Part XVI: The Flames of Punishment
Time seemed to stand still as my rival slowly turned to face me. The famous Ice Demon and Petalsaurus were now letting out panicked howls and roars as the once cheerful brunette let out an inhuman growl. My heart slammed against my chest until all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat. What's going on? I gulped down fear as I took a few steps back. My rival's head dipped to the floor as she finally faced me head-on. This is impossible.
That panic only got worse as she lifted her head to expose burning red eyes. I fought back tears as she suddenly gained black rings around her eyes and eyes the color of fresh blood. Her breath came out as harsh, ragged exhales of rage that could send a wild Rhyhorn running for cover.
"Lyra!" My voice came out as a weak squeak as the pesky Glaceon took a few steps forward. "What's wrong with you? Snap out of it!"
Lyra ignored me. She simply let out a piercing roar that sounded almost bird-like. I covered my ears to shield them from the painful pitch as she then snapped her scarred hand in front of her and clenched her fist. Glaceon started to bark before taking a few steps back and launching himself at his Trainer.
The Fresh Snow Pokémon ended up headbutting his Trainer's thighs and bouncing off as if Lyra was made of rubber. The Glaceon slammed against the floor with a pained howl before rising to his feet and giving the girl a glare.
I decided right there that something was very, very wrong.
"Lyra Soul!" I took a step towards her as her burning eyes rose from the growling Eeveelution back to my face. A burning hatred leaked out of her gaze, causing me to feel as if she was burning a hole in my forehead. "Stop it! It's us, your rival and your Pokémon! There's no reason to act like this!"
The brunette who was once my rival simply let out a roar and launched herself at me. Before I could even react, Meganium lunged forward and held the girl back with his vines. I froze in fear as the girl was held back by only two measly vines. As if those would keep her away from us. The girl squirmed in Meganium's grasp before letting her hands glow a harsh orange light once again. Before I could warn the Pokémon, fireballs launched themselves at the vines with a deadly accuracy.
Meganium let out a pained yip as he waved his vines around in a panic. I immediately stepped forward and forced the two Pokémon back as Lyra Soul—or, what's left of her—landed gracefully on her feet. I growled at the two Pokémon as they tried to pass me, holding them back with arms spread wide.
"Get back, you idiots! She's shooting fireballs and you're both weak to fire!" And yet, I can't beat you two to save my life. I pushed the thought aside before snapping my attention back to the girl before me. "Lyra, snap out of this! You're hurting your Pokémon!"
"Silence, you rotten scourge!" I found my eyes widening with sick fear as the voice that emerged from her mouth was identical to the one from my nightmares. "It's time for you to pay for your sins against Pokémon and humankind alike!" She then rose her hands at her sides and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, flames emerged from both hands as if she were nothing more than a Pokémon in a human skin. "You cannot escape the wrath of the great bird of rebirth!"
It was at that exact moment that she raced towards me and landed a harsh punch to my gut. I found myself falling backwards and crashing to the floor as a nauseous feeling rose in my throat. Looking up at the brunette gave me only seconds before she tried to land another hit on my face. I tilted away just seconds before she hit me, allowing her to slam her fist into the tiles and create a fresh crater.
You'll have to fight to escape this mess. A voice in my mind managed to urge me to my feet as to dodge another punch. This isn't your rival. You'll fight to survive or die at her hands, just as those grunts have. I gulped down raw panic and shuffled out of reach to avoid more hits from my blinded rival. If you're lucky, you may avoid the same fate of those pathetic Rockets.
Another punch just grazed my cheek as I found myself being forced back by her endless attacks. It was then that I muttered an apology and slammed my palm into her chest. My rival skidded back with wide eyes before snapping back to my face. I swallowed my hesitation and instead started blocking her attacks with my arms, making her wrists slam into my arms to prevent her from hitting me.
A nasty snarl escaped her as she started to increase the speed and try even harder to burn my face off of my head. I hissed in pain as I found the hit to my stomach slowing me down. But, I couldn't just give up. I'll end up dying here in this hallway. I found myself fighting her back and cringing with every punch to her sides and arms. Every part of me was screaming against this, but I had no choice. This wasn't my rival anymore. It couldn't be.
"Glace!" I looked over my shoulder to find my rival's loyal Glaceon running full speed to his Trainer and burying his face into her shin. For the smallest fraction of a second, clarity returned to her vision before fading away and returning to deep crimson orbs of hatred. "Glace on glae!"
I looked up with wide eyes just seconds before being hit in my right arm. The flame-covered fist seemed to burn through my entire body upon impact, making me gasp for breath. What just happened? He just cuddled up to her and then she looked normal... It was then that I had an idea. It was a terrible idea. It was a horrible, foolish idea. But, it was the only idea I had left.
"Meganium!" I looked over my shoulder to find the Pokémon jolting in the shock of being called something other than an insult. "Copy Glaceon! Go do whatever he just did!" The green Pokémon gave me a harsh glare before running after his teammate and rubbing his face into her stomach. At that exact second, Lyra's face contorted into a cringe of pain and she slammed her eyes shut.
"Well," I gulped before running at her after the Pokémon. "I really hope this works!" Before any rational part of my mind could object, I launched myself at my rival and held her tight. The girl immediately stiffened under my arms, but I held on. Yeah, the thought makes me feel a bit sick to my stomach, to be honest. However, I was currently trying not to die, so you get a little desperate.
I slammed my eyes shut and waited for the burning pain of another punch, only it didn't come. I cautiously opened my eyes to find to my astonishment that my rival was as still as a statue. Slowly, her eyelids drooped as the deep crimson flushed out of her eyes. The bold black around her eyes faded to a sickly pale white as her face softened. For the slightest second, I wondered if this would just revert back and leave me an open target for another attack. However, her falling limp in my grasp certainly changed my mind.
"Lyra!" I lowered myself to the floor to prevent her from crashing head-first and found myself holding a motionless rival once again. Meganium and Glaceon simply sat beside me and watched on with narrowed eyes. My systems were flooded with fear and regret as she simply laid there without even a single sign of breathing. "Lyra, c'mon! Move, you little pest! This isn't the time for a nap!"
My eyes started to sting as the seconds ticked away with not a single response. You're so stupid! There's no reason for you to start crying! That's for weaklings, you know! Besides, why cry over such a pathetic excuse for a human being? She's nothing to you but an obstacle.
Because, a much a lighter voice spoke in some abandoned corner of my mind. I care about her.
It was just when this thought escaped me that a small droplet of water fell on my rival's cheek. I sniffled, trying to prevent myself from breaking here in this cold hallway. The Glaceon and Meganium beside me simply watched on as I took a deep breath and tightened my grip on her side and head. "C'mon...don't do this...wake up..."
I felt as if my heart stopped beating as she continued to be motionless.
I then slammed my eyes shut and felt as if I was flooding my face. Salty water rushed into my mouth as I fought to hold some part of me together. Glaceon let out a quiet whimper as it seemed he understood what was going on. Lyra's Meganium didn't make a sound, perhaps in silent mourning. Everything happened so quickly, I had no idea what caused this.
Just then, a small shift on my lap told me that I had better open my eyes and take a look. My eyes snapped open to find my rival letting out a small groan and shifting with discomfort. I watched as her eyes fluttered open before slamming shut once again. A low groan of pain filled the haunting void.
"Nngh, oh Ho-Oh..." Glaceon started to bark excitedly as his partner woke up. "I just..." It was then that she lifted her gaze to my face. Hazel eyes widened as her hands shot up to my neck. I didn't have enough time to even flinch as she pulled herself up and nearly choked me to death.
"Silver! Are you alright?" She quickly pulled herself away to narrow her bright eyes in judgement. "You're not hurt, are you? Oh my—" She stopped and pulled herself away even further and abruptly touched a hand to my cheek. I let out a hiss as I found the contact burning with a sharp bolt of pain. "You're burnt..."
"Lyra," I struggled to keep myself from hugging her or doing something stupid. "What in the name of Lugia was that freaky crap you just did?!" Her eyes dodged my own as I sharpened my gaze. "You were trying to kill me! You even attacked your Pokémon, for crying out loud!"
Her attention immediately snapped to her Pokémon. "Glace! Gani!" The two mentioned Pokémon jumped to their feet and raced to their Trainer. We were immediately tackled by two over-zealous Pokémon and I was pushed aside in the commotion. I just shook my head and tried to decode this situation for myself.
She acted insane, probably killed two Team Rocket grunts and then tried to kill me. Now she's perfectly fine and hugging her Pokémon as if nothing ever happened. Either I'm still sleeping, or this is something related to that stupid 'destiny' she frets about on occasion. I lifted my head to find Lyra looking over her Glaceon's head and giving me an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry." Her voice is so quiet, I almost missed it. "I understand that this is absolutely insane to you...and I understand if you're scared of me, or hate me—" I cut her off right there.
"I'm not scared." I just lied to her face and I automatically regret it. "I'm just sorta freaked out as to why my rival suddenly gained some fire powers like some Pokémon and tried to kill me, that's all." The horror overwhelmed her features as I just sat there on that cold tile floor, right next to the crater her fist had left.
"Silver I—" She stopped to wipe the corners of her eyes before shaking her head. "I can explain everything to you, I swear it. Just please, give me a chance."
For a minute, I considered getting up and walking away, pretending I never had a rival to begin with. When I signed on that imaginary dotted line to pledge myself to exceeding her strength, I never agreed to the fine print that stated that my rival would go on to be a 'Champion', a 'hero' and a 'chosen one'. That was never part of the deal.
But, like it or not, that was my rival. And even though I honestly hated how every time I turned around, she was five steps ahead with the only lantern to find her way out of the cavern we were stuck in, I was still her rival. And, I'm pretty sure that my position is pretty sought after by other Trainers out there, so I'm pretty skilled to acquire such a job before she became anything more than a sniveling child.
I slowly rose to my feet and watched as her face became filled with raw fear. I simply ignored her current expression as I stuck a hand in one of my pockets and walked down the hall. I stopped after talking a few steps and slowly extended my unveiled hand down in front of her awe-struck face. A small smirk grew as I watched her slowly smile back.
"Make it quick, Marshmallow-Head. I'm getting sick and tired of being the last to know about supernatural powers, great achievements and overwhelming destinies. I never signed up for this, you know."
Author's Note: Action-filled chapter? Emotional chapter? In the same chapter? Well, don't know what to say about that. However, I know what to say about a few things contained in this chapter.
It seems that everything is solved with love, right? Not really. That was something a bit more than 'hugs are the cure!', folks. Things will be explained in the next chapter, I promise. But, let's focus on what is explained in this chapter.
So, Lyra Soul wasn't actually fully Lyra Soul in this chapter (until the end). This was shown with the scary voice change. Did anyone see that coming? Well, we all remember the jerk in the yukata, right? Yeah, that's him. Talking for Lyra. LIKE. WHAT. IS. HIS. DEAL? He drives a writer mad, that's for sure! The fire was pretty scary, but luckily Silver's jacket is fire-resistant! (Thank his father for actually planning ahead with that jacket!) It seems that he's still got a mark on his face, which stinks. But, I'm sure things will be alright with Nurse Joy around to help! Either that, or Lyra's gonna have to pull out her first aid kit again.
Well, we'll finally get the full story in the next chapter! Hurray!