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Act 2: The spreading Darkness

Chapter 4: Yet Another City of Nightmares

Unexpected company, eh? That figures...

"More bad guys, huh?" exclaimed Roger excitedly, almost stealing my line; skillfully twirling his bone club in one hand. "We'll take 'em out, no problem!"

"Yeah, how about we don't and say we did?" grumbled Ed as he picked up the pipsqueak warrior by his collar. "I don't know, maybe you kids are something special; maybe you're not. But either way you slice this situation, those guys might still have guns or any number of other weapons. Weapons tend to leave ugly wounds; wounds I don't plan on getting."

"I a-agree w-w-with the b-big turtle." stammered Mikey; stuttering slightly less than he had been before. Who knows; maybe he was getting used to us?

"Well, I do not." stated Maylene calmly. "The prophet had reason to believe that the Cursed were doomed to become less intelligent over time; that their minds would gradually devolve into a beastly and primitive status. Judging from that, it is unlikely that they are still capable of wielding complex weapons such as mechanized firearms."

That caught my attention. I scratched my head for a moment and then looked inquisitively to the girl; searching for some kind of silent answer.

"Kiev said that?" I questioned seriously; my tone heavy and important.

"He did indeed." replied Maylene. "Tis their unfortunate fate as subservient slaves with minds broken asunder. As the river of time continues to flow, so shall the Cursed steadily become more feral and wild."

"It's true!" added Roger loudly; overly embellishing his story with the exaggerated motions of a young boy. Man, why couldn't I be that young and innocent again? "This giant man just showed up out of nowhere, took down all these screaming bad guys, and told us to wait here for you! Then, right before disappearing into a cloud of smoke, he said that we might stand a greater chance at surviving as more time went by!"

"Regardless, I don't plan on duking it out against a small army; guns or no guns!" barked Ed angrily. "We're not being paid to disinfect the planet; it's not our job!"

"You might want to reconsider that, Ed." I sighed jadedly as a mob of riotous would-be assailants marauded into view. Their numbers were plentiful and thick, and encompassing too; the distant throngs of insane crusaders slowly surrounding us from every angle. "They brought the cards to the table; the least we could do is play the damn game, right?"

"Simply consider it a blessing that they now lack the intelligence to utilize deadlier tools." said Maylene whimsically; the small Riolu shifting her weight onto a single foot as she took a stiff defensive stance.

"Yeah, I feel so very, very lucky right now." growled Ed with a sarcastic sneer.

Straightening her stance, Maylene proceeded to stand firmly at attention; not unlike the posture of a rigidly saluting soldier during a surprise bunk inspection. Her azure ears perked up as they swept their surroundings for all possible threats; an instinctive and reflexive radar. And then her eyes blinked open, the milky haze of white in her irises all but obscuring their natural crimson color and nearly eclipsing the wanning glow that they radiated. I saw this odd phenomenon and rubbed at my own eyes for a moment, making sure that I wasn't just seeing things (as I'd come to wish I had been). After all, exhaustion and overexertion can sometimes cast some pretty believable illusions, and this certainly wasn't the right time to be getting fooled by ghostly hallucinations. But the moment I removed my scruffy hands from my tired eyes and forced open my equally tired eyelids, I saw that the faint glowing had only grown brighter and more fierce. Maylene's empty eyes now burned hellishly with a chaotically churning inferno, white and hot with carefully restrained power.

"Foresight." whispered Maylene; a cold shiver washing through her blue canine fur.

"What's going on?" inquired Ed nervously. "Should I stand back or something?"

"Shhh!" commanded Roger bluntly; waving an irritated hand vaguely in the large turtle's direction. "May's busy seeing if there are any other enemies around; any that we don't already know about."

"She can do that?" I questioned; rather impressed. Thus far, the only magical powers I'd seen any of MY allies use had involved a massive fucking laser beam; a fairly unwieldy attack that had drained almost all of the user's strength away. Add on top of that the fact that Ed had apparently taken some sort of vow of silence involving the details explaining how he'd come across such a power to begin with, and I'm guessing you can understand my reluctance when it comes to placing my trust in the supernatural. However, all of that said, here was a new recruit with a new set of powers; powers that would hopefully leave her energized enough to continue the fight should any of her mystical assaults fail.

"Yes, I can." answered Maylene a swift heartbeat later as she closed her eyes; the twin points of burning light flickering out. "We should prepare ourselves, for there are several smaller groups flanking us from behind as well."

I turned to look out at the city one more time, catching a quick glimpse of the stampeding mob as I did, then exclaimed, "Alright, then let's work on making a perimeter! If we've got enemies coming from every direction, then we're better off eliminating a couple of those possible directions! Everybody fall back to the terminal; we'll bunker down in the main lobby! There are only two entrances, which are a Hell of a lot fewer than the wide open outdoors, so we shouldn't have any surprises to worry about! Now move it!"

"And It's Goldenrod we're talking about; flat ground for the next couple of miles, so we'll have a slight sight advantage on our side as well!" replied Ed brusquely as we started running. "Once we're inside, unpack that rifle and set it up for me! I wanna snipe as many of those fuckers as I can before they ever even get the chance to make it there!"

"You got it, hot shot!" I spat back smugly; quickly placing one foot in front of the other in my best impression of an actual sprinter.

Upon reaching the drab transit building, I threw open the doors and hurried the three children inside like the worrying school teacher that I'd apparently become. Ed soon came barreling behind us, the massive battle tank of a man that he is, and immediately began setting up shop in the cramped confines of the lobby's entryway. Slinging my backpack off of my shoulders, I hastily began piecing together the weapon within; my speed and grace easily rivaling that of a professional trillion-piece jigsaw puzzle champion. In mere seconds, somehow, a mighty 50 caliber rifle sat comfortably in my fuzzy hands; a powerful tool for an important job. Handing the cannon to Ed, I dashed off to effectively secure the other size of the room; an enormous room, mind you. Still, as large and compensating as it was, there were only two doors and absolutely no windows, so we'd stand a chance holed in here at the very least.

A chance. Man, can't we ever be on the overpowering side of the spectrum?

"Do you have any idea how many of these guys are trying to get us from behind?" I questioned nervously; turning my focus to Maylene.

"If they're gonna get us from behind, then the least they could do is use some lube, am I right?" smirked Ed with an ongoing chuckle.

With a heavy sigh and a palm to my face, I turned back around to Ed and said, "Really, Chief; straight into the gutter? We've got kids with us."

"Not my fault; you walked right into that one." laughed the big guy as he focused the rifle's scope and crouched down to help steady the weapon on his shoulder.

"Sure I did." I sighed with a roll of my eyes; flipping a table onto its side and shoving it up against my assigned doorway. Tables; our best friends and favorite meat-shields. "Either that or your mind's just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And to think, you'd go straight for the Astroglide without even teasing them with a little foreplay? Sheesh."

"Foreplay's for the romantic types." said the police officer with a wide grin. "I prefer to get right down to business, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I catch your drift, I just don't agree." I shrugged jokingly.

Ed merely grunted in reply this time, which was fine by me because I really didn't need to hear another hackneyed defense or excuse. The old man was a pervert; big freaking deal, right? Hell, depending on how much money I had on hand, I was too, I just knew when and where to control my 'urges'. Taking another brief moment to watch him, I took notice of Ed's careful and calculated movements; ever so slight movements that shifted the heavy weapon in precise ways that I couldn't begin to comprehend. Pervert or not, he looked like a man with a stockpile's worth of experience in the use of just such a gun and that honestly scared me a little. It made me think of the war between Kanto and Orre; and how my fellow countrymen had fought their hardest just to make sure that the small island nation would remain thoroughly subjugated. It made me think of how Ed had once been a part of that war, and though I knew he wasn't proud of what he'd done, that frail fact alone couldn't ever come close to changing the stone-solid fact that he'd still done it.

I bit my lip and closed my eyes, just like in that song I'm sure you've heard, and waited patiently for the first resounding shot to be fired. As ominously nerve-wracking as that wait was, I didn't have very long to twiddle my thumbs; a powerful blast soon echoing harshly across the empty spaces of the large lobby and painfully through the minds of its occupants. Then followed a second. And then followed a third. The fourth and fifth shots roared soon after; accompanied by the sixth and seventh as well. The eighth, ninth, and tenth shots all thundered angrily as the tiny metal projectiles violently ejected towards their desired targets. Mikey cringed and winced each and every time the booming sounds barked forth from the large gun; covering his ears with his paws and hiding fruitlessly behind Maylene as though it would prevent the loud sounds from finding him.

Removing my imposingly sized Desert Eagle from its holster, I prepared for what was likely to be a literal flood of enemies; a tide of raging assailants seeping in and leaking through the cracks in our rushed and banged-together defenses.

"I-I'm s-scared." whimpered Mikey from behind his big sister.

Putting a small hand on the shivering cub's shoulder, Maylene said strongly, "Fear not, as I would sooner die than see harm brought upon you."

"Yeah, me too!" shouted bone wielding Roger as thought it were a righteous battle-cry. "I'll protect you!"

And then I heard the shotgun pump.

"They're here!" trumpeted Ed; unleashing Hell with his riot gun. "I repeat; they're here!"

Through the corner of my eye I could see Ed's struggle; a constantly rushing torrent of bodies attempting to crash violently through his doorway. With each successful blast of his shotgun, another psychotic Cursed is sent tumbling limply to the ground, though only replaced seconds later by an entire battalion more. Having yet to meet any such hostility through the entrance that I was guarding, I rushed to Ed's side with my massive pistol and began picking up his spares; trying to bring the game home, so-to-speak. My first couple of shots were the real deal-breakers; a flurry of six angry bullets staving off the onslaught as the Chief reloaded his 'boom stick'.

"You three monitor that door!" I yelled frantically; putting two rounds firmly into the head of a particularly vicious attacker, forcing him to fumble his gnarled lead pipe. "And for the love of God, don't try anything on your own! If and when they come, alert me! I don't need the additional heavy burden of three dead children hanging over my head!"

"Would you prefer that I seal that entrance?" inquired Maylene logically; already assuming her meditative pose on the lobby's false marble floor. "I am certain that you have surmised as to what methods I shall employ and to their degree of effectiveness."

"You're gonna create another invisible wall?!" I shouted in reply; answering her question with another question. "How long can you maintain one of those?!"

The Riolu smiled and retorted, "At the risk of my own flesh, I should be able to hold a shield for the better portion of an hour."

"Well, let's hope that it doesn't come to that, alright?!" I exclaimed; giving another brain-drained Cursed a healthy dose of supersonic metal.

"Understood." stated the small girl firmly; drawing in power from her surroundings. In the midst of combat, even as I pumped round after round into the grotesque forms that continued to assault our defenses, I could feel the cold sensation washing against the supple skin beneath my fur as Maylene constructed her impenetrable wall of energy.

"Mikey, let's back her up!" cheered Roger as he ran to his sister's side. "They may not be able to attack us, but our attacks can still reach them!"

"What?! It'll block their bullets, but allow our bullets through?!" Ed barked as his shotgun split a random bad guy in half; his tone pleased. "It's about damn time someone invented something like that!"

"Yes indeed, I felt the very same way." said Maylene with a weakened smile as the first of many Cursed came smashing into her screen.

Following that single body was a veritable swarm of bodies; a perpetual stream of maddened psychopaths continuously slamming themselves against the cobalt canine's mystical ward; many of the fleshy, bony battering rams breaking horrifically on impact. But Maylene held strong during the assault and didn't so much as bat an eyelash. All the while, as she maintained the forcefield, Roger proceeded to batter and bruise the unfortunate zombies with his femur sword. Each successive swat was followed by an even more punishing swat, the club seemingly more devastating than it should have had any right to be. And just as the small Cubone had said, each of his heavy swings somehow managed to pass through the ethereal barrier and connect viciously with their targets on the other side.

"Mikey!" yelled Roger once again; bashing in the skull of an attacker as though it were an empty tin can. "C'mon, we need your help!"

Cowering in the shadow of his big sister, the small fox answered, "N-no! W-w-what could I d-do anyway?!"

Broadsiding another Cursed in the ear with the gnarled end of his club, the Cubone replied, "You can use your fire, Mikey; please help us!"

"I-I c-c-can't!" cried the terrified vulpine. "I-I'm n-not strong l-like you g-guys; I j-j-just can't!"

Falling to his knees, the small fox cupped his face with his delicate little paws and began sobbing loudly. From the corner of my eye I could see the child curled up into a ball on the floor, trying his hardest to shut out the world and all of its trials and tribulations. There were a whole slew of things that could have happened to him in the past, painful and unspeakable things capable of stripping him of his inner strength, bravery, and courage. Long-term abuse, maltreatment, and molestation were all well known for their lasting damaging effects on a child's frail mind; Mikey in no way an exception to this rule. He didn't deserve the awful reality that he was being faced with or the nightmares that this new reality bore. He didn't deserve to have such decisions forced upon him. And he certainly didn't deserve to suffer the still completely possible fate of dying in the fetal position on the cold floor.

Dammit all, if he was going to be saved today, then half of the saving would need to be done by him. I'm not sure what might have happened to him in the past, but he'd need a whole fucking bucketful of courage if he was going to get through this alive.

He'd need to get up and join the fight, just like his brother had said.

He'd need to save himself from himself.

"Kid, we can't force you to fight; nobody can!" I shouted; emptying another clip into the chaotic frenzy of rushing bodies and flailing limbs. "The only person who can make that decision is you!" I bit my tongue for a moment as I spent another four rounds; not entirely sure what to say. "But I'm not going to lie to you, alright?! I want you to fight; I need you to fight! We need some assistance, kid; more help than any of us have ever needed and more help than some military branches could have ever offered! If you can do something, anything at all to aid our effort, then please do it!" I bit my tongue again as I thought hard about how much the poor little guy must have been suffering; how terrified he must have been. "Kid, I know you're scared, I understand that fear can often be more paralyzing and debilitating than actual physical pain, but try to understand that the rest of us are petrified too! We're terrified and scared to death for our lives, but still willing to fight!"

"He speaks the truth." cooed Maylene softly; doing her best to calm the frightened, shivering cub. I could barely hear the girl amidst the screaming torrent of gunfire. "I am in no way ashamed to admit that I am afraid. Fear, after all, is a natural reflexive response to danger. But danger, my friend, is not always something that can be fled from. We must often face our fears in order to finally escape them. Rather the weep on the ground, I have decided to take action. You must make a decision as well, Michael; the choice to either heft the blade sitting before you or leave it sheathed." Struggling with her words as well, Maylene fell silent for a minuscule moment; nearly resuming her trance-like state. "Though you may not see it yourself, Michael, there is indeed an inner strength lying dormant deep within you. All you need to do is call upon it."

Lifting his head from the dirty floor, Mikey managed to mumble, "Y-you th-think I-I'm s-strong? Y-you th-think I c-can h-help?"

"I know you can help." replied his elder sister warmly.

"Y-y-you're s-s-sure?" stuttered Mikey again.

"Absolutely." answered Maylene; the warmth in her voice soothing and compassionate. "You may well be blind to your own talents, but I am not."

"R-r-r-really?" stammered the scarlet boy.

"Truly." stated his sister firmly.

With a hard glint in his eyes, something I'd yet to see from him, Mikey pushed himself up from the hard ground; brushing off the dust and dried blood as he did. Standing shakily to his feet, the frightened fox ran to his brother's side and assumed some kind of warrior's stance. And though it was a stance that I was unfamiliar with, at least he was standing and finally ready to fight. He fidgeted nervously and attempted to look away from the maddened creatures that raged and battered against the other side of Meylene's psychic shield, but steeled his resolve and instead looked directly into their demented eyes. Had his knees been shaking any more than they were, they'd have probably made some kind of audible noise similar to a drum line.

"A-as l-l-long as y-you b-believe in m-me, I-I'll t-t-try!" shouted Mikey; clearly forcing the words from his mouth. "R-r-roger, p-p-please m-move! E-ember!"

And that's when something happened that I hadn't at all been expecting. The small vulpine drew his hands close together and nearly closed them; leaving only the smallest of spaces between them. From the empty darkness between his two tiny paws, a flicker of light emerged and grew steadily brighter. Then suddenly, as if a flamethrower had been in his hands the entire time, a roaring crimson flame appeared hovering in the air; Mikey's open palm commanding the large ball of blistering heat. The petite child then swung his arm in arc, launching the orb of fire towards the riotous mob of Cursed; the burning ball passing neatly through Maylene's magical wall of air. The crowd on the other side of the wall never even stood a chance. Fire engulfed them all instantly; sinisterly splashing against each and every psychopathic monster that dared to remain within eyeshot. Held back by the ethereal shield, the fire simply continued to burn; charring and roasting everything to ashes. Garbled screams and distorted shrieks echoed from the other side; no longer intelligible, but still difficult to listen. Mikey fell to one knee and began breathe heavily, clutching his stomach with one hand as though he had been wounded.

"Damn." I muttered quietly.

Damn indeed...