Chapter 50
An eerie silence fell over the Himitsu Island stadium when PureBlueSky's human Glaceon-girl had fallen in battle. The human Zoroark she had faced was formidable enough to stand amongst the tournament's strongest competitors. And it hadn't just beaten her. It had dominated her.
"S-s-she's okay, right?" High up in the stands, Maple shook Mark's arm in horrified alarm. A fellow Eevee evolution had just fallen right before her eyes, engulfed in flames and screaming in agony.
"Yeah, she'll be fine," Mark assured her, despite the tremble in his own voice, "she's just hurt. Once they get to the Pokémon Center, she'll be fine." It was true, but at the same time, Mark was still recovering from the sight of it. Flurry's defeat had been the most brutal act he had ever witnessed. The way she screamed…it was horrible.
She would live, but what other damage had been done to her?
Then, another terrible thought occurred to him. When he had faced Alex before, he noticed that Alex hadn't been fighting at his full strength. Now Mark knew what he had been holding back. As a matter of fact, Alex had shown them a great deal of mercy in his decision not to use his Zoroark. If Maple had fought him, he wouldn't have just beaten her. He would've killed her.
"Why do you keep lying?" Cherry sighed from Mark's opposite side. The ten-year-old Charmander-girl was the least upset out of the three of them.
Mark turned to stare at her in disbelief.
"What?" she blinked back at him.
"Umm…" Mark had to choose his words carefully, "you haven't fought a battle since evolving, right?"
"Right…" Cherry nodded, unsure of where he was going.
"But you still know what happens…right?" Mark was finding it very difficult to grasp how a girl as young as Cherry wasn't even a little upset over Flurry's suffering.
"Yeah…" Cherry raised an eyebrow, "is that all?"
"Uhh…yeah…" Mark nodded. He knew that Cherry had seen a lot in the Team Deus prison, but he was still learning just how much. The little Charmander-girl was still a mystery to him and she would probably remain that way for a long time.
But then, Mark had to turn as Maple drew in a sharp breath.
"It's her…" Maple marveled and a smile began to spread across her face, once more.
"'Her' who?" Mark asked, but Maple didn't respond. Peering down at the field, Mark could see that a human Salamence had emerged on PureBlueSky's side of the field. As he watched, her dark red wings spread out to their massive fifteen-foot wingspan.
Mark knew immediately that he was about to see why PureBlueSky was the returning champion of this year's tournament.
Whisper bounced on his heels as he waited for PureBlueSky to make a move. After their quick conversation, the champion had fallen silent. Whisper wondered with delight what his next move would be. The Glaceon-girl had been a lot of fun and he had taken his time with her to be sure to enjoy it. Whisper had even managed to make the trainer angry. But now that this PureBlueSky character knew that he was a Zoroark, the battle was going to get much harder. He licked his lips and waited.
A moment later, a young Salamence-woman appeared before him out of the flash of her Pokéball. She crouched on the ground, with her head down and her wings folded against her shoulders. Her short hair, the same crimson red as her wings, hung down around her face. But then she raised her head and looked directly at him.
Their eyes met for only a brief moment, but Whisper recognized something; something that he had only seen in the mirror.
Tempest stood up and, in a quick motion, spread her wings out to their full length. She let out a battle cry that was a terrifying mix of a woman's shriek and a dragon's roar. Whisper took an involuntary step back.
The dragon-lady flapped her wings a few times to get airborne. She hovered just a foot off of the ground as she waited for her orders.
"Tempest," PureBlueSky spoke from behind her, "don't take this one lightly. He beat Flurry…and it wasn't pretty." Tempest's gaze shifted to the corner of her eye, but she continued to face ahead of her.
There was something odd about the tone of Sky's voice. He sounded upset over the loss of Flurry, but anger overrode any fear that might have been there. She was looking at a Zoroark, a pure dark-type. Sky had other human Pokémon that were better suited to fighting an enemy like that. But this wasn't about just winning. He wanted vengeance for Flurry and he knew Tempest would give it to him.
Her eyes shifted back to the opponent before her. A faint smile touched the corner of her lips. She liked this version of Sky a lot better than the one that was still lovesick over RiverofTears.
"I warned you, Whisper," Sky told the human Zoroark, "I'm not going to show you any mercy."
"Well," Whisper taunted, "come at me, then!"
"Outrage," Sky said with absolute finality.
Tempest shot forward like a bullet, aiming directly for the face of her adversary. She could almost feel her blood boiling within her veins as the power flood of Outrage claimed her body.
Whisper's eyes shot wide as she closed in on him. Her hands transformed into deadly talons, far sharper than any true Salamence, reaching for him.
Tempest tore into the form of Whisper, ripping and clawing in her absolute fury. But Sky knew very quickly that the fight wasn't over. Whisper's image tore like paper before disintegrating and not a single drop of blood was spilled onto the field.
Just a few yards away, the true Whisper appeared, still very much whole.
Whisper had to fall back and regroup. It had been too close that time. If he hadn't created that Substitute at the last second he wouldn't be able to continue the fight. Whisper was fast, but the Salamence-woman was right on his heels and she was relentless.
"Son of a bitch…" Sky cursed under his breath. Substitute…of course. Whisper had taken the mere moments that he had to create a replacement for himself. It looked the same, but it was little more than an empty shell. Sky should have expected as much from a Zoroark.
Still, even though Substitutes were generally frail, they took a toll on the user. It required the Pokémon to give up a portion of their own energy to create it and only a small number of them could be made, even if the user had no injuries. As it stood, Whisper probably had enough energy for two more Substitutes before he ran out of strength. Two more and Tempest would tear him apart.
But it was more complicated than that. The extreme power granted by Outrage wasn't without its drawbacks, either. It drove Tempest into a rampage and Sky couldn't stop her or instruct her to do anything different until it ended. And when it did, the fatigue would catch up with her and make it difficult for her to think clearly. For Whisper, it would be a gamble, but if Tempest hurt herself before recovering, it wouldn't be impossible for Whisper to beat her.
Sky had no choice but to watch and wait.
The second of Whisper's Substitutes crumbled into dust as he struggled to stay one step ahead of Tempest. She came at him with unmatched power. It was all he could do just to stay in the fight.
The battle turned completely around. Whisper had been in control and dominated Flurry, but he was struggling just to stay on his feet against Tempest. He darted around the battlefield, trying desperately to stay ahead of her, maybe even get enough room to fire off a Night Daze. But the dragon-lady was possessed by the power of Outrage and he couldn't hope to outrun her.
As the Salamence-woman chased him down, threatening to squash him, Whisper still felt no fear, only anger. He didn't know how it was possible, but this woman was stronger than him. It wasn't by much, but he could see the gap and it infuriated him. What was the difference between himself and this bitch? The Glaceon-girl had burned and cried so easily, but the Salamence was untouchable.
For the third time, she got too close and Whisper desperately used his last Substitute. He could feel it draining away his strength, down to where he could barely stand. No enemy had pushed him this far since he had become part human. He needed time, he needed a break, but those wings were always right behind him.
Then, at last, Whisper got his break.
Just as Tempest was ripping his final Substitute to shreds, the frenzy of Outrage ended. He could see a change in her eyes. She pulled up and steadied herself into a hover as she clutched her head, as if a migraine were lancing through her brain.
"Oh…shit…" Tempest groaned, clutching her head. She loved the power of Outrage, but the recoil was a bitch. She had even found that the power could be addicting. It was no small wonder that normal Salamence did not learn the attack naturally. Even with her stronger human mind she could barely contain it.
This could be Whisper's only chance. He gathered his strength and prepared a Night Daze.
"Tempest, listen to me," from behind her, Sky's voice was a soothing calm amidst the haze left by Outrage, "you have to get a hold of yourself, he's almost finished."
"Yeah, I know, thanks," Tempest groaned, waving him off.
"MOVE!"
Too late, the dark wave of Whisper's Night Daze washed over Tempest from her chest up to her head, the shock adding to her headache.
Enraged by the pain, Tempest attacked again, without waiting for Sky. She dove down at the exhausted Whisper, ready to end the fight once and for all. But she couldn't see clearly and she was slower than before. She wasn't even sure if she was aiming at Whisper at all.
That made it easy for Whisper to roll to the side at the last second. He snickered with amusement as the dragon-lady missed and crashed into the ground. Dirt and dust scattered into the air at the impact. Tempest had only succeeded in hurting herself.
Sky cursed his own stupidity as he watched Tempest. Why had he called her out for this? He knew better than that. Tempest was his strongest, there was no question about that, but against a Zoroark, he had better options. Quickstep, for instance, was an ideal choice.
So why had he chosen Tempest? Yet, somehow, he couldn't answer his own question.
Thankfully, Tempest wasn't down for long. Still groggy, she rose to her feet, whipping her tail around as she turned to face Whisper. She could taste blood in her mouth and she still couldn't see straight. Whisper was there, but sometimes there were two of him, spinning around and overlapping with each other.
Breathing heavily, Whisper gathered the energy for another Night Daze. He had his opening, but he knew it wouldn't last. He wouldn't be able to make another Substitute and if Tempest caught him, it would be the end. He fired another wave of Night Daze at his weakened opponent.
Tempest saw the Night Daze coming, but she somehow couldn't find the strength to dodge. She gritted her teeth against the pain as the wave of darkness passed over her once again, damaging her mind more than her body. When it was over, she could feel something warm and sticky leaking from her left ear.
But this was not the first time Tempest had felt that sensation. She had defeated hundreds of opponents and a little blood in her ears was nothing new. Rather, she smiled as her head finally felt clearer.
There were still two Whispers in front of her, but at least they had stopped spinning around each other. She knew that she would have one chance to end this. If she missed, Whisper could finish her. Someone else in Sky's team could finish him easily enough, but Sky had chosen her. He had picked her based on emotion, rather than logic, which was a very rare act for Sky. Now that he had, she needed to prove him right.
Putting the full force of her powerful wings behind her, Tempest shot forward at Whisper, gliding just an inch above the ground. The surge from Outrage filled her with its intoxicating power once again. Whisper had no time to dodge and this time the dragon-lady found her mark.
Tempest collided with Whisper's chest, lifting him off of the ground. Blood flew everywhere as she ripped deep gashes into him. Then, when she was satisfied, she brought her legs up and kicked off of him, somersaulting backwards through the air while Whisper was launched forward, skidding along the ground.
It had been a long time since Whisper had tasted blood in his mouth and could feel it soaking into his clothes. Bleary-eyed, he sat up and struggled to gather his will.
"Don't tell me…" Sky muttered to himself. As powerful as Tempest's Outrage was it would not force a human Pokémon beyond their usual limits. Any and all attacks hit that mysterious barrier and stopped, always sparing the life of the enemy. But the boundary could be overridden. Whisper had tried to kill Flurry by attacking her when she was down and if Whisper chose to keep fighting, he would put his own life at risk.
Sky looked at Tempest as she circled over top of Whisper's head. She had just started a new Outrage. If Whisper got up and fought…could Sky stop her from killing him?
Whisper fought to stand. He could do it. He could beat her. One more Night Daze was all he needed. Just…
Tempest howled and pulled up, preparing to dive in for the kill.
"TEMPEST!" Sky screamed, "DON'T DO IT!"
Tempest hesitated. Through the reddening haze of Outrage powered by her own released Red State, she could scarcely even hear Sky's voice. Right below her was an enemy that wanted to die. Sky had spoken of no mercy, but he wanted to show it now? Why should she care? Everything was blood and battle and the sweet release it left in her. What did Sky matter?
"Tempest," Sky was calmer, this time. She needed peace and he knew that. It was stupid to think otherwise. "Tempest, let him go."
Whisper legs threatened to give way as his blood soaked the field, but the fight was still not officially over. There was a beautiful glimmer of hope, in all this. They wouldn't fight back. Their mercy would give him the opening her needed to win. He pulled back his arm, charging another Night Daze.
Tempest dove downward and for a brief moment Sky was terrified that his words hadn't reached her. She was going to kill and he couldn't stop her.
But, instead, she grabbed Whisper's forehead in the palm of her hand and slammed him into the ground. The blow knocked him unconscious and he didn't get back up.
Whisper was defeated.
The murderous human Zoroark faded from the field as the petrified Alex called him inside of his Pokéball.
Alex had watched the entire fight in helpless shame. All of PureBlueSky's suffering was his fault. His fault for not being strong enough to control Whisper. If only he had raised him better or been more commanding, then none of this would have had to happen.
Alex raised his hand and all eyes in the stadium moved to look at him. There was nothing left for him to do. He had accomplished everything he wanted from this match and there was no point in continuing.
"I forfeit," he announced, "I no longer wish to continue."
Stunned gasps issued from the crowd, but Alex's decision was final. The stadium announcer declared PureBlueSky to be the winner and the match was ended.
But PureBlueSky wasn't finished with Alex. He breathed a sigh of relief and solemnly began to lower his platform.
With her head once more aching from Outrage, Tempest flew over to him and landed on the ground, waiting for him to descend.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "if you didn't…then I could've…"
"It's okay, Tempest," he sighed, putting his hands back into his pockets and starting towards the other end of the stadium, "just try to remember what the difference is between us and them."
Tempest nodded and stayed close behind him. She remained quiet, holding her aching head and waiting for it to clear again. As long as she didn't have to fight anything, she would be fine. In the meantime, she was glad to have her Sky back. She had missed him so much…
As the returning champion walked towards Alex, a frantic Ian appeared by his side, clutching to him and pleading with him that Flurry had to be alright.
"She's hurt, but she'll be okay," Sky told Flurry's small admirer, "here, take-"
Before he could finish, Ian had snatched Flurry's Pokéball away from him. He took off, running towards the Pokémon Center as fast as his growth-spurting legs could carry him.
Sky watched him go for a brief moment. He would have to apologize to the boy later. First, there was the crazed Zoroark to deal with.
PureBlueSky stood in front of the shamed Alex, eyeing him and trying to decide if he felt sympathetic at all. Thankfully, there was a little bit. He'd have to focus on that.
"I'm sorry," Alex whispered.
"Yeah, you said that already," Sky dismissed it, "but that's not important. What's important is what we do with that thing you're carrying around."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, lifting his head.
"I don't know yet…" Sky admitted, "But he's far too dangerous and we have to do something. You were lucky this time. If he had killed Flurry, I wouldn't have let him live."
"What…?" Alex was stunned by Sky's bluntness. What would he do if Whisper died? No matter what Whisper had become, would they really have to kill him? He could still be saved, couldn't he?
"What can we do?" Alex asked in desperation, but it was a long time before the champion had an answer.
"Listen, don't heal him," Sky began, "his injuries won't kill him and they will slowly heal over time, but he'll remain weak for a few days. Bring him to my room tomorrow morning. I'll think of something."
"Okay…" Alex nodded, though still unsure of what could be done to control Whisper. What were their chances if it took someone so powerful just to defeat Whisper in a battle? Still, if PureBlueSky couldn't help, no one could.
"Alright, we'll see you, tomorrow," Sky nodded. Vaguely, he wondered if he should trust this guy now. He supposed that he didn't have a choice.
Sky turned to leave, with Tempest still close behind him. The stadium was cheering his praises once again, though he realized that he hadn't been paying attention to it even before the match had started.
For a brief moment, he stopped and Tempest's heart sank. He scanned the crowd one last time, but there was still no streak of blue hidden amongst his fans. He sighed heavily, mentally cursing and calling himself foolish and weak. The sun finished setting as he crossed the stadium and night fell on Himitsu Island once again.
AN: so, I decided not to use the little doll stand-in for Substitute. The description in Black/White says that the Pokémon makes a copy of itself that stands in for the user, so, I'm pretty sure that little doll is just a little reminder for the player that there's a substitute up. In a real-life battle, I think of it as being more akin to the clone or substitution moves they use in Naruto (if that helps, at all). But, that's just my own interpretation.
Thanks for reading!