This is the first chapter that actually has action-y stuff going on in it! Thanks to grammaguy and Galalithial again for reviewing, and thanks to everybody who's reading! Also, on terms of measurement: since metric is universal, especially in the military, I'm choosing to go with that over the imperial standard, which even the U.S. military uses sparingly.
Chapter 10: A Time to Live, a Time to Die
If one were to view the scene from a bird's-eye view, it would first seem incredibly unfair. Two motivated and very well trained Special Forces 'mon glared at an ice-type of considerably lower stature than them. However, as the Glaceon was to quickly prove, looks were not everything.
"Engaging tango," Siria enunciated into a small radio. I repeat, engaging tango. Sierra One Golf requesting immediate reinforcements, over." As she put it away, she felt a sharp breeze pass her.
"Let's do this shit." As the more choleric of the two, Wyatt began the fight, throwing down his bags and taking a running start on the ground. His wings shot out from his back, fully extended for flight. As his feet left the ice below him, his feathers changed from a dark blue to a shiny grey, Steel Wing attack morphing his wings from organic features to razor-sharp metal blades. He saw the blue body coming up fast, and changed his trajectory so that one of his wings would slice through the Glaceon's neck, provided everything went right.
Unfortunately, the ice-type did not decide on waiting for the attack to hit. "You can't possibly be that dumb," he condescendingly stated, eyeing the rather simple attack. As Wyatt roared and tried to cut him, the Glaceon executed a simple jump, leaping over the metal wing that targeted him. Still in midair, he turned his head and shot a beam of ice to a patch of dirt right in the Wargle's flight path. The small campfire was smothered by the attack as a giant wall of jagged crystals shot out of the ground with the sole purpose of impaling the flying-type.
Wyatt widened his eyes, suddenly aware of this new threat. He veered to the right, feeling the cool wind of the ice as he passed it at great speed. The steel wings made short work of whatever crystals were in their way; the only thing he really had to pay attention to were the ones right in front of him… like that one! Going too fast to stop or change his course, the best he could do was turn his shoulder in an effort to blunt the damage done to him. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, waiting for the inevitable pain of colliding with a solid object at one hundred and sixty kilometers an hour.
The pain never came, though. The only thing that he felt on his feathers were gentle flecks of ice quickly melting into droplets of water. The surprised Wargle peeked with an eye and saw that the pillar that he was about to collide into was no longer there, shattered into billions of little shards. Looking up, he saw a red figure dart away.
As Wyatt recovered from the close encounter, Siria danced around the enemy Glaceon, surrounding him in a red-and-white blur in an attempt to disorient him. The tactic seemed to be successful, for he looked slightly confused as to where the Latias was. Utilizing her invisibility, she floated right over his head, charging a Psychic attack. However, the Glaceon, infused with Shadow power, quickly noted a disturbance above him. As Siria released the attack, a violent flurry of ice and rock blinded her for several seconds. When she wiped at her eyes, she saw that there was a crater where she attacked, but no Glaceon body.
"Looking for someone?" His face suddenly filled her vision. Moving far faster than normal due to his Ice Shard attack, he slashed downwards with a paw, about to rent her open from the chest down.
"Back off, you icy bastard!" Wyatt, using Quick Attack, flew in from the side at an equally unnatural speed and gave the Glaceon a full-body tackle, sending him sprawling into the ground before he could eviscerate the Latias. The ice-type fell from the sky ungracefully, throwing up an impressive amount of dirt with his body. As soon as the dust settled, though, he staggered back up from the small crater his fall produced. He had the same manic smile plastered on his face.
"Is that all? Come get some!" He laughed, popping his dislocated right arm back into the socket in one clean motion, not even wincing at the immense pain associated with such an action. Then, with a wave of his arm, he unleashed a blizzard of tiny crystals, each one threatening to rip a hole in the two flying 'mon. They both took evasive action, with Siria rolling right and Wyatt barreling left. Siria felt the vast speed with which the Blizzard passed, realizing that the ice moved faster than bullets did.
The Wargle, not intimidated by the attack, roared again, wings turning shiny again as he formed another Steel Wing attack. He dove downwards, pressing the limits of his abilities as he accelerated to a speed that made him nothing more than a blur to the untrained eye. The Glaceon simply smirked, not believing that his opponent was trying the same primitive attack. As he crouched to jump again, though, he suddenly noticed a strange sensation holding him in place, not letting him move even a bit.
He snarled, baring his teeth and looking for the source of his psychic binds. Siria hovered in the air above him, face scrunched up in utter concentration as she pinned the ice-type down. Then, he looked at the flying figure gaining rapid ground on his position, glinting wings aimed right at his face.
The Glaceon snickered. "You think that's enough? Think again!" Siria, still using psychic force to trap him, barely noticed that his entire body glowed a malign dark purple as he smoothly moved his head to look at her. The next thing that she felt was crushing pain coming from every nerve in her body as the ice-type cruelly reversed her attack, causing her to lose all control of her body. She screamed and plummeted to the ground, ice hardly dampening her fall.
Wyatt was too busy to notice his ally's collapse as he bellowed at the Glaceon crouched right in front of him. Convinced that his target would not move, the Wargle kept his aim true as he gave what he thought would be the deciding blow of the battle. However, the last thing he expected was for the 'mon to suddenly fall on his back to the ground and flash a maniacal grin at him. No, actually, the last thing he expected was a sharp, freezing pain in the side as the Glaceon ducked under his wing and punched him savagely in the side. Wyatt howled as his flight course shifted right into the forest. This time, though, he had no psychic friend to destroy the obstacles in front of him. After his wings sliced through a few trees, his body became intimate with bark as he collided with a rather large tree trunk, sending an audible crunch rolling through the woods. He slid downwards in a bloody heap, the last vestiges of consciousness leaving his worn, beaten body.
"Wyatt!" Siria yelled, watching his collision and subsequent collapse. Her entire body ached from the Glaceon's attack, nearly causing her to collapse in agony again. She stood up, searching for the enemy ice-type while shunting all of her pain to the back of her head. He stood at the edge of the clearing, apparently waiting for her to collect herself for another round of fighting.
He sneered, "Looks like your little friend is dead. But at least you're giving me a better fight than before. Last time you just sat there, letting me beat the shit out of you. Now, you can at least struggle for five minutes before I do the same."
Siria, choosing not to believe his words, quickly responded with a Dragon Pulse, brilliant blue beam emanating from her maw as she aimed it right at the Glaceon's feet. He jumped to the left to avoid becoming part of the crater created from the attack. The Latias, turning to track his movement, jumped upwards when he shot an Ice Beam, frigid attack hissing as it flew in the air. She felt a slight numbing pain shoot up her left wing as she floated to what she considered a safe distance from her enemy. The normally downy, triangular tip was encased in ice, causing her to realize that she had not entirely dodged the attack. She grimaced at this complication, as her wings were vital in controlling her flight.
Her contemplation was interrupted by a whooshing sound, as the Glaceon launched another Blizzard attack. Siria darted downwards clumsily, injured wing retarding her movement. She did not make a full escape from the ice crystals, which cut neat little incisions through her suit into her legs as they passed. The Latias girl returned to the ground, biting her lip in pain. He's too strong… unless…
She dug into one of her pockets and took out a pair of yellow, geeky-looking glasses. Arceus, I've always hated how these look on me... not to mention how much I'll be court marshaled if I break these. Putting the star-shaped lenses on, she saw the world through a tinted red. As the tiny on-board computer started up, various graphs and numbers filled her vision for an instant before they settled to equilibrium, lenses displaying important data such as hit points, attack powers, enemy stats, and most importantly, an amplification option. Through these experimental and incredibly expensive Choice Specs she could not only keep better tabs on all aspects of her battle, but also divert additional energy to her special attacks, with the drawback of only being able to use one.
The Glaceon watched her do this, laughing hysterically. "So this is how you want to die? Looking like a complete nerd? I don't even know if I can bring myself to kill you; you look so hilarious!"
Siria shook her head, trying to remove all extraneous thoughts. She stared into her hands, focusing on creating a small fireball. Her powers did not disappoint as an orange-yellow orb began to form, growing bigger and bigger as she increased her concentration. A horizontal bar appeared on her lenses and began to fill, indicating that the attack was charged at only sixteen percent of its full power.
Recognizing this as a fire-based Hidden Power attack, the ice-type shot several beams of ice at her, trying to break her focus. She did not need to look upwards to notice their trajectory, her Choice Specs indicating exactly where they were and where they would strike, as well as less important information such as attack name, air speed, and temperature of the blasts. Deprived of her ability to dodge effectively in the air, she settled for jumping nimbly from side to side to avoid the attacks as they blazed by at great speed and froze the trees behind her. One of the beams struck the antiaircraft unit that Wyatt had rigged, and it exploded in a brilliant flash of orange and yellow. Even this did not distract Siria, though. The bar read forty-six percent as she continued to charge the ball.
The Glaceon first looked puzzled, wondering what she was doing with the attack. Then his face lit in understanding. "Oh, I get it. Those stupid-ass glasses are Choice Specs, right? Help you focus on your special stats? Well, it doesn't work if you can't get a clean shot at me!" He disappeared for a moment, image simply vanishing from the clearing.
As the charge was nearing completion, a new notification read across Siria's lenses: "INCOMING ATTACK: ICE SHARD." She blinked once in fear, remembering the last time he attempted the attack on her. Then, after a moment of contemplation, she smiled, thinking of a simple yet effective counterattack.
The ice-type appeared abruptly in front of the Latias, cackling a high-pitched laugh. "Time to die!" He then raised a paw, claws unsheathed, in a move to strike at her body again. This time, there was no Wargle to save her, so his swipe went straight through her.
Or that's what he would like to believe. In reality, the image shimmered, then disappeared. Startled mid-slash, he looked upwards, where a red-and-white body suddenly appeared. Siria hovered hardly two meters over where she'd been half a second ago, triumphant grin crossing her face. The orange ball was easily the size of her head as she roared and threw it downwards with as much force as she could possibly muster. The Glaceon, having just completed his attack, had only a millisecond to dodge as the bright fireball made direct contact with his body. A giant explosion ripped through the battlefield, melting nearly all of the ice on the ground.
Siria, panting from the exertion put into the attack, floated down back to the ground, mostly unaffected by the ferocity of the Hidden Power. As she folded her Choice Specs and looked around her, she noted that the dirt below her was charred a smoky black for at least ten feet around where she had attacked. She also found that several trees had actually caught on fire, wincing at the realization that they were perfect indicators for enemy troops as for where to attack. Then, she searched for the Glaceon's body. After straining her eyes, she saw it on the ground a decently good distance far from her. His body was completely black, roasted from the intense heat and fire of her enhanced Hidden Power. Siria noted that his chest barely rose up and down, indicating that he still had a little bit of life in him. However, now was not the time to deal with the nearly-dead Glaceon. She looked at the woods surrounding her, seeking a place where an angry bird may have crashed.
There! She ran over to where it appeared as if a wild Scyther had rampaged. A few felled trees lay upon the crushed bushes, surrounding a crumpled body. Seeing her fallen comrade, she was about to scramble over the wood when something caught her by the scruff of her neck.
"I can't believe I got caught off guard by such a simple tactic. Twisting my own trick against me…" the Glaceon growled. His hide was returning to a bluish-purple, fur regenerating by freezing the water molecules around his body. Siria turned her head to look straight into a pair of red, bloodshot eyes. "You should have killed me when you had the chance. But you aren't like that, are you, compassionate Siria?"
"How-how are you still able to move? And so far in such short time?" she shrieked. And where was backup? I called for them so long ago! her mental faculties added.
He leaned his head in next to her ear, whispering, "I think you already know the answer." By that time, his entire body looked pristine and fresh, as if the entire fight had never occurred. Not a single blemish or scar remained. "One-time regeneration, unless I get another shot, that is. And considering that I'm getting a promotion after killing you, I'll probably get more Shadow." He formed an ice dagger in his paw and brought it up to the Latias' neck. "But before that…."
When she caught a wave of what he was thinking, Siria screamed louder than she ever had in her entire life.
Wyatt stirred, wondering where the hell he was. The first thing he noted was that he had a terrible headache, pounding in his head like a Machamp repeatedly punishing a punching bag. The next thing he noticed was his broken body. His wings, previously blades of steel, were thankfully not damaged in the least, but the same could not be said for the rest of him. His left arm was twisted in a direction Arceus did not intend for it to bend, and, as he tried to move his legs, he found that all nervous connection had been severed to his left foot, but luckily not to his leg. His face was a complete wreck, almost half of it obliterated by the extremely rough contact it had with the tree bark. As he looked down, he saw that his stomach was entirely black, frostbite dominating his normally dark-blue hide. Blood, the majority of it coagulated after the fifteen minutes he laid crumpled there, trickled down the side of his head, adding only droplets to the damp, soaked soil below him.
After his depressing self-inspection, the Wargle tiredly raised his head to look out at the clearing, wondering how successful Siria had been in killing the bastard who injured him so well. His self-pity quickly turned into rage as he saw the Glaceon, without a single scar or wound, holding a beat up, exhausted Latias, lean in close to whisper to her. His rage then turned into pure, unadulterated fury as the ice-type held a knife to her neck, causing her to scream out in fear.
The flying-type, however wounded and unfit he may have been, snarled and got up with the aid of a tree trunk. He staggered to the edge of the trees and cautiously watched the Glaceon. Wyatt had to call upon every last bit of self-control he had as his blood boiled, letting out a low growl as the ice-type tried to use one paw take the suit off of a struggling Siria. Now would not be the time to jeopardize this situation. This is my one shot. My only chance to redeem myself. The Wargle's body began to glow a dull red as he began to initiate a Brave Bird attack, channeling all of his anger into it. I will show you that I am better than before. I will prove my worth.
The ice-type now resorted to tearing, making a large gash in the small of her back. The slash tore through both her suit and her hide, drawing blood. Flinching in response, she closed her eyes and shook her head, glittering tears dropping to the ground.
Not yet… not yet... Wyatt trembled as he continued to charge, trying his best to inhibit his innate desire to simply fly out there and tear the Glaceon to pieces.
The upper part of the suit now laid on the ground in tatters. The Latias' captor looked lustfully at the white bra that separated him from Siria's chest. He moved his left paw to the hook on the back, about to unsnap it-
Now! Somehow defying the many injuries that scored his body, the Wargle leaped from his hiding place, entire body glowing an intense red. He began to bear down on his target, pebbles and rocks flying up behind him as he accelerated to a speed that was previously thought impossible for his species. The Glaceon looked up from his prurient thoughts, searching for a gradually loudening whistling sound. He soon found its source: the very angry bird that was half a second away from tackling him. He could not even raise his arms in protest before Wyatt rammed him right in the stomach, lifting the Glaceon off of his feet and straight into a tree trunk. The blade he held only dragged slightly on the Latias' neck before he let go of it, causing a slight cut but nothing more. She did not take the chance to use Recover, absolutely stunned at the sudden change of events.
The collapsed ice-type coughed hard, painting the ground dark red with blood. However, the Wargle was not done punishing him. Wyatt seemed to appear out of thin air, thrusting a steel knife at his neck. "You rotten son of a bitch. You FUCKING BASTARD!" The Glaceon grinned a convoluted smile and kicked Wyatt in the side. He grimaced as the sheer cold of the attack sent pain coursing throughout his body, but he was beyond the point of return anyways. He withdrew the knife and put it back in a sheath strapped to his waist. Then, right as the ice-type lunged at him, the Wargle sidestepped the attack and wrapped his only good arm around his head, catching him in a sleeper hold. "No, just killing you isn't enough. You need to die a terrible death for everything you've done." And with that, Wyatt jumped up, spreading his wings for flight and taking the Glaceon with him. Lanette… are you watching?
As he gained altitude, his ice-type captive began to bite on his arm, damaging and numbing it beyond recognition. Wyatt didn't even feel that, though. Instead, he climbed even higher in the sky until he felt little droplets of water dripping from his fatigues. Then, he held his position for a minute, wings beating tiredly. I'll repay every debt I owe. Right here, right now. He looked at the bloody eyes of the Glaceon, finding in them nothing to like and everything to hate.
"Go to hell," the Wargle snarled. He loosened his grip on the ice-type and threw him down as hard as he could. The enemy quickly righted himself in the air, turning to face Wyatt and shooting several Ice Beams. The bird tucked his wings in, diving in pursuit of the quickly dropping Glaceon. Miraculously, none of the ice attacks hit him as he reduced the surface area of his body. Catching up to the falling body, he drew back a fist and punched him in the chest with great prejudice. He smiled as the satisfying cracking sound before the wind drew it away from the flying-type's hearing.
The dark green tips of the trees were barely visible from their height now. Wyatt's punch had pushed the Glaceon down far harder than he had expected, so he pulled all of his limbs, excluding his broken left arm, in to reduce the air resistance he encountered. By that time, the ice-type had already met the ground. The amount of dust he threw into the air before was nothing compared to the quantity he did after falling half a kilometer from the sky, sending a minor quake through the clearing. Siria sat dazed as she watched the Glaceon get his just deserts. She pulled her arms in and shivered as the wind from the collision passed her, suddenly making her aware of her lack of dress.
Wyatt was still not done, though. His body became a pure white, apparition, transforming into a form akin to that of a Moltres. The bird dived down at the decently sized depression the Glaceon left.
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!"
Leading with a war cry, Wyatt, with all of his might, rammed directly into the bastard ice-type. Siria had to shield her eyes from the brilliant light exploding from the hole as the Wargle performed one of his most powerful moves, Free Fall.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the Latias removed her hands from her eyes to survey the landscape. A seemingly everlasting cloud of dust hanged over the enlarged crater that remained in the distance.
Running as fast as her feet would allow her to go, she screamed, "Wyatt! Wyatt!" Siria peered into the meter-deep depression, looking for any form of life within. Two bodies laid within. One was tinged dark blue, marked up with varying shades of red blood. She saw that the Glaceon was apparently dead, for white bones stuck straight up out of a variety of the body's joints. Another wore black feathers, with only a red color coating the previously handsome hide. The owner of the feathers coughed heavily and flipped over, exposing his face. The Latias sighed a breath of relief and tried her best to wrap her hands around his body. "Oh, Wyatt…"
He grunted in response. "S…Siria…." Blood streamed out of his beak as he tried to pronounce her name.
"Shh, Wyatt. Don't talk. You'll only hurt yourself more." She levitated shakily, carrying the Wargle out onto the ground. Her hands glowed as she began to apply Wishes to the more injured areas of his body. However, it quickly became clear that nothing short of a hospital ward would be able to give him the full medical attention that he needed. A small pool of blood began to grow under him despite the healing the Latias administered. Noticing this, she whipped out her radio and yelled, "Echo Four Tango, this is Sierra One Golf; no time for formalities! Line 1, LZ Victor! Line 2, five four six two, Sierra One Golf! Line 3, One Alpha! Line 4…."
As she rattled off her call, Wyatt glanced over at her. "Girl… you of all 'mon should know… know I don't have much time left." He chuckled softly before going into a violent coughing spell, spitting even more blood out onto the ground.
Finished with her medevac call, she forcefully pushed him down as he tried to get up. "No more talking. Help will be here soon," she assured, popping a flare and tossing it out near them. Her watch read 02:25. Let's hope they get here before the bombers do.
He coughed again, more vital fluids coming out of his beak. "Soon…."
"Yes, soon. Now hush."
This time he chose to remain silent as the Latias worked her abilities on him. As her hands glided over a particularly gaping wound on his stomach, Siria saw his blackened, frostbitten arm rustling in the tatters of his vest. "No, stop that," she commanded, about to force it back down to his side. She stopped when she saw what he held in his hand, though.
"Siria, take this…" She felt him press a small, metal object into her hands.
The Latias looked at it more closely. It was a steel, military-grade locket the width of one of her fingers, two halves sealed together by a tiny latch. She set it on the ground beside her, promising to herself to inspect it later after she finished healing. "What is this?" she asked.
"Open it… you can see for yourself." Then he cried out in pain, noise echoing through the entire forest.
"Wyatt! Hold on for just a bit longer!" Her glowing hands moved over across his body, trying to fix any wounds that may be leaking blood out. She snarled and cursed at the incredible misfortune that her brother wasn't beside her.
He smiled sadly, tears forming in his eyes. "You, out of all of us… are the most pragmatic. You know my time here is done. No more fighting, no more killing… and I can see my dear Lanette again."
"Lanette?" Siria asked, still concentrated on her Wishes.
"Healing won… won't do me any good. I can feel the pain inside…. So quit that, and open the locket."
"No! We can still save you!"
His voice hardened as much as a dying 'mon's voice could. "Siria, please… open the locket..."
Fingers trembling, she honored his request, working the metal latch and opening it. Golden yellow eyes stared back at her as she viewed what was almost a perfect reflection of herself. The Latias in the picture had a faint smile on her face, as if she were just told a slightly humorous joke. A small pink flower was nestled behind one of her feathery ears, contrasting brightly with her jet black hair.
"Lanette was so kind… so gentle… I was a young Wargle when I asked her out for the first time." He coughed again, reminding Siria of how much effort he put into reciting his tale. "We got to know each other… became friends, then lovers… then married. I was the happiest bird in the world…. But then that all changed. Some… illness took hold of her. I was off duty, so I sat night and day... at her side… yes, watching her every minute in the hospital. I left only for food and drink, hoping that she would get better…." His chest rose up and down at a faster pace as he saw everything play out before his eyes.
"Then, one night…. I was sitting as usual, when something… Arceus knows what… shook the entire building. It must have been an… an explosion, for as soon as everything stopped shaking I heard orders being yelled in the hall. Then… someone kicked down the door to our room, and then…." Tears now flowed freely from his eyes as his body buckled. "A Fearow walked in, holding a rifle. First thing… first thing he noticed was my wife in the bed. He tried to pull her out, but I attacked. He shot me in the wing and the side, leaving me… powerless. I couldn't move; my body wouldn't listen to me. Then, he took Lanette and… and…." Wyatt bawled and hiccupped, unable to continue the story. The listening Latias needed no elaboration, though, a look of utter disgust and horror crossing her face.
"He did what that Glaceon almost did to me," she whispered. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she realized the gravity of what he implied.
The Wargle nodded his head as best as he could, crying freely. "I couldn't do anything! I just closed my eyes… and cowered like a pansy…. From that day… I vowed to kill each one… each one of those Tamsus bastards… for what they did to my precious Lanette. And when I saw you in the hangar, all the memories… each one came back like a dagger in my heart. You looked just like her… and I promised to protect you to the end…." He chuckled, choking on his own blood and tears. "…which is now, it seems."
Crying, Siria shook her head. "Don't be foolish. A medivac will get here soon," she insisted, though, on the inside, the Latias knew that she was just lying to herself. "Just a couple more minutes." She searched for anything that registered as hope in the Wargle's face, but found only a solemn face.
The only sound that could be heard was the faint crackling of the burning antiaircraft guns. Time seemed to slow as Wyatt used whatever energy he had left to turn towards his caretaker and speak. "Siria… can you grant… a dying wish…?"
"What?" She strained her ears in order to hear his diminishing voice.
"A kiss."
Siria's face flushed when she heard this. "A kiss?" she repeated.
He sighed. "I want to feel happiness… bliss… one last time…." His coughing stopped, as there was not much more to cough up.
The first thing the Latias thought was "Pervert!" given the several times the she had been asked out on base. Then she mentally slapped herself, reminding herself of what exactly the situation was at the moment. After some hesitation, she bowed her head and leaned further inwards to the Wargle's face. Siria closed her eyes as she pecked his feathery cheek, feeling not the intimacy associated with such an action but instead a mixture of sadness and finality. Withdrawing, she felt as if her whole face were going to explode.
Wyatt smiled and hummed softly. "Siria… thank you."
Knowing that the inevitable was quickly approaching, she teared up once again. "You're welcome."
"And that necklace… keep it. A gift… from me to… you." His body began to lock up as his injuries began to overtake him. Siria nodded furiously, tears wetting the ground.
"Now… for a whole different adventure…." The bird looked at the Latias for one last time. "Good bye, Siria…."
"Good bye, Wyatt," she choked.
And with that, Captain Wyatt closed his eyes, never to open them again. Siria sat next his body, silently sobbing and clutching the locket he bestowed to her. She hardly noticed the heavy whup, whup of the helicopter that flew above her, the complaint of its suspension as it hit the dirt behind her, the footsteps of the Dragonite and Meganium who piled out with a stretcher.
"You! Help him onto the bed!" the yellow dragon shouted at Siria. "We can still save him!"
She glared at him coldly, not needing to say anything for him to understand what she meant. He blinked in embarrassment. "Oh…."
The Meganium, noticing her partner's discomfort, motioned for him to follow her. The grass-type carried the stretcher to Siria and her former ally. "We still need to evacuate him," she stated. "Luke, take his upper body. I'll take the legs." He nodded silently, lifting the Wargle onto the bed.
As the Meganium rushed it back to the chopper, the Dragonite took off his vest and walked over to Siria. "Put this on. It's cold out here." As she murmured her thanks and put on the oversized fatigues, he proffered a claw. "We have exactly one minute before everything goes to hell. We need to go. Now."
She took it, getting up from the ground. Siria looked forlornly at the battleground for a moment before the other dragon tugged at her. "We need to GO!" he growled. "Enemy APCs!" Her slow, thought-filled walk then turned into a mad sprint as she followed the Dragonite and scrambled into the chopper. As they lifted off of the ground, several bright lights shone from the edge of the tree as at least three armored vehicles and several squads of Tamsus forces illuminated the clearing where the Latias had previously battled. Their attention was soon drawn towards the helicopter in the sky as it noisily began to escape the perimeter.
Siria flinched as twenty millimeter shells and electricity began to whiz by. She then recoiled as she saw a round about to collide with the frame of the olive green chopper. To her amazement, it slowed down, as if it were gliding through molasses instead of air, and merely tapped the helicopter, leaving a mild dent instead of a fiery hole. She looked to the pilot for an explanation for this phenomenon. The Alakazam had his face focused in utter concentration, using all of his power to generate the Protect shield that guarded the aircraft.
"Come get some, bitches!" The Meganium was stationed at one of the chopper's door guns, sweating while unloading what Siria assumed to be hundreds of rounds at the increasingly small figures they left behind. A continuous tinkling sound came from the many, many cartridges that the gun ejected. Looking to her right, the Latias noticed Luke leaning out of the door, shooting giant rays of light out of his mouth at the same targets. Hyper Beam, she subconsciously noted. She looked down at the stretcher lying on the metal floor of the helicopter as a fourth occupant, a Quilava, inspected the Wargle's body while scribbling on a clipboard. Wyatt…. She then unclenched her fist and looked at the locket, tears forming in her eyes.
"Alright! Hold your fire!" the Alakazam yelled. Both the Meganium and the Dragonite immediately did so, pulling all of their limbs back into the aircraft. Siria, first confused about why he would make such an abrupt order, began to hear a faint whine in the distance. Several squadrons of fighters, twenty strong in all, screamed as they flew towards their targets, leading a rather large, clumsy, and familiar-looking bomber behind them.
"Gotta love those air-dales," the Meganium said as the planes sped by above them.
"Who're you calling an air-dale?" the psychic-type in the front asked indignantly.
She grinned and replied, "No one in particular."
"You're lucky I just don't drop all of you right now. Muscles are required, intelligence not essential…" he muttered.
"What?"
As the Meganium and Alakazam bantered, Siria noticed the Dragonite attempt to start a conversation with her. "I apologize for my previous remark," he confessed. "He must have been a very good soldier."
The Latias did not make eye contact with him, turning away and looking out at the passing trees. "Yes, yes he was," she whispered, voice cracking. The other dragon wisely chose not to engage in further conversation, instead staring somberly at the Quilava working on the body. As the chopper continued its flight out of the area, the trees quickly became nothing more than a sea of green to the tired Latias. She began to slump in the seat she sat in, exhaustion overtaking her as she cried herself to sleep.
This was pretty tough for me to write, mostly in terms of rectifying the unmitigated disaster which I used to consider a fight scene in the first chapter and writing the content of the second half of this. Anyways, reading is good, reviewing is better, so please review!