Orre kinda stunk.
Perhaps he was being too harsh or critical, but Ash Ketchum knew well enough that his experience thus far in Orre wasn't healthy for a number of reasons.
Ignoring for a moment the hostile, oppressive heat of Orre's primary desert, things just weren't great here. Anywhere east of Agate was stricken with poverty and sub-par living conditions, and the lack of wild Pokémon really made it difficult – if not impossible – to escape that economic mire.
This was exacerbated by the two – yes, two – crime syndicates that had Orre by the figurative throat. Snagem was little more than a gang, as far as he could tell, and seemed to be content with petty crime and theft of Pokémon. More of a nuisance than an actual threat, if he was being honest. Ash counted himself lucky that their only meaningful run-in with the Team Rocket rip-off was Vant at Outskirt Stand. That altercation was little more than training practice for Sora and Serena, and was mostly fruitful in the latter snagging Toxel.
Ash growled, pointing forward at the approaching dark shapes. "Pikachu, Thunder!"
"CHUUU!"
Cipher, on the other hand, was ruthless in a way he'd never seen in all of his years.
Though Rocket had aspirations of world domination thanks to Giovanni, they never really went anywhere and most of their grunts were laughably incompetent. Persistent, sure – as Jessie, James, and Meowth proved on the regular – but there was always something holding them back. Whether that was some sort of unspoken moral code or their own inadequacies, Ash could never tell, but Rocket wasn't much of a real threat, outside of a few events that were also quashed before they could really take off. Ironic that a team named Rocket could never get any of their projects off the ground in a meaningful way.
Magma and Aqua were more extremist, sure, but the fact that they were always at each other's throats softened the danger each posed individually. It wasn't until they managed to rile up Kyogre and Groudon that they became true threats, but that was short-lived and, once again, the squabbling between the two opposing groups meant that much of the hostility never went too far.
Galactic, Plasma, and Flare were probably the most dangerous of the bunch, but each of them never really took that final step and crossed the line that Cipher was clearly more than willing to cross.
"Ash, watch out!"
Cipher, Ash realized as he ducked down to evade a shadowy claw, was willing to do whatever it took to achieve their evil goals. It was an unspoken code of honor between, well, everyone that when it came to conflict between two opposing parties that the Pokémon were the ones meant to resolve them if things ever escalated to violence. Battling was in their blood, and they tended to heal quickly from otherwise devastating injuries. Humans were, comparatively, squishy things that wouldn't survive prolonged Pokémon attacks. Attacking trainers directly was the kind of escalation that led to both sides suffering heavy losses.
Even the criminal organizations, by and large and with few notable exceptions, and if nothing else than for simple self-preservation, held to this code.
Cipher didn't.
Whatever dark and eldritch deal they made to employ the Heartless in their machinations was proof enough of that.
"What are these things?!" Eagun cried out. His Pikachu dutifully smacked away a smaller Heartless with an Iron Tail. "There have to be hundreds of them!"
Based on the sounds of battle echoing through the rest of Agate, that estimate wasn't far off. This wasn't a localized scuffle like Pyrite, or the small skirmishes they'd had in between. This was a full, coordinated attack. Unfortunately, since everyone decided to run their own errands today, their group was mostly split up. He'd been visiting Eagun and Beluh when the attack began, and now the two men were stuck defending the hovel for fear of any of the attackers reaching Beluh, who had no Pokémon of her own and was thus hiding inside.
With a grunt, Ash lashed out with a kick to ward away another Heartless that was getting far too close for comfort. The attack, naturally, did no damage to the dark creature, but it did push it back enough for his own Pikachu to finish it off with a bolt of lightning. "They're not Pokémon! There's no time to explain, but they're not Pokémon, they're shadow creatures! They will attack you!"
"Shadow creatures?" Eagun chatoted.
"They already attacked Pyrite!" Ash tried to explain. He released the rest of his team onto the field in a burst of light. As soon as they manifested, their eyes sharpened as each and every one of them recognized the threat for what it was. Without a word, they charged forth for the counterattack.
Gabite, fangs bared, barrelled straight into a trio of Soldier Heartless, and the sound of rough skin scraping across shadowy metal sent shivers down Ash's spine. Metagross, naturally bulkier than his previous form, simply stomped into a small swarm of Shadow Heartless and began swinging his massive limbs around with a series of Meteor Mashes, the colossal claws flinging and crushing Heartless wholesale. Charizard, on the hand, took to the skies and engaged some Heartless that looked like dark, sinewy Glalies. Ash struggled to remember what they were called until he saw them moving erratically like bouncing pinballs to evade and attack his Pokémon – these were Darkballs. Corphish, unlike his larger companions, dutifully stood next to Pikachu as the duo defended their trainer.
Once again, Ash felt helpless, his amateur punches and kicks doing little to fend off the threat. He glanced over to the side at Eagun, horrified at the realization that the old man was even more defenseless than he was.
"HYAH!"
A Shadow Heartless careened away in a burst of blue light, and Ash could only stare, gobsmacked.
…Okay, maybe not so helpless.
Eagun was standing back-to-back with a Lucario who looked just as old and wizened as the village elder. Both had their fists raised and their feet spread evenly in a balanced stance, and their eyes scanned for any oncoming danger. The Lucario formed a Bone Rush staff and swatted away any enemies that came too close. Eagun's fist lashed out to pulverize a lunging Heartless, and only afterwards as Ash observed the faint blue glow on the elder's hands did he realize just what he was witnessing.
"That's Aura!" Ash blurted, unable to help himself. "You're an Aura Guardian!"
Eagun chose not to reply, instead launching an Aura Sphere at a Darkball, popping it into dark, shadowy wisps. Even Charizard, who'd been ready to torch the thing with a Flamethrower, was caught off guard by the interruption.
He flashed a smirk at Ash. "This old Growlithe still knows a few tricks! Keep up, youngster!"
Part of Ash was thrilled at the prospect of fighting alongside an Aura Guardian, and that same part openly gawked in awe as Eagun dashed off with enhanced speed to engage with the Heartless, using strikes and attacks that took clear inspiration from the Lucario fighting beside him.
He noted with amusement that the thick robe was not slowing Eagun down at all. If anything, it was helping to conceal his movements. The Heartless didn't know what was coming until it was too late.
The other part of Ash, he realized as they continued to fight off waves of shadowy enemies, was concerned that not only was he alone and isolated from the others, but that they were likely fighting off Heartless of their own. He knew each of them were capable trainers and their Pokémon would do their best to protect them, but he couldn't help but worry.
Sora and Brock would have been at the Relic Stone right about now, looking into and researching the symbols found on the artifact. Those two he was the least concerned about. Fighting the Heartless was Sora's specialty, and Brock was no slouch when it came to his team. Toxicroak and Blissey alone were capable of defending the Pokémon doctor and, if push came to shove, Steelix would be more than enough to shield his trainer from any attacks.
Bonnie and Serena would be near the Pokémon center practicing their routines, and Ash's heart sank at the implication. If they'd been caught outside during the attack, their Pokémon would already be at least winded from continuous practice. Worse still, as much as Ash hated to admit it, both girls were performers and coordinators first and battlers second. Yes, their teams could throw down and hold their own in a fight, but they weren't seasoned battlers like Ash's team. Battle teams were used to fighting prolonged battles while coordinator teams were more accustomed to using intense bursts of energy for their performances and theatrics.
While he was worried about Bonnie, obviously, given that her safety was his responsibility, he knew that Serena would gladly put herself in harm's way to protect the other girl. His heart ached with raw worry and concern at the fact that Serena was in danger, and that he wasn't there to protect her.
He knew, on some level, that he'd begun to look at his friend in a new light ever since they started this adventure in Orre. She'd matured beautifully into an amazing woman he was genuinely proud of, and he paled at the thought of her being yanked away from him just as he came to terms with that. He wanted nothing more than to bulldoze his way through the waves of darkness and find her. Alas, he and Eagun needed to protect Beluh. He had to trust in his friends.
"Hyah!" Eagun punctuated the end of a flurry of blows with a yell, dispatching another cluster of Heartless. He shook his hands and let out a breath. "Haven't done this in years. We can't keep this up… there's no end to them!"
The door behind them hissed and slid open, and out emerged Beluh, brandishing a broom.
"Beluh!" Eagun gasped, backhanding a Heartless before frowning at his wife. "Get back inside! It's not safe!"
"It's not safe anywhere, Eagun!" Beluh bit back, swatting a Shadow that ventured too close. Pikachu – Ash's, that is – took up a position next to the woman and finished off her aggressor with an Iron Tail. "We need to regroup with others instead of holing up here on our own. The Pokémon center isn't far."
Eagun opened his mouth to argue, but after a moment's consideration, nodded in agreement. "Fine. You stay right beside me, okay?"
"Do you take me for a fool, dear?"
"...Point taken."
Beluh smirked before giving Ash a warm smile. "Ash, would you be a dear and clear a path for us? I suspect my husband will be too busy being glued to my side to do so himself."
Ash needed no convincing. He brought his fingers to his lips and blew out an air-piercing whistle. Though they kept fighting, he could tell his team's attention was on him. "We're going to the Pokémon center! Charizard and Gabite, take point! Pikachu, Corphish, watch our sides! Metagross, keep our backs safe!"
Eagun made eye contact with his own Pokémon. "Lucario, my old friend, please help Metagross. Pikachu, please assist Corphish."
A chorus of agreements was the answer from Ash's Pokémon, while Lucario and Pikachu answered only with a resolute nod. In seconds, the Pokémon arranged themselves in a diamond-shaped defensive formation and began to push through the waves of shadow and darkness. Ash spotted the red roof of the Pokémon center in the distance, and his fists clenched with worry and anticipation.
"Hold on, Serena. I'm on my way."
Serena found it very concerning that she was getting used to the sensation of fighting for her life.
"Pancham, Stone Edge!" She shouted, pointing with her Magus Staff at a nearby bridge. The Agate Pokémon center was conveniently located at the center of town, with multiple access points from the east and west that made travel to and from the medical hub easy. Unfortunately, that same fact made fighting a defensive battle much more difficult. Multiple access points meant that there were multiple angles from which the Heartless were approaching. "Block them off!"
"Pan…CHAM!"
Her little performer stopped blasting Dark Pulses and leapt off of one of the ivory tree roots, slamming down with a mighty stomp and causing large stones to erupt from the ground; when the dust cleared, the stones pointed over the bridge like a spiked barricade. The closest Heartless were thrown back from the force of the stones' creation, while the larger ones were halted altogether.
"Ooh, that's a great idea, Serena!" Bonnie cheered. She turned to the western bridge and pointed. "Tyrunt, funnel them in with Ancient Power!"
Tyrunt roared with primal fury, and several large stones manifested in mid-air. A moment later, the Royal Heir Pokémon slapped them with his tail, sending them into the air in an arc before they crashed down next to the west bridge, narrowing the space through which the Heartless on that side could enter.
Serena wiped her brow of sweat as Pancham and Tyrunt moved in to protect the chokepoint. She cursed herself for exerting and exhausting everyone before the attack. There was no way of knowing this was going to happen, obviously, but the timing was less than fortuitous. Now her Pokémon were desperately defending with little remaining in the metaphorical tank.
That wasn't to say that her team (or Bonnie's, for that matter) was going down without a fight.
Delphox took the lead on ranged attacks, conjuring gout after gout of mystical flame as she torched entire swathes of Heartless. Toxel, Sylveon, and Bonnie's shiny Phantump followed her cue with ranged attacks of their own, peppering any Heartless that missed the first fiery salvo. Dedenne was bounding to and fro, using his greater mobility and smaller stature to his advantage as he zipped around and covered any holes in their defense. More than a few Heartless were caught off guard by the diminutive threat, and sizzled and popped into shadowy smoke from surprise Thunder Shocks.
Serena glanced back at the Pokémon center. While Agate was apparently known for being a retirement venue for veteran trainers, it was clear that no one who lived here was ready for the Heartless. To their credit, the veteran trainers handily dispatched most of the Cipher goons (who wore the strangest equipment… seriously, how did they see out of those helmets?) in one-on-one Pokémon battles, but as the Heartless themselves got involved, many of the other trainers had to retreat to the Pokémon center or risk further injury.
Hopefully no one died before they could get to safety.
Now it was just her and Bonnie left to defend the Pokémon center, though a few brave Pokémon from inside had joined the fray when their trainers weren't in any shape to contribute themselves. Notably, there was a Galarian Farfetch'd, a Stoutland, and a Klefki fighting alongside them, but Serena wasn't going to start issuing orders to Pokémon that were not her own. She couldn't assume they'd follow her commands like that, even if this was a life-or-death situation.
"Delphox, Mystical Fire right down the middle!" Serena commanded, noticing a particularly large armored Heartless stomping down the bridge. It wielded a strange, monster-faced shield that snarled and snapped as it grew closer and closer. "If that one gets past, we're in trouble!"
Her ace took a deep breath, pointed her wand, and unleashed a torrent of magical fire, threading the flame between the Ancient Power barricades. The Heartless raised its shield, and the plume of fire impacted the shield with a muted thud. The smaller Shadows who were unfortunate to find themselves nearby were caught in the blast as the fire splayed out the sides, and either dissipated into smoke or went sailing off the bridge into the waters below. When Delphox had to stop to catch her breath, the fire trickled off.
…and the shield bearing Heartless simply shifted its stance before marching forward again.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Bonnie cried out. "It's still standing?!"
"That shield's in the way." Serena said, even as she backpedaled away from an encroaching Soldier Heartless. Toxel tackled it to the ground and spat Acid in its face. "If it gets past your bottleneck, they're gonna swarm the area!"
"Let's try some electricity instead, then!" Bonnie declared, pointing at the Heartless. "Dedenne, Thunder Shock!"
"DENN!" The Electric-type squeaked, loosing a bolt of lightning.
The Heartless stopped and raised its shield again, intercepting the bolt. Much to Serena's surprise and Bonnie's outrage, the shock did not travel past the shield. Once the attack stopped, it resumed its march. It was getting closer and closer to the end of the bridge.
"Wait, I remember these things!" Bonnie exclaimed, and Serena kicked herself for not studying Sora's Heartless compendium more closely. "These are Defenders! Their shields block just about anything, but if we can hit behind them, we can take it down."
"How exactly are we supposed to do that?" Serena wondered aloud. "It's facing us and we can't get past the barrier safely!"
"Fetch'd!"
Standing just behind the stoney wall was the Galarian Farfetch'd, who brandished his leek and gave a thumbs up. He vaulted over the wall and, joined by the Stoutland, started a counteroffensive.
"What are they doing?" Bonnie asked with worry. "They're gonna get hurt!"
While the Stoutland was ripping through the smaller Shadow Heartless, the Farfetch'd made a beeline for the Defender. The approach had not gone unnoticed, and before she knew it, the sounds of weaponized leek smacking shield filled the air with surprising intensity. The Farfetch'd kept up the offensive, wielding its leek like a sword as it tried to get past the Defender's… well, defense. Serena was about to agree with Bonnie when she noticed something.
The Farfetch'd was slowly turning the Defender around.
"Wait, no! He's helping!" Serena pointed out. Gripping her Magus Staff with anticipation, she made eye contact with Delphox. "We're only going to get one shot at this. Ready?"
"Del." Her ace nodded.
"Denne!"
"Runt!"
Sidling up next to her were Dedenne and Tyrunt, who looked ready to unleash attacks of their own. Serena furrowed her brow and pointed her staff forward with a flourish. "Alright, then! Get ready…"
The Farfetch'd side-stepped a lunge, the Heartless' shield snapping its jaws futilely with an audible *CRACK!*.
"...Almost there…"
The noble fighting type smacked the shield away once more and shifted to the side. The Heartless rotated a little more.
"Now?" Bonnie asked impatiently.
"No, not yet. We need a clear shot at its back." She explained, staff still pointed forward like a conductor's baton. "If we don't take it out in one shot, it's not going to give us another chance. Steady…"
The Heartless slipped past the Farfetch'd's guard and threw it back, the Fighting-type crying out in pain as it hit the other end of the bridge.
"NOW! FIRE!"
And then something strange happened.
*FWOOSH!*
A ball of fire shot forth from her Magus Staff, striking the Defender's exposed back and staggering it forward. To everyone else's credit, they followed suit with Magical Fire, Ancient Power, and Thunder Shock. The Klefki even threw in a Flash Cannon for good measure. Already caught off-balance by the first orb of fire, the following attacks quickly dispatched it and it poofed into smoke. The Stoutland, noting its injured comrade, rushed to the other end of the bridge and retrieved the Farfetch'd before retreating to safety.
"SERENA!" Bonnie exclaimed, staring slack-jawed. She quickly recovered and started bouncing up and down in excitement. "That was magic! So cool!"
"I…" Serena stammered, looking down at the staff in her hands. Her face split into a grin. "I did! I used magic!"
*CRASH!*
Serena ducked instinctively as shards of stone pelted her back, quite painfully she would add. From a dust cloud where Pancham's stoney barricade once was emerged two more Defenders and a litany of other Heartless, of various shapes and sizes.
She gulped and pointed her staff forward, and she could feel the weapon pulling at her, ready to answer her call once again. She felt a rush of power at the realization that she was, by technicality, a magician now.
She took aim at the smaller Heartless, knowing good and well that the Defenders would shrug off her attacks at this angle. It was a good thing she figured this out now, because they were going to need all the help they could get. She hoped and prayed to Arceus that she'd survive long enough to really explore just what she was capable of. For now, she'd use what magic she knew she could cast.
Her eyes narrowed as a Soldier Heartless slipped past the Pokémon and staggered her way. She shuffled Bonnie behind her, aimed her staff at it, and took a deep breath.
"Fire!"
She felt a surge of energy flow from her core – which was an interesting sensation she couldn't quite put into words – through her arm, and out the staff as another fireball shot forward. The Shadow Heartless she'd aimed at was thrown back by the force of the spell, collapsing backward and fading into smoke.
She repeated it again, three times, as more and more Heartless kept coming. Three times she felt her energy feeding into the spell, and three times she summoned fire in a way that should have been impossible.
"Watch out!" Bonnie screamed.
Serena felt something slam into her back, and she went tumbling forward with all the grace of a sack of doorknobs. She counted herself lucky that she managed to keep a firm grip on her staff. She crawled to her feet just in time to see Toxel on top of the head of a Defender – possibly the one that just hit her – as he poured Acid in a fit of vengeance. The Heartless tried to shake the little Pokémon off, but he kept a firm grip.
Pancham came crashing in, slamming into the Defender's exposed side with repeated Arm Thrusts, staggering it over and over again. His face was contorted in protective rage.
"Phantump, Leech Seed!" Bonnie ordered, and a volley of large seeds flew in, smacking right into the Defender and the surrounding Heartless. The seeds quickly sprouted vines that wrapped around the dark creatures, in many cases entangling their limbs and tripping them over.
Serena aimed her staff again, unwilling to sit back while her friends fought on her behalf. "FIRE!"
This time, the orb of fire slammed right into the Defender's face. Fortunately, Toxel was long gone by now, having jumped off at some point to attack another Heartless, so there was no risk of friendly fire.
"PIKACHU, THUNDER!"
Serena's eyes widened, and an instant later a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, striking the Defender head-on (literally) and instantly dispatching it. Charizard and Gabite ran in, bulldozing their way through the crowd of darkness with fang and claw. A Lucario dashed in, twirling its Bone Rush staff with the learned hand of an experienced martial artist, twirling and spinning in a whirlwind of pain for any Heartless bold enough to approach. Ash was right behind them, running into the middle of the area, his eyes frantically searching to and fro. Metagross floated in behind him, its limbs tucked in for flight while Beluh and Eagun's Pikachu rode atop it in relative safety.
Ash's eyes locked onto her, and before she knew it he was at her side.
"Serena, are you okay?"
"Fi…" She winced, feeling a sharp pain in her side. "...I'll be fine."
Ash frowned, but didn't press the issue. He looked around, assessing the battlefield. "They're dwindling. We can do this!"
"Everyone's in the Pokémon center, Ash. We've been doing our best to hold them back, but there was only two of – FIRE!"
The Shadow Heartless that was behind Bonnie crashed into the side of the Pokémon center, its burning form sliding down and crumpling. Serena stood there, staff outstretched and smoking.
Ash blinked. "What."
"Later!" Serena adjusted her aim and fired again, falling to a knee as exhaustion started to take its toll. She hissed in pain as the probably cracked ribs decided to make themselves known. Then she saw Eagun rocket in, fists alight with blue energy as he started to push the Heartless back himself.
Serena blinked this time. "What."
"Later." Ash threw her words back in his face. "Let's worry about surviving this first, okay?"
Serena could only nod dumbly; a second later, she was right back to blasting fireballs at any Heartless she could see. She smirked when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ash staring at her with what was either shock or admiration. She really hoped it was the latter, but the former would have been warranted. She knew she was going to geek out about this later, and then proceed to houndour Sora about magic lessons.
With Ash and Eagun joining the fray, the remaining Heartless stood little chance. Even the Defenders, who'd pushed their way past the barriers, lost their only advantage when surrounded by such overwhelming firepower. Some of the trainers inside even emerged for one last counteroffensive once the tide turned. In just minutes, all that remained were over a dozen panting Pokémon and a handful of equally exhausted trainers.
She had to give credit to Beluh, who refused to shore up inside the center and, instead, opted to aid in the defense with only her broom.
Serena hoped she would have that kind of spunk in her older years.
The rush of adrenaline finally leaving her body, Serena felt her limbs go slack when she tried to make another step. Ash was quick to catch her and support her, throwing an arm around his shoulders.
"You alright?" He asked as everyone caught their breath. "How's your side?"
Serena gingerly pressed two fingers to her ribs. A lance of pain shot through, and she ripped her hand away as if it burned. "I've been better, but I'm alive."
"I don't get it." Bonnie said, and Serena's heart sank when she saw her limping. Her fellow Kalosian must have seen the look on her face, because she waved off her concerns. "Just a sprain, I'll be okay. But why did they attack here?"
"Cipher tried to attack here once before." Eagun said, sauntering up and rubbing at his wrists. "Arceus above, I'm out of shape. No, last time they were here they were after…"
Eagun paled.
"They were after the Relic Stone." He realized, and a jolt ran through those assembled at the implication. "This was a distraction. The Relic Stone! It's in danger!"
Eagun shot off down the nearby slope towards the Relic Forest, and everyone ran (or tried to run) after him. Serena went to follow, only to stumble and almost eat grass again. Ash once again caught her and, much to her delight and agony, picked her up in a princess carry as he sped off after the Agate elder.
Utterly spent, her arm lazily drifted around his neck and shoulders, and her head listed to the side. Her free hand hung limply, still clutching her staff. She wouldn't fall asleep, though. She couldn't.
Not when Sora and Brock were still in danger.
"Move, or you will be moved."
Sora and Brock stood shoulder to shoulder, shielding the Relic Stone as they stared down the strange, tattooed man. The man snapped his fingers, and several dozen Heartless, predominantly Shadows, sprang into existence behind him. Sora snapped his hand out to the side, and the Keyblade responded, flashing into his hand.
"...You must be the one the boss warned us about." The redhead grumbled, and his gaze shifted to Brock – more specifically, the snag machine on his arm. "And you must be the new Snagger in town. You don't look like much. I'll stomp you both anyway. You sure you wanna do this, little boys?"
"I'd rather not." Brock answered. Sora had to give the man credit for his honesty. "But the alternative is letting you do what you want with the Relic Stone, and that's not happening."
"Hah!" The man threw back his head with a guffaw. He cracked his knuckles. "You've got guts, I like you! I am Dakim, Cipher admin and the last face you're ever going to see. Now what do I call you? I like to know the names of those I'm about to crush."
Sora and Brock remained silent, neither really willing to just hand over information like that. If their names ever got back to Cipher, that could have dangerous consequences.
"Bah, whatever." Dakim scoffed, whatever enthusiasm he had now gone. He threw two Pokéballs forward, which exploded in light before revealing a Metang and a round, boulder-looking Pokémon Sora was not familiar with. "Let's get this over with."
"That's a Golem. Rock and Ground type. High defense." Brock provided helpfully, and Sora tried to remember what he could about those typings. Fighting, Grass, Water, and… Ground would work here, if he remembered correctly. So could Steel, he supposed, but the Golem's Ground typing would make that a poor choice.
Rufflet, as a Normal and Flying type, would be at a heavy disadvantage here. Plus, with the army of Heartless waiting in the wings, he suspected his little bird's abilities would be put to better use by helping to hold back the darkness.
"Rufflet and I will worry about the Heartless." Sora said as he called upon his little feathered warrior. "We'll leave Dakim to you."
"Be safe." Brock advised, frowning. "That's a lot of Heartless."
"We got this." Sora grinned, an expression mirrored on Rufflet's face. "You worry about big, red, and ugly over there."
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy crushing you after I'm through with your friend here." Dakim growled, his beady red eyes threatening to burn a hole through Sora's head. He snapped his fingers, and the Heartless surged. "That is, if you survive."
Sora and Rufflet leapt (or flew) into action, the former noting Brock summoning Toxicroak and Blissey for his battle with Dakim. Rufflet, well used to fighting semi-independently when it came to the Heartless, whipped up a Tailwind, and Sora could feel the wind at his back. He smiled, brandishing his Keyblade. In an instant, the silent lull that permeated the Relic Forest exploded with sound as both sides collided.
"Aero!" He cried, conjuring a protective shell of air that spun and whirled around his form. Rufflet's Tailwind, just like before, fed into the miniature tempest and increased its size. Two Soldier Heartless who ventured too close went flying back from the onslaught of wind, and a well-placed Firaga put them out of their misery. Rufflet zoomed in and past his head, slamming into a Darkball with a battlecry and a Peck, pushing the floating ball of darkness up and away. "Nice, buddy!"
"Lett!" His companion screamed, a strange mixture of elation and aggression.
Content to let his starter fly solo for a bit, Sora shot off in the other direction, edging his way around the battle between Brock and Dakim. In a way that was eerily similar to Phenac, Toxicroak was squaring off against Metang while Blissey shot off beams of dazzling pink energy at Golem, who – despite his naturally high defense – seemed to be faltering under the otherworldly energy.
"Earthquake!" Dakim shouted.
Sora slipped, his footing suddenly unstable as the entire forest started to rumble and quake with primordial fury. He glanced over at the Pokémon battle again; the ground under the Golem's feet was cracked from a heavy impact. Toxicroak and Blissey winced in pain, the former looking noticeably more in pain than the latter. Dakim's Metang hovered in the air, unharmed by the attack, before swinging an iron limb and decking Toxicroak with a sucker punch.
Sora scrambled to his feet just in time to avoid a shadowy claw to the midsection. Another command from Dakim, identical to the first, was the only warning before another quake rolled through the area. Sora needed to minimize his contact with the ground, or the Pokémon battle nearby would impact his own ability to fight.
As he jumped and took his side of the battle into the third dimension, the Keybearer spotted a Neoshadow, its taller and more lithe form standing out amongst a sea of regular Shadows. He homed in on it; Neoshadows tended to travel in packs, and a lone one like this needed to be put down before it could rally with its comrades.
The Neoshadow spotted his approach, and slunk down into the shadows. Sora cursed himself for not being fast enough, and he turned his attention back to the Shadows that threatened to overwhelm him now.
"Take this!" Sora bellowed, jumping and turning in the air as he swept a small cluster of Shadows off their feet. Air combos like this were tricky for some, but for Sora mid-air fighting came second nature. It was liberating and empowering to hold mastery of the skies in combat. As he fell back to earth, he spotted the Neoshadow emerging. "There!"
Rufflet came streaking down with a Wing Attack, swooping down and up and lifting the Neoshadow off its feet. Sora let out a cheer before taking advantage of the opportunity his buddy provided.
While Sora considered himself a Pokémon battling novice, he could definitely see (and feel) the appeal of battling. Sure, he felt pride and camaraderie with his other friends when he fought alongside them, but there was something different about fighting alongside Rufflet. Not better or worse, but different; it was something about knowing that he had a hand in Rufflet's growth as a battler, and seeing that come to fruition. He felt proud of his buddy's growth.
That pride shifted to concern and then outright horror when he saw a familiar tower of darkness rise up and loom over Rufflet. He should have made the connection as soon as he saw how many regular Shadows were in this swarm; that was unusual nowadays. Most Heartless attacks were varied more, and not so heavily skewed towards one particular brand of Heartless.
This was a Demon Tower.
The Heartless equivalent of "strength in numbers," Demon Towers were problematic at best. Somehow, by conglomerating into one massive, writing mass of Shadows, Demon Towers were capable of so much damage. Fighting one was dangerous, as most attacks would slough off spare Shadows that would fight independently of the larger horde. Worse still, one could get caught up in their mass, and suddenly what started as a fight would turn into a desperate struggle to escape the tide of darkness.
Memories of friends being swallowed up at the Keyblade Graveyard still haunted his dreams from time to time.
"Rufflet, watch out!" He cried out. "Behind you! Move!"
Rufflet turned around in surprise, letting out a startled squawk at the sight of the Demon Tower. He dropped and dove down in an attempt to escape.
He wasn't fast enough.
"Rufflet!" Sora screamed as he saw his Pokémon get swallowed up. "NO!"
"DAAHAHA!" Dakim cackled nearby. His Metang looked out for the count, having been replaced by a large, blue, humanoid mudskipper. "It's hopeless! Cipher crushes whatever or whoever stands in our way! Swampert, EARTHQUAKE!"
"Both of you, jump! Blissey, Softboiled on Toxicroak!" Brock shouted not a second after.
Hastily jumping back into the air to avoid the tremors, Sora launched himself at the Demon Tower. He couldn't tell how Brock was doing, but right now Rufflet needed him more. He could distantly make out the strangled cries of his starter from within the dark vortex. "Hang in there, buddy! I'm coming! THUNDER!"
A bolt of magical lightning blasted the black tornado, and a section of Shadows fell off the greater mass. A quick fire spell scattered those even further and away from the Pokémon battle below. Sora landed on the branch of a nearby tree for all of a second before springing back up. He swung his Keyblade, only for the Demon Tower to twist out of the way and lash out, smacking him back earthbound. He landed on his back, for an agonizing moment knocking the wind out of him.
"BLIZZARD!" Sora shouted once he could breathe again, aiming his Keyblade at the serpentine void. A hunk of sharp, spiked ice formed on the tip of his blade before rocketing into the Heartless, causing more to flake off. He rolled to his feet and shot forward again, jumping when he heard Dakim call for another Earthquake. He could hear Rufflet's panicked cries growing fainter and fainter. "Just a little longer, Rufflet! Please!"
Shoes hit the dirt again as he came back down. He bent at the knees, ready to launch himself once again when he stopped hearing Rufflet. His eyes widened with horrified realization. He'd never heard of Pokémon dying in battle, but logically it had to be something that happened. Pokémon weren't immortal, and neither was Rufflet.
Another Earthquake brought Sora to a knee as his mind roiled over the loss of his Pokémon. He struggled to his feet, once again, and tried to wade his way towards the entity that robbed him of his friend. He was far past saving Rufflet, but he could definitely avenge him.
Then he felt it.
A familiar tug in the dark recesses of his heart. Guardian of Light he may be, but that did not mean he was free of the darkness itself. Riku was evidence enough of this, having mastered the delicate balance of light and dark. It had been a while since Sora succumbed to the darkness in his Rage form, but now felt justified. He let that subtle tug pull him along, and he could feel himself falling. He looked back up at the Demon Tower as he felt that terrible power begin to awaken…
And then there was light.
Piercing, blinding light broke through the gaps and cracks in the Demon Tower, and the whole vortex spasmed in anguish. Entire layers of Shadow Heartless were sloughing off the vortex, and even Dakim and Brock halted their battle for a moment as they beheld the spectacle. One final burst shattered the whole thing, and Sora watched as a large shape within stopped glowing.
Flapping its crimson wings where the Demon Tower once stood was a large bird that resembled a giant eagle. Its underside was decorated with rich blue feathers, it sported a beautiful white crest, and each of its two yellow feet were decorated with imposing black talons. Its sharp ebon eyes spoke of familiarity, and immediately Sora knew that his Pokémon wasn't dead. Not by a long shot. He knew not what to call him now, but Rufflet was no longer his name. As the Heartless were still recovering from the light of evolution, Sora snuck out his Pokédex and pointed it at his friend.
"Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rufflet. Called "heroes of the sky" by many cultures, Braviary fights tirelessly to protect its friends, even if it is injured."
And suddenly, Sora knew exactly why he and Ruff – no, Braviary got along so well. That kind of brave, loyal, and selfless spirit was something he could relate with on a deeply spiritual level.
As Braviary flew overhead to re-engage the Heartless, Sora readied to join him when a single red feather floated down in front of his face. Normally, he would have blown it off for the sake of the battle ahead, but time seemed to slow down as he beheld the thing. It was clearly a feather from Braviary's new plumage. He reached up and plucked it out of the air.
The instant his fingers made contact with the feather, the night air was awash once again with blinding light. He heard Dakim hiss in what was either pain or annoyance. When the glow faded, Sora noted that his Keyblade, much like his Pokémon, had changed.
His Keyblade looked decidedly avian, he noted first and foremost. The handguard resembled two of Braviary's talons, each claw curving around near the blade before meeting down at the end of the pommel. A line of short blue feathers traced the back edge of the blade, and the key tines were similar to the Keyblade that Riku once wielded, "Way of Dawn," in that they resembled a now-familiar crimson wing. With a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye, Sora knew exactly what this Keyblade was called.
Brave Bird.
Braviary whipped up another Tailwind, and Sora flew into the air with a lightness he hadn't felt since his days in Neverland, right towards the now-reforming Demon Tower. He struck at the tower, relishing in the power of this new Keyblade as it carved through the weakened amalgamation of darkness. As he fell, he turned and kept slashing as gravity gently pulled him earthward. Braviary screeched overhead before crashing in and through the Heartless mob, his body wreathed in blue light. Sora disengaged, flying back and over Brock's battle with Dakim. He noted that the Golem had fallen, as had Toxicroak. Steelix and Blissey faced off against the Swampert and a strange, green, plant-like Pokémon with beady yellow eyes. Unlike the oversized mudskipper, the plant was shrouded in shadows.
"Heads up!" Sora shouted as he flew over their heads. He laughed as Dakim futilely tried to swat him out of the air. "The green one's a Shadow!"
"So, your Cradily's a Shadow, huh?" Brock asked, and Sora could hear the smirk on the doctor's lips. "Good to know. Blissey, finish off Swampert with Dazzling Gleam! Steelix, once he's down, Iron Head!"
With his renewed (and better) control of flight, Sora and Braviary swooped and dove and harried the remaining Heartless, who were utterly helpless from the aerial assault. He didn't even need to look back to see that Brock was winning the bout, which was all the more impressive given that Brock only had three Pokémon to his name, while, assuming Sora's count was correct, Dakim came in with four. Brock's stellar Pokémon care apparently translated very well to Pokémon battling, as it turned out.
He and Braviary landed after dispatching the last Heartless just in time for Brock to throw his Snag ball at the Cradily, who put up very little resistance to being captured. With the final *click* echoing through the forest, all eyes were on Dakim, who could only tremble in red-faced fury. Then, like the flip of a switch, his manic rage turned into something more sadistic as a grin crept onto his face. He crouched and looked ready to jump at them, every muscle poorly concealed under his white tights coiled like a spring. Sora readied his Keyblade, and Braviary fanned out his now-impressive wingspan, both prepared in case this man tried to attack Brock.
Then the Cipher admin jumped.
Away, thankfully.
"You may have won the battle, but you've lost the war!" Dakim shouted, jumping with surprising leg strength up and through the trees, swinging like a monkey as he made a very hasty retreat. "Stronger Pokémon are being made into Shadows every day! You can't stop us!"
Sora scanned their surroundings, ready for another attack. When it never came, his shoulder slumped and he let out a sigh of relief. "That was intense. Braviary, you evolved, buddy! I'm so proud!"
Braviary fanned out his wings, and there was pride in his eyes. He let out a screech of victory that echoed through the forest.
Sora grinned before looking over his Pokémon in his new form. He now stood nearly as tall as Sora, the crest feathers coming up to the Guardian's shoulders. "Guess no more shoulder rides for you, huh?"
Braviary shook his head, though there was the ghost of a smile on his beak.
"Oh, no."
Sora turned around, and he could feel the blood leaving his face. There, in the center of the clearing, was Brock crouched down next to a pile of rubble. What once was a majestic, albeit cryptic, monolith of purity now laid only destruction. Some segments of the larger structure were whole and intact, but much of it had cracked and crumbled. Some pieces were even reduced to mere shards of their former glory.
"Brock, Sora!" Eagun called out as he and the rest of their friends ran out from the tunnel leading into town. Many of the townsfolk trailed behind him, ready for a fight. He slowed and stopped, his expression twisting in horror at the sight of what was once the village's most ancient relic. "What happened…?"
"We fought them off." Sora explained, looking back at the Relic Stone with regret. He motioned towards the rubble with his Keyblade, not caring that he was exposing his secret to an entire village. His arm dropped, and the weapon of light hung limply at his side. "...but we failed."
"I didn't think much of it at the time, but Dakim was using Earthquake a lot." Brock grimaced. "That must have been his plan all along."
Eagun fell to his knees as he beheld the rubble. "Without the Relic Stone…"
The thought didn't need completing. Cipher removed what was arguably the largest obstacle to their operations. Without the Relic Stone, Shadow Pokémon could not be purified, and if Dakim's claims were true, Shadow Pokémon were going to become more and more abundant. Eventually, they were going to be outnumbered and overwhelmed. Sora looked at his friends as they came to the same realization as well.
It was just like Dakim said. They fought them off, and Agate Village was technically saved, but their victory was a hollow one.
Cipher won.