Ch. 18 Monster Surprised You

“I can’t believe that you talked him out of it,” Glorfindel said through growls and gritted teeth.

Glorfindel stepped up the stairway, not even gripping on the steel railing, as his eyes narrowed. Saria’s claws scraped against the concrete steps, giving out a nervous grin. Behind them, David half-climbed, passing close to the half-steel half-concrete wall, even as he gave out a cheeky grin. Besides David walked Al, his hand-paw gripping onto the railing tight even as he half-wheezed.

“Eh, I know Adrian well enough that he wants to help Faith however he can,” David said with a shrug. “And so, I offered to take his—”

“You are a fool of a Zoroark!” Glorfindel slammed his staff against the stairs. “If it weren’t for the fact that I need help, I would’ve turned you into a statue!”

“Couldn’t we just teleport to the mayor’s office?” Al asked between gasps of breaths. “Or at least use one of the air cars to get us up there? After all, there was one that’s abandoned—”

“Glorfindel insisted that this would be the safer option,” Saria said as she passed under the 20th-floor sign. “At least no one is using the stairs like they’re using the elevators.”

“Even if they weren’t, I still would insist on the stairs,” Glorfindel said even as his hair became drenched from sweat. “And if I know him, he’ll appear soon. He wouldn’t stay idle in his trap.”

“Who are you talking about?” David asked.

“I believe he’s talking about *me*.”

The group stopped, with David, Saria, and Al twisting around for this new voice even as Glorfindel’s free arm fell. He turned to the railings, his face so pale that David’s stomach turned inside out. He took a step back from the bar a second before a rush of red and blue colors appeared in front of them. This being swayed his five tails, blue with red tips, and his lips curled into an evil grin. His black feet-paws curl on top of the rails, his white claws cutting through the steel with no issue. His large wings, feathery and blue which ended in red and a streak of black between them, spread out.

“Hello again, Glorfindel,” this winged kitsune said, his staff ash grey and its head holding a few large pale green gems. “It took a while for you to get up here. I almost wanted to get down to you a few floors earlier.” He stepped down from the rails, almost as though he stepped on invisible stairs. “I also took the liberty of disabling those defenses you improved again. It was almost a shame that I had to destroy them again since I saw *just how much* you improved them from last time.” He sneered. “Almost.”

“Fëanor,” Glorfindel said, almost in a whisper.

“You know him?” Al asked even as Saria held a similar fearful expression, his claws curling up.

“We’d gone way back, all the way to our original universe.” Fëanor’s purple cape fluttered behind him as his claw hung under Glorfindel’s neck. “In fact, he inspired me on my path. A good thing too because he has proven to be *such* a disappointment.” His claw rubbed up Glorfindel’s neck, who flinched as he stepped back. “Power is meant to dominate, and he has none.”

His claws went up to Glorfindel’s head, petting him as though they were master and pet, even as Saria crouched low. David felt his heart pounding more from his chest, his eyes shaking from such an audacious show. Al’s face paled a bit, with him sweating even more from the stress.

“You said curious stuff,” David said, his voice steadier than his fingers which shook. “This incident with Maya and Kyle, along with the macro Pokémon’s attacks from months ago. Were they—”

“—my doing? Oh, *yes*.” Fëanor’s grin widened even as Al took a couple of steps back. “I’m glad that you figured it out far faster than him.” He rubbed a single finger down Glorfindel’s face and onto his nose, with his eyes widening more. “I mean, did you not piece it together then? You *are* foolish, just like that mayor.”

“What are you talking about?” Al’s gripped against the rails tightened, his knuckles whitening. “What did you do to Mayor Jonan?”

Fëanor’s laughed, so high that chills rolled down David’s back. “I would’ve gone for the other, but he insisted that, as her superior, any fate should befall upon him rather than his underlings. Though he didn’t expect that I find him more useful dead than alive.”

Silence hovered through the stairway even as a chill as cold as a blizzard came through. They all stared at Fëanor, horrified, even as he laughed once more, his voice echoing up and down. Then, finally, he twisted so that his fangs exposed themselves to Al, whose hand-paw trembled.

“It was foolish of him to expect that his defenses would be sufficient to stop me, who considered all options!” Fëanor’s grin broadened even as Al’s expression darkened. “As for you,” his eyes shifted to Saria, who flinched, “I think that I’ll do the same with him.”

Saria gasped even as Fëanor yanked Glorfindel’s neck, who wiggled against it and tossed him against the stairs themselves. He laughed even as Al’s eyes narrowed, letting go of the rails. He stepped forward, his hand-paws balled into fists, his tail slimmed, and the colors returning to his face.

“You *evil*—” Al charged forward, avoiding David’s own hand-paw.

Fëanor spun around, slamming his staff against Al’s head, knocking him against the door. Blood flowed down his hair and face even as he growled. The staff’s gems slammed against his chest, and he stopped, though he barred his fangs.

“You honestly think that you can fight me? *You*?” Fëanor’s staff pressed harder against Al’s chest, with more blood flowing out. “*I* aspire to be a *god*! *You* are *tiny*! No one has the will to—”

At that moment, Fëanor felt a blow to the back of his head, large claws digging into his scalp. At the same time, another blow slammed against his hand, numbing enough for him to drop the staff. He roared as he spun around, only for a strong impact hitting against this throat, crushing it. He coughed, with a pair of hand-paws gripping against his own arm, pulling him forward and slamming against the rails, flipping him over and making him fall.

“Knock Off and Throat Chop.” David stood near the rails, glaring at the falling Fëanor before spinning around. Glorfindel already went into action, pressing his glowing green hand-paws against Al’s head and chest until the bleeding stopped. The blood remains disappeared from his fur, hair, and clothed, and David sighed. “I’m glad that Glorfindel is here for once. Doing OK?”

“Outside of his splitting headache, I’m already,” Al replied as he stood up, his shirt also repaired. “That was stupid of me.”

“At least you’re alive.” David patted Glorfindel’s shoulder even as Fëanor’s staff slid over the edge on its own. “What was that monster talking about? Aren’t you as powerful as him?”

But Glorfindel shook his head. “We are equals in magical skills, but his reservoir far surpassed my own. I never understood why my magical limits are stunted while others around me, who use their power unwisely or uncontrollably, are far more powerful. But anything I can do, he can do far better.”

David blinked before he stepped back. “Then he may—”

At that moment, a black hand-paw ripped through the concrete floor as though they were tissue, gripping onto David’s leg. He gasped and wiggled, but Fëanor tore through the floor a second later, no longer smiling. Instead, he lifted David up and spun him around before tossing him against Glorfindel and Al. The three crashed through the door from the impact, with several bricks following and rolling by.

“You!” Fëanor’s wings flapped, hovering for a second before zooming in, his green eyes glowing brightly.

David rolled, and a second later Fëanor’s hand-paw ripped through where he once was. He leaped back, inhaling and exhaling for a second as he calmed down, and a black chain formed on his hand-paw. David’s body twitched even as he activated Illusion, with him seemingly disappearing from view. But Fëanor’s eyes narrowed before flinging the chains around David’s neck, with him gripping against his while choaking.

“You cannot hide from me!” Fëanor tugged David close, who struggled himself back. “A kitsune’s illusions are strong enough to actually warp reality! Your Illusion is nothing more than a joke!”

David gasped, falling to the ground with his face turning purple. But the chain slackened before they disappeared. He blinked and pressed himself up, gasping for breath while rubbing his neck. For Al gripped Fëanor’s neck under one arm while his other hand-paw pressed against a closed eye. Fëanor grunted before dark electricity emitted from his body, flinging Al off and against the wall.

“Weaklings! All of you!” Fëanor slammed his staff against the floor, and the floor under the four dissolving into ashes. Several floors below dissolved into nothing just as quickly, and outside of Fëanor, they fell. “Now feel my wrath!”

David twisted in mid-air while yelling, hanging against his massive hair turf while his eyes shut tight. But Saria leaped down, and David landed on her back mid-air, with her grunting from the force. She landed and jumped from the edge of the floor, catching Al well before landing on the one floor Fëanor didn’t destroy. Both David and Al hugged her before they turned upward.

Above, Glorfindel held onto a golden rope, with it wrapped around Fëanor’s leg tight. He jerked a bit, with Fëanor’s grunting from the sudden force, his wings flapping more. But he twisted and spun Glorfindel around until the magical rope snapped and dissolved, with him slamming through a couple of walls until he went outside, with Fëanor following.

David and Al got off from Saria before running over to the staircase, going to the nearest window. At that moment, Glorfindel made an impact against the other building’s wall, though he sunk into it as though it was liquid. The wall’s waves soon settled by the time Fëanor hovered over it, hand extended. Purple flames fired from his hand, landing against the wall and exploding with chunks of bricks and steel flying out.

Smog covered the forced opening just as hundreds of paper planes zoomed out, with smokes trailing out. Fëanor blinked as the planes sliced through his fur and skin before he emitted an energy wave, causing the paper planes to dissolve. The smog cleared out just enough to spot Glorfindel sprinting away, casting another spell on the other office appliances.

Al paled, sweating from the sight as Fëanor zoomed in. “Jeez, there must be a way to stop him!”

Saria bit her lip even as Fëanor ripped through computers and printers, not slowed by wires tying him down. Finally, a series of rumbles came through, far more aggressive than they felt, and she turned eastward. Her face paled a bit even as David rubbed her shoulder.

“I’m sure he’ll be alright,” David said as another explosion came through from the other building. “But Glorfindel isn’t.”

But Saria shook her head. “He is beyond the three of us. But Daren, he can fight him off.”

“But—”

“I can take his place,” Saria said and, before David said another word, she hopped from one staircase to the other.

David grunted, gripping onto the railing before he slammed his claws against it, denting it. Another explosion came, and he roared out before he closed his eyes. Al patted his head and, after David emitted a low hum, he reached up to his earrings. He sighed before he opened his eyes wide, sharp as nails.

“I’ll help Glorfindel out,” David said, with him gripping onto Al’s arm. “I doubt I’ll do much more to slow that monster down, but I’ll try to.”

“I’ll be—”

“You’ll be in a safe place!” David hugged Al close. “Sorry, but I doubt that you’ll do much than slam a car against his side. Just be safe.”

David let go and, before Al emitted a protest, he jumped over the railings and leaped down, hopping from staircase to staircase.

Al leaned over the railings, his ears flattened back and his tail still. His hand went to his pocket, and, feeling a steel key, his ears stood up as his expression firmed. The abandoned air car they saw when coming in may have a use after all. He ran down the stairs, half sliding down the railings as he thought of the one trick that may help.

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Glorfindel slid across the ground, his feet-paws ripping through pavements. Countless anthros screamed out all around them, many of them heading to the protection centers even as he slammed through several abandoned cars. Finally, he stopped against the electrical pole, with its cords ripping apart as it landed on top of the bus stop.

He fell on his knees, leaning against his staff as blood and sweat dripped down from his forehead and limbs. Finally, he steadied himself back to his feet-paws, his claws ripped off as he saw nothing but blurry colors. But soon, it cleared up, with Fëanor walking towards him without a single drop of sweat.

Beside him, several cracking noises came, and when he turned, he spotted several thick wires. He extended his free left hand-paw to it, and they wrapped around his chest. Soon, he gripped one end tight as electricity flowed through him, feeling recharged as his wounds closed and his claws regrow.

Glorfindel extended his staff forward, and the cars, intact or otherwise, floated into the air before they zoomed towards Fëanor. But Fëanor waved his free hand in turn, emitting a purple wave that dissolved the cars before they came an inch from his body. Then, with another gesture, the wave flattened and fired towards Glorfindel even as a green bubble formed around it. The sharp wave sliced through the bubble and the cord.

Half a second later, Fëanor whizzed to Glorfindel’s side, gripping onto his neck as the cords dropped from his body. “Oh, you poor little thing.” He lifted Glorfindel off the ground even as he whacked his staff against Fëanor’s arm. “You thought that, with an overcharge, you could overpower me?” His eyes widened as his eyes glowed, giving out a massive grin. “You are tiny.”

His grip tightened, and Glorfindel gasped, dropping his staff as he tried to break free from his grasp. But it was too strong. Fëanor laughed some more before he sniffed, and he spun around. He tossed Glorfindel away, with him crashing against David, and they both landed against a bus, forming a steely crater.

“I thought I told you,” Fëanor said while laughing, with them struggling against the steely crater. “I can sense your childlike Illusion. You can’t fool me.”

David groaned, with both falling out from the bus, and they lay on their knees. But he patted Glorfindel’s shoulder as he stood back up. His eyes narrowed as he barred his fangs, his claws flexed.

“Even so,” David said, “I can at least slow you down.”

“Are you talking about Saria? But where is she?” Fëanor winked before he turned eastward, his grin wider. “Let me guess, she planned to take Daren or, as you know him, A-Ninetales place in the battle with Kyle. All so that he can fight me instead.”

David coughed, though his glare hadn’t lessened. “And if you’re right, so what?”

Fëanor gave out a loud and ecstatic laugh that caused David’s fur to stand up, his ears flattened back. Even as a purple orb formed over Fëanor’s splayed hand-paw, Glorfindel’s staff returned to him, horrified. At the same time, a ring formed underneath Fëanor as the purple orb hovered upwards, expanding as it became see-through.

It displayed two giant Pokémon, A-Ninetales and Kyle, fighting against each other on top of the torn apart farms. Their movements and attacks came, and, seconds later, the ground shook beneath the three. Soon, Saria, who became just as huge, appeared and spoke with A-Ninetales. He then turned to the southwest, deep in thought.

“You-you can’t—”

“I can, and I will because you don’t have the guts.” Fëanor’s eyes shined as though they ignited. “Now, come—”

At that moment, the crunch of metal, the screech of steel rubbing together, and several crashing noises came as they all flinched. The magical ring underneath Fëanor faded as he turned to the source, where an air car came flying through. He extended his free hand-paw, and a purple bubble formed in front of him. But the car came too fast, and the shattered shards that remained sliced through his chest and wings, with him grunting.

David turned as well, gasping in horror, as a giant mech around thirty feet tall charged onwards toward them. Its black paint, with white edgings and neon red glow on the linings, shined in the sunlight as it grabbed the electrical pole. A heavily digitalized voice came from it just as it slammed the rod against Fëanor’s side, sending him flying off.

“Take that!” Its head then turned to David and Glorfindel. “Are you two alright?”

“AL?!” David yelled out even as the mech grabbed the bus behind them and tossed it against Fëanor, with it shattering to pieces. “You idiot, what are you doing?!”

Fëanor grunted, pressed between a car and a bus, glass and steel cutting through his fur. He emitted a purple wave around him, pushing both objects away as the electrical pole impacted his chest. His body ripped through the pavement as he got forced back several feet, with the mech dragging him forward. But Fëanor gripped on the pole, and his hand-paw glowed purple as the rod dissolved.

“Doing what I should’ve done last time!” Al said, swinging the mech’s fist against Fëanor, knocking him through several vehicles at once. “Stopping it!”

“But you know that machine can’t last long!” David sprinted forward, only for his body to levitate in place. Glorfindel pulled David back even as he growled. “Let me go!”

The Al mech nodded even as it picked up an empty truck, ignoring an anthro’s cry. Fëanor shook his head and gritted his teeth as the mech lifted the truck high, charging forward once more. But Fëanor emitted a purple orb and tossed it at the truck, with it exploding and ripping off one of the mech’s forearms. It stumbled a bit even as Fëanor gave a sweaty laugh, but the mech instead flung what remained of its arm. It impacted his chest, with the electrical sparks burning through and the jagged remains stabbing in.

Fëanor yelled in pain even as the mech ripped him off its stumped arm and tossed him through a building. But, at that moment, the neon lights dimmed, and the mech froze in place. Glorfindel gasped, and, with his staff, he picked up the one arm’s remains and tossed it at the mech, with it glowing green.

But a bolt of purple lightning came from the building, shattering the forearm before it could reconnect. Half a second later, Fëanor flew out from the building, swinging his fist at the mech’s torso as he roared. The mech’s pod ripped out from the mech, slamming against the opposite wall even as Fëanor’s staff emitted a massive blast of wind, knocking Glorfindel and David away.

Fluids and electricity flowed from the mech’s remains before it collapsed, with a fire starting on it. David grunted, pushing himself up even as Fëanor ahead walked to the pod, his wounds closing. His staff pierced through the road, his muscles tense, even as David got back on his feet. Beside him, Glorfindel mumbled a bit, his own staff glowing before it faded, and he groaned.

The pod slid open as Fëanor lifted his staff up, the other end glowing purple.

“NO!!!”

Fëanor swung his staff forward as though it was a spear, with it coming it. He dug deep, with the staff’s end piercing through and to the other end. Blood splattered out, with some of it on his staff, before he pulled back his staff, its end no longer glow. Instead, a small metal disk flew out, with it ringing a bit as it landed. He stood there, at first chuckling, before he splayed his arms back into mad laughter.

David stumbled a bit, with him lowering his head even as Glorfindel gasped beside him, with him getting back onto his feet-paws as well. His hand-paws clutched together, with them shaking from rage. Fëanor turned to the two even as he tossed a purple orb into the mech’s pod, grinning wide. But David’s teeth bit into his lips, his eyes narrowed into a glare. Soon, his jaws opened wide.

“I’LL KILL YOU!!!”

David sprinted forward, not even hearing Glorfindel’s words. His claws splayed out, with purple and black energy coming from them. He jumped ahead, swinging his claws, but they only contacted nothing but air, with Fëanor leaning back while laughing.

Instead, Fëanor swung his staff against David’s head, its gemstone poking into his skin, and he fell to the side, rolling around. He got back up; his hand-paws folded together in a flat position. He leaped forward once more, jabbing its chop towards Fëanor’s throat, but he leaned back, letting David fall once more.

“I thought you have more tricks than that,” Fëanor said even as David landed next to the metal disk.

David grunted with some of his furs scraped off from the landing, and he rubbed his hair-mane. Soon, he felt an orb within, and his eyes lowered a bit. But then his eyes sharpened once more, with gears turning within his head. He pulled out the sphere and charged once more.

“Three times? Guess those last two times didn’t sink in enough,” Fëanor said as he spread his arms out.

David snarled even as he squeezed the orb tight, closing his eyes just as tight. A purple energy shield formed in front of Fëanor, with him smirking. But then, David tossed the orb, with six white and yellow lines extending from the center with a bit of darkness at the empty edges. The sphere went through the energy field, with cracks forming on it.

It busted, with David cursing himself about using that Luminous Orb for such a purpose even as a massive light came from its remains. Even shut tight, he could still see the white light from its explosion. At the exact moment, he heard a massive cry, so loud that it could be heard hundreds of miles away. The light faded and he opened his eyes, with the orb disappeared from existence.

Ahead, with no shield, Fëanor bent forward, one of his hand-paws covering his eyes. Even so, they couldn’t stop the blood flow, even with a purple glow from them. David sprinted forward, with him swinging his fist at his staff hand, with him yelping as he dropped it. Half a second later, David extended his fingers up and slammed them against Fëanor’s throat, stopping the yelps.

Both of Fëanor’s hand-paws pressed against his face even as David bent low. He stretched out his leg and swung, contacting Fëanor’s knee with a snap, and he fell, his wings stretched out. But David got up, his red claws emitting a purple and black glow before swinging it against Fëanor’s chest. Blood flowed out even as he slammed against the paving, his jaws wide but no sound coming.

David panted, exhausted from using the moves at such a fast pace. “Knock Off, Throat Chop, Low Kick, and Shadow Claw. Die, you monster.”

But Fëanor gritted his teeth even as his body faded, becoming see-through. David blinked and growled as he spread out his claws once more. They glowed purple and black as he swung, but they phased through his body. Then, a couple of seconds later, he disappeared and, when David searched for the staff, it was gone too.

Glorfindel went over to David’s side, turning around at every corner of the wrecked street. He turned to the viewing orb Fëanor summoned, with it disappearing, but he noted that all three giant Pokémon weren’t displayed anymore. His ears flattened back before turning back to David, who picked up the metal disk.

His body shook before he fell to his knees, gritting his teeth. Tears landed onto the street even as Glorfindel approached him and kneeled beside him, rubbing his shoulder. David flinched before he gripped onto Glorfindel’s hand-paw tight, tears flowing out more freely.