In the last adventure, Pelame and Pugno went off to claim the remaining Alpha Blessings. The rest of the group managed to locate the Grey Castle, which was then situated on top of the Aegis Ruins. Only Team Temperature, Kelvin, and Blessing could enter. The four handily overpowered Team Skull and cleansed the Dark Blessing out of them. However, despite sleeping inside the castle, they awakened on top of the Aegis Ruins without any clues as to where the castle disappeared to. There is now only just less than half a day until the Demon Comet arrives.
Chapter 11 – Claws Against Claws
"I can't pinpoint the Castle's new whereabouts!" Celsius said with concern.
"Pardon me?" Pelame said, having just arrived with Pugno to meet up with the rest of the group. "We followed your Alpha Signal here. Didn't you say the Grey Castle was here?"
"It was yesterday," Fahrenheit answered. "It never stays in one place for longer than a day. I thought if a few of us spent the night in the castle, we'd be taken within it to its new location when it moved."
"But I guess Darkrai thought ahead," Kelvin added. "Either that, or the Dark Blessing itself is more intuitive than we all thought."
"Evidently, it kicked us all out when it moved," Blessing added. "We woke up on top of the Aegis Ruins."
"Basically, we're BACK to square one," Loudred complained.
"And if we don't catch up to the Grey Castle again," Celebi added. "Well, just look up there." Celebi pointed to the Demon Comet in the sky. As Pelame and Pugno got a look at it, they got an idea. They shut their eyes and focused on the thought of the Dark Blessing. Just as they hoped, a Dimensional Scream vision came to them.
Darkrai was situated at the Grey Castle's Bell Platform, ready to toll the bell at the precise moment. A zone defense was arranged all throughout the castle. The castle itself was floating over the planet.
"Did you two self-induce a Dimensional Scream vision just now?" Dusknoir asked.
Pelame and Pugno didn't answer. Their minds were in perfect synchronization with one another. They turned around, facing the path to the Ruins. They held up their Alpha Amulets to the sky.
"Alpha Bridge," they said. A gold light shone forth from the Amulets. A narrow beam shot out to the horizon, striking something. Once it hit its mark, the light transformed into a walkway.
"It's floating above Treasure Town," Pugno said. "We've found the Grey Castle."
"We'll make good time if we take this Alpha Bridge there," Pelame added. "Is everyone ready? There's no turning back once we start on our way."
"WAIT A MOMENT!" someone shouted.
"Lopunny?" Guildmaster Wigglytuff said in surprise.
"These two wish to accompany us with you," Medicham said, gesturing toward Arbok and Drapion. "They want to rescue their former Team Leader."
"But first, Purify us," Arbok said. "We don't want the Dark Blessing anymore, not after seeing what it did to Lady Weavile."
"We don't want Bloodshed," Drapion added. "We just want to see our boss the way she used to be."
"Very well, then," Fahrenheit answered. "Celsius, you Purify Drapion. I'll Purify Arbok."
The two Infernapes touched the two former Team AWD members with their Alpha Amulets. "Alpha Purify," they said, generating a white light that engulfed both themselves and the former rogues. "Upon your request, you are no longer the Dark Blessing's tools!" When the light dissipated, Arbok and Drapion were back to normal. After that was done, everything was set.
"All right, everyone," Pelame said, addressing all the Pokémon with her. "It's now or never. Either we stop the Demon Comet, or we die trying. But I know we're going to succeed. I promised all the Legendary Pokémon that the Demon Comet would be stopped, and I'm in no mood to let them down. So, are you all ready for the grandest mission of our lives?"
"You don't need to ask me, Pelame," Pugno answered. "I was born ready."
"You can count on me," Dusknoir said. "Darkrai won't get away with this."
"He'll pay for what he did to Grovyle," Celebi added.
"Well, Guild? Shall we?" Chatot asked.
"Of course!" shouted all the Guild crew.
"All right, then, on Pelame's signal, we're off," Chatot responded.
"In that case, let's get going!" Pelame said, giving the cue. "Alpha Platform!" A round platform of light bearing an Alpha Sigil appeared in front of the group.
"Here we go! We're off to save the world!" Chatot said.
"HOORAY!" shouted the Guild crew. All the Pokémon boarded the platform, and it started on its course to the Grey Castle.
It would be a while before the platform reached the castle, leaving time to talk.
"So, what was that you did to Arbok and Drapion?" Pugno asked.
"Oh, right, you did the same thing to Team Skull," Blessing noted. "Mind filling us in? All we know is that that ability is apparently called 'Alpha Purify.'"
"And it does exactly that," Celsius said. "It cleanses evil out of a Pokémon, whether it be the Dark Blessing or another cause. Its partner ability is 'Alpha Atone,' which should only be used on those who refuse to see reason. After that, it's easier to Purify a Pokémon if it has to come to that. However, Alpha Atone doesn't always have to be used on possessed Pokémon; in fact, Fahrenheit and I used it on some of the most horrible outlaws. I actually have that ability to thank for how I am now. If Fahrenheit hadn't used it on me, I'd still be just like…" Celsius came to a tragic realization. "…Bloodshed."
Blessing unbelievably found herself pitying Bloodshed in light of hearing Celsius's last few words. "What exactly does that 'Atone' ability do, and why is it only to be used on the worst criminals?" she asked.
"That ability is quite a piece of work," Fahrenheit said. "It is only to be used on the absolute worst criminals for a very good reason. Whoever that ability is used on feels all the pain and suffering he or she caused. Not a single evil deed is spared. For example, if Arbok here had made an attempt on someone's life with his Wrap attack, the 'Alpha Atone' technique would make him feel like he was being crushed by a Wrap attack."
"When Fahrenheit used it on me," Celsius added. "I felt every bad thing I had done; all the bludgeoning, near-drownings, stranglings, and many more. I felt as though all of that was happening to me at once, and it taught me my mistakes. I had never been so ashamed in my life; I even begged the judge to have me executed when my trial ended with a mere jail sentence. Once I got out of jail, I returned to Fahrenheit, and then we got married. And about five years ago, we had Kelvin."
"That's amazing!" Pelame said. "And that's all thanks to that 'Alpha Atone' ability, huh?" Pelame's happiness ended when she dwelled on that thought. "Am I going to have to use that today, like on Bloodshed or Grovyle?"
"On Grovyle, most likely not," Fahrenheit said. "But on Bloodshed, that could very well be the case."
"That's going to really hurt her," Arbok said. "But it won't kill her, will it? Because she killed a few of Darkrai's soldiers, about five of them, just for calling her by her real name."
"No, it won't kill her," Celsius said. "However, she'll feel the sensation of death five simultaneous times. Were they quick deaths?"
"Absolutely not," Drapion said. "She Fury Swiped them all to death, except the last one. For the last one, she used Guillotine, an attack I'm pretty sure her kind can't learn."
"Oh, dear," Fahrenheit said. "That is not going to be pleasant for her. To feel the sensation of your own head being chopped off, and your body sliced to bits; try to avoid using that ability if possible. It won't kill her, but it could make her go irreparably insane. It could put her in a vegetative state."
"How about if you just don't use that ability at all?!" Arbok snapped. "Settle for Purifying her!"
"But she's not going to take that lying down," Drapion noted. "She'll have to be weakened first."
"In that case, leave her to me," Blessing volunteered. "Kelvin can do the honors when I defeat her. Besides, I've been itching to put her in her place."
"Kelvin can use that Purify power?" Pugno asked.
"Yes, he can," Celsius answered. "That ability can be used by any member of the Alpha Bloodline. The ones who have the best chance at success are those whose own heart, mind, and soul can resist corruption. You see, when one uses 'Alpha Purify,' the Dark Blessing will put up a final resistance, and it is possible for it to win the struggle. As it's being cleansed out of a victim, it will attempt to corrupt both the victim and the Pokémon doing the Purifying. If that happens, the heart, mind, and soul of both the Pokémon being Purified and the Pokémon doing the Purifying will be completely destroyed."
"Is that why you never tried to cleanse that Dark Blessing out of Pelame?" Pugno asked. "Is it strong enough to destroy you both completely?"
"That's a possibility, considering what the Demon Comet had to do with it," Fahrenheit answered. "Worse still, if we found out we wouldn't be able to win the struggle and quit prematurely, the victim will remain corrupted forever, with no hope of ever getting rid of the Dark Blessing. We didn't want to take the chance of condemning Pelame to that fate."
"I see," Pugno responded.
"Then I'll just live with this Dark Blessing," Pelame said with a tone of finality. "If the Demon Comet is going to make certain of your destruction if you try to Purify me, then just forget about it. I'll control it, just like what Blessing did with her Dark Blessing."
"Are you sure about that?" Dusknoir asked. "You know what it can do to you, don't you?"
"She's made her mind up," Blessing said, supporting Pelame. "I can help her cope with her Dark Blessing. Remember that I had to go through that once, and look at me now. I'll make sure Pelame doesn't end up like… Bloodshed. Or, should I say, Weavile."
At that moment, the platform stopped in the middle of nowhere. They were situated above Treasure Town, where the Grey Castle was said to be.
"Why did we stop?" Arbok asked. "We're not there yet."
"Actually, we are," Pelame said. "Alpha Reveal." A small orb of light shot out of Pelame's Alpha Amulet and hit something invisible in front of them. The Grey Castle became visible to everyone.
"Alpha Dispel," Pugno said, sending in another light to the castle. The protection going around and throughout the castle disappeared.
"All right, everyone, here's the plan," Pelame said. "Once we step off this platform, be prepared for anything. The plan is to rescue Grovyle and stop Darkrai from summoning the Demon Comet, and hopefully stop the Comet itself. Expect Darkrai and his soldiers to try anything to hinder us. Everyone should be able to enter the castle just fine since Pugno dissipated the protective Dark Blessing field from all throughout the castle. Pugno, Dusknoir, Celebi, and I will go for Darkrai. The rest of you take out the zone defense and catch up to us once you're done with them. And Blessing, Weavile will be your job. Kelvin, Purify Weavile once Blessing defeats her in battle, then the both of you catch up to us. Does everyone understand?"
"Got it!" everyone responded.
"Then let's save the world!" Pelame said, sounding the call to duty. Everyone stepped off the platform and onto the continent the Grey Castle was floating on. At the entrance to the castle, Bloodshed was waiting.
"We can't use Alpha Bridge to get to the Bell Tower," Pugno said. "Something's keeping the Bridge from reaching the top. We're going to have to do this the hard way. Blessing, Kelvin, good luck."
"You're cute if you think I'm letting any of you in," Bloodshed taunted. Blessing teleported behind her and put her in a full-nelson hold, allowing everyone except Kelvin, Arbok, and Drapion to enter the castle.
"Failed already," Blessing taunted. "That's a new record for you. Now, I'll humiliate you even further."
Bloodshed broke out of Blessing's hold. The two faced each other down. They circled one another like a pair of Mightyena getting ready for the kill.
"I see you're back to form," Bloodshed taunted.
"Of course," Blessing responded. "You didn't think I'd sit on my butt forever, did you?"
"To be honest, that's what I would have preferred. Actually, I'd prefer you and your friends stayed out of my way forever. I'd have conquered this stupid world by now if you all would have just dropped dead the first time I caught up to you!"
"Still think you have a chance against Darkrai, huh? Still think you're so good and powerful that you can pick off your own boss, who, need I remind you, is the so-called master of the Dark Blessing? Face it, Weavile; the only thing you're fit to rule is an Exploration Team of thieves. Oh, wait; you disbanded your Team under your own delusions of grandeur!"
"And you think holding on to your stupid friends makes you the strongest one here?! Sorry to break this to you, but only those who know how to use power properly has the right to have it! Nothing holds me back; no friends, no family, no conscience!"
"I think you'll find that that's exactly what's wrong with you."
"Then I bet you won't mind putting our power to the test. Dark Blessing against Dark Blessing!"
"Fine by me! I'd be more than happy to humiliate you in front of your home turf!"
The two turned their backs to each other and took ten steps away. At ten steps, they turned back to face each other. The two gave each other glares that could kill if they were weapons.
"This time, I won't break your tailbone; I'll break your neck," Bloodshed challenged.
"By the time we're done, the only thing broken will be your ego," Blessing responded.
The two charged at each other, claws first, opening with a Demon-enhanced Slash attack. Neither competitor took a substantial amount of damage, though this served to demonstrate their power to one another, letting them both know how much of a fight the other would be putting up.
"This isn't going to be easy for either of them," Arbok said.
The combatants' next move was a wave of Diabolic Infernos thrown at one another. Both of them swat the giant flames aside, causing them to circle around until they were to hit, at which point they redirected them at one another. The two jets of fire collided with one another and matched each others' power until Bloodshed mixed a Hyper Beam into the attack. Blessing deflected the attack with her claws, tossing it harmlessly aside. She then froze the ground using her Absolute Zero ability and directed the expanding ice toward Bloodshed, who tried melting it with another blast of her Diabolic Inferno attack. This caused her to almost miss Blessing's attempt to brain her with a giant ice boulder generated by her icy attack earlier. Bloodshed blasted the ice boulder to bits with her Heart Stopper attack and tossed the rubble at Blessing. She scored a direct hit on Blessing with her Heart Stopper attack, shocking the heroic Sneasel while she was dodging the icy rubble. Though paralysis would soon start to take effect on her, Blessing managed to blast Bloodshed with a Heart Stopper of her own when a Lethargy attack was about to be used on her. Bloodshed was paralyzed on the spot, while Blessing was free to move about thanks to the Cheri Scarf she had stolen from the Grey Castle the day before.
"Why you impulsive little…!" Bloodshed started ranting. "How can you do this to me?! You can't even use your Dark Blessing properly!"
"Actually, I'm not the one misusing my power," Blessing responded. She turned around and put out the ring of fire with a watery beam she made by blasting her own Ice Beam with her Diabolic Inferno. "Kelvin, she's ready." She turned back to Bloodshed. "You're not keeping that evil power a second longer, Weavile."
Kelvin approached the paralyzed Bloodshed and brandished his Alpha Amulet. Touching her forehead with the Amulet, Kelvin began removing the Dark Blessing with a cry of "Alpha Purify!"
The entrance to the castle was blinded by a bright, white light emanating from Kelvin and Bloodshed. It had been Kelvin's first time Purifying a Dark Blessing out of a Pokémon, let alone out of one as ruthless as Bloodshed, but it was over in just over a minute. For his first try, Kelvin had successfully Purified Bloodshed. He put his Alpha Amulet back on as usual.
"Don't you cause any more trouble, Weavile," Kelvin said. He and Blessing got ready to enter the castle.
"What happened?" Weavile asked herself in her head. "I did everything I was supposed to do. I allowed the Dark Blessing to fill me with its power. I never resisted for a moment! But that bratty Sneasel did! She kept it from making her go through with a killing! Why does that make her so special?! Why does that make her so strong?! She just as good as rejected her gift's true power! I gleefully accepting it and everything going with it, and I lose to the brat who refused to be a tool?!"
Weavile struggled to her feet, having overcome her paralysis. "The Dark Blessing's servant; that's what I am," she seethed. "No one is better at using it than I am. That was my reward for allowing it to fill me completely! Why should it matter how strong you are with it?! You threw away an opportunity when it presented itself to you, and for that, you triumph over me, a Pokémon who knows power when she has it?! And to top it all off, I lose the greatest power in the world because of you?!" Weavile was practically screaming now. "I am strong enough to be the Dark Blessing itself! I'm strong enough even to be Arceus! I AM WORTHY OF THE DARK BLESSING! I AM POWER!"
Weavile charged straight at Blessing, claws ready to impale her.
"I AM THE WORLD'S RULER! YOU ARE JUST A NOTHING!"
Blessing caught Weavile's claws just before she could be run through.
"You still don't get it, then," Blessing lamented, pushing Weavile back.
"What's not to get?!" Weavile demanded. "If you're so strong, then fight me without your Dark Blessing! No Dark Blessing, no moves, just claws!"
"Fine by me!" Blessing said, shoving Weavile back and attacking with a Slash attack. Weavile's gradual descent into insanity led her to rely solely on her Fury Swipes attack. She swung exceptionally viciously at Blessing, intending to kill rather than harm. Being quick on her feet allowed Blessing to avoid death at the claws of her unhinged foe until she was cornered against the castle door. At that point, Blessing, in a feat of absolutely perfect timing that was the difference between her life and her death, caught Weavile's claws, lifted her up, and tossed her away from the castle.
"This can't be," Weavile seethed, almost sounding as though she was ready to cry. "You can't be stronger than me! YOU CAN'T!" Weavile then shot an incredibly powerful Hyper Beam at Blessing, breaking her own "claws only" rule. She had packed every last reserve of her power into the attack, making it large enough to cripple the castle and bring it down on everyone inside. Blessing stood her ground and flexed her claws in front of herself, intending to deflect the attack. She then begun to charge forward and swing wildly, using her own Fury Swipes attack to slice the Hyper Beam to bits. After taking care of the Hyper Bean, she reached Weavile and non-lethally hacked away at her, ending with a solid Slash attack to her face that send her straight to the ground. She was unable to stand back up.
"Why? Why did this happen to me?!" Weavile roared.
"It's because I'm better than you," Blessing taunted in an almost sympathetic tone.
"But you can't be!" Weavile screamed, plunging further into insanity. "You're just a weak little bratty bitch! A little nothing! AN INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE POKÉMON! A POKÉMON!"
"And are you not a Pokémon, Weavile?" Blessing retorted sincerely.
To that, Weavile had nothing to say. Finally breaking down into a fit of screaming and tears, she writhed on the ground as Blessing, Kelvin, Arbok, and Drapion watched, heavily tempted to look away. When Weavile finally appeared to have calmed down, Blessing knelt down to her and made eye contact.
"Let me tell you why I'm better than you, Weavile," she said to her foe. "It's because of our differing approaches to the Dark Blessing, for starters. As you admitted earlier, you let it fill you completely. You just as good as let it make you its puppet. You were the one being controlled, and you didn't care. As long as you had its power, you couldn't be happier, but that's only because it satisfied the sadism it indoctrinated you with. You didn't have to let it do that to you. I didn't. When it tried to make me kill a dear friend of mine, I remembered when I had promised my late sister that I'd never go that far. I would then meet Giratina, who taught me that power is just power. It's ambiguous. It has no morality. The power the Dark Blessing gives is just a mindless force; it's not objectively good or bad. It, like our own moves, can be used for good or for bad. I chose to use it for good, but you chose to use it for bad. That's why I'm better than you; because I stuck to my principles and conquered the Dark Blessing to make it a force to do good with."
"But if I can't be better than you, then what do I do now?" Weavile asked, still crying. "How can I start over?"
"I'm sorry, Weavile, but I can't tell you that. But they can help you." Blessing pointed toward Arbok and Drapion, who approached their old boss. "These two are your dearest friends. Never lose sight of them. With them, you can do all sorts of wonderful things. You may even finally catch up to me with their help. But never forget how much you mean to them, and deep down, what they mean to you." With that, Blessing and Kelvin entered the Grey Castle to meet up with everyone else.
"Lady Weavile, we're sorry for betraying you," Drapion said. "We just wanted the real you to come back to us."
"We've really missed you," Arbok said. "We wanted to give this to you, too."
Weavile took the package from Arbok. Wrapped within the Rawst Scarf was an Exploration Team badge with her name on it, and the label "Team AWD." Weavile then felt a strange sensation in her heart.
"Lady Weavile, are you alright?" Arbok and Drapion asked simultaneously.
"What is this feeling?" Weavile asked. "My heart… why is it so warm? Is this what friendship feels like?"
"It's likely," Arbok answered.
"Well, what do you know?" Weavile remarked. "It's actually kinda comfortable. By the way, I have a favor to ask of you two fools."
"Anything you say," Drapion pledged.
"Never, ever, under any circumstances call me 'Bloodshed' ever again."
Suggested music for this chapter:
Alpha Bridge – Chrono Trigger Main Theme (Chrono Trigger Orchestra Extra Soundtrack)
Explanation of Purification – Schala's Theme (Chrono Trigger)
Bloodshed's Last Stand – The Deceased Laugh (Final Fantasy X)
Blessing vs Bloodshed (Dark Blessing against Dark Blessing) – Battle with Magus (Chrono Trigger Resurrection OST)
Tables Turn in Blessing's Favor (Claws against Claws) – The Intrepid (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood OST)
Blessing's Heart-to-Heart Talk to Weavile – Ventus's Theme (Kingdom Hearts – Birth by Sleep)
