The Lapras, Suddsy, swam over to Bradley; a graceful motion that barely disturbed the flowing surface of the cool, swirling waters. “Hey girl! You enjoy your practice?”
“Lap!” it cried out as it brought its head down to nuzzle against his shoulder.
Evelyn walked over to Zarius and dismissed her swords, “What happened to your female companion?” she asked.
“She got upset and left,” Zarius replied as he pulled out her Apricorn. “I’m going to be doing some team practice. Lucien is more geared to that.”
She nodded and looked to the Lapras, “It’s been using water beams and cannons – but the aim has intentionally been slightly off the mark. I do not know if it has been conditioned to only perform glancing blows, or if the creature intended to simply harry us as we practiced…but I caution you. There is some wisdom behind that creature’s eyes.” She looked back to Zarius and her purple eyes flared with ghostflame. “That Corviknight was a treat to train against. But you and I still must practice against each other.”
Zarius tossed the Apricorn up and down in his hand, “Understood. Ready to go in?”
She nodded, and Zarius tossed the Apricorn at her. She vanished in a flurry of purple sparkles, and the Apricorn flew back to his hand. Zarius then grabbed Lucien’s, and threw it to the side. There was a burst of black and gold sparkles as the Umbreon appeared, shaking his head back and forth before trotting over next to him.
“That was a good time,” Lucien said as he nuzzled up against Zarius’ leg. “I got to chase down a ton of Eevee’s and just indulge in the hunt of mating. Quite a treat.”
Zarius knelt down and gave him some behind-the-ear scritches, “Happy you enjoyed it. I think I might have fucked up my relations with Corina.”
Lucien turned his head slightly sideways, as if quizzical. “It’s not like you humans mate for life. Just find another one.”
Zarius nodded, but there was a bit of a tug in his chest. What’s this feeling? He thought.
“I believe mortals refer to it as desire. Something which we will overcome the need for, in time.”
Bradley shouted over to Zarius, “How do you want to do this?”
Zarius walked over with Lucien padding alongside him, pushing aside his thoughts about Corina’s smooth skin and warm embrace as the idea of an impending fight drew out his aggressive, bloodthirsty side. “We should stay near the totem thing,” he said as he gestured to it.
“I got it!” Lucien dashed over and gripped the thing in his mouth, bringing it over and depositing it in Zarius’ grip. He swiftly stabbed it into the rocky-covered ground and the dirt below.
Bradley shook his head and seemed to have fully come out of his shell of shyness, “Good, but not quite what I meant. Do you want to do it with me fighting from Suddsy’s back? Moves or no Moves? Both of us on our feet?”
Zarius glanced at Lucien, “Thoughts?”
Lucien’s eyes narrowed and his voice became distant and calculating – just as it did with the Centiskorch fight. “We use Moves. Let them attack us how they wish.” His voice lowered, and Zarius could barely hear it. “All Pokemon can understand each other, so that Lapras heard me.” His eyes shifted to look at Zarius, and a manic grin of sharpened teeth flashed his direction. “I will use Trainer’s Shadow. That will limit me to Sand Attack, Growl, and Helping Hand.”
Bradley shouted back, “Sounds good! Let me know when you’re ready to go!”
Zarius glanced at Lucien, “How do we do this?”
The Umbreon stepped right behind Zarius, and the Trainer could feel a cool sensation along the back of his calves and up his thighs. The sensation continued up through his spine and up to the top of his skull. Lucien’s voice whispered right next to his ear, “Trainer’s Shadow is active. Using Helping Hand. When the fight begins, I’ll Growl and Sand Attack.”
Bradley frowned, “Where’d your Pokémon go?”
Zarius drew his sword and just grinned in reply, “He’s here. Let’s go!” he began to run forward.
The Lapras bit down on Bradley’s armored shoulder, lifting him up and onto its back before it whipped its head back. “Lap-ras!” A glowing bulb of water appeared in its open mouth, and as the cry finished, a torrent of water blasted out.
Double Team, Zarius thought as he activated the Move and barely dodged the blast of water. Evelyn was right – the Lapras was intentionally missing with the Water Moves. That blast was aimed right at his chest, and if not for Double Team enhancing his evasiveness – he would have missed.
His shadow, which was just behind him, darted to his side and sent a torrent of rocks and dirt up at both the Lapras and Bradley, forcing them to avert their gaze. It gave Zarius the time to get close enough to the edge of the river, and he got close enough to slash at the Pokémon with the flat of his sword.
But it must have sensed his presence, as it twisted its body so that the shell took the blow. It spun rapidly, and Bradley clung to the neck of the creature as the spin continued, the fins retracting into the shell, as it moved forward to Zarius. He was forced to back up onto the rocky shoal and retreat from the spinning, spiny, coral-covered shell that could rip and tear him to bits if he got too close.
He could feel the heat against his chest as Lucien used Helping Hand, and Zarius raised his hand, forming it into the claw-like shape as he gripped down. “Bite!”
The shadowy mouth appeared above the Lapras’ head, and crunched down. It let out a cry of pain, and Bradley raised his hand at Zarius as a beam of ice lanced out and slammed into his torso. The horrific chill spread throughout his body, and Zarius found himself stuck in place – unable to move.
But Bradley, too, was now frozen to the Lapras’ back as Synchronize activated. The Lapras’ spin continued, though, and with Zarius unable to move it slammed into him. He could feel the blunt impact first, and then the razor-sharp coral ripped into his clothes, his armor, and the flesh underneath before the ice gave way and he was flung to his side.
He rolled to a stop in the rocks and growled as the scent of iron hit his nostrils. Rolling to his feet, he saw Bradley desperately chipping away at the ice surrounding his legs, as the Lapras came to a stop. “Lucien, go left.”
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Lucien leapt out of his shadow and ran to the left, using Bite over and over on the Lapras as he drew its ire. It gave Zarius a moment to gather himself and stand up. Double Team, he thought as he rushed forward. And Bite! He made the claw gesture on Bradley and the shadowy shape clamped down onto his mid-section, leaving bloody wounds across the torso. The young man screamed glanced down, then seemed to shake with anger.
Zarius’ heart was racing as he felt The Urge come upon him. The internal drive for one Trainer to fight another. To best them. To prove dominance. And judging by Bradley’s shift in demeanor – the narrowed eyes, the grit teeth; the young man was feeling the same Urge. He raised his hand again and unleashed blasts of ice – beam after beam that Zarius dodged as he used Double Team again to increase his evasion, dancing between the beams as he even managed to catch one on his blade which grew cold in his grip.
Lucien’s next Bite was focused on Bradley, and it detonated the Shadow Brand that Zarius’ Bite had left on him. This resulted in a grunt of pain from the young man.
The Lapras was still firing off beams of water at Lucien, and the Pokemon was evading them – mostly. But a handful of shots scored glancing blows that staggered him, and he barked out, “Zarius! Shadow!”
Zarius stopped his headlong sprint to the Lapras and instead dashed toward Lucien. Both Bradley and the Lapras kept firing at the two, but Zarius got to Lucien who slipped into his shadow before using a Helping Hand. Zarius could feel the cool sensation run up his body again and he managed to duck a water beam.
Double Team, he thought as he used the last charge of that Move until nightfall. But the effects from prior uses had stacked up, and he was very hard to hit. That, and more dirt and sand sprayed up to strike the hostile Trainer and his Bound Companion – throwing off their aim even further.
Then, the Lapras used the battlefield to its advantage. It moved deeper into the river – where Zarius would have to get into the water and swim after it. A suicide move against a Water Type. Instead, he used all the remaining activations of Bite – with Lucien popping out of his shadow to use his own application of the Move directly after each of Zarius’. They both weaved along the shore line, with Lucien using Zarius’ shadow to dodge the ice beams and water blasts – whilst Zarius’ innate evasion thanks to Double Team kept him safe.
“Double Team is almost up,” Yveltal advised. “Best call the practice bout here.”
The deity suppressed Zarius’ urge, and he held up both hands. “That’s enough!” he shouted.
Bradley looked crazed, eyes wild, as blood seeped from him and onto the Lapras’ white shell, staining it crimson. Both combatants were covered in wounds, whereas aside from the earlier shell spin, Zarius was unharmed. Lucien had managed to draw on Mending Darkness thanks to the Pact of Yveltal and healed himself whilst inside Zarius’ shadow.
The young Water Trainer shouted back, “Do you surrender?!” his voice was crazy, eyes bloodshot, chest heaving. “You’re weak if you want to give up here! I’m not even half done!”
“A legend does not surrender,” they said as an indignant rage exploded from them. Every word, laced with anger that a mere mortal would dare challenge their sublime authority. Legend Mode.
The world exploded with darkness, as deep, black tendrils whipped around them. Crimson stains etched themselves into the air all around, and for those six seconds, they were the avatar of death. The god of it. A spectral form of their true form manifested behind them and surrounded them as a shroud.
Bradley’s eyes lost all bloodlust, and his face went white as he gripped tight onto his Lapras’ neck. The Pokémon submerged beneath the surface.
Zarius counted the seconds and felt Legend Mode fade. “I…shit.”
-----
[Combat Concluded]
[Experience Awarded: 100]
[Total Experience: 2,425]
-----
“We got caught up in the Urge. The desire for a display of dominance. This does not bode well. Water Types can traverse vast distances through the waves.”
Zarius sheathed the sword, grabbed the small totem, and began sprinting to town. “He’s going to tell of what he saw,” he said in between paces.
Lucien loped along beside him, “And we care why, exactly?”
“He’s going to talk about how he saw the new Dark Type Trainer turn into a Pokémon.”
“For all he knows we just used a Move that he does not know. We can play this off with a ruse.”
“He’ll tell her,” Zarius stated, feeling his pulse quicken even more despite the recent battle setting his heart thrumming. A feeling of anxiety creeping up his spine. “I want her to hear it from me.”
The run back to town was pretty quick, and Zarius wasn’t even stopped at the open gate. He raced to the Guild Hall, dashing inside, and spotted the Guild Leader, Mary. “Where’s Corina?” he blurted as he put hands on knees and sucked in recovery breaths.
The Ghost Trainer looked up, “Oh. She’s downstairs.” She sounded a bit dour and disinterested. “Bring back the Trainer War-”
Zarius put it on the table and glanced back to Lucien, “Keep watch. Get me if Bradley arrives.”
“What happ-” Mary began to ask.
Zarius just walked past her and descended to the chambers below. He began opening doors and eventually came across a locked one. He banged his fist on it. “Corina! You in there?”
There was rustling behind the door and it opened. The Flying Type Trainer had slightly puffy eyes, and she had a firm expression of disgust. “What do you want?”
Zarius pushed her into the room and pinned her against the wall. She struggled, but he brought his mouth to her ear. “I’m going to tell you,” he said softly but with urgency. “You want to know how I knew those combat tricks? How I suddenly got better? I’ll tell you.”
He could feel her pulse through her wrists, quickening as she whispered, “You…you’re from the kingdom, aren’t you?”
Zarius blinked a few times, “Huh? No.” He pulled back and looked at her quizzically, “Why would you think that?”
She flexed her wings and folded them in behind her, but otherwise stayed put. “Shut the door.” Zarius didn’t turn, but walked backward and shut the door. “I didn’t just reject the kingdom. I worked against them for a short while.”
Zarius shook his head, “No, I’m from the mountains, like I said. From a cult, like I said. I was a sacrifice, like I said.” He felt the shadows billow around him, “I am the vessel of Yveltal, god of death. And in order to ascend to my true state once more, I must reach level 100.”
Corina froze in place, her breath caught as the specter of the god of death stood before her, the shadows billowing and crackling with crimson light that slowly receded back into Zarius. “You…you’re…”
“A god. A legendary Pokémon. A nascent form. The combat prowess comes from my past vessels,” their voice was sure and confident. This will be my first worshipper. She will worship me in all aspects, they thought.
Corina collapsed to her knees, her eyes filled with wonder and fear as she looked upon the mortal vessel of a deity. “I…holy gods above.”
“One is before you. Not above. Right here.”
She whispered, “Am I talking to Zarius right now? Or the god?”
“Both,” they replied. “Become my worshipper. Serve me in body, mind, and spirit. Together, we will travel these lands and gain Experience. I will siphon life essence. You shall be my Herald, from now until the end of your days.” They raised a hand over her head, and a torrent of black shadows laced with crimson hues surged out over her.
Corina knelt there, eyes transfixed on Zarius as a smile spread across her visage. “I’ll serve you, Zarius, Yveltal, whatever your name is.” She was in awe, transfixed – but not of some compulsion he had placed upon her. No stripping of free will. No, Zarius knew that she truly, deeply, felt a companionship with him. She had lain with him, had shared her past – despite keeping some details secret – and he could tell this was a true dedication of devotion at witnessing divinity.
The shadows flowed into her, and she gasped as they sucked into her being. She leaned forward, hands on the floor, and sucked in heaving breaths as Zarius crouched and brought his eyes to her level. “Worship me.”
She crawled over and latched onto his arm, “You are the god of death. I serve your will.”
They grabbed her shoulder and lifted her up. “When you die, you will not be given into Giratina’s judgement, but instead into my embrace as all my past Heralds have. To worship me in the beyond – once I ascend to my true form.”
She grinned ecstatically, “I can’t wait to get you there, my lord.”
