Pokemon - From the Brink

Chapter 54 - Evil's Hierarchy

Tobi, overrun by Bedlam's influence, flew down to the ground and stood slowly, the Ryuusei Blade at his side. Bedlam had plucked him from a point in time where he was at his peak – just after he had absorbed the negative energies of the Soul Emeralds, indicated by his jet-black wings. His own raw power, combined with Bedlam's mind-control meant that he was now a walking tank – but the scariest thing was that Bedlam had been able to control him at all. There had been a time when fighting this brute had taken everything my friends and I had had in us – but now Bedlam had shut him up and pulled him under as if he were just like any of the rest of us.

"You stay out of this!" Chloe growled, charging forward. "This is between us and Bedlam!"

Tobi didn't speak. It was as if his brain had shut off – but his reflexes were fully functional.

He dodged the lightning-fast jab and grabbed Chloe's wrist, using her momentum against her to fling her over his shoulder. In the same movement, he lashed out with his left foot, jamming it into Zeraora's chest as he attempted to follow up.

"Hydro Pump!" Yu took his sword in both hands, and a powerful blast of water erupted forth, smashing into the incoming enemy with all the force of a typhoon.

Tobi braced by raising the Ryuusei Blade and using it as a shield, the water pushing him back.

"Now!" Hikaru commanded the grass to follow her whims, and it shot up around Tobi. Wrapping round him and constricting him in place.

"All right – go!" Paolo and Victor ran forward, their respective weapons raised.

"Urrhh..." Tobi let out a low growl, and, with a flex of his muscles, snapped the plants rooting him to the ground. He leant out of the way of Yu's water jet and swung the vines that he had gripped tightly in his left hand, wielding them like a whip.

The green vines snapped through the air and lashed Yu clean across the side of the face, sending him flying as he howled in pain.

"Yu!" Keldeo went to help, but Tobi flicked his wrist and sent the vines back, where they wrapped themselves tightly around the Colt Pokemon's horn. "Agh! Gh...!" The young creature tried to pull his head back, but Tobi yanked him forward, causing him to fly over the grass towards him. It was when they met that Tobi stuck out his arm and thrust it into Keldeo's neck, clotheslining him as he shot past.

"HAAAH!"

"YAHH!"

Paolo and Victor leapt at the jumbled swordsman, their blades coming down with force.

The demon boy blocked both weapons at once with his own sword, before slashing across their chests with a vicious swing that sent them both flying back into their Pokemon partners who had been about to leap in to help.

"Hah!" Midorima closed his fist and Tobi fell victim to his psychic abilities, being held in place by his and Uxie's powerful combination. "Go, Gabi!"

"Raahh!" Gabi's wings flared up and he blasted Tobi head-on with a searing plume of Sacred Fire that was impossible to avoid. "Got him!"

The blue fire engulfed its target, leaving nothing but a ball of flame in his place.

"Wait-!" Midorima winced, before he staggered back.

A burst of red light came from within the flames, blowing them away like candlelights.

"Huh-?!" Gabi reeled back, but Tobi's hand shot out of the smoke and grabbed him by the collar. The barbarian pulled the flying boy down to Earth and slammed his knee deep into his stomach, causing Gabi to cough up a spurt of blood as his eyes widened.