The Final Test: A battle to remember
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Touch my characters, however, and I will most definitely come after you. I'll set Seven on you! Consider yourself warned.
Thanks to Foxyjosh, ziggy9677, and Salimus for reviewing!
I'm thinking about having a beta reader for this story. If you are interested/qualify as a beta, let me know through PMs and I'll choose someone to review chapters before they're published. Ask me for details if you'd like.
Mm, I think this might be a little bloody. Let me know if I should crank up the rating? For those of you a little blood-queasy, I might recommend not reading this. Although there are worse fics out there, I wouldn't want to cause any discomfort. You can pm me for a shortened, cleaner version and I'll try to accommodate you :)
This was definitely one of the funnest chapters to write... don't ask me why I enjoyed it so much!
The rest of the week passed by in the same pattern. A hasty breakfast, followed by either the agility trial or a simple weights workout that Ray told me was designed to build up muscle and toning. Fortunately, I never saw that Carson guy again, at least for those days.
I managed to complete the agility trial in twelve minutes, with only minor bruises to speak of. I was feeling proud of myself, having adjusted to my new body in what I thought must be a short time. However, I still managed to give myself small scratches here and there. Somehow, having claws was proving to be the most difficult part of the new body.
I had grimaced when I'd managed to catch a glimpse of myself reflected on one of the doors. I looked filthy! I'd pondered how to make myself more presentable, but there was just no other way to do it. I had to settle on doing the only thing that came to my mind short of sacrificing my precious water.
I licked myself clean.
Let me rephrase that. I licked my paw, then ran it over myself. I tried not to think about what I was doing. I crossed my fingers, hoping that I wouldn't get sick doing this. At least, I crossed them mentally. What a mess... this whole situation was completely messed up.
Ray seemed friendly enough. Well, considering he was the only other constant human contact I had, he did fairly well. His past still remained a mystery, but he treated me better than that despicable scientist who had "treated" me in the Room. So I gave him some credit for that.
The end of the week came by, and Ray walked in to wake me up. "This is it. Today is a test for you. If you pass, you'll be much better off than you are right now, by far. If you fail..." he trailed off, and I caught his meaning. If I failed, this was the end for me.
"I'm ready," I hope. I stood up and waited for him to say something, anything about anything. Maybe to tell me that it was nothing to be afraid of, that I would do well, that the sun would come out tomorrow. I didn't know what, but something would have been nice. I wasn't too surprised when nothing of the sort was said. Don't get your hopes up, remember where you are, I grimly told myself.
He walked in silence, leading me down the path that I knew so well by then. We didn't go to the break room, or through the center room, or into the trial rooms. He turned at one of the doors that I had often seen locked when going to the trials. The hall past the door was cold and narrow, and I felt claustrophobic. Not even my cell had made me feel like this, but I couldn't explain what came over me then. I was scared.
The hall ended at a big door, very much like a loading bay. It was completely white, with huge scarlet letters stamped on it.
'ARENA'.
My stomach turned at the thought of what would await me.
-.-.-
The inside was just as dreary as the outside. It was nothing more than a big, empty sand dump, but nothing less than a bigger cell. A football field could easily fit inside the arena. It was just as closely watched as the rest of the building, with domed cameras and a few mechanical things that I was sure I didn't want to find out what they did.
There was a circle in the center of the arena, and what I saw made me pale and go weak at the knees. The sand there was disturbed and thrown about, as if someone had struggled and fought there. Even more, it was stained a darker color in other places. I was somewhat happy that I hadn't had breakfast yet, because I was sure that otherwise, I would have been reacquainted with it. The whole place reeked with a metallic odor. I shuddered.
Stale blood.
Ray stood on one side of the arena, close to the wall. I walked up beside him and looked at him, questioning him with my eyes to avoid breaking the eerie silence. "You must wait for your opponent," he whispered, barely moving his lips. I frowned and looked around the place, then settled down to watch the door I had come through. The only door leading in or out of the arena.
"Listen," he hissed. "This will be a tough match. Your opponent is vicious, bordering on murderous. You'll have to watch your back at all times. Whatever you do, though, don't lose control. It would be better if you lost in a close battle than winning with the consequences of losing control..."
A stern voice rang out from a small metal box above the door. "Mr. Lasen, if you please, you are required to go to the Observation room. At once."
Ray nodded visibly, and started making his way towards the door. He turned his head back a little, and hissed once again, "Remember what I told you..."
"No talking to either of the contenders is allowed!" The voice screeched, its angry tone echoing off the walls.
Ray sped up and left, leaving me alone in an over-sized sandbox of doom. I'd never even liked sandboxes when I was little.
-.-.-
After about half an hour of waiting, the door opened and Carson stepped in, looking around the arena. I growled menacingly until I saw that he wasn't alone. A pair of bulky thugs were dragging in what looked like a struggling green reptile-looking thing. It was even more intriguing because the captive creature was considerably smaller than the thugs. I blinked in astonishment when I saw the fluorescent lights in the arena reflecting off a pair of vicious-looking blades protruding from the creature's arms.
"Let me go you (insert crude, insulting speech here)!" These words were followed by a barrage of profanities and curses in a different language, none of which I understood. The green creature was thrown to the ground, the three men quickly retreated through the door, and I found myself staring straight into the angry eyes of that being.
-.-.-
"Hullo," she said suddenly, standing up and dusting herself. Gone was the anger and edge to her voice now. Huh?
"Seems like we have a newbie. What's your name, doggy-girl?"
I sniffed indignantly. "My name is Tasha. And I'm not a doggy-girl." I crossed my arms and glared at the other morph.
She laughed humorlessly. "Just wait until you've been here a while, you'll see things differently. I'm Rita, by the way. Or as those creeps like to call me, the 'Brute'."
Our conversation was cut short by an announcement. "Attention contenders! Today's prize is a new room and the ability to use certain facilities in the building. The winner will get these privileges and maybe more! The loser gets a fully-paid, one-way trip to her cell!"
Rita cackled at the announcement. "Think you're gonna entice me with a new rathole? Think again!"
"Did I mention that one of the added privileges is the use of a proper bathroom?" Rita's eyes widened at this, and I could see her processing the information. She broke out in a wicked grin and stepped menacingly towards me. "Now here's the drill, doggy-girl: You stay still and I make it painless. You put up a fight, and things get ugly. Got that?"
I backed away from the approaching morph. "Can't we settle this with a match of rock-paper-scissors? Please?" I was embarrassed when my voice came out as a high-pitched squeak, but I couldn't help it. Those blades looked terrifying enough.
"Rock-paper-scissors my butt. This is serious business..." She laughed maniacally.
-.-.-
"It's not a fair playing field! The Scyther has all the advantage on this one. Not even her agility can save her!" Ray raised his voice and pointed at the monitors. "See how Five toys with Seven? It's not a challenge for her, it's recess!"
The professor silenced the trainer with a look, then considered helping Seven out. After all, she wanted her to win, and it would be an immense financial loss for the project if she was hurt beyond her own ability to heal.
"Very well," she said, nodding. She pressed a button on the control panel. "Bring the bracers."
-.-.-
I jumped to the side, tiring fast. I'd managed to avoid her vicious swipes, but I wouldn't hold out much longer. I had given up reasoning and pleading with her a long time ago, opting to save my breath for more evasive maneuvers. She, on the other hand, looked as fit as ever.
"Heeere, doggy doggy! Come and play! We haven't got all day!" She came after me.
The intercom came to life again, barking an order. I didn't hear it over Rita's insane laughter, but it repeated said order.
"STOP! Stop the fight or you are disqualified for the prize!"
I obligingly jumped away and stared around, but Rita had to be subdued by a paralyzing dart. A lab assistant walked in and gave me a pair of metal things. I looked at him, puzzled, and inspected them. They were long and strong, made of tempered metal.
"You're supposed to wear them. Like so," he took one and slipped it onto my arm, strapping them on and slipping a leather halter over my middle and ring fingers. He tied it like one would a tennis shoe, the small holes running almost the entire length of the bracer. He tugged on it to make sure it was in place and firm, then seemed satisfied with it. "Other hand," he commanded, and soon I was admiring my new accessories. There were small ridges running down the outside of the bracers, probably meant to catch things like Rita's blades on them.
"This should give you an edge against that insane morph..." he whispered, looking back to make sure Rita hadn't heard anything.
"Thanks?" I wasn't sure if I was glad that at least someone was rooting for me, or worried that they were serious about the whole fight deal. Only way to make sure is to stay alive!
The assistant nodded and left, meaning that the battle was resumed. Rita took a step, shaking her head to get rid of the residual effects of the dart. "So you had to get help, eh? It's not hard to see who's the professor's pet!" She swiped at my face, and I managed to get my arm up in time to stop her attack. Her blade ran down the ridges, lodging safely in between a pair of them. I let out a relieved sigh, only to duck as her free hand took another shot at my neck.
She pulled her arm free of the bracer, and jumped nimbly back when I went in to score a slash of my own. "Not bad, but I still have another trick up my sleeve!" A pair of dragonfly wings snapped out. Great, another pleasant surprise.
She cackled insanely again and lunged forward, swinging her right arm in a downward motion. I blocked, feeling the sheer force of her swing make contact with my arm, the impact numbing it. Her other blade threatened my side, to which I answered by bringing out my other arm. She pressed in with all her strength, and I felt her gain ground. We were locked and face-to-face, when I saw her grin wickedly. She downed me with a kick to the stomach, and I doubled over, gasping for air.
"Someone hasn't had much battle experience! It looks like I have the pleasure to instruct you in the ways of pain!" Her wings started beating rapidly, disappearing into a blur. She circled around me, picking up speed and whipping up a cloud of sand. I squinted and tried to follow her path, but it proved impossible.
A bladed arm swung out, catching the side of my head. I fell from the impact and the momentum the blow carried. Rita was on top of me in no time, slashing and hacking away. I put my arms up to defend myself, only to have them pinned down by her legs. I felt a warm trickle on my forehead and realized that I was bleeding from countless wounds. The thought made me panic and instinct took over. I bunched up my legs and pushed hard, sending the green morph flying. I got up dizzily, grimacing at the blood that was flowing from my sides.
"The doggy-girl finally puts up a fight, eh?" She cackled at me, her cruel laughter echoing off the walls.
-.-.-
Ray had looked away when Seven fell. She wouldn't stand much of a chance if she kept this up. His colleagues' comments caused him to turn around and gasp in horror. Seven was standing in a pool of her blood, staring into space. He stepped closer to the screen and beheld his fears come true. The girl was quivering, blood coming freely from her wounds, pupils dilated and mouth agape, drawing in the scent of her own blood. She drew in quick, shallow breaths, eyes narrowing with the steely glint of bloodlust.
She set her now cold gaze on the Scyther. Ray could have sworn the Scyther morph shuddered and backed away, keeping her eyes on Seven. A low growl was heard from the mic receptors, and Seven dropped down on all fours, stalking the Scyther morph. She advanced deliberately and methodically, cornering it against the wall. The Scyther morph bumped into the wall, looking around Seven to find a spot where she could gain some ground and get away from the prey-turned-predator.
Despite warnings against doing so, Ray left the room, heading for the arena where a tragedy was imminent if left to unfold.
-.-.-
Rita cursed under her breath. She had pushed too hard, gotten careless in her taunting. Her aim had been to deterr the newcomer from winning, but got too caught up in her role. Now she had a crazed morph on her scent, one that just happened to be her type's weakness.
What worried her the most, though, were the eyes. The warm brown eyes had given way to a cold, predator gaze, one that demanded her blood as punishment for the wounds inflicted. She backed away slowly as the other morph slowly approached. Her wings brushed against the wall. She was trapped.
"Okay, you win! I'm sorry!" She tried reasoning with her, hoping the other morph would calm down. "You can have the bathroom! Just calm down!"
Her apology was met by that unnerving gaze of hers, the morph's growls silencing Rita. She was about to strike out in fear when the door to the arena opened and one of the trainers stepped in.
"Stop! Tasha! Snap out of it!" His intrusion made the enraged morph turn and fix her bloodshot gaze on him.
It was the only distraction Rita needed. She pushed against the wall, lunging out of the corner she had been trapped in.
-.-.-
Ray paled as Seven's head swiveled to fix him in her stare, the sight of the crazed morph a reminder of the inhumanity of their experiments. She was down on all fours, hind legs bunched up for a lunge. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of the Scyther morph making a run for it. He knew he was the distraction it needed, but he was starting to fear for his own safety.
Seven's head snapped around and caught a mouthful of the other morph's arm, her jaws crunching down on the flesh and bone just below where the blade began. Her claws raked down the Scyther's wings, and he tried to block out the screams of agony coming from Five. They had to stop her somehow.
-.-.-
"Professor, the intervention squad is on its way. They will arrive with a full team."
The professor was watching the monitors with a keen interest, almost enthralled by what was happening. Her eyes were glued to the screen, taking in the beating the Scyther was suffering from her pet morph.
"Tell them that the Arcanine morph is to be taken alive, no matter what."
-.-.-
Rita was fighting for her life. Gone was the attitude, the cool pose, even her pretense of madness. All she could do was struggle against a stronger foe who had no feeling of pain or restraint, and hope that her Scyther caparace held out.
Her left arm hung limply, one of the bones snapped clean through. She started to feel weak from blood loss, fighting against passing out as much as against the other morph. Her arm wound was deep and big, blood running freely and uncontrolled.
Seven's muzzle dripped blood, Rita's blood now. She licked the blood from her face, baring crimson-stained teeth that had never looked so deadly. Blood dripped from the cut Rita inflicted on her head, making her look like a thing out of horror movies. Her claws raked her caparace, leaving scratches that ran deep and weakened the armor.
Seven knocked Rita down, jumping on her and pinning her limbs down. Her wings were being crushed under her. The morph's weight made breathing difficult for Rita. Seven's drool dripped onto the Scyther morph's face, and one of her paws pushed Rita's head up, baring her vulnerable neck.
She howled and was about to deliver the killing blow when a hollow noise was heard, and a colorful dart stuck out of the Arcanine morph's shoulder. She looked away, growling, then back into Rita's face, her growls fading away as the super-fast sedative took effect.
Rita could have sworn she saw Seven's humanity slip back into her eyes as she toppled on top of her, unconscious.
A/N: So... let me know what you think. Reviews are appreciated, as always.