POKÉMON: INFINITE LEGACIES
THE CIPRYS REGION
CHAPTER 21
BATTLE TO THE TOP: CLIMBING SPECTRE TOWER!
Flame approved of Spectre Tower. He gave Selina a thumbs-up. "I've had issues with surprises in the past, but this is definitely a good one. So, what's the plan?" He raised his arms and started to stretch. "Slaying wild Pokémon till we reach the top?"
"Pretty much," answered Selina, stepping aside. "After you."
Excitement fizzed around Flame's mind at the prospect of battling his way to the top. He walked at a fast pace, almost jogging. The heat of the day forgotten. They weren't going to lose sight of the grey and green-speckled tower anytime soon, and perhaps out of respect for their overlord, the trees had parted to make way for a winding path, so it didn't take them much longer to get there.
Outside Spectre Tower was a statue of a four-legged Pokémon. The shape of this Pokémon would be familiar to any trainer, but the statue was so aged, so faded in colour, it could have been any evolution. Time and Whistltree Forest had seen to that—clumps of moss scarred the statue, and nettles and weeds and grass slithered up and down the pedestal, cracked and chipped.
But this Pokémon was eternally proud. They faced away from the arched entrance to Spectre Tower, glaring at those who dared to pass and enter. A warning to some, a challenge to others, thought Selina, knowing what Flame saw it as. Although the lettering on the plaque had long since faded away, the Pokémon had found a name and was known to the world once again.
And Selina knew more than most. She turned and gazed at the statue. Admiration shone in her purple-pink eyes. Focused on his training, Flame lacked her fascination; he entered the tower without glancing back. But Selina couldn't help but waver at the entrance. Her eyes commanded her legs to stay a moment, just a moment. She gazed into the statue's colourless eyes and imagined purple staring back at her. Awe gripped her, but Flame would be waiting and she knew she couldn't stay as long as she usually did. Carefully, she rubbed some dirt and moss away before running her hand along the plaque, eyes closed as she imagined for a moment longer.
One day, she thought. One day. Then her eyes opened and she was returned to the present. She performed a quick bow, then followed Flame inside.
It was tighter inside than Flame thought it was going to be. The stone walls, grey and old, were a width of a Poké Ball away from his sides. There was a doorway ahead, which led to the inner base of the tower presumably, and staircases to either side. Flame paused, unsure what way to go.
"Go left," said Selina, joining him inside.
Flame did so. The staircase steepened as it spiralled upwards. His calves were beginning to burn when relief arrived in the form of a simple-looking door.
"Inside?" he asked.
"Yep."
Flame pushed the door open. It resisted with a creeeaaaak, but revealed a wider space with three rows of slabs anyway. Words he couldn't understand decorated the slabs, he noticed, and at the other end of the floor, through an archway, the staircase resumed.
He couldn't wait any longer. He stepped into the room, his hand about to dive into his pocket. But then Flame realised. He turned his head left and right and back again, in case he'd missed something. "Where are the wild Pokémon?" he asked Selina, confused.
Selina took a whistle that had been hanging beside the doorway. "You might want to get your Pokémon out now," she warned him, drawing the whistle up to her mouth.
Flame tensed. His right hand tightened around his three Poké Balls as he pulled them out. Something big is about to happen. I know it.
Then Selina blew on the whistle.
And he had to stop himself from laughing at the sight. He heard no sound. Okay, then . . . he thought. Maybe something's wrong with the whistle? Or Selina. Well . . . I better listen to her anyway. He enlarged his Poké Balls, then flung them into the air.
Flame stopped laughing, though, as Eevee, Litten, and Oriota materialised in front of him. The Ghost-types had heard. Several suddenly floated into sight, through the walls, up and down through the floors, and some even from within the slabs. The Ghost-types grinned and floated back and forth restlessly: visiting trainers were few and far between.
Oriota's damaged wing had nearly healed, so he could now flap both his wings and stay in the air for a moment or two, but upon seeing the Ghost-type Pokémon, he returned to the ground and hopped to his trainer's side. Flame's other Pokémon were more concerned with each other: Eevee puffed out her chest and exclaimed her name while Litten growled his, trying his best to be louder than his teammate.
"Why are the Ghost-types so excited?" Flame asked Selina.
A few of the Ghost-types had floated towards Selina and were crying happily. "Wild Pokémon like to battle," she explained, "and these guys in particular love new challengers. There aren't many trainers who live in Whistltree, though, so they don't get to battle as much as they'd like to." She petted the Ghost-types who had approached her, then turned away. "There's eight floors until the top. I'm going the other way. Think you can beat me there?"
"This is your backyard, but I'm gonna try!"
"That's what I like to hear." Selina smiled at him, then retreated the way they came. The sound of her footsteps pounding against the stone steps reached him, but quickly faded to silence.
Flame found himself alone with his Pokémon—and a mob of Ghost-types hungry to face him. He adjusted his headband. Show me what you've got Spectre Tower! "Right," he grinned. "Who's up first?"
A circular Pokémon with a black oval for a head and surrounded by a purple haze answered his challenge. "Gas! Gastly!" they exclaimed. The other Ghost-type Pokémon formed a semi-circle behind and watched eagerly, murmuring away to one another. Flame picked out some Shuppet, some Pumpkaboo, and more Gastly from amongst their ranks.
Litten stepped forward. So did Eevee. Flame sighed as they started butting heads and arguing over who was going to battle. He crouched and looked at his other Pokémon. "Oriota, you wanna give it a try?"
Oriota glanced at Gastly, who was occupying himself by floating around in circles, then stared back at his trainer. His head titled sideways slightly. He looked unconvinced.
Flame forced a smile onto his face. "You know, Oriota, the stronger you become," he pointed out, "the more impressed your flock will be when you return to them."
This raised Oriota's spirits: The small yellow-feathered Pokémon flapped his wings and landed in front of Eevee and Litten, who looked up from their argument in surprise.
"We're going to let Oriota have this one," explained Flame, firmly.
Litten and Eevee did as asked, withdrawing to either side of their trainer, though they were still glaring at one another.
Flame pointed at the wild Gastly. "Alright! Let's get going! We're gonna beat Selina to the top! Oriota, let's try Gust!"
Flame ducked. The Ghost-types on this floor were far less civilised than the ones below! As soon as he'd stepped onto the floor, the Ghost-types had started attacking. He hadn't even made out what Pokémon they were.
"Litten, Ember! Oriota, Wing Attack! Eevee, Quick Attack!"
"Eevee?" Eevee questioned, after dodging an overeager Ghost-type.
"Oh, yeah. You're right. It's a Normal-type move. Then how about, aah—"
He had to duck again. "I'm not a Pokémon!" he screamed as another Ghost-type Pokémon flew towards him, trying their best to float through his head but narrowly missing. He heard sniggering and an amused mrrow from Litten.
"Litten, I don't feel hot yet!"
Litten mrrowed something back, then started doing as asked.
Flame returned to his full height. Heat rushed against him. He wiped sweat from his forehead as fireballs were launched from Litten's mouth towards a purple-coloured Pokémon with big green fists and green eyes and a stone for a brain. It was already hot in here, he thought, as Oriota chased after another Ghost-type with glowing wings.
An explosion smashed against his ears. He jumped, and for a moment, his legs were shaky. He feared the floor was going to collapse underneath him. "What in Ciprys was that?!" he gasped. "Selina, you better not be bringing the tower down!"
The Pokémon had wavered for a couple of seconds, but they were too busy battling to become as alarmed as Flame was.
"Eevee!" Eevee reminded him.
Flame gave himself a shake. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Eevee." Anticipation created a smile on his face. "Time to unleash your new attack!"
Selina slid off her hair ties. Her purple-, green-, and-grey tipped ponytails streamed behind her. She was staring at their opponents as they circled, but it only took her a few seconds to know what to do. "Eevee," she said coolly, "confuse them with Swift!"
Eevee dipped his head. His tail glowing, he swung around and released a stream of stars. The wild Duskull and Yamask came to a stop in mid-air, mesmerised, as the stars sparkled and illuminated the darkened space, floating towards them. Instead of trying to avoid the attack, the Ghost-types all raced towards the golden stars and reached out . . .
. . . to feel nothing. Their hands disappeared right through. Incensed, they whipped round.
Selina didn't shy away from their scowls. "Now!" she called.
While the Ghost-types had been distracted, she had given her instructions. A ball of energy started to form in between Drifloon's yellow, heart-shaped hands. It was colourless at first until, as Selina had predicted, heat started to radiate from it. She had to take a step back. Meanwhile, Rowlet had finished spinning. He flapped his wings and the glowing green leaves that surrounded him shot towards their opponents. Drifloon's Weather Ball had turned orange, spitting fire, and was not far behind Rowlet's Leafage.
Duskull's and Yamask's scowls faded to concerned looks. That only worsened when Drifloon started to glow light blue and the air started to shake. With Gust pushing them from behind, Leafage and Weather Ball shot forwards even faster than before.
Duskull and Yamask exchanged glances. The decision was unanimous; suddenly they weren't so keen to battle. They hurried away, becoming transparent and disappearing through whatever solid substance they could find. Weather Ball and Leafage exploded into the stone wall behind. Smoke billowed out, but Spectre Tower had suffered much worse attacks and there would be no damage.
We must have come on a bit too strong, reflected Selina as she quickly applied some Elixir to her Pokémon before crossing the floor. But there's no way I'm letting Flame beat me to the top.
Flame dived out of the way. Seconds later, the sounds of a small explosion screeched into his ears. "Phew!" he gasped. "That was a close one."
He'd lost track of the time and which floor they were on. Oriota had beaten Gastly and the rest on the first floor relatively easily, but it had been a battle ever since. The higher they climbed, the more aggressive and powerful the wild Ghost-types were. Each floor was more challenging than the last, and their current opponents were the strongest yet. The three Pokémon waiting on this floor had attacked without hesitation, forcing Flame to use all his Pokémon at once. His team had managed to defeat two, but the last, a dark grey Pokémon with a yellow zipper for a mouth, was proving more difficult to keep down.
"Keep it up, guys! We're almost there!" I hope. "Ember! Thunder Shock! Eevee, let's try your new attack again!"
Fireballs and a stream of electricity chased away the surrounding darkness as Litten and Oriota fired off their attacks. Banette tried to get away, but was too slow. Ember and Thunder Shock were direct hits. Banette's body was illuminated, sparking with orange and yellow energy, but only for a moment. The wild Pokémon gave himself a shake and dispelled the attacks like they were nothing, rushing Eevee.
In the semi-darkness, Flame saw Banette grinning maniacally. He shivered. This Banette looked like he belonged in a 5-year-old's nightmares.
Eevee eyed Banette warily as black and purple energy started spinning together in front of her.
Banette yowled wildly, dashing closer.
Eevee flinched and the energy she was forming started shaking.
"Focus!" Flame called. "I know you can do it, Eevee!"
Flame had taught Eevee TM30 over the last two days. He had found it a slow process, but Selina's Eevee already knew the move and had helped out a lot. Eevee had managed to produce the move battling with Litten and Oriota and Selina's Pokémon, but was struggling to reproduce against wild Pokémon.
"Ee-vee!" Eevee willed herself on, the black and purple energy still sparking away without form.
Flame winced. Banette about to reach Eevee. He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated, realising that Eevee's energy was revolving into a ball.
But it was too late. Banette appeared in front of Eevee, snickering as he pulled back his right hand, purple energy glowing. Eevee looked up in alarm; the energy she'd gathered broke apart, crackling into nothingness. The marionette Pokémon was about to strike—and there was nothing Flame could do to intervene.
But Flame was left speechless: flames rushing across his vision; Banette crying out in pain and shock. Flame noticed glossy black fur under the flames and realised that Litten had used Flame Charge to knock Banette away from Eevee.
Litten staggered to his paws, the flames surrounding him burning out. He looked back and yowled at Eevee.
"Eevee . . ." murmured Eevee, staring at her paws.
"Lit-ten!" Litten dismissed. "Litten! Lit—"
A fist of purple energy ploughed into Litten. Flame Charge dissolved, and with one last growl, the fire cat Pokémon collapsed. The last of the flames lit up Banette. The Ghost-type stared at Litten's limp form, snickering, before returning his mad glare to Eevee.
Flame quickly got out Litten's Poké Ball, not trusting Banette, and absorbed his fainted Pokémon in a streak of red light. "C'mon, Eevee! We can't let Litten down!" Litten saving Eevee—that's not something I was expecting to see.
"Eevee," murmured Eevee. She raised her head and forced herself to look at Banette. She breathed in and out, in and out, her expression hardening until black and purple energy started spinning into an orb again.
I need to give Eevee time, Flame realised. "Oriota, Wing Attack! Keep Banette back!"
"Oriota!" cried Oriota, his wings hardening and radiating white energy, as he swooped at Banette.
Eevee stared at Oriota, then at Banette. Her energy wavered.
"Stay focused!" Flame reminded her, watching Banette stop and raise his hands to ward off Oriota. Let's make this work, Eevee. "Close your eyes!"
Eevee hesitated.
"Trust me!"
So Eevee did it; she closed her eyes. She could see nothing and settled into a rhythm. Her ears twitched when Oriota's Wing Attack smacked against Banette, but she gathered her composure. She could sense the pulse of her energy flowing in and around her, ebbing and flowing and gaining strength as the size of the orb expanded.
Flame realised that Eevee was calmer now that she was unable to see herself or her friends in danger.
Oriota let out a pained cry.
Eevee was about to open—
"Don't look!" Flame stopped her. "Keep focused! Release Shadow Ball when I say so."
Banette had caught Oriota as the Flying-type had dived in for another Wing Attack. Banette was strong and his Knock Off was no exception. Swatted out the sky, Oriota landed with a light thump. Flame was down to his last Pokémon.
Flame held out his Poké Ball and returned Oriota. You've done well. You both have, he thought, but it's up to you now, Eevee, and I know you can do it.
Banette snickered, then dashed towards Eevee again, his fist sparking with purple energy.
"Wait for it . . ."
Banette moved unexpectedly fast.
"Wait for it!"
The Ghost-type reached Eevee in a matter of seconds. He was pulling back his fist when Flame shouted:
"NOW!"
Eevee unleashed her Shadow Ball. At such close range, the super-effective attack was even more powerful. Black and purple energy tore into Banette and sent him flying back until he crashed against the far wall and crumbled to the floor. Resentment contorted Banette's face; the marionette Pokémon refused to rest until he had punished his tormentor, the child that had thrown him away. He tried to stand back up, but pain seared his body. He cried out and, his strength depleted, retreated into thin air. Flames flickered for a moment in his wake.
Litten must have burnt Banette earlier in the battle with one of his Embers, realised Flame with a smile. They can work together. Kind of. "Well done, Eevee!" he exclaimed. "I said you could do it!"
Eevee puffed out her chest. "Brreee, Eevee!" she exclaimed, back to her confident self.
Flame rubbed the back of his head, then wiped sweat away from under his headband. "I hope that's the last floor, though." Otherwise we might have to turn back.
"Eevee," agreed Eevee.
Eevee would try, but there's no way she could make it through another battle. "Well"—Flame started walking across the floor to the next set of stairs and Eevee bounded after him, fatigued from battle but forever energetic—"let's find out."
Author's Notes:
I was very 50-50 (and still am) about whether to end the chapter here or not, but the tone of the next scene is quite different to what is in here whilst this was essentially a battle/training chapter.
I thought about this when I was self-publishing my books for my university project, but do you prefer shorter or longer chapters? Is there any difference in your answer between fanfiction and, for example, novels? Obviously there can be a time delay having to wait for the next fanfic chapter to drop. I'd be very interested to read your thoughts, if you wish to share them.
It may get lost beneath what happened afterwards, but I really enjoyed the first scene. When I edited this chapter, I made a point of adding description to the statute and developing Selina's reaction to it. Clearly the depicted Pokémon has a sizeable influence on Selina. Any guesses as to which Pokémon they turn out to be?
As always, thank you for reading!