Chapter 97- Victory Road

A/N: This is an original Pokémon Fan Game made by Amethyst. To check it out and play the game, download it at Reborn Evolved. Search for it on your web browser to get to the website.

A gloved hand reached up as a man was climbing a rockface to higher ground. It was a rather sloped area, but nothing too dangerous. A fall would definitely hurt the man if he wasn't careful.

Crack.

It seemed as though the man would fall anyway as the rock started to give way. The man thought of how nasty a tumble it would be. Another hand reached out and grabbed him. "Don't worry; I got you."

"Ah, Percival, impeccable timing." The older man, Radomus, smiled as Percival pulled him up.

Right behind Percival stood Hardy. "Yo, I see you made it out too, old man."

"It would seem so." Radomus exhaled heavily, "And for the record, while I still maintain that I am at least as young at heart as the next wayward Trainer… this terrain alone does not need your help to remind me of my age."

"What about your Pokémon?" Percival's head tilted before realizing his stupidity in his question. "Never mind, I almost forgot that there are little to no Psychic types capable of scaling rocky surfaces."

"Of course, but how are you fairing, Percival? Last I've seen, we share a similar mastery while impressive Steel is… It's not the best for this type of labor." Radomus huffed.

"Caught a Drilbur… now Excadrill while crossing Tourmaline. Still haven't been able to give the guy some spotlight, but for scaling cliffs like these. He does help." Percival smiled.

"Lucky… You…" Radomus almost seemed jealous of Percival's adaptability.

"Don't worry, mate, I'll help you out." Hardy flashed a smile as he placed his hand on the old man's shoulder. "Wouldn't want you to pull your back out or somethin'."

"Just how old you think I am…" Radomus mumbled under his breath, resuming his topic. "Incidentally, I don't suppose you two have a sense of whereabouts we are here? It is rather confusing, this mountain."

"Not really, we essentially blasted into another cavern till we made our way over to you," Percival explained. They initially had Titania and Lucille with them, but when a fork in the road hit, they went their separate ways to find a way back to the central cavern.

"Ah, I did see Meteor has set up quite the encampment." Radomus realized that while they were wandering here, Hardy and Percival must have been looking for a way to rescue the final hostage. "Hmm… I may have an idea to help with that."

"Oh yeah? Let's hear it!" Hardy was stoked to hear an idea that could potentially help save Aya.

"Though it is a risky one." Radomus warned, "In the cavern where Meteor has taken residence, there is a large stalactite hanging above where they've set up. I do believe it could be convinced to meet them."
"No way, mate! That'd put Aya in danger too!" Hardy shouted, not wanting to go through with that plan.

"If only you still had your Gardevoir…" Percival muttered with his hand on his chin. "Artemis is definitely getting more skilled with Teleportation… but she's not as skilled as the Gossip Gardevoir herself."

"While I see you're not giving Garevoir particular praise, it warms my heart to know you think highly of her Percival." Radomus took off his hat with a warm smile.

"Hm… but what… Aha!" Percival smiled, "There is someone I know who would be rather crazy enough to swoop in to save away as a Stalactite fell directly onto his head."

"Who?" Hardy asked, kinda hoping Percival didn't mean himself.

"Ah, I believe I know that individual, while smart, has had actions that others would question." Radomus understood who Percival meant. "Even still, we would need to meet with him about it."

"Uh, guys? Who are we talking about?"

"Nero, he still owes Aya a favor for saving Lucille. So this will be his way to do it."

"Indeed."

While Percival, Hardy, and Radomus were making plans to contact Nero, Lucille and Titania had seemingly returned to the main cavern. They were positioned high enough that Fern and Sirius couldn't see them. However, their location wouldn't be advantageous for a sneak attack. If either of them tried to drop from their current height, they would only become sitting ducks.

Titania continued by the edge of the cavernous cliffs, trying to determine if they could maneuver into a better position. It seemed, however, that the effort was in vain. "A dead end… of course it is."
"We-" Lucille was about to rebuke that it wasn't a total loss…, but she cut herself off midsentence as she sensed something heading toward them at a high velocity. "Titania down!"

Crash!

"It's always something, huh?" Titania said, frustrated as she got back up.

"Was that… Nero?" Lucille said apprehensively. She didn't know what had just crashed through a cavern wall, but she was certain she saw a boy with one arm and a three-headed dragon crash by them.

Before the two could peer inside, the said boy came on his Hydriegon Orcus. Cursing up a storm. "God damn that fucking bastard! I swear I will rip his other eye out before he dies today!" After breathing, Nero's eyes turned to the two he almost hit. "You guys alright?"

"Peachy," Titania said, unamused by Nero nearly killing the two of them.

"What happened?"
"I was careless." Nero glared down at Sirius and Fern. "I know just about everything that rat bastard can and will do, and he managed to use that to his advantage. I'd find it ironic if it wasn't so damn annoying."

"I'm sure the other annoying bastard down there isn't giving ou an easy time either." Titania looked down at Fern's green head.

"Do you want someone to cover for you?" Lucille asked, worried that Nero was taking too much on for himself. He's been fighting constantly, with one arm too.

"Nah, if anything, stay out of the blast zone," Nero warned.

""Blast Zone?""

"..." Nero just glanced toward the stalactite on the ceiling. Radomus, Percival, and Hardy should be arriving there soon. Then Nero glanced back down at Sirius and Fern. Hela was getting closer to Aya… Nero patted Orcus so that they would go in for another dive bomb on the two. "Just don't do anything stupid!"

As Nero flew away, Lucille looked over the edge and yelled at him. "That's what I should be saying to you!"

"What a lovely sibling relationship you two have." Titania mocked as she saw Lucille frustrated.

"Pot calling the Kettle black, huh?" Lucille quipped back, looking into the hole in the wall Nero made when he crashed into it. "Regardless, Nero gave us a new way to go."

"Convenient."

Meanwhile, at the top of the cavern, Percival, Radomus, and Hardy reached the cliff near the stalactite. In other words, they were directly above Sirius, Fern, and Aya. As they got a clear view of their surroundings, Hardy looked pale as he gazed down. Dropping the stalactite would likely eliminate Fern and Sirius, but also Aya. "I'mma be real, even just standing here feels wrong. My Rock Types could drop this thing right on her and end it all. I don't like this."

"You don't need to think of it like that," Radomus responded. "We've already made the proper arrangements with him; all we need to do is wait.

"Sirius is one thing, but I don't like hurtin' anyone." Hardy was still worried about the outcome of this

"Don't worry, Nero and Grim calculated when this stalactite will fall; Aya won't be harmed," Percival reassured. Nero's predictions were rarely wrong. As Nero predicted earlier today, only Sirius would perish in this mountain. However, Percival had a feeling it wouldn't be from the stalactite.

"Even Sirius has people who would hesitate to see him end." Roadmus sighed, almost sounding resigned. Percival and Hardy gave Radomus a strange look. "It may be hard to imagine, but even someone like him might once have been a dear friend to someone. Even so, they have made it clear they will give us no margin for mishap."

"I know…That's why it gotta be like this, right?" Hardy sighed, "Who knew when we're sittin' next to each other in class that it'd come to this?"

"If we already knew all that everything would lead to, it would make both the journey and the destination that much more meaningless," Radomus said, giving Hardy condolences. The two boys next to him were still just children, yet they would be facing so much.

"C'mon, Nero…" Percival muttered, looking down through the cavern. The moment Nero started to charge would be the moment they'd strike. Down below, Percival saw a three-headed dragon with a boy on its back; the boy's silver eyes met Percival's blue eyes. The time was now.

As Nero prepared his next strike, Siris and Fern readied their Pokémon. Sirius had brought out his Tyrantrum in preparation for Nero's Hydreigon. And at the cue of Sirius' and Fern's focus on Nero, Hela unleashed a burst of dark energy at the Tyrantrum and Decidueye before fleeing away. At that moment, Orcus and Nero darted towards Aya.

"Hardy!"

"On it, Gigialith! Bring the house down!" Hardy called out to his pokémon. Gigilaith threw down its giant stone claws ,and the cavern shook

Crack!

…

BOOM!

The Stalactite crashed down where Sirius and Fern stood. Following that, silence echoed through the Cavern. Percival could see a small black fox sneaking around the rubble. Hela at least made it out safely.

"It worked, yea?" Hardy asked, worry filling his voice.

"It certainly didn't not work." Radomus confided a double negative, probably cause, as the dust was clearing, he wasn't sure if anyone survived. "Though at a glance, the damage should still make that way traversable."

"But what about the others! I couldn't see 'em!" Hardy shouted.

"I caught a glance of Nero's Zoroark… And Nero managing to grab Aya… But not much else." Percival sighed. Did this actually kill Fern and Sirius? He didn't know.

"I do believe I saw Sirius tail them immediately to its edge," Radomus added, apparently he was keeping a close eye on them. "However, I could not say about Fern…"

"So, Fern's probably… I-" Hardy covered his mouth with his hand as he suddenly gagged, it didn't seem like he could stomach the idea that he just killed someone. With a pale face, Hardy finally stated. "This stuff's heavy…"

"..." Percival kept quiet while he never outright killed anyone… he believed he had seen far too much death since coming here to Reborn. Even though he couldn't do anything to stop it, he felt guilty that he couldn't stop it.

"All the lead in the world is but a feather compared to the burden that guilt weighs," Radomus said with an almost faraway look in his eyes. "I would know."

"I… I've got to make sure Aya's okay!" Hardy shook his head and sent out an Aerodactyl; he wanted to reach Aya as soon as possible. With the sniper gone, this would be the simplest solution.

"..." Percival himself was worried about Nero, even though it was partly his idea… so much could have gone wrong.

"Percival, this was originally my plan. If anyone should bear the weight of another's life, it should fall on me." Radomus called out, perhaps feeling guilt for the burden on the shoulders of such young kids. "One more life is nothing compared to what I've already cost."

"...I'll keep that in mind," Percival sighed, "but I also contributed to this plan. The blame lies with me too."

After the stalactite crashed down on the platform, three trainers bolted toward the area, all riding their respective flying Pokémon. The area was clear, showing no signs of blood, so luckily, no one was crushed by the stalactite. However, this most likely meant Nero and Aya were currently fighting off Fern and Sirius .

They raced through to a cavern exit that led to the biting cold of Charous Mountain. A snowstorm had rolled in, making visibility nearly nonexistent. Lucille, Percival, and Hardy all shouted for either Nero or Aya to respond.

"..." only the mountain winds howled in response… or so was thought.

"Was that…?" Lucille shuddered; it wasn't the winds howling. Her feet trudged through biting snow, towards the mountainous cliffs. "Hela!"
"...aro!" A faded howl was ringing through the winds.

"That's definitely Hela! They might be stuck!" Lucille shouted, pushing against the biting winds.

They were moving far from the old mountainous path, down the cliffside. The snowstorm was blocking out practically all light, and shadows could barely be seen.

"Aro!" The howl sounded much closer this time, though it sounded scared.

"Oh no…" Hardy muttered as he saw the visage of a collapsed Hyrdriegon, and a Zoroark howling over a cliff face. Hardy ran to the cliff edge and screamed. "AYA!Ay-"

"Chat!" Suddenly, a bluebird with a musical note head flew up, flapping desperately as it carried up a boy with black hair. "Chat-'Save Nero!'"

"Is… that Taka's…" Percival looked out in disbelief as he recognized the Chatot as Taka's.

"Chatot!" The Chatot, after pulling Nero up, landed on his shoulder… nuzzling his head into Nero.

"...Yeah, thanks… Chatot." Nero looked at the bird with a quiet voice muddied by sadness and joy…

"Oi… mate… What happened to Aya?" Hardy, glad to see that Nero wasn't dead, but terrified that Aya had grabbed him by his shoulders.

Nero, just surviving another near-death experience for the umpteenth time this month, just shouted at his Hydriegon. "Orcus!"

"Dr…Drei." The Hydregon groaned as it picked itself off the ground, its body concealing a girl with purple hair.

"*Gasp*!" Aya shot up, taking a deep breath of air. Hardy immediately ran over to check on her."I… couldn't breathe…"

Nero just shrugged. "I was falling to my inevitable demise. Besides, Orcus would've rolled over if he thought you weren't breathing…"

"What happened?" Lucille loved over the wounds on Orcus, and Nero… Attacks from a Tyrantrum and Decideye were apparent on Orcus… But Nero… he tensed on his right side, and two giant puncture holes were evident on his black shirt.

"The Bastard Sirius and his Seviper." Nero groaned as he fell back into the snow.

"We were flying pretty fast when it happened… He nearly fell off his Hydriegon when it happened." Aya continued the story. "They were gaining ground on us pretty rapidly; I asked if it was possible that we could make it we fell off the cliff…"

"Orcus pretended to collapse in a way that would've made them think that Aya and I flew off the cliff… while I actually did fly off the cliff." Nero admitted, pain radiating throughout his body. Likely the Serviper's poison circulating through it."Does anyone have a Pecha Berry?"

"On it, mate!" Hardy first offered a Pecha berry from his pack and tossed it to Lucille, who held it out and pushed down Nero's arm as he tried to take it from her.

"..." Nero just shook his head and bit into the berry

"Anyway, Aya, it's good to see you... safe," Percival said decisively, thinking that saying she was well was not the right choice of words. "Though... uh... it might be better to get you to safety.

"Yeah... I'd like that..." Aya sighed. "I could use some food... or a nap. Or... a shower, a really, really long shower..."

"Then let's get you out of here," Hardy said as he helped Aya out of the snow. He smiled but looked somewhat disappointed. "Everything's gonna be okay from now on. Or...

"..." Aya looked at him with worried eyes. "What's the matter?"

"I just… I guess I don't know if I should be saying that kind of thing anymore," Hardy sighed. "For all my big talk about rescuing you, I wasn't able to. Honestly, I feel pretty lame right now. Maybe it's just like my sister said. I was just deluding myself into thinking I could be some kind of hero for you."

"Well... is that so bad? One way or another, I'm safe," Aya hesitated, glancing at the Hydreigon that nearly crushed her. "And for the record, I don't think she's right about that. Even before I was taken, you were the only one who really seemed to care about me. And regardless of the reasons, you didn't give up. Somehow, you're still here now. In the end, you're still the one who always cared about me. And you're still the one who's here for me. It's not like I'm actually worth anything... but... I'm glad to have you. So, thanks."

"I don't know what to say to that, but..." Hardy gave Aya a soft smile as he held her hand. "In the end, I think we'll make a pretty good team. Though, uh... if you're gonna talk about this still being here..."

"Huh?" Aya looked behind her and saw Percival, Lucille, and Nero all watching this scene. Percival and Lucille had mischievous smiles on their faces, while Nero just looked indifferent. "Oh. Yeah. Well... um... thanks for your help, Nero."

"Thanks from me too, mate!" Hardy cheered as well. Nero did something incredibly risky, flying through a falling stalactite.

"..." Nero silently waved his hand, repaying the debt of Aya keeping Lucille out of Sirius' hands. That's all this was; he didn't care for the thanks.

"Well then, Hardy, I think it's best you get Aya somewhere safe. The rest of us still have things to do here," Percival said.

"Yeah, I get it. See ya, mates!"