Chapter 50: A Thing to Be Protected
Adam and I waited… Waited for a chance for Nick to wake up. However, even though we managed to tend to his wounds, even taking the opportunity to bandage him, he was still out cold. With nothing else to do, Adam and I just waited, sitting down by Nick's side on that beach that day.
One hour passed…
Two hours…
Three hours…
The sun was glowing a bright yellow as it was close to setting along the ocean's horizon. I stared off at that horizon, all while my thoughts were lingering on what it was we all went through earlier. As I sat there, I was beginning to feel nervous. My thoughts slowly starting to grow dim.
What if he doesn't wake up? I thought. Are we just going to be stuck on this island? Will we be left to die here?
My mind went back to when I made that move to protect Adam at our school. Why did I do it? Why did I make that move to save him despite everyone else telling me it was too dangerous?
Why did Zach have to die because of me?
My mind was in a dark place, as I recalled that day vividly. I was honestly scared. I was afraid that Nick was a goner because of my hasty decisions. I blamed myself for placing him in this position. I thought that he was going to die because of me, that the flame on his tail was going to inevitably go out.
The only thing that gave me hope was the obvious flame at the tip of Nick's tail. The Charmander evolutionary line have one distinct feature in all of its evolutionary stages: the flame on its tail. It acts mainly as a lifeline. Once that flame goes out, they die.
I was at least holding on to that faint glimmer of hope he was going to survive because that flame had yet to burn out. I was certain that he was probably going to make it, though I also had an equal amount of doubts. I was honestly conflicted on whether or not I should reciprocate that notion with Adam.
During the whole time we waited, Adam was resting by Nick's side. He couldn't sleep. Not until he knew for certain that Nick was going to wake up. If anything, he also held onto hope because Nick's flame was still burning. He must've blamed himself as much as I did, given the circumstances that led to this moment.
I took pity on Adam, and I realized that I shouldn't be sitting around sulking. That was what led me here in the first place. So, I got up onto my feet, taking in one more look at the sun, and turned to Adam to comfort him.
Adam took notice that I was walking up to him, and allowed me to sit by his side. We were both right next to Nick as he rested, still breathing normally as he was unconscious. The both of us had not said a single word for a while, as we were left all alone with nothing else but our thoughts.
That is, until I broke the silence. "I'm sorry…" I muttered.
Adam looked at me, and asked "What do you mean? I was separated from the group, so I should be the one apologizing."
"No, Adam. I'm the one that needs to apologize. I…" I gulped, because I was not at all prepared to just confess to Adam why I felt so guilty. However, as I fought back tears, I said "I should be the one to blame for this. If I just stayed by your side, Nick wouldn't be in this position."
Adam took a while to consider what I said to him. He looked rather distraught, but he had to also get something off of his chest from the looks of it. "Josh… I know that you blame yourself for this, but don't go saying that it's your fault, because it's not. I activated that trap. I was the one who placed us in danger like that. I should be the one to blame for this!"
"You're not, Adam," I reiterated. "Because it really isn't your fault for why we're in this pickle."
"And why not?" Adam argued, tears coming from his eyes. "You know as well as I do that I'm no expert with this game! I almost died because of my incompetence in this game! Hell, I ALMOST LEAPT OFF OF A CLIFF BECAUSE I COULDN'T STAND THIS PLACE!"
"You think I don't know that?" I said sternly. "You think I wanted you to get caught up in this mess to begin with!? I never intended for you to go through anything so cruel!"
"Yeah, because you ran away!" Adam yelled at me angrily. "You wanted to run away into this world instead of accepting what you've done back home!"
Those words cut right into my core, and broke my heart. "How could you even say that!?" I yelled back in frustration. "I would never run off on you!"
"You ran away that day!" Adam yelled. "Even though you ended up blaming yourself for an incident you had no control over!"
"THAT'S BECAUSE I DO! I FAILED MY TEAMMATE, AND IT RESULTED IN HIM DYING!"
Adam soon fell silent, stunned by what I was saying. My own emotions were ready to pour out, and I couldn't hold back the tears.
I continued speaking. "Before that day, my teammate was suffering. He was clearly under a lot of stress, and I had no idea how to cheer him up! I had no idea that he was near our school, and lashed out in sheer insanity!"
"Wh-what?" Adam asked, befuddled.
I vented out my frustrations as I continued yelling. "He was at our school that day because I failed to reach out to him! Because I never figured out what was going on with him! I wanted to help, but I couldn't!" Tears went down my face and hit the sand below as I struggled to keep saying what I wanted to say. "And then…the moment he approached that library you were in, I panicked. I was afraid I was going to lose you completely because of my own failure!" Gripping my head, I lowered myself to the ground out of shame. "He's dead because of me… I'm no hero… I'm just a monster… I took whatever future he had left and stabbed it away… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Adam…"
Adam had never seen me this upset before. I confessed to my frustrations regarding what happened, and I was ultimately afraid that he was just going to ridicule me. I thought then and there that my life, the one I was so eager to experience, was over…
Then, I felt Adam nudge my head, wanting me to look at him. As I raised my head up, my face was nothing but a blubbering mess of emotion, and he seemed to take pity on me.
"You... You did that to save me, right?" Adam asked gently.
I nodded as I continued to cry.
"And…you think that because you couldn't save him, you brought yourself here?" Adam asked curiously.
"Mmhmm…"
Adam then realized exactly what was up with me, and quickly asked "Was this the reason you kept on saying that if I died in here, you would follow suit?"
"Yes… I was afraid I was going to lose you…" I sniffed, and tried wiping away my tears. "You don't deserve to be in this world, Adam. You shouldn't be punished like this, because you've done nothing wrong. But I also don't want you to die because of me. You have a life worth living, Adam. My life…is over… It was over the moment Zachary died by my hands…"
Adam was taken aback by my words, and reflected on what I had confessed to him. He didn't know what to say. He started to feel bad, and ultimately, he ended up shivering. Almost as if he was trying to hold back something for my sake.
I was a little confused, but soon enough, Adam leapt up to me and gave be a big hug. He was shedding a few tears as well, and he said "Don't go blaming yourself, Josh! You are not a monster. You were never a monster! And I know, because you were always so caring, and compassionate, and supportive! No monster would ever be like that! If you were willing to look out for me, even if it came at a cost, I don't blame you."
"Adam…?" I had no words.
"Nobody would've predicted what happened that day, Josh," Adam continued. "You couldn't have seen this coming, and I don't blame you." He backed away from that hug, resting his front paws on my shoulders as he stared at me. "What happened wasn't your fault, Josh. It wasn't Zachary's fault, either. Hell…" He glanced away from me briefly before he then confessed "It's not my fault either, when you think about it. So please, no more blaming yourself. I don't want you feeling bad on my behalf."
I was glad to have Adam here, and it all started with this talk. I was shocked to say that he not only helped to alleviate my doubts about myself, but he also gave me a chance to realize that I was not lost in the struggle alone. He needed me, just as much as I needed him. Words alone could not emphasize how much I was glad that the both of us were alive.
The two of us both made up over our differences in perspectives on the matter, and hugged it out again. I felt much better with myself, and I was just happy to be here, alive and well.
But then, as I looked behind Adam, I saw a sight that I was not ready for. Coming out of the jungle, there were dozens of angry wild Pokémon, all walking over to the beach. All at once, fear was once again present in me, and I preemptively stopped our hug and stood up on my feet.
Adam turned to see what I was looking at, and all at once, he felt shocked. "I thought we lost them!" Adam said in surprise.
"Um… Let me guess, they're from the Monster House we ran away from?" I asked uncomfortably.
Adam nodded, before he then tried to shake Nick awake. "Nick! NICK! We could use some help right about now!"
Unfortunately, Nick was still out cold, much to our own lack of luck.
"Josh! He's not waking up!" Adam said with worry.
I stood petrified with fear, struggling to figure out what our next action should be. As I looked at the horde of enemies slowly approaching us, I was once more reminded of the attack at school. I pictured myself staring at Zach with a knife in his hand, and the image of several scared people unable to approach him, with Adam among them. He felt helpless. Afraid. Unable to do anything.
But as quickly as that image entered my brain, it faded, as I tried to snap myself back into the present. And I turned to see Adam desperately try to wake up Nick, the same fear on his face as he did back then.
My heart was racing. My palms were sweaty. My breathing was ragged. And all sound was starting to be drowned out as I stared at the opposing forces that were approaching us. It didn't take long until one of the opposing Pokémon, a wild Metang, began to charge at us with a Meteor Mash. Adam was panicking, as he saw that the Metang was heading towards him. And right when Adam was witnessing an intense attack heading his direction as he tried to shield Nick…
BAM!
I had no idea what was up with me, but I acted entirely on instinct. I landed a Force Palm from beneath the Metang, landing an uppercut from below it, sending it flying. I followed the Force Palm attack with a Vacuum Wave, and it ended up causing the Metang to be sent flying back before crashing down on the beach.
Adam was surprised to see that I moved so quickly into action. I had no idea what was up with me, either. However, he seemed to be so stunned by my movements, and I couldn't just leave him disappointed. I gritted my teeth, swallowed my pride, and stared directly at the enemy Pokémon that were out there.
"We are not dying here today," I said as I clenched my fists. "Not after all of our training. Not even if they send every single enemy down our direction."
"Josh…" Adam saw me with some newfound confidence, and couldn't help but be amazed.
"I will never let you die, Adam," I said to him, as calm and composed as I could muster. However, I was already conflicted with why I was doing this, especially considering this felt almost impossible to overcome.
I then glared at the wild Metang as it got back up, staggered, but trying to recompose itself. All the while, I felt as if my own aura was starting to surface and radiate around my own body. I felt a sudden surge a strength from within me, and I wasn't sure why I felt this way.
And before I could figure out what I was doing, all of a sudden, I lunged at the Metang with a loud yell and gave my all into a powerful Force Palm, causing it to be sent flying back towards the horde of wild Pokémon that were approaching. It collided with a Clefairy, before it exploded into pixels.
Loudly, I declared to them "I will never let my family die! Not while I draw breath!" What am I saying? "I'll take you all on!" Why am I acting like this? "You will know what it feels to be against the likes of me! Stand down, or suffer the consequences!"
The Clefairy that was struck by the Metang didn't like getting hurt, so it charged forward, along with a Togetic and a Drednaw. The Clefairy was about to strike with a Metronome, which ultimately turned into a Swift attack, while the Drednaw used Water Pulse, and the Togetic used Ancient Power.
I let out a battle cry, and ran forward towards the attacks. All the while, Adam was shocked to see me charge forward with such conviction. "JOSH!" he yelled out of fear.
I ended up using Vacuum Wave to block the Water Pulse attack as I ran forward. The Togetic's Ancient Power attack I was able to dodge by means of leaping over the rocks. Seeing that the Swift attack was unavoidable, though, I braced for it with Endure. The attack made its mark, but while I was propelled higher into the air, I saw one stray rock from the Ancient Power attack from earlier, grabbed on, and leapt towards the Pokémon horde at a high speed, readying a Metal Claw attack to combat them.
My attack struck the Clefairy, knocking it back and disintegrating it into pixels from the Super Effective hit, where I then turned towards the Togetic and gave it a slash as well, showing my back towards the Drednaw. The Drednaw attempted to attack me with Rock Tomb, but I leapt into the air and dodged as the attack instead ended up hitting the Togetic, defeating it. I landed on top of the Drednaw and managed to then use Force Palm to knock it to the ground. It wasn't enough to defeat it, however. And I also got attacked by a wild Lorantis, who struck me hard with a Leaf Blade, which I had no time to react to.
I got knocked off of the Drednaw, and was ultimately sent flying back. I was hurting pretty badly, but just when the Lorantis was about to land a critical blow to me, I saw a burst of flame strike the Lorantis, knocking it aside. I turned to where the flame came from, and I saw Adam, standing valiantly. I was taken aback by how he leapt into action to save me.
Adam soon ran forward and ended up using Shadow Claw on the Lorantis while it was down, defeating it. He then ran to my side, and asked "Are you okay?"
I winced a little as I struggled to get back up, but I was otherwise fine. "I'm not stopping until you're safe…" I muttered.
"Josh, you're in bad shape," Adam tried to reason. "We need to get out of here while we can."
"No!" I argued. "I'm not leaving Nick here to die! Not while I still have life within me…"
Without any further comment, I charged back into the field of battle, much to Adam's utter worry. A wild Klawf soon went forward, and attempted to charge towards Adam, so I managed to use Vacuum Wave to knock it down, followed by a Metal Claw to the face. The Klawf got irritated and staggered backward, where I then turned to Adam and shouted "Don't just stand there! If we fail to protect Nick, we're no better than these guys!"
The Klawf got angry, and began to let out an aggressive roar, where it tried to hit me with a Vice Grip. It was moving slightly faster due to its anger, and despite its speed, I was able to match its attack with a Force Palm, canceling it out, but not exactly doing much of anything otherwise to my opponent.
Thankfully, Adam got my message and lunged forward once more, slashing at the Klawf with a Shadow Claw, causing it to stagger backward. I followed up with a Metal Claw on the Klawf's underside, managing to defeat it as it broke apart into pixels. I turned to Adam, and he seemed ready for battle.
"I am not going through this without you, Josh!" Adam stated. "If you die, I die! That's how it's going to be!"
I smiled, and gave Adam a nod. Once more, I turned to see our opponents, and saw that there were still quite a few enemies standing in our path. Taking up a battle stance once again, I asked Adam "Think you can take on a few of these guys?"
"I mean…maybe," Adam said, still feeling slightly shaken. "I've never fought so many enemies before."
"Nothing to it," I reassured him. "Just pick and choose, and whenever possible, switch out for another in case one is too dangerous. We'll cover each other, alright?"
Adam looked at me nervously, before he saw how calm I was trying to project myself to be. He was unsure of both my own confidence, as well as his strength. But regardless, Adam gulped and anxiously nodded my direction. "Alright," he said as began to try and look serious. "You handle the Rock and Water-types. I've got everyone else."
I chuckled as I looked over the enemies we had left. "That's not exactly an even split," I assessed. "Either way, we're not getting out of this without a few battle scars."
"You think I don't know that?" Adam said with a nervous smile. "Just don't die on me."
"I wouldn't dream of it." And with that final quip, we were both charging forward together, facing against the horde by ourselves.
We ultimately had two things to keep in mind for this effort: 1) Don't die during the battle, and 2) Don't let the enemy reach Nick. If we failed either of these objectives, then that was it. We were not going to let that happen, however. We were going to keep fighting, no matter what.
We took on more enemies than either of us were comfortable with, if I was being honest. Adam especially, since his combat proficiency was nowhere near my level of expertise. He's only been able to fight like this for a month, while I have been doing this for far longer. The real challenge is that typically, a Monster House is something that you should never attempt to take on unless you are fully prepared. If your level is high enough and you have a move that could devastate multiple enemies, or if you carried an orb to affect the entire horde of enemies, your chances of survival would be increased substantially.
And here we were with our levels not as high as we were hoping, no moves that affect multiple opponents, and no orbs. The odds were definitely not in our favor.
Regardless, Adam and I pressed on, and we both managed to land a surprisingly good amount of damage against each of our opponents. I couldn't tell how long it was for the both of us to take them on. The whole thing felt as if it was never ending.
I took down a Crawdaunt, a Toucannon, and a Drednaw. Meanwhile, Adam took out a Primeape, an Arbok, and a Lurantis. We helped each other when the time came eventually, and both combo attacked against the likes of some tougher foes like a Klawf, and a Shelgon.
However, despite it all, there were still so many Pokémon left, and we were both starting to get exhausted. The only thing that kept us going by this point was mainly adrenaline. We had no reason to give up on each other. Not yet.
During the battle, I was deep in thought. Adam is pulling his own weight, despite having taken a bit of damage. He's still fighting. Does this mean he's seriously not going to stop until we're both safe? And for that matter, why did I choose to fight against these foes to begin with? Why did I choose to keep going, despite how impossible this appears to be?
But then, a wild Drednaw ended up readying a Hydro Pump. Only it wasn't aiming for us. It was instead aiming for Nick. Adam was the first to realize this, and was quick to stand in the path, shouting "NO!" The Drednaw fired, and Adam got pelted with an intense burst of water. And to my utter shock and horror, I saw Adam being flung back, weak and exhausted, his body barely moving as he was right next to Nick.
"ADAM!" I yelled, before I then felt an Exeggutor fire off a Seed Bomb at me. I wasn't able to react to that in time, and I soon saw that same Drednaw from earlier use Hyrdo Pump again, this time sending me flying back as well as it aimed at me.
My head hurt. By body was sore. And I felt tired. My whole body felt like it was about to quit on me, and I knew that if I kept this up, I was probably going to die.
I landed in the same spot as Adam, crashing right into him as we were both on the verge of near-collapse. I struggled to get up, managing to get off of Adam as I looked onward towards the enemy wild Pokémon that were still present. In my heart, I knew that there were just too many. We weren't going to make it.
"There's no way…" I muttered out of fear. "We can't keep this up…"
Adam struggled to move as he winced from the pain of the water move he just endured. As he looked at the group of enemies we had left, he asked "What do we do, Josh? What are we going to do?"
I looked at Adam as he asked this, and I saw that his own confidence was shattered. He was on the verge of tears, about ready to break at a moment's notice. He knows as well as I do that Nick is still out cold, and there was not a lot of options at our disposal. We were just left to the mercy of the game itself. Whatever happened next, that was it. We knew that this was going to be the end.
I tried to get up and walk forward, but I soon staggered and fell to my knees. I coughed up blood, and saw exactly where my own reckless actions were leading me. I too was close to breaking down, as I stared at the enemy Pokémon in front of us, and realized that I was likely going to die here.
My mind flashed back to that day when I rescued Adam from Zach's rampage, and I couldn't help but recoil at the thought. I was scared, thinking that my life was about to end. "I'm sorry, Adam…" I said. "I tried my best to protect you… I guess this is the end…"
Adam took pity over me, and crawled up to my side. As we saw the Drednaw ahead of us ready another Hydro Pump, about to finish us off, Adam was quick to tell me "Josh… I just wanted to say…thank you…"
I looked over at Adam, smiling as tears went down his face. As he stared at me, he confessed "Thank you for saving me that day… Thank you for giving me a chance to keep living… I know that you think of yourself as a monster, because of what happened… But I don't think so… To me, you are not a monster…" He broke down into tears as he raised his paw up and brought me in for a hug, and he started crying.
"Thank you for being there for me all of these years! Thank you very much!" He took a moment to weep, and I couldn't help but shed a few tears of my own.
"Adam…" I whispered, stunned by his words.
Adam soon continued on, and confessed the very words that would change my life forever. "Thank you, Josh. You are my hero."
I had no idea what to say, because those exact words were enough to melt my heart and leave me seeing the world in slow motion. My mind soon became jumbled, as I recalled how Adam and I went through so many things together. I recalled the memories of our lives in the real world, and all throughout them, I saw the good times that Adam and I had with each other. And I felt happy, even if it was during a moment of realization that I was probably going to die.
I didn't want Adam or Nick to perish, however. Not here. I have no idea if it was because of Adam's kind words, or because of my own sense of self-preservation, but the moment that the Drednaw fired a Hydro Pump at us, I pushed aside Adam, and used Endure to tank the hit.
"JOSH!" Adam yelled in a panic as I got struck by the massive stream of water.
And it just kept on going after that. All of a sudden, I was not only bracing myself for the attack, but I was pushing myself forward from the attack. I just had to endure it all until there was an opening. I held off the attack as long as I could muster, and soon, I had this…nagging instinct take over, and the moment that the Drednaw was starting to starting to waver, I could feel some newfound energy enter into my system.
But what surprised Adam was that my whole body started to glow blue. From my perspective, it was as if I was given a new surge of strength. But to him, he was shocked to see my form change right before his eyes.
I could feel myself gaining the edge, as the moment that my body stopped glowing, I unleashed an attack that I never thought I would ever achieve. A blue sphere of energy was shot from my paws, and it ended up striking the Drednaw, knocking it back. The sudden use of that move jolted me awake, as I realized I had just fired an Aura Sphere.
I was given some time to breathe as I looked over myself. And to my surprise, not only was I a little taller, but my paws turned black, and I had spikes on the backs of them. There was cream-colored fur all over my torso, with a spike in the center of my chest. I was almost in disbelief by this point. I realized that I was no longer a Riolu.
I had just evolved into a Lucario.
I turned to look at Adam, and saw that he was awestruck. He couldn't believe what had happened, either. I saw the hope that was fading away just moments ago start to slowly make its way back to him. I could sense his aura clearly now, and I saw that he was starting to feel more confident.
But my moment of pause was interrupted when I got hit by an Exeggutor's Seed Bomb attack, knocking me flat onto the ground. "JOSH!" Adam cried out in terror.
I groaned as I struggled to get back up, before I then chuckled. Wiping blood from my mouth, I commented "I guess some things never change, do they?" I got back up onto my feet, clearly battered and bruised from everything we both went through, determined to finish what we started.
Adam cried out to me "What are you doing? We need to get out of here! We need to run!"
"No," I answered to him. "I won't run away ever again." With renewed vigor, I stared intently at the opposing Pokémon. That's right. I can't bear to see Adam so helpless ever again. "Not when I have people that are worth protecting."
"But you'll die if you fight alone!" Adam argued to me. "We won't make it!"
I knew as well as he did that this was going to be an uphill battle. But if I did nothing, it wouldn't really make much of a difference. It was either we died fighting, or Nick died while we left him here. I didn't want to resort to the latter, because that was the coward's way out. But I also knew that Adam was terrified of the outcome, and didn't want me throwing my life away.
I shed a tear, and gave Adam a smile. "Perhaps so," I said. "But at least I won't go down easy." I looked over to him, saw the scared look in his eyes, and did what I could to try and cheer him up. "If I don't make it, promise me you will never forget that I saved your life. Never forget Adam…"
Adam was stunned silent, a look of worry spread all over his face. With a false sense of confidence, I nodded to him, before readying an Aura Sphere against the oncoming horde which drew closer the more we stood here. "You are worth everything to me," I said while holding back my tears, "because you are my brother. My closest companion. I wouldn't have asked for anything more in the whole world."
I saw that same Drednaw from earlier about to attack, so I fired the Aura Sphere toward it, finally managing to defeat it as it broke apart into pixels. But then, I started coughing up blood again after exerting that attack, and fell to my knees.
I heard Adam scream my name as I fell, and for a good moment, I thought that I was at my limit. Groaning in pain, I looked at the horde of Pokémon that were left, and I realized that I can't do this alone. I wasn't going to make it. I stared over at the sky, seeing it turn from a pale yellow to a bright orange as the sun was setting.
This is it, I thought. This is where it all comes to an end. My life. My dreams. I shed a few tears, seeing a wild Exeggutor approach me, ready to strike with Wood Hammer to end my life. I closed my eyes, tears coming down my face, and I waited. At least, I got to be a hero in the eyes of my brother…
Just as I thought that, I sensed a wild burst of aura from behind me, which began to slowly rush over me, like a bright red flame that was about to smother everything in its path. I heard a voice cry out "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DIE!" It was Adam's voice.
I shot my eyes open, and I saw my brother use Shadow Claw to block the Wood Hammer attack. Despite how injured he was as well, he didn't want me to throw my life away so carelessly. Adam let out a guttural scream as he was holding back the Exeggutor with all of his strength. He wasn't strong enough to hold out, but his own courage was more than enough to make me realize that he was truly gifted with raw spirit.
And then, much to my surprise, his body began to glow blue. I was shocked to see that he was also evolving, as I saw the Shadow Claw he had being canceled out, and instead replaced with his front paws being lit ablaze. He grew larger in size, bulking up with muscle. The flame bell around his neck vanished, and instead, a bright orange flame radiated around his waist like a belt.
By the time he finished evolving, he was no longer a Torracat. Instead, holding back the Exeggutor was an Incineroar.
"RRROOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRR!" Adam yelled out as his hands engulfed in flames before he managed to spin in a circle, slamming the Exeggutor hard before it disintegrated into pixels. That was an Incineroar's signature move, Darkest Lariat.
Once Adam had finished dealing with that Exeggutor, he let out a triumphant roar of victory, before looking onwards towards the remaining foes we had to deal with. While that was going on, I just sat there, staring at my own brother in awe, because I honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing.
This is Adam? I thought. Since when did he become so confident?
Adam looked at me for just a moment, seeing my dumbfounded expression, and said "Heal up while you can. I'll take it from here!"
Is this even the same person as before? I wondered. I'll be honest, seeing Adam exuding a more cocky and confident persona was such a sudden shift for me. I was wondering if he was either trying to give me faith, or if he was given a big confidence boost after evolving, because this felt almost like a complete 180 on his personality at the time.
I didn't have long to linger on the thought however as Adam charged forward to deal with the oncoming horde of enemy Pokémon. While it was stressful to try and hold them back beforehand, here Adam was knocking several opponents back like he was suddenly the sporting image of a pro wrestler. I was confused, but nevertheless, I was impressed by Adam's sudden boost in confidence, because it helped to get my morale up.
I got up onto my feet, fighting back the pain I had sustained during combat, as I looked on at Adam with sudden awe and admiration. I felt like the clouds in my mind had finally parted, and that Adam was finally coming into his own. The blazing aura inside of him was so bright that it was giving me the illusion that he was on fire at times.
A Crustle soon barged in and managed to hit Adam with Smack Down, intending on finishing him off. Adam was knocked back and left to stare as the Crustle was intent on following up with Fury Cutter. I wasn't going to allow that to happen as I quickly yelled out "ADAM!" I then fired an Aura Sphere towards the Crustle, knocking it backward, before following suit by landing a Force Palm onto it. The Crustle soon disintegrated, and I winced a bit in pain from my injuries.
Looking over at the Incineroar, I smiled at him. "Who said you get to have all of the fun, huh? We'll take them on together." I then extended my paw out to him to help him up.
Adam saw how I was determined to stay by his side, and smiled as he took my paw in his hand, and I helped him back onto his feet. We both stood tall, staring at the group of wild Pokémon that were left, which we could tell their numbers were starting to finally seem like they were dwindling.
"This isn't going to be easy," Adam commented.
"It never is," I replied. "But these guys have never seen the likes of us before."
Adam snickered a little at my comment, before he started cracking his knuckles. "I think we should send them packing, don't you?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
We were both winded, but we were going to pull out all of the stops with this next attack. If we could defeat what was remaining of all of the wild Pokémon in our path, we'd win. I felt my own aura building up as it slowly began to radiate around my body, with my eyes glowing blue as a result. Adam, meanwhile, had his whole body engulf itself in bright red flames. This was it. Our last stand against these foes.
I barked out "LET'S GO, ADAM!" And just like that, the both of us ran forward, screaming at the top of our lungs as we were going to give this battle everything that we've got.
Our might was significantly improved from last time, despite the both of us clearly on the brink. One by one, we fought against each of our foes, and it didn't take very long until we would defeat each one. We fought on for a good long while, to the point where I cannot even tell when the battle started, and when it would end.
And then, after having endured what felt like literal hell, we were victorious. The last enemy fell, and we were the last ones standing. By some miracle, we'd won.
Adam and I were finally in the clear, and because our energy was spent, we both collapsed onto the beach. We panted hard, as I stared up into the sky, seeing that the sun was setting over the horizon, about to sink below the blue abyss. I couldn't believe my luck that day, because I felt as if I had managed to crawl out of hell, and finally was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"We…did it…" I muttered under my breath. "We won… It's over…" Turning to Adam, I said "Hey! Adam, we-"
I stopped as I saw that Adam was on his hands and knees, shaking under ragged breaths. He looked completely zoned out, though I couldn't exactly tell you what I thought was going on in his head at the time. Realizing that he was shaken, I got up and went over to him. I had mixed feelings, given what happened. On the one hand, I knew Adam well, and know for a fact that he wouldn't really hurt me. But on the other hand, I did just witness him attack anything that moved with a devil-may-care attitude and vicious temperament. My only real concern was whether or not he was still my brother in terms of his personality, but even then, that could've been compromised for all I knew.
"Haah… Haah… I…" I heard him mutter between breaths, still shaking as he gripped the sand beneath him.
"Adam?" I asked with concern. "A-are you okay…?"
"I…" he continued, gritting his teeth and tensing up. I got scared for a moment, before he then held his arms up high into the air and yelled at the top of his lungs "I HAVE HANDS!"
"Eh?" I was really confused.
Adam just looked over his hands front to back, flexing his fingers, even managing to wrap his arms around himself, all while he had this big dumb smile on his face. "Oh, this is the best! I haven't been able to use hands for so long! It's so good to be back!"
Yup. That's definitely Adam, alright. My mind is not playing tricks on me. I couldn't help but smile as Adam ended up standing onto his own two feet, which I couldn't help but be choked up seeing how giddy he was to be on two legs again.
"Ah- HEY! I'm a biped again!" Adam then pumped both fists into the air in excitement. "HAHA! VICTORY AT LAST! No more four-legged adventures for me!"
Adam then took notice of me smiling at him, and because he couldn't contain his excitement any longer, he then bellowed out "But more than that, WE'RE ALIVE!" He then wrapped his arms around me, and squeezed me tightly. Perhaps TOO TIGHT, because he was practically squeezing all of the air out of my lungs while not taking into account that we were both sustaining severe injuries. Not that Adam noticed, as he just started crying and yelling out "I was so scared, Josh! I thought I was going to lose you! I'm so happy that you're alive!"
"Ack! Ah! A-Adam! I can't breathe!" I wheezed out as Adam was squeezing me.
It didn't take long until Adam realized what I said, and almost immediately dropped me, where I just ended up coughing as I struggled for air again.
"I am terribly sorry, Josh!" Adam said apologetically. "I didn't mean to squeeze you so hard! I hope I didn't shatter any bones!"
After a cough, I mentioned "No… That was from the battle… Just ease up on the strength next time, alright?"
This took Adam a moment for pause as he then began to flex his arm and see just how much muscle he gained. To his amazement, he just looked over at me before saying "Sorry about that. I guess I need to control my new power."
"Yeah…" I said under my breath. "But at the very least, we're alive. That's all that matters."
Just then, we both heard a voice say "I must say, I'm rather impressed!" We both turned to the source of the voice, and found that Nick was finally awake, if a little shaken.
Not that Adam and I cared. We were just overjoyed to see that Nick was thankfully alive as well. The Charizard smiled at us as we lumbered out way over to him, and he soon held out a hand to stop us from getting closer. He placed his other hand onto his head, mentioning "I'm glad that you're safe, just don't gang up on me just yet. I'm still trying to recover my strength."
Adam and I both calmed down and waited for Nick to steady himself as he looked at the both of us. Once Nick took a good look at the both of us, he smiled yet again, before saying "Well, I wasn't sure if we could achieve this result in a month's time, but I'm surprised you both evolved. And not only that, worked together in perfect sync. You make for an incredible team."
"Aw, shucks! Thanks, Nick," Adam said with a smile.
Nick soon closed his eyes, and spoke softly. "I have to admit, taking on a group of Pokémon with just the two of you was a difficult challenge, but I'm just glad you both overcame it."
This caught my attention. "You saw us? When?"
Nick chuckled a little, before mentioning "When I was knocked out, the both of you were on my back. But when I woke up, I heard all of this shouting, and the moment my eyes were open, I saw a sight I never thought I would ever see." He then opened his eyes as he looked at us both. "I saw a towering inferno, with a blue and red flame, joining together against a horde of oncoming enemies. You carved out a path for yourselves, and despite all odds, you both made it through." He gave a big grin, and told us both "Congratulations!"
I mulled over Nick's words for a bit. "A blazing inferno, eh?" I chuckled, before saying "Well, that seemed to be the case to you, but to us, we were thrust right into the thick of battle against our will. We almost died out there, and yet you think we should be congratulated for merely surviving?" I averted my gaze, before saying "I'm touched, but I wouldn't really say it was easy."
"Yeah, especially considering you were the one who charged into battle first," Adam acknowledged. "Where the hell did that come from?"
I didn't have an explanation to it either, so I just looked at Adam before saying "Well…where did you gain so much confidence in yourself all of a sudden?"
"Hey, I was just trying to save your life!" Adam retorts with a cheeky grin. "You're crazy if you think being so reckless with your own life is going to get you anywhere."
"Says the big tiger with a body of Atlas," I teased with a grin.
"Says the dog with spikes on his paws," Adam replied.
I frowned at his remark, before saying rather bluntly "You're pushing it. Don't say that again."
Nick couldn't help but laugh at our banter, before he then looked over at me specifically, and said "Regardless of what happened, you chose to fight against those wild Pokémon in order to protect those around you, Josh. That takes true courage to stand up to a Monster House without any proper assistance, even if it was reckless."
I blushed a little, before saying "I was just trying to do what I thought was the right course of action. It was nothing special. I was just a monster in a field of battle."
Nick shook his head in disagreement. "You're no monster, Josh. If you were, you would've abandoned me to die at the first opportunity you could. But you didn't, did you? You stayed by my side, placing your own life at risk despite it all, and managed to come out on top to keep both me, as well as your brother safe. That takes courage, Josh. Courage, and the willingness to protect those who need protection."
He then placed a hand on my shoulder, and said gently to me "You have the makings of a true hero."
Something about the way he said that melted my heart, and I couldn't help but shed a few tears. All of this time, I was placing doubt over who I was, and what I wanted to be. But to be acknowledged by not just Adam, but by Nick as well, that I was a hero looking out for the defenseless, that made me rather emotional. I could feel a few tears fall down my face as I smiled and gave Nick a hug.
"Thank you," I said to Nick. "That means a lot."
Adam took note over how I was emotional, but chose to keep quiet about it. Instead, he just smiled as he realized that those exact words were exactly what I wanted to hear at that moment.
Once I finished hugging Nick, I wiped away my tears, before I then said "Um, Nick… I would like to request a favor, if you don't mind."
Nick thought about it for a bit, before saying "Well, you did save my life. So I guess it's fine. What do you need?"
I knew what I was doing was going to seem selfish, but since I technically disbanded the old team anyways, I needed to start fresh. I felt like this past month at the Zero Isles gave me perspective to really change my life for the better. It all starts with a single step, and I thought that this first step was one of the most challenging I had ever done.
I looked at Nick, and requested "I would like to change our team name, if that's alright with you."
This took both Fire-types in the area off guard. Adam went ahead and asked "You want to change the old name? Whatever happened to Team Ignis? Isn't that already a strong name to work with?"
"Yeah, but this past month placed a lot of things in perspective for me," I mentioned. "I want to start anew. Make a new name for not just myself, but for all of us. I hope you understand."
Adam didn't really argue with my sense of logic, so he just stood there with his arms crossed as he waited to hear what I had to say. Nick asked me "So, what do you want to call yourselves?"
With a smile, I said "You mentioned how we radiated strong synergy like a towering inferno. Though, whether or not that's a good thing is yet to be decided." I took a deep breath, and stated "So therefore, I want to rename our team. From now on, we should go by the name of The Aura Enforcers."
Nick and Adam both stared at me blankly over my suggestion in complete silence. After a few seconds, Adam asked "Seriously? Josh, that is the dumbest sounding name I have ever heard."
"No, it isn't!" I tried to argue. "Our auras were burning brightly within us during that battle, so therefore, the name fits!"
"That is the most pretentious name I have ever heard and you know it!" Adam argued back to me.
Nick sighed at our bickering, before raising a claw. "If I could make a suggestion…" We both turned to him, before he continued. "I did say that your very auras were like a blazing inferno. And it is through that inferno that you temper the flames to carve a path forward, reaching towards the end of a dark tunnel. Though, whether or not the tunnel you both find yourselves in will lead to salvation or damnation, we have yet to see. I want you both to blaze your own path, and to find what you guys think is the right course of action when the time comes." He then stretched out his wings, and bowed his head down. "Thus, I think it is appropriate that you both shall be named FireKat and EmanationJ of Team Inferno. Bear those flames well, my pupils."
Okay, I'll admit, Nick had good reasoning for why we went with our official team name. In fact, it made more sense in hindsight, given everything we've went through. I honestly was rather impressed with the name Team Inferno, so it stuck with us.
Although, just before we could leave these islands forever, Adam also suggested "Um, perhaps we should change our usernames as well? I don't think FireKat's really going to suit me anymore."
"Well…sure. Be my guest," Nick said.
"Have you thought of a good name?" I asked Adam.
Adam flexed his arm, feeling over the muscles within it, deep in thought. "You know, since I'm more of a tiger, I was thinking something along the lines of BlazeTiger. What do you think?"
I smiled and nodded at the name. "I think it suits you, Adam! Hell, if you're changing your username, I should change mine as well!" I then placed a paw onto my chest, declaring "From now on, my username is going to be LucarioTrainerJ. What do you think?"
Adam could barely hold in his laughter over my choice of name. "That sounds even more pretentious than Aura Enforcers! Why not just call yourself AuraDoggo and call it a day?"
I quickly sneered at the suggestion. "Don't come up with names for MY avatar, felidae! You are at liberty to your own name, not mine!"
I could go on, but needless to say, my bickering with Adam went on for a while. Nick just sighed as he looked at the both of us, before he then gave a smile as he watched us argue. "What am I going to do with you?" he muttered happily.
We all got off of the Zero Isles that day, making our total stay to be roughly one month. I'll admit, I was going to miss the place. But at the very least, I was glad that it all worked out for us. We achieved what were assigned, and moreover, we eventually enlisted into the service of the Solace Guild. Nick didn't stay long after we returned, however, though he refused to say why. I got to tell Adam everything I found out regarding Nick's past, and he promised with me that we would not spread a word of this to anybody, so that way, we won't end up making things more difficult for Nick in the long run.
But the one thing that I think this adventure taught me was that anything was possible. No matter how difficult life may seem, we should never give up on ourselves. Once you find yourself in that dark tunnel, all you have to do is reach out for that light at the end. It might be a struggle, but all it really takes to get anywhere is to keep moving forward, starting with a single step.
Something that would stick with us for years to come.
Three Years Later…
I woke up from a restless sleep, as the thought of finally being set free like this was enough to shake my system. I was resting in a cave alongside my team, as well as Team Calibur. Adam and Cross were snoring, while everyone else simply were registered as inactive, due to them needing to return to the real world.
The real world… I honestly wonder what happened back home all of this time that Adam and I were stuck here. I thought about Mom and Dad, and about how the rest of our family and friends back home were feeling. The fact that we were finally making a step forward in our grand adventure to returning home felt almost unreal to me.
I snuck out of the cave early in the morning, as I saw that the stars were still up in the night sky. I took the time to stare up at the trees, and right at the top of one of them, I saw a particularly familiar spot. It was a tree that was on top of a nearby cliff. The same tree where I last saw Zach in this world, in fact.
I walked over to that tree, and I stared over at the horizon as I saw a giant starry canvas. My memories regarding Zach began to flood back into me, like I was now realizing that I was beginning to feel guilty once more over how I didn't understand who he was. He was always so timid, always wanting to prove himself, even if it was difficult. I was so sure that I was going to help him, only to let him down at the end, mainly because I didn't connect with him the same way I did with my brother, most likely. My more reserved nature wasn't something I was proud of, but sure enough, realizing that I made a mistake, I had no choice but to realize that I had to do whatever I could to not only make it up to him, but to also make sure that I didn't make the same mistake twice.
And then, I remembered the incident, how Adam and I got trapped here, and how we both went through hell and back together just to grow stronger and better understand one another. In a way, I was happy to be alive. But I still felt regretful for not doing what I can to change fate.
So instead, I choose to look forward, my head held high, and learn from my own mistakes to grow as a person. No matter what, I was willing to do whatever it took to carry on, even if it pained me on the inside.
After a few minutes of introspection, I thought it was appropriate that I make it up to Zach in some capacity. So, I ended up returning to the cave, and found a rather big stone that I could bring outside. But when I returned to the cave, I was surprised to see that Adam was suddenly awake, rubbing his eyes as he saw me approaching. "Josh? How come you're up?" he asked with a yawn.
"I couldn't sleep," I answered. "There was just a lot on my mind."
"Oh. I see." After Adam let out a rather big yawn and let out a few stretches, he asked me "What time is it?"
I looked up at the sky, seeing that a few of the stars up there were fading, meaning that dawn was fast approaching. "From the looks of it, we're about a few minutes until dawn."
Adam grumbled a little, before saying "I guess that means I'm not going to sleep again until later, huh?"
I smiled at Adam, and told him "No, you can go back to sleep if you want. Go ahead."
"Oh. Well, uh…thanks."
"Anytime," I said, and witnessed Adam about to enter back into the cave with the others. However, as I looked back at the rather big rock, I realized that perhaps this could instead be a good bonding moment between brothers. I held up my paw and grabbed Adam's arm, insisting "Wait!" Adam looked at me curiously, before I then asked "Uh, mind doing me a solid for a moment?"
I told Adam what I was planning, and convinced him to help carry the rock over to the tree by the cliff. To him, lifting the rock was nothing too taxing for him, since he could practically carry it with no real effort. I was grateful, because I would've easily taken half an hour just to carry the rock to the tree.
Once Adam set the rock down right next to the tree, he asked me "So, who did you intend to pay respects to?"
Smiling, I readied a Metal Claw to carve out a message on the stone, and said "To someone special." I ended up wanting to do what Nick tends to do, which is to pay my respects to Zach's legacy. I didn't want what happened in the past to haunt me forever. After all, despite everything that happened, Zach was still my friend. I wanted to do what I can to show he means a lot for me.
I ended up carving the following message:
Dedicated to Flutterfly, the Silver Wind
A Friend and Brother
Who Taught Me to Never Give Up
-From an Old Friend-
After making that message on the stone, I knelt down beside it, and bowed down to pay my respects. I was giving a silent prayer, which I hoped would reach out to Zach in the afterlife. I know you aren't here, and therefore can't see me here and now. But I just want to let you know that I am still thinking about you. That you have changed my life forever. I've faced my uphill battles, but I have also made such lasting memories. Memories that will linger with me forever. I hope my silent prayer reaches out to you, and you can accept my forgiveness for your loss of life. I promise you that I will not make the same mistake twice. So please, watch over us, my friend.
I ended up shedding a few tears as I gave my silent prayer to him. Adam took pity on me and knelt down by my side, patting my back gently to know that he was here to help cheer me up. I placed my paw over his hand as I cried, sad to have lost a dear friend, but more than happy to still have Adam in my life. It was a strange feeling of emotions inside of me, but nevertheless, I knew then and there that I should keep moving forward, and find a way out of this game as soon as possible.
It was then that the sunlight was starting to rise up over the horizon, and Adam and I turned to see the golden rays of sunlight overtaking the darkness as a new day dawned. We both stood side by side as a gentle breeze rolled by, causing our fur to ebb and flow along the wind. I smiled at the sunrise, and I could feel myself relieved of what I thought was a great burden of guilt and shame.
Quietly, I asked Adam "Do you remember when, back on the Zero Isles, you called me your hero?"
Adam looked at me curious as I asked that question. He said "I do. You saved my life, remember?"
"No, Adam." I looked back at my brother with a sincere smile on my face. "It was you who saved mine."
My compliment was enough to raise Adam's spirits. He felt so touched, he began to have his eyes water, and he smiled back at me. "Thanks, Josh. I've never been called a hero before."
"And it won't be the last time, I promise," I reassured as I patted his back. "Now come on. Let's head back to camp."
Adam grinned from ear to ear, and soon, we began to start our trek back to the camp. However, while Adam walked ahead, I stayed behind and returned to see the stone we both placed down near the tree. Looking down at the stone, I then decided to dig into my bag, and I pulled out a small scarf. It was a red scarf with a small flame pattern at the end of it. It was once the signature scarf of Team Ignis. Since nobody could access the inventory of Flutterfly, I thought I would leave behind a small memento.
I rested the scarf by tying it around the rock, leaving it nice and tight with multiple knots to secure that it wouldn't budge. Once the scarf was placed, I once more bowed down, and muttered "May your flame burn forever bright, wherever you may be."
After paying my respects once more, I left the tree behind and returned to camp.
I still had a few lingering thoughts, which I was certain would be explained at some point or another. And even though Adam and I were still trapped here, we were not going through this alone. Ever since the beginning, we were never alone. Whether or not we succeed or fail, that is left up in the air.
One thing I did know, however, is that no matter what path we may take, our flames will help scorch a path forward regardless of the circumstances.
My name is Joshua Benson. The story of the failure of Team Ignis has drawn to a close.
Now, a new chapter of my life has begun.
This is the story of how Team Inferno became the heroes who saved everyone.
-End of Part IV-