chapter 8; Don't mess with killers

Story by Guardian the marked soul on SoFurry

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#8 of Bloody Journey


======FLO=====

I followed Axel out the driver side as Jonko got out the back. The Zoroark stepped forward once Jonko was in site.

"Axel! You have done a lot of strange and stupid things since I've known you, but bringing a human HERE?!"

"What are you getting at Zachary?" Axel demanded. I positioned myself behind his leg and watched the Blaziken and Dragonites got closer to us.

"We think it's time you stood aside." The Blaziken said as he popped his knuckles.

"Oh? By we do you mean just the four of you fools?" Axel crossed his arms and chuckled.

"Competition for command bro?" I looked back to Jonko as he spoke. He unclipped his belt and allowed both his knife and machete to fall from his hips.

"Jonko, Flo, meet Zackary, Bronic, Susy, and Elie." I looked back at the four approaching us as Axel nodded to each in accordance. "These four have been a thorn in my side since they joined."

"Enough stalling Axel!" The Dragonite Elie demanded, "We are tired of your foolish leadership-"

"Arceus damn! You're a bitch thing aren't you?!" Jonko and Axel laughed, infuriating the female Dragonite.

"She's not too bad, but yeah, they think they can run this band better than me." Axel suddenly turned and looked at Jonko, "Hey bro..." I followed His gaze back to his brother. Jonko slammed his fist together and smiled.

"If you's asking what I think you is, then I'm game." Axel laughed and we looked back at the four who approached.

"Tell you what, if the four of you can beat both me and that guy," Axel jerked a paw back at Jonko, "We both will leave immediately." The four of them looked between one another and laughed. Zachary looked back to us and growled with an overconfident smile.

"Alright you fool, but what do-"

"When WE whip your ass's the lot of you will leave my bro alone and do as he says without complaint." Jonko suddenly appeared beside me and Axel.

"Flo, head over to the Gallade there," I looked in the direction Axel had indicated, "Grave is an old friend, He'll keep you safe from the cross fire."

====JONKO====

Flo quickly dashed over to the 'family' friend as the Dragonite Susy started to speak.

"I don't know how you two think you can beat us, but we agree with your foolish terms! Pre-" I teleported directly in front of the dragon and delivered a powerful uppercut to her jaw, effectively shutting her up.

"SISTER!" I heard the Elie yell, but I ignored it as I drove a quick volley of jabs into Susy's side as I worked my way between them. As I turned to kick Elie, I caught site of Axel throwing the Zoroark over the Blaziken seeming without effort. As my foot contacted with the Dragonite's stomach, she doubled over and the one I left alone fell to her knees holding her side. I pulled my foot from her belly and smashed it into the side of Susy's skull, knocking her over.

"Bro! KP swap!" I left the two Dragons to grab hold of Axel's out stretched arm. He jumped slightly out to my side as I began to spin. I forced the two of us around twice before I released his paw and let him sail a flying kick straight into the bent over Dragon. I continued around and clocked the Blaze Pokémon hard enough in the head to send him to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of Zachary reading a range attack. Not sure which one of us he intended to attack, I just grabbed Bronic of the ground and held him in front of me as he fired a rather weak Night Daze into his comrade. The poor Blaziken grunted at the impact, then again as I drove my elbow into a rather sensitive nerve at the base of his neck.

Leaving the now paralyzed and unconscious foe, I charged at the now nervous looking Zoroark. In retaliation, He hit me with Night Slash. As his claws sank into my side I grabbed ahold of his throat and dragged him close to my face.

"I'd submit now." I said as I position my thumb under his jaw between the bone and where his tongue connects to him. He tried to growl, but found that he would only choke if he tried. "How you doing bro?" I looked back over to him to see him sitting on top of the pair of hurting dragons.

"I've been waiting on you. You've gotten a little rusty it seems." I widen my eyes at his remark.

"Excuse me?" I grabbed the claw that was in my side and removed it. "Could you repeat that?" I swung Zachary around and threw him on the ground between Axel and me as my Lucarian brother wandered to where I dropped my blades.

"How can you expect me to let you take on the Lightning Commanders if you's getting so slow?" Before I could respond to that, Axel chucked my weapons at me.

"BOSS! BOSS! WE GOT TROUBLE!" Everyone looked to where the shouting was coming from. Not too far from where Axel brought us in, a Dodrio ran up looking like he had been attacked recently. "COMMANDERS ARE COMING!"

"EVERYONE TO THE SAFE HOUSES!" Axel demanded, slowly drawing the two pistols that rested at the top of his chest as I clipped my blades back on. Quickly everyone began to shuffle back into the woods behind us, the Dragonite sisters limped off as Zachary and the Machoke who just watched drug Bronic across the ground

"Flo! Go with them! Axel time to light up?" I grabbed and chucked my Multi-Dex away as Axel snarled His shoulders suddenly burned brightly with a golden light, fading to reveal the fused golden DH that all members of the Dark Heroes had.

"Distorted World be damned yeah!" Axel barked at me, and I felt my neck began to burn as my own brand slowly revealed itself upon my Adams apple.

==THIRD=POV==

Just as the rest of the village citizens got to safety within the surrounding area, the Lightning Commanders began to flood into the small clearing from where the Dodrio had come from. Jonko slowly moved to Axel's side as some braver Commanders came closer to the large and armed Lucario.

"Brother." Jonko's tone held an edge that seldom had ever heard. The massive Lucario looked to the human on his right, and smiled at the fire that burned in his eyes. The two shared no words as they nodded in unspoken agreement. The human dashed forward, growling as he gripped the barrel of the closet gun to them while Axel snarled as he raised two pistols towards their prey. In a quick frenzy of the two clips, the lucario killed sixteen of the attacking force, including the previous owner of Jonko's assault rifle. As thanks, Jonko fired upon the few who had taken aim at his brother before returning to stand beside the lucario. The Commanders quickly found themselves on the receiving side of hell as Axel grabbed a second set of pistols and the duo began a near unstoppable dance of destruction. Human and Lucario brothers stood mere inches apart as they flowed from one attacker to the next in a fluid back to back motion that made it clear they had fought together before.

As the invaders fired, the man immune to pain would stand in the path of the bullets, letting them crash into his flesh as he returned fire with the gun from one of their fallen comrades. Behind him, the trigger happy Lucario howled as he relentlessly unleashed round after round into the attackers, each one hitting their mark upon the faces of those who dared attacked his village. Together they moved as one as they advanced upon the incoming wave of enemies, fearlessly and relentlessly attacking. Before long the duo's ammunition dwindled as the Commanders fell to the deadly rounds, but they refused to show signs of retreating, even when Jonko stumbled and vomited blood. Clicking dry, the severely wounded man dropped the assault rifle and unsheathed his machete and hunting knife while Axel dropped his pistols and ripped one of the shotguns from its place on his back.

Rearmed, the duo's attack style changed dramatically, the human suddenly became a force of nature as he swung his blades at and into his opponents with terrifying accuracy while the Lucarian gunner blew large chunks out of anyone who tried to shoot him or his human brother with twelve gage lead slugs. Blade cut through fabric and flesh to bone as solid rounds caused bloody eruptions of flesh and bone. Jonko's blood became mixed with the blood and organs of his enemies from those who fell by either his blades or to the lucario's superior marksmanship. Said Lucario foamed at the mouth slightly as he growled and barked at the Humans, enjoying the gruesome end he and his brother gave the invaders.

Finally realizing the folly of their attack against the man and Lucario, the Lightning Commanders attempted to surround them, but their new plan felled short of their hopes. Now spread back, Axel dropped the twelve gage he had been using, and replaced it with the other one before firing between two Commanders, killing them both with his specially made scatter shot rounds. As Axel worked around the circle, Jonko ran stumbling around him, using his blades to momentarily open their enemies' defenses before they fell to the Lucario's deadly rounds. However, due to their new stance, the bulky Lucario was now left relatively exposed and the blades man had almost no actual support. Despite these faults, the duo showed as much fear and discomfort as they had when they began their counter attack... none whatsoever.

As more and more of the Commanders fell to the relentless attack, both the invading force and the Pokémon hidden within the woods realized the two defenders were winning. Empowered by this fact, the Pokémon slowly came forth from hiding and began to join the attack against the humans who attempted to destroy their home. Rapidly the number of dead humans began to grow as with the number of defenders increased. Lead by the Lucario and Human duo, the Pokémon quickly overpowered the Commanders and massacred the remaining invaders, killing them mercilessly with their vastly superior strengths till only one human remained alive within the village.

Axel reared his head back and howled as Jonko fell. The Lucario was beside his human brother without a second of hesitation, whimpering and shaking besides him.

======FLO=====

I darted around between the other Pokémon as they gathered around my trainer and their leader.

"Elinor! Get the healers NOW!" Axel coughed and some blood flew from his own mouth. "I want five teams together in two minutes! Four hunting parties in the woods yesterday and some additional defenders here, MOVE!" Axel barked out his orders as I made it to Jonko's side. His breathing was ragged and his body shook as his blood slowly leaked from the bullet holes that littered his body.

"Jonko..." I slowly approached his head as the other Pokémon ran about to follow Axel's orders. A Gardevoir dropped to her knees besides me and hovered her hands above the nearly dead man.

"Miss Flo, follow us, we need to move him to where we can work better." I heard her say as Jonko's body slowly lifted from the ground. "Grave, tend to Axel, and keep him sane."

"I-" The Gallade who I was with earlier harshly gripped said Lucario's snout and shut him up. I ignored them all as I followed the floating body deeper into the village. I felt helpless, my trainer and friend was barely alive, and I could do nothing. At some point we wound up inside a small cabin that was quickly filled with other Pokémon who drifted about Jonko's nearly lifeless body. They removed his shirt to get a better look at the wounds and rested him on a low table that barely held his body. I sat beside him as Elinor's eyes glowed bright with her power while she skirted about the table. I felt tears fall as I wept for Jonko's life.

"JoJo isn't going to die." I looked to the doorway where the large form of Axel stood shakily. He slowly came closer to the bed Jonko lay on, followed shortly by Grave and the Lucario who attacked our van. "He's survived too much to let this stop him." He collapsed to his knees besides Jonko.

"Alpha." The normal Lucario took a few steps to us before Grave grabbed her shoulder. She looked back at the green and white Pokémon as he shook his head.

"Come on bro." Axel placed a paw on Jonko's chest. "You've been through rougher bits than this." Axel sniffled as tears formed in his eyes. "Remember that blood bath at Castelia? Or the invasion of Cyllage?" Axel shivered as he cried and my eyes widen. Both those battles had claimed many lives and where arguably the most destructive in all history.

"You two were at those battles?" I asked quietly Axel looked over at me and nodded.

"We were at almost every battle during that war." Axel looked back to his brother and moved his paw to Jonko's shoulder, where he gently squeezed him. "I think the only ones we missed where a few at the start of the war and a hand full of small skirmishes."

I looked down to my friend as his ragged breathing stopped momentarily then resumed. "Is that why he has so many scars?"

"You can thank Diyablo for those." I snapped my head back to Axel who looked down at Jonko's face. "What do you know about them?"

"Diyablo and Jonko?" I asked, he nodded. I looked back to my trainer as Elinor leaned over me and placed a hand on his face. ** "Not much... I know Diyablo is a monster, but that's it. Jonko... honestly I only know what my instincts tell me about him."** I sighed sadly.

"And that includes that she can trust him." I looked over to the doorway again, and was shocked to see who now stood there.

"Darkrai!" Elinor shouted, shortly before Axed pushed both Grave and the other Lucario out of the way.

"YOU!" Axel grabbed hold of my master's red neck guard and dragged him into the room. "What are you doing here?!" He said angrily, and slammed the Legendary into the closest wall.

"Axel!" Grave grabbed the Larger Lucario in a headlock and tried to drag him off my master. ** "Calm down, let him explain!"** Axel snarled and released him, letting the Gallade pull him back.

"Thank you Grave." Darkrai nodded to the duo then approached me and Jonko. ** "But to answer your question, The Council has decided that I will assist in finding out what the Commanders are up to."**

"You'll be accompanying us master?!" I asked, then squeaked and covered my snout as I realized I had called him master. Everyone in the room looked over at me and I tried to make myself small.

"You're a Cultist?" The normal sized Lucario asked. Jonko suddenly lurched up into a sitting position and gasped for air. I fell back and onto the floor as he did so.

"JoJo!" Elinor shouted and tried to push him down.

"Brother!" Axel broke Grave's hold and ran to us. As the two laid him back down I noticed his unhealed wounds had started to bleed once again. He slowly worked his jaw and lips as though he was whispering something but I heard no sound.

"Miss Elinor, if I may." We looked over to Darkrai as he drifted closer to us. He laid his hand on my trainer's chest and waited. A strange dark cloud slowly covered Jonko's body as his ragged breathing slowed and steadied.

====JONKO====

It was dark. Darker than that night in the cave...

"Sapien Hotel." I heard a voice say in the dark, it sounded like mine but I didn't know-

"Trust. Go." Is it my voice? "Maybe? Perhaps? Who knows?!" The voice in my mind laughed._ "Sapien Hotel, worry about nothing else."_

"I do-" I tried to respond.

"YOU don't WE do. Trust and wake." Suddenly the darkness vanished and a bright light filled my vision.

"Zorua zorua zor."

"Gardevoir, devoir gar. Gardevoir gardevoir."

"He doesn't have the Multi-Dex, He can't understand a word your saying." I heard Axel say before blinking.