As the two approached the stone flat, a booming voice came from a distance. "Do not enter unless you are willing to face the trial of wits and strength." Certainly Eros and Xerxes were shaken up by this, considering there was no source to the sound. Both identified the language to be English, should that have been in question.
"Eros, I think we should still go on."
"Was that ever in question?"
The two proceeded across the stone base without event, making it to the base of the massive flight of stairs. As they walked and escalated, the view from the mountain served to please them both. The grand hill was not the same as any other; It seemed to tower much higher than any other mountain in sight, the peak clear of snow. They traveled for quite a distance, making it to the other side of the mountain and halfway up when another stone flat interrupted the path. This time, the area was about the shape of half a football field. In the center of this was a stone in the ground, glowing a faint blue color. Around this were many intricate circles filled with heliographs that looked more like art than writing.
As the two walked across this area (about ten feet in), a soft blue phantom appeared over the stone, causing the pair to stop in their tracks. The phantom was poorly defined at first, appearing as a blob; But as it got closer to the two, it clearly took the form of a Suicune, with the body and size of the real one; however, the phantom was translucent and completely blue, as was its incorporeal nature. The creature spoke in a booming voice, "You will not pass. Those dark of heart cannot become powerful in the way of the light." The image seemed to be talking about Xerxes.
Xerxes spoke, "But I'm not evil!" , trying to counter the negative statement she received. The Suicune ignored this and spoke to Eros.
"A human may not desecrate this temple. Both of you shall return to whence you came and never return."
Xerxes and Eros were distraught at this, which may have led to the part where Xerxes started to run at the phantom and use pursuit on it, her claws glowing with anger and might.
The phantom had only to wait until Xerxes was in front of it; As she swung, the creature hopped back and countered, slamming into Xerxes' fragile body, knocking her over in one hit. She lied on the ground, stunned from this blow. The phantom now stared at Eros, waiting for him to make his move. However, Eros knew that alone, the fight was completely one-sided, making him useless no matter what he would do. The phantom did not attack Eros in turn of his inaction, only seeming to act on provocation.
Wait, does this only act on provocation? Eros tried to walk forwards but found the incorporeal being stood in his way. As he touched it, shivers went up and down his back, making him retreat. Note to self: Cannot walk through phantoms.
What was this undefeatable force? No phantom could possibly hold the strength that is present in the real legendary being. Even so, was the fraction of the power of Suicune great enough to defeat Xerxes in a single blow? How could anyone imagine getting to the top of the mountain? All was hopeless in continuing up this mountain, should this be the case...
Eros picked up the prone Xerxes and started to carry her back down the mountain. She seemed frozen in place from the ghost, but he felt no sign that she was paralyzed in any way; Hence, she must've kept still on her own choosing.
Xerxes moaned in Eros' arms, "Eros, I want to go back home."
"Don't worry, we'll be down the mountain soon enough."
Eros proceeded down the mountain until he saw a small group of people- humans, for sure- making their way up the mountain. "Who could this be?" Eros said to himself. There was no place to hide, should the need be, so he proceeded as normal, pleading to the gods that no one was coming to hunt him for whatever reason they may.
As he got closer to the crowd, he started to make out familiar sights: A woman in a green cloak, an unforgettable black hairdo that belonged only to Eros' only friend, a Trapinch trying to move up on its stubby little legs, and a ghost with a red orb for an eye, no longer holding any menacing weapon. How could this be? Eros couldn't decide whether or not to approach faster or try and escape up the mountain. Cerci was an ally to Eros for all he knew, and he shouldn't act otherwise. Trapinch was also a friend of his, meaning the group could not have been there to harm him- at least not voluntarily. On the other hand, he knew no one in the right of mind would help Cerci in her crazy schemes, and he knew Hank not to be mad. And that Duskull- that thing wanted him DEAD. It's only, like, common sense to not like it.
There could be two possibilities: Hank and Duskull convinced the two to kill him, or-
"Hey, Eros, finished already?" Cerci shouted in an almost satiric voice, giving Eros a sense of deep companionship from only a few days back.
"Cerci!" Eros shouted back, bringing Xerxes in his arms with him and closing the distance. "What are you doing here?"
Cerci spoke in front of the others, "I personally felt bad about leaving you alone, so I just had to undergo a heroic quest to save you, my dearest maiden. As for the rest, well, they can speak for themselves."
Hank talked next, "Hey, bud. Yeah, I found out that you really were a Druid. I was going to tell someone, but the day after you left, me n'Cerci shot the shit and stuff, so yeah. She explained everything. And hey, who am I to let a friend travel to frozen hell alone? That's also why I brought Pikachu." Hank used his pokeball to unleash a yellow mouse upon the area between the main group and Eros.
The Pikachu stated only a single phrase as it appeared, "'Sup."
Hank continued, "I can't believe you can talk to Pokemon now. I mean, that's only every trainer's dream ever. I just might have to become a Druid." Eros and Cerci laughed more than Hank at this, while the Pokemon wondered why the humans were laughing. Xerxes was confused by the term 'Druid'. Hank continued, "And check this out! You know that Duskull you saved- He told Cerci, who told me- ? Well, check this out!" Hank pointed dumbly at the ghost, directing the attention at it. It spoke like so:
"My deepest sorrows
I meant only to obey
Command I now hate.
I wish forgiveness
From he who I have wronged, you.
My deepest regrets.
I cannot ask much
For I am an assassin
Sent by a great Mage.
This man means you ill.
I cannot agree with him
Now I see your faith."
Hank continued, "Isn't that badass? He speaks in FUCKING HAIKUS. I don't care if he tried to kill you, you have to let him join us. Please?" (This is the one time Hank will understand Pokemon before needing to actually learn the language. Man, this is a major plot hole. XP)
Eros gave a mental face palm before saying, "Fine."
Sicily spoke last, "Hey."
Eros responded, "Why have you come? Not that I'm not glad you did so..."
"Well, eventually you gotta get up and leave home, or you'll never see the world. And I wouldn't want to do that without you. May I join you?"
Eros smiled at this large following that he was gathering. How could he ever have imagined traveling without Cerci and Sicily, without Hank and- well, actually, he was hoping never to see the ghost again.
Cerci spoke again, "Who's in your hands?"
"Her name is Xerxes. We agreed to go with each other and climb the mountain, but now some phantom that looks like Suicune is blocking the path. She tried to claw at it, but it stepped back quickly and took her down in one hit. I didn't try to fight it because, well, that would be stupid."
Cerci spoke, "I don't remember there being any spirits. Then again, it's been a while back..."
Hank continued for Cerci, "But now that we're here, we can totally wreck that thing."
Eros smiled, but then asked Hank, "Do you have any potions for Xerxes here?"
"Uh, duh." Hank pulled out a white and purple potion and sprayed it on Xerxes, which perked her up quite a bit. She slowly became more active in the arms of Eros until she finally crawled out from his grip. She landed roughly but was on both legs now. Eros looked at his group confidently and made his way back up the stairs, no longer planning to come back down.
The party was making its way up the stairs again, everyone a little weary from travel, entering the stone clearing and watching the phantom appear once more. The phantom looked at Eros and Xerxes disgustingly before saying, "Human. Sneasel. I already told you to leave." It then proceeded to walk to the others, stating its opinion on everyone.
First it started with Hank's Pikachu. "You have such potential, yet you fall short by no small gap. So naive and short-tempered."
The Pikachu shouted a "Hey!" in frustration.
The spirit spoke to Hank next. "You... Ugh. Your soul rots of... Transgressions beyond that of a demon! I should slay you right now!"
Hank replies with a shrug and said, "Momma always said I was special."
Next the spirit spoke to Sicily. "I see deep feeling that you conceal; You should be ashamed both that you hide them and that you have them." Sicily blushed and hung her head.
Next, the spirit spoke to the Duskull. "You pride yourself on your solitude. However, it has done nothing but made you a monster. And yet you persist?"
Duskull replied,
"I have seen my fault.
I have brought myself to light
For my redemption."
"But alas, you will find none here. Go home, spirit." Finally, the image made its way to Cerci, speaking to her last. "And you... Have you been here before?"
"Well, not BEFORE, but yes."
"None the matter. You- are you- you are a divine being? But not entirely, no. You have come from somewhere far away, and for an important cause. But no matter, that does not change that you have let your sanity slip. This is not the place for you."
Cerci rebutted, "I'd like to argue that; I'm completely sane."
"You have flies in your eyes, kid." The image proceeded to back away about ten feet. "None of you are worthy. You may retreat now, or I can force you to leave. Choose wisely."
Eros looked back on the group. "Anyone plan to give up?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good. Let's kick his great blue ass."
Everyone started to prepare their positions for combat. The phantom had backed up and prepared to receive an attack. Hank had Pikachu at the ready. Sicily was preparing to clamp on when she had the chance. Duskull was slowly making its way to the ghost, slowly floating away. Xerxes was currently attempting to flank the ghost. Cerci had meditated for a few seconds before becoming an Absol. Finally, Eros was preparing to cast his new magical missile at the being.
The first strike came from Pikachu, when Hank commanded it to use iron tail. The mouse did a nimble front flip before slamming into the ground with its metal appendage, only barely missing the ghost as it stepped back again. However, the phantom was not prepared for the strike to the side delivered by Xerxes; The darkness-infused claw sank into the side of the being, seeming to let loose some of the spiritual energy from within as a blue steam came from the wound.
The ghost took its move as it suddenly opened its jaw wide and let out a great force of water that pushed Xerxes towards the mountain, knocking her off her feet with Hydro Pump.
While it was doing this, it found it happened to have a Trapinch stuck to its legs, certainly making it uncomfortable. Cerci headed straight in, hopping right over the head of Pikachu and sinking her ghostly claws into the upper neck of the phantom. Eros had gathered enough energy at this time to launch his magical missile at the Suicune, leaving behind an arced trail and giving visible impact to the body. Finally, Duskull managed to make his way behind the ghost, to which he screamed and rammed into it, catching it off guard in the move Astonish.
The phantom was definitely injured at this time, showing visible pain in its eyes. However, as the crystal it spawned from glowed, then as the phantom glowed, a burst of light and energy came from it, quickly pushing everyone close to it away (besides Sicily, who was attached to it) and making it appear as strong as when they met it.
Eros thought to himself. Damn, there's no way they can fight this for another round. Everyone was hit by some amount of force from that burst, even he was. Exhaustion was present on everybody, especially on Xerxes. What could they do? Damn, these puzzle battles suck.
Cerci shouted, "Pikachu! Attack the crystal with an iron tail!" The Suicune immediately turned its attention to the person who omitted this, then to Pikachu. It quickly swung its foot towards the edge of the mountain, tossing Sicily towards the edge. Eros barreled his way to the tumbling Trapinch, who was making its way quickly to the edge. He reached out for her and, at the last second, saw her fall over the edge and down the mountain, into some trees.
While this was going on, the rest of the party was still battling. The phantom obviously didn't want anyone near its crystal, keeping anyone from getting past with all its might. Everyone noticed Sicily go over the edge but decided to keep fighting. Xerxes was still getting back up, having been hit by a hydropump. Duskull was sending little flames to scorch the Suicune while Cerci let out a ball of shadowy force at it.
This gave Pikachu enough room to run around the Suicune, and it did, making it about halfway before being completely overwhelmed by a ghost which tackled it from behind, causing both to roll on the stone. The Pikachu had closed its eyes in response to this attack and opened them to see a ghostly figure above, a watery force inside its massive jaws. Just as it was about to feel the wrath of a hydropump, the phantom suddenly had a crack in it; Then, it disappeared outright. Looking around for its savior, Pikachu found a dazed Sneasel with its shadowy claw sunk into the crystal in the ground, marking the success over the phantom of Suicune.
Meanwhile, Eros had seen Sicily fall over the edge. Oh god, this was his fault wasn't it? She didn't have to die. She came back to help Eros and this is what she got. She was kill- What is that coming from the trees? It was this dragonfly like being- four diamond shaped wings of green hue and a yellow body. That clever bastard evolved. "Sicily!"
The newly evolved Vibrava quickly flew it's way up the side of the mountain, then landed in front of Eros. "Timing, huh?"
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Heyyyyyy guys.
So, uh, I'm giving myself a break for a it from updating. Not that I don't have a buffer already, but I'm going to let you guys catch up.
I mean, I've been updating once or twice per day. I just want to read a bit man. I don't play this author shit too well sometimes.
So, smile for the camera. I need more reads so I can afford crackers.
I love you. -HaterOfTheYear
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