It was several hours before Mandite ever spoke again. During those forever-stretching minutes, I had been thinking about what Mandite had said, and how he looked so shocked and bitterly-upset by the arrival of the vase. All up until now, he had his eyes kept on the ground, eyes washed with emerald light. Anyone could tell that he was deeply moved by some tragic event, expressing his depression with his soundless breaths, and cast eyes. Thankfully, his mood seemed to improve for the better.
"Do you know any cities around here?" he asked me, his eyes once again yellow and keen. I was relieved that Mandite's old personality was on its way back, but disturbed by the question he had tossed out to me. I, for one, had never seen a city – I have heard of them, but never dared to venture close to one. In doing so, I would put me and Aurora in danger of being caught by a pokemon trainer, and then our freedom would vaporize just like the pokemon retreating to their capsules. Mandite seemed perfectly oblivious to the human civilizations until now, so why did he suddenly asked? Did he crave for urban foods?
"I don't know." I answered him with a frank, clear-cut truth. Mandite frowned and brushed the edge of his cape slightly.
"Aw, that's too bad," he said, "My cape can only absorb so much – I need a backpack or something." I remembered the vase liquefying into the cape, and I nodded, showing him that I understood. Aurora gave me a worried look – she knew the dangers when wandering into human territory; we both did. Several years ago, we had a close encounter with a pokemon collector, in which Aurora nearly was snagged from the wild. We both slipped away, heavily battered by well-trained pokemon, breathing heavily from the intense battle, and from fear. She still is very frightened from the experience, trembling every time when she recalls the memory. I was not too happy with this myself. I watched Aurora start to tremble again, and I gave her a sympathetic smile.
"What's up?" Mandite tilted his posture to look at her with a diagonal view. Aurora shook her head, muttering something about being cold. She obviously did not want to trouble Mandite with her thoughts of pokemon trainers. However, Mandite was incredibly adept at figuring out what one is thinking.
"You don't like humans, don't you?" he asked cautiously. Aurora quickly looked up at him, her magenta eyes wide. Mandite continued to look questioningly with his cold, yellow gaze – Aurora finally sighed, and nodded.
"That's okay," Mandite laughed jokingly, "I don't have any money, anyways." Aurora smiled a tiny bit, Mandite's light attitude cheering her up. The blue puffball scanned the darkening sky, the blues becoming tinted with indigo, and the white clouds were dipped in soft pinks and golds. Before he even said a word, I knew what he was a bout to say next. I mouthed the words as Mandite spoke,
"Let's go set up camp, shall we?" And so followed our camp routine: Aurora and I sought out a suitable area to sleep, while Mandite looked for wood – and perhaps some berries to eat for himself. By now, this routine was drilled into our heads, and we parted our ways without a word or order. This time, however, was slightly different. When Mandite found us, he carried not only the usual pile of branches stacked evenly balanced on his head, but also a bundle of mushrooms.
"What's the occasion?" Aurora asked him, gesturing to the mushrooms. Mandite exhaled sharply.
"I'm hungry," he said, "that's the special occasion." We only could laugh in response – it's ironic to call something that he was everyday and hour special. And knowing Mandite, he was epicurean by nature, relishing every moment of the simple act of eating. The warrior only glared from under his mask and promptly lit the firewood settled neatly in the campfire. Pulling Galaxia from its sheath, dazzling us all with its brilliant lights, he did something rather unexpected. Carefully, Mandite speared a mushroom onto each of the prongs along the sides of the blade before setting it close to the fire. Here, this ultimate killing tool with a lethal history was also being used as a mushroom toaster. It made me laugh just to think of it, making such a deadly sword into something so mundane. I coughed into my arm while Mandite glared indignantly at a hysterical Aurora.
"What?" he demanded, "Knights made pizzas on their shields – so why can't I toast a mushroom on my blade?" A mushroom – those words seemed to tickle my laughter for a reason I know not. Aurora doubled up with her giggling, the soft sound music to my ears, setting my heart in flight. I looked over to Mandite, who I could tell was grinning from beneath his mask.
"So, I see we're in a good mood today," he said joyfully, his hands wringing in excitement, "say, how about I sing some campfire songs while I wait for - ?"
"NO!"
"All right, all right."
~*~
There was something about Mandite's armor that made me uneasy this morning – it wasn't the appearance, for it made the seven year old look like a figure of dignity than a child. No, it was the fact he was still wearing it since yesterday; Mandite usually takes off his armor soon after he puts them on. Even more nerving was the constant presence of sheathed Galaxia at his side. Even if he wore his armor, he kept Galaxia hidden within his cloak; what could be possibly going on? Was he being cautious, or was this just a mere exception? Neither Aurora or Mandite himself seemed to have noticed anything at all, so I had kept my opinion to myself. But the longer the day drew on, the more upsetting the sight became. I decided to end it with a question.
"Mandite?" the puffball straightened at the sound of his name. This struck me as odd – he would usually turn around and respond casually, such as "wassup?", but not even eye contact was made.
"Mandite," I asked him again, "why are you - ?" Mandite suddenly lunged in a bright flurry of lights, causing me to stumble back in surprise; Aurora cried out in shock. Mandite landed in front of us, Galaxia in one gloved hand, and something it his other. Upon a closer examination, I saw the diced remains of a black, yellow, and white metallic object that once resembled a sphere.
"It was thrown at Aurora." Mandite said curtly, confirming my fears. He let the pieces of an ultraball fall to the ground with a brisk wave of his hand. Staring at the shards of the pokeball, I felt fear engulf my feelings – we were in immediate danger.
"Keep your eyes peeled." I warned to the other two, my ears rotating on the top of my head, two sonars ready for the slightest trace of a sound wave.
"My eyes may be yellow, but they don't peel like bananas." Mandite said.
"I am being serious, Mandite." I shushed him.
"I am too." he answered gravely. Aurora ushered a laugh from behind me, and I gave her a hard look, warning her without a word to keep sharp. Instantly, she was silenced. Her magenta eyes scanned around along with mine across the land, the piercing gaze swooping to every source of sudden noise. Suddenly, my ears pricked up to the sound of crackling and whooshing of something starting to pass through the air.
"Move!" Mandite reacted a split second faster than we did, and the three of us scattered, dodging a tremendous spout of flame. I landed, my feet sliding on the ground, and I reached out with a paw to steady myself; I looked up to see who our attacker was. There, standing in the middle of singed and smoking grass, embers rising all around, was a new pokemon; behind it was a smaller figure – a human. From the strange, foreign scent, I could smell that they were from the Hoenn region, and I could tell that our attacker was a blaziken – a large, tough, male blaziken. I let out a throaty growl, warning him to back off. Instead, he snorted, to my further disdain.
"Nice try, lucario." he said, his voice gruff, "But orders are orders."
"Then order your sorry hindquarters away from us, or I will have to kick it there!" I barked, and he clenched his scaly fists.
"Too bad that's not part of the plan." he hissed.
"Zhoke, use flamethrower!" I looked up to the pokemon trainer behind the blaziken, her finger pointed towards me. Obeying his command, he produced a another jet of flame, which I flipped backwards to avoid. Landing on my feet, I quickly drew on the power of my aura, and shot back an aura sphere. Before it made contact, the blaziken jumped high into the air, with the aura sphere just nicking his toe, and delivered an incredibly swift, blaze kick downwards. I swooned to the right to dodge, and sharply brought down the back end of my paw on his back. The blaziken turned around, and sent two, painful, swipes into my chest with his feet. I stumbled back, regaining my breath. The blaziken ran towards me with a frightening speed, drawing his claw back to infuse me with smoldering flame. I must stay calm – I took a deep breath, holding my paws out in front of me, and drew on the power of aura. I pulled my paws away from each other, my aura shaping a thin bone within my grasp. I projected one arm forward, spinning the staff to block the attack, and quickly shifted it to my other paw. I ran towards him, and slashed upwards across the blaziken's body to send him backwards. The pokemon skidded in the field, making a deep dirt track, but he kept his balance.
"Too bad you have to have someone to tell you what to do!" I barked, causing the fire pokemon to become even more hot blooded. He roared, and sent a flamethrower pulsing high into the air.
"Do not question what I am capable to do by myself!" he yelled, and charged towards me. I stepped back, and conjured one aura sphere after another, each one narrowly dodged. Despite my dislike for the attacker, I had to admit he had been well-trained. What was his trainer after? Me? Aurora? Where was she and Mandite, anyways? I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the battle. My priority is to fight at this moment – I just hope Aurora is safe. And Mandite.
That second for thought cost me greatly – I had let my guard down. The blaziken had gotten to close, and threw a well-developed, well-directed fire punch into my stomach. I fell backwards, my breath knocked from me. I winced from the sharp pain welling in my chest, and looked up to see the attacker sneering. Immediately, my emotions raged – I will not tolerate being cast in anyone's shadow. The blaziken's muscles tensed, preparing to double kick, and I closed my eyes and took a deep, calm breath. The next move required much strength and concentration.
[The aura is with me.] I chanted, and slowly maneuvered my body in a graceful motion, feeling my aura tingling and racing. The first blow touched my body, and my aura split into two forms of myself. I felt my thoughts recombine them behind the blaziken, and deliver a sharp kick across his back, streaks of blue aura serving as a signature for the move. The blaziken turned around, and flared his claws with fire; I felt the spikes on the tops of my paws fuse into steel, curving sharply into a set of vambraces. I growled, and slashed them together, making a metallic ring sounding through the air. And we charged at each other, our claws slashing in rage. I parried every move he made, and in turn I attacked. The blaziken seemed to be just as skilled with melee as I was – I jumped over his head to rake a claw down his back, and he threw his flaming talons, puncturing my shoulder. My mind was no longer thinking, just feeling the power run through me. Everything became second nature, and I felt that I had become a machine, running without thought. As every strike and blow was taken in, or clawed away, I lost track of time. I could have been fighting for days.
Another mistake – my daze had let my guard down, again. The blaziken jumped high into the air, and delivered a powerful blow, the aerial ace knocking me painfully into the ground.
"Finish him off!" the pokemon trainer commanded, and I felt myself look away to not see the triumphant gleam in those amber eyes. This would be my first faint – what would happen to me after I am unconscious? The blaziken charged at me, a fire punch ready to take me out. I winced and prepared for the fatal blow.
But it never came. I peeped open an eye, shaking, and then let them grow wide with shock and disbelief. Aurora stood strong, her eyes blazing and flaring like I have never seen before – they were incredibly bright, and leaped around so quickly, the magenta glare so intense, wild, and powerful. Her face was set in a hard expression, matching her warrior eyes with such precision, the blaziken himself was set aside with fear. Aurora had one paw clenched on a scruff, holding the blaziken, that was much larger than her, high enough so his toes brushed the ground. I felt her emotions pulsing through the air in obliterating waves of fury, so strong and so overwhelming. Aurora pulled back her free paw.
"Never," she growled in such an angry tone I have never heard, shaking the shocked pokemon, "hurt my friend in front of me." Aurora brought her paw swiftly to the blaziken's chest; bright blue light flashed underneath her palm, and the blaziken shuddered. Aurora, with a cold expression, dropped him onto the ground so that he fell onto all fours, gasping.
"Zhoke!" the pokemon trainer cried out with fear, and started to run. Suddenly, Mandite appeared out of nowhere, and held out Galaxia threateningly in front of her surprised face.
"What business do you have with us?" he demanded, his voice strong. The girl stuttered, stumbling backwards.
"Zhoke..." she whispered, gazing at her fallen blaziken. Mandite loosened his posture in confusion.
"Okay?" he wondered, "What do you mean by 'Z' okay'? Like 'it's okay'?"
"No," she whispered, "Zhoke." The trainer pointed at the blaziken, but shrank back when Mandite pointed his blade at her.
"Why did you attack us?" he interrogated, "It's not an optional question." He held the blade higher, his mask giving his desired effect of authority. Through my blurry vision, I saw her look at me, and then to Aurora, and back to me.
"Are those two mates, already?" she asked, pointing at me and Aurora. I flung my eyes wide with surprise, and my face flush with heat.
"What?" I gasped, my voice hoarse. Aurora looked equally perplexed. Mandite himself looked rather shocked.
"Oh, no, no!" he said, shaking vigorously, "they're just friends." The pokemon trainer for some reason looked a little pleased with this message.
"Well," she said, her eyes uneasily darting from Galaxia to Mandite, "I – uh – who are you?" Mandite's eyes narrowed.
"I'm Mandite," he said, "now – why did you attack us?" The girl gulped.
"I wanted to catch a lucario..." she said timidly, "But since you guys are friends... I guess I can't – I just want someone for Zhoke." She looked up at Aurora, who was looking back with wide, magenta eyes. I felt something flare in my stomach, my heart rustling its wings in rage – no one can take Aurora. Mandite sheathed his sword, to the trainer's relief.
"Do you know of any cities, by chance?" he asked. The pokemon trainer, who had dusted herself off, looked at Mandite as if he was a lunatic.
"Of course I do," she scoffed, "in fact, I was on my way to Solaceon town, myself." Something sick in my stomach warned me that Mandite was up to no good.
"Would you like to be our tour guide and lead us there?" Mandite asked. I bolted upright, surprised and unwilling. How did I know that this was going to happen? Mandite seemed to read my mind.
"Look at you," he scolded, "you need some doctor to fix you up."
"I am fine!" I cried out defiantly; and just as soon those words came out, the pain in my shoulder seared throughout my whole torso and I gasped with pain.
"Uh-huh." Mandite said, unconvinced, "You're in bad shape, bud. So unless you want to catch some nasty infection, I suggest we go find a doctor for you in the city." He turned away, his cape swishing.
"Besides," he added, "I do need a backpack." I growled in protest, ignoring the stabbing pain in my shoulder. Aurora walked over to my pained body and knelt beside me. She gently stroked my arm, easing my body from some of its torment.
[You should go see a doctor,] she suggested, [you are pretty badly beaten up.] I looked up to see her eyes flickering in concern for me, and sighed. The only person she should have to worry about is herself, so I made up my mind.
"All right," I grumbled obligingly, "we can go." Mandite exhaled sharply off in the distance.
"I never asked your opinion," he laughed, "we are going." I snorted, shaking my head. Aurora raised me to my feet, and brushed off the dirt on my back, making a shiver go up my spine.
[Can you walk?] she asked, a firm but gentle arm supporting me. I found it funny that it was my turn to be the one recuperating and she the one who is the guardian. I used my other arm to pat hers reassuringly.
[I'll be fine.] I smiled, [Don't worry.] Aurora didn't look entirely convinced, though, but she left it at that. We heard a grunt, startling us; we turned around to see Zhoke stand up, his claw over the spot where Aurora used force palm on him. He glanced at Aurora with something stirring in his amber eyes, and walked to follow his master and Mandite. I looked back at Aurora to see that she was just staring at the lone blaziken with a lost, confused daze; something in my heart felt taken aback. I nudged her in the shoulder and she snapped back to reality. Without a word to each other, we followed in silence – painful silence. What was she thinking?
... Ooh... Fighting. I can't describe it very well, though - it looked cool in my head. ^^;
I think I lied about this chapter being better than the last one... Ah well. I have to pull on my brain juices and think harder!
So, Yay or Nay? Rate and Review as always!