Dark Arts and Dark Minds

Chapter 11: Frigid Confrontation, Ghostly Results

*Riku's POV*

*Mt. Avalanche, 19F*

It just keeps getting colder and colder... Are we almost at the top of this mountain?

I turned to Alakazam, and he, too, seemed to be losing body heat from the intensely chilled air.

"Brrr... Alakazam, what do you suppose we..."

"Shhh..." He put a finger to my mouth. Before I could ask why, he pointed to a figure in about a dozen yards away. It hadn't noticed us yet and was clawing at the icy walls of the cavern, like it was leaving a marking for another Pokemon. I took a closer look,

Wait a minute... That's a... A Weavile! Could this be the one that escaped with Gengar that one day?...

"Alakazam, do you think that..." I tried to whisper, but the acoustics of the cavern carried my voice much farther than I'd have liked them to.

Be quiet, Riku- please. A voice echoed inside my head, forcing me to stop talking. Hopefully, the Weavile hadn't heard my voice...

Too late. The Pokemon turned its head from its work and pointed a hooked claw at me.

"You..." it hissed at me,

"Riku!..." The Pokemon practically spat out the name, as if it the mere thought of my existence was tearing it up inside. Its body shook with rage, and it lunged at me with blinding speed. I barely had time to dodge the attack, and the Pokemon still managed to grab my left shoulder as it leapt past me.

The barbed claw latched onto my shoulder and ripped a large chunk of skin off the area, carrying the same momentum as the Weavile that wielded it.

I crumpled to the ground in pain, looking to Alakazam for help. The Psi Pokemon had its eyes shut, and I couldn't help wondering,

Is he asleep??? Come on, Alakazam, now isn't the time for that!

Alakazam's eyes suddenly opened, glowing a familiar blue color.

"Take this!" His brow furrowed, and he released an odd-colored beam from his forehead. I watched the ray of pulsating energy gradually float towards the Weavile, who had conveniently lodged its claw in a block of ice. The Pokemon looked up at the incoming "magic missile" and panicked, trying to dislodge its claw from the ice. However, by the time it had successfully freed itself, the attack was already too close to avoid it...

It all happened in less than a second- the beam was absorbed into the struggling Pokemon's skin, and it was instantly helpless on the ground, seizuring and convulsing. I looked back at Alakazam in both pain and alarm,

"What did you... What did you do to it?"

"Signal Beam," he responded casually,

"Interferes with brain action, effectively causing what you see before you," he said, motioning to the Weavile, whose insane actions slightly disturbed me.

"We should probably get going before it regains control of itself," Alakazam told me before walking toward the stairs in front of us.

Clutching my damaged shoulder, I hobbled along after him, wondering what would kill me first- the wound, or the cold.

*Mt. Avalanche, 20F*

The cave suddenly opened into an enormous ring around us, and light filled the chamber. I looked upwards and realized that we had reached the summit- I could finally see the stars!

They're so pretty from up here... I stared at the sky with awe, until Alakazam turned my attention to the object on the other side of the peak, a small blue tube with holes in the sides. I wondered what anyone could possibly do with it?"