Chapter 21
Maple stopped sensing anything but the opponent in front of her. She didn't think, but simply lunged at Katana, slashing wildly.
She wanted nothing more than to land one hit. Just one hit and sweet, precious blood would spill out of Katana's body. Yes, that beautiful red liquid would flow out of her. If Maple could just cut into her lovely skin it would be ecstasy. Even a small cut, just to feel the blood on the tip of her tail, would be heaven.
Just one cut…
Suddenly, Maple cried out in pain as Katana slashed up her middle, a dark trail of shadow marking the place where the Night Slash had hit her. However, Katana had held back and the attack only caused a small spot of blood to appear where Katana had nicked Maple at the base of her neck. Maple landed on the ground, again, groaning in pain.
"O-kay," Katana inhaled and exhaled slowly, "that's progress."
Maple tentatively touched the small wound on her neck. Hot and wet, her own blood felt foreign on her finger. It wasn't hers. It couldn't be hers. But it was.
Then Maple realized that she was herself, again. She remembered saying that she was a monster, but after that…
"H-How long was I like that?" Maple was horrified at what she had let happen to her.
"Four minutes," Katana said evenly, "I had hoped that you'd get control of it, but it's still too early." She shrugged, "I pushed my own luck a little, too. Anyway, you'll be fine."
Four minutes. Maple didn't remember any of it. There was only the lingering sensation of the bloodlust through her entire body.
She could remember that with perfect clarity. The raw, wild desire to inflict pain on Katana, to draw blood, still pulsed through Maple's veins. Her body trembled with the force of it.
"What happened?" Aurum came up to meet the two human Pokémon. There was a slight tremor of concern in his voice.
"I made her go Red," Katana explained, "I thought I could still dodge her, but she got a little too quick. I had no choice but to cut her short."
"Go Red?" Maple's voice shook as the words came out.
"That's what we call it when you discard your humanity and reason," Katana explained, "It's a side-effect of being a human and a Pokémon at the same time. Trained Pokémon can't fight without a trainer. But we can because the human side of us can fill in for the trainer's role. The problem is, sometimes under certain stressors, it's possible for us to lose our humanity entirely and just become a mindless beast. That's what we call going Red."
"A mindless beast…" Maple said absently.
"Yes," Katana nodded, "you won't remember anything except for that pure desire to attack. You have to attack, hurt and kill until your enemy is gone."
"But," Maple looked into Katana's eyes with desperation, "you stopped it!"
"By doing enough damage to make you bleed," Katana shrugged, "you didn't even feel the first one."
"Wow…" Maple looked at the blood on the tips of her fingers, again.
"Drink this," Aurum offered Maple a small, plastic bottle containing a strange, bright blue liquid.
"What is it?" Maple asked, turning the bottle sideways to peer at it.
"It's a Hyper Potion," Aurum reassured her, "formulated for human Pokémon. Drink it and your wound will go away."
Maple unscrewed the cap and sniffed at the strange liquid. It had a slightly sweet smell to it, but the taste was horribly bitter. She managed to choke it down, but she sorely missed the soda Mark had given her.
At the thought of Mark, Maple felt her heart grow a little heavier.
As Aurum had promised, the wound on Maple's neck closed up within a few more seconds. Only a small spot of blood still marked where the wound had been.
"So that's step one," Katana said.
"Step one?" Maple asked as she felt for the non-existent cut.
"You went Red, that's important for getting over those pesky human blocks and making you fight your hardest," Katana explained, "but now you have to take control of it."
"I can take control of it?" Maple was so excited by the idea that, at first, she didn't even believe it was possible.
"Yes," Katana nodded, "it will be harder than going Red, but once you can do it, you'll be capable of a lot more."
"Is that how you beat those two from before?" Maple asked.
"Yes," Katana nodded, again, "I've used it enough that I barely notice its effects. It's risky to use, but it's the quickest way to give you a boost in power and speed."
"Okay!" Maple sprang to her feet, "what do I do?"
"You'll need to go Red," Katana admitted, and Maple's ears immediately drooped down after she said it, "the only way to gain control of it is to call it on, become aware of what's happening, and then force yourself back out of it."
"But…you said…" Maple shook her head. She never wanted to go Red again, but now Katana was telling her that she had to.
"Never mind what I said," Katana snapped, "if you can do this, then you'll be a lot farther on your way to being as strong as us than anyone else in this whole tournament."
"Really?" Maple saw some hope in that, but, "but I'm scared!" She shut her eyes and stalked away from Katana and Aurum. After a few steps she stopped, her mind once again torn by the conflict of greater strength and the price she might have to pay to achieve it.
"Good," Aurum declared, "you should be."
Maple turned back to face him.
"Use it," the Golden trainer told her, "the fear of it will help keep you in check and draw you back out of it. It's useless to be just a mindless monster with no direction. The gift of a human heart and mind can make you into something greater than what you ever were before."
Maple smiled after he said those words. He had told her exactly what she needed to hear. She wasn't a monster and she wasn't a girl. She was both. Aurum was not only telling her that she could, but that it was to her advantage to be both.
A strange thought crossed Maple's mind, then. All this time, Katana had been training Maple, but now she knew why Katana called Aurum 'Master.'
"Okay," Maple nodded, "I'll do it." A small smile appeared at the corner of Katana's lips.
"Master," she began, an idea occurring to her, "shouldn't we have some reinforcements for training this girl?"
"I suppose," Aurum growled, "Billow can help." Aurum extended his arm and dropped a Pokéball on the ground. After a quick flash of light, a small, human Drifblim stood before Maple.
The girl was considerably shorter than Maple and was probably at least a year or two younger than her. A cloud of white hair flowed down around her shoulders. Her knee-length dress was a light shade of purple that grew even lighter around the skirt. Red and yellow frills decorated the edges of her collar and sleeves. Her large eyes were spaced far apart and the irises were a bright red.
The girl looked around timidly, blinking slowly. Her eyes came to rest on Maple, the only one in the area that she didn't know.
"Hello," Maple chimed.
The girl made a small squeaking noise before pattering away behind Aurum, peeking out at irregular intervals to glance at Maple.
"Billow," Aurum said sternly, "we don't have time for you to be shy. This girl needs your help."
"R-really?" Billow squeaked.
"Yes, really," Aurum tossed his head from side to side, "a little bit of fighting won't hurt."
"Are you sure?" Billow sounded doubtful.
"Positive," Aurum shrugged, "just do it, or I'll try to teach you how to fish, again."
"I'll be good!" Willow declared before trotting out to greet Maple. She didn't so much walk as she seemed to float. The tiny Drifblim-girl grasped Maple's hand and shook it with both of her own.
"Nice to meet you!" she giggled, "I may not look like it, but I'm stronger than Katana!"
"You wish!" Katana spat.
"Yes, I am!" Billow insisted, "Here, I'll prove it. Go Red and I'll stop you."
"Huh?" Maple hesitated at the idea of attacking a little girl by going Red and was simultaneously confused by the abrupt change in Billow's demeanor.
"I'll be fine, I promise," Billow said playfully.
Not knowing what else to do, Maple shrugged and concentrated on her tiny opponent. The change did not come easily, but having done it once, Maple already knew what to look for. She closed her eyes and concentrated. About thirty seconds later, they shot open and Maple went Red.
"MEEP!" Billow squeaked in fear, as Maple lunged at her.
"Idiot," Katana muttered, "I should just do it myself."
But she knew that she wouldn't be able to. They were already short on time. The girl might be able to control the Red state in two days, but that was without rest, which they all needed. Trading off with Billow would be the only way to maximize the time they could go without needing that rest.
But there was more to it than just time. Maple had come very close to seriously hurting Katana earlier. That meant that once she could control the Red state, she'd be able to keep pace with Katana, probably even hit her. So much power and she had been a human Pokémon for barely two weeks. With the right training, this Leafeon-girl just might be a match for Katana. Maybe even surpass her.
Katana couldn't help but grin as she watched Billow float just outside of their apprentice's reach.
"So, uhh…where are they training, exactly?" Lionel asked, trying to keep his voice casual and positive. Mark was taking this whole thing pretty hard. Never mind the misunderstanding and abandonment, Mark was obviously way more attached to Maple than what Lionel would've guessed.
"Hey, wake up in there." He snapped his fingers in front of Mark's face and that seemed to do the trick.
"Huh?"
"You've been a zombie for the past ten minutes," Lionel said, "We'll get her back, I promise. Just stop moping."
"I'm sorry," Mark sighed. He took a moment to look around, "where are we?"
"Outside."
"I can see that," Mark snapped, "where outside?"
"Outside of the Pokémon Center," Lionel jerked his head to his left, "man, you are seriously out of it."
"Why'd you bring me here?" Mark peered at the now familiar building.
"Thought you'd need a little reminder," Lionel explained, "you see, human Pokémon are very different from normal Pokémon…"
"I know that!" Mark yelled, "I may be new, but I'm not stupid!"
"Alright, alright, just trying to help," Lionel held up his hands, in defense. What the hell was he doing? Things were going out of control so quickly…
Just then, Mark saw a familiar trio emerge through the entrance to the Pokémon Center. Eric walked through, flanked on each side by Tsunami and Fernelia.
"Man, I hate hospitals," Eric was practically shuddering, but he brushed it aside by clapping his hands together, excitedly, "anyways, three more days until our match. We gotta get ready. Oh, 'sup?" He stopped upon seeing Mark.
"Hi," Mark greeted, "so…what're you guys doing here?"
"Gettin' Tsunami patched up," Eric gestured behind him, "He had a good fight with a human Scyther earlier." Tsunami grinned and cracked his knuckles, "how 'bout you?"
"Umm…" Mark wasn't sure if he had a definitive answer to that.
"Wait," Tsunami spoke up, "you had a human Leafeon with you on the boat, didn't you?"
Mark snapped to attention, "yeah, why? Have you seen her?" Tsunami and Fernelia exchanged worried glances and Eric stared down at his feet.
"We…saw her running towards the forest," Fernelia spoke a little louder than a whisper.
"Oh…" Mark lowered his gaze. He knew what that meant. It just confirmed what he already knew. Maple had left to go train with Aurum.
"Everything alright?" Tsunami took a step forward, concern etched in his face.
"Of course everything's alright," Lionel came up behind Mark, grinning widely.
"Right…" Tsunami backed away, his concern replaced with suspicion. But after a second, he turned back to Mark, "hey, if you need anything, we're in room 1502. Don't be afraid to drop by."
"Thanks…" Mark said half-heartedly, "nice seeing you, again."
"You too," Tsunami nodded and Eric led their group away from the Pokémon Center.
Mark watched them go. He wanted to tell them what had happened, but he decided that it was his problem. He would have to deal with it. Maple was his human Pokémon and he had sworn that he wouldn't abandon her.
"Lionel," Mark said, straightening as he watched Eric, Tsunami and Fernelia disappear, "you don't have to come with me, anymore. Maple's in the forest, training with Aurum. I'm going after her."
"Kieru forest? Aww…crap," Lionel let out a frustrated sigh, "No, you're not."
"Why not?" Mark turned and glared at Lionel.
"You won't find her," it was a statement of plain fact, "you'll just get lost and wind up at the entrance again. It happens to everybody. Those woods are just plain weird. People have tried, but you can't follow anybody into those woods. That's just how it works. Its other name is Palkia's Woods. Because things like space and distance don't mean anything in there."
Mark was dumbfounded by the explanation. Woods like that only existed in fairy tales. Nothing could do that. He couldn't even think of a Pokémon that had that kind of capability. He had heard of Palkia, the Pokémon that was said to control space, but for the woods to be corrupted with that kind of power…what did that mean?
"So, does Palkia live in there?" Mark asked, honestly half-excited at the idea of such a powerful Pokémon being so close.
"If it does, nobody's ever seen it," Lionel guessed, "all I know is what people tell me."
Lionel's conviction about the whole thing was very strange. He didn't talk about it like it was a story. He talked about it as if he had tried before and seen it himself. It wasn't a legend or a story, it was cold, hard fact.
"Magic, huh?" Mark asked, his hopes sinking.
"Guess so," Lionel quickly replaced his somber expression with his normal grin, "at least we have a plan, though. We'll wait until tomorrow and meet them at the border. That should do it. Then you'll be back with your sweet little Leafeon-girlfriend." He turned on his heel and began walking away.
Mark didn't realize what Lionel said until it was far too late to dispute it. On the other hand, it certainly sounded like an interesting concept. He wondered about that as he followed Lionel.
AN: originally i wasn't sure if i liked the mechanic of the Red State. though as i think more about what i'm going to do with it, it's definitely a keeper. it's a bit cliched in that it's a lot like a standard anime power boost. big jump in power, if you can control it, but every now and then the user loses it and flips out. expect more of the same with Maple.
thanks for reading!