Chapter 17

Tsunami gasped. His entire body was aching, and he was running out of energy. Next to him, Saphia looked just as drained. But they had to keep running…

"Are… are… are you… okay?" panted Saphia.

He stopped to catch his breath. "Yes… I think my lungs are on fire…"

"Ungh. I… I agree… but they'll catch… us." In the distance, they heard a loud howl. Saphia cussed. "Why don't we try stand up to them?"

"I don't want to truly erase them… but even if we wanted to, I don't think we could unless we could find some water."

She growled irritably. "They are so much more aggressive than last time I tried coming up here…"

They was referring to the pack of Houndours and their evolved brethren. Normally, Tsunami was confident he could take them down. But the pack was massive. There were well over 200, or at least it looked like that. They had stepped onto a steep ridge, and quickly heard a howl. They had been running for almost an hour now, and they both knew they couldn't keep running…

"Is there any water around here?" he asked.

"I remember there being a stream a little way ahead. But I don't know if we'll make it…" The Sylveon had some cuts along her arms, as the branches had slashed both of them up.

"We have to try."

She nodded. "Alright. Let's go. We'll have to keep running."

They both continued running, and finally heard a distinguishable voice. "Get them!"

Lungs burning and fearing for their vows, the two of them continued their run away from the ferocious dark types.

They both kept running as fast as they could, but they were both on the verge. Tsunami was starting to get really dizzy, and they could see the Houndours and Houndooms behind them. Finally, Tsunami saw the water. "Saphia! There, the wa-"

She fell to her knees with a screech. She had been hit by an arrow. "Fuck," she growled. It had caught her in the back of her leg. "You go on. I'll try hold them off."

"No." He looked at the river, which still looked relatively close. But they would get here before he could make it. "You're too hurt. I'll never leave a friend behind."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you say we do then? Just let them kill us?"

"I-"

Suddenly, a shadow surrounded them. They both looked up, realizing that nothing but darkness surrounded them.

"Do not be afraid…" A deep voice surrounded them, and they felt themselves being lifted into the air gently. When they were brought back down and the shadows subsided, they were standing on cold marble floor.

Looming over them was none other than Giratina, the legendary of death.

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"Who are you?"

"Who am I? It doesn't matter. I'll do what I must to defend Palkia, even if it means sacrificing my life."

Palkia laughed. "Do you think you can beat him? He's quite powerful, as I'm sure you know."

She looked around at her friends, all lying down, defeated. Lily looked at Azura. "Stop him… we must stop Palkia…" Desperation edged the Espeon's voice, before she collapsed.

"Lily…" She turned to the shadowy figure. "Fight me now! You don't attack a lady with something to live for! She has a man who cares for her with his soul! I will make sure they are reunited!"

Palkia laughed. "Of course! With Tsunami's soul still trapped in the underworld right now, I'll let her see him very soon!" He waved his hand at the figure, and it nodded. "Kill them for me, please."

"Azura! Azura!"

"Gah!" She woke up to see Zephyr looking down at her, eyes full of concern. "Azura… are you alright?"

She couldn't help but notice the similarities between Zephyr and the figure in her dreams. They both had similar builds, but a sword? As far as she knew, Zephyr didn't have a sword. "Err… Zephyr… do you carry any weapons?"

"Eh? If you count my hands as weapons… I have a small dagger for emergencies, but other than that… why?"

"Oh no, just wondering."

He narrowed his eyes at her, then said, "Alright."

Those eyes… are they…? No… those eyes… they… The similarities were uncanny… could the figure really be Zephyr?

"You look like you've just seen a ghost, Azura…"

She shook her head. "I'm alright…" But I'm really sorry Zephyr… but I'll have to keep an eye on you, lest you betray us…

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The palace they were teleported to was truly horrifying… yet… relaxing. It radiated the feeling of death all around Saphia and Tsunami, but it wasn't an evil feeling as he anticipated.

"I must say, Tsunami… you certainly found a powerful ally." The massive dragon nodded to Saphia, who scowled at him.

"Listen up, Giratina. I lost my finger because of you. You think I'll forget that?"

Giratina remained calm. "An eye for an eye, a finger for a chance." He turned to Tsunami. "I talked to your father." Giratina eyed Tsunami, then said, "He wanted me to hear you out then pass judgment."

"Suicune? Why would you listen to him?"

Giratina's eyes flashed. "Your father once saved me from a crime I was wrongly accused of. I won't go in-depth now… but I do owe him for that."

Tsunami was curious, but Giratina's words were clear. Do not ask. "If I return, can Saphia come up with me? She has a score to settle."

"I've already told her. Vengeance poisons the heart, and can make one evil."

Saphia hissed. "I'm not evil. He was evil."

Giratina narrowed his eyes, then said, "She cannot return to the surface. If she wants vengeance, she'll be able to meet him in the underworld."

"I-"

"Now Tsunami… I would like you to relax yourself. I'll be seeing everything you've thought up until now." One of his claws of shadows reached out to the Vaporeon. "You'll fall asleep now. If you're worthy… you'll awake back on the world of the living. If unworthy… you'll awake back over here."

Tsunami stepped into the claw. "Alright… I understa-"

The ground started trembling, like a thrashing Wailord. Giratina'a voice was calm, but his eyes told a different story. "Quickly now… behind that pillar."

The two eons quickly ran where he had told them to. Then they heard a loud thump. Saphia peeked around the corner. Her voice was a whisper. "It-it's Palkia!"

Tsunami's heart was pounding. How can he travel through the underworld? "I heard that some of my old enemies had fallen into the underworld… one in particular." He spoke with a voice that sounded as empty as space.

Giratina bowed his head. "Yes brother… a Vaporeon, if I'm not mistaken."

"You've got that right." Palkia looked to the pillar, and Tsunami hid again. "I can already sense him. That Vaporeon… his sword. I sense him."

Giratina sighed. "Well brother… I would like to have handed him over… but he escaped me…"

Palkia glared at Giratina. "Useless and helpless as always, brother. No matter… I'll find him."

"What do you plan to do, Palkia?"

"What do I plan to do when I find him? Initially, I planned to completely erase him. However… I thought of something so much better… I have to catch that bastard first."

"May I ask what you plan?"

Palkia snorted. "I think I'll try and... hang on… I'm feeling something…" He turned to Giratina. "That fucker… he's watching us… I can feel it…"

Saphia flinched. "Tsunami…"

He pulled out his sword. "I know… I won't be able to escape now. He is all that stands between me and Lily."

"Use your brain! He'll probably kill you… or worse."

"I don-"

"THERE!" Peering around the corner, eyes red with hate, was the massive legendary.

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"Come on! It's docking!"

The seven Pokemon were dashing towards the open doors of the floating fortress. "It's going to be leaving soon!" said Siarnaq. They could hear the buzzing as it got ready to lift off. Then, just as it was beginning to rise into the air, they all ran onto the fort. They collapsed, panting. It had been a day since she had the dream of the shadowy figure. And now they had just made it into the fortress.

"We're… here…" panted Azura. "We're on the fortress."

Lily was panting next to her. "Finally… that was a lot of running…"

Zephyr, Thrymr, and Aero on the other hand, weren't even fazed. "Alright… let's try look over there," said Zephyr. He was pointing down a hallway. They had come to a split. One direction led to a path that looked like it would take them outside the fortress, as a balcony, while the other led deeper into it.

"I say we go deeper. Palkia will most likely be there, right?"

They all nodded. It made sense.

"Alright then… let's go in…"

The deeper they went in, the more doubts Azura had. Wouldn't they have guards? Wouldn't they be careful of people walking in? What if the figure ambushes us? But they walked through the steel halls without trouble.

"Lily…" She decided to try talk to the Espeon to try relax.

"Yes?"

"What was the cutest thing Tsunami ever did for you?"

The Espeon thought about it. "One time, I licked berries off his cheek. He turned around and accidentally kissed me. Or our lips touched… it was adorable… but we were both so embarrassed, hehe…"

Azura giggled. "That's so cute…"

Lily smiled. "You'll know once you find him, and by him, I mean your mate eventually. A cutie like you shouldn't have a problem snagging some boys."

Azura huffed enviously. "You sound like you've already found your mate. I might have to take a few tries before I find the right one."

They heard the rhythmic clanking of metal in the distance, and Azura realized that they must be approaching the room. The room where Palkia would be waiting. Again, she couldn't help but wonder what he had planned… he wasn't stopping them… yet… he seemed very much prepared for them. She could feel it, and in the dream, he had been waiting for them. The figure… Zephyr! She looked around for her friend. "Hey, Zephyr! Where are you going-"

"He ran ahead. He said something was wrong." Thrymr stood next to Azura. "Why?"

No, no, no! It really is him! He's the traitor! She could see the entrance to the large room in the distance, and ignored the others' calls for her to come back. Why Zephyr?!

"Come back!" she shouted. She stepped into the large mechanical room. Steam hissed like in her dream, and she noticed that Klangs and Klinks were turning the machine.

The room let in sunlight, but it glowed a creepy color, and she could sense something big…

Then she heard the sound of metal blades connecting, rising over the sound of the constant buzz of the steel types. She felt the others walk up next to her. "Where is Zephyr?" asked Lily.

"Quick! Up the stairs!" said Siarnaq. They followed the Absol up the stairs, not sure what to expect. But Azura knew. On the top of the steps would be Palkia, waiting for them. But she knew what also was up there; her friend, waiting to kill them all.

Azura stepped up, and gasped in horror. On the ground, bleeding, was Zephyr.

The Jolteon locked eyes with Azura. "Stay back!" he told her. But she ran next to him.

"Zephyr… what happened?"

"You don't have time… he'll be here soon…"

"Who will?" she asked him, dreading the answer. "Palkia?"

The Jolteon weakly shook his head. "I was ambushed… by… by… a-"

"Me." They looked behind them as the cloaked figure from her dreams blocked the stairs back down.

"Who are you?" asked Azura, nervous, but certainly not afraid.

They heard a laugh behind them, and turned around yet again. Stepping out a massive black shadow was Palkia. "Welcome to my fort… it looks like you've made some friends… unfortunately, it's two of us versus the rest of you. You don't even have Epime! Or should I say, Tsunami?"

"What did you do to him?!" growled Lily. "If you hurt him, I'll-"

"Shut it, Espeon." He waved a hand, and Lily was thrown to the side with a yelp.

"What did you do with our friend?!" said Aero. "He could take you on…"

"Apparently not. I immobilized him rather quickly." With an evil smile, he added, "Isn't that right, Tsunami?"

"No…" whispered Lily, lying on the ground, looking at the smaller figure in horror.

They all turned to the cloaked figure, who smiled without a word.

"So it's Tsunami…" breathed Azura quietly. "Tsunami… he's the one…"

The Vaporeon pulled the cloak back, eyes now glowing dangerously. "Unless you all want to end up like the Jolteon," said the Vaporeon quietly, "then I recommend you bow down to Palkia, or I'll have no choice," he said, unsheathing his watery blade slowly.

Yup. This is it! The figure is Tsunami! The main protagonist is now the antagonist! What'll happen? O_O Read and review!