08 - The Perfect Days
08 - The Perfect Days
The Scizor drew near with a sudden spurt of speed. His chilling, emotionless eyes narrowed into a fiery glare of victory. His huge, heavy claw stretched to the back for maximum momentum; it swinging downwards in a fast movement, ready to cut feathers, flesh and bones.
Blaze placed his hands to the ground, ignoring the pains of protest from his various injuries and pushed himself slightly up. The flames that usually burn at his wrist in times of battle or emotions was no more, leaving behind a trailing snake of smoke.
He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate for that short moment. There was another element similar to fire, a distant cousin perhaps. At least, that was what the old lady said then as she taught the fire, fighting pokemon that move. Fire came in burst of energies. Regulate that energy, control it to make power.
Fighting back his aqua phobia, Blaze made a grab for the loose hose, the water spurting out and directed it towards the Scizor. Water sprayed onto the hot armor with a hissing sound. Unaffected by the water, the Scizor brought his claws down onto Blaze with a resounding crack.
Blaze had blocked the attack just in time to prevent it from hitting his ribs. The hose was let go, the collecting water from it forming a puddle at the Scizor's feet.
"Isss that your final move, Blazzzee? Isss that what thisss love doesss? You disssappoint me..." The Scizor sneered, the water did not hurt him at all. Water droplets dripped from its steel exoskeleton as it peered partly in disgust, partly in curiosity at Blaze's desperate stunt.
"No," he retorted. Blaze returned the glare. Small sparks ignited at his wrists. First a few, then a surge of static noises. Finally, electricity formed around where the flames usually were.
Blaze lifted up his free hand and concentrating on keeping the electricity and his fears in place, he brought the fist down into the puddle with a thunderpunch. There was a loud clap of thunder as the body-generated electricity channeled from his fist into the puddle of water.
Then, the electric coursed through the watery conductor around the Scizor. There was a great buzzing sound as its body shook from the sudden charge. When the shock ended, it fell back unsteadily. Its body still trembling from the electric shock.
The Scizor lifted up its claws to its eye level, they were still shaking. Its eyes widened in surprise and awe.
"I'm paralysssed... It sssseeemed I wasss wrong about you..." The Scizor mumbled thoughtfully as it struggled to return to a fighting position.
Blaze stood up, his left arm hanging limply at his side. It also seemed to be twisted in an unnatural angle. Yet, he could not feel anything from that arm anymore, making it quite useful for blocking attacks. Maybe he will never feel with it again...
He brought his right arm forward, re-igniting the flames over the electric charges at the wrist. Taking a step back, he charged forward with a roar.
Still recovering from the paralysis and too slow to dodge, the Scizor move its arms back and then push them forward. Its wings fluttered wildly, releasing a silverly dust into the air, stinging Blaze's open wounds with the bug powered Silver Wind. Blaze's body connected with the Scizor. Ignoring the pain, Blaze continued his charge, pushing the Scizor forward hard into the wall.
Blaze brought his fist on the Scizor's thorax, the fire burning on his wrist growing in anticipation of the next attack. The flames licked the red metallic armor, coating it with soot.
"Sssso I losssee... I wasss good, wasssn't I?" the Scizor looked into Blaze's determined eyes as he spoke softly with acceptance of the impending move. For a while, there was calmness and almost gratitude in Scizor's eyes.
Blaze gave a weak smile in reply. It had to be done. Then, he released a flamethrower point blank before the Scizor. Blaze thought he heard a soft murmur,
"Thank youu..." There was an explosion when the fire met wet steel armor and beyond. Maybe the flames hit some gas pipe within the walls. The flames engulfed the Scizor, melting parts of the steel armor, revealing some of the green flesh of the Scyther it was before. Then, it fell.
The impact of the explosion hit Blaze in his chest directly. He could only remember a sudden, intense pain at his back as his body was hurled into the wall at the other end. His body could no longer take the punishment. His only regret was his inability to go to Hikari's aid. Hopefully, she would escape somehow.
Finally, there would be sweet, peaceful darkness.
* * *
Hikari watched as Blaze slumped into the wall and stopped moving after that.
<Blaze!>
She cried as she scrambled towards the unconscious Blaziken.
The explosion had also disrupted the other Gardevoir's concentration. She gave Komicer a confused look that asked for more instructions. Opponents were not supposed to just leave to aid someone else in the middle of a battle.
"Tsk," Komicer took a quick glance at the fallen Blaze before recalling the fallen Scizor back into the pokeball, "So much for the best of a thousand breeds. I knew bug would never win fire..."
For a while, Hikari sensed a fleeting moment of concern from Komicer. But that took secondary concern to the one who laid before her. She placed a hand on his chest to sense for life. His thoughts were almost peaceful. His chest still moving up and down with his faint breathing. He had wounds all over him, the old ones that had opened up again, joined by the many new ones. It pained her to see how much he had suffered in her place.
"Continue."
Komicer gave a single command to the other Gardevoir. With a nod, the Gardevoir approached, preparing for a mental wave of psychic against Hikari.
<Stop... Can't you see? He needs...>
Hikari stood up, putting Blaze's body down gently on the ground and placed her arms towards Komicer, pleading.
"Attack."
Komicer interrupted her, issuing another command. His eyes flitted between Blaze's fallen form and back at the fight. Hikari could sense some concern, some worry in his emotions. Yet, he did not show any on the outside, still focused on the fight. She would need to...
The opponent Gardevoir released the psychic attack on Hikari, pushing her back with the invisible force. <No...> Hikari forced herself to concentrate, retaliating with her own psychic attack, struggling against the push.
She took a couple of steps forward. In a battle of psychic, she would definitely lose, she knew she could not last long... Taking a quick glance at Blaze's unconscious form at the side, she returned her vision to her opponent.
Then, she started to visualize her time with Blaze.
When they first met, she a Ralts, him a Torchic... Their mutual curiosity of each other...
Learning to climb the tree back on the secret base... The bond of learning together...
The confession, still somewhere in her mind... The fact that she never answered...
His reaction to her matchmaking session with that Banette...
The daring rescue which she did not want... yet desired and hoped for...
The fight with the Team Rocket, his sacrifice...
The bedside determination...
Now...
A bright, powerful glow emitted from her as she slowly fought back the psychic force. New strength started to flow into her, despite of the burning sensation that still filled her. The heat reminded her of Blaze anyway.
Komicer is no longer her master...
The energy grew as she readied her attack, pushing back against the psychic attack, closing the distance between her and the Gardevoir. A sense of panic started to grow within the other Gardevoir as she desperately stepped up her attack, trying to delay Hikari's advance.
Blaze...
<Return!>
With a shout, she forced the concentrated output of emotional energy against her opponent. The other Gardevoir was knocked back with a shriek by the incoming force. Hitting the wall with a pained look on her face, she slumped down and was engulfed by a red light.
Komicer recalled the Gardevoir back into the pokeball. Anger, frustration, shock, disappointment all registering in his emotions as he reattached the pokeball to his belt without a single word.
Hikari knelt down in fatigue, she was victorious but spent. As if on cue, the sprinklers above finally turned on, raining water down on the scene of chaos within the pokecenter. The burning fire started by Blaze's flamethrower extinguished with a hissing sound and a thin snake of smoke trailing upwards, leaving behind glowing embers of charred furnitures and ashes. Drenching and soothing her skin, dispelling with the burning effects of the will-o-wisp.
"Why... you..." Komicer said through his gritted teeth, his hands reaching for another pokeball at his belt, "You..."
Hikari was too tired to reply. She could only looked at Komicer through her wet hair, look at him with sorry, pleading eyes as she prodded his emotions. She could no longer fight.
"Stop!"
Nurse Joy shouted over the sound of raining water. Komicer's hand stopped at where it was, he looking at the nurse. It seemed that she was the one who turned the sprinklers on when she finally determined that the fight had ended and no further electrical attacks to be used.
She stood before the scene, the water soaking into her usually prim and proper pink uniform. Water dripped from her soaked hair as she surveyed what was before her, frowning unhappily at what had become of her lobby.
"Stop," she repeated, softer. She looked towards Blaze's unconscious body. The water was washing away the blood from his wounds, forming a pool of reddish-brown around him. "We've got more urgent things to look to," she said with an urgent tone as she approached the body and touched his wrist.
After some deliberation, she shouted for the Chansey. The Chansey arrived at the scene and lifted Blaze up with a heave. "He has lost too much blood. Quick, he needs immediate operation now!" Nurse Joy instructed. Waddling as quick as her small feet could, the Chansey obeyed and piggy-backed Blaze into the room at the back.
Calmly wiping Blaze's blood from her hands with her apron, Nurse Joy went to her feet and walked towards the still stunned Komicer. They looked at each other, then without warning, Nurse Joy gave him a slap on his face.
"That was for ruining the pokecenter."
SLAP! Again.
"And that was for the injustice you did to your pokemon."
Komicer looked back at the indignant nurse, placing his hand on his reddening cheek. He could speak nothing back.
Nurse Joy turned her attention to Hikari. "I'm going back to operate on Blaze now, you can wait outside there where the sprinklers are not activated," she pointed towards the door. Then she started to stride towards the operation center.
Before she left, as like an afterthought, she paused and turn around. "You too," she shouted towards Komicer, then she swung open the door and entered. Komicer was looking blankly to the ground, Hikari could sense that he was deep in thought.
Lifting herself back to her feet, Hikari dragged her body back, through the door and into the drier corridor. A loud vibrating sound could already be heard from inside the operation room. She allowed herself to lean against the wall, then unable to fight against tiredness and gravity, slided down to a seated position on the floor.
She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them with her arms, her gown stuck damply to her body. After some terrifying thoughts went through her head, she brought her head down to her knees and tried to clear her mind. Her emotions were going haywire at the moment, caught between Komicer outside and Blaze inside.
Blaze undergoing operation again... from Nurse Joy's tone, it seemed to be quite serious. She could also sense the grim determination and tension from Nurse Joy and the Chansey inside. There was nothing she could do but wait, that sense of helplessness...
The door opened and Komicer stumbled into the corridor. There was a blank look on his face as he walked clumsily towards where Hikari was and let himself down opposite her. He had left a trail of wet footprints along the corridor. Water droplets on his spectacle lens obscuring the view of his eyes. Hikari could sense some worry, some concern, some disappointment, much anger and perhaps even some regret and shame in Komicer. Nurse Joy's slap had stung him deeply.
For the next hour as the whirling and beeping continued from within, occasionally interrupted by Nurse Joy giving orders to Chansey, both of them did not speak a word. Hikari sobbed silently in fear while Komicer stared blankly at the ground. Both of them thinking of what next.
Komicer finally broke the silence.
"Did you remember how we first met, how I became your trainer?"
Hikari looked at Komicer in surprise. Of course she did. Blaze, then a Torchic was chased by those bullying Poochyenas while Komicer whisked her away. That had made a lasting impression of him for her.
She nodded.
Komicer leaned back against the wall, reminiscing their past together. "And that time we first fought our first gym battle against Roxanne? The one with the Nosspass?"
It was tough, she as a Ralts was almost knocked out if not for Blaze's timely double kick. He was already a Combusken by then.
"What about the time you first evolved to a Kirilia?"
Her new found gracefulness. The awe of the other pokemons in their team. The sudden urge to dance in the sunny day, and Kireihana, the newly caught Oddish dancing along with her.
"Then, a Gardevoir."
She was happy, so happy to look human...
"The championships, our battle with Wallace."
It was tough, all of them was pushed to their limits and it was by luck that Shockhound scored a critical hit on the Milotic with the thunder.
"We were a good team then, weren't we?" Komicer stood up to look out of the window, not facing Hikari. "Those were the good old days."
<Yes, they were,> Hikari replied. They really were.
"What happened to them?" he asked to no one in particular.
<They were gone. Those were the past.> Soft, with a tinge of regret.
"The perfect days..." he mused, "and now my present have lost to my past... I don't suppose we can return to the perfect days, can we?"
<It is too late now.>
"I thought so..." Komicer turned back to face Hikari, "I have lost, utterly lost..." She could see that there was a bitter smile on his face, resigned to his defeat by his first two pokemon.
The noise from inside the operating room died down and the door opened. Nurse Joy came out with a stoic look on her face, peeling off the operating gloves stained with blood and slightly charred. Sweat dripped from her temples. Tucking the gloves into her apron, she looked grimly at Komicer and Hikari and shook her head gently.
<Nurse!> Hikari felt slightly faint. She could sense the sadness and fatigue from the nurse.
"He will survive, he is a strong pokemon," Nurse Joy said with a sigh, "but it was too late to deal with his left arm properly." She raised up her own left arm and pointed to various parts of it as an example. "He had multiple bone fractures at these areas, and his nerves were severed along these points. I did the best I could so he should be able to recover within a month or so but it will no longer be as strong as it was before... he probably could no longer take part in any fighting competition in the future, otherwise he should be fine..." she looked directly at Komicer as she said the last part.
"What a night... I'll have to look into the damages tomorrow..." she yawned as she stretched herself, "You would have to take responsibility for those," she gave Komicer another glare, "Chansey will see to you later."
Then, with another yawn, she walked towards another room further down the corridor and entered, retiring for the hectic night. Save for the cranking of medical equipments by Chansey inside the room, there was no other sound to be heard. They were left alone again in the long empty corridor.
Hikari watched silently as Komicer paced up and down the corridor. She could sense that him thinking, considering in calm resign. She herself found herself wondering about Blaze, at least he would be fine. Not being able to fight in official competition could be a blessing instead.
Finally, Komicer came to a halt. Hikari could sense the unhappiness and reluctance in him as he came to a decision. He turned to face the outside, not wanting to face her as he started to speak.
"Fine. I accept my defeat. I got no need of the past. I hereby release you and Blaze from my trainer-ship."
<Are you sure?> Hikari asked, not knowing how to respond. Should she be feeling sad or happy now that she would be free?
"Yes," Komicer continued, "From now on, you would be your own pokemon... but..." he turned around to face Hikari. Somehow, she could sense tears streaming from her eyes, blurring her vision. She did not want to cry... these tears... she could not tell if they were tears of sadness for giving up her past, joy for the possible future or relief for the present... perhaps it was all three.
"But..." Komicer finished his sentence, "I've got one condition."
* * *
Blaze came to when he heard the opening of the door. Once again he was on a comfortable bed with the fan rotating lazily overhead. This was the second time, wasn't it? How long did he sleep this time?
He tried turning his head to see his visitor. It hurt. In fact when he thought about it, his entire body throbbed with a dull pain. Save for his left arm which there was only numbness. It was worst this time.
Hikari was the one who entered, her long, beautiful gown swept across the room as she approached him. There was a gasp of surprise from her when she noticed that he had finally awoke.
Blaze tried to smile gently, but due to the pain, it turned out more like a grimace.
"How did it go?" he asked, trying to ignore all the pain.
<Easy on yourself, you are still recovering...> Hikari spoke softly as she seated herself beside the bed. She then took something from the counter top beside. Blaze strained his neck to see what it was.
The two pokeballs that Hikari now held in her hands were very familiar, they were where they called home until recently... whenever that was... That must have meant...
"Ouch!" Blaze winced as Hikari gently tapped his forehead with her finger. <Stop moving about! Nurse Joy said that you are forbidden from moving until certified hundred percent fit.> she chided softly. Hard to see what Blaze could do about it, considering that most of his body was placed in a hard, unforgiving cast making most movement almost impossible. The prospect of seeing only things above him, mainly the rotating fan for the next few weeks did not appeal to him...
<We're free, Blaze.>
"That... is perfect..." Blaze could only reply since he could not do anything else.
<Komicer had officially released us... but he had a condition for us.>
"Okay. Though I doubt I can handle any trek into unknown forests filled with stairs and unfriendly pokemon, seeking for some elixir you can buy at a store at the moment."
<No. You can't. You had to stay here and recover. And that is not the condition either.>
"So what is it?" The rotating fan was quite calming actually. It was a nice diversion to the recent hectic experiences.
<You remember all those broken doors and fires you caused at the daycare center?>
The unpleasant image of Clefairy and Galie came to mind again. Blaze would have shuddered if he could.
<We caused quite a ruckus there and we need to repay the damages. I agreed to it. Once you recovered, we would be working there until the debt is cleared. Then we would be free...>
"Is that good?" The turning blades was quite hypnotic too, Blaze could feel himself drifting back into dreamland. His vision was getting slightly foggy and unfocused. A yawn came to him.
Hikari stood to her feet and leaned forward to Blaze, her eyes looking straight into his. Then, she gave him a light peck on his forehead.
That felt quite good.
<I will leave now. Get well soon, we've a job to do.> Then, the beautiful figure turned away to go to leave him in peace.
Blaze reached desperately with his right arm, despite all the pains of protest sent to his brain. Grabbing wildly, he caught hold of Hikari's dress and tugged her back.
"Don't go, stay with me... Ouch!"
Hikari hit his hand lightly, but just enough to send another wave of hurt through his arm. Blaze retracted his arm in reflex, trying not to moan in agony.
<You are not supposed to move.> she scolded, but she did not continue leaving. Instead she sat herself back down beside Blaze, then gently took his hands in hers.
<Now, sleep.>
Blaze smiled faintly as his eyes slowly closed.
"You know I love you..."
<So do I, you rash fool.>
And so Hikari stayed by Blaze's side while he returned to sleep. The future between the two of them would be something he would look forward to... once his injuries recovered.
It was not perfect but it would do.
== THE END ==
This would mark the end of "In Lieu of Perfection". There is still one very short epilogue left but I'll let this thread sink for a while before posting that.
I would like to thank all those who have read and reviewed this fiction. Thank you very much. I appreciated all your free bumps. I would also like to request an "In Lieu of Perfection" banner that I can use in the signature.
Finally it is an honor to be here and I would be hanging around to entertain any queries or so regarding my work.
