Chapter 12: Lord of Destruction
Nearly everyone in the city had received word of a wild Pokémon entering the town, and that a powerful trainer was currently battling it. Naturally, every man, woman and child had come to watch the spectacle. After all, it wasn't every day the peaceful, boring city had any forms of entertainment or excitement. Not many of them could battle—in fact, very few of them even owned Pokémon—but they were confident that the trainer battling the wild Pokémon would prevail.
The trainer had sent out a Porygon Z. The wild Pokémon deftly lunged to the side to avoid its Hyper Beam, then retaliated with Aura Sphere, knocking it out in one blow. Seeing the crowd of cheering and\or booing humans surrounding him as he faced the trainer, the wild Pokémon scoffed in disgust. He noticed the Master Ball the trainer carried, and he was ready to spring away the instant she tried to use it on him.
Calming his mind, Lucario prepared himself for the trainer's next Pokémon. He knew the reason why the trainer—whom he had learned was named Velour—was after him. His fur color was very unusual; whereas most Lucario would have the normal black stripes on their blue fur, his were bright yellow, and he had been classified as a "Shiny" Pokémon. He also knew that Velour would try to use her Master Ball to catch him instantly, and his only hope was to defeat her Pokémon and flee as fast as possible when he got an opening.
Velour, chillingly calm as always, reached into her briefcase and pulled out another Ultra Ball, this time sending out an Espeon. The cat-like Pokémon eyed him with intense ferocity, her eyes shining brightly. Lucario had already used Calm Mind, but he knew that Espeon was a dangerous opponent, especially with its new ability Magic Guard, so he carefully extended his senses to his opponent's aura.
Lucario sensed that Espeon was about to use Thunder Wave, so he crouched like a Serperior about to spring, waiting for the right moment. Espeon launched the move, but Lucario expertly dodged the predicted attack, striking back with Dark Pulse, the powered-up move nailing Espeon dead-on and knocking her out.
"Is that the best you can do?" Lucario asked in perfect, fluent human dialect. "I expected more from one of the so-called deadliest trainers from the NPCT."
Velour's merciless silver eyes fixed on him with an icy contempt.
"Your overconfidence will only make you easier to crush," she retorted. "You can fight it all you want, but all it takes is just one mistake on your part, and I'll have you inside my Master Ball where you belong. Why don't you just give up and make it easy on yourself?"
"You think you're going to capture me just because I'm a 'Shiny' Pokémon? Think again. I will be controlled by no one. Remember, you only get one chance with that Master Ball, and if you slip up, it'll be gone for good. Why don't you come to your senses and give up?"
Velour gritted her teeth, the veil of calm finally fading from her demeanor. She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a Dusk Ball.
"Fine, then, let's see you avoid my Master Ball when you're knocked out!"
Standing closest to the battle from the crowd of onlookers, an old, distinguished-looking man in a grey suit stepped forward angrily.
"Velour, you know the rules," he barked. "You aren't allowed to use that Pokémon within city limits!"
But Velour was past the point of listening to reason. This was the fourth time she'd encountered the Shiny Lucario. She did not intend to let him escape again. Pressing the red button at the center, she activated the Dusk Ball. A cascade of black energy poured out from the green-and-red sphere. Suddenly, a massive, hurricane-like wind whipped up. It tore through the ground nearby, dust and debris being swept up into a whirlwind.
The tornado of dust, rocks and debris slowly floated onto the battlefield. Lucario shielded his eyes. He sensed a very large and very powerful aura from within the dust twister. Finally, the unseen being stopped and faced Lucario. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes appeared within the whirlwind, glaring right at him.
It was then that Lucario heard an incredible, ear-bursting roar that echoed throughout the city. All the onlookers were now fleeing for their lives, the roar sounding like a thousand Explosions for miles as the dust and debris spread from the whirlwind and blackened the sky above the town. It was now nearly as dark as night, and Lucario had to rely almost entirely on his aura-sensing abilities. Whatever great beast had such power, he knew he couldn't hope to face it head-on.
He sensed Velour about to use her Master Ball while he was distracted. He also sensed the beast within the whirlwind slowly advancing on him, preparing to use Earthquake. There was no chance but one. Using every bit of his agility, Lucario leapt up onto one of the rooftops, Velour angrily putting away the Master Ball. He darted along the top of the building, trying to reach the city exit.
Suddenly, he felt the structure give way beneath him! Shocked, he looked down, seeing the unknown monster obliterate the entire building he was standing on with Earthquake. He quickly leapt off the rooftops to avoid the attack, the structure he was standing on collapsing in a pile of rubble. Lucario then ran down one of the alleys, trying to sense an alternate path. The monster suddenly smashed through one of the walls nearby, the whirlwind following him down the alley. Lucario turned a corner just as a gigantic Stone Edge shot down the narrow alley behind him like a wave of missiles, destroying a nearby café.
Suddenly, Lucario ran straight into a wall! Startled and angry, he berated himself for forgetting to extend his senses ahead of him as he ran. He had been too focused on the monster, which was now coming up right behind him. He knew there was no choice. He turned and faced the beast, ready for his last stand. He took aim and fired an Aura Sphere straight into the whirlwind.
He heard an agonized wail, the tornado temporarily stopping. Then, he heard the monster roar again, this time in wrath. Lucario knew there was no escaping its attack this time. He braced himself, ready for the worst.
As it turned out, Lucario was not ready in the slightest.
The monster used Earthquake. The ground jutted up like giant javelins at Lucario, stabbing at him and smashing into him. He was pelted back and forth, each devastating blow feeling like a hundred Close Combats. His body began to go numb with pain, his vision turning red. His senses were dulled as each crushing blow landed somewhere on his body.
The only reason Lucario even survived the blow was simply because of all his years of training, his high levels and his powerful will to live. But those were the only reasons he was even able to stay conscious. His side, right leg and forehead were streaked with blood. He could no longer sense his enemy within the whirlwind.
He knew there was no escape. Lucario saw Velour coming toward him, an Ultra Ball in her hand. He braced himself for the capture, and for a new and disgustingly inevitable life of servitude to this vile trainer. He also hazily saw the monster preparing to use Stone Edge, obviously to weaken him even further, as if the Earthquake wasn't enough.
Suddenly, a solution burst into Lucario's dazed but still sharp mind. There was one way out. It was a long shot, but a shot nonetheless. Velour's greed and overconfidence would cost her dearly. He braced himself, waiting for the Stone Edge to come. If his plan failed, he would either be killed or captured by Velour, and both of those options seemed equally unpleasant. He steadied his mind as best he could, crouching slightly.
The monster fired the Stone Edge. Lucario suddenly flung himself flat onto the ground, the jagged missiles flying right over his head. They blasted open a large hole in the wall behind him, and using every last drop of his strength, Lucario darted through the hole, escaping through another alley that led out of the city.
As Lucario fled from the town, limping and fighting sheer agony while running on adrenaline alone, he once again heard the monster's furious roar echo through the town behind him. He didn't look back.
It was well into the afternoon before Ember, Absol and Umbra were on their way. Umbra had insisted they all sleep in late, claiming it was for Ember's beauty sleep. She knew it was a silly excuse, but she had sided with him anyway, putting on a tired and pleading act. After a heated debate, Absol finally conceded to their demands, albeit with great reluctance. Ember enjoyed the first long rest she'd had in a while, even if she'd only obtained it thanks to Umbra's obvious laziness.
Now they were making solid progress, putting their extra energy to good use in both traveling and catching game, a job in which Umbra had been surprisingly helpful. They'd even managed to catch a full-grown Stoutland, which was more than enough food for all three of them.
Still, even as they made their way through a small forest, they ran into a great obstacle on their journey. It was an obstruction so daunting, so intimidating and so otherworldly, it would surely be their greatest challenge yet.
"Another river?!" Umbra groaned. "That's the fourth one we've had to cross today! This is getting ridiculous!"
"Well, we're all out of Escape Ropes, so we'll just have to swim across," Absol said.
Umbra shot him an aggrieved look. "No way! I just know that as soon as I go in there, I'll freeze to death, or even more likely, be eaten by a Sharpedo!"
Absol scoffed. "A Sharpedo? Don't be silly. A Tentacruel would be much more likely."
"Or a Jellicent," Ember added.
Umbra glared at them. "That doesn't make me feel any better, guys, just for the record."
Absol shrugged. "Well, there's nothing for it. We're going to have to take our chances."
Umbra tentatively reached his paw into the cold water, quickly retracting it.
"This is stupid," he said nervously. "There has to be some other way across."
Ember walked over and stood near the water as well. She didn't see any other Pokémon in the river.
"It looks like there's nothing in there," she said. "Why don't we just go in quickly and get it over with?"
"Oh, yeah, sure, I bet it'll all be over quickly," Umbra retorted. "Can't we just search for another way around?"
Ember sighed. "Look, just try going in, and if something bad happens, I promise I'll pull you right out."
Umbra hesitantly reached his paw into the water again and then retracted it.
"I don't know," he said anxiously. "Maybe we can find another Escape Rope lying around and—"
Umbra let out a startled yelp as Ember suddenly shoved him into the water. He came back up to the surface, thrashing and coughing. He quickly swam to the other end of the river, groping about desperately until he managed to climb back onto land. Absol raised an eyebrow.
"I've been a bad influence on you, haven't I?" he asked.
Ember glanced at him and shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, probably."
With that, they both jumped into the river as well and swam to the other side, being careful not to let their bag get wet. Finally, shivering a bit with the cold, they climbed onto land and shook themselves off. They were greeted by a very irritated Umbra.
"Ember, I'm absolutely flabbergasted," he pouted over-dramatically. "I expected that kind of thing from Absol, but you? And after I talked him into letting us sleep in! I trusted you! How could you betray me?"
Ember smirked. "It got you across the river, didn't it?"
"Well, my dignity has been impugned. I hope you're satisfied."
At this, Absol grinned. "Come on, Umbra, let's face it, you have no dignity."
Umbra's mouth opened for a moment, and then closed. There was a long silence. Finally, he shrugged.
"You're probably right," he admitted.
With that, the trio continued on their way, Absol taking the lead as they finally reached the end of the woods and began crossing the beautiful open countryside. As they went along, taking in the sights, Umbra glanced at Ember.
"So, how do you do it, anyway?" he asked.
Ember looked at him, puzzled. "Do what?"
"Make Absol laugh. What's your secret?"
"Uh…well, I don't really have a secret about it," she replied.
"Oh, come on!" he pleaded. "I've gotta know! You can trust me!"
"Really, I'm telling you, I don't know how I'm able to do it. I just can."
Umbra's eyes narrowed. "I see, so you won't talk, eh? Well, I'll get the truth out of you sooner or later."
"You're being ridiculous," Ember said emphatically. "There's no secret."
"Why so defensive, then, gorgeous?"
"What?!" she said angrily. "I'm not being defensive!"
"Okay, that's enough," Absol said over his shoulder. "We're entering a common training route for humans, so let's keep it down a little."
Ember let out an irritated sigh while Umbra merely grinned. They continued in silence for a time. Finally, Absol motioned Ember to come closer. She did so, walking at his side.
"You shouldn't let Umbra draw you into his verbal traps," he whispered. "He's just messing with you for fun."
"Does he always do that?" she whispered back.
"It's his favorite pastime. He loves getting reactions from people. For example, he flirts with you all the time, but if you ever actually made any advances toward him he'd probably run with his tail between his legs and hide under a rock. My advice is to just ignore his weird remarks."
"What are you two lovebirds whispering about over there?" Umbra called. "Sharing secrets, I bet."
"See what I mean?" Absol muttered.
With that, Absol glanced ahead. Suddenly, he stopped, Ember doing the same. He turned around and silently motioned Umbra to stop as well, but he apparently didn't get the message.
"What is it?" he asked. "Liepard got your tongue?"
Absol winced, gesturing more emphatically for Umbra to be silent.
"Are we playing charades?" Umbra asked. "Okay, how many words?"
Suddenly, a large spray of water shot past them, flying inches above Umbra's head. It tore through the ground nearby, making a small crater. The three looked ahead, seeing a Pokémon trainer in an orange Kevlar vest walking towards them, flanked by a Sharpedo.
"Oh, that's what you were trying to tell me!" Umbra said. "Why didn't you just say there was a trainer nearby?"
The trio quickly spread out to avoid another attack. The Pokémon trainer, who was holding a Poke Radar, chuckled to himself.
"These look like some really rare Pokémon," he muttered. "They'll be my catch of the day, alright."
The human pulled out two other Ultra Balls, sending out a Tentacruel and a Jellicent as well, which flanked the Sharpedo.
"I've never seen three wild Pokémon working together at once, but let's see how you deal with a Triple Battle," the trainer said smugly.
Absol smirked. "How about we show this amateur how to really battle?"
"I'm game," Ember replied.
The two glanced at Umbra, who was staring nervously at the three Water Pokémon. He shot Absol and Ember an aggrieved glare.
"I told you I was going to get eaten by a Sharpedo today!" he said.
Absol and Ember rolled their eyes. With that, the two trios stepped onto even ground and faced each other. Ember instantly activated Drought, the rays of the sun washing over the earth below. The three Water Pokémon winced noticeably, as did their master.
"Well, that's just unfair," the trainer muttered.
The Sharpedo launched an Aqua Jet, but Umbra quickly used Protect, blocking the attack with ease. Ember and Absol knew the Tentacruel could use Toxic at any time, so they focused their attacks on it. Ember fired a Solarbeam, slamming into the venomous Water Pokémon. Absol finished Tentacruel off with Psycho Cut.
The Jellicent used Ominous Wind, a wave of black energy washing over the trio. Absol and Umbra barely even felt the move, but Ember staggered back a bit in pain. Then, the Jellicent began to glow. The trio cursed as they realized that it had gotten the lucky stat boost from Ominous Wind. With that, the next round of combat began.
Umbra used Wish, the shining rays of energy sparkling as they flew into the air above Ember. The Sharpedo used Aqua Jet again, slamming into her. Thankfully, Drought had considerably weakened the move, but it still hurt. Absol, seeing that Jellicent was about to use Ominous Wind again, intercepted it with Sucker Punch, the move doing solid damage to the half-ghost Pokémon.
Finally, Jellicent used another Ominous Wind. Thankfully, it didn't get another stat boost, but the move damaged Ember even more, and soon she was barely able to remain conscious. However, the shimmering rays of energy from Umbra's Wish slowly descended onto her, and she was bathed in its healing waves. She suddenly felt fully refreshed.
"I bet you love me now, huh?" Umbra said cheerfully.
Ember merely rolled her eyes, though she was still grateful for the help. As the third round of combat began, Absol nailed Jellicent with another Sucker Punch. Ember then managed to finish off the weakened water ghost with Solarbeam, despite its ridiculously high special defense. She obviously out leveled the Pokémon by a considerable amount.
Finally, Umbra used Confuse Ray on Sharpedo. The dazed and infuriated shark-like Pokémon tried to use Crunch, but ended up hurting itself in confusion. The trio heard several loud curses from the trainer. Finally, Ember finished off the Sharpedo with Solarbeam, ending the battle.
"This just isn't my day," the trainer muttered bitterly.
Absol burned the ground in front of him with Flamethrower. The trainer jumped in fright, yelling and running off in a different direction until he was out of sight. Ember, Absol and Umbra laughed at him, enjoying the triumph.
"Well, I guess there's always a bigger fish," Umbra said jovially.
Ember and Absol groaned at the pitiful joke, which made Umbra's grin widen. With that, after taking a moment to heal and restore their Power Points with the supplies they salvaged from Umbra's ironworks, the three continued on their way. They didn't run into anymore trainers as they passed through the large route, remaining ever wary just in case.
As they went through a small wood nearby, however, Ember spotted something strange. Between several clusters of trees was a large hole that seemed to go through several trees at once in a long line.
"Do you see that?" she asked, pointing at the hollow passageway.
"Yeah, it looks like the entrance to a Hidden Grotto," Absol replied. "Cleverly concealed. We'd never have spotted it if it weren't for that little detour."
"What? Where?" Umbra asked. "Oh, that. I see it. Well, it's okay, but it doesn't really have the awe and splendor of my Hidden Grotto."
Absol smirked. "Yeah, and the Dusknoir that kicked you out of it probably thought so too."
"Can we go inside?" Ember suggested eagerly. "It doesn't look like anyone's in there now. I've always wanted to see the inside of a Hidden Grotto."
"No, we should probably leave it alone," Absol replied. "We don't want a fight with whatever wild Pokémon lives in there, and—"
Suddenly, a large shadow appeared inside the grotto. The three quickly stepped back out of sight. Absol made sure Umbra got the message to be silent this time. Soon, the tall form of a yellow-and-blue Pokémon slowly limped into view. Once they finally got a good look at it, they recognized the Pokémon as an oddly-colored Lucario.
The Lucario was limping slightly, blood dripping onto the ground from a large gash on his chest, head and leg. There were several brutal cuts and streaks of red all over his body, some of which looked infected. Ember recognized him as the Lucario she met during her quest to find the Full Restores. Despite their rather unpleasant introduction, her first instinct was to help him, but she stopped when she remembered what Keckleon did before.
"Absol, is it a trick?" she whispered.
"I don't know," he replied. "I thought it was at first, but he's definitely hurt badly."
"Holy jeez," Umbra muttered. "Somebody seriously owned that guy."
"Should we help?" Ember asked.
Absol nodded. "I think so. I'll go alone first, though, just in case he's hostile."
Absol slowly stood, stepping out of their hiding place. He walked toward Lucario, staying at a polite five feet away. The oddly-colored Pokémon regarded him with both curiosity and apprehension.
"Stay back if you want to live," Lucario warned, preparing an Aura Sphere.
"I'm not here to fight you," Absol replied calmly. "I noticed how injured you were. I have some extra supplies, and I thought you could use them."
"If you're not an enemy, then why are your companions still hiding?"
Absol's eyes widened a bit. After a brief silence, he motioned toward Ember and Umbra. The two nervously stepped out of their hiding place and stood beside Absol. The crackling blue sphere of energy remained in Lucario's hands for a few seconds, but slowly disappeared when he saw Ember.
"I remember you," Lucario said finally. "So, what you said was true after all. I take it this Absol is the friend you mentioned?"
Surprised, Ember merely nodded. Lucario actually gave her a small smile.
"Good work," he said approvingly. "There aren't many poison victims that survive in the wild. What you did took both skill and guts. Do you have a name?"
"Uh, yeah, my name is Ember," she replied, taken aback. "So…how did you know Umbra and I were hiding?"
"I told you already, I can sense the aura of all living things. Besides, that wasn't exactly the best hiding place anyway."
"Wait, sensing people's auras?" Umbra said in shock. "Wow! That must give you such an edge in Hide-and-Seek!"
"Who did this to you? East or West?" Absol asked, scrutinizing his wounds.
Although the question came from Absol, Lucario responded to Ember as though she were the one who asked it.
"Neither, it was a powerful trainer named Velour," he replied bitterly. "She used some kind of all-powerful Pokémon and tried to capture me with a Master Ball."
"A Master Ball?" Ember asked in astonishment. "Wait, aren't those one-of-a-kind Poke Balls? I've heard there are only a few in existence!"
"That's right, and no Pokémon has ever discovered a technique to escape them. Velour managed to get her hands on one somehow, and now she's trying to capture me with it."
"Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but why would she want to use a Master Ball on you?" Umbra asked carefully. "I mean, she can only use it once, and you're no legendary."
Again, Lucario's response was directed toward Ember.
"Take a close look at my fur sheen," he replied.
The three examined Lucario's odd blue-and-yellow fur, which was shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
"You're a Shiny Pokémon," Absol observed.
"Correct," Lucario replied. "As you know, the chances of finding a Shiny in the wild are less than one in eight thousand. Shiny Pokémon are easily worth more in terms of rarity than any legendary pokemon or Master Ball. Velour has made it a point to hunt me down because of it, probably to pay off the debt of the Master Ball itself, wherever she got it."
"Minerva and Velour…those two trainers are always causing us some kind of trouble," Ember muttered. "Who are they, anyway?"
"I don't know too much about them, but I've heard they travel from region to region to capture rare pokemon and compete in high-level tournaments. I even heard they were even in the NPCT. But wherever they used to work, from what I've seen, they're pretty deadly. I was very impressed when you managed to beat Minerva."
Ember's jaw dropped. "You saw that?"
Lucario nodded. "That was some excellent battling on your part, at least from what I could see. It was also very clever how you managed to escape at the end, too."
"Didn't you say you were after some thief from the West Side?" she asked.
"Yep. I nearly had him, but that Keckleon managed to escape at the last second. He gave away the TM he stole from me to some other Pokémon to throw me off, too. Do you know anything about it?"
"Uh…no, nothing at all," Ember replied quickly. "So, uh, anyway, what are you planning to do now?"
"I've got to stop Velour," Lucario said firmly. "She has a Master Ball. She can't be trusted with that kind of power."
"I agree," Umbra added. "I mean, if she can't get you, she could capture anything with that. She could even capture Arceus! I don't know how the creator of an entire dimension could be trapped in a tiny ball, but apparently, he can!"
Lucario raised an eyebrow. "Well, Arceus would be a bit of a long shot as far as the probability of finding him is concerned. But she could certainly catch any of the local legendary Pokémon, and that would be bad enough."
"But how can you face her alone?" Absol asked. "All it would take is one lucky throw, and she'd have you captured. And what about that all-powerful Pokémon you mentioned?"
Lucario paused for a moment, glancing back and forth between the three of them. Finally, his eyes rested on Ember again.
"Alone, yes, it would be impossible," he agreed. "But perhaps the four of us together would have a chance."
Ember, Absol and Umbra exchanged glances.
"You mean, teaming up together?" Ember asked finally. "But, we don't even know you!"
Lucario nodded. "I'm aware of that, but in exchange, I could use my aura abilities to help you in combat, and to make sure no enemies could find you. All I ask in return is your help in defeating Velour, and her battling teammate Minerva, if possible."
"May I discuss your offer with my friends in private for a moment?" Absol asked.
"Absolutely."
Absol, Ember and Umbra stepped out of earshot, standing behind a few trees nearby.
"What do you two think?" Absol asked.
"I think we should," Ember replied. "Minerva and Velour are really dangerous, and it would be nice to have them out of the way."
"Agreed," Umbra said. "I mean, I haven't seen the trainers, but I wouldn't want to meet whatever Pokémon did that to Lucario in a dark alley. Or even a light alley. Alleys are scary."
"Besides, the West Side is still after us," Ember added. "Lucario's abilities could really help us avoid them."
Absol nodded. "Alright, we'll help him out, for now at least. Let's go."
With that, the three returned to Lucario, who was leaning against the entrance to the Hidden Grotto, grimacing as he clutched the wound on his chest. He quickly stood up straight when he saw them return.
"Your decision?" he asked.
"It seems like the best plan," Absol replied. "Well help each other out. In the meantime, you can use some of our supplies to heal yourself."
"Sweet!" Umbra said loudly. "This is awesome! Not only is there four of us now, but we get to kick some monster pokemon's butt, too! What more could you ask for on a Saturday?!"
Lucario gave him a blank stare. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?"
After Lucario was sufficiently healed, their group of four set out. Lucario had told them Velour's usual training route, and they had decided to set up an ambush there. The snow was incredibly deep on the route they travelled, and they had to step carefully to avoid falling into any hollow spots. Lucario led the way, tuning in his aura senses around them.
"So, what are we gonna call our group now?" Umbra asked as they went.
Ember glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Well, there're four of us now, right? So, we should have a cool name for our group! How about the 'Four Heroes?'"
Absol scoffed. "Gee, how original."
Umbra paused, thinking. "Well, how about the 'Red Eyes' gang?"
"Why the 'Red Eyes' gang?" Lucario asked over his shoulder.
"Well, we all have red eyes, right?" Umbra replied.
At this, Ember, Absol, and Lucario quickly glanced at each other, confirming that fact. There was a long silence.
"So…is that a 'no?'" Umbra asked.
"Clever, but not quite what we're looking for," Absol said. "I was thinking of something that suited our present situation, like 'Shut Up, Umbra.'"
"That sounds a little uncreative," Umbra replied dubiously. "What do you think, Lucario?"
"I think that life is too long, and guys like you make it longer," Lucario replied emotionlessly.
There was another silence.
"We're here," Lucario announced suddenly.
The four stopped, scrutinizing their surroundings. They had reached a new route at the edge of the forest. At the far left was a large lake surrounded by a few trees, some of which were broken or half-collapsed, held up by the branches of other nearby trees, as though their comrades were supporting them. At the edge of the route was a massive hill that overlooked the valley below, which had a man-made trail running through it.
"Velour usually passes through that route below this time of day," Lucario said. "This would be the perfect ambush. We'll take her out before she can even send out a Pokémon."
"Wait, what do you mean, 'take her out?'" Ember asked worriedly. "You mean, kill a trainer? That…we can't really do that, can we?"
"Of course we can," Lucario replied tonelessly. "Trainers go into routes fully aware of possible risks. If they're not ready to defend themselves, they pay the price. Besides, Velour is a heartless human. She's not above doing the same thing to anyone in her path."
"I…I don't know…killing a human? That's wrong, isn't it?"
Lucario glanced at Ember. "Humans don't seem to think it's wrong to kill Pokémon, so why should we act any differently toward them? You've seen the results of EV training for yourself, right? After all, you yourself are EV trained. Trainers will walk through routes and attack hundreds of weak and young wild Pokémon just to boost a single stat. Humans have decimated entire routes and polluted our world, and they don't even care. They like to pretend that we're their 'friends,' while ignoring all the thousands of Pokémon they injure or kill in the name of sport."
Ember was stunned into silence. Umbra was shaking his head.
"That's just cold, man," he said. "I mean, you're obviously right about trainers. We all know they trap us in machines and force us to beat up other Pokémon for fun, and they pretend that we're partners who 'help' each other when they clearly reap all the rewards. But if we stoop to their level, we'll be just like them!"
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to agree with Lucario," Absol said sadly. "If it were just another trainer battle, I'd say no, but this is survival. If we aren't willing to do whatever it takes, Velour will capture or kill us without a second thought, and if what Lucario says is true, she's got the power to do it. She and Minerva are after us too, you know."
Ember looked at Absol, taken aback. "But why do we have to kill her to survive?"
"If we merely defeat her Pokémon, she'll just heal them at a Pokemon Center and come back again," Absol replied. "Ember, you know by now that we can't afford to let enemies walk away, or they'll always come back for more. If we run into agents from the East and West side, will you let them live?"
Ember faltered. "Well…no…"
Absol nodded. "When we let that average, typical drifting trainer by the river leave, it was a different matter. But Velour and Minerva are cold, ruthless enemies that will exterminate anyone who inconveniences them, and they will always come back if they aren't stopped. We can't afford to show them mercy. I don't like it either, but it's the truth."
At this, even Umbra didn't reply right away. Ember felt a knot in her stomach. Lucario's plan seemed cruel, and Umbra's comment didn't seem to change much. But the fact that Absol agreed with it was enough to make her pause. Two conflicting instincts struggled within her. On one hand, killing a trainer went was against everything she had ever been taught while with Rose, even if Velour was dangerous and evil. On the other hand, her deep trust in Absol's judgment was too strong to ignore.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she realized that Absol was right. While she still wasn't sure about whether all trainers were as selfish as they described, she knew deep down that Absol held their survival at top priority, and he knew what was best.
"She's coming," Lucario announced, his ears raising slightly.
Ember, Absol, Umbra, and Lucario ran to the top of the hill, crouching and looking down at the path below. They saw a woman in a dark shirt and navy jeans carrying a large briefcase in one hand and a Poke Radar in the other, scanning to and fro. She seemed unaware of the four of them. Lucario glanced at Ember.
"You're the only one who can reach Velour," he said. "Absol and Umbra are both physical Pokémon, and not even my Aura Spheres can go that far. Only your Solarbeam has a long enough range, since it's a focused beam of energy instead of an erratic pulse. One shot will do."
Ember felt nauseous. Not only did they have to kill a human, but now she had to pull the trigger? She looked down at Velour, trying to launch the Solarbeam, but she choked a bit at the thought of simply blasting a human, her deep-rooted instincts holding her back. She hesitantly glanced at Lucario, whose expression was unreadable.
"It's the only way," he muttered, a hint of apology in his tone.
Ember looked at Umbra, who, surprisingly, was scowling thoughtfully.
"I guess they're right," he murmured grudgingly.
Ember tried again to launch the attack, but she still was unable to bring herself to do it. She felt incredibly guilty, both of what she was about to do, and that she couldn't do it. She tentatively glanced at Absol, expecting him to say something calm and rational, or to urge her to do it quickly.
However, he did neither of those things. To her surprise, he merely put his paw on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. That simple gesture spoke more volumes than any words could have. She looked in his eyes and saw that Absol had complete faith in her, and that he would hold nothing against her, no matter what the outcome.
Ember found herself charging up the Solarbeam. She faced toward Velour's backside, aiming the shot right at where her brown hair ended at her shoulders, a sure killing blow. She pushed aside all doubts and fears as she forced herself to make the move. At last, she fired the attack. The shining green beam of energy sailed down toward Velour, flying directly at her. There was no way it could miss.
Velour suddenly turned and saw the beam coming at her. However, rather than jump in surprise, she instantly reacted to the attack, moving far faster than any regular trainer. She reached into her briefcase and yanked out an Ultra Ball. There was a bright flash of light as she tossed the ball at the Solarbeam. Suddenly, a Gyrados appeared, taking the attack instead. The serpentine Pokémon roared in pain, but Velour quickly healed it with a Hyper Potion, darting under the cover of the nearby trees.
Ember was speechless. She'd never seen any trainer since the NPCT move that fast. Lucario cursed bitterly and extended his senses, his ears rising again.
"She knows we're here," he said. "That Poke Radar will lead her right to us. Get ready for combat."
"I told you this was a bad idea!" Umbra added.
To everyone else's surprise, Ember shook her head.
"It wasn't Lucario's fault," she said. "No other trainer could move that fast. If anything, it was my fault for hesitating."
"None of that matters now," Absol interjected. "We can still beat her in a fair fight. It may be four against six, but we're all ready, and I'm betting we're stronger."
Everyone else nodded assent. With that, the four stood together in the tall grass, waiting for Velour. They soon saw the gigantic Gyrados appear on the horizon. Ember was stunned speechless when she recognized it as the very same Gyrados she'd faced in the NPCT. Velour appeared in front of it, running up to the top of the hill. She was obviously incredibly fit and nimble, as she reached their location in seconds. She ran into the tall grass, holding out the Poke Radar. She smirked when she saw the four Pokémon.
"Well, this is a surprise," she said, her cold silver eyes fixing on Lucario. "We really must stop meeting like this, eh? I see you've found some friends, too."
"Which is more than I can say for you," Lucario shot back.
Ember looked at Lucario, shocked that he knew how to speak in Human dialect. She had a slightly more difficult time following the conversation, but all her years with her master at least allowed her to understand most of what they said.
"Well, this time, there's no escape for you," Velour said smugly. "That was a clever ambush, but my Pokémon aren't the only ones who've gone through intense training."
Velour pulled out the purple-and-red Master Ball, rearing back to hurl it at Lucario, who cringed slightly.
"Don't worry, Lucario!" Umbra suddenly yelled. "I'll save you!"
In an uncharacteristic display of courage, Umbra bravely leapt in front of Lucario. However, once Velour saw that Umbra was in the way, she merely put away her Master Ball. Umbra's eyes narrowed.
"Hey!" he yelled. "What, am I not good enough for your Master Ball?!"
Umbra angrily began to walk toward Velour, but Lucario quickly grabbed him and pulled him back. Velour tossed out four more multi-colored Poke balls. A Steelix, a Porygon Z, a Metagross and an Espeon appeared next to the Gyrados. At this, Umbra flew into a rage.
"And you have an Espeon too?!" he screamed. "Oh, I bet you never had any trouble with daylight savings time, did you, punk?!"
"Enjoying that ability Synchronize?" Espeon asked tauntingly. "I prefer Magic Guard, but that's just me."
Umbra gritted his teeth.
"Cool it, Umbra," Absol said. "Alright, we're outnumbered, so let's choose out targets carefully."
Lucario faced the Metagross, charging an Aura Sphere. Umbra faced Espeon, infuriated. Absol engaged both the Steelix and the Porygon Z at once. Ember found herself face-to-face with the Gyrados that nearly killed her back at the NPCT. She felt her legs quiver as the old fear began to reemerge. Perhaps it was simply the Gyrados using Intimidate, but she was still terrified.
Then, Ember shook her head angrily. She wasn't the same Ninetails she used to be. This time, she would win. She would beat the Gyrados. Steeling her nerve, she activated her Drought and faced the draconic serpent defiantly.
"Alright, you know the drill," Velour said evenly. "Kill the others, but leave that Lucario alive. Go!"
With several roars and battle cries, the two teams of Pokémon faced each other, ready for combat.
"Alright, you cheap, overpowered Eeveelution," Umbra said angrily. "I'm gonna show you what an 'outclassed' Pokémon can do!"
Espeon grinned. "Go ahead and try."
In a rage, Umbra rushed to attack her, but Espeon's eyes suddenly glowed brightly. A shower of dust-like energy slowly washed over Umbra. He paused, staring at Espeon, who looked surprisingly attractive in the current lighting, the scenery complimenting her looks perfectly. He felt a stab of hesitation as his heart began to beat a bit faster. Suddenly, he cursed as he realized the Espeon had used Attract.
"Oh, come on!" he yelled. "How can I possibly fall for a Pokémon I can't stand?!"
Espeon chuckled. "Love is blind, I guess. Now, then, since the only offensive move I know is Psychic and you're a Dark type, I'm gonna go take down Lucario while you deal with your infatuation."
"Yeah, well, there's one thing you didn't count on."
"Oh? And what's that?"
Umbra smirked. "I always carry a Destiny Knot for situations like this."
Espeon's eyes widened. "Oh, shoot…"
Meanwhile, Lucario used Calm Mind, boosting his strength and aura. He tuned his senses toward Metagross, who reared back to use Hammer Arm. He quickly sidestepped the move, the piston-like metal arm smashing into the ground beside him. He retaliated with Aura Sphere, nailing Metagross dead-on. The metallic monster roared angrily. For a moment, Lucario felt a stab of fear. He knew that most trained Pokémon would do anything to win, and he was worried that Metagross might use Earthquake. However, the Metagross apparently realized it would hurt his own team too much and held back the move.
Instead, it used Zen Headbutt, this time nailing its target. Lucario grunted as he was slammed backwards by the move, the wind knocked out of him. Lucario felt the determination behind the attack. Metagross hadn't used Earthquake yet, but Lucario realized that if he pushed the metal behemoth too far, it might even use Explosion to win the match. He knew he'd have to take him out before that happened. Changing his tactics, Lucario used Calm Mind again.
On his end, Absol glanced between his two opponents, evaluating the best first target. Both the Steelix and the Porygon Z eyed him warily, waiting for the first move. Finally, Porygon Z could take it no longer and aimed a Hyper Beam. Seizing his chance, Absol struck it with Sucker Punch, knocking it backward. Porygon Z still fired the Hyper Beam, but Absol was ready for it and dodged it with ease.
Steelix merely used Curse, boosting his already impressive stats. Rather than wait for another attack, Absol quickly finished the Porygon Z with Stone Edge, facing the empowered Steelix. The metallic snake scoffed.
"A physical attacker against a physical wall?" it taunted. "You must have a death wish."
Absol didn't even bother to reply, narrowly dodging Steelix's Iron Head. With the power of Drought strengthening the move, Absol launched a Flamethrower, blasting the Steelix backwards. It collapsed with a mighty thud. It wasn't finished, but it was hurt. With that, Absol braced himself for Steelix's move.
At the far end of the battle, Ember faced the Gyrados, ready for a fight to the death. The serpent-dragon roared a menacing challenge at her, and for a moment her bravado faltered. But she forced herself to be calm, ready for the fight.
"This looks familiar," the Gyrados said in a deep, sinister tone. "Where have I seen this before? Ah, yes, I remember! You look exactly the same way you did then: cowering, whimpering in fear of your inevitable defeat. At least now you probably have enough common sense to know that a Drought Ninetails can never beat a Gyrados."
Ember actually managed a smirk. "Maybe I'll be the first."
Ember was about to make a move, but she suddenly heard a voice behind her.
"Ember, use Solarbeam!"
Startled, Ember pivoted around, but saw no one there. She could have sworn it was Rose's voice. She then realized she had let Rose make all her decisions for her in the past, and even now, the very same mistake she made was still haunting her. She knew that the only way to defeat Gyrados was to overcome Rose's mistake, and to put the past behind her.
"Sorry, Rose," Ember muttered. "But from now on, I'm making my own decisions."
The Gyrados let out another roar, but rather than attack head-on, Ember used Will-o-wisp, burning and weakening the monster. Gyrados used Dragon Dance, but the burn cancelled it out. The flames also began to damage him as they readied their next moves. Because of Drought weakening Water moves, Gyrados used Stone Edge, the jagged rocks flying at Ember again.
Before, she'd been too intimidated to think rationally, but she now recognized the relatively simple attack pattern. Waiting for the precise moment, Ember leapt to the side, the missiles flying past her. Then, with the sun powering her strike, she used Fire Blast, torching Gyrados. Despite his Water type, her move did incredible damage thanks to both Drought and her natural Fire type. In fact, it did easily as much as Solarbeam would have, with the added bonus of catching her opponent off guard. The burn also damaged Gyrados again.
Finally, Gyrados used Waterfall. It was a Water move, but both the sun and the burn weakened it to the point where it barely even hurt Ember. She was about to strike back, but she then felt a horrible stinging pain. She then gritted her teeth. The move had caused her to flinch! She bitterly awaited Gyrados's next blow. The serpent used another Waterfall, no-doubt hoping for the same outcome. The attack hurt a bit more this time, but Ember still held on. At least Gyrados's burn was doing steady damage.
Then, despite her growing agony, she smirked. She hadn't flinched that time. She aimed another Fire Blast, nailing Gyrados right in the head. She braced herself for another attack, but her eyes widened when she realized that it wasn't necessary. With one last roar of agony, the serpent-dragon finally collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the might of Ember's inner fire, both literally and figuratively.
Ember stood there for a moment, staring at her fallen opponent in shock. Slowly, the shock transformed into triumph. At long last, she had proven herself. She had fought Gyrados to the end, and she had won! At last, victory was hers! She felt a deep satisfaction as her old fears melted away. She realized then that she would never again lose to a Gyrados in a fair fight.
Grinning in triumph, Ember turned to help her companions, but saw that it wasn't necessary either. Nearby, despite having taken a bad hit from Iron Head, Absol blasted the Steelix with another Drought-empowered Flamethrower, taking it down. He glanced at Ember, smiling when he saw her wide grin.
On his end, after three Calm Minds, Lucario obliterated the Metagross in one shot. He looked to Ember and Absol, actually giving them a small smile as well.
"I guess that's that," he said, satisfied.
"Wait a moment," Ember said worriedly. "What about Umbra?"
The three suddenly heard a half-purring, half-crooning sound nearby. They looked to their right. Espeon was lying on top of Umbra, though Umbra wasn't trying to throw her off, nor was she attacking. In fact, Espeon's long tail was wrapped lovingly around his. They held each other in a caressing embrace and were sharing long, passionate kisses.
Ember's eyes widened. "Uh…Absol? Why are they…?"
"I should have known," Absol sighed. "Leave it to Umbra to do something like that."
Lucario merely held up a paw and blasted the Espeon off him with Dark Pulse, knocking her out. Umbra glared at him with fervent rage.
"Now, why did you go and do that?!" he yelled. "Espeon and I were just starting to hit it off!"
Lucario rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we noticed. You do realize that if it weren't for your Destiny Knot, she would still be a bitter enemy trying to kill you?"
Umbra stood up, shrugging. "Well, fine, if that's how you want to look at her actions."
"Oh, really? And how, pray tell, do you look at her actions?"
Umbra grinned. "A fine, foxy lady playing hard-to-get."
They suddenly heard Velour curse angrily and yank out five Ultra Balls, returning her Pokémon to them. Umbra sadly watched Espeon as she was enveloped in bright red light and returned to her ball.
"Until next time, my sweet Cherie," Umbra called wistfully.
Velour returned the five Pokémon to her briefcase. Ember, Absol, Umbra, and Lucario all charged up their attacks, aiming at her. She smirked.
"So, you think you've got me?" she asked smugly. "Think again!"
Suddenly, Velour opened another slot on her briefcase, revealing dozens of empty Ultra Balls.
"Look out!" Lucario yelled, leaping back.
Velour grabbed three Ultra Balls at once and hurled them at the four Pokémon. Absol and Ember ducked and dodged the first two, but the third one connected and sucked Ember inside! The ball shook twice, but finally broke as Ember escaped. Lucario tried to aim an Aura Sphere at Velour, but had to quickly weave to the side to avoid another Ultra Ball.
Velour grabbed an armload of Ultra Balls and began rapidly hurling them at the weakened Pokémon, who could only dodge and weave and struggle to break out whenever they were hit. One of the Ultra Balls hit Absol, but before Ember could break him free, another one hit her, and they were both trapped. There was a horrible moment when both balls shook three times, but thankfully, Lucario broke Ember's ball with a well-placed Aura Sphere, and Absol managed to break out on his own just in time to avoid another Ultra Ball.
Umbra was caught by an Ultra Ball, though he wasn't weakened from the previous battle and managed to break out almost instantly. Lucario dodged two more Ultra Balls, looking desperately at Velour.
"We can't keep this up," he said quickly. "All it takes is one lucky ball, and we'll lose a teammate forever. We need to take her down, now!"
When they saw a small opening, Ember, Absol, Umbra, and Lucario faced Velour, charging up their attacks. Lucario launched an Aura Sphere, but Velour threw an Ultra Ball in the way, which was destroyed by the attack instead. Umbra was about to try using Confuse Ray on Velour, but was cut off as he was forced to dodge another Ultra Ball.
Absol launched a Flamethrower, and Velour barely dodged it in time. At last, Ember found the perfect moment and sent off a Fire Blast. The wall of flames flew at Velour, who had stumbled after dodging Absol's attack and had no way to avoid them. The fiery missile came closer and closer to its target, heading right for Velour…
Suddenly, there was a flash of light. A Floatzel appeared right in front of Velour, taking the attack instead. The water Pokémon was blasted backwards, crashing to the ground. Velour and the four Pokémon looked up.
Flying down on a massive Dragonite was Velour's teammate, Minerva. She recalled the fainted Floatzel to its Ultra Ball, landing next to Velour. She smirked when she saw Ember.
"Hello again," she greeted smugly. "Nice to see my favorite Drought Ninetails is doing well."
Ember, unable to respond in human dialect, merely bristled and growled menacingly in response. Velour turned to Minerva.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Minerva shrugged. "I saw Drought activate and cover the entire route, and I hoped it was my old friend the Ninetails. Not only was I correct, but it looks like I came just in time to save your skin."
Velour shot her an angry glare.
"I don't need help," she said apprehensively. "I only lost five Pokémon. I still have one left."
Ember noticed Lucario visibly stiffen. Velour reached into her case and pulled out a Dusk Ball. Even Minerva winced as she activated it, tossing the ball onto the battlefield. A dark mist began to pour out from the Dusk Ball as a Pokémon emerged. Suddenly, the extra sun from Drought disappeared! Ember jumped in surprise as she felt her ability deactivate, the sun fading behind the clouds.
A whirlwind of dust, sand and dirt flew out around the Pokémon emerging from the ball, shrouding it from sight. Two glowing red eyes appeared within the vortex. Ember looked to the right and saw Lucario's face grow very pale. She looked back at the silhouette of the Pokémon inside the tornado, seeing it begin to slowly walk toward them.
Suddenly, the beast let out a roar. But it wasn't just any roar. It was the roar. Ember's heart leapt into her throat and her blood froze like ice as the creature let out the very same roar she'd heard at the end of the NPCT, and that Chatot had impersonated near Umbra's ironworks. Her pulse raced as she realized that, at long last, she was facing the monster responsible for the accident at the NPCT, the monster that had removed her from her world and caused her to wind up in another.
Ember stared at the monster in utter terror as it drew closer and closer, feeling its loud, thudding footsteps slightly shaking the ground. The Pokémon was even scarier than she'd imagined. She had no idea what to do or how to fight it. The beast roared again, Ember recoiling as the deafening sound assailed her eardrums and dug up far too many unpleasant memories.
"Go, my servant!" Velour shouted over the wind. "Unleash your devastating power! Earthquake!"
The beast roared again, the sound echoing through the route. It raised up its massive arms, then thrust them down to the ground, the impact shaking the earth beneath them. Suddenly, large stone pillars began shooting up from the earth, smashing into Ember, Absol, Umbra, and Lucario. The four were flung back by the force of the blow, crashing to the ground painfully.
As a Fire Type, Ember was greatly weak to Earthquake and unable to withstand the crushing blow. She began to feel the familiar dark mist enclosing around her vision. She tried desperately to stay awake, but she was too badly weakened and couldn't resist the loss of consciousness.
Nearby, Lucario was barely able to hang on as he took the super-effective attack as well. Umbra, not quite as hurt but still shaking, glanced behind him.
"Uh, guys, not like I don't have faith we can win, but I really think we should bail," he sputtered. "You know the old saying; run away, live to take flight another day!"
"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right," Lucario agreed reluctantly. "Fire off as many attacks as you can and let's go!"
With that, Lucario fired an Aura Sphere into the vortex, hearing a roar of agony as the beast staggered backwards. Umbra reached into their bag and tossed out a Smoke Ball, the mist shrouding them. Absol quickly but gently slung Ember onto his back, and they all ran as fast as they could out of the route, several attacks flying past them as they went.
Velour coughed angrily, trying to wave away the thick, white cloud of mist from the Smoke Ball. She returned the great beast to the Dusk Ball, the whirlwind slowly disappearing. As the smoke faded, she gritted her teeth.
"How does that Lucario always manage to escape?!" she yelled. "Just when it looks like I've got him, he finds three other wild Pokémon to help him!"
"Don't worry," Minerva chuckled. "They won't get far."
Ember slowly drank down the contents of the Hyper Potion Absol gave her, her throbbing headache finally beginning to calm down as the last traces of the dark mist faded from her eyes. She always despised getting knocked out, especially by Earthquake. It was her least favorite attack. It seemed like nearly every Pokémon in existence knew it, and it had such ridiculous accuracy and power.
"How long was I out?" she asked.
"About an hour," Absol replied. "I think we've lost Velour, at least for now."
Umbra stretched himself out, yawning as he sat down in front of their camp fire.
"That was brutal," he muttered. "I can't even think of a good joke for this."
Ember glanced to the side, noticing that Lucario was standing well away from the camp fire, reclining against a tree. He was dead silent, his expression unreadable.
"You okay, Lucario?" she asked.
There was a brief silence. Finally, Lucario turned to her, the faintest traces of sadness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Ember," he said finally. "I'm sorry that I got you into this."
"Her?! What about me?!" Umbra said peevishly. "What am I, chopped Poffin?!"
Lucario ignored him. "I had no right to drag you into my battle. I put your life at risk, and nothing should be worth that."
"Well, it's thanks to your aura powers that the East and West sides haven't been able to ambush us," Ember replied. "Besides, Minerva and Velour have been a threat for a while now. We'll still help you, right, guys?"
Absol nodded. "It's the right thing to do. Besides, Velour has both a Master Ball and that monster Pokémon, and she's not afraid to use either one to crush anything or anyone who gets in her way. She has to be stopped."
Ember looked down for a moment, feeling a lump in her throat. Finally, she turned to Absol.
"That monster was the one," she said quietly. "It's the Pokémon behind the accident."
"I know," Absol replied. "I recognized the roar. What do you want to do?"
"I…I have to defeat it. It's the only way I can figure out what really happened that day. I know it's an awful risk, but I need to face it in battle again."
Even as Ember said the words, she realized how grave the risk was, not just to herself, but to her teammates should they encounter Velour again. Ember reached out, touching Absol's cheek with her paw.
"I know it's asking a lot," she said softly. "But…will you help me, Absol?"
"I don't think so, Ember," Absol replied, shaking his head.
Ember felt an awful ache in her chest. She looked down at her feet in both sorrow and embarrassment, trying to hold back tears. Suddenly, however, she felt Absol's paw go around her as he pulled her into a hug, chuckling slightly.
"I know so," he said. "That's what I'm here for, right?"
Ember mentally berated herself for falling for the joke, but was too happy to dwell on it. She returned the hug, hearing an 'Aww' from Umbra as she did so.
"I don't know what this is all about, but it looks like we all have our reasons to take down Velour and Minerva," Lucario said. "We'd better get some sleep. If I know Velour and Minerva, they won't give us up that easily, either. I'll take the first watch tonight."
With that, Ember, Umbra, and Absol lied down near the fire, Lucario remaining alert as he leaned against the tree, staring into the lifeless darkness, dreading the coming return of the monster.
Chapter 13: The Face of the Monster