~Chapter 7: Conquering the Flames~
~Registeel~
I watched Regice's fate in horror. My own brother, doomed to a lifetime in a tomb. It was too much to accept. Regirock watched on with the same expression on his face. Mew's eyes began to water slightly.
Well, there's nothing we can do now... Mew thought reluctantly.
Regirock nodded sadly, and thought back,
Well, as long as the two are fighting each other, we should try to think of a plan. I sat on the edge of the small isle, my feet in the clear blue water. I kicked the water idly, thinking of anything that may give us an advantage.
We saw Regice almost drown Groudon by catching it off guard. Maybe if we can get it to fall in the water unexpectedly, it will die before it can react.
Die? Regirock said incredulously,
I know you're angry at Groudon for destroying our home, but isn't killing going too far?
No, I shot back stubbornly,
Groudon and Kyogre ruined what we spent months making, a refuge for the Pokémon hurt by this war. They destroyed it all, and those Pokémon are being forced to slaughter each other again. They've gone too far now, and we have to end it. Regirock considered my noble speech while I waited patiently for an answer.
I know what's going on, but if we kill them for past wrongs, are we any better than they are? Regirock thought back slowly.
No, because we have good intentions at heart, I shot back angrily. Why couldn't Regirock understand what I was saying!?
We must kill them both, so this war can end once and for all. We can make a new home, a new place of comfort for Pokémon injured mentally and physically. If you don't kill these quarreling creatures, you are merely standing aside, allowing them to kill all the Pokémon that inhabit this planet, I told Regirock. It thought deeply about that.
Kyogre and Groudon are Pokémon, too. They have hearts, although the don't show it. They have minds, although their intelligence may suggest otherwise. They are living creatures, every bit as worthy to live here as we are, Regirock argued. I felt like shouting at him.
Kyogre and Groudon are heartless killing machines. Pokémon have died at their hands, and they care for nothing but the death of each other. They weren't even naturally born. They only exist because Hello Kitty over here had to make Groudon in the first place, I said heatedly, pointing a claw at Mew.
Mew simmered with anger at that comment, and said,
I admit it was a mistake to make Groudon. At the time, I was quite sure it would be powerful, but not powerful enough to disrupt the balance of sea and land.
I turned to Mew now, and argued,
That's precisely my point. If one kills the other, we'll have a planet completely submerged or completely covered in mountains. You, I, and Regirock can easily adapt to such changes, but we'll be the few who can. Pokémon will drown in the infinite seas or die of the heat Groudon scorches the land with.
Regirock spoke up this time, and said,
We don't need to kill them though. Look at Regice. It's gone now, but it hasn't died. Its power just dropped so sharply that it couldn't keep sustaining itself. If we can do this to both of the Titans, they will collapse and be gone. No one will die, and they won't be able to harm anything else. I hated to admit it, but this was probably the most sensible solution.
But, how on earth can we deplete their energy? Each of them have much more power than all of us combined, Regirock pondered out loud before I could respond.
Come to think of it.....Mew, you created Groudon, but it's more powerful than you. How is this possible? You would have died giving all your power to it, I asked, directing this question at Mew. Mew furrowed its brow, thinking hard.
There must be some sort of energy source Groudon had been feeding off of. What could give it such power, though? Mew wondered.
The sun? Regirock suggested.
No, if it was absorbing solar energy, the sun would not shine as brightly as it does today, I reasoned dismissively. Regirock sighed at that, knowing I was right.
Wait! Mew interjected suddenly,
I remember I was attacking Groudon near Fortree Forest before it captured me. It was defending something important. If we can find some sort of abnormality there, it may lead us to Groudon's power source. Regirock agreed, and I thought this was a good idea as well. Mew squealed happily, and tore open a portal nearby. My body felt rubbery again, and I felt myself being absorbed into the vortex. Once again, swirling colors surrounded me, burning themselves into my eyes.
As we neared the exit, I noticed that distorted images of trees circled me. Watery blue also mixed itself into the walls of the wormhole. I figured this must dictate we were to appear next. In an instant, I found myself stumbling across thick grass, the bright colors fading. I spun about, and saw the wormhole close, the air around it looking like a heat haze. The hole closed, and I was staring at a tree trunk. Mew hovered around above myself and Regirock.
OK, spread out, and report to each other if you find something unusual, Regirock said bravely.
Way to point out the obvious, I said, vaguely irritated with Regirock's attitude. All the same, I trudged through the thick grass, my eyes scanning the land around me. Several times, my feet got tangled up in the grass. Although I broke free easily, it was horribly tedious trying to get around with grass ensnaring my legs. Suddenly, I found my left foot dangling precariously off a ledge. It fell backwards, my heart racing. I looked forward, and saw a clear blue lake, almost as wide as Dewford Strait. In the middle, an island sat, looking quite out of place in the sparkling blue liquid.
Wondering if this would yield results, I expanded my mind, allowing it to access the protrusion. Quite suddenly, a surge of power coursed through my body. I felt my insides burning up, eating away at my mind until I couldn't hold it in. My eyes glowed crimson, and a huge jet of flames shot through my eyes into the still air. Frightened, I pulled back my mind. The huge power that had raged within me faded away. I stared at the island, shocked.
I called out shakily,
Guys! I...think I found the source. Mew sent a small confirmation toward me, and Regirock advised me to stay where I was.
Easier said than done, I retorted. Regirock didn't answer. I sat down, waiting. Mew floated down beside me, waiting for Regirock as well.
Regirock reached us a minute later, muttering,
Accursed grass... I laughed mentally at Regirock.
OK, if you let your mind access this rock, something interesting will happen, I told Regirock.
It glared at me suspiciously, and asked,
This isn't a joke, right?
I blazed with anger, and shot back,
Why would it be? This is a serious situation! Regirock seemed to believe me, and turned to the rock. His eyes unfocused, and I knew he was expanding his mind. Moments later, fire spiralled out of Regirock's eyes.
Regirock stepped back in surprise, and exclaimed,
This is it! I held back the remark I was longing to say.
OK, we need to destroy this thing, Regirock said solemnly. Without wasting a moment, I fired a Hyper Beam at it. A small bit of it chipped away. As it did, a rumbling shook the ground. I sighed, knowing what was coming. Groudon raised itself from the ground behind us. It roared angrily, enraged at my attempt to destroy its power source. Without batting an eye, Mew let its energy course over our bodies, and then lifted Regirock and I into the air. We flew across the landscape, speeding away from the angry Groudon.
The ground shook once more, and a huge geyser appeared in front of us. It was so wide that it blocked off any escape route. Again, Kyogre's bnody was carried up by the outburst of water. When we were all distracted, Groudon sent a boiling Fire Blast at us. It hit Mew squarely, causing mew to drop to the ground. Mew didn't move. Regirock, thinking quickly, ambled off to the side. I was too worried about Mew to notice.
I began to walk over to its fallen form, but another Fire Blast sent me careening into the wall of water. It blasted against my head, the sound echoing in my head. I pulled myself away, and fell forward in exhaustion. I lay there for a minute, and looked up as my power returned to me. My eyes met a wall of hot magma.
I looked around, and saw a bubbling dome of lava. Suddenly, the magma began misting, and I knew Kyogre's water was raining down on the chamber, hardening it. I gasped in horror, and clawed at the wall closest. But, the magma burned my claws horribly. I drew back my throbbing hand. Scorch marks covered the parts of my hand that touched the wall.
Mist filled the tomb, and I couldn't see. The heat got to me, and my temperature boiled higher by the second. I sat down, trying to keep myself together. Black began ebbing away at my sight, the corners of my vision field becoming dark. I couldn't find it in me to find, or even stand up. The boiling mist floated harmlessly about me, as though it had nothing to do with this heat stroke consuming my being. It was the last thing I saw before I shut down just as Regice had.
~*CB*~