This was my entry for the 2024 Pokémon Mystery Diner Oneshot Compilation, hosted on PMD Fanfiction back in June 2024. (While I bring it up, definitely give the other entries in there a read, as there were some great stories in that collection by a whole host of talented writers.)
CW: Body Horror, Blood, Death
A full moon and a night sky full of stars shone brightly upon the forested demesne. Few clouds blotted out the midnight canvas, and it was a night appropriate for stargazers to pick out the shapes and patterns dotted in the skies above.
Alas, the camp set up within the demesne, around the perimeter of an opulent, well-to-do manor, had no time for romantic duties such as stargazing. There were far more pressing matters to attend to, especially when an enemy invasion could happen at any time.
A tension lay around Deireana Manor, thick enough to be tangible. And the commander of the camp's troops felt the atmosphere more than anyone.
Zeraora Skye paced anxiously up and down the ward. Their fur was standing on end, and they were curling their fists, sparks dancing at them. It had been a tough time for them recently, and in the ward lay one of the key reasons for their dishevelled state.
A black and red mess of fur was in one of the beds. Bandaged, bruised, bloody and barely conscious - they were a miserable sight. An exhausted pastel Rapidash lay by his bedside, having administered another dosage of Heal Pulse to him, before marching off to give orders to another nurse,
Zoroark Ahab, Baron of Deireana, lay on the precipice of death, Yveltal ready to claim his soul at any moment. That reality had the whole manor on edge, and the stressed state of the Rapidash could be felt in their voice.
"Come now, we do not have all day! Lives hang in the balance here!" the Rapidash barked to a nearby Clefairy, who looked ready to faint from exhaustion. The contingent of medics were short-staffed, and there were other patients in critical condition. Screams of pain rang out every once in a while from other beds, whether in pain at their wounds or reliving traumatic memories.
Such was how it went, when the ugly spectre of war reared its head and breathed the malady of death over the world.
The Kingdom was currently under siege by an incursion from the Savage Lands, and to their shock, the Savages were proving to be far greater adversaries than they had ever expected. Normally these brutes could be beaten back with tactics and numbers. But a new rejuvenation had seemingly come over them, and they were taking barony after barony of the Kingdom, slaughtering soldiers and civilians alike.
Being among the best commanders in the Kingdom, Skye and their battalion had fought hard and well, beating back the Savages wherever they could. But even they had to stage a mass retreat, once a new threat came upon the horizon.
The moments of that battle still replayed in the Zeraora's mind. A hulking giant of a 'mon, covered in an ink-black darkness and bigger than any Tyrantrum, appeared in the midst of battle and cut through their defence lines like butter, taking out soldiers left and right. A quick evaluation of it all led to Skye calling a retreat, and though the majority of the soldiers made it out, not all did.
It was a miracle Ahab didn't rank among them yet, given the sheer scale of the wound he had suffered. Three large claw marks marred his midsection, and worse still, there seemed to be a corrosive energy in the wound that no simple pecha serum could heal. If there was an antidote for it, it had not yet been found.
The doctors predicted he would die within days. He would probably be lucky to see the next sunrise, Head Nurse Rapidash Andromeda had said.
It was not news Skye had taken well. This added to their stress, which could be felt with their dishevelled appearance. Their fur was matted and caked with dirt, they had bags under their eyes, and their unblinking eyes spoke of horrors and trauma, of nightmares suffered and bouts of hysteria vented. The Zeraora happened to catch their appearance in a mirror, and could hardly recognise themself from the elegant, refined noblemon they had been before this had all started.
Ahab's fine, the Zeraora told themselves. He's fine, he's fine, he'll live. He cannot die! He's a fighter to the end! I know his spirit all too well…
"Commander Skye."
"Ah!" Skye was snapped out of their thoughts. Turning around, they saw the Rapidash nurse trot up to them, and quickly straightened up. "Nurse Andromeda. What do you want of me?"
"His Lordship is conscious and wishes to speak with you," the nurse told them, gesturing their horn to where the bandaged Zoroark was struggling to sit up.
"Really?" Skye's ears pricked with the news, and a slight hint of hope registered on their face. They quickly moved to talk to Ahab, but suddenly–
"Savages! Savages!"
The Zeraora's blood froze.
No! Why now, of all times?!
"Commander Skye!" A young Nickit sentry burst into the ward. "Savages on the horizon!"
Skye took a deep breath.
"I'll be out as soon as I can," they sighed. "Tell the soldiers to defend this manor till the last. We will not give in to those marauding brutes."
"Yes, ma'am!" The Nickit scurried away, gone as quickly as he'd arrived.
Skye dashed to Ahab's bedside. The Zoroark's expression brightened slightly upon seeing the Zeraora.
"S-Skye…" he said, weakly. It tore Skye apart inside, to see him, the once dauntless baron, reduced to this dying husk of a 'mon.
"I cannot stay." The Zeraora did their best to keep their composure. "But we will defend this manor to our dying breath. I swear on my life and servitude to you, Lord Ahab."
"G-Good…" Ahab breathed, before his smile fell to nervousness. "C-Can't fall…N-Not here…"
"You'll survive, Lord Ahab. You're a fighter." The words felt empty on Skye's lips.
"D-Don't w-wanna die…" Panic suddenly spread across his face. "N-Not like this…!"
"Don't say that! Don't think of dying," Skye implored. "Please rest. Leave the fighting to us." Their lip trembled, in spite of their efforts to keep their emotions at bay.
"P-Please…w-win…" Ahab's eyes begged.
"I will, Lord Ahab. I swear on my honour to you."
Skye then knelt, and kissed him on the muzzle.
With that done, they hurriedly dashed out of the ward and out to the battlefield.
No sooner had Skye slammed open the front doors of the manor than they saw the battlefield before them. Roars of defiance and battle cries sounded throughout the encampments, with the whole camp scurrying around getting ready for battle.
But already, unfamiliar Pokémon had breached the edge of the encampment, and were being batted away by troops. They all had the common trait of their fur being a dull grey or black, with such a lack of colour among the Savages that it was outright unnatural. It was as though their pelts and scales had been desaturated altogether, leaving only colours of dull and dark quality.
"There's a whole mob of them!" cried a Skarmory sentry, swooping down in front of Skye. "We're well outnumbered, Commander Skye!"
"And not only that!" a fellow Corvisquire sentry added. "Their leader's among them!"
Skye's blood froze.
No…
The image of a Zoroark being grievously wounded by a towering black monster's claw came to their mind.
Not them. Not them. Please. Not here. Not now.
They took a brief look around them at the ensuing battle, and were forced to make up their mind.
"That matters not!" Skye thundered, gritting their teeth and swallowing their feelings. "We make our stand here! We will not fall to them, no matter how many of them they throw at us!"
They gripped a diamond-shaped crystal hanging from their neck, before punching their fists together, electrical plasma dancing at them.
"Leave the vanguard to me. I will not let this scum take my lord from this soil."
And before either bird could follow up to that, Skye dashed away towards the frontlines.
It didn't take them long to arrive. But even though the battle had just started, the situation was already grim.
Previously Ahab's demesne was cut flat with hedges trimmed to resemble the grand deities that lorded over the Kingdom and all the life within it. It was a beautiful sight to see, and a landmark for all visitors to Deireana Manor. Alas, there was no sign of that now; the Savages had already breached the estate's perimeter and cut that grand shrubbery to ribbons. Along with that, the smell of smoke denoted that they had set the trees alight to heighten the chaos around them, and the normally neatly-trimmed fairway was now a muck-laden quagmire. It was also laden with many bodies, the smell of death permeating the air amidst the smoke.
The Deathbringer would be eating well after this battle. Not that he already was with this ongoing war.
And among the Savages sending soul after soul into the afterlife stood a figure that made Skye sick to their stomach.
They looked like a Tyranitar, but they looked warped, not too unlike its Awakened State. Shadows danced around its exposed insides, and through the holes in its armour…Skye could swear there was another gaze in there with red eyes, looking at them. They were also enormous, possibly more than ten feet tall, and their steps shook the ground.
"Bow to me!" Their voice thundered across the battlefield, and Skye's troops seemed to baulk at the very words of the beast.
But Skye only frowned. What's this? A Savage that can talk? They've only ever spoken in a garbled, feral tongue.
There was no time to rest, however, as the monster fired a blast of dark energy at a Delphox, throwing them back. Skye chose that moment to jump in, and right as the black Tyranitar was ready to drive their claws through them, the Zeraora shot a thunderbolt at them.
The Tyranitar turned to face Skye, and immediately the Zeraora wished they didn't.
"A Zeraora?" The beast's golden eyes lit up. "It seems we have quite the windfall in this place! Wellsprings of Quintessence to suck the life from and absorb it to myself…Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
"Who are you?!" Skye yelled, trying not to let fear get to them. The voice of the beast really did have this fear-inducing quality to it.
"I am Tiranin, Emperor of the Savage Lands," the Tyranitar declared. "We have come to kill every last soul in your army, and then we will kill Baron Ahab. All this death will allow their Quintessence to seep out of their flesh, and for me to absorb." They showed a fanged smile, their white teeth glinting. Whether from the moonlight or otherwise, Skye did not know.
"Quintessence?" A chill went down the Zeraora's spine. "How do you know of that? Only Legends and the most studied scholars of the land know what Quintessence is!"
"The very lifeblood running through the veins of the Kingdom, the life bestowed unto it by the Creator of this world. Certain beings have it in greater quantities than others. Namely, humans like the baron here…and Mythicals like you."
Humans? Skye was taken aback by that statement. Ahab's a human?
Tiranin eyed the Zeraora up like a Mandibuzz would gaze at a Buneary before it struck.
"I will have your Quintessence!" he cackled. "I will have it all! With such levels of Quintessence at my disposal, my power will grow all the greater!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Skye clenched a fist, sparks dancing at it. "You'll be naught but ash burnt by my lightning when I'm done with you!"
"Ha! Your power is nothing compared to mine!" The beast stomped threateningly, shockwaves pulsing around where he stepped. "How about we see a display of it?!"
With that, he slammed his fist into the ground. Skye's whiskers twitched.
"Get back!" they yelled to their troops. "The ground's about to-"
Skye wasn't able to finish their sentence before a plume of darkness erupted from the ground. The sheer force of it threw several soldiers, Savage and Kingdom, back. Skye was barely able to stand as the dark energy buffeted them. They attempted to bat it away with their electric attacks, but it was no use. The horrifying energy strangled them; it felt corrosive, like it was eating away at the very air it infected. It stabbed into them like pinpricks, eating away at every part of their body.
The miasma felt like the coalescence of this war into a singular energy. All the hatred, the anguish, the death, the decay - there was only one way to describe it.
It was chaos.
Every fibre of Skye's being wanted to fight against it. A feral snarl crossed their muzzle as they powered through the chaotic plume and over to Tiranin, where they slugged a pair of Plasma Fists across his face.
"Hah! Such vigour!" chortled the monster as he took the attack. "But your attacks are worthless!" He swiped at the Zeraora, but the cat proved too quick for him. Skye appeared in front of Tiranin again for a split second, before they dealt the Savage Emperor a grievous blow of plasma and fire, staggering him back.
He remained unfazed, however. Skye's tail twitched with unease. Their Plasma Blaze Fists combo would be enough to fell any opponent in the blink of an eye! And yet Tiranin was still grinning like a madmon.
"Come on!" he demanded. "Give me more! More!" He slammed his foot to the ground, and before Skye realised it, huge black stalagmites erupted from the earth, piercing them from below.
"Argh!" they yelled, being knocked into the air and onto their front. They had one look at the Stone Edge, and that the stone was black obsidian with what looked like red veins of sorts was not lost on them.
This power…Skye got back to their feet. What sort of power does the Savage Emperor possess? Well, whatever power it is, it won't stop me!
They slammed their fists together, electricity spreading out around them and encircling them and Tiranin. The rest of the battle was largely a background hum to the Zeraora now, deaf to the cries of allies and enemies as they fought and died.
"You want more, huh?" Skye growled. "Then that's exactly what you'll get!"
They dashed forward at lightning fast speed, a blur to Tiranin's eyes. Before the Tyranitar could even register what was happening, Skye let loose a flurry of plasma coated punches and kicks, with them not letting up for even a second. It was an all-out attack, intent to do the Savage Emperor in there and then, or at the very least weaken him heavily. His attacks thus far had been devastating in their power; Skye would not be able to take much more punishment from him.
Wipe out the leader and the rest will fall. That's how their puny Savage minds operate.
Skye capped it off with channelling lightning through their fists, which they zapped at Tiranin with all their might. The diamond crystal around their neck glowed a bright yellow, channelling its own energy to amplify the strength behind the Zeraora's Plasma Fists. The shocks were so powerful that they burst off Tiranin and dazed a good few Savages, rendering them numb in unconsciousness. The Savage Emperor himself couldn't suppress his pain, an almighty roar coming from him. The shadows that coated him seemed to be cast into oblivion from the all-out attack, being burned by the light of the Zeraora's electricity,
Die, Skye inwardly hissed, as they kept up the attack. Lord Ahab will die because of you. May you go to the afterlife first for what you did to him!
Eventually, the energy began to dissipate, and Skye relented, panting as they did so. That was the most electricity they had channelled through their body in some time. Even Zekrom would be impressed at that mighty lightning. A pity he wasn't here to see it.
The attack had done its damage, scorching the earth around Skye and Tiranin and furthering the blazes that were already running rampant across the battlefield. Several soldiers that had gotten too close to the attack lay dead, electrocuted by Skye's attack.
But the Zeraora did not focus on them. Rather, it was Tiranin's state that they were focused on.
The black Tyranitar looked a lot worse for wear. The shadows that had coated his body like a cloak prior to the attack had mostly been vanquished, leaving several gaping holes across Tiranin's body that Skye could see through. The black monster was unmoving, his eyes closed. No glowing eyes through his body, no gleaming toothy grins, not a word to be uttered from his lips.
That was a sign he was dead…right?
"Simply…useless."
Skye froze.
No. It can't be…He can't still be alive?!
Their worst fears were confirmed once Tiranin took a step forward, shaking the earth. He was badly beaten, but far from done.
"You…will never defeat me." For once, he sounded weary, before a wicked snarl crossed his face. "Not now, not ever!"
Then suddenly tendrils sprung from the earth, wrapping themselves around four nearby soldiers; a Zebstrika, a Mienshao, a Roserade and a dull-feathered Savage Espathra. Skye would have tried to counterattack, but the force of their full-on assault left them drained and unable to charge back electricity.
Tiranin threw his hands forth, and screams echoed from the four soldiers as the tendrils suddenly glowed an ominous black and red, before energy could be seen moving through them down into the earth. Through the ground it went, before to Skye's horror, the severe malformities she'd dealt to Tiranin through their supercharged attack…suddenly began to heal back up. Those red eyes within the Tyranitar's torso glowed brighter as Tiranin absorbed the energy. Within seconds, it was as though the wounds were never there in the first place.
"N-No…" Skye uttered. "No!" All their hard work, gone in the blink of an eye.
"Did you ever think you could defeat me?" scoffed Tiranin. "You had no hope! No one can defeat me - not even a Mythical like you, Zeraora!"
"D-Dammit…!" hissed Skye, trying to build their electricity back up. With their trump card used already, though, it proved a challenge, and not one they could quickly do. Not with a looming Tyranitar in their sights. They needed power and they needed it now.
Wh-What? Skye jumped at the voice they suddenly heard just now. Unfortunately, that momentary distraction provided Tiranin a chance to slash with a black, shadowy claw.
"AAAAGH!" The Zeraora screamed as they were thrown backwards by the force of Tiranin's attack. They landed hard in muddy ground, worn down by the constant footfall.
"I-I'm not done…" Skye staggered to their feet. They looked down at their torso, only for their heart to sink in terror.
There, marring their body, were three deep claw marks. Each one cut deep, leaving the air to bite painfully at them.
Skye had seen this same formation before. Ahab had the exact same wound as her, and given where he was now...
Then the wound suddenly burned, and Skye let out a yowl of pain. Electricity shot from them without their command, shocking nearby soldiers.
They felt Tiranin's earth-shaking stomp, and narrowly dodged another obsidian Stone Edge.
"Wh-What are you…?" Skye said, clutching their wound. "How can you heal in that manner…?"
"The power of Abyss!" Tiranin declared. "I was nothing upon entering this world, beaten relentlessly by the Savages. But once I acquired Abyss for myself…they knew their place, and bowed to my every whim. Now I am their master! And together we shall rend your pathetic army asunder!"
He accentuated his point by firing a blast of dark energy at Skye. The Zeraora yelped, sidestepping the blast.
"Commander Skye! Have this!" A nearby Gardevoir shot forth a pinkish energy which encircled the Zeraora. Skye suddenly felt energised again from the Heal Pulse, at least partially.
"Thank you!" Skye yelled back, before they dashed away from an encroaching Tiranin.
"You cannot outrun me!" To Skye's shock, Tiranin began to run after them. And to their shock, he was gaining!
What?! This is…What abilities does this monster possess?! The power of Abyss…How is it amplifying him in this manner?!
The voice spoke in their head again.
Get out of my head! Skye batted it away, narrowly dodging a speedy swipe from Tiranin. The power amplification from his Quintessence absorption was clear to see, and it was something to watch a behemoth outright dashing like a Manectric. But Skye's agility remained superior, and they zipped around the crater formed by Tiranin.
"You can't escape me!" The heavy footfall boomed from behind the Zeraora. "Run all you like, but I'll have your power for myself!"
Not a chance. Skye shuddered at that mental image in their head. If he gains my power, then the Kingdom is doomed.
CaLl To Me…
The voice still rang out in their head.
I don't need your power! Skye yelped as they avoided obsidian Stone Edges bursting from the ground.
"Begone!" Skye yelled, partly to the voice and to Tiranin. Electricity burst from them and hit Tiranin.
But to their shock, the Savage Emperor simply laughed. And suddenly, he dashed forward with a renewed burst of speed.
"Gah!" Skye leapt out of the way in the nick of time to avoid his charge. Even faster?! My electric attacks were impervious and he sped up?!
It unnerved them to see a lumbering creature moving with such agility. Then they recalled the victims of his Quintessence draining.
One of them was a Zebstrika.
He couldn't have! Taking those abilities for himself?! Th-This is…
Skye didn't have time to finish that thought before a massive blow hit them from behind. The Savage Emperor had caught up to her.
"Yeeeeeaaaaaagh!" The Zeraora was thrown forward into the muddy ground, receiving a face full of mud. They spat some out before they were suddenly lifted into the air.
Those same tendrils from before had burst from the ground and were now strangling Skye.
"Argh! No!" Skye struggled to break free. "Let me go! Let me go!"
"I don't think so," huffed Tiranin. "You were a pain to catch, Zeraora. But now with you weakened like this…I can drain your Quintessence and feed my power all the more!"
"I…will not…submit to you!" Skye snarled defiantly.
Shut up!
I-I…
Skye's thoughts were interrupted as the tendrils squeezed around them.
"The Quintessence of a Mythical…" Tiranin's eyes shone with such excitement that Skye swore they literally shone brighter. "I can't put into words how much I'm going to enjoy this!"
No! No! I can't fall here! Skye squirmed their absolute hardest, trying to break free from the Tyranitar's snares.
Skye noticed the red eyes in Tiranin's body seemed to be glowing brighter.
I-I…
Skye assessed their situation. They were weakened heavily, ensnared by their enemy, and about to have their Quintessence drained. There were barely any options to consider, and they knew for a fact there were too many Savages for their army of non-Savages to stage a rescue for them.
The Emperor's power was something else. And that gave Skye pause for thought.
His power is beyond anything I've faced. I would say he stands a good chance against the Pantheon, if he faced them. Have I…truly met my match?
The image of the wounded Zoroark back at the manor made them shake their head.
No, I cannot give up! This is not the end!
Stay away! Skye inwardly growled. Whoever you are, get out of my head!
And just who are you?!
Wh-What? Th-That would mean…!
B-But…Skye would say yes in a heartbeat, but the vibes they were getting from this voice had sinister undertones to it.
Their thoughts were then interrupted, as the tendrils tightened fiercely around Skye and they began to feel the draining.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
It was painful. Like a Leech Seed with the energy sapping multiplied a hundredfold. Except there was more to it - Skye could almost feel the draining eroding away at their psyche and soul. Far from having their energy drained to the point of unconsciousness like a normal Leech Seed would go, this felt like it was vacuuming out their essence until there was nothing left, until they were just a shell of a 'mon, with their power in the possession of Tiranin for him to take over the Kingdom with.
I-I can't…N-Not here…
I…
That thought - that lone thought of their lover dying in his ward, compelled the Zeraora to make a decision.
Lend me your aid. Please, before I perish!
Suddenly, without any will of their own accord, Skye felt their mouth repeat those exact words.
Wh-What? I never…
Their thoughts were drowned out by a pained roar from Tiranin.
"Grraaaaaaaaagh!"
The black Tyranitar, in the middle of gorging on Skye's Quintessence, suddenly had black-and-red energy leaking out of him, and the energy convulsed him, as though he had been shocked by it. The Zeraora felt the tendrils loosen around them, much to their relief. They were still too tight to break out of, however.
"N-No! M-My power!"
Then that chaotic energy suddenly flew up to the sky, like a reverse Thunderbolt. A few seconds later, ominous red clouds began to form from that burst of energy. Right after that, a deafening thunderclap sounded over the battlefield, the moonlight being covered by the newly-formed clouds.
Moments later, a giant, black-and-red thunderbolt fell from the sky and landed on Skye's exact spot. The Zeraora screamed painfully as it hit them, before they gritted their teeth, resisting it as hard as they could.
Skye heard those words and a chill went down their spine.
I-It's just like I thought! Th-This power…No, I was a fool to-
Their thoughts were interrupted as the tendrils surrounding them dissipated, and they were free.
"What?!" Tiranin yelled. "How could you…Urgh." He suddenly clutched his chest. "Why do I feel my power ebbing…?"
"Because that power…is with me now." Skye suddenly felt a surge in confidence. Even better than that - their wounds were healing up, with the gnarly scar across their torso now nowhere to be seen.
They curled their fists, ready for another round.
"And now…it's time for you to perish."
Skye nearly stopped themselves at that sudden menace in their voice, but they had no time to react as they felt their body dash forward at top speed and punch Tiranin straight in the chest.
"Aaagh!" The Tyranitar yelled, feeling the pain behind it. That punch felt hard, more powerful than normal. This power was giving the Zeraora a second wind, and they could feel electricity building up in their body.
Only…the sparks zapping at their fingertips wasn't the normal turquoise plasma colour they were used to. Instead…it was a dark reddish-black colour.
"What?!" Skye yelled. No, that can't be! It couldn't possibly have corrupted me so quickly! Just what is this?!
Their body jerked forward, as the Zeraora let loose a pair of punches on their target. That quickly turned into a combo involving kicks too, their feet blazing brightly and scorching Tiranin's obsidian hide. Then the combo became lightning fast, faster than Skye had ever gone with their own attacks. Scarily fast, even - and Skye themself felt a pit of terror deep in their stomach as they watched the decimation of their target.
"Die, die, die!" the Zeraora yelled, as they pummelled Tiranin more. Their strikes were a blur - too fast for Tiranin to even let out a cry of pain. His hide was flaking off from the chaotic electricity being pumped through him.
The Zeraora then slammed a final punch towards Tiranin's chest, knocking the Tyranitar onto his back. Nearby Savages chittered nervously, some yelling in panic to their comrades in their garbled tongue.
"Grr…No…!" Tiranin snarled. "My power…My strength…!"
"Not even a challenge," 'Skye' huffed. "Now then…may your Quintessence be mine!"
They raised a hand and the familiar black tendrils burst from the ground, wrapping themself around Tiranin. They glowed a dark red before they began to drain the Savage Emperor's Quintessence.
Skye could feel it, their body being filled with this newfound energy. It was mesmerising, feeling energised on a scale like they had never felt before. The Zeraora felt like they could run the length of the Kingdom a hundred times. Not even the Z-Crystal they used against Tiranin compared to this!
Abyss's voice echoed with delight in Skye's head, louder than it had been. The Zeraora felt its presence even more than last time, making them shudder in fear.
Electricity zapped off their body as the Quintessence flowed into them, and there was so much energy that Skye felt the need to release it. It wasn't unlike the urge Electric-types like them got where they had to release excess electricity but the sheer amount of Quintessence meant this would be one wicked Thunderbolt.
And where better to launch it…than at our enemies?
"HRAAAAAAAAGH!"
Skye released their Thunderbolt…only to see shades of red and black amidst the bright yellow. The electricity made its mark, covering a wide area in front of the Zeraora and blasting many Savages with electricity, the air being filled with feral screams as the dark-bodied creatures were electrocuted with supercharged electricity, amplified by the excess Quintessence.
When it dissipated, a field of bodies lay where the electricity had been zapped. Panicked cries echoed across the Savage side of the battlefield, and some were pointing fearfully at Skye, who stood tall and dauntless, curling their fists with dark electricity dancing around them.
The very sight was enough for the remaining Savages to turn tail from the battlefield and run. Once the first Savages ran, the rest followed. It seemed to be a herd mentality throughout them all; that, or the loss of their leader filled them with a grief that made them run.
Good riddance. Skye let out a growl. Mindless beasts, the lot of them.
"Commander Skye!" a Zangoose soldier called from just outside where the ground hadn't been touched by electricity. "Do we chase them?!"
Skye considered it. It would be satisfying to eradicate all of them, to wipe those feral monsters off the map once and for all and avenge all those that had fallen. With the Quintessence they had absorbed…the power was at their fingertips to do so.
As ever, Abyss remained at the back of their mind, goading them. Skye trembled, terrified that it would take over their body at any moment.
However, one quick scan of the demesne told them of the condition of the army; they were not in good shape at all. The Savage attack had beaten them black and blue, and among the bodies strewn across the quagmire that was once an elegant lawn, just as many were Kingdom soldiers as Savages.
"Commander Skye?" a Shinx cadet said, breaking the Zeraora out of their stupor. They looked down, and noticed the concerned look on the cub's face.
"...Let them retreat," came Skye's reply. For once, they had control. "We need to rest after that battle. We defeated their leader, and the rest of them have turned tail and ran. I do not think we need fear an attack by them for some time. For now, let us go back to the manor and recuperate."
"Y-Yes, Commander!" the Shinx acknowledged, saluting them. Something about the cadet's enthusiasm seemed dulled, however, as though they were suppressing their emotions.
And it wasn't just the Shinx. Skye could feel the eyes of their troop on them. They weren't sure if it was the Quintessence doing this, but they could feel the auras of the soldiers in their command, and there were collective emotions prevalent among them all.
Unease.
Anxiety.
Fear.
They had seen that fight. They had borne witness to Skye and Tiranin's duel. And they had seen the transfer of power from the Tyranitar to the Zeraora.
Skye tried to avoid their gazes as they began to retreat back to the manor. The electric cat curled their fists in dismay.
Defeating Tiranin should've been a victory. They should be feeling jubilant at that very fact.
I've won…
One look at their black electricity that zapped from them, however, made their heart sink in despair.
But at what cost?
Skye didn't say a word as they headed back to the manor. Before long, they were back at the encampment, where the Zeraora noticed a familiar Rapidash standing outside.
"Commander Skye." Andromeda bowed her head. "Welcome back."
"Nurse Andromeda…" Skye's heart sank further, feeling that they knew why the nurse was here and not in her ward. "L-Lord Ahab…Is he…?"
"His condition has taken a turn for the worse," the Rapidash reported gravely. "He doesn't have long left. If you want to speak with him, now is the time."
Skye didn't say anymore, dashing inside and towards Ahab's ward. Once they entered, they saw the Zoroark laying in the bed with his eyes closed, with a Clefairy nurse by his bedside.
He looked still. Too still.
Am I too late? Please no, please no, please no-
"...S-Skye…?"
Ahab's eyes opened, and his gaze locked onto theirs. He wasn't gone yet.
"Lord Ahab!" Skye's voice almost broke with relief. "Thank goodness you're still here."
Not now! Shut up! Skye snarled inwardly.
"He's gotten worse, Commander," the Clefairy told them. "I'd give him a few hours, tops."
"...D-Did you…win?" Ahab could barely speak, but Skye's sharp ears picked up his exact words.
"Yes. You don't have to fear the Savage Emperor anymore."
"G-Good…" A small smile formed on his muzzle.
"On that note…" The reminder of his death suddenly made Skye recall Tiranin's earlier allusions. "Ahab…I need to know something."
"Wh-What…?" The smile vanished as soon as it arrived.
"Are you a human?"
Ahab froze.
"H-Human…?"
"...I need to know," Skye begged, taking one of his hands in theirs. "Please, before you…"
A reminder of that reality made the Zoroark flinch, as he hissed in pain from his wounds.
"...Y-Yeah. I-I'm…human."
"So it's true…" It was a shock, to hear those words come from Ahab. "All this time, you were…?"
"Y-Yes. Killed…as a human…" His breaths were laboured, Ahab summoning what was left of his strength to tell this story. "T-Told by v-voice…there is…great evil in this world…"
"A great evil…" Upon hearing those words, Skye's heart sank even further. They had this sinking, horrible feeling they knew exactly what that 'great evil' was.
"F-Found by the lords here…" Ahab's breaths were becoming more shallow by the minute. "B-Became lord once Dad died…"
"And that's around when I met you," Skye finished, not wanting the Zoroark to waste any more energy. "We became close, and would have married if not for this blasted war."
"I-I love you, S-Skye…" Tears began to drip down Ahab's cheeks.
"I love you too, Ahab." Skye wrapped their arms carefully around Ahab so as not to hurt him more. The Zoroark leaned into them, audibly crying now.
Begone! Skye flashed their teeth, suppressing a snarl. Luckily, Ahab didn't notice.
"J-Just wished we could've…had more time…" Ahab wept.
"So do I…" The Zeraora felt their own tears begin to fall.
"I-I don't wanna die…"
"Shh. Don't think about death. Just don't." Skye pulled back, putting their hands on Ahab's tear-stained cheeks. "You meant the world to me. You really did."
They leaned in to kiss him on his muzzle. Ahab, his strength ebbing, reciprocated as best he could.
Stop it!
Skye wanted to remain that way forever, at least until the Zoroark's time was up. To die with them by his side…they could at least grant him that wish.
Skye looked at the Clefairy nurse, who had said nothing throughout the exchange while the couple had their bonding moment.
"May I be with him for tonight?" they requested. "I want to be with him in his last moments."
The nurse considered the Zeraora's offer.
"Nurse Andromeda would complain…but these are exceptional circumstances. So I'll allow it, just this once."
"Thank you." Skye smiled sadly. "That means a lot to me."
The Zeraora lifted up the bedsheets and climbed into Ahab's hospital bed. It was big enough for two people to fit, thankfully, thus there was no discomfort on the Zoroark's part.
"S-Smell of blood…" Ahab's nose twitched.
"It was a hard-fought battle." Skye only now realised they had forgotten to wash the blood off their fur. "But we won."
"Y-You won…" Ahab smiled again. "Th-Thanks…"
"It was all for you." Skye gave him a kiss.
"...Y-Your eyes…" Ahab suddenly mentioned, making Skye freeze.
"My eyes?"
"Th-They're red…"
Skye's eyes widened in terror.
Oh no…Don't tell me that Abyss is already altering me like this! No, not now! I can't be like this! Not to Ahab, and not in his final moments!
"Wh-Why are they…?" Ahab was puzzling over his hazy-eyed observation.
"You must be hallucinating," 'Skye' said.
"A-Am I…?"
"Yes. Just a trick death is playing with you."
"R-Right…"
Ahab didn't seem happy with that conclusion. And nor was Skye.
I didn't say that. Inside, the Zeraora was panicking. I never said that. Gods, I really am becoming a puppet, haven't I…?
"S-Stupid…S-Sorry I said that…" Ahab's mutterings continued.
"Don't apologise, love." Skye's voice was almost begging. "Please."
"S-Skye? Wh-What's wrong…?"
"Nothing's wrong, Lord Ahab," came the words from Skye's mouth - that Skye never said.
No, no, no! Stop masquerading with my body!
Urk! I can't very well tell him that I'm being possessed! Skye realised that Abyss had a point. He doesn't need news like that. Not in his final hours.
"P-Probably h-hallucinating…" Ahab said, his voice barely audible. "S-Sorry…"
"Shh. It's okay." Skye hugged him closer and kissed him on his snout again. "Rest, Ahab. You need it."
"I'll…sleep, then." A new look of fear came into Ahab's eye. "B-Before I do…"
He leaned in, summoning the last of his strength to kiss her.
"I love you, Skye."
His eyes then closed, perhaps for the final time.
The realisation hit Skye like a raging Rhydon, and tears welled up in their eyes. They managed to get their own words out as the emotion cut their heart like a knife.
"I-I love you too, Ahab."
They couldn't suppress their tears anymore, and the wails of an anguished Zeraora echoed through the ward.
Through the emotional state of them, one part within the Zeraora's body was elated at the news.
The bright moonlight continued to shine over the manor, until eventually it dipped with the break of dawn as the first rays of a new day's light shone over the land.
Andromeda had been restless, tending to the wounded all night. She had been tired enough that she hadn't batted an eye at Skye sharing a bed with the dying Ahab during her rounds. By dawn, the Rapidash was fuelled purely by chesto berries to keep sleep at bay.
She entered Ahab's ward to check on him. It was silent in there, with the early morning light shining in.
The first thing Andromeda noticed was that Skye had disappeared.
Where could they have gone? she wondered. But the priority lay ahead of her - the Zoroark in the bed with his eyes closed.
He was still. Unmoving.
Andromeda clenched her teeth as she psychically removed his covers to confirm her suspicions.
But the unveiling of his body revealed something new.
Across his torso, a scar lay, and several bandages had been ripped off the Zoroark. One examination revealed his lifelessness; Andromeda didn't have to guess that.
But it was the scar that drew the Rapidash's attention.
"This scar wasn't here before," Andromeda remarked, observing it. "It's not like his other wounds…This looks like it was recently made."
She then looked to the empty half of the bed, and frowned.
Commander Skye…don't tell me you could've…
The drawing room was quiet that morning - a rare moment of respite from the inevitable hurrying around and yells of orders that would be given over the course of the day. A chaos that would no doubt be amplified once news of Ahab's demise got out.
But chaos was about to envelop the manor for quite another reason.
Once the lone servant in the room left, an Illusion beside the open curtains flickered, and then a Zeraora appeared.
Their red eyes looked dully out at the encampment, watching the first soldiers get up for the day to dust themselves off after their battle.
"The last baron has fallen. May this place…become a memory."
Their foot lit up fiery hot, and they struck the curtains, the embers catching the material alight.
The Zeraora then jumped out the window, seen by no one, and ran out of the demesne, away from the encampment.
CW: Body Horror, Blood, Death
A full moon and a night sky full of stars shone brightly upon the forested demesne. Few clouds blotted out the midnight canvas, and it was a night appropriate for stargazers to pick out the shapes and patterns dotted in the skies above.
Alas, the camp set up within the demesne, around the perimeter of an opulent, well-to-do manor, had no time for romantic duties such as stargazing. There were far more pressing matters to attend to, especially when an enemy invasion could happen at any time.
A tension lay around Deireana Manor, thick enough to be tangible. And the commander of the camp's troops felt the atmosphere more than anyone.
Zeraora Skye paced anxiously up and down the ward. Their fur was standing on end, and they were curling their fists, sparks dancing at them. It had been a tough time for them recently, and in the ward lay one of the key reasons for their dishevelled state.
A black and red mess of fur was in one of the beds. Bandaged, bruised, bloody and barely conscious - they were a miserable sight. An exhausted pastel Rapidash lay by his bedside, having administered another dosage of Heal Pulse to him, before marching off to give orders to another nurse,
Zoroark Ahab, Baron of Deireana, lay on the precipice of death, Yveltal ready to claim his soul at any moment. That reality had the whole manor on edge, and the stressed state of the Rapidash could be felt in their voice.
"Come now, we do not have all day! Lives hang in the balance here!" the Rapidash barked to a nearby Clefairy, who looked ready to faint from exhaustion. The contingent of medics were short-staffed, and there were other patients in critical condition. Screams of pain rang out every once in a while from other beds, whether in pain at their wounds or reliving traumatic memories.
Such was how it went, when the ugly spectre of war reared its head and breathed the malady of death over the world.
The Kingdom was currently under siege by an incursion from the Savage Lands, and to their shock, the Savages were proving to be far greater adversaries than they had ever expected. Normally these brutes could be beaten back with tactics and numbers. But a new rejuvenation had seemingly come over them, and they were taking barony after barony of the Kingdom, slaughtering soldiers and civilians alike.
Being among the best commanders in the Kingdom, Skye and their battalion had fought hard and well, beating back the Savages wherever they could. But even they had to stage a mass retreat, once a new threat came upon the horizon.
The moments of that battle still replayed in the Zeraora's mind. A hulking giant of a 'mon, covered in an ink-black darkness and bigger than any Tyrantrum, appeared in the midst of battle and cut through their defence lines like butter, taking out soldiers left and right. A quick evaluation of it all led to Skye calling a retreat, and though the majority of the soldiers made it out, not all did.
It was a miracle Ahab didn't rank among them yet, given the sheer scale of the wound he had suffered. Three large claw marks marred his midsection, and worse still, there seemed to be a corrosive energy in the wound that no simple pecha serum could heal. If there was an antidote for it, it had not yet been found.
The doctors predicted he would die within days. He would probably be lucky to see the next sunrise, Head Nurse Rapidash Andromeda had said.
It was not news Skye had taken well. This added to their stress, which could be felt with their dishevelled appearance. Their fur was matted and caked with dirt, they had bags under their eyes, and their unblinking eyes spoke of horrors and trauma, of nightmares suffered and bouts of hysteria vented. The Zeraora happened to catch their appearance in a mirror, and could hardly recognise themself from the elegant, refined noblemon they had been before this had all started.
Ahab's fine, the Zeraora told themselves. He's fine, he's fine, he'll live. He cannot die! He's a fighter to the end! I know his spirit all too well…
"Commander Skye."
"Ah!" Skye was snapped out of their thoughts. Turning around, they saw the Rapidash nurse trot up to them, and quickly straightened up. "Nurse Andromeda. What do you want of me?"
"His Lordship is conscious and wishes to speak with you," the nurse told them, gesturing their horn to where the bandaged Zoroark was struggling to sit up.
"Really?" Skye's ears pricked with the news, and a slight hint of hope registered on their face. They quickly moved to talk to Ahab, but suddenly–
"Savages! Savages!"
The Zeraora's blood froze.
No! Why now, of all times?!
"Commander Skye!" A young Nickit sentry burst into the ward. "Savages on the horizon!"
Skye took a deep breath.
"I'll be out as soon as I can," they sighed. "Tell the soldiers to defend this manor till the last. We will not give in to those marauding brutes."
"Yes, ma'am!" The Nickit scurried away, gone as quickly as he'd arrived.
Skye dashed to Ahab's bedside. The Zoroark's expression brightened slightly upon seeing the Zeraora.
"S-Skye…" he said, weakly. It tore Skye apart inside, to see him, the once dauntless baron, reduced to this dying husk of a 'mon.
"I cannot stay." The Zeraora did their best to keep their composure. "But we will defend this manor to our dying breath. I swear on my life and servitude to you, Lord Ahab."
"G-Good…" Ahab breathed, before his smile fell to nervousness. "C-Can't fall…N-Not here…"
"You'll survive, Lord Ahab. You're a fighter." The words felt empty on Skye's lips.
"D-Don't w-wanna die…" Panic suddenly spread across his face. "N-Not like this…!"
"Don't say that! Don't think of dying," Skye implored. "Please rest. Leave the fighting to us." Their lip trembled, in spite of their efforts to keep their emotions at bay.
"P-Please…w-win…" Ahab's eyes begged.
"I will, Lord Ahab. I swear on my honour to you."
Skye then knelt, and kissed him on the muzzle.
With that done, they hurriedly dashed out of the ward and out to the battlefield.
No sooner had Skye slammed open the front doors of the manor than they saw the battlefield before them. Roars of defiance and battle cries sounded throughout the encampments, with the whole camp scurrying around getting ready for battle.
But already, unfamiliar Pokémon had breached the edge of the encampment, and were being batted away by troops. They all had the common trait of their fur being a dull grey or black, with such a lack of colour among the Savages that it was outright unnatural. It was as though their pelts and scales had been desaturated altogether, leaving only colours of dull and dark quality.
"There's a whole mob of them!" cried a Skarmory sentry, swooping down in front of Skye. "We're well outnumbered, Commander Skye!"
"And not only that!" a fellow Corvisquire sentry added. "Their leader's among them!"
Skye's blood froze.
No…
The image of a Zoroark being grievously wounded by a towering black monster's claw came to their mind.
Not them. Not them. Please. Not here. Not now.
They took a brief look around them at the ensuing battle, and were forced to make up their mind.
"That matters not!" Skye thundered, gritting their teeth and swallowing their feelings. "We make our stand here! We will not fall to them, no matter how many of them they throw at us!"
They gripped a diamond-shaped crystal hanging from their neck, before punching their fists together, electrical plasma dancing at them.
"Leave the vanguard to me. I will not let this scum take my lord from this soil."
And before either bird could follow up to that, Skye dashed away towards the frontlines.
It didn't take them long to arrive. But even though the battle had just started, the situation was already grim.
Previously Ahab's demesne was cut flat with hedges trimmed to resemble the grand deities that lorded over the Kingdom and all the life within it. It was a beautiful sight to see, and a landmark for all visitors to Deireana Manor. Alas, there was no sign of that now; the Savages had already breached the estate's perimeter and cut that grand shrubbery to ribbons. Along with that, the smell of smoke denoted that they had set the trees alight to heighten the chaos around them, and the normally neatly-trimmed fairway was now a muck-laden quagmire. It was also laden with many bodies, the smell of death permeating the air amidst the smoke.
The Deathbringer would be eating well after this battle. Not that he already was with this ongoing war.
And among the Savages sending soul after soul into the afterlife stood a figure that made Skye sick to their stomach.
They looked like a Tyranitar, but they looked warped, not too unlike its Awakened State. Shadows danced around its exposed insides, and through the holes in its armour…Skye could swear there was another gaze in there with red eyes, looking at them. They were also enormous, possibly more than ten feet tall, and their steps shook the ground.
"Bow to me!" Their voice thundered across the battlefield, and Skye's troops seemed to baulk at the very words of the beast.
But Skye only frowned. What's this? A Savage that can talk? They've only ever spoken in a garbled, feral tongue.
There was no time to rest, however, as the monster fired a blast of dark energy at a Delphox, throwing them back. Skye chose that moment to jump in, and right as the black Tyranitar was ready to drive their claws through them, the Zeraora shot a thunderbolt at them.
The Tyranitar turned to face Skye, and immediately the Zeraora wished they didn't.
"A Zeraora?" The beast's golden eyes lit up. "It seems we have quite the windfall in this place! Wellsprings of Quintessence to suck the life from and absorb it to myself…Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
"Who are you?!" Skye yelled, trying not to let fear get to them. The voice of the beast really did have this fear-inducing quality to it.
"I am Tiranin, Emperor of the Savage Lands," the Tyranitar declared. "We have come to kill every last soul in your army, and then we will kill Baron Ahab. All this death will allow their Quintessence to seep out of their flesh, and for me to absorb." They showed a fanged smile, their white teeth glinting. Whether from the moonlight or otherwise, Skye did not know.
"Quintessence?" A chill went down the Zeraora's spine. "How do you know of that? Only Legends and the most studied scholars of the land know what Quintessence is!"
"The very lifeblood running through the veins of the Kingdom, the life bestowed unto it by the Creator of this world. Certain beings have it in greater quantities than others. Namely, humans like the baron here…and Mythicals like you."
Humans? Skye was taken aback by that statement. Ahab's a human?
Tiranin eyed the Zeraora up like a Mandibuzz would gaze at a Buneary before it struck.
"I will have your Quintessence!" he cackled. "I will have it all! With such levels of Quintessence at my disposal, my power will grow all the greater!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Skye clenched a fist, sparks dancing at it. "You'll be naught but ash burnt by my lightning when I'm done with you!"
"Ha! Your power is nothing compared to mine!" The beast stomped threateningly, shockwaves pulsing around where he stepped. "How about we see a display of it?!"
With that, he slammed his fist into the ground. Skye's whiskers twitched.
"Get back!" they yelled to their troops. "The ground's about to-"
Skye wasn't able to finish their sentence before a plume of darkness erupted from the ground. The sheer force of it threw several soldiers, Savage and Kingdom, back. Skye was barely able to stand as the dark energy buffeted them. They attempted to bat it away with their electric attacks, but it was no use. The horrifying energy strangled them; it felt corrosive, like it was eating away at the very air it infected. It stabbed into them like pinpricks, eating away at every part of their body.
The miasma felt like the coalescence of this war into a singular energy. All the hatred, the anguish, the death, the decay - there was only one way to describe it.
It was chaos.
Every fibre of Skye's being wanted to fight against it. A feral snarl crossed their muzzle as they powered through the chaotic plume and over to Tiranin, where they slugged a pair of Plasma Fists across his face.
"Hah! Such vigour!" chortled the monster as he took the attack. "But your attacks are worthless!" He swiped at the Zeraora, but the cat proved too quick for him. Skye appeared in front of Tiranin again for a split second, before they dealt the Savage Emperor a grievous blow of plasma and fire, staggering him back.
He remained unfazed, however. Skye's tail twitched with unease. Their Plasma Blaze Fists combo would be enough to fell any opponent in the blink of an eye! And yet Tiranin was still grinning like a madmon.
"Come on!" he demanded. "Give me more! More!" He slammed his foot to the ground, and before Skye realised it, huge black stalagmites erupted from the earth, piercing them from below.
"Argh!" they yelled, being knocked into the air and onto their front. They had one look at the Stone Edge, and that the stone was black obsidian with what looked like red veins of sorts was not lost on them.
This power…Skye got back to their feet. What sort of power does the Savage Emperor possess? Well, whatever power it is, it won't stop me!
They slammed their fists together, electricity spreading out around them and encircling them and Tiranin. The rest of the battle was largely a background hum to the Zeraora now, deaf to the cries of allies and enemies as they fought and died.
"You want more, huh?" Skye growled. "Then that's exactly what you'll get!"
They dashed forward at lightning fast speed, a blur to Tiranin's eyes. Before the Tyranitar could even register what was happening, Skye let loose a flurry of plasma coated punches and kicks, with them not letting up for even a second. It was an all-out attack, intent to do the Savage Emperor in there and then, or at the very least weaken him heavily. His attacks thus far had been devastating in their power; Skye would not be able to take much more punishment from him.
Wipe out the leader and the rest will fall. That's how their puny Savage minds operate.
Skye capped it off with channelling lightning through their fists, which they zapped at Tiranin with all their might. The diamond crystal around their neck glowed a bright yellow, channelling its own energy to amplify the strength behind the Zeraora's Plasma Fists. The shocks were so powerful that they burst off Tiranin and dazed a good few Savages, rendering them numb in unconsciousness. The Savage Emperor himself couldn't suppress his pain, an almighty roar coming from him. The shadows that coated him seemed to be cast into oblivion from the all-out attack, being burned by the light of the Zeraora's electricity,
Die, Skye inwardly hissed, as they kept up the attack. Lord Ahab will die because of you. May you go to the afterlife first for what you did to him!
Eventually, the energy began to dissipate, and Skye relented, panting as they did so. That was the most electricity they had channelled through their body in some time. Even Zekrom would be impressed at that mighty lightning. A pity he wasn't here to see it.
The attack had done its damage, scorching the earth around Skye and Tiranin and furthering the blazes that were already running rampant across the battlefield. Several soldiers that had gotten too close to the attack lay dead, electrocuted by Skye's attack.
But the Zeraora did not focus on them. Rather, it was Tiranin's state that they were focused on.
The black Tyranitar looked a lot worse for wear. The shadows that had coated his body like a cloak prior to the attack had mostly been vanquished, leaving several gaping holes across Tiranin's body that Skye could see through. The black monster was unmoving, his eyes closed. No glowing eyes through his body, no gleaming toothy grins, not a word to be uttered from his lips.
That was a sign he was dead…right?
"Simply…useless."
Skye froze.
No. It can't be…He can't still be alive?!
Their worst fears were confirmed once Tiranin took a step forward, shaking the earth. He was badly beaten, but far from done.
"You…will never defeat me." For once, he sounded weary, before a wicked snarl crossed his face. "Not now, not ever!"
Then suddenly tendrils sprung from the earth, wrapping themselves around four nearby soldiers; a Zebstrika, a Mienshao, a Roserade and a dull-feathered Savage Espathra. Skye would have tried to counterattack, but the force of their full-on assault left them drained and unable to charge back electricity.
Tiranin threw his hands forth, and screams echoed from the four soldiers as the tendrils suddenly glowed an ominous black and red, before energy could be seen moving through them down into the earth. Through the ground it went, before to Skye's horror, the severe malformities she'd dealt to Tiranin through their supercharged attack…suddenly began to heal back up. Those red eyes within the Tyranitar's torso glowed brighter as Tiranin absorbed the energy. Within seconds, it was as though the wounds were never there in the first place.
"N-No…" Skye uttered. "No!" All their hard work, gone in the blink of an eye.
"Did you ever think you could defeat me?" scoffed Tiranin. "You had no hope! No one can defeat me - not even a Mythical like you, Zeraora!"
"D-Dammit…!" hissed Skye, trying to build their electricity back up. With their trump card used already, though, it proved a challenge, and not one they could quickly do. Not with a looming Tyranitar in their sights. They needed power and they needed it now.
YoU wHo ThIrSt FoR pOwEr…
Wh-What? Skye jumped at the voice they suddenly heard just now. Unfortunately, that momentary distraction provided Tiranin a chance to slash with a black, shadowy claw.
"AAAAGH!" The Zeraora screamed as they were thrown backwards by the force of Tiranin's attack. They landed hard in muddy ground, worn down by the constant footfall.
"I-I'm not done…" Skye staggered to their feet. They looked down at their torso, only for their heart to sink in terror.
There, marring their body, were three deep claw marks. Each one cut deep, leaving the air to bite painfully at them.
Skye had seen this same formation before. Ahab had the exact same wound as her, and given where he was now...
Then the wound suddenly burned, and Skye let out a yowl of pain. Electricity shot from them without their command, shocking nearby soldiers.
They felt Tiranin's earth-shaking stomp, and narrowly dodged another obsidian Stone Edge.
"Wh-What are you…?" Skye said, clutching their wound. "How can you heal in that manner…?"
"The power of Abyss!" Tiranin declared. "I was nothing upon entering this world, beaten relentlessly by the Savages. But once I acquired Abyss for myself…they knew their place, and bowed to my every whim. Now I am their master! And together we shall rend your pathetic army asunder!"
He accentuated his point by firing a blast of dark energy at Skye. The Zeraora yelped, sidestepping the blast.
"Commander Skye! Have this!" A nearby Gardevoir shot forth a pinkish energy which encircled the Zeraora. Skye suddenly felt energised again from the Heal Pulse, at least partially.
"Thank you!" Skye yelled back, before they dashed away from an encroaching Tiranin.
"You cannot outrun me!" To Skye's shock, Tiranin began to run after them. And to their shock, he was gaining!
What?! This is…What abilities does this monster possess?! The power of Abyss…How is it amplifying him in this manner?!
YoU wHo ThIrSt FoR pOwEr…HeEd My CaLl.
The voice spoke in their head again.
Get out of my head! Skye batted it away, narrowly dodging a speedy swipe from Tiranin. The power amplification from his Quintessence absorption was clear to see, and it was something to watch a behemoth outright dashing like a Manectric. But Skye's agility remained superior, and they zipped around the crater formed by Tiranin.
"You can't escape me!" The heavy footfall boomed from behind the Zeraora. "Run all you like, but I'll have your power for myself!"
Not a chance. Skye shuddered at that mental image in their head. If he gains my power, then the Kingdom is doomed.
CaLl To Me…
The voice still rang out in their head.
TaKe My PoWeR aNd CrUsH hIm.
I don't need your power! Skye yelped as they avoided obsidian Stone Edges bursting from the ground.
YoU wIlL fAlL tO hIm If yOu Do NoT aCqUiEsCe.
"Begone!" Skye yelled, partly to the voice and to Tiranin. Electricity burst from them and hit Tiranin.
But to their shock, the Savage Emperor simply laughed. And suddenly, he dashed forward with a renewed burst of speed.
"Gah!" Skye leapt out of the way in the nick of time to avoid his charge. Even faster?! My electric attacks were impervious and he sped up?!
It unnerved them to see a lumbering creature moving with such agility. Then they recalled the victims of his Quintessence draining.
One of them was a Zebstrika.
He couldn't have! Taking those abilities for himself?! Th-This is…
Skye didn't have time to finish that thought before a massive blow hit them from behind. The Savage Emperor had caught up to her.
"Yeeeeeaaaaaagh!" The Zeraora was thrown forward into the muddy ground, receiving a face full of mud. They spat some out before they were suddenly lifted into the air.
Those same tendrils from before had burst from the ground and were now strangling Skye.
"Argh! No!" Skye struggled to break free. "Let me go! Let me go!"
"I don't think so," huffed Tiranin. "You were a pain to catch, Zeraora. But now with you weakened like this…I can drain your Quintessence and feed my power all the more!"
"I…will not…submit to you!" Skye snarled defiantly.
CaLl To Me.
Shut up!
YoU aRe GoInG tO dIe.
YoU nEeD mY pOwEr.
YoU nEeD mY pOwEr.
I-I…
Skye's thoughts were interrupted as the tendrils squeezed around them.
"The Quintessence of a Mythical…" Tiranin's eyes shone with such excitement that Skye swore they literally shone brighter. "I can't put into words how much I'm going to enjoy this!"
No! No! I can't fall here! Skye squirmed their absolute hardest, trying to break free from the Tyranitar's snares.
YoU wAnT pOwEr, Do YoU nOt?
Skye noticed the red eyes in Tiranin's body seemed to be glowing brighter.
I-I…
WiThOuT pOwEr, YoU wIlL pErIsH hErE.
Skye assessed their situation. They were weakened heavily, ensnared by their enemy, and about to have their Quintessence drained. There were barely any options to consider, and they knew for a fact there were too many Savages for their army of non-Savages to stage a rescue for them.
The Emperor's power was something else. And that gave Skye pause for thought.
His power is beyond anything I've faced. I would say he stands a good chance against the Pantheon, if he faced them. Have I…truly met my match?
The image of the wounded Zoroark back at the manor made them shake their head.
No, I cannot give up! This is not the end!
YoU cAnNot WiN oN yOuR oWn PoWeR.
Stay away! Skye inwardly growled. Whoever you are, get out of my head!
BuT yOu WiLl NoT wIn WiThOuT mY hElP.
And just who are you?!
I aM aBySs. I aM tHaT wHiCh PoWeRs TiRaNiN. iF i TrAnSfEr My PoWeR tO yOu, He WiLl NoT hAvE aNy.
Wh-What? Th-That would mean…!
It WoUlD mEaN yOu WoUlD hAvE tHe PoWeR tO tUrN tHe TiDe Of ThIs BaTtLe.
B-But…Skye would say yes in a heartbeat, but the vibes they were getting from this voice had sinister undertones to it.
Their thoughts were then interrupted, as the tendrils tightened fiercely around Skye and they began to feel the draining.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
It was painful. Like a Leech Seed with the energy sapping multiplied a hundredfold. Except there was more to it - Skye could almost feel the draining eroding away at their psyche and soul. Far from having their energy drained to the point of unconsciousness like a normal Leech Seed would go, this felt like it was vacuuming out their essence until there was nothing left, until they were just a shell of a 'mon, with their power in the possession of Tiranin for him to take over the Kingdom with.
I-I can't…N-Not here…
ChOoSe, ZeRaOrA sKyE. TaKe My PoWeR…oR hAvE yOuR pOwErS bE a SlAvE tO tIrAnIn'S wHiMs.
I…
Do It. If NoT fOr YoUrSeLf…FoR aHaB.
That thought - that lone thought of their lover dying in his ward, compelled the Zeraora to make a decision.
Lend me your aid. Please, before I perish!
VeRy WeLl. MaY mY pOwEr AnD yOuRs Be OnE!
Suddenly, without any will of their own accord, Skye felt their mouth repeat those exact words.
"May my power and yours be one!"
Wh-What? I never…
Their thoughts were drowned out by a pained roar from Tiranin.
"Grraaaaaaaaagh!"
The black Tyranitar, in the middle of gorging on Skye's Quintessence, suddenly had black-and-red energy leaking out of him, and the energy convulsed him, as though he had been shocked by it. The Zeraora felt the tendrils loosen around them, much to their relief. They were still too tight to break out of, however.
"N-No! M-My power!"
Then that chaotic energy suddenly flew up to the sky, like a reverse Thunderbolt. A few seconds later, ominous red clouds began to form from that burst of energy. Right after that, a deafening thunderclap sounded over the battlefield, the moonlight being covered by the newly-formed clouds.
Moments later, a giant, black-and-red thunderbolt fell from the sky and landed on Skye's exact spot. The Zeraora screamed painfully as it hit them, before they gritted their teeth, resisting it as hard as they could.
OuR pOwErS aRe OnE nOw. UsE tHiS sTrEnGtH tO fElL yOuR eNeMiEs AnD tAkE tHeIr PoWeR - tHeIr QuInTeSsEnCe - FoR yOuRsElF!
Skye heard those words and a chill went down their spine.
I-It's just like I thought! Th-This power…No, I was a fool to-
Their thoughts were interrupted as the tendrils surrounding them dissipated, and they were free.
"What?!" Tiranin yelled. "How could you…Urgh." He suddenly clutched his chest. "Why do I feel my power ebbing…?"
"Because that power…is with me now." Skye suddenly felt a surge in confidence. Even better than that - their wounds were healing up, with the gnarly scar across their torso now nowhere to be seen.
They curled their fists, ready for another round.
"And now…it's time for you to perish."
Skye nearly stopped themselves at that sudden menace in their voice, but they had no time to react as they felt their body dash forward at top speed and punch Tiranin straight in the chest.
"Aaagh!" The Tyranitar yelled, feeling the pain behind it. That punch felt hard, more powerful than normal. This power was giving the Zeraora a second wind, and they could feel electricity building up in their body.
Only…the sparks zapping at their fingertips wasn't the normal turquoise plasma colour they were used to. Instead…it was a dark reddish-black colour.
"What?!" Skye yelled. No, that can't be! It couldn't possibly have corrupted me so quickly! Just what is this?!
Their body jerked forward, as the Zeraora let loose a pair of punches on their target. That quickly turned into a combo involving kicks too, their feet blazing brightly and scorching Tiranin's obsidian hide. Then the combo became lightning fast, faster than Skye had ever gone with their own attacks. Scarily fast, even - and Skye themself felt a pit of terror deep in their stomach as they watched the decimation of their target.
"Die, die, die!" the Zeraora yelled, as they pummelled Tiranin more. Their strikes were a blur - too fast for Tiranin to even let out a cry of pain. His hide was flaking off from the chaotic electricity being pumped through him.
The Zeraora then slammed a final punch towards Tiranin's chest, knocking the Tyranitar onto his back. Nearby Savages chittered nervously, some yelling in panic to their comrades in their garbled tongue.
"Grr…No…!" Tiranin snarled. "My power…My strength…!"
"Not even a challenge," 'Skye' huffed. "Now then…may your Quintessence be mine!"
They raised a hand and the familiar black tendrils burst from the ground, wrapping themself around Tiranin. They glowed a dark red before they began to drain the Savage Emperor's Quintessence.
Skye could feel it, their body being filled with this newfound energy. It was mesmerising, feeling energised on a scale like they had never felt before. The Zeraora felt like they could run the length of the Kingdom a hundred times. Not even the Z-Crystal they used against Tiranin compared to this!
SuCh PlEnTiFuL qUiNtEsSeNcE! wHaT a ReSeRvOiR oF pOwEr ThE sAvAgE eMpErOr HaS!
Abyss's voice echoed with delight in Skye's head, louder than it had been. The Zeraora felt its presence even more than last time, making them shudder in fear.
Electricity zapped off their body as the Quintessence flowed into them, and there was so much energy that Skye felt the need to release it. It wasn't unlike the urge Electric-types like them got where they had to release excess electricity but the sheer amount of Quintessence meant this would be one wicked Thunderbolt.
And where better to launch it…than at our enemies?
"HRAAAAAAAAGH!"
Skye released their Thunderbolt…only to see shades of red and black amidst the bright yellow. The electricity made its mark, covering a wide area in front of the Zeraora and blasting many Savages with electricity, the air being filled with feral screams as the dark-bodied creatures were electrocuted with supercharged electricity, amplified by the excess Quintessence.
When it dissipated, a field of bodies lay where the electricity had been zapped. Panicked cries echoed across the Savage side of the battlefield, and some were pointing fearfully at Skye, who stood tall and dauntless, curling their fists with dark electricity dancing around them.
The very sight was enough for the remaining Savages to turn tail from the battlefield and run. Once the first Savages ran, the rest followed. It seemed to be a herd mentality throughout them all; that, or the loss of their leader filled them with a grief that made them run.
Good riddance. Skye let out a growl. Mindless beasts, the lot of them.
"Commander Skye!" a Zangoose soldier called from just outside where the ground hadn't been touched by electricity. "Do we chase them?!"
Skye considered it. It would be satisfying to eradicate all of them, to wipe those feral monsters off the map once and for all and avenge all those that had fallen. With the Quintessence they had absorbed…the power was at their fingertips to do so.
AnD wItH mOrE qUiNtEsSeNcE, yOuR pOwEr WiLl OnLy GrOw. ThInK oF tHe QuInTeSsEnCe To Be HaD aMoNgSt AlL tHoSe SaVaGeS!
As ever, Abyss remained at the back of their mind, goading them. Skye trembled, terrified that it would take over their body at any moment.
However, one quick scan of the demesne told them of the condition of the army; they were not in good shape at all. The Savage attack had beaten them black and blue, and among the bodies strewn across the quagmire that was once an elegant lawn, just as many were Kingdom soldiers as Savages.
"Commander Skye?" a Shinx cadet said, breaking the Zeraora out of their stupor. They looked down, and noticed the concerned look on the cub's face.
"...Let them retreat," came Skye's reply. For once, they had control. "We need to rest after that battle. We defeated their leader, and the rest of them have turned tail and ran. I do not think we need fear an attack by them for some time. For now, let us go back to the manor and recuperate."
"Y-Yes, Commander!" the Shinx acknowledged, saluting them. Something about the cadet's enthusiasm seemed dulled, however, as though they were suppressing their emotions.
And it wasn't just the Shinx. Skye could feel the eyes of their troop on them. They weren't sure if it was the Quintessence doing this, but they could feel the auras of the soldiers in their command, and there were collective emotions prevalent among them all.
Unease.
Anxiety.
Fear.
They had seen that fight. They had borne witness to Skye and Tiranin's duel. And they had seen the transfer of power from the Tyranitar to the Zeraora.
Skye tried to avoid their gazes as they began to retreat back to the manor. The electric cat curled their fists in dismay.
Defeating Tiranin should've been a victory. They should be feeling jubilant at that very fact.
I've won…
One look at their black electricity that zapped from them, however, made their heart sink in despair.
But at what cost?
Skye didn't say a word as they headed back to the manor. Before long, they were back at the encampment, where the Zeraora noticed a familiar Rapidash standing outside.
"Commander Skye." Andromeda bowed her head. "Welcome back."
"Nurse Andromeda…" Skye's heart sank further, feeling that they knew why the nurse was here and not in her ward. "L-Lord Ahab…Is he…?"
"His condition has taken a turn for the worse," the Rapidash reported gravely. "He doesn't have long left. If you want to speak with him, now is the time."
Skye didn't say anymore, dashing inside and towards Ahab's ward. Once they entered, they saw the Zoroark laying in the bed with his eyes closed, with a Clefairy nurse by his bedside.
He looked still. Too still.
Am I too late? Please no, please no, please no-
"...S-Skye…?"
Ahab's eyes opened, and his gaze locked onto theirs. He wasn't gone yet.
"Lord Ahab!" Skye's voice almost broke with relief. "Thank goodness you're still here."
QuInTeSsEnCe…I sEnSe A gReAt AmOuNt Of QuInTeSsEnCe In HiM.
Not now! Shut up! Skye snarled inwardly.
"He's gotten worse, Commander," the Clefairy told them. "I'd give him a few hours, tops."
"...D-Did you…win?" Ahab could barely speak, but Skye's sharp ears picked up his exact words.
"Yes. You don't have to fear the Savage Emperor anymore."
"G-Good…" A small smile formed on his muzzle.
"On that note…" The reminder of his death suddenly made Skye recall Tiranin's earlier allusions. "Ahab…I need to know something."
"Wh-What…?" The smile vanished as soon as it arrived.
"Are you a human?"
Ahab froze.
"H-Human…?"
"...I need to know," Skye begged, taking one of his hands in theirs. "Please, before you…"
A reminder of that reality made the Zoroark flinch, as he hissed in pain from his wounds.
"...Y-Yeah. I-I'm…human."
"So it's true…" It was a shock, to hear those words come from Ahab. "All this time, you were…?"
"Y-Yes. Killed…as a human…" His breaths were laboured, Ahab summoning what was left of his strength to tell this story. "T-Told by v-voice…there is…great evil in this world…"
"A great evil…" Upon hearing those words, Skye's heart sank even further. They had this sinking, horrible feeling they knew exactly what that 'great evil' was.
"F-Found by the lords here…" Ahab's breaths were becoming more shallow by the minute. "B-Became lord once Dad died…"
"And that's around when I met you," Skye finished, not wanting the Zoroark to waste any more energy. "We became close, and would have married if not for this blasted war."
"I-I love you, S-Skye…" Tears began to drip down Ahab's cheeks.
"I love you too, Ahab." Skye wrapped their arms carefully around Ahab so as not to hurt him more. The Zoroark leaned into them, audibly crying now.
TaKe HiS qUiNtEsSeNcE. tAkE iT!
Begone! Skye flashed their teeth, suppressing a snarl. Luckily, Ahab didn't notice.
"J-Just wished we could've…had more time…" Ahab wept.
"So do I…" The Zeraora felt their own tears begin to fall.
"I-I don't wanna die…"
"Shh. Don't think about death. Just don't." Skye pulled back, putting their hands on Ahab's tear-stained cheeks. "You meant the world to me. You really did."
They leaned in to kiss him on his muzzle. Ahab, his strength ebbing, reciprocated as best he could.
If YoU tAkE hIs QuInTeSsEnCe, He WiLl AlWaYs Be A pArT oF yOu.
Stop it!
Skye wanted to remain that way forever, at least until the Zoroark's time was up. To die with them by his side…they could at least grant him that wish.
Skye looked at the Clefairy nurse, who had said nothing throughout the exchange while the couple had their bonding moment.
"May I be with him for tonight?" they requested. "I want to be with him in his last moments."
The nurse considered the Zeraora's offer.
"Nurse Andromeda would complain…but these are exceptional circumstances. So I'll allow it, just this once."
"Thank you." Skye smiled sadly. "That means a lot to me."
The Zeraora lifted up the bedsheets and climbed into Ahab's hospital bed. It was big enough for two people to fit, thankfully, thus there was no discomfort on the Zoroark's part.
"S-Smell of blood…" Ahab's nose twitched.
"It was a hard-fought battle." Skye only now realised they had forgotten to wash the blood off their fur. "But we won."
"Y-You won…" Ahab smiled again. "Th-Thanks…"
"It was all for you." Skye gave him a kiss.
"...Y-Your eyes…" Ahab suddenly mentioned, making Skye freeze.
"My eyes?"
"Th-They're red…"
Skye's eyes widened in terror.
Oh no…Don't tell me that Abyss is already altering me like this! No, not now! I can't be like this! Not to Ahab, and not in his final moments!
"Wh-Why are they…?" Ahab was puzzling over his hazy-eyed observation.
"You must be hallucinating," 'Skye' said.
"A-Am I…?"
"Yes. Just a trick death is playing with you."
"R-Right…"
Ahab didn't seem happy with that conclusion. And nor was Skye.
I didn't say that. Inside, the Zeraora was panicking. I never said that. Gods, I really am becoming a puppet, haven't I…?
"S-Stupid…S-Sorry I said that…" Ahab's mutterings continued.
"Don't apologise, love." Skye's voice was almost begging. "Please."
"S-Skye? Wh-What's wrong…?"
"Nothing's wrong, Lord Ahab," came the words from Skye's mouth - that Skye never said.
No, no, no! Stop masquerading with my body!
ThIs Is A cOnsEqUeNcE oF oUr PaCt. YoUr BoDy Is MiNe To CoNtRoL. BeSiDeS…dO nOt BuRdEn PoOr AhAb WiTh ThIs. lEt HiM dIe WiThOuT wOrRy.
Urk! I can't very well tell him that I'm being possessed! Skye realised that Abyss had a point. He doesn't need news like that. Not in his final hours.
"P-Probably h-hallucinating…" Ahab said, his voice barely audible. "S-Sorry…"
"Shh. It's okay." Skye hugged him closer and kissed him on his snout again. "Rest, Ahab. You need it."
"I'll…sleep, then." A new look of fear came into Ahab's eye. "B-Before I do…"
He leaned in, summoning the last of his strength to kiss her.
"I love you, Skye."
His eyes then closed, perhaps for the final time.
The realisation hit Skye like a raging Rhydon, and tears welled up in their eyes. They managed to get their own words out as the emotion cut their heart like a knife.
"I-I love you too, Ahab."
They couldn't suppress their tears anymore, and the wails of an anguished Zeraora echoed through the ward.
Through the emotional state of them, one part within the Zeraora's body was elated at the news.
It Is TiMe To AsSuMe CoNtRoL. WhEn ThE hEaRt Is At ItS wEaKeSt, ThErE iS nO bEtTeR tImE tO tAkE oVeR.
The bright moonlight continued to shine over the manor, until eventually it dipped with the break of dawn as the first rays of a new day's light shone over the land.
Andromeda had been restless, tending to the wounded all night. She had been tired enough that she hadn't batted an eye at Skye sharing a bed with the dying Ahab during her rounds. By dawn, the Rapidash was fuelled purely by chesto berries to keep sleep at bay.
She entered Ahab's ward to check on him. It was silent in there, with the early morning light shining in.
The first thing Andromeda noticed was that Skye had disappeared.
Where could they have gone? she wondered. But the priority lay ahead of her - the Zoroark in the bed with his eyes closed.
He was still. Unmoving.
Andromeda clenched her teeth as she psychically removed his covers to confirm her suspicions.
But the unveiling of his body revealed something new.
Across his torso, a scar lay, and several bandages had been ripped off the Zoroark. One examination revealed his lifelessness; Andromeda didn't have to guess that.
But it was the scar that drew the Rapidash's attention.
"This scar wasn't here before," Andromeda remarked, observing it. "It's not like his other wounds…This looks like it was recently made."
She then looked to the empty half of the bed, and frowned.
Commander Skye…don't tell me you could've…
The drawing room was quiet that morning - a rare moment of respite from the inevitable hurrying around and yells of orders that would be given over the course of the day. A chaos that would no doubt be amplified once news of Ahab's demise got out.
But chaos was about to envelop the manor for quite another reason.
Once the lone servant in the room left, an Illusion beside the open curtains flickered, and then a Zeraora appeared.
Their red eyes looked dully out at the encampment, watching the first soldiers get up for the day to dust themselves off after their battle.
"The last baron has fallen. May this place…become a memory."
Their foot lit up fiery hot, and they struck the curtains, the embers catching the material alight.
The Zeraora then jumped out the window, seen by no one, and ran out of the demesne, away from the encampment.
