Hey everyone! Short chapter, I know, but I wanted to make sure that I get something posted tonight. Hope you enjoy!
Alizarin stared, unblinking. Achak had appealed to Giratina, the violent dragon of chaos, just like that; and now, it floated in midair calmly as if it had not previously been on a rampage. Luke and Valerie remained below them, and marveled at the spectacle from a distance.
The spiritual gentleman stroked the beast's back gently. Suddenly, his trademark grin returned. Alizarin snapped out of his daze in time to witness a clawed tentacle propel itself toward him. Flygon attempted to dodge the incoming attack, but did not have enough time. Alizarin felt the wind knocked right out of him. Blood seeped out of the wound in his chest. The desert dragon fired a Dragonbreath in retaliation, severing the wing-like tentacle in two. The half that remained in the trainer's body began to dissipate, leaving an open wound. He gasped, and fell limp off of the lesser dragon's back. Flygon dove after its trainer.
"Alizarin, no!" Valerie cried. Luke stood still, unable to react. Without command, his Gallade sprinted in the direction that the red-eyed boy was falling and, just in time, slid across the ground and caught him in its arms. Luke and Valerie ran over to the pair to examine the damage done to Alizarin. He gripped his chest i an attempt to ease the pain, but blood continued to flow.
The brother-and-sister duo were reminded of their supposed new foe's presence when the man in question spoke from above them. "I hope that you may find it in your heart to forgive me," he taunted rather than pleaded, "but to ensure that my plan runs smoothly I had to separate you, Azuro, and the two Unovan trainers. Allowing the four of you to do as you please was too risky." Achak paused to observe the angered and confused faces of the trainers down below. He flashed his usual grin; yet the three teens below associated it with malice. "Now, Giratina! Claim the surface world as your own once again!"
As those words were uttered, the golden crest that enveloped the serpentine dragon's face split in two and made room for its previously guarded mouth. The beast screeched, launching a visible stream of ripples through the air. The pattern seemed to colide with an invisible wall, and an oval-shaped hole had formed. Giratina's crest reverted back to its original position before the creature began toward the shape.
Just before the dragon passed through the portal, Achak offered his final words to Alizarin: "I want to see just how strong you are, Alizarin. Prove to me that your determination can overcome this hell and give me a challenge!"
With that, Giratina and its human partner fully entered the rip in space and time. The portal retracted and closed up completely. Luke and Valerie were left to somehow tend to Alizarin's wounds. Realizing where they were, Valerie frowned. She pressed down on his chest so as to apply pressure and stop the bleeding. The blood seeped through the tear in his shirt and coated her fingers in the warm, thick liquid. "I-I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can use to bandage your wound. And if we can't do that, you won't-"
"Use... my s-shirt," muttered the red-eyed boy through heavy breaths. "Use it to tie around my chest. Do... what you have to do."
Valerie hesitated. She looked into his eyes and, seeing the level of determination in them, she nodded. Luke assisted her in carefully removing Alizarin's jacket and then his black tee shirt. The older boy winced when the shirt was lifted up off of his chest and was peeled out of the wound. Once the pair had removed the top half of his clothing, Luke began to tear the damaged and bloodied shirt into strips. Valerie helped Alizarin to sit upright. Her brother handed her the strips of cloth and she began to tie them around the older boy's torso. "Just to be clear," she started, "the minute we get to the surface we're getting you to a hospital to get this properly cared for."
Alizarin shook his head. "Not until... I find out what's going on... and Achak gets what's coming to him."
Valerie recoiled. "D-Don't be ridiculous! You mean that you're going to confront him in this condition?!"
"I'm not dead yet," he scoffed. "It's gonna take a lot more... than a cheap shot like that to keep me down."
The girl was about to scold him further, but looked to her brother in silence instead. She remembered Luke's resolve to avenge his friends after the encounter with Regice. I'm not sure what it is that makes you keep on going like this... I never noticed it, but you two are alike in a lot of ways. As she watched Luke help Alizarin stand on his feet once again, she smiled. I just wish you could be more careful.