REVERSE/REBIRTH: ESPIO'S TALE
Tomo the Chameleon © Kiba Sniper
Chapter Twelve: The Next Round
Last time on Reverse/Rebirth:
Growing curious from Mephiles' extended silence, Espio tried to question him for answers. But his attempts ended in vain, leaving the dark chameleon unnerved. And when he finally reached the next memory, he was rendered defenseless with his loss over the control of darkness. The Hero of Darkness managed to survive long enough with the assistance of Deathwing and Jet to claim victory. Mephiles revealed that it was he who suppressed Espio's darkness in order to prove that the dark chameleon needed the power more than he thought.
The scene opens within Oracle's sanctuary – the dark and bleak room of the unknown corridors. The prophetic jackal was once again staring off into space with his unusual eyes shining against the shadow. Suddenly, Oracle's spine stiffed in equal amounts of shock and horror. Not a moment following, Erazor appeared across from his parent through the portal of darkness. There was an awkward moment of silence between them until...
"Is it who I think it is?" Oracle questioned.
"It is Temwow." Erazor nodded.
"Temwow..." Oracle said thoughtfully. "Oh! You mean Mewtwo. Judging by the way you speak of him in his true name, he has either betrayed the Order....or has been slain. But as I can no longer feel his presence, my guess would be the latter."
"It was Terro who had done the deed." Erazor informed.
"Yes, I thought I felt him nearby." Oracle said in disgust. "I find the situation vulgar and deplorable. Agents of the Order striking each other down. But I can't help but wonder if this was possible set up by someone.....superior."
"The real problem is Sonic." Erazor stated coolly. "Temwow proved to be no match for him, yet he is still under Kumori's control."
"But we cannot eliminate Sonic, can we?" Oracle said sarcastically.
"I know what you are thinking." Erazor replied sternly. "For the Order's goal, it is essential that we do not lose the Hero of Light. But when light loses its path, we may have use for the darkness. What we must do is learn how to obtain that darkness."
"Espio..." Oracle said thoughtfully. "Of course...."
"I shall offer to capture him myself." Erazor proclaimed.
"But you know he won't come willingly." Oracle stated.
"That is why we have to make sure he won't resist." Erazor smirked.
The scene alternates to the fourth basement floor beneath the main entrance of the castle. Deathwing scuttled across the polished floor eagerly as it waited for its master to follow. Espio too cautious steps across he reached the top of the stairway, hoping to see someone that would point him in the right direction. After the disastrous affair in the previous memory, the dark chameleon would even welcome Tomo or Mewtwo. The Hero of Darkness was lost in his thought for a while until Deathwing started nipping at his glove.
"Oh, sorry, boy." Espio said lightly to the thestral. "Just spaced out for a moment."
"You seem to do that a lot as of recent." Mephiles said menacingly.
"Oh, it's you." Espio sneered. "Will ever have a moment without you bothering me?"
"I can think of one way." Mephiles said.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in selling my soul." Espio grimaced. With Deathwing pattering at his side, the dark chameleon approached the blank door and removed his last card. "Well, buddy, only one card left. Do you think, if we make it through, I can find a way to break free from the darkness."
"I highly doubt it." Mephiles interjected.
"I wasn't talking to you!" Espio snarled.
Deathwing snapped its jaws at the ceiling, most likely performing its version of a yell. At least Espio felt confident that he had one friend to defend him. The Hero of Darkness approached the door with his card and raised it above. The door creaked open loudly and the dark chameleon pushed forward into the light
---Budokai---
When the light cleared away from their vision, the dark duo felt miniscule compared to their surroundings. Espio and Deathwing had walked into the center of, what appeared to be, a large stadium. There were stands that rose with each step on either side of the coliseum with an entrance at each end. The Hero of Darkness and his pet stood silently in the center ring, taking in the appearance of their new surroundings.
"Hey, I remember this place." Espio said aloud. "I remember watching Sonic fight Goku in the Saiyan Cup."
"Such a pointless memory." Mephiles stated.
"If I recall correctly," Espio said smugly. "It was because of the tournament that allowed Sonic to beat you."
"Think what you will, but that hedgehog won through mere luck." Mephiles said angrily. "Had it not been for the Higher Powers, that rodent would have perished with the worlds following."
"Someone's a bit moody that they lost." Espio grinned; Deathwing gave a throaty screech. "See, even a thestral knows."
"You defiant..."
"It's about time you showed up!"
Espio, summoning the Soul Eater out of reaction, turned to the sound with Deathwing snarling at his side. Another one of Espio all-too-familiar enemies nonchalantly stepped forward with her hands held behind him. He was a tall man – twice as tall as normal – with wild black hair that was tied in the back. He wore white baggy pant with a red robe tied around his waist and kept in place by a golden belt buckle. These effects were added with his standard boots, golden necklace with matching golden crown and gauntlets, each encrusted with a jade opal. His appearance recalled all Espio encounters with him - mostly the time he mocked the dark chameleon.
"Broly..." Espio said coolly. "This is unexpected. Normally I have to hunt the villain down."
"Well, I just got tired of waiting." Broly shrugged. "I figured the sooner I find you, the sooner I kill you."
"Aren't we going to exchange some witty banter before we start?" Espio commented surprisingly. "So far, you're not playing the role of the villain very well."
"Less talk, more fight." Broly said shortly.
Legendary Super Saiyan: Broly
The Hero of Darkness jumped to one side as the monstrous powerhouse jumped forward and smashed his fist through the arena floor. But before Espio could land properly on the ground, the Legendary Super Saiyan ripped up a tile and shot it directly into the chameleon's chest. As Espio skidded across the arena and out into dirt on his back, Broly opened his palm and began gathering a cluster of energy. But at the last moment, Deathwing came to the rescue and snapped its jaws over Broly's wrist. It might not have been enough to cause pain to the Super Saiyan, but the shock prevented him from releasing his attack.
"You filthy inbreed." Broly glared, grabbing the thestral by its bony tail. "You are just a nuisance"
"Yeah, but a useful one."
Broly looked over his shoulder to the right, spying the dark chameleon jumping overhead. Broly released the thestral foal and drove his fist for the Hero of Darkness. Give his natural ability to adapt in battle, Espio curved backwards in midair and watched the saiyan's fist soar overhead. After the danger had temporarily passed, the dark chameleon twisted his leg around and forced Broly's arm away. With the Legendary Super Saiyan distracted, Espio swung his other leg around and slammed it into Broly's neck. The evil warrior staggered backwards, clutching the place where he had been struck, as Espio landed safely on his feet.
"You damn lizard!" Broly hissed painfully. "You may have been lucky so far, but that shall soon end!"
"Wait..." Espio thought suspiciously. "Something isn't right."
"What is your problem?" Mephiles questioned. "You are defeating this fool with minimal effort."
"That's the problem." Espio stated. "The Broly I knew was never this slow or easily hurt. Last time I heard from him, he nearly wiped out an entire planet. It's almost as if he was being controlled or something."
It was only when Deathwing began hissing did the Hero of Darkness break free from his thoughts. When Espio returned his attention back to the Legendary Super Saiyan, he thought an eclipse was taking place. He was greatly shocked when he learned that had ripped out an entire section of the stands and threw it overhead. Without being given the time to move, Espio quickly whipped out three cards from his gauntlet and watched them fade into darkness. That very same darkness clustered around the blade of the Soul Eater, intriguing the Hero of Darkness.
"Well, that's new." Espio commented.
"How about you stop gawking and start moving!" Mephiles exclaimed.
The Seeker of Darkness made his point, which continued to ring in his skull. Shaking his head slightly, the dark chameleon jumped into the path of the stands and cut his Soul Eater across the stone. In a miraculous display of power, the stands were shredded into two pieces that seem to hover on either side of the warrior. Through the gape of the broken section, Espio watched Broly's horrified expression. Now he knew something was wrong. Though he wasn't sure if it was voluntary or not, but Espio thrusted his palm forward and shot the two sections backwards to its original position. Acting only on instinct, Broly raised his arms in defense as the two parts crashed over his body. Espio landed safely back on his feet with Deathwing yipping behind him.
"That was easier than expected." Mephiles said suspiciously.
"Perhaps a little too easy." Espio commented.
"Perhaps you were right about him." Mephiles conceded. "Even though he was merely a pawn, I have never known that monkey to be defeated without at least ripping off an enemy's limb."
"Then what could be...?"
Whatever question he had left, he was quickly answered as the rubble of the stands began to move. Broly's battered and bruised body managed to push hard enough to break free from the rocky prison, but something was different about him. His arms remained limped at his sides, his mouth was wide in terror, and his pupils had vanished entirely. Then suddenly, a wisp grey smoke escaped from the Saiyan mouth and Broly dropped to the ground – dead. Deathwing stared hungrily at the Saiyan corpse while its master was occupied by the smoke cloud forming in the sky.
"Is this another one of your Heartless?" Espio questioned nervously, drawing the Soul Eater to eyelevel.
"This is no Heartless." Mephiles stated. "But I have a suspicion."
The smoke cloud dropped closer to ground by a few feet before taking a more physical shape. The grey-skinned upper body was more of a human shape with black shackles on its wrists, but the head could pass off for a dragon's. It had no lower body, but instead a tail of heavy smoke. A black jagged line rest beneath the symbol on its chest: an upside-down heart with a spiked cross on top.
"What is that thing?" Espio asked hesitantly. "I can't feel any darkness inside it."
"That doesn't surprise me." Mephiles said coolly. "The Necromancers are a particularly lethal species."
"You know this Heartless?!" Espio exclaimed.
"As I said before." Mephiles said. "This is not a Heartless."
Espio didn't have time to figure out the riddle of Seeker of Darkness. He was watching the creature known as the Necromancer intently, only to stare in awe as the grey-skinned monster fade into thin air. At first, the Hero of Darkness suspected that it may have used some version of teleportation or super speed. But that wasn't until Espio felt two invisible forces press into his shoulder and lift him off the ground. Espio tried to fight back, but stopped at once as soon as he felt his energy beginning to slip away from his body. Deathwing watched its master worriedly for a moment until Espio dropped his Soul Eater on the ground. He was in trouble. Without pause, the reptilian beast jumped up and snapped its jaws over the air and was fortunate to find something. At once, the Necromancer's body was once again visible and unwillingly dropped Espio on the ground.
"Good boy...Deathwing." Espio panted tiredly.
"You stupid reptile." Mephiles sneered intensely. "How could you have fallen so easily?"
"Excuse me for not being familiar with a phantasm monster." Espio retorted.
As the Hero of Darkness slowly crawled up to its knees, he watched Deathwing trying to fight back with the Necromancer. The thestral foal slipped across the unknown creature's body like a snake, making it more difficult for the dragon-headed monster to capture. Unfortunately, as Deathwing crawled along its back, the Necromancer grabbed its bony tail and presented it in front. The two beasts glared at one another until the grey-skinned creature lifted Deathwing to the jagged line on its chest. Now imagine Espio's surprise when the jagged line ripped apart to reveal a second mouth. The Necromancer remained motionless as the thestral foal squirmed in its hands. Nothing happened.
"What's it doing?" Espio questioned.
"As I recall it, the Necromancers were known as the soul stealers." Mephiles explained. "They serve the one called the Cursed Spirit and have a reputation for sneaking up on its opponents and sucking the life from their bodies. Your little pet is safe because there is no life for it to steal."
"There is a special talent called the Reaction Command." Mephiles answered.
"How do I use it?" Espio asked.
"It is a natural instinct." Mephiles sighed. "You don't 'use it', you feel it."
The Necromancer, growing impatient with its current pray, tossed Deathwing to one side. The soul stealing monster turned its attention back the Hero of Darkness and once again lifted him off the ground by his shoulders. Once returned to its regular position, it ripped open its second mouth once again. This time, Espio could see the white aura that represented his soul slowly being sucked into the creature's chest. Espio tried with all his might to activate the fabled Reaction Command, but to no avail. From this point, Espio could feel that at least half his life had been sucked away.
"Don't try to fight it." Mephiles said. "Remember, you must feel it."
"Feel it..." Espio muttered weakly. "What do I have to lose?"
The dark chameleon finally stopped resisting and allowed his soul to be absorbed by the Necromancer. At first, it seemed like the grey-skinned monster was on the path to victor. But then the white aura had transformed to a deathly black – this turned the tide. The Necromancer appeared to be chocking on the black aura, but couldn't cut off the connection. The soul stealing monster's body began to rapidly expand towards its breaking point until it exploded with a blast of dark energy. Espio landed securely on the ground – his life was once again restored. Immediately following, a black card appeared before the Hero of Darkness and he took it. But instead of finding the face of the Necromancer, he discovered the card had actually belonged to Broly, who was possessed from the beginning. Not bother to question it, Espio placed the card in his gauntlet.
Broly: Defeated
"Man, that was incredible." Espio said amazingly.
"That was the power of darkness." Mephiles said quickly. "It was..."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Espio said exasperatedly. "I couldn't have survived without the darkness. The darkness is the only path left for me to continue. Yeah, you might want to consider making a few changes in your speech."
"Say what you might, chameleon." Mephiles said frustrated. "But you will turn to me eventually."
"We'll see about that." Espio glared. "But one question does come to mind: how did you know about the Necromancer?"
This was one of the few times that Mephiles willingly cut off their connection. Espio felt Deathwing's head nudge against his forearm and smiled down at his partner while petting him. A moment later, the blank door of Castle Oblivion appeared at the end of the arena, signaling the end of the memory. While the thestral foal happily skipped towards the door, Espio remained behind for a moment to think things over. Where did the Necromancer come from? How did it get into his memory? And who was the one that sent it. But upon hearing Deathwing's impatient shrieks, Espio was brought back to reality.
"Ok, ok, I'm coming." Espio laughed.
A new threat emerges from the shadow. How long have Oracle and Erazor been watching their progress? Will the two unknown members intervene with Espio's mission? And how much does Mephiles known about these events? Find out on the next Reverse/Rebirth!
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