PokeStones of the Dead - Chapter Eight
As Temperance and Lillette went into the passage, the ice adorning the walls changed suddenly to rock. Clearly, Bruno lay in wait at the end of the passage. The two had time to discuss their tactics during the walk, after Lillette had threatened to put his head through the rock wall if Temperance made one more comment about her great performance against Lorelei.
"Ok, I'll just shut up… so, Bruno uses Rock and Fighting Pokemon, is that right? I'll just use Victreebel to kick his sorry ass –"
"I suspect those rocks are outdated. Bruno's only two Rock Pokemon then was Onixes… and we shouldn't have to use specific Pokemon to beat Onixes. He has probably evolved them to Steelixes, anyway, and Victreebel's attacks would probably just dent the strong armour of those Pokemon. I think his fighting Pokemon are more of a threat, especially Machamp."
"Ah… Dodrio, I suppose. I still can't handle Steelix, but at least I can defeat Machamp without many problems. You'll have to take Steelix?"
"Of course. At the worst, you can use Houndoom as the 3rd Pokemon. As for me, I can use Lapras to make use of Steelix's ground typing."
The corridor was longer than the one leading to Lorelei, and there was a silence for a while, Temperance's mouth still shut in fear of the image of his head slammed against a rock wall. Then Lillette uncharacteristically opened the conversation.
"Hey, there's something I thought you should know. I don't think Lillette is my real name."
Temperance, slow on the uptake as usual, stood rooted to the spot as his brain struggled to find the correct words to say. Lillette spared him the trouble by continuing on her own, or maybe she was just too engrossed in her thoughts to notice Temperance's reaction.
"As I said, I was abused as a child… and there was an accident. When I woke up, I was outside with no memory of who I was, except a history of vague horrific memories. I still get haunted by nightmares sometimes, but it was much worse then… I used to wake up every night on the streets, screaming and crying. So I joined the Kanto defence to take my mind off things. It's worked very well so far, I must say. When I registered, I just said my name was Lillette on the spot, it was accepted, and I've been using that name ever since."
"I won't be too modest by saying that I was considered one of the most talented soldiers in the history of Kanto. I rose quickly through the ranks, earned enough money to get a place of my own. I guess I'm pretty well off for someone that was tossed out at the age of thirteen with no food, money, and love. Here's a medal for bravery, by the way. I earned it a year ago when I faced a herd of rampaging Tauros against Fuchsia. Some Safari Zone accident…"
Temperance listened to this long speech with the same stoned expression on his face. Lillette's medal, silver and shiny, allowed him to gaze at his own reflection. Somehow, his brain managed to find the stupidest sentence that he could say.
"Well… why are you telling me all this?"
Temperance regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but Lillette's soft and unsure expression had already changed to one of hard fury, and she practically sprinted along the rest of the passage into the clearing where Bruno waited, having been alerted by the defeated Lorelei.
Shit! What have I done!
Temperance ran after her, but has his hand closed around her arm, at the end of the passage, she flung her free hand in a quick jab at his stomach, causing him to double over, wheezing.
"That's it! That is the last time I am EVER saying ANYTHING to you again, you totally insensitive bastard. I am only continuing because I can't turn back now. If you expect any cooperation in battle or out of it, you can go fly a kite, because I absolutely detest your guts. I do not give a damn what you say or do from this moment onwards, as long as it does NOT INVOLVE ME!"
And with that elegant parting shot, Lillette turned away from the still winded Temperance, and marched into the arena, where Bruno was standing, apparently not affected by the argument between the two partners.
"Are you two ready for battle? You can't forfeit at this stage, by the way. You'll have to face me, and if you win, you can go on to the third member."
Temperance had made his way to the arena, which was lined with rocks, but he noticed rivulets of steel running along the borders. It was now a certainty that a Steelix would be a member of Bruno's party.
Temperance walked to his position, where Bruno stood opposite him with fire in his eyes. Next to him, Lillette was looking at the ground, but even so Temperance was aware of the hatred and anger in her expression. This battle could not have been more difficult.
Oh, crap… now I've royally pissed off Lillette, who was actually trying to be nice, and actually revealing her secrets to me. Like I was someone she trusted, both to keep a secret and to give her advice. Like she had finally found someone that she could reveal all these feelings, bottled inside for four years. And what do I do? I display all the sensitivity of a six-year old! She was beginning to accept me, and instead it's over before it has even begun. Brilliant, Temperance, simply brilliant.
Temperance felt for Dodrio's Poke Ball. He would have to carry this battle by himself, considering Lillette would probably throw the game. Sure enough, the Lapras did not appear, instead replaced by a Rhydon, weak to both Fighting and Steel. Hitmonlee and Steelix appeared at the opposite end of the arena.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Rhydon, Harden…"
Rhydon proceeded to simply act like a stone, hardening again and again. It would clearly not play any part in the battle, except to probably act as target practice for Hitmonlee's kicks. Bruno, on the other hand, started cautiously, Hitmonlee circling around the edge of the arena, looking for openings, while Steelix hurled a single rock all the way across the battlefield, looking for Dodrio.
"Dodrio, Sand-Attack!"
The arena's sandy arena, lined with rocks here and there, was perfect for Dodrio's move, and a few kicks with her small legs later, a cloud of sand covered the entire battlefield, causing the Rock Throw to go woefully wide. The sand also had other advantages. Hitmonlee's long range kicks would be almost useless, given the terrible visibility. This allowed Temperance to regroup and plan how he was going to fight a virtual 1v2.
Temperance came up with a makeshift plan, as Dodrio used Whirlwind to blow sand into Hitmonlee's eyes, rendering it unable to dodge the forthcoming Drill Peck from Dodrio. Just as Temperance was about to rejoice at drawing first blood, Steelix lumbered into Dodrio's path, protecting Hitmonlee from attack. Dodrio, going too fast, was unable to stop, and crashed her beak with full force into Steelix's impregnable body, doing more damage to herself than to Steelix.
Dodrio was still reeling from the impact when Steelix brought its tail around in a smashing blow, sending her right back where she came from. Dodrio went for Hitmonlee again, but once again Steelix blocked the blow, and only a quick dodge prevented Dodrio from being hit by the Iron Tail once more. Meanwhile, Hitmonlee was sniping its kicks from a distance, but Rhydon was far too hardened to take any lasting damage from such kicks.
Steelix is the shield, while Hitmonlee is the bow… I have to find a way for Dodrio to damage Steelix! Ground… no. Fire… no. Water… no. Dodrio has only Normal and Flying attacks, damnit! Can I use brute force to break through all that steel? Not at my present state. If only Dodrio was aerial, gravity could add to the impact…
Hitmonlee aimed a kick at Dodrio, narrowly missing its torso. This was getting dangerous. A kick on the fragile Dodrio would knock her out in her present injured state. He would have to think of something quickly… and then everything became crystal clear to him – Rhydon's hunched state, Dodrio's fast speed, and its ability to hover for a short period of time. There was a way to get Dodrio aerial.
"Dodrio, run up Rhydon's back! Lillette, I will still win this with your help, even if you don't give it to me willingly. If this is classified under activities involving you, I apologize!"
Lillette's head had been bowed since the start of the battle until now, but at these words, her head unwillingly snapped back up, in time to see Dodrio run at full speed off Rhydon's hunched back, then perfectly launching herself into the air. Dodging Steelix's Rock Throw easily, Dodrio rose higher and was now almost at the ceiling of the arena.
"Sky Attack!"
Dodrio dove down, her streamlined body making almost no sound as she manoeuvred through the air. Her ability to hover allowed her to dodge two kicks from Hitmonlee, diving straight for it.
As expected, Steelix tried to block the attack, but Dodrio was now as sharp as a war bolt and packing considerably more power behind it. She clove straight through the steel head of Steelix, doing critical damage to it and appearing right next to Hitmonlee, now defenceless. A Drill Peck and Wing Attack later, and both of Bruno's Pokemon lay unconscious on the ground.
"Thank you, Lillette! After we win Lance, you can go anywhere you wish to go! You've provided me with many beautiful memories, and I've slightly improved in dealing with people and emotions. You might want to know that I've always liked you, but you probably know that already."
Even as Machamp appeared at Bruno's end of the arena, Rhydon unfroze out of its hardened state, and walked next to Dodrio. Temperance looked at Lillette, her head still facing the ground, and was startled to see that the sand and rocks were now stained with tears.
Lillette wiped her eyes as she looked up, facing Temperance for the first time since the start of the battle. She said nothing, but nodded with a smile on her face, and the tears still shimmering in her eyes made her look positively beautiful. Rhydon and Dodrio stood as one, facing the solitary Machamp that now looked rather fragile when faced with two strong Pokemon.
"Rhydon, Horn Attack!"
"Dodrio, Drill Peck!"
The two voices sounded together, and Rhydon and Dodrio made their way to Machamp from the left and right respectively, then turned when they reached the walls of the arena, sharp objects in front of them. Crossing again and again, the letter X was formed as the two approached the Machamp at blinding speeds. Surely, even Bruno's Machamp could not withstand such an attack. Or so Temperance thought.
Two hands closed around each attacker, stopping both in their tracks. Though both pushed with all their might, Machamp easily stood its ground, then raised them above the ground as if they weighed nothing at all. Rhydon and Dodrio were hanging in the air by their horn and beak respectively, unable to do any damage to Machamp. The next moment, their heads clashed, and then they were dispatched with a Mega Punch to the body.
Dodrio was considerably worse off than Rhydon from the exchange. Rhydon's Rock Head protected it from much damage, but ended up doing lots of damage to Dodrio. Dodrio fell to the ground and did not get up. As Temperance returned her to her Poke Ball, Lillette's hand closed around hers containing Xatu, but did not release her immediately, instead looking to Temperance for confirmation. That was certainly a first.
Temperance shook his head. Xatu might have the clear type advantage, but there was no reason why he would do better than Dodrio in terms of attacking. It was true that he had access to Psychic attacks, but Machamp would be able to take those. He had to leave Machamp open for an attack. Temperance released Victreebel, as the 2v1 was renewed. They still were odds on to progress, but Machamp's display of power had showed that there was still some work to be done.
"Victreebel, Sludge Bomb!"
The move was just a test of Machamp's power. Victreebel lobbed a Sludge Bomb at Machamp without any real menace. Machamp passed with flying colors, one hand forming a Karate Chop, smashing the Sludge Bomb to bits. It was clear that this Machamp had ridiculous amounts of strength and resistance. However, almost all its power seemed to come from its hands. If Temperance could tie up his hands, he would be open to an attack from Rhydon. However, with four hands, it had more than enough hands to stop any attack from any other Pokemon.
Except Victreebel. She shot a Razor Leaf at Machamp, distracting it, and then released four vines at each of Machamp's hands, tying them up. Machamp was not to be beaten that easily, however, and even with its hands tied, it still exerted enough power to lift Victreebel up. Victreebel was barely holding on, when she ingrained herself into the ground, roots clinging on for all they were worth. This struggle lasted for some time, and Victreebel appeared to be losing.
Until Rhydon slammed into Machamp with all his strength, as Victreebel followed it up by shooting several Razor Leafs at Machamp's fallen body. Hands tied, Machamp was no match for Rhydon, and quickly succumbed to Rhydon's constant Stomping and Mega Kicks.
"The third stage awaits you. Proceed."
Don't these people have any emotions at all? They really should take my name- wait, I have more important things to take care off.
Temperance and Lillette went into the third passageway, finding that the adornments to the walls changed once again. Mirrors now lined the walls, but there was a black light surrounding it, creating a ghostly scene. If the duo focused, they could see their reflection, but the black light cast a shadowy form behind them, almost as if they were being haunted by their own shadow. It was a cool piece of light trickery, that was for certain.
Emotions… I've begun to realize how important they are. When I was at Hoenn owning people easily, there was no need for them. I was far superior to any of my opponents in the field, and therefore traveled alone. This sort of lifestyle for three years… I seem to have difficulty handling my expressions and feelings. At least Lillette helped me improve a bit – wait, what's the situation between me and her now?
As the two walked on, the ghostly apparition behind them in the mirror followed suit. It would be creepy under any normal circumstances, but both were too engrossed in their own thoughts. They both had so much to say to each other, but just could not find the words. At least, that applied to Temperance. Lillette, on the other hand, knew exactly what she wanted to say, but was still unsure about the reaction she would get. She was, in a way, afraid that Temperance would just display complete ignorance of her words. Would she be able to take another emotional hit like that?
And so, the two walked on for a few minutes, each garnering up the courage to talk. Once both looked in the other's direction and opened their mouth as if to say something, but as they gazed into each other's eyes, both snapped shut their mouths. Since then, both were looking at the walls, seemingly not taking in the ghostly figure behind them.
Just as Temperance gave up on any conversation, and resigned himself to the long walk down the ghostly corridor, Lillette did something that would imprint itself in his memory forever.