Book 3: Pheobe (Part 2)
Note: Book 3 is the sequel to Book 1, however, Book 2 comes in between them, temporally speaking.
Book 3 is in the making. Please be patient.
Lance grinned. He knew he could find out what each of the Roos across from him had in their hand as easily as he could shapechange. But he had promised not to.
Blu looked at her cards and raised. They all piled in, Lance wasn't sure if he had a good hand. A two-pair? hmm... he had wished they were playing Aliroo Prelude. He'd always been good at that game. But Poker...
He looked at Blu, who had an excellent poker face. So did her brother, Boomer. Strype... Strype didn't look that happy, and Trixxy looked pleased. After another round, Blu threw in her remaining offer; a peice of cybercandy. Blu's eyes sparkled.
Lance couldn't help but feel her unease. She had made a resolve. His sensitive psyche picked up that much even without his interaction. Boomer and Strype folded. Lance looked at Blu, then at Trixxy...then at his cards, and folded as well.
Trixxy looked hard at Blu. The other Aliroo grinned widely. At this moment Lance knew she was bluffing.. but...
Trixxy stood up, folding. "FINE!" she laughed, "Okay, what's your hand already?"
"Miinnne," Blu growled, raking in the ante. she laughed, showing her cards. Lance grinned. Boomer grinned wider. Strype was simply dumbfounded by the entire process. Not surprising.
Lance stood up and stretched.
"I'm off to PokéWorld. I think there's another trainer a'comin'. See y'all later."
The others waves, and Blu grinned, organizing her prizes.
"Byebye Lancey," she smiled. He laughed.
"Seeya."
He turned and flashed to his suit at the Elite Four complex.
**
"Lance! Lance!" Lorelei came rushing into Lance's room. "Lance! I saw! I saw!" She began to hyperventilate.
"You saw what, Lor," Lance said wearily. "A mouse? For God's sake, you didn't look in the mirror again, did you?"
Lorelei took a moment from her fit to glare at him.
"And I thought you loved me!"
Lance arched an eyebrow.
"And this was ... when?"
Lorelei pouted.
"Well, I don't care what you think, Lance, but there is an evil woman waiting for you in the lobby! Good Day!" She put extra emphasise on her stomping as she stalked out of the room.
Evil woman? in the lobby? Lance grinned. He walked into the hall and took a left. her opened the doors to the lobby and stopped short.
"Hello Lance," said the woman standing there.
"Pheobe."
She smiled.
It was Pheobe all right. But she no longer looked innocent and kind.. There was a malicious air about her. Her short hair was pulled up, the white streak jagged on both sides. She wore large yinyang earrings. At every location that her clothes were clasped there was a yinyang. She was dressed in a dress that was skin-tight black dress, strapless and sleeveless. her Mindmaster's cape hung loosely, clasped with small yinyang buttons. She had a belt and a glittering silver blade, as well as her Mage gloves.
"C'mere Lance." Pheobe gestured with her head, earrings swinging almost hypnotically. She walked out of the room to the outside. Lance glanced at Nurse Joy and Lorelei, who were staring, dumbfounded. He nodded to them, and followed Pheobe outside.
When he made it, Pheobe had opened a portal.
"Where does that go to?" Lance asked.
"What? Can't read my mind?" Pheobe asked, grinning. "Lance, I've escaped the Phantom Zone. I am more powerful than either of us ever imagined. Trust me."
Lance frowned. This was not the Pheobe he remembered.
"Where does the portal go, Pheobes?"
She cocked her head, earrings swinging to the side. She blinked once, eyes changing from ebony black to stark white in an eyeblink. She was scaring him every moment.
"I..I don't trust you, Pheobe."
"Yes, I know that. But... You see, I need your power. You're with Blu Flyer. I know that she has plans ahead of her. I... Also have been having...Premonitions." Pheobe spoke haltingly, as if choosing her words to make sure that he could understand her alright. "And, you are one of the only ones in my way. I have a grudge against the Alliance, and I won't have my revenge until you, and the other Idols of ¤ have been taken out."
"Idols?" Lance no longer cared what was going on. If she was going to leak information, so be it.
"You don't know?" Pheobe smiled, her teeth as white as ever, and contrasting violently with her black lipstick. "Each part of Planet ¤ has an Idol. Each one possesses the greatest amount of ability granted to him or her. You, from the Golden Whites. Your friend Blu from Blue Country. Katt from Pink Country... And myself, I represent the Black Isles. Once we have each Idol together, I and... my accomplice...will do away with you all. And I will become leader of the Alliance."
Lance's eyes narrowed.
"You're not dumb, Pheobes, why are you telling me this?"
"Because you can't do anything about it. You're under my control. You will not go back into the Elite Four complex." Pheobe cocked her head the other way, enjoying this. Lance knew how Mind Control worked, and he realized he could not go back. He could go forward, he could go anywhere but into the complex. Until Pheobe added on to the list.
Lance immedeatly focused a ball of magic at his fist.
"You will not harm me."
Lance growled and aimed the magic into the air.
"And you will not in any way impede or betray my plans. And, you will come with me."
Lance followed her into the portal. He didn't resist. He knew that his Psyche nearly matched hers. But he remembered what had happened, all those years ago. The "other" Pheobe...
Lance launched an attack on Pheobe's mind. He bore into her memories and thoughts, looking for the other Pheobe.
"FOOL!" She screeched, mid-portal, "What do you think you are attempting??"
Lance continued his mental raid. He saw whiteness, and followed it. Pheobe's powerful mental attacks were weakening the link, his head pounded and every part of his body felt on fire. But he bore on...
There!
Pheobe screamed and dropped to her knees. The hall in the portal collapsed in a flash of brilliant whiteness. Lance surrendered to the pain and collapsed.
**
"Lance. Lance. Lance."
He blinked. He couldn't see momentarily. His eyes saw only whiteness. Slowly, after blinking, he made the form of three Aliroo faces looking at him...
He could not see in color. He recognized the faces...Blu, Trixxy...
"Pheobe!" Lance scrambled on all fours (odd in Roo form) and promptly fell off the table.
"Lance, what are you doing?" Pheobe asked. Her voice was the same, yet different...
Lance blinked, wishing the color would come back to his sight.
"Lance, what's wrong?" Blu asked, coming to his side.
"Get rid of her! She's evil! Shes--" Lance realized he could sense Pheobe's thoughts now. That was odd. He had never been able to do THAT before. Blu's feelings of irritation in the fact that he hadn't told her something, and Trixxy's regular How Can I Help? thoughts mingled with the confusion and frightened thoughts of Pheobe...
"Who are you?" He asked.
"I'm Pheobe!" The Roo replied, shaking, "I'm supposed to be! Lance, don't you remember me?"
Lance shook his head.
"I don't know what happened. Pheobe -- a Pheobe -- attacked me at the Indigo Plateau... She was... just evil... and she had my mind under control..." He didn't like to admit it, but it was true. "I went into her mind, remembering that she had split mentality... I looked for -- You! You're the.. other Pheobe!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Pheobe said, "I don't remember anything... The last thing I DO remember was you... Years ago... at the E4 complex... terrible headache..."
Lance recalled that.
"...And after that...Darkness...forever... Until now. There was a flash, and I was.. Alive again!"
"Pheobes, hold still," Lance said. He reached into her mind with his psyche... He encountered no barriers. Her psychic barriers were nonexistant, her mind was open. He sensed innocence, confusion...fear. He found no memories, what she said, as far as she knew, was true.
"Pheobe -- this is too weird." Lance shook his head, no longer afraid. Either Pheobe was a much more powerful psychic than he knew, so powerful as to create a false psyche, or this was...
"You're the other personality," Lance said. "The one I knew. The one I loved. The one that was buried beneath the other Pheobe..."
"I don't understand..." Pheobe said quietly.
Blu put a wing around the Roo. Lance still couldn't see color. He had a moment of panic; What if he never saw color again? He was lucky to see, but still... sight in shades of Grey? The only Roo that wouldn't matter about would be one without color....
Pheobe.
**
Pheobe smiled and cocked her wrist. Blu gave a signal, and both of the Roos, in PokéForm, pitched the knives at the targets.
Blu's struck home, bullseye. Pheobe's came very close, on the second ring out. Trixxy started to go to get the knives, but Lance gestured with a hand. The knives wriggles themselves loose and returned themselves to Blu and Pheobe's hands.
"Okay, Pheobes. You have good style, but ya gotta aim more like this." Blu came around and held on to Pheobe's arm, and moving her arm like it was supposed to move. "...And release...here. Now, try it again. One, two, three."
The two females threw again, Blu's dagger hitting the bullseye, and Pheobe's hitting the rim of the eye.
"Hey! Great!" Blu grinned. "Next..." Trixxy handed Blu two longbows and a quiver of arrows. "You aim like this." Blu nocked an arrow, aimed, and released. It hit more or less in the center of the eye.
Pheobe nodded, and nocked her own. She let it fly. The arrow hit the target, on the fourth ring out.
"Good for a first try," Blu said. "Most people can't even hit the target." She laughed. "Go ahead, try it again. Try and split my arrow."
Pheobe laughed nervously. She squinted down the arrow shaft, then let go. Lance watched in amazement as Pheobe's arrow *thocked* right next to Blu's. Blu applauded.
"You're a natural!" She said. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lance. This doe's no psychic, she's a fighter! Almost as good as me, even!"
Lance shook his head.
"Well, the other Pheobe is a psychic," he said, somewhat lamely.
"Yuh-huh," Trixxy grinned. "Hey Blu, try the hand weapons."
"Oki. Well, Pheobes. You're great in distance. That's great, I could use a helping hand. Ever used a sword?"
"Yes, actually," Pheobe smiled. "I don't know where mine is."
"The Other Pheobe has it."
Trixxy frowned. "This is confusing. How in Black Isles are we supposed to tell them apart? When we're talking, anyways..."
"Black Isles is right," Lance said. He considered. "I still don't know how you two were split." He looked to the Pheobe beside him. "When I knew you, back in the Academy days... I always thought you had too many talents. You always amazed me. Now... Well, I think you're two seperate Roos. The Evil Pheobe is a psychic. And she's out to get me. You're more like Blu, and that's great. But.. Hmm...Well, I don't know a good name."
Pheobe shrugged. "Just call me Pheobe, and that bitch something else." Even though she didn't remember her other self, she certainly had a bad feeling about her. Blu grinned. She liked this Pheobe character.
"Well, let's leave it at that. Lance, can ya grab me the cutlass with the Sapphire handle, please?"
Lance turned, and realized he couldn't tell the difference between the four swords. He knew one had a ruby in the handle...One had an Opal, one had a Sapphire, and one had a Amethyst. The Ruby one was Boomer's,, the Amethyst ws Trixxy's... The Sapphire was Blu's. The Opal one was Raya's. They were all from Earth. Well, sort of. From Shadow Earth.
"The sword, Lance?" Blu prompted. "It has the blue jewel, it's an Earthan Sapphire..."
"I... I can't tell. Ever since the...Pheobe incident... I've been seing in shades of grey..."
"What? Lance, why didn't you tell us before?" Blu asked, concerned.
"I thought it would go away. Come, Sapphire." Lance summoned the sword with magic. A sword floated from the table and levitated to Blu's hand.
"Lance, this is kind of serious, you know! You should go to the Academy and have it fixed!"
"No, don't worry. It's not that bad. I have my mind reading and magic, you know."
Blu had a worried look on her face, but turned. She didn't mother him, she respected his decisions even if she didn't agree.
"Oki, Pheobes, hit me." Blu grinned, and struck a classic fencing post.
"Touché," Pheobe said. Blu waited, then feinted. Pheobe didn't call it, she didn't lunge. Blu instead sidestepped and turned inwards. Blu was fast; faster than anyone except Raya that Lance had met.
Blu's sword clanged against Pheobe's, and Pheobe had to step back. Pheobe finally feinted. Blu stepped aside and batted the sword down. Then it was parry, cut, block, parry, parry.. Until finally Blu said,
"Alrighty, all out. My swordsmanship ain't much with just blades."
Pheobe grinned, for the first time. "Bring it on," she said.
Blu arched an eyebrow, and jumped into the air. She came down, landing a blow on Pheobe's shoulder. Pheobe wasn't without defense, she got a good swipe at Blu's arm. Blu's shoulder cut open, but Blu didn't say a thing. The fabric remained torn, but the wound nearly immedeatly healed. Pheobe gasped. The moment was too long and Blu spun and kicked the sword from Pheobe's grip. The Blue Aliroo grinned and brushed her hair out of her face.
"Y'know, that's as long as anyone but Raya's lasted 'gainst me."
"How..how did you do that?" Pheobe asked, pointing to Blu's shoulder. The wound was no longer there.
Blu shrugged. "I'm a true Blue Aliroo. Man, I'm Blue Country, Blue Cycle. Cool, huh?" Blu smiled and patted Pheobe heartily on the shoulder.
"Y'know, I was watching you. You know what you would work better with?"
"What?"
Blu took the sword from Pheobe. She programmed something on her TDT. She aimed it, and it opened a portal.
Blu picked the weapon up.
It was an Axe. Four feet tall. The blade was a good 2 and a half feet long, made out of near transparent material. The handle was sheer black, with wicked looking hooks.
"Rakashaed ebony handle," Blu said as she handed the axe to Pheobe, "The blade's made of Silver Isle diamond. I won it in a tournament. I'm not an axe person... You can have it."
Pheobe was speachless. Blu smiled.
"Does it have a name?"
Blu cocked her head. "I think so. I don't remember...Um.. Trix, what's the axe's name?"
Trixxy considered that.
Lance stepped in, drawing the memory from Blu's mind.
"Silverice."
"Oh yeah. I remember now," Blu said. "Silverice. Kinda catchy?"
Pheobe smiled, and hefted the axe. It was nearly as tall as herself. She gestured, conjuring a harness for it. She strapped it on her back, and fit the handle in. She jumped, and did a back handspring. Silverice stayed in place.
Blu gestured. A silver blade appeared in her hand. A long broadsword... it looked familiar.
"Corwin is gonna have to get used to me borrowing this sword! I love it!" she exclaimed.
"Alright, Blu, lets try this again," Pheobe said, taking out Silverice.
**
"She's something different, Lance," Blu said. She stood in the private bathroom in Lance's quarters on the Indigo Plateau, near the sink. She let her hair down, in long, blue, straight locks. She began to methodically brush it.
"Yeah, I know," Lance said. He was unsure how to tell Blu of his past with Pheobe. "She...always was."
"Always was, Lance?" Blu grinned and walked into the bedroom and sat on the bed beside him and continued brushing her hair.
"I went to the Acedemy with her. We were good friends."
"Heh, I guess. Good enough friends that her evil half wants to kill you?"
"She doesn't want to kill me," Lance replied, recalling what the other Pheobe had told him. "Well, not immedeatly. She told me she was collecting "Idols" from each country. You from Blue Country, Katt from Pink Country, myself from the Golden White Isles. And then she and her 'accomplice' would kill us all, rendering her the most powerful on the planet." Lance shrugged.
Blu laughed. "Me, an Idol? I can see you, Lance. You represent every Roo from the Isles. But me..."
"You're true blue, Blu. You said yourself."
Blu grinned self consciously, Lance could feel that she was almost uncomfortable being singled out because of her abilities and colors.
"Well, for one thing, Pheobe scares me. I'd like to snap her neck." Lance arched a brow. Blu always wanted to kill things that scared her.
She took a mug of coffee and began to sip it thoughtfully.
"Well, who are the other Idols? Maybe if we get to them before her we can save them."
"Let's go to HQ. We can access the databases. Pick up Pheobe, too."
“Let’s go to HQ. We can access the databases. And hopefully get this figured out.”
**
“Awright. If she’s looking for these...uh, Idols, then we have do do research. So, what is the...Trademark for each country? And how many did she say?”
Lance considered that. “You, me, Katt...Herself for the Black Isles.”
The White Pheobe blinked at the screen, tapping at the keyboard.
“Well, here’s an index-thingy.”
The screen flickered. Numerous categories scrolled down. Categorize by Country, Cycle, Last name, First name...
“Okay. For now, narrow it down to all Aliroos that were born during the purple cycle, or on violet country. Organize them from those born during and on the violet.”
Pheobe grinned sheepishly. Blu laughed, then took the chair as Pheobe graciously stood up. She tapped the keys, and the screen flickered.
“At the top of the list... Tangaloor, it’s Ricky!”
“Ricky?”
“Richard Parker, Trixxy’s kid brother. He’s pure purple.”
“What about heritage?”
“Their parents are... Um, purple enough. They’ve got the whole purple-thing going.” Blu turned and accessed her TDT’s comm.
--Channel open--
“Lo? Ricky?”
“Yeah Blu, sup?”
“Flash to Aliroo HQ, now. To my coordinates. It’s very important.”
“Uh, okay.”
Blu waited a second, then there was a purple flash and the young purple fledge looked at her.
“What is it?”
“Lance?”
Lance arched a brow, then shrugged, and shot Ricky with a bolt of information. The youngster stumbled backwards, but recovered.
“Got it?”
He nodded, suddenly serious.
“That’s cool. Very cool.” Blu grinned at Lance.
**
“So who are we missing?” Ricky looked over Blu’s shoulder.
“We can’t locate Drake, Elle, Zyra, Kiv or Greensborough. Or Co,” Blu said, “Do any of you know these Roos? I know Drake, but who are Elle and Zyra? And isn’t Kiv the head Advisor to the Chair’Roo-”
“-who would be Greensborough,” Lance concluded.
“Yes. Who would be Greensborough,” Blu agreed. “And of course, no one knows where the hell Cobalt is.” The room hushed just a bit. Everyone wanted to know where Cobalt was.
“Cobalt’s an Idol?” Boomer asked, “What color?”
“Apparently Terran. He’s the only one who really fits the description, since there aren’t many Roos born in those swamps.” That might have been funny, but the dissapearance of Cobalt Connery had every e confused. And worried.
“So where do we go from here?”
Lance looked at the Roos. “To go get Pheobe, I assume.”
No need, came a soft voice. It whispered through the ‘Roo’s ears like wind riding a storm, I’m already here. Decent plan you came up with, but not quite enough. There was a flash. Lance heard the slid g of metal as Blu unsheathed her sword. When the Roos could see again, the fuzzy negative image of the flash beginning to dissapear, they found themself standing in a circle. An unfortunatly ceremonious looking circle.
There was a bright white light everywhere, an almost flourescent, rainbow-backed light with a surreal quality; whenever it touched a Roo, they seemed to reflect vibrant colors in every direction. In e ect, there was a ring of colors, every Roo present standing on a disc matching their color. The only empty rings was a light green-gold-blue color; the same as Cobalt’s color, and the bright pink ring. The white Pheobe was standing, in humanform, on the hite disk, Lance on a shimmering golden disc.
In the center was a black disc; hovering just above it was Pheobe, a negative image of the Pheobe Lance had known.
Blu was the first to speak. Standing in Pokéform, sword in hand, she glared at Pheobe. As she spoke, the blue around her intensified brilliantly in an angry hue.
“What is going on?” She asked simply.
Pheobe laughed, like she always did.
“You know what is going on. You all,” she gestured in a wide circle, “are to killed. Simply.”
“Oh? And for what purpose?” Inquired a dusky green ‘Roo.
“Simple reasons,” Pheobe mused, “First, we get you here. Second, we capture your essence given to you by your color and birth.”
“We?”
“Of course. You thought I did this all myself?” She smiled toothily.
There was a pink flash, and Katt Monroe, in a Lylatian form, was standing on the pink disk.
Blu poked around with her sword. The blade encountered an invisible shield just beyond the disk.
“You get our essence, then what,” she asked halfheartedly as she tried to divine a way out.
“Then we kill you,” Katt said triumphantly, directing a grin in Blu’s direction. Blu met the grin with a glare, the blue around the Blue pulsing violently.
“Why don’t we get started?” Asked Black-Pheobe. “Anyone volenteer to be first?”
“Her first,” Katt jabbed a finger in Blu’s direction.
Pheobe ignored the Pink and looked around. Her gaze paused on Lance, and on the White Pheobe.
“Her,” she decided. She held both mage-gloved hands forward. A dark globe of energy focused at her hands.
“Lance! DO SOMETHING,” Blu commanded.
Lance was crouched on his light-golden disk, and looked up momentarily with a look that said, “I am doing something.”
Whatever he was doing was not fast enough. White Pheobe crumpled in pain, groping desperatly for her axe. The other roos stood by in disbelief, unable to do anything.
White Pheobe was on her knees. The two Pheobes faced off, one clothed in a sleek black gown, a malicious smile on her face, hands outstretched; the other in a white version of the Roo-Standard humanfo uniform, an axe at her side.
Black Pheobe hovered from her central position towards the other Pheobe, and passed through the magical field. She stooped gracefully and picked up the axe.
“This is a nice piece,” she remarked innocently, running a finger down the blade. A trickle of black blood streamed down the blade and splattered on White Pheobe’s face. She raised the axe to the side hen, and let the blade rest on White Pheobe’s shoulder, near the neck. She slid the axe downwards, and a sparkling stream of white appeared on the white Roo’s neck.
Black Pheobe held out a hand, and Katt placed a small vial in her hand. Pheobe bent, and allowed the vial to fill with the white blood, shimmering like silk. She leaned in closer, and whispered in her pposite’s ear,
“Die knowing that you did it...for your world. For..My world.”
White Pheobe quivered in rage, but was unable to move, save three words.
“Go...to..hell.”
Pheobe smiled, and slid the axe further. There was no satisfying scream of pain from the White one. Lance narrowed his eyes as the immense power that was Pheobe intensified. Black Pheobe flashed brill nt white, and then returned to her previous black attire, a white-filled vial hanging at her belt.
She shook her head, as if just emerging from a refreshing shower.
“Who’s next?”
“Try me,” Blu said through gritted teeth.
Katt shrugged. “I have no objection.”
“I do.” The globe of black was still crackeling on her fist, and she directed it towards Lance. “Him next.”
“Lance...” Blu frowned. What could she do? She wasn’t any psychic.
~*Your thoughts*~ Lance said in her mind. ~*You have power, but not like you think. Your aura is stong, but not in an active way. Back me up Blu*~
Blu nodded.
~
Blu looked up through the canopy of the Arwing. Wolf had a hateful smile on his face. Blu turned to Falco, fleetingly cursing his bulk for slowing her Arwing.
She looked up, spying Lance in the cockpit of the Arwing. She shook her head in disbelief. He wouldn’t dare...
KABLAMO.
~
That wasn’t really a good thought for the moment, Blu decided. Instead, she focused her energy and shot it towards him.
“HOLY ISLES,” he exclaimed, eyes turning blue momentarily. He stood, and shot what looked like a bolt of golden-blue energy forwards. It seared through the field and hit Pheobe dead-on.
“Well, HELP already!” Blu exclaimed to the others.
Pheobe was standing. She held her hands above her head, and then brought them down, a black silky shield following. It might be too late. The colors were intensifying; and Lance was near shaking with wer. As a focus...A focus, that’s what it was.
A rainbow-colored beam was streaming from Lance’s mage-gloves, hitting Pheobe full on.
“Don’t underestimate the Idols,” remarked Chandler under his breath.
“Traitor,” Katt said. She moved her paw in a complicated motion, and the silver Roo dropped. The pink spread her paw to the others. Blu blinked, sent out her last bit of energy, and then collapsed.
**
“Blu. Blu. Blu.”
Blu? That was me, Blu thought. I’m Blu.
“Blu, wake up. Come on, Blu...”
Blu forced one eye open.
“We did it, Blu. Pheobe’s gone. She’s gone to the Phantom Zone.”
“Again?”
“It’s not the same this time. They changed the frequency. She’s somewhere between the PZ and a half-dimension, like in-between shadows in Amber.”
“...’Kay. I’m just gonna trust you on that one, Lance,” Blu said.