FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 3: Confrontation

Laughter echoed out of the cave as more old stories were shared between the group. The sound carried out until it dissipated into the afternoon air. It was unaware of the wounded and terrified Charmander that was trying to reach it as fast as he could. As he got closer, specific words could be heard in addition to the joyous raucous, and each one was a little reminder of how close he was to getting the help that he needed.

"You really did that?" was heard clear as a bell through the rest of the background noise, and it was closely followed by, "I wasn't thinking at the time." Just a few more steps and he would be able to see them. Just the thought of being so close brought new tears to his eyes, and they were streaming heavily down his cheeks when he finally managed to make his appearance in the doorway. Cara was the first to see him, and her face went from happiness to one of pure dread in the flap of a wing.

She practically screamed over everyone else, "Agro, what in Arceus happened to you!?"

The rest of the group drew their attention over to him as well, and all five of them rushed over to help as his legs finally gave out from the exhaustion. He was caught by Zenith who quickly saw the cuts on his stomach and the gash on his head and was searching for other wounds.

He said, "Agro, what happened? Tell me what happened."

He was still crying and was having a hard time getting the breath that he needed to get the words out. He managed to say, "We... were... attacked..."

Zenith continued, "Who attacked you?"

He was trying to remember the Pokemon's name. He only heard it once, and with everything that happened, he couldn't place it. As he was trying to gather his thoughts, Drek noticed that Charc was nowhere to be seen.

He asked, "Where's Charc?"

Agro said through his sobs, "He... took... him."

"Who took him? Where did he take him?"

Zenith said as well, "Agro, just take deep breaths. You're being very strong and very brave right now and I'm proud of you."

Agro looked up into his dad's eyes and was instantly comforted by them. He took a few very deep breaths to try and calm himself down, and after he had stopped hyperventilating, he said, "A big grey, flying Pokemon attacked us. He hurt me and took Charc away."

Zenith continued, "Where did he take Charc?"

"Up one of the mountains."

He carefully picked Agro up and swiftly carried him a little outside the cave so that he could see all around, and he inquired further, "Which mountain son? Point to it."

He tried to remember exactly which way he had come from, and after panning his head around, he found the one that had to be it. He pointed toward it and said, "It was that one. Hurry, Charc might be hurt."

Zenith turned to the rest of the group that had followed them outside. He said to them, "Make sure Agro's cuts are treated and look after him. I'm going to get Charc back." He rushed Agro over to Cara who hugged him tightly, tears now in her eyes from the thought of something like this happening to one of her own children.

Zenith was about to take off when Drek stopped him saying, "Let me come with you."

He said back, "No, I can fly faster without you."

Drek retorted back, "He's my son. I shouldn't need a better reason than that."

He realized it was pointless to argue with him, because he wouldn't take no for an answer on something as important as this, and the longer he tried to talk him out of it, the more time they wasted. He nodded his head back to him and said, "Alright, climb on my back and let's head out."

He ran over and hopped on top of him, and with one mighty jump and flap of his wings, the two of them were in the air. He angled himself toward the mountain that Agro had pointed out, and he put his wing muscles into overdrive as he flew as fast as he could with the added weight. It only took a couple of minutes to reach the base of the mountain, and he ascended higher and higher, scanning every surface that he could see as he made his way up.

He only had to fly for a minute or two before he neared the apex. The mountain was sadly covered in caves, and he wasn't sure where he should begin to search. He was about to circle around and try the other side, but he saw an opening in the rocks just before the top, and he sped toward it. As he got closer, he saw a comfortable landing area, and he figured this would be the best place to start searching. He slowed down his wing beats and landed on the rocky surface with a clack as his claws scraped against the stone.

The sound was enough to draw the attention of the one they were seeking, and a screech resounded out of the cave unlike any they had ever heard before. Undeterred, Drek slid off of Zenith's back, and the two headed right for the source of the sound. As they reached the opening of the cave, their footsteps started to echo into the depths. They took a couple of turns before arriving in a surprisingly open area. They could see a tiny source of light as the rounded the corner, and upon getting into the open, the saw that it was Charc's tail flame.

He was backed against the wall with his claws covering his head, and he was hunkered down in fear; and who could blame him, because the large Pokemon from earlier was right next to him, leaning down and putting his mouth dangerously close to him. The pair of flames from Drek and Zenith's tails caught the attention of the Pokemon, and he turned his neck so that he was staring at them with squinted eyes. He said, "More trespassers? How many of you do I have to beat down before you learn your lesson?"

Drek said, "Get away from him you monster."

"Monster? I think you should watch your tongue boy."

He ignored him and said, "Charc, are you hurt?"

Before he could answer, he spat back, "If you keep running your mouth, I'll make you regret it."

Zenith chimed in, "Are you threatening him?"

He stared at the Charizard's form and looked him up and down as if inspecting him. He continued, "And what if I am? What are you gonna do about it?"

He said, "I don't want things to get physical in here if they don't have to. Let's just talk this over like reasonable adults. First of all, who are you?"

"Wise words fire breath. Fine. My name is Thael. Why did you come into my home uninvited?"

"I think that should be fairly straightforward. That Charmander there is apart of the big family that makes up all of Charizard Valley. We all look out for each other even if we're not related. You also have hurt my son, and because of that, I have a vendetta against you."

"Ah, so that feisty Charmander was your son? And now you've come to get revenge against me for the harmless cuts I gave him as equal punishment for invading my home, is that it?"

"I would hardly call what you did to him an equivalent exchange. They are just kids, and you had no right to harm them."

"I'll do whatever I want in my home. You are the ones who have no right to come in here and tell me what I can and can't do, so why don't you two just turn around and go back to wherever you came from."

"If it involves hurting one of my own kind, then I have the right to step in and stand up for them. We're not leaving without Charc, and we're not leaving until you learn to keep your claws off of innocent children"

"Are you threatening me now? I'll put you in your place as well. But I think I'll start with this little nuisance first."

Thael turned back from them and opened his mouth, baring his teeth down on Charc. Charc shrunk down and whimpered, closing his eyes as he awaited what was about to happen to him. Drek sprang into action, sprinting toward them. He yelled, "Don't touch him!"

Thael curled the corners of his his mouth into a smirk, and a mysterious orange glow emanated from his maw. His eyes locked onto Drek as he ran forward, and Zenith realized the danger of the situation. He screamed, "Drek, get away from him!"

He didn't say it fast enough, and as Drek got closer, Thael turned his head and opened his mouth wide. He screeched and a bright orange beam shot lightning fast through the air. It was so fast that Drek didn't have time to react, and he was hit in the stomach. All the wind was knocked out of him and he instantly felt most of his strength leave him. He was knocked off his feet and thrown backwards into the wall.

He yelled out as his his back scraped against the wall from the impact. His head hit with a sickening crack and his vision went blurry as he crumpled to the ground. The attack was finished, but it had definitely done its damage. He managed to push himself up so that he was standing again, but there were numerous stars in front of him and his legs were extremely unsteady. A cold feeling on the back of his head also told him that he was most likely bleeding. None of that mattered though; Charc was in danger, and he would do what he could to protect him.

He tried to take a step forward, but his leg gave out and he fell to one knee. Zenith's voice resounded through his ears, and he said, "Drek, stay down. I'll take care of this."

Thael laughed and said, "Well I hope you're more of a challenge then your friend there. It would be a shame not to get even some sort of workout from this."

Zenith took a battle stance and retorted, "So this is all a game to you? Well, if it's a game you want, then I'll give you the biggest competition of your life."

"Strong words. Let's see if you can back them up."

Zenith noticed that the orange glow was appearing at the corners of his mouth again, and he inhaled through his nose quickly so as not to give away anything that he had planned. He saw Thael open his mouth again, and before he could shoot the attack, Zenith opened his mouth in preparation. Zenith shot a flamethrower straight ahead, and it impacted with Thael's as he let his go. There was an explosion as they canceled each other out, and smoke filled the cave instantly, obscuring everyone's vision and encroaching into their lungs.

Drek and Charc coughed a few times before regaining their breath, and an eerie silence filled the room. They couldn't see anything with the blackness of the smoke, and after a few quiet moments passed, claws could be heard lightly rapping on the ground. Little whimpers echoed off the walls as Charc was cowering in fear, and the longer the silence went on, the faster his breaths came. The clacking of the claws on the stone was only adding to the suspense as they waited for something to happen.

Tensions rose with each passing second, and Drek was holding his breath, ready to react if he had to. A loud crash resounded, and Charc couldn't help but scream out in fright. Drek pinpointed his location and said, "I'm coming Charc."

Zenith's voice sounded out, "No, stay where you are."

"There you are!"

The sound of two bodies crashing into each other was heard, and claws scraped and wings flapped as they started fighting. Thael's voice was clearly cutting through the skirmish, and it seemed like every contact was preceded or followed by a screech from him. Drek and Charc could only imagine what was actually going on between them, as every audible attack put a new image in their heads. A loud crash echoed followed briefly by some silence.

Thael's voice pierced the thick air, yelling, "You bastard, I'll kill you!"

Now Drek was scared too. This Pokemon whom they just met was wanting to kill Zenith, and without being able to see anything that was going on, his mind jumped to the worst. Every slash, every head crack, every tail whip, he pictured happening to Zenith, and his heart sunk with each second. He wished that he could do something other than be a blind voyeur to the fight, but he was already hurt, and if Zenith was having trouble with this guy, there's no way that he could stand a chance against him.

Another loud thump was heard as a body fell to the ground. There was some more movement, and Charc screamed as he was picked up unexpectedly, and Drek could tell that his mouth was covered up quickly because his yelling turned into a muffle. He didn't know what was about to happen, but his instincts were telling him that he had to act quickly. He inhaled and readied a flamethrower in his mouth and was about to release it wherever he thought it might be useful, but he stopped as he heard a familiar, comforting voice close to him.

Zenith had been the one who had grabbed Charc, and now he was right next to him even though he couldn't see him. He said in a quiet voice, "Look after him. I'll take care of Thael." A small body was pressed against him, and both Drek and Charc hugged each other in the tightest embrace they ever had. Charc's face was soaked with tears and they were making Drek's chest wet as they continued to flow from his eyes, but that didn't matter. The threat of something happening to him was diminished greatly just by the mere fact that he was in his arms now. He felt like he could cry himself, but he was torn back to the reality of the situation as Thael's voice resounded throughout the cave.

"Where are you you prick? I swear to Arceus I'll rip out your heart when I find you." He whipped his tail around, smashing it into the walls in his frustration, and he slashed his claws in the black air, trying to find some kind of flesh to connect with, but every swipe was met with nothing. He screeched loudly and started flapping his wings rapidly. A strong wind filled the room and the air started clearing up as the smoke started leaving through the short tunnel and out of the cave entirely.

After a few seconds, the room was mostly clear, and Drek could see the results of what happened behind the veil of smoke. Zenith looked surprisingly unscathed despite all the clashes that had occurred. Thael, however, was a different story. He was breathing hard, he wasn't standing as proudly as he was earlier, and his face and torso were littered with more cuts than Drek thought possible.

Thael stared at Zenith with a death gaze, and his teeth were bared as he recovered his breath. His mouth started glowing orange again, and Zenith steadied his body for what he knew was about to come. As expected, Thael screeched and the powerful beam from earlier shot out of his mouth and headed straight for the three of them. Drek realized that Zenith wasn't doing anything about the attack, and he knew from first-hand experience what it would do to him if it hit. He yelled out, "Zenith, watch out!"

But it was too late as the attack connected with Zenith's chest much in the same way it did against Drek. All the feeling went out of Drek's body as he feared the worst. His eyes were locked on Zenith as he waited for him to fall from the attack or be thrown back or something. But much to his amazement, Zenith stood his ground and took the full force of the attack without so much as a grimace of pain.

When the attack was over, he was in complete shock that he could withstand that without flinching. Thael was speechless too, and his menacing expression he bore before the attack was gone and now his mouth was agape in disbelief. He didn't have much time to show his surprise, because the second the attack was over, Zenith charged him with his head down. His body was drained from doing that attack and he couldn't counterattack or defend himself properly as Zenith's skull crashed into his chest.

He was thrown backwards into the wall, and after the impact, he fell forward on his stomach again. Zenith stood proudly in front of him and said, "I told you earlier I didn't want this to get violent, but you left me no choice. Just give up. You haven't left a scratch on me and you can barely stand. It's over."

Those words made Thael's rage flare up, and he pushed himself to his feet, and fire burned in his eyes as he stared at Zenith's calm face. He spat blood out of his mouth and squinted his eyes before saying, "Never. If I can stand, I'll fight you to the death if I have to."

He didn't wait for a response, and he charged forward, opening his mouth as he prepared to bite down on any part of Zenith's body he could get ahold of. He was prepared though, and right as his teeth came together with a crunching sound, Zenith had shifted his body out of the way and with one swift flap of his wing, he connected with Thael's back, using his momentum against him as he stumbled and fell over once more.

This time, Zenith stepped over his back and stood on his wings, using his weight to pin him down. Thael did the best that he could to throw him off, but nothing he did caused him to lose his balance in the slightest. He used his tail to whip around and try to distract him, but Zenith caught it in his claws and held him down even more securely. He tried using his legs to push himself up, but they were too tired to lift the extra weight, and after a little more struggling, he collapsed, panting for air.

Zenith gave him a second before he said, "You can't win. Just give up already."

He bared his teeth again and locked one of his eyes up at him. He said back, "If you think you've won, you are mistaken."

For the fourth time, his mouth glowed orange and Zenith said, "Haven't you learned that that's not going to work on me?"

He smiled back and him and said, "Who said it's for you?"

He opened his mouth and aimed directly for Drek and Charc as he started screeching. Drek's eyes went wide as he realized what was about to happen. He wasn't sure if he could take another one of those attacks, and to make matters worse, Charc was in danger too. His mind raced and the thoughts of not only becoming seriously wounded himself, but losing Charc forever became his primary focus.

He couldn't let that happen. He'd be throwing away everything that he and Seria had worked for over basically their entire lives. He'd be responsible for not being strong enough to protect his only son, and all because he was stubborn and wanted to go with Zenith in the first place. He felt something deep in his chest. It was almost like a burning sensation, but it just felt right. He felt as though he were staring death in the face, and no matter what was in store, he had come up with an answer for it.

He heard Zenith yell at him (he wasn't sure exactly what he said, but he knew his voice), and he saw the attack coming straight for him. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for him, but he opened his mouth, and the feeling in his chest made its way up through his throat, and out of his mouth shot a large blue fireball.

It flew through the air, colliding with Thael's attack. Not only did it make contact with the orange beam, but it seemed to go right through it, and Thael screamed out in pain as it hit him in the face, stopping his attack altogether. His screech seemed to bring everything back to real time, and he stared in disbelief as he realized that he was completely fine. He wasn't hurt in the slightest, Charc was fine, and Zenith was staring at him with his mouth open in shock.

Zenith snapped back to reality as well as his brain processed what just happened. He looked down at Thael as he struggled more, whether he was trying to get away or if it was just because he was in pain he wasn't sure, but the fact that he just tried to attack Drek and Charc was unforgivable. He looked down at him with the biggest look of scorn, and letting his anger get the better of him, he lifted his left leg up slightly before crashing it back down.

Drek heard the bones in Thael's wing break just before he screamed out louder than ever from the pain. Zenith let go of his tail and jumped off of him, joining Drek and Charc as they watched him roll around on the ground in agony. Zenith said through his agony, "Don't ever show your face around me again, or a broken wing will be the least of your injuries." Turning to Drek and Charc, he said, "Let's go home. I don't think he'll bother us anymore."

Charc was still clutching onto Drek with a vice-like grip, and despite his limited strength and head wound from earlier, he was able to pick Charc up, and follow Zenith. With one last look at the wounded Pokemon, he turned his back on him and left the main area of the cave. Thael's groans of agony were echoing loudly off the rock walls, and although he deserved what he got, the harsh cacophony made Drek's heart sink a little bit for him. Since his leg had been broken, he knew how much pain it was and how long it took to recover, so he could only imagine how hard it would be for a Pokemon living on top of a mountain to have his wing broken.

The sunlight hit them like the calm after a storm. They could still hear Thael, but now that they were outside, they would shortly be out of range of it and then they might be able to put it from their minds. Zenith stretched his wings out for a second and then he turned to Drek saying, "Climb up on my back and let's get back home."

Drek started to move to get in position, but Charc cried out into his chest. He said frantically, "Please don't make me fly again. Please don't." Drek looked at Zenith, and he just relaxed his wings and nodded back to him. Drek took a deep breath and pried Charc away from his chest and leaned down so that he was at eye level with him.

Drek said to him, "Charc, look at me." He kept his eyes tightly shut as even more tears formed near the edges of them. Drek calmly said, "Charc, please open your eyes and just look at me." He hesitantly cracked his eyes open. They were bloodshot from the smoke and how much he had been crying and he was having trouble getting his breath. When his eyes finally adjusted, he stared into his dad's eyes, and the look of comfort in them was enough to at least slow down his breathing a little bit.

Drek continued, "You've been very strong and very brave for me and I'm really proud of you for it. I just need you to trust me and mister Zenith now. That mean Pokemon in there won't ever hurt you again; you have my word. All you have to do to end this nightmare is let us take you back home. Do you think you can be brave for just a little longer for me?"

Charc sniffed as he tried to get ahold of his emotions. He was having trouble finding the words to say what he wanted to say, so he just nodded in response. Drek continued, "Good, now let's get home and put all of this behind us." He stood up fully and reached out his claw, waiting for Charc to react to him. He extended his as well, and Drek led him over to Zenith and helped him climb onto his back. He didn't waste any time himself, and in just a few seconds, they were both seated comfortably with Charc in front and Drek in back.

Zenith extended his wings again and he turned his head back to look at Charc, saying, "Just try not to look down if it frightens you, and if you're feeling scared, just let me know and I'll fly slower or land."

He nodded in response, and told himself that he would try and be brave and make it all the way back without any problems. He felt Zenith crouch down slightly, and he buried his head into Zenith's neck as he waited for them to take to the air. The initial impact of getting airborne was a little scary for him, but after a few wing flaps, Zenith got used to the extra weight, and he let his wings relax as they rode the air currents down off the mountain.

Earlier, he had only seen this view after dangling by his tail, afraid that he was going to fall, but now that he had Zenith in front of him and Drek behind him, he felt safe, and after a minute or two of gliding, he dared to look over the side. The first thing he saw was all of Charizard Valley, and he was immediately stunned by how wonderful it was. It nearly took his breath away, and just seeing it filled his heart with warmth. Everything that had happened that day seemed to be left behind as he eagerly scanned the ground, inspecting every rock formation he could see. He looked to the sides and saw all the mountains that he could only see the tops of from the ground, and he was filled with awe when he realized how tall they really were.

The flight was over far too quickly for his liking, and before he knew it, Zenith was flapping his wings to slow down their descent as they neared the ground. Everyone in both of their families was outside awaiting them, and they ran over as Zenith legs absorbed the impact from landing. He tucked in his wings and lowered himself so that Charc and Drek could get off.

Seria was the first one over, and she hugged Charc as though she would never let him go again. She said, "Thank Arceus you're back safe and sound." She pulled away and looked him over up and down to see what kind of damage had been done to him. She only saw a few scrapes on his stomach, and even those weren't very deep. She did a once-over again, and when she was convinced that was the only thing wrong, she said, "Don't worry honey. We'll get those cuts fixed right up and you'll be a hundred percent in no time."

She looked at Drek and immediately her expression changed to worry, and she said, "Drek, what happened to your head?"

He was a little confused about what she was talking about, but then he remembered the fight and how he had hurt the back of his head on the rock wall, and he could only assume that the wound was bad since he couldn't see it himself. He said, "It's a long story. Let's go inside and get the three of us some water and we'll explain everything."

The group followed his lead, and they went inside Zenith's cave. Zenith was the last one inside, and before he stepped through the threshold, he turned his head back to the top of mountain where Thael was most likely still in pain before he turned back to join the rest of his family and friends.