Focusing

Story by Golden shepherd on SoFurry

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#7 of Fire and Shadow:part 1

This is a story that was made by RAWG98 he has let me post it here so that he can get some more feedback. so please review.


"Come on, boy, you need to put all your power into each attack!" The old man was putting me through hell. There were several targets set up around the underground cave, and several torches to provide light. I was practicing with my ranged shadow knife attacks, but every time I had to pour more and more energy into it, and it was tiring.

"Why am I doing this again? You don't even seem to care when I hit the targets."

He gave me a serious look. "Your aim isn't the problem; it's your other form. You need to be able to control it, for it can be an invaluable asset to you in combat, and I have an idea. Do you know about lucid dreaming?"

I had tried lucid dreaming before, but I could never quite get it to work. "Yeah, I know what it is." He grinned. "I think your demonic form might be like putting your mind into a dream. If we get you to the point when you are just about 'asleep', but you are still 'awake' in your mind, you might be able to transform without worrying about corruption."

I raised an eyebrow, and he noticed I was still confused. "You have spent all these years being afraid of the demon within you. Isn't it about time you took that fear and used it to your advantage? You must plan on becoming a demon; that is how you maintain control." I was still unsure about the whole thing. "So you are willing to risk this? Do you have any idea of what could happen if I change?" I was getting angry and worried. This guy was way too cryptic and mysterious, and never told me exactly what was going on. He held up his hands to try and calm me down.

"I had you use the knives because they are the weakest shadow weapons. You would be able to tell if the form was taking control, and quickly stop." I sighed. He was right; I could feel like there was another consciousness was beginning to stir within me. "Alright. How can I tell if I'm turning?" He grinned, glad that I understood. "You will feel the symptoms of your transformation-headaches, dark visions, and the slow physical transformation of your body. This is how we begin: slow, deliberate transformations. If you keep practicing, you can control your new form after using the strongest of attacks and having an immediate transformation."

Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling coming from upstairs. The old man looked at me mischievously. "It appears we have visitors." He ran to a telescope-like object coming out of the wall and peeked in. "Team Blaze appears to be looking for you, my boy." I felt my head begin to burn; I wasn't sure if it was from anger or the transformation at first, but I was certain the moment I felt my shoulder blades begin to shift.

"It's happening!" I whispered to him loudly. He smiled darkly. "Then we can begin." He ran to a far wall and hit a button on a large control panel. I heard a whoosh, and then panicked cries from above. "I sent a draft of air to blow out the lights upstairs. You will have cover in darkness; now go!" He pushed me towards the trapdoor as it slowly opened. I quietly moved to a far corner of the room and waited to become a monster.

I felt my wings and claws begin to form, and my eyes burned as they darkened and became as black as the room around me. My hair darkened and lost its smoothness, becoming rough and matted. My skin paled, and my senses become more acute.

The old man was right, I thought excitedly. I've never gotten this far without losing focus before! Just then, the room lit up, as if the lights had turned on, but none of the grunts had noticed me. I must have some kind of night vision, I thought, smiling cruelly. I turned to the nearest grunt and placed my hand over his mouth, whilst wrapping my other arm around his neck. With my incredible strength, he was unconscious in seconds. I looked at another one and notice he had figured out how to get his flashlight working. I ran silently to a corner behind them and waited for them to see their partner. I heard a gasp and a yell when the beam of light passed over the body, and that was when I struck. I ran out of the corner, grabbing one of them by the neck, and swung him around, slamming him and another into the opposing wall. I dropped the one I was holding, and walked heavily up to the remaining one. He was absolutely terrified, but made no effort to get away. I guess people really can be paralyzed in fear, I thought as I picked him up by the collar of his uniform. "You tell Silus I'm coming for him. You tell him I will see to it that he pays for the pain he has caused." And with that, I kicked open the door behind him and threw him outside. I watched him scramble to his feet and run away from the cabin.

I burst out laughing, and the old man came out from the cave, clapping loudly. "That was brilliant, my boy!" he said, chuckling. I grinned and asked "Now how do I change back?" He pondered this for a moment, and then raised a finger. "Ah ha, I remember now! You simply need to focus on your old self, focus on becoming human again. Or, of course, just wait for it to run out of time, and you will revert automatically." I decided that was enough training for today. It was cool having all these new powers, but I preferred to be me. I closed my eyes and began to focus on the real me, a boy with shoulder length silver hair and hazel eyes. A boy who, just a few days ago, had fallen in love with the last thing he would ever think of: a Pokémon. Just then, I remembered what I had said the night of the festival.

I told her I loved her, I thought sadly. I really meant it. I have to save her. If I don't... no. I will save her, and this old man is going to teach me to use the skills I need to do just that. As the last of my altered features faded away, I opened my eyes and smiled darkly at the old man. "Now, tell me more of my powers. I want to know everything I can do, both in my human and demonic forms. I want to have a wide variety of options when I kill Silus." The old man smiled, his as dark as mine.

"If variety is what you want, you won't be disappointed. I will show you there is more you can do besides conjure a few smoky weapons. But, we've had a long day. We must rest, and we shall continue tomorrow." He turned to go upstairs and retire to his room, but I still had many questions. One question, however, was burning in the back of my head more than any other: "Hey, why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?" He stopped and turned slowly. "A wildfire destroys everything around it. You, however, only want to destroy that which is evil. Besides, if I don't train you, then there's a chance that you will change, and won't be able to change back. What happens then?" he said flatly. I nodded. "Thank you. I need this, not only for the safety of those around me, but so I can rescue my friend." He smiled. "Believe me, when you complete your training, Silus is going to need a lot more than Yveltal to defeat you. We must hurry, though, for Silus has probably realized he can use your powers to his advantage, and now he will know you were not killed in the attack; that may be why they came here." He started to laugh. "Now, let's turn in for the night. Tomorrow, you are going to learn to use attacks that involve using darkness in its purest form, and that is when it is at its deadliest." He went up the stairs and I heard a door close upstairs. I sighed heavily, and looked out the window at the night sky.

I'm going to save you Vix. I just need to train for a few more days, and then I will be strong enough to fight Silus. I hope...

Recovery

I awoke suddenly, my entire body racked with pain. I opened my eyes slowly so they could adjust to the light. It was morning, just after dawn, but I had no idea how long it had been since the festival. The festival... I thought suddenly. Everything...

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Out of Options

The Festival of Creation; I couldn't believe I had never heard of it before! Everyone from the village, and even some people from neighboring towns, was all gathered in the center of the town, dancing around a marble fountain with a Gyarados as the...

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The Festival of Creation

When I woke up, it was late afternoon, and a golden sun was just beginning to dip below the trees. I was laying face-down on a bed of leaves, and I saw my shirt was hanging from a branch of a nearby tree. I pushed myself up carefully, and heard Vix say...

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