[ Contents | 16. Mothra vs.... | 17. ... vs. Dark | 18. Monster's Revenge ]

Yamucha's Student

By Dragoness Eclectic

Chapter 17. ... vs. Dark

Yamucha peppered Rodan with small ki-blasts again, hoping to slow or distract the gigantic pterosaur. Again, Rodan waggled its head and coursed on--

--only to swerve abruptly with a raucous screech. Rodan screamed again and abruptly dropped Barugon. Barugon snapped open sleepy eyes and bellowed his displeasure at finding himself falling from ten thousand feet.

Rodan looped vertically; Yamucha suddenly found himself looking up at the winged monster diving down on him with mouth open. With surge of power, Yamucha dodged just in time as the monstrous beak crashed shut behind him.

"Whoa! What happened?"

Far below, Barugon cratered into the ground and lay stunned. Rodan flipped one wing down and pivoted in mid-air; Yamucha found himself facing the enraged monster again. A red beam of energy sliced through the air only to be dodged by the agile warrior.

"I get it--Puar must have shut off the controller! You're pissed at me, aren't you?" White power flared in a corona around Yamucha as he hurtled high into the air--ten thousand, fifteen thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand feet. Below him, Rodan dove steeply and pulled up abruptly, zooming after Yamucha.

"Let's see if I can convince you to go somewhere else!" Energy gathered in Yamucha's hands as he hovered, watching the monster climb towards him. Ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, twenty-seven, twenty-eight thousand feet--Rodan's zoom had petered out and the great pterosaur was flapping its mighty wings hard to reach Yamucha's altitude-- The great beak gaped open, and Yamucha could sense the power gathering behind Rodan's eyes...

"SPIRIT BALL ATTACK!" Yamucha flung down a ball of white energy twice again as large as himself. Before Rodan could launch its own attack, the ball exploded just above its nose.

Rodan screeched in pain and rage as he fell away, trailing smoke. Yamucha could see the scorch marks on its beak as the gigantic pterosaur dove and turned, heading away from the interior, back out to sea.

Far below, Barugon's eyes flickered open; the huge sail-finned lizard heaved himself out of the crater dug by his fall and staggered back towards the sea.

"Now what?" wondered Yamucha. "They're all heading back where they came from!" The scar-faced warrior reflected briefly on his own treatment at the hands of Doctor Soliere and grinned fiercely. "I bet they don't have fond memories of the Dark Ribbon base, either--oh, crap! Puar and Saisei are there, too! I've got to get them out of there!"

Two thoughts dominated Saisei's mind as he painfully dragged himself erect. One thought was calm, if apprehensive: I am in serious trouble. I can't sense his ki! How can he be that powerful without showing any of it? The other thought was less calm: It's him! Their leader--the man in the grey coat... those blue eyes that watched while his troops murdered everyone I knew! He's the one!

Dark regarded the bloody, broken body of Tao Pie Pie thoughtfully. "I'm impressed; I thought I had files on everyone who could do that. A pity; but his apprentice can replace him." He glared at Saisei. "What cannot be replaced is the time and effort you just cost me. Do you know how many years it took to tame those monsters?" Dark raged. "Do you know how many years it took to build this base and gain the trust of the People's Republic? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE COST ME?"

"No," growled Saisei, wiping blood away from his eyes, "but I know what you cost me, you murdering bastard!" Power flared in a transparent white corona around the young man as he pushed off from the wall, straight at Colonel Dark.

Dark's eyes widened in surprise; he brought one arm up to block Saisei's blow. "Who the hell are you?" Dark asked as Saisei's blow slammed into his arm.

Dark's block was clumsy, absorbing the full force of Saisei's blow instead of deflecting it. His arm should have snapped like a rotten twig. It did not.

Saisei's arm went numb; he felt like he'd just hit a solid steel bar. Long training sent him spinning away; Dark's roundhouse counter-punch just missed his head.

He's fast! Saisei thought as he hovered several yards away, watching the uncanny leader of the Dark Ribbon. Not a trained fighter, though. How can he be this fast and powerful and not know how to fight?

"I think," Saisei panted, "I could ask the same of you, butcher. I am the one who survived when your troops landed on this island and killed my mother and my father and all my family and friends and neighbors. I am vengeance returned."

"Ah, an angry young peasant out for revenge. I would be amused if you hadn't caused me so much trouble." Colonel Dark smiled coldly. "I doubt my name or ancestry would mean anything to you, nor does it bear on the question you are really asking: where did I get this power? You shall go to your grave wondering; any answer I gave would mean nothing to you. What does a village peasant know of the work of the brilliant cyberneticist Doctor Gero?"

Saisei's eyes narrowed. He had heard Yamucha mention that name before... "Did Tao Pie Pie have the same 'work' done on him?"

Dark raised one eyebrow. "You are unusually astute for a peasant. Doctor Gero did not trust Tao Pie Pie as he did me, so the results were commensurately less."

"You're half-machine, like the assassin!"

"Oh, much more than half. Does it comfort you to know that before you die? For die you shall." Dark suddenly lunged forward, one hand hooked into a punch.

Only long training and complete mastery of akijutsu allowed Saisei to turn Dark's blow aside. The would-be tyrant struck far too swiftly for Saisei to dodge; only a perfect block let him survive. Two, three punches Saisei blocked--then came a relentless flurry of swings and punches that Saisei blocked desperately, driven back with every attack.

Sweat poured down Saisei's brow: how long could he keep this up? If any block was less than perfect, the power behind Dark's blow would shatter the arm that caught it... and he was starting to tire. The fight against Tao Pie Pie had been a tough one, and now this--

An unexpected kick slipped past his block and caught Saisei on the left side; he felt ribs crack under the blow, which sent him hurtling to the wharf. Saisei rolled as he tumbled across the concrete, collecting bruises but sparing himself more broken bones. He finally slid to a stop just short of the wharf's edge.

Saisei looked up just as Dark dropped lightly down to the other end of the wharf. The Dark Ribbon leader smiled cruelly and held one hand out, palm toward. Blue-white energy flared--

Saisei rose to a crouch facing him. No! Not this! He could not stand against the king! He froze, awaiting his fate--

"ARRHHHH!" Something flashed behind Dark; the android staggered and cried out. His blast flashed wide of Saisei and detonated harmlessly in the water. Behind him, Mist reversed her sword and swung again.

Dark whirled to face her; the blow intended for his neck sliced open his cheek instead. Saisei could see the long slash across Dark's back that Mist had inflicted; blood soaked into his fine shirt and damaged coat.

"Bitch!" he snarled--then Dark slammed his fist into Mist's stomach, sending her arcing through the air to hit the wall with bone-cracking force. A ball of white energy followed, catching Mist squarely in the chest as she slid limply down the wall.

"Ayomara!" Saisei screamed. He leaped toward Dark in a fury of rage and grief--

Dark half-turned and thrust his arm toward Saisei; blue-white energy again flared--

Saisei shook free from the paralysis that threatened to grip him again. What kind of tailless weakling am I? That's not the king! He's an enemy! A cold, controlled fury settled over him; he braced both hands in front of him and caught the seething energy, caught it and flung it upward and away.

WHOOOMMMM!

The deflected blast hit the cavern's roof and exploded, blasting a hole through the top of the low seacliff that sheltered the dock. Gravel and rock rained down all around them. Saisei marveled: Yamucha never taught me that technique!

"Bloody hell!" Dark cursed as he dodged falling boulders. "What does it take to kill you?"

"More than you've got, human!" growled Saisei.

ZAACK-WHAAM!

White light burst from his cupped hands and struck Dark, slamming the Dark Ribbon leader through the back wall of the dock and blasting away several more tons of the low headland that the dock had been dug into.

Saisei jumped across the wharf to land beside the scorched body of his sister.

"Ayomara?" With his one good hand he wiped the ashes off her face; her eyes flicked open at his touch. They were seared and blind.

"Habotan?" she said weakly through cracked, burned lips. "I'm sorry. I thought you were dead...."

"Shhhh. Save your strength, Mara-chan. It's okay. You're free, now. Tao Pie Pie is dead." He cradled her in one arm; tears ran down his face. How could he lose her so quickly after finding her again?

"Tan-kun...." Her breath came in difficult gasps. "Hold me! It's so cold, and I can't breathe...." Ayomara's body heaved and she gasped, desperately trying draw in more air. Blood foamed on her lips. Her blind eyes opened wide, and she struggled to sit up--and fell back, sighing gently.

"MARA-CHAN!" Saisei screamed as the life left her. "No!" He sobbed as he cradled her lifeless body. "No."

Saisei never knew how long he sat holding her, or how long he would have held her; a thunderous crash and a horrendous screech from outside forced its way into his awareness. He looked out into the bay; things were still happening.

Gently Saisei laid her on the ground and stood up. His eyes narrowed and he clenched his one good fist; he said nothing, neither curses nor promises, but looked back at the hole where he'd blasted Dark through the wall. Saisei smiled, a terrible and mirthless smile that promised death, and flew after him.

[ Contents | 16. Mothra vs.... | 17. ... vs. Dark | 18. Monster's Revenge ]

Disclaimer: See Credits.

Copyright 2001 by Dragoness Eclectic