Jello, jello! Thank you for your wonderful reviews -I'm really enjoying them. Especially now, since I'm under a bit of pressure at school. Thank goodness I can come and write this -it's really relaxing! Woot.

Disclaimer: Same as last chapter, save for Kuvai and Illauna belonging to a friend of mine, Stephanie. I do not own them, she does.

Price for Freedom

Chapter 16

Kuvai

Ever since he had met Illauna, Kaiyou had been… a little nervous. He was a lot more jumpy than usual, and when I overheard Tai ask him about it, the Legendary told Tai that he was just making sure Gruzog wasn't going to try and hug him again. Though that may have been true to a point, I doubted that was the real cause.

For some reason, Kaiyou was now leading us around instead of Shayla, and Illauna had become a "temporary" guest in our traveling party. When she had asked us if she could travel along with us, she told us that she wanted to get to Rayquaza so she could train him. At the mention of his name, I felt dizzy. Just the thought of meeting that giant dragon sent shivers down my spine.

However, we weren't exactly traveling in the direction of the legendary dragon. In fact, we were going quite the opposite way. We had exited Mauville and were now heading north towards the mini-desert. Shoko didn't like this at all. Apparently, the charizard didn't like the thought of a huge, whirling mass of sand all around him.

"Do we really have to go in there?" he asked for about the millionth time in the past few minutes. "I mean, there is a route around it. I can even fly around or over it…"

Saji sighed and put a red claw on Shoko's shoulder. "Shoko, let me answer the questions you have now and for further notice. No, we don't really don't have to go in there. But we are. No, we aren't going to fly over and around it, and yes, you're going with us. And no, you're not getting out of it. Am I understood?"

Shoko sighed and lowered his head to his stomach. "Yes…"

Saji smiled. "Good. Now shut up. The sound of your complaining gives me a headache."

I chuckled and looked ahead of us to see Kaiyou near to running. I blinked. Why was he in such a hurry?

I ran up to him and trotted to keep up with him. "What's going on?" I asked. I saw we were near the desert. "Why are you going so fast?"

Kaiyou kept on looking forward, towards the desert. "Someone's at the Tomb, I can feel it! My lock's been broken, they're working on the last one!"

My heart nearly stopped. "There are people opening the Tomb?" I cried.

Kaiyou nodded. "Screw this human form, I can't be this slow!" He then transformed as he ran, becoming the great golden and black dog that I knew him as. As soon as all four of his lithe legs were fully developed, he dashed into the desert, not even a second thought slowing him down.

I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up, so I opened a portal to the door of the Tomb, which I remembered vividly from my dreams. I told everyone to follow and we reached the door of the Tomb to find Kaiyou hiding behind a rock in his human form again. Behind me, I could hear Shoko begin to whimper.

I looked and saw the intruders working at the door. They were from Team Aqua -it was easy to tell from their blue bandannas and logos on their shirts. The man that looked like the leader was holding a book in one hand and configuring something on the door with the other. He was tall-looking, short-cropped brown hair, and a pale, chiseled face. He was crouching near the ground, tracing something onto the black door with his fingertips. The other people -there were about forty- were standing around holding up tarps and umbrellas to protect themselves against the sand and sun.

Kaiyou growled -a strange sound coming from a human throat. "Bastards… What do they think they're doing?" He was about to get up when Shayla stopped him.

"What are you going to do to them!" she asked in a harsh whisper. "You can't kill them -they may only be looking for treasure or something like that! You don't know that they're looking for the Tomb!" (Illauna had informed Shayla about Kaiyou's enigmatic past.) However, Illauna shook her head.

"That man's holding the same book I read in the library…" she whispered. "That means he knows everything I do, about Kuvai, Kaiyou, everything." She looked down at Kaiyou. "They're probably looking for Kuvai to outdo Team Magma and what they achieved with you."

Kaiyou growled again and leapt to his feet. He ran out to the group, to which they brought out their guns. The man holding the book stopped their fire, but they didn't lower their weapons. "Come to enjoy the show, sport?" the man asked, and Kaiyou nearly took the man's head off right then.

"Are you insane?" Kaiyou cried. "Get out of here! This is dangerous ground -you don't know what's sleeping here! It mustn't-"

"-be awoken, I know," the man said in a bored tone. "My, that dialouge sounds familiar. You wouldn't happen to be the clone of the Guardian of this Tomb, would you?"

Kaiyou didn't answer the man. "Get out of here! You can't be here!"

The man stood up and shook his head. "No, you can't be. The Guardian was killed many years ago, and said Guardian is a giant black dog." When he said this, he took a slight pause and then started out of it. "Dear, it is rather rude of me to not introduce myself. I am Archie, leader of the famous Team Aqua. Pleased to meet you."

"I know who you are," Kaiyou snarled. "I don't care, though. You have to get out of here! He can't be awoken! Don't your pitiful eyes see the consequences of this action!"

Archie's frown deepened into a scowl. "That's rather rude of you. Here, I am, trying to make the world a better place, and here you are, insulting my duty."

Kaiyou grabbed the collar of the other man's shirt and lifted him up. I gasped -Kaiyou's black aura was coming up, and writhing around the two men. "Listen, human filth," Kaiyou spat, "I want you and your cronies out of here now. I don't care what your intentions are -the thing in there can't be awoken. Do you understand, you primitive Neanderthal?"

Archie snarled back and then kicked Kaiyou in the solar plexus. I heard the Dark Legendary give a grunt and then he went down, with Archie pinning my lord to the ground. I was about to go and rip the man's throat out, but Shayla held me back by grabbing onto my scruff. "No, girl," she whispered. "You might get shot!"

Hesitantly, I stood where I was and returned my attention to Kaiyou, who was still on the ground, recovering from the powerful kick. "Pah," Archie spat. "Pathetic. One kick made you go down. Though, I have to ask, what is your name? I want to know so that when my 'cronies', as you called them, kill you, I can correctly mark your tombstone."

Kaiyou glared up at Archie. "Get out of here. You don't know what you're doing…" I saw Kaiyou's aura flare up again when Archie's leg muscles flexed in anticipation of a kick. "Don't make me kill you," Kaiyou whispered, and Archie laughed.

"Kill me!" he exclaimed. "That's ludicrous! How could you even imply that you could stand and fight against me, especially since you went down so quickly?" He began to laugh again and then asked, "How do you think you are?"

I saw Kaiyou's head go down, and then his aura engulfed him. And even as he transformed back into his original form, he spoke. "I am Kaiyou, Guardian of the Black Tomb. You insolent humans have gone far enough. If you value your lives, then leave this place. If you refuse, I will be forced to kill you all.) Kaiyou, now in his true form, growled and looked at the Team Aqua members, most of which were quivering in fear. He glared at Archie, who's eyes were plenty wide now, and bared his fangs. (Now, LEAVE.)

Archie, snarled, and then cried, "Shoot him! Shoot the beast down!"

The men were quick, but Kaiyou was quicker. He vanished into the Void, and then attacked randomly at the men. Since he went right back into the Void as soon as he attacked, the Aqua men couldn't fire at him. Eventually, Kaiyou began to take men into the Void with him, and apparently left them there.

When all of his men were gone, Kaiyou stepped in front of Archie, and snarled again. (Leave. Or must I abandon you in the Void as well?)

Archie didn't retreat. "That will not be necessary, Black Wolf. For you see, I have help." He then pointed to the sky, where many flying ships and jet fighters were waiting. Kaiyou flinched and then Archie smiled. "I don't think your Void goes into the sky, does it? Especially in the day time."

Kaiyou lunged for Archie, but then a red laser blast caught him, and he flew into a nearby boulder. I felt a pain in my left shoulder, and then saw bright red blood oozing from the same place on Kaiyou. He got up, but didn't move. I heard Shoko, Saji and Amburna give roars behind me, and I saw them fly into the sky and begin to attack the aircraft. I turned my attention back to Archie, who was smiling.

"They won't be able to penetrate the defenses of those ships," he said assuredly. "Then, they'll be shot out of the sky." I growled and then I heard Illauna talk behind me.

"Raikou! Articuno!" Come out and help!" She then threw two ultra balls, and then, before me stood Raikou and Articuno. I nearly fainted right then. Illauna then pointed to the sky and then cried, "Bring down those ships!" Articuno flew into the air and then began to pelt the ships with ice beams and blizzards, and Raikou started to thunderbolt said ships. Archie was in shock for a minute, and then he snapped out of it.

"That won't save you!" he cried. "Not even Lugia himself could bring down those ships! They're protected against pokemon special attacks!"

Kaiyou shook his head. (You disgusting human! You really think Raikou and Articuno won't be able to penetrate your pitiful defenses? Pah! Pathetic!) The Dark Legendary then took another dive at Archie, but he was hit again by the red blast, and then skidded thirty feet towards me while on his side. The laser hit him on the side of the neck, and my own throbbed with his. I walked up to his giant form, and took a place in front of him. Archie laughed.

"Ha! Some Guardian you are! It says here, in this book, that you were murdered by humans 3500 years ago! Well, apparently it will happen again today!" He then took out a handgun from his belt and then aimed at Kaiyou. "Farewell, Guardian of the Black Tomb!"

I braced myself, but no shot came. I looked up and saw Tai holding onto Archie's now bloody hand with his teeth, growling and biting. I saw my opportunity, and then lunged forward myself. I bit onto the gun and took it from Archie. He screamed in frustration, and then punched Tai on the head. The jolteon yelped and then fell to the ground, and then Archie grabbed onto my scruff.

"You little bitch," he snarled. I saw the blood on his right hand, the one Tai had bit, and I snarled. I let out a thunderbolt and then he fell backwards. He kicked me in my side, but I turned and then bit onto his shin. He let out a cry and then tried kicking me in the face, but I stopped that with another thunderbolt. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaiyou stand and then look to the sky.

(Ayako!) he cried, (Get out of there! Shoko -he's about to fall on you!)

I looked up and saw a bloody red mass falling towards me, and I ran as fast as I could to escape it. When he landed, I turned and saw him half-lying on Archie. I stared in horror. He was bloody, mangled and unconscious. I heard Shayla cry the charizard's name, and she ran to him. I turned again to my right and saw Raikou get hit with the red beam, and then he was thrown to the boulders that surrounded us. After he landed on the sand, he didn't move.

Tai screamed beside me, and I ran to him. He was bleeding a little on his head, but it wasn't much. He winced and then turned to me. "Raikou was hit, huh?" he asked, and I nodded. He growled and then looked above us. I did the same, and saw Amburna falling -she was in the same state as Shoko. Articuno and Saji were still in the air -Articuno was powerful and could withstand the hits, and Saji had a steel body, which protected him from the beams. Amburna landed beside Shoko and Shayla ran to her as well.

I saw movement from Archie, who was still stuck underneath Shoko. He slithered out from underneath the downed charizard, and then he began to run towards the Tomb door, which was to my left. Tai and I headed him off, and then he brought out a taser. "Don't you dare," he threatened. "You haven't felt a shock like this before."

Tai scoffed. "That's electricity, bub. I absorb any I come in contact with." The jolteon then grabbed a hold of Archie's hand again, and ripped with all his might. Human blood and skin flew everywhere, and the taser fell to the ground. I flew at the Aqua man myself, but a blast to my right threw off course, and I landed against the rock wall. I fell to the sand, and I struggled to get up. I now saw Kaiyou, Saji and Articuno lying on the ground near where Raikou fell, and Tai was about ten feet away, unconscious. Archie laughed triumphantly. "You pitiful beings! How do you even fathom the concept of defeating me and my mission? Pah. Pathetic." He then turned to the door, and began to trace again with his fingers. Kaiyou, not quite out, raised his bloody head.

(Stop!) he wailed. (You can't! Kuvai will never obey you! He'll simply kill you and then move on to the cities! You can't…) Archie picked up his discarded gun, and then shot Kaiyou at the base of his neck, on the other side. I flinched against the pain.

"Quiet, you mongrel," Archie spat. "I will do as I wish. You have failed, Guardian. Accept it." The Aqua man then completed his tracing, and then a great rumble began in the ground. I thought an earthquake was beginning, but the ground didn't split, and the door to the Tomb began to open. I looked to Kaiyou, and he began to cry in sorrow, telepathically and orally. It sounded so strange, yet morose and depressing. I looked back to the Tomb door, which revealed the stone lair of Buganti I had seen so many times in my dreams. In the middle lay a skeleton, giant and lizard-like. Archie stepped forward into the Tomb, and then the skeleton shuddered.

It was like something out of a bad horror film. The off-white skeleton of Buganti began to rise, and then, simply collapsed to the floor. Archie, not really sure what was happening, took a tentative step towards Buganti's corpse. It shuddered again, and then a dark shadowy figure arose from it.

I gasped.

Kuvai…

The dark shadow took a shape, and then I saw Kuvai clearly. The shadow had a reptilian profile. He was mostly grey with black stripes, and out of his head were two horns, also grey with black lightning bolt stripes. His arms were long and his paws ended with three finger claws and a thumb claw. His arms had three stripes and another stripe on his shoulder, which went down to a point on his chest. His long, black mane trailed down the length of his shadowy body, which faded into transparent nothingness. His face was decorated with three black stripes under his eyes, and a single stripe above. His throat was black, and his mouth was wide and snarling. He had lizard-like nostrils, and his eyes were the same red eyes that haunted Kaiyou and me. I stared in utter horror as Archie began to talk to Kuvai.

"Ah, Kuvai, Lord of the Underground!" Archie exclaimed happily. "Here, at this moment, you will assist me in awakening the great pokemon, Kyogre! Then, the dream of Team Aqua will finally come into reality!"

There was silence for a long time. Kuvai merely stared at Archie, and then, the shadow pokemon scoffed. "Moronic human. Do you really believe that I would stoop so low as to need assistance in destroying this pitiful planet? Bah. Get out of my way." Kuvai moved out of the Tomb, and then looked at our battlefield. He paused at Raikou and Articuno, but then stopped completely when his eyes fell upon Kaiyou's form. Kaiyou and Kuvai locked gazes, and then Kuvai smiled bitterly.

"So, Kaiyou, you finally fell. By the human's hands, I see." Kaiyou flinched. "Well, you have a good seat, old friend. You'll be able to watch me kill these bastards with a good view."

Kaiyou rose to his feet. (NEVER! Kuvai, you will not harm the innocent! I won't allow it! I'll DIE before I allow you to destroy this planet!) Half-limping, Kaiyou lunged at Kuvai with his teeth bared. Kuvai, looking bored, flung the wounded Dark Legendary back with what looked like a shadow ball. Kaiyou skidded back on his feet, still standing and growling. Kuvai scoffed.

"Sent so far by a mere shadow ball, Kaiyou? You ARE wounded, aren't you?" Kaiyou's growling got louder. Kuvai's mouth formed a smirk. "Perhaps you should just stay out of the way so you don't die again?"

Kaiyou took a staggering step forward. (Look at you, Kuvai! Can't you see what you've become? If your humans were to see you now… And Yasille, what about her? What do you think she would say if she-)

Kaiyou was silenced temporarily from the huge attack Kuvai sent at him. The Dark Legendary made another indent in the stone wall, and then fell to the sand with an unnatural thump. I felt his pain throb through me, but I paid no heed to it as Kaiyou struggled to stand. He couldn't push himself like this!

"Quiet, Kaiyou," Kuvai growled softly. "I would watch what I say. You're not well enough to take me on, Kaiyou. I advise you to stay out of this. You failed in your duty. Now shut up and stay out of this. The humans you mentioned betrayed me. They all deserve to die. And Yasille… She's probably dead by now. There's no need to linger on what's gone, Kaiyou. Like you shouldn't care about this planet. Once I destroy the human race, you can sit back and live in the Void."

Kaiyou shook his head. (Never! You bastard -you're betraying Yasille! You swore to her that you would never hurt anyone- and now look at you! You're nothing but a coward! A fraud! A two-timing bastard that should go back into his lair and never see the light of day again!) Kaiyou lunged again, and then took hold of Kuvai's arm with his jaws. Kuvai, angry as hell, swung Kaiyou around and slammed him against the walls of the lair. Only after Kuvai bit into Kaiyou's neck did the Dark Legendary let go.

With a powerful swing, Kuvai threw Kaiyou against the ceiling, the walls and then smashed him into the ground. I collapsed to the ground, completely numbed by the pain. I had never felt so much at one time in my life. Before I knew it, I was on my side, panting hard. I looked back to the scene, where Kaiyou was in his human form, lying face down on the stone floor. A pool of blood was rapidly forming around his side and head, and I feared the worst. Kuvai stared at him for a while, then smiled bitterly again.

"Stubborn fool… He never did know when to quit…" He turned back to the forgotten Archie, who was near to pissing his pants. "And as for you, human filth, I will destroy you like I will this entire planet!" With a telepathic roar, he created a giant shadow ball and sent it straight at Archie, killing the human instantly.

The Aqua ships then began to fire at Kuvai. However, the beams did nothing, and Kuvai roared in agitation. "Damn humans, AWAY WITH YOU!" He sent another powerful shadow ball at the ships, and, like a tinker toys,they blew apart utterly. Kuvai began to pulsulate somehow, and then, he was engulfed in black light.

I saw movement behind him. I gasped and saw Kaiyou lift his bloody, marred head, and then his eyes grew wide. "NO! KUVAI, DON'T!"

Apparently, Kuvai didn't listen. He began to grow and grow. The ones that were still alive and conscious watched in horror as Kuvai's body became slightly solid and snake-like. He must have been a mile high by the time he stopped growing. And then, when he was finished, he looked down at us, half-dead and broken, and smiled.

"NOW, NOW, YOU PITIFUL CREATURES, YOU WILL TASTE YOUR DOOM!" With that, his massive, clawed hands formed a giant mass of shadow and power, and then flung it down at us. The last thing I remember is Kaiyou rushing out, and then taking the brunt of the attack. And then, Kuvai's fading words, "Kaiyou, you fool..."

-

WOOT! That was fun. Poor Kaiyou, he gets beaten up so much… Oh well. :0

I'll try to keep writing as soon as I can. Hopefully, I can get the next chapter to you soon.

Ja!