A chorus of shadows a li.., p.60
A Chorus of Shadows: A LitRPG Isekai Adventure, page 60
Or at least, that was the intention.
Saniya materialized on Lucario's arm, swiftly redirecting her energy to unleash a concentrated Dark Pulse into the ground below Lucario's feet. The moment the attack made contact with the dungeon's floor, it tore through it, propelling dirt and stones in all directions. While Striker was still struck by the initial wave of the attack, he was sent tumbling into the distant wall.
Lucario, affected by the shockwave, responded by lifting her knee as Saniya tugged her arm down, delivering a powerful blow to Saniya's nose, potentially causing some damage. "Impressive, Pink," Lucario quipped, somersaulting gracefully through the air as Saniya was sent sprawling.
Saniya, using her Psychic abilities, managed to stabilize herself and channeled all her power into immobilizing Lucario in mid-air. Gasping for breath, she felt an immense pressure, reminding herself of the times she held Dialga in check. She was determined not to let Lucario break free.
Despite Lucario's apparent disadvantage in the air, she was somehow resisting Saniya's telekinetic hold, and Saniya noticed her Psychic energy dissipating around Lucario's tassels, which horrified her. She had to continuously pour a significant amount of energy into the attack to maintain control, as Lucario's aura seemed to consume it.
With a sudden telekinetic burst, Saniya raised a groaning Sean and Guardian and urgently shouted, "Attack now!" Saniya was talking a big game, but she realized that her reservoir of power was not as deep as it had been when facing Dialga. Lucario felt like an unyielding ocean held back by a fragile dam.
Saniya appeared on Lucario's arm and promptly redirected her energy, directing a focused Dark Pulse into the ground beneath Lucario's feet. Upon contact with the dungeon's floor, the attack tore through it, scattering dirt and stones in all directions. Striker, still recovering from the initial wave of the assault, was sent tumbling towards a distant wall.
Lucario, affected by the shockwave, swiftly countered by raising her knee as Saniya tugged her arm downward, landing a powerful blow on Saniya's nose, potentially causing some damage. "Well done, Pink," Lucario remarked, gracefully somersaulting through the air as Saniya was sent sprawling.
Using her Psychic abilities, Saniya managed to regain her balance and focused all her power on immobilizing Lucario mid-air. Struggling for breath, she sensed immense pressure, reminiscent of her previous encounters with Dialga. She was determined not to let Lucario break free.
Despite Lucario's apparent disadvantage in the air, she somehow resisted Saniya's telekinetic hold, and Saniya observed her Psychic energy dissipating around Lucario's tassels, which greatly concerned her. To maintain control, Saniya had to continuously pour a significant amount of energy into the attack, as Lucario's aura seemed to consume it.
With a sudden telekinetic burst, Saniya lifted a groaning Sean and Guardian and urgently commanded, "Attack now!" Saniya talked confidently, but she was aware that her reservoir of power was not as deep as when facing Dialga. Lucario felt like an unyielding ocean restrained by a delicate dam.
With a solitary snap, the situation threatened to engulf her. "Ahh, ow-ow-OW!" Saniya's nose started bleeding under the strain of restraining the ancient Pokémon. "Quickly!" Saniya cried out.
Guardian and Sean leaped in, delivering Fire Punch and Force Palm to Lucario's chest while narrowly evading the blunted spike.
Saniya dangled in the air as her grasp was shattered by the powerful blow, sending Lucario flying as she had done to them at the outset. Guardian caught Saniya, and Sean swiftly produced an Oran Berry to place in her mouth.
"Oh companions, dear pals, my friends," Saniya mumbled while chewing the Oran Berry. "That was nearly as challenging as holding time itself."
Sean glanced back at the wall. "I'll assist Striker," he declared and hurried away, leaving the two of them to deal with Lucario.
Slowly but surely, Lucario rose to her feet. She cracked her neck and remarked, "I'm genuinely impressed. You four do constitute a formidable team, perhaps an eight collectively. Regrettably, however-"
She sprang into action, seizing the two Pokémon standing between her and Sean. "On your own, you're sevens."
She forcefully collided Saniya into Guardian's head, briefly rendering them unconscious and creating a Bone Rush. "Oh, Seaaaan~?"
xSean's terror-filled gaze darted behind him. Abruptly halting, he resorted to a last-ditch effort at imitation. His opponent was closing in, but he managed to parry her attack with a swift Bone Rush of his own. The impact shattered his mimicry, but his actual bones remained unscathed.
Swiftly, Sean maneuvered between her legs before she could pummel his head, reaching for his bag. She pivoted towards him, and he catapulted a seed into the air before striking it with a Force Palm. The resulting blast seed detonated, propelling both of them backward. However, to his dismay, Lucario now stood between him and Striker, who had seemingly vanished, leaving behind an empty space.
With a resigned determination, Sean prepared to fend off Lucario single-handedly while awaiting Striker's return. He repeatedly mimicked her Bone Rush, though each copy shattered upon impact. Yet, his speed allowed him to promptly craft new mimicked strikes to continue blocking her relentless assault.
Sean's arms throbbed, shaking from the jarring blows that reverberated through his entire body, while Lucario maintained a taunting smirk throughout the ordeal.
"Come on, are you even trying?" she taunted. The ground beneath her suddenly shifted, prompting Sean to leap towards her in an attempt to exploit the situation with a Force Palm. His unexpected attack momentarily caught her off guard, and Striker managed to burst forth from the ground, avoiding further pummeling. Lucario managed to deflect Sean's blow, but Striker's attack delivered a brutal uppercut to her stomach. Striker caught Sean, and the Riolu declared...
"Boost me!" Sean had granted Striker numerous boosts, leading to Striker's eagerness to reciprocate the favor. He propelled Sean towards Lucario, generating a resounding metallic clash. The impact sent Sean and Lucario careening through the air, their separation enforced by the explosive Force Palm.
Sean found himself close to Guardian while Lucario executed an agile flip, landing gracefully on her feet. Striker swiftly burrowed underground, prompting Lucario to sprint toward the hole and leave behind a special delivery - a Dragon Pulse. The resulting eruption reverberated, and a muted cry reached their ears.
"Are you ready to surrender yet?" Lucario inquired. Sean, having just administered a Sitrus Berry to Guardian, and both of them rose to their feet. "No? Excellent."
She began a deliberate, theatrical stride toward them. Striker emerged suddenly from behind her, the gleaming Leaf Blades at the ready. With a graceful dodge beneath him, she crafted a Bone Rush, extending it upwards to deliver a substantial bony blow to his jaw. She seized his leg before he could take flight and hurled him toward Guardian.
In her benevolence, Lucario patiently awaited Saniya's arrival and Sean's distribution of healing items to the group. "You know, I abstain from using items myself," Lucario stated, resuming her leisurely pace. "It's an act of arrogance, I can assure you. I've never learned Protect either, more arrogance. It's been decades since I've encountered a true challenge. Even Cara, who is roughly my equal in skill, pales in comparison to my power. It's not enjoyable to go all out against him."
She halted approximately twenty meters away from them. "Impressive progress, Team Sunrise. Most Pokémon don't last long against me. I commend Tyson's strategy on your behalf. However, we're nearing the point where persistence could lead to injuries. It's time for me to take action," she stated matter-of-factly, sending shivers down their spines.
Lucario sprang into action. Sean attempted to intervene, but he couldn't restrain the torrent of Pokémon power with his paws. A swift Bone Rush strike to his head sent him tumbling, and she advanced toward the rest of the group.
Saniya made an effort to hinder her with Psychic, but her strength had waned from prior use. Lucario effortlessly negated the attack with a single Dark Pulse wave.
She invaded Team Sunrise's territory, and the confrontation began. Guardian's hands flickered with flames as he engaged in hand-to-hand combat with her. Lucario seized one of his wrists, while Striker unleashed a slash. Together, they formed a formidable duo.
She attempted a strike at Guardian, but Striker's Leaf Blade effortlessly cleaved through the Bone Rush. It glowed with green energy, and she had an epiphany.
Overgrow...
Targeting Striker to incapacitate him proved futile as Guardian intercepted her movements using an encompassing, sturdy shroud of shadows, diverting her strikes and impeding her advance.
They pirouetted around her, a duo of creatures that had combated together and against one another for countless years.
Guardian delivered punches; Striker executed slashes. Striker launched kicks; Guardian held back. Saniya also joined the fray, impairing Lucario's vision with leaves and assaulting her with stones, not just the ancient power but also stones she tore from the earth to strike her on the head.
Lucario swiped at Saniya, but Guardian clamped onto her arm, applying pressure with a fiery palm.
Striker etched an X into her back, and she conjured Bone Rush projectiles, though not from her paws, aiming them at him. Saniya then redirected them back at Lucario with her Psychic abilities.
Individually, Team Sunrise members were formidable, but their victories always hinged on their remarkable synergy. Even Lucario found it challenging to disrupt this well-coordinated ensemble.
She summoned a Dark Pulse to thrust Guardian aside, but Striker countered it with an Energy Ball amplified by Overgrowth, detonating it before it could fully materialize.
However, this was precisely the moment she had been waiting for. The explosion was certainly painful. Her Dark Pulse was an immensely potent attack, but the shockwave sent everyone hurtling, not just herself.
Team Sunrise's greatest strength lay in their unity, and Lucario was struggling to overcome it without inflicting severe harm.
Hence, the detonation.
Performing an acrobatic mid-air flip, Lucario gracefully landed on her feet, positioning herself defensively. She executed a powerful punch, propelling Saniya with such vigor that she collided with the wall at a considerable distance from Sean. Without a moment's delay, Lucario bounded towards Saniya.
Saniya collided with the building, emitting a cry as she began to rebound off its surface. Before she could descend from the wall, Lucario landed beside her, channeling Dark Energy through her feet. With a graceful leap, she left a trail of Dark Pulse in her wake, striking Saniya once more as the wave engulfed her. Saniya plummeted.
Under the influence of the Dark Pulse's force, Saniya seemed to defy gravity, almost flying. Lucario summoned her Bone Rush once more, using it to knock down the recovering Sean before advancing towards Striker.
With a swift twist and a resounding crack, she struck Striker on the head, extinguishing the burning energy of Overgrow. Striker collapsed.
Lucario swiftly approached Guardian, conjuring a Dragon Pulse with a concentrated breath, which she directed into his maw-like belly, resulting in a muffled explosion reverberating through the room. Guardian fell.
Lucario exhaled softly, regaining her composure, and turned her attention to the last remaining opponent, Sean. He faced her, trembling slightly. She winked at him. "Now that they've been dealt with," she remarked, cracking her neck once more and shaking her limbs to invigorate her circulation. "Let's engage in a proper confrontation."
"What?" Sean gasped, but Lucario was already upon him, striking his nose with the tip of her Bone Rush, causing him to recoil with a sharp cry of pain.
"Alright then," she uttered as she struck him once more in the same spot. "Come on. Get angry with me."
She landed another blow.
And another.
And another.
In that very same spot.
Sean sensed a surge of anger overwhelming him. It wasn't as overpowering as the one he had previously grappled with, that mysterious, alien force that would briefly drive him to madness and had to be forcefully subdued.
It was less intense, but it was still there.
He launched a frenzied assault on Lucario. Several Force Palms slammed into her legs before she began twirling her Bone Rush, adeptly parrying his thunderous strikes.
Bones shattered upon each impact, but she swiftly formed another one and deflected his Force Palms, carefully stepping back as he attempted to unleash his rage upon her.
Gradually, the discomfort of the recoil began to creep into his wrists, and with one mighty strike, he sent Lucario flying, slicing right through her Bone Rush as if it were nothing.
She collided with the wall, her head cracking against it, and he froze. "A-Ah," he stammered.
Lucario groaned, struggling to her feet, and massaged the back of her head. "That's going to be a nasty bump," she grumbled.
"Lu-Lucario, I'm-"
She approached him and delivered a punch to his nose once more. "What's that?" she inquired, a mischievous smile returning as Sean froze in place.
His eye gave a twitch. Another punch to the nose followed.
Lucario let out a whistle as Sean retaliated once more. This pattern continued for a while until, after regaining their composure, she landed another blow to his nose, causing him to groan and fall backward.
"Hm," Lucario hummed, prodding the downed Riolu a few times.
"That's sufficient," Violet's voice interjected sharply, and Lucario looked up, contemplating before nodding.
She seized the Treasure Bag from him, and Violet took it, proceeding to administer berries until they had all regained consciousness.
"That was entertaining! You're actually quite formidable, certainly the strongest among the teams I've encountered so far. Although, I should rematch the Go-Getters, as it's been a few years," Lucario said, applauding and taking a seat. "What have we learned?"
"That Team Go-Getters were no joke?" Guardian weakly inquired.
"Hahaha."
A moment of silence followed. Lucario waited with anticipation. When no response was forthcoming, she turned to Sean. "How do you feel?"
"Pain."
"I mean emotionally, mentally, on the inside."
"Like..." Sean began to express his newfound dislike for her, but strangely enough, that wasn't the case. "Huh."
"Oh?" Lucario smirked once more. That was mildly annoying.
Sean furrowed his brow. "I... huh."
"What is it?" Saniya demanded. Lucario had also torn up some fabric for them to apply to bleeding spots; Sean and Saniya had nosebleeds, and their voices were slightly muffled.
"I've returned to my usual state since our battle, but... I suppose I still feel the same?" Lucario nodded and reclined, content. She had gathered them into a small circle for a discussion of important matters. "I suspected as much. Nothing like a bit of hands-on experience."
"What's the cause of it?" Sean inquired. "I haven't felt this well in months. I mean, I feel like I've been hit by a truck at the moment, but it's not like the past few months."
"Alright, take a seat, gather 'round, and prepare because I'm going to enlighten you with some history!" Lucario declared with enthusiasm. They were already seated, and there were no cups in sight. She wasn't going to wait for them to get ready.
"It was truly fascinating watching that kind of battle," Violet chimed in quietly, having settled herself unnoticed.
Lucario waved her paw back and forth. "We'll get there."
She took a deep breath and gazed at the smoky sky for a moment. "Sean, have you considered what distinguishes this world from your own?"
Sean blinked. "Um... yeah?"
"What is it?"
He furrowed his brow. "There are humans where I come from?"
"Tsk," she scoffed, but appeared amused. "That's one. Can you guess the other difference?"
Sean stared at her with a slightly blank expression. She made a series of subtle gestures, shifting her eyes around until it finally dawned on him. "Mystery Dungeons?"
Lucario beamed at him. "There you have it."
She gazed skyward once more, and they followed her lead. "There are more than two realms. I believe there are at least four dimensions, not to mention those alternate mirror world dimensions. Best not to dabble in those. But among the four I'm familiar with, this is the sole realm with dungeons. It's also the only one devoid of humans. I've managed to catch glimpses of other worlds, witnessed some unsettling things that I." She shivered. "Wished I hadn't seen. But also some intriguing phenomena. This world has no humans. This world has dungeons. I sense a connection between these elements."
"Sense?" Guardian inquired. He was likely the least injured, given his resilient nature. Nevertheless, he had consumed several Dragon Pulses and felt a bit queasy.
She shrugged. "I can't state it definitively, I'm afraid. I possess a great deal of knowledge, some of which I'm about to impart, but much of it remains speculative and theoretical."
"Do you believe there's a link between humans and dungeons?" Sean asked.
She nodded. "I do. And while it may initially appear as mere speculation, I do have concrete knowledge about a few crucial aspects." She reclined. "I arrived in this realm through a different means than you did... How did you come here, actually?"
"I can answer that!" Saniya exclaimed, jumping up.
"My Giratina managed to establish contact with a Giratina from a different realm. That counterpart was capable of transporting Sean into their Reverse World and, subsequently, shifting him into our Reverse World. He then traversed into the Dark Future through fragile rifts in the fabric of reality. That's what Giratina conveyed, at least. He informed me that he was expecting a Gabriel, and I must have appeared rather foolish when that wasn't Sean's name." Lucario fixed an intense gaze on Sean.
