APOLLO

            The ring of steel on steel echoed across the rocks and the water. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on the two enemies as they slashed and parried at each other with deadly speed and skill.

            Apollo Love caught Ahab’s blade on its downward stroke and then pushed his adversary back. Both men were sweating and tired as they eyed and circled each other.

            This is him, Apollo knew. This was the monster who kidnapped my sister and murdered my niece. His daughter, Hera, appeared to him in his mind for a second. He had to protect his family. All of his family. He had not been able to protect Sam Marsh, or his son Chris who rushed off so quickly to his doom, or his sister, who had lived in torment of this man most likely, or even Lily. Sweet innocent Lily. But I can avenge them, he thought.

            Apollo was taller than Ahab, and more muscular, yet deceptively swift… but the other man was wild, unpredictable, and rabid as a wild Vigoroth. From the first few blows Apollo dealt, he knew this would not be some easy victory. Thank the Gods Gallade is keeping his monster of a Spirit Pokémon away. There was no way Apollo could win if he also had to deal with the Gyarados.

            “Did your bitch of a sister tell you who I am?” Apollo taunted.

            Ahab cracked a yellow smile. His sunken eyes were glaring back at Apollo with fury. The vile man drew straight up. “Yes, I see,” he hissed. “You’re the Pirate that’s been giving our Navy fits.” Ahab laughed and pointed at the marble castle in the center of the great, white rocked walls of the Sootopolis lagoon. “You somehow escaped, and tried to set free all of our prisoners. A good tactic. But I saw through it in a second. Pirates always go for the treasure.”

            “Aye,” Apollo said, taking careful steps in sync with Ahab as they continued to circle, sizing each other up. “I am that pirate. I’ve sunk twenty-seven of your ships. Big ones, and little ones… and when I’m done with you I’ll sink your worthless body to the bottom of the sea.”

            Ahab cackled at that. “You’re not a very good pirate,” Ahab snorted. “You’ve taken my treasure, so why not leave?”

            To kill you, Apollo thought to himself. The make you suffer and drink of your blood and make you scream for the mercy you never showed little Lily Marsh.

            “I may be a man of… worldly desires,” Ahab continued.  He reminded Apollo of a coiling Seviper, ready to strike at any moment. “I may not look like it, but I’ve studied my share of histories, and legends. I know the legend of the Three Heroes, I know the Great Families that are supposedly descended from them. And I also know the lesser Spirit Families of all of Hoenn… I recognized your Gallade when it saved the Brightflame Boy from the kiss of my sword. I know much and more about you, Apollo.”

            He knows, Apollo realized. It was then he understood that he shouldn’t underestimate this man. On the surface, his greasy hair, wild eyes, and rotting breath screamed low-born scum, but inside Ahab must be cold, calculating, manipulative, and terrible.

            “I’m actually considering letting you keep her,” Ahab said in a low voice. He began twirling his sword like a baton. “The first taste is always the sweetest… and her treasure is getting rather dull,” Ahab grabbed at his crotch with his free hand.

            Apollo felt his blood boiling. He can’t mean it, but somehow when he looked into those soulless eyes, Apollo knew it to be true.

 “You’re right,” Apollo said, he knew he had to keep a level head. Don’t let him work you up. “You’ve found me out. My friends have likely escaped. My sister safe. But still I stay. Why not leave now, you ask?” Apollo stopped circling and pointed his sword at Ahab. “For you.”

Ahab opened his arms. “I’m all yours.”

Apollo charged again, and their blades began to ring the sweet song of battle. The Chief of Oldale’s blood and adrenaline were pumping through his every vein. He had not had a fight like this in a long time.

Up, low, up, middle; each strike and parry was blocked by one man or the other.

“AAAAAARGH!” Apollo tried a slide swing. His eyes must have given him away, because his enemy parried and the two men’s faces were inches from each other.

“I’m disappointed,” Ahab whispered. Each man was trying to push the other back. “The little girl put up a better fight than this. What was her name again?”

“Lily.” Apollo spat in his face and kneed Ahab in the groin. The wretched man crumpled to the ground and Apollo raised his sword behind him to deal the killing blow. He heard his blade whoosh as it sliced through the air…

And rang as it hit rock. Ahab had rolled away at the last second. Apollo’s face was flushed with anger now as he pursued the man.

“SAY HER NAME!” He roared as Ahab dodged and parried. “Stand and fight! You’re such a brave man to slaughter such an innocent little girl. Go on. Say her name!”

Apollo swung low, and Ahab quickly blocked it. Just as expected. The enraged brother swung a mighty fist with a free hand at Ahab’s face. He felt bone crack beneath his knuckles. Ahab’s head fell to one side and as he stumbled Apollo took the opportunity to slide his sword off of Ahab’s. He spun around and this time his blade met flesh.

But it was too late. Ahab had regained his senses at the last second. The Glamour Empress’s half-brother spit out a bloody tooth, and whipped his hair back, revealing a missing chunk of ear. The side of his head was bright red as the blood ran down his neck.

Damn, he’s quick.

“You almost had me there,” Ahab said. He was still smiling. How Apollo hated that smile. The smile of smug satisfaction. The smile of a monster. The smile of everything Apollo hated. His blood began to boil again. “The bitch almost got me once on our wedding night. She should have finished the deed, but she got anxious and her breathing awoke me.” Ahab got back into a fighting stance and wiped some blood from his mouth. “I tied her to the bed after that-”

Apollo rushed in. He could tolerate no more of this man’s talk. He deserved to die, and die painfully. “You took my sister! You tormented her! You killed her child! SAY HER NAME! You killed her! Die! Die!”

With each blow Apollo felt his rage power a superhuman strength. Each time Ahab parried his blows, he felt the wretched snake lose a little more strength. He’s losing blood, he can’t keep this up much longer.

Apollo had backed him into a rocky corner away from the water. Their blades met and Apollo pushed the swords up towards Ahab’s throat. “You took my sister. You tortured her. You killed her child. Say her name. Beg for mercy, and I swear your death will be quick.”

Ahab was groaning. Each second felt like an eternity as Apollo forced the swords up and up and up towards Ahab’s throat. The Chief of Oldale saw a tear in Ahab’s eye as he looked past Apollo into the distance. The slime had to know he had finally met his doom. Then, he began to chuckle again.

Apollo could take no more. Whether Ahab begged for mercy or not, he would end him on his next word. Apollo thought back to his broken sister and the Mudkip egg splattered with Lily’s blood. “Say. Her. Name.”

“Not yet,” he said with a laugh.

The next thing Apollo knew, he was swept off of his feet. He saw Ahab shrink below him. He spun in the air and saw Gyarados and Gallade fighting in the lagoon. Jumping and diving back under the water. Who? What’s happening? Was all he had time to think

He gasped for breath when he fell back to the ground and his back hit the stony rock below. He looked at his feet, a rainbow scaled tail was wrapped around his ankles. Apollo looked at his hand, and saw his sword was gone, it had landed less than a yard away. He reached for it, but every move sent pain running through his entire body. Out of one eye, all he saw was red.

“Why must you always play with them, brother?” came a sweet musical voice. Apollo looked back up. The creature that still had a hold on his legs was a serene and serpentine Milotic. A beautiful woman with a golden trident was stroking the Pokémon’s neck. “It’s not polite. End it now and help my men recapture the prisoners. Now.”

Apollo strained his neck in hopelessness as he saw Ahab stumble over to him with his sword. The pain was too much, and Apollo couldn’t move his arms to punch as his enemy fell to his knees on top of him.

“I took your sister,” he croaked at Apollo. The Chief of Oldale tried to kick free of Milotic’s grip, but it was no use. “I had my way with her.” Apollo tried to look away. His eyes met Gallade’s, and the Spirit Pokémon was trying with all its might to get back to Apollo, to help him somehow. “Look at me!” Ahab lifted Apollo’s face with his sword. “And I opened her little girl’s throat with my knife, and I laughed at how easy it was.”

Apollo saw Ahab swing the sword to take off his head.

And then there was a flash of light. A green Pokémon had appeared between the two men. Apollo saw Gardevoir’s eyes water with sadness as Ahab’s sword had cleaved through the Pokémon’s shoulder and down to the red spike in its torso.

Gardevoir reached out a dying hand to Apollo, and the man nodded and took it. In a flash, they were back on his sub.

Gardevoir lay dying in a pool of blood. In a flash, Gallade appeared as well.

“Get the ship out of here! Find somewhere safe, now!” He ordered to anyone who might be listening.

“Hector! Get something to stop the bleeding!” Apollo heard Brandon yell. Everything was in slow motion to him. Gallade was hovering over Gardevoir, cradling the dying Pokémon as it lay trembling and gushing blood from the grisly, mortal wound. Ares and Hermes were standing around his sister, Luna. She had a hold of the Mudkip egg as if it were a baby.

“Don’t worry, Lily. Mommy won’t ever lose sight of you again.”

“It was all for nothing,” Apollo heard one of them say. “Her Spirit Pokémon is going to die… and she will too.”

Fools, Apollo thought as his heart began to jump in uneven beats of pain. Gardevoir was never her spirit Pokémon. He collapsed to the ground when his legs could no longer keep him up. Apollo gazed into Gardevoir’s eyes as they locked and reached out for each other with bloody arms. She was always mine. Gardevoir’s hand dropped as her eyes went dark.

A second later, the silent peace of death washed over Apollo Love.