Book One: Wrath, Chapter Five-
Standing by her father's shop was the Rocket and the Pidgeotto she had grown to hate. He was ordering a beast's fiery breathe along the building. Anything of value was already looted and laying sacked outside. Everything else was left to burn. As she charged at him, with Flubit's staff poised, he spotted his Pidgeotto turn its head, looking at something behind me. He lashed out his arm, striking her with the back of his hand in her face. The blow flattened her, crashing her into the mud. The Kakuna lost its grip and fell at the man's feet with its stinger stuck in the ground, looking right at him. Rei pulled herself from the mud and looked the two of them. His face softened as the Kakuna innocently glared up at him.
"Spike," he said warmly. "Welcome back." He donned a lying smile to draw it to him. The Kakuna's eyes quivered with tears, as it threw itself to his body. He went to embrace it, but Spike had other plans in mind. The cocoon shot past his arms and went directly to his shoulder. The man wailed in pain as Rei witnessed the Kakuna turning on its master. There, its claws pressed hard through his flesh, gripping the bone. While the Rocket tried to rid himself of the pest, it would violently sting his hands as they approached. Finally, he was able to rip it off of him and threw it to the ground ere him. Changing back to his regular demeanor, in a heavy sweep of his foot, he kicked the Kakuna away. "Get that piece of trash way from me," he grimly ordered as he held his bleeding shoulder.
"Oh, but you oh so wanted it back," Rei mocked him. "What's wrong? Is the weakling too much for you to handle." Grunting, he snapped his fingers at the Pidgeotto. After getting its attention, a motion towards Rei sent the bird in flight. She realized that she shouldn't be wasting time. Every second, more of what was left of her home burned. The bird swooped by, but she brandished the staff and fended it off. Her hand rummaged through her pockets while the Pidgeotto turned back. A fast solution was needed, and only one thing could provide.
Upon finding the desired object, she dropped it on the ground In a blinding flash, a massive beast arose. It was not so much as its height since it was no taller then Rei herself, but its girth made up her ferocity. Its eyes looked weary, and its prickly hide was faded and scarred from years of battles. The ancient Behemoth could no longer stand straight and supported itself on one of its arms. On the next pass, Rei batted the Pidgeotto off again and then turned to the Nidoqueen.
"Behemoth," she softly spoke to the hulk, but still loud enough for it to hear her. "It's me, Rei. Do you remember me?" The Nidoqueen's age gave it many problems, and she was unsure to whether it even knew she was there. A low moan was all Rei needed to be sure. "Oh, Behemoth, I hope you can understand me." She placed Flubit's staff before. The beast's eyes focused on the staff until it became clear. With its mammoth paw, it gently touched it. "I'm sorry, but he's gone," she told it. A grave sorrow flooded its eyes. "But, he," Rei stated, pointing to the Rocket, "is the reason for it." She got on her knees and stared deep into its cloudy eyes. "Please, Behemoth, I know it has been years since you last, but I'm begging you. Fight one more battle for Flubit... and me." The Pidgeotto whizzed by overhead. "Good luck," she wished it, kissing it on the head. She stepped back, and the Nidoqueen crouched into position.
The Pidgeotto entered her sights. In a lumbering charge, the Nidoqueen's fist swung at the bird, who easily dodged the slow moving blow. Her fist continued to the ground, where it landed with a thud. Already, the massive creature was panting. All stared blankly at it. The pathetic attempt at an attack sent the Rocket into a fit of laughter. Rei sank down, burying her face in hands, from the embarrassment. The chortle slowly faded away as it was covered by a low rumbling. The earth shook along with it but was not the cause. It was from Behemoth.
The monster's jaw was dropped, revealing what teeth it had left, and its eyes wiped clean, gleaming a pristine white. The rumble grew to a deafening roar as the Nidoqueen's arm regressed further in the soil. The land behind it shattered as a mammoth stone pillar rose up in the Pidgeotto's path, pushing aside scorched rubble. Upon fully ascending, the granite formation shattered, raining splintered shards below. This bombarded the Pidgeotto, wounding it greatly. It flew fast away to a safer place only to be confronted with another jagged obelisk. It was safe to say that the Rocket had quit laughing.
The Pidgeotto grew wise after this and headed for the stormy sky. Behemoth merely looked up to the sky and snorted. Then, lowering her head, she closed her eyes and brought her paws together. She was breathing solidly and looked as if under great pain. Strong winds picked up, yet the bird maintained a true course, aimed right at the Nidoqueen. The air screamed as its wings cut through the air, speeding towards the earth faster and faster. Moments before it would have collided, she threw her arms apart unleashing a thundering roar. The heavens aided in magnifying its blare, clashing violently. The sky itself was cleaved by a single stroke of lightning, a bolt whose size completely engulfed the Pidgeotto. As the brimming light dissipated, the motionless bird crashed into the mud. The Nidoqueen gasped for air profusely as she rolled over to her side. Knowing she had done her best, Rei withdrew Behemoth to a Pokeball.
"What do you think? There's more where that came from, too," Rei lied. "I'd give up before it was too late if I were you." She prayed he did not accept his challenge. Seeing him smirk, she knew it failed.
"Oh really? Well, I was just warming," he replied. He turned his head sharply and barked at the creature next to him, "Holocaust, you're up." All the while, the increasing rain had made it difficult for the shop to burn, so the Growlithe was constantly working the flame to keep it up; however, now it's master called it into battle, and it's task was abandoned. With its lowered head and sagging eyes, it crept to his feet. "This one has actually received decent training. It will be," he chuckled to himself, "much more fun to handle." He was not joking, either. The monster was of a good size, and stood to his waist. Aside from the veil of drear it was shrouded in, it seemed in good condition, too.
"It doesn't matter," Rei fooled with his mind. "As long as you've touched that thing, its been corrupted. It'll go down easier then the last," she bragged.
"Oh really? And how were you planning on fighting back?" He glanced across the darkening landscape. "Nothing is left to come to your aid." Rei frantically spun around, searching for the Kakuna, but it turned up no where. She still possessed Behemoth, but she was in no condition to battle. Laughing his annoying laugh, he turned back to his hound. "Holocaust, go play with your new toy," he snapped at it. It's eyes stayed aimed at the earth. "Holocaust, go!" Uneasily, the hound lurched forward, spreading out its massive paws in the position to pounce. It stared Rei down for only a short while before it made its move.
In a flash, the Growlithe ripped through the air with its maw hanging open and its teeth glistening with the lighting. Rei did not have the time to jump out of the way and could only throw her arms up bracing for impact. Waiting with her eyes clinched, nothing happened. When she opened them, they revealed the Growlithe regaining its footing. In the flashes of thunder, the shell of Kakuna could be seen sticking out of the mud nearby.
"Holocaust," shouted the Rocket, "dispose of that pest." The beast rushed to its side and, gripping it with its jaws, flung it into the air for a firmer hold. Rei cried out it, but it only stared blankly with cold dead eyes. Without any sign of resistance, the Growlithe started a low howl of pain as it worked its teeth through the tough carapace. Rei tried to rip the cocoon from its mouth but was tossed far away in her struggle. Flames of rage began to trickle from its lips, which were quick to reduce the armor. The tension in its mouth was great, building more ever slowly. Rei attempted a rescue yet again but the previous fall had injured her leg, rendering her immobile. She could only watch in pain as the Kakuna was slowly destroyed.
The Growlithe's strife was almost ended. It threw back its head to let its cry of victory ring throughout. A stream of fire broke through the shell. It's jaws snapped shut. The charred cocoon, now in two, fell to the ground with vacant clangs. Rei screamed in agony at the sight. Her face was quickly buried in her hands to conceal her weeping. Expecting praise from its master, the Growlithe was puzzled by his disappointed look.. He paid no attention to his monster or the mourning girl. He was focused on the broken Kakuna. His words were barely loud enough to be heard over her sobbing, but they cut deep into her heart.
"It's... hollow..." Rei's head turned upward upon hearing this, wiping the tears from her eyes. The astonished Rocket stood some ways in front of her motionless. The rain and lightning continued like normal as all were still. Then, without warning, the Rocket fell stiff as a board face first into the mud. On the next clash of thunder, a pair of glowing red eyes and shimmering armor were unveiled in the dark shadows of the night. Rei was overwhelmed with joy; however, the same was not true with Holocaust. As cruel as his master was, it was still loyal to him and would not stand idly by when he was in danger.
All were plunged back into the darkness from the recessing stroke. Holocaust pounced to where it had last seen its target. Thrashing violently, it did not even realize that no foe was present. By the time its senses returned, a quiet buzzing plagued its ears. Determining that the sound came from above, it looked up too late to see the Beedrill drop onto its back, piercing its venomous stinger deep into its flesh. After dismounting, the bee waited for the beast to advance, which did not take long. It lunged forward with its lip drawn back. The Beedrill's slender body slid underneath the jumping dog, and it furiously scored a multitude of wounds to its belly.
The Growlithe slammed into the mud and strove to lift itself up, for the toxins had been working through its system, weakening it. It turned halfway around, its eyes slanted and teeth clinched. Trickles of flame seeped from between its fangs and illuminated the whole area. It blasted the Beedrill, whose tiny body was engulfed in the flame. To its luck, the heavy rain fall had made the flame harder to catch. Utilizing the rare opportunity, the Beedrill ran against the current of fire, straight to the mouth of the beast.
The flames came to a stop as the Beedrill, charred black, stood with its two foreleg stingers down the Growlithe's throat. As its knees trembled, the Growlithe gradually fell to the ground. The poison and many wounds had finally taken their toll. Once Holocaust stopped moving, Beedrill, too, collapsed. Rei hurried to it, supporting herself on Flubit's staff. She picked it up and cradled it in her arms. A laughing caught her attention. It was coming from the Rocket.
"Are you proud, little girl? Do you think you've won? Ha! You've done nothing," he taunted in a weak voice. "This is nothing to Rocket. You're puny victory is a mere speck to the thousands of battles we win each day. It is already forgotten to us." He cackled madly. Rei's face remained cold.
"Then I will make them notice," said she. Grabbing him by the collar, she walked out to the forest. He was puzzled.
"What do you mean?" In drifting half back to consciousness, a more pressing question cam to mind. "What are you doing?"
"I will be noticed," she restated, dropping the man. "One by one, I will crush you until nothing else remains."
"Y-you can't be serious? You'll never be able to it," he told her. The determination in her eyes said otherwise.
"Rockets have destroyed my life," she said, turning away. "I have nothing else to live for, so it's time I return the favor."
"But, what are you doing with me? Hey! Come back here," he shouted. She did not respond. A while later, she came back, dragging the Growlithe with her.
"The good news is that it is still alive," Rei informed him dropping the unconscious monster on top of him. "but he won't wake up for a while. The bad news is you're both stranded in a forest with no wildlife." The Rocket was speechless. "And you just know he's gonna get hungry." She turned away from him for the last time, and walked away with her haunting promise. "One by one..."
The next morning, she gathered up what was left unharmed in the shop: potions, medicines, Pokeballs, food, clothing, personal keepsakes, and, most importantly, her fathers old journals from when he traveled the world. She stood along the outskirts of the village and gazed out at all of the destruction. It was only a few days ago that her life was normal. After gathering what see needed, she summoned Behemoth to put the souls at rest. She gently placed her paws on the earth and closed her eyes. The earth broke open as it pulled down the burnt rubble. As the dust settled, nothing remained in the clearing but a stretch of flat land. After recalling the Nidoqueen, she hoisted the sack of possessions over her shoulder and took a deep breathe.
"Come on, Spike, let's go," she told the Beedrill. It only sat peering out at the emptiness. "Spike?" Still no response. "Ah, I see," Rei came to realize. "That's what you're old trainer called you, and we'll leave it at that. I'll give you a new name, but until then, let me get you a Pokeball." She rummaged through the sack until she found the desired item. When she pulled it out, a page fell out with it. It was from her father's journal. On it was a picture of a Beedrill and categorized information on it. In large letters next to the picture was written a word. "Wrath." The Beedrill's head turned as the word was spoken. "I would say its settled then. Come along now, Wrath," she instructed, hitting it with the Pokeball. In a crimson glare, it was claimed by the orb. Placing it inside of her pocket, she began her trek. "And so it begins," she declared.
