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I'm surprised at how much of the pain is gone right now. If I didn't
know better, I'd swear I wasn't dying at all. But I know the truth. Even
though it hasn't happened yet, I know it as if it had happened
yesterday. The certainty of death... you'd be surprised at how clearly
you can think when you have nothing to be afraid of... but there's only
one thing on my mind right now...
Equinox... I failed you...
POKEMON: The Portal - Chapter 11
After dispatching the Aquibole, Ash, Solstice, Equinox and I kept
our guard up as we continued along the path to Triesha's palace.
Actually, Equinox seemed content just to stay close to me and depend on
my inferior ability to protect her, which greatly worried me. She wasn't
really capable of worry, which made me even more cautious. I didn't want
to hurt her feelings so soon after she discovered them, but if her
emotions clouded her judgment in a dangerous situation, much more than
her feelings would be hurt. The heart is the most fragile part of the
human body, but it is also the most easily repaired, and grows stronger
rather than weaker with each time it is broken.
Of course, given what she was doing at the time that I made my
decision to break her heart as quickly as possible, most men would have
hesitated. I certainly did. It felt so good to have her close to me, our
bodies touching in ways that were only intimate because of the feelings
we shared. I'd had a squad of cheerleaders who followed me everywhere in
my youth - slobbering fangirls who only served to boost my own
over-inflated ego, I realized in later years, shortly before I dismissed
them from my service forever. No, more like banished from my sight. When
I finally understood how I had crushed Ash's spirit, beautiful bimbos
became my last choice of preferred company. They had been using my
success to feel good about themselves, knowing that I, a champion of
Pokemon training, allowed them to be with me... or so I believed,
thinking the money I paid them to stay was just an added bonus. Well, I
wasn't a champion any more, and I no longer tolerated their presence.
Equinox, on the other hand, didn't care about my former successes and
failures, and certainly didn't use me as a tool for her own happiness.
To tell you the truth, as much as I'd looked forward to having the
opportunity to do so, it had hurt to hand my first place badge over to
Ash. When I met Equinox, for the first time since that moment, I felt
like it wouldn't have mattered if I had been in last place. I was happy
just being with her.
Still, I knew that no good could come of such feelings, and resolved
to tell Equinox so. Of course, as was typical of events in this world,
things got dangerous at the worst possible moment. A jet of flame
blasted us from above, deflected just in time by Solstice. "We've got
company!" she shouted. "I think it's a Hellhound!"
"Hellhound?" echoed Equinox, pulling out of my grip and taking a
defensive stance. I was relieved to see that she could still handle
herself in the face of the unfamiliar emotions. I did note, however,
that she was sure to stand directly between me and the creature when it
landed. It looked a bit like Arcanine, except that no body could be seen
amidst the flames. The Hellhound seemed to be made entirely of fire, in
the shape of a large dog with wings of fire. These wings folded into the
creature's back once it had landed, and it growled menacingly, daring us
to try to pass it.
"Wartortle, go!" shouted Ash, throwing the Pokeball he'd had ready
since the first jet of flame had appeared. "Hit it with your Hydro
Pump!" Wartortle took aim and let fly with a torrent of water, which the
Hellhound dodged. Wartortle turned to follow the flame beast, but it had
already charged up another burst of flame, with which it countered the
Hydro Pump. The water evaporated as quickly as Wartortle could produce
it, not touching the Hellhound's body at all and barely damping the
flames of its attack. The fire rolled over Wartortle's body, singeing
its shell. The Wartortle tired quickly, losing water pressure and
allowing even more of the flames to reach its body.
Equinox raised her hands toward Wartortle, and a shield of light
appeared in front of it, deflecting the flames. The flames, however,
simply curved around the shield and continued to roast Wartortle alive.
Solstice raised a wall of earth in front of the Hellhound. Free of the
heat at last, the Wartortle immediately collapsed, unconscious. "How
could it have fainted?" asked Ash. "The flames barely touched it!"
"The flames of a Hellhound are far hotter than any mortal creature
can survive," replied Solstice. "If the flames had touched it, your
Pokemon would be dead right now. Only the power of earth is strong
enough to hold off a Hellhound."
"Earth, eh?" I asked as the Hellhound leapt over the wall.
"Nidoking, go!" Nidoking growled at the Hellhound as it landed, sizing
up its opponent. The Hellhound responded by spitting fire at Nidoking,
and by now it was close enough that we could all feel the heat. I felt
like my skin was melting until Equinox and Solstice pooled their magic
for a powerful cold spell. Even with their combined magic keeping the
heat away, it still felt like I was standing in front of an open
furnace. I could only imagine how much heat Nidoking had to be facing.
Fortunately, Solstice's word was true, and Nidoking shrugged off the
flames. Surviving, however, was only half of the battle. We still needed
to destroy the Hellhound so that we could continue on our way. "What
will destroy it?" I asked.
"Water will work, if you can douse it before the water evaporates,"
said Equinox.
"You're better off just burying it under as much dirt as possible,"
countered Solstice. "More than my magic can move without triggering the
counterspell."
"We'll see about that," I said. "Nidoking, use Surf!" Nidoking
pounded the ground with its front hooves, giving the Hellhound a bit of
a start. It wasn't until the beast had let down its guard slightly that
the ground beneath it exploded in a column of water, spewing up from the
ground like oil from a freshly unplugged well. Clouds of steam arose
from the base of the column as the Hellhound's heat evaporated a good
portion of the water before it could touch the flames, but its screams
of pain told me that the attack was at least partially effective.
Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough. The Hellhound leapt out of
the column of water, staggering as it landed. It had been weakened by
the water, but it was still fighting strong. Its heat output seemed to
double for a few seconds, but that effect was caused by Solstice letting
up on her cold spell. She focused her magic on the column of water,
redirecting it right at the Hellhound as it prepared to pounce on us. I
quickly added my own power to the effort. "Nidoking, Blizzard!" I
shouted.
"You taught your Nidoking Thunderbolt, Surf, AND Blizzard?" asked
Ash.
"Of course," I said proudly. "Variety is the key to an adaptive
Pokemon!" Nidoking blew its freezing air at the water, lowering its
temperature so that the Hellhound's flames melted less and less of it.
The Hellhound tried to escape once again, but that left it open to the
full force of the Blizzard, which collected around the Hellhound until
the flaming dog found itself encased completely in a giant block of ice.
Even then, its flames still burned, but now they simply turned the ice
into the water that slowly extinguished the Hellhound until nothing
remained except a large puddle of steaming water.
I wiped my brow. "How are you feeling, Nidoking?"
"Nido," it responded, breathing heavily.
"That was a tough battle," I agreed. "Return!"
"Two more Pokemon too tired to be used," was Ash's assessment.
"Raika!" protested Raikachu.
"I want to save the rest of your power for when we reach the Tower,"
replied Ash.
"But we still have two more obstacles to pass before we get there,"
Equinox pointed out.
"I'm pumped!" shouted Solstice. "Bring 'em on!"
"The other two obstacles will probably also be elemental creatures,"
said Equinox. "Creatures composed entirely of earth and air."
"I can understand a creature made of earth," said Ash, "but how
could a creature be made of air?"
"Just like the Aquibole," explained Equinox. "It solidifies parts of
itself as it needs to."
"How can we fight something that can make itself nothing but air at
will?" I asked.
"We'd better come up with a plan quick!" shouted Solstice. "Here it
comes!" I looked in the direction she pointed, but couldn't see
anything. "Duck!" We all threw ourselves to the ground as a fierce wind
blew past, stirring up dirt from the path into dust devils and forcing
me to dig my fingers and toes into the ground to prevent myself from
being blown away.
We hadn't all managed to hold on, though. A distant shout of
"Raika!" could be heard as the wind died down.
"Raikachu!" shouted Ash, as he got up and chased after his flying
Pokemon.
"Ash, get down!" shouted Equinox. "It's going to attack again!" I
looked up and barely managed to make out a slight disturbance in the
air, like that caused by heat rising from a hot surface. It was
impossible to focus on, however, and I did my best to secure myself in
preparation for its next pass.
"What is it?" I asked.
"A Clairion," replied Equinox. "Under normal circumstances, they're
harmless, but this one's under Triesha's control, and we can't attack it
because of the counterspell!"
I knew Ash well enough to know that he wasn't going to attempt to
avoid the Clairion's next attack. I threw Alakazam's Pokeball and
prayed. "Alakazam, Confusion!"
"Ala?" Without a target, Alakazam simply filled the air with its
psychic waves, sending everyone into convulsions. Fortunately, Pokemon's
attacks are rarely harmful to humans, so the pain would have no lasting
effects. The Clairion, on the other hand, broke out of its dive early
and flew into the trees, giving Ash plenty of time to reach Raikachu.
After checking to make sure that his favorite Pokemon was okay, Ash
threw a Pokeball and called out his Pidgeot. "Pidgeot, use your Gust
attack to blow it away!" Pidgeot hovered above the path and flapped its
wings, sending the air in front of it swirling into a tornado. However,
the Clairion managed to get behind Pidgeot without being blown away and
knocked the bird for a loop. Pidgeot retaliated with another Gust
attack, narrowly missing the Clairion.
"It can't hit what it can't see!" said Equinox. "Solstice, this is
your department!"
"Right," said Solstice, and the air instantly turned blue all around
us. Now the Clairion was easily visible, as it left a sweeping trail
behind it in the air when it moved. The front of its wake was almost the
shape of a large bird, but it didn't flap its wings as it moved. It dove
at us again, but we were prepared this time. Ash held onto Raikachu
tightly to prevent her from being blown away again.
"Pidgeot, Gust attack now!" shouted Ash over the rush of the wind.
With the color spell in place, Pidgeot was able to track the Clairion's
movements, waiting for the right moment to strike. Unfortunately, the
Clairion sensed our plan and immediately froze in place. Its trail
quickly settled out, leaving no visual cues at all for Pidgeot to track.
Pidgeot flapped this way and that, searching for its target once again.
"Alakazam, use Confusion again," I ordered. Once again, Alakazam
sent its Psychic waves in all directions, setting the air into motion.
The Clairion fell toward the ground, and Pidgeot immediately targeted it
with a powerful Gust attack. The tornado intersected the front of the
vapor trail, and tiny fragments of semi-solid air flew in all directions
from it.
"That should finish it," said Ash.
"I don't think so," said Solstice. "Those things are tough to kill."
"It can revive itself after being broken into pieces?" asked Ash.
"Just watch it," said Equinox as the Clairion indeed pulled itself
together and flew up high above the path. "I don't think it will bother
us anymore as long as we keep on the ground."
"Not a good idea," said Solstice, whose knees were shaking. "The
last obstacle is the Earth one. What if it's a Sandwyrm?"
"We don't have a choice," replied Equinox. "Clairions are very
territorial. If we leave the ground, it will attack us again."
"If we stay on the ground, we might end up IN the ground!"
"What's a Sandwyrm, anyway?" interrupted Ash.
"A creature made entirely of Earth that can move through almost any
solid material," explained Equinox. "It lives beneath the ground and
pulls people under the surface."
"The best defense is to stay off of the ground," added Solstice.
"That's why children who live near Sandwyrm-infested areas have to learn
levitation spells at an early age."
"Unfortunately, levitation spells will only agitate the Clairion
right now," said Equinox. "And the same goes for -" The ground opened
beneath her legs, and she fell into the hole up to her hips. Solstice
screamed in terror and backed away as Equinox fought to free herself
from the Sandwyrm's grip. The earth buckled around Equinox, moving like
a pair of lips to suck her deeper into the ground.
I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life. As soon as I saw
the Sandwyrm grab Equinox, I darted forward to grab her under the arms
and try to haul her up out of the ground. Unfortunately, the Sandwyrm
was far stronger than Equinox and I combined. It continued to pull her
down as I tugged on her shoulders in vain.
"Gary, get away," urged Equinox. "You're only putting yourself in
danger. You can't save me. No one's ever escaped from a Sandwyrm once it
grabbed them."
"Equinox," sobbed Solstice.
"Just go, all of you!" shouted Equinox. "I'll keep it busy as long
as I can. Once you're past it, you'll be at the Tower!"
"NO!" I shouted, straining to free her. "If it wants you, it's going
to have to take me too!"
"You idiot! That's what it wants!"
I turned to Ash and Solstice. "You two, go! Get to the Tower and
defeat Triesha! We'll catch up once I get Equinox out of this thing!"
"Are you dense?" returned Solstice. "You can't get her out of there!
And there's no way Ash and I can take on Triesha by ourselves!"
"Listen to her, Gary," advised Equinox. "If you stay here any
longer, you won't be able to get to the Tower before the Sandwyrm eats
you, too!"
"Don't talk like you're already dead! I'm not going to let go!"
"Pidgeot, go!" shouted Ash, throwing the Pokeball. "Help Gary!"
"No!" warned Solstice, too late. As Pidgeot approached me, the
Clairion swooped at us, knocking both me and Pidgeot backwards. Without
me to hold her up, Equinox fell freely into the hole until her breasts
stopped her descent. She quickly flung her arms straight to her sides to
try to hold herself up, but the hole once again began to expand to admit
her chest.
"Ash, I told you to get out of here!" I shouted, running to grab
Equinox's arms before the Sandwyrm could pull her any deeper into the
ground. I sat in front of her and pressed my weight down on her arms to
keep them horizontal, but the force trying to push them upwards fought
harder against my efforts each second, and my strength was beginning to
ebb from the continued struggle.
"Gary, don't lean on my arms like that," said Equinox. "They'll just
be ripped clean off, and I don't think you want me to go through that
kind of pain."
"Do you want me to go through the pain of knowing that I didn't do
everything I could to try to save you?" I asked her.
"Better than the pain of knowing that everything you could do still
wasn't enough," she returned. "That's a pain you'll only feel for a few
seconds before the Sandwyrm swallows you as well."
"A few seconds longer than I could bear." I let up the pressure on
her arms, which immediately rose to a forty-five degree angle and
continued to rise as the Sandwyrm sucked her deeper into its hole. I
grabbed her shoulders and pulled upwards with all my might. "I'm never
going to let you go!"
"Gary, why? Why are you throwing away your own life in a vain
attempt to save mine?"
I searched for words that could explain my feelings, but none came
to mind. Instead, I bent down and pressed my lips to hers. It was our
first kiss, and as the earth rolled around her, drawing her further into
itself with each passing second, it looked more and more like it would
be our final kiss as well. Her arms reached the vertical, and it was
only my grip on Equinox that prevented her from sliding into the hole
all at once. The rest of the world faded out of existence, although I
was dimly aware of Ash and Solstice arguing about something having to do
with rescuing Misty from quicksand. None of that was as important as the
girl I was kissing... the girl who was slowly being dragged away from me
by the unseen creature. Only now, as the Sandwyrm began to pull her head
under the surface, did I realize what my feelings truly were.
"I love you, Equinox," I said as our kiss was broken. "That's why I
don't want to go on without you."
"I..." She hesitated. "I love you too, Gary." She blew me one last
kiss as her face sank below the lip of the hole. As I watched, the mouth
of the hole closed around her upraised arms, covering her head. I felt
my heart sinking too, as I realized that even if I had a way to produce
enough force to overcome the Sandwyrm's seemingly boundless strength,
the hole wasn't wide enough for Equinox's body to emerge. For the first
time, I understood that my efforts had been futile all along, and that I
truly had thrown my life away for nothing. Yet I stood and grabbed
Equinox's hands despite the futility of the gesture, determined to hold
on to the sweetest chapter of my life as long as possible until the hole
closed over her and erased her from existence forever.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Well, that's all I have for now. Sorry for leaving off at such a
cliffhanger, but I promise that I'll get the next chapter out as soon as
it's written. In the meantime, your C&C can make a difference, so please
respond!
- Nidoking
Welcome to "Whose Line is it Anyway?" where we make things up as we go
along, whether they make sense or badger.
JOHNNY BRAVO: *sigh* The only woman I ever really loved... and she's
gone. I wonder if I'll ever get over - Hey! Nuggets!
JACKIE CHAN: Oh, sorry. I broke your spy camera! (pause) SPY CAMERA?!
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp