Chapter 30:
Assault
The Scyther sniffed at the thin coating that was now covering most of his body. He gave Silver a look of mild indignation.
"Don't look at me like that," Silver said quietly. "Once you evolve, you won't have any of this gunk on you anymore; I'll still have it all over my hands. And I can smell it just as much as you can." He took another small handful of the Metal Coat from the container and rubbed it onto Red's exoskeleton. The burning scent filled his nostrils, a strange aroma that made him think of burning firewood and cinnamon, and was extremely overwhelming.
"I forgot how much that stuff smells," Brendan said with a light chuckle.
Silver looked behind him at the grinning teen. He gave Brendan a slight frown, before turning back to Red.
The Pokémon Center lobby was mostly empty; even the Nurse Joy was in the back giving an emergency treatment to a Pokémon. Besides Silver, Brendan, and Red, the only others in the lobby were a teenage girl in a yellow-and-black baseball outfit and her Meganium. The Trainer and her Pokémon were both watching with a clear distaste for the smell.
Oh, shut up, Silver scowled. It's not like there's any other way to do this. And Red does seem to want to evolve; he's not just blindly agreeing to what I ask.
I think. I hope.
Finally satisfied with the Metal Coat application, Silver stood up and took a few steps back.
"So… how does this work now?" Silver asked. "I've read about it, but I never really understood how—"
Silver was cut off by the sudden burst of light as Red began to glow with white intensity.
"Apparently like that," Brendan said with a laugh.
Silver blinked, holding his arm up to shield his eyes from the unusually bright light of the Pokémon evolution. When the light faded, Silver lowered his arms again. The Pokémon he then locked eyes with was no longer a Scyther, but a newly-evolved Scizor.
"Well, Red," Silver said, "I guess your name finally suits you huh? How do you feel?"
Red looked at his new claws, then at his wings, before looking at Silver again. He shrugged.
"I guess we'll just have to wait until he can get another training session in, so he can figure out his new body," Brendan said. "But, we should probably get to Wally, before we miss our flight."
"Probably." Silver nodded. "I'd really rather not—"
A burst of red light from Brendan's belt cut the sentence short. A Linoone materialized without a word, and started to bolt and dash about the two teenage boys. The Pokémon's eyes were wide, and her actions were short and choppy.
"What is she—?" Silver started, before the Linoone leapt off of Brendan's shoulder and onto Silver's. She then threw herself down his shirt. Silver exclaimed in incoherent phrases, writhing around in pain and discomfort at the situation while trying to get the Normal type Pokémon out of his clothes. "Get—!" He managed an intelligible syllable. "Geh—ge-ge-get-get—!" He stumbled backwards into Red, the Scizor gently catching the teenager with his claws. "Get—out!" He finally said through a fit of uncontrollable, half-choking laughter.
The Linoone finally burst out of his left sleeve and leapt back up on Brendan's shoulder. She finally sat relatively still there, but continued to twitch and fidget slightly while looking around rapidly. Her face was still wide with terror.
"What the hell is her problem?" Silver asked, catching his breath.
"Zippy has… trauma. To put it simply." Brendan gave her a reassuring scratch on the head, but it didn't seem to calm her down much. "I rescued her, years ago, from Team Magma back home. They must've done terrible things to her, because she's always been… like this. I keep her with me, because I don't know anyone I can trust with her who can really handle her."
I'm not sure you even can. Silver scowled. Which…is probably the point, he admitted.
Red helped Silver get back on his feet properly.
Silver looked at Zippy, the Linoone's eyes locking with his briefly. During that brief time, her body relaxed and she seemed to calm down. The spell, however, was short lived, and she went back to her horrified twitching. Brendan noticed.
"Huh. That's weird. She's never done that for me. Not that easily, at least. And Wally often just makes her worse."
Silver was silent for a long moment, looking at Red instead.
"I'm gonna go wash my hands," he finally spoke, walking towards the bathrooms. "I should probably get this gunk off before our flight."
Brendan watched him walk away, a confused look on the teen's face. Red simply sighed.
…
…
"Hey." The unwanted interruption was accompanied with a kick to the sleeping Pokémon's side. "Wake up. We need your help."
"Go 'way," Aura grumbled, turning over and curling herself into a tight ball. "Five more minutes."
"She adapts rather well," Ash mumbled from the opposite end of the small, wooden boat. "First, she can't spend half an hour on board a ship without throwing up. Now, she's almost impossible to wake up on one."
Aura pushed herself up to an awkward kneel. She gave Ash a cold glare from the corner of her eye.
"You forget," she growled, "there was a time where quick adaptation was the only thing that kept me from dying." She turned her body around, to sit with her back leaning against the side of the boat. "What do you need?" She looked up to Misty, who had been the one to kick her earlier.
"We're almost there," Misty said, pointing to something in the distance ahead. The boat was drifting down a wide, calm river. The sky was dark from the thick cloud cover blocking all starlight and moonlight. The only lights they had were the lanterns positioned on either end of the boat, and the distant, purple glow Misty was pointing at.
"So?"
"We're gonna need your help to bring the boat in," Misty reminded her.
"I still don't understand why we couldn't take one of the public ferries to Mt. Pyre," Ash said. He unfolded the beaten, yellowed, hand-drawn map for the umpteenth time.
"If you'd been paying attention," Aura said, "you'd remember. The Sage gave you that because we can't take normal transport to Pyre. You've already been attacked, and we're heading to one of the most dangerous Temples. Imagine if a little kid wandered off and followed us to it. Or even just toward it."
"Plus," Nyx added, "the Ghost Element is one of the easiest to corrupt. We can't risk someone with… malicious intent trying to tail us. Taking a plane to Hoenn is dangerous enough."
"C'mon," Misty said, grabbing Aura's arm and forcing the Lucario to follow her over the boat's side and into the shallow side of the river. They grabbed the side of the boat and started to guide it to the bank, towards the source of the purple light Misty had pointed out before.
"Is this Traitor guy really going to try to do something in public like that?" Ash asked, avoiding Nyx's gaze to look at Pikachu. The Electric Pokémon was curled up and sleeping, one hand wrapped securely around Jerzy's tail, the masked Rattata staring at Aura's pack on the opposite end of the boat.
"Yes, Ash," Nyx said. "I think he would. The legends say that he attacked and killed the Sage-King Hikaru in his own throne room. It's said that he can no longer command the Elements, but he's still practically immortal and much stronger, faster, and likely smarter than any human." The shiny Umbreon looked down at his feet. "With seven Elements claimed now, you're becoming more and more of an irresistible target for him. I suspect he'll want to try to put you down before you get too powerful."
"Put me down?" Ash asked. "What do you mean?"
Before Nyx could reply, Aura slipped on something in the river bed, stumbling face first into the water. She righted herself swiftly, coughing violently with her pelt fully soaked and dripping.
"Hey, Chosen Dolt!" Aura said between hacks. "Get over here and help us!"
"Coming!" Ash said, before vaulting himself over the edge of the boat. The resulting splash further saturated Aura's pelt, the fur clumped together as torrents of water dripped from it. The Lucario glared at him, but said nothing before returning to her task. Ash muttered an apology before grabbing the side of the boat to join them in guiding it to the source of the purple light: a statue of silvery-blue metal.
After getting the boat safely onto the riverbank, and lightly securing the vessel with a rope to a stone pole apparently designed for such a purpose, the young group took a good look at the statue. Aura shook the water from her face, to look up at it, inhaling in audible horror at it. It depicted two figures in thick robes, the first standing with one hand resting on the shoulder of the second, which was kneeling. The first figure was almost completely covered in its robes, but its hands—long, skeletal, and clawed—were visible, the free hand grasping a twisted staff topped with a skull. Under its hood, its head was barely discernible as a bird-like skull, the empty eye sockets glowing with the purple fire that had led them to it. The second figure had only the face visible under the cloak's hood, as Aura approached it, it was undeniably—
"Impossible!" She breathed. She ran up to it, splashing water everywhere and nearly knocking Ash over in the process. She placed a hand on the acutely detailed face.
"What?" Misty asked, walking up towards her. "How can this…? How old is this?"
Aura looked at her. "Do you recognize…?"
"…Of course," Misty eventually said, barely loud enough for the Lucario standing next to her to hear.
But, Aura gaped at her, that's impossible.
"But—!" Nyx started, jumping out of the boat onto the bank. "There's no way—! So, it's true, then!" He finally completed a sentence.
"What's true?" Ash asked, looking at him.
"Death's Embrace," Nyx said. "It is said that to pass into the Spirit Temple, you must accept Death's Embrace. I think this is what that means."
"I don't understand." Ash and Aura's voices were in unison.
"Legend has it that this statue will—how did it go?—er, 'guide lost souls to their home of eternal rest.' Or, something like that."
"You said we have to accept Death's Embrace, though," Misty said. "What did you mean?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Nyx admitted, "but…. Aura, do you recognize the second figure? The kneeling one?"
Aura looked at him for a long moment.
"Yes." Her voice was barely audible.
"And, would any of us?"
"…I really doubt it." Her tone was flat and emotionless.
"Then, the legends are likely true, if Misty does recognize it."
"Oh, make some damn sense, already!" Aura growled.
"It's the statue," Nyx said. "It… It's enchanted."
"What?"
"The statue's face must change shape for whoever is looking at it," Nyx continued. "I mean, it doesn't even look like a human to me; it's kinda jarring against the clearly humanoid body, but that's part of the point."
"What do you mean?" Ash asked.
"The Ghost Element is secondarily known as the Element of Spirit," Nyx explained. "It's basically the Element of Death and the Afterlife; that makes it the Element of the Undead, too. To master it, you must master Death itself."
"How do you do that?" Ash asked.
"I don't know," Nyx admitted. "The Dark Element focuses on manipulating emotions, like fear or rage, or to trick the opponent, or just using the Element's power to sharpen the user's senses and skills to reach their attacks' potential. Basically, we require a deeper understanding of the… well, darker side of life, not of death. I guess you'll have to figure it out on your own."
"We're screwed," Aura muttered to herself, backing away from the statue.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ash grumbled back to her. "So, what does that have to do with… this?"
"Legend has it," Nyx said, "that the statue of Death's Embrace shows Death itself guiding someone into the afterlife. And that someone changes depending upon the person looking at the statue to depict the person that would… hurt the viewer the most." He looked down at his paws. "In whatever way that may be."
"Even if they're dead?" Aura asked in a low voice.
"I guess."
"Do you…?" Misty started. "I mean, is…?" There was no tactful way to phrase it. Is that person for you already dead?
The same pain that ripped through the Lucario's body whenever she tried in vain to use the power of her namesake awoke in a much duller, more muted, but still just as potent ache just beneath her chest spike. She struggled to keep her lungs functioning.
"…Yes." She eventually said.
"When did…?" Nyx hesitated.
"I don't even know." Aura rubbed at her chest spike.
Before anyone could think of something to say to the Lucario, the jolt of a different realization suddenly surged through Ash's mind.
"Person?" Ash asked, tilting his head at the Umbreon. "You mean, one person?"
"Yeah," Nyx said. "Or, that's what the legend says, anyway."
Ash turned and looked at the statue, narrowing his eyes.
"What is it?" Misty asked, walking up to him.
"I see two."
Everyone turned and looked at him.
"Pikapi?" The soft voice announced the Electric Pokémon's presence.
I guess I didn't notice he hadn't woken up, yet. Ash gave Pikachu a scratch behind the ears.
"Wot's goin' on 'ere?" The crude, still-indeterminable accent preceded the view of Jerzy walking up to the group, lumbering on hind legs in a lethargic manner.
Aura shook her head with a heavy sigh. "Chosen One."
"What?" Ash looked at her.
"Never mind." She shook her head. "C'mon. Let's finish securing the boat and get going. This thing gives me the creeps."
"No argument there." Ash scratched the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.
Misty looked back and forth between Ash and Aura as the three of them worked together to finish securing the boat, making sure the ropes weren't going to come undone easily. The two said nothing as they worked in silent cooperation to remove the lanterns from the ends of the boat while Misty and Nyx gathered their packs out of it. Ash and Aura accepted their packs from them, slipping them back on. Aura took both lanterns, lifting them up to illuminate the bank while Ash and Misty worked together to flip the boat upside down near the stone post. Confident that they weren't going to lose the vessel to the river, they gave confident nods to the others.
"Here," Aura said as she handed Ash a lantern.
"Thanks." Ash held it up to illuminate the forested area up into the mountain behind the statues. "So, how are we supposed to find the Temple from here?"
Aura lifted her lantern and started to speak, when something caught her eye. She knelt to the ground holding her lantern to get a better look.
"This." She brushed a small, smooth purple gem that had glistened in the lantern's light. She looked up and ahead. "There." She pointed. "There's another one in the ground up ahead. I'm betting there's a whole series of them in the ground, from this statue to one of the Temple's entrances."
"You think?" Ash asked sincerely.
"It's worth a shot."
"Isn't that too easy?" Misty asked. "I mean, wouldn't a trail like that be obvious? Anyone could follow it."
"If it's short, maybe not," Nyx said. "I mean, people tend to stay away from this statue; there are apparently some obscure human legends about it."
"I don't blame them." Aura looked at the statue again, her ears pressing back against her head. "That thing gives me the creeps."
"To put it mildly," Pikachu added.
"I guess we might as well follow them, then," Ash concluded.
"Then lead the way, already, O Chosen Dolt," Aura said.
"Okay," Ash said as he started to follow the sparkling stones at a brisk pace. Anything to get me away from… from that.
"Misty," Aura said in a hushed tone to catch the teenage girl's attention.
"What?" Misty walked over to her.
"I need to look in my pack for something. Could you take my lantern and go help Ash follow the trail?" She paused, giving a light smirk. "Besides, I don't think we should leave all our navigation to him, do you?"
"Good point." Misty chuckled, taking the lantern from the Lucario. She ran up to walk beside Ash, shedding more light on their path.
Aura slowed her pace for a moment to fall behind, just out of earshot of their lowered voices. Her face sobered for a moment before she allowed herself a sad smile.
"What did you need out of your pack?" Nyx asked her so only the Lucario could hear.
"Huh?" She looked at him. "Oh. N-nothing."
"You lied?"
"I guess." Aura shrugged.
"Why?" Nyx asked. When Aura didn't respond, he looked at Ash and Misty. The teens were laughing quietly together at some joke or another. The Shiny Umbreon tilted his head, slowing his pace for just a moment before jolting to catch back up with Aura. "Are… are you playing matchmaker?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Aura's voice was level and held a tone of disinterest.
Ash and Misty suddenly stopped, the others catching up a moment later.
"What's up?" Aura asked them.
Ash motioned ahead of them with his lantern.
A Misdreavus emerged out of the shadows before them.
"I am Vesna," she spoke in a dark voice.
"I'm—" Ash started.
"I know who you are, Chosen One," she interrupted. "We are aware of who all of you are. The young Elemental Lord, his friend the Water Element Trainer, a rather powerful Pikachu, the son of Elder Sage Zyne, the small thief and deserter, and, of course, Hikari's broken charge."
"Elemental Lord?" Ash asked.
"Broken?" Aura snapped before the Misdreavus could answer. "What the hell is that supposed to—?"
"The Sage and I can see your spirits," Vesna interrupted again. "It is how we know intruders from expected friends. It is how I can be sure of your identities. It is how I know you are Bound to a broken aura, which has in turn damaged your own."
"What does she mean?" Misty turned to look at Aura. "What does all of that mean?"
Aura raised her hand to keep the lantern light from blinding her. She exchanged a brief glance with Pikachu, hoping that the humans wouldn't notice.
"It's a long, complicated, and sad story," she eventually muttered. "And it's one I don't really feel comfortable telling." How… how can I? It would just cause more pain and suffering.
"Aura…"
"Just… don't."
"If I may," Vesna spoke, "we ought to continue into the Temple immediately. These woods are not safe tonight."
"What do you mean?" Ash asked.
"The living weapons of the Twisted One have been quite active in Hoenn for three nights now. They are hunting something, or someone. We fear they are hunting you, Chosen One."
"The Returned?" Nyx asked.
"The same." Vesna started to float away. "Come. The Sage has many questions for you before you rest for the night."
Ash and Misty looked at each other briefly before following after her. Nyx quickly bounded after them.
Aura looked around. She rubbed at her chest spike anxiously, before readjusting her pack's straps and dashing off after the others.
…
…
"Prince, return!" Brendan said, as the Rapidash dissolved into a bolt of red light towards the Pokéball.
"Would you like a rest, too?" Silver asked Red. The teenager was kneeling next to the Scizor, the latter lying on the ground, slightly shaken from the battle.
Red shook his head, slowly standing up in defiance of his defeat.
Silver gave a short laugh, sounding more like a soft cough.
"If you insist."
"He's already much faster than he was as a Scyther," Brendan pointed out. "He was almost able to keep up with Prince, and I've been focusing on his agility for years, ever since he was a Ponyta."
Yeah, Silver thought as he stood back up, brushing his knees off. I have a feeling that my father had him specially trained for years, either for his own use or for mine when I joined the Team—like I ended up doing, for God knows what reason.
Either that, or Red was just another genetic experiment to create more powerful Pokémon.
His thoughts were cut off by Fang leaping up onto his shoulder and on top of his head. The Totodile lay on top of his trainer's head, the Pokémon's arms, legs, and tail hanging as loosely as the human's long hair.
Did I say you could do tha—?
Fang gurgled a happy tune.
I guess you can stay there. Silver scowled, looking down at the ground.
"Your dad does know we're meeting him here, right?" Wally asked. He was sitting cross-legged on a stump a couple yards away from the clearing they'd battled in. The green-haired teenager was thumbing back and forth through a book, occasionally marking some note or other in the margins with an extremely miniscule pencil. "You made it clear we weren't meeting up in Slateport, right?"
"Yes, Mom," Brendan said with a light chuckle. He looked behind him at the sun sinking beneath the trees in the distance. "They should both be arriving any moment."
"How do you know?" Silver asked.
"Oh, please tell me you're kidding." Wally looked up from his book. Before Brendan could respond, Wally's face lit up in recognition for a moment before he gave an irritated sigh. "No, they really are. Lord, give me strength." He closed the book in one hand and stood up.
"Am I missing something?" Silver asked, narrowing his eyes and looking back and forth between the two teenage boys. The motion caused Fang's tail to sway from side to side, the sound of the limb against his hair filling Silver's ears.
Silver tensed at the sudden sound of an engine roaring at an alarming volume. He turned around rapidly, causing Fang to slide off of his head and grab onto his shoulder.
"What the hell?" He yelled.
A jeep burst into view, ramping off of a nearby outcrop of stone. The vehicle made its rocky landing mere yards away from the teenagers, and swerved violently to avoid them. It drove in a large circle around them a few times before lurching to a stop.
"Dad!" Brendan turned towards the driver, waving both arms in an extremely enthusiastic manner.
"Brendan!" A slightly wide-set man with brown hair and a short beard leapt out of the jeep towards him. The Professor was wearing a dark T-shirt, tan shorts and loose sandals under his white lab coat. Upon reaching him, the tall man wrapped his son in a bear hug, lifting Brendan up in the air.
Silver raised an eyebrow."Okay, then."
"You get used to it," Wally said with a sigh. "Hello, Professor Birch," he added in a louder voice.
"Wally!" Birch gave the teen a large grin and wave. "Who's your new friend?"
"Dad, this is Silver!" Brendan said, placing a hand on Silver's free shoulder. Silver shot him a glare upon the physical contact, but no one seemed to notice.
"Silver, eh? Wonderful to meet you!" Birch said, before offering a hand. After Silver reluctantly shook it, he tilted his head at the boy. "You know, you seem kinda familiar. Have we met?"
Birch, Birch, Birch… Silver's mind kicked into overdrive. Yes. My father met him when I was, what? Eight or so? There was some issue with Devon, and he had to bring me along.
God. Please don't let him remember that was me.
"Probably not," Silver said quickly. "I didn't get to leave home much until a couple weeks ago. Visitors always seem to find me weirdly familiar, though. Guess I just have one of those faces."
Birch looked at him for a long moment.
"I guess so." Birch turned to the jeep. "Joshua! Aren't you gonna come say hello?"
He bought it? Silver fought to keep a straight face. He's a world-renowned Professor, particularly for his fieldwork. There's no way he should have accepted such a weak-ass cover like that so easily.
"If I try to stand up," the young, green-haired, bespectacled scientist said with a nervous wave, "I may end up losing my dinner."
"Sorry about that," Birch said with a nervous chuckle. "Shall we get going?"
"Absolutely!" Brendan practically bounced towards the jeep with his father. The teen stopped and half-turned to the others before speaking. "Are you guys sure you don't want to come?"
"Yeah," Wally said. "Actually, I just thought of something I want to look up in town."
"Silver?" Brendan looked at the quiet teen.
"I think I'll stick around here and maybe get some more training in."
"Okay, then!" Brendan said cheerfully as he leapt into the jeep's backseat. "See you guys tomorrow night!"
"Have fun." Wally gave a short wave.
Brendan just laughed before the jeep's engine roared to life once more. The tires squealed briefly before the vehicle charged across the clearing towards the forest and out of sight.
"Remind me to never get in a car with either of them." Silver helped Fang regain his balance on the teen's shoulder.
"You can count on that," Wally said in a flat tone. "See you in the Pokémon Center at curfew?"
"Sure." Silver shrugged.
Without another word, Wally turned around and walked towards Slateport.
Silver looked at Fang.
Well, I know where Brendan gets it from, now.
He walked across the clearing, Red keeping close behind. He eventually stopped in front of a large stump; it was similar to the one Wally had been sitting on earlier. Silver looked at Red.
"I probably should do some training, huh?"
The Scizor shrugged.
Silver turned around, looking at the sunset. The last rays of red were beginning to dive beneath the distant trees and out of sight. He slowly sat down, leaning back against the stump. Fang moved from Silver's shoulder, choosing to curl up on the teenager's chest, instead. How he was able to stay balanced there, Silver didn't know; the young Trainer was barely in a reclined position.
"Alright," Silver said softly, closing his eyes. "But, just this once."
I just realized: I've never been so far away from home before.
Silver snapped his eyes open again at the sound of a metallic clap. He sat up rigidly—knocking a sleeping Fang to the ground—and glanced around in a sharp, rapid manner. It was pitch dark, with only the distant lights of the city to give any illumination. Sitting cross-legged on the stump behind him was Red; it was the snap of his claws that had woken the boy.
I fell asleep, Silver realized. He pulled out a beaten pocket watch from his jacket, squinting to read it. And it's passed curfew. He replaced the watch. Wally's gonna be pissed.
Red snapped a claw again.
"What is it?" Silver asked, rubbing at his eyes. He stood up slowly—his knees didn't want to cooperate—and Red walked over to him in a protective stance. "What's wrong?" Silver was starting to get rather concerned.
Silver felt something pull at his pant leg. He looked down to see Fang holding onto it, the Totodile wrapped around his trainer's leg.
"What?" Silver knelt down to talk to him directly. He took off his jacket, wrapping it around the small Water Pokémon. "Are you cold?"
Fang shook his head.
"Are you scared?" After Fang nodded multiple times hastily, Silver continued: "What are you scared of?"
Red snapped his claw again, pointing with it towards the tall grass between them and the forest. Silver stood up, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to see what the Scizor was motioning to. Something was moving in the grass, but Silver couldn't make out—
A large, bipedal figure leapt from the shadows of the grass, soaring over their heads and landing on the other side of the stump from them.
Silver stood, half turning to look at it.
"A Dodrio?" He was confused. Here?
Then, even in the poor light, he got a better look at it.
"That's not a Dodrio," he breathed. At least, not anymore.
The Returned Dodrio's three pairs of eyes all burned with the same glowing, dark red as the Returned Houndoom Silver had faced before. Its three heads were identical: dark, muddy brown, splotched with black, and the feathers were of irregular lengths and unkempt. The long, black top feathers on each head were over twice as long as a living Dodrio's, and instead of just the two feathers per head, each head had a mane of the long feathers. The beaks were long, slightly curved near the sharp tips, were colored a dark brown, and had irregularly serrated edges. The spines of the three, bony necks were lined with speckled, dark grey plating. The body was similar to the heads, though with a series of large spikes running down the spine from the base of the neck to the tail, which consisted of long, draping black feathers marked with a swirling pattern of dark red. The beast's dark red legs were covered in patches of seemingly random dark grey plating, and the long, black claws were jagged and dripping in… something.
Blood from an earlier kill? Silver mused as he placed himself between the monster and Fang. Red then placed a protective claw in front of his Trainer. Or is it poison? Either way, it'd probably be a really bad idea to let those things get anywhere near us.
And here I thought I'd escaped this madness.
The middle head looked at Silver, locking gazes for a moment. It tilted all three heads, and a swirl of goldenrod flickered in the center pair of eyes. The demonic creature then opened all three mouths and let out a loud, echoing bellow that hit Silver's ears with pulsating agony.
Silver clenched his head, falling to his knees with the pain that hammered on his skull. He yelled out; he tried to keep a lid on the boiling rage building in his chest. It urged him to grab his sword and charge the beast, to slice right through the three necks with the blade. Silver shook his head.
No. No, it would kill me with those talons before I even got close enough. Or, worse.
The pain dulled to a minor headache as the beast stopped roaring. Silver opened his eyes, struggling to his feet again. Before he could fully regain his balance, the monster opened all three beaks to spew bursts of black flame directly at him.
Silver hardly had time to raise his arms in self-defense, before Red pivoted sharply, placing himself between the teenager and the attack. The Scizor's back was pushed back into the human's torso from the force of the blast. The impact emitted a large burst of purple light, illuminating a large area around them.
"RED!" Silver finally found his voice. "NO!"
There was a loud, squawk, and the barrage of flames ended suddenly. Silver caught Red as he fell to the ground.
"Red!" Silver said. "Are you okay? Say something!"
The Scizor placed a claw on top of his Trainer's hand and nodded once with a slight smile.
"Right," Silver said, recalling Red to his Pokéball. "I'll get you to a Center as soon as possible." He placed the 'ball on his belt. "I just hope I make it in ti—what?" Silver cut himself off.
The Returned Dodrio had stopped attacking because it had been attacked. Even as he watched, the monster was preoccupied with a series of Shadow Ball attacks from a Haunter. The Pokémon was nearly half the size of the average member of its species, a few inches shy of three feet in height. This seemed to allow the Haunter more agility, however, as it floated nimbly around the Returned without needing to phase in and out of vision or teleport about.
Why would it help me? Look at it; there's no way that it's strong enough to handle this alone. He sighed. Suppose I ought to help him out, too, then.
He pulled the Moon Ball and Dusk Ball off of his belt, tossing them to send out their inhabitants.
"Venom! Gwen!" He yelled. "Sludge Bomb! Night Shade!"
"NIDO!" The Nidorino spat a large chunk of purple gunk at the Returned Dodrio.
"MURRRRR!" A black beam of energy fired from the Murkrow's eyes, hitting the fiend square on the chest.
You won't take me by surprise again, you bastards!
Silver found his backpack on the ground nearby the stump. Next to it was his grandfather's sword; he drew it from the sheath, and twirled it once as he took his stance and prepared to join in.
An unseen force barreled into his back, knocking him face-first to the ground. Silver cursed bitterly as he spat out a chunk of earth. His mouth was filled with the taste of dirt and blood. He stood up and turned to face the new attacker.
He cursed again.
Another Returned—this one had once been a Grumpig—stood mere inches in front of him. The beast's ears were long and covered in a long coat of fur, and a set of horns protruded from the skull where there had previously been pearls. Under the mutated, misshapen snout, a pair of long tusks was easily visible. Its body was covered in an irregularly long coat of black fur with random patches of dark reds and purples. Its arms and legs were disproportionately long and thick, and the claws on its hands and feet were much shorter than the Returned Dodrio's talons, and were dark crimson in color, but they were just as jagged and sharp.
The monster charged him again. Silver raised his sword in time to parry the claws. But, the force of the attack knocked him to the ground. Silver's raised sword—locked with the beast's claws—was the only thing keeping the Returned's tusks from his face. Even then, each furious snap of those jaws closed mere inches from his nose. He could smell the rotten flesh on its breath. Silver struggled to keep from vomiting.
Damn it! Where's Fang? His mind raced, as the throbbing ache erupted into intense pain again. Where… how… what do I…?
Give in, the velvet voice whispered. Allow your rage to wash over you. Take it, use its strength. Let it grant you the strength to defeat you foes with your own hands.
I… Silver hesitated.
Before he could make a decision, the Returned Grumpig was knocked back by a black beam. Silver leapt to his feet, glancing to the side to see the Haunter.
Saved my ass again. Gonna have to thank him somehow. Assuming I still survive this.
One of these freaks is hard enough to survive a fight with. Two? I'm probably screwed. He tightened his grip on his sword. But, I'll be damned before I go down without a fight!
"Hey, Haunter!" He yelled. "Wanna help with a Dark Pulse?" He charged at the Returned Grumpig.
"HAAAAUNT!" The Haunter fired a beam of purple circles from its right hand at the Returned.
Just as the attack ended, Silver leapt and brought down his sword in a powerful strike at the fiend's skull. The Returned blocked the attack with its claws at the last moment. It snarled in fury at the teenager.
Silver spat a furious curse at it.
As if insulted by the words, the Returned made a low, growl-like sound as its eyes glowed a dark purple color.
Silver felt himself being lifted into the air by the telekinetic power. Then, he was thrown back to the ground. He used a nearby stone as a brace to lift his head up. He saw the Returned use the attack again. Both his Pokémon and the wild Haunter were pinned to the ground.
No! You bastards!
A soft sound ripped through the air. It pierced his chest with a cold pain—a timid gurgle.
FANG! With great effort, Silver was able to twist and contort his body to see the Totodile. He was still wrapped up in the Trainer's jacket against the stump. He was paralyzed with terror. The now-unoccupied Returned Dodrio turned all three heads to face him. The feathered monster took a few slow steps in his direction.
"NO! DAMN YOU!" Silver bellowed. He threw himself at Fang. He wrapped himself around the small Pokémon. He didn't care that his back was now exposed.
Silver yelled out in agony as the strike of a set of three talons raked his back. Pain seared through him. It surged through every cell from those wounds. Silver's mouth was filled with the taste of blood. He coughed violently.
Not… Fang. He tightened his grip on the Totodile.
He tried to exhale. He vomited up blood instead.
The talons struck his back again. Silver made a loud choking sound.
Damn it. I'm going to die.
Silver… the velvet voice whispered.
"NOW!" A voice exploded around him.
Silver felt a sudden wave of heat above him. The Returned Dodrio squawked in pain. Silver looked up. Purple flames dissipated just above his head.
Dragon Pulse, he knew this one. Have…have you come for me, then?
He heard a strange, high-pitched cry.
No, wait. That's not…
"What the fu—!" Silver started, attempting to lift his head up to face his rescuer. "Wally?"
The green-haired teenager was standing a few yards away, the rage on his face clear, even in the darkness. Next to him were a large Flygon, a Gardevoir, and a Grovyle.
"Wally," Silver breathed. "Thank the—!"
"Get down!" Wally yelled over him. Silver quickly obeyed as Wally continued to shout. "Archie! Dragon Breath! Palmer, use Leaf Storm! Ruby, get that annoyance off of our friends with a Psychic of our own!"
The first two attacks struck the Returned Dodrio, sending the monstrosity flying back into the tall grass. With the third, the Returned Grumpig was lifted into the air, glowing in a purple light, before it was flung back down to the ground—hard. The tusked fiend made a high-pitched squeal of pain that quickly evolved to a bellow of anger. The Returned scratched at the ground with both sets of claws, preparing to charge.
"Hyper Beam." Wally's voice was level, but didn't disguise his anger.
All three of the Trainer's Pokémon unleashed a beam of orange-yellow energy on the Returned. The force of the triple attack sent the monster flying, its form shrinking into the distance. The Returned Dodrio peeked one head out of the tall grass at them. Wally glared at it.
A flash of yellow flickered in the dark red eyes. The Returned Dodrio withdrew its head. There was the sound of movement, which grew more and more distant; it had decided to run away.
Silver looked up. The coast was clear, with Wally kneeling next to him. Wally helped Silver to sit up, if in a somewhat awkward position.
"Re…return," Silver managed to say, raising the two Pokéballs to recall Venom and Gwen. "Are… you okay?" He asked Fang, who was still clinging to the front of his shirt. The Totodile looked up at him, giving a slow nod. He was quite shaken and scared for his Trainer, but Fang was otherwise unhurt. Silver sighed in relief. He looked at Wally. "Wild… Haunter… tried to help. Heal Ball… in pack… will help him. Then… can get him… to Center. Red… needs healing… too."
"First," Wally said, grabbing the Ball from Silver's pack and tossing it towards the Haunter, "we need to take care of your wounds. Can you take your shirt off?"
"Pardon?" Silver blinked at him.
"If we do not dress those gashes on your back and get some bandaging on them, you will bleed out before we can get you to a hospital." Wally recalled his Flygon and Grovyle—leaving the Gardevoir out—and pulled a small, metallic box out of his own pack. "If you cannot get it off yourself, I will have to cut your shirt off. I cannot dress the wounds through it."
Silver gently removed Fang from the front of his shirt, placing the Pokémon gently on the ground. He bit down on his bottom lip, before raising his arms and pulling his shirt up over his head and discarding it on the ground near Fang. The motions caused a series of stinging pains to surge up and down his back from the gashes. He managed to bite back the bellow of pain he wanted to give, settling for a low moan.
"Lay on your stomach," Wally said flatly. Silver obeyed as he continued. "First, I'm going to have Ruby do what healing she can to the wounds. It will likely lower the severity; it can only do so much to stop the bleeding. Considering where the gashes are, and how many you have, you'd still bleed to death if we don't bandage them and get you to the hospital. Ruby?"
"Gaaaardevoir!" The Gardevoir chimed.
Silver felt a cooling sensation on his back, and the pain from the wounds lessened greatly. Now, all he felt from them was a mild stinging sensation.
"The wounds were actually rather shallow," Wally continued, "considering the length of that monster's claws. So, Ruby was able to help a lot more than I thought she would. However, this is still literally a bloody mess, and we can't take a risk this big. You still need a doctor." Silver heard Wally rummaging through the metal box. "Now, I'm going to apply an ointment on the wounds, to help stop the bleeding and prevent infection, before I bandage them. That should last us until we can get you some real help."
"I…" Silver started, but hissed in pain as Wally started to apply the cold ointment.
"Yeah," Wally said. "It might sting a little." After a few short minutes, Wally seemed satisfied with the job he'd done. "Now, sit up." Silver obliged—moving was much easier now—and Wally began to immediately wrap a long strap of linen bandaging around Silver's torso, starting just above the line of his pants.
"You know, I can—"
"Hush," Wally said. "You'll break my concentration."
"How did you know I needed help?" Silver had to know. "You arrived just in the nick of time, and were completely ready to go."
"After getting Nurse Joy to delay curfew for another fifteen minutes to see if you showed up, I saw a news report on the lobby TV. There have apparently been some disappearances of young Trainers and strange attacks throughout Hoenn on occasion for the past couple of months. I decided to not take chances. Glad I did, too, or I'd have never gotten my questions answered."
"What questions?"
"Well, let's just say I ran into something in Slateport earlier today that got me thinking, and I finally figured out why it bothered me so much. So, I spent the past couple of hours researching, and making sure my gut was right."
"About what?" Silver repeated.
Wally finished the bandaging, pinning it shut with a small, metal clip.
"I was just wondering why the Kanto Region Baron, Lord Giovanni Zolton is refusing to address rumors of his son's disappearance. Or, why half of his staff is offering huge rewards for even just solid proof of sightings of him." Wally walked around Silver to glare straight into the kneeling teen's eyes. "Or, how about why The Honorable Silver Zolton would be traipsing around the world with two young strangers, carrying an heirloom sword everywhere, and claiming to have run away from an abusive home."
Shit.
"First, however, we're going to carry you into town for help and rest. And on the way there, you're going to tell me why the hell you've lied to us."
…
…
A/N: Technically, Grovyle can't use Hyper Beam, just Sceptile. Artistic license or something, I guess. See you next week!