"Are you sure you want to leave Nate here to face that Flamerunner guy?" Silver asked as she and Light fled from the battle.
"He had a glint in his eyes." Light said as they took cover behind a large boulder. "He wants revenge and he will get his revenge through that battle. It's better for him to vent his frustrations through that battle then against the commander only to have his desire for revenge get in the way."
"So how are we getting in?" Silver asked.
"Just follow my lead." Light said gesturing toward two guards standing near the opening of the mountain.
A moment later two streaks came racing out from behind the cover of the rock and hit both guards before they had a chance to react.
"We should've tried to question one." Silver said. "We still don't know where to look for Grunt."
"No. There wouldn't have been time. We need to keep moving or be captured. When your in doubt of where to look for Grunt simply go to where there is the highest concentration of guards."
After confirming their strategy, the duo began racing down the halls of the base, dodging attacks from various Pokemon along the way in an effort to find where prisoners were held. Only after searching half the base and destroying a couple of floors were the two able to find the large cavern where Grunt was held. He was slumped down in the chair, visibly charred and still twitching slightly in his right arm.
"Grunt!" Silver cried as she ran to the chair to untie her comrade. "What did they do to you?"
"They... wanted information... on you." He replied weakly. "Hooked me up to an Electrode... They knew it could change the flow of battle."
"Did you give them anything?" Light asked.
"Nothing but my screams sir." Grunt replied. "They know nothing of us."
"Good work Grunt!" Silver replied happily. "Now let's get you out of here."
"Not quite yet!" Came a voice from the shadows.
"You must be the commander." Light said. "How nice of you to join us."
Slowly walking out the darkness, Knight revealed himself. "I knew that you would be coming here to rescue your friend so as soon as I heard there was a break in I came down here to wait."
"How nice of you." Light replied sarcastically, "I can skip the boring search and get straight to the fun."
"Oh, I assure you, you won't be having fun." Knight said before leaping into battle.
Outside the compound
Nate and Flamerunner both grunted as sword met fist once again.
Neither one had landed a hit on the other but their clashes could be heard for miles as they maneuvered across the landscape, each one trying to outmaneuver the other.
"Flamethrower!" Flamerunner yelled.
"Sonicboom!" Nate countered.
The two attacks collided resulting in an explosion that sent debris flying as the two combatants returned to the ground to catch their breath.
"You're quite skilled." Flamerunner said. "But this is only a drop in the bucket compared to my full power."
"At the risk of sounding like a cliche anime character, you haven't seen all of my power either."
"Looks like I'll have to step it up a notch." Flamerunner said as he began to glow a deep red. "I haven't used this form since the last Battle of Verdanturf, it was against a skilled AK pilot quite like you. She couldn't defeat me then and neither will you!"
With a bright flash of light Flamerunner competed his mega evolution and stepped into a fighting stance.
"Shall we continue?"
"Don't you mean end this?" Nate said smirking, "Resonate!"
By sending out a special frequency of sound, Nate caused the rocks beneath Flamerunner to crumble leaving him open to a direct attack as he jumped to avoid capture.
"Sword Resonance!" He yelled charging at his foe.
Rather than panicking, Flamerunner simply braced himself for the attack and used the momentum to free himself from the ravine rapidly forming in the mountainside.
"Quite the flashy start. Now it's my turn."
The fire around Flamerunner flared for a moment before he launched into a Sky Uppercut. While Nate was able to dodge the initial attack, he was unable to block the barrage of Double Kicks that followed and was sent tumbling to the ground.
When he finally recovered Nate thought This is going to be tougher than I thought.
Inside the base
"Night Slash"
"Leaf Blade!"
Light and Knight clashed in midair as Silver and Grunt stared in awe of the intense battle unfolding before them. Neither one was pulling any punches as shockwaves were released with every parry.
"You're stronger than I expected." Light said. "Most of the other commanders would've folded under this assualt."
"Well it's only natural that they would've stationed the strongest commander here" Knight replied launching an Energy Ball. "This is the last mainland base the NAA haven't gotten to."
Light dodged and stated "And yet here we are getting ready to take your base and kick your butt. Fury Swipes!"
Knight activated his Leaf Blade technique and began to block the Fury Swipes with both sides of the blade before counterattacking with his tail.
Light was sent sliding backwards a few feet while Knight gathered the energy for a Solarbeam.
"Shadow Ball Shield!" Light yelled once Knight launched his attack. While the shield did absorb most of the damage, since it was hastily made, it broke midway through the attack causing Light to receive yet another hit.
"You talk a big game but you can't back it up, just like the rest." Knight said mockingly. "Surrender now and your defeat will be slightly less painful."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Silver yelled as she came running off the sidelines with a Quick Attack.
"Looks like they're all coming out of the woodworks today." Knight said, beginning to grow a little more flustered.
Silver's Quick Attack was blocked with a Leaf Blade but not before she bit down on Knight's arm. She was quickly dislodged with a precise Dragon Claw from the other arm and was launched into the cave wall with a Leaf Storm.
"This is a personal matter stay out!" Knight yelled.
"Personally, I think we're done here." Said Light as he launched a powerful Thunderbolt toward his distracted foe.
"Perfect." Knight whispered to himself as the Electric type attack made contact.
"Silver, Grunt, what's your status?" Light asked thinking the battle to be over.
"That Leaf Storm he hit me with caused a cave in." Silver replied. "The falling rocks trapped me back here and knocked Grunt unconscious."
"I'll start to dig you out and then we can- oufff!" Light was cut off suddenly as a Dragon Claw sent him tumbling across the floor.
"You can't beat me that easily!" The newly mega evolved Knight declared. "With my Lightningrod ability, your electric attacks are useless and now you can't even get help from your friends. How will you react?"
"I'll react by bashing your face in and taking this city!" Light yelled before jumping back into the fray.
Back to the mountainside
The battle had not been faring well for Nate since Flamerunner mega evolved. Their clashes which had previously resulted in ties in strength now went in Flamerunner's favor.
His attacks just keep getting quicker but how? Nate thought as a Blaze Kick broke his sword.
"You must not realize it but this is the doing of my ability Speed Boost." He explained. "The longer this battle wears on, the faster I will become. Even at this level, you can't hope to defeat me."
"Claws on a Chalkboard!"
As the horrible sound reached his foe's ears, Nate began to retreat to try and think of a strategy.
His power and speed both far outclass mine, which means I have to do something to take away that advantage. "That's it!" Nate declared and began to emit a different sound frequency toward Flamerunner.
"Finally giving up?" He asked launching yet another barrage of Fire Ounches and Blaze Kicks.
Crossing his arms to block as many attacks as possible, Nate continued to tweak the frequency emitted by his AK.. "Come on, work, Work!"
Suddenly Flamerunner's attacks began to miss their target as the Blaziken found it difficult to even stand.
"What have you done to me?" He asked, clutching his head.
"I didn't think it would work but I've emitted a frequency that is vibrating fluid in your ear."
"What does that have to do with anything?!" He yelled, obviously in a great deal of pain.
"That fluid is responsible for maintaining your equilibrium." Nate replied. "As long as I maintain this frequency you'll be seeing triples."
"DARN YOU!" He yelled as he took another unsuccessful swing at Nate.
After another couple of attempts, Flamerunner accepted his fate and collapsed to his knees. "Looks like there won't be a tower of Thunder to save me today."
"Tower of Thunder? You witnessed one?"
"Saw one?" Flamerunner smirked, "Heck I knew the cause of it, a squad mate of mine named Shoteneko." Staring off into the sky, he continued, "Maybe we shouldn't have gotten rid of you. Perhaps you were right about using that power for our own victory. Maybe, just maybe-"
Nate landed a solid punch that rendered the babbling Blaziken unconscious.
"That was weird." He said before rushing into the base, eager to do what he could to save his friend.
Inside the base
Unlike Nate, Light was actually holding his own against his mega evolved opponent. That being said, he was by no means winning the battle.
By mega evolving right before being hit by the Thunderbolt, Knight gained a huge boost in sped allowing him to easily match Light at every turn. Add onto that the additional power gained through the evolution and the size advantage that had been held by Knight the entire match, it was a miracle that Light was even still fighting let alone matching his opponent at times.
"Why won't you DIE!?" Knight yelled as he broke through Light's guard with a Dragon Claw.
"I refuse to die until my mission is complete." Light said as he raced across the ground shooting Shadow Balls at his opponent. "I've already died once for my cause dying again would just be overkill."
"You know what they say." Knight said as he deflected the Shadow Balls with Leaf Blade. "There's no kill quite like overkill. Leaf Storm!"
"Double Team!"
While Light was able to dodge the attack, it instead hit the wall of the cavern, causing even more rocks to cave in and a hole to open in the ceiling to the sky.
Both Light and Knight were gasping for air after throwing nearly everything they had at one another and yet neither had fallen.
"Sunlight?" Knight muttered, "This is my chance!"
"This is the end for you Light!" Knight declared as he jumped into the air to better absorb the sunlight. "Solarbeam!"
"Dark Pulse!" Light yelled as he channeled his remaining energy into one final attack.
"Light! Don't do it!" Silver yelled.
"It's far too late to turn back now, why should I?"
"Because if you win the beam struggle, the attack will cave in even more of the mountain and probably kill Grunt."
In the corner, covered in rubble, was the one they had come to Verdanturf to save, still unconscious and unable to move himself away from the rubble that would surely bury him if the cave in continued.
"If I lose this struggle, we'll lose the battle and all be taken prisoner and most likely killed!" Light shot back.
"How priceless." Knight said as the struggle continued. "If I win against you, I win everything and if I lose you'll lose everything! Either way, I like the outcome."
"I have to do it. I have to win!" Light said.
"No don't do it!" Silver pleaded.
"Would you have me save one man and condemn the world? I'm sorry but no man's life is worth that much, not even mine."
"But he's your friend! Don't you even care if he lives or dies."
"It is because he is my friend that I know he would respect my decision." Light replied coldly."Now I'll end this!"
Just as Light poured more power into his Dark Pulse, Nate ran into the room and screamed "NOOOO!"
Taken aback by the cold decision he had just witnessed, Knight was overpowered by the sudden influx of power into the Dark Pulse. His only the thought was, If this guy's willing to sacrifice his own teammate to win this battle, he must be even more twisted than me inside.
And with a loud crash, the rmaunder of the cavern was turned to rubble and collapsed onto everyone unlucky enough to be in the room.
AN: Hello everyone! Sorry about the wait but here's a nice long chapter for ya. I just couldn't get motivated to write. I'll give you all a hint, more reviews= more motivation for me which equals faster updates for you!
Big thanks again to Radioactive Rainfall for submitting Knight!
Light was forced to make a pretty tough decision in this chapter, What will the consequences be? Will Flamerunner's information tear the New Age Alliance apart? Will I update sooner than once a month? Find out next time on Pokemon New Age.
OC submissions are still ongoing with two slots left including the commander of the next city to be attacked: Petalburg. See Chapter 17 for details.