Hey guys, it's finally summer and hopefully I can upload more often with my schedule as is.
"I'm so fucking scared, you have no idea."
"I'm so scared that I'm going to fuck this up in a way that's out of my control. How's that for how the world falls? One guy simply just couldn't deliver. Oh, now that is a rather distressing thought, like something out of a high stakes summer blockbuster.
"Anything and everything. That's what I have to do in order to keep going. Even if it's not within my power I have to still try, dammit.
"I don't think there's anything that'll make me shy away from this, and if there is, well, I'm sure I'll manage. I have to, anyway.
The guard approached Shali and nodded to her. She looked behind at Matthew one last time before nodding back and handing over the guarding to the other Lucario.
It was morning, the sky was a bright orange with purplish pink clouds that were large in size but didn't appear to be intending to drop any snow today. Shali was thankful for that, there was already so much happening in her day that with one less thing to think about, it made it that much easier for her.
She walked over to the fire pit which currently had little more than a fine ash covering the area. She grabbed some of logs near the pit and threw them into a pile, using her spear to knock some of them more into place. Her hand lit up with aura and she shot it into the pit, causing the logs to catch a blue fire. As she ended her aura use however, it turned to a yellow regular fire.
There were a decent number of Lucario roaming around the main area, a few said hello, others ignored her. Azen, however, was not seen. Regardless, she kept her spear at the ready.
Other Lucarios had weapons that they kept with them, mostly spears or swords. They were occasionally accused of having less fight in them but that was not the truth, being able to learn a weapon to gain advantages among other ways in battle was a strategic decision. The Lucarios who wielded them had no reason to be as strong as any other one of their kind. But as Azen had said the day before, her spear wouldn't help her today.
She was loyal to her tribe. Very loyal, in fact. Whatever policy they ruled fair, she followed it. If there needed something to be done and she had the skills to do it, then why not? She would honour their traditions. She would patrol their borders, take any human or pokemon who crossed them, despite her thinking of whether it was right or wrong, without hesitation. But long ago, she discovered she was loyal to a point, and that point had come up behind her without warning.
The fire had settled down from a roaring flame to a calmer, more balanced one. She sighed, how did it come to this? Why did it have to come to this? Today was something she had been fearing for a very long time, ever since two season cycles ago when the decision was decreed, by her father of all pokemon. There was no say from her when he made the choice, he knew she would never accept.
Her grip tightened on the spear. It had become clear a long time ago that there was a disconnect between her and the one she had known as her father. It was rather ambiguous when it had started but she remembered not being surprised when it became apparent. She had begun thinking in recent times whether there had been a connection at all.
"Shali? You're off guarding, correct?" she heard someone say behind her. It was calm now but she could hear the rough edge of age gritting into it.
"Yes, father," she replied, dipping her head down.
"We need to talk to one another. It may not be something that you want with me but it's something we need," her father, Tokala, said. Shali could sense the light uneasiness and tried to prepare herself for it.
She turned herself around. Tokala's face didn't share the same tone as his voice but she expected nothing less. Especially with the disconnect. She thought about reading his aura but he would know, and the situation they were in would only grow awkward.
"And you decide to talk today? Two whole season cycles and you didn't think to talk to me personally until the last moment?" she questioned.
"I thought to talk plenty, young lady. But would you have talked back?" he said, keeping his voice even and strong.
It was an easy conclusion for Shali to make; No, she wouldn't have. Not with the disconnect. "You didn't even make the attempt at talking to me though, the most you had ever done during this season was acknowledge that I captured that human," she said, trying not to let emotions interfere, that would get her nowhere in this conversation.
"I could sense your aura, there was nothing hostile towards me. However…" he sighed, it was one of disheartedness. "I saw nothing that was very welcoming to me either."
"And I suppose you're surprised by that? So many season cycles have gone by with little more than a nod from you. I hope you aren't surprised that my feelings toward you are not very high."
"I'm not. But now, with today being the blessing, I know I have to talk with you. Whether we like it or not." He put one of his paws on her shoulder and she allowed it without much resistance. Part of her thought she would feel at least a little bit of paternal love but there was none there. No love, no hate, just a paw.
"What is it then?" she asked.
"This blessing… I'm not blind, I'm not deaf nor is my aura skill deficient in any way. I know how you feel about this," he said less strongly than before.
"And you still go through with it despite being aware of my feelings. Do you think lowly of me, father? Are you really willing to let this happen to your own daughter?" she said inquisitively.
"I think of you as well as any of the Lucarios here." At this Shali looked around her assuring herself there was nobody eavesdropping on their conversation. "And as part of the elder's council, my duty is to my tribe first and family second. If they overlap in anyway, you should know which would take priority."
"Did you expect I would do nothing about it? Do nothing and simply give myself up to the cause? Because I wouldn't, father, and you would know if you spent even a single second with me," she said, feeling emotions come through as she emphasized 'father' but was quick to suppress them.
"Watch your mouth, Shali," he said forcefully. Not a tone you would hear from a father but a disciplinary guardian. "What I expect of you is to serve your tribe and do what is best for it."
Best. How is it possible that we are related by blood and have such different definitions of best? she thought. Her fingers tapped endlessly on her spear. "Then humour me, father, I seem to not see how this is going to be the best for the tribe," she said, subconsciously making the emphasis from her previous statement. The word left an almost bitter taste in her mouth and she heard that bitterness come out in her speech.
"Our family has the power to bind aura, a rare ability among our kind. The more of our tribe that has this ability, the stronger we will become."
"But Azen? Of all the Lucarios here you picked him?" She felt more emotions coming through, these ones she couldn't keep down.
"I didn't choose him, he chose you. I accepted it on your behalf," he replied.
Her grip tightened, she was sure she would begin hearing the splintering of wood soon. What her father had said was something she knew was possible but never came to terms with.
There had been a time when she would have been fine with being with Azen. She had seen how strong he was, his shiny fur, how all the females seemed to be attracted to him. Hell, she had found herself attracted as well.
Until he evolved.
There was a weird change in him then, and his bursts of rage against others became prevalent. Even when simply sparring, when an opponent went down to early he would gratuitously kick at their unconscious forms until something else got his attention. Needless to say, her attraction to him had been fairly short lived.
But it still baffled her that her father did not pick up on this. "Is that it then? Am I just your object to toss around and no longer your daughter?"
"You are my daughter and you should be honoured that Azen chose you. A shiny and the strongest one among us all, his offspring would be the strongest our tribe could offer."
"Azen is as malevolent as he is strong and you know that," she said, thinking back to yesterday when he had her in the headlock, whispering things that she may possibly hear later this night.
"You think I'm not aware of this? I've seen what he has done to others but he is a strong fighter. It doesn't change my decision."
"So what would? Perhaps seeing your daughter being abused worse than anyone before him? Would that do it, father?"
"Yes, Shali. It would. But that won't happen if you simply follow the path that has been laid out," her father replied, he was beginning to look annoyed with her.
"I am never, by the name of Sphaera, going to follow that path," she said, giving her father eyes that screamed nothing but truth to him.
Her father had jumped the gap from annoyed to angry. His eyebrows came down in a 'v' and the paw on her shoulder was removed quickly and with little regard as she could nearly feel him push her away slightly. "Don't you dare say the name of our guide who gave you your gift in vain!" he hissed.
She looked around again, this time there were definitely pairs of eyes staring into her and her father's argument. Her embarrassment was beginning to rise and she felt hysteria building inside.
"This is going to happen, Shali. For the better future of our tribe, this is going to happen and you won't stop it," he said.
In the back of her mind, the lock that had been keeping the emotions away broke open and she found herself speaking without restraint. "You are a terrible father! If I had the choice between being your daughter and being a slave to a human, I'd throw the pokeball at myself!"
His anger turned to shock. And she knew why, perfectly why. A human who walked into Aperta territory would be executed but if a Lucario who belonged to the Aperta tribe was with a human was seen? It was perhaps the worst disservice she could give to her tribe. And while what she said to her father was clouded by her emotions, she meant every damn word.
Her father leaned in, "I had hoped we could have been on good terms with one another but clearly that isn't going to happen," he said, giving a little show of his teeth.
Shali kept her face steady but after the outburst it had become very hard to do so. Luckily enough, her father stormed off before that happened.
She didn't want to look at all those who saw her argument but she was forced to as her head came up. There were eyes everywhere, all flaring with judgment. Even as they looked away she could feel their judginess coming through.
Her eyes settled on Matthew, whose eyes were still closed but she knew. She knew he had heard every single thing that had come out of her mouth. But now was not the time, she needed to sleep and get her energy back. Her eyes were stinging and in her effort to not show tears, she almost didn't care what Matthew had heard.
Almost.
Holy shit, was the only coherent thought that he managed to get through.
He had woken up when he felt the bind on his powers go from only a slight grip to a near chokehold. But quickly after opening his eyes he saw Tokala walking near him and shut them again.
When they started talking he felt rather uneasy about hearing their conversation but as it escalated he couldn't help but listen in. And he finally learned why she wouldn't be there that night.
A blessing. Tokala had said something about it the day before but he never really understood it. However, hearing the conversation now, he definitely could figure out what it was and he did not like the way it was pictured for him.
He assumed it was like marriage, but the way it was described to him it appeared to be very one-sided. Shali definitely wasn't a fan of it and he couldn't blame her if Azen was involved in any way. But then he heard that sudden outburst and he was shook.
Needless to say, he hadn't expected Shali to yell so loudly and flinched as she did that. Then there was silence and he had never been so uncomfortable.
He heard steps go by his location and after he felt as though he was safe. That was when the flood of thoughts hit and his eyes eventually opened.
Lucarios were all around the area where, thankfully, the fire was lit up once again and he felt the tiniest bit warmer on top of Neo's heating. He knew it would not last long after this, however. The amount of energy Neo had was not infinite, and combined with the fact he had to push the energy through the aura bind they were in, they would most likely last until tomorrow with what they had.
How convenient, just in time for the judgment. I guess you'll get that execution you wanted, Tokala. There was still time to formulate a plan but he was having trouble catching inspiration. The hope that Tokala might forget was still alive. If the blessing really was today, he just might have a lapse in remembrance.
It should have been just a straight forward call; wait until he drops the hold and poof, you're gone! Though what kept him from just keeping that mindset wasn't the possibility of being seen, it wasn't the possibility of hurting others to get out of his situation, it wasn't even the fact that Tokala might not forget at all.
It was Shali.
He knew that today might be the last chance he gets at leaving this place and he was going to take that opportunity but damn it, he didn't want Shali to go down this path. He had turned his back so many times when he could help and he wanted to stop that. Not only that but Shali had been the first one he had a real conversation with in almost thirteen years. Could she even be considered a possible friend? Maybe, maybe not. But if that wasn't worth a reason to help, then what was?
But what could he do? He was near certain that when, and if, Tokala forgets the aura bind, and he goes over and simply steals Shali away, it would not go over well. But doing nothing would be just as bad, if not worse.
Fine, he thought, looking at the flickering fire. If I can do anything to prevent her going down that path, I'll do it. But if it means that I'd get executed, then… yeah, I'd have to let it happen. I don't want to, by any means, but Team Saber is more important than just one Lucario.
And still, as a pocket of moisture in a piece of wood exploded, sending sparks into the air, he doubted his thoughts. Was he wrong in thinking that way? Did he really want to know?
He decided on a tentative No for both questions.
The next few hours were fairly uneventful for Matthew but he could sense the tiny amount of tensity in the air and it was nearly driving him mad. Shali had yet to have been seen, at least by his eyes. Azen finally showed himself in the main area, giving Matthew a narrowed glare with a cynic's smile. He didn't return the look, not risking getting more injuries, all he did was be thankful that the dirt had done its job of covering his healed face.
Tokala was still in the main area, however. While he wasn't looking directly at him, the aura bind remained strong. This still didn't diminish his hope of forgetting but he hated to admit that it looked just a bit dimmer than it usually was.
He could remember a similar situation to this. Ten years ago, he was still in the Deity Lab, still controlled by Team Saber. And the year before, around July from what he could hear from the scientists, there was a thunderstorm that had briefly disabled his psychic inhibitor. He had felt the spark and the freedom that followed. They, the scientists, were quick to sedate him and held him in a state of catatonia for three days to make sure all was in order.
He and Neo were prepared, this was a time when they would work together without question. They would wait until the next thunderstorm came, and during that brief time of freedom they would rip the inhibitor chip out and escape.
It had come, and when he felt that freedom he used all his psychic to rip it out.
But nothing happened, he tried hard but nothing happened. He was about to ask Neo why it wasn't happening, he felt a dart go into his neck and he collapsed.
When he did finally break out of there and ripped the chip out, he discovered it was lined with rubber. It was only giving the electricity one route to go along and making it near impossible for any outside electric current to come in.
Team Saber had learned from their mistakes and never made the same one twice.
This is what he feared with Tokala, that he wouldn't forget. And that instead of playing luck, he would have to use other means of getting out.
Unfortunately, using the same way he managed to escape Team Saber was currently impossible for him to do. For more than just he simply couldn't with the aura bind in place. He did not want a repeat of his escape from the Deity Lab, not again.
Then there was still the subject of aiding Shali. But that just added so many more variables into the equation that he had to figure out. Would it be worth it? Yes. It's worth it. Unless I'll be executed for it, that's a big no in the books.
All of the Lucarios suddenly turned towards something. Interested, he followed their example and looked over. Arphal was walking through the main area, gaining the attention of all he passed.
He paused just in front of the fire and all those around had their eyes locked on him.
"Everyone," he announced, looking around to assure that he had all of their attention, "the time has come for the blessing."
There were many murmurs among the Lucarios and several exchanged glances with each other. Among them was Tokala, who seemed just the slightest bit more perturbed than any of his tribemates. Azen had a smile, not an evil one but rather one that showed pride and smugness.
"This day brings us the blessing of Azen and Shali, please step forward you two," said Arphal, giving a look over to Azen who stepped forward. He then let his eyes wander, searching for the second name he had called.
Shali was nowhere to be seen and when Tokala had called his daughter's name, he tensed. Matthew wondered, could Shali have just abandoned the tribe all together? He didn't think it was impossible for it to happen, and if she indeed did, then Shali would be safe and he didn't have to worry about aiding her during his escape.
Only she came out, not five seconds after Arphal had last spoken.
"Here, elder. I'm right here." She stepped out from wherever she was and into the main area. Her right paw, which usually held a spear, now lacked one. It was very odd seeing her like this, she nearly blended in with all the rest of the Lucarios. Tokala's expression eased as she came out.
However, she had the face of someone you might see on death row; distant eyes, dipped head and a mouth which made the least amount of effort to undulate words.
"Ah, very good," said Arphal, turning himself back to the majority of the onlookers. "These two Lucarios, proud and loyal members of our tribe, shall be joined together by the blessing of Sphaera and become mates for the remainder of their lives."
Azen looked around at the crowd, smiling his smile. Shali remained motionless and calm.
"As per usual, the blessing is not complete until a spar between the two soon-to-be-blessed is performed. No weapons are to be permitted to insure the purity of the spar," he said. He looked over at Shali, "I appreciate that you have preemptively put away your spear."
"It was no problem, elder," she said, keeping her head down.
Nodding, he continued, "With any blessing, if both Lucarios are willing to one another, the spar is unneeded but should the opposite be true, the winner shall decide whether or not the blessing goes forth."
"She isn't willing elder, I'm aware of that," said Azen, giving a mocking look to Shali.
"Shali, is this true?" asked Arphal.
"Yes, I'm not willing," she replied shortly. Her fists clenched ceaselessly, as though squeezing an imaginary stress ball.
"Well then, the spar shall be underway shortly. Unless…" Arphal waited for the little whispers to stop before continuing. "Unless one of these Lucarios chooses to have another fighter represent them in the spar. And if this is to be done, you must speak now."
And when Shali managed to tilt her head up and turn it towards Matthew's direction, he knew exactly what she was going to say next.
"Him. I choose the human."
An uproar came up among all the tribe, the Lucarios shouting all sorts of negativity into the cold air. Shali received probably around the same amount of comments as Matthew did himself. All the hate targeting the two of them. Tokala, who had remained calm save for when Shali was slightly late, appeared horrified. Arphal had simple interest on his face, not really following along with the crowd. But Azen, he stopped his mocking smile and replaced it with one that showed pure triumph.
"Settle down!" Arphal announced and instantly the insults were cut off. Though the silence spoke plenty loud enough for him to hear. "Shali has made her decision and we will abide by it."
"A human can't fight in this! Not for something as important as a blessing!" a Lucario within the crowd said. There were many voices who yelled out in support of this.
"There is no law amongst our tribe that suggests this, Rowta. And if you would like to go against Azen for this fight then by all means, go for it," Arphal replied calmly. The Lucario had no response to this but sunk back into the crowd. "You, human."
Matthew looked at him, who didn't seem to have any hate stemming from his conscious. "Yes?"
"Do you accept Shali's proposal?"
He looked over at Shali, her eyes didn't meet his own. This was certainly the solution he was looking for. It gave him a possible way out of captivity, it got Shali out of her own situation and neither of them had to die for it. He was certain he could defeat Azen, there had been much tougher opponents in the Deity Lab. It all seemed perfect. He had no reason to say no.
So why did something feel off?
"Human? Your answer?"
Matthew saw Shali finally turned her eyes towards him. He recognized the look immediately, it was one he had given to all the scientists who dragged him from room to room, torture to torture. It was one that screamed, 'Please don't let this happen to me.' For the first time in his life, Matthew was on the other side of this expression. And the thing that felt off simply faded away.
"I accept."
There was another uproar, even louder than the last one and Arphal was quick to shut it down. Though it took a bit more than an instant for it to occur. "Dahinda, get the rope off the human. Tokala, release your aura bind on him as well."
"Elder, this is absurd!" said Tokala. Matthew suddenly felt the aura bind tighten on his body, making him completely immobile.
"It was you who asked this blessing to be arranged, was it not, Tokala?" said Arphal.
"Yes, it was but-"
"You are fully aware of our laws regarding the blessing as well, correct?"
"I-I am.."
"Then I don't believe there is any reason to delay it further. Now, release your aura."
Tokala doubled down, "Do you not remember that this human has two auras residing in his body?"
"I remember well. But his judgment has very little to do with this blessing, Tokala," said Arphal, giving a firm glare that Tokala turned away from.
Arphal, you have no idea how much the judgment has to do with this, thought Matthew.
"My decision is final. Release him."
He felt the aura on his body strengthen, hesitate and disappear entirely. Warmth flooded his system as his psychic returned.
"I have to say, this is getting extremely interesting," said Neo, speaking out.
How about you talk to me later, Neo. You aren't needed right now. Matthew thought. He was going to do this, this would be his way of helping Shali and after he could potentially get out!
"Fine, fine. I just hope you know what'll happen if Azen gets the better of you."
He knew, he knew plenty well.
The guard, Dahinda, went behind the tree Matthew was tied to and undid the knot. The rope fell limply onto Matthew's lap and he was filled with the sense of freedom. But it wasn't a complete freedom, he still had to earn it.
"Come over here, human," said Arphal, beckoning him with a paw.
He slowly got up, feeling his legs awaken after nearly two days of no use. He used a very small bit of psychic to aid his mobility, he would need to save the rest for his fight with Azen.
As he walked, the many judgmental looks he was receiving made him feel like a defendant that was so clearly guilty there was no need for a trial. Don't worry everyone, I'll be out of your way. Hopefully sooner than later if all goes well. And if it doesn't go well… then it'll definitely be sooner.
He reached Arphal, his eyes were not full of malice as everyone else's were. His smile was gentle, unharming. "Azen, you as well. Shali, you are free to come if you choose."
Azen began walking up. Shali did not.
"I wish the two of you a fair and honest fight. Please take your sides and I will announce when it begins," said Arphal. Azen bowed in what seemed like respect. Not wanting to anger the crowd further, Matthew bowed as well.
They turned their backs and walked to opposite sides of the main area. As Matthew passed Shali, she put a paw on his shoulder. "You said you could take him. If you can, do it now, please. I trust you."
She turned around and merged into the crowd, though several Lucarios were giving her looks of disdain.
Overhead, the clouds had turned a deep grey, ready to precipitate.
Matthew exhaled, calming himself. He was ready, and this wouldn't be hard, right? He couldn't openly use his psychic powers, that would get him into deeper shit than he was already in, but he figured focussing just a bit of psychic energy, not enough to be visible, into his fists should be enough. Azen was a Lucario, and Lucarios were weak to psychic attacks.
Relax, Matthew. Relax. You've taken down Garchomps, Aggrons, Beartics and Steelixes, this can't be any harder than those. He looked at azen, his pose was lax. Matthew felt unease creeping on his back.
"Fighters, prepare yourself!" said Arphal. Matthew assumed a standard fighting stance, keeping his fists up near his face. Azen remained lax, but stared deep into Matthew.
"Begin!"
Both began to close in on one another. Matthew kept the defensive but Azen was wide open, practically begging for someone to attack.
Matthew didn't like it, he didn't like it one bit. There was definitely something off here, something he didn't know of yet. But the way that Azen was going into this, he seemed almost too confident. Sure, Matthew was a human to Azen but was there something more?
"Tell you what, human," said Azen, getting within a few meters of Matthew. "If you give the fight to me, right now, I'll give you my mercy and knock you out with one punch," he grinned, "So how about it?"
"No. That isn't gonna happen, Azen," he replied, less than a meter away. He pulled back his fist, let the psychic energy flow into it and thrusted forward, connecting with Azen's chest.
He barely flinched.
Matthew stared at his fist, it was shallowly buried in shiny Lucario fur. He felt shock, it should have worked. Azen couldn't be that powerful, could he?
Then he felt his knuckles began to sting and realized with horror that he managed to injure himself more than his opponent.
"No deal? That's fine, I kinda wanted it this way." Azen barely moved his fist back before throwing a punch, catching Matthew right in the gut.
He tried using his psychic to slow the punch down just so he could ease the pain a little bit. But it didn't seem to be enough as he doubled over, letting his fist drop.
There was no recovery for him then, Azen was quick to land a blow on his left shoulder, nearly dislocating it. He's holding back, he wants to enjoy this, thought Matthew. But he had to hold on, he was still good to go and could still win for Shali.
Azen landed another hit on his upper chest, and Matthew flew back, landing hard. He tasted iron but tried to stay strong, his healing powers would give him a little boost. What, Neo? Not gonna comment on how fucked this situation became?
Apparently not, and that made Matthew feel off again.
"Come on, human! Get up and fight! You made a commitment to this fight so you better damn well keep it!" said Azen, somewhat angrily.
Matthew kept waiting for the healing to take effect but still nothing. What the hell? He pushed the thought aside and turned over, allowing him to use his arms and legs to push himself up.
"Don't worry…" he spat out blood, "... I'm not done yet."
"Good." Azen was quick to approach and let another punch loose. On instinct, Matthew strafed to the left and managed to just miss him. He felt an ache in his core, Azen may have been holding back but it was still hurting like hell.
And still his healing power wasn't working, any other time and he would have been good as gold by now. It didn't even seem like his psychic was acting right.
The shiny Lucario's hand suddenly glowed white and shot towards him. Matthew should have been to dodge just in time but he felt himself locked in place as the contact shot him back a good distance away, causing him to somersault backwards over and over until he came to a stop. He recognized the move, force palm, and boy did he wish he was on the sending end.
Why? Why hadn't he been able to move? He certainly didn't feel like a Deerling in headlights when Azen prepared his move, so why couldn't he? And why hasn't his healing power activating right now?
Something was wrong, very very wrong.
He put a palm to the frozen ground and suddenly shivered but that couldn't have been right. His psychic was on the fritz, no doubt about that, but it wasn't like it was broken or anything. At any moment Matthew thought he would see Neo pop up and give him a lowdown of how everything was messing up. But it was yet to be seen. The way he hardly seemed to be able to do anything, it was like his aura was binded again.
Wait.
He moved his eyes from the sky they were fixated on and saw the crowd of Lucarios. They weren't looking at him, it was Azen who they were cheering on and encouraging. He scanned the crowd slowly, looking for one particular Lucario. As he did so, his eyes passed Shali who appeared short of breath. This isn't going to end this way, Shali. I've got plenty of life left in me.
Then he found who he was looking for, a Lucario with a red crescent on his head, mirrored just slightly below it and a dot between them. This Lucario had his aura sensors raised. Tokala.
Matthew once again pushed himself over and could feel his strength lessen with every passing moment. No, he wouldn't be able to keep going. Not with the aura bind in place. There had to be a way out of this, right?
He got his palms on the ground and pushed upward. Once he managed to stand up again, Azen looked almost bored. "You know, I thought when you accepted that you were hiding some kind of trick or something with that second aura of yours. But now you're even more pathetic than any opponent I've faced. I'm kinda disappointed."
Matthew coughed, tasting more iron, and spat again. "I… am… not… done!" he yelled, gasping between words. He knew complaining of the aura bind would be useless, Tokala could just force his mouth shut before he could get the first syllables out.
"No, you are."
Matthew threw a punch, trying to get it boosted by his psychic but could not. It even seemed more sluggish than his first one, what with his injuries and the aura bind. Azen easily avoided it. He threw another, and achieved the same results only when Azen avoided it, he swung a paw down.
And the spike on his backhand stabbed through Matthew's own.
He yelled in pain, seeing the blood spill out over his forearm. The spike had stabbed fully through his palm. He began frantically attempting to pull it out but just as it seemed to come loose, Azen twisted his arm back. Suddenly his back was away from Azen, and his fear skyrocketed.
Matthew swung his arm back in a desperate attempt to knock Azen off. I can't let this happen, I have to get my healing power back soon. There's too much blood coming out of my wrist, I'm already feeling lightheaded.
"Human, you've lost. Accept it," said Azen, and with one swift motion sent his other hand spike into Matthew's undamaged one, stopping its flailing motion.
His agonized scream was cut short as the Lucario suddenly jerked Matthew by his stabbed limbs back into him. Into his large chest spike.
He had been stabbed in the torso before, it was by a Sandslash's claw and even then it barely made it an inch into him. This made that claw feel like a toothpick. It drove itself far into his back, barely missing his spine and mere millimeters from puncturing his organs. He tried to scream but found he couldn't, only managing to get a pitiful squeak. His eyes faded in and out of darkness.
"Are you done?" he heard Azen whisper, his hot breath on his ear.
Matthew tried to shake his head, I'm not done. I can't be done. I have to get this aura bind off me. He hacked up some more blood and felt his vision dim, the wound on his back was large but the spike largely stopped the blood from escaping it.
He looked at the crowd, many were cheering the fight on, however Matthew could not hear them very well. Shali was the only one who was not, she was standing there, mortified, with wide eyes. With every bit of strength he had left in him, he motioned his head to the right in a directional motion, towards Tokala. He could only hope that he caught her attention.
His sight fell a darker grey but he fought on. There was still a chance, he could turn this fight around. His sight fell darker. If Shali noticed what Tokala was doing, which he was certain she would, then his chance would open. His sight fell black, his body, limp.
And suddenly his eyes were open again, the psychic energy flowing through him and his healing power repairing all the damage that had been done. He looked at Shali, her gaze focussed on Tokala, who looked stunned.
"You're lucky she got that aura bind down when she did, I was getting all riled up to take over," said Neo, not in view but very much present.
Oh shush already, you ethereal bastard. Thought Matthew, becoming more buoyant as he felt less and less pain.
"I'll tell you what I'm done with Azen…" he pulled his right hand away from the shiny Lucario. Azen pulled back but with the added strength of his psychic, he eventually lost the struggle. The spike came out of the hand, splattering blood onto the frozen ground. "I'm done with you and this fight!"
He yanked the other spike out of his remaining hand and kicked Azen back and dislodged his chest spike. He felt a great sense of release flow into him and felt the wounds slowly close. Can't let them close all the way, they'll notice and I'll be done for.
Matthew turned around and faced Azen who gained his grin back. "Hmm, you might just be more fun than I thought. Don't disappoint me."
Azen fists glowed white again and this time Matthew would be ready for them. As one came down, he quickly moved to avoid it and caught the other one in his hand, being pushed back as he did so.
Alright you son of a bitch, my turn. Now, with the psychic actually working, he sent a punch towards him. Azen, unprepared for the human's strength, stumbled before getting on his feet again.
Matthew moved in, finally taking an affirming offensive to the fight. He sent punches in Azen's direction but the Lucario was fast, very fast, and he couldn't keep up with the movements.
Azen kicked at Matthew's legs and he had quickly used his psychic to slow the blow down. He felt it sting but ignored it and used the opening to land another punch, putting just the slightest bit more psychic into it. Azen caught it and fired a force palm into his gut.
It hurt, but thankfully not as much as the first time. Matthew retained his position, hissing through the pain and punched Azen in the head.
The shiny stumbled, tripped, and landed on his behind. The crowd who had been cheering so incessantly suddenly stopped.
"Alright… are you going to submit?" asked Matthew, breathing heavy, trying to resist the urge to allow his healing power to sew all the holes that were still very present on his body.
"Heheheh…" Azen stood up, his fur slightly displaced in the spot Matthew had hit him. "You know, that was a decent fight, finally someone manages to be a little competent against me." Matthew prepared himself but didn't expect Azen to suddenly sprint over to his position, faster than he could see and grabbed his arm. "But I got better things to do now."
Azen swiftly twisted his arm and flung Matthew to the ground. In an instant Azen was on top of him, preventing him from moving. He raised one hand and formed a shimmering bright blue ball; an aura sphere.
At the moment of release, Matthew moved his head ever so slightly to the left, feeling the blast whistle by his ear. The explosion was louder, causing tinnitus to set in. Little pieces of frozen ground peppered his cheek.
Shit, that was close. With a dusty cloud settling in around them, Matthew threw a punch in a random direction, trying to aim at Azen. He felt it connect and the weight of his adversary was off.
He scrambled to stand and touched a hand to his ear, the flesh was raw, burned from the aura sphere, but it all still seemed to be there.
The dust settled and he suddenly felt chilled, not that his psychic wasn't working again but Azen had gained that evil glint in his eye. The one he saw yesterday.
"You will regret that," he simply said, and Matthew very much believed every word.
With speed, Azen launched himself at Matthew, fists flying at all sorts of angles that he couldn't keep up with. When they began hitting, Matthew realized he was in a storm of close combat. Various blows struck his chest, arms and legs, making bruises wherever they landed.
The storm eventually stopped, but then Azen's full arm turned white and shot upwards. Matthew had no time to react. He got hit with the full force of a sky uppercut.
He had no idea how long his airtime was, but he felt it was enough to garner at least an eight or a nine if he was being judged on it. Moments before he hit the ground, he used the psychic to slow his momentum, if only just a little bit.
But it still hurt a lot. All the air was once again out of his system and the place he had been struck in the jaw felt almost slack with a dull throb ceaselessly pounding in his head. It was as though he had gotten a tooth removed and the novocaine was just now wearing off. The problem being that it wasn't novocaine, it was shock, and it wasn't a tooth removed, he was pretty sure that his jaw was broken.
The throb eventually stopped and there was light relief as his jaw fixed itself. There was more to consider, however. That blow was powerful, and Matthew was sure that Azen could dish out a few more of those. If one made him unconscious, then the fight would be over. He had to end this.
He dug his hands into the ground for the umpteenth time and stood up, breathing slowly and deeply. His jaw still ached plenty but it at least wasn't broken anymore.
Azen, no longer grinning, but instead barring his teeth and letting a growl slip through, said, "Why aren't you finished already?! No human could possibly keep going this long!" His eyes reflected hate and rage.
And for the first time in the fight, it was Matthew's turn to smile, albeit rather tiredly. "I guess… I'm just a... stubborn… son of a bitch… right?"
Azen charged forward, both fists glowing brighter than they had ever been before. His speed was fast and just as he was about to make contact, Matthew planted a hit, using as much psychic energy as he could without it being visible. Azen's momentum halted, completely stopped by the blow. And Matthew kept going, swinging punch after punch after punch into the Lucario.
He couldn't stop himself, every hit fuelled him for more. His hands hurt, the wounds were still not sealed, his back was killing him and he felt rather faint in the head from the blood loss, but he kept going.
Then, as a final hit, he mirrored Azen's sky uppercut with one of his own. The Lucario's legs left the ground but came back after only a few moments. He was motionless. Breathing, but nothing more. Matthew stayed on guard, waiting for Azen to stand up suddenly beat the living shit out of him. It did not come.
The eerie quietude that followed was one that became stagnant quickly. No cheering, nor booing, for that matter. The sound of Matthew's own breath seemed rather far away to him.
The clouds with their pregnant, dark grey bottoms passed, letting a bit of sunlight through.
"A well fought fight. I was thoroughly impressed," said Arphal.
He turned around, the elder Lucario appeared content, unlike all those around him. What was going to happen next? Were they going to execute him now? That's what Arphal said he would do if he saw Matthew injuring another tribe member. So what-
"Let us proceed with the blessing. Shali, please come up," he said.
Shali came, and within moments was to the left of Matthew. Her face was more eased, relief prominent in her features. Yeah, you and me both, Shali. thought Matthew, letting his wounds close just a bit more.
"Human, please raise your right hand. Shali, please raise your right hand," said Arphal, looking thoughtfully at the pair.
They did as they were told, Shali because she was loyal to the tribe and Matthew because he was still hesitant of what would happen next. The way Arphal had instructed them made that off feeling come back again with thrice the amount of impact.
"Now bring your hands together, finger to finger, palm to palm."
They did so, and Shali began sharing the same level of 'off' that Matthew had. But in a way that she knew the situation in a deeper way.
"Umm, what is happening?" asked Matthew, being cautious on the way his tone sounded.
Arphal looked at him without changing his expression. "I believe I said so already, human. The blessing is proceeding commonly as any of our other blessings. You chose to represent Shali in the fight and there you are to take the place of the one she is blessed with."
"What?" Matthew suddenly became short of breath. He did not sign up for this, he only fought Azen to help Shali out, not to be blessed with her. This wasn't part of the deal, Arphal never said any of this before. "This can't be right, I'm a human. There's no way we could be… uhh.. 'blessed' together."
Arphal sighed, "Must I repeat myself for the third time today? There are no laws we have established that negates this, I'm sure you can understand that this has not happened before considering our policy toward your kind."
Ah yes, that was right. Immediate execution.
"However, if, for whatever reason, you deny this blessing, then Azen will automatically be the one who is blessed to Shali."
That turned his mindset around, he promised to help Shali and that's what he had to do. But a blessing? He wasn't sure how high of a regard these blessings took in the tribe but considering everyone including the elder turned out, he had a decent understanding. Team Saber was always his main focus, could this have a negative impact on it, if any impact at all?
I mean, I suppose I could… No. No, I made a promise to myself and I'm keeping it, but I have to keep Team Saber in mind. Anything to do with this that hinders my progress in stopping them, I'll have to call it off. Matthew sighed, "I… I understand, and I still accept." He waited for the hate from the crowd to come, it didn't.
"Then we shall continue." Arphal closed his eyes and raised his aura sensors. Both his arms were suddenly enveloped in blue flames which Matthew assumed were aura. Arphal clasped both his hands around the connecting hands Matthew and Shali had. The flames were warm and licked against his skin but ultimately didn't injure him, it felt rather weird. "Please repeat after me."
"I promise to respect and care for my mate."
They replied, almost in unison, "I promise to respect and care for my mate." At the word 'mate', Matthew found an odd feeling rising in him. One called 'regret'.
"I promise to fight and protect my mate."
"I promise to fight and protect my mate." This couldn't have been a mistake right? He had fulfilled his promise and he wasn't getting executed for it. Sure he needed to go through a blessing but mates? Matthew knew enough to know that mates were a little more than just friends.
"I promise to live and thrive with my mate."
"I promise to live and thrive with my mate." This time their unison was rather delayed. Matthew didn't want to get himself into this type of situation, this was way too much too fast. But he had to, right? He had to help Shali, that's what his promise entailed.
"And I promise to hold my aura with an open palm to my mate, so that the energy may flow between us."
"And I promise to hold my aura with an open palm to my mate, so that the energy may flow between us." The delay was still present, this time going on just a bit longer. This… I don't know… can I really do this?
"No idea, but I'm getting a hell of a kick out of this, Matthew," said Neo, speaking up and appearing right beside him. Shali's eyes narrowed and Arphal's turned so little to convey the message of apathy.
"Then, with the power vested in me by Sphaera, I bless you for now and the rest of your lives." Suddenly, the flames that had engulfed their hands became searing hot, then they were gone.
Arphal took his hands off and Matthew saw there was a mark on the back of his hand. It was the symbol of the Aperta tribe, two crescent shapes mirroring one another with a dot in the center. He could only assume that Shali shared the same mark. And seeing it now, somehow burned into the skin, his healing power not even trying to erase it, all he could think was: I made a mistake.
Shali looked at the mark on her hand and thought, Finally. Finally, Azen will no longer be a part of my life.
Their hands disconnected and they both looked at the elder. She knew what would come next, she had already accepted it as her future. But it would be a better future than the one that her father planned out.
"Shali, I'm afraid there is another aspect we must discuss," said the elder.
"I understand."
"For being bonded to a human, you have violated our oldest policy and must be subjected to the consequences."
She nodded. Here it comes, here's what you wanted to happen, Shali. she thought.
"From this day to the end of days, you are exiled from the Aperta tribe and are to never return. Please leave as soon as possible."
There it was, the thing she had feared and prayed for since the day she had been said to be blessed with Azen. Exile. The only thing that had stopped her had been her unwavering loyalty to the tribe, but now she wasn't part of the tribe. Not anymore.
She turned her head to the left, most of the Lucarios had left but Tokala was still there. His face expressed disappointment and betrayal twisted into some malignant conglomerate. She could almost hear him say, "You are no longer my daughter. In response, she gave him a look, one that read, "No, I never was. Nor were you ever my father.
At that, he finally left; disappearing in between the trees.
She turned back to Matthew. She would have to explain herself to him, that was certain, then they would hopefully be better off. Perhaps it was wrong for her to keep him in the dark for so long, but she had to, and she would explain that too. She opened her mouth.
And then closed it.
Matthew was gone.
From above, there was a low rumble and she felt something wet but somewhat solid strike her head. She looked up. The clouds covered the sky and precipitating. Not snow but rain. Though at this temperature, it was classified as freezing rain. It had occurred before, various broken large branches had seriously injured many tribe members. It didn't take a genius to know that freezing rain was one of the worst outcomes for precipitation.
Shali began running.
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Peace!
-Minusbomb