Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 73: Kindred Warriors
Morning came like one of those classic springtime stories; sun was shining and birds were singing. If flowers were blooming, that had yet to be known. Surely though, it was a tranquil and picturesque morning.
Soaking in the growing warmth of the seeping sunlight, Kiba let out a yawning stretch and opened his eyes, only to see purple. But he wasn't at all surprised, rather he expected as much. After gently prying off the Noibat from his face, he placed Noir on the floor where he curled into a fuzzy ball, his nose nearly buried under the scarf and his claws loosely clutching the small Snivy keychain. Gazing at the sight, Kiba patted the Noibat's head turned to his Slakoth who had yet to stir awake.
"Just how much more do you need to sleep?" A yawn was his answer. Sighing, Kiba gave up and looked out the window to check on his Fearow who was apparently missing from his former perch. "Arrow?"
"Arrow-Arrow-Arrow~" A colorful bird with a head that resembled an eighth note mimicked from a nearby branch before flying over to the window sill. "Arrow-Arrow-Arrow." It seemed to check Kiba's hand for some reason before it turned around and flew off.
A screechy yawn sounded from inside. Noir shifted half-awake and drunkenly flew over, slumping against the open window. Letting out another yawn, the Noibat briskly shook its head and glanced at Kiba who greeted him with a friendly scratch behind his ear. Noir purred at the gesture before he stuck his nose in the air. His eyes shot open like golden saucers and he quickly fluttered off.
"Hey! What's up?" Kiba called out to the Noibat but he disappeared from his sight.
Immediately, he ran through the door with his Slakoth still clinging to him and halted at the very edge of the treetop. Without his Fearow, it was a long way down. Fortunately for him, he found a vine and scaled down the huge tree. Once he touched the forest floor, he darted in the direction where he saw Noir went.
Following the dry leafy path beneath the rain of sunlight, he rounded a turn and saw a clearing with a wide collection of avian pokemon from a brood of Pidgeys and Starlys to a couple of Dodrios and a huge Fearow that looked like Arrow. It was Arrow.
Moving closer, Kiba peered behind a tree and saw some guy feeding them fruits and nuts. The brown windswept hair, gray pants and aviator's jacket helped Kiba recall the person who was being chased by a psychotic girl with twin blades.
"One at a time! Geez!" The guy did his best to push back the birds that swarmed around him as he reached for a red apple from a basket that he held very protectively. On sight, Kiba's Fearow immediately lunged for the fruit, nearly taking the boy's hand in the process. "Sheesh! Take it easy! I've been skewered and nearly skewered too many times now. I don't want to end up a pin cushion."
Kiba continued to watch until he saw a small purple form amongst all the cluster of feathers. Recalling last night's dilemma with Faye Lin when she recognized Noir, Kiba feared it would end in his death sentence when a senior from the Sky division actually gets wind of his affiliation. When the Noibat was nearly visible, Kiba stepped out and drew the guy's attention away from the pokemon, as well as gaining his Fearow's.
"There you are, Arrow." Kiba waved at the large brown avian casually.
"Hey, you're that guy from before."Corentin or Ren, if Kiba recalled correctly, acknowledged him. "So this big guy's yours, huh?"
"Yeah, that's Arrow," Kiba said with a small smile as he approached Corentin and grabbed a smaller apple from the basket and held it in front of Arrow. The Fearow wadded in place anxiously, wanting to strike for the apple but knowing better than to take it before he was permitted from Kiba. Once Kiba took a small bite from the apple, he tossed the fruit into the air where Arrow skewered the apple on his long beak before digging into it hungrily. "Caught him as a Spearow almost a decade ago. One of my first if you can believe it."
"He's a big boy, alright." Corentin looked at the Fearow thoroughly before he cast Kiba a friendly smile. "So how are you faring in Semira so far? We had a couple of rough days, if you've noticed."
"You could say that," Kiba said with a morbid laugh as he stroked Arrows neck. "Escaping from a Rayquaza wasn't really on my bucket list though to be honest."
"Escaping from a Rayquaza? Then you're from the Black Scythe division, right?" Corentin stared at him with a hint of caution. Kiba nodded his head as he gauged Ren's reaction as he continued.
"Yeah, well when the guy in charge sends some brat with a Darkrai to 'invite you' into the ranks it's kind of hard to say no. Believe me, I tried."
"Huh…" Corentin shrugged. "Guess some of us are just lucky. I more or less came here on my own. My friend, Aspen came here chasing after an Absol and we met by des-coincidence." He chuckled to himself. "So what brings you to these parts?"
"Arrow brought us to a tree house nearby," Kiba explained. "I never liked sleeping indoors, and that last attack didn't help that choice so we've been sleeping outside again, took shelter there for the night." Kiba picked a small berry from younger guy's basket and held it over his shoulder. His Slakoth groggily moved his head towards the fruit and began munching it slowly as he started to wake up.
"The nearest tree house here belongs to my junior, if I recall correctly." Corentin looked to the direction that Kiba came from. "We usually have a few built around when we want some time to ourselves. But I don't think he'll be back anytime soon. Feel free to use it. Just don't cause too much trouble around here. A lot of people are still riled up after that night."
"Believe me, it was a lot more interesting on my end," Kiba said with a shudder as he scratched his head in thought. "You don't happen to know where the guy went do you? Aeron I mean."
"Well, if a newbie like you heard his name. Guess the news of his disappearance does travel fast." Corentin pondered a bit, absently reaching for a pear in his basket just as a Noibat swallowed it in one gulp and fluttered off. Corentin looked down, noticing the pear's absence and settled for another apple. "I'm not really allowed to give details but since you're kind of new and didn't really have much of a choice. Plus, last time I saw you, Noir was pretty attached to you. Master Altair's guess would be the Kalos region but knowing Aeron, he wouldn't go there right away. He might have flown elsewhere till the heat dies down."
"So no real leads then." Kiba sighed as his Slakoth climbed off his shoulders and wandered off towards the Noibat.
"Although, I did hear from our previous head that he might be in Kanto." Corentin added and took a bite out of the apple. "With little clues, it'll be pretty busy and hard for us seniors. Even now, I'm behind on feeding duty as you may have noticed. Time to time, we come here and feed the wild pokemon so they'd be used to humans and will be trained easier."
"One kid can't make that much of a difference can it?" Kiba asked. "I mean he looked pretty young the few times I met him."
"You see all these pokemon?" Corentin motioned to the flock around him. "One word from Aeron is all it takes for them to follow. I'm not really sure how it works but believe me, even my most loyal Staraptor partner would drop me if he said to. But Aeron's a good kid deep down."
"I guess he just liked making me walk from Sedgwick Valley back to the Black Scythe headquarters then," Kiba muttered bitterly as Wrath laughed at his trainers expression.
"Maybe he was just pissed at the way his Noibat was all clingy to you." Corentin laughed and turned around. "Anyway, where did your Slakoth wander off to?" He glanced around and saw the furry brown mammal with a fuzzy purple bat, both were sharing a piece of fruit. "Hey, isn't that?"
"Yeah," Kiba said uneasily as he started preening Arrow absently. "Like you said... clingy, right?"
Corentin raised a brow at him and stared back at the Noibat. Pulling out a red juicy apple, he called out the dragon bat's name and Noir flew over and happily landed on his arm and took the apple, chomping it down with delight.
"Noir, why don't you take the remaining stuff and eat them with your friends?" The Noibat nodded eagerly and accepted the basket. Flying a little ways off with the basket on his feet, the flock of birds trailed after, leaving the two boys, Kiba's Fearow and Corentin's Staraptor. "I feel kinda bad for the little guy. I mean, I only know a few bits and pieces from Master Altair but actually figuring that Aeron would leave Noir behind…"
"He might not be showing it, but it's killing him inside," Kiba said quietly as he watched Noir and Wrath amongst the other pokemon. "I promised him I'd help him find Aeron, but I'm starting to worry I won't be able to help."
Corentin ran a hand through his brown locks as he stared at the sight as well. "I could maybe… Bring word if any news comes in. Aeron needs Noir just as much as Noir needs Aeron."
"I hope you're right," Kiba said as doubt clouded his mind. "But anything you could share would mean a lot to Noir, even if you are helping an assassin find Aeron,"
"Mind you, though. My life is sort of claimed by a psychotic brunette." Corentin laughed sheepishly.
"And I've got a feisty redhead assassin I need to watch out for." Kiba chuckled as the two laughed at their predicaments.
After a while, Corentin retrieved his empty basket and Kiba picked up Noir and Wrath and headed back to Senka Island to resume his training and responsibilities. Once he reached the boundaries, he spotted most of the members and their pokemon still busy with repairs. The once gaping holes were now reinforced with wooden and steel supporters. The top of the black pagoda was still ripped apart but that was understandable.
"Oh hey, hubby~" Leiko's energetic voice called out overhead. She was riding on the back of her Mandibuzz, waving her hand all friendly-like. "I'm planning to skip out on duties today. Why not go somewhere else as well?" She winked at him. "Just remember: don't get caught by Bellatrix."
"Won't she already be suspicious if we're both missing?" Kiba asked as a bemused smile crossed his lips.
"All the more reason she'll know not to disturb," Leiko joked. "But seriously, you'll only get in trouble if you're caught so hide well, hubby." She giggled and pulled out a parcel wrapped in an old brown cloth. "Before I forget, this came in earlier." After tossing it to Kiba, she flew off in the opposite direction.
"I can never tell if she's being friendly or trying to get me in trouble," Kiba said to himself as his shoulder companions seemed to nod in agreement.
He then unwrapped the contents and found the customized Haxorus-hide gauntlets. Curiously, he slid them on and flexed his hand, nearly jolting when a five-inch black and red blade popped out from beneath the dark yellow plate on the back of his hand.
"Didn't see that coming," Kiba said impressed as he continued to flex his hand within the gauntlets. After figuring the trigger mechanism, he let the concealed blade return and took them off.
Deciding that he deserved a small break from working on the tower's repairs Kiba wrapped his new Gauntlets into the brown cloth and, after taking a quick look around to make sure Bellatrix wasn't nearby, he turned Arrow away from the others as they went to find a good place to train.
Flying southeastward, Kiba searched for a suitable location. Passing Sedgwick Valley, Kiba figured that he didn't want a run-in with Ren's psychotic girlfriend. Further ahead, he soared over the misty woods of Trickster's Labyrinth. Considering what happened on his first night in Semira, that was a serious no. Nearing the end of his luck, he recalled the vast and open savannah of the Battle Plains of Callan. Besides the fact that the people there were near his combat style, it was the perfect place to train. Plus, it was a wide territory so a better place to stay out of sight from the brunette with the long metal staff.
Soaring over the plains, Kiba caught a glimpse of a familiar black-haired boy and small blue and black bipedal canine. They were sparring in the shade of a tall rock formation. A Braviary was roosting overhead of them while a blue and black feline was running around in circles around the two fighters, seemingly wanting to jump in at any moment. And when it did, the Luxio pounced and planted the Riolu onto the ground. The boy stopped the fight and walked over to separate the two pokemon.
Kiba had his Fearow land across from the Braviary as he slowly dismounted and watched the energetic Luxio try to pounce the Riolu again.
"Looks like someone's a little over charged today," Kiba joked, gaining the group's attention.
Just as soon as they caught sight of the new arrival, the Luxio focused its sights on the older boy and snarled fiercely, nearly lunging at Kiba if Corbin hadn't grabbed the feline in time and scooped the Luxio off the ground.
"Sorry. Fulgora's not that used to people yet," he explained. "Kiba, right?" His tone was slightly wary. "What brings you out here? Any problems with the gauntlets?"
"I just got them back today," Kiba said happily as he raised the wrapped package from his bag. "So far they look perfect, I just need a reason to wear them now."
"I see." Corbin cautiously placed the Luxio back on the ground and gave her long calm strokes. "So you are planning to be an assassin, huh?" He asked, not meeting Kiba's gaze. "I figured that you can't be from the Saber unit and I haven't seen you in the Warrior division either."
"Smart," Kiba complimented as he returned the gauntlets to his bag. "I was enlisted into the Black Scythe division a few days ago. While I can't say I was brought here willingly, it was the hand I was dealt, so what can you do?"
"So you didn't have much of a choice then," Corbin said to himself, partly relieved as he glanced back at Kiba. "That's okay, I guess… Didn't think you were the assassin-type when we first met. I figured at first that you were someone new from the Warrior division."
"If things were different, who knows? Then again I doubt I'd have found out about this place on my own. Which is probably the point of basing everything on an island."
"We all have different circumstances. My dad's from Humilau City. I grew up there with him in his fighting dojo until my mom suddenly came. She works here in Semira and since I was old enough, she asked if I would live with her. And so, here I am." Corbin stood up after making sure his Luxio wasn't going to attack. "It's been a few years since then and I can't say I didn't choose wrongly."
"You ever want to go back?" Kiba asked curiously.
"I do. I miss my dad and the guys at the dojo," Corbin answered as he looked up at the radiant blue sky, his black dreadlocks billowing in the passing breeze. "But here, there are plenty of fighters. Strong ones, the head included. When I go back, I want to hold my head high and show my father that I'm just as strong as them, perhaps even more. That way, I'll show the world just how good a fighter I am and how great teachers my parents are."
Kiba could tell that Corbin felt strongly about what he was talking about and he admired that, but upon hearing that he was doing it for his parents Kiba felt a twinge of regret and anger deep within him as his head hurt slightly deep in his mind. The onslaught of feelings Kiba was feeling was not missed by the young martial artist.
"Hey, you okay?" Corbin asked as he took a seat on the ground, back leaning against the massive rock. "Wanna sit for a while?"
"Yeah... Sure," Kiba replied as he brought a hand to his head as it began to pulse as he sat down beside Corbin, Noir and Wrath watching Kiba worriedly. "Sorry... Old scars, I guess."
"It's not like I have stuff to do. Ryu and I have been meaning to take a break." Corbin ushered his Luxio to his lap as his Riolu sat beside him. "I'm all ears if you want to share."
"Not really," Kiba admitted with a sigh. "It's just something I have to deal with, a part of life for me I guess."
"It's not good to bottle things up, that's what my dad always said. Negative energy is bad for the body. It only builds over time and blocks the passage for the rest of the positive energy to flow throughout the body," Corbin said, thinking back on his father's teachings with his Lucario.
"Yeah well I'm the exception to that rule then," Kiba said tensely. It wasn't aimed at Corbin but merely from his condition. "If I don't bottle it up I go psycho and lose myself, and it's not easy getting back under control."
"Your inner demons are that bad?" Corbin looked at him observantly. "But I still think dad was right. The more you keep the bad stuff in, the stronger they will be. Soon enough, they'll overpower you and it'll be even harder to control them in the end."
Kiba sighed and looked down at Corbin objectively trying to decide if he was someone he wanted to open up to. Looking away from the younger man, he absently rubbed Wrath's back who, at sometime, crawled into his lap as he closed his eyes consideringly.
"My parents were both psychics," Kiba explained as he continued to look away from Corbin. "They were employed in the Saffron Gym in Kanto for awhile before moving to Vermilion after they were married. My mother married my father because she loved him at the time. My dad married her because of her bloodline- powerful psychics for the last several generations. He wanted to marry into that and create a more powerful line of psychics. Instead, they had me."
"I reckon you're not the psychic-type, huh?" Corbin tried to alleviate the conversation.
"Can't so much as bend a spoon," Kiba said with a small smile. "My mother didn't care, she even went back to Saffron's fighting Dojo to get me a Tyrogue for my tenth birthday. I was happy the way I was but... Daddy dearest had other plans."
At that tone, Corbin fell silent but continued to listen well.
"They started off as 'nature walks', walks in the most serene areas that other psychics would go to for meditation. He insisted that I had the power, dormant he called it, and vowed to bring it out. At first I just wanted to make him happy. Then he started to get rougher with the lessons."
Corbin didn't want to imagine what they could be. By the way Kiba was saying it, it was nothing but bad to say the least. "Didn't your mother have anything to say?"
"She didn't know at first," Kiba said plainly, but his hand shook out of Corbin's sight. "By the time it was bad enough there was nothing she could do. He had gone too far- he was desperate to make a psychic out of me. So he had his Hypno put me into deep hypnotic trances and messed with my mind when I was unconscious. It didn't do much at first, but then it started to hurt and I complained that I wanted to stop. He told me he'd stop when I wasn't such a failure. For two years, he did this and soon I was dependent on the hypnotic trances to keep the pain from destroying me. When my mother found out..." Kiba was silent as his arm shook and Noir and Wrath were looking up at him worriedly.
Corbin was having trouble taking it all in. He was rather fortunate when he looked back at his own circumstances. Taking a deep breath, he asked the dreaded question. "What happened?"
Kiba was silent for a few minutes before answering as his body continued to shake involuntarily. "She tried to stop him," he said quietly. "Her Starmie and Scyther against his Hypno and Magmar. She was a stronger psychic but he had stronger pokemon. I was entranced and couldn't do anything- I didn't even realize what was happening. I just sat there as they fought outside. I don't know how long they fought but my mother... She never came back into the house. He came back in with his Hypno and one of my mother's pokeballs and kept trying to awaken dormant power that wasn't there. When my mind finally had had enough I snapped- I went into a wild rage that even he couldn't have predicted. I nearly killed him on my own before I was knocked out. When I awoke, I was at the old power plant near Cerulean City, I was lucky to have my Tyrogue at the time and Arrow followed my father when he abandoned me there. If it wasn't for them I would have died for sure. And that was without the sporadic mental breakdowns."
"From then on, you've been on your own? I mean you and your pokemon," Corbin concluded with a quiet tone.
"No," Kiba said quietly. "An old codger found me sometime after I was abandoned, he brought me to his home and did his best to treat me medically. When he figured out my mind was in tatters he had his Natu erect a psychic barrier to keep me sane. Forced all of the experiences my dad put me through on the other side to protect and save the rest of my mind. It worked for awhile, and I even recovered after a while... But then I learned later on that the effects can still be 'triggered'."
"Triggered?" Corbin looked at him with concern.
"The barrier isn't as stable as it was before, it was tampered with a few years after I left the codger's house. When a psychic or a psychic pokemon tries to pry into my mind the barrier can leak. The same thing can happen if I lose my temper, which happens... Periodically. When the barrier leaks the rage and pain from the other side takes over- and I can't even control myself until it's run its course."
Corbin pondered thoughtfully. "Maybe a psychic's power isn't the solution…"
Kiba looked down at him quizzically as he gestured for him to continue with his train of thought.
Corbin looked to his side, earning a surprised look from his Riolu. "I'm no aura master but maybe, just maybe Ryu's kind can help," he said with a tinge of optimism as the blue jackal pointed at himself in disbelief. "If we can use aura to somehow purge all the remnants of the psychic-type's powers, then there would be no need for a barrier to hold all that stuff back. We can just get rid of it all together."
"I already tried that," Kiba said disgruntled. "I went all the way to Johto for a former ghost gym leader to have his Pokemon Dream Eater the crap away. Apparently, I made his Gengar sick and he said there was nothing he could do. And Ghosts are supposed to be strong against psychic abilities- anyone trying to use Aura would immediately be at a disadvantage."
"You won't know if we don't try!" Corbin stood up, jolting the Luxio who scrambled back to its feet just as the boy's Riolu joined him in his stand. "But first…" Corbin turned to his first partner. "There's not much we can do if you're still a Riolu, Ryu." The blue and black dog gave a huff as the Luxio snickered.
Kiba stared in awe at Corbin and his Riolu and asked what he thought was an obvious question. "Why are you so intent on this? You barely even know me and now you want to try and remove something that's been cursing me for almost a decade. Why help me?"
Corbin stared at him back. "Why not? Besides, Ryu and I are always up for a challenge." The Riolu punched the air in determination. "And when all this is over, maybe I can ask Master Ragnorr to have you reassigned," he added.
Kiba was shocked by Corbin's statement and was brought out of his thinking by a squawk from Arrow who gestured towards the two as if Kiba was an idiot for not agreeing with them. Kiba was frozen for a few seconds before standing up and walking away. Before Corbin could respond however, he was met by a flash of bright light as he was suddenly met by a massive Nidoking staring him and Ryu down.
"I'm not much of an optimist about being switched from my division," Kiba stated as he looked back to Corbin as Noir and Wrath went to watch by Arrow who were joined by the Luxio and the Braviary. "But if we're going to get that Riolu the juice it needs to evolve we're going to have to take the lead out. No holding back!"
At that, Corbin grinned widely and nodded before flipping back and grabbing a new set of gauntlets, his Riolu following stead and standing readily in front of him. After sliding on his light Skarmory gloves, his Riolu placed his paws together and Corbin used him as a springboard to launch into the air while his partner bore underneath the solid rock.
"If we're gonna battle, you're gonna have to join in." Corbin flipped overhead of the Nidoking and rolled out of the way of its swinging tail before charging at Kiba. "It's customary as Warriors of Semira."
Kiba didn't reply as his eyes were already hardened, having anticipating this kind of battle as he made a quick jab with his unarmored fist forcing Corbin to stop mid charge and backed up. Before he could retaliate however, he felt a large hand grab him from behind and he was tossed across the field by Tyrant who stood before Kiba protectively as he put on his Walrein hide gauntlets.
Corbin maneuvered in midair, planting his feet nearly vertically against the rock before launching himself once again. "Ryu, now!"
The surface beneath the Nidoking started to crumble just as Corbin delivered a strong kick that pushed the violet giant further off balance. The boy then landed safely back on the ground and looked around for his human opponent. Kiba was upon Corbin with impressive speed as he started an onslaught of jabs and punches that he hoped would tire the boy down. Meanwhile, Tyrant had regained his balance and focused his attention on the blue jackal bounding in place in front of him. With a menacing charge he raced at Ryu and swung with one of his massive fists; which Ryu adeptly lept over without problem before being hit in the face by the Nidoking's tail bringing him to the ground briefly before he shot back up.
"If you think I'm gonna tire out easily, you're wrong." Corbin grabbed one of Kiba's fist and twisted his body downward, driving the elbow of his other arm into his opponent's midsection. As Kiba backed up, Corbin grinned eagerly, arms once again raised. "I've got Fulgora to keep up with."
Kiba chuckled in pain as he stood up and looked over to the fight between Tyrant and Ryu. It was a fairly even fight and the two pokemon were clearly giving it their all when an idea flashed in Kiba's mind.
"Hey!" He called out to his Nidoking. "Switch places with Wrath, it's about time he gained a sense of urgency."
Tyrant, surprised by his trainer's instruction, walked towards the group and pointed towards the field as he looked at the Slakoth. Much to Kiba's surprise he went towards Ryu without argument and stared laxly at his opponent. The Riolu looked back at his opponent quizzically before he puffed his cheeks and glared at Kiba as if he thought he was underestimating him.
"Don't look at me like that!" Kiba replied. "He needs to get some battle experience too; and besides, he might surprise you," he added before Corbin got him into another frenzied bout.
Ryu sighed and looked at the Slakoth not expecting it to last more than a few seconds against him. Wanting to end the battle quickly in hopes to fight a real opponent, Ryu jabbed quick and fast at the Slakoth's chest, only for Wrath to move his body minimally to avoid the attack. Growing aggravated, Ryu attacked again, and again, and again trying to land a quick and powerful hit on the Slakoth. However, Wrath was able to avoid each attack by letting it roll off of his lax form as he smiled and breathed slowly.
As Ryu growled in aggravation he made to grab Wrath when the Sloth was encased in a strange pink light. Grabbing Ryu's outstretched arm, Wrath swung the jackal Pokemon around the ground several times before tossing him into the ground a few feet away. The rest of the pokemon onlookers snickered before the Riolu picked himself off the ground and growled at the Slakoth who returned to his lazy look.
Corbin had just cartwheeled out of the way when he glanced at his partner. "Ryu, you know better than to underestimate your opponent. A fight is a fight no matter who you're up against," he lectured before his attention was once again drawn to Kiba who pressed on the attack.
The Riolu pouted but raised his arms in a fighting stance before he closed in on the Slakoth with Bullet Punch. The attack met its mark and Wrath was sent flying several feet before it slowly got back up frowning displeased at the Riolu. It's eyes seemed to glow brightly before, much to Ryu's surprise, he used Bullet Punch himself and sent Ryu back to the ground where he fumed angrily.
"That's Mimic, Ryu," Corbin informed, his eyes focusing back and forth from his opponent to his partner. "Mix it up a little."
The Riolu growled. First, he was given a lazy looking opponent who was knocking him to the floor and now, he was just getting lectured left and right from his partner. Angrily, he lunged at the Slakoth again but instead of using his fists, he used a Bite attack on Wrath's long arm. As Ryu sunk his teeth into Wrath's arm the sloth Pokemon cried out in pain as he tried to pry the jackal off of his arm. When that didn't work Wrath's body glowed pink again as he slammed the Riolu several times on the ground before stopping to catch its breath.
Ryu picked himself up for the nth time of the day, staggering as he did. Then with renewed determination, he rapidly advanced on his opponent, fists drawn for an onslaught of Bullet Punch. There was no way Wrath could avoid all of the attacks at once and was unfortunately hit by the majority of the attacks.
Once the Riolu had stopped its onslaught, Wrath sat down on the ground calmly and exhaled deeply as his body seemed to shimmer as his injuries vanished almost instantly. Smiling at his condition, Wrath stood back up and looked to his opponent still with a smile on his face.
Determined to wipe that lazy smirk off his face, Ryu growled in frustration and unexpectedly bit the Slakoth's head like a wild Gible. Corbin gaped at his partner's behavior before he quickly shifted to the side when Kiba's fist came hurling towards his face. Wrath cried out in pain as his claw was infused with the strength of steel as he landed a solid Bullet Punch in Ryu's chest managing to get the Riolu off of his head where the Slakoth rubbed the teeth marks with a frown.
Ryu managed to land safely on his feet this time as he wiped the sore spot on his chest. He then looked towards his human partner and barked at him. Corbin shrugged his shoulders, his eyes focused on Kiba.
"Kinda busy, Ryu. Deal with him yourself."
"I didn't think the little guy had the juice," Kiba admitted, impressed as he looked toward his Slakoth with a proud smile. "I honestly expected your Riolu to knock him out already."
"I guess Ryu had the same thought, but it doesn't seem to be the case." Corbin drove another hard fist at Kiba who blocked it easily and retaliated with a counter punch. It managed to strike Corbin's shoulder as the younger boy ducked and aimed for his opponent's body. Kiba bounded back, evading the incoming flurry. "But if one or the other will evolve eventually, the better."
"Trust me, Wrath's real training starts once he evolves. I've got a score to settle with a certain stuck up, purple haired, blade twirler."
"At least you've got a goal set then." Corbin smiled and pressed on the attack, unintentionally forgetting his partner's troubled and frustrating circumstance.
The Riolu frowned at his human partner before glaring back at the Slakoth who seemed at ease once the pain of the bite attack had subsided. Ryu grumbled and once again charged at his opponent, wanting nothing more than to finish him off with another Bullet Punch.
Having remembered how Ryu had attacked him earlier, Wrath lept into the air and fired a volley of, granted slower, Bullet Punches that managed to disorient Ryu as several of the hits landed across his body. As Wrath landed he took a seat and scratched his back as he yawned tiredly from his constant fighting.
Shaking off the dizziness, Ryu growled at the lazy look the Slakoth had. He then pounded his fists unto the ground and began to tunnel downwards. When the Slakoth suddenly became aware that the blue and black dog was missing, the ground beneath him burst and the Riolu landed a strong uppercut. The Slakoth hit the ground hard and slowly sat back up as it used Slack Off again to alleviate the pain he was feeling. He was growing tired and didn't want to fight anymore. He wanted to sleep but he kept noticing how his trainer was still fighting and didn't want to let him down,
"Hey Wrath!" Kiba called out, gaining the Slakoth's attention, "It's alright, you did really well. You can go to sleep if you want to. Send Tyrant back out to fight."
Wrath looked back to his trainer and then to his clawed hands before looking back up to Ryu. He had come this far, and part of him wanted to win to make his partner proud. Looking back at Kiba with a happy, lazy smile he looked back to Ryu and smiled as his entire form glowed a bright white color that overtook the entire area.
Kiba and Corbin both watched in surprise, having expected it to have been Ryu who had evolved and stood baffled as the Slakoth was replaced by a Vigoroth. Kiba looked at his Pokemon with an ecstatic smile while Corbin also looked at him impressed as well. Ryu, however, was not amused.
Wrath looked at his claws again. And found himself bounding in place, unable to stop moving. Looking to the Riolu with a more threatening looking grin, Wrath seemed to laugh at his new form as he danced in place.
The Riolu's face grew red with frustration. If he thought the Slakoth's lazy look was annoying, the Vigoroth was plain-out mocking him this time. With fists shining brilliantly, he charged in with Bullet Punch.
Catching the motion of his opponent, the Vigoroth stopped dancing and avoided the attacks with its newly enhanced speed and launched its own series of Bullet Punches into Ryu's chest before grabbing his tail, as Wrath's body once again coated in pink light, and brought him to the ground with a hard thud. The Vigoroth screeched excitedly as it danced again, no longer suffering from the need to rest after every attack.
Ryu groaned and accepted his faith on the cold hard ground. Corbin also ended his battle with Kiba with neither one emerging as the absolute victor, even though Corbin walked away with less bruises than Kiba did. Making his way over to the sprawled out blue and black jackal, the Corbin picked his partner off the ground and patted his head fondly.
"Better luck next time, buddy." He then flexed his wrists and turned to Kiba who was praising his now energetic Vigoroth.
"Great Wrath! Now the real training begins! Ikari better watch his back now!"
"That was a great fight." Corbin extended to shake hands with Kiba. "And congratulations on your pokemon's evolution. Too bad it wasn't Ryu's though."
"Well, if it was that easy it would have been a big motivational speech for nothing," Kiba joked as he took Corbin's hand and shook it tiredly. "And thanks."
Corbin looked up at the sky and the direction of the shadows casted. It was mid-afternoon already. "If you're not busy, want to grab something to eat at my house? It's not that far. Besides, you have your Fearow and I have my Braviary." He motioned to the two avians who cawed with their respective tongue and spread their wings readily.
"Sure I don't have anything else to do," Kiba mused as he accepted the offer.
After recalling their pokemon, leaving only the two birds, the Riolu and the Noibat, Corbin and Kiba headed to the stone city at the far end of the plains. When they arrived, they were greeted by a tall lady with a Mienshao whom Corbin introduced as his mother. He also introduced Kiba but left out the Black Scythe details.
"You know, hun…" Corbin's mother drew both Kiba and her son's attention as they continued to eat at the table. "Not all pokemon evolve by training like my Mienshao. A Riolu will only evolve through a bond."
"Ryu and I are already a good team," Corbin argued. "What else is missing?"
"Well, what will make your partner happier?" His mother questioned.
Corbin's Riolu grinned suggestively as his human partner nearly choked on his food and flushed, although it wasn't that noticeable with his dark tan skin. "Ryu! Cut that out! That's out of the question."
"Am I missing something?" Kiba asked, looking back and forth between his friend and pokemon.
"I-It's nothing!" Corbin answered immediately.
Corbin's mother stood up and dutifully piled up the emptied plates. "My son's Riolu is just determined to get Corbin a girlfriend but unfortunately, my son is shy around girls. He loses his cool instantly. It's kind of cute, if you ask me."
"Mom!" Corbin yelled.
"No shouting in the table, hun," his mother lectured before retreating to the kitchen with a slight smirk on her face.
Corbin sighed heavily and slumped back unto his chair. Kiba couldn't help but smirk at the exchange between the parent and child. It was a very refreshing sight.
"No confidence in the matter, huh?" Kiba asked playfully.
"Please… Not you too." Corbin grumbled under his breath.
"Hey, it's cool," Kiba assured him. "It's not like I had a lot of help with the ladies either, given my situation."
"I'd rather just avoid them altogether." Corbin sighed. "Anyway, guess you should be heading back? We'll pick it up tomorrow. Same place. And maybe then we'll figure something out with Ryu."
"Rio!" The Riolu grinned toothily and wagged his tail.
"If you're still thinking about girls, then no!" Corbin glared at his partner who gave a pouty sulk.
Kiba chuckled as he agreed to meet with Corbin tomorrow, also thinking about his friend's girl situation. He'd have to do something to help about that. After bidding goodbye and thanking his newfound friend and ally, Kiba mounted on his Fearow and headed back to the western side of the island where he met up with Leiko and got lectured by an angry Bellatrix.
It wasn't all that bad, considering what Kiba had accomplished during the day. He got himself a temporary safe house, Wrath evolved into a Vigoroth and he had a chance to heal over a decade's worth of negative psychic build up within his mind. All in all, it was his first great day on Semira.
End of Chapter 73
Everyone just likes to mess with Corbin. XDD
Also, Dead Bones Sam and I are writing a Collaborative Spin-off centering Kiba.
It's angst-y, tragic, violent but has a lot of romance fluff. Still gonna be a rated-T.
A very solid T.
I'm still looking for a title. xD
Anyway, read and review!
Thanks in advance.