Well, here I was not planning to forcefully keep readers in suspense
over the end of chapter 19, and the FFML goes down for a few days!
Well... that's irony for you. Since responses to the last chapter were
sparse... consider that your penalty! Let this be a lesson to you... if
you don't respond, the FFML goes down! (And no, it had nothing to do
with me. I'm just JOKING.)
Also, the Epilogue's first draft is finished... it might even make it up
onto my page over the weekend with my Sailor Moon crossover and a few
other goodies. However, I'm debating making the debut of the epilogue
right here on the FFML, after sending the remaining chapters. Any
thoughts on that, or on this chapter? Please let me know!
Jellic�s Hateful Quest
Chapter 20: A Fine Timeline Between Death and...
Jellic stared for what seemed like hours, overcome by the brutal
shock of what he had just witnessed. His mouth hung open and his limbs
became weak as his thoughts caught up with his eyes. He threw himself
frantically at the wall that now occupied the space where Ashley had
stood only seconds before. His fists pounded uselessly against the
stone, as he cried out, �Ashley! No! This can�t happen! It must be an
illusion! The floor gave way, or there was a hole in the ceiling that I
didn�t see! Please, say something! Tell me you�re not ��
Jellic�s feet slid, causing him to hit his head against the wall.
Looking down, he saw that the floor under his feet was covered with the
blood that oozed out from the tiny crack underneath the crushing
ceiling. His stomach heaved, and he barely managed to keep its contents
in place. His knees landed hard in the middle of the puddle as his legs
abandoned the task of keeping him upright, and he completely failed to
notice that the six Smashers in the room had stopped moving until a
voice snapped him out of his grief-induced trance.
�It was not meant to be this way,� said the Dark Lord Elvor. Jellic
looked up and saw his arch-nemesis standing right behind him. He
heroically leaped to his feet � or tried to, but slipped in the pool of
blood and fell to the floor. Slowly, he raised himself up to Elvor�s
level.
�Give me one good reason why I shouldn�t kill you right now,� spat
Jellic.
�Do you ever want to see your girlfriend alive again?� asked Elvor.
�What are you talking about? She�s already dead!�
�It need not have happened at all,� replied Elvor. �This timeline
can be altered. I can give you back the time you need to change what has
happened.�
�How is that possible?�
�Do not concern yourself with how it is possible. Simply understand
that it is possible.�
Jellic sneered. �Why should I trust you?�
�I may be evil, but I am not heartless. I know that most beings in
my position would not hesitate to slaughter innocent victims by the
thousands, but I have learned an important lesson that even my father
could never understand; an innocent victim is not nearly as useful as an
innocent victim-to-be. What purpose is there in conquering a world if
there are no innocent people left to torture? Don�t think for even a
second that I�ve gone soft, Jellic. I care nothing for you or your
little friend. But she is of more use to me alive than dead, and you are
of more use if you fear me, rather than if your rage keeps your fear in
check.�
�So you want to bring her back to keep me content, is that it?�
�I offer you a choice. You can take back her death, or you can
continue the quest from this point. It is entirely up to you.�
�What�s the catch? There has to be something you want from me.
Nothing ever comes free from you.�
Elvor considered this. �A price will be included in the bargain;
that goes without saying. But what price can one put on a human life? I
of course consider human life to be completely worthless, unless it is
spent serving me, while you would doubtless lay down your own life if
that proved to be necessary...� The light gleamed off of Elvor�s eyes,
and Jellic flinched at the cruelty of his expression. �Of course, asking
you to sacrifice yourself would defeat the entire purpose of the
bargain, would it not? Then the bargain shall be this: Upon reversing
the stream of time, I shall lay a geas upon you that will compel you to
obey my every direct command.�
�Serve you? Never!� shouted Jellic adamantly. But even as he said
this, a thought occurred to him. If the events after Ashley�s death had
not happened, then the entire bargain would never have been made.
As if he could read Jellic�s thoughts, Elvor continued. �The geas
would of course remain upon you even across alternate realities.
However, neither you nor I would have any memory of having made this
bargain. You will be compelled to follow any direct command I give you,
but I will not know about this compulsion. It will be like a game. Games
amuse you, Jellic, do they not? They amuse me greatly.�
�You�re sick,� was Jellic�s response.
�Thank you,� was Elvor�s. �Such is my nature.�
�How can you expect me to accept an offer like that?�
Elvor shrugged. �To be honest, I don�t see how you could possibly
refuse. You lose nothing, but gain something that I know must mean a
great deal to you. I, on the other hand, lose nothing but gain something
that may be of no value to me whatsoever.�
�There�s a reason you want me to accept your offer... something I
can�t put my finger on that�s wrong with this whole picture...�
�As they say, what you don�t know can�t hurt you. But time is
running out. I can only erase so much of the past, and the critical
moment is rapidly approaching. You will have to decide quickly.�
Jellic thought of Ashley�s smiling face, and his heart melted. He
would pay any price to have her back. �Do it.�
Elvor smiled. �Then my geas be upon thee, Jellic, that my every
command be your utmost will. And so an alternate path shall unfold.
Smashers, Hyper Conversion to Electric mode!� Small panels in the
shoulders of each Smasher opened to reveal miniature electrodes
crackling with electricity. As the Blastoise knocked a second Smasher
into the pit, the remaining robots unleashed a simultaneous Thundershock
attack that made Jellic�s hair stand on end. When the last sparks had
faded, the Blastoise looked slightly cooked, but it was still conscious.
�We can�t keep this up for long!� warned Jellic. �We have to get out
of here!�
Ashley nodded and recalled her Blastoise. �The next hallway is too
narrow for them all to follow us. They�ll have to come at us one at a
time!� She dove between two of the cyborgs and made a beeline for the
hallway beyond.
- Jellic didn�t even have time to get out the word �trapped� before
the ceiling of the corridor came crashing down to meet the floor,
instantaneously crushing Ashley�s helpless body out of existence... �
�Stop!� shouted Jellic, grabbing at Ashley�s leg before she could
reach the hallway.
Ashley stared back at him. �Jellic, what�s wrong?�
�That hallway�s trapped,� he answered. �You could have been killed!�
Ashley swallowed hard. �Then what can we do? We can�t just sit here
and let the Smashers get us!�
Jellic quickly formed a plan. He threw Ashley aside to avoid a
Thundershock attack and called out his Machop. �Machop, throw one of the
Smashers into the next hallway with a Seismic Toss!� Machop ducked an
Arm Swing and sent the attacking Smasher flying into the trapped
corridor. The ceiling descended, crushing the Smasher into a thin metal
wafer.
Elvor�s voice was furious. �Smashers, Laser Beam that annoying
Machop!� Machop did its best to avoid the laser blasts from the eyes of
the Smashers, but five beams proved too many for it, and Jellic was
forced to recall it before it fainted.
�We have to take them all out now!� shouted Ashley, backing into a
corner to avoid the advancing Smashers.
�Call out your Vulpix!� said Jellic. �I think I know what its
special move is now.� Ashley threw the Pokeball to the ground. �Tell it
to use Balefire.�
�Balefire?� asked Ashley. The Vulpix responded to the name of its
Secret Machine technique by leaping to attention. Its eyes glowed, and
the Smashers backed away, distancing themselves from the tiny fox. The
Vulpix opened its mouth, and a huge pillar of fire emerged, filling the
entire space in front of it with white-hot flame. Jellic and Ashley
quickly averted their eyes until the roaring inferno died down.
Jellic opened his eyes to view the destruction. The entire room,
except for the corner where the trainers cowered, had been scorched to
ash. Five piles of melted glowing metal were all that remained of the
Smashers. �Balefire,� he explained, �is the ultimate flame spell. It
made sense that Elvor would name the Secret Machine technique of Fire
after it.�
Ashley recalled her fainted Vulpix with a shaking hand. �I never
want to use that technique again! It�s so horrible!�
�You used to say the same thing about me,� Jellic pointed out.
Ashley ignored the comment. �Now, how are we going to get through
this hallway?�
Jellic threw two of his Pokeballs into the room. Machop and Bruiser
emerged from them. �You two see if you can hold up the ceiling for us.�
The two Pokemon dug their fingers into the ash that was once a solid
floor and lifted the bulky ceiling. Jellic and Ashley quickly crawled
through the gap and reached the far end of the crushing ceiling. Jellic
recalled the two Pokemon to their Pokeballs, leaving the ceiling to come
crashing down once again behind them.
All that separated them from Elvor now was a single wooden door.
Jellic stared briefly at the doorknob before raising his foot and
kicking the door in. He boldly strode into the small office and stared
his arch-nemesis in the face. Undaunted, Elvor leaned back in his chair
and crossed his arms behind his head. �The door was unlocked, you know.�
�I trust any door of yours about as far as I can kick it,� returned
Jellic.
�Quite reasonable. It was, in fact, perfectly safe, but I can
understand your reluctance to take chances.� He motioned to one of the
two chairs in front of his desk. �Please, sit down.� Jellic cast a
critical eye upon the proffered chair and threw the cushion aside before
seating himself. Ashley did the same with her own chair. �I trust you
understand why I�ve brought you here,� said Elvor, once his visitors had
made themselves comfortable.
Jellic�s eyebrows flew up. �You brought US here? We�ve been through
hell trying to get here! And your entranceway was certainly inviting...�
Elvor chuckled. �You know me too well, Jellic. You can�t tell me
that you wouldn�t have been suspicious if I hadn�t greeted you with
traps. I wanted you to be sure of where the danger was. I hadn�t
expected you to bring your girlfriend along, but her presence here will
not hurt our discussion.�
�We have nothing to discuss,� Jellic replied coldly. Elvor raised an
arm, and Ashley was lifted into the air against her will. Jellic reached
for her, but missed, as she flew sideways into a small round compartment
in the corner of the office, which sealed itself as soon as she was
inside.
�Sit down, Jellic, and don�t do anything to make me demonstrate the
purpose of the machine in the corner.� Jellic sat down, continuing to
stare at the machine as if taking his eyes away, even for a second,
would activate it. �Good. Now, I�m sure you�ve figured out by this time
that attempting to kill me is useless. But there�s something you may not
realize about your status: just as you cannot defeat me, I cannot defeat
you. We are bonded by destiny, and our lives run parallel.�
�How can you say that?� challenged Jellic. �You�re evil! We�re not
similar in the slightest!�
�I said nothing about similarity. I said that our lives were
parallel. True, your path is that of the light, while mine is bathed in
shadow; but we seem to always meet wherever we go, do we not? But I have
at last chosen a fitting battleground for this, our final encounter!�
�What makes this encounter different from any other?� asked Jellic.
�You know the answer to that,� sneered Elvor. �At every other time
and place where we met, our combat would end in death, were we to fight
to the finish. But here, victory comes without so high a price. Here, at
last, I can defeat you without having to kill you. You will finally know
the humiliation of defeat!�
�But I can also defeat you here,� said Jellic. �What makes you think
things will be any different?�
�Because this time, I�m not busy trying to conquer the world.�
�Why not? Have you finally learned to keep your ambitions in check?�
�The Pokemon League has already nearly finished its own plans to
conquer this world. They hold everything from the Pyrite Peaks to Cape
Kitchen. Even with my power base, I could never hope to dislodge the
Pokemon League from their territory. Well, if they want the world, they
can have it. I�ve set my sights on a different prize.�
�Which is?� prompted Jellic.
�The Pokemon League. Once they�ve fought the necessary battles and
conquered the world, I have only to take command of the League and the
power to rule the world will be in my hands. Not only will I be the
supreme ruler of the world, but these people will see me as a hero
because I deposed the evil tyrant who formerly headed the Pokemon
League. Just imagine, Elvor the hero! You see, humans are so easy to
please. Give them what they think they want, and they will love you
forever. They�ll be so grateful to me that they won�t even stop to
consider my own motives until it�s far too late.�
�Why are you telling me all this?�
Elvor stared Jellic right in the eye. �I want you to help me
accomplish my goal.�
Jellic nearly fell out of his chair. �You want me to help you? What
makes you think that I�d ever help you?�
�Because it�s what you�re going to do anyway. You�ve sworn to
eliminate the evil of the Pokemon League, correct? Well, we both know
that you cannot possibly defeat me. By turning the Pokemon League over
to me, you�ll be opting for the lesser of two evils, and this world will
be far better off than it would have been without your involvement. That
�s the job of a hero, is it not? You can then move on to another world,
leaving this one in my hands, and you need never see me again.�
�That�s not the way it works,� said Jellic. �I can�t leave until I�
ve defeated all of the tangible evil in this dimension. That includes
you.�
�Then put your plans to defeat me aside for the moment and depose
the Pokemon League Enforcers first. Once I no longer need you, you will
be welcome to try to defeat me, and if you succeed, I will concede the
final victory to you.�
Jellic shrugged. �All right, I�ll take care of the Pokemon League
first.�
Elvor�s eyes narrowed. �What are you plotting, Jellic? You never
concede a point this quickly.�
�I�m not plotting anything. What you say seems perfectly reasonable.
What�s wrong with agreeing with you?�
�I laid my traps because it�s what you expected of me. I wanted you
to remember exactly whom you were dealing with. I know whom I am dealing
with, and he is not one to agree with his enemy.�
Jellic crossed his arms. �If you didn�t expect me to agree with your
point of view, why would you tell me your plans?�
�It�s my way of building up my rage. I bring you here and present my
utopia as if to convince you of my point of view, and you, being a hero
and fundamentally opposed to my plan by definition, refuse to side with
me, whereupon I become more determined to prove that I am in the right,
and set my evil plan into motion. It�s a technique employed by all the
most evil beings. But when the hero agrees with the villain, the whole
concept falls apart!�
�Are you saying you want me to refuse to help you?� asked Jellic.
�I insist upon it,� replied Elvor.
�Then I�ll fight you first!�
�That�s more like it!� shouted Elvor, reaching for his Pokebelt. He
stopped in mid-throw. �Now you�re only disagreeing with me to be
obliging. This is some sort of trick psychology!� He replaced the
Pokeball in his belt and grabbed the one that sat on his desk, which
Jellic had originally assumed to be an ornament. �I don�t like to be
made a fool of! Crusher, go!�
Jellic tried to protest, but the Crusher appeared right under his
chair and he was thrown across the room. He twisted in midair to present
his back to the wall, rather than his head. He aimed his Pokedex at the
monstrous Cyborg. �Crusher, the giant Cyborg Pokemon. Crusher evolves
from Smasher under the influence of the Cyber Stone. This Pokemon�s mass
is large enough to cause a measurable gravitational field, and the heat
produced by its circuitry can cause its metal body to expand by a cubic
foot.�
Jellic darted around the Crusher to confront Elvor directly. The
massive Cyborg, already cramped within the space of the tiny office,
couldn�t turn quickly enough to track Jellic. Elvor snarled. �Oppose me,
Jellic, and watch what happens!� He reached under his desk and pressed a
hidden button. The machine in the corner began to hum.
�Ashley!� shouted Jellic, running to the machine. He grabbed the
doors and pried them open with his bare hands, straining against the
motors that were forcing them closed. Finally, the doors began to move.
�Jellic? Don�t give up!� Ashley�s voice assured him through the
crack in the doors. Tiny fingers emerged from the crack as Ashley lent
her own strength to the task of opening the doors. Their combined
strengths quickly forced the cubicle open.
�Crusher, stop them!� shouted Elvor. As Ashley crawled out between
Jellic�s legs, the Crusher�s metal arm pounded Jellic in his already
weakened back and forced him into the machine. The doors slammed closed,
barely missing Ashley�s foot.
�Jellic, no!� screamed Ashley, ignoring the Crusher completely. She
dug her fingers into the crack in the doors in a futile attempt to open
them, but they remained resolutely closed as the machine�s hum continued
to build in intensity.
�Crusher, Laser Beam!� commanded Elvor. Ashley dodged the beam and
tossed out a Pokeball.
�Blastoise, Skull Bash!� The Blastoise charged headfirst at the
Crusher, smashing its bony skull into the cyborg�s metal hide. Blastoise
�s attack left a sizeable dent in the robot, but that didn�t appear to
slow it down much. The Crusher swung its huge arm at the Blastoise,
knocking the turtle aside.
�Blastoise, Water Gun!� ordered Ashley. Blastoise�s water attack
didn�t do much damage at first, but as the outmatched Water Pokemon gave
its full strength to the attack, the column of water grew to furious
proportions, pushing the immense Cyborg backwards. �Hooray, Blastoise!�
cheered Ashley. �You learned Hydro Pump!� But her celebration was
short-lived as she remembered why she was fighting. �Blastoise, see if
you can open this door and save Jellic!� The Blastoise, tired from its
Hydro Pump, slowly waddled its way toward the machine. Before it got
halfway there, however, the noise stopped and the doors whooshed open of
their own accord. Smoke billowed out of the machine, obscuring its
occupant. However, he could be heard loud and clear. Well, loud,
anyway...
�What have you done to me?� was what Jellic had intended to shout.
But the words were twisted by his new vocal cords and came out sounding
like �Scythoo scyther scee!�
--------------------------------------------
MOM: I'm getting rid of this TV before the mindless garbage rots your
brain!
JOHNNY: Mindless garbage not rot brain!
(SHAMPOO: Mindless Johnny not got brain to rot!)
"There's a billion places like home. But only one of them's where you
live."
- Granny Weatherwax, "Witches Abroad" by Terry Pratchett
JACKIE CHAN: Oh, sorry. I broke your spy camera! (pause) SPY CAMERA?!
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp