Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or its characters.
Author's Notes: A heads up before the chapter. Anything that is written in Italic, that's a flashback.
Another side note, I decided to do another "extra spicy" thing for this chapter, seeing the lack of complains on the Linoone's one. So I will once again be leaving a link for a music to give you guys a bit more of mood and the feeling of the scene. Again, it's not mandatory, but I think it is pretty cool and adds a fun factor while reading it.
"So you want to destroy Groudon and then fill everything up with water. Is that right?" Spiegel asked incredulous, so much so, that he shifted from his spot to give a long glance at the back of the large blue Primal's back.
"He is a perversion, a failure and an antithesis to everything that I am." Kyogre replied with his usual angry piercing growl, making tiny waves of water rise everywhere around them.
"That doesn't answer my question." The young man spat back with a dirty grin, taking a little shot at his railed up traveling companion.
"Yes, that is correct." Surprisingly enough, Kyogre gave in to the human's provocation. "The domain of water is the source of every life, and the natural state this world should be in."
"You like water, I get that. However, if you want to be surrounded by water so much, why stay over here so next to dry land? I mean, most of the world is covered by water already, shouldn't you just be out there, enjoying yourself?"
"In a world where THAT exist… there is no enjoying myself. If left alone, he could turn everything to nothing more than dried ashes." Kyogre's yellow eyes flashed with anger, the old primal slammed on of his large fins on the sea, forming now a massive wave that went as far as the coast and then died out against a cliff. "What would you do in my place, if there is an existence out there that can threaten the very soul of your being?"
"But how many years have passed with him awake and the world didn't burn?" Spiegel's words cut deep on the ancestral Pokémon's logic, yet didn't manage to push him for his ideals. "He can be controlled. Heck, I've kept him under control all these years, didn't I?"
Kyogre remained in silence, keeping his eyes to the never-ending line of blue in front of them.
"Sure, It wasn't me, me. Doesn't change the fact that one Brendan maintained peace with the molten monster." Spiegel who was lying on his back on top of Kyogre's large body, staring peacefully at the clean blue sky, jumped up into a sitting position. He stretched his arms and slapped his legs. "Kyogre, I promise you this, whatever it takes, I will find a solution to your problem. You're not alone anymore." Smiling silly with boisterous expression in his features, the young man patted his giant companion on the back. In the span of such few days, the hostility between the two almost vanishing, a strange bond being formed with the two. "Besides, if I leave you two alone, then everyone will end up drowning away or burned to a crisp."
"A solution, huh…" Still not convinced by only words, Kyogre still contemplated the idea of losing himself to the deep unknown blue of the worldwide ocean. For the first time in his existence, another thought other than destroying Groudon crossed the primal's mind. It is strange, almost unnerving, which made the gigantic Pokémon feel silly. However, even burying this reverie deep and far down on his sea of thoughts, the primal blue could not deny that it didn't sound so bad. It didn't sound bad at all.
"Nice to meet you… Brendan." Spiegel called out to his equal, a twisted smirk flashing on his face.
Brendan clenched his eyes, his cone of visual barely catching a view of the shadow in front of him. This shadow, a silhouette of exact his height, is staring at him. Various paces of length from Brendan, two gleaming gems at glaring at him with a cutting sharp focus. As confusing and scary as this hidden figure is, it pales in comparison to the titanic form floating in the water.
"W-who… are you?" Brendan's voice stuttered, a piercing pressure pressing against his heart. His voice resonating in the silent night made the massive creature stir, round cold yellow eyes glowing down at his form.
"Oh, but that is an easy question to answer." Spiegel replied with an unending amount of glee. The sound of his firm feet stomping at the sandy ground startled the young champion, a reaction better than anything else he has expected. "You know, I waited quite a few time for this moment. Mulling over each word I should say, rehearsing each line that would come out of my mouth right at this point here." The voice became closer, as the form in the darkness stopped being just a silhouette and more of its features took a color, a form. "But I can't say any of it. Looking at you… I only feel sickened." Finally, a louder thump pressed right in front of Brendan, a man standing out and stopping right then and there. "Because it's ever so uncanny to stare right back at yourself. Isn't it that right, me?"
A long line of brown hair falls down on his back, two large bangs at the sides of his face, the always-defining characteristic Brendan always had. Every feature adorning his face is the exact the same, to the form of his forehead down to the curve of his chin. Even worse, the same eyes that began to plague Brendan's thoughts after they changed over from their original form, are there glowing in blue and red. To look at this man is just like staring at an unhinged mirror.
Brendan's frown only deepened as his eyes glided down to the rest of this person's body. "Where did you get that?" He asked with an aggressive hiss. Topping all else, as in a mockery act, this man is wearing Brendan's clothes. A dark red long-sleeved shirt with a black line pattern in its texture, a pair of dark gray pants with a black line on the sides lastly the pair of green and white short boots. From top to bottom, there is no mistake and no differences; those are Brendan's own clothes.
Spiegel's smirk widened at the question. "You liked them?" He asked with a shrug.
This time Brendan was the one taking a long and heave step forward, stopping inches away from the other man. "I asked. Where did you get those?" His voice sounding threatening in more the one way.
His mirror image looked unfazed, bored even. He matched Brendan's gaze with a piercing glare, blue meeting red, while red met blue. "Second rock under the old oak by the side of the house." He responded naturally, shrugging off once more. "I remember to always keep a spare key in that spot… I looked over there and voilà, free entrance to my home."
Brendan stiffened but still looked straight and focused. His eyes trailed to the side just for a moment, taking in the information, and then they jumped right back to his equal's face. "That's my home, not yours. I don't know how you got that bit of information or any kind of leverage you think you have over me. But this will not work." He went forward and tackled his left fist on the man's chest, pushing him back. "You're just an idiot using my face as a mask. There's nothing else to it."
"In Ekkisu's right left-blade, there is a tiny cut, an injury he got in our first fight against Groudon." Spiegel said calmly.
"What?" Brendan gazed at the man, getting even more puzzled. To know about his spare key was something, but an old thing and to every detail… Something is greatly wrong about this.
Closing his eyes and taking a long breath Spiegel continued. "At the end of winter, watching the fireworks in Dewford Town, we made plans to build a large house at Littleroot and move over there… with May. Actually, that was akin to a proposal but she didn't get the meaning behind it, did she?" He gave a weak little laugh as he finished speaking, taking his eyes back to the shining stars above them.
"How do you-"
Spiegel cut his other-self off as he raised one hand up. With this said hand, he reached over and pinched the skin of cheek with his fingers giving rash and fast pulls. "See, this is no mask." The clone posed himself as if ready to battle, with one hand in his pockets and the other on his waist. "This is not a dream; this is not a nightmare, Brendan!" He shouted madly, for the first time railing himself up. "I am your other half, you like it or not. This is reality! But today… This duality ceases to exist."
Persona 4: I'll Face Myself -Battle- ======= (watch?v=IORp_o7bnvM)
Taking a firm step back, twirling his left side around and hurling his arms forward. Spiegel tossed one of his Poké-Balls at Brendan. A blur of colors darted toward the unprepared trainer, the ball slamming itself at the young man's chest, parting itself in two parts. In a dazzling show of light, a second form appeared on top of Brendan, and without warnings, piercing white claws cut the air in front of him.
In his practically unnatural reaction speed, Brendan tossed himself backwards, jumping on his back against the sand, just nearly getting hacked by the incoming attack. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the now visible Sandslash running at him, claws at high and ready to strike. Eyes widened in surprise, the champion's only reaction was to get the first thing in his pockets and throw it against the raging ground-hedgehog.
Sandslash swiped the object with one of her claws, parrying it with easy but also activating the Poké-Ball that parted in two. Another flash of light came to life, this time calling an angry-looking Sceptile out. Ekkisu barely landed his feet on the sand and immediately summersaulted over the Sandslash's head. With a blinking fast speed, he dragged his right leaf-blade downwards, aiming a perfect strike at his opponent's back.
However, to Ekkisu and Brendan's surprise. That Sandslash did an impressive spin of her entire body, a twirl of one-eighty, just in time to raise her claws and block the attack. Locked from that position, but also holding the Sceptile in place, the ground Pokémon bent her body just a bit forward to aim her large spikes at him. With no words coming from her trainer, the ferocious little thing unleashed a volley of rocky spikes at the grassy-lizard.
Disappearing from his dangerous spot, Ekkisu gracefully landed beside his trainer. Even after dodging the entirety of Sandslash's vicious attack, he still got hit by a few stray spikes, his right leg being the one most grazed by the hits.
"You cannot win, Brendan." Spiegel taunted from his position. "Ekkisu is a strong Pokémon, maybe the strongest I've ever known. But this is also his downfall… I know all about him."
Spiegel's words did little to move Brendan or get any reaction out of him, but the same cannot be said about his Sceptile. Ekkisu instantly recognized the voice, he jerked his head to the side and saw his trainer standing at the other side of this battle. He then glanced to his right side and saw Brendan also standing next to him. The sheer confusion showing on the poor Pokémon's face was enough to make both Brendan's cringe.
"Is this how I sound to people when I battle against then? So arrogant and full of myself? Now I know why Wally felt so angry that day." Brendan said in a joke, although his face is doing little more than frown. "To someone that looks like me, you sure don't have the same talent as I have. To still use a ground type against Ekkisu of all Pokémon."
"Small thinking on your part. That's why you will die here." The response came almost at the same time. "Sandslash, Dig and take out his balance from below." Spiegel threw one hand forward commanding his Pokémon to attack.
"Ekkisu, use your tail to stay out of the sand and use Night Slash at the first moment it pops out." Brendan threw his right hand forward just the same as if he was mimicking the other man's form. Probably it's the other way around.
For a few long moments, the battle came to a halt. No sound was made as no one dared to move from their spots. Brendan and Ekkisu frantically scanned their surroundings and each little mound of sand next to them, while Spiegel just watched them in guard. From one of the higher mounts next to Ekkisu, Sandslash pointy-head popped out, with her white claws shining with all intentions to strike.
"NOW!" Brendan shouted and his Pokémon followed the command.
Ekkisu launched himself from his spot by pressing his upper body against his long tail on the ground, the green lizard tossed his left arm behind and then shot it forward, aiming directly at his opponent's forehead. Fast and strong, Ekkisu's strike came with full intention to down the other Pokémon with just one hit, yet his leaf blade swing and missed. The violent wave of his arm slashed at nothing as the Sandslash surfed back on the sand as if the ground was made out of water.
"As always, he gets too involved in his attack to do anything else." Watching 'his' Sceptile acting so predictable felt somewhat annoying to him, yet this is an unfortunate and required ordeal he has to get through. So pushing back the hesitation growing inside of him, Spiegel bit his lips and shouted. "Use Fury Cutter!"
In the tail of Spiegel's ringing voice, a single line of white slashed from below. Within the nature of its name, Sandslash merciless attack slashed furiously at Ekkisu's back. Crying loudly in pain, the Sceptile flew far high, landing at the edge of the water, a thin line of blood starting to running down green skin.
"Ekkisu, please stand down. You've done enough already."
Like a bittersweet flavor that had invaded his throat, this command coming with a calming voice only served to push Ekkisu over the edge. The green Pokémon jolted his head up, glaring confused at his trainer, only to see Brendan not looking at him, instead, glaring ever so fiercely at the other man. Noticing that the owner of that so familiar voice is not his long-time partner, Ekkisu jumped on his feet, shooting daggers with his eyes.
"Hmph, I will show you how much I can do!" The Sceptile armed his leaf-blades at his front, aiming his attack at the opposing Pokémon.
"You can do much, I know… Oh, how I know that my friend." Spiegel countered, again with a saddened look on his face. "But even if is it you, I will not hold back."
"You… can understand me?" Ekkisu eyed the man with newfound curiosity, but with this, he lowered his arms as well as his guard.
"Ekkisu, here they come!" Brendan called out. Seeing the sand-surfing Sandslash coming at them, the trainer jerked his head to the side, throwing a side-glance at his leafy friend.
Advancing like a silent killer, Sandslash jumped from her sand wave continuing on her previous attack. White claws descended from above in a flicker of white, a loud screech sounded from the Sceptile as the skin of his chest ripped in a long deep line, more blood splattering on the ground.
Still, hurting and bleeding, Ekkisu didn't kneel on backed away. This time, his sharp eyes glinted with a wild determination and his body stormed forward with renewed stamina.
"Ekkisu put everything up in this attack. Use Leaf Storm!" Brendan stomped right ahead swinging his left arm forward, his words pushing his old friend as nothing else can.
Therefore, the Sceptile's rough voice roared aloud and strongly. Bursts of leaves exploded from his tail, a shower of razor-edges circling in a fervor all around the trapped Sandslash.
Spiegel felt a little troubled grin appear on his lips. He also took a stern step forward, jolting his arm just like his other peer. "Remember ours several hours of training right for this moment. Break his offensive… Take him down!"
In a snap of air lash, the small dome of leaves went in disarray, each of the little glinting sharp leaves that were hovering in unison suddenly halted in the air, turned their sharpest side to their target and dove in. Spiegel and his Pokémon did not only expect this much but they also read at each little move. Sandslash curled up in an unreachable ball and began to spin as fast as her body could take. Leaf clashed against rocky-spikes, the spikes tingled and vibrated which every single hit, yet all the leaves not only failed to penetrate her defenses but also got rejected everywhere, some flying towards Brendan, others to his clone.
Spinning even faster, stronger. Sandslash broke away from Ekkisu's Leaf Storm, rolling violently toward her opponent; she jumped from her spot, landing right on top of him.
"Ekkisu!" Brendan called out in despair, his eyes widened like two saucers seeing the impending explosion about to occur.
Sandslash hissed angrily, raising her voice for the first time. She stretched her body, pushing her arms to the sides the curl of spike she had made exploded in a wake of furious earthen spikes flying everywhere but mostly piercing Ekkisu's unprotected body.
At each painful puncture forcing their way inside his limps and his body, Ekkisu cried painfully. His entire being hurting and aching, with the excruciating pain his senses and consciousness began to fade away. His yellow eyes closing little by little, his thoughts sinking down into a bottomless pit of darkness. However, with his last awaken thought; Ekkisu shifted his tired eyes to his friend, his desperate yelling friend.
"Ek… su… Ekkisu!" Brendan's exalted voice pierced the encroaching void threatening to take away his friend.
Ekkisu's barely open eyes shot open in a frenzy, his body felt an eruption of adrenaline coursing all over his veins. Roaring madly as he raised his arm, Ekkisu passed through everything in front of him; his pain, the still clinging spikes stopping his legs for moving properly. He pushed everything aside, and with one, a single rapid and devastating strike; His right leaf-blade sung aloud with one last attack.
His parting Leaf Blade broke down from above Sandslash's head. She barely had any time to even look at Ekkisu's fazed eyes before his arm clashed onto her, burying the hedgehog's upper body completely under the sands.
He fell down with his chest on the ground, bleeding and unconscious. She remained there, under the sand; her legs twitching but the rest of her body not moving at all.
"Fighting until the end… He really is the best partner." Tears slipping down from his glowing eyes, Spiegel watched the unconscious Sceptile with a grimace taking over any joy over his 'win'. "Hurting someone so dear to me is harder than I imagined it would be."
"Stop with this…" Brendan growled, baring his teeth at the other man. He kneeled over his partner and carefully caressed his bruised body. "I don't get it. This whole idea of you wanting to be me. Claiming to be me as if I would just swallow it up and follow your insane implications." Taking a solid punch at the sand next to him, Brendan shot his body up. This time he pulled out each Poké-Ball, calling out his entire team. His eyes brimming with a furious look, little by little, the same eyes he had on that day in Lilycove are coming back to his features. "I swore to take down the entire organization of Rainbow Rocket. Now I will start with you."
Chuckling playfully at his other self's bold proclamation, Spiegel called out the rest of his team. "I'm not one of them. But I will take your challenge head-on." He pressed forward, his team following his pace. "Come! Let's brake ourselves into each other until only one of us remains."
"You're weak…" Echoes of a familiar, dreading familiar voice floated inside Brendan's mind. "With the power to burn the world into a sunder and reform it anew… You stand idle and do nothing."
"Persistent much?" Brendan thought to himself as a soft joke, his eyes rolling up at Groudon's unceasing grumbles.
"Keep joking, boy. One day you will face not only my hated rival but also my unparalleled rage." Groudon's always-grumpy deep tone of voice turned into a mocking chuckle. "Let's us see how you will like my persistency then."
Unsettled by the primal's warning/threat, Brendan shifted his attention back to the shuffling black Poké-Ball. Taking a long breath and letting a sigh escape his lips, he dropped the stack of papers in his hands. Forgetting about the fact that in a few days he will be accepted and named as champion on Hoenn's Pokémon League, he sorely focused his attention to Groudon's 'prison.'
"Say. Why are you so angry all the time?" Brendan asked with a clean face, no ill intention in his tone. "I get that you're a legendary beast from ancient times. But isn't suffocating to be engulfed in so much hatred?"
"I was born from the world's necessity for balance. I came to be for the sole purpose of keeping the deeps away from the surface." To the teen-ager surprise, Groudon gave a sincere response. Different from all sarcastic commentary he is used to letting out. "Judged a monster by the Usurper, imprisoned because of the purpose life bestowed onto me! My hatred was born from within my prison. I was unable to move, unable to see, unable to die! In the darkness, I learn to do best in what was only available to me. In total darkness, I learned to hate everything."
"Then, I feel bad for you." Brendan replied with a genuine frown. "To live only for hate and hating everything while you live… That is no better than being dead."
"The Usurper cursed yourself just as much as he cursed me." Groudon spoke back. "Until the reckoning, you shall either perish or succumb to the same darkness that I have."
"Or I could ease up some of the burdens you have inside of you." The young trainer's chirp smirk as a remarkable sight. Not only was he unafraid of the monster sitting inside of the Poké-Ball on top of his desk, but he also felt a strange sympathy for Groudon. "Just you watch it. I will become the best champion Hoenn has ever seen. And then I will take you out of this hatred prison of yours."
"Huh! What conceited brat." The molten Primal snorted at his jailer's remarks. Despite his ever-growing hatred of everything, Groudon finds himself curious about the boy, the only human able to defeat him. "The day where you let me loose will come, boy. Just pray that when it comes, you have succeeded in this plan of yours. Or your world shall burn, together with everything you love."
I'll Face Myself (PERSONA 4) ~Orchestral Battle Arrange~ ==== (watch?v=RKIw0rWSs9s)
"Stop Violen! That is just a fein-" Before the sentence could properly leave his mouth; Brendan flinched as he watched his Gallade be flanked on both sides by an Armaldo and an Absol. Every time he made a move and gained the upper hand in one of his battles, he then lost the footing on the other two. It is not because he is a worse trainer than this man, that can't be it. They give their commands at the same time and with the same mannerism. No, the difference in their battles lies somewhere else.
Brendan's team is a hard-trained one. A team made of battle experienced Pokémon with countless victories standing on their shoulders. Being as powerful as they are, they can hold on by themselves against almost any opponents even without their trainer's direct commands. Yet, for some reason, this other team reads them like an open book. At each time Brendan's team tries to make an independent move, they are countered in the worse possible way, something that is wearing them out quickly.
"Layla, switch spots with Violen. Focus on the Absol, he is the fasted one." He shouted out the order and his Swellow swoop in, pushing the other pair away from her comrade. Valiantly, Layle flew up onto the sky and dove right back down onto Absol, but before her Steel Wings could strike true against her target, a torrent of water came from the ocean, hitting the bird straight on her body, sending her far back up.
"He is toying with you." Groudon's voice came alive again. Sounding unnerved and somewhat irate. "You can't keep ignoring reality. Unleash me, break my chains once more and stand a chance against that freak."
Brendan's body arched ever so slightly, the young trainer bitting his lips as an annoying pain returned to his head. "Not right now…" He hissed quietly to the primal whispering in his head. "I need to focus on this battle."
"UNLEASH ME, BOY!" Groudon screamed inside Brendan's head, forcing the young man to kneel in pain. "This is not a friendly fight like before. Keep ignoring my advice and he will kill you."
Brendan pushed himself up, taking his startled eyes to the sky. He took a deep breath and shouted. "LEAVE ME ALONE." His heartbeat went crazy, going almost twice as fast. As his eyes glided swiftly to the surroundings in front of him, it was too late to evade or block the impending punch flying onto his face.
A hard knuckle bashed onto his right cheek, sending Brendan crashing down on the sand. He rolled away and jumped back onto his fast as soon as his back landed on the ground. He noticed his entire team running towards the other man, but the other two Pokémon pushed them all back.
"You're weak." Spiegel said with an amused smirk. "These are his words, aren't they?" He tapped the side of his head with one finger, tilting his face to the side just a little. "I remember how it was to have Groudon screaming inside my head. How painful that was. But… that was you, not me. You see, I stand tall where you falter. I can proudly walk before Kyogre as his master, not as his peon. Brendan, can you do the same with Groudon?" He took one arm up and waved with his hands, motioning for the primal to swim closer. Despite his initial grunt of disapproval, Kyogre did as he was asked.
"Can you… Shut up already?" Brendan spat back. He felt a strange weakness taking over his legs. Not because those huge yellow eyes are staring right down at him, that wasn't it. It came from inside as if his own will to fight was clashing against some other thing inside of him. "Reading information about me from a paper doesn't make you that person. You freak."
"Reading…" In utter shock, the other Brendan just stared at him dumbfounded. Then his lips twisted into an enraged mess. "I AM YOU!" He screamed at the tops of his lungs. "I have your every memory. I have your tastes, I feel the same as you do, you moron. We love the same things, the same people, do you understand?"
Brendan didn't respond with words. His facial expression told everything Spiegel needed to know.
"Yes. I love her too. The same way that I once loved May." He continued, now clenching his fists into a way that almost pierced the skin of the palm of his hands. "I tried so hard. Each day from the past two months; I did nothing else but think of a different way. However, at each lonely night, waking every day in solitude… The only thought in my head was that she was together with you and not me." Spiegel snapped his fingers and as the sound echoed, Kyogre unleashed a brutal beam of pure water. The attack was swift and unstoppable; taking out all three Pokémon Brendan had called out. "That's why I need to do this." He eyed his original self with resolution, despite his hesitating look in his face, he had made his mind about this. "Sorry." He snapped his fingers once more, this time his and Kyogre's eyes aiming directly at Brendan.
Brendan had no time to think or formulate anything in his head. His world slowed down as his hands traveled back to his back pockets. His heart nearly jumping out from his chest as a beam of shredding water flew at him. In a move totally out of reflex, he swung his arm forward, tossing the cursed black Poké-Ball forward.
A piercing howl stormed the place. Kyogre's deadly attack exploded on Groudon's unbreakable chest and died out as if was nothing. Both Primals stared at each other in utter disgusted and rage. Kyogre opened his mouth to unleash another beam, now ten time its previous size, but as the water began to gather in front of him, Groudon jumped forward and slashed his rival's face, practically smashing the blue giant onto the ocean.
"The molten titan… I shall bury you once more on the same depths you were stuck for centur-" With his eyes completely glued on the form of the red monster rampaging in front of him, Spiegel missed the dashing man coming onto him, letting Brendan return in the same coin the punch from before.
"I don't know what you are. But I had enough of you… You will never touch her." Glaring from above, Brendan spat these words, before running right after his other-self rolling down on the sands.
He jumped with his fist ready to smack the downed man against the ground. Then from above, a pair of firm feet stroke him on his stomach, making the champion hurl spit as the air escaped his lungs.
Spiegel jumped on his feet, now is his turn to see the other man roll on the sand, getting some distance for himself. "I will never touch her?" He said with mild confusion. "Hah, that is too…" He paused, looking down at his hands and frowned. He swallowed his previous words, stopping them from coming out before it was truly too late. "And what will you do if I try? Going to kill me?" He said with a shrug and full of irony, as they are already trying to kill each other.
Hearing this person talk was driving Brendan crazy. He felt his body completely throws itself forward even without any order coming from his brain. In his own pure instincts, he feels the dire need to stop this person, to make him go as further away from his precious people as possible. He tried to reach with a swing of his left arm, but his hand flew by nothing as Spiegel ducked down from the blow. Then Brendan raised his left leg, sweeping in a cone, trying to catch him from below. Again, this attempt failed as the other man jumped over his leg and still managed to land a weak punch on Brendan's shoulder.
On the larger area of the island, Groudon roared louder as he breathed a wave of molten fire. The attack was not enough to harm Kyogre in any meaningful way but was enough to annoy the blue titan, who dove down into the sea and unleashed a wave attack of his own. The mortal enemies continued to throw jabs at each other, aiming to make as much damage as possible to their counterparts, but neither of them was able to gain an advantage over the other.
However, at each passing attack, the intensity of their powers began to grow. Waves larger than buildings began to crash against the island, almost submerging all the land. Heated beams flew all around, making the ocean boil and steam raise up the surface. One of Groudon's stray heated beams stormed the area where Brendan and Spiegel are fighting. The explosion of sand tackling Brendan to the other side of a new open trench between them, while Spiegel got pushed against the border of the island; his left arm softly burning from the heated waters.
Hissing with the new burning ache in his arm, Spiegel shifted his gaze to the two battling giants. For a moment, his eyes meet with Kyogre's yellow gaze. In a silent agreement, they nodded at each other, making note that it is time for a change.
"I really don't care about the domination over the elements. But today, the molten core shall lose." He took out the blue orb from one of his pockets and held it high above his head. "Kyogre, take back your primal form. Unleash the unrivaled powers of the deep against our enemies!" A cold, deep song echoed from inside the blue orb. A blinding light escapes from within the sphere, making whole what was once broken.
On his original primal form, Kyogre arose from the ocean with a gargantuan sphere of water enveloping his even bigger body. The once dormant lines in his blue body have awakened with his powers coming back, a new powerful light coming out from him, making the sea not only his home but now an extension of his body.
Groudon prepared another beam of light, aiming to take down his rival before he could ascend to the totality of his powers. But spots of water sprung to life at the red titan's mouth, cooling away from the heated attack, negating any form of retaliation coming from him. Those tiny spots began to appear more and larger, taking over every part of Groudon's body. In a matter of moments, he was completely encapsulated inside a giant prison made of water.
He raged, squirmed, slashed away. Groudon did everything to break himself out of his prison, but the more he moved, the more the sunk inside the massive bubble. Water suffocating the beast large lungs, pressing relentlessly against his form, crushing his body at its weight. Death was coming for him, and on the worse possible way he could imagine. Still struggling to keep himself alive, Groudon glanced down to his jailer. The only person capable of unleashing his true self. In a desperate attempt, he stopped moving and changed all his focus on the bridged of thoughts he could share with Brendan.
For this moment, just for the single second before water triumphs against fire, the world came to a stop.
"This is our crossroads." Groudon calmly reached inside Brendan's head. This time, not even a tingle of effect on the human's mind. "On this moment, we fight together… or we die in the same way. Crushed by this mockery of a Pokémon."
"Fight together?!" Brendan managed to push back the shock of being stuck in stopped time and spat back at the primal's words. "Up until now, you have only brought problem and destruction into my life. Why would I fight with you now?"
"I once said to you, that you would either fall into darkness with me or perish before the end of it all." Groudon said with a strangely nostalgic hum. "Time to choose Brendan. One more second and I will die. He will kill you next, and then go after everything you love… Even her." The primal's voice came out full of malice, he noticed the human's frail body twitch at this. Being able to see his jailer's thoughts have finally paid back its heavy price. Just a bit more and it will be done.
"I love you." Her voice came in as a faint echo in his mind. His conscious traveled deep inside his memories just to get another glance of her beautiful face. Then the image of her got crushed by a piercing screech, Zinnia screamed like a madwoman as if her body was being torn apart.
"The power to crush the world lies within your grasp." Groudon's evil murmurs came back, not more calmly and patient. "The power to stop your enemies, ALL OF THEM. Together, no one can stop us."
"Mommy and Daddy… I am happy like this." Aster' cute little voice was the one coming out now. Just hearing how she sounds brought a little smile onto Brendan's lips. His heart stopped when the same deafening screech stormed out, Aster was silenced forever right in front of his eyes...
With that image, Brendan finally snapped.
Persona 4: Reincarnation OST - I'll Face Myself ===== ( watch?v=Y-wR6Ovc7hk )
Time started anew, the crushing weight of Groudon's prison pressed its final push against his form, but contrary to logic itself, the bubble exploded. Groudon fell on the ground; his eyes blank as if he was taken out of his body.
A second spot of oppressive light beaconed to the sky. The source of it is the orb on Brendan's hand. The omega symbol on the sphere began to glow, sparkle, and lightning bolts flying out of it. Showing no fear of the unnatural thing happening right in front of him, Brendan pressed his finger even tighter against the orb.
Brendan jerked his head backwards, a muffled scream sipping out from his gritted teeth. His left eyes brimming with light, the red color of his iris getting stronger, more intense. While on the other side, his dull-colored blue eye began to change; the faded color slowly disappeared, getting engulfed by the same tint of red from the other eye. His right eye suddenly exploded with the same glow as the left one, the blue color all but vanished. Where once stood a damp darkened blue, now shines a wild flaming red.
He pressed more and more, the orb crackling and cracking; Despite all warnings flashing in his mind to stop and go back on his actions, Brendan pressed forward. He pressed some more, the orb giving out, pure energy seeping out from its cracks; with one final push of his fingers, the entire thing collapsed.
Hoenn trembled in its whole under the raging voice of Groudon. His body burst in flames, living lava running down at his chest as he ascended to his primal form. However, differently from his other-self, Brendan didn't awaken Groudon lost power in a partial manner. Hoenn's guardian shattered the molten titan's prison within his hands. Groudon is finally alive again, in his formal, his present and his future glory.
"I will…" Groudon spoke in clear human speech, yet the voice coming out of him was not his own. Tranquil is apparent on the beast' eyes, while Brendan was convulsing in pure insanity taking over his mind. "Destroy all of you. I will protect Hoenn… I WILL REIGN OVER THE WORLD." Brendan's voice once more stormed from within Groudon's mouth, a mixture of their separated thoughts fusing together, melting in one single mess.
Brendan took off, he ran wildly like a feral Pokémon towards his stunned copy. Groudon began to run at the same pace, huge platforms of earth erupting from below, making a safe place for him to step and pursue after his target.
In perfect unnatural unison, Brendan and Groudon moved in the exact same manner. As the raging red titan jumped from his platforms and cleaved inside Kyogre's dome, slashing the blue giant down back to the sea. Brendan also jumped from his spot and punched with unhinged strength at his enemy face, planting the other man against the ground.
"YOU!" Brendan's lips moved and twitched, but no sound was coming out from him. Instead, his voice echoed from Groudon, getting louder and stronger. "Are a vermin under my boots." He snarled as his right leg swung forward, kicking without pudency at Spiegel's chest.
His mirror image gasped loudly as his ribs flared up with unbearable pain. Spiegel weakly stood back on his feet, only to get tackled down once more by another flying kick coming from Brendan.
Leaving no time for respite to his enemy, Brendan mounted on top of him. He pressed his bottom against Spiegel's abdomen, pinning the man down with the weight of his body. A rocket fast punch clashed from the side, shooting the clone's head to the side; then another one, and another and another. In a ceaseless flurry of punches, Brendan continues to maul at the other's face.
'What a monster…' Spiegel thought to himself as his body went numb. He barely had the field of vision to look at his other-self as his face continue to jerk from one side to another. 'I prepared so much… Planned down to the last bit how this would go… But I can't beat him.' A single tear popped in one of his eyes, just to the punched away by one of Brendan's knuckles. 'After being so close, inches away from my life… I can't reach up to it.' His right arm went up, not onto Brendan's direction just up in a straight line. His fingers continue to move, trying their best to go beyond and past their limits in a hopeless trial to achieve it all, but they stopped right there, unable to move forward. 'No… I will not fade again. I will not give in.' His hand clenched in a tight fist his entire body trembling in the motion. "I WILL NOT LOSE!"
Spiegel pushed his arms in front of him, stopping Brendan's onslaught. Still, the champion pushed even harder, twice as stronger than the man under him. But just as his arms were about to go through, a fierce headbutt exploded against his head, forcing him not only to stop but to get out of his opponent entirely.
Dazed by the ringing noises echoing in his head, Brendan raised his left arm and in the wake of his movement a stone pillar erupted from the ground. A round spear of rock, just as the one Groudon uses but way smaller, came from the earth tackling the unsuspected Spiegel from below, tossing his body in the air. Then from the same pillar, another one sprung forward, bashing itself against the copy's body, shooting him all the way to the sea.
Blood flew out from his mouth as his body landed on the now cool water. However, that didn't stop his newfound determination. Taking back on his hands the orb that had fallen on the ocean, Spiegel clenched his hold on to it. He pressed the sphere with all his strength, just as Brendan did before with his. As the fragile surface of the item began to give in, the young man felt his consciousness sip in, dragged inside the ball. He felt a second heartbeat, another voice, another soul being infused inside his body. His head jerked backwards in the same manner as his other-self did before, the red of his eyes vanishing away as a new shining blue took its place.
He felt as the orb began to shatter to pieces, he felt an exhilarant rush running all over his being. The glass finally broke to pieces, Kyogre's prison unleashing the primal's full power back onto his body and with it, Spiegel's mind went along. Trainer and Pokémon synced up in a true bond, an unbreakable bond; something so strong that is as if they shared two bodies with each other.
"I see now…" Spiegel cracked up a smile on his bloodied lips. His pair of glowing blue eyes glanced back to dry land, he noticed Brendan punching, slashing and biting the air even though he is entirely alone. But at each of his movements, Groudon did the same, in his case he was punching, slashing and biting against the hard skin of Kyogre's body. "So, this is the power Kyogre spoke about. The power of the dragon… the will of domination." Feeling up not only the size and power of the blue titan's body, Spiegel felt the sea, in all of its extension. By swinging his arms forward, he commanded Kyogre's body to react which in turn forced the ocean to respond.
A massive wave of water raised itself from below, the unstoppable tide clashing against Groudon, pushing the molten primal as miles away from his rival.
With another dance of his arms, Spiegel made a smaller wave carry his body back to the island. Doing the impossible, he took support on the surface of his wave and jumped right back at Brendan. Both trainers met each other with a trade of punches, each one reaching the opposition's face.
Groudon roared louder than ever before. Even in this strange dormant state, the beast craved to pierce the flesh of his enemy, any blow he receives back only serving to deepen his rage. The red titan smacked his claws against the water, commanding the earth itself to take his plea, an eruption of enormous rock spiked came to his calling. This devastating attack sprung forward, forming a path of pure destruction, leveling the sea as it went forward.
Kyogre's dome of water exploded, letting the blue primal fall onto the waters below. Screaming wildly in his reaction, he twisted his domain in something that can only be described as a cataclysmic weapon. The sea around Sootopolis dried, the sea life got stranded as every little bit of water got dragged into a violent spiral that moved towards its master.
Earth raged forward; water flooded without relent. Disaster met disaster in this collision of powers. A number of rocks and earth large enough to build another Mt. Pyre exploded at the clash of attacks, its pieces flying everywhere, anywhere. The liquid proportion of half of Hoenn's water level splattered in a wild manner. A sudden, fast and violent rain washed over the land, just as the sea got sucked out of all its water, it all filled up back in no time.
While the two primals raged a god-like war against each other, their guardians are too locked in a fierce battle of their own. Brendan shot his fist forward like a loose arrow, his knuckle exploding on his equal's chin. Spiegel spun around, swinging the back of his hand against his other-self nose. Holding no regards to their safety, much less to the safety of their opposing force, the two of them continue to throw themselves at each other in a brutal exchange; as Spiegel had proposed before, they are truly breaking each other apart.
Immersed in nothing else but their heated battle, the two young trainers failed to noticed a third-party encroaching in, watching the devastation roll out with greedy expectation. That is until said third party decided to flash an entire roll of spotlights down onto the fighting duo. They traded blows one more time, pushing each other away just enough to tear their attention away to the floating machine.
Brendan clicked his tongue, Spiegel scowled angrily. In a non-spoken agreement, they raised their hands together and both yelled.
"DO NOT INTERFERE!"
Groudon and Kyogre roared wildly as their bodies turned away involuntary. From Groudon a spiraling massive spear of rock flew up, Kyogre opened his mouth unleashing a wide and spread ray of frost. Melding together in a strange mass of power, earth and ice sprung upwards and exploded against the heaviest side of the immense Rainbow Rocket spacecraft. Caught with their pants in their hands, they had little time to stir away as fast as they could to avoid being completely blown away, the huge carrier began a slow forced landing as half of its engines stopped working.
With the pesky rabble taken cared off, all four turned their attentions back to their primary targets. However, the actions taken against Rainbow Rocket didn't go without consequences. The continuous misuse of the elements has begun to affect not only their destructed surroundings but the world itself. Groudon has raged and called out to the core of the earth so much that Mt. Chimney exploded in an eruption of lava, the glowing red/orange blood of the planet began to run down the isolated mountain down to the innocent forest below. Kyogre's unending bending of the ocean has darkened the sky with heavy clouds, clouds so charged and darkened that when the rain began to fall down it came in the form of frozen water, some as large as a Poké-Ball.
The primals' battle has started to take its toll on Hoenn. Earth and Water clashing again and again at each other, sweeping away anything across their path. The surface and the deep have cast their lot without repent, without remorse. Ocean and Land have raised up once more, defying the overreaching rule of the skies… But now, the sky has cast its gaze upon them.
"I will…" Brendan said with a rugged breath, his body almost giving in to the pressure and wounds spread out around it.
"I will…" Spiegel also started, one of his eyes closed and swollen. Blood dripping from his mouth and from his hands.
Both trainers pulled their arms back, taking control once more of their legendary beasts. Concentrating power beyond mortal control, they reached out to the world around them; one railing up the ocean, the other shaking up the earth. This will be their last shot.
"I WILL NOT LOSE!" They shouted together, same voice, same intensity. Jolting their arms forward they unleashed everything.
"STOP!" The sky broke apart, lightning traveled onwards from the giant dark beyond. "YOU WILL CEASE THIS MADNESS."
"USURPER..." They said at the same time. Kyogre and Groudon broke loose from their guardians' control, regaining reign over their bodies. The two beasts glared at the sky, both trembling with anger, both trembling with fear.
The sky flashed bright once more, but this time it was not thunder or lightning. The sky flashed bright with a never leaving light. From above the king has come. From the sky the dragon has arrived. Angered beyond belief, disgusted as never before; Rayquaza is here.
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Reviews:
Mr MogiGaming chapter 24 . Aug 19 – Actually he did not. I guess I left it too much for interpretation. Spiegel has a 'water god' floating right by his side. Kyogre was the one unleashing an Ice Beam.
DOOT76 chapter 24 . Aug 21 – Man I really loved making Ethan's team. The one I like the most is Proto, since he is a special case just like Ekkisu. I 'made' his name by using Proto man's name, just like I made Ekkisu's name from Mega Man X (Ekkisu).
On the war and where Giovanni launched attacks on, I will not comment much about it, it's best if I just show it to you. But well… this is the end game.
On Leyla's case, the mature female enforcer that is in charge of everything while Giovanni is away. While she is a Beauty, she is not one of the random normal NPCs form the game. She and all the rest of the enforcers are unique and they all come from Johto/Kanto. There is one exception to this, but I will leave his origin for a later chapter.
VcArchangel chapter 24 . Aug 22 – Hey you. It's has been so long since I had the chance to reply to you in any form, mostly my fault, lol. I'm glad you took a spare time to read this one too.
To your question, last months I was busy and really tight on time. So when I was wreaking my head to make a continuous story for both this one and the DBS one, that was just killing me. So I decided to take a break from one of them. Since that one was the slowest one, I picked that one. But, hey if you still want to see a continuation to that story I will gladly update it, now that my work shift is better and my personal life stuff has slowed down a bit I can work on both stories at the same time.