[Pokémon] The Trial of Juno Saga (PG-13)

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 38
Unexpected​

I kept thinking of the ways we could take apart Lorenza without difficultly. If we attacked that outpost and ended up failing, it would be a very costly mistake. I needed to be sure that outpost was demolished so we could move on to Jasandax and hopefully rip past their defenses. The other problem was if the assault took far too long, and Jasandax had received too many reinforcements for a frontal assault to be possible.

"Just how many soldiers are you going to take to attack Lorenza?" Namdor asked, looking at me in question.

"I planned on attacking Jasandax quickly after Lorenza has been leveled to the ground." I told the four of them, "That would mean we would need every soldier possible to come with us."

Baladax looked strangely at me, but then he realized what I was planning. To put it short, we wanted this seemingly endless war to be over with.

"This is our last chance," I told the four of them. "Either we try our ultimate best to bring destruction to Jasandax and the rest of the Crimson Stars army, or we die trying. I want every possible soldier available to be in that attack. If this fails, then at least I will know that there was nothing we could have done, and that surrender was our only option from the beginning."

"While we are suffering from considerable losses," Namdor told me, looking away for a moment, "having the entire Silver Rebellion attack force in one assault will be extremely devastating. Lorenza will be unprepared for the assault and will have no chance of survival as we can definitely win with numbers alone. However, I'm not sure how the battle between the Silver Rebellion army and Jasandax will turn out. Without a doubt, it will be a very massive and harsh battle. However, the Crimson Stars will realize that the entire war will fall upon the outcome of whatever happens there."

Hearing that Lorenza would not pose a significant resistance was something good to hear, but then again, if we were going to lose at Jasandax, we would end up losing the entire war. But from the way I felt about it, we really had no other choice…

"It's this or nothing," I told Namdor and the others. "While the Crimson Stars have a bigger attack force overall, they're not all in the same area, and there should be certainly less of them at Jasandax then we have here. The final outcome of this war will be determined in this one last battle. It all depends on how much damage can be done before Jasandax is able to recall reinforcements."

"If Jasandax falls," Baladax told the four of us, "the war is over. You don't know how sick I am of fighting endlessly for years and years. You're right Juno. Achilles was wrong this entire time. We don't have any more time for nonsense and attacking outposts when our real target should be the home of our enemy."

It wasn't very long after that when we made it very clear what we were going to do next. In very little time, the whole city of Symarix knew of our plan. This was our only chance to pull through in this seemingly endless onslaught. I knew we had a chance to win if the entire army fought as one overwhelming force. But, it wasn't that which was bothering me. If anything was, I already knew that the battle between us and Jasandax was going to be an extremely bloody one.

In only a week, we would already be preparing to leave for an onslaught I knew I would never forget. Already, the troops we had deployed were returning to Symarix to gather as one, overwhelming force. Then, after five days worth of time of organizing, planning, and preparing our method of attack and what weapons we were going to use, I had been given a head count of how many soldiers we have available for this gruesome attack. I couldn't believe the number, being only a little above thirty thousand soldiers. It didn't take me very long to realize that we were indeed a force to be reckoned with. Despite all the fear and terror we would embrace, we were not going to be an easy enemy for the Crimson Stars to destroy.

With our weapons loaded, our machines of war ready to be released to render terror, we were ready for a battle neither side would ever forget. Luckily, we were ready for it first. The Crimsons Stars had seen how Achilles had faltered when it came to deploying his forces, but they were unprepared for the ultimatum I had in mind for them.

It wasn't long before that day of departure had come. We were going to try and do our ultimate best to give the people of Symarix and the few others of the Silver Rebellion one last chance at peace and prosperity. Something inside of me told me very strongly that this was the best way to resolve the fighting as soon as possible, if not the only way…

It was then that Sinis told me that we should get moving along, but there was something I wanted to do before we had left. I wanted to say something to each and every soldier about the seriousness of this battle. Something that would inspire them that this wasn't about purpose, it was about hope… about believing…

I was surprised it actually wasn't customary for a General to give a speech to his soldiers before they had set off to battle. I knew I had never seen Achilles do it or anyone else for that matter, but I decided I was going to do it. Somehow they would be broadcasting it through radio, even then when I looked at the equipment they used, it looked much different from what we used long ago when we were back home. Regardless, they assured me every soldier would hear it, since I would be talking through a device similar to a microphone to a large group of soldiers, but their speakers would assist me in reaching the rest of them. Soon enough, they had all gathered in front of me…

"Today you embark on the final journey that this country will ever have to embrace," I began, looking into each of their eyes. "For the longest time, there was doubt among the many liberty-loving people of this nation that it would be possible to break free from these chains that keep us bound to our enemy. But I'm going to tell you that if we prove successful in these upcoming tribulations, the rock of the Crimson Stars will be shattered, and we will be able to come home as victorious champions to remember that which matters most…"

There was silence among them, and I could already see that this was unexpected. It was strange to see a custom so widely practiced elsewhere to be completely unheard of here, but for once, it was leaving the profound effect that I had intended. These were words to live by and to open your heart to…

"Through courage and bravery, we have been able to defend our homeland to the best of our ability, but now is the time to strike back. Now it is time for us to put an end to the injustice that we've faced for so many years. Too many times I've seen the endless fear bring more desperation than actual physical wounds. Too many times I've seen a sense of hopelessness dwell in these streets. But those days of misery will soon be over with. There will be a time when the common citizen of Symarix will have nothing to fear. They will see no desperation, and no longer will children be drafted as soldiers before they are even born. Those days of desolation… will be over soon…"

And then, came a feeling that I have never felt before. Never before have I felt a feeling of such strong belonging…

"Though I've never said this to anyone," I began again, "where I came before arriving here, we didn't have a sky that shook and trembled with anguish, one that didn't rain impurity itself among its people below. We didn't have fields and fields of tortured land, and endless deserts of despair. We lived under a shining blue sky with a bright sun that illuminated the world around us, rather than kept us bound to darkness. We had fields of fertile grass and forests that stretched beyond what the eye could see. I believe that we can make that possible here. I already know that many of you don't think such a thing is even possible, but I want to believe otherwise."

I had gotten a strange reaction, and then something stopped me for a moment. I then felt a presence that told me that it wasn't always like this. No, because I had remembered…

There will be a time when fire rushes from the sky and pain and desperation will be closer to your heart than ever.

No, the skies didn't always scream terror like I once had thought. I could see in their eyes that some of them had seen brighter days, ones without the torment or suffering. I had realized… there was a time that everything was once bright like we always had. Still, we weren't there yet…

"I will be fighting alongside you," I said to them, beginning to close off. "I will be your leader, as well as your fellow soldier, your ally. I will be someone you can trust in, as I always have. Because we believe in each other, we will not fail. I promise you…"

It was over. My speech was greeted with silence, but that didn't matter. We marched proudly through the streets as we headed toward the gate, but I'll never forget the sights of how supportive the citizens of Symarix were as we made those last paces through the city. Many of them were throwing flower petals outside their window. I had picked one up and realized there was a way for something to flourish here. It was no different from the petal of any other flower I have seen, regardless of how long ago it was. I tried for one moment to visualize the barren desert fields of Kivistal as bright and green, rather than the wasteland that it was. At a time like this, it seemed so possible… so near…

For one moment, I had seen someone rushing through the crowds, and I stopped to see who it was. Then, I realized it was Sita. She had rushed up to me and greeted me with a hug.

"Please promise me you'll come back." Sita said, nearly crying, "Please promise me…"

I had hugged her in return, but then a dark feeling had overcome me. After this fight had concluded, there was no way I could return. For as much as I loved Sita and this great city of Symarix, it wasn't home. And then, there was something else…

"Sita, please understand that as I fight alongside my brethren in battle," I told her firmly. "I am still at risk. I can't promise anything. I don't know what the future truly holds, or if the foundations of the Divine Prophecy were truly undone."

She had begun to cry, but I really couldn't lie to her. Someone like her… she deserved the truth, as bittersweet as it was.

"Sita, just remember that I love you," I said to her, just before leaving her. "No matter what happens. No matter what…"

Then, I had to leave her behind. It felt hard to do something like that, but I couldn't promise anything regarding my return. I just couldn't…

We embarked on one, last great crusade that I would never forget. We left with the ringing of cheers and jubilee in our ears. As we headed out of the gates, we made our way toward Lorenza as one, massive force, tied as a brotherhood of bravery and steel.

I will never forget…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 39
A Call to Arms​

Like great, massive bulldozers, the Armadillo tanks rolled across the land, crushing every rock that they plowed over. The much smaller Land Splitter dragsters traveled alongside, kicking up dust and dirt as they traveled at the same speed we were marching. Ahead, the scouts surveyed the area before us, making sure there was no one on the Crimson Stars to go back and report the thirty thousand troop army that was advancing toward them. The longer we kept them in the dark about this assault, the more effective it would be and the call for emergency reinforcements would only go out when it was far too late…

Regardless of the fact I could use a Zephyr-E with ease, Sinis insisted that I take a caliber rifle instead. Of all the countless drawings and sculptures that depicted me, it always depicted me using a caliber rifle instead, so I was given one that had been highly enhanced with more power and less recoil. I don't know why anyone felt that just because I was a higher rank meant I should be getting a more powerful weapon. But if this was the way he wanted it, it wasn't going to be a problem to me.

Slowly we crept toward Lorenza, as one massive force they would never suspect would be coming right toward them. We moved like one massive wave, ready to swallow up anything that stood in our way, just before we crashed against the massive rock of Jasandax…

My plan was simple. We slept at night, marched in the morning, take a break around noon, and continue until it got late. I felt there was no point in overworking the same comrades you expect to fight to the death. There was nothing I needed more than for them to perform their best even under the intense fear and pressure of battle. That was what I called courage. The few advisors I was given told me pushing the troops a little more wouldn't have too much effect. However, I told them I wanted our rate advancement to have no effect on how they would perform in combat.

Unlike what I had seen many times before, there was no wave of chilling air, or sense of doubt that I had witnessed during Achilles's command. There was no reconsideration or disrespect, no disbelief in the one who led them to battle. They were with someone who they could trust and in showed in the way I respected and acknowledged the potential of each soldier that was ready to fight. And as I realized that powerful feeling, I knew I could give them nothing less than absolute victory… no matter what the price. Their faith and their devotion… I would ensure it would purchase the victory and safety of the Silver Rebellion.

Still, I didn't fly in the air riding on top of Blazewing, but instead stayed on the ground, walking alongside the ones I trusted the most as she flew lightly by my side. And unlike the many military leaders that cowered behind their own troops, using them as a shield, I joined the ranks of those in the frontline. Even when they tried to make me aware of the danger that was presented with me being there, I insisted on leading them into combat first, something I knew that many leaders both here on Kivistal and back on Earth would never even think about doing.

It wasn't long before we had seen the fortress of Lorenza in the distance, and I realized it was much smaller than Macomb, simply nothing more than a shield to prevent an outright direct attack against Jasandax. However, even if this defense base was twice the size of Macomb, the thirty thousand force we had would undoubtedly crush it from sheer overwhelming numbers. Once we were only two miles away from the fortress, I was already aware of how I wanted this to be handled. We stood there before the fortress, ranks upon ranks of soldiers ready to destroy the one obstacle that stood in the way of our true target. While the fortress was lying asleep, we were going to give them a loud awakening.

"Bring forward the tanks!" I shouted loudly as I gave the hand signal, enough so they could hear me.

Baladax, Namdor and I had already planned that we would attack the small fortress with our heavy artillery at first, inflicting as much damage as possible. When the tanks had fully crept forward, they readied their cannons, prepared to blast apart the wall the surrounded the fortress.

"That's strange," A Totodile had said nearby, "We used to always attack first with the Storm Riders…"

I couldn't believe that when I heard it, and then I realized why it was all so clear our military progress had been so shameful in the past. Attacking with Storm Riders first would be suicide. How could anyone expect them to survive the anti-air defense so many of these fortresses had been armed with? Why allow the turret emplacements savagely tear apart our air forces when the cannons could dead with them from the ground?

When I saw the cannons where ready, I looked forward firmly and strongly. I then raised my arm into the air.

"Fire!" I shouted as loud as I could.

And suddenly, the ground shook with the massive blasting of heavy artillery, firing flaming tank shells directed toward the southern wall. The shells had slammed into the wall, dealing serious damage in very little time. In only seconds, the entire southern wall had been unable to withstand the blasting of tank shells from every Armadillo tank the Silver Rebellion could produce for this assault. In essence, the initial barrage had been overkill as the wall of the fortress behind it was already being shaken violently from the onslaught.

Still, even after we shattered the wall into rubble, we were now prepared to deliver serious damage to the one building that the fortress consisted of. It honestly looked like it could withstand even less than Macomb's prison. I had heard an alarm ring out, so I knew we had to act fast before an emergency signal was sent back to Jasandax.

Once the tanks had reloaded, they fired again, sending another trembling blast through the ground, shaking the earth below us. The shells had hit the wall of the fortress itself, ripping apart the wall until the fragile, hollow interior was exposed.

And then, I had looked up into the sky and saw swarms and swarms of Wind Strikers, heading right toward us. We didn't have a single Storm Rider in the sky, but that was my whole intention. This was going to be something they weren't prepared for.

And it was going to cost them everything…

They came closer and closer. Still, the tanks continued pounding the already crumbling fortress with heavy rounds of ammunition. Still, their fleets of Wind Strikers were homing in, and I already knew what they were capable of. Already, they were beginning to realize the inept Achilles was no longer around to command these troops, and instead, a different and far more decisive commander was the one behind this vast engine of battle.

"Draw arms." I commanded the soldiers around me.

At that moment, as I drew my caliber rifle, so did everyone else around me, sending a wave of locking rifles through the field of soldiers behind me.

"Shouldn't we send up some Storm Riders?" The Totodile asked me, wondering why my tactics were so different from the ones that Achilles used.

"That's just what they expect to see when they come down here," I silently told him as the Wind Strikers drew closer. "And normally, they would go after them. But what if they aren't there?"

Those Wind Strikers must have been very brave or very insane, for their chances of defeating us were next to nothing. No, they were nothing. They had no chance…

"FIRE!" I shouted to all the soldiers around me.

And then, the air around us had exploded with a violent rain of gunfire, and every one of us had targeted the Wind Strikers. Despite the fact there were nearly a hundred of them in the sky, they dropped like flies sprayed with flames. The machine guns attached to the back of the Land Splitters were especially loud and lethal, ripping apart the underside of the Skarmories like a white-hot knives through paper. Within just ten seconds, the entire group was falling a very long way down toward the ground. Each of them hit the ground hard, rolling over from the intense impact completely lifeless.

Some of the soldiers inside the base had managed to make their way out, only to be instantly overwhelmed at the size of the attacking force, and were shot to ribbons in an instant. The tanks had nearly shot their way through the fortress, killing plenty of soldiers inside before they even had a chance to fight back. Pieces of the fortress were flying everywhere during each successful blast, and levels were already crumbling on top of each other.

When I saw the top level completely crumble on top of the third, I knew it was over. It wasn't long before the entire fortress collapsed, leaving only pieces of the west and east walls still standing. Still, we had already predicted this battle wouldn't be a problem. I was surprised that Lorenza had been made as one critical outpost for Jasandax. We had plowed it down to the ground, with very little problem.

"Achilles never would have thought of this…" The Totodile said to me, baffled at the amazing success of the battle, "Bringing the entire Silver Rebellion army to the outpost of Lorenza? Never in a million years."

"This is only an example of the potential that we have when we all work as one," I said to the Totodile. "This wasn't the real battle. Unfortunately, our presence hasn't likely gone undetected. Jasandax will be ready, but so will we, more than we have ever been before. The sooner we get there, the more effective are pre-emptive strike will be."

All that lay before us now was the ruins of the single fortress that stopped us from moving toward Jasandax. Already, I could tell Zander and his leaders were going to be shocked at how fast we ripped Lorenza to pieces, thinking we would have never made it this far considering it was only days ago that the Crimson Stars were attacking the beloved city of Symarix. Now, it would be us who would be attacking their way of life, their tyranny over the innocent.

Today, we were able to win because of our overwhelming number and our unexpected strike. But I knew in the battle ahead, everything was going to be different. It was going to be evenly matched, and this time Jasandax was going to prepared for our attack. But would they be prepared enough…?

Regardless, we made our way past the fortress and drew ever so closer to the massive city of Jasandax, the beating heart of the Crimson Stars. The battle with Lorenza had been short-lived, but only because they weren't prepared to deal with our entire army. But this upcoming onslaught was going to be something far more different than that. Many lives were going to be lost on both sides, no matter how I approached the situation.

I could only hope and fight for the best at a time like this…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 40
Defiant Stand​

We had left the ruined fortress of Lorenza behind us, still smoking from the blasting. The only loses we suffered in that battle were the expired tank shells and a few rounds of ammunition. Not a single casualty resulted because of the attack, which I found remarkable. Still, we crept toward the massive city of Jasandax, which lasted another three days. Then, just ahead, we had seen the massive city in the distance. Closer and closer we drew, like silent killers in the night. But it wasn't going to be a silent battle, and it wasn't going to be painless either.

Along with the massive size of Jasandax came the overwhelming power of its fortification. Large cannons were placed on the towering metal walls that shielded the city. It was larger than even Symarix, and I thought the city of the Silver Rebellion was massive. But, before we could even think about tearing our way into the city, we had to remove the defenses, and that was going to be much easier said than done. Considering the way the Silver Rebellion campaign performed under Achilles, it was likely these defenders thought they'd never have to see combat. Now, thirty-thousand Silver Rebellion officers stood before them, steeled with morale and determination under the command of a far more competent leader.

Once we were in attacking range, I had grown cold seeing at least some sort of distress call had reached Jasandax, giving them enough time to prepare for our attack. Still, the capital city of the Crimson Stars showed its desperation to recall as many reinforcements as they could with the little time they had. However, the speed and surprise of this attack had the stealth of the thief in the night but the might of a seasoned battle veteran's great sword.

Fields and fields of Wind Strikers were before us, as well as plenty of infantry troops and three massive VATS just waiting to attempt to run over our troops. I could make out more Talons, and then some other machines of war I hadn't even recognized. Some of them looked like tanks, only there were plenty of variations, from large, flat ones to smaller ones obviously designed for more maneuverability. And then there were others the size of a small house with more large weapons placed on top of it, anything from guns to steamrollers covered by sharp knifes, meant just for running over troops.

"Oh no…" Said a voice only a few feet away from me, "We're going to have to take down all of that? How are we going to do this?"

"With speed, courage, and bravery," I responded, not even knowing who had said it among us. "Don't think you can stop them. Know you can stop them…"

It was then that I had ordered my fellow Strom Riders to ready their mounts. The storms were growing stronger and brighter now, more than they had ever done before. A cold rush of wind had encircled us. I let the tanks move forward first, with one simple order to destroy as much of their heavy artillery as possible, and to stay as far away from the cannons on the walls as much as possible. I made the job of the infantry quite clear. Their job was to protect our machines from the Wind Strikers, because I already knew that once they had landed near them, it wouldn't be very hard to disable them. And if the infantry led a charge against them, their job was to shoot them dead.

However, the job of the Storm Riders was different. Each of us had been armed with Inferno Grenades, set aside for using against the tanks of the Crimson Stars. Smothering their great machines with fire was a sure way of disabling them, but it was also extremely risky. I knew there was no chance I was going to lead such an attack until their infantry was in a charge, or we would be shot down the same way we would be shooting their Wind Strikers. Our mission was to remove the Wind Strikers, then destroy the machines, both on the walls and on the ground. And somewhere along the line, it was going to take Storm Riders to destroy the VATS. They were the only ones who could do it and avoid being shot due to the speed.

All of the Storm Riders had gathered behind the tanks. I wasn't going to wait for the Crimson Stars to fire first, that would be ridiculous. We came here with every intention to fight, and there was no turning back now. Meanwhile, the Crimson Stars had been blinded by trying to counter the tactics that Achilles had used and force-fed his commanders.

Sand, dust and dirt was kicked around as the lowly wind blew past us, whipping the colored crests and the feathers of the Pidgeots in its wake. Even though no one said it, we were all united in spirit, and we were all aware of it. Today there was going to be a great sacrifice, but it had to be done. We stood there under a sky of fire and anguish as we prepared for our final battle with the Crimson Stars. We stared at our enemy, and they stared back at us. We readied our weapons, and so did they.

The time for words was gone. There is always a time when mere words cannot stop the pain and suffering that one must go through because of others. There is always a time when words cannot stop the iron will of those oppressed. There is always a time when the only solution is through action, and I finally realized why war does exist…

Jake, Randy, and Alex. We were no longer trainers trying to catch a new Pokémon or trying to get the next badge. We were no longer traveled on a journey to be the best trainer we could be. Not anymore. We were no longer trainers…

We were soldiers…

It would only be moments now until I decided to unleash hell upon the Crimson Stars. I knew what I wanted to attack first. If we disabled all of their machines, then we would be on the upper hand. It would bring us one step closer to winning.

The waiting was over. The Armadillo tanks were obviously ready, so now it was up to me to begin this final battle, this last conflict to end all the shame and disgrace of this long, bloody war. Then, I grabbed the breath that would cause the end of many lives. It wasn't easy to do…

"FIRE!" I screamed as loud as I could, giving them the signal.

And then, the ground shook with the heavy blasting of artillery, rocking everything and filling the air with the deafening sound of blasting. I had looked ahead to see we had done considerable damage to their tanks and artillery, but it wasn't over yet. Now it was my turn. We had plenty of anti-air support, but still, every Storm Rider we had needed to be up in the air, including me. I had signaled every Storm Rider to take flight, with me getting off the ground first. I headed high into the air, and down below I could already see that the Crimson Stars were returning fire. The heavy roaring of machine guns could be heard from everywhere.

And then, while I had told everyone to stay as far away from the cannons as much as possible, they had opened fire. Gigantic flaming shells that looked like fireballs blazed toward us, burning through scores of fliers without slowing down even once. Their range was so massive it didn't even matter. Down below, the Wind Strikers were preparing to take flight, but it wasn't long before we had opened fire on them, trying to prevent as many of them reaching the skies as possible. I didn't aim for their riders, and neither did anyone else. We didn't need to shoot of them, each of their Skarmories was a bigger target to shoot, and so we shot them instead.

Only a few seconds later, they had opened fire upon us, and the bullets flew toward us like hail. Regardless, I kept firing furiously upon the group of them, not caring about my personal safety, I was only concerned about where the bullets were headed, and who they were going to kill.

And then, I heard the sounds of screaming that I would never forget. Those who were behind me, flying besides me were getting hit from the vicious oncoming fire, the dying cries of my compatriots. Still, I flew closer and closer to their machines, using all of my concentration as possible, fighting back sadness and fear. I had only just begun to fight.

I had seen another wave of incoming fire from the Armadillos slam into the defending Crimson Stars, ripping away their machinery and blasting any infantry besides them to pieces, letting loose many unanswered cries of misery and pain. I ripped out one of my Inferno Grenades and yanked out the pin, and tossed it among the masses of Crimson Stars. The grenade fell until it almost seemed to disappear, and then I had seen it explode, covering a large group of their soldiers with consuming fire. Still, even from this high point in the sky, we were still being pounded with ammunition.

Then, even when we knew it was inevitable, the Wind Strikers had entered the sky, and then I focused on trying to kill as many of them as possible, even while we were still being shot from below. I could only wonder how Randy and Alex were getting through this. I had never seen so much devastation in front of my eyes. Never before…

The Wind Strikers ripped at us furiously, killing Storm Riders that were only feet away from me, and sending their riders, my comrades, screaming as they fell upon the world below, with nothing to save them from death…

Many of them had tried to aim at me, only I was the one to fire first. They had tried to aim for me rather than Blazewing, but I only turned around and shot directly at their Skarmory, ripping away their abdomen with my rifle and sending them plummeting to their doom. Even when they knew they were going to die, they still tried to fire upon me even while they fell, but it yielded very little success.

The fireball blasts from the cannons on the walls were no longer able to hit our attacking tanks from below, but instead hit our Storm Riders, immediately smothering them with flame and killing them instantly. I had looked around me and saw we were doing pretty poorly. Everywhere I looked, another Pidgeot was shot to death, or either the rider was shot right off their mount. I could only pray that Alex, Randy and I would make it through this hell alive…

It had looked like the sky itself was in flames. So many flaming shells were flying into us as we tried to mow down as many Wind Strikers as we could. Still, I knew that every second that passed, another good, noble warrior to the Silver Rebellion cause was passing away. As much as we tried to keep our edge in the conflict, we were being struck by a force just as rigid and determined as we were. Regardless, we were both losing…

I could feel the heat. Blazewing had been shot once but she was able to keep going. My mouth was dry as hell and my eyes were burning from the fire. We kept trying and trying, keeping at least some sort of hope alive in our hearts that something beneficial would arise from all this pain. But as each of us were feeling the pain ourselves, and watching our brothers die such painful and cruel deaths, we began to believe there wasn't a chance anything good could come from this. But I didn't want it to end… not like this…

I must have killed hundreds by now, but I lost count. Down below we were winning, but up in the air, our performance was entirely shameful. But if we didn't keep fighting up here, then everything was going to go wrong.

Down below, the Crimson Stars ground forces were being ripped to pieces. I had realized we gained a serious edge from removing their tanks first. All they had was charging infantry, and they were being cut down like grass. In only moments they would begin their attack on the wall, and they would start losing their defensive cannons once the wall began to crumble. While we were gaining the edge on the ground, we were losing horribly in the skies, and I knew that losing on one front would eventually cost us the other…

I had looked to my side, and I could have sworn I saw Randy through the entire conflict. He was surrounded, and I tried to help him by attacking his oppressors. He had tried to get away from the other four Wind Strikers until they had opened fire. I then watched in complete horror as Randy's Pidgeot Fire Blaze was struck with seven bullets. The lifeless Pidgeot began to fall, taking Randy with him…

With all my energy, I tried to drive Blazewing as fast as she could toward Randy, who was quickly falling faster and faster. The four Wind Strikers were closing in after me, but I didn't care for them. I knew Fire Blaze was gone, but I couldn't let Randy die. I would never forgive myself if he did…

We were surging toward him as fast as we could, and slowly we began to catch up with him. The ground was coming closer now, but I wasn't going to let him fall. I was within only five feet of him, and he began to call me. I couldn't make out what he said, but then six seconds later, I reached out and grabbed his hand. Once I got a grip on it, and threw him in back of me, and he had been able to hold on. I then tried to pull up Blazewing before we struck the ground. It was going to be too late…

Blazewing had slammed into the ground forcefully, throwing both Randy and I forward violently before we hit the ground hard. I rolled over at least five times on the rocky ground before I stopped on my back, and I could see the battle in the sky. Randy had landed right next to me, and while he seemed he had taken some painful blows, he looked okay for the moment. In the meantime, I was aching all over.

The ground forces were in front of us, since we had landed behind them. One of the soldiers from the attacking force had seen us, and he had rushed over. It was a Marowak, and already I could sense his feeling that he thought we were dead…

"Say something… please…" He pleaded with us.

"I'm… okay." I said to him, trying to get up off the ground.

I then turned to Randy, and he had already been standing up. I then slowly walked over to Blazewing, who had still been lying on the ground and looked like she had taken the hardest hit out of the three of us. Quickly, I had rushed over to her, hoping there was something I could do.

I had put my hand over her, and suddenly she began to feel cold, like the warmth was leaving her body. She had been so still, never moving once. Then, with a heavy heart, I realized she wasn't wounded or unconscious…

She was gone…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 41
The Longest Walk​

Even among the restless shouting and blasting, I couldn't help but think of how much I had just lost in those few seconds. Blazewing had been with me since the beginning. Without her, I never would have reached home. Even after the shedding of her own blood during my battle with Vorox and the bitter fight that was still raging on, she had been a faithful supporter. I would never forget the sacrifice she made that day to save my friend Randy.

"She isn't…" The Marowak questioned, looking at her with concern.

"She's dead…" I told him, still looking at her tightly shut eyes.

He was silent, and the only thing Randy did was just look on. Then, he came closer to me.

"I'm sorry…" Randy told me, looking depressed. "I didn't mean to…"

"This wasn't your fault." I told him, still looking at the fallen body of Latias, "Don't ever think it is. You've done more than I've asked for this entire time. She did this… for both of us…"

I couldn't help but shed a tear for her as my eyes and heart were burning. Nothing else mattered at that moment, but then I was interrupted.

"Juno, I'm sorry but we must press on," The Marowak told me, looking somewhat ashamed. "We're getting closer to the wall."

I felt horribly sick that I had to leave her behind, but I had no choice. I followed the Marowak back to our attacking force. Up in the air, I could see we were still losing. It was then that I saw one Storm Rider leading the force away from the Wind Strikers. As that one Storm Rider headed down to regroup with the rest of the ground forces, I could see the rest of the Storm Riders were following him, and soon they had retreated away from the skies. I then realized that one Storm Rider was none other than Alex. He had seen me and he directed his Pidgeot to land. Once she did, he dismounted, and then he approached us.

"The sky is a slaughterhouse," He told me, telling me that it was time to give up. "Let's just hope we can get through the wall before reinforcements arrive. Say, where's…"

"She's gone." I told him, letting him know why I was alone.

There was some silence, and then he looked at me seriously.

"She can't be," He remarked, looking somewhat pale. "No, that's not possible..."

"Blazewing hit the ground like a bullet." Randy told him, letting him know exactly what happened, "It would have been better if she just fell the entire length."

Just before I could say anything, the Wind Strikers that were still above had begun to attack the ground force. There was nothing we could do but just continue, at least make this last tribulation worth the loss.

I found the rifle that I had dropped, and I simply picked it up and continued moving forward. I didn't care if they attempted to open fire on me, I wanted them dead for what they had done. Never before had I known such bitterness and hatred inside of me. I just looked at them and told myself not one of them would be going home, for after this last slaughter was finished there would be no home for them. There would be no place they could retreat to for security. Just like me…

The anti-air guns were the key force in eliminating the rest of the Wind Strikers. They had crept far too close to the emplacements and ended up getting round after round of heavy caliber ammunition shot through them. Almost every single bullet had ripped in and out of the Wind Strikers, sending their bodies into the masses of our soldiers. It wasn't long before the only thing we faced was a retreating infantry, attempting to hold back the walls for as long as they could. They were waiting for reinforcements, I could tell that's what they were stalling for. We were going to have to beat time itself with the little that we had left…

Still, we had many ranks of soldiers and plenty of Armadillo tanks left. Once they were in firing range, we had begun to fire upon the wall. The first blasts had rocked the ground, and each of the shots were directed to a point in the wall were there were cannons above. After two sections had been blasted furiously, the walls began to crumble, taking the cannon and the soldiers above it tumbling down in the mass of rubble and dust that fell. I could only hear faint screaming from where I was standing, but I knew they were wailing as loud as they could. All I wanted was enough to be able to enter the city, and torch everything that was inside. Still, it was going to take more time, something that we were quickly running out of.

Again, the tanks had blasted again at the wall, rocking the ground with the recoil before another vast section of it had begun to crumble. Still, reloading was taking too long, and the delays between blasts were costing us serious time. We needed to have the city destroyed before any reinforcements arrived, or we might not be able to fight them off. And if I knew correctly, I could already feel they were coming from all directions. It would be hopeless if they had arrived in time to stop us. There would be no chance of escape, let alone victory…

After the tanks had ripped another hole in the wall, a large gap of at least three hundred feet had been torn from the wall, and it was then that I declared the charge. Since the pile of rubble had been too high for the tanks to cross over it, they were to stay behind until the path had been clear. The only machines that could enter the city now were the Land Splitters.

There had been a few Crimson Stars soldiers trying to prevent us from entering the city, but they had very little success. The machine gun rounds from the guns mounted on top of the Land Splitters were powerful enough to rip through flesh and bone. We then had to climb a massive pile of rubble to get beyond the wall. Everywhere around me, there were still plenty of Silver Rebellion forces left.

I could tell we had broken past the points where the Crimson Stars thought they would need to defend. However, right now we were heading deep into civilian territory. I could only hope the Crimson Stars were smart enough to have started evacuation, but from what I could see, the chaotic but empty mess the streets were left in told me that most of the Pokémon had made a hasty retreat. However, the problem was that the few internal Crimson Stars had taken up garrison in some of the structures. I had seen one squad head first down one of the streets only to get shot down by window snipers.

In the meantime, the city was so massive that it would take us forever to completely destroy it to remove all of the garrisoned threat. Since we didn't have the tanks to use, there was only one thing I could think of. The streets of Jasandax were still a combat zone, and we were blind while the Crimson Stars fought on their home turf. It seemed heartlessly destructive, but I decided there was no choice but to burn the city down. I couldn't imagine what a city this size would look like completely on fire, but it was going to have to be done to bring out the defenders from their tactical hiding spots. They could stop us from attacking the city with tank shells, but they would have a hell of a time trying to extinguish a fire raging out of control. Especially if they didn't have any water…

"We need to destroy any water pumps that you can find." I told the troops around me, knowing I couldn't reach the entire army.

"Why the water pumps?" One of them asked me, staring at me with an odd look in his eyes.

"Tell everyone we're going to set the entire city on fire," I said to them, looking at the vast amount of buildings ahead of us. "They're all over the place in those structures, and any advance is going to be extremely costly if we try to fight them using only infantry units. If we destroy the pumps, there's no way they're going to be able to put out the fire."

Still, they were somewhat doubtful. I could tell there was something else.

"They still might have water Pokémon they can use." One of them told me.

"Then you have no choice but to kill them," I responded, looking into his eyes. "Do whatever it takes to make sure this city is smothered by fire. Use Inferno Grenades, Fire Pokémon or whatever."

I don't know who they were, but they took forever to get the word passed around. It seemed like an hour had passed before I saw even just one building starting to burn. I had been throwing Inferno Grenades through the windows until I had completely run out of them, but that was the most I could do. I told others around me to start setting the city on fire, but either they didn't listen or they didn't hear me. Plus having each building made of metal didn't exactly help the fire spread around. On top of that, I was on the last reload of my rifle. After this I was going to have to find someone else's if I wanted to keep fighting to get out of here alive.

Thirty minutes later, we were doing a little better, and a least thirty blocks buildings were burning brightly, covering the streets and the other buildings around them with a deep red, flickering glow. The streets were very wide, so avoiding the flaming buildings wasn't hard. Still, being out in the open was very dangerous, since there were still enemy soldiers running around. But they were very limited now.

The Crimson Stars were quickly realizing their defensive tactics were failing with the presence of the fire. The smoke shrouded our advance, and they were forced to keep moving. Because of that, their snipers had to sacrifice their posts and the machine gun nests had to be abandoned.

As we moved further into the depths of the city, I began to see one building in particular stand out from the rest. It was massive, and I was shocked I hadn't seen the building before, but now there it was, standing before us. I had a feeling that was where I wanted to go. That would be the place where it would all end…

"That has to be where Zander is." I heard Randy say behind me.

I turned around, and I was surprised to see he had followed me this whole way. Along with him was Alex, standing only a short distance away. We were pretty much alone now. The rest of the Silver Rebellion army was behind us, slowly setting the rest of the city with consuming fire. Slowly they were drawing closer…

But so was the rest of the Crimson Stars. If we were still here when they arrived, the losses were only going to be greater. We had to press on.

"We don't have a lot of time," I said to the two of them. "I say we go there now, and see if we can find him."

"Whatever it takes…" Alex said softly, looking up at the massive building.

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 42
No Answer​

The three of us had run towards the tower, with a slowly burning city behind us. We knew if we killed Zander, there would at least be some way of bringing the world of Kivistal back to the way it used to be. I could already see the night was beginning to fall, but it wouldn't be long now until the last stand of the Crimson Stars was going to take place. For once, I could see my intuition was right, and that this offensive had been the best plan after all.

Closer and closer we approached the massive tower, and I had begun to realize that one moment ago, I thought it was made of metal, but now it looked like it was made of black stone. I merely passed aside the thought and thought my eyes deceived me, but that was no big deal. It was strange, but when we arrived at the tower, there was no one even near the two heavy oak doors. We pushed them open, and once the doors moved aside, we stepped inside.

I then felt like we were in a complete polar opposite of what the tower in Symarix was supposed to be. Instead of the regal halls with all its glorious statues, the walls were black stone, and the only light came from the candles in their crimson glass holders, casting a red, flicking glow about the room, making every shadow seem alive among the hellish glows. I had never been so freaked out in my life.

It was strange that the exact shape and size of the room had been exactly the same as the one in Symarix. All the statues were almost like the ones in the hall, only they too were twisted and misshapen. Their expressions were gaunt and withered, and their bodies were frail and twisted. We slowly moved along the room, unable to keep our eyes off of it. What exactly was this, and why had Zander created it?

I then caught a sight that filled me with so much fear I could vomit. There it was, same shape and size, only it wasn't the same at all. Even the marble mount had been chipped and worn from age, but it wasn't that which scared me the most, it was what was on top of it…

There we were, Blazewing and I, lying on the ground dead. I could have sworn Blazewing's tightly shut eyes were appallingly familiar, but then when I saw there was a bullet wound in the exact place where Blazewing had shot been only a few hours ago, I could have screamed with fear from the accuracy, as the exact nature of her death had been captured in this macabre depiction. And there I was, lying on top of her and reaching out, also frozen in death. Only I was different…

I had been blasted with burns all over my body…

I caught sight of the tiny, dented plaque on the mount, and I couldn't help but bend down to read it. Only after I wiped away the dust and ash that had coated the plaque, could I read the slab of dented metal. It truly was twisted…

The battle will claim his life…

"It is prophecy…" Says the Gold Rider…

I tried to remember where exactly I had said something like that, and then I remembered it was during my battle with Vorox and Tychal. I had remembered telling him that we couldn't fail because the prophecy said we would win. But at that point I never knew it said I would have to die because of it. Truly twisted, I never would have even mentioned the stupid prophecy at that point if I knew it would have resulted in something like this…

"Good God…" Alex replied, looking at the statue with a strange look in his eyes, "Is that what he thinks is going to happen to you?"

"He was right about Blazewing…" I told him, feeling sick with fear, "She was shot in the side, and her eyes were shut tight exactly the same way…"

Then, for one dark moment I heard Randy laughing. We had immediately turned toward him, and honestly I found nothing funny about it…

"Give me a break," Randy snickered. "Does he really expect that to really happen? Come on, Juno, he instinctively put that there to freak you out. Just forget about the stupid thing, we know how to handle this guy…"

Only thing I could do was just follow Randy to the rather ugly looking elevator, which looked like it was made of crude steel with thorns reaching out of it. It looked more like a torture machine, probably used to pull people apart piece by piece. Instead of pressing a button, he lowered down a metal lever, and the massive steel cage had opened, revealing the elevator inside. All we could do was step in, and lower the lever inside. I got a sick jump in my stomach when the doors shut much more loudly than they opened, and slowly we heard the rattling of chains as we slowly made our way up.

I could only hope Randy was right about all that…

We slowly headed upward, all the way to the top floor, as if the rest of the building was just solid rock that meant nothing. It had seemed to take forever, and I got a sick and twisted feeling that maybe Zander was doing something that might make this sickening elevator ride last forever. For obvious reasons I already had the twisted feeling that he knew we were here…

At last, we had finally arrived at the final stop of the elevator, an event I didn't know whether to be satisfied about or to be freaked out of my mind considering what I had just seen. Regardless, we didn't have a choice, and we didn't come here for nothing.

There were no windows, and I couldn't tell the difference if we were two hundred stories up in the air or five hundred miles under the ground. It was definitely a reversal of the hallway in the Symarix tower, only the walls were pure black stone along with more candles in red holders, sending more eerie shadows dancing along the walls. Slowly, we had left the elevator and headed toward the two large doors. Both of them were made of oak, with metal pentagrams and other demonic looking designs mounted into both of them. Even the doorknobs were skulls with glowing red eyes.

"Well, isn't that a nice, warm welcome." Alex remarked, looking at the doors.

"You're right, Randy…" I said to him, grabbing the doorknob as I tried to shake off my fear. "This is only meant to scare us. Other than that, it serves no purpose. It means nothing…"

I grabbed the door knob and pulled the heavy door open, and we were greeted by a sight that should have only been possible in Hell. Instead of the throne room, it was a nightmare cathedral-like setting, one obviously dedicated to pain and suffering. I could hear sickening, taunting whispers in the vapor around me. There was a faint, crimson fog in the air, and I could see there was blood dashed upon the stone walls, and an altar made of marrow and bone. Black chandeliers in the shape of a pentagram hung from the ceiling with more red, flickering candles on them. All the pews were made of black slate, and looked awfully misshapen. Along the walls were stained glass windows, with broken glass with would have been depicting scenes of suffering and madness.

In the center stood Zander, the same dark, menacing image we had remembered from several years ago. He was dressed in a black cloak, with only his head and his hands revealed. I recognized his brown hair and his overly serious expression. Besides him were a Pikachu and a Charmander, both with a lethal looking pistol drawn to each of their heads. Only thing we could do was just further step inside the cathedral devoted to pain...

"Glad you could join finally us, Juno." Laughed Zander, looking at me and causing my own soul to quake, "I'm going to give you a special privilege…"

"And what's this…?"

I could see the other Pikachu was looking directly at me, and then I felt like vomiting once I realized who exactly it was. It was Sita, the one who I thought was left behind back in the safety of Symarix…

"Juno!" Sita shouted with sickening fear.

I was furious. How the hell did Zander manage to swipe her away from Symarix while we were away? Still, this had nothing to do with her, this was supposed to be between us. This was a sick, demented way of trying to get the upper hand by threatening the life of the one I loved the most…

"Damn you, Zander!" I shouted at him, completely consumed by rage "This has nothing to do with her! Leave her out of this!"

"That can always be possible…" Zander replied casually, feeling like nothing was wrong, "But then the other one has to die…"

I had looked toward the Charmander, but I didn't realize who he was. I tried to stare into his eyes, but he didn't look familiar.

"Who is this…?" I asked Zander, looking at the desperate Charmander.

"Why, that's none other than your best friend David!" Shouted Zander in psychotic glee, "And today I'm giving you a choice."

"And what choice is that!?" I shouted at him.

"You get to decide which one of them gets to die!!!"

I could have sworn the devil himself screamed those words into my head at that moment. They echoed like the memory of a nightmare made of sin and destruction. I looked into the eyes of both of them, and there was no way I could choose. I hadn't seen David for years, and in fact I had no idea that he had even been sent into the world of Kivistal. Regardless, I still remembered who he was, and the fact we had been through so much together. To have him die here…no… I couldn't imagine all that suffering and torment would be for nothing.

And then there was Sita, the one who I had trusted with all my heart and soul. I couldn't deny the fact I loved her, even though I wasn't supposed to. She had been the only one to restore my faith in the purpose of the Silver Rebellion, even when everything else had gone wrong. There was no way I could let her die, after she loved me and I loved her. I could recall the days she was at my side, by my jail cell just trying to keep in contact with me, and then the last time I saw her, just when we were leaving for the final battle, one last battle that was almost done.

It came down to one simple fact. There was no way I could ever decide, even in a million years. I couldn't believe Zander actually expected me to make a choice here. There was no way I could decide on who to spare, and who to leave behind.

"Come on…" Zander replied, growling with anger, "Make up your mind, for my patience is quickly ending…"

"There is no way I could ever make that kind of choice," I told Zander, letting him know I would never abandon my friends. "I'm surprised that you would even think I could. I'm not like you, Zander. I could never be deranged enough like you to find killing exhilarating."

Then, there was a dark silence, a stillness in the air comparable to death itself. I felt a dark eerie chill in the air, and then what Zander said could have torn a soul to ribbons.

"I guess I'll just have to decide for you…" He remarked casually.

The dark silence was then torn to pieces with the ear shattering blast from one of Zander's handguns…

 

[Syrynn]

Awesome new chapter. Simply great. I've been following this from both PE2K and here, and I love it. You weave some of the best tales this side of the fanfiction section. I'll just take a look at my favorite quotes from the final quarter of the chapter and give you my impression as I looked at it. I could do more, but I want to keep it short and focus on what I viewed as the strongest portion to start with.

I could have sworn the devil himself screamed those words into my head at that moment. They echoed like the memory of a nightmare made of sin and destruction.

Great description of the choice being forced upon him. Fits in with the hellish setting just right, and really forces the gravity of the situation.

Then, there was a dark silence, a stillness in the air comparable to death itself. I felt a dark eerie chill in the air, and then what Zander said could have torn a soul to ribbons.

Ooh! And the aura of the setting just gets better! The reader really begins to start getting chills down his spine, and it's only a matter of time before...

"I guess I'll just have to decide for you…" He remarked casually.

Yep. The crushing words of a villain, piercing the dank silence and cementing the future of our hero. The casual nature of his tone really plays into just how evil Zander truly is. If the reader had doubts about him being bad, this ices them in an instant.

The dark silence was then torn to pieces with the ear shattering blast from one of Zander's handguns…

And the chapter reaches its tantalizing, heart-breaking cliffhanger. The audience is begging for more by now.

So, as you can probably tell, I love the style you present this in. First-person brings a sense of identity to the reader, and the prose and details the backdrop. All immersing them in a world far from our own and a blast to take a trip into. Keep it up.

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Awesome new chapter. Simply great. I've been following this from both PE2K and here, and I love it. You weave some of the best tales this side of the fanfiction section. I'll just take a look at my favorite quotes from the final quarter of the chapter and give you my impression as I looked at it. I could do more, but I want to keep it short and focus on what I viewed as the strongest portion to start with.

So, as you can probably tell, I love the style you present this in. First-person brings a sense of identity to the reader, and the prose and details the backdrop. All immersing them in a world far from our own and a blast to take a trip into. Keep it up.

Without a doubt, I love writing in first person. It really gives you a front seat thrill ride when it comes to the events that are a part of a continuously unfolding storyline, and I find it brings readers much closer to the main character as the focus is on their actions, choices, and inner thoughts.

I've cleaned up quite a bit since the PE2K version, but most of the events and situations have remained the same. Still, I'm glad you're liking it, it's through readers like you that give me that extra push of motivation to keep going and never let up. Unfortunately, I know I can't ever get this published, but I feel it will be a strong transition step from how I used to write toward how I can really prepare for that epic novel I want to write. Still, thanks for your review, it definitely helps highlight to me what parts of the story people really like.

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 43
Beyond the Shadow of the Nightmare​

Once the blast had ended, I had opened my eyes and looked toward Zander. I was filled with desperation and agony, and then I had realized who he had just shot. I could have sworn I lost a piece of myself at that horrific moment…

"No!" I shouted loudly, my voice filling the entire cathedral.

I had seen Sita, collapse to the floor and then lie there lifelessly. Zander had moved away, and all I could do was run up to her, my eyes beginning to fill with hot tears. Once I had approached her body, I couldn't help but cry. I kept looking over her for any possible sign of life and kept telling myself this never should have happened when I found nothing. Suddenly, the fear I tried to fight back had come once again in full force, and I found myself even incapable of anger, instead stricken with cold sadness…

"This is too cruel…" I said softly, placing my hands on her. "It's not right… not right…"

"It means nothing…" Zander interrupted my pleas. "This is my world now, and it cannot be affected by something as pathetic as yourself. Your attempts to stop me were amusing, however."

I was silent, my eyes still saturated with boiling-hot tears. I tried not to let what Zander said bother me, but it had only caused me to tremble further. I had looked up to Zander with sorrowful eyes, and then looked back to Sita, knowing never again would I be able to be by her side. Everything that I loved about her was gone. Never before had I known such cruelty…

"My eyes are burning with tears…" I said softly to Sita, even though I knew she couldn't hear me now. "My mouth is dry, and my hands shake with fear, but I will never forget you, no matter what happens. No matter what happens…"

"You are nothing," Zander taunted me. "You never had a courage or a will to fight on. You only believed you did… I look at you now and only realize how weak you are. I could laugh at the way you tremble."

All I could do was bend down and hold Sita carefully in my arms. Her eyes were closed now, and a small amount of her blood had begun to trickle on my arm. But I ignored it.

"Sita will never laugh, talk, cry, or ever be able to love again," I said mournfully to Zander with a dry voice, still looking at Sita's shut eyes. "Even after all we had come through, you never once gave us the chance to say goodbye. I only wished you had a heart, Zander…"

"I find it surprising that a Pokémon like you could ever possibly feel emotion," Zander replied, looking at me holding Sita. "Regardless, she is gone now, and she never will speak to you again, and never again will you speak to her. Even when I kill you, I will personally make sure your spirit will never make contact with hers."

Everyone was looking toward me as I turned around, walked a few paces and laid her gently on the floor, still looking at her face. I knew there was no going back, and that I would have to fight once more. But if all the hope, support and prayers of the ones that were my allies here and the ones who beckoned me for so long to return to the home where I was supposed to be, I knew I could endure this one last suffering. Still, all I could do was stand over her, unable to hold back my tears.

"You've taken away everything from me…" I said to Zander with an angry voice, my eyes tearing with sadness and rage. "You've taken away from freedom, my family, and now you've taken the lives of my greatest supporters. For this twisted cruelty, I can give you nothing less than ultimate death!"

He laughed, but I was too enraged to care. He had thrown David forward, and sent him crashing into Randy and Alex. Then, I watched in horror as with the wave of his hand, he threw them against the bloody walls, where metal links leaped out from the stone to keep them bound to the wall. Then, a metal plate was fastened over their mouths so they couldn't speak. He had left me alone, and we stood there, looking into each other's eyes.

"You're going to die the most painful death possible." Zander taunted me with a menacing smile, looking into my eyes, "A death by fire. I shall make your corpse a fiery holocaust of shame, but I'll make sure there's enough left of you for your daft comrades to recognize you with."

"No, you're wrong, Zander," I told him, even against the sorrow I was facing. "For once I kill you and this long, cruel war of yours is gone, there will be miracles. I've already seen you drown them with shadow and darkness, but once you're gone and the blood that once drove your body to madness seeps into the darkness and is never seen again, a new dawn will begin."

It had seemed like everything around us had begun to fade into darkness, and soon enough, it was just the two of us, standing among a black void. I couldn't even see Randy, Alex or David now. They had been swallowed by the sudden shadows…

"I will kill you Zander…" I told him with all my aggression. "Even if I have to die myself…"

Suddenly, I felt ground. Suddenly, a massive, gray circular arena had begun to take shape and form around us. Around us were a limitless number of stars, panning around us and moving slowly. It felt like we were in the middle of deep space, without a single trace of life to see us. At the other end of the arena stood Zander, clasping his hands together. Meanwhile, nothing else could be seen, the whole image of the dark cathedral had just suddenly vanished to be replaced by endless stars…

"Even with all the power you have now, there is no way you can defeat me," Zander replied to me, feeling like he was already going to win. "I may have forgotten the power you were given from that little maggot's dreams, but even that will still not be enough to beat me. Do you want to know why?"

"I've had enough of your sick questions and your stupid tricks, Zander." I said with a bitter tone.

"I'm a Blood Summoner," He told me, looking into my eyes. "I can create an entire army of whatever I want, and send it thundering upon you like a soulless machine."

I didn't care about whatever taunts he threw at me. Even the deaths of Blazewing and Sita weren't going to stop me from separating Zander's dark soul from the deranged shell of his body. Even though the pain still hurt, I wasn't going to let it stop me from achieving my ultimate goal. It was going to end tonight.

"Juno," Zander said to me with a sick smile on face, "you don't know what kind of power I have. I could have torched the entire Silver Rebellion in no time but I preferred to watch them suffer slowly and savor the suffering they felt. I wanted to hear screams and the smell of expired tank shells in the air, but as I realize those days are over with. The time for pure blood has begun."

I didn't know what Zander said to me about being a Blood Summoner, but I already knew he was going to have the advantage, something beyond what I could comprehend. But somehow, I still felt like I wasn't alone…

"I had become a Summoner long ago, and it was rather easy for me," Zander laughed. "You have to steal the blood of one. I stabbed the fool in the back, and licked the crimson blood that seeped from his wound. It takes the death of one to make a new one…"

"I don't care about the rest of the cruelty you have done, Zander," I said to him, knowing I didn't want to hear more of his horror stories. "I will fight you with whatever I can."

Zander then had held out his hand, and suddenly wave of darkness and chaos had begun to take shape and form, and then a dark and sinister sword of destruction had begun to form in his hand. Once it was finished, the blade looked like it had been made from storms itself, with forks of lighting still flickering inside of it.

"Prepare to die, Gold Rider!" Zander shouted at me, as he threw his twisted looking sword into the air.

The harsh blade screamed through the air as it ripped through the stars until it disappeared and then seconds later, it suddenly came spiraling back down toward the ground, and lodged itself into the arena, and suddenly a blast of lighting and smoke had engulfed the sword. Once the chaotic storm had died down, I suddenly looked up at one of my new adversaries.

Standing thirty feet tall, I had laid eyes on a knight with a sword like the one Zander threw only it was much larger. He was covered with dark steel armor, and a helmet that had a glow behind it. I could tell this creature was born without a soul…

"Meet Doom Guard, the last thing you'll ever be laying eyes on," Zander taunted me. "He's one of my favorites when I need to spill someone's blood. I've been looking forward to this moment for quite some time, Juno…"

Suddenly, the dark steel Doom Guard had looked toward Zander with a look of curiosity.

"This is it?" The knight said with a low, hollow voice. "All you want me to do is kill this worthless Pikachu?

"That's all!" Zander laughed with sick glee."This should be simple and quick."

"Hmph," The Doom Guard replied with a hollow scoff. "By your command, my liege, though I would favor a somewhat more formidable opponent."

And then the dark steel Doom Guard had begun to charge after me, his metal feet clanging against the floor of the large, circular arena. With a sword like that, I knew he could slice me to pieces in seconds. I didn't know how to get out of this one…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 44
The Unknown Blessing​

I tried to focus as hard as I could, and I had managed to make myself faster than the Doom Guard, but his excessive speed was already beyond what I had expected. Once he had approached me, he sent his massive blade thundering down upon me, and I was only able to get out of the way just a second before the massive blade sliced the spot where I had been standing. While he was pulling back his sword, I concentrated my attention, my cheeks flaring brightly with harsh electricity and I sent the massive, thundering shockwave toward the head of the knight, blasting his head with as much electricity as I could muster.

But when I stopped and realized it had done nothing, Zander just stood there and laughed.

"You idiot!" Zander laughed with sadistic glee. "Don't you know he was made of storms himself!? There is no way you can stop him! You're better off just letting him kill you right now!"

"To Hell with you." I told him, still trying to think of something I could do to fight back.

The Doom Guard had tried to strike me again, and I still was too quick for him to strike me. But I knew this could only last for so long.

Zander had begun creating another weapon, this time what looked like a giant, beastly fist. He threw it up into the stars and when it struck the ground, I saw the fist begin to form an arm, and from the arm formed a torso and then it grew a head, legs, and another arm. I couldn't help but grimace at the sight of the hulking creature. I looked like a tan, unshaven yeti with two red eyes and massive teeth that could slice apart anything it bit.

"Meet Lonsar, my version of a troll," Zander remarked proudly. "If Doom Guard can't kill you, he certainly will."

"Damn you, Zander," I remarked bitterly. "You can't even engage in your own fights. I'd pity you and your cowardice, but you're not even deserving of that."

"That's because I don't have to, you stupid Pikachu," Zander laughed. "Why should I even bother…? What are you going to do, just scream for help when you're all alone?"

It was only moments then that Lonsar came stomping the ground, heading over to kill me as soon as he could. I could dodge Doom Guard's sword, but there was no way I could ever dodge one of those giant fists. It would be like a mouse caught dead-center in front of a speeding steamroller.

Only seconds later, Doom Guard had swept the floor with his sword, and the only way I could dodge the massive blade was to leap into the air and let the surgically-sharp sword pass below me. But when I hit the ground, I found myself on my back, unable to move. It would be too late for me to get up and hopefully dodge an attack by either of them.

"Now you die, you pathetic fool." The Doom Guard said, raising his massive sword into the air.

For that one dark moment, I felt like I was truly going to die, but for some reason I got an adrenaline rush of belief, and I held out my hands and shut my eyes and tried to concentrate. Then, I saw a small rainbow light begin to form around my hands, and I saw a feather appear, bright red and orange in color. Suddenly it exploded into fire. The bright light had blinded me, and from the light I heard a loud, avian shriek, and then I felt a massive rush of heat fill the air. I opened my eyes and realized what I had created…

The giant phoenix had leapt from my hands and blasted the Doom Guard with an incinerating blast of destruction. The dark steel of the knight had melted, casting the essence of the Doom Guard into nothing, and soon the pile of melted steel vanished until nothing was left. I couldn't believe what I had just done…

I reached out to the phoenix's mind, and I tried to give it further power to attack Lonsar. The giant troll had attempted to strike her, but with my focus and concentration, I was able to provide the legendary bird of fire enough energy, stamina and agility to avoid the strike.

Suddenly, a massive rush of fire and a storm of infernos had smothered Lonsar, consuming him in the raging fire. When the storm stopped, all that was left was the flaming carcass of Lonsar, with fire still consuming his smoldering husk of a body. The massive beast fell to his knees, and then fell face down on the arena, still burning to a crisp. The massive troll was soon reduced to only a blackened, twisted skeleton of his former self…

"It's impossible," Zander growled, unable to believe what I had just done, "You can't be…"

No, I couldn't have been a Blood Summoner like Zander had been. But why had it been so similar to what he had done? What had I been able to do?

"You can't possibly be a Summoner like me," Zander remarked in frustration. "There's no way. Even throughout the hundreds of ranks of Crimson Star soldiers you've fought, not a single one of them could be a Summoner, so there's no chance their blood turned you into one…"

I was left in just as much wonder as Zander had been, but I then had caught sight of the blood of my arm, and I realized what exactly happened. No, there wasn't a single Summoner in all the ranks of the Crimson Stars, but I had realized perhaps the Silver Rebellion was a different story. I then realized it was no ordinary soldier who gave me this power. It was none other than Sita, for it was her blood that was on my arm, and no one else's. I then looked down toward the ground. Still, I did smile slighting with my gaze toward the floor of the arena, knowing Zander's serious mistake was going to haunt him…

"Zander, the very act of cruelty you had just performed only minutes ago is now going to cost you your life," I replied, looking toward the stain of Sita's blood. "I think you've failed to realize that the very Pikachu you shot was a Blood Summoner just like yourself."

"That is impossible!" Zander screamed out in frustration. "There is no way! I am the only one that is left you fool!"

But he was wrong, otherwise there was no way I would have survived that onslaught. But now, I had to believe, even if he didn't…

Indeed, I wasn't alone. Sita had given me the power to fight back, and it would be a sickening shame if that faithful sacrifice had been for nothing. I believed it was only natural for the righteous to prevail over the darkness. There was no way I could give up, no matter what.

"Pitiful," Zander told me, looking like he was ready to believe I had the same power as he did. "You forgot one critical aspect."

"And what the hell is that!?" I asked him, looking at him strangely.

"You're fighting the inevitable," Zander snickered, looking like he was ready to laugh. "You're trying to fight prophecy, but you can't. It's impossible. Your last moments of life are quickly fading."

Not true. Didn't Sinis and I already break it when we killed Achilles and Jamac? Of course we did. There was no such thing anymore.

"The prophecy is a dead stick, Zander," I told him, staring right into his evil eyes. "Sinis and I proved the Candle of Enlightenment wrong when we killed Jamac and Achilles."

"I believe your friend Sinis was mistaken," Zander laughed. "Jamac and Achilles were no longer the allies of the Silver Rebellion the moment they threw you in prison."

I tried not to think about it, instead turning to the phoenix that had saved my life from Zander's twisted creations. I then looked to Zander, and the phoenix turned her gaze toward him as well.

Use your Fire Nova attack!

The phoenix had flown right in front of Zander, but just before she could even launch an attack, Zander had created another object, this one which looked like a scythe. He then hurled the sharp knife at the phoenix, and the scythe ripped right into her and took the screaming, fiery bird with it. The helpless phoenix then came back tumbling toward the ground and when the scythe struck the surface, she was dashed to pieces and then melted into the air, never to be seen again…

I could feel a great blast of wind coming from where the scythe had landed, and when the whirling dust had cleared, I saw before me what appeared to be a Satyr, a hideous goat creature that stood upright with two sharp scythes instead of hands. He looked down upon me and smiled.

"Too bad there won't be enough of you left to make gravy." The Satyr laughed at me with a menacing smile.

"Too bad there won't be enough of you to make anything!" I snapped back at him.

I then concentrated again, holding out my hands and then I thought of one ally that would be a formidable opponent for Zander. Suddenly, a gray and black light had gathered around my hands, and then I had seen a claw had appeared, large enough for me to use it as a knife. But that certainly wasn't what I was going to use it for…

I threw the claw high into the air, and even effortlessly it was flung high into the stars, and then the claw came spiraling back down where the blade of the claw dug itself the arena, and then it was covered by a white cloud. It grew larger and larger until the cloud had vanished, and before the Satyr stood Crovax, a massive dragon covered in steel scales with wings that were like knives. He looked toward the Satyr and roared, filling the arena with a shrill cry.

"Forget the dragon," Zander commanded the Satyr. "I want you to kill Juno, and I want nothing less."

"You're the boss." The Satyr replied, knowing a reckless attack could cost his life.

Coward. I knew he would try something like that, but it wasn't going to work. I then focused on Crovax's mind, and then the hulking dragon turned and looked at the charging Satyr, running as hard as he could to kill me.

Tear him to pieces.

With that, even the massive dragon was able to move at extreme speed. It readied its claw, and slashed furiously at the charging Satyr. The claw made contact with his head, swiping it off his neck like hitting an apple off of a wooden post. The charging Satyr had flown forward and landed on his chest, completely headless. Meanwhile, the head had flown off into the void of space, never again to be a part of its host. The Satyr had melted and was vaporized, never to be seen again.

"Dammit." Zander remarked bitterly.

"This is far from over." I told him, standing firmly behind Crovax.

Zander had begun to believe now he was facing someone with equal power. At that moment, Zander had prepared to create his next monster. I had sent Crovax to attack Zander, but he came up short, and before long, Zander already had his next summon prepared. Each and every time, I got close but not close enough…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 45
A Change in Direction​

This time, Zander had created a horn, deep black and red in color. He had thrown into the air, and went it finally came back down and tore itself into the ground, a dark black gas had formed around it. Suddenly, I could see flames arise from the black cloud, and then I got a sight that freaked the hell out of me.

When the black cloud had disappeared, I saw a demon's face arise from the smoke, a face with nearly twenty horns sticking out of it, and then I saw his body, with dark red skin and a muscular body. In both of his hands, he was holding a twisted, metal sword burning in flames. The monster glared at me with his glowing, yellow eyes, and he let out a tremendous roar.

"Kill him," Zander replied to the massive, hulking demon. "That's all I want. Nothing less."

"You command, I obey…" The demon growled back.

Then, the hulking demon began to charge toward me, stomping on the ground and causing the entire arena to tremble with every aggressive step. Again, Zander was taking another reckless step and trying to attack me while ignoring Crovax. Not smart…

"Crovax, rip his stomach open." I commanded the metal dragon.

And then, with a lightning fast swipe of his claw, Crovax tore into the chest of the demon, sending a hideous amount of blood and flesh spraying all over the battlefield. But then, just as Crovax had his claw dug into the demon's chest, the demon retaliated, and slowly and painfully took his blazing sword and hurled it toward the dragon's head. Within seconds, I heard a painful metal shriek and I saw the sword had landed right into Crovax's head, having already burrowed itself into his brain. Only a second later, the dragon had collapsed, landing right on the demon and crushed him under his massive weight. I heard a hideous crunch, and it wasn't long before they both faded into the abyss.

"I grow quite tired of this, Juno," Zander replied to me, giving me a sick stare. "You know your fate but you refuse to acknowledge it. There is no way to reverse or deter your inevitable destiny. Why don't you just lay down and get it over with!?"

"You know nothing," I replied to Zander with a harsh voice. "The prophecy doesn't exist. Why do you keep persisting that it does?"

But, Zander only laughed, and then he held out his hands. A red and orange light had begun to form around them, and then when enough light had gathered, a fiery lance had appeared, and he quickly threw it into the air. When it came back down and struck the ground, it exploded, shattering everything below us into pieces. But, before it even began to crumble, massive flames had replaced the sky and space around us. Suddenly, it looked like we were in a massive inferno. And I knew the flames were real since I could feel the heat. Now, it was just Zander and I, as well as a circle of flame to keep us bound in this one, tiny arena.

There was no where to run, everything had been sealed off, and all I could see was just fire for miles and miles. I looked to the ground and I had appeared to be floating in the air, but it was a freakish sight to see flames only a hundred feet below me. It had almost appeared like I was just about to fall into them.

And then when I looked up, it was the same thing. We had been surrounded by a globe of fire, and I knew that it wasn't going to disappear until one of us had been killed…

"It's that time, Juno," Zander said with an evil smirk. "Time for you to die a death by fire…"

I couldn't move anywhere. While Zander had the power of being a Summoner, he had others as well, something that I didn't have that he was going to use against me to gain every advantage he could. It certainly wasn't like Zander to give anyone a fighting chance. He never gave Sita and David a fighting chance. And as for me, I found myself almost at Zander's mercy.

"Reflect on your past memories, Juno," Zander told me, nearly laughing. "For your life will soon end, and you will have no remembrance of anything."

I felt frozen, not out of fear. I literally could not move around, and I couldn't do anything to fight back against Zander. Slowly, the globe of fire was closing in. While I hated Zander with all my heart and soul, he was right. I was running out of time, and Zander was going to make sure I died exactly the way he wanted me to. I was running out of options, and I continued to look around, hoping for some sort of sign as to what I needed to do to break free from his relentless grasp. I had no doubt that if I did do nothing, I would soon cease to exist. Everything I had fought for would soon be in vain, a conclusion to this bitter struggle that I knew I just couldn't accept, no matter what had happened.

"Why… can't I move…?" I asked, trying to break my body free from this paralysis.

"Juno, you're going to die now," Zander replied casually. "I think by now you should have realized that no matter what forces you bring up against me, I will always be the one in control."

Always!!!

Again, I heard that same hissing sound in my ear, a very sharp and loud hiss that was the foundation of nightmares. Zander was as far from a human as possible. Beneath his skin, I could see a demon without any mercy or compassion, with no heart or soul that had resided in his body. I could see in his mind there was nothing but the manifest of darkness and misery, a chaotic realm cast of nothing but anarchy and destruction. Zander was indeed pure evil. He only looked human…

"The righteous will always prevail over the weakness of evil." I snapped at Zander with an angry tone.

"Even if that was true…" Zander replied, nearly laughing, "you certainly won't. You're in no position to threaten me. For you… are nothing…"

Despite Zander's countless taunts, I heard nothing of what he said. What he said was false, meaningless nonsense that didn't mean anything. Still, he was using every bit of his physical power to try and prove that everything he said was the whole truth, when it clearly wasn't. I refused to believe anything he said, so he was only making it hurt even more. I despised him for that.

The fire drew closer, and with it, I felt the heat rise and escalate out of control. It was like being in an oven, and there was no way to shut off or hold back the biting heat. And then, at the lost moments, I tried to think. I shut my eyes tight and didn't open them again, unable to bear the heat. Then, there was only one plea I had in my mind. If a mind could talk, I tried to scream it out as loud as possible, even if it was a silent scream. If no one would ever hear another message from me again, I didn't care as long as my last plea was heard…

Someone help me…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 46
The Clairvoyance​

Their heads were down, almost with the image like they had been crucified. Bound around their wrists and feet was the cold metal of chains, keeping them bound to the walls that were saturated with blood. Over their mouths was a steel plate to forever silence them. Suddenly, one of them had awoken. His eyes were half shut, but he could slightly look forward into the red mist that was hovering in the air. Randy had looked around the room, feeling as if something touched him to awaken him from the darkness, but then he quickly realized there was nothing there. He had looked below him, and off to his side, but there was nothing that could have physically made contact with him.

Then, he felt a burning passion in his heart. He had remembered his friend Jake, only now as Juno. He began to feel anxious for him, and then he struggled to place his hands together. He then began to pray for Jake, even in the darkness. It hadn't been long before Alex and David had become touched with the same feeling. They had awoken from the sleep, and they had begun to pray sincerely for Jake, hoping he would make it through this one last tribulation…

* * *​

Outside, Baladax and Namdor were fighting to keep the reinforcements away from the city. They stood by the collapsed entrance, with the constant hammering of firearms all around them as they tried to stop in the incoming force from entering the city. By now, all of Jasandax was choked by fire. The last objective of the Crimson Stars was to at least save whatever was left of the city, which was quickly fading in very little time.

Once Baladax and Namdor had removed the first wave, they saw a second one approaching in the distance, ready to finish the work that the first one had left behind. They, as well as the rest of the Silver Rebellion army knew they would be there any second, but for now, all they could do was just prepare.

And then, slowly and softly they had been touched, with a strange new presence surrounding them, something that they hadn't remembered before. When they found and felt it, they could recall the images of their leader, Juno. Some of them had been aware that even when his mount Latias had died during the battle, he still fought on. And now, they were aware of what he had been trying to do at the moment. During the whole battle they had been trying to buy him time for as long as they could.

With their eyes off of the incoming army, they had softly closed their eyes and had laid down their weapons. Then, they had begun to pray for the safety and well-being of their leader Juno…

* * *​

There had been a great silence in the city of Symarix. A desperate city had clung onto the hope that their army would prevail in this one, last struggle. There was no one walking in the streets, and inside, everyone was silent, just hoping for the best.

Sinis had been in the throne room, knowing that every second another Silver Rebellion soldier could be losing their life. He knew the battle would be hard be he couldn't deny that it was either fight and take the chance, or lose everything in time. There was no choice if they wanted to prevail in the end. But then again, he knew nothing was certain to happen.

And then, he had felt something inside of him touch him deeply. It was a feeling he had never felt before, and he had recalled the image of Juno, the one who had changed the Silver Rebellion for the better, one who even under his own prosecution had emerged from the shadow to once again lead the nation.

It was then in that moment that Sinis knew that Juno was fighting his hardest. He had shown great respect for the sacrifice he was making, and Sinis could do nothing less than clasp his hands together, with his claws interlocking. He then shut his eyes, and prayed for Juno's victory. Little did he know that outside that tower, the citizens of Symarix had been touched with that same feeling. They too, had been silenced and prayed for the one who promised them victory…

* * *​

That same light had passed far beyond the shadow of doubt. Against the darkness and shadow, the warm and solemn light had pierced through the darkness, spiraling far beyond the limits and through the voids of binding. Once it had earned the rites of passage to surpass beyond the barriers that had been instilled, it had reached its last objective…

That same, warm light had reached none other than Mariah Kossak, the one who had brought Jake into the world.

It was midnight, and she had been sitting besides the kitchen table, sitting in the dim light of an overhead lamp. Her brown eyes had been half covered by her eyelids, and her straight brown hair had been cast behind her. She wore an exhausted expression with her chin resting in the palm of her hand and her elbow on the table, while her clothing was tattered in various places. She had been emotionally scarred.

She had spent nearly an hour gazing at a lone cigarette in the ashtray that was on the table. The room was silent, and the kitchen was empty. She was alone, not even thinking of her son Jake at the time. It had already been too far long for hope to surface…

And then, out of the night darkness, she felt something stop her. She instantly recalled the image of her son, more vivid than ever. She had seen the image of Jake, the son she had lost more than five years ago.

For the past few months, she had begun to forget what Jake had looked like, but now she remembered him. Rather than seeing what he looked like as a young child, she could see him, now five years older. She could see that even through all the time they had been separated, she was allowed a glimpse of the strong individual Jake had become.

When the image of Jake had faded, Mariah had been relieved, but at the same time, she had become anxious. She didn't know where the sign had come from, but regardless, she could feel the plea of her son, even though he was beyond the threshold.

And in those last minutes, Mariah had put her hands together, and she prayed sincerely for the life of her son.

It was their answer that would change everything…

* * *​

And so it came to pass that I finally opened my eyes and I could see again. The fire had been all around me, and was biting at the skin of my body. I was surrounded by the consuming flames, but for one strange moment, I was dying but did not feel pain. I could hear Zander relish in my destruction, but for one strange moment nothing that he said could tear at my soul.

Even as I was alone in this darkness, without someone to stand by my side, I held back my fear for as long as possible. Slowly I was fading away, but I wouldn't let that be in vain.

"And so ends the life of the Gold Rider, in one last, bitter holocaust of fire," Zander said with hideous pleasure. "You will be forgotten. Your presence will be loathed. Your name will cause others to wince. But above all else, you will die, and you will never be reborn."

I didn't come all this way to die like this. I didn't fight for the freedom of myself and the ones I trusted most only to lose it to the person who took it away from me in the first place. I didn't lead an army of trusted companions only to lose everything in one, inevitable failure. I didn't shed blood in every struggle I ever embraced only to save it for a day I would die in the worst way possible. No, that's not why I came down this path to begin with. It was true, I was reaching the point where there would be no life left in me, but that wasn't going to stop me from trying to achieve the objective that I had sought in my mind for the entire time I've been here. But it had seemed like that purpose had been reduced to one, single struggle. It was one to become a memory.

And suddenly, around the flames had emerged a bright, white light. The fine lights of white had suddenly become waves, and quickly gathered into great torrents of bright energy. Even with the fire blazing in front of me, I could see anxiety in Zander's eyes. This was something he didn't expect.

I then realized how crucial this light was. This relief was nothing something that Zander had brought to life. This was not his doing…

It was mine. I then realized that my silent plea had been answered, unbound by the darkness of the void that Zander had created. There was nothing that could hold this back now. Even as the flames surrounded me, I saw the bright light surround Zander, and then it tore into his body, tearing away at the essence that bound his soul to his body. His body convulsed and twitched as he struggled to keep the light away from him.

"NOOOOOO!!!!" Zander screamed, trying to fight off the bright light.

And suddenly, there was a massive explosion. Everything around me had flashed white, and then, it all had faded to black, very slowly. I no longer felt the fire or the heat surround me or try to harm me. I had the feeling of floating in the darkness, as if I was floating endlessly in a deep starless space. Everything was gone now, I no longer saw Zander or the fire, and all of my senses had been shut off, as if in a deaf and blind paralysis. And then, that feeling had come back. I could feel myself being raised higher and higher.

And then, I felt I had eyes to open. Slowly, I opened them and was exposed to my surroundings. Again, I was blinded by a white light, but it had slowly faded.

Then, I realized where I was. All of my senses had come back now in one refreshing wave of relief.

But I realized I was in the most unfamiliar place imaginable…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 47
The Journey's End​

The area around me was beyond perfect. I was standing in crystal clear water that was refreshingly cool to the touch, like a mirror spread out for miles past glorious mountains of a soft, gray color. Just past them was a sparkling waterfall, and a few flying Wingull heading past the mist that the falling water had created. It seemed like a sight only a dream could create…

The sky had been forged of sunsets, with a dazzling display of deep blue, purple and orange spread across the sky. The air was crisp and peaceful, and every breath of took of it was like breathing happiness and life. Clearly, none of this was Zander's doing.

I had looked down at my reflection, and I had seen myself as the Pikachu named Juno. I quickly realized what had happened. In the water's clear and wavy reflection was none other than myself, without scars, burns, or cuts that I had received in the hell of battle. I had stared into my own eyes, and they no longer had the downcast of one who has seen his own trusted companions fall to a painful death. It was an expression that had never been tortured or abused, one that was able to remain in peace for an endless amount of time.

It was then that I had realized that indeed I had not survived my final confrontation with Zander. Neither of us had walked away from the hell that emerged in the globe of fire and flame that Zander had created. I had dealt the final deathblow to Zander before the blazing fire had taken away my life. I had died, and for that one moment, I realized that indeed that the prophecy that had been laid before me countless times had finally been achieved. There was no going back now. But regardless of what I couldn't see, there was something that I was aware of. We had won, and this long, cold war was finally over.

And then, just past the first mountain, I had seen a winged figure approach me. At first, it was only a black silhouette, but as it came closer and closer, I saw a familiar sight. But even as it was familiar, I never expected to ever see it.

When it came closer, I realized who it was. It was none other than Blazewing, and riding on her back was my beloved Sita. Blazewing had flown closer and when she reached her destination, she stopped and floated just above the crystal water that was showing her reflection. Then, Sita had jumped off of her back, and landed softly on the water. Soon enough, she had approached me, and for one magical moment, I was able to look into her eyes once more, a privilege I thought I would never be entitled to ever again.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" I asked her, feeling strange at that moment.

"Everyone lives," Sita told me with a firm but compassionate voice. "But not everyone truly dies. As for you, Juno, you've become an everlasting memory in those of the Silver Rebellion. The bright blue skies and the grassy plains they have embraced have been observed on your behalf. You've given them a champion to trust and you have repaid them dearly."

I was silent, for it was now I had realized it was me who had broke the darkness that Zander had used to veil the world of Kivistal away from the light. I could only hope that at those last moments, the citizens of Symarix would be able to live in peace now, their great city unscarred by war and their will to survive unhindered by the darkness of battle and bloodshed. I was content to know I could gaze at my own reflection and realize I was the one who had played a part in making that happen. I was a part of that great, vast brotherhood of Silver Rebellion soldiers who had given all of their effort and risked everything to ensure that the world of Kivistal would be a much more peaceful place. My only regret was that I could not be with them when that time had come.

After I had raised my head up and looked to Sita, I had embraced an everlasting comfort that I thought would never be possible. And then I had looked to Blazewing, who seemed overjoyed to see me. Never before had I seen her so happy before. I had embraced her, knowing she was far more than just a companion. She was a loving friend.

I held her tight in my hands, as if I never wanted to let go. It was like the nightmare we had lived in that last battle had never happened, as if we could never be separated. I had looking into her shining, topaz eyes and in her cheerful smile, and I could see an expression that would never know pain or fear again. I knew for certain she would be happier here. All those fears and heartaches I had felt when I saw her die were gone, for now she was more alive than ever.

"So this is where we will spend the rest of our lives…" I said, gazing at the shining sunset. "I could never imagine a place like this was possible. It's beyond beautiful…"

And then, as Blazewing had let me go, Sita approached me slowly. It appeared that while she was happy to see me again, there was something else she wanted to tell me. Something else I had forgotten…

"Juno, the lives we lived in the world of Kivistal are over," Sita told me, looking slightly down. "You and countless other Silver Rebellion soldiers gave up your lives to ensure that Symarix would never know fear again. But your life doesn't end here. There is still one more journey you must take, one that was taken away from you a long time ago."

I was silent. I had the feeling it would be a long time before I would ever see Blazewing and Sita again, but knowing they would be happy through those years was enough to make me stop worrying. As for myself, I had realized what journey Sita was talking about. It was one that had been shut off for too long. It was the one place where I was supposed to be.

"The life of Juno ends here, but there is one more life that hasn't ended that still belongs to you," Sita told me, looking into my eyes. "Even when it had surprised me when I had first learned about it, I wasn't about to disbelieve in the truth. In one world, you are known as Juno, but in the other, you are known as Jake Kossak, one who has remained asleep for a very long time. I think it's about time you return to the place where you were born, and to live that life in the greatest way possible."

I didn't want to let them go, but indeed, I could already see my family had waited a long time for my homecoming. For so many long years I had been gone, and I simply could not keep them waiting. It was time to come home…

"Thank you for everything that you have done for me, Sita and Blazewing," I said to the both of them, looking into their eyes. "You've given me support and inspiration that I never knew was possible."

"Goodbye, Juno," Sita replied, with a small tear in her eye. "You've become so strong…"

"Farewell," I said to both of them. "Surely we will meet again, but I have a feeling it won't be for some time. Until we do, take care of yourselves."

And then, I stepped away from them. I then turned around, and headed back down the way I came. I had waved goodbye, and as I walked further into the white, misty mountains that were behind me, I saw everything slowly shroud into white. I didn't look back, and I kept going forward. Then, it wasn't long before that same white had slowly faded into black as I passed the veil. I had a feeling I would see that place again, but not for a long time…

It wasn't long until I had woken up, with a feeling that was very different from before. I had looked before me and I had seen a grassy field. Indeed, what was once an old, abandoned baseball field was now covered with grass. I was no longer Juno the Pikachu, but now I was Jake Kossak, five years older. It was an unfamiliar feeling at first, but it didn't take me very long until I had gotten used to the way I was supposed to be.

David, Alex and Randy had been there as well. Indeed, these three individuals have been more than companions in my time. The four of us had embraced the fires of hell more than once, and it was a memory that would never leave its mark upon us. What had once been familiar had become foreign, but I was sure in the days that were to come, it would soon become the way we would always travel.

The fighting and the crisis were over with. Now was the time to go back to the life we had left behind for so long. Never again would our journey be interrupted. Never again would I have to feel such pain for everything that I have lost. Right now, everything that had been taken away from me had finally come back, only many times brighter than before. It was now time for me to take that walk back home, where there were people waiting for me, people who had waited too long. I never did tell them what happened. I had the feeling they would never believe me, so I left it at that.

As I walked home and left behind my greatest of fears, I was able to embrace the reality of the real world with a greater admiration for life. I was able to see past the veil and had begun to see the real meaning of everything. Throughout the years, we grow stronger, whether in be in physical power or in wisdom.

I've never known a friendship like the one I had with Randy, Alex and David. We fought for each other's lives, and we had made it all the way through the end. I had grown to no longer feel entrapped by fear or be crippled with pain and agony.

Zander, as well as his chaotic actions and his destructive imagination were no longer a threat, and no longer did he exist to act upon his sadistic creation. His war, his destruction, and our suffering were over.

It was then that I had arrived on the front door step of the house I had been raised in, a sight that had been so familiar but had been so far away for so long. I had the feeling that while some of my surroundings had changed in the time I was gone. But, even for the little that they had changed, I was no longer the same person who had left five years ago and didn't come back home. I had been through a transformation myself. I could look at myself in a mirror and I knew that face would not seem familiar. Regardless, it was something I had no choice but to accept in time.

Never again would I be able to look at Pokémon in the same way. I had realized many of them are just as smart as we are. I had realized they have their own judgment, their own feelings, and their own desires. I could do nothing less than offer them same respect that I would give to another human being. Each one of us has dreams, experiences and hopes. I had begun to see that in everyone.

I had put my key into the door lock, turned it and the door unlocked. I then pushed the door forward, and then I had crossed the threshold into the place where I found security and sanctuary.

I know who I am. My name is Jake Kossak.

But Juno is my legacy…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

THE TRIAL OF JUNO II: THE SECOND PROMISE

Prologue​

Ten years after the cold, hard war between the Silver Rebellion and the Crimson Stars, a period of reconstruction had begun on the fields of Kivistal. The fallen shells of the cities were soon replaced by the dawn of the developing metropolis, and the scarred fields once again returned to the bright, green grass that they used to be before the rains of fire. And probably the biggest change was the sky. No longer was it in the constant fiery agony that was above during the time of Zander's existence. And for once, the citizens of Silver Rebellion had finally gotten something that they had long fought for and had sacrificed so much to obtain. Now, they had earned an age of peace, a time when they could set the conflict aside.

To obtain those long years of tranquility, a single foreign warrior had arisen, and had taken the troubled nation by the reins and drove it to victory with the cause of his own hand. That warrior's name was Juno, a Pokémon like the rest of the citizens of Kivistal. The Prophecy had spoken of his arrival long ago, when the Silver Rebellion would need his help the most. Through decisive action and bravery, he managed to turn the tide of the war against the Crimson Stars, and brought his people to victory. However, in doing so, he sacrificed his life to destroy Zander, the mastermind of the Crimson Stars. While the Silver Rebellion would have rejoiced in jubilee from the fall of the Crimson Stars, the death of their hero was far too much for them to bear. The place where Juno was laid to rest was the most highly decorated site of any graveyard in Kivistal, an honor of deep respect that the Pokémon of Silver Rebellion had for their fallen hero. But what they didn't know was that while Juno died in their own world, he lived on as someone else in another.

That someone else was a man known as Jake Kossak. But he was no longer the teenager that he was during the length of the first war. Now, he was a full grown adult, living on with his life after facing that nightmare against the Crimson Stars. After that nightmare, memories of those dark skies and harsh battles still flash in his mind. Occasionally, even his dreams were restless because of it. But as time went on, it slowly disappeared, and he moved on with his life. He soon submerged himself in the world he had originally come from and put those memories back in his mind. However, he had almost forgotten about Juno and the war of the Silver Rebellion, but it all came back to him in very little time when a new war upon Earth's shores had surfaced…

Even though it was small and almost innocent in outside appearance, Jake had been issued a draft notice, a call and request to fight for his country during a time of scandals, assassinations, and bloody cruel injustice. Already he had been aware of the current war in Orre between the Free People's Republic and the Narzek Dictatorship, whose army had already slaughtered thousands of innocent civilians in the name of racist genocide and control. Already, most of the free world had been struck in the heart from this cruel slaughter of human life, and now it was Jake Kossak, one man among many who had been called to fight against the Narzek Army. Caught between mixed emotions, he found himself soon to be within the ranks of Kanto's army, fighting in the fires and pain of war once again.

But even while the world that Jake Kossak lived in was facing a time of pain and crisis, the world of Kivistal, the realm that he had fought so hard to protect, was plunged once again into an even deeper horror than before. Without warning, the Eternal Silver Apex's massive cities and homelands were plunged into a fiery holocaust of seemingly endless destruction. The remaining citizens found themselves in the ruins of the post apocalyptic world, fighting off an enemy that had no soul or no desire but a complete and unquenchable thirst for destruction. Unlike their previous enemy of the Crimson Stars, this new threat called the Black Onyx Imperials had far superior technology and a tradition for building massive and destruction weapons, and the only advantage that the once mighty people of the Eternal Silver Apex had were a larger number of willing soldiers. However, despite the fact that they outnumbered their new enemy, that didn't stop the hopeless and demoralizing slaughter of their army. This time, they were falling victim to a new evil, and this time, their cry for hope was more silent than ever, and more muffled by the ceaseless reach of time and space.

Meanwhile, caught in the middle of the Orre Liberation War was Jake Kossak, the soldier that had once been a commander of a Pokémon army that no other human soldier could ever imagine. But even as his fellow soldiers gazed upon the first class private, they never once knew what he had been through before many years ago. But to Jake, memories of it weren't far away at all. And now, at a time like this, they were closer to him than ever before…

Among the foreign and desolate land of Orre and among his trusted comrades, he finds himself part of the frontline, and immersed back into the nightmare of vicious combat.

 

[Neo Pikachu]

PART I – THE LAST REQUIEM

Chapter 1
The Lost Message​

Phenac City was a complete disaster. As if the fact the Narzek shelled every one of the buildings down to ruins wasn't bad enough already, the streets were a watery mess as well. Not to mention both Paliski's and Phagan's regiments were slaughtered in attempt to liberate the city from the Narzek army. They didn't expect so much resistance…

The buildings were only piles of rubble now, sitting in one giant puddle that covered the entire city. The streets were holed with plenty of craters that were now filled with muddy water, and there was no sign of life anywhere except for our three regiments that had removed the rest of the Narzek resistance when we got a call for reinforcements. It was pretty sad and pathetic to hear that the reason why they were losing the fight was because of Johto's inadequate munitions supply.

We had taken over the city for now, for what it was worth. As I stood by Private Connors and Corporal Harrison in the muddy streets, all of us just looked upon the ruined mess almost with the feeling that we wasted our time.

Private Connors wasn't that much of a fighter. I've seen him slack off and not pay attention to anyone while he was in the bunker, and half the time he had no idea what was going on. His blonde hair was saturated with the sweat from his head, while his face always seemed to wear a lost and clueless expression. His uniform was unwashed and he smelled like a dead Ratatta that had been left out for weeks. Plus, his language was horribly filthy in the barracks. I never understood why some people had become so prone and so addicted to the use of vulgar obscenities for normal situations that truly didn't merit their use.

Meanwhile, Corporal Harrison was extremely passive. It almost seemed like he would go on for days without saying one single thing. But from what I knew about him, it seemed like he just hated having to kill people. Besides that, he was pretty normal. Unlike Connors, his brown hair and body was actually kept clean and neat. No one liked the showers back at the barracks, but at least he was willing to put up with it…

The three of us just stared at the ruins of the city while most of the other regiment was already trying to look hopelessly for survivors, a search that had already been proven a failure by the lack of any success by the third round. I already knew we wouldn't find anyone here. The Narzek weren't going to pull off genocide if they actually left some of the civilians here still alive. And obviously it seemed to them that exterminating the people of the city wasn't good enough. They wanted to make sure there was nothing left of the city either, effectively wiping it off the map.

"The water mains are going to take forever to fix…" Private Connors sighed, watching the water gushing out of what used to be a fountain in the center of the city. "Not to mention rebuilding this pile of crap could take years…"

"That's if they even decide to do it," I replied to him, looking at the disaster around me. "Having cities out in the middle of the desert isn't very common, you know…"

Especially at a time like this. Orre was a living hellhole at the moment, and the Narzek were only getting more powerful by the moment. Already I had heard from the 57th division about the ruthless slaughter that occurred at the Realgam Tower. They didn't even know the Narzek Frankensteined the whole thing into a command post and a defense sentry. Problem was, as much as I feared going there tomorrow, we needed to attack for very good reasons. Otherwise we weren't going to get much further around Orre without that thing calling on artillery strikes to bomb all over us. And only we could do it. The Air Force division couldn't even get near that location with all the AA guns that were emplaced all over the place.

What was even worse was that while the Narzek had control over almost everything in Orre, they were depriving the people of everything they needed. Food, medical supplies, and weapons was all they had to get rid of to make the people of Orre desperate. And to say the least, they did a pretty good job at it. We couldn't find anything like that for miles, and we barely had enough of those three necessities for ourselves.

The three of us had headed over to what used to be the Pokémart in Phenac City. Piles of borken stone were scattered all over the place, while most of what used to be the inside of the mart was crushed under the rubble. Still, Colonel Roberts thought it would be good if we tried to find anything salvageable regardless of how bad the situation looked. So, we began digging and rummaging through the hundreds of stones, crushed packages and broken glass.

I didn't know what we were doing trying to look for medical supplies for Pokémon in this pile of trash. Most of our Pokémon were fine and they had what they needed, it was the soldiers that badly needed medical supplies suited for them. And also, it didn't take me very long to find out the Narzek had already taken most of what was still good. Some of the only things I found were broken glass bottles of potions, other Pokémon items, and a whole lot of crushed boxes. There was that, and many rocks, large chunks of concrete slabs, and wedges of cracked stone lying all over the place. Some of it I pushed aside trying to see if there was anything still usable underneath, but most of the time it was just more pieces of rubble, or that finding out that the same chunk of rock that I had pushed aside was the main reason for everything under it to be crushed beyond reclamation. After spending an hour with it, our hard search under the blazing hot sun was pretty fruitless…

"Looks like they took everything." Private Connors finally caught on.

"No really, stupid?" Another First Class Private had responded in an annoyed tone. "I think everyone figured that out by now…"

"Oh, shut up," Someone behind me snapped, wanting to hear nothing of it. "You don't have to remind me that the Colonel is wasting our time."

And much of it. After I gave up the search and stood up, I looked back up at the sun and I felt the heat all over me. The best way to describe everything around me was with the word "forsaken." The loss of life already incurred was staggering, and as a result, most of Orre was desolate and vacant. Already things were looking pretty grim…

And I wasn't looking forward to tomorrow's attack on top of everything else…

We didn't stay in Phenac City, simply because it was pointless and counterproductive to set up camp for the night with all the flowing water everywhere. We didn't find much either, even though we searched for a long time to see if we could find anything. Still, it was pretty obvious the Narzek had taken everything that was still worthwhile. After that, we decided to camp outside the city walls. When the sun had set and everything had gotten cold, we then prepared to sleep inside our camouflaged tents.

While I tried to get some sleep early, some of the other soldiers in my tent were up late laughing, playing games and acting like a bunch of idiots. What made me sick was thinking we could all be dead tomorrow, and here they were not even thinking about what was going on. It wasn't until very late did they finally decide to get with it and head off to sleep. I had been waiting for lights out to occur hours ago, and finally I got the chance to get some much needed rest. Still, I was tense and anxious thinking about the attack tomorrow. Even though six regiments were going to be there, each with their own M1A2 Abrams Tank and M6A2 Bradley Linebacker, I still felt we were going to be up against a lot.

For some time, I thought I would never manage to get a wink of sleep considering what I was thinking about. But after I took a deep breath, I managed to shut my eyes and relax…

…

"You… can't hear them… can you…?"

I couldn't hear them or anything, whoever that voice was talking about. Plus, I didn't know who was talking to me or why they were doing it, but for some reason, the voice sounded like I had heard it before. Something in the back of my mind kept telling me that, but I couldn't put my finger on whose voice it was. After some time, I gave up trying to think about it and assumed I had never heard the voice before.

"I can't hear them either. Right now, I only hear myself, and you… whoever you are…"

"They cry. Lost… you are… but not forgotten…"

Whatever that meant. As soon as I thought about it, I realized this was a dream. And usually when I figure that out, the dream ends or it goes completely upside-down. That's exactly what I expected to see when I suddenly realized that. Still, nothing like that had happened, but even at that moment, I couldn't see anything. Something wasn't making sense…

"Long… so long… but not forgotten…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Come… please…"

And then it was over, just like that. I woke up only to find several of the other soldiers already getting dressed in their uniforms and putting on their helmets. I only thought about the weird dream for a little while I quickly rushed to get dressed, and then, by the time I had gotten the helmet on and grabbed my assault rifle, I stopped thinking about it. In fact, I quickly forgot it, since I saw absolutely nothing during the dream to remember it by, and the words just seemed bizarre and meaningless. After I had completely forgotten about it, we had headed outside the tent and all I was thinking about was the battle ahead.

We were then quickly hauled into the backs of the camouflaged army trucks and I had joined Corporal Harrison and a few other soldiers from my regiment. It wasn't long before we then began moving, and soon after, Captain Davidson then began to brief us about the situation during the ride.

"The Abrams, Linebackers, and our Humvees will be providing you with support and cover fire, but they can't go any further than the first five thousand yards because of the trenches that are all over the place," Davidson had told the rest of us as the truck made its way along the rocky terrain. "You're going to have to go in there and clear out the Narzek infantry in the trenches until we can get an engineering team to plant the explosive charge."

"Wait a minute," One of the other Privates in the truck had stated. "We're blowing up the tower? I thought we…"

"Change in plans, Simms," The Captain interrupted, looking over to the Private. "The Colonel feels there's no way we can ever infiltrate that tower without risking too many men. The tower is going to have to fall."

It seemed strange, but that was so different than what they were telling us yesterday. I had been told that the inside defenses weren't that strong once we got in there, which meant we could easily infiltrate and take control of the tower. For some reason, it just sounded really weird to change plans all of a sudden like that. Wasn't Orre enough was a wasteland already? Tearing apart yet another establishment wasn't going to make things any better here…

Regardless, I didn't have any say in it. When I could suddenly hear shells going off and the sound of faint gunfire, it was then that the Captain had turned back to us. I could tell we were very close to the location now, and it wouldn't be long before we reached the drop-off point.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay in the trenches regardless of how much it's a maze down there," Captain Davidson warned us. "You poke your head out for one freaking second and there won't be anything left of it when you go back down."

After the Captain said that, the truck had come to a stop, and I could hear the gunfire clearly now. Already the place was a pounding, hammering, and explosive war zone, and it was only going to get many times worse. Seconds later, the back door had opened, and then we quickly grabbed our M-16 rifles and spilled out of the truck. Once our feet landed on the arid sand, we then moved around the truck and toward the trenches.

Only for a few seconds, we caught a slight glimpse of the long, daunting network of trenches leading to the Realgam Tower, as well as the large white tower itself that stood in the distances, constantly pounding everything around it with heavy machine gun fire. Already they were firing viciously upon us…

I heard muffled shouting and loud blasting as we quickly ran in an uncontrolled, frantic ecstasy for the trenches, possibly the hardest step considering already the mounted machine gun nests up in the tower were already firing upon us furiously. Just as we were about to be sprayed by gunfire, we quickly jumped into the first of the trenches, not caring about how we were going to land in it. After we had thrown ourselves into the piles of dirt and sand below, I saw that Captain Davidson, Corporal Harrison and three other soldiers as well as myself had made it into the first of the trenches.

But we were lucky. As I turned back for a moment, I had seen that some of us never even made it that far…

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Chapter 2
The Passing​

We were safe, for now. As long as we stayed in the trenches, the only threats we were going to face were from the Narzek soldiers. Still, it was nearly impossible to speak or hear anyone with all the pounding of machine gun fire blasting everywhere. I couldn't see the tower anymore, so I didn't even know what direction to head in. Still, Captain Davidson knew was he was doing, and what other sensible alternatives did we have besides trusting his leadership? The five of us followed him as he got back up to his feet and made his way through the trench. All the while, pounding explosions, rattling gunfire, and dying screams deafened our ears as we slipped further away from sanity.

But now we weren't so safe anymore. Any time we rushed forward and moved closer to the tower, anyone up there in the tower could see us in the open and fire down at us, and we wouldn't stand a chance. Our best option to survive it was to move quickly down the length of the trench as a group. That way by the time they spotted us, it would be too late for them to open fire by the time we reached the other side.

Already we were deep into enemy territory and we were some of the only few that made it this far into this sandy hellhole. Just as we quickly made another turn in the trenches, the Captain and two of the Privates in the front opened fire upon the stationed Narzek soldiers hoping to create a flanking ambush directed at a second allied squad of ours. But even after I watched those two Narzek men fall to their death after being shot repeatedly, all we did was keep moving, and just focus on the task at hand. Not once did we even consider that we had just taken another man's life…

We made it closer to the tower, but once again, we had come toward one of the forward trenches. Again, we had to move quickly as a group, and we had to do it faster now, since every forward trench we came to was going to be worse than the last one, simply because we were getting closer to the tower and it was becoming easier from them to see us running in the trench from the tower's position.

"We can make it," The Captain assured us. "Just keep together and we'll make it through."

Then after he had counted to three, we furiously dashed down the length of the trench. While we were running, I heard a shout but we didn't stop. Soon after, they began firing upon us but we quickly made it to the wall, where they wouldn't be able to see us. But then, it wasn't long before I had realized one of us had been left behind.

"Captain," one of the Privates informed him, "Private Sanders is still down in the trench."

I had quickly looked back and saw one of the Privates laying down back in the middle of the forward trench, lying on his stomach and trying to reach out to us. I couldn't understand what he was saying but he sounded desperate…

"Come on…" The Captain muttered to himself in frustration. "Just get up and get out of there."

"Sir, look at his leg," The Private responded anxiously. "His leg was shot."

I knew he wasn't kidding either, after I noticed the pant leg of his uniform was soaked in his blood. I didn't want to leave Private Sanders there alone in the dirt and sand either, but it was suicide to try and go back to get him.

"I know that, Private," Captain Davidson replied, looking at the fallen soldier. "But we can't go back to get him. It's too risky."

"Sir, I'm not going to stand here and let that soldier die," The Private replied. "You wouldn't want us to do that if you were him. Just give me some covering fire, I can do this."

After thinking about it for a few critical seconds, the Captain then looked up to the Private. I was already feeling pretty sick looking at his expression.

"You have absolutely very little time to get him out of there." The Captain warned him, "Grab his arms, and drag him out of there as fast as you can. I'm warning you though…"

But he didn't even respond. Instead, he quickly dashed out to Private Sanders, and once he reached him, he pulled up his arms and started dragging him furiously. Sanders was screaming from the pain, but there was very little that could be done about it.

And then, out of nowhere, five deep gashes were suddenly ripped into the front of Private's chest, and he stumbled backward, unable to control his balance. He had looked toward us with a winced face as his contorted hand grabbed the bullet wounds and was quickly saturated with his own blood. After he had dropped his rifle and had fallen backward to the ground, Private Sanders was then silenced with the same machine gun fire that had killed the Private soon after word, never to speak in this world again…

"Damn it..." Captain Davidson growled in anger as he turned his back to them. "Why the hell didn't he listen…!?"

I knew why he did it, but I knew the risk as well, and it was from knowing that same risk that stopped me from trying to save the life of Private Sanders myself. I admired him for trying to rescue his comrade, but I knew there was very little chance of him actually successfully doing it. Instead, all we could do was turn around and continue with the mission. However, after seeing one of our own comrades fall before our eyes, we had already lost much of our morale…

We didn't have much choice but to continue with the mission, and leave their bodies behind. After fighting our way to the second to last forward trench before we arrived at the tower, we took a deep breath. Our walk through the trench would now be easily seen, and we needed to be fast about it. If we stopped at all during the length, we were dead, plain and simple.

"Come on, we can do this…" Captain Davidson told us, urging us to prepare, "One… two… three…"

Then, we began to dash down the length of the forward trench, but then when we had reached the midway point, we had seen four Narzek soldiers appear before us at the end. We were trapped, and going back would be suicide.

"Damn it!" The Captain shouted bitterly, grabbing his M-16, "Fire! Fire now!"

Immediately I was caught in a rush and began firing furiously. My heart almost sank as I watched Corporal Harrison get shot several times, and then fall to the ground, only grabbing air in his attempt to break his fall as he dropped his rifle. My heart was racing now as the only thing I cared about was where the bullets I was firing were traveling. It wasn't until I saw the Captain struck in the chest with the machine gun fire and the Private next to him follow soon after did my soul feel weak. Both of them fell backward, thrown off of their feet from the merciless incoming fire.

I had seen what had struck them, and only a split second later, I felt four hideous explosions of pain suddenly surge throughout my body. I cried out in pain as I suddenly became too weak to hold my rifle or stand on my feet, so I had to fall to my knees.

"Kossak!" The Private behind me shouted, knowing out of the three, I was the only one still left alive.

But after he cried, I suddenly heard him yelp in pain as the machine gun fire was directed upon him, ripping through his uniform violently. I never even knew that Private's name, yet the fact that he knew mine meant something deep to me as I stood there, unable to move.

I could feel the blood fill in my mouth, and suddenly it became too much for me to contain. I bent forward just a little to spit it out, but then my knees gave in, and as I fell to the ground I knew I didn't have the strength to get back up again. I coughed and winced from the pain, and I was too tired and cold to keep going. Every last ounce of energy was stripped from me, and even the sounds of gunfire, screams, and explosions were becoming a faint, jumbled mix of sounds that were rapidly fading away.

After several painful moments, I didn't even hear the gunfire anymore. Everything was encased in silence, just before it was taken over by the darkness as I took those last breaths… soon pulled into the darkness…

 

[alster08]

Man this story is exalent. It has a few small grammer issues. But man you are a great writer. Keep it up!

 

[Benjamin510]

Wow.... Just, Wow.... This is Amazing, Details, that seems lost, then it just strikes me in the face. Wow. I did moan over the death of Blazewing the Latias.... But I wonder.... How do you get you chapters done so fast?

 

[alster08]

Wow.... Just, Wow.... This is Amazing, Details, that seems lost, then it just strikes me in the face. Wow. I did moan over the death of Blazewing the Latias.... But I wonder.... How do you get you chapters done so fast?

He probably has all of them pre made just like my fic the Kanto Master League.

 

[Neo Pikachu]

Man this story is exalent. It has a few small grammer issues. But man you are a great writer. Keep it up!

I guess you mean "excellent?" As for the grammar, I honestly thought I managed to correct everything, but if you see anything that sticks out as being wrong, please let me know, I would appreciate it.

And hey, thanks for reading it.

Wow.... Just, Wow.... This is Amazing, Details, that seems lost, then it just strikes me in the face. Wow. I did moan over the death of Blazewing the Latias.... But I wonder.... How do you get you chapters done so fast?

Hey, thanks, glad you're enjoying it.

I'm actually currently writing Trial of Juno 4 at the moment. 1, 2, and 3 are completely finished, I'm just posting about a chapter a day so it isn't overwhelming all at once.

Trust me, things get a lot more exciting. If you like what's happened already, it goes above and beyond that later on.

 

[Benjamin510]

Have you uploaded rough drafts, somewhere? That would be entertaining.