Chapter 9: Defiance
Note: I think this chapter is a little dull. It's still building up. I'm planning to start the main adventure next chapter, but it looks like things are slowing down around here because of school and other things. School's right around the corner for me. I'll probably just be a little slower, but I'm going the whole way on this story, even if I'm a little slow. I'm not sure if chapter 10 will be uploaded to the site before chapter 1 of Liquid Starlight, but I guess we'll see how it goes. I have a lot of preparation-for-school-esque stuff to do, so that's why I've been all slow and what not. Anyway, enjoy the nonsense~!
Disclaimer: I don't claim possession over characters originating from the franchises of Square Enix, Disney, Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company, Chun Soft, or Nintendo. They belong to their rightful owners. Few characters are original.
The crying clouds continued to wail a thunderous tantrum. Though the teardrops eased their impact on the land.
Scaling Sky Peak, or rather the newly nicknamed Shadow Summit, was a fatiguing task Riolu brought upon himself foolishly. He was in nary a condition to be battling with the nonstop hordes of Heartless shadows. Infuriated at their being, he struggled to sweep every last one of them aside, although he knew it was impossible. He recalled the time he climbed Sky Peak with Jovany and one of the Shaymin from the village. It was far simpler than this horror scene...
Riolu shook his head and whimpered, his paws clenching his head in a futile attempt to stop thinking too hard about Jovany. That brought him to this area in the first place. He wanted to isolate himself in a prison of darkness until he knew Jovany was home safe. Upon sprinting across the slick ground, he stumbled forward, a mouthful of mud as the result, not to mention a scraped palm and knee. He had already been battered and bloodied by the many brawls with the Heartless. Wincing at the multiple stings occurring over his entire body every split second, he soon realized he was losing consciousness. How long had it been since the invasion on Treasure Town? Had the day already gone by? Was it night? It must have been. Riolu took solace in that. Time was still flowing... At least the world had not yet lost time. On the brink of agonizing somnolence, Riolu crawled forward, staining the grassy ground with a bit of his drenched blood. It merged with the black liquid Heartless seemed to produce on the bodies they scarred... It did not take long for the ruined Pokémon to understand something...
He had reached the summit.
And staring into the vastness that was his world gave him little hope for a bright future. It was a sight that drenched his faith in the survival of his planet. It was a view that caused his heart and soul to sink to a point beyond repair. He had reached the edge of a broken world... Large masses of land floated, strewn across the ocean of a black, starry spatial chaos. Riolu saw the sea; how it had risen high to what he guessed was the sporadic shift in gravity, as the chunks of natural land appeared to have miniature oceans... His heart had skipped a few beats. His body demanded that he shut down immediately and simply let the edge of this world be his graveyard... …
...Darkness...
"Riolu!"
...Light...
Riolu's eyes shot open at the sound of the voice. Even this mere action caused his head to pound. He had taken severe damage, and his condition was worsening by the second.
"Riolu!" A second voice sounded. It was Sora's. The first was Grovyle's. These two, followed closely by Vulpix, came close to Riolu. Grovyle lifted the poor Pokémon in his leafy arms, staring down at him closely.
"He is breathing. He will be fine given plenty of immediate care." Grovyle stated, hiding his own doubts about Riolu. Grovyle did not know enough about the shadow Pokémon to truly assess the way or extent they damaged others.
"I-I'm... I'm fine. I just... had to..." Riolu spoke, his voice breaking and stammering.
"Had to what?" Vulpix cried out, stepping forward once. "You scared everyone! Don't go running off into places like this alone if you know what's good for you! We know this is a tough time... that's gives us more of a reason to stay together!"
"Kairi's right. As far as I know, we're a team, Riolu. I'd hate to see anything happen to such a hero." Sora explained to the beaten Pokémon. He received a very puzzled look from Vulpix soon afterwords...
"Excuse me?" She asked, her fore paw raised. "Kairi...?"
"I'm sorry, it's just..." Sora blushed, staring down at the soggy grass. "You remind me of someone I think I once knew. Sorry, Vulpix."
"Well." Vulpix giggled a tad, shaking her head casually. "It's okay. Let's head back to the refuge."
"Right." Grovyle spoke, lifting himself to his feet, as he gazed out into the open space, his muscles froze. He almost dropped Riolu at this bewilderment. "What...?" He questioned simply. No words could have ever expressed his feelings of this matter. The past of his own world lay broken, outstretched in vast space before him...
Sora stepped forth to view this for himself, Vulpix doing the same. Though this world did not belong to the Eevee, it wounded his heart to see this breathtaking, horrendous apocalypse... ...Why...?
And then the guild arrived.
They flocked the scene, immediately making way for Wigglytuff and Chatot behind them, each of them hollering out the name of their close comrade Riolu.
"Oh you guys made it! Please tell me he's alright!" Wigglytuff approached Grovyle eagerly, too worried for Riolu to notice the distortion ahead.
"...He will be fine..." Grovyle repeated hesitantly, awestruck. Not even in the future had he laid his eyes upon this horror. Was time really important now? Was it more necessary to focus on the other aspects of his world? He shook his head, eyes closed. He simply had to stay true to his world to Celebi, and to all the Pokémon of the future. He was going to fix this, or, naturally, die trying. Grovyle returned his attention to Wigglytuff. "We must return!"
"Hang on... Grovyle..." Riolu spoke weakly in his grass-type friend's arms. He looked out at the many guild members around he, Sora, Vulpix, and Grovyle. "...You all... came for... just for me...?"
"Of course!" Chatot squawked. "You are valuable to us all as a friend and a fellow explorer. You know that, Riolu! But, my word, if you ever do something this reckless again, I'll-"
"HEY!" Loudred interrupted. "He's hurt enough as it is, Chatot. Let's not make it WORSE, am I right?"
"Yup yup, by golly. Oof, Riolu, Chatot's got a point though. Don't go doing anything you'll regret." Bidoof suggested.
"Riolu, listen." Chimecho started, hovering closer. "I know you're going through a hard time because of Jovany's disappearance, but if I know Jovany, he won't let himself vanish that easily!"
"Oh my gosh, that is so true!" Sunflora agreed. "Jovany's one tough Pokémon. All of us know that!"
"Hey, hey, c'mon! Times are tough, but..." Corphish paused, looking around himself at his fellows. "Here we all are, hey! It's not like we're going to be put down so easily, especially after what we've all been through as a guild!"
"Everyone..." Riolu mumbled, tears forming in his eyes. These were tears of both happiness and despair. He knew his world was literally crumbling to pieces, yet the spirit of hope lived on. It struck Riolu that this spirit would forever live on, even if the life that was his was to be extinguished in darkness. His soul would fly free, and it would stay close to theirs, regardless of peril. Regardless of hatred. Regardless of anguish. Regardless of darkness and light.
"You have some really awesome friends, Riolu." Sora's voice attracted the attention of those nearby. "Don't let all that come crashing down here. I... I'll help you find your friend. After all, I have to look for mine. We can do this, Riolu. Together. All of us..." A genuine smile crossed Sora's lips. From the corner of his eye, he saw Chatot hopping forth...
"Th-thank you..." Riolu sniffled. "I'll never understand why I constantly lose myself, but I don't have to when I know I have the best friends around."
"So there we have it!" Wigglytuff raised both arms high into the air—at least as high as he could—and hopped a tad. "We're all in this together!" The guild members gave a rejuvenating cheer that lifted Grovyle's spirits. He almost envied the friends that Riolu and Jovany had made in this time, but he was willing to stray from them to keep their world safe. That was his purpose... ...The only ones whom a cheer was not heard from were Chatot... and Futachi. Thunder shook the skies... The guild members froze... Oblivious to the thunder, Chatot stared out into the fragmented world. He was terrified, yet astonished. The stars, the distance, the vastness... This was space...
Could we fix this? Could we... explore this...?
"It's Futachi! Futachi made it too!" One of the guild members called out. At this outburst, all eyes, including Chatot's, shifted to the battle-scarred water-type... His response was far eerier than what was expected. Even then, no one expected a casual response from him. Loudred scoffed at Futachi, crossing his arms and looking away. It was no secret that he didn't believe Futachi was guild material. He did not doubt his abilities in the slightest, though he knew there were some Pokémon that Wigglytuff or Chatot simply could not subdue. With his head hanging low, Futachi glared forth at each Pokémon in his path, drenched in liquid blackness. After a few moments of silence and having ignited confusion, he pointed an arm forward, still wielding his shells.
"Eevee!" He shouted. "Notib... face me!" This came to everyone's surprise. None hesitated to question Futachi's request for battle... It was rare Futachi ever spoke the words "me" or "I". He was so adjusted to speaking in third person.
"Futachi? What are you saying, hey?" Corphish began, feeling it necessary, as a fellow water-type, to speak up. "Sora's on our side!"
"This is true, and you know it! You saw how he helped us in Treasure Town!" Chimecho clarified, though unable to do the impossible: sway Futachi's intentions.
"Futachi is doing what must be done!" He shouted again, growing impatient. "If you knew, you'd all think same way!"
In spite of the incorrect nature of this scene, Sora stepped forth.
"Futachi? What's gotten into you?" Sora inquired, not exactly prepared to do battle with a member of the guild.
"Quiet!" Futachi snapped, causing Sora's ears to splay quickly. "You and your blade are cause of all this! Futachi knows... Is too late for laments! You will pay!" Gasps of shock accompanied Futachi's next maneuver. He hurled a shell forward at Sora, the weapon capturing a sort of aquatic aura and gleaming blue as it sliced through the rain.
Lightning blinded all eyes.
"YOOM-TAH!" …
…
Before the defenseless Sora stood a valiant Wigglytuff, holding one of Futachi's shells up; obviously the tossed of the two. Sora raised his head, eyes open and assured safety behind the guildmaster, who was smiling as if nothing had just happened. In truth, to Wigglytuff, it was not much. Futachi straightened his back, having been lowered in his casual stance for battle.
"That's not what friends do to one another! " The guildmaster simply said. "Sorry Futachi, but you need to learn a lesson or two about trust!"
"He's done it now..." Loudred whispered, a hand blocking the sound traveling too far from his mouth, as rare as the need for this was, and leaning closer to Corphish nearby.
"Hey, hey. I'll say." Corphish agreed.
"Wigglytuff...?" Sora whispered, though audibly enough for Wigglytuff to hear.
"You not heed words of Futachi, Wigglytuff?" Futachi remarked, disrespecting his own guildmaster by not addressing him appropriately. "You stand in Futachi's way then... All of you..." An ominous glare forward accompanied this comment.
"Y-you so much as lay a finger on the Guildmaster or any of the apprentices, so help me, I will have you expelled right here and now!" Chatot, infuriated at this behavior, raised his voice.
"Don't worry Chatot." The capable guildmaster began, dropping Futachi's shell to the ground. "I'll administer his punishment for trying to hurt our friend, and even threatening his own guildmaster! How naughty! I want all of you to return to the village and make sure everyone is doing dandy!"
"Yes, Guildmaster! Exercise due care!" Chatot knew that Wigglytuff was a powerful Pokémon behind the childish demeanor, though he also knew Futachi was a fearsome opponent.
"Are you sure you don't need our help?" Grovyle offered, figuring the battle may be difficult, but at least simplified due to his type advantage over Futachi.
"I'm sure! Now go and be careful on your way down!" With this last command, the guild members fled the scene, no questions asked. Sora watched the brave guildmaster as he faced off with the vicious Futachi. Vulpix called his name... He was gone.
…
"C'mon, c'mon! We don't have all day!" Came a hasty, masculine voice. This man was concealed in a cloak of shadow.
"Oh, would you be patient? You know where he went." Came the feminine, slightly English accented voice. She appeared to speak in rhymes at most times, also cloaked in the coat.
"I know it's hard getting there, but we should'a been there a while ago, the three of us!" The impatient man spoke again.
"Gee, guys." Came the high-pitched male voice. His cloaked was modified to fit his unique physique. "Are you sure about this? Now I'm not one to doubt, but this is a little bit risky for a corridor."
"Why, are you being so unwise as to judge me by size? Become one to note my capability, and you'll find a lack of fragility!" The rather tiny, yet well-aged female rhymed once again. "Through thick and thin and the powers of darkness, let's go forth and fix this mess!"
"Here we go..." The tall figure spoke. The moment had come. The three had to leave this place in search for what could have been a very deadly foe... or friend.
They departed in a massive, swirling vortex of blackness, only able to do so quite literally because of the clothes on their backs.
…
"Riolu..." Sora approached his injured friend, now resting easy in a cushioned pile of hay. Already, he had been bandaged accordingly. "Are you doing alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Riolu assured, turning his head to smile at the Eevee staring down, for a change, at him. The lacerations littering his body were guarded firmly by the cotton bandages, though an small yet unsightly amount of blood gave the material a dark red hue. A fair amount of it was used simply for him: around his head, torso, left leg, right arm twice, and both of his paws, though obscuring the left more than the right. "I promise..."
"...Alright." Sora nodded, his eyes shifting across Riolu's wounded body. There were many minor lacerations that were missed, though they were negligible to a fight-type. Sora's teeth gritted together a tad as he noted the black coloration of some of the gashes. "I'm sorry the Heartless gave you such a hard time."
Sunflora, carrying a small straw basket filled with assorted fruits of various colors, stopped in her tracks as she heard the mentioning of "Heartless". Perhaps this was the sensation of a powerful empathy emanating from the nearby Grovyle. Both were grass-types, after all.
"Excuse me." Grovyle started before Sunflora spoke. She simply went about her business, reaching into the basket and setting down a small blue berry near Riolu. "Heartless? Sora, am I correct?" He received a brief nod from the other. "I have neglected to ask... Who exactly are you? Why did that Pokémon attack you on the peak?"
"Futachi? I don't know. He said that I'm the cause of this..." With his head hanging low, he summoned the all-familiar Keyblade at his paws once again, stepping over it for the third time and sighing. "I don't remember who I was. I remember I was a human... I remember my friends, Riku and Kairi. And I remember the Keyblade and the Heartless, but that's all." He returned his eyes to Grovyle, a look defining a cry for assistance upon his face.
"A human? Transformed into a Pokémon?" Grovyle stood up straight and rubbed at his chin. "Curious!"
"Grovyle, if you know anything about the reason I'm here, please, I..." The Eevee paused, his tail against the soft ground. "I don't think I'm the bad guy! I need to know what it is that brought me here!"
...There was silence... Riolu spoke up.
"Sora... Don't listen to Futachi. He's a strange Pokémon who doesn't get along with anyone very well..." Riolu turned to his side, searching for the oran berry which Sunflora had placed on his bed. As his paws felt its roundness, he continued speaking. "Besides, you said you didn't need to know anything to help out, right?" ...A lack of a response from Sora ensued in further comfort from Grovyle.
"Unfortunately, I do not know about your past, Sora. I apologize for that, but Riolu is correct. Your abilities are beyond natural, thus they will be a great deal of assistance to us. That is..." The mysterious hero lowered his arm to his hip. "If you're willing to help us. No one is forcing you."
"I have to help." Sora did not wait to reply. "I have a role to play here. I'd like to understand more of what's going on, but the only way I can do that is if I get involved enough to make a difference. Maybe then, Riku and Kairi... will come back... Maybe I'll see them again." As if by instinct, Sora's focus slowly began shifting to the Vulpix. At the moment, she was speaking with Chimecho.
"You're friends must mean a lot to you... You have a good heart. I know you will find them." Grovyle approached the small normal-type, observing the Kingdom Key more closely. "If the pattern of these 'blades' I've noticed is correct, you are much like the wielder of the Crossblade: a powerful warrior."
Sora was flattered, albeit unnerved. A tingling chill ran down his small spine, triggering a shudder. This went unnoticed by Grovyle or the resting Riolu, who had finished his berry. He watched Grovyle and Sora converse with anticipation.
"I suppose I will find him. After all, I must be leaving soon."
"What?" Riolu's voice was heard, although broken and weak. "You have to leave so soon?"
"I must be off to gather the Time Gears once again. I'm sorry, but I-"
"I'm coming...! I'm coming with you, Grovyle!" Riolu interrupted, forcing himself to sit up. The grass-type reacted quickly, hands grasping the other's shoulders gently and setting him back down on the bed of hay.
"No, not in your condition..." Grovyle spoke reluctantly. "Even if you were at your best, there's no telling what could happen."
"B-but.. I..." Riolu stammered, seeing that Grovyle made a clear point. It was true that this would have been a much different experience than the last: gathering the Time Gears while the planet was not in fragments as it was now. There were a myriad of things Grovyle would have to had considered deeply already to do this alone, if it was not impossible. "Grovyle, I have to come with you! Those... Heartless Pokémon stole Jovany away from me!"
"...They are the ones behind that?" Contemplating his options, Grovyle looked away, sighing discontentedly at the news of this.
"Take me with you, Grovyle. Please." Expecting something of the same response Grovyle gave Riolu, Sora pleaded, both fore paws now on his Keyblade.
"Perhaps..." Grovyle glanced at the mysterious weapon under Sora once more before raising his head to the two. "I'll be taking both of you with me."
"Really?" Riolu sat up again. "You'll let us come?"
"We will be leaving early tomorrow. I will see if I can get you some more oran berries. "
"If you can, I'll be feeling perfect tomorrow! Thank you, Grovyle!" Riolu grinned, ignoring any amount of pain he was feeling at the moment. That amount was not significant in any case.
"I trust you and Sora will be prepared then. I'll admit, I'm intrigued with your story. I hope you will see your friends again soon... It seems we all have someone to look for."
"It really does. I'll do my best tomorrow..." Upon speaking, Sora understood that he would be leaving the safety of the refuge. We would be leaving the guild members, the worried townsfolk, and Vulpix... Why Vulpix had reminded him of Kairi is something he could not quite have comprehended. Perhaps she, too, suffered memory loss and transformed into a Pokémon. Then why did she fail to remember her true name while Sora knew his? Perhaps Vulpix was her true name. Maybe this was not Kairi at all. It was impossible to tell, despite being given a large quantity of possible signs. At this moment, Sora noticed that Grovyle was watching her as well. It was astonishing how she had not noticed the two boys staring at her, which she might have dismissed as a creepy type of admiration.
"You should rest up. I cannot fully predict what is in store for us tomorrow, but I can tell you it will be beyond dangerous." Grovyle's soft voice was heard. The Eevee turned, greeted by eyes of gold.
"Yes, sir." Sora nodded, showing a great deal of respect for the Pokémon who, essentially, offered to save the world. Again.
At the time, there was a slight lack of space for the many refugees in the building. Despite the initial lack of comfort in sleeping so close to one another, the many Pokémon made due. It proved not to be a terrible experience in any case, though some found it difficult to sleep at the thought of Wigglytuff in trouble. That was certainly not like him. It was difficult enough to believe it was taking the guild master this much time to go about his business. Many assumed he was having trouble with the mountain itself, because there was absolutely no way he could have lost the battle to Futachi...
…
Thunder...
Raindrops...
"Sorry, Futachi! I hope this will teach you to be a good apprentice."
"Wigglytuff... L-...Listen to Futachi... Agh-..."
"Oh, boo... You still don't trust our friend Sora?"
"Sora is... reason our world is broken. Futachi saw... saw your face when you looked at Sora. You knew world would be in danger. Futachi knows. Chillarmy, Jovany... and others t-taken by dark creatures."
"What? That's impossible! I know they're safe in another refuge."
"Wigglytuff... is hard to accept. Not... even you can know how dark shadows from other world work. Is much... different. Is all cause of Sora. They from the notib's world. He and his weapon cause of all. Trust Futachi, Wigglytuff... G-Guildmaster Wigglytuff..."
"Hmm... Alright then. You and I will go talk to Sora tomorrow. He and the others might be asleep by now. Can you stand?"
"...Yes. Futachi seen worse injury."
"Let's head back then. Watch your step!"
…