Nothing Greater: Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Fight
Midday could not come quickly enough for Drek. He kept thinking about how easily Zenith had bested Thael, and he could only dream that he would be able to fight like that when these sessions were over. He knew he wouldn't be as strong or as quick as the others simply because he wasn't fully evolved yet, but he would do his best regardless. Surely the others would understand that he had his limitations. The best one would be that all the others could fly whereas he couldn't. If there were any aerial-specific things to learn, he would have to sit idly by and find some other way to engage in the learning.
He was waiting impatiently in the cave for Seria to return. Charc had been instructed to stay inside for at least another day because they weren't sure how long it would take Agro to recover, and even then, when the others would be comfortable letting him go out. He couldn't help but feel happy as Charc spent his morning practicing his newly-found fire breath. He made about half a dozen successful flame spurts before all he could get out was smoke.
After several more tries of no luck, he got frustrated and said, "Why isn't it working? I'm not doing anything different!"
Drek remembered back to his younger days when he was first learning it too. Now that he was evolved it wasn't a problem, but when he was first trying to master it, he too would have trouble doing it multiple times in a short succession. He was never specifically told why from his parents because they died before they got a chance, but he and Seria came to the conclusion that the body just can't produce that much fire and needs time to regenerate.
He said back, "You're not doing anything wrong. Your body just doesn't have enough fire left."
He interrupted him with a worried look on his face, "What!? Do you mean I can't breathe fire anymore!?"
He smiled back and said, "For now, yes. Don't worry. Give it an hour or so and you should be able to do it again. Think about it like our water supply. If we drink all of it, we can't get any more water out of it until we go fill it back up. Your body is the same way with fire. You can't breathe fire if you're empty."
He seemed disappointed by the explanation. He had just learned to do it and he wanted to practice it as much as he could. It wasn't fair that he had to wait. He wanted to be able to shoot a big column of fire just like Agro did. Agro typically did a good job of not calling to mind their age difference of a few months which made Charc seem like more than just a friend, but his equal in every way (save for their color). This was something that contradicted that, and he would feel as though he weren't old enough as long as he couldn't do it.
In secret, he was kind of happy that they had told him to stay away from Agro for another day, because he was gonna use that time to perfect his fire so that he could show him what he could do now. He inhaled deeply and let a puff of smoke escape through his mouth again to show his frustration before he sat down and went back to tracing his claw in the dirt as he did when he was bored.
Drek loved his determination and stubbornness. It reminded him a lot of himself when he was that age. He seemed to always have to prove to Seria that he was a strong brother. He couldn't even count how many times he had gotten him self in trouble or been in serious danger all because he was stubborn and wanted to show that he was braver or stronger than his age showed. His reverie was interrupted as Seria came back.
He said, "Ah, there you are."
She set down the food in its usual spot and then said, "Yeup; here I am." The two of them embraced each other in their traditional hug, and after they broke the contact, she glanced over at Charc's sitting on the ground, and she inquired to Drek, "What's up with him?"
Drek laughed and said, "Oh, he's just mad that he has to wait to practice his fire breath. He did it so much while you were gone that he exhausted his body's supply."
She laughed as well as she thought back when she used to run out of fire, and she said to Charc, "Don't worry Charc. It's better to find out your limits now then in a fight or something. You wouldn't want to be trying to show off to Agro only to have it not work."
She did have a point, and he realized that it was important to practice and get better, but it was just as important to save up so that he could unleash a big stream of fire when it mattered. That mentality brightened his mood a bit, and the fact that now there was food helped even more. He got up and went over to the pile, sifting through it to find his favorites. Not finding the one he wanted, he said, "Still no more blue ones?"
She said, "We can't find them anymore. They must be the rarest berries around here. But don't worry, whenever I find some, I'll be sure to bring some back for you two."
He said, "Aww, ok then" and went to nibbling on another one that caught his eye.
Drek reached down and snagged three of them from the pile and then said, "Alright, I'm gonna head out now. Don't wanna be late."
Charc said, "Late for what?"
Drek mentally kicked himself for blabbing. He had wanted to keep it a secret, but he hadn't even started and he already leaked it. He said, "Mister Zenith is teaching me how to fight like him."
Charc's eyes perked up and he said excitedly, "Ooh! Can I come too?"
Seria chimed in, "Sorry Charc. Mister Zenith was very specific about who could be in his little fighting class and who couldn't. You would have to ask him yourself the next time you see him."
His face dropped into a pouting face and he said, "But I wanna go."
Drek patted him on the head and said, "Sorry kiddo. Ask mister Zenith, but it's not up to us."
Charc didn't respond and went back to eating his fruit with a sullen look on his face. Drek started to head out when Seria interrupted his movements.
"Why are you leaving now? It's nowhere near time yet."
He knew he was gonna be early, but he was too anxious to stay and wait. If nothing else, just getting outside would be a good change of scenery for him. He responded, "Yeah, I know. I just wanna make sure I'm not late and I'd like to warm up a bit before we start."
"Fair enough. Just be careful."
He said, "I will. Bye."
She and Charc said in unison, "Bye." And he practically skipped out of the cave. The weather outside was wonderful, and he felt more refreshed just being out again. Based on where the sun was, he definitely had about an hour to kill before it was time to meet. He looked ahead to the lava pool, and sure enough, no one was there yet. That was ok though. He'd find some way to entertain himself as he waited.
As he got closer to the lava pool, he noticed the carvings that surrounded it. He had always glanced at them, but he had never actually looked at them in detail. He figured that would be a good way to spend his time, and he could observe them as he ate his food. The wall of the lava pool was taller than he was, and the etchings were about his height. He couldn't imagine how much work went into creating these things.
He was told that each one was unique in some way. He wasn't really sure what was meant by that until he started looking at them more closely. He took the first one he saw and saw a Charizard with his left horn missing from his head. There were little etchings of unique symbols underneath whoever the Charizard was. This one had a circle and what looked like a feather of some sort. Drek had no clue what they meant, but he figured it was some sort of code that others in the Valley knew to identify each of the Pokemon.
He moved to the next one and didn't see any distinguishing characteristics like a missing horn on this one. The symbols underneath him were different though. He had three wavy lines under him and that was all. The first two carvings were at a side angle, but the next one he came to was facing as though his back were to the lava, and he seemed to stare directly at him. His wings were very spread out, and under each wing was a tiny Charmander.
Each one was more interesting than the next, and before he knew it, he had circumnavigated the entire thing. There were just as many free spots on the wall as there were filled ones. He wondered what they would do if or when they ever ran out of space and wanted to commemorate another Valley member. He had been slowly eating the fruit while he was studying each figure, and he was finished with it when he was done looking.
It was good timing too, because no sooner had he finished inspecting the last Pokemon did Zenith show up. He startled Drek when he spoke because he was so engrossed in the last picture. He said, "All of them truly did leave an impact on the rest of us. Whether it was one deed or a lifetime of them, each of them deserved this honor."
Drek was curious if he knew what the symbols meant, so he went to the one he had started on and pointed to the etching and asked, "What do these mean?"
Zenith responded, "Oh, those tell us what each one did. This one for example" he pointed to the circle "denotes the sun, and this feather means wind or blowing. This particular Charizard is famous because a long time ago, a volcano erupted close to here, and when it did, it filled the air with black ash. The entire Valley was cut off from the sun for days on end, and the story goes that he flew up into the sky, and he used his powerful wings to clear the air of the debris."
"It is said that it took him three full days and nights to accomplish the task, and when it was all done, he fell from the sky in exhaustion. He died from overexertion, and it is said that he passed after catching one final glimpse of the sun and smiling."
Drek had no idea that there was a story that was that involved just from a carving in some rocks. He said, "Wow... He died for the good of the Valley. That's so sad, but he deserves to be remembered for it. What about the others?"
Moving to the next one, Zenith said, "These three lines mean speed. This Charizard didn't give his life for the Valley like the previous one; his story is a little more joyful. There was a large bird Pokemon with a long tail with a golden stripe down the middle that came to the Valley. He boasted that he was the fastest flying Pokemon in the world, and his whole life, he had never met an equal. He put out a challenge to all of the Charizards at the time to see if any of them would challenge him to a race to prove that he was in fact the fastest.
"Each Charizard that tried the task failed pretty handily, and the bird was left to gloat about his speed. That is until this particular Charizard challenged him. I wish I could have been there to witness the race, but I was told by my elders when I was younger that those two flew neck and neck for the entire race, and only with one last surge of energy, the bird was defeated. They all thought that he would be a sore loser, but the bird was respected as well because he took his loss to heart and left with his head held high, and that was the last that was heard of him."
Moving to the next one, he said, "This is considered the 'Father of Charizard Valley'. His carving has been here longer than any of us or any of my elders can remember. Legend says that he was the first Charizard to arrive here. He thought the land was beautiful, and he wanted others of his kind to know the same beauty. He spent his life flying around the world to spread the word that the Valley existed. Because of him, Charizards from all over the world arrived, and mates were found when they might not have ever been, and ever since, we've been here. It is unknown whether he sired any children of his own, but he is still considered everyone's father."
He was about to continue with the next carving, but another Charizard showed up, and shortly after him, a second, and then a third. He said to Drek, "Oh well, remind me and I'll tell you about the others another day. For now, I think it's time to get ready."
Drek nodded and was filled with awe at the stories he had just heard. He wanted to know more, but it would have to wait. For now, he would enjoy the fun time he was sure to have in the class. He waited patiently as they waited for the rest to show up. It only took a few minutes for the rest to arrive, and after being ushered into a line so that Zenith could more-easily address them, he said, "I think that's everyone, so let's begin."
* * *
Thael winced as he tried to stretch his broken wing. The pain was definitely getting more bearable, and he knew that it would heal in no time if he kept the strain off of it. That time couldn't come soon enough for him though. He wanted to get his revenge and he wanted to fly through the air, roaring in triumph whenever he did.
His day so far had been fairly boring. He had requested one of his minions to bring him some dirt or sand, and he would use it to sketch out anything that he felt might be useful. He had seen a couple of them briefly when they brought him his food and what he requested, but other than that, he hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of them. That was a good thing though. He didn't want any of them to be seen by the Valley inhabitants, and if he couldn't see them when they were on his own mountain, how could the others see them when they were far away?
He had a pretty good setup considering how things were. His food and water were brought to him, he was left alone for the rest of the day to think and recover, and the way the mountain around his cave was, he could even leave to take care of business in private if he had to. When he had finished eating his ration of food for the time being, he used his good wing and tail to take the dirt and spread it as evenly as he could on the floor.
It took a while, but he wasn't in a particular hurry, so that didn't bother him. When it was fixed how he wanted it, he thought about what he should put in it. He could erase anything he thought he didn't need and revise it as much as he wanted until he was sure that he had everything down. Since it was already past morning, he figured he wouldn't be able to observe them, but he could get a good idea of the Valley itself and the land surrounding it.
He decided that first he must map out the area and see if there were any good hiding spots or vulnerable places that would be good to attack from. It would be a slow and arduous process of walking out to look at the Valley and going back inside to sketch out a little bit, but time was on his side. He spent the day doing just that. He would walk to the edge of the mountain and stare at the surrounding land until he had every detail of a little portion figured out in his head.
He would then go back inside and use the tip of his tail to mark it on his makeshift map. He didn't get everything right on the first try, and he found himself needing to smooth out small portions to redo them so that he would be sure to have it as accurate as possible. He lost track of how many hours he spent doing the task, but before he was even a quarter of the way done, his entire sand palette was filled and the light from the sun was fading.
He decided to call it for the day and ask for more sand to be brought the next day so that he could continue his work. He went back inside and admired his work, actually proud of himself for all that he had accomplished. Soon, he would have the entire area finished, and he would be able to sit in the comfort and safety of his cave and plan without having to double check himself. It would be the perfect work station, and with a long time to wait for his wing to heal, he actually looked forward to planning out the attack and waiting for it to work perfectly.
* * *
Drek was sent flying backwards onto his back as a gust of strong wind hit him in the stomach. He did his best to stand up to it, but in the end, he just wasn't strong enough. All day, he had been thrown around, and it was starting to get to him. Zenith had mentioned that the others shouldn't go all out on him just because he wasn't fully evolved yet, but even if they were holding back, it was still overpowering.
Zenith called out concerned, "Are you alright Drek?"
He got up off the ground as quickly as he could, which admittedly wasn't that fast because he was starting to get fatigued from the constant beat down. He called back, "Yeah, I'm fine."
The Charizard who had initiated the attack made an overly exaggerated groan, and said to Zenith, "Why is he even here? None of us are getting anything out of it, and when we do try new things, we can't use them to our potential."
As if he needed more reasons to feel tired from the session, the emotional impact he was getting from hearing what the others thought drained him even more. He had been so excited for this class, but now, he just wanted to walk home alone and go to sleep. He was about to hang his head low and do just that, but Zenith spoke up for him.
"He's here because I want him here. If any of you have a problem with that, then you can leave. You don't know what kind of power he has. You may be skeptical, but I've seen it with my own eyes. If we can unlock that power, it will be a great asset."
Another Charizard chimed in, "Yeah, yeah. We heard you talk about this blue fire already. If he really does have it, why doesn't he show us? If it really is as powerful as you say it is, then I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that we wanna see it."
All eyes fell on Drek, and it was up to him to prove Zenith's point. Even Zenith was staring at him, but he was looking worried whereas the rest were skeptical or curious. Both Drek and Zenith knew that he didn't know how to control it yet. It just seemed to happen spontaneously. Admittedly, he hadn't actively tried to just summon it on command, so maybe he would be able to. Regardless of if he could or not, all eyes were on him, and he had to try.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, and he concentrated on building up the most power he could summon in his chest. He held it in as long as he could until it felt like he was gonna burst into flame if he held back any longer. Opening his mouth, he unleashed everything he had. Sadly, all it was was the same fire that everyone else had: nothing new.
When the attack was finished, one of them said, "Humph, my daughter can do that; that's nothing special." The others joined in, and a cacophony of murmurs resounded throughout the group. Drek wished that he could just crawl behind the lava pool and hide until they had all gone home. He was incredibly embarrassed about being put on the spot like that and failing miserably. He caught Zenith's face, and he could tell that Zenith had empathy for him. Even though he got some comfort from Zenith, he couldn't help but look down at the ground in front of him to avoid seeing the others.
Zenith said loudly over the unintelligible gossip, "Alright, alright, get ahold of yourselves. I told you that he's here to figure out how to unlock that hidden power of his. If he could already do it, then he wouldn't be here. Now you can believe me or not, but I've witnessed this power for myself, and it's more than you can imagine. Rather than overpowering him with strength, let's try to help him figure out how to control it."
His little speech seemed to calm them down for the most part. It was anyone's guess how long they would remain that way though. Hopefully they would keep the attitude because Drek wasn't too thrilled at the moment. Whether they believed Zenith or not was a different question altogether, but as long as they let up, then everything would be fine.
Zenith turned and glanced at the sun. It was fairly low to the horizon, so he turned back to the group and spoke up again. "Alright, it's getting late. Everyone go back and spend some time with your families and rest before going to sleep. We'll start tomorrow at the same time, and I think we'll work on different fire control techniques."
All the others except Drek voiced their approval with the plan and then went their separate ways. Every Charizard who passed his way didn't even so much as glance at him. Even though his eyes were fixed on the ground, he could still see in his peripheral vision. He stood there seemingly alone as he heard the sounds of steps recede from him. He probably would have stayed there until it was dark, but a pair of Charizard legs stopped in front of him, and he lifted his head up to see who it was.
Zenith was smiling at him and said, "You okay?"
He sighed and responded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I just really wanted to show them... but I don't know how to do it yet, and without that, I feel like I'm slowing everyone down. And from their comments, they seem to think that as well. I'm just feeling discouraged and that maybe I shouldn't be in this class."
Zenith reached out a claw and patted him hard on the back and said, "Hey, you're doing fine. The fact that you took all of that today and got right back up and kept fighting shows that you've got a lot of spirit and determination: a hell of a lot more than the rest of them. You know what we're up against and they don't. I've seen what you can do and they haven't. And about your blue fire, don't worry about it right now. We'll figure out how to make that thing work, and once we do, they'll believe. You just keep your spirit up, and the day will come when you prove them wrong. What do you say? Can I count on you to be here tomorrow?"
Zenith really did know how to say the right things at the right time. Drek couldn't help but smile back at him, and he nodded in approval saying, "I'll be here."
"Good to hear it. Now you get home and get some rest, and let me know how Charc's doing with his fire."
"Alrighty, I'll do it. And I'll try not to get burned by him."
"That's the spirit. See you tomorrow then."
"Bye."
They departed and made their way home. The initial excitement that Drek had had at the beginning of the day was gone, but a new wave of it began to well up inside of him from Zenith's kind words. He would absorb as much information as he possibly could and he would concentrate even harder on figuring out how he managed that blue fire attack. If only he could figure that out, then everything would be so much easier.
The next day's session was a little easier because of his determination, and he seemed to catch on just as quickly if not faster than the others with the new techniques they learned. As the days turned into weeks, there was still no progress made on his blue fire, and honestly, he had forgotten about it because he was concentrating so much on the other stuff. He had learned to use his smaller size to his advantage by being a harder target to hit and to use his opponent's size and strength against them.
Eventually, none of the other Charizards save for Zenith could easily take him down. The only real trouble he had was when they took to the air and used their aerial speed and maneuverability to keep him from counterattacking. To him it wasn't really fair to resort to that, but at the same time, he realized that Thael would resort to it if he had to, so he had to learn how to deal with it.
* * *
Thael had long since finished his map of the surrounding terrain, and as the days went by, he studied it and marked on it with new findings about their daily life schedules. He used his newly-found knowledge and over the days, he was slowly but surely forming what he considered to be a full-proof plan. Every day, his wing got stronger, and it not longer pained him to move it. It still didn't support his weight, but he was patiently awaiting for it to be one hundred percent any day.
Finally the day came when he stared down at his masterpiece in the dirt and could not find any fault with his plan. He had considered everything from every angle that he could think of, and the success of his idea depended solely on his ability to fly. It had been about a month since the injury had occurred, but when he flexed his wing muscles and stretched and folded the membrane, he couldn't feel anything wrong with it.
With his plan finished, he decided to gather his allies and carefully explain his attack strategy. Before he could do that, however, he needed to make sure that he could fly, and not just fly, but fly well. He walked out of his cave and went to the side of the mountain that faced away from the Valley, and with a deep breath of air for courage, he leapt off the stone surface and flapped his wings to keep his weight airborne.
He was a little shaky at first because he hadn't flown in over a month, but he could instantly tell that his wing was completely healed. With his aerial freedom restored, he spent the rest of the day performing complex aerial maneuvers to make sure he was truly fine. He flew until he was literally exhausted and feared he might pass out if he kept it up. He angled back to his home and landed safely. The day was too far gone to get all his minions together, so he decided to just call it a night.
He studied his plan over and over to make sure that he remembered everything and that he hadn't overlooked something. When the next day arrived and his food was brought to him, he told the fruit-bringers to get everyone together on the mountain's base on the opposite side of the Valley, and by midday, everyone was awaiting him to speak. Telling his plan to them in excruciating detail, he let them know where each of them was to be stationed at what time, where to hide, when to come out of hiding, when to attack, basically everything. By the time all the questions were asked and all the information was laid out, Thael ordered them to rest and prepare for the invasion.
They all went back to their homes, Thael included, and as he touched down on the rocky surface, he took one long look at the Valley. Soon, he would see his hard work and planning come to fruition. The only factor that he could think of would be whether his mobility in the air would be enough. He stretched his wing out one more time and bent it as many ways as he could until he was satisfied that everything would be fine.
"Tomorrow" he thought to himself. Tomorrow would be the day where he would either come out on top or die trying. He wasn't sure how he was going to sleep, but he knew he needed his rest. Glancing one more time at his masterpiece, he did his best to fall asleep. It took longer than normal, but eventually he was sound asleep, and all night he dreamed about the success of his mission.
* * *
The next day in the Valley started as any other day had in the past month. Families went about their morning rituals, and when midday arrived, the fighting class assembled in their usual spot. They were amazed at how much faster, stronger, and more tactical they were when it came to fighting. Originally, all of them had started attacking their opponents directly, but as time went on, they learned to predict each other's movements, and they would attack where their opponents were going to be.
This in turn made all of them more cautious and unpredictable with their movements, and all in all, they were pleased with the results. It also amazed them that every time they met, Zenith had something entirely new for them to work on. The amount of knowledge and fighting prowess he possessed were unheard of, and even with everything that they could do, he could still best each and every one of them in combat. They were all exhausted at the end of their class as they were every day, and when the time came to quit, they were thankful for the rest.
In the outskirts of the Valley, Thael waited patiently as the rest of his small army took their spots that he picked out. They were all designed so that they could essentially surround the Valley and remain hidden while at the same time being able to see all that was going on. Thael kept a close eye on the group around the central pool, and when he saw them starting to depart, he signaled for his plan to begin.
The others nodded to show that they saw his order, and they slowly crept out of their hiding places. Every home in the Valley was in the rocky surface that surrounded the area, and each home had one or more ambushers waiting. The Charizards separated from each other, each going to his own home. Drek and Zenith were heading that way as well, and as they got closer, screams caught their attention, and they turned to see what the trouble was.
They looked on in shock as the twenty or so Charizard fighters were ambushed, and numerous fights broke out. They were Pokemon that they had never seen before, and they didn't know what they were capable of. Zenith was about to move to start helping them, but he yelled out in pain and fell forward on his stomach. Drek only caught a glimpse of it, but he knew what it was from the little he saw. It was that same orange attack that Thael had used so many times in their last encounter.
He turned to find the source, and sure enough, Thael was hovering in the air, grinning triumphantly as he dared Zenith to come after him. Zenith got back up and rubbed the back of his head where the attack had struck him, and he looked at his assaulter with fire in his eyes. He cast another look back at the others who were in the heat of battle as well, and he was torn between going after Thael right now and trying to go help the others.
Wracking his brain, he figured that if he could get rid of Thael early, then the others would follow. He hoped that the rest would be alright fighting by themselves. He was confident that with their training, they would know what to do. With his mind calmed, he turned back to Thael and said to Drek, "Drek, I want you to stay out of this one. Thael is mine, and without your hidden power, I'm worried about your safety."
Drek wasn't too happy to hear those words. He had worked hard for the past month specifically for something like this, and then he was practically ordered to stand idly by and just watch. He trusted Zenith with his life though, and if that's what he wanted, then that's what he would do. He had bested Thael before, and he would do it again. Drek said, "I'll stay out of harm's way."
Zenith said, "Thank you" and with that, he leapt off the ground with a powerful flap of his wings, and sped off to meet Thael. Drek stood where he was and divided his attention between Zenith and the others. He didn't know what Pokemon they were, but they were also adept at fighting. It also didn't help that there were clearly more of them. He couldn't make out how many there were, but there had to be at least thirty of them.
As Zenith got within speaking distance of Thael, he slowed down so that they were both hovering in an aerial standoff. Zenith said, "I see you're feeling better. But you're obviously not thinking if you're so eager to be put out of commission again."
Thael smiled and said, "Last time I was overconfident, enraged, and we were in an enclosed space. Don't think for one second that I've gotten any weaker since our last encounter, and if anything, I've gotten stronger."
He responded, "I would never underestimate a strong Pokemon like yourself. Though, I hope you've prepared for this to end in a similar fashion like last time."
He said back, "Oh, I've done my research fire breath." His mouth glowed orange again as he prepared another attack.
Zenith smirked and said, "Is that really all you've got? You caught me off guard earlier, but it won't happen again."
Thael's eyes narrowed and he said, "Are you so sure about that?"
Drek watched as two more of the mysterious Pokemon stood up out of their hiding spots and launched two water attacks right at Zenith's back. He obviously wouldn't be able to see them with his attention focused on Thael, so Drek did the only thing he could think to do. As the water flew through the air, he screamed as loudly as he could, "Zenith! Watch out!"
It was too little too late though, and Zenith rotated in mid-air only to be hit directly with both high-powered jets of water. In the midst of all that, Thael unleashed his own attack which hit its target dead on. Zenith roared out in pain, and he momentarily was stunned so much that he lost control of his wings and started falling to the ground.
Drek watched in horror as Thael angled his body down and flew with speed that he hadn't seen before. Before Zenith could recover from his downward tumble, Thael slashed him with his talons eliciting another yell of pain from him, but before he could make another pass, Zenith righted himself and eyed one of the water Pokemon. He flew toward him, and another stream of water was sent in his direction.
He angled his wings so that he dodged the attack, and before the other Pokemon could brace himself, he was knocked down as Zenith rammed full force into him. He did a backwards somersault in the air and aimed straight for the fallen Pokemon's chest at a sickening speed. Just before he slammed into him, he twisted his body and used his leg to deliver his entire weight on his foe. The poor water Pokemon passed out from the force of the blow without so much as a sound.
Turning toward the other Pokemon, Zenith let a puff of smoke escape through his nostrils, and that was enough for the other to run away in fear. The time he spent with them was enough for Thael to prepare his next attack. His tail glowed almost white, and he flew toward his opponent with the same lightning speed as before. Zenith saw him in his peripheral vision and shot a quick flamethrower in his direction, but Thael's speed surprised him and he easily dodged it.
As Zenith tried to guard himself, Thael spun his body around, whipping his tail at him. He assumed that he could block the attack, but there was a lot more force behind it than he was prepared for, and he was sent onto his back from the blow. Drek thought that it was over based on how hard he was hit, but to his surprise and amazement, Zenith was standing back up in almost no time.
He stood firm where he was and waited for Thael to inevitably loop back around for another attack. As Thael did just that, Zenith started flapping his wings very quickly, but he stayed on the ground. As he got closer, Zenith unleashed another breath of fire, but this time he aimed it at the ground in front of him. Drek didn't understand the purpose of it, but as he observed, he understood quickly enough.
Thael's tail glowed white again, and just when he was about to be in range, the fire that he had been breathing erupted straight up into a massive, rotating pillar. Thael tried to stop his flight path or divert it, but he was too involved in his own attack to avoid Zenith's. He flew right into the heart of the spinning inferno and screeched out in pain as his entire body was engulfed in the flames.
He emerged on the other side of the fire, smoking and with his tail no longer glowing, and as he tried to recover from the burning, Zenith took to the air and intercepted him. He extended his claws and grabbed him by the tail, and with a quick flick of his body, he threw him into the still-present fire column.
Drek heard Thael scream again as the flames made contact with his body, and then he was surprised to see Zenith fly in after him. When they both disappeared behind the rotating fire, Drek was able to tear his gaze away from them to see how the others were fairing. They didn't seem to be doing that well based on what he saw. At least five Charizards were on the ground or hunched over in pain. It was true that Zenith had prepared them for combat well, but even he couldn't have predicted water Pokemon to be Thael's friends.
Drek was also aware that multiple families had emerged to watch as well. Even Seria and Charc had emerged from the safety of their home, and not too far away, Zenith's family was watching too. Drek was wondering why the other Charizards weren't using their flying to their advantage, but he got his answer as soon as he thought it. One of the Charizards took to the air either to get a better position or to get out of harm's way, and the water Pokemon that he was fighting directed their gaze to the innocent bystanders. They had no choice but to hold their ground and fight, and so that's what they all did.
Another loud roar echoed across the Valley, and Drek's gaze was drawn back to the fighting duo. The fire was fading, and through the disappearing flames, he could see that the two were going blow for blow. Every scratch from Thael was matched by a slash from Zenith. It was hard to see the details of how they were fairing, but it was clear that both of them had some blood on them as their claws left their marks. In their fighting, they started moving toward the center of the Valley.
They clashed one more time and pushed off from each other, and the two of them hovered facing each other in another standoff. They both tilted their heads back, and simultaneously opened their mouths and released their signature attacks. Like when the two attacks had first connected over a month ago, the same result occurred, and a giant explosion rang out, followed by a cloud of smoke.
The blackness obscured Drek's vision, and he couldn't tell what was going on between them anymore. He looked back over at the others, and it pained him to see that they were in even worse shape. As more and more of them fell, the remaining ones got double or triple teamed or even worse, and it was all downhill from there. He wanted to help them, but Zenith had told him to stay out of it, and with how badly everyone else was fairing, he would probably only get hurt if he tried to help.
It seemed like the only way out of this would be if Zenith came through and defeated Thael so that the other could see. Maybe, just maybe, they would retreat if their leader were taken down. Thael and Zenith were still fighting behind the veil of obscurity, and it was anyone's guess as to what was happening. The sounds of their fighting still rang out for all to hear, and the screeches and roars drew everyone's attention to the spectacle they couldn't see. They looked on, hoping that Zenith was coming out on top of the skirmish.
The fighting went on for far too long for their liking, but finally, something caught their eyes. Out of the smoke, they both emerged in a weird contorted mass that was plummeting to the ground. As it got closer to impact, it was clear that Zenith was in control, and a loud crash echoed sickeningly around them followed by a cloud of dust and dirt. The sound drew everyone's attention: even the water Pokemon and Charizards that were fighting.
The two were motionless, and Thael was on his stomach with Zenith standing on his back similar to the end of their last encounter. Thael struggled again underneath him, but again it proved futile and he knew that he was beat. Not wanting his wing broken again, he fell still underneath the weight and yelled out, "Alright, you win! Now let me go!"
Zenith didn't budge an inch, and said back, "I should break every bone in your body for terrorizing my home and putting me, my family, and my friends in danger."
Thael squirmed again trying to get away and he realized how perilous his position actually was. He was right, he was completely powerless at the moment from being subjected to that awful torturous pain a second time. He had to find some way to save himself. He pleaded, "Please don't! I'll leave this place forever! Just have mercy!"
He looked down at him with absolute scorn. He really wanted to hurt him more than he already had. He felt he was well within his rights to do so. He was prepared to attack him, but he glanced up and saw his family staring at him. They were safe and that was all that mattered. His anger left him, and he said, "Be thankful that I'm leaving you alive. I should do much worse to you, but I think you've learned your place."
Shifting his weight, he got off of him, and he watched as Thael slowly pushed himself upright. Looking at both of them, it was amazing that they still had the strength to stand. Both of them were more red than any other color from all the blood that had been shed. They stood unmoving for a moment until Thael finally lowered the top half of his body and bowed to him. He said, "Very well. I shall leave this place and find a new home. You have bested me fair and square."
Zenith let another puff of smoke out through his nostrils, and stared at his foe for a few moments, and after he was satisfied, he turned his back on Thael and started walking over to his family so that he could be with them. Thael noticed his movements, and when his back was turned, he ran forward and crashed into Zenith's back, putting him on his stomach and placing his on top.
He said, "I thought you would have known better than to turn your back on your opponent."
Zenith turned his head so that he could stare at him, and he said through gritted teeth, "What about the mercy I showed you?"
Thael narrowed his eyes and said, "Mercy is for the weak."
It happened so fast that no one could react, and Thael raised his leg and brought it down on Zenith's neck. There was a loud crack that seemed to echo forever in everyone's ears, and then he lay still. No one could believe what just happened, and they all stood in complete shock. Thael let a loud screech of triumph echo out of his mouth, and resound over the entire Valley.
The sight and sound were too much for Drek to handle, and he screamed out louder than he ever had in his life. Thael was drawn to his voice, and he looked on as Drek's entire body glowed white. His screams increased in volume and lowered in pitch, and his body started to change. The single horn on the back of his head split into two, wings sprouted on his back, his face changed shape, and his entire body grew in size.
When the light faded, a very pissed off Charizard stood where a Charmeleon once did, and his chest was burning with frustration. He bared his teeth and locked eyes with Thael. His chest burned hotter than ever, and with a mighty roar, his blue fire erupted out of his mouth, flying through the air with blinding speed. It was so fast that Thael couldn't react, and he screamed out in agony as he the attack hit him and flung him backwards off of Zenith's body and onto the ground.
Drek didn't waste a second, and he sprinted toward him as fast as he could, hell bent on beating him to death. Unfortunately, Thael realized the danger he was in; the attack that Drek had hit him with was unlike anything he had ever felt, and he knew that if he didn't find the strength to get up, then he would meet the same fate that he just delivered to his combatant.
Managing to turn onto his stomach, he used the last of his strength to push off the ground with his wings, tail, and legs, and it was enough to get him airborne. He flapped his wings as fast as he could in a desperate attempt to escape his fate, and he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Retreat!" He sped away, but Drek wouldn't let him leave so easily. Drek flapped his newly-formed wings as hard as he could, and managed to get himself into the air as well. He raced after Thael with fire hot in his mouth, and he was ready to kill if he had to.
However, he wasn't experienced enough with flying to make any kind of decent speed, and Thael easily outflew him. He could only watch in frustration as he got farther and farther out of sight, and even though he flew his heart out, he was no match for the more-experienced Pokemon. He sped out of sight, leaving Drek to return back to his home to face the reality of the situation.
The water Pokemon were retreating out of the Valley when he returned, but that was the least of his concerns. He paid them no mind as he flew onward, and as if he needed more confirmation, when he awkwardly landed, there was a group gathered around Zenith's lifeless body.
He was gone, and nothing could bring him back.