strange substance that was able to siphon off Aura from different parts of the body, resulting in a numbing effect. He quickly ripped off a sizable scrap of fabric from the piece of Miron's cloak he had taken and wrapped his right paw with it to protect himself against the sludge.
"GET OFF OF HIM!" Eli yelled as he charged the Void. He raised his cloth-covered paw towards the creature's face as a white glow surrounded it. "FORCE PALM!" he shouted, holding his wrist steady as his open paw connected with the Void's face. There was a loud bang just before a bright white flash erupted from his palm and the air distorted around the point of impact as the Void's face was violently blasted back, causing its entire body to fly backwards and flip over until it smashed into the ground several feet away. After it landed, it grotesquely and stiffly convulsed on its back as it hissed and growled in anger.
"Good… Got the paralysis on it…" he murmured while removing the cloth from his paw. His idea seemed to work because while there was indeed some gunk on his paw after striking the Void, it was only on the cloth it was wrapped in, which he easily discarded to the side. "Please be okay! Please be okay!" he pleaded as he got down on his knees turned him over so that he could inspect his front. As he did this, the Lucario stirred slightly and let out a weak moan.
"Hhhhggh… Bastards…" he muttered as his eyes flickered open. Once he looked up and saw the Riolu kneeling right next to him, a confused grimace found its way onto his muzzle. "Eli? What are you doing?" he asked, still sounding a bit staggered.
"I came to save you!" Eli replied proudly as he quickly wrapped Viggo's wounded arm with the cloth he had brought. He then tied it off with a tight knot so it would apply at least a bit of pressure to stop the bleeding.
"I… I don't need saving…" the Lucario protested weakly.
"Yeah right, jelly-legs! You can barely move! Those Aura bones of yours are gonna disappear any second now, and we only have a little time before the paralysis I put on that Void wears off," Eli explained as he stood back up and walked around to Viggo's legs. He bent down and grabbed his feet with both hands and started to pull him along the ground behind him. "Trust me, it'd be fun to rub it in that freak's face but we have to go!"
"What… What about Miron?"
"Oh he's fine! Don't worry about him. He's in the mausoleum right where I left him," the Riolu replied as he pulled him back towards the aforementioned building.
"So you just left him?"
"He's unconscious! He's not going anywhere anytime soon."
"Eli… You know how dangerous it is out here right now? It wasn't the smartest idea to come rushing out to me, was it?" the Lucario chided.
"Would you give the buzzkill routine a rest for a sec? I just saved your tail, didn't I?"
"I never said you didn't…"
"A thank-you would be much appreciated, el capitan."
"Right, right… Thanks, Eli…"
"Don't mention it! Also, I'm the captain now."
"Umm… What? Says who?"
"Says me! Your energy is almost completely drained thanks to that Void-gunk, but I've only used one attack so far. Between the two of us, who do you think is the most capable fighter right now?"
"Hmmm… Me?"
"Well… You're not totally wrong I guess… But at least I can still move!"
"Speaking of that gunk… I still have it on me, just in case you forgot…" the Lucario groaned. "You know, on my paws and feet… The parts of me you're touching?"
"Say what?" Eli stopped for a moment and looked down to see if he was truly touching the gunk-covered parts of Viggo's feet. Sure enough, he was. "Aw, son of a bitch!" the Riolu swore as he unceremoniously let go of his feet to take a look at his own paws, both of which now had the Void's gunk on them. He heard Viggo whine as his feet and legs dropped back onto the ground. "Whoops! Sorry, big guy…" the Riolu murmured as he picked him back up by his feet.
"Oh come on, Eli! Its always one step forward, two steps back with you!"
"Do you ever stop nagging? Look, we have bigger problems to—," Eli started to reply, but stopped as he caught a glimpse of the Aura bones dissipating. "…Worry about…"
Eli stopped in his tracks as he looked around and witnessed Viggo's Aura-bones dissolving as the last of their energy was absorbed by the horde of Voids that had been lured over to them. Once they were completely gone, the Voids turned their attention to the pair of fighting-types and immediately began to stalk towards them. The half-circle that Viggo had carved out using the bones of Aura was already closing in along with their chances of survival.
"Shit! Let's leg it!" Eli whimpered in fear as he tried to pull Viggo as quickly as he could.
"Ow! OW! My head isn't numb, don't be so rough!" the Lucario barked.
Suddenly, Eli and Viggo heard a few Voids cry out in distress as something seemed to be happening. All of a sudden, there was a great uproar among the swarm of shadow-beasts as what appeared to be bursts of electricity and psychic energy erupted near the northern perimeter of the horde. It seemed to come out of nowhere as even most of the Voids were compelled to look up and over towards the forest to see what was going on. Despite the sudden commotion, Eli continued to pull Viggo towards the mausoleum, but the Lucario was facing away from him so he was somewhat able to see what was going on.
The horde's attention quickly turned towards the forest north of the graveyard as the bushes at its edge started to rustle. From out of the dense foliage came several Pokémon, all wearing Guardian tunics and shouting battle cries. They were quite varied in type and species, including Manectric, Poliwrath, Medicham, and Lucario, but it was clear that they were all Auracle Guardians. They kept emerging from the woods until they numbered twenty strong and stood before the thirty or so Voids.
"The… The Guardians!" Viggo gasped as he turned to his side and tried to dig in with his elbow as Eli continued to pull him along. "ELI! Slow down for a moment! It's the Guardians! They need to know we're here!" he told him.
Eli looked back to Viggo for a moment, who pointed towards the group of newly-arrived Pokémon— all of whom wore Guardian attire. "That's great and all, but we need to get you to safety!" the Riolu responded as he continued to drag Viggo behind him.
"N-no! Eli, wait! I'm their captain! They need me out there!" the Lucario protested.
"One, you can barely stand! Two, my paws are starting to go numb. And three, have you already forgotten? I'M the captain!" Eli retorted.
Meanwhile, the Guardians were quickly advancing on the horde of Voids.
"They're right at Auraciel's doorstep! Flush them out!" one of them yelled.
"Drive them back from the temple! Don't let a single one get through!" another shouted.
The Voids recoiled slightly and hissed at the assembly of Guardians as they arrived, but after a few moments they had regrouped and were ready to face off against them. "HSSSSS! SSSSHAAA!" they snarled before charging the Guardians.
While the Voids attacked with what appeared to be concentrated savagery, the Guardians on the other hand spread out and immediately began to flank the horde. A Poliwrath met two Voids at once and blasted them with a powerful stream of boiling hot water fired from his mouth— an attack known as Scald. A particular Manectric was making dodging the shadow creatures' attacks seem like a walk in the park, disorienting several of them and leading them into a circle before unleashing a devastating electric pulse attack known as Discharge, shocking all of them at the same time. A Lucario found herself being rushed by four Voids at once, but instead of running she stood firm and whirled her fists in a circular motion, resulting in a vacuum-like wave that she then hurled towards her attackers. The Voids were buffeted by the intense whirlwind— an attack known as Vacuum Wave, and were thrown into different directions as the Lucario prepared to fight more.
While the Guardians fought on, they were making a concerted effort to push the shadow creatures back towards the forest. It was clear that no matter how many attacks they threw at them, the Voids would always come back kicking. They understood that their best course of action was to simply drive them back from the temple and defend it from there.
As Eli persisted with pulling Viggo to the mausoleum, the Lucario started to speak again. "Eli! Look!" he grunted as he pointed behind him.
"Oh what is it now, ya big baby?" Eli asked, sounding a bit annoyed. However, once he looked behind him, his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. Stumbling after them was the very same Void that him and Viggo had delivered a beating to. It was stiffly shambling along as it glared at them with its glowing red eyes, its body still convulsing every now and then from the paralysis that Eli had inflicted on it. It was obvious now that it had finally worn off, and that the Void had vengeance on its mind.
"Hhhhhssssss…" it hissed in a venomous tone.
"Give me a break! These things never quit!" Eli whimpered as he once again started to pick up speed.
"Oh wow, what a courageous captain!" Viggo groaned.
"Stuff it! Retreating is a legitimate strategy!" Eli replied.
"No need to run, kid!" someone yelled, causing Eli and Viggo to look around for the source of the voice. They quickly got their answer as a Guardian came running in from the side and stood between the two fighting-types and the Void. Eli stopped in his tracks and looked back to see a quadrupedal Pokémon with light yellow skin and a ring of tightly-curled leaves around her long neck, as well as a large leaf on a stem that grew out of her head. She also wore a white and black Guardian vest around the upper half of her torso. She was a Bayleef, a grass-type Pokémon.
"Looks like I made it just in time, eh captain~?" the Bayleef teased as she turned back around to face the Void.
"S-Sonia… Am I glad to see you!" Viggo sighed in relief. "What's going on out there? Where did these things come from?"
"I'll explain what happened in a minute, but first I have some business to take care of!" she replied as the Void began to charge towards her. She used her back legs to jump into the air as the leaves around her neck began to glow green and unfurl. "Razor Leaf!" she yelled as she pointed all four of her limbs as well as her head towards her enemy. As she did this, the leaves on her neck pointed towards the Void and shot off of her neck in a spinning pattern while new leaves rapidly began to grow in their place. The attacking shadow-being was instantly buffeted by the flurry of sharp leaves they sliced into it at numerous angles. The Void stopped its charge and recoiled, hissing at the Bayleef as she landed back on her feet. It stared her down and growled as it started to strafe to the side in an attempt to flank her. However, she kept her eyes trained on the beast and turned her body along with it so that it wouldn't get a chance to attack her side.
"You still haven't had enough? Alright then, how about this!?" she taunted as she jumped back. "Vine Whip!" she shouted as two long vines suddenly extended out of two of the leaves on her neck before they launched towards the Void and smacked it across its face. True to the move's name, the vines cracked like whips as their tips sliced across the creature's mug, sending it flying backwards until it tumbled along the ground. A bit of the black gunk got on the tips of her vines because of her attack, but she remedied this by bringing them up to her maw and biting the vine a below its tip. There was a moist crunch and a snap before the Bayleef calmly tore the tips off of both of her vines and spat them out to the side.
The Void slowly began to stand up again, but it seemed to be far less aggressive now. The shadow-beast glared and growled up at the Bayleef as well as the Riolu and Lucario right behind her. As the cheers of Guardians and the shrieks of Voids could be heard nearby, the creature looked over to see its brethren rapidly retreating towards the woods. It then looked back at the trio of Pokémon and snarled venomously before scuttling away to join the others in retreat.
Eli, Viggo, and Sonia could see the horde of Voids running back into the forest as the Guardians whooped and hollered in victory at various points in the graveyard. It seemed as if the battle was finally over. The Lucario breathed another sigh of relief and smiled up at the Bayleef as Eli began to laugh.
"Wow! We actually managed to drive them back!" he chuckled as he dropped Viggo's legs on the ground before sitting down. "Er… Well, I guess you Guardians did at least…" he added sheepishly as he looked to Sonia. "Thanks a bunch for that by the way!"
"It was our pleasure!" Sonia cheerfully replied. "Any chance I get to show off and save the captain here is one I'll happily take~," she giggled teasingly towards Viggo.
"Mmmhhh… I think those chances are fewer and farther between than you're insinuating…" Viggo grumpily replied before his expression softened and he gave Sonia a little smirk. "Though I have to admit, the lot of you did come in at just the right moment! You all have truly shown your worth here tonight by defending the temple," he told her.
The Bayleef's cheeks burned a bright pink as she bashfully smiled and nodded back to him. "I… I'm glad you think so, Captain!"
"You heard that, Viggo~? She's glad you think so~!" Eli snickered as he leaned down next to the Lucario's face, which began to turn a bit red as well.
"Eli, I swear to Arceus…" he murmured crossly.
"And as for you, Eli…" the Bayleef stated, getting his attention as he sat back up. "I commend you for your bravery, and I give you my thanks for helping out our captain in his time of need," she told him graciously.
"Yeah, yeah don't worry about it. It wasn't that big of a deal or anything…" Eli replied smarmily. "What we really need is a way to get this Void-gunk off of us…" he added as he held his paws out.
"No worries! We've got just the thing back at the temple…" she replied with a smile.
"That's a relief! I'd hate to still have this stuff on my paws when I… Uh…" the Riolu began, but stopped himself before he said anything too vulgar in the presence of a female. "Okay, bad time to talk about that stuff… Change the subject! Change the subject!" he thought frantically.
"Uh… There's an unconscious Medicham in the mausoleum…" he stated suddenly.
Sonia simply blinked at him a few times before cocking her head to the side. "Is that like… A riddle or something?" she asked innocently.
"No no! I mean there's actually an unconscious Medicham in the mausoleum back there," Eli replied as he pointed back towards it. Sure, it was awkward but at least he seemed to change the subject.
The Bayleef gasped and looked towards the building as Eli pointed to it. "Wait, really? Oh no… You don't mean Miron, do you? Did he get mixed up in all of this as well?" she asked, visibly concerned.
"Fraid so…" Viggo replied as he also looked towards the mausoleum. "He fainted after greatly wounding one of the bigger, fused Voids. He's unconscious, yes, but its nothing too serious. He should be fine once he gets some rest," he explained.
"Oh! Well that's good to know," Sonia replied, sounding quite relieved.
"Yeah, the guy went out fighting like a badass! He definitely deserves a medal… or whatever you Guardians give out!" Eli commented before leaning down next to Viggo's face again. "Ribbons, trophies, kisses, whatever floats your boat, really!" he snickered.
"I swear, once I get the feeling in my limbs back I'm going to—," the Lucario growled, only for Eli to completely ignore his threat as he stood back up.
"Anyway, do you mind telling us what the hell was up with all of those Voids?" the Riolu asked softly. "I haven't seen anything like them in six years…"
"Yes, Sonia. A proper briefing is obviously in order, but just for now I need to get at least an idea of what we're dealing with here," Viggo explained. "What's going on out in the forest?"
The Bayleef said nothing for a moment as her smile disappeared and her eyes became distant.
"Sonia… Is it what I think it is?" the Lucario asked.
Sonia took a deep breath before letting it back out. "Alright, I'll tell you what we can confirm as of now…"
"I'm listening," Viggo responded curtly as Eli perked his ears up to listen as well.
"The presence of so many Voids in one location is undoubtedly a strong indicator of what we're dealing with, but on top of that several of our Guardians were able to confirm it from firsthand accounts. The situation is that we have a strong reason to believe that…" she explained anxiously.
Viggo's expression turned sour as Eli's face visibly darkened as well. They knew what she was about to say.
"…A mystery dungeon has appeared on Zephyr Island."
End of Chapter 4…
