Chapter 26:Where there is a fight in the air.
It was getting very cold, very fast. At least for Mo. But seeing own breath was proof the temperature dropped. Mo was not sure if it was for how high they were or they were heading for the northern part of the world. Maybe both.
"Miss Lunala?", Mo asked her, a question out of curiosity and boredom. "Whe we arrive at Destiny Tower, do we need to do or not to do things?"
Silence.
"Should we grovel or something like that to show our respect? Or will he get on his nerves when we do that? I'm sure many Pokémon would go 'forgive me this and that' when they meet him."
Still silence. Mo looked at Aaron. He, as well, found it strange.
"Did I said something wrong?", Mo asked her again. "... should I stay quiet?"
Still nothing. For Mo this was a 'yes' to his last question.
"Adventurers, we have a problem.", Lunala suddenly said. This sentence came kind of out of nowhere.
Mo was worried what it could be, but decided to poke his head out again to check it anyway. As he did he saw a Mandibuzz coming right towards him at high speed.
Mo was startled and shrieked up.
Before the Mandibuzz could do harm, Lunala made a barrel roll to the right and dodged the attack.
"What was that?!", Mo asked Lunala as she was flying steadily again, still shocked about what almost happened.
"What's happening?!", Aaron asked as well, also just as surprised as Mo was.
"That was Vulturia! She's one of the generals of the Forces of Darkness!", Lunala explained. They could hear from her voice they really were in trouble.
"Don't you mean 'Forces of Evil'?", Mo corrected her for how she just called the villains.
"The Forces of Darkness are sending their air troops! They know who I am and where we are headed to!", she further explained to Team Purple, ignoring Mo. "If I fall here, it's all over!"
Mo looked up again. Many other flying Pokémon were coming their way. Golbat, Noibat and Spearow. At least ten of each kind, forming a swarm without any formation.
"Brace yourselves!", Lunala told the team and increased her speed, still flying directly towards the enemies.
Lunala noticeably increased her speed. Most of the flying attackers dodged in time, some did not. Lunala crashed right into these unlucky ones. They flew around without actually flying like ragdolls.
One of them, a Noibat, still managed to hold onto Lunala's bag. It was right in front of Team purple, looking at them with a surprised expression.
"You okay?!", Lunala asked the team.
"Eh ... yeah!", Aaron answered, looking at the baffled Noibat.
Charlotte picked up her log and took a swing. The Noibat had just enough time to realise what she was going to do.
She hit it right on it's head. And with that the bat like Pokémon let go and was gone.
"How far is it?! The tower!", Mo loudly asked Lunala, worried.
"What?!", Lunala replied. She did not heard him.
"Are we there yet?!", Mo asked again, a little louder.
"Almost! Ten to fiteen minutes!", Lunala answered Mo.
A loud noise suddenly filled the air and Lunala screamed in pain. She began to shake and lost some height. Something hit her! Aaron shriek up. Lunala managed to stabilise herself but halted.
Right in front of them was the Mandibuzz from before, looking at Lunala with her vicious eyes, seemingly not taking any notice of Team Purple.
Vulturia, the Mandibuzz, opened her beak which began to glow in a purple light. As she fired her attack at Lunala at the group, Dark Pulse, Lunala quickly flew higher. The attack, a beam of dark rings, missed, but just barely.
"Hurry, hurry!", Mo told Lunala. They had to get away from here. Away from them.
Lunala screamed in pain again and began to shake violently. Mo, Aaron and Charlotte pushed around in her bag by her doing so. Mo held on the bag. The remaining Golbat and Noibat caught on to her and bit her wings. Vulturia and the Spearow began to surround her. Finally, the Golbat and Noibat let go, but joined the others. Lunala and Team Purple were trapped now.
"We got you now, Moonbringer!", announced Vulturia. She sounded like a wicked old lady. Mo could not tell if she just sounded like one or if that Mandibuzz really was old. "Why don't you just give up? This saves us all a lot of time."
Vulturia now looked directly at the adventurer team, still in Lunala's bag.
"Reinforcement, is see? Oh, as if the Adventurer Guild isn't weakened enough already!"
"Lunala. Can't you deal with them?", Aaron asked her, whispering. It was rare to see him so worried.
"Not without putting you in danger.", Lunala answered. "If I use my Moongeist Beam, you and my bag will get vaporised, and my Hyper Beam is too exhausting for me."
"We can take you peacefully or by force!", Vulturia informed them. "Eliminating you is another option for us I would love to consider! When you are gone, we can still get the other one, if you know what I mean!"
In response, Lunala began to get noticeably angry. This delighted the Mandibuzz.
"Pikachu-guy, do you know any electric type moves? Something for distances?", Lunala asked in a whispering voice, most likely meaning Mo. Not the worst thing someone has called Mo but still a name he did not liked.
"Well, ... yes.", Mo answered directly but then began to see were this was going now." ... why?"
"I need you to climb on my back and keep these pests off my tail.", she told him.
"WHAT?!"
Aaron covered Mo's mouth, or at least the part he though it was his mouth.
"I will try to make a breakout, and you have to shoot down every pursuer behind me. The tower is not so far away anymore. There will be a shield that keeps out intruders. They will let us in if we arrive and we'll be save there.", Lunala explained to Mo and the others.
"But I'm scared.", Mo said and grasped the bag even tighter as he already did.
"YOU call yourself an adventurer AND a creature of the night?", Lunala suddenly shouted at him, like a whispered shouting, her voice filled with disappointment to him.
Mo always saw himself more as a fairy type than ghost, but this did not matter at the moment. Still, this hurt Mo as well.
"Do we have other options?", Mo asked her. He also looked at this team mates if one of them had an idea.
Awkward silence.
Mo looked at the Mandibuzz. She was getting impatient waiting for Lunala to finally answer her.
Mo gave up.
"Alright! I'll try it.", he told her.
"There is no try.", she admonished him. "Do it. Or do not."
Mo looked at Aaron and Charlotte. They remained silent.
"And if I fall?", Mo asked in the round.
"Try not to.", Lunala emotionless answered.
"Will you hurry up?! I'm not getting younger here!", Vulturia told Lunala. "Don't worry. The Dark Lord will make it quick."
Lunala closed her eyes took a deep beath.
Suddenly a portal glowing in a purple light appeared underneath Lunala. Just as it did Lunala, alongside Team Purple vanished in it. The team did not had enough time to realise what just happened.
At the same time, another portal appeared right behind Vulturia. As they vanished in the first portal, they reappeared in the second one.
Vulturia immediately turned around to stop Lunala, but instead was slapped by one of Lunala's wings as the teleported behind her.
Lunala wasted no time and flew, Vulturia, staggering and cursing, told her minions to give chase.
"Your part!", Lunala reminded Mo.
Hesitating first, Mo slowly climbed on Aaron's back and proceeded to keep hold of one of Lunala's wings. The wind and the force of their speed made it way harder as it was. Mo quickly pushed himself onto the wing. Lunala's body felt very smooth and slippery and from up close squeaky clean. Mo had to know how she was keeping herself clean. But not now! Mo positioned himself directly on her back, her exoskeleton like backside.
He did not know if it was the strong wind, because they were really high or because they were in the northern parts, but it was very cold right now. But right now there was no time to complain. Two Pokémon, a Spearow and a Golbat were getting closer to Lunala.
"She's got a Pikachu on her back!", the Spearow exclaimed in concern.
"That's not a Pikachu! It's just dressed up as one! It probably doesn't even know any electric type moves.", the Goldbat assured his companion.
Mo's eyes glow up in excitement of what was about to happen. Electric type moves he did!
As the Spearow was getting more closer, about to charge him, Mo charged his thunderbolt and fired it right at it. The Spearow was roasted in mid air and began to fall, smoking and leaving behind feathers. The Goldbat watched in horror.
"I'm not getting paid enough!", Golbat announced, turned around an flew in the opposite direction, away from him and Lunala, past by Vulturia, who was catching up. She shouted at it, asking the Golbat where it thought it was flying. No answers back.
Mo was seeing his opportunity to take out their leader next, thus demoralising her minions, successfully defeating them and finally getting back into the, hopefully, save bag.
Mo charged another thunder bolt, this time at the leader herself, Vulturia. She noticed Mo's sneaky attempt and dodge the attack. Now he got her full attention.
That was a mistake!
"Everyone, take out that Mimikyu first!", Vulturia declared to her group. A swarm of her remaining minions formed behind her and all together began to charge Lunala.
Mo was able to take out three of them before the first landed on Lunala's back. Spearow started to peck her and Golbat and Noibat to bit her. A Noibat rammed Mo as the landing of the others distracted him. Mo forcefully grabbed him by one of his ears.
"What are you doing back there?!", Lunala shouted, clearly in pain.
"My best!", Mo answered rough. The Noibat began to screech really loud, it was hurting Mo's ears. In response, Mo slashed his claws across the Noibat's face and threw it away afterwards.
A Spearow was coming right for Mo. As he noticed his fake tail grew to a large size and Mo smacked the Spearow with it like a baseball, knocking the flying Pokémon out and sending it flying some more.
Mo's eyes glow up again as he focused on the enemies with her teeth and beaks sunken in Lunala, is fake tail still large and held in his clutch. The Pokémon looked at him.
"I'm having a bad week.", he told them. "And you don't believe how peeved I am right now. And I don't care if we are freaking 10 miles high right now!"
A dark aura appeared around Mo. Some of the enemy Pokémon were visibly scared by him now.
Mo made a strange, deranged sound, as if he lost his mind for a short moment.
A Spearow screamed in terror.
With his other, free claw Mo quickly grabbed the next near by Pokémon he could find. Another Noibat. While he held it by it's head, struggling to get away, Mo swung his fake tail around, whacking everyone that did not flee in time. Hitting their head, their spines, their bottoms, everyone of their legendary ride he stood on.
"You're not wanted here!", he shouted and tightened his grip in the bat Pokémon's head.
"Calm down, Pikachu-guy!", Lunala told him, noticing his freak out. This did not made Mo calm down at all. Maybe making him more madder.
Mo looked around. Lunala's back was bat and bird free. All the others where either on the way to the sea below or retreating. Mo was pleased with his work.
"Let go of me! You're hurting me!", the Noibat pleaded. Mo was still holding told hit, still struggling. It was a female voice. Soft and very high pitched.
Mo put his now shrinking fake tail back to it's rightful place and grabbed the Noibat's head with both of is claws, now holding her like a hamburger in front of his actual face.
Mo's eyes glow up. He could see tears of fear in the Noibat's eyes.
"That's want I'm trying to do.", he said to her.
A loud noise and a right purple light, followed by a scream of pain and Lunala losing her balance again, interrupted this creepy moment of his. Mo was flung into the air for a short moment and let go of the Noibat as it happened. While Mo still managed to stay on Lunala's back, the Noibat escaped.
"I TOLD YOU TO WATCH OUT!", Lunala shouted. She was clearly in alot of pain right now. "I don't think I can take much more ...!"
Mo looked around in haste, then up. Vulturia was flying above them, glancing down on.
"You have to do everything yourself!", she said loudly to herself and her beak began to fill with a purple light again.
Mo took his fake tail and expanded it in his claw.
"You little rat!", Vulturia shouted and fired her dark pulse at Lunala again.
Mo had to react fast! He ran as fast as possible directly at the spot Vulturia was aiming at. He threw himself in front of the beam and protected not only Lunala but also himself by using his fake tail as a shield. To his own surprise it worked. By the time the attack stopped, Mo's fake tail felt incredibly hot and was slightly burned where it was hit. Nothing he can't fix with time and his nails.
"Get down from there!", Mo shouted at the Mandibuzz. "Come on! Let's get things personally, chicken!"
Unintentionally, Mo just hit a weak spot. Vulturia was very offended by what Mo said to her.
"No one every called me a 'chicken' and survived!", she told him in a serious tone.
"You're an overweight chicken!", Mo began to mock her. "Cheep, cheep, cheep cheep, cheeeeeep, cheeeeeep!"
Vulturia did a nosedive directly towards him. Mo already decided to hit her up close with his thunder bolt and waited for the right moment to strike.
He realised to late he underestimated the Mandibuzz. She flew faster than he expected and instead of landing or trying to hit him with her beak she reached out to him with her feet.
In a flash, Vulturia grabbed the Mimikyu by her feet and flew of with him. Mo struggled and cried out for help. Instead he saw Lunala and the others flying away from him. In the distance he could spot an enormous tower. Something bigger than Mo had ever seen somewhere. They were almost there. He almost made it. Almost. Did they now just really left him behind for the mission? He wouldn't be surprised by this.
"What do you think?", Vulturia joyfully asked him. "How long will it take till you hit the water below?"
To Mo's horror he saw underneath him nothing but sea. Wide open water He panicked and clenched the Mandibuzz's leg.
"Let's find out!", she said playful and let Mo loose. Instead of falling down like she intended Mo still hanged on to her leg, not knowing what to do.
"Hey, let go!", she told him and shook her leg, trying to get him off like she stepped into something. As she did, Mo's arms began to expand to their longest potentiality. He was soon swinging around in an awkward way, upside down.
Mo could not hand on much more. His claws began to slip off.
"Why don't you just give up?!", Vulturia asked him, annoyed by this.
"Because I always believe there is still hope, no matter what.", Mo answered. "And when hope truly is lost, than what is there left to lose?"
As Mo swung in the direction Vulturia was facing, he finally let go and flew up in the air above her and unwantedly did a flip. With the remaining strength in his arms he grabbed Vuluria's beak and began to hold onto this instead now.
Vulturia tried to say something but Mo held her beak shut, so it was muffled and not understandable. She also began to slightly freak, because she could directly see inside Mo's disguise once she would look down.
Vulturia violently shook her head up and down, trying to get him off again.
Mo's eyes glow up.
"And if my life ends ... I'll take you with me.", he said and released his thunder bolt on the Vulturia. She twitched and tried to scream, but she couldn't. Mo did everything he could do, but was soon exhausted.
Vulturia, now steaming and with singed feathers, was still able to fly. But not only that.
She shook her head up. Mo could not hang on any longer and flew off. He landed right in her beak, feeling her sharpness through his cloth. In the end, he could not defeat her.
"Why you little ...?!", she angrily muffled, with her beak full of Mimikyu.
She suddenly looked up. She saw something that immediately horrified her. Mo turned around to see what was going on. That moment, Vulturia screamed in terror, still muffled.
Lunala had turned around and hit the Mandibuzz with a high speed slam in her chest with one of her wings. As it happened, Vulturia spat out Mo. He rolled over Lunala's wing and tried to get a hold. Due to her slipperiness he rolled right off her again instead.
Falling in mid air, Mo lost is orientation. The strong wind pulling on his cloth. He soon and silently realised his situation. He did not scream. He could not.
Not so far away, Lunala made a sharp turn and flew in Mo's direction. He could Aaron, somehow hanging with his whole body out of the bag. He seemed to hang on only with his hind paws.
"Help me!", Mo cried out to them.
While Lunala was flying above him, Aaron managed to catch him with his expanded ribbons, holding him tight and save.
"I got him!", Aaron declared. He had this eyes closed as he caught Mo. He knew how to properly handle a Mimikyu.
Mo was unbelievably glad when Aaron said these word. But then he saw the wide sea underneath again.
"Pull me up! Pull me up!", Mo ordered in panic.
Still only with his hind paws inside the bag, Aaron pulled Mo inside with him. Mo was both exhausted and relieved. He could not they which feeling was stronger. He looked at his team mates.
While Aaron seemed very please with what he did, Charotte also seemed tired and held Aaron by his hind paws.
It was not in Mo's nature, but in appreciation to his partners saving his live just now, he gave them both a big hug.
They silently stood like this for a while.
"Next time we have an adventure ...", Mo broke the silence. "We go somewhere where it's very flat.