The place was getting destroyed.

Three Witherstorms.

Three voices.

The world was getting devoured before my very eyes.

Axel had joined us, but who would die?

Reuben, but...

Many things had changed with my influence.

Would the Witherstorms even die?

Foolish human. You annoy me.

And creatures like you are the reason we have middle fingers.

What is a finger?

"Well, friends, it's been nice meeting you but..." Soren started backing away, "I gotta...go...bye!"

He started running away.

"Soren, you coward!' Jesse yelled.

"Come deal with your problems, son of a-" I covered Rory's mouth to stop him from cussing.

Then Soren was gone, leaving us with the Three Very Hungry Witherstorms. They could easily compete with the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Gone, gone, gone.

Ivor started toward the place where Soren disapeared.

"Where are you going?!" Jesse's face had betrayal written all over it.

"I can't let him get himself killed!"

Then Ivor was gone, too. In his place was fear.

In any other situation, my mind would just be me, myself and I. Mine and mine alone.

Now it was me, myself and fear.

Fear everywhere.

Fear devouring my mind, fear stretching my limits of imagination, planting images of consequences in my mind, laughing at my thoughts.

So we turned to the Witherstorms.

Not enough Endermen focused on the Witherstorm. Too many wandering around.

"We need to get more Endermen focused on the Witherstorm!" Olivia shouted over the roars of the Witherstorms.

Yeah, figured that part out.

"I can do it!" Jesse yelled, "you guys stay here!"

Rory and I exchanged a glance, and I knew what we were both thinking.

That never happened in the game. Everyone went with her.

"But-"

"No 'buts', Lukas! I know what to do!" Jesse yelled, running into the crowd of Endermen.

The biggest Witherstorm roared, and a purple tractor  beam passed above  us.

Mind toning down the beams a bit?

I cannot.

Can you try?

I know you try to trick, Unique One. Purple eye escaped me once, I won't let you do it.

You'll be dead soon, anyway.

The black creatures pinch but they cannot kill.

The Endermen won't kill you, no, but we sure as hell can.

"So, what do we do while Jesse's getting the Endermen to focus on the Witherstorm?" I wondered.

"I'm still wondering how Jesse's getting the Endermen to focus..." Axel muttered, "I can't even get myself to focus!"

"What about a game of tag with the tractor beams?" Rory suggested, gesturing to the deadly beams, "once you get caught, you're dead."

"That sparks a happy mood, doesn't it?" Olivia huffed.

"I don't like that idea." Petra said quietly.

"Ditto to that." Lukas agreed with Petra.

We could die.

We could die, die, die.

We all still die.

Rory and I could die.

Die, die, die.

The thoughts spun in an endless loop. Never see Rory's good parents again. I wondered what my parents were doing.

Not much, probably. I didn't even mind that I might never see them.

Then I saw the purple beam.

It was hard to track where it was going, it dodged around Endermen, moved in weird paths and just moved around everywhere.

"That's a really weird beam," Olivia observed.

I noticed Petra edge closer to me.

"A weird beam that's making my eye hurt." Rory complained, "the closer it gets, the more it lights up like a redstone lamp."

I tracked the beam's path but-

"A weird beam that's coming closer!" Lukas warned.

Heh heh heh heh.

My armour felt weird and heavy, but I would still be able to move...

Because the beam was heading straight for Petra.

"Look out!" Olivia shrieked, backing away.

I caught eye contact with Rory, and he gave me a small shake of his head.

No, he didn't want me to do it.

Petra stared st the beam, petrified with fear.

Rory shook his head at me again.

He knew how long I'd stare at my tablet. The device held my gateway out of Stresstown, headed away school, and ultimately got me out of Lifetopia.

"Petra, get out of the way!" Axel yelped.

Don't worry, Axel, I'll get her out of the way.

The beam came closer and closer until...

Until I pushed Petra out of the way.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for me to get away.

I say that as if it wasn't a big deal.

The truth is, I was terrified.

Imagine this:

You're getting pulled up into the air, to the literal jaws of death.
You can't move through the air.
There's a voice in your head, laughing.

Panic is a funny thing, actually. It can choke you, make you lose control of your arms...

It can do lots of things.

I think I made a panicked shriek.

Then I felt a tugging on my foot. I thought it was Rory...

But it looked as if Petra had reached me first.

Her feet dragged along the ground in an attempt to keep both of us from getting eaten.

Then she was lifted too.

I screwed my eyes shut.

Human chain, human chain.

The floating up stopped for a bit. I opened up my eyes a little bit. Rory.

His eyes were wide and desperate, his purple eye glowing. The desperation was something I'd never seen in him before.

"I need some help here!" Rory yelled.

Why can't you just accept being eaten?

Because your mouth is not my favorite holiday destination.

Then Rory was lifted from the ground. Olivia was next in our human chain.

But then she was lifted, too.

How long is this human chain going to get? It wasn't this long in the game.

Axel stopped us all from being eaten, but he looked like that he could get lifted any minute.

Well, this is really the...

Wait, someone isn't helping.

"Lukas!" I yelled, "help!"

Lukas looked at our human chain thoughtfully.

"Hang tight, I've got a plan." He said.

"Hanging!" Petra yelped.

Then Lukas pulled out fireworks.

"Hey, you big ugly beast!" Lukas shouted at the biggest Witherstorm, letting off a few fireworks.

Ooohh...pretty...

The beam moved away from us, and our human chain collapsed.

My chest hit stone, making me gasp for breath.

My vision went blurry for a moment, but then it cleared and Rory helped me to my feet.

"You okay?" He asked.

I coughed. The impact from hitting stone made me lose my breath. "I'm good," I rasped.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

I looked around at all the chaos. For a moment it was all too overwhelming. I was too scared to move, and I started trembling.

I want...to go home.

No. I don't. I just...can't.

I can't.

I can't

Be

Brave.

Rory hugged me, and I hugged him back. I knew he was scared like I was.

"God, Rory," I mumbled, "how did we get ourselves into this mess?"

"We didn't," Rory pulled away from me but kept his hand on my shoulders, "something brought us here in a spectacular display of green and blue, I'm just not sure what..."

I laughed hysterically, "oh gosh, we've changed so much."

"Yeah," Rory agreed, "and Jesse can still save the day, so we can't die yet."

I nodded.

"Jesse!"

I turned around and saw Jesse panting, surrounded by her friends. Reuben oinked.

Reuben.

"Reuben." I murmured.

"Yeah." Rory said, his voice like an echo, quiet and seeming to go on forever.

Jesse told her friends something and pointed to the biggest Witherstorm. There was a hole in it, the hole that Jesse would be able to get in to.

Rory and I shared a knowing look.

"You two!" Petra stomped over to us. "We need some ideas to get Jesse into the Witherstorm!"

"I don't have any ideas." I told her.

"Come with me anyway." She grabbed my arm.

"Wait a minute!" I yelped.

Petra started dragging me to the group. When she let go of my arm, I pulled away from her.

"Does anyone have a useful idea?" Jesse looked around at everyone.

"If we had a Potion of Leaping  you could get up there." I observed.

Jesse grinned at me.

"Fortunately for us, I happen to have one." She pulled out a potion.

"Where did you get that?" Lukas asked.

"Witch's hut." Jesse turned to the biggest Witherstorm. "Wish me luck."

Rory jogged over to us and skidded to a stop next to me.

"Jesse?" Olivia looked at her friend.

"Yeah?"

"I believe in you."

"I do too." Petra said quietly.

"Most of us do." Axel agreed.

I scowled at him. "All of us do."

Jesse beamed at us, emerald green eyes sparkling with gratitude.

I kept my eyes on Reuben.

Jesse drunk the potion.

She ran forward. Reuben also ran forward.

He grabbed onto Jesse's foot,

Then

I

Grabbed

On

To

Him

--------------

This was it.

They were staring into the face of death.

The army of death.

"What should we do?" Bramblestar asked, eyes burning with hatred for what lay before him.

"Stay behind us. When Tigerstar attacks, then you do, too." Foxspirit instructed.

"Foxspirit?" Asked a black cat.

"Reedstar?"

"I believe in you." The leader of RiverClan meowed quietly.

"Ditto." Dawnstar, leader of ShadowClan agreed confidently. "It's been a pleasure fighting with you."

"And it's been a pleasure knowing you, but don't act like we'll all-"

That was when Tigerstar started padding toward the Clan cats.

Foxspirit walked down the hill to meet him. She knew that her friends had followed.

Tigerstar's amber eyes glinted with negative emotions, his muscles rippling. He flexed his long claws.

"Tigerstar." Foxspirit dipped her head.

"Foxspirit." Tigerstar rumbled, also dipping his head for a moment,"and company."

Foxspirit gave Frostwish a sideways glance. The white she-cat's green eyes burned with anger toward Tigerstar.

Falconblaze glared at the Dark Forest tabby. Wolfshine raised her muzzle, showing off her sharp teeth. Runningsun stood next to Shrewpaw, who already had his claws unsheathed.

"I assume you haven't come to surrender." Falconblaze spat, "not with that army of Mist Cats."

"They're here if things get messy. Now, I assume you have that deal ready for me?" Tigerstar growled.

"We do." Frostwish meowed.

"Well then?" Tigerstar sat down, "lay it on me."

Foxspirit nodded at Shrewpaw. The light brown tabby stepped forward, closer to Tigerstar.

"You leave us alone, and there will be no war." Shrewpaw cocked his head to the left, waiting for Tigerstar's reaction.

Tigerstar huffed, "what about you surrender and I will spare most of your lives."

"Careful, Tigerstar," Foxspirit warned, "we have two things that you don't!"

"Oh really?!" Yowled Hawkfrost from behind Tigerstar.

Wolfshine nodded,"oh yeah. Tell 'em, Runningsun."

Runningsun gave Tigerstar his cheeky cat smile. The tension in the air was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Claw. Tooth. Whatever.

"We have the power of StarClan in our paws. In all of our paws. And we have allies."

"Power of StarClan?" Tigerstar repeated. "Allies?"

Foxspirit let fire course through her fur, big enough for all cats to see. Wolfshine stomped her paw on the ground, and water splashed onto Tigerstar's face. Falconblaze summoned a wind behind her, making her fur ruffle dramatically. Runningsun let small bolts of lightning run around his ears. Shrewpaw waved a paw over a flower and it froze, now an ice statue.

Tigerstar growled. "Kill them."

Foxspirit raised her head and began barking.

Clan cats met Mist cats.

And the foxes came to help.

"Thank you, my friends." Foxspirit meowed to the lead fox. "Let's show everyone a real battle."

-------------

"I can't believe this!" Jesse shouted.

"Hey, I tried to stop Reuben from going." I raised my hands innocently.

Reuben gave Jesse an anxious oink.

"Stay behind me." Jesse growled.

We began to walk through the Witherstorm's insides. I tried not to think of Rory. He was probably terrified that I would die up here.

And I could die.

We made our way through. I made sure that I shielded the butcher from Reuben's sight.

Then we saw it.

The Command Block.

"Watch your six, Jesse," I said.

"What does that mean?"

"Watch your back."

Jesse nodded and walked up to the Command Block.

She raised her sword.

And hit it.

There was a clang, a burst of brilliant energy...

Then the tentacles went crazy.

"I think I made it angry!" Jesse yelped.

"You think?" I unsheathed my sword and went to go and help Jesse.

Her sword could slice the tentacles, but mine could still bat them away.

"Hit it again!" I shouted.

Jesse got back up to the Command Block and hit it again.

Then the world spun.

I fell.

The world was a blur.

I eventually found my feet, only to see the Command Block on top of the Witherstorm's insides.

"Are you okay, Aza?" Jesse asked, walking over to me.

"Is Reuben okay?"

"He's fine."

I nodded. Then we both noticed the Witherstorm heads on the sides of the insides.

Sides of the insides...

"Can you do me a favour?" Jesse asked.

"What?"

"Protect Reuben, I've got a plan to get up there."

"Can do."

Reuben oinked at Jesse, and she said reassuring things to him. Then she ran at one of the tractor beams.

A tentacle on the wall swiped at Reuben.

"You wanna go, mate?" I yelled at the tentacle. "If you mess with him, you mess with me!"

The tentacle swiped at me, and I hit it with my sword.

It went like that for a while.

Tentacle: *swipe*

Me: *hit*

You get the idea.

Then, that clang...

I turned around and saw Jesse's sword, then saw Jesse dangling in the air.

I gasped.

Then the tentacle hit me.

I spun around in the air as if I was on a really fast rollercoaster, except I had to rollercoaster, only me, myself, and I.

And fear.

I heard Jesse yell my name, then I hit the wall.

Little black squares invaded my vision.

I tried to blink them away, but even blinking hurt. I guess my armour saved me from more pain.

I groaned a bit. I managed to push myself up into a sitting position, then I saw the tentacle try to swipe at me.

I was literally a sitting duck.

I pushed myself to my feet.

"Reuben!"

I backed away from the tentacle.

"Hold on, buddy!"

I looked up.

Reuben was being used as a tug of war toy. The Witherstorm head was going to win.

Reuben was going to fall into the hole.

I walked over, next to the hole wide-eyed.

Then Reuben fell.

Time slowed. Jesse screamed Reuben's name.

Then...

Then

I

Jumped

D
O
W
N

Then I caught him.

He was in my arms.

A sweet little pig.

I can.

I can

Be

Brave.

I heard Jesse scream my name.

Then the world was a blur. I flipped us so that my back was facing the ground. Reuben was on my stomach. If my stomach had been facing down, I would've squished him flat. That wasn't what I wanted to do.

I saw the world. My left and right was full of colours.

Then...

ÂĞØŇÝ

Agony in my bones.

Agony on my skin.

Agony in my brain.

I couldn't breathe.

Couldn't breathe.

Couldn't breathe.

Oink. That was the sound I heard.

The red in my vision cleared a little bit. I saw that little face. Reuben's.

Oh, but Rory...

Could Rory forgive me for what I had done?

He shouldn't.

He wouldn't.

He couldn't.

Then my mind started singing a song. A song I would've sung to Rory.

I will never forget you.

You will always be by my side.

From the day that I met you.

I knew that I would love you till the day I die.

And I will never want much more.

In my heart I will always be sure,

I will never forget you.

You will always be by my side,

Till the day I die.

It would've been the only song I'd sung to anyone, ever.

With that, darkness swallowed me, the agony gone.

~~~~~~

Blood gushed from her wound.

She gasped for breath.

He let out a mrrow of laughter.

She saw the stars.

*********

The child's soul cracked. The God of Hyperdeath...

He had won.

^^^^^^^^^

The single Pokèmon couldn't breathe.

The Bittercold, it lived on negativity. How a giant ice snowflake did that, she wasn't sure. But it wasn't supposed to have any effect on humans who had been turned into Pokèmon.

She knew that. But she

W a s

R   u   n   n   i  n g

O     u     t

O      f

B      r      e       a      t      h

||||||||||

The wolf was drowning. She could see her own blood in the water.

The sharks would soon get her.

{ } { }

The dragon couldn't swim. The human-turned-Night Fury couldn't swim.

Which way...

W h i c h w a y

W  h  i  c  h  w  a   y

-----------

*

○ ◇ *

● ■◆ ¤

》 》 》》 》

And energy once lived is spent.

Once lived...

Is spent.