It was an odd moment of time to remember my first fight. I had just been summoned into the world as an Aron and, well, had no clue how to even move. Much less where I was. A Caterpie, a simple little Caterpie, came up to me. Now, I had know idea I shrunk down into my new form so the change in perspective was really daunting. To be confronted with a Pokemon that was suddenly the size I was. It terrified me. Seems that even my first moments in this world were ones of fear.
It really shouldn’t even be called a fight, more of a triggering of my fight or flight response. Limbs pulsing and shaking. Much more like stumps than the arms or legs I was used to. In retrospect, I don’t even think it wished me any harm. It was, all things considered, probably just curious who suddenly invaded its space. But I felt threatened to fight! Playing out those survival instincts that are common to all species.
I vividly remember screaming and flailing and by sheer luck making contact with the Caterpie. It squealed out. I yelled out. It ran off. I fell onto my back. And my dysfunctional limbs were being completely unresponsive and my top heavy nature had me trapped.
What an odd time to meet someone, while I was trapped on my back and helpless. Screaming, struggling, and squirming. Someone I’d come to know rather well in this world. His inhuman, green legs ran up into my vision. Which, unsurprisingly, scared me also.
“Hey, hey! Are you alright?” He said to me.
“I- I-” There was no logical reason why I was capable of understanding him, I just did.
“Do you need help?” He bent over giving me my first look at the Pokemon that would eventually become my partner, Axe the Axew.
……
I snapped back to the present. Reminiscing about the past when facing an enemy was a terrible mistake. And Celebi was something even worse than an enemy. Something inhuman, unremorseful, and wretched. And I didn’t have my partner around to back me up.
We stared each other down, time in the Time Betwixt Time passing or not. I squashed down the parts of me that still wanted to give in and submit to this creature. If I could not stand up to her here, could not stop her here, then everyone I cared for in this world was in danger. That was all the motivation I needed.
The two of us didn’t need words anymore. I made my vow, she swore my death. All that was left to find out the truth. Which of the two of us was stronger.
I started strategizing. I am not Axe. Charging in blindly would not work in my favor here. For one, I don’t have the big attacks that hit hard like him. My strengths lie in preparation, planning, and execution. Planning had saved me, and Axe for that matter, more than once on our journeys. Like against opponents mighty enough to level the world if left unchecked, for example. If it worked there, it would work for me here. Especially since Celebi had single handedly defeated my entire guild. But because of that I had an advantage, I had knowledge.
Her Psychic type was a given, but likely also Grass type based on her other attacks and weaknesses. I wasn’t too worried about her Psychic moves, I could shrug those off. The Psyco Cut that she had just pelted me with wasn’t that hard to weather. Psychic wasn’t going to be much more of an issue if I could steel myself in time. Energy Ball and other grass moves would be a struggle but I couldn’t let that stop me, I could take the pain. That was always my role in our partnership, I took the hits and Axe dealt the punishment. This time though, I needed to do both alone.
Beyond that, it was actually a point in my favor that she had fought my guild. If she was at full strength, I wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in the Mantle I fought Necrozma in. Not with the way she utterly dissected every one of my guildmates.
For the few positives, I couldn’t help but think of the negatives. There weren’t any rocks here in Time Betwixt Time. The glass like floor below was not yielding to my claws, the few I had left anyway. I had to rely on my own body to deal damage here. I didn’t like that. Closing in distance on a Pokemon that could fly, who could possibly teleport? There were harder things to hit, but I couldn’t think of any right now.
‘If I get in close, I can’t let her get away. And to get close, I need to make an opportunity!’
I bolted to the side. Celebi’s scathing eyes traced me sideways as I ran around her in a circle. My eyes were glued to her hands. Pokemon power only manifests physically from specific points on the body. I’ve seen enough of her and other psychic types to know it courses from her hands.
Neon stars pulled down her arm as she casually turned my way. Swirling manifestations of whatever Pokemon have that grants them otherworldly abilities. Sparks spirited off of her into a verdant orb. ‘Not yet.’
The wind up was predictable, and she stepped my way.
Lairons are heavy, slow, and massive forms full of momentum. But I’ve had to deal with that ever since that first fight. I’ve struggled and battled and trained harder than anyone to know this body, ever since Celebi put me into it. And now I was going to use it to connect a blow right to her smug face. Watch her fall apart as the ‘Thing’ she thought of me picked her to pieces.
The harshest of noises, like calls of beasts from the underworld. Shards of glass scraped under my metal nails and hooves as I slid across the surface. Friction heated my feet. The Screech accomplished two immediate objectives. It disrupted Celebi’s attack and slowed my momentum enough to shift into a sprint straight towards her.
The Energy Ball collapsed into ineffective dust as it dashed against the ground, misthrown by the witch. She reeled away from me, hands to her ears. Teeth gritting against the sudden noise. My gambit was successful, I just needed to capitalize on it. I needed to hit her square on.
Power flooded my body, subconsciously coming to my aid. Spritely willpower flourishing and fueling my feet. Seeking its own retribution for a year of torment. This was beyond instinct though, this wasn’t just blind rage like her either, nor was this a battle. This was war. With stakes more dear to me than even saving the world. I did that to get home, to uphold my end of a damned deal I had no autonomy in accepting. I was over and done with acquiescing to this putrid stain of a brutal, torturous, inhumane Pokemon. This was for something even more dear to me. For the only Pokemon I felt were worth saving. For my Guild who saved me.
The purpose pushed me faster, she wouldn’t be stunned for long and the same tactic wasn’t going to work twice. If I didn’t hit, I wasn’t going to get another chance.
‘Get close! Hit her hard! In one shot!’
I felt agony with each step, the painful reminders that I wasn’t fully healed. I cursed each inch I ran. But I couldn’t stop, not when every moment was the difference between victory and defeat. With more than just my life on the line if I lose. Every one of them was counting on me, even if they didn’t know it. And I was going to save them! In the words of my Boss, ‘There are no buts allowed. Not when you’re a rescuer.’
Celebi shook her head, eyes and stance becoming clear once again. But I was there, and I saw the shock in her eyes. And that was the most dastardly motivating thing.
‘That's right! Fear me! Cower away from me! Feel the weight of dread!’
My Iron Head collided with her straight on. Her grunt of pain was more satisfying than I could describe. She crumbled back from my attack, not that it was going to be any reprieve from my assault. I hounded her as she skidded across reflective glass.
“Want some more, you fungus!!?” I screamed. Wellsprings of Power coated my paws. I actively experienced each one of my claws rapidly expanding in length and lethality, even the broken ones. Clacks of footsteps became shreds as mountain rending weapons burst from me. She was staggering to get up. My blow looked like it made her flinch. ‘Good!’ I maliciously thought.
Pokemon heal quite oddly. Of course, they do so naturally over time and the rate can be enhanced by curatives or treatment and such, but it still takes time. And while adrenaline is an amazing hormone, allowing for physical feats in times of great stress, we all have limits. I have limits. The body I was cursed with has limits.
My chest spiked and brandished pain’s monstrous face. I cringed as my lungs fought to breathe. I had almost forgotten in the conflict, but I was quite badly wounded. What little treatment I had received was nowhere near sufficient enough. My steps lagged, my limbs slowed. But my purpose remained, my target was in sight, my objective clear! My body was failing me, however.
That briefest of hesitation ruined my chances. My Metal Claws impacted her reformed barrier, purple cracks of lightning spread through the distance between us.
“No!” I screamed, in spite of the pain, in spite of the moment. “No! No! No!”
With each ‘no’ I pressed again on the barrier, the nonphysical wall that divided me from my target. It weakened each time, but didn't ever give.
And through it all, I had to watch her smug face as she wickedly smiled. All the pretentious, cocky, devilish, disgusting, and damned attitude returned to her. I hated it! My claws were so close from tearing her in two, inches away from beating her to a bloody mess! My heartbeat pounded in my aching head. Wheezing breaths filled my lungs.
“Oh, Ronn-”
“Shut up, you bitch! All I want to hear from you are your screams!” I wouldn't let her words reach me again. I couldn't stomach the thought of listening to that poison. Why had I in the first place?
She sneered, being denied her favorite pastime of insulting and degrading me must have really set her off.
“Then just DIE!!” Burning emotions fueled her attack. Her own claws bit into me as she unleashed a Psycho Cut into me at point blank range. The failing barrier shattered into neon light and stars. The wave of psychic energy that lurched me yards away shouldn't have really hurt if you only considered type advantages. But when you’re weakened, things hurt more. I bounced on hard glass. Probably denting my armor even further, reducing its effectiveness further. I skidded to a stop, eyes hazy and unfocused.
My chest hurt again. I tasted blood in my mouth. There was ringing in my ears. I had nothing to focus on. I wanted to blackout. I felt the grips of it at the edges of my mind. A lullaby promising me peace. I embraced the pain instead. I embraced this frustrating existence, this world of pain.
I coughed as I tried to get my feet under me. Every part of my body felt sluggish and unresponsive. Some parts of me wanted to run. Some wanted to fight. Some wanted to think. I wanted so many things but only one stood out.
‘I want to win.’
‘What does winning mean to you, weak one?’ That voice asked. It surprisingly helped. Giving me something to focus on instead.
‘Winning means living, losing means death.’
‘Yes.. a primal contest. The ever locked struggle for one’s own survival. Pitted against foes to maintain your existence. I understand.’
‘No, you don’t.’ I shook my head, eyes becoming clearer. The glass floor. The reflection of an injured Lairon, blazing blue eyes still determined. ‘It's not my life I'm fighting for.’
‘Oh? You would bear so much pain for others? All the while you cannot even stand anymore. Truly a mystery. What exactly drives you? What purpose is there in fighting for others?’
‘They stood back up. I’ve seen it time and time again.’
I’ve seen some amazing things as a Pokemon, abilities I think I took for granted as a human. There are amazing struggles in this world, and some amazing Pokemon. A group that decided to take it upon themselves to save others. They’ve always stepped up to save me, since the very beginning. Boss always believed in me. Ms. Olivia always healed me. Ditz always fed me. Ada and Lux always supported me. Tim and Orlov helped train me. Pat always comforted me. And Axe…
‘Cause when I'm with you, I feel invincible.’
I grit my teeth, tension zapped through weak muscles and sore joints. What limits they’ve broken, what torture they’ve endured, what pain they’ve undergone, yet they moved. Screaming, crying, begging for rest, but still they moved.
“Axe… he always fought for me.” I whispered to myself and to this lonely dimension, finding the will to rise to my feet. “That… Fracking idiot. He never once, not one time,” I coughed. “He never stopped fighting for me. When he was knocked down…” One foot set, then two, three. “He stood up!” Just like I did then. Four feet below me.
‘Peculiar, you are becoming a more interesting oddity over and over. But you haven't answered my question. He may have stood up time and time again, but why do you?’
‘After I admitted my crimes, my lies, I thought that was it. That it was over between me and him. But do you know what he did? What he said?’ I asked the voice.
‘No.’
‘He said he’d save me. I’ve done despicable things, things he probably doesn’t even understand, that I could never justify or atone for, but he said he’d still save me.’ I laughed at myself. ‘You asked what purpose is there in fighting for others. Truth is, I don’t think there’s a damn one.’ I felt the weight of that honesty. After a year of desperate self-preservation, of skulking in lies to get home again, the truth felt odd in my head. ‘But,’ I continued. ‘I realize that I'm the worst person to answer that question. So I’ll make you a deal, if I see him again, any of them, I’ll be sure to ask for you.’ I was on my feet, smiling with gallows humor. My odds of winning now aren’t good, and they weren’t all that high to begin with. ‘But to have any chance of seeing them again, I need to win.’
‘Then fight on, weak one. I shall continue to watch over your rebellion. Your opponent draws near.’
‘Shit.’ I turned to face her. Celebi was hurt too. That was the only saving grace. She was limping with each step, favoring her stomach where I had charged her. One of her wings was bent at an unnatural angle. But somehow, none of that damage reached her eyes. They were hard as diamond and sharp as nails. Her pupils were tiny, beady little dots swallowed by raging white sclera.
“You…” She started, incapable of explaining more.
“I told you, Fungus. I don’t want to hear it.” My own words weren’t any more confident.
“I just want to be done with you…!” She screamed.
“Feeling’s mutual.” I responded as I squared up to her. We panted at each other. Still a couple of yards away. ‘How do I hit her now?’ I didn’t have the raw power to get through that barrier anymore, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Celebi was one solid hit away from falling. Given how injured she looked and how much Power she’s used up, she had to be close to defeat. But how, how could I put the final nail in her coffin?
I heard a crash in front of me. Celebi had fallen to her knees, breathing heavily. The space around her looked wavy. I figured her chaotic emotions were affecting the fabric of this realm. What was even more concerning though was watching her slowly calm down. Her breaths were slowing, she began focusing. Probably on her last attack too.
I followed her example. Blinking away the pain and aches. I needed another plan to get through the barrier at this point. All I could hope was that there was a tool in my bag. Except, I didn’t feel it around my body anymore.
‘Think, dammit! Where did I lose it?’
I had it in the Mantle, I had it in town, I had it after the meteor hit, I had it when Celebi choked me with it. So it has to be here, in this realm.
I looked to my left. The shining portal that would have led me back to the human world was still there, lighting the realm. I had been steps away from getting out of here and now I’m fighting my private tormentor. Morbid irony flashed across my mind, how ludicrous this situation has become. But this wasn’t time for regret. I looked right and there it was. The guild’s standard rescuer’s bag of Ada’s spider silk and Olivia’s homegrown leaves. I didn’t have the energy to feel relieved or happy. I needed to move.
My eyes turned fuzzy and unfocused. My neck faltered as I tried to shamble forward. I stepped on something, hard, solid. Definitely not glasslike. I looked down and saw something dark, round, and organic under my foot. ‘What the..’ It popped out from the surroundings. A break in the sea of just teal and purple background colors. And it wasn’t the only one. A few others were around my feet.
They poured from my bag where it had ripped. That last Psycho Cut was probably the primary offender. Unfortunately, it also pushed it out of reach. I knew from that first step that I wasn't going to make it over there.
‘Damnit! Move!’ I argued against my fatigue, my pain, my sores. The words fell on deaf muscles and ligaments. I just needed to get something! Anything! I’d even take a Fracking blast seed at this point!
‘Wait.’ I looked down. The round hard objects, the dark spots in the void. ‘Wait!’ I bent down. My nostrils found the smell of sulfur, rancid smells of flammable organics. I used to hate that smell. I loved it in this moment.
‘Axe, you idiot! You were right!’
I bit the seed and stuffed it into my cheek, and then another, and another. As many as I could stand. They were bitter. Tasted like dirt and charcoal. I wanted to spit them out when they mixed with the iron taste of my blood. Nauseating.
I had a good half dozen. It would have to be enough. It needed to be. I needed to make one more miracle happen here. Otherwise, it would be over for me. And my guild. If my Iron Head could break through her defenses, just an iota. Just a single sliver and it would be enough. Six blast seeds to the face will shut her up for good. I didn't think about the blowback I'd have to endure.
‘If there are any deities out there listening, I beseech thee. Just a little help. Not for me. For everyone back at town. I need help to save them.’
That voice didn't answer me. Nothing answered me. No one answered my prayer. But I prayed it anyway. I don't know if there was God or anything like that in this world. But something about asking. Verbalizing my desire and resolve. It quieted the static. All I heard was my heart, the beat was strong and constant. Even now, deep in hell.
‘Is this what you feel like, Axe? When you stand up?’
I looked at Celebi. She still sat. Hardly moving, but still breathing. Still alive. Still dangerous.
‘Axe, you're always helping me. Just one more time. Help me, Axe. Help me save you.’
“I'm cwaming fer you, Shlebwe.” I spoke around a mouth of seeds. Her eyes opened up. Knife like stares cut across me. Whatever she has prepared, she’s ready. But so was I. And now was the time.
Her Power burned, but so did mine. I concentrated it everywhere. My head and feet. There wasn't any left. ‘Now or never’ never so accurately described my feelings.
I leapt.
Sailing forward.
Towards my demon.
She was ready for me, but that was a given. This was my final Iron Head. With all the weight and strength left in my body, I hit the wall. And I broke through it. The fissures of purple lightning temporarily blinded me and the shockwave rippled through my body. It took the last of my focus to avoid triggering my hidden attack, but I succeeded. We were once again face to face. The size of her anger far outstripped the size of her body. At the proximity she filled the entirety of my vision. Much like that Caterpie. But unlike that moment, I wasn’t helpless anymore.
“A weak attack like that would never come close to hitting me.” She teased, a devious pixie smiling in the face of our conflict. It would make my victory all the sweeter. To tear down her castle of glass into pieces. To win. To survive.
I smiled back. Six Blast Seeds visible in my maw. ‘Go to hell.’ I bit down.
The ignition of six seeds let loose chemical power the likes I hadn’t seen before. Volatile compositions which I longed to know served as my final weapon. The one remaining nail to seal the coffin in this war. Infernos and raging maelstroms of fire bellowed from my maw, and it all was directed point blank on the she witch. Her barrier only sealed her in as the energy had no immediate direction to dissipate. The magnitude of it, however, wasn’t going to be contained, especially when I occupied the one and only possible outlet.
The world vanished and again I felt like I was flying. Again sailing between the boundary of life and death. I tasted fire. I saw fire. I felt fire as it sank through my body. Whipping winds parted around my body. The only things I experienced were brief pockets of sensations that could be considered consciousness. But in that there was peace, I had done everything I could. I needed to believe it worked, that was the last act allowed to me.
I collided with the ground, I think. Or I imagine I did because as I hovered between this world and the next I felt the glass upon my back. I only tasted smoke and sulfur on my tongue. My lungs were hot, there weren’t any doubts that some of that fire singed my internal organs. But it didn’t hurt. Which is how I knew I was close to the end.
‘That must have finished her off. If I’m in this bad of shape, she has to be worse.’
‘Your fight is not over yet, weak one. Your opponent, she still approaches.’
‘WHAT!!!’ My raw eyes shot open. The Time Betwixt Time was turned on its head. The glass floor had become a ceiling to keep me from rising away into the afterlife, it seemed. The shadows from the portal that Celebi opened streaked black as night. Ambient light couldn’t reach the depths of that darkness. It shifted and swam across the surface as its owner shambled forward like a shade. An inky blackness that consumed all and continued on. And it was coming for me.
I had no idea how she could be standing, not after my assault, not after the battles she’s been in. Where did that strength come from? Forget my own struggles, what purpose was driving her actions? What made her stand up again? None of that mattered. The truth was she was standing and shortening the distance between her and me.
“No…” I whimpered out. My vocal chords were shredded from exertion, damage, and fire. My body bore only a fraction of what she must have taken in the explosion, but I was the one that could not stand anymore. I didn’t know how it was possible. I didn’t know how that was fair. I didn’t know how. But there she was. “No…”
She stalked forward. Wounded truly, burns covered the better part of her face and front. One of her eyes was shut. But between the two of us, she was the one standing. I couldn’t move even a finger.
“NOOOO!”
How could that have failed? That attack was point blank, beyond her barrier, more explosive than anything I could have ever hoped to achieve on my own. And it didn’t beat her. I was beyond disbelief. This wasn’t real. I rejected the reality before me. She couldn’t have been standing. It was a trick, a phantom, a hallucination. Something! Anything!
‘That cannot be real. I refuse to believe it!’
‘That is fate, weak one. Not all plans come to fruition. So what will you do now? Accept defeat with some grace? Shall you curse and bemoan? Attempt another desperate gamble? Show me more! Show me what lies beyond. What rebellious spirit still dwells within?’
‘MORE!! What more?! I can’t move.’ Celebi stepped forward. ‘I failed. If that wasn’t enough to stop her, it would take a miracle! She’s not normal.’ Celebi stepped forward. ‘She fought my entire guild, she pulled me into a land without time, she ripped open a portal back to my homeworld, she took my attacks, she took that explosion straight to the face.’ Celebi stepped forward. ‘And she still stands. I don’t have anything left. What’s left?’
‘What do you desire, weak one?’
‘What?’
‘What do you desire? Even now, at the pits of your despair. The end of your hopes. I want to know what you desire.’
‘It hasn’t changed. I need to win! I need to save them!’ Celebi stepped forward. I tried to move. My limbs wiggled, but they were unresponsive. There was no strength left in them. I had no Power in my body. No more tools at my disposal. I had nothing, less than nothing. Celebi had taken everything I threw at her and more. And now she was coming for my life.
And then she would go to Tie Town. ‘No! NO! NOOO!’
“I refuse!” I hoarsely shouted, the noise didn’t go far. “I won’t let you.”
She scoffed, clearly she heard me. “You can’t possibly still think you’re going to win.” The noise didn’t really reach my ears, but I knew what she said.
“I will!” I silently screamed.
“You can’t beat me. And I’m going to kill you now. Your miserable existence ends here by my hands.” I grit my teeth, the world still upside down. The disorienting angle made my vision swoon. The world went black. And I felt alone. Here at the end of time and my time. And all I had was regret and bitter refusal. I had tried everything I could. And it wasn’t enough. I was too weak. I wasn’t strong enough. And I was alone. Well, sort of.
‘Hey, you.’ I called out to the voice in my head.
‘Yes, weak one.’
‘Who are you?’
‘As I said, just an observer of the battle taking place, thus far. And what a brilliant rebellion it’s been. The weak struggling against the strong and harnessing everything available to them to continue to support their existence. You are a fine subject. Whether you fall here, then I shall remember you. I’ll immortalize your struggle in my memories forever. Tell me, weak one, who are you?
I huffed and puffed. Fire still in my chest and heart, but my limbs felt cold. An annoying contradiction, just like my entire existence has been.
‘I don’t have a Fracking clue. I don’t even know my own name. I don’t know who I am! I’m just a weakling, but you can call me Ron.’
‘Very well, Ron the Weakling. I shall remember you as such.’
Smoldering anger burrowed its way in, fueling the heat still trying to escape my body. I had just called myself weak, and I still hated that. After everything I’ve done, was I really weak? Is that how I’m going to be remembered? As the Lairon that was too weak to save anyone he wanted?
‘No.’
“Hmm, what’s that?’
‘Don’t call me that.’
‘But it’s what you called yourself.’
‘I said don’t call me that! I’m not a weakling! I’m not!’
‘As I said, you continue to be amusing. What would you like to be called?’
I knew what I wanted, but I couldn’t say it or think it. It felt too wrong, to undeserved by someone like me. Not as I am, on my back, about to lose, about to let down my guild again. I wanted to be a rescuer, just like the rest of them.
‘I don’t care, that doesn’t matter. Only winning. I have another plan. Would you hear it?’
‘Always.’
‘Help me beat her! Help me save them!’
The voice laughed, louder than any thought I have ever had. I have no idea what I just asked of this thing I know nothing about. But it was here and while it was here I wasn’t alone. I tried to take what comfort I could from that.
‘You are as I thought, you’re a grand Renegade. Weakly clinging to anything to rebel against your Fate! Even a complete stranger, someone you know nothing about. You’d ask me for help!?’ The thoughts mocked me, but I noticed it hadn’t refused.
I felt the aura of a Psychic Pokemon cocoon around where I laid. My weary eyes opened. The demon was there. Just as injured as I was. But still on her feet. Her arm was pulled back. Her last attack sparking into existence. I had no more emotions. This would be it. I tried, I failed, but I tried. I knew that wasn’t enough. But I didn’t have anything else.
‘Burn bright, Ron the Renegade. Burn strong.’
I felt Power. Foreign Power. Unfamiliar Power. Amazing Power. It burned and the fire in my lungs only grew with it.
“I don’t know what you’re doing, but it’s too late. Psycho Cut!!”
I felt nothing.
“What?! Psycho Cut!!”
I again felt nothing but fire!
“Psychic!!”
‘What’s happening to me?’ I asked the voice. It didn’t answer. I tried to move. Power coursed through my bones. I felt more alive than I had in ages despite being at death’s door. ‘What did you do?’
“This. This is impossible. What? JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!!?”
I was on my feet. Celebi was before me. She looked scared. She looked terrified. I felt powerful.
“I’m the one who’s going to kill you!”
