Sitting in a small cafe on an upper floor of Mauville City, an Avatar sat drinking a cup of tea which was at least 50% sugar, as well as nursing several cakes. Other customers threw suspect glances at the man, as he frequently lit up with ribbons of rainbow-coloured light sparking from the top of his head. It certainly wasn’t subtle, yet despite that, he didn’t seem to notice the attention he commanded, continuing to drink the tea with the occasional small sip. Something seemed off about the way he looked, however. It was too perfect.
Xerneas didn’t care about the stares of the other people around him, nor the subtle whispers of the staff considering asking for him to leave. The current task was far too important to devote anything less than complete focus. Since waking up, a little way outside of the city, he had been working hard giving Tantalus’s body a renovation. After two years of being stuck in the recluses of the human’s mind, a great understanding of exactly what made him tick had developed. Even without that, the desire to test this newfound freedom was enough to start experimenting.
So, the Pokemon had began to alter the structural template of his new body. Cosmetic changes, for the most part. Tantalus’s blue eyes had become a vibrant pink. His cheekbones were raised, adding a much sharper look to his face, and a little melanin had been removed resulting in skin a couple of shades paler than it had been. Xerneas even added a small height increase, for no other reason than he could.
Shortly after re-entering the city, his power highlighted several mental imperfections within. It was those now being ironed out, at the cafe. The sugar within the tea was working wonders in terms of providing raw energy to use, especially when coupled with a power enabling the optimal rate of conversion. Congestion points and inefficiencies when responding to external stimuli were slowly being corrected over the course of what was proving to be a rather satisfying meal. His first in a long time. More and more issues were being detected and fixed, and at a faster rate with each passing alteration. It was an extremely fulfilling task, ever so slowly moulding the body into that worth of the Embodiment of Life.
With the latest neural adaptation - the restructuring of a few synapses allowing for sharper vision - a wave of power washed over his entire being. Taking the Pokemon slightly off guard, he directed it down into his right hand. There it flowered into a bright ball of swirling pink energy. Everyone in the cafe turned their heads as the glow spread across the small room. With a sparkling grin, Xerneas allowed himself a small chuckle.
How wonderful. What an unexpected bonus this is. With that thought, his hand smacked closed, crushing the ball which flared white before vanishing. Not before blinding some nearby customers, however. Brain whizzing at a tremendous speed, hundreds of ways to evolve beyond current limitations stormed through his mind like a shoal of fish. Denser bone structures, stronger muscles, heightened senses, larger blood vessels. All minor changes, in themselves, but when gathered together changed the entire dynamic of what it means to be human. By continuing down this road, the end result was clear.
Godhood.
That thought drew another, almost delirious, chuckle from the man. What better way to spend life everlasting than by moving to abandon the frailties of mankind? Finishing the tea in a single swig, and polishing off the last cake, Xerneas left the cafe, using the sugars from them to start work on the first two improvements on the steadily expanding list. Without a plan of action, nor any idea of what to do next, he began to wander the city. Paying no heed to anything and moving on autopilot, he guided the power as it toiled away. Afterwards, perhaps it would be wise to sign up for the tournament providing the Alliance’s appearance had not spoiled it. Watching and fighting the Avatars would supply more data for analysis. Alternatively, hunting down Rebeca was also tempting. It was possible the girl had bled out, after Tantalus left without healing her, but he prayed that wasn’t the case. Her death would ruin the fun. Plus, if that little Kabuto had been turned into a glorified bowl of clam chowder, their next encounter would be nothing short of riveting.
Germaine gazed up to the world above him for a while, watching from the all too familiar window, the sight was unique this time though, and it was also one that he - personally, had no intention to observe any longer than he needed to.
His body moved in a similar fashion as to what one would imagine a Mermaid would swim through the waters, there was almost no resistance when moving about in the Distortion world, but one still needed a form of propulsion to get about in it.
Giratina “flew” for want of a better term towards the portal back and back into the fray - or rather, that's what he would have done, moments before he tried to pass through it, it abruptly shut, sending out waves of energy in an arc around it, akin to what an explosion would be like but it had no effect on the master of this realm.
This. This was worrying.
Immediately a wave of panic flew across Giratina's mind - if a portal was to close without his action in the doing so, then maybe - just maybe, he would be trapped here once again.
In a incredibly violent turn Giratina swivelled his huge frame around in a circle demolishing a small island near by- he quickly shot off into a direction he knew held a focal point.
A would be wind was at his back and a fervour in his movement - he would not be trapped here again, not ever again would this place be his prison!
The mere thought made his movement increase with an almost delirious amount of will, another small island got destroyed as he plowed through it.
As he drew close to his would be freedom a sigh of relief escaped his lungs - the focal point still held a door for him to cross worlds, maybe it would be wise not to create portals whenever he felt like - or at the very least unless it was an absolute emergency.
He quickly made his way to it and almost threw his body through it in a mix of relief and fear.
His massive frame dissolved into shadows as he came through the portal and his body resumed the uncomfortable body of a human.
There was a few yelps of surprise from the nearby pedestrians, but given that most of them had already seen his original entrance to the event they quickly realised that it was Giratina, a few of them gave awkward smiles to him, and others hurried away in a different direction.
Clearly the avatars were already earning a cautious reputation - but what really struck Giratina odd is that this area was relatively calm, they must not of heard or seen the terrorist attack - “Ignorance is bliss...” he thought with a shake of the head.
Despite being lost in his own little world, the portal was impossible to ignore. The short glance into the Distortion World revealed a hulking figure, but it was too shrouded to pick out details. Except for one. Burning red eyes. Much to the surprise of Xerneas, no great beast appeared, but the Avatar of Giratina. Without being sure of why the man had suddenly shown up, he decided to approach him for a chat.
“From what I can gather, Germaine, your appearance here has gone a slight better than your first. It seems people are getting rather accustomed to you, now.” He said, with a smile. At the dinner, Germaine had told everyone that he was entirely Pokemon, without all of that pathetic human baggage. Perhaps he held some kind of secret which would ensure Tantalus never returns.
Giratina heard a rather familiar, and a rather surprising voice beat at the back of his head, he turned on his heels to confirm his doubts as to whether or not it was actually the man he thought it was.
And, it was.
“Tantalus?” Germaine stated genuinely surprised.
“Why aren’t you at the fight? Is it over?” Another thought crossed Germaine's mind - time flowed oddly in the distortion world, some areas ran faster or slower - what could be a few minutes in that world could be hours or seconds here.
Fighting down a tiny bit of annoyance at being referred to by that fool’s name, he spoke, careful to keep the displeasure hidden. “Xerneas, actually. My host - although I suppose that is not longer the right word - has decided to take a holiday of indeterminate length.” Grinning, a lighter tone took over. “As for the fight, I was led to believe it is wrapped up, but i’m afraid Tantalus dealt with that.” Cocking his head, curiously, it occurred that was a odd question. “Come to think of it, I thought you were there. What happened?”
The words that came out of Tantalus’ mouth; in their overly elaborate fashion -something, despite Xerneas now being the new master of the body -was a common feature between the pair, were nothing short of surprising, but Giratina's surprise was quickly replaced with a laughter.
“Xerneas huh? I remember Tantalus claiming you to be dead, heh, turns out the braggart was wrong on that front.” Now that he realised it, Tan… Xerneas did look different, or rather the vessel for the Pokémon of life did, small subtle differences, but nevertheless, he looked a different man.
“I was there, but a Gourgeist tried to self-destruct, so I dragged it into the Distortion world to nullify the explosion. Turns out I couldn’t go back through the same portal I used to enter on that occasion.”
It was a relief that the fight was over at the very least, but finally there was another actual Legendary here with him, not just hosts with powers of their perspective legends.
“I must say, it’s a relief to finally be with one of my kin.”
The grin spread from ear to ear, now. “Oh, that imbecile was wrong about a lot of things. Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Besides, I am Life.” Thinking back to the parade, he had seen a Gourgeist. Or at the very least, what he assumed had to be one. It dealt a strong blow to Charity. If Giratina had dragged into the Distortion World, it must have met a nasty end. “The feeling is mutual, truly. It is nice to talk directly to an equal, as opposed to an emissary.” Scanning the area, one that was blatantly clear. “You would think that a terrorist attack hadn’t just taken place, from the atmosphere here. I wonder if it’s the weather. Humans are very susceptible to heatstroke.”
Giratina laughed once again, but he had to admit - he disliked this city for its design, you had to actually GO outside, your job was never to leave a building and through the streets in the sunlight - it was truly disgusting how anyone could easily throw aside such a beauty as if it were a hinderance.
“You’re right on that front, speaking of would you care to go outside? I’m growing sick of seeing a ceiling that is nought but a few feet away, I don’t know how you could take the fresh air away from people and make it a selling point.”
One of many things that Giratina disliked about the race -they cared little for nature.
“Definitely. The city is an impressive architectural feat, but just because something can be constructed, does not mean that it should.” Xerneas took a few minutes to think. “Maybe it goes without saying, but I much prefer forests over the cities, any day.”
Together, the two men - or Pokemon - walked up the stairs of the sweltering interior of Mauville City bound for the roof. As they arrived onto the expansive garden which topped the otherwise cold and lifeless city like an organic crown, the air was suddenly much cooler. A light breeze caused the various species of flowers to sway back and forth, and their scent filled the air. Of course, the entire city could have been like this. Xerneas almost felt sorry for the poor bastards underground. Stopping at the railings marking the edge of the roof, the view was spectacular. It overlooked a long and winding valley, and you could see streams of cool blue water running through it. Several herds of Pokemon wandered around merrily, various breeds and sizes. Xerneas stopped, leaning back against the black metal, watching them run around without a care in the world.
The pair of them walked to the roof in relative silence but it wasn’t forced or awkward, which was a relief in of itself.
The outside hit him like a wall, it was a wall of relief mind, but nevertheless the stuffiness and artificial condensed air of the underground was no longer there - the air was fresh, cool with an underlying warmth to it.
Truly a blessing after the fight they had been in a while ago - the pair stopped at the railing over to the east, the sight was breathtaking, truly, such a folly for living underground when you had sights like these on your doorstep.
After a short while of just taking in the cool air and the beautiful sight Giratina finally spoke “You know, the worst part of being in the Distortion world wasn’t the time, it wasn't the context nor the loneliness, it was never feeling a cool breeze, the warmth of the sun - the serenity of a starry night the things humans take for granted.”
Wind flicked the man’s shoulder-length blue hair lightly. “I’m not entirely convinced my sanity would have remained after that length of time with simply nothing, if you truly were trapped as long as they say.” The irony wasn’t lost on the Pokemon. An entire new worldview had been constructed after a mere two years of that kind of torture. Likewise, it was clear Giratina was the Avatar the rumours spoke of. Which begged the question, exactly what he did to be imprisoned by none other than Arceus himself. “I’m no stranger to being trapped, but there are worse things in life than being a tree.”
Giratina offered a weak smile back to Xerneas - “That is true, so long as you don’t get cut down a tree wouldn’t be too bad.”
Odd, that he actually liked Xerneas much more than the Tantalus fellow, this one is actually respectable.
“What do the rumours say, I wonder? I was trapped for well over 1,000 years. I didn’t count but I watched humanity grow into what it is today; from mere cave dwellers who barely knew how to communicate, it’s oddly surprising that they didn’t go extinct in their early years.”
“Well, the rumours painted it at a substantial amount of time. Far in excess of 1,000 years, certainly. As for the humans, I wouldn’t put it past them yet. Some are insufferably stupid.” Watching over a pack of Poochyena, led by a Mightyena alpha, hunting by the looks of things, it dawned on him just how much more intelligent Pokemon really were. They tended not to fight over stupid grievances, acknowledged how useless emotional ties can be. Or they could, until humans started capturing them to use for combat or tools. “So. How does one wind up banished to a completely separate plane of existence by Arceus himself? It had to have a great deal of weight behind it to warrant a punishment like that.” Realising the question was incredibly blunt, he attempted to soften it by tacking on an addendum. “Providing you don’t mind my asking, of course.”
There was a brief moment where a fluffy cloud blocked out the sun, the temperature dropped slightly and the wind turned cold, the moment was fleeting but enough to make the body involuntarily shiver.
Appropriate given the nature of the question, but he had answered it in detail once today, and Giratina was not overly keen in giving a full account once again - “In short, I got into a fight with Dialga and Palkia, whom were equal to blame as I, the result of the fight almost left a continent uninhabitable and as a result, I was banished to the Distortion realm by Arceus, whilst the other two got away with little more than a slapped wrist.”
He hated telling this story, and it had only be done twice; he just hoped that would be the last one...
Xerneas was about to ask who Dialga and Palkia was, but realised an explanation wouldn’t give any more of an answer than simply not asking the question. You either knew these names, or you didn’t. It was clear that Giratina was rash in his decisions, while those two were not, and that led to the entire blame falling on a singular entity. “Well, it sounds like you were outplayed. Everyone has done something substantially wrong, in the past. The key is to manipulating the events in your favour far enough that no-one can claim it was you.” As much as he hated to admit it, Tantalus had a point on that front. The lessons learned from watching him outwit his lessers would be invaluable. “My host understood that. I must admit that i’m surprised you didn’t.”
Germaine was taken aback at this statement, just like Rebecca, both of them failed to understand!
In that respect they were identical! Their sheer ignorance of what he suffered, and the reasoning for it!
Germaine looked truly affronted when he spoke- “Excuse me?! You weren’t there, so how can you truly understand the gravity of what was at stake! The God of Time, and the God of Space, they made an unquestionable affront against me! And they got away with it!”
Giratina looked Xerneas straight in the eyes and accompanied his next sentence with an accusing finger.
“You can’t manipulate events when the God of time is present - and the end result was enough to warrant attention from Arceus himself!
Tell me, master manipulator, just how does one such as yourself outwit the Alpha Pokémon, when a human so easily outwitted yourself!”
He blinked several times at the verbal assault from Giratina, blood boiling more with each passing word. Before long, it congealed into a raw mass, which could not be tempered any longer. “Do not take that tone with me. I am unclear on where you source information from, Giratina, but you are sorely mistaken. If I have been beaten by a human, then why do I stand before you?” It took a significant effort to swallow the power of Fairy Aura attempting to materialise around him. Xerneas met Giratina’s stare. “If you wish to take my statement to heart, feel free. However, that does not make the point any less relevant. I have observed Tantalus carve a name for himself wielding trickery and deception, a mere human walking among Gods. Yet you are unable to grasp even the basics.”
“Dialga and Palkia outwitted you. Maybe your punishment was deserved.”
Why….
Why was this so reminiscent of earlier?
Rebecca barely escaped him actually dragging her into the Distortion world just so SHE could find out for herself - but this, this was different, Xerneas truly thought that what he had done was because of his own fault, his own actions…
This pathetic excuse for a being, lecturing a Pokémon that had endured the wrath of the strongest Pokémon in existence, and HE was lecturing him!
It was almost beyond belief, Giratina actually had to take a few moments to swallow what he had just heard.
After a the red mist cleared from his eyes, barely enough to form a clear image of Xerneas - next what followed was a mixture of a lapse in judgement, and pure bliss.
If it put this arrogant wastrel in his place, then it would be beyond worth it- Giratina with both hands grabbed the collar of this man's extravagant clothing and hoisted him slightly above the ground, and pulling him closer, face to face, whereupon he could feel his hot breath against his face Germaine spoke, in part glee and inpart hate.
“Tell me, you’ve never had the experience fighting a Legend have you? I sincerely doubt it, but no manner of guile or glibe tongue will save your sorry hide from the wrath that is a GOD, the God of life?! Pah! You’d only witness the very thing you embody expire!”
Dangling an inch or two above the ground, as Giratina spat venom, Xerneas felt the blood within him pump in a way it hadn’t in some time. Glancing at the floor, with a hint of disdain, he gave a dead-level stare to the Pokemon holding him aloft. “Do you know the traits of a sore loser? Really, Giratina. Resorting to violence only proves my point in it’s entirety. After explaining what you did wrong, I really expected better from a ‘God’.”
This man?! Even as he dangles like a child in his grasp, he continues to act in his idiotic way, calling him a sore loser? What does he hope to gain?!
“You expected better from a God?! This is what Gods do, what happened to me is more than enough proof to that, these past few days prove the point further! A god is handed a problem - what can it do to resolve it? It deals with it in as permanent a nature as it can, because IT can - it's a God!
Call me a sore loser all you want Xerneas, but when your body lies broken and the last wisp of life leaves your corpse, where does your “victory” leave you?”
This fool, he is determined to learn the hard way, he is absolutely dead set on receiving the harshest lesson of life, and if he continued, by Arceus, he’d give him it.
A grin spread across his face. “When did I call you a sore loser?” Turning into a chuckle, the humour tainted every word. “You make it too easy. I understand why they used you as the scapegoat.” His expression grew much harder, more intense. “I’ll give you one warning. Put me down.”
This fool was close to finishing his game, good.
“The intent of what you meant was more than clear to me, but then again, your words intent are ever so clear.
I’ll put you down.”
Giritana with a small curl of the lips gave the impression of lowering his foe to the ground, before giving an almighty hoist and flung his body over the edge of the railing.
As Xerneas felt Giratina’s weight shift after his last statement, the realisation of what was about to happen dawned on him. The wind rustled past, as he began to float over the edge of Mauville City. Luckily, the mental augments included in the ‘software’ update earlier meant the Pokemon boasted vastly increased reaction times, and was already preparing for it. Gathering silver-white energy around both hands, he released them in a downwards stream, causing him to rocket skyward. Giving a frontflip - for added flair, of course - he landed, dropping onto a knee. Rising to stand with his back to Giratina, he spoke, somewhat irritated despite the gradual smirk that appeared. “Alright, I’ll concede that point to you. Well played. One small tip though. When attempting to get the drop on someone, it’s a good idea to ensure it works.” Another glow gathered around his hand, as Xerneas gracefully spun round, throwing the hand forward and clicking his fingers. A concentrated stream of light smashed into the floor underneath Giratina, which promptly caved in, and the man began to vanish into the floor below.
Giratina was honestly surprised to see his foe in effect do a pirouette over his head using one of his moves, he landed on one knee and offered a witty remark, hardly surprising given his nature.
He braced himself for the retaliatory attack, but ultimately he wasn’t the target - the ground beneath his feet was.
Giratina felt his heart go into his mouth as gravity grabbed him and dragged him below into the building below.
He had to be quick, he had no way of stopping himself mid fall, and as time seemed to slow he heard the distressed screams of those below him, making desperate attempts to escape the collapsing rubble and its occupant.
They were dulled though, the prominent noise in his ears at the minute was blood thumping at his ear drums.
The.
Sheer.
Bloody.
Audacity.
All at once, he knew what to do.
Time seemed to resume its normal path and as the first few bits of ceiling landed against the ground, cracking and shattering into pieces - Giratina opened another portal into his Distortion world, and as such he resumed his normal forme.
This forme would easily dispatch his foe, but he knew fine well Xerneas wouldn't be a fool enough to try and fight him in his home turf -despite his ego.
So.
He would take his forme to him.
He could do it, it would not be easy -it would take an exceptional toll on his mind without the Griseous orb, but he would do it.
He would teach this insolent worm a lesson in futility.
He would be the unhappy ending to his deity.
Giratina ceased his falling the second he entered the world and assumed his real forme, and then he pierced through the barrier, head first - the shadows wanting - willing his forme to revert, but he cast them back, his golden mandible like jaws formed first, then the rest followed with increasing ease.
And he shot skyward, to his foe, whereupon he would teach this fool a lesson in what it meant to be a God!
Walking over to the hole, he peered down at the falling form of Germaine. Gravity was a beautiful thing, and so he left it to work it’s magic. Xerneas decided it was high-time to go and see how to sign up for the tournament later today - and find out if it was still running. A few people had arrived to view the hole in the roof, looking bewildered as to what caused it. How everyone relaxing up here had missed the event was beyond him. It wasn’t exactly subtle. Nevertheless, unwanted attention would prove to be a burden. Taking in the stunning vistas, he cut a path in the direction of the stairs. Around halfway between the starting point and his destination, however, things took a dramatic turn.
An inky black and purple vortex opened above the garden area, which seemed to rob the very light from the sky. It tainted the colour of the sun, causing it to appear a burnished red. From the center of the swirling mass, a pair of blistering scarlet eyes sliced through the darkness. Unfeeling and alien, they fell upon the man with a physical intensity. Descending from what seemed to be the heavens themselves, a beast of unfathomable size materialised from the shadows. Blood red claws, black leathery hide, white chitin and golden adornments, including a mock-crown. The almighty creature fell a good 20 feet from the sky, crashing onto the roof only a short distance from Xerneas.
Watching with a mix of awe and horror, his legs began to shake. The mocking voice of his host’s Mawile resonated from within. How many times do I have to tell you not to poke the Beedrill’s nest? It would seem the situation had certainly gone a little further than anticipated, and he made a serious mental note to do homework on any Legendary before berating them, in future. Xerneas shared several traits with Tantalus, which had been built-in to his very brain. One of these was responding to life or death situations with further snark.
Roaring out into the wind, for better or worse, his voice travelled across the once-tranquil gardens. “Hey, Giratina! Anyone would think you were compensating for something.”
Giratina felt his mind tear slightly as he fully materialised in the real world, his eyes Burned towards his target, nothing - no force in existence would take away his Need to put this whelp in his place, his mind was bordering feral where pure instinct drove his actions.
Giratina spoke, offering a rebuttal, no doubt his foe would have wished he never heard this voice as long as he lived, it sounded guttural, as if the word hate derived from the sound of Giratina’s origin forme voice, despite this there was an underlying sophistication, this was no beast speaking, this was a God.
“It appears that the human has influenced you, Xerneas, such a human defence mechanism to offer a quip in the face of death - today, you will meet your counterpart; the day when Life itself is extinguished - somehow I doubt you will be missed.”
Giratina began to amass dark energy and thoughts for Dark pulse, he wouldn't use it just yet, but it would be ready for his foe depending on his actions.
He laughed, somewhat hysterically. “You might be right Giratina, perhaps he has influenced me, somewhat. However, if you allow Germaine more of a say, it might help you fare better against your peers in future.” Generating a ball of light around his left hand - about the size of a football - he extended it towards the unleashed form of Giratina. “Let’s see if your power can back-up your arrogance.”
Giratinas beastial eyes narrowed with hate. - ”The arrogance is your own, but enough words - it’s time to end this farce!
Giratina opened his maw and unleashed a thick viscous energy at his foe, it spanned a large cone towards Xerneas - it was a thick swirling mist, a miasma of dark energy and hateful thoughts - Dark pulse.
Watching the oncoming swirl, Xerneas’s lips curled up in a slight smirk, before he fired the orb of light as a counterattack. The two masses, one bright pink, the other a fierce purple, slammed into one another. Sparks flew as the very air distorted around the focal point, before the Dark Pulse ultimately swallowed the ball, and continued onward. It was still large enough to engulf the man as it reached him. Howling winds burst out in every direction as the energy obscured all vision for a few moments. When it subsided, Xerneas stood behind a hastily erected Light Screen, the slight smirk now a full-blown grin. “Come on. You can surely do better than that!”
”You’re a glutton for punishment aren’t you? Do not fear - I’m more than happy to oblige! Giratina offered what could never be deciphered into a grin, his face was far too alien to comprehend as to what emotion; barring hate, it was showing.
He prepared his next move - he felt in his own mind that it may do nothing against this particular foe - but it should, at the very least wipe his grin off for the time being.
Giratina unleashed another purple ball of energy at his foe, although this one was not like it’s predecessor, it looked liquid almost as if he had spat at Xerneas.
The move was Toxic, a heavy poison that would deteriorate the foes health down violently over time if left to fester, its virulence would be enough alone to make him feel bad.
As the attack sailed through the air, for several seconds he did nothing, confident that Light Screen would stop it. Only a brief moment before it hit, however, it became apparent that the move was different. The lack of light caused by the Distortion Portal above had dire repercussions, it would seem. Passing through the screen as though it wasn’t even there, the glob of liquid-esque material exploded around Xerneas in a cloud of thick smoke. Coughing harshly, it began to burn his throat and eyes. Poison. The cloud dissipated, and he stood grasping his throat. Despite the pain, he laughed, the sound very coarse and strained. “Poison. You infect the healer with poison.” A second cloud washed out from the man’s hands, smelling of a cocktail of wondrous things. It counteracted the biting toxin spreading throughout his system. What it had done, however, was seriously mess up his hair, which had been battered by the blast of wind. Attempting to smooth it down, he spoke again. “Well, you messed my hair up at least. I’m sure hairdressers everywhere are quaking in their boots, now.”
Figured that it wouldn’t do much, but at least he knew now - he wasn’t sure how his powers worked, did his healing cost him in some way? If so then at least he was weaker in one respect - but this fight was getting boring, he wanted to crush this fool, not play around with him.
Giratina gave a shrill cry before vanishing from the air.
Xerneas watched the giant creature vanish into thin air. No Distortion warping, so he couldn’t have gone far. Keeping up the defensive stance, he yelled out into the empty space. “Don’t tell me that’s it. You can’t just throw a few half-baked moves my way then disappear. Get back here!”
“The poor fool.” Giratina thought
Giratina was still here, he had already reshaped from the shadows behind him, Shadow sneak, given that the sun was practically blotted out meant that shadows weren’t hard to come by, the only down side to the move nullified.
He was a massive creature, but he had mobility in the open space, Xerneas’ defensive stature would do little to remedy the move coming for him.
What must have felt like being plowed like a truck, or rather being charged into by a Rhyhorn, Giratina smashed the three tendril like tentacles that came from the upper right of his back, into his targets unsuspecting body - it sent his foe from one side of the rooftop, to the other in a spectacular display of flying.
Giratina offered a harrowing laugh and stated ”How was that one? A bit over done? Or was it cooked to perfection?”
Pain flared across his entire body, as the ground went flying by below. Mid-flight, he crashed through an atrium, holding various exotic plants before smashing into the ground quite a ways from his starting point. Glass had sliced deep into various points, causing cuts to be dotted around all over him. On landing - if one could call it that - Xerneas felt the muscle at the top of his right leg twist inside, rendering it essentially useless. Throwing a glance to the hulking monstrosity from across the distance between them, it was clear running away wasn’t going to be an option.
Of course, neither was losing. Summoning up an immense resolve, the man fired another of the orbs of light directly at his foe.
This man, he truly underestimated his opponent - Giratina couldn’t believe the naivety of him, he used an attack that was both telegraphed and foolish - if anything he should be using the time to heal up, he looked like he needed it.
Instead he used the same attack as last time - he clearly had something up his sleeve, not that he’d get the chance to use it.
Giratina unleashed the thick miasma once again, blotting out the light and swallowing it entirely, ending it as he had done previously.
He then flew himself up high in the air, his opponent still lying on the roof of the building. He looked like an ant, and he would soon meet the same fate as one when it met the boot of something bigger than it.
Giratina gave a howl as he dived down at his foe, taking both of them straight through the roof of the building and down on the first floor, leaving a large gaping hole where the roof used to be, wires, insulation, pipes and all other manner of materials were sent exploding down with the monster and his prey.
What Giratina didn’t know is that they had once again made their back to the festival area, the pair of them landed on top of the float to Lugia, crushing it in the process.
Going through the wooden float underneath the weight of the infernal beast, the pain was unbearable. A sickening crack of a bone breaking sounded from somewhere around his ribcage. Choking for breath, he coughed and spluttered uncontrollably. Giratina jumped back, off from the man, as debris from the ceiling came crashing down. By a stroke of luck, none hit him, a large chunk of concrete missing by a mere inch. The tattered form of Lugia, which had once taken pride of place atop the float, landed in various scattered pieces across the road. Lying on a heap of wood, with the entire bottom half of the float broken into little more than sawdust, blood began to pool around the man. Cuts from splinter of both wood and glass ran deep and many. The whirling dark portal above the city cast vicious shadows into every alcove, broken only by those blazing red eyes. Xerneas needed to heal, soon, or he was going to die. The second his power fired up, though, Giratina would end him.
Thinking was hard, as thoughts were polluted by a headache pounding hard enough to shake the ground. Or maybe that was just his vision swimming. Looking up at the beast again, he rose his hand and fired another ball of light at him. A plan formed inside, but it was a long shot. Literally. It swirled past, not even making contact. Instead, it collided with a construct on the roof, the leg of one of four great metal containers. The gems of Mauville’s crown. It sheared the metal clean through, unbalancing the weight. Lurching, the small squeal of strained iron filtered out. He allowed himself to smile, slightly.
“I have underestimated you, it would seem.” Xerneas said, stopping to cough midway. “Have mercy, beast. You have won.”
T’was a pitiful sight, the one that was before Giratinas eyes, the foe that was So sure of himself, so clever and arrogant, and there he lay, in a pool of his own blood.
So close to death, and yet despite this the man turned to begging for his life, even though he tried to land another one of those pathetic balls of light - that didn’t even hit!
He was 18ft long, and he failed to hit that target? Truly pathetic, such a being was undeserving of life, it would be better to put this creature out of its misery.
”Pathetic, after all you have said and done, you resort to cowardice… I will savour ending your feeble existence.
Without a moment's delay Giratina lunged at the broken body of Tantalus.
Even now, he had learned nothing. By stopping to have the last word, Giratina sprung the trap perfectly, as metal snapped. Now no longer held in place, the large container toppled silently through the air, and caught his charging form. It flattened him to the floor, the impact sounding out accompanied by a shockwave of air blowing up a cloud of various debris. A hysterical laugh escaped his lips, unbidden. Xerneas used the energy from that impact to flip himself over the float, gritting his teeth against the pain, building up enough distance between the two Pokemon to counteract the vulnerability he felt. Stumbling, he collapsed again around 15 feet from his enemy. It would have to do. A shrill roar rose up, as Giratina’s alien eyes fell on him once more.
Rising to his feet, shimmering rainbow threads began bursting from every cut and scrape, a large cluster emanating through the skin from his broken rib and more from the twisted muscle in his leg. As the injuries simply turned to light, the agony dulled sharply. “Even when painfully simple, you still fail the challenge. Remember this well. I do not beg.” Wounds repaired, an altogether different light washed over him, fierce, and slowly building. It exploded forth, whipping up a wind strong enough to clear a square foot around him of all debris. Eyes glimmering, voice distorting, he chose every word with extreme care. “Despite only possessing half of the power you once did, every shred of it has been used in these last few moments. So allow me to match you in kind.” Two more orbs of light formed, more than double the size of before. Rather than being pure pink, their core flickered the colours of the rainbow, seemingly all at once. A pressure flowed out, causing an audible thrum in the air. Darkness was dispelled around the condensed light from the moon itself. “I have only recently won back my freedom. Giving that up is not a possibility. Therefore, I will brook no such threat to my existence, especially from an oversized worm without even the slightest hint of tactical grace and decorum. Know that I will not go down so easy a second time.”
From the fusion with humans, each Pokemon had lost a substantial chunk of power. One could no longer grant the fabled immortality which he had been written in song and story for, luckily for Giratina. One found bringing all of his strength to bear was difficult, borderline impossible, luckily for Xerneas. The power radiating from the two was enough to cause the stone around to crack and split. Every corner of Mauville shook with the sound of the roof collapsing down into the city proper. People wondered what the source of the racket could possible be.
As the Lord of Shadows and the King of Fairies locked horns.
