ALAI + ENDER VS. RUI + WES

Rui and Wes had been in the wrong place at the right time, to say the least. From the moment they set foot in Canalave City they had been roped up, assumed to be Lux soldiers willing to fight. Rui had paled at the thought of fighting actively in the war, but there was no way out for them. They were trapped by their loyalty. Rui also thought that Wes’ appearance gave off a particular impression or air to those around him – the air that he was ready to fight.

Rui had told Wes that it would be best not to simply leave, but instead go to Iron Island that Lux was assaulting. She wondered if she would be able to get out of fighting anybody, but that seemed unlikely.

That was thirty-five minutes ago.

Neptune, Rui’s Lapras, let out a soft cry as they got to land, and she stopped once they were beside the Island. ”Thanks, Neptune…” Rui murmured, stepping off and returning the Lapras to her pokeball once Wes had stepped off her back as well. Rui was nervous for many reasons, and she was beginning to feel ill. The singular aura of the island that was the result of all the pokemon on the island’s auras uniting was fluctuating rapidly. They were distressed by something, and Rui had the feeling it was caused by the Lux members that had already arrived and started the assault.

Though the auras of pokemon and people were overwhelming to her, she bit her lip to continue on. ”Wes…I know you’re going to complain but…I think we should take separate paths…just for now.” She turned to him. ”We should look around first…see if there are any Nox outside rather than inside their base where everybody else is.” She nodded slightly. ”I’ll be fine, I promise…meet up in about three minutes. I will find you.” His aura wouldn’t be hard to trace, but she wouldn’t let him know that.

With a nod, she set off quickly before he could complain.

As soon as she was out of sight from Wes, she released Soli, the Lucario walking by her side quickly and silently, watching his trainer. He could sense her discomfort, and would offer her support if she needed it. A smoke trail caught her eye and she picked her way through the rugged side of the mountain until she came across large, scattered rocks. That wasn’t normal – the current landscape was rocky, yes, but not those sorts of rocks. Swallowing, she gestured to Soli and they moved through the rocks, picking their way towards what appeared to be a makeshift camp.

When she looked around a rock, she saw a Raichu, Arcanine, and a young boy. Her heart caught slightly and she placed a hand over her sternum, clenching her fist lightly. She wouldn’t announce her presence, but instead wait and see if they attacked first. If they did…well…she would have to think of something to tell Wes.

[[if I screwed anything up let me know orz]]

The fluctuation of the pokemon and person’s auras was sensed easily by Rui. They all seemed fine and healthy, and that much was good. Auras of those that were sick or injured often worried her or gave her a headache – just thinking about the poor pokemon or person in some sort of – Rui stop it! She was letting her thoughts get away from her, and her concentration was not on the opening battle at hand. Her clear blue eyes turned upward into the air when orange and yellow caught her eyes. Four Raichu were there now, though Rui could only sense one Aura from that pokemon in particular.

”Soli,” she murmured softly, bending down slightly towards the Lucario’s pointed ears. ”Take the Thunder Wave. It won’t hurt…but it might hinder your movement.” The Lucario gave a simple nod. Although he would have reacted differently, he would obey his trainer unquestioningly. He stepped out more from the cover than he already was, closing his red eyes and flinching as the Thunder Wave struck him. Blue streams of electricity loosed from the Raichu’s glowing cheeks, and Rui watched as her pokemon was held still beneath the Thunder Wave from behind her rock. Okay, Soli… she thought, taking the opportunity to move from rock-to-rock. She wanted to get nearer to her opponent. She had glimpsed him, but now she wanted to get closer to him.

Master. Rui heard Soli’s telepathic voice for the first time, stopping her in her tracks. So Lucario were able to speak through the power of Aura. What do you wish for me to do? She swallowed, thinking for a moment, still crouched behind a rock. ”I can sense his other pokemon.” she said. ”Block the next hit if possible, and help minimize damage. Then, Extremespeed to get away, and if you can.” The jackal-like pokemon nodded, his quiet voice echoing ‘Yes Master’ within her mind.

Rui picked her way through more of the rocks, desperately trying to find the boy she had seen. ”Please!” she called, ”I don’t want to hurt you or your pokemon! Please stop fighting! Maybe we could talk instead!”

She knew it probably wasn’t believable, but she did not order her pokemon to attack his.

The four Arcanine appeared almost out of nowhere, and Soli closed his eyes, allowing himself to see through Aura rather than focusing on watching the pokemon attack with his own eyes. Their miscolored shapes drew nearer, and they struck. Soli was forced to remain rooted to the spot due to the paralysis, but his upper body and knees were still movable. As the four figures of the Arcanine struck, Lucario raised his two forepaws to aid him in blocking. As their paws lashed out at him, he caught the paws with quick movements of his own, blocking with the backs of them, the dull metal spikes being used defensively as he did not intend to hurt the Arcanine.

Soli did no more than duck from the attacks he could avoid and push paws away, sustaining cuts and scratches until he could get away. He felt the paralyzing grip of the electricity lessen on his body and finally he could move. Leaping into the air with a sudden burst of Extremespeed, he jumped upon one of the rocks to the side, above the heads of the Arcanine and into the small clearing of a campsite, his backs to the orange and black pokemon. The spiked forepaws lowered, pads facing the ground as Soli gently tapped the tips of the paw toes together, as though ending a form. He would remain ready for any pursuit.

[[Rui tries talking to Alai, Lucario mostly defends against the scratches, uses Extremespeed after taking some hits to get away.]]

”I’m not, I promise you!” Rui shouted back to wherever his voice had come from, moments after he retaliated, of course expecting her to lie. It had been worth a shot, though she had only hoped that he would believe her – there was doubt in her mind, and reason for it. She picked her way around another pointed stone that had been laid by the Stealth Rock. She wanted to keep an eye on Soli, wherever he was. She saw the blue Lucario’s form a way off, and let out a silent breath of relief that he had managed to get away. She could sense the stiffness of his limbs from the Thunder Wave, but all that mattered was that he’d been able to get away.

Rui glanced from side to side. The Arcanine passed in front of her gaze for an instant before vanishing from her sight again. She assumed it was going back to the boy. ”Sandy…” she murmured, pulling a pokeball off her belt before releasing a Flygon next to her. ”Fly up in the sky. Then when you…” Her voice trailed off as she saw the trainer and his pokemon rush back into view. Soli had turned as soon as he must have sensed them coming, but he had not been in the appropriate place to react, nor had he been able to do so. The paralyzing Thunder Wave from earlier was taking effect again, completely rooting him to the spot. Though his eyes were closed he could clearly see his opponents.

An anguished cry ripped from his throat as a torrent of flames whipped around him, soon followed by an incredible shock from the Thunderbolt. The cry continued, pained and full of suffering before the Lucario collapsed.

Rui screamed.

She placed her hands on the sides of her temples, her fingers entwined in her red hair, practically pulling the strands out of her head in order to cease the pain she could feel in her mind. Her Lucario’s aura had dimmed to almost nothingness, and she could feel the suffering it was going through, and the sensation ripped through her body that was probably only a fraction of what her pokemon was actually experiencing. ”Soli!” she managed to yell, her voice strangled as she forced it past her scream.

The initial, high-pitched sound had died, but was now reduced to whimpering coming from the young woman. Tears welled up in her eyes and she didn’t even notice that Flygon was no longer beside her. The pokemon, rather than waiting for orders, had flown into the air at the sound of his trainer in such pain. Rui’s knees collapsed beneath her body and she dropped to the ground, curling over with her hands still pressed against her temples, her forehead against the rocky ground.

She barely managed to pull out Soli’s pokeball and extend it in her grasp to return the pokemon before collapsing sideways against one of the pointed stones, tears streaming from her face as she stared at the pokeball in her hand. How could she have allowed that to happen? How could anybody treat a pokemon like that? It was beyond her comprehension.

Meanwhile, Flygon was circling above the ground, waiting until his partner was safe within its pokeball before he shot towards the ground, behind the Arcanine, trainer and pokemon upon its back. Moments before he would have made impact with the ground, he flipped over in mid-air, smacking his thick tail against the earth and shattering it in the powerful Earthquake that ripped across their battlefield.