Rainbow: Umbreon
The group of four made their way through the chaos-ridden streets of Glass City. Rainbow couldn't believe that the city was calm and peaceful only a few minutes ago.
Luckily, Vera remembered how to get to the Baron's house. On his own, Rainbow doubted he could navigate the streets as efficiently as Vera seemed to.
Rainbow was still holding Lia's paw. She seemed too shaken to move on her own, so he had to more or less drag her along with him. Joltier was not too far behind, cautiously checking their surroundings for any feral pokemon that managed to make it this far into the center of the city.
It wasn't long before explosions could be heard all across the city, most likely the Glass City Guard Force taking action against the feral pokemon. Rainbow wished he could stop to help repel the attack, but their current objective was just too important.
If the Champion of Giratina was the one who attacked the Baron last night, there was no way they would leave empty-handed once more. To them, this was their do-or-die chance to take the Mind Plate.
Rainbow really didn't want to think about it, but this was also the best chance for him to gain the Mind Plate as well. He didn't want to use force, but this situation provided the perfect circumstance for him to do so.
"Watch out!"
Rainbow and Lia were forcefully pushed to the side as Joltier tackled the two. He was about to ask why had it not been for the feral Staryu that almost slashed his side sail over them and into a wall.
Lia screamed in fear and gripped Rainbow's paw tighter. Rainbow felt bad for her a bit, she seemed to be deathly afraid of anything dangerous. But while he felt bad for her, she also prevented him from attacking back. Thankfully, Joltier had him covered.
The Pikachu quickly smashed an Iron Tail into the Staryu's gem. The water type was bashed into the wall, a crack splitting the structure as well as the gem. Rainbow marveled at the sheer strength of the attack and wondered just how powerful his sister had gotten over the years.
"Thank you," he offered his savior. She cracked a toothy smile.
"Anytime." The smile then gained a malevolent aura. "But don't you dare put her in danger again."
Rainbow gulped, not trying to get on the Pikachu's bad side. "You got it."
"Everyone, we must get moving." Vera addressed the group. "We cannot afford to delay any longer."
"Right." Rainbow nodded to his fellow champion. He gently stood the trembling Ninetails up and then made their way on once again.
The day had turned to night as the group finally came to the Baron's house. It was square in shape and three stories tall. The whole building was decorated with ornate designs made of gold and silver. The windows and doors were overly large in scale and fancy-looking.
Smoke was coming out of the upper windows, which were broken and cracked. The front door was also broken wide open, the bolt was splintered off.
"What the hell happened here?" Joltier asked no one in particular. Rainbow looked around the premises of the house, noticing something concerning.
"Where are all the guards? Shouldn't there be at least some here?" There were no guards in sight, despite them already being notified.
"Something does not seem right here..." Vera speculated, the situation net sitting well with her. It was eerily quiet, the only sounds coming from the distant battles throughout the city.
Joltier placed her paw onto Lia's shoulder. "My lady, I must get you to safety. You've come along this far, but it's too dangerous for you here."
The Ninetails continued to be stubborn, clinging to Rainbow tightly. She shook her head, obviously disagreeing with the Pikachu. Said Pikachu was starting to lose her patience with her ward.
"My lady! This is serious! This Umbreon is about to enter a very dangerous situation that we know nothing about! It's not safe!"
Lia still did not seem to accept Joltier's words. "No! I feel safe enough like this!"
"I am more than enough to-!"
"I don't care! I'm sticking with them!"
Joltier was getting really tired of Lia's childishness. If she knew Lia was like this, she wouldn't have taken this job in the first place.
"Please, you two. Now is hardly the time for-" Vera tried to settle things down, but was cut off by Joltier.
"Fine!" She walked ahead towards the opened door. "Have it your way, my lady. But I'm taking point for this." She entered the building. Vera and Rainbow exchanged glances, feeling a bit awkward being in between their argument. Vera went ahead after Joltier.
Rainbow couldn't help but agree with his sister. He could fight if Lia let go of him, at the very least. He guessed he just had to make do at this point, as Lia seemed adamant as to not let go of him. He entered after the other two with Lia in tow.
The four fanned out on the inside and observed the wreckage. The area they found themselves in was a large room with a high ceiling. A grand staircase in the center of the room led to the second floor.
It was a wreck. Chairs and tables were upturned and broken. Drapes were torn and claw marks were gashed on the walls. The lights were out, but an orange glow was coming from a doorway upstairs.
"Be careful, everyone," Rainbow warned the others. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Rainbow's rings glowed as to give off some light to see.
Vera tried to take a step forward but tripped as her foot was caught on something. She gasped out but caught herself before she fell down completely. She looked down to see what she almost fell over.
Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "Oh, my..."
Rainbow moved closer to her in worry. "Vera? What's wro-" He immediately flinched back as his paw stepped in thick liquid on the floor. He and Lia almost tripped over each other.
Joltier was put on edge. "What's going on?"
Rainbow shakily raised his paw close to his face to see what the liquid on it was. It was sticking to his fur, clumping it together. It had an extremely distinct smell.
Joltier looked sullen when she realized what was on the floor. Rainbow looked to it to confirm his fears. Vera clenched her fists and bowed her head. Lia tried her best to keep steady as she voiced what the rest couldn't.
"He's...dead. Isn't he…?"
On the floor in front of them was Captain Woods, the Bibarel who was the Captain of the Glass City Guard Force. His white cap and cape were stained red. His face was frozen in eternal horror.
What caught the group was the giant slash across his neck. Clearly, this was the wound that killed the poor captain.
"Damnit... " Joltier cursed out, feeling for her fellow guard.
Vera glanced around them. "I'm afraid that's not all..."
They were surrounded by corpses, each wearing the uniform of the Glass City Guard Force. It was sick, each one slashed with a fatal wound.
"This is sick." Rainbow scrunched his face in disgust and horror. Just what type of pokemon could have done something as horrible as this?
Lia brought up a point in a quiet voice. "I don't see Arteno anywhere."
After a second look, Rainbow realized she was right. Baron Arteno is a Hariyama, and he didn't see any of that species laying on the ground. As bad as the situation seemed to be, they at least had that silver lining.
"Is someone still there?! Help me!"
A voice suddenly screamed from the second floor. It seemed to come from the room with an orange glow.
Lia perked up in recognition. "That's Baron Arteno! I know that voice!"
"My lady, are you completely sure?" Lia nodded her confirmation to the Pikachu. Joltier steeled her eyes. "If it is, let's go."
Vera questioned the Ninetails. "Lia, how is it you know the Baron?"
"I've met him before." She responded after some hesitancy. "Trust me, I know him."
Vera still looked unconvinced, but a cautious nod from Rainbow made her go along with it.
The group cautiously made their way upstairs and to the closed door with the orange glow.
Rainbow started to sweat as they approached the door. "Is it getting hotter in here?"
Vera swiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "It would seem so. I'm starting to sweat quite a lot."
"We just need to find the Baron and get out." Joltier reached for the doorknob and twisted. The door swung open, and the four were blasted with a sudden heatwave.
The room seemed to be the master bedroom. That could barely be seen, however, as it was currently ablaze. The walls were covered in fire, all things flammable were basically ash.
They saw a Haiyama deep into the room, seemingly crushed by a wooden beam. He spotted the four as they entered. "Please, help!"
Rainbow quickly let go of Lia's paw. He and Joltier rushed to the Baron's side and tried to lift the beam off of him. "Hold on, Baron Arteno! We'll get you out of here!" Rainbow tried to reassure him.
The two strained themselves to lift the beam, but it seemed to be too heavy for the pair. The Baron whimpered in pain as he tried to move.
"This isn't working!" Joltier strained.
Vera spoke up. "Stand back, you two!" She raised a hand towards the beam. "I'll use Psychic!"
Rainbow nodded and Joltier grunted. They took a few steps back from the Baron. The roaring flames made it hard to hear, and the smoke in the air was suffocating.
As Vera started to lift the beam, Lia spotted something glinting off to the side of the room. She cautiously approached the shine, seeing it buried under some rubble and a fallen drape.
She curiously lifted the drape. She came face to face with another corpse. But this corpse revealed a horrible, terrible truth. She was staring at, and unmistakably, another Baron Arteno. His throat was slashed open.
The cogs in her head turned quickly. She whipped her head around and tried to warn the others. "Vera, don't!"
Her cry was too late. The beam was lifted fully. The Hariyama, now free, smirked darkly. Suddenly, he lunged and encased his hand in the energy of a Dark-type move. He made to Night Slash Vera's neck open.
The Gardevoir was shocked and found herself not fast enough to dodge the attack. Joltier, however, was right on her feet. She quickly sped over, faster than even the Baron, and tackled Ver out of the way.
The Baron missed the attack and was crushed by an Assurance, courtesy of Rainbow. He grunted in pain and was thrown away.
Rainbow, Vera, Joltier, and Lia grouped together and watched as the Baron stood up. He chuckled to himself and wiped some blood off of his mouth.
"Heh, not bad." He smirked.
"Who are you?!" Rainbow demanded of the pokemon.
He got his answer, however, as the Baron's form was distorting in an unusual way. The Hariyama warped and shrunk. The Hariyama vanished, leaving a Zoroark in its place. The illusionist spread his hands.
"Surprise!"
Zeb mentioned he had helped a Zoroark out the night before he helped Rainbow and Vera. If this is the same one, it would be one hell of a coincidence.
Joltier was first on the interrogation. "Who are you! What happened to Baron Arteno!"
The Zoroark cracked a mischievous smile. "I believe your Ninetails friend already has that one figured out." He gestured to where Lia was still standing in shock, as well as the Hariyama corpse.
"What is your business being here?" Vera questioned, remaining on the defensive while backing a few steps away.
The illusionist flexed his claws. "Heh. You see, the late Baron had something I wanted." He covered his mouth with a paw and chuckled. "And it just so happened that one of the gates failed at just the perfect time."
"So you are the one who broke the gate." Joltier bared her fangs in accusation. "You are the one who caused all of the needless death and destruction!"
The Zoroark scratched his chin. "Well, I didn't destroy the gate. At least, not directly."
"You have co-conspirators, then." Vera frowned.
"You could call them that." Rainbow set his body on edge. If this Zoroark wasn't alone, they couldn't afford to let their guard down. "But enough questions!" The black fox clapped his paws together. "We have a fun night ahead of us!"
"Whoever you are, we are not playing your games! I am going to take you in for multiple committed crimes!" Joltier readied herself to launch at the fox.
Her preparation halted, however, as the building groaned. Over the roar of the fire, they could hear some wood splintering and giving way. The ceiling seemed to be creaking.
Suddenly, a small piece of rubble directly over Lia fell down. She yelped in a mix of surprise and pain, the small piece nailing her right on the head.
"My lady!" Joltier yelled out in concern. Lia stumbled around, blood seeping from an open wound on her head. She lurched forward and fell to the ground.
Joltier quickly moved to Lia's side to check on her condition.
"Ha!" The Zoroark exclaimed in joy. "What a way to start!" He twirled around once and performed a bow. "Welcome to my madhouse, champions! Your host for tonight is me!" He pointed at himself and smiled. "Synphony, the Champion of Giratina!"
Rainbow and Vera's eyes widened in surprise. This joker was the champion of Giratina? He was the one they were meant to watch out for? Rainbow was about to respond, but Synphony beat him to it.
"Ah, ah, ah! Don't tell me!" He messaged his head and hummed as if reaching for some kind of answer. His eyes lit up. "I got it!" He pointed to Vera. "You're Veraloe! The Miracle Healer of Twinstick Village and the Champion of Xerneas! Are you not?"
Vera was taken aback at this pokemon's knowledge of her. Only Rainbow should know about her status.
"Your silence gives me the answer I need. And you-" He then gestured to Rainbow. "Oh, you! My sworn enemy! Two opposites striving towards the same goal! The Champion of Arceus!"
Rainbow grit his teeth and snarled at Synphony. "How do you know this? We haven't told anyone about this!"
"Hmmm… I have my sources!" Synphony smiled coyly. He looked to Joltier and Lia with apparent disinterest. "I don't care who those two are, though." He brushed them off.
The building shook again, louder and harder this time. More rubble started to drop from the ceiling.
"It seems my friend is finished!"
"What are you talking about?" Rainbow asked as Vera started to make her way slowly towards Lia and Joltier, who seemed to not have heard their conversation so far.
"I said we had a game to play, right? Well, here are the rules!" He tapped the wall with a paw. "My teammate is a specialist of fire. So special with fire, in fact, that their own fire is special!"
"Get on with it!"
Synphony narrowed his eyes. "Their fire is unquenchable! Meaning, it won't go out until it's out of fuel."
Rainbow was losing his patience with the pokemon. "I don't care about what your friend can do! What does that have to do with anything?"
"Stop being a spoilsport!" Syn puffed his cheeks. "It has everything to do with it! It means that this building is going down! They torched the whole damn thing!"
"Why are you doing this? I know why you're here, the same reason I am!" Rainbow stomped a paw down. "If this building falls, the Plate will only be lost to rubble! You obviously had the time to escape!" Rainbow scrutinized the Zoroark. "That is, if you even have the Plate."
Syn flung his hands up in a guilty gesture. "You got me! I don't have it on me!" He glanced at Arteno's body. "But I do know where it is. But just running away with it isn't any fun!"
"This is the fate of the world! It's not about 'fun'!"
"I don't care about that right now!" Syn pouted. "This is a fated meeting between two exceptional individuals. It has to be special!"
Rainbow launched at his adversary, ready to end this as quickly as possible. "You're sick!"
Syn blocked Rainbow's Assurance by crossing his arms. "Woah!" He then kicked Rainbow away. "I didn't finish explaining the rules!"
Rainbow backed a few steps away and shot a Dark Pulse. Syn dodged to the side and sighed in disappointment.
"If that's how you wanna play it, fine." He then shot towards Rainbow, claw raised in a Night Slash. "The one who lives gets the Plate! If the building falls and crushes us before then, so be it!"
Rainbow slid under Syn's attack, then sprung on his back and Cruched his shoulder. Syn flinched at the pain, but then reached behind and grabbed Rainbow by the tail. He ripped the Umbreon off of his back and slammed him onto the floor.
Rainbow gasped, his back aching from the slam. His eyes widened as he then saw Syn fire a Sludge Bomb. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, before jumping up to his feet and rushing in with Assurance.
"Heh, this is fun!" Syn met Rainbow's Assurance with a Night Slash. The two attacks collided with one another. Syn and Rainbow entered a competition of strength as they pushed one another back.
Rainbow bit his lip. He was losing ground. The Zoroark's physical form was too built for this type of stalemate, much more so than an Umbreon.
Rainbow lost his footing, and Syn slashed the Umbreon's chest while throwing him back. He crashed on the floor, coincidentally next to Vera, Lia, and Joltier. He stood up.
Joltier was carrying Lia in a rather uncomfortable-looking position. Lia's blood stopped seeping, probably healed by Vera.
"What are you doing?" He asked them. Vera got over her surprise and quickly healed Rainbow's chest.
Joltier looked at Rainbow with a small hint of guilt. "I'm sorry to bail like this, but my lady is in no condition to stay here." She gestured to Lia, who was still dazed. "I need to get her out of here before the building falls."
"I'm not gonna let that happen, you know?" They turned to see Syn slowly creeping his way over.
Vera addressed Joltier. "Do what you need to. We will do our best to hold him off."
Joltier looked to Rainbow, who nodded in agreement. "Thank you. I don't really know who you two are, but I hope you make it out of this ok."
Rainbow turned to face Syn, who had stopped moving to place one paw on the floor. "The sentiments are the same. Just get her out of here in one piece."
"That's my job." She said before moving towards the door.
Syn fired a sludge bomb at Joltier. "Not gonna happen!"
Vera countered the Sludge Bomb by throwing a Moonblast. The two exploded in mid-air, both attacks canceled out. "You will not touch them!"
Syn bared his teeth. "I still have more tricks up my metaphorical sleeve." He focused his mind as he produced several afterimages, all combining into one. This increased his speed with Agility. "Try and stop me now!"
He lunged towards Joltier, still moving towards the door, and prepared a Night Slash. Rainbow moved to intercept, finally landing his Assurance on Syn's side.
Syn crashed to the floor but rolled quickly back to his feet, preparing to gut Rainbow with Revenge. He was blown back, however, by a Psychic blast courtesy of Vera.
"Thanks for the save!" He regarded Vera, who smiled in response. And he was truly thankful, too, as that move could have done a number on him had it hit.
Syn's Revenge wore off. He grimaced at the pain he was in. He couldn't get a shot in, not with the two champions working together. He needed to separate them, but how?
He didn't have time to think, as Rainbow fired a Dark Pulse his way. He ducked under it, but was almost hit by a Moonblast that followed right after. He felt the attack sting as it skimmed his side.
He gave a light, seemingly carefree laugh. "It looks like I'm suddenly in trouble! Whatever will I do?"
"You can give up!" Rainbow offered.
"Hm..." He seemed to think for a moment. "I don't think I will!"
Syn sprinted at Vera this time, ready to Night Slash the healer. Rainbow jumped to intercept, going to Crunch on Syn's side. Syn seemed to be ready for this, though, as he spun and slashed Rainbow instead.
Rainbow faltered, and Syn continued his advance towards Vera. The Gardevoir grit her teeth and fired a Moonblast. Syn easily dodged the oncoming move and was almost upon Vera.
But his dodge gave Rainbow just enough time to catch up and smack Syn with Payback. Syn recoiled at the damage, but couldn't recover in time to dodge another Psychic blast that threw him back to where he started.
"You will not best us, Synphony! Please, cease this useless struggle and surrender!" Vera tried to get Syn to stop his assault.
Syn only laughed at her attempt. "No, no, no! This is too exhilarating! Too fun! However..." He eyed the ceiling, which was cracked and bending. He donned an evil smile as an idea popped into his head. "I did like it better when I was winning!"
Rainbow and Vera were puzzled when Syn launched a Sludge Bomb. But it wasn't at them or Joltier, who was at the door, but upwards.
Vera looked up and gasped, being the first one to realize his plan. She preemptively readied her Psychic.
The attack exploded onto the damaged ceiling. The stress was too much now, as it started to collapse onto the floor below.
Vera strained her hind, using her Psychic to the best of her ability to hold up the collapsing ceiling. Her mind was burning in pain and a migraine instantly exploded.
Rainbow was thrown off by another rumble of the building. He wasn't prepared as Syn used another Agility and sped to him like a bullet.
He crossed his legs to guard, but as shocked as Syn unexpectedly wrapped his claws around his neck. Syn was going to suffocate him.
"There!" Syn exhaled in a mix of strain and relief. "This fight is going my way again!"
Rainbow couldn't breathe. The air he still had in his lungs was tainted by the black smoke he had inhaled earlier. Syn's paws tightened around Rainbow's neck, constricting any air from entering or exiting Rainbow's body.
The Umbreon's struggle only tired him further. His limbs started to move sluggishly and his eyes grew foggier with each passing second. His vision was blurring, which started to progress into blackness.
He looked at Vera with pleading eyes. She was still struggling to hold the caving ceiling from collapsing and killing everyone still inside. The strain from using her Psychic on such a scale prevented her from uttering a sound from her mouth, but her eyes told Rainbow everything he needed to know:
I'm sorry.
He then looked at Joltier and Lia. His sister was holding up the dazed Ninetails. Lia was facing Rainbow as Joltier carried her towards the exit to get them to safety.
Rainbow hated how useless he was. He wanted to somehow throw the Zoroark off of him and escape with his friends. He wanted to get out of this situation alive and continue his journey.
But every passing moment decreased the chances of that happening. He looked up at his attacker. Syn had a snarl planted on his face. His eyes burned with a desire and determination to end Rainbow at this moment. He must be prepared to die for this, or he had a plan to escape on his own.
The blackness in Rainbow's vision started overtaking it. He could barely see anything anymore. Despite the insatiable fire all around him, he was starting to feel cold. He stopped moving altogether. He was starting to accept this seemingly inescapable situation.
Lia slowly opened her eyes slowly. She felt her paws shaking and her head was pounding. She felt herself being carried. She looked down and saw Joltier carrying her away from the fight.
"Joltier… where are you taking me?" She sluggishly asked her protector.
The Pikachu did not falter at the sudden question and kept moving forward. "I'm taking you to safety, my lady."
"But, the others-!"
"You matter more!" The Pikachu retorted, silencing Lia with the outburst. "My mission is to protect you and only you! You must make it back to your father!"
"Now is not the time for that! We have to help them! They might die!"
Joltier grits her teeth. "I know, my lady! But in this line of work, I need to make the tough decisions! Your safety is the number one priority! Nothing else should matter to me!" They were now nearing the exit.
Lia tightened her paw around some of Joltier's fur. She saw the Zoroark now choking Rainbow, who couldn't seem to fight back. She saw Veraloe struggle to hold the ceiling up. Lia desperately wanted to help, but her legs were failing her.
She cursed her cowardly self. Why couldn't she grow some backbone and stand up for herself!? It was pathetic! If only she could do that much, her new friends wouldn't have to die while she ran away!
Tears streamed down her face as she watched Rainbow's movement grow slower and slower. He started to go limp, he was dying. She screamed out in desperation.
"Rainbow!"
Her hoarse cry could barely be heard by anyone in the room. The roaring flames muffled the sound too much. But one pokemon could hear her cry, quite clearly.
Joltier stopped in her tracks. Her heart went cold in that instant.
"What..?" She asked no one in particular. She turned to look once more at their Umbreon companion.
Joltier thought of a memory from when she was a kid, from before she left for Prism City. She and Rainbow were goofing off in the living area of the cottage…
Lela had just gone to put Pena to bed. She left Joltier and Rainbow in the living space together for only a moment.
The Eevee and Pikachu were huddled together near the fire. It was mid-winter, anywhere other than the closeness to the fire felt ice-cold. They snuggled up close to one another so as to not freeze their butts off.
"Oh man, Bow." Joltier addressed her brother, who turned to her in their closeness. "Can it get any colder?"
"I know," he responded. "If we weren't this close together, I think we would die."
Joltier nodded her head in quick agreement. "For sure."
The two sat in silence once more, too cold to make any small talk. She stared at the fire, then a sudden thought struck her.
"Do you think the wood under the fire is cold?"
Rainbow stared at his sister as if she had just gone crazy. "What?"
"You know, the wood!" Rainbow seemed to still not get it. "Do you think that the fire itself is what's hot, or the wood also?"
Rainbow humored her odd question. "I don't know, actually. Wouldn't it make sense that the wood is also hot?"
"Well I don't know, that's why I'm asking you!"
That sat there once more in silence, pondering the question. They both looked at the fire. Would the wood be hot as well, or just the fire? Slowly, Rainbow reached out towards the fire.
"What are you doing?" Joltier asked him.
"I'm gonna try touching it."
The Pikachu's eyes practically bulged out of her head. "Are you crazy!" She exclaimed in a hushed tone. "What if you get burned?"
"Then we'll know, won't we?" Rainbow was almost in contact with the wood. Joltier watched with bated breath as his paw drew closer to the fire.
"This is stupid!" She finally relented. She hurriedly reached out and forcibly swept his paw away from the fire. What she didn't account for, however, was a metal poker placed just too close to the fireplace.
She brushed both of their paws into the scalding hot poker. The two siblings screamed in pain and retracted their arms so fast that they went tumbling back.
It was a stupid question. One that gave Joltier and Rainbow similar burn marks on their paws. While it hurt like hell, they started to pass it off as a symbol of their closeness. Lela, to be fair, was not pleased with their apparent stupidity.
But they were kids, what could they do?
Years later and our scars never faded away…
Joltier thought this as she barreled towards the Zoroark. Her legs never moved so fast. She poured electricity over her body. The yellow glow overtook her form in a massive wave of energy.
If this was any other situation, she would commemorate herself on the power behind this Volt Tackle, but now was not the time. She had a brother to save.
"Get away from him!" She roared through her mass of electricity.
Syn barely had time to turn towards the new threat before he was absolutely clobbered off of Rainbow. He was thrown away and into the opposite wall.
The mass of electricity faded. Joltier shook her brother back to his senses.
"Jolt…" He managed to say from his delirium.
Joltier clenched her teeth. "Bow, you idiot!"
The Umbreon chuckled as his head cleared. "Glad you recognized me, sis." He wobbled over to the Mind Plate, which was still laying on the ground from where it fell to the floor earlier.
He bent down and touched the swirling purple vortex. A brilliant white light filled the room for a moment before dying. Rainbow felt the new Plate right at home next to the Dread Plate and Bond Plate.
"What did you do?" Her attention was drawn to Syn as he stood up, clutching his side. "Never mind, that can wait."
"Yeah." He responded as he stood next to Joltier's side. The pair faced the recovered, and very pissed off, Zoroark. "We got this guy to deal with first."
"What's this?" Syn asked. "Two against one? That seems pretty unfair." He glanced towards Vera. "The Champion of Xerneas doesn't look too hot. I wonder how long she can last before we all die?"
Joltier's cheeks sparked threateningly. "We'll just have to make this quick, then. My lady needs to get out of here, as well." She glanced worriedly towards Lia, who was once again passed out on the floor.
"Can you hold out a bit longer, Vera?" Rainbow asked her.
Vera's mind couldn't be under any more strain. She felt her brain would burst any moment now. But despite this, she nodded with a fiery stare. Rainbow shot her a small smile.
The three fighters readied themselves. Preparing to attack at any moment.
"When we make it out of here, you're telling me everything." Joltier tensed her muscles, charging an Electro Ball on the tip of her tail.
Rainbow bit his lip at her demand. "You got it."
The floor under Syn crumpled as he launched towards the duo, claws blazing with Revenge. Joltier fired her Electro Ball, and Rainbow charged forward with an Assurance in his paws.
Syn slammed his Revenge against the Electro Ball, ricocheting it off of his attack. The sudden change in direction of the attack threw Rainbow off, even more so when it crashed into him. Rainbow was blasted backward, Syn chasing him.
Syn readied a Night Slash to use against the downed Umbreon but was intercepted by Joltier's Iron Tail. They were locked in a stalemate, just long enough for Rainbow to recover and fire a Dark Pulse.
Syn saw the incoming attack. He used his strength to throw Joltier off and jump over the Dark Pulse. While in the air, he retaliated with his own Sludge Bomb. Rainbow ducked under Syn's attack while charging forward.
Syn readied another Night Slash for the approaching Umbreon. He then had to proxy=tect himself with the attack, as an unexpected Electro Ball from Joltier almost took him by surprise. This move, however, left him open.
As Syn landed on the floor, he was immediately caught in Rainbow's Crunch. Rainbow held Syn's leg in place with his teeth, adamant not to let the pokemon move.
Syn winced in pain. "Persistent lot, aren't you?" He took notice of Joltier starting to charge at him, gaining energy in another Volt Tackle. He growled. If he didn't escape this attack, he would most likely be done for.
"Your time is up, criminal!" Joltier announced as she grew dramatically closer.
Syn bared his teeth in frustration. He then wound back his fist. "Not quite yet!" He beat Rainbow's side with Revenge, the typing and the situation increasing its damage.
Rainbow whined in pain, his grip loosening just a bit. Syn smirked.
As Joltier leaped to land her Volt Tackle on the Zoroark, Syn lifted his leg and swept Rainbow right into Joltier's attack.
Both pokemon cried out in pain. Rainbow let go of Syn's leg as he and Joltier crashed down on the floor together. They quickly regained their footing only to see Syn bring down a Night Slash on them. Joltier caught the attack with Iron Tail. Rainbow used this opportunity to land his Assurance on the Zoroark, blowing him away from the two.
The three battlers let a moment of silence fall among them, observing each other. They were all panting, partly exhausted, and partly because all they had inhaled was smoke for the time they were in this room.
They were all damaged to a certain degree, with Rainbow having the most prominent injuries. Nothing fatal on any of them, mostly bruises and small cuts.
A small thud drew their attention. Vera had stumbled down to one knee. Her face was strained and sweaty, her eyes closed shut. She looked absolutely exhausted. The subtle creaking in the ceiling was a tell-tale sign the Gardevoir couldn't last much longer.
"Looks like our time is coming to an end." Syn sighed in frustration. Rainbow and Joltier cautiously observed him. "The Champion of Xerneas can't hold this ceiling up much longer. And since you already have the plate, it means you've won our game. I'd just be a sore loser if I kept this going any further."
"Are you ready to give up, then?" Joltier asked him, sparking her cheeks.
Syn responded with a toothy smile. "On the contrary. You didn't think I would start this game without a way for me to escape, did you?" Suddenly, a window nearby Syn smashed open, letting in more air and enraging the fire more. "Until next time, Rainbow!"
Joltier dashed forward, intent on catching Syn. "Oh, no you don't!"
What she didn't expect was another pokemon to leap through the shattered window. They didn't get a good look at the newcomer before the pokemon unleashed a Smokescreen, covering Syn.
By the time Joltier made it to Syn's position, he and the mysterious new pokemon escaped through the window.
"Damnit!" She raged, angry that she had let this criminal escape.
"Joltier!" Rainbow got her attention. "We have to get Vera and Lia out of here! Grab Lia and get her out the window!"
"But what about the way we came in?" She asked as she went and picked up Lia, who had fallen unconscious sometime during the scuffle.
Rainbow shook his head as he moved towards the window. "Synphony said the whole building was burning. This is the most immediate and surefire way out!"
As Rainbow stood close to the window, he tapped into the power of the Mind Plate. He felt his dark energy leave him, only to be overtaken by powerful psychic energy. His form changed, taking on the look of an Espeon.
"I hope this works..." He mumbled to himself. "Vera!" His shout got the Gradevoir's attention. "Drop the ceiling! I'll catch it!"
Vera seemed to heavily contemplate Rainbow's plan. She nodded a few moments later, trusting he could handle it. Rainbow nodded back. He then flared his mind and focused his Psychic on holding up the ceiling.
He was a bit surprised that it felt relatively light, but that was before Vera dropped her Psychic. The immense weight instantly paralyzed him. He gained a headache in an instant and his face scrunched up in strain.
"Hurry!" He managed to get out under the pressure.
Joltier and Lia made it to the window. Joltier looked down in uncertainty for a moment before taking a deep breath and making the leap. They fell down the two stories, Joltier using her more durable and battle-hardened body to cushion their fall.
Vera slowly hobbled over, her exhaustion not letting her do much else. Rainbow dropped to his knees, he was starting to buckle.
Vera eventually made it to the window. Before leaping down, she looked to Rainbow in concern. "I do hope you know what you're doing." She hopped over the edge. Before landing, she used a little of her remaining psychic energy to cushion her fall.
Alright, then.
Rainbow crouched down on all fours, ready to make his escape maneuver. He sucked in some air, then put his simple plan into action.
He dropped his Psychic. As soon as he did so, he sprung his legs out. This leaped him backward and through the window just as the ceiling caved in in front of him. This would have been perfect, except for one small oversight.
He aimed too high in his backward leap. This was proven to him as he accidentally smashed the back of his head into the top of the window frame.
He was plummeting towards the cobbled road as he went unconscious.
"Just what were you thinking?!"
Syn winced at the earful he was getting from his partner. The two were seated on the roof of a building far away from the Baron's house.
"Lay off! I was cool wasn't I?" His response did not have the intended effect, as his partner blew up even more.
"Cool? You almost died! Just for your so-called game!" His partner, a female shiny Ninetails, crossed her forearms in frustration. "You didn't even manage to get the plate! All that preparation for nothing!"
"Calm down, we'll have plenty of other chances of getting those plates." He cracked a smile. "I just wanted to get to know what Team Rainbow was all about!"
"'Team Rainbow'? What, you came up with a name for them, too?"
Syn chuckled. "Of course I did! We are mortal enemies! It would be cool to have team names to refer to each other with!"
His partner sighed. "You are so stupid..."
Syn placed a paw over his heart. "Words hurt, you know."
"I know."
"Ah! How could you produce such a hot fire, but be so cold!" Syn acted as if he was trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle.
The Ninetails facepalmed. "Where to next mister 'Team Leader'?"
"Hah!" He laughed. "I knew you would catch on to the whole 'Team' thing!"
"I'm gonna burn you."
Syn stood and peaked over the white walls and to the horizon in the west. He placed both paws on his hips. "The answer's obvious, isn't it?"
His partner spat in disgust. "Oh. There."
"That's the only obvious answer. The only other place where the existence of a plate is public knowledge."
The Ninetails scowled. "I didn't think I would be returning there so soon..."
"Hey, cheer up! At least you can see your sister again!"
His partner seemed to brighten at the prospect. "A ray of sunlight in the overcast sky, I guess."
"Exactly!" He held his paw out and helped her up. "And getting that plate should be easy, considering who you are!"
She let out another sigh. "To Prism City it is, then."
This was my longest chapter yet. It took a while for me to get everything together, and I'm satisfied that I'm finally getting it out there. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time!