Breaking the Barrier [Zandrophin]

The sensation was surreal. Evolution dictated humans were bound to the earth, but not pokemon. The wind whipping her hair against her cheeks, the tears from her unprotected eyes leaking in globs of liquid, would make it all seem not worthwhile; however, the muscles rippling and shifting under her thighs, the lack of shackles to the earth, the gentle rocking as the wings flap warmed her heart. She relaxed herself and began playing with a misty figure in the sky.

She was snapped back into reality by an abra that teleported onto Eni with her. Shocked to the point of confusion, Akane let go of the charizard. As if the world froze around her, she watched as Eni zoomed away; just like… she did… Akane closed her eyes. It was just a few weeks ago she left… wasn’t it? Areonwen… Akane was so at peace, her soul was calm, at peace. The sensation of falling only wrapped her like a blanket into submission to death.

Almost as quickly as she left, Eni had already looped back behind to easily catch Akane. Intense pain shot through her groin with the collision, and the red haired woman looked back to the charizard with the abra waiting patiently. A soft groan escaped her lips, but she quickly remembered what she forgot.

”Hello Mentus.” Her voice was very calm, as if she had already forgotten her near death experience. ”Thanks for finding me. I need Zandrophin, where is he now?”

The abra teleported. Zandrophin must've been close by. She gently squeezed her legs and leaned down to lower Eni's position.

”I assure you, my position upon this charizard is earned.”

The duo would have looked insane to anyone else; as the near thunder sounded off, neither of them jumped. In fact, the red-haired woman merely inhaled a short breath to taste the salty air and focus upon her quest before she forgot it again.

”I apologize our meetings recently have only been about business-“ Wait, we do business? I, with such a person? For him to even give me a second glance, I must be important. But am I really on the grand scale? Akane rotated her shoulders to try and shake the intangible feeling from her shoulders.

”But to get right to the point before I forget it again; if you have yet to notice this mental barrier loops your train of thought in the giant maze it has created within our minds.” She didn’t even bother asking him if he had noticed the mental block; he looked as agitated as she was about it. Even more likely, he was one of the few people who probably realized there was even one.

”That’s about as much as I can figure out; the mental block twists our old thoughts into walls that form the maze, and recent thoughts flush our current ones into a constant loop. That would be easy enough to dispel… however, I feel like I am eighteen, but looking at myself,” Akane held up her hands, ”perhaps I am older, which means the “walls” I described are also interfering. This is no normal mental block, friend. This is a psychic pokemon’s doing. Which means we need a psychic pokemon’s undoing.” Giving a sympathetic, yet expecting glance towards the abra, she flicked her eyes back to Zandrophin.

”How is your abra handling the barrier? I assume he has almost fully worked himself out of the maze. I think we need his help if he’s willing. It would require a lot of energy if he were to oblige.”

With a heavy heart, fully knowing she was about to be looped out of remembering again, the image of a much younger Akane running around serving adults was plaguing her thoughts; trying to turn her to violence; a friendly old ghost tapping on her shoulder. Maybe, she hoped, maybe he can tell me something that will bring me back into reality. But then again, am I really so important anymore?

Akane was relieved Zandrophin and his pokemon was as willing as they were.

”Let’s hope for our old selves’ sake, that you don’t drop said soap. For some reason I have so much experience that I don’t remember earning, furthermore in said experience, the path to curing amnesia generally lies in vocal and written therapy that eventually leads to a cascade of memories to return and fill themselves back in. But for this block, it’s simply not enough; I have begun to remember some things. We need more help which is where Mentus’s psychic abilities are necessary.”

She inhaled sharply and tried to relax. Her thoughts were threatening to disappear again. A single tear welled up beside her eye and began to quiver before it gently slid down her cheek.

”I need you to help me remember forgetting Aeronwen, there’s no way I could live with her memory haunting me forever. I can’t find the memory in the great maze. I need Mentus to use psychic to locate it, and calm mind to not forget it. The trick is to keep your mind calm while the memories flood back. If you’re not calm, it will stop the chain reaction and could force you to reject it permanently… Zandrophin… Please…”

White… swirling white. The smoke cleared.

”Hello Zandrophin. How are you? Why are you looking at me so inquisitively?”

”Highness? I am not royalty silly Mentus. I have no kingdom and I am only eighteen. What could someone so young do to make a kingdom?”

She laughed heartily, but stopped quickly when Mentus pressed even deeper into her mind, the thought of Aeronwen leaving.

”Why are you doing this Mentus? Why do you keep pressing this one image into my head? Stop! I command you to stop!” Wait…

The image of swirling fire, burning fields, and a single man lying broken beneath her blade seared the curtain behind her eyes. A wicked grin and an air of brutality awoke inner lying ambition in Akane’s body.

I want to be her. I want to conquer. I must reform and fix my new home; my sanctuary.

Again the images rolled on. Next was an image of the same woman killing many more people whom she deemed not worthy. Akane agreed with her decisions based on facts she knew not where they came from. More images, more memories, more pain.

”Mentus why are you sending me an image of Zandrophin bowing to me? I already told you I’m not royalty.”

Finally, the red-haired woman crumpled. Her heart ached when she had the pleasure of meeting the man that saved her life and later saved it many more times; Chazz Michealmicheals. Whom the memories revealed to later become the captain of the royal guard; Her royal guard.

As if a glass wall had been shattered the images broke apart and flew away in the now swirling vortex of her mind. She began to kick and scream and cry out to names she couldn’t be bothered to stop. The images the abra pressed began turning into softer, gentler memories she still wasn’t sure if they were hers. Akane shivered and shook but finally opened her no longer glassy eyes and awoke once again as the Red Lady she had so well established.

”Zandrophin? How long has it been?”

Still a little shocked she knew immediately what she must do; break Zandrophin’s mental block. Though he hadn’t been there as long as she had; seriously how long has it been? he was still vulnerable to complete rejection just as much as she was.

The queen looked upon her hands with great sorrow. The aeration of her memories left Aeronwen’s uprooted and shallow. Trying her best to not be distracted, she focused on the matter at hand. True, their current method was a slow one, but it was the only one they had.

”Zandrophin, report. Mentus please prepare for another round to help along Zandrophin. Also…” She pulled out a spoon she had carved from the isle’s rocks. ”Thanks.”

Her determination was fiercer now more than ever.

A thunderous roar broke out from her lips. That red haired human had finally interfered enough with her plans.

”How did you do it?!” The roar was mighty and shook the ground as it spoke, even though the creature was telepathic. ”How could such low-lives like your species break through my barrier?! Oh well. It matters not.”

It was only a few moments before an ear-splitting screech pierced the sky and the storms raged on.

”I AM YOUR GOD NOW.” A powerful pressure wash from a hydro pump was aimed at Akane and Zandrophin. Angrily she roared when she saw a Bastiodon protecting the huddled up trio. ”I REFUSE TO JUST BE THE KING OF THE SEA ANYMORE. I WANT THE LAND AND SEA!”

Another wave of psychic was emitted from the mouth of Lugia. She was going to put an even stronger block on the trio.