Chapter 14: Farewell
Cynder and Aqua dashed around trees and around Blade leaving the Sneasel standing confused. "What….what is this?"
"What's wrong Blade, have you never played tag?" Cynder gave him a quizzical look.
Blade cocked his head to the side "Tag?"
The two frowned before approaching him. Cynder spoke in a soft tone. "It's a game, silly, you've never played a game? It's something fun to do as a group."
"Does beating up the smallest person count as a game?" Blade was dead serious with his question.
Both pokemon reeled at his response. Aqua spoke first "Definitely not! Where did you get an idea like that?"
Blade looked sad "my siblings always beat me up for fun…."
Looking between Aqua and Blade Cynder spoke up in a caring tone. "Well, let's do this then, we'll show you how to play tag." She stood in front of him and carefully poked him with her snout. "So, one person is "it" and that player has to gently touch another player and then that player is it. The only rules are, one: no hurting other players, two: don't lie about being it, three: be courteous, and four: have fun!"
Blade smiled and gently tapped Cynder. "Like that?"
"Exactly!" Cynder bounced in place happily.
"I'll be it first!" Aqua smiled happily.
And thus the three pokemon began to have their fun, chasing each other, doing their best to not be tagged or to tag one of the other two.
*Meanwhile*
Xiphos rode atop Gyarados' head with Minun by his side.
"So how do we attack his heart?"
"The fennekin. You're going to kill her. Then Pyre won't have any fight left in him, and I'll finish him off personally. After all, little eggy owes me for what his brother did to me." The weavile gently touched the burned flesh on his neck.
"So when we find her I kill her?"
"No, it's too dangerous. The Squirtle is a fighter, and my master says there's something off about the Sneasel with them, something dark surrounding him. And beyond that, we'd stand no chance against that Darkrai. We need to draw her away from them." He turned to face Minun. "That's where you come in pet. We're getting close, you draw her toward us. We don't want any interruptions after all."
Minun hopped down from Gyarados' head as Xiphos pointed toward the playing Pokemon. "I'll bring her master!" And with his sentence done Minun dashed over closer toward them as Gyarados retreated deeper into the forested area they had been traveling through.
Cynder hid behind a tree watching Aqua and Blade stumble around trying to tag each other. She let out a happy giggle as she watched.
"Heeeeeelp!?" Minun groaned out a short distance away. Cynder seemed to take notice.
"Hello?" She began following his voice.
"Heeeheeeeelp!" Minun forced himself to groan and cough as he backtracked, making sure she was staying on his trail.
"Where are you?"
"Help MEEEE?" He stopped just under a single tree. Xiphos was seated stop the branch.
"Hello, I can't find you?" Cynder had a worried look on her face. She didn't know it was a trap, just that someone was calling for help.
"Hello, morsel." Gyarados slithered around behind her.
"Wh-who are you, where's the injured pokemon!?" She demanded staring with determination.
A sharp cold pain shot up her spine. Snapping around she was eye to eye with a crazed weavile, a large shard of ice stabbed into her backside. "You'll need a mirror to see them." He spoke as he twisted the shard causing her to cry out in pain. Xiphos roughly pulled the shard from her back. "She's all yours now."
She lunged forth sinking her teeth into his neck as fire spilled out of her maw burning his neck again.
"Aaaagh you bitch!" He used his own claws this time to stab into her sides. After a short struggle he broke free of her grasp and took off running.
She turned back to Gyarados billowing fire out hitting the trees and grass around them.
*With Pyre*
Blade and Aqua were panting heavily worried looks on their faces as they say under a tree.
"Blade, what's going on?" Shadow asked, seeing the exhausted Sneasel.
"Cynder, Aqua, and I" Blade began, his panting slowing him down "we were playing tag….and at some point….we lost track of Cynder. We've been searching for a while." Blade looked upset.
"What's troubling you my dear?" The Darkrai spoke sweetly.
"It's just….she wanted to help me have fun…" Blade frowned. "I'm scared something might have happened because of it."
"I'm sure it's fine Blade, we'll keep looking." Shadow scratched Blade behind the ear comfortingly.
"Yeah, you guys just relax, we'll take care of it." Pyre smiled happily. As he began walking his thoughts went to Cynder. Something about how his memories flowed in gave him a sense of unease.
*A Short Time Later*
Pyre had been searching for nearly an hour, but he hadn't found Cynder yet. She wasn't one to just run off. And the longer it took the more worried he became.
Suddenly the scent of burning wood wafted into his nose. He didn't hesitate as he rushed toward the scent. He came into a massive burnt clearing, noticing a massive tailfin moving into the tree line opposite his entry point. In the center of the clearing was a fennekin. Pyre didn't even need to check, he could feel it was Cynder. He could see the weak violet color enveloping her body, with a much more dim faint pink emanating from her center.
As he rushed over he found Cynder panting, clinging to life with everything she had. Pyre gently lifted her head to look into her eyes, beautiful orange orbs, the color fading from them. The Charmander felt his body shaking and his heart racing faster than ever before. "C-cynder…..hang in there love, I've got you. I've got you."
"P-pyre….I…I'm sorry" she let out a cough while smiling at him. "I'm sorry we never got to start our family…." She coughed again "sorry we couldn't have our own little home, I'm sorry I couldn't meet all your friends…" Her coughing only got worse. "I'm sorry…I broke my promise."
"Please, don't say that, we can still do it, fire of my heart, please just hold on!" At that moment Pyre's signature smile dropped.
"I'm….I'm sorry. I can't….but please promise me something…." The Fennekin's eyes began to droop, the color fading faster from them. She smiled with everything she had trying to comfort him. "Let me see that smile….one last time…" Pyre, with all the strength he could muster, smiled at her. "Promise….promise me that you'll move on….promise me…promise me that you'll never lose your light, my brightly blazing sun."
Then, her eyes shut and her head dropped. Pyre gently shook her. "Cynder?! Cynder?! No please don't leave me Cynder I'm begging you!" He held her tight, refusing to let go as tears streamed down his face. He sobbed and held her tight for who knows how long. All the while begging her not to leave, holding her tight, willing her to stay with him. "Please Cynder, how can I hold onto my light….when it's leaving me all alone?"
After a while he gently lifted her up as he stood. And slowly, still pouring tears, he carried her back to his friends. By the time he reached them his eyes were bloodshot, and almost as dim as Cynder's had been. The vibrant green of his eyes had all but vanished. And his trademark smile had vanished entirely.
Aqua and Blade looked rather relieved when the Charmander returned with Cynder in his arms. Shadow, however noticed Pyre's demeanor and the two smaller pokemon caught on almost immediately. The Sneasel dropped to the ground sadly. Aqua was on the verge of breaking down as well, but fought it, he knew it wouldn't help Pyre.
The Charmander walked by them heading toward the camp. They wasted no time standing and following behind him.
*At The Camp*
Pyre had arrived and left Cynder's body with Calyrex and Victini. There was something important he had to take care of. The fire type stood outside Victini's vine tent, knowing Zear was inside. The Braixen opened the curtain like vines. "Oh Pyre, was there something you needed?"
The Charmander looked up at him slowly. He was fighting back tears. "Zear…I…I'm..so…"
The Braixen glanced outside seeing almost everyone outside their tents, sorrow on their faces as Calyrex hovered out of the vine tent he was in, the opening giving Zear the chance to see Victini hunched over Cynder audibly sobbing. Rage flared across his face as he slapped Pyre across the face. "I…I knew you were trouble!" He shouted, striking the charmander again. "This is all your fault! You little bastard! You took my daughter from us!" He shoved Pyre down and sat over him gripping the smaller male's throat pushing hard and strangling him. Pyre however, didn't struggle, his body didn't even react to the pain. He laid there blank, numb to the pain.
"I'm…so-sorry…"
Zears paws came away from Pyre's throat as he picked him up, suddenly embracing the Charmander in a hug. "No, I'm sorry…she loved you more than anything else." He hugged Pyre tightly. "I know I'm hurting but…so are you…I'm sorry…this isn't your fault…"
"Yes it is" tears dropped from the charmander's eyes soaking into the braixen's fur. "I know who did it…I saw them…he was angry at me for beating him in a fight…I killed Cynder…it's all my fault!"
Zear didn't let go of Pyre. "No, that's not true, and she wouldn't want you to blame yourself. She loves you too much for that."
The sun had long since gone down by now, and the other pokemon were gathered around as Victini carried Cynder out of the vine tent. "Where are we burying her?" Victini was struggling not to choke up and cry again. "Tr-tradition says she's buried under a tent, burned down, never to be erected again, so we never forget."
"Ours…" Pyre's voice was barely above a whisper. "Bury her in ours…"
The other two nodded as they entered the tent. Aqua was inside waiting for them, along with Shadow and Blade. "Pyre I just wanted to say.."
He was cut off when Pyre spoke. "She always loved sitting in the shade…. Aqua, will you give me a hand with digging? I want to bury her here." Pyre gently laid her down as he moved toward the center of the tent and began digging up the dirt in the center. Aqua came to his side helping him dig, and Blade joined in too. After nearly half an hour the hole was done, and it was ready for it's occupant. But before Pyre could bury her, Shadow stopped him.
"Blade, give me a hand." The two sat over her body, holding hands as they gently rested upon her. Carefully ice encased her body. But the truth was Shadow was curious as to what had been done. He was taking the opportunity to look at her wounds. If what Pyre said was true that Gyarados was responsible for this. But there was ice damage, and claw marks. Gyarados wasn't alone. "This should preserve her, and keep any of those disrespectful from trying anything."
Pyre gave a weak smile and pulled the ice. Aqua helped him carry the block of ice to the grave and gently, they laid it in. Pyre then went about filling the hole himself without their assistance. Once the burial was done they all stepped out of the vine tent as it fell to the ground. Pyre, Victini, and Zear stood together each letting out a small ember which ignited the vines. In the dark of night, it was a beautiful sight to behold, but one only seen through great sorrow.
"I'm….sorry I couldn't save you…." Pyre turned away from the flames and the look on his face was beyond apparent. And to the brutal Darkrai he was friends with, it was unsettling, almost terrifying.
His eyes seemed darker, almost red rather than the vibrant green they typically were. And the flame on his tail was tinged with a familiar black flame. In appearance he was barely different from usual, but Shadow could feel the hatred pouring out of the Charmander. No, not hatred, something worse, the fire type was oozing bloodlust itself.
Shadow had never seen Pyre like this before. He'd only known Pyre to have joy and happiness in his eyes, nkw Pyre's eyes looked like murder given form. And the fire type started to walk off, moving with a purpose.
"Pyre where are you…" Aqua began only for Shadow to cut him off.
"Don't. Blade, stay here with Aqua, Pyre needs to do this alone." Shadow followed not far behind, in case Pyre needed help.
*Later*
In his state of mind one would think Pyre wouldn't be able to find his target, that his ability to track aura would've been diminished. This was not the case however. If anything Pyre was more focused than ever. But even so, he was walking, as if something was telling him to save his energy. By the time he found the Gyarados the sun had begun to rise.
"You! You did it, didn't you?!" He shouted his vicious tone, not affecting the larger mon yet.
Gyarados roared with laughter. "That's what you get for humiliating me! That worthless little bitch deserved it for being with you, you cheating little asswipe!"
Pyre stared at the ground as his opponent spoke. He looked up and his very gaze paralyzed Gyarados.
Pyre didn't speak, he just held out his clawed left hand and a dense crimson orb flew from it. Upon impact Gyarados crashed against a wall from the force of the attack. Before they could react Pyre slammed a thunder punch down into their face, then another, and another. Gyarados was down in seconds trying to crawl away. Pyre walked close to the tail as his body wreathed itself in flames then the flames compressed to simply the same crimson aura as the orb he'd thrown earlier and he grabbed the tail. Empowered by the aura he lifted Gyarados and slammed them down into the ground. Then the fire type quickly dashed up and hit Gyarados with a mega punch.
"You were stupid enough to confess, but even more stupid to boast." Pyre felt the words leaving his mouth, their origin clear in his mind, but he had no more fitting words than these. "Everything you've said is just fuel on your funeral pyre."
There was a sharp clicking sound immediately overpowered by a loud hiss, then a boom. The Charmander snapped his fingers, and from them came forth a torrent of flames the likes of which the fire type had never managed before.
He gritted his teeth as fire spilled from his mouth. The flame on his tail was no longer tinged with black, but completely engulfed. Gyarados, in a desperate bid to fight, lunged at Pyre. However the Charmander held out his free arm and snapped his clawed fingers again and a single blue streak erupted from his fingers. When said streak reached Gyarados the dual type was stopped in his tracks as it exploded in a massive burst of flame. The roar of the flames was deafening, easily overpowering the roars of pain from the pokemon.
Pyre snapped his fingers again, and another massive burst erupted over the Gyarados. The massive serpent like pokemon writhed and wriggled trying to put out the flames.
Pyre held both his arms out swinging forth his right hand snapping his fingers letting fire pour over his enemy. Then throwing that same hand out, snapped again igniting the Gyarados again. Then swinging his left hand repeated the process. His assault was relentless, the barrage of fire never ending. Each snap was immediately followed by another booming explosion of fire, and another, and another.
Pyre began panting heavily as he held up his right hand, his fingers positioned to snap again. "CHAAAAAAAARRRR!" With his battlecry he snapped one final time the eruption of flames so great it shot into the sky visibly. Pyre stepped closer wreathing his fist in flames, preparing to end the fight here and now.
'Promise me that you'll never lose your light.'
He stopped stumbling back a bit. "What is wrong with me…how could I go this far?!" He was disgusted with himself. But even so, he looked back toward where the camp was. "I'm sorry Aqua, I can't stay here right now…..I should tell you in person, but…I can't, so goodbye my friend, until we meet again. I need to redeem myself." He looked at the still alive Gyarados and then ran off not wanting to stick around and look at what he had done.
Once he was gone Shadow landed just in front of Gyarados. "And so Pyre maintains his light. But you, you get to experience the terror of being truly alone in the dark." And Shadow went to work. Reaching out to one of Gyarados' fins he roughly pulled, tearing it clean off. Then he repeated the process, one fin at a time. Reaching into the larger Pokemon's mouth Shadow was about to tear each tooth out one by one, but he stopped. "That mark?" It was the same thing he'd seen on Pyre's shoulder. Shadow tore one of the teeth from Gyarados' mouth carefully balancing it atop his head. "You're not the one to suffer the fate of darkness it seems." Sprouting legs the Darkrai lifted his legs and slammed it into the tooth, sending it shooting down into Gyarados' skull. "And here I was preparing to enjoy peeling off your scales."
The Darkrai leaned back audibly smelling the air. "I can smell your terror." He turned toward a tree, seeing nothing there he hovered over to it. Clinging to the tree fearfully was Minun. "You know, I can tell I'm not who you're afraid of?" At his words he reached back catching the weavile behind him by the neck. "Leave, you're free of this wretched thing."
"Release me!" Xiphos struggled against the darkrai's grasp.
"You bear the same mark. You are responsible are you not?" Shadow gestured toward the deceased Gyarados. "For him, and what he did." He squeezed the ice type's throat. "And don't lie to me, I can see it in your thoughts."
Xiphos couldn't explain it, something about Shadow was more terrifying than his master. "Yes! I…I did it!"
"As I suspected." Shadow pinned the weavile to the tree as ice enveloped his neck, then his arms, and finally his legs spreading them apart. "Admittedly I don't normally take pleasure in the horrors I commit. However." Shadow pressed his claws together and slowly separated them creating a sharp slab of ice between them. "You hurt someone very dear to me, in a way they may never heal. So you will die here. And it will hurt." Shadow reached between the weavile's legs.
"Ooh what's this a final nut?" Xiphos taunted. "Or are you gonna make me take you?"
Shadow stared coldly into the weavile's eyes. And he pressed the sharpened ice just above his groin. "Good, have a sense of humor about it, it will make your suffering more," he shoved the ice hard. With a sickening squelch and tear Xiphos cried out. "Delicious." Shadow taunted holding the weavile's now removed organ in front of his eyes. The weavile was going to scream, but Shadow jammed the ice slab into his mouth silencing him. "I won't stay to watch the light leave your eyes, as much as I'd like to, however." Shadow pulled the slab from the weavile's mouth only to press it to one of the dual types knees. And forcefully the Darkrai slammed his fist into the back of the slab, slipping the sharp edge straight between two bones and severing the ice type's leg at the knee.
Xiphos screamed out in agony. His desperate wails falling on deaf ears. "Master! Please! I know I've failed, but please you must spare me! I'll kill the Charmander I promise."
Shadow took hold of the removed part of the weavile's leg, taking the toe claws and stabbing them into one of his shoulders. Then with a powerful yank, pulled a bone from the leg. And he snapped the bone in two holding both its jagged edges against the weavile's other leg only to roughly stab them in. "Whatever master you serve, cannot save you from me." Shadow reached out grabbing Xiphos by his head crest. The ice type violently shook his head in a pleading manner before Shadow began tearing it from his skull. Once the crest was half off Shadow let go. Once again he lifted the slab of ice and pressed it to Xiphos' undamaged shoulder. Again he shoved it just right, slipping it past the bones and perfectly removing it from his torso. Shadow lifted his now severed arm, and took the claws straight into the weavile's stomach, twisting them back and forth.
By now any pokemon should've passed out from the pain, but something had forced Xiphos awake. Looking around he couldn't see the specter of his master looking over him. So his master hadn't seen fit to punish him. This Darkrai, by his very will, Xiphos remained conscious of his torment.
With no warning Shadow stopped. "You'll bleed to death faster than I'd like," he encased the bleeding openings in ice "this will prolong your suffering."
"I'm afraid you've broken something of mine." A voice came from behind Shadow. The Darkrai turned around and found himself face to face with a swirling vortex-like creature whose only viewable features were two magenta eyes. "I could kill you where you…"
Shadow cut the calamitous creature off. "You're the one he called master?" Shadow waited a moment before continuing. "Then you are responsible for his deeds. You sent him after Pyre." The darkrai's voice grew cold.
The vortex veiled being shifted, its eyes glowing red. "Oh am I a monster? That would be quite rich coming from.."
Shadow cut them off again. "For your sake, pray to whatever deity you believe in that we never meet." Shadow closed the distance. "Because I assure you, if we do, you will see that I am not a monster," He reached out into the vortex making the motion of grabbing the creature by the throat. "I'm a demon." With his motion the veiled creature dissipated.
Turning back, he saw that Xiphos had expired.
*Later*
Shadow shook his claws, expelling the water he had cleaned himself with. He had returned to the camp for Blade.
"Hey, where's Pyre?" Aqua asked.
"He won't be back for some time I'm afraid. He nearly killed Gyarados. And so he thinks he requires redemption. He is sorry for leaving without telling you." Shadow approached Blade. The Sneasel was sitting in front of Cynder's grave.
"If she hadn't been trying to.." Shadow cut him off.
"Do not blame yourself for what happened. Gyarados was unreasonably angry at Pyre, the only one to blame is Gyarados." Refusing to tell anyone of the weavile, or the creature he encountered Shadow scratched behind Blade's ears, then lifted him up. "I'd hate to leave you alone Aqua, but you are much better off finding someone else you can trust. The other pokemon you traveled with. They aren't far off, correct? Then you should stay with them." And Shadow teleported away.
Aqua was left dumbfounded, his friend had just left without saying a proper goodbye.
"E-excuse me…I…I need help…" a voice came from behind. "I did some bad stuff and I want to make up for it…"
Aqua turned around and saw Minun standing behind him. He smiled. "Well, that'll be up to the leaders, but I'll help ya as much as I can." Despite everything Minun had done, Aqua was willing to give him a second chance, because he believed that everyone had a bit of good in them, something Pyre had taught him. Sometimes the goodness just needs help coming out.
*With Pyre*
He'd been walking since that fight, he'd gotten lost at this point, he didn't care, he just needed to be away from everything.
"Pyre!" Turning back, the fire type was greeted by Ivy running up to him. "Where are you going?!"
"Away…"
"What do you mean?"
"Just away, where nobody will get hurt because of me!" Pyre yelled tears streaming from his eyes again.
"Then I'm going with you!"
"No! You'll just get hurt too!"
"I'm not letting you do this alone!" Ivy gave him a pleading look and hugged him tight. "This isn't how she'd want you to do this. She wouldn't want you to be alone! So please, let me come with you!" Ivy wrapped some vines around Pyre to hug him tighter. "She was my best friend Pyre, I know she wouldn't want you going alone."
Pyre dropped to his knees crying into the snivy's arms. "O-okay, f-fine…"
