Inferno, Chapter 17
Hello, one and all. I regret to inform you that this will be the more or less final chapter of Inferno, but I had fun writing it all the same. With the finishing of this story, I will also be opening the orphanage for adoptable stories, hopefully expanding my repertoire of writing. Anyway, let's get on with the show. Story Spotlight; Running In Darkness, by kourabiedes. I may take over that story, but we'll see. Ratings; 1st) United States 2nd) Australia 3rd) Canada 4th) United Kingdom 5th) Hungary.
The Final Leg
It had been three years now since Blaze and Lora were hired at the Striaton City Restaurant, and things couldn't have been better for them. Blaze had earned his place as a master chef, utilizing his fire powers to cook the foods in record time, yet because he had such an expansive knowledge of it, knew exactly how to bring the best out of the food. Chili had been impressed, which both Cilan and Cress had confided was not an easy feat.
Lora, who was a waitress, was also more at ease than before. She was fully capable of reading at an incredible pace now, and she loved it. Blaze was also an accomplished reader, but Lora was a far faster reader than he was. But she didn't brag about it.
In the course of the three years, Blaze had saved up enough money with Lora to be able to afford their own apartments, and they reveled in the freedom they now had. Included in that course was the fact that Lora had managed to find a mate, which she brought with her. Naturally, Blaze had been rather protective and challenged him, and Lora had nearly died of embarrassment, but now things were settled down and they were all good friends.
Nicholai still lived in his apartment with his pokemon, though he had a strange habit of going somewhere secretive every other week or so, always dressed in his darkest attire. He had a tendency to come back tired and somewhat haggard, but always made sure to check up on them.
Loki had returned to Kanto to fight against Team Rocket, believing it was best to get rid of the tyrannical group once and for all. Occasionally he called them, but for the most part he was too busy.
Back at the restaurant, the bell for the end of the shifts rang out, and Blaze finished the touches on the dish he was making. He set it out for pick-up, then went to the apron rack, where he hung his up to go on his lunch break. He grabbed said lunch out of the fridge made available to the employees and walked out, waving to Lora before exiting.
Normally he went to the park-like area that separated Striaton City and the route that led to Nacrene City, where the famous museum was located. However, Blaze wanted to try a new set of scenery today, but was unsure where to go. Beyond the route would take too long, there wasn't really an established spot below Striaton, so the only other option he had was to go to the right of Striaton, into the Dreamyard.
Shrugging, he walked in that direction, reaching the place in five minutes, then looking for an ideal location. He found it against the walls of the crumbled building that served as a laboratory for scientist in times past. He ate his lunch in contentment, at peace with the world right now. He looked at the watch he had bought with his first paycheck, and seeing he still had a half hour, leaned against the wall and began to rest his eyes.
That stopped when he heard a fierce yelp, one of pain, he imagined. He jumped to his feet, swiveling his head in an attempt to pinpoint the source of the commotion. He heard the yelp again, more distressed this time, and he rushed through the decrepit building. He came out into a small field that had a set of stairs which led into the ground, and near the stairs he saw another Blaziken, struggling against a Machoke who was pulling it along.
"Come on, baby, I know you want this" the Machoke said. The Blaziken's eyes flashed furiously and it, soon discovered as a she, shouted
"Not on your life! Let go of me, or else!" The Machoke laughed scornfully and asked
"Or else what?" Blaze had seen enough. He lit up his fist in a fiery cloak, then ran pell-mell at the pure Fighting type. He noticed his movements, but all too late.
"What the-oof!" Blaze punched him full on in the face, sending him flying back by about five feet. He crashed into the concrete stairs, which looked painful. His breath was knocked out of him, and he curled up in pain, which gave Blaze the opportunity to turn to the Blaziken and ask her
"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" She shook her head, then studied him intensely, asking
"What are you? You look mostly like a human dressed up as a Blaziken, but you used pokemon moves. How did you do that?" Blaze hesitated for a moment, during which time the Machoke rose and shouted
"Hey! What's the idea of attacking me for no reason?!" Blaze turned around, his eyes narrowing in dislike as he responded
"You were going to have your way with her, weren't you?" The Machoke scoffed and said
"So what? It's certainly none of your business what I do with her, so why don't you just scram like a good little boy and leave me to my business." Blaze was now very angry, so he lit both hands and feet on fire, catching the Machoke by surprise as he said
"I don't think so. You see, you've pissed me off, now. And I'm not going anywhere. You, on the other hand, are about to become a Flying type." The Machoke laughed and mocked Blaze, saying
"You think you're going to beat me?! Oh, that's rich!" He cracked his knuckled and neck, then said
"I'll admit you caught me by surprise, but that over and done with now. I'm ready for ya, and believe me, you will regret comin here." Blaze didn't say anything, but instead waited on his opponent to make the first move. The Machoke roared and flexed his muscles, which seemed to increase in size, and Blaze recognized it as a Bulk-Up. Then the Machoke glowed with power, causing stones to rise up and surround him, flinging them all at Blaze. Stone Edge.
Blaze began to obliterate all the stones. Normally, he would have dodged them, but there was another Blaziken behind him, and he didn't want to put her in the line of danger. Despite his skill, though, he missed a few, all of which struck him, and none too gently. They stung horribly, but Blaze fought the pain and didn't flinch.
When the attack finished, Blaze gathered the fire together in his hands and launched a Fire Blast at the Machoke. He was a bit slow in dodging it, but he managed to avoid the worst of the attack. The grass where he was previously standing could not say as much.
The Machoke rushed in, his muscles bulging as he lunged at Blaze in an attempt to hit him with a Seismic Toss. Blaze barely avoided the crushing grip of his arms, though, and retaliated with a Blaze Kick. The Machoke laughed and caught him by the burning foot, then spun around, sending Blaze flying and crashing into the wall, which crumbled on impact. Blaze grunted but managed to stay conscious. He stumbled to his feet, which made the Machoke laugh and tease him.
"Hey Princess, you sure you're up for this? I'm way out of your league kid; do yourself a favor and go home." Blaze started to chuckle, and the Machoke asked
"What's so funny?" Blaze stopped laughing long enough to respond
"You are, of course. You're so confident in yourself that you think you're above everything. But believe me, you have no idea what you're up against here." Blaze surrounded himself with an inferno, and after it faded, all the injuries he accumulated had disappeared. The Machoke and Blaziken stared at him in shock, and the Blaziken asked
"How did you heal yourself so fast?" Blaze chuckled again and said
"One of my abilities. Let's just say I'm not fully human, and I'm not entirely Blaziken either. I'm a hybrid." The Machoke scoffed and said
"Hybrid, human, pokemon, it don't matter! I can still beat the shit outta you!" Blaze turned his glare to him, and he said menacingly
"That's where you're deplorably wrong." The Machoke charged forward again, but before he could punch Blaze, the hybrid jumped nimbly over him, back flipping and kicking him in the back of the head with a flaming foot, sending him crumpling into the rubble that Blaze had just been occupying. Blaze landed lightly, turning around slowly and asking
"Get the picture a bit better now?" The Machoke grunted as he lifted himself back up, saying
"Now, I'm annoyed. I thought this would just be another bug for me to crush, but you've become a real irritation, kid. So congratulations, you've gotten on my bad side." Blaze scoffed and relit his hands and feet, then began to exchange blows with the Machoke. Blaze's punches weren't as strong, but what they lacked in power they made up for in the searing agony caused every time his opponent was hit with a fiery fist.
After several minutes of this, they both hit each other with a punch that caused them both to fly away from each other, landing somewhat painfully. They both stood at the same time, and the Machoke said as he wiped a trickle of blood away from his lip
"Say, kid, you're not that bad. Whattya call yourself?" Blaze ignited the inferno again, erasing all his injuries, then reassumed battle stance, replying
"I am Blaze, and I fear no one." The Machoke laughed and said
"No one? Come on, now. Everybody fears someone, or at least something. Do you fear death?" Blaze smirked and said
"At times, I wished for it. If you think you present that much of a threat to me, you're sorely mistaken." The Machoke's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he said
"There's something you fear, I know there is. Now what is it?" Blaze didn't even blink as he responded
"I have only one fear, but because it does not exist in this region, I have nothing to fear." The Machoke laughed and said
"Chances are your fear could come here, and then what'll you do?" Blaze cracked his neck and said
"I have been assured that it will not happen. Now then, are we going to fight, or are you going to waste time jacking your jaw?" The Machoke's eyes flashed in anger, and he said
"Alright, I'll end this with one more move." Blaze scoffed and said
"Fine. I'll do the same." The Machoke used Stone Edge again, bringing a collection of the rubble that surrounded him to his sides. Blaze lit up his entire body in a blaze of glory, and as the Machoke launched his attack, Blaze shot forward. He ducked, weaved and jumped around the stones, and once the Machoke's store had been depleted, Blaze increased his speed. The fire surrounding him swelled until it burst, becoming blue energy; Fire Blitz.
The Machoke could do no more than sputter briefly before Blaze collided with him, sending him farther back into the ruined building, destroying it further. Blaze flinched as he took the recoil damage that accompanied Fire Blitz. Once it subsided, he walked to the unconscious Machoke and grabbed him by a limp arm. He dragged the Fighting type out of the building, then leaned down and spoke softly
"I told you that you would become a Flying type; I don't lie." Without another word, he stood straight, then began to spin, lifting the Machoke up and throwing him around, until he finally let go, sending the Machoke flying out over the forest for a good hundred yards, crashing through the trees and disturbing the birds that were roosting there at the time.
Blaze brushed his hands together and said
"That's that." He turned his attention to the female Blaziken and asked
"You sure you're alright?" She slowly nodded, then shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts, and asked
"So… what exactly are you? That was incredible fighting, but I've never seen it before." Blaze sighed and said
"Well, like I said, I'm a hybrid. I have Blaziken DNA and human DNA. I was created in a large tube by Team Rocket. They are the only ones I fear." The Blaziken flinched at the mention of the name of the criminal syndicate, and Blaze asked
"What's wrong? Do you have a bad association with them too?" She reluctantly nodded and told him
"Yeah. I was abducted some years ago and experimented on for a while. Then they did something unspeakable to me." Blaze frowned and asked
"What?" The Blaziken shuddered and turned away, covering herself with her arms, responding in a soft voice
"They made me sterile." Blaze's heart nearly stopped as he asked
"How?" Shuddering again, she replied
"They removed my eggs from my body. I would no longer have the chance to give birth, to have a child of my own. And because of that, no male afterward would have me, so I was denied the chance for a relationship as well." She broke down, shaking with her sobs, and Blaze walked forward, trying to comfort her.
"I'm sorry. I understand what it's like to be denied, to feel lonely, to never know your place in the world. I wish there was some way I could help." She looked up at him and smiled, or as best she could considering she had a beak, and she replied
"You have. You saved me the emotional and physical pain of being in a sexual relationship I wanted no part of, and you listened to me. That helped more than I can express right now." Blaze nodded and helped her to her feet. He hesitated, then asked
"I'm sorry to pry, but I want to know; when did this happen to you?" She frowned and asked
"Why are you interested?" Blaze hesitated again, then said
"I don't know, but I feel like you and I have a deeper connection than we know. Maybe your answer will help." She hesitated, then said
"It was about eighteen years ago. They told me my… 'contribution', would go in hand with their newest foul project. Now, why did you want to know that?" Blaze's eyes were wide, and he softly spoke.
"Could… could you be… my mother?" The Blaziken started, then narrowed her eyes in suspicion, asking
"Why would you ask such a thing?" Blaze stumbled in his excitement but soon found his tongue again, telling her
"Eighteen years ago is when I was created! Maybe there's a relation!" She frowned in doubt and said
"I don't think so… but there is a way to check."
"What, what?!" The Blaziken smirked now and told him
"Relax. Now then, hold your hand up against mine and activate your fire." He did so, and no sooner did their fires activate then did they combine, forming a new fire color Blaze had never seen before; pink. The Blaziken gasped and pulled away, and Blaze asked
"What's wrong?" The Blaziken panted for a moment, then said
"That technique… it only works with Blaziken… and for the fire to turn that color, there must be a direct relation, spanning only one generation." Blaze frowned and asked
"What does that mean?" She walked forward, tears in her eyes, and she hugged him suddenly, taking him by surprise. After a moment, the tears spilled from her eyes, and she said in a choked voice
"It means that you are my son. Those eggs Team Rocket stole from me, one of them was you. They used you in their horrid experiment, and now we finally meet, mother and son." Blaze was absolutely shocked, and he couldn't contain himself as he hugged her back tightly, afraid he would lose her so soon after just finding her. For five minutes they stood thus, merely holding onto one another, not wanting to relinquish their hold. Eventually, though, Blaze pried himself from his mother's arms and told her
"Let me take you home with me. I have a place now, and you can live with me. You don't have to worry about Team Rocket anymore, and we don't have to be apart anymore." She nodded solemnly and said
"I'd like that… son." Blaze was ecstatic now, and he quickly dragged his mother through the forest, around the shattered ruins of the laboratory. Along the way, he informed her of everything he had gone through in the past eighteen years, and she was more than just horrified, she was also extremely saddened by the fate that had befallen one of her own.
When they reached the entrance, she hesitated, but Blaze dragged her through, saying
"Don't worry, I've been here for three years. I even have a job now!" She kept walking, though reluctantly, and eventually Blaze stopped in front of the restaurant, where Lora was waiting for him. She at once began to scold him.
"Blaze, do you know how late for work you are?! You only get an hour for lunch, not two and a half! Where were you this whole time?" Blaze chuckled and motioned to his mother, saying
"I was meeting someone new." Lora looked at the Blaziken, her attention now not so focused on Blaze alone, and she said
"My, Blaze, she's cute. So, who is this?" Blaze chuckled and told Lora
"Lora, I'd like you to meet my mom." Lora's eyes widened in disbelief, and she asked
"Blaze, are you sure? How do you know?" Blaze chuckled one more time, then replied
"It's a long story, Lora."
Well, that's the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed it!