Chapter 44
Farin's human Mightyena faded from the field, leaving Fernelia behind. The intense sunlight over the field wouldn't last for much longer. Eric would have to make the most of it while it remained. Fernelia had already fired Solarbeam twice and she wasn't likely to get many more before the strength of Sunny Day faded.
But Farin didn't need to wait for that to happen. He called out his human Crobat next. It grinned at Fernelia with that same crooked smile, hovering in the air on its thin wings.
Dammit, Eric thought. There was little that Fernelia could do. Her abilities were very limited and the Crobat's dual-typing meant that it resisted all of her attacks. Fernelia could only attack with Solarbeam and Magical Leaf; both were grass-type abilities.
Worse still, Eric couldn't risk switching to Tsunami. Regardless of how it attacked, Tsunami would take a considerable amount of damage when he entered the field. Against a normal Crobat, that might be okay, but Eric had already seen Farin's human Crobat take a Thunderbolt from Volt, Kim's human Raichu, and an Ice Beam from Tsunami before going down. The Thunderbolt alone should have done the job, but the human bat had managed to stay in the fight.
Eric was left with only one option. He had to keep Fernelia in this fight. She would lose and Eric would be forced to watch her get hurt, but he had no choice. He wanted that Crobat.
As if sensing his thoughts, the Crobat began to swoop across the field, closing the distance to his target.
"Fernelia, Solarbeam," Eric commanded. His voice both felt and sounded weak.
If Fernelia were still just a normal Tropius, she may have obeyed Eric's orders without realizing what he was planning. But her evolution had made her much smarter and she knew what was coming. She couldn't stop it and she wouldn't defy Eric's orders either. She had to trust that Eric knew what he was doing and that Tsunami would be able to finish what she started.
She brought her hands up and fired the Solarbeam one last time. The streak of gold and green light landed in a direct hit through the mid-section of the human Crobat. But unlike the Mightyena, the Crobat had no problem with taking the hit. It acted as though as it hadn't even felt the attack and it retaliated by spitting up a globule of thick, purple liquid.
Through the Solarbeam, Fernelia had no time to dodge the enemy's Sludge Bomb. Her eyes widened as she saw it coming. It exploded on contact with her chest, sending the disgusting blob splattering onto the field surrounding her. She was instantly knocked off her feet and she landed flat on her back. The taste of blood filled her mouth as the world went dark and she slipped into unconsciousness.
Sighing heavily, Eric recalled Fernelia. He cursed himself for putting his adopted mother in such terrible danger. She would be okay, but knowing that didn't make it any easier. Was there something he could have done differently? Maybe started with Tsunami?
No, that would have been wrong. Then Tsunami would have taken too much damage from Farin's Mightyena and the Crobat would have defeated both Tsunami and Fernelia. This was his only option.
"Dammit," Eric muttered, cursing aloud, "why does it have to happen like this? It's not FAIR!"
"Life isn't fair, boy," Farin's voice crackled through the speaker next to Eric. He stared at it briefly. He hadn't realized that he had screamed that last word.
"Shut up!" Eric shouted at the speaker, "why are you even doing this?! You proved your point before, why are you even in the tournament?"
"Orders are orders," even though he couldn't see him, Eric had the sense that Farin just shrugged, "I don't always like them, but following them keeps everyone happy."
"What?" Eric didn't understand what that meant, but Farin didn't elaborate.
"Are you forfeiting, boy?" Farin's voice returned to its usual calm, unreadable tone.
"No," Eric said through clenched teeth, "I'm just starting. Tsunami!"
Eric's adopted father and human Swampert appeared on the field. He surveyed the area, taking in what must have happened. The sun over his head was burning more brightly than what should be possible. But he could tell that it would fade soon, which was good because he hated sun that powerful.
There was blood on both sides of the field and small spots of purple goo a short distance from where he stood. But the human Crobat flitting in the air looked unscathed. Fernelia must have defeated one of the enemies before going down herself. And that human Crobat looked very familiar…
"Oh, it's you again," Tsunami growled, "what did you do to my wife?" The Crobat-man made a strange chattering noise as if it were pleased with itself. Tsunami's scowl deepened. He had thought that these warped creations of Team Deus had no real presence of mind. But this one enjoyed what it had just done. Tsunami suddenly envisioned ripping its wings off with his bare hands and killing it. It only made him feel slightly better.
The Crobat, well within the range of Sludge Bomb, began strafing back and forth in front of Tsunami. It was quick. It darted back and forth, never in one place for more than a tenth of a second. But as it moved, Eric recognized what was about to happen as it craned its neck backwards and something seemed to be moving up its throat.
"Tsunami, move!"
Eric's human Swampert rolled to his right as another Sludge Bomb missed him by a hair and exploded onto the ground. The grass around it seemed to boil for a brief moment, but Tsunami was unaffected.
"Stone Edge!" Eric seized the opportunity to try and end the fight with a single attack. The poison/flying-type Crobat may be able to shrug off Fernelia's Solarbeam, but with its low defenses and Tsunami's excellent attacking power, a hit from Stone Edge would drop it like…well, like a rock.
As Tsunami rolled away from the Sludge Bomb, he reached down to the ground and grabbed a chunk of it. When he stood up, he was holding a small boulder with a sharpened edge. Trying to aim carefully while the Crobat-man was still temporarily immobile, Tsunami hurled the boulder directly at it. It spun through the air, rotating around and around as it came closer.
But then, the human Crobat could move again and it climbed higher into the air. The boulder created from Tsunami's Stone Edge crashed to the ground, shattering into pebbles on the other side of the stadium.
"SHIT!" Eric screeched his agony.
"Language, boy, language," Farin chastised him through the speaker.
"Try Ice Beam!" Eric ignored Farin and tried switching to a more reliable attack. As he issued the order he could feel the sunlight overhead soften back to its original state. It wasn't a large concern, as Ice Beam's super-cooled jet of water was far too cold to be affected by the sunlight.
But, personally, Tsunami felt much better without the oppressive heat glaring down on him. He felt like he could aim better and the stream of water he spat from his mouth was right on target.
The Crobat-man screeched as the extreme cold of the water sucked the warmth from its body. It weaved and careened through the air, but the Ice Beam otherwise had no effect. Tsunami could see no visible wounds on it.
Steadying itself, the Crobat retaliated with another Sludge Bomb. Aided by the increased height, the poisonous glob exploded in Tsunami's face. Momentarily blind, he groaned in bitter agony and wiped the disgusting stuff from his face.
Seizing the opportunity, the enemy Crobat built up energy by drawing its wings back. Snapping forward, its wings rent the very air around it and created a small vortex that cut through the air like a blade. Still reeling from the Sludge Bomb, Tsunami had no time to dodge and the Air Slash ripped through his shoulder. Blood squirted out of the wound and Tsunami cried out in pain again.
"Don't let up!" Eric tried his best to encourage his badly hurt companion, "Ice Beam!"
Tsunami staggered, trying to regain his feet after the devastating combination attack. He managed to fire another Ice Beam, but his aim was badly off and the Crobat dodged with ease, climbing high into the air, again.
"Dammit," Tsunami growled, "you quick son of a bitch…" His shoulder ached as the blood flowed freely and began to soak his shirt and jacket. Nothing was working. Stone Edge wasn't accurate enough and Ice Beam wasn't powerful enough. Tsunami had defeated it before because it had been confined to the small hallway of the Team Deus base. Out here, the Crobat could do anything.
"Uhh…dammit…" Eric was so flustered and frustrated he could barely think. Tsunami should have been able to defeat this thing, but…why not?! "Ice Beam, I guess," Eric was no longer sure of himself. He had forced this battle and now Tsunami was going to pay the price for his mistake.
Tsunami regrettably ignored the order from his adopted son. Instead, he hefted another boulder from the ground at his feet. He needed to end this and Stone Edge was the only way to make it happen. Putting his bleeding arm out in front of him and holding the boulder behind his ear, he steadied himself and waited. The Crobat once again arched its wings back, preparing for another Air Slash.
Tsunami launched the Stone Edge with all of his might. But, like before, the Crobat slipped to the side and it fell harmlessly wide of its target. The second Air Slash ripped into Tsunami's other shoulder, spraying blood and causing him to cry out in agony.
Eric screamed Tsunami's name as his human Swampert dropped to one knee. They had lost. Tsunami wouldn't have lasted through that attack. He was finished.
Tsunami's head spun and his shoulders burned with the pain. Never in his life had he been so out-classed by an opponent. What was that thing?
He blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake. The world wanted to fade and he'd be stupid not to admit that he wanted to give into it. The comforting darkness…the pain would go away and he could rest. But he wasn't finished.
Farin and that damned Crobat couldn't win. They had hurt him, they had hurt Fernelia and they had hurt Eric. What kind of father was he if he couldn't protect them from that? He was a fraud. Eric was not his son, Fernelia was not his wife. This fight couldn't end until he proved them all wrong.
With his head throbbing, his vision blurred and his body screaming with pain, Tsunami stood back up.
"What the…?" Mark didn't believe it as he watched Tsunami get back up onto his feet. After a Sludge Bomb and two Air Slashes from Farin's freakish Crobat, Tsunami should be down. He had even looked like he was finished. Everyone in the stadium had thought it was over. Even the Crobat had stopped its relentless attacks.
The stadium around him was silent as they watched the human Swampert struggle to his feet. Something was wrong…
Then he remembered.
"Oh, no…" he whispered. Then he shouted, "STOP THE FIGHT! YOU HAVE TO STOP THE FIGHT, NOW!" He stood up onto the bench and screamed it as loud as he could, "STOP THE FIGHT!"
"What? What is it?!" Mark had never heard Maple so terrified before. She tugged at his shirt, demanding an explanation. The eyes of the entire stadium turned to look at the teenage boy.
"I just remembered something Kim told me," Mark's nerves were shot and he spoke rapidly, "when we were at the Pokémon Center. She said that there's a limit to how hard a human Pokémon can push themselves."
"Right, right," Maple nodded, "the point where we fall unconscious and can't fight anymore."
"Right," Mark continued, "but she said something else, too. She said that if a human Pokémon wanted to, they could push themselves past that limit."
"W-what does that mean?"
"Tsunami shouldn't be able to fight anymore," Mark stared hopelessly at the field, "if he really is pushing himself past that normal limit…then he could die out there…"
Mark's plea to end the fight was a muffled sound in Tsunami's ears.
The kid had picked up on what he was doing. He was pretty sharp, Tsunami had to admit. But Tsunami wasn't about to let this fight end yet. He wasn't going to stop and neither would that horrible Crobat. They weren't fighting just to win a match or earn some respect anymore. Tsunami was far beyond that. It was worth risking his life, now.
The Crobat swayed back and forth in the air. Ice Beam could hit, but it would be a waste of time. He needed to finish the thing in a single attack. The awesome strength of Stone Edge was what he needed. But if he missed, he would probably die. He had missed the first time, but he had noticed the moment of vulnerability right before the human Crobat fired its attacks. Each one was a precious opening that he could exploit with just the right timing. He could beat it.
However, his opponent was just as confused as the spectators watching them. It was eyeing him cautiously. Even without a properly functioning human brain, its instincts as a Pokémon still told it that it should have won. Still, its previous combination of attacks had devastated Tsunami. It had no reason to be afraid.
Testing Tsunami's plan, it fired another purple glob.
As the Sludge Bomb plummeted towards Tsunami, it was almost over before it began. Tsunami's legs didn't get the hint to move until the last possible moment. He rolled to his left side and came up on his hands and knees. The Crobat was still there, preparing one last Air Slash. That was his cue.
Tsunami reached down and found the Stone Edge. There was no more time.
Tsunami never spoke a word of what happened to him during the week that he had spent away from Eric and Fernelia. He also thought about it as little as possible. It was a time in his life, however brief, that he wanted to forget forever.
He drifted around Olivine, the nearest city, completely lost and devoid of hope. People had started to recognize what he was. They called him a freak and an abomination. They said that he was a mix of human and Pokémon that must have come about from the foulest of deeds.
Tsunami had no idea what they were talking about and he had no desire to find out what it was.
Those were dark days, filled with fighting and running and starving to death in deserted alleys. He found a torn and ratty brown cloth that he used to cover up the sail on his back. He pulled it tight around his head and although it made it more difficult to hear, at least people stopped recognizing his Pokémon traits.
But it was that recognition that ended up saving him.
On the night of the sixth day, after he had been forced to leave Eric behind, a strange man found him huddled behind a garbage bin.
"You're a Swampert, aren't you?" The man looking down at Tsunami asked.
"Who wants to know?" Tsunami countered.
"My name is Mr. Pole," the stranger started, "I work for Alfred Silph. I think I could help you."
"Why the hell should Silph Co. give a damn about me?"
"Well," Mr. Pole sighed, "to be honest, my company itself does not care, nor does it know that you exist. But the man I work for does. Alfred Silph has his own interests separate from his father's company. Interests like yourself."
Tsunami lifted his gaze up to the man standing in front of him. He looked sincere enough, but why should somebody like this really care about him?
"I had heard rumors that people in this town had seen a Swampert-man," Pole explained, "I was surprised to hear that you didn't have a trainer with you."
"I don't have a trainer at all," Tsunami looked away. He wasn't going to get Eric involved in this. No matter what Eric believed, his Aunt Rita was right. He was better off without Tsunami. Turning into a human was a useless, fairy-tale of an idea. It turned him into dead weight that couldn't do anything more than what he did as a Pokémon. It was best for Eric to move on.
"You're lying," Pole said matter-of-factly, "I did some research of my own. And I discovered a few things that no one else in this town knows."
Tsunami looked up into the stranger's face, again. He didn't know where this was leading, but if this man really was backed by Alfred Silph then there would be little that he couldn't do.
"Would you like to see Eric again?" Pole asked, "Because I'm going over there now to have a little chat with him and Fernelia. You could come along, if you like, Tsunami."
That night, Pole paid a visit to the estate of Eric's parents. He found the nine-year-old boy exactly where he had expected to, asleep in the garden with his only remaining human Pokémon. He woke them both up and reunited them with Tsunami. But he had already made bigger plans.
"This is not the first time we've helped people like you," Pole explained, "human Pokémon are very restricted in what they can accomplish in this world. Even if you manage to hide what you are, you are still a long way from belonging in this world."
"What can we do?" Tsunami was eager for answers. He had seen firsthand how cruel the world could be. He didn't want Eric or Fernelia to have to see it. He would do anything to keep that from happening.
"As I said, you are not the first that we've helped," Pole continued, "it will not be easy, but we can make you citizens of Johto. We can give you a life."
"Why does being a citizen of Johto matter?"
Pole smiled, as if he was waiting for Tsunami to ask that question, "Because if you're citizens of Johto, then you will be able to legally adopt Eric as your son."
The human Pokémon and the young boy exchanged bewildered stares. They could become his parents and save him from his torment under Aunt Rita. They could suddenly do for him what they never could have done as Pokémon. Their reason for evolving became clear to them once more.
"In addition," Pole wasn't finished and he still had more good news, "I took the liberty of looking over the last will and testament of Eric's father. According to his will, the house and his inheritance belong to Eric. Now, he doesn't have access to this until he comes of age. Until then, his legal guardian has the right to do as they see fit with it."
"Okay…" Eric understood this better than the human Pokémon. He had seen and heard enough of this grown-up talk to know what it meant, but he still had no idea where Silph was going with this.
"That means that if you were to adopt Eric," Pole paused, "the rights to this estate would belong to you."
Eric's eyes widened. His parents' estate would belong to Tsunami and Fernelia. It would be out of the hands of Aunt Rita. Eric could protect what was left of his parents' memory, keep his human Pokémon and be out from under Aunt Rita's control with one, simple act.
"There's just one problem," Pole took a breath, he didn't want to say this last part, but they needed to know, "in order to adopt Eric, you would need signed permission from Eric's current guardian. Your Aunt Rita."
It only took three more days for Pole to forge all of the necessary paperwork and identification needed to make both Tsunami and Fernelia legal residents of Johto. They had fake names and pictures that were altered to look as though they were normal humans. But they were still powerless.
Aunt Rita still held all of the cards and only with her permission could they take what truly belonged to Eric.
They tried the direct approach and it predictably failed. They told her that Tsunami had become an official citizen of Johto, but he still missed Eric. He would adopt him as his own and take care of him as best as he could. Technically, it was all true.
However, Aunt Rita was well acquainted with the clause in the will of Eric's father. And she was not about to sacrifice what she had acquired. As much as she didn't want Eric around, he was a small price to pay to keep that inheritance.
Defeated, the three returned to their lives. Aunt Rita had beaten them. There was nothing they could do without her permission.
But Tsunami wasn't finished.
"What are you doing in here?" Eric's Aunt Rita snapped at Tsunami when he walked into her study, alone, "you have no right to even be in this house!"
Calmly, Tsunami walked around the study, examining the room. He waited for the door to slide shut. He didn't want Eric to overhear what he was about to do.
"I don't know if you know this," Tsunami began, "but Eric taught me a lot of neat tricks when I was a Pokémon. Tricks that I still have." He turned on his heel and fired an Ice Beam at the door to the study. The water froze on contact with the wood and he directed it all around the doorframe. In moments he had frozen it shut.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Aunt Rita screeched, standing up. Ignoring her, Tsunami continued to walk around the study. He picked up a book off of the shelf.
"I still can't read very well," he shook his head, "Eric's been teaching me, but it's hard. I can't even read my name on this thing." He removed the fake ID that Pole had provided from his pocket. He flapped the piece of plastic back and forth. He still didn't really believe the amount of power that it held. But he didn't need to understand it; he just needed to know that it could bring him, Fernelia and Eric back together again.
"What do you want?" Aunt Rita finally started to get the hint.
"You know what I want," Eric put the book and his ID back and removed the adoption papers from the front pocket of his jacket. One signature; that was all he needed.
"You can't make me," Aunt Rita said defiantly. Tsunami had to give her credit. She was a strong, stubborn woman. But she was selfish and she was hurting Eric and the memory of his parents.
"I think I can," Tsunami shot back, his voice as cold as the Ice Beam he had used to freeze the door shut. He walked over to the desk and slammed the small bundle of papers down on top of it, "sign it now and you won't have to find out."
"You can't hurt me," Aunt Rita's voice shook a little this time, "if you do I can sue you and have you thrown in jail. Then you won't ever see Eric again."
Being forced to imagine that possibility hurt, but it also made him angry. He could use that.
"I'm not afraid of that," Tsunami growled and slammed his hands down against the desk.
"Of course you are," Aunt Rita smirked, "I can see it in your eyes."
"Fine, then," Tsunami backed off, "but you're just as scared of me hurting you. So we'll just have to see who's more afraid." Suddenly, he seized her wrist and twisted.
"What do you think you're-" Tsunami scrambled over the desk and bent her arm back around her. He bent it in a direction that it didn't want to go. It was easy for him. He had to force himself to go slowly. If he wasn't careful, there would be noticeable damage. He might even accidentally rip her arm off. If he did that, there really would be no turning back.
The woman in his grip shrieked against the pain, but he wasn't going to stop. Not for anything.
"SIGN IT!" he screamed in her ear.
She might have been stubborn, but she wasn't stupid. The woman's hand frantically began groping for a pen. Tsunami eased his hold as he watched her scribble something he couldn't read onto the paper.
His heart racing and his hands clammy with sweat, Tsunami snatched up the paper and released Aunt Rita. He kicked open the frozen door, knocking bits of icicle out into the hallway. It wasn't until he had rounded the nearest corner and was well out of sight that he let his terror show.
But Eric was standing there, his eyes wide with fear. With no small effort, Tsunami composed himself again. He was a father now, after all.
"Tsunami," Eric began, "what did you do?"
"It's no big deal," Tsunami shook his head, "here." He handed Eric the signed adoption papers. Then he patted his son's shoulder before walking away, "nothing to worry about. It's just some adult stuff."
Tsunami was on one knee, racked with pain and barely able to see straight. But it made little difference. He could see nothing but the human Crobat, taunting him with its presence while it prepared the attack that would kill him.
He hurled the sharpened boulder at his opponent, throwing the last of his strength into it. At long last, the Stone Edge connected with the Crobat's head, sending him sailing backwards and spinning in a pinwheel. Blood sprayed out, raining down onto the battlefield.
After four or five complete rotations, the human Crobat slowed to a stop. Its face was a bloody mess. His nose was broken, as well as a number of his crooked teeth and there was a horrendous gash in the center of his forehead that bled freely.
The thin, bat-wings flapped a few more times and Tsunami thought, for a terrifying moment, that it wasn't over. But the human Crobat's eyes closed and it pitched forward and dropped. With a softened thud, it landed on the ground in front of Tsunami. It did not get back up.
Tsunami breathed deeply as he dropped onto his hands and knees and stared at the ground. He did it. He had beaten it. It was all he could do, so it had to be enough.
Smiling, he closed his eyes and let the darkness take him this time. He could rest, now.
AN: Stone Edge never hits when I really need it to…
Thanks for reading!