The Aura Within | Pokémon

Twenty Eight | Back To Back (Part II)

Right when Soul gave them the word, the squadron rushed into action right away. However, it seemed like the enemy had other plans for them. Claire performed a hand sign while chanting something that sounded like a spell. In an instant, the grassy ground rippled with a magenta hue. The strange event caused the knights to halt immediately.

Strange figures began to rise from the ripples. Through their eerie presence, the resemblance appeared to be of human beings, only they were surrounded by dark energy. Some resembled humans while others resembled Pokémon. The only thing they all had in common were their pair of glowing scarlet eyes that sent an unsettling chill down the living human's spine. It was as if they were witnessing the night of the living dead.

Axel's eyes widened in shock as he looked back at the lavender eyed woman who Soul ordered them to kill: Claire Ferguson. Her signature wicked smile was plastered on her face while her pastel eyes twinkled with insanity. What kind of sick person was she? Claire pointed their way and gave her command to the spirit-like entities that rose from the ground.

"Attack!"

"Everyone, scatter!"

Just as told, every member of the squadron split up and fought off those things immediately. The moment they separated, those entities came after them. They were equipped with some sort of makeshift sword that glowed the same magenta color from earlier. The living and the dead sparred against each other with all they had. Even if the living didn't have a clue as to what those entities really were, they must fight no matter what.

If they give up, Soul might just get killed.

One of the soulless entities rushed at Axel with an inhuman battle cry. Once it came closer to him, the curly haired knight immediately swung his sword at it, striking it right across the torso. As it fell back, magenta colored streams of light shot out from the wound he created. Once it all left the body, the dark energy that surrounded it slowly disappeared. What Axel saw next took him completely by surprise.

The entity he defeated was most definitely human and he wore an old and scratched up armor that bore the Creation Trio on the chest plate, some of it chipped off from old age. Axel's eyes narrowed as he removed his gaze from the corpse and scanned the rest of them that surrounded him. They all stared back at the curly haired knight with those eerie glowing scarlet eyes. Were they all like the last entity he killed just now? What the hell happened to them?

With one strike to their body, they suddenly collapsed and the dark energy revealed who they were. Based on what Axel just witnessed, they had no signs of living. His eyes widened once he came upon a very disturbing theory. He took a quick glance at Claire, who was watching the squadron with amused eyes. That woman was definitely not like the other bad guys they've faced before.

Could she possibly have the ability to reanimate the deceased?

No, what was he thinking? That's too surreal even for her. Bringing back someone from the dead was not possible. It would be crossing boundaries between the living and dead. That would be messing with Arceus's territory.

Axel's train of thought came to a halt when another one of those entities ran toward him, followed by another two. He gritted his teeth before quickly whistling to signal his partner of their battle formation. Stopping them may be easier than expected, but it was meaningless if he's overwhelmed. As one of them jumped at him ferociously, Axel quickly jammed his sword into their neck. The magenta light emitted from the place he struck, blinding him momentarily.

The curly haired knight stumbled back and rubbed his eyes, trying to regain his sight. Blinking a few times, his somewhat blurry vision allowed him to see the dark energy fading and revealing another corpse. This time, it revealed a woman. Axel's vision became clear, allowing him to see some peculiar mark tattooed on the palm of her hand. These things fighting them weren't just knights, but also civilians.