FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 9: Determination

The day started much the same as any other day. Drek had woken up strangely before everyone else though. He wasn't sure why, but his body just told him to get up. He tried to just ignore the feeling and go back to sleep because he cracked an eye open and saw that it was still dark outside. However, when he closed his eyes, he could tell that he wouldn't be falling asleep again. He couldn't explain it, but he just knew that he should just get up.

He got up slowly and quietly so as not to disturb the others, and he ventured outside to look up at the sky. He couldn't see any trace of the moon anywhere, but the stars were still out in their full glory, and without the moon's light, he could see even more than usual. It truly was a breath-taking view, and he had never really appreciated it before.

Eventually, he diverted his gaze from the stars and went for a walk around the Valley. He wasn't really going anywhere in particular, but his legs carried him back to the central pool of lava where he had spent so much of his time. As he eyed all the remembered Pokemon on the stone surface, he couldn't help but think about Zenith. He had eventually heard all the stories of all the ones on there, and as far as he could tell, Zenith should be on there too.

He wasn't sure why he was still absent, but he just figured that with everything that had been going on, whoever did the carvings hadn't had the time to get around to it. Surely he would be remembered though... he just had to. It was then that Drek realized that he had never really paid the tribute to Zenith that he felt he deserved. He had been so busy with everyone else, that he hadn't had the time to sit down and actually say his good-byes.

Now he had the time to do it. He used his wings to fly up to the edge of the lava pool, and once he was up there, he sat down and looked into the hot, orange liquid. He didn't see Zenith's body actually disappear in it since he wasn't one of the Charizards who lowered him in, but he could imagine what it must have looked like. There was something right about being laid to rest there in his mind. It was a weird thing to think about: where to be placed after dying. But at the moment, he wanted to think about it.

He had never thought about it before in his life, not even when he was separated from his sister. But as he stared into the magma, he could see Zenith's smiling face. Any doubt that he had about facing Thael melted away at that moment. He knew that he would defeat him now no matter what the cost. He would find a way to be successful, and all he needed was that face to reassure him. Even if he just imagined it, it looked real enough to him to convince him.

He didn't cry as he sat there, but he did feel a plethora of emotions: sadness that he was gone, happiness that everyone else was still safe, newly-found confidence, and even contentment with all that he had done. He gaze was finally drawn away from the lava as the first hints of light peaked over the horizon. He nodded to the imagined face of Zenith almost as if saying good-bye for good before he got up from his spot and leapt off the rocks onto the ground.

He went back to his home and got in the entryway just in time to obscure the first rays of light from falling upon their faces. He kept his shadow on them just so that he could watch them sleep for a little bit longer. They seemed so happy sleeping together. It warmed his heart just seeing them, and he knew that he would do anything to allow them to keep the life they had here. It was everything they could have hoped for, and aside from Thael's arrival, it was absolutely perfect. Hopefully, soon, that little blemish will be erased from their lives completely.

He moved to the side and went back to his normal sleeping place so that they wouldn't know that he had ever been away for the morning. Not that he really minded, but it had been some personal, alone time that he needed, and he would rather not explain himself if he didn't have to. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss, and based on how they looked when they were asleep, they would be perfectly happy not knowing that any of that went on during their slumber.

He lay down and pretended to be asleep as Seria stirred and did her routine stretches. Charc was not far behind her, and once they were awake, Drek heard Seria whisper, "Let's go get some food and let him sleep."

"Okay."

Drek cracked an eye and watched them leave. He couldn't explain it, but as he watched them leave, they seemed to move in slow motion. Something in his head told him to call out to them to let them know that he had been awake, but he held his tongue and just stared. An unusually long amount of time seemed to pass before they were finally out of view, and even when they were, the image of their leaving stuck in his head. He wished that he knew why, but having that image coupled with Zenith's just made him happy, and he wanted to hold onto that feeling forever.

He finally forced himself to get up again, and even though it was still early, he snagged a small handful of food and headed outside. He flew to the spot where he had first seen the Valley in its entirety, because he just wanted to see it from that place again. He wished he could figure out why he felt the need to do all of this now, but that didn't stop him from doing what his body obviously wanted him to do. When he arrived, he first closed his eyes and let the cool breeze cool his face, and he imagined a few months ago when he had first been to this spot. He remembered it being the happiest moment of his life, and he replayed the scene in his mind before opening his eyes to see the same wonderful picture again.

Maybe it was just the memory attached to it, but he definitely did not visit this spot enough. It always comforted him in a way that nothing else could. He sat down on the rocks and just took in the sight for the entire morning, eating his supply of food as he looked on. He must have lost track of time, because he noticed that a group was forming near the center of the Valley, and after glancing up at the sun, he realized that it was time to start the fighting sessions. Even though he didn't want to, he forced himself to get up and leave his spot to join the others, and when he landed with them, they began.

* * *

Two Charizards just finished a very impressive sparring session that left the others watching on in fascination. The others beat their wings and cheered for the winner, and after the loser had been helped up and patted on the back as a show of good sportsmanship, they were ready to call it quits for the day.

Way overhead, Thael was gliding so that no one would see him unless he looked straight up. But that's exactly where the handful of water Pokemon that were in their hiding places were looking. Thael eyed all of them and waited patiently for the opportune moment. Based on his memory of how large the Valley was, he had tested his accomplices, and had chosen very carefully the ones that he wanted for this specific task. As he saw the group starting to wrap things up, he rapidly swished his tail back and forth to signal to them to go ahead.

The ones in hiding raised their heads up and angled themselves toward the center of the Valley. All at once, they each let loose a stream of water that flew through the air in perfect arcs. At first they had gone unseen by everyone else, but as they got closer to their target, someone pointed up to the sky which drew everyone else's gaze as well. Little rainbows could be seen in the droplets of water that fell from the streams, but the majority of the water stayed on its course.

Simultaneously, half a dozen water attacks landed dead center into the lava pool. Drek and the others were confused at first, but upon the initial contact, steam erupted from the magma, and as the water kept coming, the steam kept coming, and soon it was difficult to see through the it. The steam accumulated at an alarming rate and kept growing as long as the water was coming. It rose into the air, and when the attacks had finally stopped, there was enough mist to cover almost the entire Valley.

It slowly drifted upward until it settled some distance overhead. Before Drek could react, the water Pokemon who had produced the steam came out of hiding and rushed in to attack. Shortly after them, others appeared in small groups and joined them, and before they knew it, a large group of them was rushing at them with their scythe-like arms out to the side.

The group of Charizards took their battle stances and prepared as they awaited their foe's reactions. Drek looked all around, but couldn't see Thael anywhere. He wasn't sure if he should help the others against the water Pokemon or if he should leave them and try to find the main threat. Whatever his decision was, he would have to make it up quickly, because he was being surrounded just like the rest of them, and soon flying would be the only surefire way to escape them.

That was one big advantage that they had over their opponents. Sure they were weakened considerably by the attacks they had to endure, but they were able to get out of harm's way if they had to... at least that's what they thought anyway. Drek decided to play it safe and keep his strength at its peak so that he would have the best chance whenever Thael showed up. He shouted to them, "Stay strong; I'm going after Thael."

A few of them nodded to acknowledge that they had heard him, but the rest of them stayed concentrating on the coming attacks. Drek was about to take off when something caught his eye, making him stop in his tracks. He couldn't believe what he was seeing at first, but if it were real, then he had to say something quickly. A large brown object was falling from the mist over their heads, and from what Drek could see, it was a boulder.

How a boulder could be falling from the sky like that was anybody's guess, but it looked too real to be something he was imagining. It was heading right for the middle of the group of Charizards, and because they were concentrating on the other Pokemon, none of them noticed it. In fact, Drek wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't made the decision to leave them and go find Thael. He yelled, "Look out! Above you!"

A few of them turned their heads up, but it was too late to comprehend what was wrong and react accordingly. One unlucky Charizard was hit directly in the head, and a loud cracking noise resounded as the rock shattered into a myriad of pieces. The victim of the stone attack was knocked out instantly, and his body crumpled to the ground as blood started leaking from his head.

Drek was slightly relieved because he noticed his tail flame was still burning signaling that he wasn't dead but just unconscious, but even though he was still alive, he realized how serious this moment was. He did what he could to help his fallen brother, and in a flash, he had flown over to his side. He said to those around him, "Someone help me get him to safety. The rest of you cover us." One of the ones closer to him ran over to help, and the rest turned to protect them as they did was they had to do.

It wasn't easy to pick up a fellow Charizard, and the confusion around him only added to the difficulty. Nevertheless, with the help of his partner, they managed to get ahold of his arms and legs, and they beat their wings hard to get aloft. When they were high enough, Drek motioned toward the one place that he could think of that would help him at this time. Getting the message, they both angled themselves away from the fight just as the water Pokemon got within slashing distance.

Cuts, scratches, and scrapes could be heard as they flew away, and they went as fast as they could to safety. The Charizard in their arms never once stirred, and every beat of their wings, more blood seeped out, making his condition more critical. They finally arrived where Drek had motioned, and as they were landing he screamed, "Cara! We need you to help!"

To most families in the Valley, the start of the fight had gone completely unnoticed, and Cara was no different. She ran out with a surprised look, and when she saw what was in front of her, she said, "What happened to him!?"

Drek said, "No time to explain. Just do what you can for him."

Without waiting for a response from her, the two of them started flying back at full speed into the conflict. Before they got there, Drek said to his helper, "I'm gonna go figure out where that stupid rock came from. Keep your eyes open for more and tell the others the same."

With a nod, they separated, and Drek angled himself up so that he headed for the mist. He stopped just before going into it, and he peered around as much as he could, trying to find evidence of something. He was getting frustrated as nothing was jumping out at him, and he was debating whether or not to fly even higher. If he did, he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on the fight going on, and based on what just happened, that might not be a good thing.

The longer he looked, the more irritated he got at not seeing anything until finally he caught another brown glimpse falling out of the mist. He wasted no time in yelling as loudly as he could, "Rock!" A few of the ones on the ground heard him, and thankfully, the rock missed its target and shattered on the ground harmlessly.

Drek knew that he had to find out what was causing all of this, but he also knew it would be foolish to fly in blindly. There could be an ambush waiting him the second he got to where he couldn't see, and then they would all be in trouble. A thought came to his mind, and he decided to act upon it before it was too late. He rotated his body so that he was facing the correct direction, and he prepared the biggest blue fire that he could summon. Opening his maw, he unleashed the attack so that it flew through the air toward the Onix's home.

Hopefully, if something happened to him, then things wouldn't be a total loss when the Onix showed up. Surely he would help tip the scales in their favor regardless of what was happening. Now that the attack had been launched, Drek had no reason to hold himself back. He swallowed once for courage and beat his wings fiercely as he ascended into the cloudy air. It was a lot thicker than he was prepared for, but thankfully, there wasn't that much of it, and soon, he was over it.

Even with everything that was happening, he had to admit that it was a pretty interesting sight, and he would stop to look at it longer if other's lives weren't in trouble. As he did earlier, he twisted his head from side to side and rotated his body so that he could see as best he could. However, he still couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He thought for sure that he would at least see Thael somewhere, but he didn't. The only thing that he could see was his own attack still sailing through the air way off in the distance.

He heard someone yell, "Look out." and shortly after, he heard the same loud crashing sound that he had heard two times before already. He mentally kicked himself as he realized the error of his ways. Wherever the rocks were coming from, they were coming from inside the mist itself, not above it. He wasn't too keen on the idea of flying through it, but he had to. Stretching out his wings, he quit his hovering and glided down into the steam.

He kept his eyes unfocused so that he could see anything that moved around him, and his muscles were tense as he was prepared for any evasive maneuvers that he would have to do. Much to his relief and disappointment, he emerged from the mist unharmed, but he also didn't see anything. He wasn't sure what to do, but he felt powerless to stop what was happening. His mind raced through everything that Zenith had taught him and the others, but sadly, none of them had been prepared for fighting with limited visibility.

He mind went to one of the stories about a Charizard etched on the wall, and the idea to blow all the mist away with brute force popped into his head. He was about to do it, but then he also remembered that it had taken that other Charizard three full days to do it, and Drek didn't have that long. Something had to be done now, and he would have to figure it out on the spot.

He got the idea to try attacking instead of flying and waiting to be attacked. Sure, he had no clue what his target was, but maybe if he spread out his attack far enough, it'd hit and then he would be able to zero in on it. It was worth a shot, so he inhaled deeply and let a long jet of fire spew from his mouth. He aimed it for the heart of the mist and then slowly turned his head to cover as much of it as he could.

He must have hit something, because he heard a screech. It sounded like Thael, and sure enough, he emerged over the top of the mist, looking around for his assailant. When Drek saw him, the first thing that he noticed was that his tail was curled around a rock, and suddenly everything made sense. Thael had planned to use the protection of the mist to aid in the battle without being detected, and if all he was doing was getting rocks and dropping them, then he was no doubt at full strength.

When his eyes caught sight of Drek, they narrowed and then he did something that Drek didn't expect. He dove back into the safety of the mist instead of fighting him. Drek was stunned that he would have done that, and it took him a moment to figure out what he should do. Surely Thael wouldn't just ignore him, so if he followed him, he might get seriously hurt.

A clever idea popped into his head, and he flew over to where Thael had disappeared. Angling his wings down, he beat them as fast as he could, essentially clearing away some of the mist. He couldn't clear away all of it like he had thought of earlier, but it would only take him a second to clear away one little patch of it. In no time, he could see that it was working, and he could just barely make out the ground below him.

He caught something in his peripheral vision though which made him stop, and he turned to see the large stone flying directly for him. He stopped what he was doing, but he realize that he wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. He turned his body toward it and stuck out his arms to block it. It crashed into him and it hurt, but not nearly as bad as it would have if he hadn't seen it. As it lost its momentum, it fell helplessly to the ground.

He locked his eyes on where it had come from, and Thael appeared again, this time empty-tailed. He got up level with Drek, and the two hovered in front of each other for a good while. Drek didn't mind it at all, because the more time that he could stall Thael, the more time it would give the Onix to get there and aid them.

Thael finally said, "Not bad. Other Pokemon wouldn't have seen that coming."

Was he really complimenting him? It was unlike him to do so, at least from what he had seen, but Drek wasn't going to argue with him. He said back, "Your plan is genius as well. You caught us off guard more than once, but unless you've got more, I think it'll come down to brute strength now."

"You might be right, but I do have a few more tricks to pull out. But first, I think I'll start by taking care of you."

"I look forward to seeing you try."

Drek noticed that his tail was starting to glow like it did in his fight against Zenith. He wasn't sure what kind of attack it was, but he remembered that Zenith tried to block it and was unsuccessful. He knew that he wasn't that strong, so he had to find a way to dodge it. Thael angled his body and flew with lightning speed toward him. Drek stayed where he was as he locked his eyes on him, and he tensed up every muscle that he could as he waited to see which way he should dodge.

His eyes were so fixated on Thael's tail, that when he got closer, he didn't even consider that Thael wouldn't attack with it. Before he could react, he was slashed across the face by the claws on his wings, and as he was trying to recover from the sharp pain from that, Thael rotated in the air and brought his tail right into Drek's stomach. The blow knocked all the wind out of him, and he instantly knew why Zenith had been unable to block it.

It hurt almost as badly as getting hit by that other attack did, and he knew he was in trouble. He saw that Thael was about to attack him again, but he couldn't let that happen or this fight would be over without a challenge at all. As Thael extended his talons to scratch him, Drek found enough breath to shoot a column of fire right in his face.

Thael halted at once and brought one of his wings up to shield the rest of the attack, and as he did that, Drek took the opportunity to get out of attack range so that he could try and catch his breath. He clutched his stomach where his tail had hit him, and he couldn't help but bring his other claw up to his face to feel where the scratch was.

It was only a few seconds into their battle, and Drek was already the one hurting. Even though Thael had taken a fire attack right in his face, when he removed his wing, he seemed completely fine. Any other day, Drek would have taken it as a sign that he was too weak and there was no way that he was going to win. But the second his mind thought that, the smiling image of Zenith popped into his head as well as his family.

When he saw those, he got a new wave of determination, and he brought his arms back to his side and locked eyes again with Thael. They had another aerial standoff, as they hovered in place. Drek noticed the familiar orange glow appearing around Thael's mouth, and he knew what he had to do. He stayed steadfast and inhaled deeply as he prepared his own attack. With the same loud screech that he had heard so many times before, Thael opened his mouth and unleashed his orange beam.

Drek reacted and let his own attack fly from his maw. His blue flame rocketed through the air faster than ever, and just like before, it went straight through Thael's attack before hitting him in the face. If he wasn't hurt before, he surely was cringing a bit from that. In hindsight, Drek probably should have flown in to do some more damage to him, but he was so happy that his attack had worked when he needed it to and that it had caught his opponent off guard that he simply stayed where he was and watched as Thael tried to shake off the pain.

Thael finally said frustrated, "What the hell is that attack?"

Drek smiled back at him and said, "Honestly, if I knew, I'd tell you. All I know is how to use it now."

Whether Thael sensed some kind of danger from the situation, he didn't know, but he bared his teeth once before turning and diving back toward the mist. Drek knew that he couldn't lose him, and he darted after him as fast as he could. One thing that he noticed was that he was just as fast as Thael was now, which was a huge improvement over a few days ago. He kept on his tail and was close enough that he never lost him through the limited visibility.

They emerged on the underside of the mist, and all of a sudden, Thael turned his body around so that he was angled toward Drek, and it was then that Drek realized that he had used the time to prepare his attack again. He couldn't evade it or counter it in time, and he could only watch helplessly as he flew directly into the orange attack. It hurt a lot, and even though he was already going considerably fast through the air, he was stopped dead in his tracks and his wings failed him for a bit as he fell. All the strength he had seemed to leave him, and he watched the ground get closer and closer. Again, he knew that he couldn't give up, and he reached deep inside of himself and found the determination to keep himself from crashing into the ground.

He flapped his wings hard to stop his downward momentum, and after he was close enough to the ground, he put his legs out and absorbed the impact. He took the time he was there to catch his breath and look up at Thael as he continued to hover above. Thael raised his head up and let a loud screech out that no doubt echoed for miles. When he was done, he looked back down at the ground right at Drek, and he saw the confusion on his face.

Was he celebrating his victory already? Surely he couldn't think that the fight was over. Or was he just trying to psyche him out? As Drek took the time he needed to recover a bit, he realized what the purpose of it was. His head turned as movement caught his eye, and he saw even more of the water Pokemon emerging. As Drek had predicted, he had held back some of his forces until he was sure he had the upper hand.

He didn't have time to count how many were coming, but he did glance back over at the rest of his Charizard brethren to see how they were fairing so far. Thankfully, from what he could see, the fight seemed pretty even. That was definitely an improvement over last time, but it wouldn't be enough when the rest of them showed up. Drek could only hope that they would be able to hold their own until Onix showed up, and for them to do that, he had to maintain his end of the plan and keep Thael busy. He also saw that families had started coming out to see what was going on, and he wished that they would have stayed inside where it was safe, but he couldn't blame them for wanting to watch their loved ones.

Thael surprisingly was now looking at his own minions as they appeared one after another, and Drek knew that he should try to catch him off guard because he might not get another chance to. He let loose another blue fire attack right in Thael's direction, and he thought it was going to hit its mark the closer it got. However, Thael must have seen it in his peripheral vision or he had been watching the whole time, because just when it was about to make its impact, he contorted his body and it sailed right past him harmlessly.

That wasn't a good thing. That attack was really Drek's only ace in the hole, and if he couldn't connect with it, he would be hard pressed to best him. As the last of the water Pokemon emerged from hiding to join the fray, Drek again took to the air to go after Thael. Thankfully, it seemed as though the mist overhead was starting to diffuse so soon he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

Instead of waiting like Drek usually did, Thael saw him approaching and went after him. Thael's talons were extended, and Drek had his claws extended as well. Just before the two of them collided, Thael turned his body upside down and kicked his talons up, leaving two large gashes on Drek's chest and stomach. Sadly, Drek didn't connect with any flesh on his pass, and the stinging that he felt was in no way going to help him.

The two of them pivoted in the air and went back for each other. As they came close for another attack, Thael turned to the side and swiped his tail in Drek's direction. Drek was lucky enough to dodge it though, and he managed to get one good swipe across Thael's leg in the passing. They continued in this manner for a long while as they traded cut for cut.

On their last pass, Thael tried again to attack Drek with a hard tail slap toward his face. It was so fast that he couldn't move or block it how he would have liked, so he did the only thing that he could think of. As the tail came close to his face, he opened up his mouth and bit down hard right as the flesh made contact with him.

Thael screamed out in pain, and he tried to free himself, but Drek's grip proved to be too strong. While he was in such a vulnerable position, Drek took the initiative and let fire out of his mouth. It was like an incinerator because of how close he was, and more screams erupted from Thael's mouth as his tail was literally being cooked while it was still attached.

Drek was so occupied with holding on, that he didn't notice that Thael's mouth was glowing again. He didn't block himself at all as the beam hit him square in the face, and for the second time, he fell helplessly in the air as all his strength left him. This time however, he didn't catch himself as he did the time before, and his body crumpled to the ground as he landed.

He could tell that nothing was broken because he knew what a broken bone felt like from the past, and that's not the kind of pain he was feeling right now. Nevertheless, he was still very bruised up from the impact. He looked at the other fight that was going on, and sadly, with the arrival of the other water Pokemon, it looked like the other Charizards weren't standing a chance. Somehow, Drek found the will to stand, and he looked up to see Thael staring at his tail.

It was scorched black and there was blood dripping heavily from it, and just from seeing it, Drek could taste the blood that was in his mouth. He spat it out on the ground and watched Thael's face turn to rage. He screamed at him, "Look what you did to my tail you bastard. I'll kill you and your entire family for that."

He flapped his wings as a blinding pace and he darted toward Drek. Drek was trying to find the strength to get out of the way or at least move at all, but it was taking most of his strength just to keep from collapsing onto the ground. He managed to shoot another ball of blue fire in Thael's direction, but he dodged it like it was nothing and continued his pursuit. Drek didn't know what to do, and he just braced himself for what was about to happen. He shut his eyes tightly as Thael got closer, and he awaited the inevitable impact.

A mighty roar that shook the ground erupted over the entire Valley which caught both Drek and Thael's attention. Thael had stopped his flying and looked over at the source, and Drek did too before their eyes fell on the form of Onix. All the others were stunned as well, and their conflict was momentarily forgotten as they just stared at the gargantuan Pokemon, unsure what to do.

Onix took one look at everything, and without any kind of order, he lunged at lighting speed toward one of the water Pokemon. The poor Pokemon didn't have time to react, and he was caught in Onix's mouth and pulled from the ground. With a quick flick of his head, the Pokemon was sent flying through the air until he crashed into the rocks where he fell limp and lay unmoving.

They couldn't help but take a step back in fright over what they just saw. The Charizards though, at least could hope that he was fighting for them since he went after one of the other Pokemon first. Their suspicions were confirmed when Onix completely bypassed one of them to go specifically for another of the tan Pokemon. After disposing of that one in much the same manner, they realized that they couldn't just stand there and accept whatever he was doing.

They aimed their water attacks at the giant rock snake, and as they connected with him, he roared out in a mixture of pain and outrage as he was attacked. The Charizards who had recovered from the initial shock of his showing up sprung into action and took the opportunity to attack them while they were preoccupied. As their fight continued, the scales were tipped very quickly, and Thael just hovered there watching his plan come apart in front of him.

Drek's strength left him momentarily and he fell to one knee and tried to catch his breath. Thael looked down at him and screamed, "I won't run away with my tail between my legs again. This ends here if I have to kill every single Pokemon in this place, starting with you."

Drek was confused because he didn't look at him when he said the last line. He was even more confused when Thael started flying over him, and his head followed him until his eyes went wide with shock. There, directly in front of Thael was Charc. He must have come out to see the fight, and now he was about to be apart of it. Newly found strength flooded through his body like a shot of adrenaline, and Drek kicked off the ground and sped toward Thael as quickly as he could.

Charc was against the rock wall, and he looked up in horror as Thael's enraged face was coming toward him. Thoughts of their last meeting flashed into his young head, and he could only hunker down and cover his head as fear overflowed his body. His heart rate accelerated to dangerous levels as he watched what was about to happen, and he was not strong enough to do anything about it.

As Thael got just a few wing flaps away from his target, he was stopped dead in his tracks. Drek had caught up to him and grabbed his tail, and without giving him a chance to do anything, he brought his tail over his head and threw it down as hard as he could. Thael's entire body followed, and a cloud of dirt flew from the ground as he impacted.

As he got back up, Drek said, "Get away from him you heartless bastard. I made a promise that I would never let you lay a claw on his body, and I will keep that promise or die trying." Without waiting for a response, Drek flew in and rammed his entire body into him, knocking him back down on the ground, and as he lay there, he let loose his strongest blue fire attack that he could summon.

Thael yelled out in agony again, and Drek figured that the fight was over. Much to his disbelief though, Thael managed to get up, and not only was he able to stand, but was smiling. He said back, "Don't think you can beat me with a few cheap shots boy. This fight is far from over, and if you want to be the first to die, then all you had to do was say so."

It was unheard of how strong he actually was, and it made it that much more impressive how Zenith had won their last encounter. He let a battle screech out of his mouth, and he took to the air again even with all of his wounds. Drek wasn't afraid to fight him, but he didn't want to fight so close to Charc for fear that he might get caught up in the battle. Trying to trick him into thinking that he was cowardly, Drek flew away from him, and much to his delight, Thael followed behind closely.

He kept and eye on him at all times, but he was also seeing how the others were doing. Onix was helping considerably, but he could tell that the fight could still go either way, and from the looks of it, Onix was getting tired. Who could blame him though? He was taking on literally half a dozen Pokemon at once. To Drek's horror, Onix suddenly collapsed as another water attack hit him.

He was so stunned at seeing the massive Pokemon fall, that he didn't notice that Thael was preparing his signature attack again. As he neared the central lava pool, he felt the orange beam hit him in the back, and he fell again. When he hit the ground, he slid across the dirt on his stomach and chin until he came to a stop just short of the lava pool. He lay there trying to cope with the painful stinging that was shooting through his chest as the cuts he had were filled with dirt and tiny pieces of rock.

He expected another attack to hit him, but it never came. He finally managed to push himself up so that he was on all fours. He looked up to see Thael hovering in front of him above the magma. He said to him, "You can't beat me. I've bested you in every way, and now there's nothing stopping me from taking over this place. I'm going to kill you, your family, your friends, and anyone else who gets in my way. I've won, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Drek wished that he could say that he was wrong, but he knew the limits of his body. He was beaten in every sense of the word, and even if he could find the strength to stand again, how could he fight? His entire body hurt, he was bleeding in more ways than he thought possible, and to make matters worse, he knew that his family was in danger now. He watched helplessly as Thael raised his head and let out a loud screech in victory.

His sound echoed in Drek's ears like a plague. It ate away at his emotions and it hurt almost more than his body did. Thoughts of Zenith's face came back to him, and even with all that was going on, he was still smiling. It wasn't like a happy smile, but more of an inviting smile. His mind went to his family, and he pictured the scene he had seen earlier that morning. They were both smiling as well as they slept.

They were so safe there, and neither of them had a care in the world. All that mattered to him was that they were safe at the beginning of this day, and he wanted them to be safe when this day was over. He had to do everything in his power to make sure that that happened. Zenith's face came back to his mind, and it gave him the comfort that he needed at that moment.

He knew what he had to do. He pushed himself upright and shot a blast of fire at the ground in front of him. The smoke from the blast rose, and Thael stopped his victory roars to see what was going on. As the blackness rose, Drek was obscured from Thael's vision. With a smile on his face, Drek used the last of his strength to get himself airborne. He flew right into the smoke, and he connected his entire body with Thael's, grabbing his wings in the process.

Thael wasn't prepared for it, and with the added weight of a Charizard on him, he couldn't get away. The two of them fell for what seemed like an eternity as Thael screeched out in terror. Drek accepted his fate, and as they got closer to the lava, he again saw Zenith's face in it, and he closed his eyes as tears started to form. He thought about his promise to never let Thael hurt Charc again, and his heart was as peace. He was fulfilling his promise, and he was content.

The two of them splashed into the lava pool, and magma droplets rained down. The splash preceded by Thael's screaming drew everyone's attention, and even in the midst of the fight, there was dead silence. The Charizards couldn't believe what they had seen, and the water Pokemon just lost their leader. Now that he was gone, it was like they had nothing to fight for. Their confidence fell apart, and the ones who were still able to stand and fight did the only thing they could think of. They ran.

The rest of the Charizards could have cared less about them. Thael was gone, and with him, their brother and new leader. They all knew it was impossible, but they still held their breaths for one or both of them to emerge from the lava. As the seconds turned into minutes, the realization kicked in, and with the threat gone completely, they could only stare in disbelief as the sun's light finally faded completely.

He was gone.

Gone...