Chapter 14
Darkness. It filled every square inch of space, blanketing the land like a huge, dark cloth. Some limited light still came from the sun, but it didn't give any comfort to the three trainers. "This won't last too long." Elvina said firmly, but didn't seem to believe the words.
A minute passed like an hour, yet nothing happened. Sara began to relax; it seemed that there was no danger to this darkness. But she was very wrong. The gloom around them seemed to take shape, turn and mold into a nearly visible form. The ground, stained pitch-black by the lack of sunlight, seemed to be a flowing river of darkness; all flowing to a central point.
"Do you see that?" Sara asked shakily, pointing a finger ahead. The outline that was Drake shook his head, but she wasn't convinced. Sara approached the mass of darkness, and gasped in shock.
"We need to get out of here!" She screamed, turning tail and fleeing for her life.
"What is it? Wait, Sara!" Drake yelled back, catching his friend in mid-flight. "What is it?" He repeated, feeling rather then seeing Sara shake.
"Don't go over… there…" Sara stammered, "Monster…"
"Don't be silly Sara, there are no such things as-" But Sara and Drake never really knew what there was no such thing as, because Elvina's speech was cut off by an ear-splitting sound. It wasn't a screech, it wasn't a roar; it seemed to be a little bit of both.
They turned, eyes widened with fright, to the source of the sound, just in time to see a snake-like creature to snake out of the mass of darkness. It spread its wings as it reached the climax of its height, tattered wings that were wide enough to block out the last remaining sunlight. The only bright points existing were an orb that the creature was holding, about ten feet in diameter, that glowed a glassy green and two eyes, tiny for the massive head they were placed in.
"What is that thing?" Sara squeaked out as the massive snake monster settled out of the way of the sun's sparse light, seeing that its head was about two times the size of a Snorlax, when closed. It also wasn't a pure black color, it only seemed like it. Dull amethyst ovals decorated its sides and head, ending in the sparkle of amethyst that was its eyes. Two large, clawed hands sprouted close to the creature's side, the left one holding the mysterious green orb.
Elvina numbly grasped Sara's Pokedex from her friend's pocket, and pointed it at the monster. The crackling sound of frying circuitry came from it instead of the witty comment about the Pokemon, and Elvina handed it back to Sara with a shrug. Her Pokedex had busted.
"QAZ!" The creature roared, mouth open and charging an icy beam. Like mice, Sara and her friends scattered as it fired an Ice Beam directly where they were standing.
"It's insane!" Star cried, her feathers puffed up protectively.
Elvina had stopped and was staring at the creature. "It's… it's crazy," She mumbled, "It will kill us all, it wants to."
The serpent dragon sent another icy beam in their direction, aiming poorly and hitting a tree instead, icing it over completely. It eventually gave up its icy attacks and held out the glassy green orb, which began to glow very brightly, illuminating the surrounding area.
"Watch out!" Sara yelled, but it was too late; a greenish beam shot from the orb and headed at incredible speed, right for Drake. With a whooshing sound, Drake's form disappeared into the beam, which seemed to be sucked back up into the orb. Sara just stood there in shock. What would happen to Drake now? Was he alright?
She didn't have time to ask questions of herself, because the dragon creature seemed to think it was a good idea to fire the green vaporizing beam instead of attacking. "I don't know about you," She heard Elvina say when she'd quickly dodged the next beam of green light, "But I'm fighting back. Go, Foam!"
With a bark, the Seel popped out of his Pokeball. He shuddered though, probably from the sight of the large creature. Sara decided that Elvina had a point, and that cowering would do nothing for the both of them… she pulled out two Pokeballs from her pocket and let Sandsinger and Karen out to battle. Star took flight and joined their small rank of Pokemon as Blaze, Skitty, and Huan joined in as well.
Sandsinger let Karen and Huan onto her back before taking flight and heading at full speed in the direction of the creature. She flamed its back as the two Eevee jumped off her back and landed on its middle, biting into its thin skin. Star skydived in mid-air to avoid another one of the green beams before landing just out of reach of the monster's claws and ripping with beak and talons at the back of its neck.
Their efforts went almost unnoticed. The creature didn't show even a bit of pain as it fired another one of the beams and captured Skitty and Blaze in it. Elvina let out an angry exclamation before running to join in on the battle herself. Even directly under the creature, she couldn't get to it, as it was levitating over her.
Another beam to its own middle, and Huan and Karen disappeared into the beam. Star then moved angrily to the monster's tattered wings and ripped at them, causing the first real pain for the creature. It lowed its tail just enough for Elvina, and Sara since she had come over to help, to jump on.
Foam shot foamy bubbles at the monster, earning its attention long enough to be captured by the beam as well. As the two humans were being shaken on its tail, Sara thought back to what Rika had said. How wrong she'd been! Karen wasn't with them anymore, she was gone…
An icy wave hit Sara; she shuddered and looked around for the first time. The half-lit area of grassland, since the sun had began to show her face again to the earth, was gone. Instead was what seemed like a plain of green, not like green grass, but green all the same. There was a clinging sound coming from close by, and she saw Dorovi tackling the glassy end of the plain. Drake was standing near, and was smirking slightly, "So good of you two to join me," He said, and Elvina groaned from her position next to Sara on what seemed to be the ground, "I was pretty lonely, for a minute or so, before you guys started joining me."
Drake waved to Skitty and Blaze, who were sitting somberly, close by. Karen and Huan tackled their corresponding trainers, giving them licks and loud mews.
"Ouch!" Cawed Star as she appeared out of nowhere, landing on Sara's back and looking around, "Hey! Drake, you're here! And everyone else, too… man, what is this place?"
"We're inside that glass ball that the creature is holding. I just hope that we can find a way out of here. Dorovi, Mellow, please do stop that!" Drake finally exclaimed to his two Pokemon, who were continuing their onslaught on the wall of the orb.
"Nooo!" Sandsinger was crying as she landed next to Elvina, "He got me. Hi guys."
"Hi Sandsinger." Sara and Elvina chorused.
"Now that everyone's here, how in the world are we going to get out of here?" Drake inquired loudly.
They all exchanged glances before Sara said, "It'll be a long day for us."
(Meanwhile...)
Solorite knew very well what the creature was. He didn't need to call him trite words like 'creature' or 'monster', this thing had a name.
The monster, by another name, would be called Nekroquaza. The same dragon that had killed Solorite's kind and loyal trainer, Mystic. She stood no chance against the big dragon serpent and was destroyed, like all humans would have been. What bothers him, all these years later, is that the creature still lived after him cruel deed. As a loyal Pokemon, he wanted to see Nekroquaza die a horrible death, far more horrible then his trainer's.
He wanted to help Lady Sara as she battled the nearly invincible dragon, to yell out his only weak spot, but instinct stopped him. Disasters attract Solorite's attention, and this could most defiantly be called a disaster. After so long being caught up, just for an eclipse to release him, Dominus's most loyal servant flies again. The worst thing was that he couldn't help Sara fight off Nekroquaza, as Absol are only to watch disasters happen, not point out how to fix the disaster before it happens.
After centuries, the Absol's sense of disaster never wore off; on the contrary, it got stronger. Strong enough to carry Solorite to Nekroquaza's tail and hop on, after Sara and her blue-haired friend were captured from the horrid orb-beam. He half-hoped that the dragon would notice him, so he could show them how to get out of the orb, but it was just luck that Nekroquaza didn't even try to find him.
The two Pokemon remaining, a Swellow and a Flygon, were both captured by the orb's beam without a problem. Nekroquaza bellowed to the sky his new claim over the air around him before setting off into pure daylight, the eclipse having ended by now.
Solorite hung on tightly to the dragon's tail, and didn't let go, no matter what. The world would need his wisdom again; he was the last remaining member of the Light Crusade. Seeing Nekroquaza awake again spurred the Absol to remember his old trainer again, Mystic had been the leader, the half-immortal of the Light Crusade. But that wasn't enough to save her. As the half-immortal of the Darkness Crusade, Dominus would be killable as well, but nobody really knew that any more. Nobody would tell Lady Sara, none that could talk freely.
But he would, by his blood Solorite swore it. He would help Lady Sara as much as he had helped Lady Mystic and her Pokemorph: the noble Sundav. With the death of Mystic, Sundav would be reduced to her first form, the one of pure light. Light would never die in her heart, yet it could be controlled with the right amount of force on the part of Darkness. Had Sundav talked to Lady Sara already? Told her everything he was about to?
As Solorite situated himself better on Nekroquaza's tail, he made a mental note to tell Lady Sara what position she held in the hearts of most Pokemon. She wasn't just a lady, she was the Lady. The Lady of the Day.