Chapter 8|Coward's Stand
Richard and Saphira were switched out for Hix. Despite Saphira's screams, Misty didn't hesitate and carried Hix away, his desperate eyes looking back towards the other Hawlucha that had to be pried away from him. She was smaller than Hix, but almost looked identical. Her feathers were much shorter and a bit more vibrant. Li was sobbing, which escalated once the iron doors slammed shut. Riley was thrown into the corner by Thames after she tried to claw Misty. She fell unconscious, crumpling against a sharp rock. Two young birds quickly rushed to help her. Saphira, Clef, and Richard walked over to check on her as well.
"Her skull is strong," observed a Lucario, with a weak but soothing voice. "You should not have come, Richard."
"Of course I shouldn't have come, Master Remus!" exclaimed Richard as quietly as he could, heavily breathing. "But Romulus was attacked! How could I not come?"
"You are too brash," sighed the Lucario, who was still chained against a wall.
"I already explained everything to Sensei Remus," said Clef, covered in scratches like everyone else. Richard peered through the tight bars of the cell. Hix was being lowered into the center of the circle as if he were a sacrifice, but there was no sign of struggling.
"What are they doing? Why isn't he fighting back?" questioned Richard, beads of sweat dripping into his open wounds, stinging him. Li was sobbing, tears dripping down her beak. She wiped them away with her wing.
"They… they said they wouldn't hurt any more of us if Hix volunteered," sniffed Li. "He's so brave."
"No! We promised your grandma we'd bring him back as well!" exclaimed Saphira, on the verge of crying as well. "We'll get him out, right? Clef, you have a plan, right?"
Clef crumpled his face in tears and covered it with his arm, shaking his head. Richard put his hand against the rock walls.
"The door and walls are reinforced," sighed Remus, still chained to the wall. "Riley and the others have already tried. A few of us were cut, and the blood used for that cursed ritual."
"Damn it," said Richard, hitting the wall anyways and recoiling. His hand was still injured from the fight. Something hit him then, and he turned to look at the Sensei. "What about a Signature?"
"My Aura Pulse could pass through the bars, but my paws are chained up," said the Sensei, closing his eyes. Richard stared at the cell door, the black bars taunting him with their shiny gleam. There was a reason that they kidnapped only the young ones, since they weren't powerful enough to break the bars. Master Remus was chained to the wall. It was now or never to try, and he wasn't planning on regretting his decision. He stared at the cell door again, concentrating everything he had onto his good arm. His blood created a teal-red swirl on his fist, the three ridges on his head stiff in focus. Dynamic Impact, he would name it.
Everyone watched as he slammed his fist into the gate with all he could. Remus gasped at the aura that emanated from him. The others couldn't see it, but it was strong… It was pure fighting spirit. He strained not to yell as his hand met the obsidian bars, the recoil shattering the bones in his hand. He fell to the ground as everyone noticed that it hadn't even made a dent.
"Good try," said Thames, glancing over in their direction. "You would've been our next choice."
"Aw," frowned Misty earnestly, "That was really good. Maybe it'll be stronger if we meet again!"
Richard crumpled to the ground in defeat, everyone's spirits plummeting to their lowest.
Meanwhile, Hix's heart was beating uncomfortably fast. They had tried, but failed to save him. He debated yelling at them to let him go. He closed his eyes as the slimy tentacles released him onto the cold, grimy floor. The hole in the wall allowed sunlight to shine directly on his feathers, amplifying their hues. He was terrified, no doubt about that. He had no idea what they were going to do to him. All he knew was that he probably wasn't going to survive, but his sister would, along with all the others. He rested easy at that. His face twitched when he began thinking about his grandma, and how she'd react to the news. She'd kill Richard, Riley, Clef, and Saphira.
"Don't move, sweetie," comforted the Malamar, with an uncomfortably soothing voice. "You won't die."
"You will be reborn," said Thames, the Greninja, looking out at all of Zhando. "We will keep our promise, so be calm."
He took their words to heart as the ritual began. Thames went over to one of the walls and pulled out a brick… except it wasn't a brick. It was a glowing pyramid thingy with a brown light. He winced as he heard another impact from the cell. Followed by another. And another. He was going to kill himself! He couldn't turn his neck to see, but it almost distracted him from what was going on. From the cell, Saphira observed dismally but curiously as Thames dropped the pyramid on each of the eight blood spots that surrounded him, each of them glowing in turn. She couldn't help but feel intrigued, drawn to the wonder of this process. After all eight were touched, the pyramid glowed brightly, warring with the evening sun from the hole.
Hix's body tensed up as Thames placed the pyramid in the air above him. Hix flinched as he let go, but it didn't fall. It floated in the air for a moment, the light expanding outwards, taking over his vision. His heartbeat slowed as he accepted his fate.
It escalated again once a loud clanging noise shook the entire room, and he felt footsteps rush to join him.
"It's not over yet," said Saphira, the only completely healthy one. Richard nodded slowly, both of his hands completely black and bruised, stumbling into the room. Riley still hadn't come to, and Remus was still chained to the wall. The young birds were told to wait in the cell.
"Teamwork, I see. Your courage radiates to others, Machop," smirked Thames, as if he were congratulating them. Along with her Rollout, Clef's vines, Richard's Dynamic Impact, and several of the birds' attacks, the door was barely knocked off its hinges, enough for Richard to finish the job at the cost of his hands."It's already too late, he's being chosen."
Clef was thrown backwards when he tried to interact with Hix, who became engulfed by the light. "I can't get to him!"
"We'll defeat these two then, boing!" said Saphira, a new urge to beat the living hell out of that smug Greninja emerging. "Keep trying, Bainoans! Clef, you up to fight?"
Clef nodded, "Ready." Richard gave them a thumbs up.
"Round two, Thames and Misty!" exclaimed Saphira. If Riley were conscious, she would have injured herself facepalming.
"You have a Fairy type move, right?" hissed Clef quickly. "You take Misty, and I'll take Thames. Type advantage."
"Got it," said Saphira, running towards Misty, who was lurking in the back of the room. Saphira picked up on her attacks. Dodging her tentacles would be her first objective. Then she'd get close and attack. It was just like jumping rope back at Greyhaven. Back at Greyhaven… The bit of distraction sent her on her back, tripped by one of her tentacles.
"Gotcha!" exclaimed Misty. "C'mon and give up. We only want the Hawlucha!"
"Never, boing!" retorted Saphira, getting back up instantly.
"Guess I'll have to force you," said Misty, curling her tentacles up. An invisible force targeted her brain again. She was expecting it, and just pushed it to the back of her mind as she rolled up and tackled Misty. That was when she realized: Misty couldn't do anything physically since she was actively using Mind Melder. Those birds required barely any of her focus, but trying to control her took the rest of it. She'd use the opening to attack.
As she rolled up, the pain in her head subsided to her relief. But she was picked off the ground by one of her tentacles. She canceled the attack, and Saphira was still dizzy from Rollout. She panicked, twitching around in Misty's tentacles. She giggled at her struggling. Saphira knew she wasn't going to kill her, but she was still scared. Her confidence from earlier dissipated like mist. Then, she caught a glance of Li reaching for her brother in the light. At first, he had no reason to want to hurt Misty. Then she remembered Corvus and the birds. Forcing a village into panic as their leader gets brainwashed was definitely evil. Suddenly, she became aware of how dirty Misty's tentacles were.
"What's wrong?" asked Misty. Saphira made no response, grabbing onto her tentacle. "Hey, stop that."
The Azumarill started pinching and squeezing the tentacle with her energy. A Play Rough would be super effective, and she would've never thought of it if it weren't for Clef. She couldn't concentrate on him though. Misty shrieked a sound that Saphira thought could never come out of her beak. She dropped Saphira with a thud.
"You! I thought you were strong, but you're just fighting dirty!" she roared. Saphira recoiled a bit, but regained her footing. In fact, she felt a tirade building up inside of her.
"I'm fighting dirty?! You controlled the leader of those villagers, kidnapped their young ones, and now you're doing whatnot to Hix? Don't you know his grandma expects him to come home?" cried Saphira. "The minds of Pokemon are not yours to take! You're not strong or brave. You use others to do your dirty work and slap away with your tentacles!"
"This is all for a good cause!" claimed Misty loudly, sweating a bit. "And if their minds are weak enough to be controlled, they should be controlled!"
"What is this good cause?" asked Saphira.
"We're fighting off a dark force," answered Misty. "You wouldn't understand the rest."
"And people have to die for it?" said Saphira, readying another attack.
"He won't die," claimed Misty, regaining her composure. "Of course he won't!" Saphira didn't believe her, the Pokemon that could control Pokemon's minds. She was preparing for another Rollout before her eyes got caught on Misty's glowing spots. Her head instantly began hurting again, but this time, it felt like her brain was going to implode. She couldn't push it away, screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyone else was looking away from the fight, knowing the power of Malamars. Saphira clutched her eyes, which dulled the pain inside. It didn't dull the pain from a Psycho Cut. It slashed her across the chest, a gash opening up. Saphira couldn't stop screaming, and she couldn't move, her tail twitching behind her as she tried to do anything to stop the pain.
"I'm sorry, Saphira," said Misty, starting to grin. "But no hard feelings, right?" Saphira's mind only told her to do one thing: run. She dashed up the stairs that led to the upper floors, clutching her chest as she stumbled up. Misty couldn't move that fast.
"Thames, should I go after her?" asked Misty, looking around the room. The Greninja and the Servine were gone. She shrugged and slithered up the stairs after her, leaving the room unattended. They figured the ritual was already completed.
Saphira staggered up the stairs to another hallway, ducking in the nearest door she could find. It was a spiral staircase that led who knows where. The bleeding was still going, and it stung. She bit her tongue to stop from screaming. It wasn't fatal at least, but she could bleed out. She had never been a quick healer. Some twisted part of her felt good about getting a wound from battle: the first step of becoming a fighter. But what now? Suddenly, a tentacle slithered its way through a crack in the door, Saphira let out a little scream and ran up the staircase. She passed several sets of windows, marking how high she was going up. Misty's hysterical laughter echoed up the tower. She liked Misty a lot more before her lecture.
"Get away from me!" shrieked Saphira.
"Saphira," sang Misty. "C'mere and give me a hug."
"Never!" called Saphira from far above her. Then, the Azumarill reached the top of the tower. She could see the entire ruined fort from up there, from the fallen spires to the hole in the main hall. She could see all of Zhando as the sun began to set, leaving a vibrant swirl of white, red, and yellow in the sky, like a fruit smoothie. Saphira momentarily relaxed upon seeing it before realizing what she had gotten into: she had no escape.
A bridge that connected itself to the other tower had collapsed long ago, leaving ruined stone and a broken platform that led off the tower. There was no way she could survive the fall if she jumped.
"Let me control you, girl," sang Misty from an alarmingly close distance. Saphira stood around, facing the entrance to the staircase and salvaging all the courage she had left.
"I'll never be able to face a Dragon if I can't beat you, boing!" exclaimed Saphira, scrunching her eyebrows. Misty paused, her tentacles dancing in the air. Saphira wondered how she even fit in the narrow passageway.
Misty's entrancing eyes were swirling, Saphira instantly shutting her eyes after catching a glimpse of them. The world seemed to swirl as Saphira fought with all her might to defend against another mental barrage, swatting the air to protect herself from any physical offensive.
Misty grabbed a struggling Saphira with her tentacle, dangling her over the precarious edge of their tower. Saphira opened her eyes, screaming and flailing her legs as the Malamar taunted her.
"I'm sorry, Saphira. You've been too naughty. Sleep for a while, why don't you? Yes, sleep," cooed Misty.
Saphira didn't think about dying at that moment. No, something else welled up inside her. The determination that fueled her soul: her fighting spirit.
"Misty!" bellowed Saphira. "I will… defeat you!"
"What can you do, girl? One slip, and you're dead," cackled Misty. Saphira grinned.
"One slip, and you're dead," repeated Saphira, grabbing onto the tentacle and swinging on it.
Misty shook her around, trying to get the water rabbit off. Saphira hung for dear life, colliding into the side of the tower multiple times. Her body screamed at her to give up. Her mind scolded her. But her soul told her to keep fighting.
Saphira screamed, using Play Rough to shock Misty with Fairy type energy. She loosened her grip on her, letting Saphira climb her way up Misty's tentacle like a rope. She crawled back onto the tower while Misty was still stunned by the attack, her power weakened. Saphira stood at the center of the platform at the top of the tower, facing down Misty, who was precariously perched on the edge of the spire. Behind her were the endless vaults of the sky, the white clouds taking in the last bit of sunlight before the moon took over the land.
"Who's in control now, boing?" taunted Saphira, preparing her final attack.
"Wait, wait, wait!" exclaimed Misty. "We're friends, aren't we?"
"My friends don't hurt each other!" exclaimed Saphira, performing a Rollout directly into the Malamar's chest. Misty's eyes seemed to jut out of her skull as she toppled over the edge, falling in slow-motion to the stones below. A cloud of dust and debris flew into the air to mark Misty's defeat.
Saphira savored her victory, shooting her fist into the air.
"I did it!" she exclaimed, collapsing on the ground.
Clef and Thames had found themselves in the courtyard: a quaint garden that rested on an overhang just below the hole in the dungeon. There were hedges that had grown wild from years of neglect, trees whose roots helped support the structure that hung above the valley below. Only a stone wall about a meter high separated them from the plummet to the ground. Clef figured that the Greninja didn't want him butting in on the ritual. He would have to trust the others with saving Hix, but Thames was his duty.
They were squaring off, Clef's vines versus Thames' fists. Even though Clef had four limbs to punch and fire with, he was still getting walloped by Thames' punches. The Servine knew that he was going easy on him too. He saw what he did to Riley.
His job was to keep Thames busy, not to beat him. Clef didn't want to fight, he wanted to curl up by the fire with a nice book. He couldn't help but feel that he wasn't putting full effort into his attacks. What was keeping Clef from hitting hard? Was it fear?
Fear enveloped Clef, a Pokemon who had never engaged in a legitimate one on one fight (His fight with Saphira did not count). All he knew were combat stances and attacks from books, but those did no good in a real fight. He couldn't get distance to use his Signature either. He had to point blank fire them along with his weak punches.
Clef's guard was thrown wide as Thames hit him with an uppercut, launching him into a hedge.
"You will die by my Signature: Water Star!" exclaimed Thames. "You are lucky to have such an honor."
Clef got up to see Thames holding an enormous shuriken made of water. It didn't even seem like water. It glistened like metal. Clef willed his body to duck out the way of the attack, whipping Thames with his vines. The Greninja leapt over the low sweep and prepared another attack. This Water Star hit its mark, digging itself into Clef's chest and sending him into the air once more. It wasn't very effective, but it still hurt. Then, he realized that the attack wasn't supposed to kill him. It was the knockback, the powerful force that sent leaves into the air.
He went flying over the edge of the wall, his heart plummeting as if he were already falling to his death. In a survival instinct, he grappled onto the wall with his vines and pulled himself back, rolling onto the solid ground in relief.
"Very good, young Servine," said Thames. "It is not too late to give up and walk away with your life."
"With what you're doing to Hix? Never. If I defeat you, the whole thing will stop, won't it?" asked Clef, his voice hoarse.
Thames laughed, "There is nothing you can do except surrender or die."
"I'll take neither," said Clef, wiping the sweat off his head. He fired his Siphon Shot at Thames, who expertly dodged the barrage.
But there were too many, as Clef unleashed an insane amount of projectiles. He yelled in effort, even after taking a beating and being left with countless bruises. One snagged Thames in the side, helping Clef recover some energy.
Clef hesitated, not taking the chance to get the jump on him. He kept on firing instead, which allowed Thames to stand up and charge at him.
Clef launched another furious barrage, multiple landing blows on Thames!
"Take that!" he exclaimed as a cloud exploded from the Greninja's body, revealing a potted tree. He used Substitution. Before Clef could turn around, a sharp pain imbedded itself into his back, releasing a harsh scream from his mouth. Leaves flew up into the air.A Water Star landed a direct hit, and Clef fell to the ground, barely conscious. He pressed his face into the ground, sinking his arms into the cracks between the stone tiles. He hated losing, but his fear overcame him. He was disappointed in himself, banging the tiles hard.
"Do not feel bad, there are many years of training between us," rasped Thames, "And there will be many more years for you to train. I shall spare you, but you shall sleep for now."
"No!" exclaimed Clef, shooting more Siphon Shots at Thames. They all missed, hitting the bush behind him.
"What was that aim?" laughed Thames. "I am trying to spare you!"
"I wasn't aiming at you," smiled Clef, still on the ground. "I took energy from the bush behind you." Thames nodded.
"Impressive," said Thames. "So the fight continues…"
"Nope, it's already over," said Clef as vines snapped up beneath Thames's feet.
"You-" said Thames as vines ensnared his body up to his torso. Clef stood up and crossed his arms, feeling especially smug. He recalled his vines into his body.
"I only need contact with you to trigger Wrap," said Clef.
"So… you pretended to be downed to set up your trap," said Thames. Clef triggered a surge of energy siphoning, making the Greninja grunt. "Impressive."
"I won't kill you either," said Clef. "But tell me how to get Hix out of there!"
Thames sighed.
"A fighting type must be the vessel, and that cannot be changed. There's nothing you can do to stop it. It's for the better of the world," explained Thames.
"How?" burst Clef, getting mad. His fear disappeared into his confidence and anger. "You're sacrificing him? What vessel?"
Thames let himself fall unconscious, his head falling limp in the vines.
"Get up, you must tell me!" exclaimed Clef, shaking the Greninja after recalling the vines. He looked back up to the hole in the wall, feeling a gentle wind that made him feel dread. There had to be something he could do.
Clef grabbed Thames with his vines and rushed back into the dungeon.