Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Act of Contrition
Much to Avon's disappointment he was only able to fly a few hundred meters away from the facility. The sheer temperatures of the mountain caused frost to form on the tips of his feathers and weigh him down. The upside was the others would expect him to fly as far the complex as he could not take the way out on foot.
The weight eventually became to excessive and he stress to plummet. Keeping his wings outstretched he tried to keep his decent as slow as possible. Once he was a few yards above the ground he transformed into a Zoroark.
He landed with a loud crunch as he sunk waist deep into snow. Avon was suddenly thankful for Zoroark's naturally thick coat, it served to protect him from the frigid slurry around him. Not far away he heard the whirring of helicopter rotors, the blizzard he conjured up shoulder have prevented the others from tracing which direction he took but just to be safe he'd stay on the ground and out of sight.
While he had a chance Avon broke for the tree line, he left a trail in the snow but he'd just have to hope it wasn't visible from above if any of the search groups came in his direction. Avon's original plan was to head southeast toward one of the farther cities. Likelier than not Tribe would have agents watching any transports heading out of the region and keeping an eye on any travelers coming into any of the towns. He was smart enough to know the majority of their attention would be focused on the closer cities like Eterna or maybe even Celestic town, they'd probably go out as far as Oreburg, Hearthome, and Jubilife just for safe measure. The problem with it was that Tribe was smart enough to know he was smart enough to know that so the going would be tricky however he did it. His goal was to get to the seaport in Pastoria, with any luck it would be far enough away to keep a minimum of attention and he'd have an easier time of finding a way out of Sinnoh.
Several hours had passes without incident, Avon still kept to the shadows as much as possible. By now he was easily about ten miles from the facility, his endurance being above that of a typical Pokemon and far beyond that of a normal human the effort it cost him was paltry at best. Snow was still prominent but it was in thin sheets now and in the twilight it gave his surroundings a blue-grey color. Shaking himself from head to toe he shook off the thin frost that had accumulated on his fur. His breath formed a thick cloud before his face as he exhaled sharply.
He was in the middle of a huge conifer tree forest that blanketed the side of the mountain, though the sun had just begun to rise it still had a predawn atmosphere. A deep breath filled his nostrils with the suppressed scent of pine, the cold dulling the otherwise rich aroma. Avon was forced to stop however as the snow and trees gave way to a wall of wavering light. Pinks and purples blended with reds and blues and seemed to ripple as a Dusknoir appeared out of thin air.
Avon recognized the fog as Trick Room which wasn't good at all. In spite of the type disadvantage Caraon now had the advantage of speed and stealth and a literal element of surprise; there was no telling if he had signaled others to their location or not. "Your coming back with me now." Carson commanded.
Carson was smart to use his Dusknoir form over the Shedinja. Against a fire type like Zoroark it would be less than useless, even against Avon in his Honchcrow form would be a futile effort as the spectral bug. Shedinja was Carson's weakest form but had the significant advantage of Wonder Guard to protect him against most any attack, Avon however was capable of attack that could penetrate the defense.
Dusknoir on the other hand was a different story, Avon still maintained a type advantage but with Trick Room in effect Carson had the advantage of speed and stealth. Avon was capable of counteracting the illusion of Trick Room but it's effect was still permeating the air. In an attempt to get Carson on the move Avon created great spires of barbed ice that shot out of the ground.
Carson remained unmoving as the the attack closed in on him, one of the spires even appeared to pierce the ghosts chest. Realizing the illusion had no effect it faded all together. "You know that won't work on me." Carson stated flatly.
"You know me, it couldn't hurt to try." Avon said before darting forward. He attempted a Night Slash but Carson vanished making Avon leave a red vapor trail lingering in the air.
Carson materialized out of Avon's shadow, fist blazing. The Fire punch connected with the center of Avon's chest singing fur, burning flesh and causing the surrounding skin to blister. Avon staggered back from the attack before wheeling around, his claws glowing red with another night slash. Carson vanished again and hit Avon in the back with a Shadow Punch. The attack didn't have much effect but the pain from the physical contact was still there. Avon fell to the ground and quickly rolled over to see the Dusknoir's large hands were both cupped around a sphere of churning purple energy. Using the pause to launch his own attack Avon threw a dark pulse. The two attacks collided in midair and neutralized each other in a violent purple flash that swallowed them in smoke.
Carson evaded the brunt of the explosion by using Shadow Sneak to melt into the ground. He quickly found Avon on his hands and knees trying to regain his breath. Appearing beside the dazed Zoroark he charged a second Hex attack. "I'm sorry about this."The purple sphere of energy collided with the Zoroark but it vanished as the attack passed through.
"A substitute?" Carson gasped.
Avon seemed to wink into existence directly behind Carson. Black globes of seething energy swirled between his claws. While Carson was unaware Avon jammed both orbs into either side of the Dusknoir's head. The Night Daze was pure dark type energy but wasn't lethal. True to it's name the attack left Carson in a daze, floating semiconscious in the air. He was completely disoriented and beyond comprehension, like the lights were on but no one was home.
"I'm sorry too." Avon said as his claws started to glow red once more. He stepped closer as he planned end his troubles right then and there. He almost did it but he stopped mid slash. This was the life he was trying to abandon, he thought to himself, and here he was about to finish his own brother. Clearing his head he stepped away and focused on the real issue, if Carson had contact with anyone they'd be on their way to that spot that instant. Carson also knew which direction Avon was headed. In attempt to throw anyone off that would follow him. As he turned to leave Carson fell out of the air and reverted to his human form on contact with the frosted ground. On a whim Avon pulled out his clothes and threw them over Carson's prone body, he'd need them more than Avon. Taking one final look back Avon again transformed into Honchcrow and flew dead east.
The weight eventually became to excessive and he stress to plummet. Keeping his wings outstretched he tried to keep his decent as slow as possible. Once he was a few yards above the ground he transformed into a Zoroark.
He landed with a loud crunch as he sunk waist deep into snow. Avon was suddenly thankful for Zoroark's naturally thick coat, it served to protect him from the frigid slurry around him. Not far away he heard the whirring of helicopter rotors, the blizzard he conjured up shoulder have prevented the others from tracing which direction he took but just to be safe he'd stay on the ground and out of sight.
While he had a chance Avon broke for the tree line, he left a trail in the snow but he'd just have to hope it wasn't visible from above if any of the search groups came in his direction. Avon's original plan was to head southeast toward one of the farther cities. Likelier than not Tribe would have agents watching any transports heading out of the region and keeping an eye on any travelers coming into any of the towns. He was smart enough to know the majority of their attention would be focused on the closer cities like Eterna or maybe even Celestic town, they'd probably go out as far as Oreburg, Hearthome, and Jubilife just for safe measure. The problem with it was that Tribe was smart enough to know he was smart enough to know that so the going would be tricky however he did it. His goal was to get to the seaport in Pastoria, with any luck it would be far enough away to keep a minimum of attention and he'd have an easier time of finding a way out of Sinnoh.
Several hours had passes without incident, Avon still kept to the shadows as much as possible. By now he was easily about ten miles from the facility, his endurance being above that of a typical Pokemon and far beyond that of a normal human the effort it cost him was paltry at best. Snow was still prominent but it was in thin sheets now and in the twilight it gave his surroundings a blue-grey color. Shaking himself from head to toe he shook off the thin frost that had accumulated on his fur. His breath formed a thick cloud before his face as he exhaled sharply.
He was in the middle of a huge conifer tree forest that blanketed the side of the mountain, though the sun had just begun to rise it still had a predawn atmosphere. A deep breath filled his nostrils with the suppressed scent of pine, the cold dulling the otherwise rich aroma. Avon was forced to stop however as the snow and trees gave way to a wall of wavering light. Pinks and purples blended with reds and blues and seemed to ripple as a Dusknoir appeared out of thin air.
Avon recognized the fog as Trick Room which wasn't good at all. In spite of the type disadvantage Caraon now had the advantage of speed and stealth and a literal element of surprise; there was no telling if he had signaled others to their location or not. "Your coming back with me now." Carson commanded.
Carson was smart to use his Dusknoir form over the Shedinja. Against a fire type like Zoroark it would be less than useless, even against Avon in his Honchcrow form would be a futile effort as the spectral bug. Shedinja was Carson's weakest form but had the significant advantage of Wonder Guard to protect him against most any attack, Avon however was capable of attack that could penetrate the defense.
Dusknoir on the other hand was a different story, Avon still maintained a type advantage but with Trick Room in effect Carson had the advantage of speed and stealth. Avon was capable of counteracting the illusion of Trick Room but it's effect was still permeating the air. In an attempt to get Carson on the move Avon created great spires of barbed ice that shot out of the ground.
Carson remained unmoving as the the attack closed in on him, one of the spires even appeared to pierce the ghosts chest. Realizing the illusion had no effect it faded all together. "You know that won't work on me." Carson stated flatly.
"You know me, it couldn't hurt to try." Avon said before darting forward. He attempted a Night Slash but Carson vanished making Avon leave a red vapor trail lingering in the air.
Carson materialized out of Avon's shadow, fist blazing. The Fire punch connected with the center of Avon's chest singing fur, burning flesh and causing the surrounding skin to blister. Avon staggered back from the attack before wheeling around, his claws glowing red with another night slash. Carson vanished again and hit Avon in the back with a Shadow Punch. The attack didn't have much effect but the pain from the physical contact was still there. Avon fell to the ground and quickly rolled over to see the Dusknoir's large hands were both cupped around a sphere of churning purple energy. Using the pause to launch his own attack Avon threw a dark pulse. The two attacks collided in midair and neutralized each other in a violent purple flash that swallowed them in smoke.
Carson evaded the brunt of the explosion by using Shadow Sneak to melt into the ground. He quickly found Avon on his hands and knees trying to regain his breath. Appearing beside the dazed Zoroark he charged a second Hex attack. "I'm sorry about this."The purple sphere of energy collided with the Zoroark but it vanished as the attack passed through.
"A substitute?" Carson gasped.
Avon seemed to wink into existence directly behind Carson. Black globes of seething energy swirled between his claws. While Carson was unaware Avon jammed both orbs into either side of the Dusknoir's head. The Night Daze was pure dark type energy but wasn't lethal. True to it's name the attack left Carson in a daze, floating semiconscious in the air. He was completely disoriented and beyond comprehension, like the lights were on but no one was home.
"I'm sorry too." Avon said as his claws started to glow red once more. He stepped closer as he planned end his troubles right then and there. He almost did it but he stopped mid slash. This was the life he was trying to abandon, he thought to himself, and here he was about to finish his own brother. Clearing his head he stepped away and focused on the real issue, if Carson had contact with anyone they'd be on their way to that spot that instant. Carson also knew which direction Avon was headed. In attempt to throw anyone off that would follow him. As he turned to leave Carson fell out of the air and reverted to his human form on contact with the frosted ground. On a whim Avon pulled out his clothes and threw them over Carson's prone body, he'd need them more than Avon. Taking one final look back Avon again transformed into Honchcrow and flew dead east.