The smile evaporated from my face as I imagined being not only buried alive, but the first Bearer in history to keep the Clan's Champion from completing its quest. Careful not to shift too much out from under the safety of the Charizard's wings, I stretched my left arm to grab for Emberwilde's pokeball. Perhaps, like with other pokemon, if I could point it at him, I could force the Inferno Clan's champion into safety. Just inches from the ball, I froze as Emberwilde strained to lift a single clawed hand. While it hovered in the air, I heard the boulders balanced upon his back and wings begin to shift. Fear held me tight for a moment, enough time for Emberwilde to pin my left arm to the ground. "I don't understand why you won't save yourself? The clan champion can still complete the tasks without The Bearer's help," I said.
A single claw slowly inched its way up my arm until it reached the top of my bandaged arm. In a single, smooth motion the claw cut away the bandage to reveal the charred flesh underneath. Perhaps seeing the anger starting to appear on my face, Emberwilde let out a warning growl of his own. A single snort of hot, arid desert wind kicked away enough dirt and gravel into my face that it took me a minute before I could see clearly again.
"What the fuck was that for?" I said, spitting dirt from my mouth. Once I could see again, I locked a glare with Emberwilde's own eyes, knowing that doing so could have fatal consequences. Then again, the only ways I saw out of our situation ended with my death.
Surprisingly, Emberwilde turned away first, his snout nudging my now bare arm. Realizing that I wasn't withdrawing from my challenge, the Charizard growled and gave my arm a nudge. More out of curiosity than anger, I turned my eyes from Emberwilde to my arm, now seeing my arm, really seeing my arm for the first time since plunging it into Emberwilde's flames at the Bearer Ceremony.
Perhaps it just needed a little extra heat to clean off the burnt-on flakes of ash. Without the caked on layers of char I'd been unable, or perhaps merely unwilling, to clean from my arm, the remaining charred bits appeared smoother, more like ink as it wrapped a pattern around my arm, wrist, and ending on a couple of my fingers and palm. The rest of my arm now free of the crusted burnt flesh, now looked relatively unscathed, as if the incident might've never happened.
It took me another minute of staring at the swirling markings before I figured it out. "You marked me," I said looking from the Charizard to the tattoo and then back again. "You've marked me as your vassal." That's why he couldn't abandon me as I asked, because if he was responsible for creating the situation we found ourselves, as a Lord he would bear responsibility for getting us out of the situation. Though this was also the first I'd heard of a Pokemon Lord taking on a human vassal, and what that would mean for my role. I nodded. "Okay, let's figure out a way out of this," I said, putting Emberwilde's pokeball back onto my belt. "But we're definitely going to need help."
"Char," Emberwilde agreed, nodding at my newfound courage and attempting to shift his body to get out from under the rubble.
In return, I shook my head. "It goes against the Inferno Clan's way, but we can't simply use our strength. We'll need a distraction. And speed," I said, reaching for a pokeball at my belt while Emberwilde growled his reluctance.
I released Spearow, its small body allowing it to slip and squeeze through the boulders pinning Emberwilde and I to the cave floor.
"Hahahaha, a tiny birdie," Patty laughed and snorted, "I
guess you're even dumber than the boss thought, kid. First you burn down
half his gym, then you send a flying Pokemon against me and my rock
pokemon in a cave."
From under the pile of rocks, I shouted, "Spearow, use Sand Attack! Blind the entire cave!" Spearow answered with a caw! then the sound of its wings flapping as it kicked up a storm of sand and gravel and dirt. Some of it even slipped through the rocks and ended up in my own eyes and nose.
"Do you really think this is enough to stand against us?" coughed the Rocket grunt. "Graveler, use Rock Throw and knock that bird out of the sky."
"I guess the sand must really be in your eyes if you didn't notice my other pokemon," I said from the darkness with a wide smile, "Rattata, use Swift!" Unable to see through the mountain of boulders atop us, I turned my head to Emberwilde's face. Though typically a visual hunter after evolving wings, Charizards still hold onto the skills that made the fearsome predators on the ground. Ears that once tracked prey through tall grass now focused on our Rattata streaking under cover of sand, little feet scampering this way and that to throw off any echos that might give away its position. Though not necessarily one of Rattata's most powerful attacks, the thing that makes Swift really special is that it always connects with its target, even when the user can barely see itself. I could tell when Rattata struck by the fanged smile spreading on Emberwilde's face.
"Two against one! That's against the League rules," the man complained in-between coughs.
"Consider it 'pack tactics'. After all, you just attacked the champion of the Tartarus Isle's Inferno clan." Seeing the smile on Emberwilde's face I could imagine Rattata continuing its attack. Though it might not appear to be doing a lot of damage to the Rocket's rock-type pokemon, those small bits would eventually add up to a big chunk, especially if the Graveler couldn't strike back.
I grabbed another pokeball from my belt. "Okay, Metapod, I know you just battled, but we need your help now," I said, releasing Metapod under the cover of Emberwilde's outstretched wings. Seeing Metapod's eyes go from me to the rocks balanced on Emberwilde's wings and back threatening to crush us, I shook my head. "It's too heavy for even your String Shot to hold up. No, I need you to instead use your String Shot on me. Wrap me up in a cocoon so that I'm protected and Lord Emberwilde can escape and join the fight."
Knowing who was actually in charge, Metapod turned to the Charizard who simply nodded his head. Metapod turned back to me and, starting at my feet, began covering me in webbing. By the time Metapod got to my waist the webbing around my feet had already hardened to the point that I couldn't break it no matter how much I struggled.
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