PokeStones of the Dead - Chapter Five
The entrance to Mt. Moon was in the distance. Temperance and Lillette walked on, strangely apprehensive of the dark tunnel through the mountain. Temperance banished these thoughts of doubt from his mind. The mountain was perfectly safe. It would just be a routine trek through the tunnel, and he would find himself a short distance from Pewter. So why were there nagging doubts remaining in his mind, telling him that he was walking into terrible danger? Temperance thought of confessing these thoughts to Lillette, but he could already visualise her reaction. Not wishing to be humiliated any further, he kept silent and convinced himself that everything was ok.
Entering the tunnel, Temperance let his night vision kick in, and then glanced around the place. He had almost expected an attack by bloodthirsty Golbats, but it was just his overactive imagination. Bats did not attack people without reason, and indeed, they were slumbering peacefully at the roof of the high tunnel. Definitely not a threat to security.
The path was surprisingly well-tended and marked. As long as the two stuck to the path, which was wide enough for about four people walking side by side, there would not be a problem. Temperance did not remember Mt. Moon being so well tended when he was here, and concluded that either Misty or Brock must have made this place more user-friendly for travellers. Seeing the improved conditions, he felt better about the place.
Until he saw the PokeStone.
"What? Why is there a PokeStone here? I thought that apart from the eight cities, there were only smaller ones at Pallet, Seafoam, and Lavender -"
"Oh, not again. A while ago, more PokeStones were built at Mt. Moon and Viridian Forest. Cerulean and Pewter built them respectively. I think there is one at Victory Road, considering the Dead attack over there, but who built it is a mystery… In case you're worried, that stone there is very obviously intact, so you should get a grip."
Temperance glanced at the Stone, which was still solid, with no signs of it about to be cracked. He resumed walking, only to stop less than five minutes later when a shadowy figure whirled past them.
"Lillette, did you see that?"
Lillette did not answer. Finally, she was able to feel the danger, and cursed herself for her stupidity. Their journey was far too well-publicised – it was even on the radio – and anyone with half a brain would know that they would pass through Mt. Moon. She hadn't been in tip-top condition since the Lavender battle, and no matter how she tried to hide it, Temperance's question about her parents had shaken her. Taking Diglett's Cave would have been a better idea. Should they turn back?
"Temperance, I think we should –"
The sentence froze on her lips, as Mt. Moon was suddenly thrown into a bright light, forcing both Temperance and Lillette to squint, the sudden change rendering both temporarily blind. Before any of them could properly realise what was going on, a horrible voice filled the tunnel, grating and disembodied. Malice were in those words, almost as if they were solid and carrying power with them.
"So, you aim at stopping my ambitions? They are far beyond what any of you can imagine! They are… well, perhaps it is not wise to reveal them now. Let's just say that they are not the usual and clichéd conquest of Kanto and beyond. I need all three legendaries, I can tell you that much."
Temperance and Lillette's eyes got used to the light, and focused their eyes on the man. However, despite the bright light, it seemed as if the man was totally shrouded in darkness. There were no distinguishable features, save that he was cloaked in some red material. Blood-red, on closer examination.
"Now, we can get to business. I have a Poliwag here that belongs to the Cerulean City Gym Leader. It would not be enough to break the main PokeStone, but for a smaller one like this, it would do perfectly fine. Prepare yourselves for the Dead."
Lillette looked panic-stricken, but mouthed to Temperance, "Take out your dagger. It's in your pack. I took it and washed it for you. Remember, you do not have to erase memories, even those you regret."
Temperance drew the dagger, earning himself a laugh from the cloaked figure. "Oh, go ahead and converse, go ahead and attack me! I think you'd be biting off more than you can chew if you decide to strike. Anyway, I doubt that you'll be on time. I'll do this quickly…"
Running his hands over the frozen Poliwag, the man muttered an incantation that caused the Clefable PokeStone to glow in return. Even as Temperance ran forward with the dagger, the man raised his hand, and a black bolt of energy ran down, hitting the Poliwag. Blood spattered everywhere, and the PokeStone turned completely red, the colour of the man's cloak. A second incantation was all that it took for the Stone's foundations to crumble, the man easily lifting it from its roots. In its place was the same hole Temperance saw at Vermillion.
Temperance finally reached the man, and struck with the dagger, but he had already jumped aside. The unnatural light faded, causing the tunnel to revert back into darkness. With no light, the man was virtually invisible, blending in with the natural surroundings.
"Well, I have to darken the lights. The Dead prefer the dark… and now I must be going. I hope you have a pleasant time," the necromancer concluded, the final statement mocking their helplessness. Then he was gone, simply disappearing into thin air. Was it an image of the necromancer that carried out the task? Or, did he really have the power to teleport? There was no time to care.
Temperance and Lillette heard the same cold and clammy breathing that was at Vermillion. The exit to Cerulean glowed with a purple light, and Temperance knew that this was the same force field that was at the Rock Tunnel. No legendary birds were going to save them now. As both of them released their Pokemon, the Dead were already starting to climb up through the newly-made hole.
"Temperance! We have to stop the Dead from crawling out of the hole! If all of them get out, we're dead for sure!"
Lillette's Lapras went over to the side of the hole, sending multiple Hydro Pumps down it, causing those climbing up to lose their grip and fall back all the way down. Then, she shot an Ice Beam down the hole, freezing some of the water and forming a makeshift barrier against the climbing zombies. However, it was but a temporary respite. The sheet of ice covering the hole was far too thin to keep out the Dead for very long. Already, the sheer numbers of those climbing already pushed those at the front halfway up the hole.
"Weepinbell, Sleep Powder!"
Weepinbell released sleep-inducing powder from her mouth, causing all those touched by it to fall into a deep sleep. However, the powder only affected those at the top of the pile, and they were quickly brushed aside by their more eager companions. Many of the Dead were crushed and trampled in the chaotic melee, but there were still more to come. Temperance consoled himself with a thought that there could not be too many dead buried in Mt. Moon, and therefore the numbers here could not be as many as those attacking Lavender.
Then, a horde of undead Zubats flew to the top faster than any of those who were crawling, smashing through the ice as if it were rice paper, then launched a surprise attack against the defenders. Going for Lapras, again directed by the same man that had just sealed the tunnel, they would have succeeded in drawing first blood if not for a fast Aerial Ace from Dodrio, who knocked two of them out of the air. Temperance mounted Flygon and rose in aerial combat with the Zubats.
"Lillette, stop those crawling up! I'll take care of those flying! Dodrio, cover me!" And with that, Flygon flew at the Zubats head to head. One on one, Flygon was no doubt the victor, but when faced with many tens of Zubats, all clawing and leeching, even the thick hide of Temperance's Flygon could be penetrated. And indeed, Zubats were soon surrounding Flygon. Powerful slashes ripped most of them to bits, but a Zubat managed to get close enough to bite Temperance, drawing blood. Luckily, with only one Zubat attacking, the injury was so small as to be negligible.
"This is ridiculous; you can't do this on your own – Go, Xatu!" Lillette's own Flying Pokemon took to the skies, aiding Temperance in fighting off the pesky Zubats. Meanwhile, Dodrio was surveying the air for any surprise attacks, in which case a good Aerial Ace was in order.
Misdreavus was casting Mean Looks at all those climbing up the hole, freezing them in place. However, it couldn't last for long, and the torrent of Dead still marched slowly upwards. Lillette was now close enough to distinguish the types: Geodudes and Gravelers, with a few Onixes as well. Weak, but effective in numbers. It appeared as if the former two were climbing on top of the Onixes in order to get to the top faster. The man clearly knew about battle strategies.
"Flygon, Slash!"
Flygon aimed his claws at a trio of attacking Zubats, and did a vicious slash at their torsos, sending two down to the ground. The other one was dispatched by a Aerial Ace from Dodrio. Xatu was at the other end of the cavern, not only trapping the attackers against the wall with Barrier, but also using both physical and special attacks to destroy the Zubats. They were going down fast now, unable to cope with the faster and more powerful Flygon and Xatu. Whenever one sneaked by unnoticed, it was always shot down by Dodrio before it could strike.
The ground defence was not going so well. Despite the continued efforts of Misdreavus, Weepinbell and Lapras, pure body mass kept the Dead aloft and actively climbing up. Lillette knew that they couldn't stop the offensive for much longer. Temperance had to deal with the Zubats fast, so they could strike the land-based Pokemon with full force.
Temperance complied, as Flygon engulfed the last few with a Fire Blast, succeeding in stopping the first wave of attackers with only a bitten leg to tend. As Flygon and Xatu landed, the first rock hand closed around the rim of the hole. Temperance never believed that rock could decay, until now. It seemed like the skin of the Pokemon was inconsequential in preventing the rot of the afterlife.
Temperance drew his dagger as he waited for the offensive to begin. There wasn't much hope anyway, but Temperance would fight to the death. He would not be taken by that freak of a necromancer that easily.
The Geodudes and Gravelers were out of the hole, bloodshot eyes and white faces screaming for fresh blood, human or Pokemon alike. Scizor shot a Silver Wind at them, sending many tumbling back into the hole again, but more were to come, and the battle was truly on. Even as Xatu repeatedly shot Psybeams at the zombies, and Weepinbell unleashed multiple Razor Leafs at them, slicing through their bodies like a hot knife through butter, it was impossible to quell the tide. Almost a hundred of the Dead were out now, some covered in blood, some rotting away, all smelling like decomposing garbage. Temperance thought of doing the double Earthquake again, but realised that such a move would cause a complete cave-in and really leave them in dire straits. In fact, even a single Earthquake was unacceptable.
Lillette jumped on Lapras, then commanded her to use Surf, sending both trainer and Pokemon cleanly over the attacking rock Pokemon. Those under Lapras' trajectory was hit with water as forceful as a tsunami, remains not even visible. The Dead were distracted – Lillette and Temperance were now in opposite directions. They split up, one going for each trainer. Now, both of them were facing a smaller mass of zombies. Temperance noticed with some joy that the flow from the hole was starting to ebb. A quick estimate got him a total of three hundred zombies, not more. Things may not be as grim as he thought. Then again, three hundred against ten was a terrible mismatch.
"Gyarados, Taunt!"
Gyarados roared, challenging all to attack him, and him only. The Dead complied, switching their targets from Temperance to Gyarados. Temperance, using the opportunity, ordered Flygon and Dodrio to backstab the attackers. Defenceless, those at the back were torn to shreds by Drill Peck and Slash, while Weepinbell defended Gyarados while he continued taunting, her vines grabbing hold of those getting close to the serpent.
Pleased with his strategy, Temperance glanced at the hole, where the flow appeared to have stopped. Then two more rose up – a Golem and a Crobat. Crobat moved much faster than any of the Zubats had done. Even as Flygon rose to take care of it, it nimbly dodged to the side, then started raining Sludge Bombs down on the defenders. As Temperance was distracted, an Onix got past Weepinbell's guard and pounced on Gyarados, both their bodies wrapping around each other for control. Temperance was not worried that the Onix would triumph over Gyarados – its skin was weak, and Gyarados would have the situation under control in a few minutes – but those few minutes would be crucial as the Dead could now target the trainers, who had much less natural defence against attacks than Pokemon.
The Golem was much slower, but more powerful. Lumbering to Lillette's side, it managed to take a Silver Wind from Scizor and remain on its feet – a first as far as the zombies were concerned. Gyarados was in no shape to continue Taunting, the zombies were getting close to both parties, and all of them were exhausted. Temperance watched helpless, out of tricks. Was their last stand to end so soon?
Then, a flock of Zubats and Golbats from the cave wall descended, taking part in the battle. Temperance's first reaction was to despair, but on more careful observation, these bats were not dead, and as they launched themselves at the Crobat and the Golem, Temperance understood that they were not the only ones fighting for a cause. Even wild Pokemon with minimal intellect knew that this was against the rightful flow of nature and life.
Gyarados had gotten the better of the Onix, and stood up again, in a terrible rage. Those of the faint-hearted had been known to faint when seeing a Gyarados like that. While the Dead could not know fear, they certainly could take damage from his outrage. Thrashing about in rage, Gyarados sent all those who hit his wildly moving body flying across the room. Suddenly unsure, the Dead turned back towards Temperance, only to find a bristling Dodrio by his side, while Flygon flew overhead, pelting them with rocks. Surrounded by evils, the Dead had nowhere to go.
Over at Lillette's side, the Zubats were keeping the Golem distracted enough not for it to join the attack proper, and the beams of freezing ice from Lapras and Mean Looks from Misdreavus were enough to keep the rest at bay for Scizor and Xatu to dispatch. There was a bit of a scare when a Graveler finally came close enough to get a hand on Lapras, but Xatu focused, sending the offending Pokemon high up into the tunnel ceiling, before letting it land far below, corpse instantly mutilated.
As the numbers of the Dead dwindled, the hope inside Temperance's and Lillette's hearts increased proportionally.