March 8th, First Year
They're actually kind of haunting now that I can look at them up close and personal; its eyes. They glowed like two twin suns as the emaciated pokémon snarled at the two rangers, its filthy black mane flickering with electricity as it prowled closer. Scarlet flames licked up the tree trunks and pooled around the fern-ringed clearing. Jaku kept her saber brandished at the pokémon before her and beside her, Egel did the same. Its dull, matted pelt clung painfully to its bones, jaws parting to reveal sharp blackened fangs. The Luxray flexed its claws and roared, leaping at Egel with outstretched claws.
At Jaku's command, a flurry of stars blasted through the wave of flames and into the Luxray's flank sending it skittering away into a bramble bush. Dusk had taken the center stage, waves of fire erupting from its back like bristling quills as it dug its claws into the ground. The Luxray leaped and Egel rolled neatly underneath it, nicking the pokémon in its hind legs as it sailed over him.
Jaku shook her stupor off. This was the one time she needed to focus. Egel could take care of himself. "Dusk, Smokescreen! Peanut, Tackle!" She turned and gestured for the captain's Abra to take shelter at her back. She didn't know what the tiny creature was capable of and preferred for it to stay protected.
The little Cyndaquil reared up and blasted a thick cloud of ash and smoke into the air, catching the beast in the face as it stumbled back again. Eevee wholeheartedly launched itself off of Dusk's back like a spring and landed squarely between the Luxray's shoulders, ripping and tearing at its ears and neck with its sharp teeth and anything else it could reach.
As the Luxray thrashed about, Egel closed the distance and in one fell swoop tried to sink his machete into the beast's flank. He missed. The blade instead sank into one of its legs with a loud pop and it howled in pain, shaking Peanut off and slamming the tiny pokémon into a tree then turned on Egel and arched its back, a brilliant fork of lightning lancing up the blade. Egel screamed in pain as he recoiled before tumbling stiff to the ground. The Luxray raced forward and sunk its rotten fangs into the man's arms, fresh blood spotting its muzzle.
Jaku took a step forward, hissing as the mangy pokémon before her began to rake up sand and dirt from the forest floor to toss at her. "Smokescreen, again!" Jaku shouted, fighting to get the sand out of her eyes. She coughed, moving to tie her headwrap around her mouth to try and breathe. A great plume of smoke and ash swathed the Luxray, forcing the beast up and off of its chosen prey as Dusk threw itself at its much larger opponent once more.
Abra whimpered, its eyes flashing pink. A strange energy glowed around Egel's battered body as the captain's pokémon dragged him back through the mud to lean against Jaku's legs. The ranger quickly grabbed hold of her injured clanmate and dragged him to the treeline. The sounds of battle raged around her. Carefully, she laid Egel as flat as she could get him. She tore off her headscarf, the captain's Abra levitating a sturdy-looking branch over to her as the ranger began to assemble a flimsy tourniquet.
"It'll have to do for now. Stay with me, Egel. We'll get you outta this." She pulled the fabric loop as tight as she could get it, using the sturdy branch to twist the tourniquet shut and hold the pressure. Egel hissed in pain, absently trying to reach across and remove the device; Abra fought back and forced the man's arms to his sides. Jaku then had Abra assist in tearing off a chunk of the fabric from her trousers to hold the branch in place. "Alright, Abra. Keep an eye on Egel and if things get dicey, try your best to get him away from here, okay?"
"Abra." The captain's pokemon nodded, gently dragging Egel further into the darkened treeline.
Guess it's just me now. Jaku turned and focused back on the struggle. Flames whipped around the clearing as the Luxray, sighting Jaku once more, made to charge again. With a roar, it leapt at her and when it landed just shy of ramming into Peanut, it switched courses and lunged at her instead in some sort of fake out maneuver. Jaku only had a moment to prepare before she was tossed to the ground, sharp pain lancing up through her arms.
With its claws sunken into the flesh of her arms and its hot, rank breath on her face, Jaku stiffened with fear. She'd been caught! Pinpricks of panic and fear made the hairs along her arms rise. And then, her instincts took over. Jaku writhed beneath her captor, forcing her knees and shoes into the Luxray's unguarded belly as hard as she could. She also screamed as loud as she could, relief searing in her gut as the giant beast recoiled from the blow and wavered back, the weight on her arms lessening greatly. Jaku managed to free up her free arm and with it, she raked the beast across the face with her nails. With another following blow to the beast's muzzle and after using her nails to stab the creature in its eyes, Jaku huffed as she finally freed herself, quickly getting to her feet and turning to face her attacker.
Dusk skittered around the larger pokémon's paws again, taking any and every opportunity to blast ember after ember at the beast until the Luxray's coat was littered with burn marks. Hissing, the Luxray lowered itself underneath the cloud of smoke and took a hasty jab at the Cyndaquil, knocking it away into the undergrowth. Peanut was still nowhere to be seen.
Jaku swallowed; it was becoming harder and harder to breathe with each breath. "Nowhere to run," she found herself mumbling, trying to still her shaky hands. "Nowhere to hide." She strengthened her grip on her saber.
"Jaku. Right behind you." Egel appeared stumbling slightly as he eyed the battle.
"Oi, you should be resting! You're bleeding out of your arm!"
"I feel fine now," Egel retorted. He struggled to stare clearly at the tussling pokémon. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a few scratches. Listen, we need to get you out of here." She turned. "Abra! A little help here!"
"Let's just kill this thing and run," Egel suggested.
"Egel, do you still have your saber?"
"It's right here," her senior rasped. "Keep distracting the Luxray with your pokémon," he rasped. I'll focus on hacking away at its limbs with my remaining arm. If we can immobilize it, we can go in for the kill."
"Egel, I don't think that's a good idea. Even with that tourniquet on, you aren't in any shape to be on your feet-"
"I'll take charge of my own life, rookie. Don't forget, I outrank you."
"I haven't forgotten," Jaku grumbled. "Fine. Do as you please. Fight if you want to." She began to circle to the left, Egel mirroring her motions as Abra floated behind him. "And you're sure this isn't Lesser Lord Luxray?" Jaku called.
"Absolutely. Ready?"
"Ready."
The Luxray, having dissipated the smoke, leapt at Jaku once more. A large chunk of burning debris slammed into its face in retaliation as Dusk reemerged from the woods. Egel quickly circled the beast and slashed at its throat, blood spraying onto his face and tunic. One moment he was standing victorious, eyes shining with victory and intrepid relief as the Luxray crumpled to the ground. The next moment, he was frozen, hair fizzling with static as he too toppled over.
"Egel!"
The man had crumpled to the ground like a wet piece of parchment paper, his eyes wide with terror as he slid into a muddy snowbank. Abra sailed after him, pulling him up just shy of slipping under a tree's exposed roots. The tiny pokémon pulled the injured man to the treeline again, this time nearly gluing him to a nearby fir using slabs of bark to hold him steady.
The sudden weight of the Luxray catching her unaware swept her clean off her feet and onto her back again, painfully knocking the air out from her lungs. It screeched and raised its claws to hack at her throat, Egel's blade still lodged firmly in its shoulder. She raised her own saber and ripped a nasty scar across its face in retaliation, aiming the tip for the space inbetween the brute's eyes.
The beast paused, its eyes moving to stare her down akin to an expression only a human could make. In a flash of blinding light, a wave of white-hot pain lanced through her body, burning at her skin and forcing her eyes shut as the ground fell away from her. All of her muscles contracted and squeezed, leaving her breathless and yet as the burning sensation faded out and an agonizing soreness wore in, she noticed with a new dawning of horror that she couldn't move.
The Luxray placed a massive paw on her torso and opened its jaws wide, a trail of saliva dripping onto her cheek and into her hair. When it locked eyes with her, it snorted, a new wave of electricity beginning to flicker through its mane as though intending to make sure that it had finished the job. So this is it, huh? I get eaten by a mangy Luxray? Hey, at least I get to enter the circle of life. Is it hungry or just capricious? Wait. Why am I questioning a pokémon when I'm about to die? I can still try and fight back!
A flurry of stars exploded from behind the beast, knocking it away just as both Dusk and Peanut emerged from the smoke. Peanut leapt atop the beast again, clawing at its eyes and shrieking fury as its blood splattered in the dust. Dusk shot forth another Smokescreen and charged. Jaku could only watch as the three pokémon fought, whirling and hissing and shrieking in a smoke-stained mass of claws and teeth and fire.
Then the clearing erupted in a brilliant white light. The smoke parted. Something large and fuzzy skittered to a halt before her eyes and as the feeling in her limbs returned, she felt a new warmth spread across her face and shoulders. The noise stopped. The flames died down. Jaku listened hard for her companions. The fuzzy body moved out of her line of sight.
She saw the Luxray, sparks flying from its jaws as it shook its head this way and that way, swiping its tongue over its lips. It shook itself again and stared first at her and then at Egel. Jaku tried getting her arms up underneath her, not daring to break eye contact with the beast. Her arms gave out and she folded back onto the ground.
The Luxray growled, shaking its head again. A new pokémon barred it from coming any closer, scarlet flames sprouting from its back as it arched defiantly at Jaku's attacker. Peanut was close behind, tail lashing and teeth bared as it stood guard in front of her as well.
One moment, the Luxray was there. In the blink of an eye, it was gone, leaving a small puddle of blood in its wake. Jaku let out a breath she hadn't even known she was holding, struggling and somewhat managing to pull herself into a kneeling position. Almost immediately, Peanut was under her chin, nosing at her arms and legs trying to help her up.
"Jaku? Are you alright?" Egel wheezed.
"Apart from briefly becoming a quadriplegic, all good over here."
Jaku looked for the saber she had dropped earlier, needing more than ever to have that little sense of protection back in her hold. The strange pokémon from before was suddenly carrying it in its jaws. It waddled over, flames then doused, and dropped it at her hands, staring at her with concern as clear as day. Both pokémon were covered in lacerations and burns, eyes red from the smoke, shivering and struggling to move. Both were focused on her.
"Quil?" squeaked the strange newcomer.
Jaku paused. "Dusk, is that you?"
"Quil!" The Quilava paused and then gave a little happy shake. Dusk even gave itself a little turnaround, surprised at its new form.
"What happened to your pokémon?" Egel gaped.
"Evolution, I think. A little light, buddy? I can barely see."