Chapter 42: Run!

  Auri’s heart slammed in his chest, the world narrowing in on that single phrase Elder Seori had just uttered.

  Blocking his type energy reserve? This feeling of incredible weakness, pain and emptiness, they wanted to make it permanent!? That truly wouldn't be much better than outright dying!

  His resolve sharpened into focus instantly. He might not have access to his type energy right now but if that was their plan... He wouldn't go down without fighting them every step of the way! He would not allow them to shatter his type energy reserve!

  Then Elder Seori’s voice, calm and final, sliced through it all. "Let's get this behind us quickly."

  The air shifted. Multiple guards stepped forward, though it was clear they were hesitant as well. Even through his haze, Auri saw the faint glow of prepared moves, moves that were supposed to specifically shatter his reserve.

  Yuki screamed something, maybe his name, maybe something else, but it all melted into static in his mind. His instincts screamed louder. His heart pounded so hard it hurt.

  He stumbled back a step, the stone cold under his paws. His vision swam. He could feel the seal on his energy throbbing like a living wound, stopping him from defneding himself. A flicker of light jumped from his fur, a single spark that crackled through the tense air, but that was all he managed.

  Up on the rooftops, a shadow stirred, a pair of burning eyes watching from above. Myra saw it all. The trembling, the light, the horror.

  Down below, Auri took another step back. The guards advanced. The crowd shrank away. The next second could decide everything. And from above, Myra’s talons flexed against the tiles. She made her choice.

  Myra’s chest burned. Her wings twitched, feathers flaring in the heat of the wind. "You’re a guard," she muttered to herself. "You follow orders. You protect the village." But what was she protecting now? Justice? Or fear?

  Then Captain Kaen moved, shoving through the crowd to seize Yuki before she could break free again. And Risa, efficient and grim, strode toward Auri with one talon raised, her expression carved from stone. Vira followed not far behind.

  Myra steeled herself. She had given a promise. She had already feared that something like that might happen and she had already known the entire morning what she would do should the Elders try something lke this. Bacause shattering someone's reserve... no one deserved that. She wouldn't just stand idly by and watch them doing something this horrendous.

  Fire surged through her wings as she kicked off the roof. The tiles shattered beneath her. Heat and feathers filled the air as she dove, a streak of red-gold light tearing through the smoke and panic.

  She hit the ground hard, wings spread wide, a [Fire Blast] bursting outward that scattered dust and sent Risa and Vira, who hadn't expected that, staggering back. Risa’s eyes widened. "Myra-?"

  She ignored Risa for now, looking back at Auri. Her voice was low, sharp and absolute, a command that left no room for argument. "I'm sorry it came down to that, but you've got no choice. Run!"

  He hesitated for half a heartbeat, just long enough to see the shock on Captain Kaen’s face, the disbelief on Risa’s, the way Yuki fought against the grip that held her back. Still, the shock would've nearly frozen him as well. Out of all people it was Myra that decided to help him? The one Pokemon that could've stopped all this from happening from the very beginning?

  Luckily instinct took over for him. His paws moved before his mind did. He darted to the side, heart hammering in his ears. The world blurred into color and chaos, a mix of heat, shouts, and the scent of smoke.

  "Guards, form ranks!" Captain Kaen’s voice cut through the noise, sharp and commanding. "Contain them both!"

  Auri’s breath caught. Even as he ran, the words burned in his chest like ice. They were treating Myra as the enemy too now, just for helping him, even after years of loyal service in the name of the guards. That told him everything he needed to know.

  Behind him, the platform erupted. Risa spread her wings, unleashing a [Swift] as she lifted off to intercept him with [Flying Press], but Myra was faster. A [Flamethrower] burst up to meet her, forcing Risa to evade with a [Feather Dance] instead, her feathers singed by the sudden heat.

  "Stand down, Myra!" Kaen’s growl rolled like thunder. "You’re crossing the line!"

  "You crossed it the moment you decided to carry out Elder Seori's brutal order!" she shot back, voice fierce and unwavering.

  Captain Kaen froze for a heartbeat, then barked for the others to move in. "Vira, Risa, flank her! Keep the fighting contained!"

  The order barely reached Auri. His lungs burned, every step sent needles of pain through his legs. But still he ran, dodging through the panicking crowd. The villagers screamed, scattering like leaves in a storm. Someone threw a stone. It hit the ground near his paw, shattering against the cobblestone.

  "Monster!" a voice yelled.

  "Run, human!" shouted another, half in fear, half in anger.

  He didn’t look back. He couldn’t. But in the corners of his mind, he saw the flashes of light, Myra’s fire clashing with Risa’s power, Vira’s mane crackling with electric-type energy as she leapt from the shadows to try and flank her.

  "Don’t let Auri vanish into the village! Durro keep an eye on Yuki, Zekel you're with me!" Captain Kaen’s voice again, closer now.

  Through the haze, he saw the Elders standing by the hall. Elder Brenno had stepped forward, his massive frame trembling, roots digging into the earth. "Enough! Stop this foolishness in an instant!"

  Grass-type and ground-type energy shot out of the Torterra, but Elder Gorun intercepted him, the Dusknoir’s spectral arm pressing against Brenno’s chest while his own ghost-type energy surpressed that of his fellow Elder. "Don’t," Elder Gorun’s voice echoed low and pained. "We’ve already gone too far. You’ll only make it worse. Let the guards deal with it."

  Elder Ilyra stood frozen, her eyes wide, lips trembling as faint psychic light pulsed from the gem on her head, flickering and uncertain, as though she wanted to stop it but couldn’t bring herself to act.

  And through it all, Elder Seori stood unmoving, her nine tails splayed like a burning sun behind her. Her face was unreadable. Only her eyes betrayed her, cold and hard, glinting with something that might have been guilt… or fear.

  Myra, noticing how the guards moved, didn’t give them a chance to actually act. She slammed a wing into the ground, unleashing a [Hurricane] that sent a shockwave through the cobblestone. Dust and embers exploded upward, filling the square with smoke and heat.

  Auri stumbled through it, coughing, barely able to see. Someone tried to grab for him but he twisted away, ducking beneath a low awning and diving between two stalls.

  "Myra!" he heard Captain Kaen snarl. "Just what have you done!?"

  Her voice came back through the smoke, defiant and furious. "Something you should have done in my stead!"

  The square was chaos now, guards shouting, villagers screaming, the air alive with energy. But Myra wasn’t done yet.

  Through the wall of smoke and flame, her shape reemerged, wings flaring wide, eyes locking on Auri for just a heartbeat. That single look was all the message he needed. Keep running. She had given him a chance, now he had to use it.

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  Then, with a sharp cry, Myra launched herself backward into the air, feathers igniting as she twisted mid-flight. Her form blurred, one instant there, the next replaced by a streak of bug-type energy arcing towards the guards. The [U-Turn] impacted.

  The impact sent Risa and Vira sprawling, the force of it cracking the cobblestones beneath them, while Myra was instantly catapulted back into the air. Before anyone could react, Myra beat her wings once more, a [Tailwind] exploding through the square, scattering the remaining smoke and sending the guards staggering. Captain Kaen shouted her name, but she didn’t answer.

  Her eyes narrowed, body glowing faintly as her speed surged, the air shimmering around her. With [Agility], she became a comet, a blazing streak that shot skyward and vanished over the rooftops, fire trailing behind her like a scar against the night.

  Auri looked back once, just long enough to catch that fading ember in the distance. For the briefest moment, amidst the chaos and pain, it almost looked like hope.

  Then he turned away and ran, deeper into the maze of streets, the roar around the ancestral hall fading behind him, replaced only by the pounding of his paws and the hammering of his own heartbeat. His paws hammered against the cobblestones, every step jarring through his legs like the world itself was trying to hold him still.

  Behind him, voices crashed like thunder. Orders, shouts, the sound of heavy claws tearing at stone. He could hear Risa’s wings slicing the air above the rooftops, the sound so close it made his fur stand on end. After Myra had fled the scene nothing was holding her back from playing catch-up to him.

  Then suddenly a whistle, a crack. Something struck the ground beside him, the impact bursting in a ring of energy that sent a spray of stone and dust into the air. Auri flung himself sideways, half-slipping, scraping his shoulder against the wall as the blast rolled through the street.

  He didn’t stop.

  A spark tried to leap from his cheeks, a desperate reflex, but the seal crushed it. The type energy rebounded inward, numbing his muzzle, making him stumble. He swallowed a whimper and pushed forward again.

  "Risa cut him off! I've got your back!" came another shout from behind, this time Vira's sharp voice as she was running after him.

  He turned down a narrower lane, darting past a shuttered shop, then through an archway where laundry still hung in the night wind. Cloth brushed his face, cold and damp, then tore as his claws caught it. He ducked through, heart pounding in his throat.

  A shadow swept overhead, Risa again, gliding low, her feathers glowing faintly with gathered type energy. He heard the hiss before he saw it, the incoming [Aerial Ace]. He threw himself flat as the strike cut past him, tearing a line through the ground. The air stung with the smell of ozone.

  He scrambled upright again, chest heaving. His vision blurred. Every heartbeat felt like fire beneath his ribs.

  He knew he couldn’t go on like this. The seal made by [Imprison] was suffocating more than just his type energy. It also made him weaker, slower. His instincts screamed to fight, to defend himself, to use what was his, and the moment he tried, pain lashed through his core like a warning.

  It didn’t matter. He had to keep moving, for the alternative was little better than death.

  He crossed another corner and nearly collided with two of the guard trainees, a Luxio and a Machoke, rushing from the opposite side. The Machoke reached for him with aquick [Bullet Punch], but Auri ducked beneath the arm and darted between their legs. A [Thunder Shock] from the Luxio quarely hit him, but his ability absorbed the type-energy easily. Still, Auri shuddered and grunted in torment as the seal from [Imprison] flared, practically tearing the type energy apart inside him before it could reach his reserve.

  Then came Vira’s voice again, nearer now. "Don’t let him reach the outer streets!"

  Auri’s paws slipped on the loose gravel as he took another sharp turn. He wasn’t sure where he was anymore, the world was a blur of light and shadow. He recognized pieces of the village, like the fountain where he and Yuki used to rest on some days, the cracked wall by the well that, together with the stream close by, supplied the village with water, but he was too occupied with running and surpressing the pain still flaring through him to properly map out the village in his head.

  His body was a storm of pain. His breath came in bursts that sounded almost like sobs. He didn’t even know if he was crying. His face was wet, but everything burned too much to tell.

  Suddenly there was another flash as a pulse of yellow and blue light lit up the street ahead. He dove aside while Vira's [Carge Beam] tore through a fruit stand, blasting it apart. He would not risk absorbing the energy of an electric-type as strong as Vira right now. No, the seal would make him pay terribly for that and he was unsure if he could continue to run afterwards.

  "Stop!" Risa’s voice carried down from above, harsh and almost pleading. "By resisting you’ll make this worse!"

  He almost did stop, just for a heartbeat. There was something in her voice that told him she really believed that. But he ran harder, knowing that he could never surrender to the fate the Elders had decided on for him.

  The path tilted downward. His legs screamed, but he let gravity take him. The streets widened ahead, the buildings thinning, the pallisade surrounding Newleaf Village drawing near. He could smell the trees of the forest outside already.

  He knew where this road led. He was close to the gate, though it was probably guarded by another trainee of the guards. Still, it was the best shot he had.

  Suddenly there was an explosion of light to his left. He barely saw it before the shockwave threw him sideways, tumbling across the ground. He crashed against a wall, pain blooming across his ribs.

  Risa landed between him and the road ahead, wings flaring, feathers glowing white-hot. "Auri, stop!"

  He staggered back, paws trembling. "Don’t-" His voice broke. But he continued to glare at her in defiance.

  "Dont' you understand you stubborn fool!? You can’t win this!" she shouted, feathers quivering. "Even if you manage to get out of the village you’re sealed by Elder Gorun's [Imprison]! You’ll die out there!"

  "I'll die if I stay here!" The words tore from him before he realized he’d spoken. Risa hesitated. Her stance wavered,just slightly.

  Auri took that heartbeat and bolted. He sprinted past her, slipping under her wing as she flinched back. "Vira!" she yelled. "He’s heading for the-!"

  A burst of heat cut her off. A shadow dropped from above, striking the street in an eruption of flame and shockwave. Myra was back!

  Her talons dug into the stone, wings outstretched, feathers blazing with raw fire. The temperature spiked in an instant. Dust scattered in every direction.

  "Myra-!" Risa started.

  "Don’t!" Myra’s voice was low, shaking with fury. "He’s not deserving of what you plan to do to him!"

  Risa drew herself up, feathers still glowing, eyes full of conflict. "Do I look like I want to do this!?" she shouted back at Myra. "We don't have a choice, can't you see that!? Out there he will die! If we catch him he can at least keep his live! He can remain in the village, protected by us! If he manages to get away it will only lead to an even worse fate for him! Why would you out of all Pokemon even help him!?"

  "All you will do is condemn him to a life in pain until a Dungeon Pokemon ends his by then miserable existence!" Myra’s eyes cut like molten glass. "And what I see is you following orders you don’t believe in! And why would I not help!? I can stop you from doing an injustice and I get Auri to finally leave!"

  Vira skidded into view from the opposite street, sparks still flickering along her fur. "Move, Myra. Let us finish this."

  Myra smirked, grim and bitter. "The worst you can do is kick me out of the village. No, I think it's going to be you that will let me finish this!"

  And before either could respond, she snapped her wings downward. The [Fire Blast] hit like a wall, slamming dust and heat into the air, forcing both guards to cover their eyes.

  Auri didn’t hesitate. He ran through the veil of flame, the heat burning his lungs but propelling him onward.

  Behind him, Risa shouted something, though he couldn’t make out what.

  Ahead the gate of Newleaf Village came into view. It was currently burning down, no guards or trainees in sight. That explained where Myra had been! She'd cleared the way for him!

  Auri’s legs were giving out, every step a desperate stumble. The ground blurred beneath him. His heartbeat was so loud it drowned everything else. But then, he passed through the burning gate and reached the open field on the other side, surrounded by forest.

  He slowed just for a moment, chest heaving. But behind him came the sound of pursuit again. A quick look behind showed him the glow of type energy and Risa shouting orders. Even Captain kaen was now closing in!

  But Myra was still there. She streaked across the rooftops, a blur of fire, and slammed into the bruning gate behind him. The shockwave of her landing sent ripples through the dirt. Her feathers were scorched, her breathing heavy, but her eyes burned.

  "Run!" she shouted, wings flaring wide. "Don’t look back! I'll keep them off your trail for long enough!"

  Auri hesitated for just a second, enough to see her face, fierce and defiant, framed in firelight. Then the guards came into view behind her, forming ranks, ready to strike.

  Myra turned to meet them. "Well then friends, show me what you can do when I go all-out!"

  Her wings flared again, unleashing a storm of embers that filled the air. And Auri ran.

  He bolted into the open fields, the cold night air slapping against his face. Energy blasts burned past him, tearing furrows through the grass, collateral damage from the fight happening in his back. One clipped his tail, pain flared bright and hot, but he didn’t slow.

  Moments later he finally reached the first line of trees, the forest’s shadow swallowing him whole. The sounds of fighting dulled instantly, muffled by the thick canopy. The light of the sun faded behind him, replaced by the heavy darkness of the woods.

  The ground turned uneven beneath his paws, roots, moss, and damp earth. Branches clawed at his fur. Soon after, he was running in silence. It was over.

  Auri collapsed to his knees, chest heaving. His breath came in short, broken gasps. The seal in his chest pulsed again, a dull ache, like something warning him not to go further.

  The forest loomed ahead and it was time to continue. He would not risk still getting caugh by the guards!

  He didn’t stop until many hours later when he was sure no one would still follow him. The light drizle that had set in would also help him.

  Only then did he fall to the ground again, pressing a paw to his chest. The seal pulsed once more, faintly. The last spark of static danced from his cheek, flickered out.

  Auri shook himself. "...I'll survive," he muttered before standing back up. He still didn't want to take any risks. He would continue walking until dusk at least. He wouldn't risk getting caught by the guards. Not in a million years!

  Important characters in the chapter:

  Pikachu (Auri) – Level 16

  Ability: Lightning Rod

  Battle Nature: Lonely

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 75

  Attack: 49

  Ranged Attack: 44

  Defense: 52

  Speed: 58

  Total: 278 (Strength Level: Teenager)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Nuzzle], [Tail Whip], [Quick Attack], [Brick Break], [Thunder Wave], [Feint]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Thunder Shock], [Electro Ball], [Swift], [Thunderbolt], [Discharge]

  Utility Moves: [Nasty Plot], [Charm], [Double Team], [Growl], [Agility], [Dig]

  Talonflame (Myra) - Level 46

  Ability: Flame Body

  Battle Nature: Rash

  Stats:

  TE Pool(Health/AP): 221

  Attack: 122

  Ranged Attack: 127

  Defense: 163

  Speed: 164

  Total: 797 (Strength Level: Adult)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Flame Charge], [Flare Blitz], [Feint], [Peck], [Quick Attack], [Ember], [Flail], [Acrobatics], [Aerial Ace], [Steel Wing], [U-Turn], [Swords Dance]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Swift], [Air Cutter], [Will-O-Wisp], [Flamethrower], [Heat Wave], [Fire Blast], [Hurricane]

  Utility Moves: [Growl], [Agility], [Tailwind], [Sunny Day], [Taunt]