Penance and Blackguard : Part 1
Penance groaned weakly as they ported away. Judging by the loud explosion he heard that meant that something in the torture house had blown up, but it had mostly likely been Deceiver. Slowly he rose up and coughed a bit. His head throbbed... and he was still alive. The mass of bodies around them indicated that at least most of the citizens has been ported. That was something Zane really pushed for as did the other psychics. There were groans and whimpers from the citizens as could be expected, they had been puppet to some mad spirit after all!
He took in a gasp of air and tried to stand, only to fall back down. He felt Malphus grab him and raise him up, "Here we go, over him Penance." Malphus dragged him out of the piles of bodies and after getting a little bit away set him back down. "You good?"
"Yeah yeah." He coughed. "Just a bit drained. Surge back there?"
The Marowak shook his head, "I felt him... must have ported back to Cape City."
Penance nodded weakly, "Yeah, I guess so. It's how he is, hehe. Lashire should be getting up soon then. I just need to walk for a bit, get some air in my lungs you know."
Malphus helped up the Golduck and Penance walked around a bit. He put his hands behind his head and took in a few deep breaths to clear his jumbled mind. "Well, the only thing left is Auron I imagine." Then he heard a loud roar. Glancing over he saw two dragons battling in the air, "Ah, Ragnaros. He'll be fine." The Golduck waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, we're all good. Make a note Malphus as to check on Saul. That explosion wasn't expected, could be there are more traps here and there."
Malphus nodded, "Aye, that's true, at least we won't have any more troubles before Auron." The Marowak chuckled.
Meanwhile, above them, another figure loomed. Blackguard stared down at the Madman and his Affiliate from high above, hidden in the clouds. This was his next target. The Madman was no simple foe though, and Blackguard knew it. The Golduck was a mastermind, most unlike any Pokemon in the world today. It would take all of his power to outsmart this duck.
"Now then, let's get this show on the road."
Blackguard dropped his flames, and for a moment, he floated in the air without any support, before he began tumbling down to the ground like a renegade meteor.
Penance glanced all around and was about ready to contact who needed to be contacted when suddenly Malphus grabbed him and pulled him as fast as he could. The Golduck snapped his head up and he smirked at the being coming down, "Ah I miss-" He didn't get to finish as the Golurk slammed down. Both fell to the ground with thuds as even the surface of the ground seemed to ripple. Cracks broke open in the ground while Penance got back up.
"Well... someone else I missed?" He asked irritably.
Malphus was quick to rise as well and readied his bone. "Penance... something is unnatural about this one." He muttered. The Marowak rubbed at his head, "Doesn't look like this'll be easy."
Penance glanced toward the hole, "Yo. Big guy. You gonna sit in there or what?"
Nothing but a heavy cloud of dust was visible inside the crater created by the Blackguard, obscuring him. Suddenly, fire began pouring out of it. Not just any fire, but a green, unnatural fire that scorched anything it touched instantly. The streams of flame waved around, until they seemed to lock onto the Madman.
Penance smirked as he held his hands high above his head. His eyes glowed a deep purple hue as he shot out several Water Pulses. Before they could get too far the Pulses burst open and the water glowed the same purple color. The water formed something akin to a barrier over him. "Really? That's all tin man? Seriously I thought you might have more. But I spy with my little eye a familiar face! Palwow wasn't it?"
"Oh, believe me, Penance Malum..." A booming voice rose from the deepest part of the crater, as a shadowy figure became visible through the cloud of dust, slowly working his way upwards by climbing the sides. "You haven't seen anything yet."
Just as he said that, Blackguard used the propulsion from his jets to shoot up from the crater, and land right in front of the protected Madman.
"You think you're safe inside your little bubble, Malum?" He mocked.
Penance gritted his teeth as the Golurk appeared right at him. At that moment he pointed both hands right at the Golurk's head. The barrier of water squeezed down to a ball that wrapped around the Golurk's head. Penance smirked, "No, I think I'm safe out of it actually."
He jumped back and looked at Malphus, "Stay back, he's corrupted alright. Skin tone, red eyes, all classic signs!" He said with a smug smile. "So, gonna kill us eh? It'll take more than that you know!"
Blackguard grasped at his head. He tried to say something, but all that arose were small bubbles inside his little ball of water. He grasped at his neck for air, and gagged, and tried to scream, but the voice only came through as a muffled howl. But suddenly, he stopped all of that, and simply looked at Penance with a bored expression, his head cocked to one side.
Then, he did something odd. Blackguard pointed his own arm at his own head, and used a Flamethrower. His small head was, for a moment, invisible among the green flames, but soon enough the flames stopped, and there was Blackguard's face, totally unscathed. Above his head, a small cloud of evaporated water floated away into the sky.
"Whoever said I was gonna kill you?" Blackguard cracked his overgrown knuckles, each crack sounding like a dozen firecrackers popping at once. "That's too easy."
Without warning, Blackguard shot out at Penance, using his jets for extra speed. The Golurk's larger figure loomed over him before long, beginning his onslaught of Shadow Punches.
Penance gritted his teeth yet again as the water ball dissipated. This Golurk was something else! More powerful definitely than the other Sentinels. It had freaking attacked itself and left no marks! He took a step back as the Golurk spoke. Malphus frowned, "Penance... we may need some assistance here."
Before long the Shadow Punches came and Penance quickly put up another water shield to protect himself, but the first two managed to dissipate his shield. Penance did his best to dodge, but as one slammed into his gut the others quickly followed. One after another they punched into him and he ended up being shot back and rolling along on the ground. Quickly Malphus got in front of him and held his bone defensively, "You're not touching him."
Blackguard stepped backwards, and began lifting one leg up. With tremendous force, he brought the leg crashing down to the ground, the impact creating a large crack in the earth beneath him. For a moment, it seemed as though that was it, but suddenly, the earth began to turn on its inhabitants, shaking with incredible force. A very powerful Earthquake was underway. One that would shake the very foundations of Silver City itself. In the distance, buildings could be heard collapsing onto each other like dominos falling over.
"Are you sure about that?" Blackguard grinned.
Malphus cried out as the earthquake happened. He fell to a knee as the attack hit him hard. Shakily he rose again, "I-I'm sure..." He said with gasps in his voice.
Penance slowly managed to lean up. He got back onto his feet though his legs shook underneath him. "I"m fine... here Malphus." He gasped. "You." He narrowed his eyes at the Golurk, "We go one on one. You say you don't want to kill me... so I assume something worse is in store for me." He tightened his muscles, "I may not be true Gold Tribe... and maybe I'm just a bit different. But that doesn't mean I'm a push over. Just keep hitting me and the Affiliates will keep rising up."
At this, Blackguard burst of laughing. The laugh was both one of amusement and insanity, and when he was finally able to calm himself down, he looked at the poor Golduck, already battered and beaten as the earth threatened to collapse beneath him.
"Brave words for such a coward!" Blackguard began his slow, intimidating approach at the Madman and Malphus, the shaking ground not seeming to affect him at all. "Despite all your plans and all your words, you can't escape who you really are. I know who you are, Penance Malum. You are... like me, as much as you may hate to admit it. Even if that wonderfully intellectual brain of yours hasn't realized it yet. So, join me... together, we can bring chaos down upon all of Valkaria, and beyond."
Penance frowned, "Yeah... I'm not a puppet." He shook his head, "I don't wish to bring chaos lug head. Yeah, chaos is all fine and good sometimes, but most Pokemon can't stand it." He waved a hand at Blackguard. "So... I don't know, go back into your hole or something and sleep for a thousand years or whatever. You're just a puppet yourself, controlled by the Silver Crystal." He crossed his arms, "You're in denial to think that you'll be in control. Auron will smack you to the ground once he's done with you."
Blackguard stopped his approach. He stood still for a moment, and then he laughed again. "PFFFAHAHAHAHA! You think that I'm like the other Sentinels? HAHAHA! I am so much better!" He resumed his approach, as he was almost upon them now. "I am no pawn. Quite the opposite. They are my pawns. My agents of chaos, though they may not realize it. Denial? Please. I know what I am: pure, rotten evil. I AM the Silver Crystal, Penance! The Silver Crystal in different body. A much better body..." He glanced at his arms, then at his torso and his legs. He flexed his muscles a few times, as if he was testing them out for the first time.
"No. I'm afraid it's you who is in denial, Penance." Blackguard stopped his approach right in front of the two Pokemon. "You say you are different... and you are! Deep down, beneath all the logic and the plotting, you long for chaos. Paladin did too, though he may not have been aware of it. Nobody is until they face a crucial moment in their lives in which they are forced to choose. Choose between the boring old good side, or that longing for chaos that resides deep within them. Paladin's moment was his fight with Sovereign. He chose me."
"This is your moment."
Penance began to sweat and stepped back even more. He could feel his heart beating faster as what the Golurk said resided in his being. "... You want to take me over." He croaked out.
Malphus raised his bone. "You get away from us right now! We'll take you down!" He snapped out.
"Malphus... run." Penance gulped, and in one of the few moments it was clear fear had taken over, "This being is right from the Silver Crystal... he can kill both of us easily enough." Then Penance whipped up a hand and shot out a Water Pulse at the Golurk's face. At that same moment Malphus ran behind the Golurk and whacked his back with his bone.
"Plan twenty-four, pretend to be scared." He crackled with laughter, "You'll have to take me down before you even think of taking control of me!" He said. "Let's party!" With that he raised up both hands and shot a multitude of Water Pulses at the Golurk.
Blackguard chuckled lightly. "I don't want to take you over," he said, as the Water Pulses pelted his body, he felt little more than a slight pinch. Turning around, he saw the determined little Affiliate named Malphus with his bone, ready to try and take him out.
"I only want to..." Blackguard quickly lashed out at the Marowak, Shadow Punching him and then making a grab for his much smaller form. Holding the struggling Malphus tightly in his hand, he turned back to Penance.
"... Awaken you." As he said that, he tightened his hand around Malphus's body, as the sickening snaps of several cracking bones could be heard, including that of the skull he wore on his face. The skull fell off, revealing his true visage. Malphus struggled some more, until finally, the life faded from his eyes.
Any smirk that Penance had quickly faded as Malphus died there in the Golurk's arms. His hands fell and he stared for a while, almost as if trying to comprehend what had happened. Instincts took over and the Golduck reached down to rub the colored bracelet that he kept on his wrist... the very one that he had thought he had outgrown during this entire Odyssey.
He let his head hang for a bit then he snapped it back up. Without another word he formed a Water Pulse in his hands and began to infuse it with psychic energy. "Want to awaken me huh?" He asked as he closed his eyes, a small tear slowly leaking down a cheek. "THEN AWAKEN TO THIS!" He screamed out in rage as he threw his Water Bomb right at the Golurk. As soon as it hit the water would break open and smack that Sentinel with psychic energy. As soon as it was launched Penance followed it up with Water Pulse after Water Pulse, screaming out in rage at the loss of one of his closest friends.
The Water Bomb was unexpected. Blackguard's first attempt to rid himself of it was to use both his arms as Flamethrowers to try and dissipate the water into gas, but the psychic energy seemed to be resisting against the heat. The water reached him, and instantly it gathered around him, obviously controlled by some sort of psychic power, and began to weigh him down. At first, he was able to resist, and simply approached Penance - who only struck with more Water Pulses - but eventually Blackguard was forced to kneel down. He grunted, trying to resist the immense power. Indeed, this Golduck was a far more formidable foe when his psyche was put to the test. That made Blackguard's plan all the more risky.
He had to focus. The only way to fight this psychic power was with his own mind, and so he did. He focused all of his dark energies on the psychic force that held him down and managed to corrupt it, turning it to his advantage. He stood up, grinning.
"It seems you've chosen then. No turning back now."
Blackguard shot the psychic force that had once held him down back towards Penance, using it to ensnare him in a net of corruption. Seemingly instantly, Paladin kneeled down before the trapped Golduck. However, instead of lifting an arm to deliver a finishing blow, he simply placed his hands on the Golduck's head, and closed his eyes.
"We shall continue this battle... elsewhere. Let us see what you're hiding in here."
Penance watched in pure horror as his own attacks were turned against him. He cried out as the corrupted psychic energy came and wrapped around him keeping him held against the ground. He squirmed about wildly, especially when that Golurk made his way to him.
His heart beat in his chest as he felt that hands against his head and screamed out as he felt his mind being penetrated. All at once the surrounding area disappeared and he found himself standing on stone. The Golurk was here as well... and his doors were. There were many staircases, each leading to a memory or a thought that the Golduck had experience once. Some led to chains of memories or thoughts, but he knew how to protect them. Having several psychics work on keeping his mind secure sure did help.
He grunted on the ground and slowly staggered up. "This is my mind." He glared at the Golurk. "Think you can take what you want? You'll have to work for it."
"We'll see about that," Blackguard said. He gazed around at the scenery before him. It was a maze of stairs and doors unlike anything he'd ever seen. However, he had planned for such a situation, as it was obvious that Penance's mind would be well guarded. "Well, you may hide. I will seek. But know this..." he lifted a finger, "Your mind will never be the same when I am done here, regardless of the outcome of this 'battle,' if that is what you will call it."
Penance smirked and then held out a hand as he threw out a Psychic at the Golurk. "Oh? Well I bet ya I can beat you! This is my mind and I can do whatever I please!" He chuckled softly, "If you think you can beat me here, then you are sadly mistaken. I've had training from numerous psychics, I know every single trick in the book!" He pointed at the doors, "Just try it... and you'll be sorry."
"Every trick in the book, huh?" Blackguard effortlessly deflected the Psychic, and turned to face a door. This one looked old and tattered, and what appeared to be a carving of a Golduck's face stood out on its surface. "I don't follow the book."
He made his way towards the old door. Slowly, he reached for the handle, but as soon as he laid a hand on it, it became black. Dark vines appeared to extend from Blackguard's hands onto the handle, and then they crept their way further up the door until it was entirely covered.
Blackguard turned back to Penance. "You really think I'm stupid enough to open one, Penance? No, no. If there is anything that is more formidable than your mind, it is whatever tricks and traps may lie in wait inside it. We'll just let the corruption do its work, slowly. It will spread, without even opening a single door, until finally... it will all collapse at once."
Penance blinked in surprise as the Golurk did not open the door, instead some vines crept out and to his horror the door turned black. He had to rub at his eyes to see if he was hallucinating. No... the vines were real. "Collapse? But... but you came in here to find out what I knew!" He snapped. "Why make all my mind collapse!? Such an event could clear my mind! You wouldn't find anything! It would all be destroyed!"
"Would it really?" Blackguard retracted his hand, poised to use one of his jets. "You see, I am also quite a formidable foe when in the mind. The mind is my birthplace, after all." From out of the hole in his arm came a most terrifying sight: a Dark Beam. The shining line of black shot out at lightning speed towards Penance, ready to steal his life away.
Penance readied his legs, and then smirked as he just disappeared into thin air.
"Remember, this is my mind." Penance's voice sounded behind Blackguard, "Imagination rules here." With that Penance suddenly raised the steel sword he now had and slammed it into Blackguard's face.
He disappeared into a shadowed corner... and reappeared one of the staircases hanging from the ceiling, upside down as well. "Madness require a lot of creativity, you know that right?" He smirked, "When's the last time you ate a pasta bowl of crickets?" He burst into loud laughter and quickly formed another Water Bomb, sending it down at Blackguard.
Blackguard was slightly disoriented by the hit to his head, and stumbled to the side a bit. That was why, when the Water Bomb came, it very nearly hit him, but he managed to roll out of the way just in time.
"So, you use the shadows, do you?" Blackguard mused, backing into a shadowy corner. "Darkness is a fine thing. Much more mysterious than boring old light. It's the same with evil," he disappeared. "But the difference between you and me is that you merely adopted the dark..." His voice resonated throughout Penance's entire mind. "I was born in it... molded by it."
Blackguard reappeared behind Penance, also standing upside down, and tried to launch another Dark Beam. Knowing his attempt would most likely fail, he followed up with a second Dark Beam from his other arm, and then another, and another.
Penance quickly turned about as the Golurk appeared. He lifted his hand up into the air as the stone on the staircase rose up in between the two and took all the hits from the Dark Beams. "Hehe. I'm more than those that you've fought before." He made his way to a nearby door. "Want to really see what I got?" He winked and closed the door behind him.
Blackguard used a single Shadow Punch to destroy the wall that had been generated between them, causing rubble to fly in all directions. He looked on to see Penance disappearing behind a door.
Blackguard looked downwards, at the door which he had corrupted. It was already starting to crumble, and the vines were beginning to spread their darkness upwards, onto the walls and the stairs. Blackguard contemplated going after Penance, but he was almost entirely sure he would be struck by a trap. He had to be very careful here.
Deciding he'd have to wait for the corruption for a while longer, he went for the door. A Shadow Punch, and the door blasted open.
As soon as he did so he would see Penance on the other side. The room was empty... except for the small shards of glass he now levitated. "Hehe, here ya go!" Penance pointed his finger right at the Golurk as the glass shot out at him. Most of it aimed for his face with the other shards would slam at his joints. "Eat your supper now! It's what you wanted after all!"
Blackguard shot out a couple of Flamethrowers from his arms, aiming them at the flying shards of glass. It reduced the first few shards to ash, but two of them managed to hit his knees. Though they should have just bounced off, Blackguard was surprised to find that they became firmly lodged into his knees, causing him to fall down.
"Argh!" He grunted. Two more shards of glass lodged themselves into his shoulders, causing him to shout out in pain. With some difficulty, though, he lifted his right arm and used Flamethrower on his shoulder, melting the shard and causing his wound to instantly heal up. He repeated the process with his shoulder and knees until he was fully recuperated.
"Is that all you got?" He mused. Then, he spread his arms out wide. The walls of the room began to shake, and then, Blackguard smashed his two arms together furiously. Instantly, two large metal spikes extended from the walls, straight at Penance.
Penance readied himself, bouncing on his feet as the wounds healed up. "So you know how to heal eh? Many don't know that trick." He watched as the Golurk shot out spikes at him. He held out his two hands, his eyes glowing a bright blue as his psychic powers grabbed hold of the spikes and tried to slow them down. He grunted a bit as he began to strain. "You're strong." He admitted.
He finally rolled out of the way as the spikes shot past him. "I have tricks as well!" He pointed at the ground the Golurk stood on and suddenly ice began to form up his legs, quickly working to encase him. "Hope you like brain freezes." The Golduck chuckled.
Blackguard tried to move his legs as the ice slowly worked its way upwards, but he couldn't. Instead, he aimed his arms at his legs and used Flamethrower to try and melt the ice. Indeed, it melted somewhat, but still continued to make its way upwards, reaching his torso. Still, he used Flamethrower with one arm and tried to punch the ice to pieces with the other, but to no avail. The ice reached his arms, and soon they were encased as well.
Blackguard said nothing as the last of the ice wrapped around his head, turning him into a popsicle. For a few moments, nothing happened, but then a large crack appeared in the ice. The crack spread, dividing into several smaller cracks, and Blackguard began to move inside his icy prison, until finally, the ice was sent flying in all directions, shattered to pieces.
"Impressive. But not impressive enough."
Blackguard shot out another Dark Beam at Penance, followed up by a Flamethrower that burned an eerie green.
Penance was quick to dodge the beam, knowing that a Flamethrower wouldn't be as effective against him. He sent out a few Water Pulses at the Golurk in return to try and lower the flames. "Flames are nothing against me." He said with a cocky grin. "I wonder how young you really are. You don't fight like some old fart." He put both of his hands to his gem and he shot out a psychic pulse at his enemy.
The Water Pulses did little to affect the flames, which were only meant as a distraction, but the Psychic Pulse that came rushing forward struck Blackguard straight in the chest, causing him to stumble back somewhat. Grunting, and dusting off his chest, he spoke.
"I am older than time itself... and more powerful than it too." He put out his Flamethrowers and stared straight at Penance with those soulless eyes. "Ah, time. It works quite differently in the mind... funny how quickly it can be rewound..."
Suddenly, the glass shards that littered the room began to rise up, and come back together, like puzzle pieces. As soon as they fund the right fit, they were welded together, until eventually a large, jagged shard of glass the represented one of Penance's memories stood before them.
Then, Blackguard sent the shard of glass flying straight at Penance.