Within the confines of the underground storage facilities of a small airfield a dark general reviewed his progress. A slow smile crossed his features as his plans seemed to be progressing nicely. The Youma he had sent out were reporting drastic reductions in life force throughout the castle. The fools were gearing up for war.

There was no possible way they could know where he resided. Everything within a days average walk from his location was blanketed in anti-locational wardings and filled with his scouts. He had even taken care to make certain that he did not set the perimeter in any noticeable pattern. He would have to have company drop in unexpectedly.

Jedite unleashed a smug laugh as he saw the city being torn asunder by his converts. They were the lowest eschelon of his soldiers, mere husks of their former selves. He was saving the stronger among them for becoming true youma.

"Master? Why not allow us to finish them. Surely any one of us is worth a hundred of those pathetic creatures you send out?" inquired Verdant, the greenish colored mantis super youma.

"I admire your enthusiasm my pet. However, my plans are proceeding steadily. Their defenses are weakening, the hearts are breaking, and I have only begun to torment them." remarked Jedite as he watched more of his captured pokegirl youma assault the castle' defenses. He had run out of weak transformed citizens for the most part and was relying on all of the captured creatures from the woods for his cannon fodder now. Only a select few former citizens remained as potential hostages. There were also the super youma candidates he was currently trying to transform.

Verdant quirked a cultured eyebrow but knew enough not to backtalk her master. Sepia had learned that fact the hard way. The stupid bitch was still trying to regenerate her legs and arms.

Jedite ignored his pet for a moment as he considered his plans. Things were going well, almost too well. In the past the knight and his cohorts were always able to pull out some sort of last minute save. He had planned for this likely eventuality, but he was still curious. What manner of tricks did the besieged have up his sleeves?

...

Chapter 29: The Fallen

...

"Look, this plan of yours is crazy." cited Arshes once again. She was fine with daring and bold movements in battles. Conquest required such things. What Scott was planning was not only bold it was outright idiotic.

Scott nodded at her then replied, "I know, but it's the only plan I've got. Do you have a better one?"

She frowned at him. There were dozens of other things they could do. They could call to the league and ask for reinforcements, supplies, weapons, etc. Scott seemed determined to take the battle to Jedite, however.

"We, can always ask for aid. More troops might allow us to work our way through the forest to try and take the fight to him directly." counseled Aaron.

Pirotessa agreed with the younger, but seemingly elder guild leader. "We don't have to do this commando raid of yours."

"We'll die if we stay here. If we teleport out then Jedite will simply continue on using this place as a powerbase then begin to assault the other league towns with large forces of the converted. He has already had enough time to build up a reasonable army. We cannot allow him to continue doing so."

"You cannot even be sure he is where you think he is though." said Artemis with a mildly concerned tone. He trusted Scott's judgment but this was risky.

"He's there." replied Scott with a certainty that was almost frightening.

The others grew silent for a moment upon hearing his conviction. When he finally spoke, it was with a tone of finality "I'm going to do this. Anyone who wishes to join me may do so. Those who do not will need to remain here to keep up defense of this location."

This statement brought a vocal round of nay-saying from his closest comrades until a single voice spoke out. "I'm with you wherever you go, Scott."

All eyes fell on Minako as she stood resolute and ready. She had been with him the longest save for Pirotessa. It was without question that she felt she owed her life and sanity to him.

The Tiger flapped its wings and flew over to Scott's shoulder. "I exist in this world solely to serve the master. I go wherever he desires."

"We'll make that bastard pay." remarked Makoto as she stepped up beside her alpha.

"He hurt so many people. I don't like to fight, but I can't forgive this." said Serena as she stood with her friends.

Scott smiled at them and was unsurprised when Ryoko hopped over to the group with a bounce. "Wherever my master goes, so too goes his samurai in training!"

Rei was about to speak up as she moved toward the group as well but she was interrupted by Arshes. "Oh seriously? Do we really have to have this touchy feely moment of solidarity? You people make me sick."

Scott noticed that she strode over to where the others stood and shook her head. When he quirked an eyebrow at her she snorted at him and tossed her head. "Kai Harn is one of my subordinates. It is only fitting I go. There is also the fact that you are too incompetent and weak to be left on your own."

"Sure. I love you too babe." remarked Scott with a smirk. She began to respond with a slight smile of her own but caught herself. The nerve of this guy!

Rei frowned at her and then turned back to her master. "Well, since my moment to shine is gone I'll just say I'm going too."

"Glad to have you on board Rei." replied the man with a heartfelt sincerity.

It was a slight surprise that Ami wanted to go, but her sincere statement of, "You say I am someone that can help save this world. Even if I'm not I have to go. I can't be left behind while my friends fight. I won't be much help and I'll get in the way, and I.."

Scott walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder causing her to lift her head to face him. "You're stronger than you know Ami."

Her brilliant crimson flush caused the other girls to grow jealous momentarily but they quickly got over it. She was just too innocent and sweet to be mad at for long.

"I'm uncertain what to say." remarked Aaron.

Scott turned to him. "Let me guess?"

The older man nodded slowly.

"You want to come as well, but if all of the senior staff and leadership is gone then there will be no one left who can keep the place in order if the worst happens." stated Scott thoughtfully.

Aaron agreed partially. "That is a good part of it. I'll be honest and state that this is a foolish endeavor as well. Still, I have never turned down a hard battle with impossible seeming odds. I am simply uncertain of the wisdom of all of us going despite the desire to do so."

"Aaron." stated Scott.

"Yes?" replied his mentor.

"I hereby order you to take command of the castle, the city, its resources, and all matters pertaining to its safety and continuance until my return." stated Scott in a strong authoritative tone.

The guild leader rendered a gallant salute with his sword and replied with a simple heartfelt, "Upon my life, I will do as commanded."

The cats, save for the Tiger, decided it would be best to remain behind as well. Artemis considered going, but he knew he might simply be in the way.

Saeko was not even remotely happy about her child running off to fight when she did not have a weapon or any long term training. Still, it was a terrible situation. "I want to go, but I doubt I'll be able to do anything more than get in the way. My daughter can at least act as a healer with all the medical supplies I plan to load her down with."

Scott turned to Pirotessa and nodded at her slowly. She did not say a word as she walked toward him and stood with the group. It was obvious that wherever he would go, she wished to follow.

He took a moment to gaze at each of his friends in turn and nodded slowly once he was done. "This is the last chance to back out."

There were murmurs and even one shout of negation upon hearing that statement. Scott closed his eyes and opened them again. "I'll be honest with you. This is almost guaranteed to be a suicide mission. Providence may smile upon us, but the odds are not with us. If I am right we will have to fight until our dying breath against the most powerful foe we have ever faced."

Scott realized how much that affected his group as many of them turned their heads to the side and closed their eyes. After he let that sink in for a moment he spoke again, to break the silence which had fallen upon the group. "However, we will win. There is no other outcome which will occur."

"We will?" asked Serena curiously.

"Yes. We will win. We will defeat Jedite. The Negaverse will fall. This world will be preserved. Its people will continue on living their lives and growing old together."

He watched his confident and sincere words echo within them as well. "We will win, together."

"Together." murmured Ami softly.

Makoto picked up on what she said and blinked then responded with greater conviction. "Together."

Scott put his hand forward and looked at them all. The tiger noticed what his master was doing and raised his forepaw in a sign of solidarity. Arshes recognized what was happening first after this and placed her hand atop Scott's, followed immediately by Pirotessa. The rest of the team saw this happening and joined in.

"We'll win!" stated Scott vehemently. The others cried out, "Together!" Even Arshes got in on it despite feeling as though this was a rather hokey thing to do.

Aaron and those who were not going to fight had remained silent. Scott did not forget them, however. "Aaron?"

"Yes?" replied the ancient man lightly.

"How will we win."

A slight smile creased the elder's features as he walked forward and placed his hand atop theirs before sincerely replying, "Together." in a strong resonant voice.

"Saeko. How will we win?" he asked curiously to those gathered in front of him. She understood that he was including her so she walked over and joined her hand to theirs. "Together."

"Artemis. Luna. How will we win?" asked Scott. The cats glanced at each other then followed suit with the Tiger and scurried over to clamber onto Minako's and Serena's shoulder's respectively. In unison they replied, "Together."

Scott looked around at his closest friends, his family, for what might be the last time. Unlike the anime he had watched the Dark Kingdom was no joke villain in this world. They were cunning and deadly foes.

He saw the resolve in their eyes. In the eyes of a few he felt as though he saw love, in others he saw hope. In a few he even saw the beginnings of true inner strength. Each of those eyes belonged to someone he cared deeply about, even Luna. She could be snotty but at heart she was a good kitty. Perhaps someday he would tell her that.

...

The darkness of night lent its mysteries to the small assault force as they flew among the clouds. They were just low enough to see below, but would remain unseen among the wisps of cloud in the darkness. The miles had been traversed quickly though it had been a harrowing ride. There was more than enough room on the Tiger's full-size form for the quartet, but that did not make the ride smooth or less dangerous. The winds were a bit rough at this altitude and falling off was a constant issue.

When they arrived at the deployment zone they remained in the air for a time using nightvision equipment to spy on the area. At this distance it was unlikely anyone on the ground could make out tiny green lights among the clouds, but the strike force could see the airfield readily.

Scott shivered involuntarily at the sensation the area gave off. It felt depressing, cold, and devoid of life. It was not the loneliness of a forgotten place, however. There was definitely something down there.

Pirotessa tapped him on the shoulder and he glanced back before nodding. He didn't like how quiet the area seemed but they were still going in.

Tiger took the group down quickly and they landed in the pitch black darkness. There descent seemed to go unnoticed, but life was not always as it seemed. In the underground basement of the main airfield hangar the dark general unleashed a slow, wicked, smile.

Scott released all of the girls from their pokeballs, save for Serena. She had flown along beside the group since she had that capacity. Once out of their spherical prisons they used their own night vision equipment to watch the area as Scott relayed his hand signals to them. The plan would go as stated back at the castle.

Immediately afterward the group split up into three teams. Each of these teams had a primary scouting mission before returning to the designated base position Scott had laid out on the map in the castle. There were three buildings the check in the area, including the main hangar.

Team one would include Scott, the Tiger, and Serena acting as overwatch. They would move back up toward cloud level to watch the entire area as the other two teams checked the secondary buildings on the property.

Scott directed team two and three o begin their mission with his quick hand signals then nodded to Serena. The trio lifted off and moved swiftly out of sight as the other two teams took off silently to begin reconnaissance of the area.

Team two consisted of Minako, Ryoko, and Rei. They went after the dilapidated office building nearby. Team three moved toward what used to be a concessionaire section which included aluminum bleachers which had largely remained intact through the centuries.

Up at cloud level Scott and Serena watched as their friends risked themselves by moving through the darkness. The night vision equipment they were using was outdated technology. There were magical versions which did not show the green lighting, but such devices would be easier to detect by the negaverse general. The green light might give away their position but only if they were physically seen.

Radio static crackled as Minako's low voice came over the comms. "Team two, clear."

Scott simply beeped the comm once to let them know he received their message. He knew that sound would carry in the stillness, but it would be better than his voice carrying in the dark. Minako might have been heard by someone with sensitive ears, but that could not be helped. A quick beep in response was much shorter in duration than a vocal confirmation.

It did not take much longer for team three to report in as well. They were clear as well. So far there was nothing but the rusting hunks of former airplanes to check outside of the main building. The derelict planes would be checked last as they were little more than dust and left over aluminum. The largest building had to be searched.

Scott beeped twice, signaling the teams to converge on the rendezvous point. Once they arrived Scott heard a beep from his own comm and he nodded. It was time to head down and join them.

When they joined up with the regrouped strike force, he immediately gave the signal to split up and take the building from different directions. Acquiring information on the floor plan of the building had proven impossible due to the records no longer existing. However, from the design there would most likely be only the main bay doors, a few high windows for ventilation and the possible side door or two.

Scott tried to fight back the sense of uneasiness he felt at how easily the infiltration was going. If Jedite was here he would have to be in the hangar. There was really no where else to be. The place should be crawling with youma. If nothing else there hould be at least a few feral pokegirls if he was not here.

There was no light inside the hangar to betray the presence of anyone within its confines. There were also no side doors. The only way in or out for normal individuals would be the main doors.

The man from another world frowned to himself then signaled the others quickly. Team two would stay outside to hold position while the others moved in.

When all was ready Scott took a deep breath and gave the signal to team three before tapping his elbow back against Serena. She immediately elbowed the Tiger in the nose and was rewarded with a light nudge in return. She tapped Scott on the shoulder and he surged forward against the obviously unlocked door. Though team three was one member larger they had completed their readiness check at roughly the same time and rushed forward as well.

The hangar doors flew open as the teams raced inside and began taking up search positions at a good distance from each other. The hangar was large, and cluttered with rusted equipment. Dust hung heavily in the air. At first it seemed as though no one had been in the place for a very long time. However, Arshes noted silently that there were signs of the area being partially cleaned up recently. There were foot and claw prints as well.

Serena moved forward as silently as she could while trying to see everything in her immediate environs. The greenish cast to the area gave it a very disturbing aura. As she walked past a rusted hulk of machinery she paused for a moment to stare at something which seemed vaguely suspicious. However, she soon discounted it as being of notice. She would not be comforted with the slightly odd portion of rusted machinery moved silently in the darkness as scythe-like appendages reared back in anticipation.

This was a scenario that repeated itself several times as the search teams scouted the area. The deeper into the hangar they went, the further into the lair of their enemy they walked.

It would have been a perfect trap had the dark kingdom general really known what he was up against. Azure, the blue mantis youma lept out of hiding silently with deadly purpose to strike down Scott from behind. As the only male human in the group he was the prey of choice.

She never got close to him as large powerful demonic jaws instinctively lashed out to capture the surprised super youma mid-jump. Her screams of pain, rage, and panic echoed throughout the hangar immediately sending the other mantis youma into attack mode. In the darkness targets had been chosen and powerful super youma launched themselves toward their hapless prey.

Pirotessa whirled around instinctively as she felt the approach of the creature behind her. She was far too slow to stop the creature, however, as scythe-like arms erupted outward and down in a blow that cleanly ripped her arms away as though they were nothing but a minor nuisance. The dark elf did not even have time to scream as she was hurled away bloodily with a sharply planted kick to her chest.

Makoto managed to land a solid backflip kick into Scarlet as the red mantis came down upon her from the ceiling which sent the youma flying back from the force of the blow. However, she proved to be uninjured as she immediately caught herself and lunged forward upon hitting the ground. She assaulted the amazonchan with blinding speed, easily piercing her defenses to deliver a devastating series of slashes that tore deep bloody gouges into her body.

The sudden assault continued with Serena falling to the ground in pain as one of her arms was sheared clean from her body at the shoulder before a second strike impaled her through the rib cage to puncture a lung.

Ami tried to fight back against the unseen attacker that sprung upon her with terrible fury. Despite all of her best intentions toward survival she really had no chance at all against the power of the super predator clawing at her hungrily.

Each of these attacks had occurred simultaneously and with speed so certain that even the screams of the fallen did not escape their lips until they were being gripped tight in uncaring hands to be dragged away from the fight. The spoils of war their fate would not be known for some time for the remaining members of the strike force were blinded by the brilliantly shining light that erupted outward from the nearby basement of the hangar.

Night vision equipment was quickly removed as each member of the group still remaining tried desperately to regain their vision.

The mocking laughter coming from nearby was all Scott needed to hear to know he had been right about the whereabouts of the negaverse general.

"My my. What do we have here? A couple of silver millennium rejects and their incompetent leader? Really, what were you idiots thinking." laughed the dark general as he strode forward confidently.

Arshes Nei managed to regain enough of her senses to fire off a quickly cast Iron Lightning Anthem at the smug sounding general. To her dismay her electric based magic missile attack slammed into a powerful defensive shield that completely defeated the attack.

Jedite chuckled lightly as he shook his head. "Not bad, but I've seen better. You hero types are all the same. Give you enough rope and you'll hang yourselves."

The Tiger lept forward in a bid to attack the enemy but Scott called out for him to go after the girls instead. He was the only one that might be able to stop whatever it was that attacked them.

The overly large flying feline did not hesitate a moment as it scented the super youma that had fled with the badly injured friends of his master. He took off immediately. Scott was unnerved that Jedite made no move to stop him.

Catching site of Scott's confusion the dark general shook his head. "I'm not a cat person."

Scott began to flare with mystical energy as sonic resonance began to build around him. The powerful strains of an electric guitar raced outward from the man as he focused on his signature spell.

Jedite did not seem impressed at the display of power. He was even less concerned with the sudden cry of "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" that erupted from Minako as her team raced in. She had taken the time to transform before coming in. Less than half a minute had passed since the battle had begun and they already had four badly wounded friends scattered to the four winds. She would take no chances. Only the need for stealth and transportation had kept the girls from coming into the area transformed to begin with.

The brilliant stream of raw high yield plasma slammed into the forcefield of the dark general with incredible fury but it was no more successful against it than Nei's assault had proven to be.

Scott's Black Metal attack raced outward less than two seconds after Minako's attack. Twin dragon-like streams of raw destructive force tore at the negaverse generals shields but he seemed unphased. Whether any of the attacks had managed to weaken his defenses at all was impossible to tell.

"Really? Is this all you have? A few weak elemental attacks aren't even worth bothering with." scoffed Jedite casually before affecting a yawn.

"Bastard! You hurt our friends, kidnapped people from town, and you stand there making fun of us?" snapped out Rei angrily.

"How cute. It speaks and everything." remarked Jedite before turning to Scott. "You have interesting pets. I think she'll look adorable as a rug in front of my fireplace."

"Don't you fucking touch her." replied Scott hatefully as he began running the words to another of his spells through his mind. He had known Jedite's mystical defenses would be powerful, but this was ridiculous.

"Hmm. Empty threats. Really, you hero types are quite amusing. You can't even so much as muss my hair and you think to dictate my actions?" replied Jedite while thoroughly enjoying his crowning moment of glory. These fools were far weaker than he had thought. Half their number was out of the picture already, and the strongest magic users could not even injure him. This wasn't really even that much fun.

Ryoko launched herself forward with wooden katana at the ready. Magical attacks would not penetrate his defense but perhaps a physical assault would. She was forced to parry the sudden arrival of a set of scythe-like arms as a sepia colored mantis youma bore down on her with lethal intent.

The would-be samurai pokegirl frantically slashed, dodged, and parried the blows of her opponent but found herself losing ground rapidly to the powerful blows being directed toward her. Nei lept in to help her but even their combined skills were barely able to keep the super youma from simply ripping them in half.

Jedite quirked an eyebrow and casually stated, "Sepia, your arms and legs seem to be working again."

Minako snaked her chain out to try and trap one of the mantis pokegirls limbs but she was shocked to see that she caught only a fading image. The mantis girl had moved so quickly only a phantom of her former self had remained behind.

"They still need more time, master. I think they'll be fine for this fight though. These snacks aren't that hard to swallow."

Scott finished mentally preparing his spell before unsheathing Soul Crusher. Jedite's scultped eyebrows rose incredulously as his would-be nemesis sang out, "PREPARE FOR WAR!" in a deep authoritative voice.

The sound of high-speed guitar thrashing raced from the leader of the strike force as flame erupted outward from his former demon blade with incredible intensity.

"Well, that looks promising." remarked the dark general with a smirk.

"Can I eat him master? He smells like barbecue." requested sepia with a toothy grin.

"Go ahead. I'm already bored with this. Just kill them all." replied her blond leader before drifting back on an unseen air current. It seemed to be a token gesture for her to just get it over with.

Scott's Dragonforce inspired spell allowed him to increase his physical capacity several times its normal limit. He was faster, stronger, more durable. He could keep pace with anyone in his circle of friends and was even fast enough using it to slay the super youma Havoc.

The man saw only a blur moving toward him as the world seemed to slow to a crawl. Baleful insectile eyes bore down on him with blinding speed as he struggled to bring his sword to bare against her. The world seemed to grind to a halt as he moved with the speed of half frozen molasses compared to what was coming. In the end he was completely overwhelmed. Small fists, far too delicate to deliver such crushing punishment, slammed into his armored chest plate to send him hurtling backward with the speed and force of a wrecking ball.

He would have slammed into the hangar wall but the menace pokegirl turned super youma blurred forward at even greater speed than before to appear above him mid-flight. Her scythe-like arms slammed down to pierce his chest plate, shredding it like paper. Only when she stopped moving long enough to snap her head down to take a bite out of his armored shoulder did she reveal a weakness.

Minako's chain whip lashed out to score a deep gash along the creature's side. Dark purple and green fluid gushed out of the laceration before the youma blinked, spat out a piece of bloody cerametal, and turned quickly to the irritating gnat that had dared to injure her.

A super high pitched "Screee!" erupted from her throat as she launched herself toward the senshi of Venus at full speed. The pretty suited soldier of love and snuggles had not even fully retracted her whip before the youma was upon her ripping into her chest with only slightly less success than she had managed with Scott.

Jedite was thoroughly amused with this spectacle as the bloodlust evident in the youma's mannerisms were part and parcel to why he chose this particular breed in the first place.

Ryoko lashed out at the speedy bug type only to hit a phantom image. Her cry of pain screamed into the night as a scythe arm pierce her back, puncturing her lung, and narrowly avoiding her heart. The hapless pokegirl was hurled away forcefully with little effort only to land with a deep meaty thunk before sliding bloodily into the wall nearby.

Scott's world swam in his vision as he tried to get up and failed. While he attempted to right himself Rei tried to aid a newly embattled Minako but found herself being bitch-slapped with a backfist that sent her hurtling away in a spinning heap. Any who would be able to notice in the midst of this horrific scene would have realized that several of her teeth were rapidly moving in an opposite direction from the rest of her body.

Sepia took a second too long to play with her would-be Minako-snack and found herself on the receiving end of Arshes sword. Lightning crackled against the super powered menace as she began to shake spasmodically. Temporarily paralyzed the half dark elf slashed her again and again. She actually managed to sever one of her scythe arms before the pokegirl recovered enough to whip herself to deliver a powerful palmstrike to the thunder empress's impressive chest.

Arshes Nei went flying through the air with incredible speed to slam heavily into a pile of rusted debris. Said debris exploded outward in lung choking cloud of oxidized iron.

The mantis youma glanced at Minako hatefully as the girl tried to straighten herself to fight back. The blond senshi of Venus was badly injured in several places and even her senshi regenerative powers were not keeping up with the large wounds on her torso and extremities.

Sepia lunged foward and impaled her in the chest with her sole remaining scythe arm before biting her on the shoulder. Venus screamed in agony as both her life blood and life force began to flow out from her body. Had anyone been coherent enough to notice they would have been horrified to see the terrible wounds Sepia had received were rapidly healing. Her missing scythe arm was regrowing steadily even as Venus' vision began to swim.

The blond senshi tried to push the much stronger youma away, but she was unable to make any headway as her life rapidly faded. It was not until the youma suddenly jerked back and stood stock still for a moment that she was about to fall backward out of its clutches.

On the ground next to the paralyzed super youma lay the rapidly breathing form of Rei. She had managed to crawl over to where Sepia was draining Minako to apply a shinto talisman to the super powered pokegirl.

Jedite watched in amusement as the armored female mage climbed unsteadily from the dust and wreckage she had been thrown into. He chuckled softly as she unleashed a powerful lightning spell upon his creation that caused it to explode in a burning shower of gore.

Magnanimous in partial defeat he actually applauded their efforts. "Bravo. You actually managed to destroy one of my pets. Quite a feat even if the poor dear had only recently regenerated all of her limbs."

Scott's vision stopped blurring in and out long enough for him to sit up and take stock of the situation. Ryoko was down and possibly dead. Minako would need to regenerate for a good while before she would be able to help much, if she even survived her wounds. Rei, well he was honestly surprised she was even moving considering the obvious broken jaw she was sporting.

He was barely able to struggle his way up to his feet, but he had no other choice. Nei was the only one standing otherwise.

In a rage, Arshes launched a powerful lightning spell toward the dark general. Scott could not hear the name properly but it sounded like she called out "Thunder riot" or something similar.

Scott used the momentary confusion caused by the thunder and lightning to find the pokeballs for Ryoko and Rei. He recalled them safely and moved over to check Minako. Her wounds were slowly healing but it was obvious she was out of the fight. He fought back tears as he looked at her badly torn and lacerated form. He had no way to know if she'd even survive with most of them being very deep, cutting to the bone. A few had punctured her cleanly through her torso to open up on the otherside.

There was no time to stand there and cry over his fallen, possibly dying, friend. He had to figure out how to get through Jedite's barrier. Unlike in the anime there were no conveniently placed multi-ton planes to run him down. That didn't even kill him as he recalled through his mental fog.

Scott turned to the dark kingdom general and stepped toward the smug figure as he floated in the air. The confidence the blond haired negaverse leader displayed was mixed with derision and scorn.

"What are you smirking at?" remarked Scott as he forced himself to lift Soul Crusher. His left arm was nearly useless due to the damage his shoulder had taken. He was more than physically capable of lifting the heavy blade with one hand, but control might prove to be an issue.

Jedite spared him a glance and allowed his eyebrow to quirk in amusement once again. "What a gallant and original inquiry. I can feel the very marrow of my bones shake in terror at your query."

Arshes Nei began to take up a fighting stance as she prepared to use one of her powerful sword skills. Scott shook his head at her, however. "Nei.. use your spell. The one that can kill this bastard."

She blinked at him dumbly for a moment, unable to comprehend what spell he meant. The only knowledge she possessed that might penetrate his shield was the spell Helloween and the moon was not full. It could not be effectively cast.

"So, you think the little halfbred mage can beat me with a spell? What is this some sort of children's show where the hero pulls out a devastating last minute super attack that defeats the evil overlord?" scoffed Jedite before shaking his head. "I have taken your measure. Your entire team barely managed to defeat one of my pets. What hope do you have of even scratching me?"

Scott stared at him a moment then shrugged his one good shoulder. "Give us a moment to confer and I'll happily kill you after?"

Jedite stared at him incredulously, a gaze shared by Arshes Nei. Did he really just ask that? However, the dark kingdom general simply laughed in a slow cold manner. "Why not. It might even amuse me."

The black armored soldier nodded to him before walking to his only standing ally. He whispered something into her ear and her eyes widened in shocked revelation. It might actually work, even if it was a major gamble.

"Alright, are we done planning our foolproof strategy to take down the big bad general?" asked Jedite with a soft chuckle. This was the most fun he'd had in ages. He already had strategies and counter strategies in place for anything these weak idiots threw at him. There was nothing they might do which could surprise him. He might appear to have been foolishly overconfident, but it did not matter. He took the time they spent conversing to raise his own spiritual energies subtly higher.

"Yeah. Thanks for waiting." replied Scott flippantly. He was not certain his plan would work, but honestly there was no other option.

"Certainly. Now show me this devastating super spell capable of destroying me." remarked the general as his hand moved to the sword at his hip.

Scott retrieved his nightvision goggles and nodded to Arshes to begin her spell.

The elven girl took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the enemy. She did not believe for a second that he would let her actually cast this.

Jedite once again quirked his eyebrow as she began to cast. 'What kind of spell used wording such as this?'

~ Elliot, Collen, Allen, Savage

and all the gods of war!

Arshes Nei intoned the ancient high magic as the air around her began to crackle and awaken with strange new life. Jedite was not particularly impressed at the level of power being displayed yet but he was thoroughly scanning the waves of spiritual energy to garner a clue to the nature of the working. 'An electrical spell of some sort..' he concluded as she continued to work.

The dark kingdom general shifted the phase of his barrier to adjust more to the lighting based magic spectrum just in case they were not confused about this spell's power.

I call your mystic symbol's fire -

Let love and hate collide!

"What a peculiar litany, but of course you goody two shoes types always throw love in there somewhere." quipped Jedite as he saw a strange new aspect of the working unfolding. He shifted his barrier phase slightly to accommodate twisting dimensional forces as well. It briefly occurred to him that this might be some sort of banishing spell. What was he, some sort of imp to be cast into hell?

Scott turned on his night vision goggles, closed his eyes, and placed them for use. He would be needing them shortly. He just hoped he would be fast enough with his injuries.

Jedite sensed the build up of the forces around the elf and nodded slowly. It was indeed a fairly powerful spell, but nothing his barrier could not handle.

Arshes called out strongly, "DEF LEPPARD'S BLACK LIQUID LIGHTNING SPHERE!"

The rising energy currents suddenly erupted upward at an angel from her handle. Briefly Jedite witnessed a large ball of what seemed to be roiling liquid electrical current before everything changed.

"What?" he asked astounded, as suddenly the lights went out, his barrier dropped and all of the carefully concealed magical energy he had summoned was removed from the scenario. In the darkness it took him a moment to regain his composure. It was a moment too long as Scott's sword whistled down toward the dark kingdom general in what should have been a killing blow. Unfortunately, for the man Jedite might have been primarily a mage, but he was formerly an accomplished swordsman as well.

The general narrowly dodged the attack, taking only a large gash to the arm as he skittered away from the assault. It seemed that even without magic he could see perfectly in the dark.

Nei did not need goggles to see in the dark, but her vision showed only heat signatures. Unfortunately, the general did not seem to give off much in the way of heat. She chose to wear her goggles as well.

Scott had his one good hand full as he struggled to keep up with the counterattacking general. His lighter sword rained down blows furiously upon the heavily armored knight of the league. Said knight was continually pressed back by strikes that would have cleaved him in half had that actually landed. Only an unbreakable sword and Scott's genetically evolved strength allowed him to even have a chance to withstand the power that Jedite possessed. Even without his magic, the general was no slouch in the combat department.

For the first time his awakening his dormant powers Scott was completely unable to use them. Only his strength and agility were available. As his sword was routinely parried and the damage to his body continued to increase at lightning fast speed, he knew that he was overmatched.

Nei slashed down with incredible fury, only to have her lightning sword countered at the last second as well. The duo fiercely fought against Jedite with all of their strength and for a time he seemed to slowly give ground despite neither of them even managing to so much as nick him.

Above their heads the magic nullifying spell, which somehow did not nullify itself, continued to absorb any and all magic in the area. A now pokegirl form Minako lay on the ground, bleeding out her life as her regenerative powers were no longer in effect.

Scott saw an opening through the green lens of his goggles and lunged forward with barely beyond human speed. He realized his error as he overcommitted to the attack and was sent hurtling away at blinding speeds by an unseen force.

"How?" asked Arshes in confusion. The general had not even touched the armored knight.

Jedite lept clear of her attacks and landed casually atop a nearby platform before responding. "Do you really think you're the only fool who has ever tried to nullify magic in combat? I am over ten thousand years old. There is nothing you have ever witnessed in action that might defeat me."

Scott's vision swam as he crawled forward on his hands and knees. His armor was scarred, pitted, and missing in several sections. His body was wounded, possibly even beyond his ability to regenerate. He didn't know, and at the moment did not care. The fact remained that there was a fight that had to be won.

As he staggered toward Arshes, and his current Nemesis he could feel himself growing weaker. He was bleeding out somewhere, but could not tell where just yet. It also did not matter. He had to get back in there, he had to.

'Ten thousand years..' thought Arshes with a shudder. This man, no this thing, truly was a monster.

Jedite smirked as the dark elven hottie hurled herself into the air toward him with her lightning sword crackling. He couldn't possibly be using magic, despite his age.

Unfortunately for her, she found herself slamming bodily into an invisible wall hovering in the air. She fell to the ground in a dazed heap, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Scott saw this and knew despair. There was only one thing they could be facing. The Def Leppard spell would nullify and drain all magic in the area, sending it to another dimension. However, it seems that whatever type of inherent psychic energy Jedite used did not count as magic.

He could not let that deter him, however. The battle had only raged for a scant few minutes, including the time it took to cast the magic nullifying spell. The spell would not last forever even so. This was the only chance they would have to assault the general physically.

"You really are a coward, you know that?" remarked Scott in the hopes of breaking the general's concentration.

Jedite was not fooled, however. "So, this is the part of the tale we have finally come to?" he remarked. When Scott did not answer the general continued to inform him of the point in the story they were at. Come now. You know what I mean. The point where the lone hero tries to break through the power of his foe by enraging him to the point of being unable to think clearly? A pity, that. It usually means the fight is almost over."

Scott ground his teeth and ignored the taste of blood in his mouth. He had known all along that it was unlikely any of them would survive this fight. Still, he would be damned before he allowed this smug bastard to win. He had no other options and raced forward in the hopes that he would be able to reach his opponent.

Jedite simply gestured into the air and caught the man as he leaped toward him. Scott cried out in agony as the general slowly began closing his slim fingers into a fist. The knight could feel bones beginning to crack, flesh being compressed, and the air escaping his lungs. Caught tight in the grip of his enemy, the first of four generals each more powerful than he was, Scott could not even fight back as his life was being crushed out of him.

The dark general tilted his head slightly like a predatory animal. He was savoring his victory, but that would prove to be a mistake. The general sensed movement to his right and flung Scott away as he dodged an incoming strike that would have cleaved him in half.

The flying knight was caught up in the whirling forces of the Def Leppard spell, unable to move due to his horrible injuries. As he rotated slowly, the sphere drawing him in, his blurring vision behold an impossibility cast in green. A lone warrior with a massive sword stood facing off against the dark general. As he floated into the maw, the world seemed to move in slow motion. Several more of these warriors appeared, each wielding a massive blade easily in one hand. He could not be certain, but there seemed to be something quite feminine about them.

The last sight the man saw before the darkness took him from this world was the general fighting for his life against this strange new force which moved with clearly superhuman speed and skill.

End Volume I

...

AN: Perhaps this wasn't the epic ending people wished for, but it is a nice set up for the other volumes and several side stories. At any rate, please read and review. Volume one: Scott In Pokegirl Land is finally complete! Yes, miracles do happen.

Oh for the curious the entire conflict lasted around 7 to 10 minutes. I think. Maybe 12, tops.

Feel free to hate this chapter. Just know that all bad things come to an end just like good things.

Keep on the look out for the upcoming side stories and chronicles and the eventual revelation of volume II.