Well… Yeah. Not much to really say. Hope I made this battle exciting enough for you! With all due honesty, I'm gonna have, life, twenty different web tabs up to keep track of the movesets. But now it is time for a battle between past partners and crime, the "brother and sister", Silver and Vale!
Amy47101 does not own pokémon. Only her OCs Vale and Sara.
o.0.o.0.o
The Adventure Saga
Enlightening the Soul
o.0.o.0.o
Everyone has always abandoned you. Everyone hates you. All you have is me, you'll never survive without me! Unleash you inner ferocity, you worthless doll! Crush the enemy completely! My enemies are your enemies, and you are my perfect creation! They do not deserve your mercy and I expect nothing less than perfection!
Beat them down!
Strip them of every shred of dignity!
KILL THEM!
And as they lay there dying, wish them my deepest condolences and your final farewell...
o.0.o.0.o
"A word, Vale, before we begin." Silver said slowly, his Weavile already on the field, ready to fight. Vale closed her visible eye, crossing her arms and propping her chin up on her knuckles. She looked as if she was ready to contemplate his next words… Maybe consider her next actions based on what he said.
"Speak now then, Silver. Neither of us have the gift of time on our side, you know."
"I just want you to understand that I'm not leaving this place without Lyra." he reached for another pokéball. "… People are looking for you, Vale. If you back down now, I'll put in a good word to the police."
"Showing compassion to the enemy?" Vale laughed under her breath. "My, that's the last thing I ever thought I'd hear from you. What changed?"
"What does it matter?"
"Correct, it doesn't." Vale said quietly, then, slowly, a grin formed on her face, a grin that almost matched the mask covering the other half. "So understand this, Silver. You can say what you want. You can fight all you want. But the only way I'm leaving this place is if you and those dexholders stay right here!"
Silver barely had time to roll out of the way of Vale's attacks before he was bombarded. This wasn't going to be a typical battle, that he knew. This was going to be all out, pokémon verses pokémon, trainer verses trainer. He couldn't afford to let his guard down… despite the fact that he was confident that he could predict the moves her pokémon knew.
But Vale wasn't going to fight fair. She was going to manipulate everything to her advantage… And since her motive was apparently freedom-fat chance, given that Mask made the promise- she was going all out. This wasn't just going to be a battle that was hard, a battle where he was outmatched by the stronger trainer… This was a battle where every move had to count. There could be no missteps. One wrong move and he may as well have cursed not only himself, but everyone to Mask.
This was the real Vale, he realized. This wasn't any person who could act human, any person who could feel. It was like she just switched it off, like her personality split down the middle. Even when they were kids, it was evident. When they were training, she became cold and distant. Almost emotionless. All this… to impress that madman? Or was it because she wanted to get away from him? Arceus, he couldn't tell anymore.
He glanced at the opponents currently against him. Scizor should be an easy target, it was bug-steel duel, fire was it's worse nightmare. Altaria would be a good target for Weavile, but Ninetails was pensively gaurding the dragon-type. He knew his Gyrados could thrash the fire type easily, but…
Another burst of flames licked at his feet as he dodged to the side. He glanced at his pokémon and saw Typhlosian blocking another flamed attach while Weavile threw a glance at him.
Please, Silver… Trust me again.
He faltered at that, practically hearing her voice in his head.
No, this wasn't the time for hesitation! One of these pokémon must be able to use Sunny Day, a quick power up for Solar Beam and a fire-type booster. Now, was Vale going to risk powering up his Typhlosian or was she going to wait him out? His hand brushed Golbat's pokéball.
"Why so silent, Silver?"
He flinched, whipping around as he heard Vale behind him. Mid turn, something attacked him from the other side and his head snapped to the side. He massaged his jaw for only a moment, still reeling from the hit.
"No turning back now." Silver finally said, smirking. "Unfortunately, I'm not so much a gentleman that I won't hit a woman."
"Hmph. Almost like Mask." Vale spat back. Silver could feel his temper flare before he slowly exhaled. Again with the mind games.
"You're not getting the reaction you want." Silver said slowly. Before Vale could react, he brought out Golbat's pokéball and ordered Toxic. Almost immediately, Ninetails was flinching under the toxins. "You sure you still want to fight me, Vale?"
"Give me all you got, Silver. I'm not holding back!" she snapped her head up. "You say you're a dexholder? Fine! I'll beat you down like the rest of them! Scizor! Bullet Punch!"
Silver felt his breathing hitch as a barrage of steel-hard punches pummeled into his back. Hot flames nearly scorched his hair and the pokémon was gone. He heaved slightly, barely managing to get to his feet. He glanced over to the side, and through his bangs, saw Typhlosian angrily snorting like a raging tauros. Above him, Golbat was focussing on an air battle with Altaria and Weavile was on Golbat's back, trying to get in a super effective ice punch.
He had to get rid of that Ninetails. The toxic wasn't acting fast enough, it was still a threat to Weavile and Golbat, as it was now attacking both of them from the ground.
"Gyrados!"
"Now, Ninetails!"
Gyrados was barely out of it's pokéball before a beam of golden, concentrated sunlight slammed into it. Gyrados tried to hold her ground, but was quickly overwhelmed. Silver ducked his head down as Gyrados went flying overhead, sent crashing into the wall behind him. He turned back to Vale as Gyrados shakily got up. She was smirking.
"Not to effective against a Solar Beam now is it, Silver?" Silver glared at her.
"Solar Beam takes way to long to load up for Ninetails to suddenly use out of no where." he glanced up and saw a concentrated, golden ball of light. "Which one of them used Sunny Day?"
"Are you trying to figure me out? Don't even try," the words came out calmly, but those last three words border-lined an irritated snarl, as if she didn't receive the reaction she had hoped for. "You can't predict a force of destruction!"
And suddenly, there was a flurry of attacks from Vale, almost overwhelming him, almost monstrous in how quick and ruthless she was being. Almost desperately, he tried to dodge the attacks to the best of his ability, but he was only human, and no matter how much training he had, he wasn't going to be able to outrun a pokémon.
He couldn't have time to order attacks, and his pokémon looked mortified. They didn't know what to do. Among the confusion, he could practically hear Mask's laughter. No doubt the ass was chuckling his head up above him. Because here he was, running around like a pidgey with it's head cut off, trying to not get killed by his ultimate war machine.
He stepped to the left to get out of the way of Altaria when he realized his mistake. He looked to the right and immediately threw up his arm. As if that would protect him from the blistering fire blast heading his way…!
He heard a low hiss, but it wasn't his own. Lowering his arm, he could feel his mouth gape in surprise. His Nidoking stood, arm held up and blocking the flaming attack. Despite the attack not having any effect, the flames let a scorch mark and smoke sizzling up from the arm. But what really surprised him was that Nidoking let himself out of his pokéball. Nidoking looked back at him, smirking, almost as if to say 'consider this a thanks'.
"What do you have to thank me for?" he found himself muttering back. Then it hit him like a flash of lightening. Back then, in the daycare center… Even then, this pokémon popped out of his pokéball, desperate for his affection and attention...
Nidoking let out what he could only assume was a snort, and turned back to the battle. Silver let out a small smirk. On his belt, Gengar's ball twitched, then it let out with a cackle. His pokémon gathered in front of him Weavile leaping down from Crobat and standing defensively in front of him.
I've been with you since forever. I know your ins and outs… Your everything, Silver. You may not think much of us, but we've seen you change… We've watched you change. I've watched you change. I know you might not understand me when I try to talk to you… But you're our well respected trainer, and we fight to make you proud!
"I understand." Silver said slowly, standing up fully. "Weavile… I understand."
Weavile snapped her gaze to his with a startled cry, as if she was surprised by his response. Silver was quiet, staring down at her.
I won't ever admit that a pokémon is my friend, at least, not yet. I'm not like Lyra. I'm not going to shower you with affection and tell you how wonderful you are and hug and cuddle you. I'm brass and short… I lash out violently.
But… as a family… Maybe…
As if responding to his unspoken thoughts, as if sensing his feelings, Golbat suddenly began glowing. Silver glanced at the flying pokémon, eyes widening slightly.
"I will admit that my intentions are less than noble or heroic. But I have my strength because I trust my partners. And I use that strength to protect those I care about. All my strength and glory? Meaningless, if I can't even protect those I hold close."
"It's hard for people to see the change within themselves. Something must have changed for me to trust you this much. Not even Krys or Ethan knows the full story of what happened."
Leaf and Lyra's words echoed in his head as he watched the pokémons wings extend and grow. Golbat was a pokémon that evolved when it felt a high level of friendship with it's trainer.
"Crobat." Silver said, extending his hand. The pokémon fluttered down to him, allowing him to rub his head gently. No other words were said.
"Silver." he turned his gaze to Vale. She was standing with her eyes shaded, her same three pokémon, Ninetails, Altaria, and Scizor, stood beside her, waiting. "Are you ready, now?"
"I'm surprised you didn't hit me while I was distracted."
Vale was silent for a moment.
"Brother of mine, prepared to be annihilated." Silver barely caught onto that before she pointed towards his team. Flames spouted from her ninetails, swirling around them and entrapping them in a fiery circle.
"Gyrados-"
he faltered when an unfamiliar form suddenly lashed out with a glowing green blade. Gallade…?!
"Still the same. Gallade's Leaf Blade." Vale said, standing on the edges of the flames. Silver turned to his Gengar in order to take care of the new threat, but instead saw him overwhelmed by the same threat, who was using Night Slash repeatedly against the ghost type. "You're supposed to be the 'Evolver'. Specialty, create the perfect pokémon to use as tools for destruction. You should know my every move… But it seems it was the other way around…"
"I'm not going to loose!" Silver exclaimed. "Weavile-" He turned, and saw his partner being roasted, literally, by Ninetails.
"Is currently occupied with Ninetails." Vale responded simply. Grinding his teeth, Silver spoke again.
"Nidoking, help Weavile!"
As Nidoking roared and made a start towards Ninetails, Gallade suddenly whipped past him and slammed into him using Zen Headbutt. Looking back, he saw Gengar barely standing. Silver could only watch in underlying horror, as if it dawned on him how big of a mistake he truly made.
She's… She's reading me like a book. Everything I plan… She knows exactly what I'm going to do!
o.0.o.0.o
He quietly peeked into the white room of the doll with cropped hair and a bloody face. Her features were covered now with a mask, a mask he often saw the triplets wearing when they came back from a mission given by him. He watched her quietly for a moment before she snapped her head to him. He flinched, startling back and holding his hood closer around his face.
Slowly, he peeked back around the corner. She was still staring. She was so still she could easily be mistaken as a doll. Slowly, he looked around, the approached her, ever curious. This was the first time he saw another kid around his age… And he simply had to confirm if she was really a doll or not. Gently, he reached out towards the mask, then felt a hand snatch his wrist.
"Don't touch me."
He glanced down at his wrist, her hand clamped tightly around it. Suddenly, it hit him that this girl had moved and talked and he startled, flailing back. He winced when one of his long arms smacked the bedpost, sending pain straight through his funny bone.
Rubbing the arm, he whimpered. Even at the young age of nine, Father said he was going to be tall when he got older, but he didn't like it. He felt like his limbs were growing longer and he taller every day, and he kept forgetting that. So things like this, him smacking something or hitting his head always happened or suddenly being to big to fit in his favorite hiding spots anymore.
Nothing but his whimpers filled the tiny room. The girl stared at him. He glanced back at her with tears framing his eyes. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but her shoulders were tense An awkward, heavy tension filled the room. She still didn't say anything, so he spoke.
"Are you a doll or are you human?"
She slowly cocked her head to the side.
"My father said you were a defective doll. That you were broken. You saw me one day, remember? Are you doll, or human?"
"I'm… a person."
"So you are human!" he exclaimed excitedly, scrambling up next to her and touching her arm. It was cool under his warm hand. She jerked her arm back, away from him. He pouted, sitting back on his legs, bunchfuls of his shorts in his hands. He rocked back and forth for a moment, contemplating what to do next. He never met another kid, only pokémon. What was he supposed to do? "Um, how old are you?"
"...Ten."
"You're older than me!" he blurted. She slowly turned her head to him.
"...Really?"
"Yes." he nodded enthusiastically. They were talking! He was having a conversation with her! "My Father said I'm going to be really tall when I get older. I'm nine years old!"
"Nine…" she trailed off quietly.
o.0.o.0.o
Hood could feel himself trembling as he hugged himself in some form of comfort. She was so strong… She was overwhelmingly strong… She was beating his pokémon, beating them beyond what was necessary… Beating the trainer she was fighting. Yet, her pokémon…
He flinched as another explosion rocked the building, and he startled back a few steps before finally falling to his knees and heaving out small cries. Her pokémon… He couldn't understand… Her pokémon…!
"My poor son, do you see why I kept you separated?"
"Father, they're hurting…" he barely managed to gasp. This couldn't be the Vale he knew. The Vale he knew had a kind heart… The Vale he knew smiled at him and talked with him… She was never… She was never like this. "Father, let me talk to them! To her! Please, something isn't right!"
"Of course something isn't right." he snapped at him. "Look at her, she's a monster, the opposite of you. She is everything you stand against."
Hood could feel his head and stomach reeling, not only from the conflicting messages that he was receiving, but also with how insistent his father was on trying to prove his point right. But, way back when he was only a child, he could remember… A little girl with black cropped hair and a mask, defensive… Then running into her again, countless times at random… Solidifying their friendship, his first human friend…
"Listen," his Father kneeled down in front of him, placing his hands on his shoulders. "A lot of things in this world isn't right. I accepted Vale into our organization because she showed potential. She showed potential to be a top knight, but she abused her power and is what she is now. She let it go to her head, she hurts and destroys everything. She is going to hurt and destroy you, and everything you stand for. She is the anti-you."
"Then why… why keep her around? If she's so destructive… So malfunctioned… Why… Why is she here?"
"Because I care about her, just as I care about you. I believe she can be rehabilitated. I want to fix her." he glanced back at the window, as if forlorn over the young woman below them. "Unfortunately, she turned into the perfect example for you. This is why you cannot trust humans. They have hidden motives, they manipulate, they hurt, they steal. The break down others so they can build upon their skill and glory."
As if to punctuate his point, another explosion wracked the room.
"Humans are never your friends, they only want to use you as they see fit, then cast you aside. Do you understand, now?"
He could only manage a mute nod.
"I am truly sorry."
Those words followed him as he left the room, shoulders shaking. Once he was sure that he was a good distance away from his father, a good distance away from the battle, he kneeled down in a corner, head in his knees, and wept. Wept for the pokémon that cried in the battle below him, wept for the voices that assaulted his ears, begging to help their trainers, to help, help them leave this place. He wept for the pokémon the red-haired boy was using, sobbing at their newly discovered trust in him, their need to protect him. He cried for Vale and her partners. For out of all the pokémon, their cries were perhaps the most desperate. Desperate for help for not only themselves, but their trainer.
But out of all the things he wept the most for, it was how own, conflicting emotions right now. His father had never once led him astray, had never been wrong about anything. But he couldn't help but think how wrong he was about Vale.
o.0.o.0.o
Vale watched silently as Silver struggled to find leeway in her attacks.
Hurt your opponents. Kill them if you have too. Because I am all you have and all you will ever have.
Knowing Silver's pokémon and personality allowed her to predict his every move. She may be attacking wildly, but Silver was being overwhelmed. What does it matter that he probably knew her movesets? He couldn't predict her, no one ever could. Everything, from her point of view, was going according to plan.
She paused. Silver managed to put the fire out. A familiar chuckling echoed in the battlefield.
"So, Silver. Enjoying this?"
"Mask…" Silver growled, standing up as Vale's pokémon dashed back to her, standing defensively, waiting. She knew she better not make a move while he was speaking.
"You wanted nothing more than to be strong, right? Stronger than the rest. Well, tell me. What is it like fighting against my greatest creation to date? My ultimate war machine, my Destroyer?"
A deep chuckle.
"Even against other trainers, humans, she attacks mercilessly! She wants only to win! She yearns only for the praise that comes with victory! To crush anything I deem in my way! She'll do anything in order to get what I want… Anything to please me! Do you think that she was still your sister, Silver? Did you think she would show you any mercy? She has no more emotions than a doll!"
A maddening cackle.
"This is the real Vale! The Vale I created, the doll of destruction!"
Vale stared stoically at Silver, and for a moment, it looked like Mask's words got to him. She wondered what he was thinking. She wanted to know. Because no matter what, something about the crying boy that she held so many different times still resonated with her. Her little brother… Did he ever think of her as a sister?
That's right, Silver. This… is me.
"Mask found me when I was young and alone in the world. He raised me as a machine. Everyone he brought to me contributed, including you, Silver. You were a means to an end, a tool meant to create me."
"Shut the hell up." Silver spat, eyes shaded. "Doll of destruction this and greatest creation that…" he heaved a sigh as he rose a little more, as if his bones were breaking under the weight. Vale could honestly imagine the strain; her Scizor's bullet punches were hardly merciful. "I'm sick of it all! There's a girl here, if she was battling… She would say that none of it matters at all! Because regardless of being weak or strong, regardless of strategy, regardless of anything, she would fight you as a friend and a fellow trainer, then comfort you even if you lost! I'm here fighting for her! And if Vale's strategy is to crush me completely, I'll just have to beat her all the same!"
Vale stared at him for moment, actually surprised. Considering the terrified, brash, cold boy she knew previously, and watched over the course of this journey, this show of compassion was surprising.
She bowed her head for a moment, suppressing a smile. She… was proud of him. She was happy he found a reason to fight, happy that he cared about someone other than himself. Maybe, somewhere, he still held a little compassion for her. Her…
"...little brother…" she muttered under her breath.
"Vale! Stay focused!"
She flinched at Mask's harsh voice.
"You're showing compassion for him?! After he used you and abandoned you?! I still have that Sandshrew with me, and if you refuse to do as I say, then you know it's life is the price!"
"So you were using a bargaining chip…" Silver hissed under his breath, staring up at the window Mask was using to observe the battle. Vale glanced over her opponent. The only two that really posed any real threat was Weavile and Typhlosian. Gengar was done and Nidoking was on his knees. That left his Gyrados and Crobat. Her Naintails… Naintails was done. She couldn't fight anymore, the toxins took their toll.
Returning the fire-type, she glanced over the other pokémon she had out. Scizor was probably limited on the moves he could use. Altaria looked tired from the constant the flying and dodging, but Gallade was on his toes. However, she still had Umbreon and Frosslass safe in their pokéballs. Silver had pulled back his Gengar and Nidoking.
"CRUSH SILVER!"
She raised an arm slightly to order an attack. Best course of action would be to take down Crobat before it poisoned any of her other pokémon.
"Vale, I used to be like you."
She paused.
"I used to fight mercilessly. I used to cause more harm to my pokémon than I did good because of it. They were scared of me."
"They… They aren't scared of me!"
She could feel her emotions getting riled up at that. Her pokémon didn't fear her… Even through everything, she took care of them! She tried, with all she was worth.
"Weren't you the one who referred to my role as having to create the 'perfect tools for destruction'? Is that what they are to you? Tools?"
"No, they…" her words caught. She did refer to them as tools before, didn't she? But… But that didn't mean they were afraid! But what she was saying and what she was thinking was contrasting so greatly… Arceus, which thoughts and beliefs were hers?
"But do they like attacking and hurting other people? Do you enjoy this, Vale?"
She hesitated. Faltered.
"I…"
"VALE!" Mask roared, clearly bothered by her lack of action. "DO IT!"
"...Yes sir." she turned to Gallade. "Gallade-"
Suddenly, Weavile shot past her and slashed at Gallade. She barely registered what happened, what move the pokémon had used. Whatever it was, though, it hit Gallade hard. As she opened her mouth to order a counterattack, Weavile hopped back and Crobat swooped in with it's wings glowing. She recognized toxic, and cursed as Altaria became afflicted.
She was at a complete loss. Before she could order an attack, his pokémon were moving without an order. She never encountered a pokémon that moved without their trainers orders without it being a frenzy like her own. But these seemed to be planned, an unspoken word that only Silver and his pokémon could understand. The only time she encountered that before was when Mask had her battle…
It's like he adopted the methods that Leaf Green used.
Suddenly, her irritation piqued. Leaf Green… Because she lost to her, Mask had taken her pokémon and ordered everyone to ignore her for a week. And as if to further rub it in, Hood was gone. While she prayed he didn't know about that friendship, the fact that he was gone for that week indicated something.
I hate being ignored. I hate being alone. And the fact that he is mimicking that womans tactics…!
"Do you think copying the Champion will make you stronger?!" she snapped to him. "You can't imitate strength like that! You only get strong through training, and the strong rise above the weak!"
Since when was Silver calling the shots?! My projections are falling apart! This silence between them is ruining any calculations I had! And nothing I say is affecting him at all! Why…? Why…?!
"Those were questions I asked myself. And my answer was… My answer was yes, I liked hurting people because it made me feel great. I liked crushing my opponents."
Silver said this after a moment longer. Gallade had fallen. Scizor had managed to take care of Crobat between a flurry of attacks, but that barely helped as what she assumed was his strongest pokémon were still standing. Typhlosian rushed forward and she shouted Altaria to cut him off before he attacked Scizor. Her dragon pulse barely made it in time, and Scizor stepped forward exchanging blows before they skidded back in front of their respective trainers. Vale couldn't tell what was going on, but suddenly, she was left with her badly poisoned Altaria.
"For as long as I could remember, I've been hurt and left behind." Silver finally said. "I hated being controlled, so I found semblance in controlling my pokémon and people around me. But… Vale, people did help me. That same Champion that you speak of, the one who fills you with such rage and hate… I lost to her too, and she said something to me. She told me that I was stunting my pokémon's growth because they were more afraid of me than they were of their opponent. For that, they hesitated. Even then, I didn't want to trust them, but… Vale, do you understand this change you see didn't just happen when I encountered Leaf? It was solidified then. Because, all through that journey, up to that point, I was changing because of a girl who held her arms open wide for me and considered everyone a part of her family."
He let out a sigh. He too faltered, as if trying to piece together his words.
"Vale, the reason I'm fighting now is because of something I've only ever felt from you, and that was love. I'm not good at expressing my words, and I hate trying to explain what I'm feeling. You… You cared then, didn't you?" he paused. "Vale, when I escaped and started fending for myself, I learned to survive. And I forgot what it meant to have someone care. But Lyra changed that. And she helped me have faith in humanity again."
He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking off to the side.
"Unlike me, Vale, you always had a heart. And it makes me hate that man all the more that he beat it out of you."
"Don't talk to me like I'm a good person." Vale snapped back at him.
Don't make this harder for me than it is.
She pulled out two more pokéballs.
"Silver, that world has made you weak!" with a flourish, she let out Froslass. "Love? Faith in humanity? All ploys and tricks to make you feel secure!"
Silver simply closed his eyes.
"I though that too."
"I don't need it! I… I-I-"
"You thrive off attention, Vale. You live to be praised. You're desperate for anything that will get you just a small compliment."
He opened his eyes, his look… Almost fond. Almost like he knew something that she didn't. And she knew that he was thinking about Lyra. Trusting, naive Lyra. Pure-hearted, chosen one of Ho-oh…
"I'm not one to talk about love or affection, but Vale, if you had one person who cared about you, you wouldn't need to break your spine to get something that Mask will never give you."
Shut up.
"Give up, Vale."
I won't.
"My trust in my pokémon… while having just formed fully maybe a month or two ago, instantly gives me an advantage over you. You can't predict what they're going to do because I'm not ordering them to do anything. I can trust they'll make the decisions I need them to make… So you'll loose."
She ground her teeth together.
"As if! Silver, I am the Destroyer! I will annihilate you! Your life is meaningless! You're useless! You… You…!"
"You're having trouble being the cold executive, aren't you? You're having trouble because you hold onto memories." a pause. "You called me 'brother' earlier, didn't you?"
She flinched, bowing her head.
"Scizor. Froslass." she spat. The pokémon nodded and brought their gazes forward to their opponent, dashing forward and attacking. Vale watched from the sidelines as Silver struggled to dodge. Altaria, down. Froslass froze the ground. Scizor attacked. Gyrados, down. Silver, was stuck, frozen to the ground. Scizor sped towards him and began assaulting his body with punches. The noises were blocked out. Silver went flying, coughing and hacking. A vivid red dribbled from his lip.
Typhlosian and Weavile stood in front of their trainer defensively. His words echoed in her head. She paused, focusing on Silver. Out of all the people… She never expected such words from him.
"Silver, who am I?" she finally murmured, staring at her hands. "What am I?"
"VALE!" Mask practically roared. "What are you doing?! Are you letting what he says get to you?! Do you think he will help you?! You are a monster! Unleash your ferocity, your rage against every person who ever wronged you! Do you think your enemies deserve your mercy?! How could you even understand it?! You are a freak without a human heart! You are alone in the world! Friendship, love, faith… it's just an illusion! No one will help you, no one will care for you! After all…"
His voice was calm as he spoke his next words.
"Not even your own parents desired you. No one would ever waste their so-called 'love' on you."
"Don't listen to him." Silver groaned as he stood. "Vale, if someone could be nice… enough to love… and believe in me… then…"
Typhlosain cried out as he blocked Scizor from hitting him.
"Ha ha! Excellent! My perfect little doll! When you tried to run away that day, Vale, I thought you were a waste of my time. Every act of defiance made me think the same thing, over and over again. But you will always be… A true force of destruction!"
Vale kept her gaze focused solely on her hands. These hands...
I remember something from when I was really, really young. Before Mask. It was fuzzy, like a dream. I was trapped in the hustle and bustle of a thousand children, their faces and voices blurs to me. Despite being surrounded by people. I was… alone. But a man with dark hair was celebrating something… and his family gave me a Sandshrew. He taught me that pokémon were my friends… And if I treated them with kindness, they would not only work hard for me, but they'd give me unconditional love in return.
And I felt that love the minute I held Sandshrew in my arms… And tried to pass along that same love as I cradled Silver in the corner and to calm him down. And I would smile with him and hold him and talk about all sorts of things to make him smile. And it made me so happy when he did, because he very rarely smiled.
But I…
"Again!" she cried out, as if hoping that each attack would force Silver down. His pokémon kept getting in the way, so she just had Scizor and Froslass beat them down too. Silver crashed into the ground. Vale was panting like she ran a marathon.
I knew that those same hands had done horrible things. My hands are stained red, and no pretending could ever fix it. I was a machine in the making. A beast that thrived for success. No matter what I wished or what I ever planned, I would always be… Masks puppet, attached to his strings! And no matter what, I would only ever be good a destruction!
Silver didn't get up from the last hit. Weavile was barely standing next to him Typhlosian was struggling to get up.
"Silver, can't you see this is war?! I'm Masks greatest creation, a war machine!"
"You have no clue what you're talking about." Silver spat back. Between wheezing and coughs, he got to his knees. "It's nonsense."
"Wh-What…"
"Do you want to know how I know that?" he looked her straight in the eye. "You're crying, Vale."
Sure enough, a tears were dribbling down her visible cheek. She reached up and touched the small stream, opening her mouth slightly. She hadn't cried in years…
"Vale, I don't cry. I haven't in years. I've never cried because I'm to cold to care." he pointedly looked up at Mask. "Don't you get it? Vale… has a good and kind heart. She likes her pokémon… They're her friends and she doesn't want to hurt them. And it hurts her emotionally to hurt them and to force them to hurt other people. She can battle, sure, but Vale is never going to be what you want her to be."
He turned his attention back to Vale.
"If anything, I'm more suited towards being a war machine. Vale can't separate her feelings, she's attached emotionally. Which is why she's fighting for Sandshrew. Anyone who took the time to talk to her would see that. Her pokémon, Sara, and me."
Sara… That name… Sara…?
"WHAT?! What is this?! Vale, are you…" he trailed off, as if checking something. "DAMN IT ALL! PROTON, WHERE IS THAT DAMNED SANDSHREW?!"
A faint murmur of a response.
"I swear, if that boy took it…"
And at that moment, Vale realized that Mask didn't have Sandshrew anymore. The relief was so strong that she simply fell to her knees. But another realization dawned on her. 'That boy' could only be Hood, there were no others. But if Hood took Sammy, then that also meant that she saw her at her absolute worst. Her lips quivered as she curled in on herself then and there.
There was a small pop and a fuzzy nose brushed against her cheek. She glanced off to the side, and saw Umbreon nudging her face, then cautiously licking her cheek. That made the tears fall all the more.
"I resign." she choked out, hugging Umbreon for all she was worth. She looked up, surprised to find tears were falling from her other eye, trapped within the mask and running along her lips. With all due honesty, she was surprised it could still produce the salty substance, if nothing else. "Silver, little brother, I'm done. I resign! You win!"
o.0.o.0.o
So, yeah. I tried to make this battle as emotionally charged as possible. It was supposed to demonstrate Silver's evolution through his journey as well as the splintering personality and facade that Vale has. Vale herself is just as confused with who she is, and while she's got Silver telling her that she's a good person, she's got Mask telling her she's a bad person.
All in all, what Silver says is essentially true. Vale is a good person who wants attention and freedom, but is seeking it from the wrong person. So while Vale is not only battling her inner self, she's also fighting to retrieve her Sandshrew, Sammy. With that, Silver is trying to convince her that she needs attention from only one person to make it all worth it, and Mask isn't that person.
Basically, Silver's full line at the end there was supposed to be "Vale, if someone could be nice enough to love and believe in me, then there's someone out there who can do the same for you."
Amy47101 signing off! ^.^