Piercing

By: Theodore 'Blitz' Leung

theoleung@sprint.ca

Ice brushed the back of his hand across Sarpal's cheek, watching the injured female in the bed. She slept so peacefully, despite the large bite marks, now bandaged up, in her left arm, incurred a Dragon attack as Vapour informed him. The Vaporeon barged into the hospital, unable to carry Sarpal by himself of course. He rushed down the hallway, all around making a rather large ruckus while screaming out Ice's name. Ignite had to respond and approached the door, since Vapour obviously wouldn't know which room Ice rested in.

The events triggered each other like dominos, as Ignite then rushed to inform Ice, who was about to quickly rush out until a nurse stopped him, telling him he should still rest. The male Chimera insisted on leaving, informing the nurse of the condition of his companion, but was then told they already had her in their care, as emergency response teams and news crew went to the site of the 'earthquake' and found Sarpal's unconscious body there.

Ice sighed in relief, before asking to see the female Chimera. He was granted that, after a half an hour with Sarpal in recovery. The male Chimera was glad to see the female alright when he did get a chance to visit her, quickly by her side.

"I see the tides have turned…" Ice remarked, clutching Sarpal's right hand tightly, seeing the bandaged left hand. The people informed Ice she was very fortunate that the wounds from whatever attacked her weren't serious. Of course, the male Chimera would know better, realizing the Dragon wouldn't exactly go for a kill. At least, it was like that in his mind, though he really wasn't quite sure. He was just glad Sarpal was okay.

"Yes…they have…" Sarpal whispered, opening her eyes and tilting her head towards Ice. She smiled lightly, returning a tight clutch to Ice's hand, not feeling uncomfortable at all, unlike before, when their faces were only so far apart. The female Chimera tried to raise her left hand, but quickly dropped the idea when it took most of her strength to lift it. "Ow…" she moaned softly, closing her eyes, the pain overcoming her.

Ice shook his head lightly, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face, causing her to open her eyes again and smile, silently grateful for the male Chimera's companionship. She placed a bit more pressure on his hand, pulling him closer. Slowly, she let go of Ice, wrapping her good arm around his neck and pulling him closer, smiling.

"Thank you…" she whispered, in the not to silent gratitude, their face's only mere inches apart again, though the Lapras Chimera didn't really feel all that uncomfortable, or if she was, she wasn't showing it at all.

"I better let you rest…" Ice spoke softly, pulling away. Sarpal giggled a bit, agreeing and dropping her right arm, watching the male Chimera walk backwards towards the door. He smiled, and she returned it, before he crept out the room, closing the door softly.

Sarpal sighed, leaning back, gazing towards the ceiling, glad to see Ice feeling much better, though she can't really say the same for herself at the moment. The Chimera clasped the pendant around her neck, closing her eyes, knowing she would need her rest. She now had an idea what Ice was feeling knowing that the injured were impeding the journey, but some things could not be helped. She could only wait and rest now, much like Ice before her.

* * * * * *

Ice watched Jewel create a bridge of ice spanning between two chairs. They were staying at the Pokémon Centre now, since Sarpal would be joining them soon, after a bit of rest, and Vapour was under the care of Nurse Joy, being injured from his encounter with Jintai.

"Thank you," Ice spoke, walking towards the ice bridge and running his hand over the ice, feeling the smoothness of it. To him, it felt very rough, even if it was ice, sort of. "It's rough."

"Yes…so…?" Jewel asked, a bit curious at what the male Chimera was gunning for. He analysed the bridge a bit more, noting inconsistent widths across the bridge, plus stalagmites hanging off the bottom, unbalancing the bridge. He came to a conclusion afterwards.

"Ice is quite an art form…" he spoke softly, nodding his head lightly. Jewel 'gazed' in confusion, wondering what was meant by those words. "You noticed my ice 'sculptors': ice swords, ice walls, and the like. They are very smooth, though it is from a combination of instantly freezing water. You would think it would be difficult to do, but I grasped it instantly. I do not know why." He ran his hand over the bridge again, before pulling away. "I'm sorry, I was just rambling again. Thank you," he concluded, grateful again. Jewel was still slightly confused, but was glad she could help, departing from the chamber.

* * * * * *

"Is…something wrong with Ice?" Jewel asked Ignite once the Pokémon returned to their chamber, Ice deciding to stay in the 'mini-training room' where they experimented. The Vulpix looked up, shaking his head, not detecting any odd behaviour from the male Chimera.

"Was there something wrong with him when you met?" Ignite questioned, now curious about what happened in that room between Pokémon and Chimera. Jewel 'shook her head'.

"He went on about how ice is an art, and how Ice's 'sculptors' are smooth because of a special technique he uses, and went on saying he grasped it easily, though I got all confused," Jewel answered, looking around. She noticed the absence of other Pokémon.

"They left, needed some air," Ignite informed the Starmie, noting her concern about certain missing Pokémon. "Anyway, in all essence, you try that technique, freezing water instantly, outside, of course." The Starmie nodded slowly, deciding it best to find out for herself. The Vulpix followed her, finding it necessary to enlighten himself with some fresh air, being cooped up inside the Pokémon Centre for who knows how long. They departed without much more of a peep.

* * * * * *

Jewel and Ignite stepped out of the Centre, finding a clear area on the beach of Cianwood, re-opened after a brief, uninformative investigation of yesterday's earthquake. Sarpal was still resting in the hospital, though they were informed she would be free to go later in the day. Even if it might sound cruel, Ignite was glad he had something do now aside from wait.

"Instant freeze over water," Jewel spoke, repeating the process of this 'technique'. She 'inhaled', then 'exhaled', before attempting the manoeuvre. A brief moment to reflect, then the Starmie fired a beam of concentrated water into the air, then quickly tried to freeze it, failing miserably. The water arched back down, giving the ice a curved look, plus stalagmites underneath it. The ice piece shattered when it hit the ground. Jewel was surprised, trying again, only to get the same consequence. "I see what you and Ice mean now…" the Starmie remarked, scanning the ice fragments that littered the ground.

"Trying out the instant freeze technique?" Ice asked, walking towards them, and of course, seeing the show of water and ice that wasn't quite that impressive. The male Chimera was flanked by Sarpal, who was obviously glad to be out of the hospital now, though her injured arm was still wrapped in bandages.

"How do you feel?" Jewel asked Sarpal, ignoring Ice's previous question, though the answer was quiet clear from the ice shrapnel on the ground, melting quickly. The female Chimera nodded her condition, grasping her left arm with her right hand. The male Chimera knelt down, taking a piece of the melting ice, lifting it towards the setting sun and scanning it.

"It melts quickly too…" Ice commented, throwing the piece away and standing back up. "Now you know why I said it's hard to do." Jewel 'nodded' in agreement, psychically picking up one of the fragments, before throwing it out towards the sea.

"I wouldn't call if difficult, more like complex," the Starmie remarked, taking one last shot at the technique. The water went up, but arched back down once again before it was completely frozen, thus another failure.

"Don't worry, I haven't mastered it yet," Ice consolidated, raising his right hand in the air, but of course not doing anything as not to alert the locals. "I can do ice swords fine, but when I try to make smaller or longer ice weapons, they just fall apart. I don't know why." The others of the four tried to compile an answer, though they came up blank, unsure how Ice was so good at the process in the first place, and without understanding, it was hard to come up with an answer. "Eh, don't worry about it anymore," Ice told his companions, detecting their confused looks. "We should get rested for out departure tomorrow."

There were silent agreements from the group as they glanced at the melting ice shards once more, before heading back towards the Pokémon Centre to rest and wait for their companions return.

* * * * * *

Ice raised his palm up, firing his own technique of freezing water, though it failed, leaving him with a rather bent 'staff' that he was originally trying to create. The male Chimera sighed softly, before discarding the item into the ocean below.

They were riding on the back of Melody again, traveling towards the Trilands. It wasn't far off, and they were already seeing the islands in the distance, even if it was one large continent that was mostly submerged.

"Still can't get it?" Sarpal asked, sliding a bit closer to the male Chimera. He nodded his disapproval, clutching his hands into fists. Sarpal could sense Ice's frustration, placing a hand on his shoulder. He quickly looked back, surprised, calming down. She gaze him a brief smile, raising her left arm now, void of bandages and wounds, though there was a visible scar.

"How do you feel?" Ice asked Sarpal, seeing the scar on her arm. She shrugged, stroking the back of Vapour's neck with the injured hand, gazing towards the distance.

"I've felt better," she told Ice psychically, closing her eyes, stretching out with her Psychic abilities. She gasped in surprise, visibly shaken by what she detected. She would've asked Jewel to confirm, but the Starmie was in her Pokéball, deciding to help conserve room on Melody. Skymin did the same, though he wouldn't be taking room. The Pidgeot just felt he had to stay close to Ice, some reason.

"What's wrong?" Ice quickly asked, as Vapour, Jolt, and Ignite quickly aroused too form their slumber, the surprise gasp awakening them. Even Melody glanced back, wondering what was going on.

"Melody, speed up!" Sarpal ordered harshly, not explaining her self. The Lapras didn't argue, though it was too late. The Pokémon cried out as she was basically toppled to the side, throwing all her passengers overboard. They found themselves in the middle of a Whirlpool attack that drew them in, unable to do anything. They all struggled, but to no avail as the torrent of water sucked them down below.

* * * * * *

Ice coughed out water, on his knees, quickly catching his breath. He may be part Lapras, but he sure in hell wasn't used to keeping his breath for so long underwater. The male Chimera quickly glanced around, finding his companions alright, definitely drenched, but still okay. Slowly, he got to his feet, finding himself in some sort of underwater cave. The small lake behind them was a sign on where they came in from. Stalagmites hung from the ceiling, dripping water. It was unusually bright considering the circumstances. The male Chimera wasn't bothered about the light though, approaching Sarpal and offering her a hand. She took it gratefully, being hulled to her feet.

"Thank you," she spoke softly, still coughing out water, also unused to the underwater element of a Lapras. A quick scan of cavern lead them to believe there was only one exit, and it was deeper down in the cave system. That, or go back swimming, which wasn't an idea for any of them at the moment. Ice recalled Melody back into her Pokéball, leaving only Vapour, Jolt, and Ignite as their guards. A quick check to see if everyone was alright, and they departed deeper into the catacombs, alert and ready for anything.

* * * * * *

"You have arrived…" a voice echoed through the cavern, pausing everyone in their tracks. They all gazed forward, the source of the voice, as well as the source of some rather loud footsteps that made the ground tremble. From the darkness before them revealed another of 'their' kind, a Dragon. He was humanoid in appearance, sort of, better said as a Gargoyle. He had long Dragon wings stretching from his back. A muscular build made him intimidating, as was his height. His clawed hands extended, preparing for battle. On his forehead was a rather large and long horn, and no one wanted to get that piercing through them.

"Did you enjoy my Whirlpool?" another hissed, followed by the quick and light footsteps behind them. Their gaze detected another Dragon, blue skinned, smaller then Jintai, but more 'plump' for lack of better description. Beefy may be better said, though the small Dragon was moving quickly despite that.

"Water and Fighting…" Sarpal commented, dropping Jewel's Pokéball and releasing the Starmie. The star shaped Pokémon hovered around, before setting beside Sarpal.

"I got Water," Ice commented, the pair of Chimera's back to back now. Ignite and Ice faced off the Dragon, but not before Jolt joined their lines, under Sarpal's orders to assist with, considering Ice couldn't really release Skymin into the cramped conditions of the cave.

"Issui, be careful…" the humanoid Dragon told his companion, though she snapped back with greater force, annoyed with the other's concern.

"You watch out for yourself, Kioi," Issui returned as her answer, her eyes narrowing as she watched the Chimera and his escort before her. She leaped backwards, retreating.

"Hey, come back here!" Ice yelled out, giving chase, his pair of Pokémon pursuing as well, leaving Sarpal and her pair to handle Kioi. The Dragon didn't stay put for long, rushing forward with a defiant roar, horn down and charging. He moved quickly, nearly catching them off guard, as the trio leaped away, or tried to. Sarpal found herself gripped around the neck by the Dragon's hand, who somehow shot out and caught her. They kept on travelling, before the Chimera cried out, getting smashed into one of the walls of the tunnel. The grip was released from her grip, but the blow nearly knocked her out in one attack as she fell to her knees.

"Sarpal!" both Vapour and Jewel screamed out, seeing their trainer smashed against the wall, an impression of her body left in it. The each fired an Ice Beam into the Dragon, but it only annoyed him greatly, though his wings were frozen solid. He lunged towards the pair of water types, ready to tear them apart.

Jewel flew away, barely, but Vapour yelled out something indiscernible as Kioi hoisted him up in a vice grip between his two arms, leaped into the air as high as possible, before coming back down and slamming Vapour into the ground - Seismic Toss.

Jewel, in desperation launched a Psychic at the Dragon, which did little but to anger him more. He turned his attention towards the hovering Starmie, opening his mouth. Mini missiles in the hundreds fired from his mouth, poking at Jewel, but enough to push her backwards, the combined effect doing what it intended to do. The Pin Missile attack was concluded, and Jewel felt the pain of it. She hovered still long enough for the Dragon to grab her by one hand, reeling back his other hand and giving the Starmie a strong punch to her core. She screamed out as the jewel was cracked by the blow.

"Jewel!" Sarpal mustered out, trying to stand up, but that one blow left her breathless, as she collapsed again. The female Chimera concentrated, trying to muster some Psychic attack, though in her condition, none came. She ran her hand over the pendant around her neck, intuition striking.

"Psychic Pierce!" the Chimera ordered psychically, though she wasn't sure if the Starmie heard from all the pain she was going through. It came clear to Sarpal when Jewel started concentrating her energy, what was left, trying to bypass the pain she felt. One blow, one strike, mentally, into the mind of the foe.

Kioi released Jewel from his grip, who fell to the ground in pain, thankfully on her back, and not on her broken core. The Dragon gripped his head tightly, screaming in agony as that one attack pierced into his mind. A throbbing migraine emerged as he collapsed onto his knees, crying visibly, clutching his head as the effect passed through his mind.

In the next instant, he collapsed, unable to withstand anymore and passing out.

* * * * * *

"Jolt, Agility!" Ice ordered, finding it difficult to keep up with the water Dragon known as Issui. The Jolt nodded, rushing ahead with speed, cutting off Issui's retreat path, and causing the Dragon to stop. She growled, before lunging at the Jolteon. The response was a Thunderbolt sent up the Dragon, but she ignored the pain, leaping onto the Jolteon. They rolled about, before Issui got the upper hand, leaping away, watching Jolt slowly being levitated. He gasped, before getting thrown into the wall by a Psychic attack.

"No!" Ice yelled out, as Ignite just opened fire with a Flamethrower again Issui. She quickly looked back, seeing the flames comes, before disappearing from existence. The flames passed over her previous location like nothing.

In the next instant, she reappeared from her Faint Attack, slamming right into Ignite and past the pair. Ice quickly turned around, forming an ice sword in his hands and slashing towards the water Dragon. He missed completely as the Dragon leaped up and over Ice, bouncing off his back that sent him flying forward. The Chimera recovered soon, and turned around, getting a Hydro Pump to his stomach. He fell backwards, dropping the ice weapon. Seeing the opportunity, Issui leaped towards Ice, bearing her fangs and ready to open him up good. In the next instant, Ice had in his hand a staff made completely of ice, trusted into the underbelly of the leaping Dragon. She cried out in surprise and groaned in pain, though Ice didn't let the opportunity up. Using his past experience he dropped the Dragon by quickly retreating the weapon, but while she was falling, he swung the staff like a bat, shattering the rod as it hit the Dragon, though visibly shaking her as she was sent into the wall similar to Jolt's experience. She was knocked out for good, though so was most of Ice's team in only a few hits. The Chimera sat up straight, looking down towards the ice shrapnel of his former weapon, wondering how he just did that.

Fin