Mahou Persian Shoujo! Chapter 3: Sunset, a pokémon fanfic

Chapter 3- Sunset

"He's still not back?" Ayame groaned as she woke up...Monday morning. After she arrived home Saturday night from her date with Hiro, she didn't think too much of the fact that the little Shyuu was missing. All through Sunday she tried to convince herself nothing had happened, nothing was wrong.

But Monday?

"Something happened...something must have happened!" The fifteen-year-old Persian hybrid started to panic. "He's been gone for over a day!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "No...he's probably fine. Didn't he say he was a police officer? Maybe he had to go somewhere, for a meeting, or something. Yeah, a meeting, and it was so sudden, he couldn't come back to tell me. Yeah, that's it. He's fine, he's fine..."

So she just went about her normal morning routine, putting her pink hair up in a ponytail, putting on her purple-and-white sailor uniform, and grabbing her bag. She needed to focus for the school day.

Especially since her geometry teacher was the kind of guy who loved giving pop quizzes, and Ayame still had yet to grasp the concept of indirect proofs.

At school, the first person, or rather, Pokemon she saw was Hana, Hiro's Spearow. She fluttered over to her trainer's girlfriend, cawing.

"Hi, Hana! Is Hiro here?" Hana perched on Ayame's shoulder, and squawked. "Not yet?" Another squawk. "Oh, a dentist's appointment, huh? Well, you're my Pokemon for an hour, then." And then the two entered the school building, chatting away.

Before Ayame's first class, biology, started, Hana asked her something. When the question was asked, Ayame froze.

"I don't have a Pokemon." She hissed over to the Spearow. The Spearow just did as much of a laugh a bird Pokemon could do, and muttered something to her human friend in a low voice. "There hasn't been a small, mammalian Pokemon following me for the past month!"

Hana obviously didn't believe her, but dropped the topic.

That is, until the passing period between first and second period, because that was when Hana asked where the small, mammalian Pokemon was.

"He's miss-" Ayame caught herself. "I mean, I said there was none!" Hana just leered at her. "Fine, yes, I kind-of-sort-of have a Pokemon. But he went missing Saturday night. I hope he's okay." Hana nodded, and preened Ayame's hair. "WAH! Hana! I'm not a bird-ow! That's my ear!"

"Ayame! Hi!" Hiro called as he ran up to the girl and his Pokemon in the fifteen-minute break between second and third period. "Sorry, my dentist was running late. How much did I miss from bio?"

"Not much. We watched a movie on how TMs and HMs work. Not too interesting, though..." Ayame muttered, recalling the three students who fell asleep. "They could have made it a whole lot more interesting. I mean, the TMs and HMs they featured were really stupid. Reflect, Double Team, and Cut."

Hiro laughed, holding out his arm so Hana could fly over. "Yeah, I'm glad I missed that. Hey, you have...math third, right?"

"Yeah. You're not that good at memorizing my schedule, are you? I've known for weeks that you have gym third."

"Haha, yeah, you should have seen me the week before high school started! I spent the entire time-"

"Trying to memorize your schedule, and it didn't work. I know, Hiro, I was there. You were all, 'quiz me' and when I did, you never, ever, ever, ever-"

"Yes, yes, I know, I know. You had to remind me all the time during school." Hiro rolled his eyes, though he still smiled. "But anyways, math and gym are in the same direction. Let's walk together!"

Ayame rolled her red eyes. "Yeah, like we haven't ever done that before," she muttered, though fell into step next to him, nonetheless.

But soon enough, third period rolled around, then fourth, then it was lunch time. After a "lunch date" in their homeroom classroom, where they ate lunch everyday, lunch turned to fifth period, then sixth period, then the school day ended.

"Whew!" Ayame breathed as she put her history textbook and notebook back into her bag. "That was...interesting. Although the Kanto History section of the final is going to so kill me."

Glancing at the clock in the room, she grinned. "Hiro has just gotten out of math. I can probably catch him near the second floor." And with that, she dashed out of the room, and up the stairs, as her history classroom was on the first floor of the school building.

"Hiro!" She shouted as she saw him in sight. She jogged up to him, her purple pleated skirt twirling around her legs and the back of her sailor collar blowing up from the rest of her shirt. "How was math?"

"Math-ish. You know, 'prove this' or 'is this congruent to this?' That kind of thing. Not that fun, but not death-causing." He stated, although his light blue eyes were a little dull, most likely from boredom. "Meh, you wanna walk home together, Ayame? We could, oh, the excitement, have a study party! Whoohoo!" He punched his fist into the air in mock-enthusiasm.

Ayame laughed, and the two of them walked outside, hand-in-hand, with Hana fluttering in the air above them.

Once they were outside the gym, a boy ran up to them.

"Hiro!" He yelled. He too wore the purple army-style uniform, though his hair was long, lime green, and shaggy, and his eyes were a crystalline amethyst color. "Can you go to the gym and help us clean up? The bins with the volleyballs, basketballs, and soccer balls broke, and they're rolling around everywhere, and the people in there already in there are taking forever! I mean, I said I had to go to my locker, so I left, and nobody's come out yet. Please? It'll be like, ten minutes!"

Hiro blinked, unsure of whether to agree. "Okay, sure, Daigo." As Daigo ran off, back towards the gym, Hiro turned to Ayame. "Can you wait here with Hana?"

"Okay." With that, Hiro jogged after Daigo, leaving Ayame and Hana alone.

Ayame looked around, and saw a wooden bench. Motioning to Hana, she walked over to sit on it, stretching her legs out. The Spearow landed next to her, and preened her wings.

They waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, Ayame rolled her eyes. What was taking him so long? She checked her clock.

"Hana, he's been in there for fifteen minutes. Let's go-if it's that out-of-hand, we'll help him." Hana clucked her agreement, so the two stood (or fluttered) up, and walked (or flew) in the direction of the gym.

Halfway there, Hana's expression grew dark, and she shot ahead.

"Hana!" Ayame called, running after the Spearow. The bird gained altitude, and dove into the gym through an open window, screeching loudly. The bewildered fifteen-year-old suddenly heard Hiro's Pokemon stop calling, and she frowned, running faster.

As soon as she arrived at the door, she tore it open, dashed inside...and immediately felt her head grow heavy.

"Unng..." she groaned, sinking to her knees. A voice in her head...telling her to go to sleep...then...

"Ayame?" A weak, high-pitched voice broke her out of her dream-like state.

Her red eyes blinked, though they didn't shine at all. "Ma-macha! You..." Ayame reached out, but stopped right before the Shyuu...that was half-transparent, and glowing slightly. "What happened?"

"I almost fainted, Aya-aya...so I used Substitute!" The projection flew around. "I knew you'd come for me, Aya-aya! And you're feeling better now! The Kurashi may have overpowered me when you were sick, but I knew that you would get better, and save everybody!"

Suddenly, Ayame realized what had happened. Her eyes were wide, and she looked up at the pseudo-Macha. "You-you were beaten by the Kurashi...on Saturday night?"

"Yup!"

"And they...they attacked..."

"They decided to use your gym as a base! But you can take them, Aya-aya! I'm going to go back to my body soon, though, since once they attack, the Substitution will be overpowered too," he added sadly.

"Macha-I, I'm so sor-" Ayame began; knowing the only reason they attacked was because she granted her own selfish wish, and faked sick that night. But she was cut off when she noticed the people around her. At least twenty of the students at her school were lying prone in the foyer room of the gym complex. Because the shock gave her back her energy, the Persian-girl stood up with a jolt. "What happened? They-they aren't, dead, are they?"

"No, they're asleep. I think...but if you don't beat the meanie Kurashi-" Macha's substitution looked nervously at Ayame. "It might become...not funny-fun."

"Macha." Ayame looked at the shining light. "Are the Kurashi in this building?"

"Yup."

"Take me to them."

"Okay."

And with that, the light floated out of the entrance room, and into the main gymnasium. Ayame walked steadily, although her heart was beating wildly.

Among the unconscious she saw, Hiro was not one of them.

The light passed through the door, and taking a deep breath, Ayame opened it.

Once inside, the first thing she noticed was the pale body of Macha, the unmoving, real version. And the second thing she noticed, Hana. The Spearow's still body lay next to the Shyuu's. The third...Hiro. His body lay near the opposite wall, very still...but a sluggish purple liquid dribbled out of one of his arms.

"Hiro!" Ayame shouted, running over to him, picking up Hana and Macha's bodies along the way. Macha's projection followed, glancing behind himself a couple of times. "Hiro, are you-"

"Aya...me?" He groaned, his eyes barely opening.

"Hiro! Don't worry, I'll get you-"

"Ayame! Get away! It'll come!" Hiro choked, looking wildly at something behind her. "Watch out!"

"Wha-eek!" Claws swiped at her. Ayame covered her head with her hands...waiting...

But it never came. She looked behind her, and saw the broken image of Macha, fading away.

"Good luck, Aya-aya!" It sang, albeit in a faint, fading voice.

"Macha!" Ayame shrieked, looking down at the body. It convulsed, then was still. "Macha!"

"Pathetic, really." Ayame's pink ponytail jerked to the side as she turned her head around to see the source of the voice. A gasp escaped her throat at what she saw.

There was a pack of Kurashi, at least thirty. And they really did look like a cross between a black Zubat and an anorexic Dragonite or Salamence-their bodies were black, and they were shaped like a dragon. Large, Zubat-like wings held up a skinny, scaled body and tail. The heads of the creatures were long, with snouts bearing pointy fangs, and complete with red eyes and horns. Black talons protruded out of their legs and arms, and Ayame assumed one of them had gotten rid of Macha's substitute with a Slash or Scratch from them.

They were flying in circles around another Kurashi...which was a whole lot bigger. This one also had odd, purple fangs, claws, and spikes that jutted out of its back and tail, and its eyes were a more orange-red than the others. And, to add to that, it even talked.

"And you must be Macha's...human partner, am I right?" The Kurashi asked. Ayame blinked as she heard the voice...it was almost melodic, and definitely female. This surprised her, since she had assumed that the leader of the Kurashi would be male. "Well, I suppose...you'll taste good." Ayame turned pale. Kurashi...ate humans? "Or maybe I should eat that boy first? He put up a fight, although my Curse and Sleep Powder crushed him right away."

"S-sleep Powder? A Grass type attack-Hiro!" She whirled around. "Your father's reactions...did you inherit them?"

"Reactions?" The Kurashi sneered, baring her oddly colored fangs. "Well, this is certainly interesting. You care for this human, girl?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ayame spat, glaring at her enemy. Her red eyes grew colder; they didn't have their sparkle.

The Kurashi spread her wings. "I'm the leader of the Kurashi. I care for nobody, nobody cares for me. My power is feared by all the Kurashi, even though I have no name. They all have relatively normal attacks, while I can attack with more versatility than they could ever hope for. Take that boy over there. I poisoned him with my claws. I am the equivalent of a legendary to them."

Ayame looked at Macha, Hana, and Hiro. Hiro was hanging in there, but fading rapidly. "I challenge you."

The large Kurashi cackled. "What?"

"I said, I challenge you."

More cackling. "To what?"

"My school, my friends, my planet." She glared at the monster. "I want you and your species out. You're messing up my city, and my world. And my life."

"Hah! You think you can beat me?"

Ayame gulped. "Yes, I think I can."

"Fine! I'll destroy you."

"I'm ready. I won't die."

"That's not what I meant, silly girl," she bared her fangs. "Destroying you physically isn't as satisfying as this way!"

Her wings beat against the air, raising her sleek, large body into the air. She raised her right front-clawed paw, and spiraled down...towards Hiro.

His eyes snapped open, opening his mouth to scream. But he never had to; something stopped the purple, poisonous claws.

Ayame stood in front of him, her fist out as if she had recently thrown a punch. The leader of the Kurashi wasn't as close as he had remembered her being...

Ayame punched that monster out of the way? He wondered mentally.

She turned to him. "Sorry," she replied, before glowing. Hiro's eyes grew wider as Persian ears and a tail popped out of her body, and a flowy white mini-dress replaced her uniform, along with her white boots and gloves. Her hair fell out of its ponytail, and the pupils of her red eyes grew slitted.

"A-ayame?"

"Don't worry," she grinned, showing her fangs. "I'll protect you, Hiro!" Even if you don't like me anymore, her thoughts added. "It's okay, I'll get you to the hospital as quickly as possible, if you're allergic to me." But with that, she leapt at the Kurashi leader.

"Fool!" The leader swiped her claws down onto Ayame's body. "You think you can defeat me?"

Ayame shrieked as the claws barely missed her chest, though did draw a teeny bit of blood on her left arm as she turned in the air. "Owwie, nyauuu! EEK!" As soon as she landed, she jumped into the air as her opponent's tail smashed the wall behind where she had been.

It became a smash-chase as Ayame barely dodged tail-smashes, bites, claws, and a few attacks of which she couldn't place.

Her pink hair streaming, she landed on the bleachers on one side of the gym. Panting, she brushed her hair out of her red eyes before lunging to the right as the leader's claws turned the bleachers into timber.

"So...you like to jump around, huh?" The leader flapped her large wings, rising into the air. The spikes on her back scraped against the wooden ceiling of the gym, ripping planks of wood out. Ayame shrieked as a few fell extremely near her, one cutting her arm.

Her pupils turned round as she saw one heading for Hiro. Immediately, she propelled herself off the wall next to the bleachers, shooting towards him. She fell short, but started to roll, grabbing him in the process. As soon as the wood hit the floor where he used to be, she jumped into the air, her boyfriend in her arms.

Ayame sighed as she maneuvered through the air, landing safely on the floor after all the wood had come down. Staring at the almost-unconscious Hiro, she grinned. "Pretty close there, huh?" She almost got a weak laugh out of him. Almost.

"Fool!" Ayame gasped as a wave of poison hit her back. Hiro fell out of her arms as she dropped to her knees, breathing heavily. "And I thought Persian were independent! Your human side is going to kill you one day, mutt."

The teenager looked behind her at the Kurashi leader, her eyes sliding out of focus. "I like...being human...I have...Hiro..." She had to lean on her hands to keep herself from falling over, but Ayame felt pretty sure she made contact with the fiery red eyes with her glare. Or, at least, what she thought was a glare. It was kind of hard to tell.

"This human is weak. You don't need him," the leader huffed, staring at her adversary. The Kurashi flying around her cackled, hovering ever closer to the human and the half-human. "In fact...why don't I get rid of him for you? All I need to do is tell them to kill him; it will be as simple as that. Then you won't have to protect him, and I can get a real fight out of you. This is...boring right now."

"No. I want to...protect...Hiro..." Ayame struggled to her feet, trying to track the Kurashi minions. "I will fight! Don't hurt-AIIIIEEEEE!"

The Kurashi hit. The swarm of them just flew down all at once, gnashing with their teeth and claws. It was all Ayame could do to scream before she blacked out.

Ayame felt herself floating in blackness. Her eyes opened, and she tried to move her arms. They moved, but it felt like she was underwater, since the blackness they moved through was more liquid than gas. Her head throbbed, and she just wanted to sleep.

"I care for nobody, nobody cares for me."

The teenager blinked sluggishly; the voice sounded strange. So...familiar...

Oh yeah. The Kurashi leader said that earlier.

"This human is weak. You don't need him."

There was her voice again. The Kurashi leader...was taunting Ayame.

"You let down your pathetic human friend, and your partner."

Yep, definitely taunting her.

"It's all your fault."

Okay, now that was just mean.

"Your fault, Ayame."

More hurtful words!

"All your fault."

She didn't sound like she would stop any time soon.

"If you hadn't been selfish, and had fun that one night, I wouldn't have attacked Macha."

Well...she was right...

"And now, you're going to die."

Ayame tensed...yet, nothing happened.

She waited some more...

Still nothing...

Nothing...

Noth-

"COME ON, GET ON WITH IT, ALREADY!" She yelped, glaring into thin air. "If you're going to threaten people like that, you should at least go through with it! Sheesh!"

And still, nothing happened.

Ayame crossed her arms, feeling a little put-off. Well? Where was it?

"Um, hello? Miss Angry Dictator Kurashi-thing?" The sound echoed off...whatever surrounded her. Black walls? Empty space? Some strange liquid that she could breathe in? Something. Something...echo-y. "Aren't you going to like, kill me, or something?"

Silence.

"Okay, that does it, I'm finding a way out of here!"

"You can't!"

Ayame stopped moving. Another voice...so similar to the one that had just been taunting her, but different. A little more...well...nice.

Oh, and it was definitely male.

"Please, you have to listen to me, you need to stay still!"

The hybrid girl froze, although she couldn't stop her eyes from quickly glancing back and forth.

The voice stopped, and then started again. "Please, you have to listen to me. You need to kill Usha."

"Usha? Eep!" Ayame quickly clamped her mouth shut, cursing herself for speaking (and therefore moving).

She heard a rough chuckle. "You may speak, but try not to struggle. That will only make the poison spread out of my grasp."

"Eh? What do you mean? And who's this Usha...thing..." The teenager grimaced as her stomach flopped and churned. She didn't want to have to kill anything.

"Usha...I am Usha. Well, I was...it's quite complicated, actually." The voice paused, as if the speaker had to take a deep breath. The kind of breath, in fact, that frequently precedes a story. "Usha isn't a specific being. Usha is a...a special force, state of mind, power. I'm not actually sure, although I do know that I was Usha."

"So, these Usha people-"

"Kurashi. Usha is a special Kurashi, one that all the Kurashi follow, once Usha reaches the right age and mentality. I was Usha a very, very long time ago, and I noticed that the Kurashi were not mixing well with other Pokemon. They frequently believed themselves to be the rightful owners of the planet, and that the other Pokemon stole it from them. They expected Usha to help them take back what they thought was theirs."

"Eh...right..."

"So I separated the Kurashi from your world. We have another area...it's very thinly connected to your world. It's a lot smaller, though, and the environment is...not quite as nice. Frequently, especially at night, we can catch glimpses of your world, though. This has made the Kurashi quite envious of the other Pokemon. Luckily, though, the Kurashi realized there were too few of them, and too many powerful other Pokemon in your world to make an invasion worthwhile or practical. However, recently, human pollution has been growing worse. Humans have angered the Kurashi to the point where they do not care if an invasion working is unrealistic. Also, I died, and my successor...well, she has been..."

"An egotistical maniac?" Ayame retorted, crossing her arms. The story had kind of brought her out of the fear of not moving.

"That is one way to put it. The weakest part in the barrier between our worlds is over your city, so she decided to begin her invasion by taking over it. The pollution...destroying the world they wanted and were taken away from...it is, how do you say it, the straw that broke the Numel's back?"

"Yeah. So...you want me to..."

"Kill Usha. The current Usha...she is beyond redemption. All of the consciousnesses of the past Usha have been trying to tell her to call off the invasion, since no good can come of it. We...we want her time as Usha to end. And please...help the Kurashi..."

Ayame blinked.

All was silent...

Still silent...

If a pin dropped a mile away, Ayame would be able to hear it...

"Wait! Where-AIIIEEEEEE!" Ayame shrieked again as a huge, blinding flash of light enveloped her surroundings, and a chorus of voices boomed in the background.

"We can give you five minutes without damage. Go! KILL USHA!"

5:00

Ayame woke with a start, her Persian ears upright and her claws out. "HIRO!"

A number appeared in her mind.

4:57

4:56

4:55

"That much time left..." she murmured, looking down at her body. "No damage...I have no wounds..."

The teenager leapt to her feet, but promptly hit her head on something hard and wooden. "Ow! Hiro? Macha?" Still the gym...but she was kind of huddled behind the bleachers. Rubbing her pink-haired-head, she crawled around the bleachers and peered into the gym-turned-battle ground.

Hiro was slumped in a corner, and Hana and Macha lay near him. A horde of Kurashi flew around over their bodies, cackling, while the leader, Usha, stood across the gym, surveying the scene with her cold, orange-red eyes.

"USHA!" Ayame yelled, almost surprised her voice echoed as loudly as it did.

3:48

The leader looked at her slightly surprised. "Hm? Oh, you're alive? That's surprising...I was sure my minions had killed you...or...wait..." With a mighty flap of her wings, she zoomed over to where Ayame stood, and studied her closely. "Oh, I get it...the other ones helped you out, right? Healed you temporarily so you could defeat me? Well, make sure to tell the old Usha that they can't do anything. They can't help you a second time!"

Ayame had barely enough time to leap into the air as the tail of the Kurashi leader obliterated the floor where she had once stood. She bounced off the ceiling, aiming her claws for the head of Usha. She missed, but she succeeded in making Usha look a little surprised.

"Oh, you have some fight in you, huh? Well, we'll see how long you last now!" Usha opened her mouth, and a purple flamethrower-like attack spewed out, hitting Ayame in the chest. The girl shrieked, but stood her ground, holding her arms in an x-shape in front of her. The strange flames licked off her gloves, causing them to hiss and melt away, but Ayame gritted her teeth and waited out the attack.

Soon enough, the stream of acid-fire died away, and the large Kurashi stood there, her large jaws apart to convey her confusion at the fact that not only was Ayame still alive, but standing up.

"H-how did you survive that?"

2:31

Ayame just smirked, raising her right hand. "Well, it's really quite simple."