I am horrible with fight scenes... I never know what to write. Tell me if I'm doing ok with this one, or if I need to make some changes and write future ones differently. Thanks!
Intruders! Trespassers! They did not belong here, walking so disrespectfully through Jak's home. An Eevee, so joyful and excited as he walked along, not even the least bit wary of his surroundings. The Riolu, marching through the Steam Cave as if she owned the place, staff lazily held in one hand with it resting against her shoulder. A weapon of all things! Not to mention those... things they wore around their necks like dressed up pets.
They were not true Pokémon, Jak thought. True Pokémon lived in the wild, fighting with only their moves to protect themselves and their territory. They were not coddled in those so-called "civilized" towns they were so fond of, modeled after the human societies they so admired.
We are not humans, nor are we their little pets! We are Pokémon, wild and free! Jak thought.
People such as these never failed to anger Jak. She was a real Pokémon, hatched in the wild and fighting every day for survival. Nothing had ever been given to her, not food, not water, not shelter. Jak had found the Steam Cave and, as one lone Charmander, scratched out her own territory and continually fought to protect it. Slowly, ever so slowly, she had expanded it until it encompassed the top eighth of the caves, taking down those who stood in her way. It wasn't much and it wasn't glamorous, but it was hers, then these interlopers, these explorers, came and thought they could walk right through and disregard it all.
So Jak followed them and waited for her chance. The Riolu, she led the way with an air of easy confidence. She was the alpha of the group. That made the Eevee, content to follow behind, the beta. Defeat the alpha and the beta would run.
It was not hard to remain unseen. The two barely paid any attention to their surroundings, and they were impossible to lose, making as much noise as they were. In dungeons, one should not draw attention to oneself with constant chattering, yet there they were, going on about visions and memory loss or some such nonesense.
Jak tried looping ahead then hid behind a large steam vent. The thick vapour would hide her from view, but she would be able to jump through when the time came, the scalding heat harmless against her Charmander skin.
She waited with only the hiss of escaping steam for company until she heard the group approach, now they had to find answers at Fogbound Lake. Fools. No one went up to the lake, not if they knew what was good for them. The Riolu was still in the lead, treading along and oblivious to danger. The moment she passed in front of the vent, Jak struck.
She jumped through the steam without warning and tackled the Riolu to the ground. Jak tried to bite, but the Riolu managed to bring her staff up in time and instead her teeth closed around wood, leaving deep toothmarks in the side of the shaft. Jak growled fiercely then used her sharp claws to scratch at her opponents unprotected stomach.
Suddenly, Jak was knocked off the Riolu with a tackle from Eevee. He stood in between the two, watching Jak carefully and waiting for the Rioly to recover and get up.
What?! The beta should have ran after Jak had taken the alpha down! She had proven herself superior! But of course, these were not true Pokémon, so they could not be expected to act normally or logically. So unpredictable explorers were, Jak was close to labeling them all as insane. Still, Jak was capable enough to take them both if she had to.
"BURN!" she yelled and a burst of flame erupted from her mouth.
The move ember couldn't travel far, but the pesky Eevee was close enough. The fire hurtled towards him only for the Riolu to dash in and push them both out of the way.
They were insane, both of them! Jak just couldn't understand the two of them, and that was making her mad. Why couldn't they act like normal, rational Pokémon instead of throwing themselves in the path of fire?
With a growl, Jak charged the Riolu. She would show them all what a true Pokémon was! The Riolu was back on her feet once more and whipped her staff around in a circle. It hit Jak in the chest but she snarled through the pain and managed to grab a hold of the weapon, her claws sinking deep into the wood.
There was a brief tug-of-war match between the two before the Eevee hit Jak with a sand attack. Bits of rock and dirt were sprayed in her face and she stumbled back, releasing the staff as her hands were thrown up to protect herself.
Jak managed to clear her eyes in time to see the Riolu bearing down on her, staff raised high to strike. The Charmander did the only thing she could do and released another spray of fire, this time aimed at the staff. The wood caught fire in an instant, quickly blackening and releasing an intense heat.
The staff still came down, taking Jak on the shoulder with a stinging crack, but the weapon, weakened by fire, snapped in two. The Riolu stared dumbly at the broken staff, giving Jak the opportunity to send another blast of fire. The Riolu scrambled back with a shout, using her arms to shield her face from the flames. Ember wasn't all that powerful in terms of other fire type moves, but did it hurt.
Jak looked down at the discarded pieces of the broken staff. With another ember attack, the wood was turned to charcoal. She had had quite enough of that weapon.
Jak looked over to see the Eevee hurridley applying what looked to be an oran berry paste to the burns on the Riolu's face and arms.
Time to end this, Jak thought.
"BURN!" Jak yelled and charged the two once more.
The Riolu's eyes, closed as the paste was applied, snapped open and stared directly into Jak's. She felt a chill, for those were not the eyes of a Riolu, or of any Pokémon Jak had ever encountered. They were foreign, alien, different. Jak steeled herself, then unleashed a blast of fire.
For a short moment, it was like time had slowed down and everything was presented in minute detail. The hot glow of the flames, the fear etched in the Eevee's features, the fierce and unyielding glint in those unnatural eyes. Yes, definitely an alpha. Then everything sped up and the Riolu's counted took effect, sending the flames straight back at Jak.
As a Charmander, the flames did no physical harm, but they did serve to momentarily blind Jak. Defenseless, she was unable to stop the Riolu from knocking her back and pining her to the ground.
"Do not hurt this one!" the fire lizard cried. "Jak knows the way to what you seek!"
Surprisingly, the Riolu did not attack further. Perhaps there was an upside to explorers' odd behavior. Still, suspicion filled the Riolu's face.
"So now you want to communicate? What happened, your fire run out of juice?"
"This one... does not understand what you are asking..."
The Riolu rolled her unusual eyes. What had happened to have made them that way? Were they the result of a powerful psychic attack? Perhaps a birth defect?
"What Sol means is why should we trust you? You were attacking us moments ago," The Eevee said.
"What's to stop you from attacking the moment I let you up?" the Riolu, Sol, asked.
"You have beaten this one, proven yourself to be superior. Alphas. Jak will not attack."
She wanted to add that true Pokémon would know that, but thought better of it.
"You seek Fogbound Lake, yes? It is on top of the plateau. Jak can lead you to the top exit, if you let Jak go."
"If she does know the way, she could be a great help..."
Sol looked up sharply at the Eevee.
"You can't be serious! She destroyed my staff then set me on fire!"
"It's not that bad. The oran berries have taken care of most of the burns. Use some rawst berries and you'll be completely fine. You may have some bald patches for a while..."
"Well isn't that just wonderful!"
Jak was confused. The Riolu, Sol, was the alpha, wasn't she? Didn't that mean the Eevee had to follow her commands, not argue against them? Maybe explorers used a different system, but it was hardly efficient. There was a lot of bickering, going off on pointless tangeants, something about never trusting someone who referred to themselves in the third person. Jak was right, they were all insane.
At any rate, Jak was eventually let up off the ground. As she began to lead them through the caves, she started to rethink the whole deal. She couldn't go up on the plateau! That's where the Guardian lived! Jak had pushed out many others in order to claim her territory, but the plateau indisputably belonged to the Guardian, and no one would ever think of trying to claim it. If Jak were to go up there...
No, she'd show them the way to the surface, but wouldn't step foot out herself. Jak would be free, the insane duo would be satisfied and then squashed soon after, then everything would return to normal.
But that Sol was so unreasonable. Jak showed them the exit, they could even see the star filled sky beyond, but Sol insisted she come with them. Jak tried to tell them that she couldn't go any further, that the Guardian would be the end of them all, but Sol would hear none of it. She said she didn't trust her not to send them into a trap. Why couldn't they be reasonable? Why couldn't they just let Jak go?
So the three left the caves into the open night air. Jak nervously glanced around, taking everything in. They were in a rocky area close to the edge of the plateau. Past the edge Jak could see the forest far down below. Other than the cave, the only way to go was a wide path between walls of rock on either side that opened up and surrounded the clear area in which the Eevee, Sol and Jak stood.
"GRROOOOH!"
An earth shattering roar echoed through the air. Heavy footfalls shook the ground.
"S-s-something is...is...coming!" the Eevee stammered.
"Really? Never would have guessed!"
"It is the Guardian!" Jak yelled. "We must flee!"
Despite Jak's advice, the explorers made no move to leave as the footsteps grew closer. What was wrong with them?! There was no dishonor in running when one was so heavily outmatched.
"Wh-what is that?!" the Eevee exclaimed as a colossal Pokémon with ruby red armored plates that covered its back, limbs, neck and head approached down the path. "It looks like the statue! Th-that Pokémon really exists?"
"YOU!" the Guardian said in a voice like thinder. "HAVE YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE? DEPART NOW!"
"B-b-but..." the Eevee stuttered. "W-w-we only want to go to Fogbound Lake..."
"WHAT?! I AM THE GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM GROUDON! YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS! PREPARE FOR MY WRATH! GRROOOOH!"
Jak was terrified. All the possible ways Groudon could hill her ran through her mind in quick succession. The Eevee looked to be frozen in fear while Sol was muttering something about predictability, theatrics and going over the top as she slipped into a defensive pose.
Jak was not sticking around to see how this turned out. She had done as was asked and shown them the path to Fogbound Lake, and now it was time for her to leave. She turned and ran to the cave entrance.
Groudon stomped his massive feet, shaking the entire plateau. Jak was thrown off her feet and slid over the edge, and only her claws digging into the rocky ground saved her from a painful death.
"Jak!" the Eevee yelled.
His face appeared over the edge seconds after, looking down at Jak.
"Grab my hand! I'll pull you up!"
This was not something Jak would have ever expected. To be saved by explorers? To be saved by anyone? In the wild, one could count on no one ecept themselves. Still, Jak wasn't complaining and let herself be pulled up.
"How are we supposed to beat this thing?!" Sol exclaimed.
"You don't. This one suggests running."
"We can't get too close," the Eevee said. "A melee would be suicidal."
"The Guardian cannot be defeated. This one suggests running."
"Hold on, I've got an idea."
"Is it better than your idea to use a blast seed against Skuntank?"
"No. Worse, actually. Just keep him distracted."
Sol ran off and Jak was faced with the question of if all explorers were insane or just these two. Fleeing was the only option that didn't end with their inevitable deaths.
But, for some reason or another, Jak didn't try for the caves again. Instead, she found herself helping the Eevee keep keep Groudon distracted. Getting in close enough to use moves would mean death, so they kept their distance and made of noise while throwing rocks and pebbles. Groudon thundered towards them, and Jak and the Eevee dashed out of the way and repeat the process over again.
And then Jak saw Sol running along the top of the rock wall. She launched herself off the wall with a battle cry, aimed at the Guardian's back...
… And went right through him to land face first on the ground. Groudon's image rippled like water than evaporated into light.
"Sol!" the Eevee cried and ran over to the Riolu splayed on the ground.
"Owwwwwwwww..." she groaned.
What were you thinking?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"He had stubby arms. I didn't think he'd be able to reach anything on his back. I was still working on what I was going to do after that, but then he just up and vanished!"
"This one thinks you are insane."
"So does everyone else, including me," Sol said and got to her feet. "So was that the dreaded guardian you were going on about? 'Cause Groudon seemed rather... insubstantial."
"That was... That was not Groudon," a voice said from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. "That was nothing more than an illusion that I conjured. I am the true guardian of Fogbound Lake."
At that point, Sol slapped her hands over her eyes.
"What are you doing?" Eevee asked.
"You heard what Chimecho said! Uxie, the guardian of Fogbound Lake, locks eyes with others and wipes their memories clean. I am not going through that again!"
"Yes, I am Uxie," the voice continued. "I cannot allow you to pass."
"Wait, please!" Eevee pleaded. "We don't mean to cause any trouble! We came only to get information! That's all!"
Information? Since when did explorers go anywhere just for information? They searched for treasure and glory, and Uxie seemed to share Jak's skepticism.
"Information, you say?"
"We're telling the total truth!" Eevee said, then seemed to rethink the statement. "Well, the totally total truth is that we're an exploration team... and we really would love to leave with treasure after all this work..."
That was more like what Jak expected. The honesty was surprising, though. Sol gave Eevee a kick and he changed the direction of what he was saying.
"But we don't want any if that's going to cause trouble! We'll be delighted to say that we made it this far!"
"Hmm..." Uxie considered his words. "Well... Ok, I believe you."
There was a dazzling display of light in the center of the clearing, as if thousands of multicoloured stars had erupted. Uxie materialized from the light, a light blue Pokémon with a yellow face and hair like material on his head. He floated several feet above the ground as he regarded them with an expressionless face.
"What is the information you seek? And you can stop covering your eyes. I won't take your memories, and it doesn't work that way, anyway."
Sol cautiously removed her hands, and looked at Uxie with suspicion.
"Speaking of the wiping memories thing, I have a bone to pick with you. Maybe. Possibly."
"What Sol means to say is we hoped to ask you something. Uxie, this is my pertner. At present, a Riolu. At one time, a human!"
WHAT?! A human?! Was that supposed to be some kind of joke? No, the expression on Eevee's face was completely serious. Jak had been helping a human? A meddling, thoughtless, arogant, no good human? But how could she have become Riolu?"
"But Sol has lost all her memories from when she was a human."
So she didn't remember anything? That might explain why Sol didn't act the way Jak imagined a human would act. If someone couldn't remember something, was it still important? Was Sol still a human, or was she now completely a Pokémon? Jak just didn't know.
"So, if we may ask, have you met Sol before, Uxie? And did you maybe take away her memories?"
"The answer is... no. No human has ever come here."
"What about a human-like person?" Sol asked, earning herself a few odd looks. "What? Just checking."
"I should explain further. I erase only memories of Fogbound Lake. I cannot fully erase all memories from living beings. I had nothing to so with your friend's memory loss, nor her transformation. The cause lies elsewhere."
Uxie stared hard at them for a few moments of silence.
"You have come a long way. It would not be right for you to leave with nothing but disappointed. Follow me to Fogbound Lake."
Uxie turned and left down the path.
"Remember that time with Tangs when he tried to protect his 'shinies' then suddenly invited us to see them?"
"Yeah."
"Well forget about that! Let's go!"
Sol ran down the path with Eevee, then turned so she was running backwards while looking at the stationary Charmander.
"You coming, Jak? This is not something you'll want to miss!"
Jak hesitated for a moment, then ran after the explorers.