Author's Corner. (A LETTER TO RIOLUTAE.)
Dear Riolutae,
THANK YOU!
LOVE, THE CAST.
DISCLAIMER: SLY DOESN'T OWN POKEMON. ELSE THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A HEARTBREAKING DEATH BY NOW!
"It is impossible for the innocent soul to bear complete malice or hatred for another, no matter how grievous the sin done unto it. In an attempt to preserve that innocence, the guilty, tattered soul shall take the burden, the anger, the shame upon itself such that they shall remain fresh unto the beast."
Mistralton City, Unova Region.
The world was silent.
Skyla felt nothing at first, but as short trails of red leaked from the 10 inch wide claymore dead center in her chest, it slowly dawned on her that she had just stabbed and with a gasp at the rushing pain, she fell back and landed right into White's outstretched arm.
"Sky...la?" White muttered, staring in disbelief at the long hilt of the treacherous weapon. "SKYLA!"
"Nice throw, Joid. I never knew there was an antique store nearby that sold those kinds of things."
From in front, short steps were heard and the group looked up to see Alphinia, uninjured, staring back at them with Joid beside her in a throwing position. Somehow or the other, his arms had appeared back on his torso but that was beside the point for the time being.
"You're supposed to be injured," Scarlet speculated and eyed the Natu on her head. "Unless it was another psychic projection...Damn it!"
"Hmph, you should've killed me while you had the chance, Talentless. Maybe you'd have paid more attention to Joid after that," the blonde remarked with a yawn. "Don't bother pulling out that sword. Her heart's probably skewered by now and she'd bleed to death either way."
"How could you?" White cried, tears forming at her eyes. "Haven't you hurt her enough?"
Scarlet crouched down and gave the hilt a small tug. Stuck tight, damn that's deep.
"Can you do something about it, Scarlet?" the trainer demanded. "Maybe you can use that regenerator thing?"Her shoulders dropped however as he shook his head slowly.
"You'd need a pokemon with the regenerator ability for that. And I don't see an Audino in sight..."
White twisted her head left and right in an effort to find any of such pokemon. None. The battered street was empty.
"We should get her to a PC! Maybe they can help?" she asked only to be met with a harsh chuckle.
"Moving her would only make it worse and besides, she doesn't look like she's gonna make it past 5 minutes," Alphinia stated and crossed her arms. "Just leave her to die. That's the best you can do right now."
"How can you say that? Don't you have any shred of remorse for what you just did?" the trainer muttered, holding tighter to the gasping Skyla.
"Hey, hey, who cares? If anything, you should be thanking us for ridding the world of one more worthless piece of trash."
Scarlet's fist unknowingly tightened and Jolteon growled fiercely at the unfazed knight. Both hunter and pokemon had the word BITCH plastered to their lips.
"Worthless...?" the trainer echoed lowly. "Worthless? How dare you-"
"...White..."
Said girl looked down and her tears started to cloud her vision at Skyla's heart-wrenching smile that struggled to mask the unbearable pain washing over her paling frame.
"S-she's right...in a sense..."
White shook her head fiercely. "That's not true!"
White shook her head fiercely. "That's not true!"
"Yeah...right...I lost my childhood friend cos I was weak...I spent eight years trying to get over a guy I liked...I put my life on hold...just so I could drown myself in self-misery...Kinda worthless...don't you think...?"
Again, White gave another violent shake of the head. "Not Worthless! Everyone gets emotionally injured especially after what you went through! It's just that some heal faster than others and no one blames you for shutting down after all that..."
Despite the pain, Skyla chuckled and brushed the girl's teary face lightly.
"You've...always got the right things to say...whenever you're cheering someone up...Black was right...you're just to innocent for this world..." Her fingers traced the teary trails on White's cheeks. "I'm...pretty sure seeing me in this state will haunt your nightmares for a while... Dang...should've taken down that sword-collecting store when I had the chance..."
Scarlet chewed his lip. How in hell could she joke about the thing sticking through her at this point in time? Looks like her old self had to come back at some point.
"Look...White...I'm pretty much done for here...so I need to tell you some things...before I go..."
"You're not going-" The girl stopped as a gloved finger pressed against her trembling lips. Alphinia, on the other hand, scowled.
"Last words from the dying bug?" she sneered and Joid reared up suddenly. "That'll take too long. I say, let the dumb broad die."
At that moment, Joid rushed towards the group again but stumbled back as a purple fist clobbered his skull from below. Before he knew it, Scarlet and Jolteon smashed his face in with a signboard and a Double Kick respectively. The boy flew into the wall nearby and screamed as the steel post was shoved through his abdomen, pinning him to the building. Alphinia barely had time to react before another STOP sign rammed into her face and sent her into another car.
"I'd shut the fuck up if I were you," the hunter growled fiercely, resting the long sign over his shoulder. "I'm kinda pissed for no reason and I'm seriously gonna kill if I hear one more word from you."
"Thanks...Scarlet..." Skyla muttered and Scarlet looked away, saying, "Don't mention it."
"White..." she started, squeezing the girl's hand. "I'd...never believed that I could...get over this...I still had some doubts...even after all you did for me...and I apologize..."
"It's okay, I understand..." White mumbled with a sniffle.
"I'm grateful that...you still had it in you...to stop me...from doing something I'd regret. Still kinda strange...how the adult got scolded by the child...but that's besides the point. I want you to know...that you're the best trainer...shopper...and sister...that I never had...Sorry we can't have that gym battle...but if you ask me...reshaping a broken redhead...is as good as any battle..."
Reaching a shaky hand to her wing-shaped hair ornament, the gym leader took the shiny metal off, letting the rest of her long red locks fall loosely around her back. She extended the piece towards White who stared at it before realizing that that was the Jet Badge itself.
"But, I can't accept it," she said, shaking her head slowly. "It's not like you're really gonna die right? We'll get you to that PC in no time, then we'll have our battle and I'll win it fair and square-"
"White," Scarlet cut in, shaking his head slowly.
"Optimistic as ever..." Skyla remarked, pushing the badge into the girl's hand. "It's okay...after all that went down...you deserve this..."
Metal scraped and Alphinia tore herself out of the damaged car, hissing as blood poured from an open wound in her side.
"That hurt," she growled, eyes blazing red. "That really, really hurt..." On cue, Joid busted through the wall and lunged at Scarlet, knocking them both far from the girls. Jolteon barked in frustration before following his master. He was stopped however as Hydreigon rammed a head into his side. Thoroughly annoyed, the lightning pokemon deviated and attacked the dragon ferociously.
That Hydreigon fainted if I recall, Scarlet remarked as he and Joid tousled on the tarmac. No matter how many times we beat it, it still keeps coming back. Like a regenerator or something...
The hunter back-tracked. Regenerator! Maybe that mutant lizard could be of some use!
"Get the fuck off me!" Scarlet suddenly shouted, pushing the freak far off his chest. Stumbling to his feet, the ravenette took off towards the unsuspecting pokemon. A little way from it, he felt something grab his ankle and slipped on one knee painfully. Looking back, his face ticked as Joid held tightly to his leg.
Drawing his free foot back, he crashed the boot into Joid's crazed face before shaking himself free and continuing towards his target. However, with a screech, the white-haired boy landed on his back, sending him face-first into the concrete.
"White!" he called as he struggled against Joid's weight. For a stringy looking maniac, he sure was heavy. Aforementioned girl looked up expectantly.
"Any ideas, Scarlet?" she asked.
"That hydreigon," he replied and dodged a hard blow to his face. "It can regenerate, and I think that's what we'll need for Skyla!"
"Like you can even reach it," Alphinia scoffed. "Joid's too busy keeping you down."
"Use your pokemon and keep him busy while I get Hydreigon's DNA!" Scarlet barked, rolling over and pinning Joid to the ground. "Hurry!"
White stared and swallowed nervously. "I-I can't."
"What d'you mean you can't? You wanna save Skyla don't you?"
Going against that personal value was wrong. Pokemon weren't supposed to be used to hurt people…even if such people didn't really qualify to be human. But she had to save Skyla and her partner was probably right in his suggestion. Even so…
White looked to her barely conscious pokemon and bit her lip, contemplating whether to return them to their balls or use some Hyper Potion and go with Scarlet's plan.
"White…" Skyla mumbled, her breathing becoming more and more hitched.
"White, time's running out!" Scarlet barked roughly and fell as Joid swept his feet from under him. "Hurry up and heal them!"
"B-but…b-but…" she stuttered, getting more and more uncertain, much to Alphinia's amusement.
"This is even funnier than what I expected," she giggled and slipped away slowly. "Maybe it's time to wrap this up."
"What're you waiting for?" Scarlet hissed. Wasn't this ditzy broad gonna see reason already?
Letting out a reluctant nod, White reached for her bag and was about getting the medicine when a hand touched her shoulder.
"White…" Skyla muttered, blood staining the corners of her mouth. "Don't…"
The girl blinked. "Huh?"
"I won't…forgive myself…if I make you go against your, and Black's, principles…and values…"
"Skyla…?"
"That reminds me…I never told you what that bell said…did I…" she said, voice now growing fainter and fainter. "Brrr…great, it's getting colder and darker now…guess I'd better…make this quick…"
"Skyla…"
Putting both trembling hands on White's cheeks, the dying redhead took a deep breath.
"White…you are a good and kind person…a powerful trainer who treats her pokemon with all the love and care she can let out on them…a cute sister that anyone would be glad to have…and a wonderful person all in all…Truly, your innocence is one that this world will only see once in a blue moon…"
The woman gave a sharp gasp as the blade suddenly slid out from her chest. Looking up, White's eyes widened as Alphinia gave the hilt another tug.
"For a dead person, you sure talk a lot," she said with a sadistic grin. "Just die already."
"Stop it!" White cried, unable to move from her position lest Skyla falls from her arms. "If you pull that out-!"
SHLUK!
Metal and blood swung through the air as the merciless blonde ripped out the sword. With blood pouring from her now-opened wound, Skyla's face paled and it was all she could do to keep from screaming in agony. Even then, she still had something to do.
"Skyla!" White cried frantically at the seemingly-still woman's quietness. Burying her head in her neck, she called her name several times before a pat on the back made her do a double take at her friend's face.
"White…" she whispered and raised a hand to stroke her face. "Don't take this to heart…use it as a stepping stone instead…and keep moving forward…Win the league…stop Team Plasma…and tell your boyfriend…goodbye…"
"But-!" the trainer was about to say when she saw it. That smile. That angelic smile that Black had always talked about. It filled Skyla's face with a glow that showed no pain or regret or sadness whatsoever. Just the cheerful, enthusiastic young woman she always wanted to see.
"You'll see smiles all around you, with the brightest of skies above you." Raising a hand to form a salute, a tear rolled down the Highflying girl's smiling face. "So if you'll…excuse me…this angel…needs to head back to the sky….back to Swanna…back to Grandpa…back…to…Black….."
The hand fell.
The world fell.
Scarlet's arms back fell as Rebound kicked in and every muscle in his body strained and bled from the fight.
Joid's face fell forward and buried his teeth back into Scarlet's chest again, the latter who screamed and passed out from the sudden strain to the heart.
Jolteon fell down, weakened after an unknown Mud Bomb to the face.
Alphinia's eyes fell on the frozen white-haired girl holding tightly to the dead woman in her arms.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
The ground trembled beneath their feet and Alphinia stumbled before catching herself quickly. Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Purplish energy swirled around the still trainer. As one, her fallen pokemon rose like zombies with purple in their eyes and gathered round her ominously. Deino's lithe form convulsed as a black glow surrounded it and it changed shape into a two-headed monster looming over her trainer. On cue, her Sandile reciprocated the action and evolved into a creature of medium height, standing menacingly on her hind legs. Lastly, the unconscious hunter's gloves twitched and his limp body sat up suddenly, jamming his forehead against the unsuspecting Joid's and sending him skidding far, far away.
Like the undead, his body arched upwards and rose to its two feet and slowly, his eyes opened to reveal black corneas with purple irises.
"You killed her..." he said, voice so low, Alphinia thought it was an eerie whisper. He looked so ominous, it was almost hypnotic. "You killed her..."
Yes, they killed her. Skyla, the Highflying girl was dead. And as one, an uncanny roar rang and shook Unova to the very core.
Camille eyed the city from above on the helicopter and hoped to Arceus that her friends were alright.
"You said it was a gas pipe," she remarked uncertainly.
"So I heard..." Mr.P repiled, deep in thought. Sunset was here and yet no call from his baby sister or Joid. Hopefully, they hadn't lost themselves and killed their playthings already or actually lost to them. Either way, it was time to retrieve them. Tapping the pilot on the shoulder, he requested for the doors to be unlocked and tipped his hat at the bewildered goth. "I so sorry, but I have some quick business to take care of and I hope you enjoy your stay at the castle. Let's work hard for the future of the company and I hope we see in the near future."
And he jumped. 3000 ft in the air and he just jumped.
"What. The. Fuck?" she muttered in utter confusion.
Author's Corner.
Slybill: Skyla's gone...and I really liked her too. Anyway, the fight comes to a dramatic in the next and final chapter of this volume and I hope it wasn't too long or anything. Later!