Chapter 9
The Rush into Danger
Gathor turned his head back to their opponents, scowling fiercely. "Freya, look."
The Charizard stopped staring at the Blaziken rushing towards their house and looked.
The bushes behind the Heliolisk and bored Gardevoir began to rustle. Gathor's eyes narrowed and his muscles tightened at the sight of three Luxray's leaping into the clearing behind their supposed leaders. Their eyes glowed a solid red that bore no pupil nor iris. Their manes were ruffled, unkempt, dirty, and sparking with anticipation for battled that matched their vicious eyeing of the duo.
Ferals, Gathor thought in his head as he grit his teeth.
Almost as if cued in, another mon pushed past the brush, a PorygonZ. While it bore a rather cheap-looking sleeved cloak that hung over its head, it wasn't enough to really hide its lower torso. He took his attention off the newcomers as Rosa started talking.
"Took you long enough," She muttered, eyeing the Luxray's with a rather disappointed look.
"Apologies," the PorygonZ answered, static in his voice. "News of the boy spread rather quickly. We were forced to take a longer route in order to avoid detection."
Rosa glared at the Heliolisk, who shrugged an uncaring grin her way. "I guess that's just what happens in boring, little towns."
"Whatever," Rosa muttered, with a roll of her eyes. "They're here now so let's get to work."
Gathor snarled as he looked at Freya.
Her wings spread out, as smoke began to fly from her nostrils.
Guess deh talkin's done. He rolled his neck and opened his claws. Bring it den.
The Gardevoir took a step forwards and pointed towards the house. "Our target is inside that house. If you find a Frogadier in there, bring him to me."
"Go ahead and try," Freya snarled, surprising Gathor at how restrained she looked.
"Gladly," Rosa retorted, nodding to the PoryogonZ.
The presumed Feral Tamer flung his arms to the sides, twitching in odd, speedy motions as his eyes shifted into some form of chaotic patterns of black, white, and grey.
"Hrm?" Gathor felt a ringing in his mind, though it strangely didn't hurt him nor dampen his senses. Going off his theory, he noticed the Ferals snarl at this, starting to advance forwards, while splitting up into three different pathways, one of each opening left by Gathor and Freya.
"Wait."
Gathor snapped his attention back to the Red Eyes leader, who was stroking his chin and staring at the two of them with a mulling smile.
Another weird sound filled their minds as Gathor turned his focus to the Luxray on his left. It was snarling back at its leaders, probably at being denied to fight but not brave enough to challenge the order.
Hmm…so it ain' a direct controllin'. Damn. Scowling, Gathor watched the Heliolisk once more, who still had yet to say anything from his initial order.
After a couple of minutes of uneasy silence, the PorygonZ finally inquired, "Sir?"
Grinning, the Heliolisk rolled his head back and looked at the confused mon. "Attack them with these three."
"Uh…alright sir." Its eyes went into that strange, chaotic state again as the sound pierced into their minds.
Wha's 'is goal? Gathor didn't bother thinking about it, after all, there were three Luxray's charging headfirst at them, no longer bound by the invisible leash of their master. "Get dah righ' one!" Gathor ordered as he rushed towards the middle, surging Ice Punch over his palm in the shape of a glove.
The Charizard immediately spread her wings and soared to the right, surging a cyan light in them. She pulled her legs forwards and shoved them to the ground to slow herself down as she twisted right to fire the first Air Slash from her right wing.
Gathor had to snap his focus back to the two charging at him. He held his Ice covered right claw outwards and open as he clenched his left tightly at his side. The middle one closed in on him first, leaping for his throat with jaws sparking with Thunder Fang. Sidestepping, Gathor swung his left arm in a wide swing, slamming it into the side of the Luxray's skull. His right claw clasped onto the left side of the mon's face and shoved it aside, causing him to narrowly avoid a full-on collision.
His left eye rolled to its corner, spying the other one leaping for him. He fell into his momentum from punching the prior one, but thrust his left hand back and twisting it so it could latch onto the mane on the front of the Luxray's chest. Once he was on his back, he shoved his Ice Punch claw straight into its lower chest, letting it drag along the creature's underbelly as it soared over him. He jerked with his left, causing the creature to strike its head onto the ground and tumble on its back.
He got up to a knee and without wasting any time, plunged his claw through its head from above through its head. Slowly, he withdrew his claw from its bleeding head, shaking off some of the dripping blood off the ice.
He turned his gaze to the other Luxray, who was snarling at him while walking from side to side. He narrowed into a leer and snarled at it. It recoiled. A grin formed on the Feraligatr's face as he turned to see how Freya was going.
Her Luxray was lying on the ground, struggling to stand. Its legs bleeding from severe cuts.
The dominant grin of a warrior faded from Gathor's face as he watched his wife walk up to it, swat away its attempt at biting her, and drove a Dragon Claw into its temple.
Gathor gave the Luxray one more growl to scare it back and turned to face the trio across from them. "Dat all you got?" He goaded, a grin forming as he heard the Luxray charging for his back.
He remained still, feigning obliviousness till he could hear the crackling of the electricity from its Thunder Fang. Gathor bent onto all fours, whacking its side with his thick tail from below. It rolled a little ways and as it picked itself up, Gathor started walking over to it.
It shrieked at the sight of him, frantically picking itself up to defend.
Gathor stopped about three feet from it, certain it had been shaken enough to not make the first strike anymore. He took a deep breath and roared in its face. A cheeky smirk formed as Gathor watched it yelp, scampering off towards the forest.
His eyes went wide upon seeing an Air Slash strike the back of its head, sending it plummeting into a tree and lying there either fainted or dead from the blow.
"Nice shot," Gathor complimented as he turned to see Freya walking towards him. He gave her a nod as he left the Ice Punch covering his right arm crumble off of him, taking the blood of the first Luxray with it to the ground. "Probably dah right call."
Their mutual smiling was cut short at the sound of a loud whistle followed by a slow applauding.
"Not bad, not bad at all." The Heliolisk praised.
Sighing in annoyance, Rosa turned to her superior and said with a passive-aggressive tone, "Well there goes three of them. Are you happy, yet?" She crossed her arms and stared at the Heliolisk, judgmentally.
"Are you always such a drab?" He muttered, giving the first frown since his arrival. "Enjoy the entertainment. It makes the mission far less boring if you don't roll your eyes at everything."
"We're not here for a show," Rosa snapped, giving him the cold shoulder.
"Well, duh, but stil-"
"Ahem! Bitches!" Gathor interrupted. The two glanced his way as he shook his head and said, "I'm almos' offended dey sent yahr dysfunctional group tag ge' us."
Raising a brow at his remakes, the Heliolisk curled an interesting smile and replied, "My, my, quite presumptuous of you to say, considering we're just getting started."
Dat's righ' keep talkin'. He looked at Freya, giving her a little grin and a slight nod.
She stepped forwards, staring at them with contempt. "And already you've lost three of your group. If you're trying to wear us out, you aren't doing a good job at it." She pointed towards them and threatened, "Now leave before I kill you and whoever else you have the gall to send."
Rosa rolled her eyes.
Freya snickered. "I'll give your leader one thing. You really do roll your eyes too much."
The Gardevoir raised a brow, eyeing her opponent with a disinterested stare. She flicked her hair a little, saying "Really…"
"Give her credit," Her annoying ally chimed in. "The Charizard is right you know."
Rosa glared at him. "Whose side are you on?"
All he did for an answer was a carefree shrug.
"Fine," Rosa snapped, stepping forwards and stretching her right hand outwards. She went silent for a few seconds, then suddenly lowered her arm with an even more agitated look on her face.
The little lizard raised a brow. "Something wrong, miss productive?"
Rosa gritted her teeth as she sighed heavily, saying, "The Dark Orb's effects are still lingering."
"Oooooooooo, interesting."
Rosa flicked her hair as she stared Freya down. "No matter. Even if my powers are limited against your precious little group, I still hav-"
"Your moves, I know. Stating the obvious doesn't make you sound smart," Freya interrupted, causing Rosa to go quiet. "Nor does mentally attacking a boy's head make you strong. So spare us your bitching and face me, you coward."
"Coward, Huh!"
The Heliolisk coughed, getting everyone to focus on him. He raised a finger and closed his eyes and about a minute of uncanny silence later, said, "Yes, that is indeed what she called you."
With a screech of fury, Rosa swung shot her right arm outwards at the Heliolisk, knocking the laughing lizard with a telekinetic force that sent him tumbling a couple of yards. She then eyed Freya with a 'completely done' look and shouted, "Fine then! You want to fight, bitch‽" She swung her arms forwards, forming two Shadow Balls near the tips of her hands. "Catch!"
Freya snarled, surging cyan light into her wings as the Shadow Balls were sent flying towards her. Arcing back, Freya roared as she swung her body and wings forwards, shooting out a dual Air Slash in the shape of an "X".
Rosa's eyes shot open in shock as her Shadow Balls were cut through by the Air Slash's that continued onwards, towards her. Rosa dropped to her knees, barely avoiding the Air Slash's that crashed into the forest behind her.
Meanwhile, Freya merely leaned her head, letting the nearest Shadow Ball shrapnel fly past her.
Smirking, Gathor didn't really react to the shrapnel pieces that hit him, choosing instead to dust off his shoulder while leering at Rosa, who was getting to her feet. "Dat all yah got, whore?"
Rosa gritted her teeth, spreading her arms a little from her side as five purple orbs appeared behind her in an upside-down "V" pattern. In a few seconds, they grew from simple purple balls no bigger than a Spoink pearl into chaotic, cackling spheres the size of Gathor's head.
"Come now, Rosa," The Heliolisk cooed, dusting himself off as got back to his original spot. "What good is more of your balls going to do?"
"Shut up!" Rosa shouted, keeping her leer at Freya. "I'm not going to let them talk to me like-"
"Yes, yes, I know. You're upset you got called a prostitute." Rosa shot him a glare, but he held up a finger to her. "But…remember, this is your first assignment."
"Yes, and you're ruining it!" Rosa shouted, pulling her left arm back, ready to send the Shadow Balls flying towards the couple.
Sighing loudly, the Heliolisk pressed two fingers to his eyes and shook his head. "Well, then perhaps you should slow that youthful fire of yours down for a second, and let your peer have a turn."
There was a brief second where Rosa's eyes lowered, full of confliction and frustration. She coiled back as if she had tasted something bitter and stepped to the side, letting her Shadow Ball's fade into the air. "Fine, let's see you do better then."
Nodding, the Heliolisk walked in front, cracking his fingers and rolling his wrists. He hummed to himself as he looked at both of them with a devious grin.
Tck, he's lucky he's far away. Gathor thought as he snarled at the villain. He sidestepped closer to Freya and whispered, "Why do yah tink dey're stallin'?"
Freya's eyes narrowed. "I don't know. I wouldn't expect them to just toy with their targets like this."
"Wha' abou' wha' dat bitch said? Abou' it bein' 'er first mission?" He said, finally breaking eye contact with the Heliolisk to glance at Freya. He tensed up, seeing his wife's stern composure shift to a state of shock of sudden revelation.
"Y-you're right. That doesn't make sen-"
"You!"
They both snapped their focus back to their new opponent, who was pointing his finger at Gathor.
"You, with the big arms." With a wink, he opened his palm as a flow of orange light swirled into a bright sphere that lit up the Heliolisk's face like a miniature sun. "Let's see if your iceified arm can handle this."
Gathor sneered as he walked towards the Heliolisk. Bring it den. The Feraligatr once more surged Ice Punch and encased his claw and arm in its icy armor. He planted his foot into the ground as the move was sent his way. Leaning back, he inhaled and once it was close enough, punch the Focus Blast, obliterating it on his move. There was a small bit of orange and grey smoke that was quickly dispersed by a simple wave of his arm. Looking down at his Ice Punch fist, Gathor smirked. Not even a cra- Suddenly, he felt his body coarse with a painful shock. Grunting, he dropped to a knee as the sensation died down shortly after.
"Gathor!" Freya shouted, rushing to his side.
Panting, Gathor got back up before she could help him up. "I'm okay," he said, giving her a reassuring look. Turning his attention to their enemies. He peered at the Heliolisk, who was rubbing his hands together.
The mon turned his hands sideways so one hand laid on top of the other, like two slices of bread. "Aaaaaand," He lifted the top one up, revealing a small orange ball in the middle. As he pulled his hand away, it grew into another Focus Blast, just as big as the one before. "Vwalla."
A snarl escaped Gathor's mouth. Guess dat guy really isn' takin' dis seriously. He stopped supplying his Ice Punch and let it crumple off his arm, shaking his head to snap his focus back.
Seeing they weren't making any moves against them, mainly due to the Heliolisk playing with the Focus Blast like a child with a toy, Gathor relaxed his muscles and started catching his breath.
Bu' why? I know he couldn' have done dat electric move. He moved his left hand over to his back, rubbing a spot there. I'm sure it hit me from behind. Dah only way he could've done dat is wit' thundah, bu' I would've seen it. His eyes fell on the PorygonZ, standing idly near the Heliolisk; his serious eyes focused on the group with an eerily serious look to them.
Maybe. Gathor gaped his maw, with three streams of materializing water spiraling around a small ball of water in the middle.
"Gathor?"
He didn't answer, instead focusing on his aim. Let's see. He unleashed a powerful Hydro Pump towards the PorygonZ and noticed the mon's eyes go into that static state again.
The sound rang in his ears once more, closely followed by two Thunderbolts flying from behind the group to meet his move. The clash ushered a powerful explosion of water and sparkling electricity.
So dere we're mo- He felt some heat to his right, turning to see Freya firing a Flamethrower straight upwards. What dah? He looked up, managing to see the remnants of a Thunder being dispersed by a stronger Flamethrower.
"Thanks," Gathor said, with Freya responding with a head nod and a smile. Their moment was cut short by the Heliolisk's applauding, once again.
"Splendid," He laughed, while the Focus Blast levitating beside his head disintegrated into nothing. "You two will make this very not boring." He rested a fist under his chin as his eyes narrowed. "It almost makes me want to draw this out even more."
"Are you serious‽" Rosa protested but stopped once the Heliolisk gestured her to hold for a moment.
"Don't worry about it. I told you, it's my turn to have some fun." Suddenly, he turned around and asked the PorygonZ, "So, the ferals. Can you get them to obey my commands?"
The mon nodded, causing the Heliolisk's eyes to light up with joy. "Oh yay! This will be very fun!"
Rosa's face shifted to a weird mix of 'kill me' and 'I'm going to kill him'.
Gathor grit his teeth as he heard creep whistle. "Get ready," he whispered to Freya as he watched Three Electivire's enter the clearing from the brush, their eyes just as soulless, solid, and red as the Luxrays before.
"Round two it is." Pointing towards the sky, the Heliolisk announced, "Alright, your target is the Feraligatr and your objective is him in pieces! Now attack!" He swung his arm forwards and they instantly charged.
"Watch my back," Gathor said to his wife. Once she nodded, Gathor started walking towards the trio of Electivires. He took a deep breath through his nostrils and glared at the three. Don' embarrass yahself in fron' of yah wife, Gathor.
The closest one did a small hop, swinging its Brick Break down towards his head. Gathor caught it by the wrist, smirking at its surprised reaction. Dis is gonna be good. He noticed the second one approaching him low, with one of its legs glowing with Low Kick; while the third kept back with its dual antennas sparking with electricity.
Gathor grabbed the first's arm with his free hand and pulled it in front of him, shielding himself from the Thunderbolt. He felt the Low Kick strike his leg, thankfully hardly making him budge as planned. He twisted to swing down his hand upon its head, but it stopped short. "Wha?" He turned his head to see the Electvire, who had previously been off-balance, was now gripping his right tightly. Thanks to being startled, Gathor didn't notice the mon's other hand punch for his ribs.
He grunted from the strike. Motor Drive? Okay den. He swung his body to drive the second away with a tail swipe and drove a counter punch towards the first one with his left. It let go of Gathor's right hand and caught his left with both of its hands. Gathor grinned, swinging down his freed hand right into its nose.
It instantly let go and backed up a step, clasping its bleeding nose with a whimper.
Not wasting a second, Gathor latched his left onto its head and surged Ice Punch through his hand. Ice began to grow on both his hand and the Electvire's face. He then spread his right hand out, aiming for the second and forcing it back with a small Hydro Pump. He elbowed the first in the stomach and twisted for a nasty uppercut, sending the feral onto its back.
Sadly, the third was charging him to cover the prone first. It leaped towards him with a Brick Break, but Gathor managed to step to the side of it. He opened his mouth wide and bite its arm, making it shriek from the pain.
His eyes glanced back at the second, ignoring the third's attempts to pull at his face. Just like before, he scared the second one back with a Hydro Pump from his left. Once successful, he elbowed the third in the stomach, letting its arm go at the same time so it would fall backwards. It landed on top of the first with a surprised yelp.
He thrust his arms towards it, firing another Hydro Pump at it. It screamed from the impact of the water, while the one below it flailed in confusion from its head still blinded by the ice. Come on, Gathor said in his head, waiting for the second one to charge his prone back. Upon hearing footsteps in the grass, he smiled and fell on all fours. He lifted his tail and just lifted the Electvire from below, flipping it onto the pile just as confused as the others.
With a roar, he quickly formed another Ice Punch, this time extending a small spike on the end. He stood up and plunged it into the first, surging as much synergy as he could into the spike end as possible. It screamed at the impalement as the others soon joined as their bodies shared the fate of the top one.
Once he was sure the spike pinned them to the ground, he lurched back his hand, breaking off the top of the ice spike, and stepped back, watching them flail in agony.
The rush of battle faded as the image of his victory grew into a grotesque picture to him. He unclenched his fists as a frown crossed his face. He looked back at the group, the Heliolisk smiling with the same enjoyment at the show as when the Luxrays were dispatched. It sickened him to his core.
He walked over to the three and one by one, put them out of their misery, keeping his wrathful eyes focused on the Heliolisk's smirking, devious ones. The little mon then curled his mouth a little, licking his chops with a look of both mockery and appreciation.
The Feraligatr's fists tightened as his aggression rose. I'll wipe dat smile off yah Goddamn face, yah piece of trash. Almost on instinct, his claws became covered in Ice Punch, though the gauntlets made now were rather raw and blunt, like sparring gloves made from ice.
Suddenly, he heard a roar to his left. He turned to look, but quickly covered his face upon feeling a strong heat sensation. He peered through the cracks in his arms to see Freya's flamethrower die down. Before him, lay a groaning Luxray, probably the one scared away earlier.
"Awww, what a shame. It was so close too," the Heliolisk said with a shake of the head.
His scowl returned as faced the Red Eye and snapped, "Come oveh 'ere an' say dat!"
Eyes widened with surprise at the outburst, the electric mon chuckled as he pressed a finger to his cheek. "Heh, pissed off already? So noble of you, Norfarion."
Gathor thrust one of his arms forwards, preparing to fire a Hydro Pump. He didn't care if it hit or did anything, just something to get this vile creature to shut up for a minute. He paused at feeling Freya's hand on his shoulder.
"Save your energy."
Glancing at her, he snarled a little before taking a deep breath and holding his head high with his eyes shut. His hands fell to his sides as the Ice Punch crumpled away once more.
His mind felt heavy and struggling to balance, like a boulder on the tip of a mountain. Sounds of stories from various voices flooded his mind, stories about encounters with ferals. But none of them compared to seeing one. That feeling of dread, disgust, anger, and fear that seemed to invoke deep within his body, every time his eyes met theirs.
The feeling to rip them apart, to have the brutality they would enact upon him never missed an encounter. Urging him to forget these were once normal mons and were just pieces of living meat to claw away at. To revel in their misery like some deep-rooted joy in their suffering.
He looked at Freya, whose eyes were so knowing. They told a tale of mutual feelings yet the determination to understand why.
Perhaps it was something primal in him that urged him to lean towards her and connect his mouth to hers. It was most certainly not the time for a kiss, but he didn't care. He wanted to thank her his way, not just for today but for every day.
"Gathor! Freya!"
Gathor's eyes widened as his mind woke from its surreal state. He found himself staring right into Freya's eyes, who was equally confused at the sudden interruption to their intimacy. Of course, he remembered the cause of his focus returning and instantly grumbled at the thought.
He turned towards the voice and watched with annoyed silence as Tetheron jogged over to them. "Sorry about that," he said, resting his hands on his knees.
"What are you doing?" She inquired.
Tetheron held up a hand and looked up to her, winking. "You'll see." He went back into a pant, instantly destroying what little confidence either of them had in him.
The Feraligatr rolled his eyes and looked back at the Red Eyes, saying, "Dey got ferals. We've killed six already."
"Noted." Tetheron started stretching his legs with anticipation. "Been a while since I've had a good bit of live action."
"Dis ain' a game." Gathor snarled, his harshness surprising the Blaziken.
"I disagree!" They all looked back at the electric lizard, who rubbing his frills with his right hand. "I'm having a wonderful time."
Rosa grumbled, brushing her hair to the side. "Are you done yet?"
"Hell no," He enthusiastically resounded. "I'm having way too much fun."
"Hmph, well it's a shame then." Rosa nudged the confused Heliolisk aside and stretched out her hand to the group. "I'm done waiting. Let's go ahead and get the job done."
"Rosa-"
"If I hear one more pipe out of you, I'm going to drop a boulder on your head," She snapped, not bothering to even look at him. She surged a Shadow Ball at the top of her hand and ordered, "Send in the next group."
"Huh?"
Rosa paused in a mix of frustration and confusion. "The next group," she restated, glancing at the Heliolisk. "Send them in."
"Next group?"
Rosa's eyes widened as her Shadow Ball suddenly collapsed into itself till it was no more. "Are you saying that's all the ferals you brought‽" She shouted, eyes full of anger.
The Heliolisk shrugged and gestured a finger at the PorygonZ. "Don't ask me, he was the one that brought them."
Rosa turned her anger to the mon, who shot to attention in fright. "What‽ No, I didn't- I mean, no ma'am, that's no-"
"Spit it out!" She demanded, her red irises starting to glow harsher.
"You're acting like we can't take them."
She leered at the lizard and snapped, "Are you fucking kidding me‽"
He gave her a big grin. "Yes, I am."
She froze, puzzled.
He chuckled as he raised a finger to his lips. "Sorry, Rosa, but it's just so much fun to mess with you." He pushed two fingers into his mouth and blew a whistle.
The sound of rustling came from the Norfarions' left. Gathor turned towards the noise and watched three Weavile's hop from the brush. How many of dese ferals do dey have‽ He looked back at their leader to see two Rhyperiors enter the clearing as well.
"Last wave?" Tetheron said weakly optimistic.
"Form up close," Freya ordered.
Gathor backed up towards the two, keeping his eyes fixated firmly on the Weaviles in front, who stalked towards him at about the same pace. Suddenly, he spied more rustling. Wha? He peered closer, spotting silhouettes maneuvering through the forest towards his left, towards the house.
Instantly, he broke into a dash to their home.
"Gathor!" He heard Freya call out, but he didn't stop running. He was about to warn them, when he suddenly saw, out of the corner of his eye, one of the Weaviles rushing past him. It leaped forwards, coating its arm in dark energy, and swiped for his legs.
Gathor dove forwards, rolling on his back and proceeding to swipe at its face. However, he was struck on the shoulder with a hard object that felt cold to the touch, giving his attacker time to back off.
He stood up and looked around. The three Weaviles had formed a circle around him: One between him and his allies, one blocking his route to the house, and the last completing the triangle encasing him.
Damnit, I don' have time fo' dis! He surged Ice Punch into his claws and pulled them close to his chest. Glancing at the house, his eyes filled with dread at seeing about five Weaviles rush from the forest and circling around the place. No!
O
"No, no! Yah're bendin' it too fa'!" Ciecro exclaimed.
"But it's all crooked," Jaron pointed out.
"Please be quiet," the ranger pleaded, as he tried to focus. With a heave, he pushed the end of the hot, metal stick. His rock glove singed against the glowing metal as it slowly began to bend.
Jaron and Ciecro watched in excited silence, until suddenly.
Snap!
The ranger fell forwards onto the table as his hand pulling on the metal rod swung around, almost hitting Jaron in the head.
"Ah!" The kids screamed and ducked under the table.
The ranger shook his head, processing what just happened. He bent down and looked under the table, relieved to see they were just startled not harmed. "Sorry."
"Watch it!" Ciecro snapped.
The ranger groaned a little as he looked down at the floor embarrassed, till a gasp from Jaron got both his and Ciecro's attention.
The ranger followed Jaron's gaze to his left hand. "Oh no!" He let go of the metal stick, broken off from the piece still on the table.
It struck the floor with a metallic clank as they all stared at it in disappointment.
Jaron crawled over to it and began spraying it with Water Gun while the ranger cupped his head in his hands.
"I can't do this," he moaned, then shrieked at hearing a door slam open.
"Woah!" Seliph exclaimed, holding out his arms at the terrified three. "It's just me."
They all sighed in relief as Seliph walked over. "So how is it-…oh."
"I'm sorry." The ranger pulled up a chair and sat firmly down on it, causing it to creak from the strain. "I just…ugh." He pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed, wearily.
Seliph looked at the door that led to the front room, worried. He sighed, walking over to their large, spherical, stone oven, and opened its front door carefully. He took the nearby tongs and lifted out a rock cup, and held it out. "Put them in and be careful."
"But that was our last one," Jaron exclaimed, looking at the pieces with defeat.
"Then well. Try and stack them so their broken parts are aligned like it was before. That way, they can meld back into one piece."
"Are you sure it'll work?" Jaron asked with worry.
Seliph sighed and said, with a tone of encouragement. "Tetheron asked us to make that key, so let's make the key.."
Jaron nodded, dropping them as instructed.
"Ciecro, heat it up again," Seliph commanded as he set slowly put the stone cup back into the stove and gently shut the hatch. "Hopefully, we can get another go."
"Okay." Ciecro got on his belly and crawled over to the stove, making sure his head was resting on the rock built underneath it. He blew a small but steady Dragon Breath at an emura resting at the base of the oven that began to glow brightly.
Seeing, Ciecro had it covered, Seliph walked over to the ranger.
"Kid. I-"
"It's okay," Seliph assured the ranger, patting the him on the leg with an optimistic smile. "I'm scared too."
The ranger looked at the side, guilt written all over his face. Eventually, he looked back at Seliph, but the boy had started watching Ciecro work on the emura to heat up the oven. He's a pretty tough kid. Taking all this in and still calling the shots like an adult. While I'm here just-
"You got a name, sir?"
"Hrm?" The ranger's ears perked up at Seliph's question. "Huh? Oh yeah. It's Roweilo."
Seliph nodded and gave a warm smile. "That's a pretty cool-sounding name."
"Yeah!" Jaron chimed in. "It sounds really cool."
Roweilo blushed a little, chuckling softly. "Thanks. I always felt it was weird."
"Pshht, that's nothing." Jaron walked over and pointed at Ciecro, saying, "I mean, his name is Ciecro."
"Whatcha tryin' tah say, punk," Ciecro snapped, pulling his head back from the stove and glaring at Jaron.
"Jaron, don't distract him," Seliph said, calmly but with a "no-nonsense" stare.
The ranger chuckled. Pretty sweet kids. His eyes lowered, staring at the plank floor as his mind went into thought. Time seemed to move slowly as he imagined odd shapes in the wood. Suddenly, something caught his interest. A certain shape that lay near the end of the plank. It looked oddly similar to that key everyone in this family was making a big fuss about. Heh, imagine that…Imagine…that? He looked at the kids and then back at the wood. If he needs a key exactly like this, then what if- He glanced at the table, focusing on the metal key rested on its wooden surface. He reached out towards the key and placed it down on the floor.
His eyes lit up. "I've got it!" he exclaimed with joy, though the kids got startled by his sudden outburst. He weakly laughed and apologized.
"It's…fine," Seliph said, recomposing himself. "What did you figure out?"
"No time to explain." The ranger rushed the stove and picked up the pliers, handing them to Seliph. "Just be ready to take it out."
"Okay?"
Once Seliph took the pliers, the ranger knelt down and tapped Ciecro's back.
"Wha?" the Charmander looked up at him annoyed, then surprised at seeing the ranger's invigorated smile.
"Can you heat this up enough to melt the rod?"
Ciecro raised a brow. "Why would yah-"
"Yes or no," the ranger interrupted, trying to be patient but also anxious to hurry.
"Well, maybe. Only mom's eveh melted metal stuff in dah oven. I dunno if I-"
"Can you try?"
Ciecro's confused face looked down, growing serious. He returned eye contact with the ranger and nodded. Not waiting for the ranger's reply, he laid back down and started blowing Dragon Rage back on the emura, though not as held back.
"Good. You."
Jaron about jumped out of his skin at the ranger pointing at him.
"Get ready to spray the metal. Don't spray too hard since it'll be in a liquid state."
Jaron rapidly nodded.
Not waiting for anything else, the Chesnaught scooted the table to the side and got on his knees. "Stand back," he ordered as he placed his hands on the ground. He grunted as brown light flowed from his arms into the wooden planks below them before they began being split apart by sharp rocks coming from below. The ranger scooted back, keeping his hands stretched out towards the small mountain rising from the floor and starting to flatten at its top, like a plateau.
"Hey! What are-" Jaron started, but Seliph placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Let finish."
The ranger got to his feet and walked up to the block of rock he grew from the floor. "Key." He held out his hand to the boys. Seliph instantly rushed to get the key and handed it to him. The ranger instantly placed it on top of the block, adjusting it so it was as central as he could get it.
"Alright, here goes nothing." He placed his hands on the stone and grunted as the brown light surged once more. The impromptu block of Stone Edge remained still, though the key on top of it began to sink. He could feel it grow deeper and deeper till it was about halfway through the rock. "Okay, that should do it. I think this will work." The ranger dusted his hands and picked up the Stone Edge rock by the base. He pulled it up from the ground, turned it upside down, and began shaking it furiously till the key fell out from the hole. He gently set the Stone Edge mold on the table and smiled at a job well done.
"It's ready. Just needs the metal." He turned over to look at Ciecro, who was still blowing Dragon Rage at the base.
He walked over and knelt down, placing a hand on the boy's back. "Give it all you've got."
Ciecro grunted as he took a deep breath and fired Dragon Rage at the base, trying his best to maintain it.
Roweilo pressed his fists together as the brown energy swirled around them, materializing into dirt and then rocks. Once his Rock Tomb gloves were complete, he looked at Seliph and stated with a nod, "Seliph, get ready to pull it."
The boy nodded and stood by waiting as the ranger grabbed the rock hatch.
He quickly undid the latch and pulled it open, burning his hand a little in the process. It didn't help that the heatwave from inside was very hot, prompting him to step back. Once far back enough, he looked at the inside. The rock cup inside rested in the rock holster with a yellow beam of light traveling into its base.
The ranger held out his hands to Seliph. "Best let me do it. You help with the cooling off."
The Frogadier nodded and handed them over.
The ranger took a deep breath and slowly approached the oven, trying to keep his eyes on the cup despite the heat hitting his face. Eventually, he managed to get it right on its sides and clamped, instantly turning his face away and closing his eyes once he was sure he had it. He walked back slowly, pulling the hot cup from the oven, and looked for the spot.
"Clear," he exclaimed as he walked it over to the mold. His head began to sweat, not just from the heat but from the thought of missing the mold. His hands began to shake as his heart beat faster.
"Hey."
He looked down at Ciecro, who had his hand on the ranger's thigh, panting heavily. "If I can get dah oven hot enough, den yah can pour it in."
His eyes widened as his mouth curled into a smile. Looking back at the cup and tensing up, the ranger lowered the cup till it was touching the surface. Nice and slow, He repeated in his mind as he slid it a little from the hole and began to tilt. He squeaked a little as it poured down, landing in the hole with a few little droplets touching the surface.
Okay, don't rush, just nice and slow. He twisted his hands carefully and after what felt like an eternity, emptied the last bits of the melted metal into the mold.
He stared at it in disbelief, panting heavily and sweating a river. I did it. It's in. He about jumped for joy if Seliph hadn't rushed over and clamped over his hands, making sure the cup didn't fall out of the pliers.
"Careful!"
"Oh, right, sorry." The ranger moved it back to the stove.
"Alright, Jaron let's get to cooling it off."
As the ranger tossed the cup in there and shut the door with the pliers, he heard a gasp behind him.
"Jaron? Jaron!" Seliph shouted.
The ranger spun around to see Seliph kneeling by his little brother, who was shaking with his eyes wide with horror.
"What's wrong? Say something!"
Jaron didn't answer, just stared off in the direction of some wall. Suddenly, he screamed and dove into the edlest's chest, crying and pointing like some hideous abomination had morphed through the wall.
"Jaron?"
"S-s-something…scary," he stuttered.
The ranger didn't have a clue what the child meant but noticed that Seliph and Ciecro did. He watched in perplexed silence as Seliph helped Jaron to his feet and shoved him towards Ciecro, who caught the Totodile expectantly.
"Take Jaron to mom's room."
"Got it!" Ciecro shouted, dragging the mess of a Totodile towards the door.
Roweilo was at a loss for words till Seliph grabbed the key from the table, prompting the Chesnaught to say something. "Hey! What are-"
Ignoring him, Seliph tossed the key to Ciecro. "Catch!"
The Charmander caught it with his free hand and quickly pulled Jaron out of the room.
"Hold on, don't we need to make sure it's righ-" Seliph looked at the ranger with a serious glare that froze him to his core.
Without a word, Seliph climbed up the table and stood above the rock. He formed a triangle with his hands and took a deep breath. A blue ring formed in the center of the hole made by his fingers.
"Okay, it shouldn't take me long to-"
A loud slam from the back door interrupted the Frogadier. They both looked towards the other side of the room as the sound of banging or hacking on wood continued. Seliph gasped, as his eyes widened upon realizing what was going on.
They're coming in! Roweilo rushed to the end of the room and peered around the corner. He spotted the door being pounded on. He glanced back at Seliph, saying, "I'll handle this, just cool it off."
Not waiting for confirmation, the ranger dashed into the back hallway and stared down the door. The lock held strong, but the wood around it was starting to splinter with every hit.
"Okay, I just got to seal this." He dove onto his hands and knees.
Crash!
His eyes shot to the right and widened with fear at seeing a hand sticking through the window, a mere five feet away. The adrenaline rushed into his brain as he heard Seliph's frightened scream. The slamming on the door in front grew louder and he could even hear the sound of his heart thumping.
Almost without thinking, he shouted and pushed on the floorboards, green light appearing at the base where his hands touched the floor.
The slamming on the door was soon replaced by a confused yelp followed by scuffling. The hand reaching through the window started to twitch as it lurched into the sharp parts of the glass hole it made. A bloodcurdling scream came from the arm's owner as it violently tugged on its arm till it was freed from the glass.
"What did you do?" Seliph asked from the other room.
"Don't talk, just hurry!" Roweilo shouted as sweat started to dampen the fur on his forehead. He grit his teeth as he felt a strain on his body like a massive Wailord was resting on his back. Come on, just hold it. It's just any other Frenzy Plant you've ever made in your life, just bigger, ooof. He slipped on his knee, his muscles crying for him to stop.
He began taking slow breaths as he shouted over to Seliph, not bothering to even try glancing in the boy's direction. "Hurry! I can't keep this up!"
Each second felt like an hour as Roweilo struggled to even support his body with his shaky arms and legs. The fur on his face was damp from his sweat, forcing him to close his eyes when it risked touching his eyes. Come on, just…get your mind on something.
He chuckled in his head at the thought of the arm in the window. Bet they weren't expecting a Frenzy Plant like that. Yeah, gotta say I wasn't expecting it either. It might be my biggest one ye- His eyes shot open as his right arm slipped due to the numbing sensation sinking in, like an overworked muscle losing its grip on reality.
Fortunately for Roweilo, the side of his shell managed to break the fall before his head hit the floor. What? He looked down at his right hand, laying there exhausted.
The sound of creaking resounded from beyond the door. Oh no! He could almost see the mighty Frenzy Plants he had praised earlier shrinking, giving way to his weakness for their adversaries to assault the house once more. He could hear clawing again, while not upon the door didn't sound too far from it.
With a heavy grunt, he heaved himself back up with his right fist taking its spot once more. He turned his head and shouted as loud as he could muster, "Are you almost done‽"
"Almost, just got to check if it's cool enough." Five seconds later, the boy shouted with glee, "It's ready!"
The good news brought a weak smile to the Chesnaught's face, only for it to be taken away when something caught his attention. Underneath the door, pockets of light started to show, not light from the dusk but from electricity. He could see the sparks of some of the stragglers fly from under the door only to vanish in an instant.
His heart thumped faster. "Seliph! Come here and bring the key!"
Looking under the door again, the Chesnaught took a deep breath and eased up on the move. I hope their door is well made. He grunted as he leaned back, falling onto his bum as he began to pant heavily and slowly. His muscles instantly felt better, as if they were soaking in a nice hot spring being pampered by the softest of touches.
"Sir?" Seliph walked over, eyeing the poor ranger over. "What happen-"
Instantly, a loud thump hit the door.
The two pulled back as the latch on the door creaked once more under a strong strain.
"Quick, move!" The ranger didn't wait for Seliph to comply. Instead, he moved the boy to the side as he opened his palm and instinctually tried to fire a move at the window. Unfortunately, all he met was a sharp pain due to his Frenzy Plant's aftereffects. He grunted and held his side as Seliph rushed to his aid.
"Are you alright?"
Before he could answer, a loud crash happened as shattered glass flew into the room next to them. The sound of screeching resounded their ears, but strangely no mon entered.
Gently pushing Seliph behind him, the ranger leaned over to view the window. Some smallish mon was clawing at the window stone frame. The Weavile, pulled on it and sliced it with its left claw, but to no avail.
Roweilo pulled back, hoping the mon didn't spot him, finally turning to Seliph. Without a word, he held out his hand for the key as well as raised a finger to his lips.
Seliph nodded and relinquished the key to the ranger, who clenched it tightly into his grip.
"What are you going to do?" Seliph whispered, his eyes struggling to hide his fear and uncertainty.
Roweilo stared into those unsure eyes. He'd praised this boy's bravery before, called it stronger than his own. A scowl formed as he felt his determination rise. He leaned down and whispered, "Stay in this house till those reinforcements get here. I'll draw them out."
Seliph stared at him in shocked silence.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm kinda big after all." He cringed in his head at how stupid that sounded, but to his relief, Seliph seemed calmed a little by his confidence, as fake as it was. Roweilo kept staring into the boy's eyes as thoughts emerged in his mind, the prospect of if he could survive this. Would survive this.
He turned around. Time felt slow and space felt hazy. He could almost hear his heartbeat as he stared down the door where death awaited him. His fists tightened around the key as he pressed them together. His body fought against his wishes, begging him to run or hide, but he remained still.
Shutting his eyes, he praying that he wasn't still suffering from recharge recoil. A heavy sigh followed upon feeling his hands strain like they were pushing something. He looked down and sure enough, they were beginning to be covered by a glowing, green light.
"Wait."
He turned towards the boy. "What? Get somewhere safe and hi-"
Seliph didn't wait to listen, but instead walked in front of him and pulled one of the Chesnaught's big palms down. He held up his hand, which had a black orb sitting in the middle.
The ranger raised a brow, then his eyes shot open. "Oh, is this a dark orb?"
Seliph nodded, though he looked to the side, like a scared Growlithe puppy. "I nabbed one while you were contacting help. Just in case that bitch tries that stupid mind stuff."
"Good thinking. Put it in my belt, will yah?"
The boy nodded and rushed to Roweilo's back.
Roweilo looked back at the door, all the terror returning as the sounds of beating on the door finally grabbed back his attention. He pushed his fists together again, surging synergy through them as a bright green light.
He could feel a tug for a second from Seliph, then heard the boy say, "Back right one."
Roweilo nodded. His brow began to sweat again as his legs felt heavy, however, he couldn't stop now. Be brave for him. You're a ranger, it's your job. His eyes narrowed fiercely, contradicting the fear and shakiness he felt inside. It's not hard. Just a simple door bash and dash.
After a deep breath, he grew a Spiky Shield from his hands, the green circle rising in size till it stopped just short of the side of the door. While he couldn't exactly make it out, he could feel the synergy build into a thick spike at the front. He relaxed his fists slightly, prompting the spike in front to halt its growth.
He could hear the door nearing its limit as he looked at the side and nodded to Seliph, who immediately sprinted away. The shriek from the mon in the next room sent all his nerves on edge. Now or now! He squatted as his leg muscles tensed up. One…two…three! He charged at the door, surging his synergy into the spike as he rammed the door.
The brutish strength was more than the poor latch could take. He tore the door from its metal hinges running into the clearing as the screaming from the other side of the large wooden rectangle filled his ears.
Instantly, his mind panicked. His nerve decayed in an instant. He planted his legs down and shoved forwards, releasing the move. The door and whatever foe had the unluckiness to be on the other side fell onto the grass in front.
He froze, staring down at the door and whatever mon had black fingers on yellow hands. The shock would have kept him there like a statue had his ears not picked up on the sound of feet running on grass. His mind turned to the defense as he spun around, just in time to see a Weavile leap at him.
With a squeal, Roweilo swatted at the vicious mon, sending it tumbling to the left. Arceus! Arceus! Arceus! Oof! He felt a force strike his back shell, which thankfully was sturdy enough to prevent whatever the attack was from hurting him. As he was about to turn around to see, he spotted the open rectangular hole where the door once was. Finally, it clicked. Run you idiot!
He broke off in a mad dash to the right, shoving away the nearest mon. He about tripped over as he turned around and screamed like a little girl. The sounds of the attackers only invigorated his legs to carry his big body faster around the bend.
Don't look back! He ordered himself. He clenched on the key harder, to the point his hand's nerves protested. However, he refused to lighten up, hoping whatever that Blaziken's plan was would work if he could deliver it safely.
