Ch.11: Fear the Power of Nature! Gwyn's Onslaught Begins!
There was a thick silence covering the battlefield as the shadows glared down at Gwyn, who spun her whip around with a smirk. They kept their distance from her, after seeing the results of her weapon tear apart their allies. Plus, she clearly had more up her sleeve than just a whip.
She had a bag on her right side, hanging snuggly on her waist. It was purple with a diamond shaped buckle. She kept her hand near it, like a sheriff getting ready to quick draw their gun. No doubt, she had more of those seeds she used. They will have to keep their distance from them.
Her eyes were unwavering, staring intently at her opponents as she light shuffled her feet, trying to assess a proper strategy. Unfortunately, with her lack of knowledge of society and history, she didn't know what she was fighting. All she did know was that they were shadows. That was the most basic assumption she can come up with.
Although, she did take a guess that the Floatzel in front of her was either possessed or part of some crazy cult. And, considering WHAT she was fighting, possession was the more favorable answer.
She gripped her whip tightly as she dashed forward. The whip circled around her defensively.
Floatzel glared and pointed, shouting, "Destroy her!"
The shadows cackled as they fired black flames at the green Mew. She clenched her teeth as her whip, acting on its own, spun in front of her, emitting green energy trails. The flames harmlessly washed over her as she continued her charge.
Floatzel growled. "Spear of Darkness!" He threw the shadow spear in her path.
The spear exploded on impact, with the shockwave knocking Gwyn off her feet. She crossed her arms over her face to block sand and rubble, just as a shadow lunged through the dust and punched her. Her arms blocked most of the force as she was sent flying across the ground and smashed into a building.
"Now, before she recovers!"
The shadows fired a second wave of flames and scorched the building, sending it up in flames. A tower of smoke blasted out of the building, revealing Gwyn once it parted. She gracefully landed on a building and coiled her whip up, hanging in on the left side of her waist.
She reached into her bag and pulled out three seeds. She tossed them in her hand a couple times before winding her arm back and throwing them in streaks of green light. The seeds connected with the ground in front of them. She extended two fingers out and pointed at them.
"Accelerated Growth!"
The seeds erupted in green light before growing outward at an alarming rate. Three large, spiky hands made of vines rose out of the ground, clenching their fists. Gwyn clenched her fist and threw it down. The vines mimicked her movements and rapidly punched down on the shadows.
Floatzel jumped back from the attack and glared at the Mew. "Tricky one, we got here."
Eliminate her at once, Nightmare's voice echoed through his mind. She proves to be a problem. Kill her and eliminate the others.
As you wish, Master. He formed two Spears of Darkness and threw them into the vines. Two of them caught fire and disintegrated. He formed a third to eliminate the last one.
Gwyn glared. She raised her palm and slammed it down. The vine hand mimicked and created a shockwave across the ground that knocked him off balance. The hand reached out and flicked him with its fingers, blasting him through several destroyed homes.
Back on top of the museum, Ella finished wrapping Wes up. "How are you feeling?"
He wound his foreleg to loosen it. "I'll manage." He reached for his spell book and flipped to the spell they found earlier. "You two help Gwyn. I'll stay here and figure out this spell!"
"Right!" Flint and Ella ran down the stairs.
The shadows spotted them coming to battle and grinned, flying at them with claws extended. Ella dashed ahead and blasted a psychic wave that immobilized them. Flint fired a volley of magic infused Shadow Balls, turning them orange to match his magic aura, and blasted them back.
Floatzel jumped up onto the rooftops and glared at Gwyn, who was on the rooftop across their battlefield. "You are talented, I'll give you that. But no amount of legendary status can save you against me."
Her ears twitched as her eyes narrowed. Then she smirked. "Uh, can you speak up? I can barely hear you!"
He growled and lunged off the building, destroying the top half from his launch. "Allow me to engrave the message in your skull!" His fin coated in darkness, aimed directly at Gwyn.
With fast movement, she pulled out two seeds and tossed them in the air. "Accelerated Growth!" The seeds grew into flowers with cloud like petals. She jumped over his attack, slicing apart the roof. She caught one of the flowers in her left hand. The glove symbol glowed. "Nutrient Transvoro!"The flower converted into green light and absorbed into the symbol, turning it sky blue.
Floatzel skidded to a halt and pivoted around to face her. "I got you now!" He lunged again.
Gwyn twirled her hand in the air, with sky blue energy surrounding it. She aimed forward, forming a sky blue magic circle. With a smirk, she said, "Cyclone Eradication!" A tornado of wind rushed out of the magic circle and slammed into the possessed Pokémon, canceling his spell and blasted him off the roof.
Ella dodged blade swipes from the shadows and threw debris to slow them down. They were slowly surrounding her with murder in their eyes. She narrowed hers and crouched down. "Alright, shadows. Let's see if you can keep up!" Using her psychic power, she jumped into the air, reaching about two hundred feet, and landed onto a building. The shadows sneered and chased after her.
She smirked and ran across the rooftops, sidestepping from their attacks and claws. She saw a gap up ahead and jumped down into an alley, with the shadows flying overhead for brief moment.
They stopped and u-turned back to alley. They chattered in an incoherent dialect as they searched for her. They turned over trash cans and boxes, but she seemed to have disappeared.
"Oh shadows~!" They looked up and saw Ella waving down at them with a smirk before slamming her paws down, creating a building landslide with her psychic power. Their eyes widened as the building smashed right on top of them. Some tried to escape, but their tails got caught in the rubble and brought them down.
Ella dusted her shoulders and adjusted her vest. "And that…is how it's done."
Back with Flint, he was doing his best to avoid and attack. Being the least offensive of his friends, he had to rely on strategy over everything else. Luckily, that's what he is known for.
The shadows circled around him and threw Spears of Darkness. "Blockade Reflector!" The blue shield appeared on both sides and repelled the spears back at the shadows. He formed a glyph under his feet and sped around the shadows, disorienting them with his fast paced movements. There were afterimages of him everywhere.
"Magnification Rings x3, plus Flamethrower!" They turned around as a surge of heat washed over them, scorching up the ground in blazing fury. The shadows screeched in pain as they evaporated into wisps. Flint slowed down and sighed. "Phew…that could have gone better." He heard a snort behind him.
There were, at least, fifty more shadows floating behind him.
He slowly turned and gave them a nervous smile. "Hehe…no hard feelings?" He dodged a Spear of Darkness and dashed away as they chased after him.
Gwyn and Floatzel slashed at each at breakneck speeds, countering each other blow for blow. Whip and shadow blades collided fiercely, tearing up the ground under them and digging themselves into a crater.
Gwyn's whip was covering almost every possible angle he could hit her from, showing off just how fast the whip was. This annoyed the possessed Pokémon as he tried hitting harder, only for it to be as fruitless as before. He was going to need a new plan of attack.
Then he smirked. "Get her!"
Gwyn turned around as two shadows flew in and threw punches at her. She wrapped her whip around their wrists to stop them, but left herself open for a kick across the face, losing hold of her weapon.
She regained balanced and dug her claws into the stone, slowing her momentum. She looked up and, immediately, sidestepped as a shadow blade breezed pass her. Her eyes widened as strands of her hair fell to the ground. She jumped away from a second swipe, putting some distance between them.
But it didn't stop Floatzel from pursuing her. He rushed her with two shadow blades and swiped at her. She did her best to avoid them, but she was coming up on the edge. She had to work fast.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a seed. "Accelerated Growth!" The seed grew into a cactus ball. The needles weren't sharp, just prickly, allowing her to comfortably hold it. "Nutrient Transvoro!" She absorbed it into her glove.
Floatzel knew what she was doing and grabbed her ankle. She gasped as she was raised in the air and thrown back to ground level with a hard impact against the concrete. She groaned as she tried to get up, but was pinned down by her opponent.
He kept a tight grip on her wrist. "Can't have you using spells, dearie," he hissed with a smirk.
She smirked back. "You don't know what I'm capable of. Magic Transfer!" She twisted her wrist and slammed her palm down. A green streak of magic snaked along the ground and transferred into…a giant hand of vines. "Needle Shower!"
The hand raised its palm and, with a green glow, rained down green glowing needles. Floatzel growled and jumped in the air, expecting Gwyn to take the hit. Much to his surprise, the vine hand pointed up and the needles followed, aimed right at him. He crossed his arms as they hit him.
Gwyn flipped up and held her hand out. Her vine whip slithered over to her and placed its hilt in her hand. She twirled the weapon and snapped it down with a crack.
Floatzel landed and breathed heavily, covered head to toe in needles. They dissolved into nothing as his wounds healed. "You're proving to be a pest."
She smirked. "Oh, really? I'll take that as a compliment."
"Regardless, this victory will belong to the shadows. We will complete our master's desires. We will find the Idol of Origin."
She narrowed her eyes. She looked at the burning city, seeing the destruction they have caused. If they got their hands on the idol, they could do so much worse than destroy homes. She wouldn't allow them to succeed. She came out here to protect her friends and the people of this city. She was not going to give in. Failure wasn't an option.
She gripped her whip tightly and charged. She sent her aura into the whip and it spun around her. Floatzel formed shadows around his arm and transformed it into a monstrous set of claws. Both their weapons collided against each other, sending shockwaves across the ground.
Floatzel wound his arms back, with a second pair of claws forming, and threw a Gatling of strikes down on Gwyn. Her whip spun quickly and blocked the attacks. She narrowed her eyes as she kept track of his strikes, trying to find an opening to hit him.
Once she saw that opening, she pulled out the second cloud flower from earlier and absorbed it before throwing her palm at his chest. "Cyclone Eradication!" The blast of wind, ironically, knocked the wind out of him. He stumbled back and tried to breathe. Using this time, Gwyn threw a seed at him, letting her explosive berries wrap around him. She raised her left hand and snapped her fingers. "Explode!"
The berries detonated and sent the possessed Pokémon flying. He took a deep breath and glared. Shadows formed around his back and took the shape of wings. They slowed his flight and flapped loudly, spreading wisps over the field.
Gwyn glared and reached into her bag again. This time, she pulled out a black potion. She shook it as she took a few steps back. Floatzel roared and flew at Gwyn with monstrous claws out. She threw the vial down and created a thick wall of 'smoke'. Floatzel flew through and coughed.
"Where are you?!" He landed and covered his mouth, trying to peer through the smoke. "You think you can hide from me, little Mew?! Hiding in smoke won't save you!"
Gwyn stepped out of the black smog and lit a match. "It's not smoke." She flicked the match into the smog, lighting it up in flames. One could see the Floatzel's silhouette through the fire, flailing in agony.
"AAAHHH!" Why do these pests keep trapping him in fire?!
She twirled her whip and threw it. Once the fire cleared, the whip wrapped around his ankle. She pulled on it and swung him overhead, then smashed his face against the ground. She jumped and dropkicked him in the back.
"Now stay down!" she ordered.
His eyes opened into a glare and he made a quick turn, slashing her across the stomach. She cried in pain and stumbled back, holding her gut with a grimace. She was hit with his shadow blade. Her gut seared with pain.
She felt two hands grab her by the throat and lift her in the air. "I don't take orders, especially from a Pokémon." Her applied pressure to her neck, choking her. She tried gasping for air, flailing wildly.
Flint jumped away from an attack when he saw his friend in trouble. "Gwyn!" He ducked under a slash and fired a Flamethrower in the shadow's face.
The possessed Floatzel smirked as he applied more pressure. "Come on, Mew. Plea for your life! Beg for it!"
Gwyn cringed as she opened one eye. "Shut…up…" She reached into her pouch and threw a vial of acid in his face.
"AAH!" He dropped her and rubbed his eyes, unintentionally making it worse.
Flint ran over to the Mew and helped her up as she gasped for air. "You okay?"
"I'll live, thanks…"
Floatzel, with his eyes clenched shut, raised his shadow blades. "I'll destroy you pests!"
He took a step forward, but was stopped by Ella, who flew in and kicked him across the jaw. She skidded to a stop and kicked his back with both her hind legs. Flint and Gwyn looked at each other and nodded in agreement before running up to him and throwing a double uppercut to his jaw, knocking him into a destroyed building.
Ella dusted her vest off. "Glad I got here in time." She smiled at Gwyn. "You're pretty good."
She placed a hand on her hip. "You're not so bad yourself." They raised their hands/paws and high fived each other.
Flint smiled briefly before looking back at the other shadows advancing towards them. He looked back at the museum roof. "Wes! You almost done!"
He was staring intently at the book before closing it and throwing it into his bag. "Yep!" He used the Warp Pad and ricocheted off multiple glyphs, then landed next to them. "Compact all the shadows into a single area and I'll handle the rest."
They nodded. "Right!"
"Not. So. Fast." They turned and saw Floatzel rise again.
Wes frowned. "Oh come on!"
He created two Spears of Darkness. "Shadows! Spread out!" They screeched and flew around, spread out all over the battlefield. "If you want them in close quarters, you're gonna have to work for it."
Wes glared and crouched down. Guess I'm gonna have to use my trump card.
"Hang on, Wes." He looked up at his brother. Flint knew exactly what he was going to do and he knew it would take a lot out of the Umbreon. "You're still injured. Take some more time to recover."
He shook his head. "No way! I'm not staying on the sidelines while you all do the work!"
"It's okay, Wes." He turned to Gwyn, who gave a thumbs up. "I got this."
He blinked, then smiled. "Well, alright. Ella, care to join me in some shadow hunting?"
Ella smirked and nodded. "Sure thing, partner!"
He looked at Flint. "You and Gwyn handle this poser while we get the shadows together!"
"We will!" he assured. Wes and Ella nodded at each other and ran to take on the army of shadows.
Gwyn and Flint narrowed their eyes at Floatzel, who shook his head. "You honestly think you pose threat to me?" He rubbed his eyes and opened them, showing they have healed from the acid. "I can take any punishment you give me and still fight."
The Flareon glared. "Perhaps…but now you have to deal with me too."
This sent laughter throughout his system. "You?! HA! I'd have a more challenging fight with the Espeon!"
He growled angrily, but Gwyn placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't listen to him, Flint." She held up her whip and gripped it. "Let's show this guy what we can do!"
He smiled at her. "Right." They narrowed their eyes determinedly and charged at the Floatzel, who charged at him with shadow blades extended.
With Wes and Ella, they were dodging attacks left and right from the shadows. They were keeping their distance from them as Wes had his Vortex Amulet in paw, well aware of its power. They may be single-minded killing machines, but even they had some common sense.
Wes fired a volley of magic Shadow Balls. The shadows shifted and molded their bodies to expertly avoid the attacks, before throwing their own deadly spells his way. He sidestepped and rolled out of the way of them, then activated his Star Amulet to use Infernius. The flaming fireball tore through a large group, breaking them down into wisps.
Ella psychically lifted concrete from the ground and fired them. The shadows dodged them, leaving them distracted for a Shadow Ball assault from Wes.
They sneered at the Umbreon and fired down black flames. He dodged them, keeping his eyes on them, before using his TerraSlash spell. Shards of rock flew through them, tearing apart their bodies. One flew through the barrage of rocks and threw his fist down, creating a shockwave against the ground that knocked Wes into the air.
"WHOA!" he shouted as he flailed his legs. Suddenly, one after the other, the shadows rammed into him, nailing him once before circling around and repeating. This left him suspended in the air from the force of the attacks.
Ella glanced up and growled. "Hey, back off!" With a shout, she fired a psychic wave upwards, slowing them down enough to let Wes fall.
He shook his head and regained his balance, landing safely before firing Infernius in rapid succession. The shadows dispersed, taking cover so they can attack from a tactical range.
Wes stopped the stream of attacks and darted his eyes everywhere, keeping an ear and eye out for possible ambushes. And, just as he thought, one came flying at him in the form of a Spear of Darkness. He jumped over it and fired Shadow Ball upside down, colliding against the shadow.
Ella fired several Shadow Ball up, then trapped them in Psychic. She fired them at the shadows, chasing after them with the 'shadow seeking' attack. They threw Spears of Darkness to destroy them but Ella was quick to maneuver them through and bash the attacks against them.
Wes and Ella met back to back as the shadows converged on them, anger filling their eyes. "Ooh boy, they look angry," the Umbreon said as they sharpened their claws.
"You don't say?" Ella shook her head and smirked. "What do you say, partner? How about a little tag team action?"
He smiled brightly. "Though you'd never ask."
The shadows lunged at them, their bodies blazing in darkness. The two Eeveelutions jumped over them, letting them collide into each other. Ella psychically pushed them against the ground, holding them in place. They tried throwing attacks at her, but she increased the pressure of the psychic power, pushing their arms and tails down. They were completely restrained, at the mercy of the Umbreon who prepared to end them.
Wes' rings glowed white as he spun in the air. "Lumios Storm!" His body erupted in a flash of bright light, blinding and even physically harming the shadows. Arrows of light pulsed out of the light and rained down on the dark spirits. Their bodies erupted in light, forming glowing cracks along their bodies as black smoke seeped off. Every inch of their being stung in an unending agony as they screeched across the city.
They clawed at the ground, trying with all their might to escape. But it was inevitable. They gave in to the menacing light as their bodies evaporated into harmless wisps of shadows, which vanished in the light soon after.
The light around Wes died down and he landed safely on the ground, greeting Ella with a smile. "Nice work!" He raised his paw.
She smirked and high-fived him. "You too."
They heard growling behind them and turned around. One lone shadow floated in front of them. Then, he began splitting into more shadows, equally as angry.
The two friends looked at each other and groaned. Time for Round Two.
With Flint and Gwyn, they were evading attacks from Floatzel as he chased them around the city. The Flareon could barely keep up with the Mew, panting heavily.
"We need to find some cover!" he shouted as he ducked under a Spear of Darkness.
Gwyn reached into her bag and pulled out a seed. "Way ahead of you!" She flicked it into the walls. "Accelerated Growth!" The seed erupted in light and extended outward to form a wall of sharp thorns. "That'll only slow him down! We need to pick up the pace!" Flint took a deep breath and attempted to endure another stretch of running as they escaped their opponent.
Floatzel growled as the wall of vines converged around him, attempting to trap him inside. "I have no time for this. Ring of Shadows!" The black ring appeared under his feet and erupted upward, tearing through the vines and giving him an opening to escape.
He jumped out and walked down the street with a sinister grin. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."
Flint and Gwyn were hiding behind a dumpster, keeping quiet as he walked by. Once he was out of earshot, the Flareon took a moment to take a breather. "Man…I need to work on my stamina…"
"Any ideas to take him out permanently?" Gwyn asked as she peeked over the dumpster.
He took one long breath and exhaled. "Well…removing the shadow that's inhabiting him would be a start, but we need Wes for that. We may need to slow him down first."
The Mew smirked. "Slow him down, you say? Well, I can probably handle that." She cracked her knuckles. "I still want to give this guy the beating of the lifetime."
Flint shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. His attacks could kill a Pokémon in an instant. Your Legendary blood might protect you, but I'm not sure for how long. We need a strategy to take him on."
"Well, do you have any ideas?" she asked as she continued to look over the dumpster. She could hear the possessed Pokémon smashed down more buildings. She clenched her teeth a bit, angry that he was destroying homes just for the heck of it.
"I may have one idea." She looked back at him. "I'm not much of a fighter, but I know a few spells that are meant to trick or counter my opponents." He smiled. "I'll be the defense and you can be the offense."
She blinked, then smiled. "Alright. Just tell me the plan and I'm on board!"
Floatzel kicked through another building, sending it to the ground. "Come on out before I turn this place into a barren wasteland!" He didn't get any responses. "Very well." He looked in the direction Wes and Ella should still be fighting. He could see shadows be kicked over buildings, followed by rays of light. He smirked and aimed a Final Nightfall in that direction, hoping the two runts he has been chasing are there.
"Final…" The attack crackled with darkness. "Night…" The orb shrunk, focusing itself into a beam. "Fa-"
He felt a kick in the back of his neck, canceling his spell. He quickly turned and saw Gwyn, smugly smirking. She backflipped off him, kicking him in the jaw as well. He stumbled back and created his shadow blades. However, instead of charging after her, he added their power into a move his host knew: Razor Wind.
Darkness built up around and he fired an array of shadow blades, soaring through the air. Gwyn took her whip and slashed through them with quick movements.
Floatzel used this as distraction to run at her. "I got you now!" He connected his blade to her neck and sliced right through her. He smirked cheerfully, thrilled be finally managed to kill the runt that has been causing him so much trouble. It was…surprisingly easy…
His eyes widened as Gwyn's body shattered into nothing like glass. He skidded to a halt and looked around. "An illusion?"
A slash swiped at his neck, knocking him forward. He turned around and saw an entire army of Gwyns, holding their whips with smug expressions. "Pay attention, buster," they all spoke. "Don't want to make this too easy, do ya?"
He snarled, showing off his sharp teeth before rushing at them with fury in his eyes. One by one, he sliced through them, shattering into nothing. He felt a slash at his back and sliced the one behind him, but it shattered too. Whip slashes nailed him from all sides. They were all whipping him, but he could tell there was only one whip hitting him. The rest were throwing off his senses.
Growling with anger, he wildly slashed at the ones around him, hitting nothing but illusions. "Where. Are. You?!"
Sitting safely away from the battle, Flint was in a meditative position with his eyes closed, casting the illusion around Floatzel. Gwyn was tactically keeping her distance from the angry, possessed Pokémon while also whipping him at her weapon's near maximum length.
She smiled at Flint. For someone who's only decent at offensive combat, it's clear to her why he calls himself a supporter. He has a spell to help his teammates for any situation. He truly is an amazing friend.
Floatzel roared and sent a shockwave of darkness over the clones. Gwyn didn't react in time and was knocked into a wall. The blast hit Flint as well, canceling the spell.
The possessed weasel growled. The slash marks on his body healed. He clenched his fist and walked over to Gwyn. "You…are going to pay for that." She looked up at him with panic in her eyes. He raised his fist and threw it down at her.
The environment turned monochrome. Floatzel's fist was inches from hitting Gwyn's face while the Mew had a look of worry in her eyes as she watched the fist come flying at her.
Flint groaned as he walked over to them. He grabbed Gwyn as a wash of color appeared over her. She blinked, her nerves spiked on adrenaline as the fist stood inches from her face. She looked around and saw the dull color around her before looking up at the Flareon, who was sweating. "Flint?"
"Can't…talk…need to…concentrate…"
Gwyn stared at him for a moment longer before her panicked expression turned into a vicious snarl. "This guy is going to get it…" Flint wasn't sure if it was because he was trying to keep time frozen and he was hallucinating or Gwyn's eyes were actually losing the bright red they usually adorned, turning to a much darker shade. "Flint, keep time frozen for a bit longer, alright?"
He wasn't sure what she was planning, but he wasn't going to argue. "O-Okay, but hurry!"
She nodded and ran around the perimeter of the destroyed grounds. She stuck her hand in her bag and pulled out a handful of seeds. Using her thumb, she flicked them into the ground like a gun. She was quick and efficient in spreading the deadly seeds around the field. She made sure to cover the large space for her plan to take effect.
Flint sweated, collapsing onto his side. He didn't drop the spell, keeping it up for as long as he can. He doesn't normally keep time frozen for this long, so he's hoping Gwyn finishes up with her plan soon.
Thankfully, his wish came true as Gwyn flicked the last of her seeds. "Alright, drop it!"
Color returned to the environment, along with movement. Floatzel's fist resumed smashing into the spot Gwyn once laid at. His eyes widened. In a flash, Gwyn disappeared from his line of sight. "Where did she…?" He heard a thud and glanced over at Flint, who was breathing heavily. He smirked. "I see now…" He walked over to the exhausted Flareon, raising a shadow blade.
Flint took some deep breaths to calm his fast beating heart. A shadow loomed over him, making him look up warily. A blade made up of darkness was in his line of sight. Can't…get up…
"A spell to freeze time? Haven't seen one of those in quite some time. Now I see how you escaped my shadows last time." His smirk stretched. "Too bad in exhausts your magic aura faster."
Flint bared his teeth and growled. "You won't win."
"Don't kid yourself, brat!" He sliced through Flint, but ended up shattering another illusion. He growled lightly. "Of course…"
"Hey, shadow boy!" He snapped his head at Gwyn, who stood confidently with her arms crossed. "Your fight is with me."
He canceled his shadow blade and chuckled. "Very well." He snapped his fingers, summoning several Spears of Darkness around him, each pointed at Gwyn. "Spear of Darkness: Dusk Rain!" He flicked his hand forward and sent the spears right at her.
She narrowed her eyes and raised her hands, waiting for them to get closer. Once they were, she slammed her palms down. "Accelerated Growth: Grand Forest Summoning!"
The ground exploded around her, forming large hunks of wood and vines. The spears pierced through them, but they were growing so fast that it made it difficult to fire all the way, effectively destroying them.
Floatzel glared, then stumbled as the ground shook. Wood tore through the concrete and rose high in the air. The ground under him gave way and ascended him into the air on a large twisted trunk. He sunk his claws into it to keep himself steady. He looked down to see he was rising above the city, reaching as high as two hundred feet or higher.
He looked back at the collection of plant life in front of him. It had formed into a bunched up forest. The trees were bunched together, giving very little spaces to climb through. But he knew the Mew was inside, meaning he'll have to cut his way through. He activated his shadows blade and sliced through the trees, making a path for him to enter.
A bunch of seeds made this? He was starting to see just how dangerous this Mew was. All the more reason to kill her, of course. Problem is, he has no idea where she might be. Not to mention he still doesn't know the extent of her magic. He'll need to destroy her quickly.
He stopped on a branch and held his arms out. "One Final Nightfall should do the trick."
A vine snapped at his back and knocked him off the branch. Shadow wings formed on his back and stopped his fall, but was immediately kicked from the vine swinging Mew he was looking for.
He growled and fired shadow blades at her. Gwyn took her whip and slashed through all of them, before wrapping the weapon around his ankle and slamming him against a tree.
She landed on a branch. "You can't beat me here, Floatzel. Plants follow and obey my magic aura. I can turn this whole forest against you."
He smirked widely and glared at her. "You think I'm afraid of trees?!" He lunged off the trunk. "I can burn this whole place to the ground without a second thought! Flame of Darkness!" He fired a streak of black flames from his hand.
Gwyn jumped off the branch and fell, avoiding the spell. She wrapped her vine whip around a branch and swung off it, flying back up and kicking him in the gut. He endured the hit and grabbed her tail. He socked her in the gut and backhanded her across the forest.
She flew in a daze for a moment before shaking it off and snarling. She wrapped her whip around a tree and slowed her momentum by spinning around it. She landed and glared up. A barrage of shadow spears came flying at her. She held her left hand up and snapped her fingers.
A huge branch swung and slammed down on the spears. It then swung at the possessed Floatzel. He jumped over it. The force of the trunk toppled the tree he was standing on. He landed on the branch and ran along the side, then jumped off towards Gwyn.
"Spear of Darkness: Dusk Rain!" He rained down shadow spears a second time. Gwyn jumped away from them and swung behind a tree.
Floatzel landed and raced over. He could sense her aura, just behind the tree. He'll use his shadow blades and cut straight through, along with her head. Time to die, little Mew! He swung his blades into the tree, cutting through.
"Plant Assimilation!"
He felt he sliced through something shaped like a body, but something felt off about it. As the top half of the tree he cut toppled over, he saw a wooden body in place of the magic aura he originally felt. He narrowed his eyes and inspected it. It almost looked like Gwyn turned into wood.
"Plant Assimilation…" he muttered, remembering the spell she casted. His eyes widened. "Oh crud…" He got into a defensive stance and scanned the area. She fused into the trees, meaning she could be anywhere.
"Clever idea, using the trees to hide." He smirked. "But all I need to do is burn you to ash!" He fired shadow flames at the plants, catching them in the black flames of destruction. "Burn, little Mew, burn!"
A sharp blade of wood formed around his neck. His eyes shrunk as he felt the magic aura behind him. Gwyn had risen from the ground, her body taking the texture and appearance of the trees. Her right arm had taken the shape of a large wooden blade, sharpen neatly.
"I told you…" she whispered into his ear. "The plants obey me. They trust me. They know you're the enemy. Everything here is connected. You'll never beat me."
He loosened up a bit and smirked. "Why are you so determined to beat me?"
"Isn't it obvious? To stop a monster like you from harming everyone who lives here. You've caused a great deal of destruction ever since you got here and, now, I'm putting an end to it."
It started out as a low chuckle. Then it went into an irritating laugh. It ended with a cackle. Gwyn clenched her teeth as the Floatzel howled in laughter, as if what she said was nothing more than a joke. Was this funny to him? She had a blade up to his neck!
He laughed, more and more, seemingly with no end. Being a shadow, he found the idea of heroism to be a delightful combination of amusing and pathetic. Hearing this Mew say it was too much for him.
He calmed down enough, stifling through some laughs, to speak. "You really think I believe that crap? Please, I know there's more to this than some simple act of heroism!" Her throat tightened as he continued.
"While you may be doing this to protect everyone, I know for a fact you want something more. You want this whole city to believe your mother isn't a witch. You're unleashing all your anger out on me because of all the frustration you've endured throughout your miserable life."
"How do you know she's…?"
"Not that hard to put two and two together. We're shadows, missy. We can sense negative emotions. We live off of it. It's why we caused mayhem and destruction. As a fuel source for us…and for our entertainment!" He threw his head back, laughing for a minute. Gwyn felt her eye twitched as he went on and on with that irritating laughter.
"Just look at you! You're already snapping! You're willing to go on a blood crazed manslaughter just to eliminate me!" He took noticed of her dark red eyes. She was losing it. "Go ahead, kill me! You know you want to! You've been holding back so much anger against those who've berated your family name for so long! Let go of the restraints and strike this body down! Kill me, right here and now! Rid yourself of this frustration and take it all out on me! Do it! DO IT!"
Her eye was twitching erratically, breathing strong, rapid breaths. She wanted him to shut up so badly. She wanted to sink this blade into his throat and end his rambling.
"What's taking you so long? Kill me! Don't you want to end the torment?!" He laughed madly. "Don't resist! Give in to the bloodlust! Show everyone that you won't take the lies against your mother any longer!"
A thick layer of silence covered the air around them. He could sense the blade leaving his neck and rising above her head. She was getting ready to bring it down on top of him. He grinned sadistically. Only his host will die from the attack. Once she kills him, he'll leave this body and take over hers while she's in her angered state.
Having the power of a Mew would not only please his master, Nightmare, but it will please his mighty leader, the Shadow King. He'll kill the Eeveelutions and they'll soon retrieve the map, then the Idol of Origins. Everything was going according to plan.
The blade came down. Victory was theirs.
"…you really think you got me, didn't you?"
The blade stopped just inches from his neck. His eyes widened. She didn't do it?! He couldn't sense her negativity. It was dropping quickly. What happened to all her hate and frustration?!
He slowly turned around and looked at her eyes. They were brightening back up to their usual inviting, bright red. Only, in his eyes, they were anything but inviting. They had the intent to win, not kill.
Her bladed hand morphed into a large hand and slammed into him. She pushed him up against a tree and held him in place, fusing the wood into the tree. Her body shifted back to flesh and fur. She removed her hand from the wood and rubbed her wrist.
She chuckled. "Lost my head there for a second. That would have been messy."
He glared angrily and flailed in the wooden trapped. His arms were pinned down, he couldn't cast any spells. "How are you so calm?! You were ready to kill me on the spot!"
"Yes, I was." She narrowed her eyes. "Do you really think this is the first time I've lost my head?" She closed her eyes with a scowl. "I've dealt with people who claimed my mother was evil. A child shouldn't have to hear such awful things about their parent. It made me sick. All I ever wanted was to shut them up for good. Make it so they'd never dishonor my mother ever again.
"But, I've learned to control myself. I was taught to be kind, to help others, to not give in to anger. My mother taught me…my mentor taught me…they told me to never let hateful thoughts cloud my judgment. To never let them make my decisions. I may give into my anger once in a while, but I'll never let my hatred guide me."
Floatzel snarled and thrashed in the wooden trap. "You will all die! The shadows will win in the end! The Idol of Origin will be ours!"
She walked over and got up in his face, smirking. "And I'll be there to stop you." She flicked his forehead. "And my friends, too." She retracted her hand as he snapped his teeth at it. "Heh, feisty. You need to chill." She stepped back and jumped down, falling for a few seconds before landing on the ground and running out of the forest.
Floatzel activated his shadow blade and made an attempt to cut through his trap.
Gwyn ran out and found Flint propped up against the wall. He seemed to be looking better. "Flint!"
"Gwyn!" He met her halfway. "Are you okay?"
She placed her hands on her hips and smirked. "Well, duh! It'll take more than that guy to break me!"
He smiled. "I figured."
"Hey, didn't you say you knew a Magnification Ring spell"
"Uh, yeah?"
She pulled out a seed and used her growth spell. It grew into a flash freeze flower. "Care to lend me a paw?"
He smirked and nodded. He faced the forest and clapped his paws together. "Magnification Ring x3!" Three orange rings formed in front of him, aimed at the forest.
Gwyn walked in front of Flint and absorbed the flower into her glove. She pulled on her glove a bit before aiming her two fingers at it. "I said he needed to chill and that's exactly what he's going to do." Her smirk grew. "Scorching Winter!" A blue beam fired from her fingertips. Entering through the Magnification Rings, the beam increased in size and power, engulfing the top half of the forest.
Floatzel eventually cut his way out of the wood and kicked the rest of it off. "When I get my hands of that Mew, I'm going to…" His peripherals picked up a blue light coming from his left. He turned and frowned. "That rotten, little-" He crossed his arms as the beam engulfed around him.
Gwyn kept steady of the beam as she slowly lowered the angle, wanting to cover the entire forest in ice. Flint stood back. He could feel the harsh cold aura it gave off. It looked freezing to the touch.
She finally ended the spell and blew on her smoking fingers. The forest was covered, from top to bottom, in ice. It gave off a steam like mist. Flint went up to touch it, but the Mew grabbed his ankle before he could. "I wouldn't recommend it. I told you, 'hotter than the flames of Hell'."
He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry…"
She smiled sweetly before narrowing her eyes on the ice. "Now then, if my hunch is correct, the weak spot should be right…" She took her whip and slashed a spot on the ice. "…there!"
Cracks popped up from the slash and spread across the rest of the large mountain of ice. Cracks reached within it, breaking through the trees. Once it reached the top, it shook uncontrollably before shattering into pieces. Flint placed a barrier around them as ice and wood rained down on them.
He dropped the barrier once the rain shower of debris stop. Wood and ice were scattered everywhere. They stepped through it as they looked for the possessed Floatzel. Though, looking at the wood and how it was broken down, Flint couldn't help but ask.
"We didn't…break him, did we?" he asked nervously.
Her eyes darted left and right, with an awkward grin stretching across her lips. "Um…of course not."
They stopped to see a frozen Floatzel laying on the ground, standing in a defensive stance.
She laughed nervously. "S-See? I told you! He's still intact!"
Flint smiled. "Never doubted you for a moment." He walked over to the frozen Pokémon.
Gwyn laughed sheepishly with a sweatdrop. Oh thank Arceus, I thought I actually killed someone! She never used that spell on a living Pokémon prior to the battle, so it was quite the surprise, and relief in her case, that he was still alive.
She took her whip and broke through the ice, releasing him. He collapsed to the ground and shivered as steam came off his body. It was such an uncomfortable mixture of cold and burning.
He glared up at them. "Y-Y-You!"
She glared and kicked him across the face. "Shut up. Release your hold on this Pokémon before I force you out."
He grinned sadistically and rose to his feet. "I will continue fighting until my last breath, Pokémon!" He raised his fin, engulfing it in shadows. "You will succumb to the might of the shadows!" Flint and Gwyn got into attack stances as he laughed.
"Lumios Storm!" His vision was immediately over taken by a flash of light, along with a fierce barrage of light arrows. They blasted him against the ground and continued to rain down on him. They jabbed at his body, exploding point after point around him.
The Flareon and Mew turned around and saw a ball of light spinning in the air, shooting the powerful spell. Ella walked up to, covered in scratches and dirt. "Sup you two."
They smiled. "Boy, are we happy to see you!" Flint exclaimed.
She closed her eyes and smiled. "We would have been here sooner, but those shadows are pretty hard to put down permanently."
The shower of light arrows eventually ceased its ruthless assault. The light dissipated and revealed Wes, who was in a similar state as Ella. He landed next to them and tipped his hat. "Hey! What'd I miss?"
The smoke rising out of the crater he formed cleared away, revealing a badly beaten Floatzel. He panted heavily, trying his best to move. Every inch of his being ached with pain. He tried healing the injuries, but he only managed heal halfway. The repeated beatings he took throughout the battel. Wes was the final straw. He overtaxed his healing factor. He couldn't hold his grip over the Floatzel any longer.
"You…are a worthy opponent, Mew," he spoke softly, too injured to speak loudly.
Gwyn crossed her arms and glared. "I'd say the feeling is mutual, but I don't hold you in the same light."
He smirked weakly. "Understandable…" He darted his eyes at Wes. "You…"
The Umbreon narrowed his eyes. "Who is the Shadow King? We know he's laying within someone. Tell us who he has possessed."
He chuckled maliciously, coughing as a result. Black wisps seeped out of his mouth. He was losing his hold. "Why ruin the surprise, Ravenfield? It's much more fun to see you squirm for answers." He took a moment to breathe. "…a Ravenfield…a Ravenfield…he keeps uttering that name…"
The four friends looked at each other in concern. It sounded like this Shadow King knew of Wes and Flint's family.
"He wants you…you both…dead…by any means necessary…soon…you will all die…" His cheeks puffed out and he expelled black mist from his mouth like a geyser. They stepped back and waved it away. The mist evaporated into the sunlight. The shadow has died.
They looked back down at the Floatzel. His color reverted back to its normal appearance. His eyes slowly opened. His ears were ringing. "Ugh…what happened?" His eyes widened as he felt a great deal of pain overtake him. "WHAT HAPPEN TO MY BODY?!" His movements only made it worse.
The group sweatdropped at his thrashing. What a baby. Gwyn pulled out a potion and threw it down near his face. The pink mist filled his nostrils and knocked him out. "I better give him something before he kills himself." She reached into her bag and pulled out a second potion. She jumped down into the crater and fed it to him.
Wes smiled down at her. "Man, she was amazing. Did you see those spells she used? She's like a freakin' strategist! A-And that freeze spell! Oh man, that was so cool!" His eyes shimmered gleefully, replaying the memory in his head over and over again.
Ella patted his head, chuckling. "Never change, Wes. But I can't help but agree. Gwyn really knows how to hold her own in battle. It would be nice to have her along with us."
"Well, that's not impossible." They turned to Flint, who smiled a bit. "Before the whole museum attack, Gwyn and I were talking. I actually asked her if she wanted to join us on our quest."
Wes' eyes widened. "Are you serious?" He nodded. He grinned. "Did she say yes?!"
"Err…not exactly. I didn't get a proper answer from her before I rushed over here."
"Well, she should! She would make an awesome teammate!"
Gwyn listened intently as she finished giving Floatzel the potion. She felt a smile crawl up on her face. Flint may have said they would be fine with it, but hearing it personally made her happier.
Her gaze turned towards the destroyed city and that's when she frowned. All these people…they've lost so much from the battle. She would love to go on a journey, but she didn't want to leave everyone after what just happened. It would be selfish for her to leave them like this. It could take months before the city is restored.
Then there was her mother's shop. It was the only thing she had left of her. It was her home. How could she leave it? She grew up in that shop. It meant a lot to her, good or bad times.
"Gwyn?" She looked up at them. Wes smiled. "I know you were listening to us."
She blinked, then gave a sad smile. "Guys…I would love to join you…but I can't leave everyone like this. It'll take a while to repair the city after what happened. I just don't have the heart to leave. Not like this. Plus…I couldn't part with leaving my mother's shop."
They frowned a bit, especially Flint. They've really gotten to know the Mew in the short amount of time they've been here. Flint felt he bonded with her the most. It was going to be hard to say goodbye.
She raised her hands a bit with a small smile. "B-But, don't worry! I'll work on the potion to fix your map and you can get started on your quest. I made a promise to help you all and I'm going to fulfill that promise. You have my word."
The Eeveelutions looked at each other. They looked like they were having a silent conversation with each other. It looked spooky to the Mew.
They ended it with a nod and looked back at her. "Well," Wes began, "I guess we're gonna have to stay behind, too."
Her eyes bugged out. "What?!"
"We're just as responsible for this mess as the shadows are. We feel obligated to help out as well."
"But…what about the idol? Don't you need to find it as soon as possible?"
Ella shrugged. "Well, it's not like it's going to get up and walk away. We're the only ones with the map, so they can't get to it as long as we have it."
"You…you guys don't have to do that…"
Flint shook his head with a smile. "Gwyn, we insist. We'll stay around for a week and help clean up. Finding the idol is important, but Ella has the right idea. We're the only ones with clarification on how to find it."
"You guys would really do that?" she asked, still unable to believe they're being so generous.
Wes smiled. "Hey, we always help people in need. And, right now, an entire city needs help. We WANT to help." Flint and Ella nodded in agreement.
She stared at them, amazed. Never before has she met such…considerate Pokémon in her life. It was astonishing that there were others who would go out of their way to lend a hand. And, with the state of the city, they needed all the help they could get.
She smiled gratefully. "Thank you…just…thank you…"
The Umbreon waved it off. "That's what friends do. Now come on, we got to tell everyone that the battle's over. We have a LOT of work to do."
She chuckled. "Right. Follow me." She led them to the shelter.
Nightmare had left the city a long time ago, as the battle increased in intensity. His pawn has failed him. And now he had to confront his leader about it. It was a task that he wasn't willing to go through, but it was his job to do so.
He bowed to the orb floating over him, revealing an image of the notorious Shadow King. "Nightmare…report, now."
"My master, please forgive me. We were in the process of retrieving the map, but we were overwhelmed by the treasure hunters, along with a Mew who assisted them in the fight."
The Shadow King leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. "A Mew?"
"Yes. She…possessed extraordinary magical capabilities. A pawn I had a shadow possess was defeated by her incredible use of magic.
"Hmm…" He scratched his chin in thought. "A Mew…"
"We also learned of another piece of information. As it turns out, the map was coated in a potion to hide the whereabouts of the keys. This Mew is a potion maker who is assisting them with restoring it."
"Is that so?" The Shadow King clasped his hands together, appearing to be in deep thought.
"We shall plan our second attack on them, sir. Once the rest of my troops get here, we shall strike while they are injured. We will reclaim the map for our own."
"No."
Nightmare blinked in confusion. "No?" He raised his arms in protest. "B-B-But, my master, reconsider! We have them weakened. We might not be able to get another chance like this again."
The Shadow King glared through his mask. "How foolish are you, Nightmare?" The spirit's eyes widened in shock. "I can't say I blame you, seeing as you've been asleep for hundreds of years. Allow me to elaborate.
"Do you know why the keys were never found? It's because they've been hidden in secret locations that could only be discovered from sheer luck alone. That map is the only guide to the keys. Then lays the second problem. Even if you find it…" He leaned forward a bit. His mask's lenses gleamed sinisterly. "You'd still need to get pass the one who swore to protect it."
Nightmare looked down. "But sir…"
"Your forces were defeated by a group of treasure hunters. Take into consideration…who you might be facing if you were to locate that key." He leaned back in his seat. "I'm well aware of the keys being separated. It's the guardians you must look out for. They will kill you on sight."
"So…what do we do?"
"…let them find the keys. Stalk them from a distance, if you must. Keep an eye on them. If and when you see an opportunity to purloin a key, you take it. Let them handle the hard part of getting passed the guardian."
The shadow spirit grew a smirk. "My master…you truly are a cunny mastermind." He bowed. "Very well, we shall not interfere until we see fit."
"Make sure of it." The call ended and the orb dropped into Nightmare's hands.
He looked back down at the ruins of the city. With a short, evil chuckle, he backed away into the shadows, vanishing from sight.