Chapter 74: Critical Condition
Author's Note: Decided to add a little story from Pyre's perspective in this one, hope everyone enjoys, could be a whole new fic one day.
"What do you mean he hasn't recovered?!" Shadow spoke angrily.
"I did what I could, but I'm afraid I can't heal what's not there. That ice spike practically took his entire left lung. He's lucky to be alive right now at all. I'm afraid you'll have to entrust him to the humans if his condition is too improve." Chansey spoke sorrowfully.
Both pokemon looked to the still unconscious Charmander in the grass.
"He's barely breathing enough to stay alive right now. You really don't have a choice if you want him to live." Chansey scowled at Shadow. "And it was extremely irresponsible and rude to just leave for days without checking on him! He's barely hanging on, do you even have a plan?"
"Not entirely, I do have one though." Shadow gently lifted the still unconscious Charmander into the air holding his body close. "Thank you, I can never repay you for helping him."
"No need, helping someone in need is reward enough." Chansey gave a light smile as he strolled off.
Shadow, upon seeing the Chansey leave, took to the sky carefully not wanting to drop Pyre. "I'm sorry Pyre."
"Don't….apologize….it doesn't sound right coming out of your mouth…hehe" the Charmander spoke slowly and softly.
"Don't strain yourself by talking."
"Good luck stopping me…." The Charmander smiled weakly. "Where are we going?"
"To the only place I can trust to help you." Shadow said with an irritated look in his eye. "Aether."
*Later*
Shadow landed gently on the ground a short distance from Aether Paradise, carefully setting Pyre beneath a tree.
"I'd prefer to not leave you alone, but I need to move quickly, and I can't if I'm worried about dropping you." Shadow realized he had been wasting his breath, Pyre had fallen unconscious again.
The Darkrai wasted little time, sinking into the ground and disappearing as he approached the building. His approach was short lived however. He'd found what he was after. And with a swift motion moved toward his target. Merging himself with the shadow cast by the blue haired man he spoke. "Lyte. I don't have time to explain. Follow the shaded path I leave behind. And hurry. There is little time." And with that the Darkrai moved away using his own dark energy to manipulate the grass, and leave it darkened as a path to be followed.
And in no time he had returned to Pyre. Unfortunately the rush wasn't going to shorten the wait. Lyte was only human, and as such couldn't contend with the darkrai's speed. The pitch black pokemon emerged from the ground and took a seat beside Pyre. They needed to speak, so Shadow did the only thing he could think of, and he delved into the charmander's mind.
*In Pyre's Mind*
The Charmander was reliving a memory. Himself, a small Mudkip, an Aron, and an Absol, surrounded by dozens of other Pokemon. They were beaten down, bruised and bloodied. Barely able to stand.
"Our troubles only escalated when Pyre showed up! These disasters have only grown exponentially worse since he arrived. It's just as Xatu foretold! He'll destroy us all! Get him!" A Gengar yelled, a maniacal look on his face.
Pyre struggled to stand, but forced himself to anyway. "Guys, just leave, they don't want you…."
The Mudkip spoke up. "Hey, we started this whole rescue team thing together, remember! We're partners, and I'm not going anywhere!"
"Things will only grow worse if you are slain here, I'm not just going to allow that!" The absol added.
"Abandon the guy who saved me and my family, like that's ever gonna happen!" Aron joined in.
Gengar suddenly continued speaking. "Look at what this wretched monster has done, he's brainwashed these three into laying down their lives for him! This can't stand! Crush him!"
The memory flashed forward, the battle passing through memory. They were winning, the four of them, giving it their all against all odds. If only they had known how bad things would get.
Gengar's shouting and the loud battle above had roused a great beast from it's slumber.
It all happened so fast, and as Pyre remembered it, he knew he would do it all again. The memory of Groudon appearing, the sudden wave of energy it spit from its mouth. The way Pyre coated his fist in flames to make sure he pushed Gengar out of the way and took the attack himself.
He remembered how the ground splintered and he was alone, separated from everyone else, and forced to fight Groudon alone.
He remembered the exhilaration of the fight, though he was vastly outmatched, he couldn't let go of his excitement.
"Finally, a worthy executioner, Groudon will rid us of this menace once and for all!" Gengar called out.
The memory passed in a blur, the fight was intense despite how outmatched he was. And Gengar constantly rousing the crowd to root against him hadn't helped. Finally he collapsed, looking toward his friends as they begged the other Pokemon to help Pyre. But Gengar's words had them all enraptured.
And to think all Pyre needed to do was speak. The crushing deafening footsteps of Groudon approaching had Pyre shaking, despite how close to death he was he felt more alive than ever.
And in one simple word, he forced silence over all of them, even Groudon.
"Enough!" He shouted. And the cave they had been fighting in, the cave that was once deafened by combat, went silent at a moment's notice. The Charmander was standing up a wild look in his eyes. "Help if you want or don't! I don't care, but don't get it wrong, he's trying to kill all of us!" Pyre pointed to Groudon. "His first target was Gengar, but he saved him!" Pyre yelled with pride and conviction. "And I'd do the same for any of you! Hate me all you want, I'll still save you if you need to be saved!" The Charmander had tears in his eyes. "Now get out of here before you get hurt!"
And with his words Pyre snapped around sprinting as fast as his little legs would carry him, his fists, no, his entire body engulfed in his passionate blue flames. He raised his fists rushing to the fight, knowing he would die. Or so he had believed until he felt the rush of wind blow over him. The force of several attacks flying overhead blasting Groudon. A short glance back, and Pyre felt his tears return.
All of them, his friends, those who had just been trying to kill him, even Gengar. All together they were attacking Groudon. As though loyalty, inspiration, and courage had been forced into them by Pyre's words.
The memory faded away.
"So you can even turn your enemies into friends." The Charmander heard the familiar dark voice. "Not that I'm surprised. You managed to make me your friend, and you remember how much I couldn't stand you at first."
"Shadow, are you just my life flashing before my eyes or…"
"I'm here." Shadow spoke. "And soon, you'll have some of the best medical assistance humans can give."
"You didn't come all the way in here just to tell me that. You don't do stuff like that without other reasons."
"You aren't wrong. And after seeing that, I can see I chose the right char for the job." Shadow spoke fondly.
"Shadow, I'm not gonna fight an army for you."
"It isn't for me. Or Blade. I admit I had an ulterior motive to bring you to Aether Paradise." Shadow continued. "You were injured when Lyte told me. But the boy I was pursuing, Ash. He's in danger. He's back in the Alola region, and the Aether Foundation does not intend to let him leave." The Darkrai held no emotion in his voice. "I can never atone for what I did to Hika…Ashachu, but at the very least I can try to hinder Aether's plans for his trainer."
"So where do I fit into this scheme then?"
"I've already dispatched Kecleon and that little cult to try to instigate a riot in Aether Paradise. However, Kecleon was only able to rally the other Pokemon in that cult because of their like minded nature. Common ground really. You however, as we've both just seen, you can inspire even your enemies to help you when you're fighting to protect others." Shadow stopped.
"Alright, I'll do it." Pyre gave a determined nod.
"Now, before I can let Lyte hand you over to Aether, your external wounds have already healed, it's a shame, but if they're to believe you're as bad as you are…"
"You have to reopen the wounds right?"
Shadow nodded reluctantly.
"Well, it'll give em a way to reach inside at least. I'm missing a lung right, that's what Chansey said?"
"Yes." Shadow hesitated. "I wouldn't do this if it wasn't necessary. But at least this way…they can't possibly turn you away."
*In The Real World*
Shadow hesitated for a moment before stabbing his hand into Pyre, as Chansey said, there was no lung on his left side remaining. And after a swift push, Shadow stabbed his clawed hand out the other end. Despite how violent it looked, Shadow had ensured precision, he had come to understand many Pokemon's anatomy, albeit so he could harm them more, in this case it allowed him to only reopen Pyre's wounds, without damaging anything else within him.
"Shadow! What the fuck!" Lyte called out seeing the events unfolding before him.
"As you can see he's in need of medical treatment. He was wounded before I did this, I just needed to make his injury visible, he agreed it was necessary." Shadow spoke quickly. "His left lung was destroyed when someone tried to kill us. I don't know if it can be replaced, but if anyone can help."
"It's Aether." The human finished the sentence. "And because of the state he's in they can't possibly turn us away."
"Precisely. Now, unfortunately I must leave you. Don't let him die Lyte!" The Darkrai withdrew his arm from Pyre's chest, and hovered, readying himself to take off into the sky.
"Shadow, wait! Where are you going?"
"To reveal myself to the ones who killed me. To warn Ash."
"And if Blade is there?"
Shadow remained silent. "I will figure it out." And with that, the pitch black pokemon burst into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. 'I'm not worthy of Blade, even if I better myself, I've felt the pain he's experienced without me….and I simply let it happen Blade…I am sorry.'