Young Writers Society

Frost

Frost dreamt within the confines of the plate.

Frost was 5, he was sitting in a dark room, they had told him to go to his room, that this conversation wasn't for him, but he ignored them, he was old enough to have free will wasn't he? Even if he was a mistake...

Frost's parents, or rather his mother and step father, fought in the kitchen, their shouts so loud that the neighbors could probably hear them. Frosts dad had gone to jail for what? Frost had forgotten, but ever since that his mother had turned to taking her grief and anger out on him. Frost could bear it, he knew she still loved him no matter how angry she got.

"He's a mistake jonathan, he doesn't deserve to live! Hell not even the adoption centers would take him! " His mom was shrill, had she lost it completely? Jonathan, the step dad shouted over her.

"He deserves a home edna! We are here to give him that, not treat him like a slave!" Jon shouted. His mother, edna took another swig of the cheap alcohol, then shouted.

" Christ he should be a slave, nobody likes him, he doesn't do anything with himself, he's a miserable excuse for a child!"

"Edna your drunk..." Edna cut him off half sentence

"I'm drunk? Fuck you Jon!" She smacked him. Infuriated, jon punched her in the stomach, then immediately backed away.

"Edna i'm sorry I didn't mean to...." Edna took a knife from the kitchen and swung at him, he ducked under it and headed for the next room, Frost's room. He burst through the doorway and locked it, then turned around and froze when he saw Frost.

"Your supposed to be in your room frost." Frost looked up, tears in his eyes as his mother pounded at the locked door.

"No, your... mother... loves you, I love you no. No matter how much we may argue we will always love you."

"She called me a slave." Frost spoke, his lower lip quivering, Jon took a step forward to comfort him, the kitchen door cracked and a knife slid into his back, crying out, Jon fell forward, his face inches from Frosts. The door swung open and his mother stepped through the door and screaming, launched into a frenzy, stabbing Jon until the blood poured onto the floor. Jon looked towards Frost, their eyes meeting for one last time, he tried to speak, but sputtered as blood oozed out. His eyes began to glaze but they still remained fixed on Frost, his lips worked once more and the words formed.

"I...Love...You." He lay still.

Day 3
Greatwood Jungle: Zulu

Zulu yawned, opening his eyes. The sun shone brightly through the canopy of trees. So he’d actually managed to get some sleep? After yesterday, Zulu had moved closer to the village, not feeling very safe. He wasn’t the biggest fan of cryptic visits from unknown people. Now he was just on the outskirts of the village, hanging upside down from a tree. The village was abuzz with activity as the non-warriors fashioned light armor from tree bark, and healed wounded warriors. And here was Zulu, just hanging out while a battle was going on, with his friends somewhere in the middle of all of it. Zulu wanted to be out there, helping them fight. He hadn’t been burned that bad. But then again, Zapdos was out there in the Jungle, and the terror he’d experienced at his talons was still fresh in Zulu’s mind.

“I really hope Cresselia beats him out there.” Zulu thought. The sooner this world was rid of Zapdos, the better.

~~~~~

Cresselia fired another psychic spear, the blast just barely missing the fleeing yellow form.

“Lugia, can you see him from above?” Cresselia telepathically called out.

“Just barely, and I don’t have a clear shot at him.” Lugia thought back. He was flying just above the canopy, keeping Zapdos down if he ever tried to fly up and away.

“Just get off my back!” Zapdos screeched as he flew, trying to lose Cresselia as best he could.

“Surrender, and we will ensure you are treated well!” Cresselia called to him.

“Until this war is over, than you guys are gonna execute me! Thanks for the offer, but I like my life!”

Zapdos suddenly flipped around, firing a Thunder. Cresselia brought up a Protect just in time, the deadly electricity dissipating against the barrier. Zapdos turned tail and began his flight again. Cresselia quickly depowered her barrier, zooming after him, but she had already lost sight of Zapdos.

“Lugia, I’ve lost Zapdos. Do you see him?” Cresselia asked.

“No, I don’t. I lost him too.”

Cresselia quickly sent out a wave of Telepathic power, scanning for Zapdos’s mind, but either he had some kind of defense against mental attacks, or he’d already flown out of range.

“I’m afraid we’ve lost him.” Cresselia said, crestfallen.

“I guess it’s for the best. It’ll give him a chance to report our capturing Tornadus. Too bad we lost Thunderous though.”

Cresselia sighed. Frost’s betrayal had hurt everyone, especially Lugia. Speaking of the sea dragon, Lugia swooped down through the canopy, the plate still on his chest.

“Even with this thing, I don’t think I could catch up with Zapdos. He’s way too fast.” Lugia said.

“I must agree with you on that. A coward in flight can rarely be caught. But you hardly seem to have lost any energy, considering how long you’ve been fighting.” Cresselia observed.

“I know. This plate has really been giving me a great power boost.” Lugia said, patting the plate.

“As true as that may be, I feel that you should no longer use it.”

“What? Why?” Lugia asked.

“The plates were never meant to be used by Legendries. The only reason you have been able to use it for so long is because of your pure heart, but the plates have limits on their dealings with Legendries. I think it’s time you remove it.”

“But I feel fine. Better than fine actually.” Lugia argued. He had a wild, almost desperate look in his eyes. Clearly the plate was already taking its toll on him.

“Lugia. Now.” Cresselia said sternly. Lugia complied, removing the plate from his chest. He suddenly looked very old and tired, if only for a second. Cresselia levitated the plate over to herself.

“Perhaps a visit to Frontier Town is in order. We may need a bag to hold these in.” Cresselia said, forming a protective field around the plate.

“Yeah… that should happen…” Lugia said, the plate’s repossession seeming to have an emotional effect on him.

“It’s clear now that the New Order means war. They came here with the intention of killing off the entirety of whichever tribe won this battle, all to secure the plate. But are they trying to get them all because we want them, or do they have some other plan in mind?” Cresselia pondered, more to herself than anything.

“We must return to the shrine of safety. We need to coordinate with the others, and see what information Latios and Latias have gathered.” Cresselia said.

“Alright. We should… get going then.” Lugia said, life starting to return to him.
“But… what about Ren? He has the Fire Plate.”

“Absol is in pursuit of him as we speak. When he finds Ren, I hope he can convince him to come back to us, or at the least surrender his plate. But until then, we must focus on finding the others… oh Arceus.” Cresselia suddenly said.
“Frost. He saw Twinkiel. That’s another human ally revealed to the New Order.”

“We don’t know that. Those two New Order captains with him probably thought Twinkiel was just an ordinary Pokémon. And even if Frost knew, do you think he’d tell them?” Lugia asked, not ready to accept Frost was truly evil.

“Frost betrayed us, plain and simple. He’s now working against us, so we must assume the worst from him.”

Lugia hung his head.

“Cheer up Lugia. This battle is over, and we won. Plus we have gained a powerful, and slightly manic, ally in the process.

Lugia smirked at this.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“There’s your smile. Now come, I bet Zulu’s worried sick about us.”
Cresselia turned, beginning to float back towards the village.

“Heh, probably worried sick about you.” Lugia said under his breath, chuckling.

~~~~~

Zulu’s ears perked at the sound of what appeared to be a war cry. Had the enemy tribe broken through, and was now launching a massive assault on the village? But as whatever was shouting got closer, Zulu realized it wasn’t a war cry. It was cheering. Zulu let go of the branch, taking flight. As he flew towards the noise, other curious villagers that could afford to abandon their task moved towards the noise as well.

“Guess not even they know what it is.”

Suddenly, the source of the cheering was revealed as Zulu flew around one of the large trees. A procession of Venom Knife warriors was making its way back to the village, shouting merrily in victory. Zulu looked among them for any sign of his friends, but all he saw was snake after snake.

“They’ll come. They have to.” Zulu thought to himself. But he couldn’t help but worry, what happened if they all died? He would have no one left to lead him. He didn’t even know where to start looking for the other plates.

“Are you ok Zulu?”

Zulu flipped around, seeing Celebi floating behind him.

“Oh, Celebi. When did you get back?”

“Just now actually. In case you couldn’t tell, we won.” She smiled, watching the procession.

“Yeah, I could tell. Where’s everyone else?” Zulu asked.

“I’m not sure. I fought separate from the others, though I occasionally ran into Cresselia. She was a sight to behold while she fought in the full moon’s light.” Celebi said.

“Wow… sounds nice.” Zulu said, unable to help himself from imagining the scene.

“Fleedijo should be bringing Twinkiel and his allies back soon. I was worried when we lost track of him, but Fleedijo ended up finding Twinkiel napping in a….”

Celebi stopped, staring at Zulu.

“What is that?” She asked, her gaze fixed on his chest. Zulu looked down, wondering what she was talking about. The wooden carving that the cloaked stranger had given Zulu was hanging around his neck by a piece of string he’d salvaged from the village. Zulu then remembered, he’d said he and Celebi had been a couple. At least that’s what Zulu had interpreted it as.

“Yesterday, while I was resting outside the village, someone wearing a cloak found me and talked with me. He said he once dated a Celebi, though I don’t know if you’re the one he meant. How many Celebies are there anyw…”

Celebi got in close to Zulu’s face, anger in her eyes.

“That no good jerk was here?!?!” She shouted. Her color shifted from its usual green to a bright pink.

“Who are you talking about?” Zulu asked, backing off.
“Was he a friend of yours?”

Celebi began taking deep breaths, her color returning to normal.

“I’m sorry. I tend to get worked up on the subject of… him.” Celebi said.

Zulu wasn’t even sure who “Him” was.
“Who was he? Did you and he used to really be a couple?”

Celebi’s expressions saddened.

“Yes. I loved him. We could have had a perfect life together, for eternity…”

Her color was changing to pink again, very slowly this time.

“But he turned down the gift of immortality! How could I have loved him when someday, he’d die and leave me all alone!”

Zulu was shocked, seeing Celebi worked up like this. Granted he hadn’t known her for that long, but from what he gathered, she seemed calm for the most part.
“Did he at least give you a reason?”

“Yes, he did.”
Celebi was calming down again, her color once again shifting to normal.
“He always had a strong ideal, that life is only precious if you do something with it while you have it. He didn’t want to live forever, because that would diminish the meaning of his own life. If he lived forever, who would ever remember him? Look at us, the Legendries. We exist today, but the people of this world hardly remember we’re there.” Celebi said sorrowfully. Zulu saw a tear in her eye.

“Well, I kind of see where he was coming from.” Zulu began.
“I mean, if I could live forever, I’d probably procrastinate on all the stuff I’d want to do. Why help people today when I’m going to have a tomorrow to do all that stuff?”

Celebi looked up at Zulu, blinking away the starts of tears.

“That’s… very deep Zulu.” Celebi said, smiling.
“In a way, I envy you mortals. You have such short lives, yet you can accomplish so much in them. Perhaps it was this feeling of jealousy that spawned the idea that became the New Order. Maybe the Legendries that sided with them felt empty with their lives, and wanted to finally do something.”

Celebi looked away from Zulu at the village.
“But whatever their reasons, they are not doing the good they advertise. They claim they want respect and reverence from mortals, but all they’re gaining is fear. They have to be stopped.”

Celebi turned back to Zulu.

“And it will be you and the others who stop them.”

~~~~~

Zulu looked up through the canopy of trees, thinking he saw Lugia coming down through them. He quickly realized though that it wasn’t Lugia. It was some kind of massive blue and orange dragon.

“What is that?” Zulu thought, slightly alarmed. But as it neared the ground, Zulu relaxed. On the dragon’s back was Twinkiel, along with Spadassya and two others he’d never seen before.

“Twinkiel!” Zulu shouted, flapping over to perhaps the only human ally he had left. Twinkiel glanced in Zulu’s direction, his usual smug looking smile on his face.

“Greetings, Zulu. It’s good to see you have healed well.” Twinkiel said, unusually proper.

“Umm… why are you talking like that?” Zulu asked. Twinkiel’s only response was a slight nod of the head towards the Seviper riding on the dragon’s back, who was glaring at Zulu in what he could only interpret as disapproval.

“Hello. I don’t think I’ve met you yet. What’s your name?” Zulu asked innocently.

“I am chief of the Venom-Knife.” The Seviper bluntly answered.

“Oh. Well… nice to meet you.” Zulu answered awkwardly. He hadn’t even answered Zulu’s question.

“And he’s my father.” Spadassya added. Zulu could tell from all the expressions he was getting that he was treading in dangerous territory trying to talk friendly with this guy.

“Spadassya, come. My warriors will be expecting a speech.” The Chief said bluntly, slithering off . Spadassya walked after him, rolling her eyes.

“And then there’s that asshole.” Twinkiel said, throwing his arms at the retreating chief.

“So… you know that guy?” Zulu asked, watching him go.

“Yep. He tried to kill me, but then I convinced him I was a noble warrior just by using a fake accent and beating up a New Order Machoke, and now he doesn’t try to kill me.” Twinkiel answered, giving off a big toothy grin. Zulu couldn’t help but think of the Cheshire cat when he saw him like this.

“Wait. The Cheshire cat?”

How could he remember something like that if he’d lost all memory of his past human life?

“Ope, almost forgot. Zulu, meet Fleedijo. A genuine dragon, just like you.”

Zulu looked at the dragon, who stared right back at him.

“Umm… hello.” Zulu said lamely.

“Hi.” Fleedijo answered, waving one of his stubby front legs.

“And this is Ariala, another good friend of mine. I saved her you know.” Twinkiel said, crossing his arms in a smug pose.

Zulu looked behind Twinkiel, seeing a Clefable waving shyly at him.

“All together, we’re the Thundefleece squad.”
Twinkiel struck a heroic pose, while the other two just sat there, awkwardly motionless.
“We’ll work on your pose skills later. Be thinking about what kind of pose you want to go with.” Twinkiel instructed them.
“So, where’s Cresselia at?”

“You mean you haven’t seen her!?!?!” Zulu almost screamed. He blushed in embarrassment once he realized how loud he’d shouted.

“Yes. That’s why I asked where she’s at. Frost knock a few screws loose?” Twinkiel asked.
“Because if so, we can be madness buddies.”

“No, I’m just worried is all." Zulu Answered.

“Heh... Frost. He was a Fire type and he stuck with that? It goes completely against all logic. Talk about Twinkiel approved.” Twinkiel said, showing a thumbs up.
“Too bad he decided to betray us.”

Zulu hung his head. He’d spent the entire night trying to forget about Frost, and now it was all coming back again. Twinkiel hopped off Fleedijo’s back, followed by Ariala.

“How did Twinkiel save you Ariala?” Zulu asked, trying to change the subject.

“I was being held prisoner by Knife’s Edge, but Twinkiel was able to organize my release once he'd gained their trust.” She answered, smiling at the Flaafy.

“That I did. Wherever there’s trouble, I’ll be there. Whether or not I actually help with the trouble depends on my mood.”

Twinkiel’s eyes suddenly fixed on Zulu’s wooden pendent.

“Wait. Is that what I think it is?” He asked.

“What do you think it is?” Zulu aksed nervously. Twinkiel suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Zulu.

“It is! A Time Gear! Well, not a real one, but pretty convincing. Where did you get this? I’ll take twenty!” Twinkiel shouted with joy.

“Some cloaked guy gave it to me. He and Celebi used to date.” Zulu answered, gasping for air. Twinkiel pressed his face uncomfortably close to Zulu’s.

“You mean you met… him?”

Zulu was starting to wonder of this figure’s name wasn’t Him. It seemed to be the only thing he went by.

“I guess so. Who’s him?”

“What? You don’t know anything about the Legendary Grovyle?” Twinkiel shouted.

“Wait, “The” Grovyle? He was here?” Fleedijo asked.

“Of course I don’t know anything about him. I haven’t read any books since I came to this world.” Zulu said.
“How do you know about him?”

“I…”
Twinkiel froze.
“Huh. Guess not all of my memory is quite there. I actually don’t remember how I know him. Something about exploring time, darkness, and sky. Oh well. The point is, he’s the closest thing this world has to a celebrity.”

“Actually, there are more celebrities than just him.” Fleedijo cut in.
“Laurel and Hardy the Sawk and Thro comedians, Lindbergh the Braviary aerial fighter, and that Sandslash treasure hunter. What’s his name…?”

“Sazandora Jones?” Ariala suggested.

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Thanks Ariala.” Fleedijo said.
“And Azumaril Monroe. Oh mon…” Fleedijo said dreamily.

“She’s not that attractive.” Ariala said haughtily.

The off topic conversation ended when Zulu began gasping in Twinkiel’s grip.

“Oops. Sorry about that.” Twinkiel laughed, giving him some air.

“Thanks, but could you at least let go of me?” Zulu asked.

“Nah. You make a great stress ball.” Twinkiel laughed, giving Zulu several more squeezes, eliciting small batish squeaks from him.

“Well, it seems you all are enjoying yourselves.” A familiar voice said.
Zulu craned his head to see Cresselia floating above the group.

“Cresselia!” Zulu shouted with joy.
“You’re ok!”

“Yes. I managed to get through this long battle with minimal damage and energy loss. The full moon gave me strength.” She explained.
“It appears your wounds have healed miraculously fast.”

Zulu finally managed to wriggle out of Twinkiel’s grip, landing softly on the ground.
“Yep, I’m all better, thanks to those berries and me being part dragon. I could have come and fought with you.” Zulu said.

“Yes, but I feared for your safety with Zapdos being in the area.” Cresselia said.

“You’re part dragon?” Fleedijo asked incredulously.

“Yes, I told you that like five minutes ago.” Twinkiel said.

“I thought you were kidding. How am I in any way related to that tiny thing?”

“Anyway.” Zulu said, stopping their chatter.
“What happened to Zapdos? Did you kill him?”

“No, I did not. The coward fled once he realized how outmatched he was. Lugia and I tried to pursue, but we were unable to keep up.” Cresselia said.

Zulu said nothing, but hung his head in disappointment. Zapdos had survived. He was still out there, plotting who knows what. And still wanting revenge on Zulu for humiliating him. Not once, but twice.

“Cheer up Zulu. We’ve won a major victory. And we have new allies.” Cresselia said, nodding at Twinkiel and his friends.
“I don’t believe we’ve met.” She said to Fleedijo and Ariala.

“My name is Fleedijo, the Salamence.” Fleedijo said, trying his best to salute Cresselia with his stubby leg.

“I think she knows what Pokemon you are.” Ariala said.

“Yes, but just Fleedijo doesn’t sound right. If I don’t have a last name, I have to include “The Salamence”.” Fleedijo countered.

“And what is your name?” Cresselia asked Ariala.

“My name is Ariala. Twinkiel saved me from Knife’s Edge, and I’ve agreed to help him in his quest.” Ariala explained. Cresselia frowned, sensing a dark force in Ariala. She would have to keep a close eye on this Clefable.

“Lugia has gone to find Moltres. Once we are all reunited, we will leave immediately for the meeting.” Cresselia said.

“Wait. What meeting?” Zulu asked.

“I feel it’s time the Resistance consolidated its forces at the Shrine of Safety so we may plan our next move. The eon twins, Latios and latias, have been running reconnaissance missions during their search for more humans, and they will be in attendance as well to share any information they’ve gathered. I fear it’s time we officially declare war on the New Order.”

The group was silent.

“We shouldn’t linger here long. As soon as Lugia finds Moltres, we’ll depart.” Cresselia went on.

“Yeah, about that.” Twinkiel said.
“The Chief of the Venom Knife tribe insisted that we bring him along to the meeting. He wants to know how this war will affect my… his warriors. Actually, I think one third of them are mine. I refuse to resign my power.” Twinkiel said, crossing his arms stubbornly.

“There’s no end to inconveniences, is there?” Cresselia sighed.

“But we kind of need him, since his warriors have Tornadus, and I don’t think he’ll want to just hand him over. It’s almost as if we completely forgot to grab him after we beat the guardian.” Twinkiel said.

“I see no problem with allowing him to attend. If we can convince him to join our cause, the tribes of Knife’s Edge could be an invaluable asset.”

Cresselia floated off, leaving the four of them standing there.

“I feel like we completely abandoned a conversation at some point during all that.” Fleedijo said.

“Your right. Tell me more about these celebrities here.” Twinkiel said, turning back to Fleedijo.

~~~~~

Almost an hour later, Cresselia returned, the Chief and Spadassya with them.

“The Chief has agreed to be open for negotiations for an alliance between us and his Tribe, but he refuses to discuss such an alliance until after the meeting.” Cresselia stated.

“Most noble Chief of the Venom Knife, it’s an honor to have you on our side.” Twinkiel said.

“Don’t be so premature in your thanks Thunderfleece. I have yet to agree to anything.” The Seviper said, glaring at Twinkiel.

“Of course noble chief.” Twinkiel bowed. Zulu could almost hear the comments in Twinkiel’s head about this guy.

“Fleedijo, it will be a long flight. If you feel having so many passengers will tire you out, Lugia may be able to take one of them.”

“Don’t worry my lady. I can carry them all.” Fleedijo said, once again attempting and failing a salute.

Twinkiel waved for Spadassya to climb onto Fleedijo. With a smirk, she climbed up next to him. The Seviper got on last, not looking happy about leaving the jungle. Then again, Zulu had yet to see him look happy about anything.

“I met with Lugia in the village. He’s going to carry Tornadus to the shrine. He’ll be right behind us with Moltres and Celebi. Hopefully this journey will not take too long.” Cresselia said. Zulu flapped up onto her back, clutching onto it with his tiny claws. She began to rise into the air, Fleedijo following. A cheer went up from the village as they saw their chief. Zulu looked behind him and saw Lugia, Tornadus clutched in his feet/claws. Celebi and Moltres were right behind him. Zulu couldn’t help but notice the absence of Ren and Frost.

“Don’t worry about them Zulu. I feel certain things will work out in the end.” Cresselia reassured.

“Thanks. For everything.” Zulu smiled. But then he realized something.
“Did she… read my mind?!?!”

But Zulu hardly had time to dwell on that. As soon as they cleared the canopy, Cresselia zoomed forward, powered by her psychic energy. Fleedijo followed with an activated Dragon Rush, and the three Legendries with their prisoner weren’t far behind. But as they flew away from the Greatwood Jungle, they failed to notice a cloaked figure standing atop one of the trees, watching them go.

“Good luck Celebi. Good luck all of you.” He spoke softly. He turned around, preparing to leap from the tree. He needed to ensure the safety of the other humans he knew about. And pay a visit to an old friend.

Riley: Day A3 Unknown Time: Impulsive Valentines

It had at the very least been another hour since Riley, Flurry and Gabriel had escaped those Pokémon. The run had been both exhilarating and terrifying, and despite almost losing his life, Riley couldn't help but laugh. He tried his very best to stifle it, but every few minutes an exaggerated snort would escape his nose, and Flurry would give him a sidelong glance.

After what must have been the hundredth barely controlled laugh, Flurry turned and asked Riley: "What's so funny?"

"You are."

Flurry's eyes widened, although if she was blushing, Riley could not tell. "Why?! What did I do?"

Riley imitated Flurry's voice the best he could, which ended up sounding like a wheezing old man (making icicle sounds was not easy after all): "Dost thou bite thy thumb at me, sir?"

Now she was blushing. Even through the cloak, Riley could see her face growing a magenta in colour. Riley couldn't resist but to prolong the reaction. He tried imitating Flurry's higher voice, although the combination of the strain and the icicle sounds caused his voice to crack; "I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, though I do bite my thumb!"

"Stop it!" Flurry looked away and Riley burst out laughing. "It's not funny!" she exclaimed with her back to the Riolu.

"It's hilarious! I can't believe you did that!" he managed in between fits of laughter.

"I don't need to listen to this!"

"But you're still here!"

Riley heard her give a "Humph" of frustration and watched as she tried to quicken her pace. He had no trouble catching up with her stubby feet. "Where you going, Miss Magenta?"

"Miss Magenta?"

"Only the colour of your blush."

This only made her blush all the more. She began running to try and escape the embarrassing situation. Once again Riley caught up with little issue. This caused Flurry to break out into a full-out sprint, but when Riley caught up to her in a light jog, she gave up running and resumed walking with her head down.

Smiling, Riley said: "Hey, cheer up. I was only kidding. To be honest, it was pretty impressive what you did."

"I think I liked the silent Riley better." It would have hurt, had he not heard the playfulness in her voice.

"I could always go back to that."

"Why go back? Wouldn't that make that whole infirmary conversation worthless?"

"Pretty much." he said, laughing, "Well, except for the whole thread thing. That was actually pretty interesting."

"Speaking of threads," said Flurry, eager to find a way out of the conversation, "I've been trying to follow one since yesterday. Something about today seems... unusual."

"I think I know what it is." Riley and Flurry looked ahead to see Gabriel walking just in front of them. In their short run, they had caught up to him. "I've been following the same thread for a few hours. I think I understand why today is different than the others. It's a holiday. What holiday, I can't say, but it is one, I know that."

"Oh!" exclaimed Flurry, struck by an epiphany, "I know! It's Valentine's Day!"

"Ah, that's it." nodded Gabriel,

"What's a Valentine's Day?" asked Riley,

Flurry gave him a stunned look. "You still don't remember?"

"Should I?"

"Hmm..." mumbled Gabriel, "It's possible that it's easier for some to follow threads than others. This may be a result of Riley subconsciously not wanting to remember anything."

Riley missed a step and almost fell. He caught himself just in time and resumed walking. That thought had never struck him. He didn't like the idea. Eager to get off the topic, Riley repeated: "What's Valentine's Day?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not.... in the mood to explain it. Flurry, if you may," and with that, Gabriel walked ahead again.

Riley and Flurry shared a worried glance before she jumped into the description: "Valentine's Day is... it's a day to celebrate love with your special someone. People usually do cliché things like buy flowers or chocolates and write poems for their loved one, but even though they are cliché, they're usually too sweet to refuse. It's a wonderful day to just reflect on your relationship, whatever kind of relationship you're in, including if you aren't in one but have feelings for somebody."

"Sounds complicated."

"It's really not. A lot of people just spend the day with each other, and that's the best gift there is."

"Have you ever celebrated Valentine's Day with anyone?" he hadn't meant to ask the question.

"Not that I remember. Why?"

Riley did not answer. He himself hadn't known why he'd asked, but he knew it was probably best to not tell Flurry. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Flurry called out: "You okay up there, Gabriel?!"

"I'm fine!" he shouted back blandly.

"What about you?" she turned to Riley.

"Me?"

"Yeah. How's your eye?"

"I still can't see out of it. It's going to be like this for a while."

"Here, let me see."

The request took Riley by surprise and he instinctually recoiled.

"What's wrong?" asked Flurry,

"N-nothing." he regained his composure and slowed to a stop to allow Flurry to examine the eye."

"Ooh... yeah. I can see what you mean."

"Is it bad?"

"It's pretty bad, yeah."

Riley suddenly frowned, unhappy to have Flurry pointing out something wrong with his face.

"No, no!" she continued, frantically, "What I meant was, it looks like it feels bad! It doesn't look bad. Only painful." she laughed nervously.

"You aren't very good at lying." teased Riley,

"Don't remind me."

"Ha-ha! Well, what about you?" asked Riley, returning the question,

"What about me?"

"How are you feeling?"

"A little tired, but-"

"Gabriel!" yelled Riley without warning,

The other Riolu turned, ready to fight off whatever attacker was approaching them. Upon seeing none, he shouted back: "What?!"

"We're taking a break from walking!"

"Um, Riley..." began Flurry,

"What do you mean we're taking a break?! If we stop now, we'll never get to the tower!"

"Riley..." tried Flurry once more,

"Flurry's tired! We're resting and that's final!"

"She's a Snorunt! Of course she's tired, her legs can't hold her up for very long! Carry her!"

Riley considered the idea for a moment before shouting back: "I'll freeze!"

"Well, that's not my problem!" he turned in a huff,

"Hey, don't act like it's my fault you're in a mood!"

Gabriel turned on his heel and marched directly over to Riley.

"But it is your fault." he seethed,

"Come on, Gabriel," said Flurry, "please don't do this now."

"I'm sick and tired of this arrogant dog!"

"Gabriel!" exclaimed Flurry,

"Don't you ever call me a dog again, or I'll rip your throat out." Riley mumbled through gritted teeth,

"You insignificant little-"

"Hey!" yelled Flurry, so loud that a flock of Spearow could be heard flying out of an overhanging tree. The Riolu ceased the debate immediately. "Look, we're all a little tired and cranky, so maybe a break is in order. Away from each other." she added, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

"Fine!" concluded Gabriel, and stormed off into the forest.

"Don't go too far!" exclaimed Flurry with worry. She then turned to face Riley, a look of impatient anger playing on her face.

"What?" he snapped,

"Don't get moody with me, I just stopped a fight that would have called the attention of those Pokémon back to us."

"I'd say your scream did a good enough job of that."

"Well maybe if you and Gabriel could act a little more grown up! Ugh, you're so immature Riley!" and she walked off in the opposite direction, leaving Riley alone.

---

Riley had been sitting in a tree for what felt like forever. Nobody was talking between the three of them. Gabriel was in another tree, but which, Riley did not know. Flurry was a little ways off by a stream, with her back turned. She had left her bag at the base of the tree Riley was perched upon.

I guess Gabriel gave it to her at some point.

Riley suddenly recalled that his flute was still in the bag, waiting to be played. He jumped down from the tree and opened the bag, slouching by the trunk. After examining it, he played the first few noted of "Giver of Life", before starting a new tune altogether. A memory had occurred to him. The memory of a song. After following the thread as Flurry had instructed, he deduced that he was a talented musician in his past life, and recalled three songs from memory. The one he played was the "Twentieth Century Fox" theme. Though not complicated, it did hold a lot of memories. The second was "Mary had a Little Lamb", a very basic song. However, the third was a rather complicated song from a film whose name he could not quite place.

The song was soft and beautiful and filled him with warm thoughts. When the song was finished, he put the flute away and got up, deciding to go for a short walk alone.

As he walked, one word kept coming back to him like a ghost from the dead: Articuno.

He decided he was upset. Upset at Articuno and upset at himself.

She just left. he thought, implying Articuno's surprise rescue mission, she left me and hardly said goodbye.

His other inner voice kicked up: Don't worry. She'll be back soon, just you wait and see.

There's no way of knowing that! What if she was captured or killed?!

Articuno is a strong bird. She escaped the time-bender and a love-struck seagull of death!

Riley ended that train of thought there and began another one.

Oh yeah, Valentine's Day. I wonder if Yveltal is feeling lonely.

You are.

He had no answer to this.

Just go tell her. continued Voice #2,

Tell who what?

Tell Flurry how you feel.

What's that supposed to mean?

Oh come on. You can't hide it forever. You like her a lot, admit it.

I'd rather not.

You're telling me what I say isn't true?

Yes! No... yes! Voice #1 was undecided.

You've never opened up before like you can around Flurry, Riley. Doesn't she make you smile?

Yeah...

And laugh?

Yeah.

And blush?

Maybe...

Then what do you have to lose?!

Even if I did like her a little bit, and I'm not saying I do, she definitely doesn't like me back, so what's the point?

I guess there's only one way to find out.

Climb on another four-story ledge?

Don't be a smart-Alec.

But what if she says no?

Then at least you know.

Okay but, Riley glanced back and saw Flurry in the distance, still by the stream, she's mad at me. I don't know what to say. How am I supposed to- his train of thought was cut short when he noticed something purple poking out of the ground.

Riley walked up to the flower and examined it with a few sniffs.

"I know that smell..." he muttered,

It was the smell of the Heart Lotus that Yveltal had given Articuno.

Heart Lotuses weren't supposed to be growing in this area, but here Riley was, standing over top of one.

Riley considered something for a moment. A grin spread across his face, as he picked the beautiful flower and ran back to the tree. He remembered Flurry taking some paper and pencils with her to try her hand at drawing. He reached into her designated compartment and grabbed one of each. Then, slumping against the tree, he wrote in big bold letters: "To a girl on Valentine's Day who's cold to the touch, but warms my heart. From: Someone Special"

He licked the stem of the flower, and attempted to stick it to the paper. After a few attempts, the flower took a weak hold of the thin sheet. Riley then stealthily moved to the tree nearest Flurry, strategically placed the note against a tree, and picked up a pinecone. He threw the pinecone lightly, hitting Flurry squarely in the head.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, and turned to see who had thrown the projectile. Riley, however, was already back up in the tree, heading over to the one he was resting at earlier. Flurry took the bait and walked over to the tree he had stood at moments ago.

"Come on... come on... see it." mumbled Riley,

His heart raced a million miles an hour, and his voices were frantically arguing with each other.

This is a bad idea! one said,

Just let it happen! screamed the other,

Stop her! yelled the one,

Stay put! shrieked the other,

As Riley got back to the tree, he resumed a sleeping position on his original branch, watching the Snorunt out of the corner of his eyes. Too late to go back now. Flurry picked up the note. As she read it, her eyes seemed to light up and a broad smile spread across her face. As she looked over the flower, a realization seemed to pop into her head and she searched around eagerly for the sender of the message. Her eyes crossed Riley in the tree, and stayed on him. Riley had his eyes closed, but was grinning wildly, like a child who had just done something naughty. He risked a peek and saw Flurry glancing back and forth between him and the paper, smiling an embarrassed smile, and blushing all over again.

You sir, thought Riley, are one sly dog. She'll never suspect a thing.

Despite clearly not connecting the dots and remembering that there were only two real possibilities for Flurry to suspect the sender to be, Riley was confident that his actions would never be revealed.

However, somewhere in the back of his mind, that darned voice silently said: Impulsive idiot. Riley wished to shut that voice up.

Ren picked himself up off the ground for the seventeenth time that day, cooling his rage once again. He was wrong about Absol, the older man was a treacherous scum sucki- No. He couldn't think that, he had to endure this, however painful it might be. Bracing himself for the mental abuse to come, Ren steadied himself and faced Absol once again.

"Shall we begin again?"


"Hell no."


"That's a shame."

Then the torture began. Absol recited everything about Ren's life from the Before. His parents, what they did, what happened how it FELT

Ren, surrounded in a furious glow, launched himself at Absol. The wolf jumped aside, leaving a trail of icy wind In his wake yet the Blaziken just burned through it. Spinning towards Absol in a fury, Ren launched a burst of flame at him. The wolf was forced to dodge again and hit a wall, perfect. Ren swept his foot up, sending a wave of sand towards the wolf.

Accuracy slowed

The wolf winced, then roared, unleashing a wave of ice towards his foe, the wind barely brushed Ren. Sensing his opponents folly, Ren roared, bringing a blazing fist up to smash Absol into the wall. Then, Absol grinned, he slipped forwards and bashed his head into the Blaziken.

Ren gasped, falling back to the rocky ground.

"Shall we begin again?"

Ren only growled. Standing again, he braced himself for the deluge of memories.

"Your father was a smart man, very smart, yet stubborn. Your mother was somewhat eccentric, energetic unwilling to bend."

Ren knew what came next.

"They fought, perhaps to much. Then, you were born. They knew they had to hold the family together but...to put it simply, couldn't."

Slowly, the air around Ren began to simmer though he showed no emotion. Not yet. Yet opposite, a cold light emanated from the wolf.

"Once you were old enough to go to school, the bullying began. It seems your classmates noticed your attempts to make friends. They despised you immediately, no one likes a blow hard."

The heat was blazing. The sand began to glow, and a dull red surrounded Ren. The only thing that came from his eyes was a slight mist. And there, meeting his silent fury, was ice, whipping against the heat. The stone popped and cracked as solid water seeped into the cracks.

"That was when the split happened. Your mother and father gave you up as to not have you suffer through the fights to come. But they didn't anticipate the fights that were not theirs, the fights you had yourself."

The sand melted, spilling molten stone across the floor. Embers rose from the heat, dragged towards Ren as he looked up at Absol, eyes blazing.

"You grew up a warrior. You life was one long war. Now your here. The question is, why do you want to go back?"

There was silence, only the sound of hollow wind and seething flames. Then, Ren whispered.

"Because I still had a chance."

Then he lost control.

Felicity walked back into her dorm after finishing her latest class. The smoky smell was almost entirely gone by now, and a simple dusting would remove all the ash and soot on the walls.

“Another full moon down.” Felicity thought. The sooner she evolved the better. She was sick of this. What if she hurt someone when she was in Blaze Rage, as the condition was called. Some training would probably be good for her right now. Then maybe she’d hang out with Alek some. She hadn’t spoken with him since the day Arthur had left. Felicity levitated the stone slab she’d used as a door back out of the way. Not only would it be difficult for others to move, which dissuaded thieves, but it was fireproof. Outside her room was a corridor full of other caves, with only curtains and wooden planks for doors. Some were open, others were closed, but they all looked pretty identical on the inside. Felicity was pretty lucky. Only the more privileged apprentices got quarters inside Mt. Providence. All the others slept in the camp of tents surrounding the Mountain outside. Apprentices slept near the base of the mountain, while the higher ups got more lavish quarters near the peak.

“Coming through.” Someone said behind her. Felicity sidestepped back through her doorway in time to let a Keckleon Apprentice run by. Just as Felicity made to step back out of her room, several more Apprentices and even some of the instructors ran by.

“Hey.” Felicity called out as she saw one of her fellow Psychic apprentices, a Kadabra, run by.
“Where’s everyone going?”

“Didn’t you hear? Some apprentice is facing off against Clyde, Avellon, Birk, and Blake in the battle course. We’re going to watch.” The Kadabra said. She turned to see her friends had hurried off without her.
“Hey guys wait up!” The Kadabra called, running after them.

Felicity knew those four names. They were all captains in Cobalion’s army. And a single apprentice was fighting them all; in the battle course no less?

“I’ve got to see this.”

Felicity hurried to follow the crowd, eager to watch this apprentice.

~~~~~

When Felicity got outside the mountain, she knew she’d have trouble finding a good view. The Battle course was a rectangular field, with wooden bleachers set up on either side. It was used for many things, from sports to basic combat training. But everyone’s favorite activity on it was the Battle Course. It was essentially a maze of obstacles, covers, and traps that the participants had to navigate while trying to take out their opponent. Normally there would be two teams of four facing each other at one time. It was unheard of for a single person to be able to take on an entire enemy team alone.

“Round 1 over. Point Team 2.” The Exploud announcer said. A cheer went up from the crowd on both bleachers, which were full to the brim. Five Psychic types stood at the foot of each of the twin bleachers, prepared to deflect any stray attacks with their barriers.

“Round 2 beginning in five minutes.”

Felicity moved towards the stadium. Hopefully someone would be willing to scoot over enough to give her a seat. She saw the four captains on one side, restoring their energy with Reviver Seeds and Elixirs. But try as she might, Felicity couldn’t see who was on the other side.

“Round 2 beginning in four minutes.”

Felicity hurried up the bleachers, looking for a seat. But considering that some of the spectators were hanging from Drifloons or riding on top of Magnezones to watch the action, she seriously doubted there were any seats left. As she walked up the bleachers, a red blade suddenly snapped out at her, stopping her from going up any further.

“This seat’s for you.” Someone said. Felicity turned to see a Seviper stretched across the bleacher bench, taking up quite a lot of room.

“Are you talking to me?” Felicity asked, wondering who would have saved her a seat.

“Yeah I’m talking to you. You’re the only damn Womon in my line of sight. Sit down.” The Seviper said, coiling up to give Felicity room. Felicity obliged, sitting next to the Seviper awkwardly.

“Umm… so why reserve me a seat?” She asked.

“Because a mutual friend asked me to. I’m sure as hell not doing it out of the goodness of my heart. Name’s Sully by the way.” The Seviper said.

“Quite the mouth on her.” Felicity thought.
“Nice to meet you Sully. My name is Felicity.”

“I know who you are. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have given you the seat.” Sully answered.
“For one of those psychic brainiacs, you sure overlook some pretty obvious stuff.”

“Sorry. I take it our mutual friend is Alek?” Felicity asked, trying to be more assertive than inquisitive.

“Sure is. Wanted me to make sure you got a seat for his big match.” Sully smiled, fangs glistening.

“Big match? What are you talking about? Are Alek and some of his Stealth friends playing next?” Felicity rapidly asked.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Sully vaguely answered, leaving it at that.

“Round 2 beginning now.” The announcer said, earning cheers from the crowd as they chanted. Felicity’s heart froze though as she heard the name they were chanting.

“Alek! Alek!”

Felicity turned to Sully, who was smiling wickedly at her.

“Alek’s down there?” She asked.

“You catch on fast.” Sully remarked, turning to face the stadium.

Felicity looked to the scoreboard, seeing the one point. Had Alek done that, or the team of captains? Was this some insane plan to evolve dreamt up by Alek?

“We need to stop this! They’ll kill him!” Felicity shouted in panic.

“Probably.” Sully answered aloofly.
“Though he seemed pretty open to it when I told him I’d set this match up.”

Felicity smacked Sully across the snout with her wand. Sully just chuckled, still looking back at the stadium.

“You go and stop this right now!” Felicity shouted in anger.

“Oh relax. The kid already has himself a point. If he loses, I’ll let you do whatever psychic mumbo jumbo you want to me as payback. Just no hypnosis.” Sully said.

“What the… no! You stop this now! He’s not ready for this! If they don’t kill him, they’ll almost certainly seriously injure him! Maybe even permanently!”

“Do you even know how the battle course works? If you can find someone willing to, and has the authority to stop this, be my guest. But if not, sit down and shut up. I’ve bet a lot of money on our boy. Money I quite frankly don’t have.”

Felicity huffed in anger, but sat down. This Sully was right. She didn’t know who was in charge here. All she could do now is watch, and hope Alek survived this.

~~~~~

The four captains, a Swampert, a Magmortar, an Electivire, and a Gallade, quickly moved into the maze of obstacles, taking cover behind some simple plywood barriers. They were more for hiding than for actual protection from attacks. The Swampert signaled for the Gallade to move up. He cautiously did so, keeping a keen eye out for any movement. The magmortar began to move up as well, keeping his arm cannons levelled. Suddenly the Gallade cried out in pain, collapsing onto his knee.

“Contact!” The Magmortar shouted, and then he too fell onto his knee as something sliced into one of his legs. The Magmortar unleashed a blast of fire at a fleeing shadowy form, but was too slow as the figure evaded the attack.

“Anyone have eyes on target?” The Swampert asked, him and the Electivire keeping watch out.

“Negative.” The Gallade and Magmortar responded through gritted teeth. The Gallade healed himself with his psychic power, but the Magmortar could do no such thing.

“Come out and fight me you coward!” The Gallade shouted, readying his arm blades.

“If you say so.” A voice said just behind the Gallade. He swung his blade around, but the figure ducked, retaliating with an uppercut Night Slash. The Gallade grunted in pain, but still swung. The figure easily dodged or parried each of the Gallade’s blows, striking back twice as fast with his own.

“Move!” The Magmortar shouted to his teammate, firing a Fire Blast. Both the figure and Gallade dove aside, the blast dissipating against the barrier the psychics kept up around the bleachers.

“Did you get him?” The Gallade asked as he stood up shakily, dozens of small cuts covering his body.

“Nah, I missed. He’s fast.” The Magmortar admitted.

“Fan out. Yell if you see anything.” The Swampert ordered. Him and the Electivire moved out form their cover, beginning to spread out and look for their target with the Gallade.

“What about me?” The injured Magmortar asked.

“You’ve got ranged attacks. You can handle him.”

“I could barely handle him in top shape. How am I supposed…”

The Magmortars speech was cut short as several dozen Water Shruikins hit him, finishing him off. The Magmortar collapsed forward unconscious.

“There!” The Electivire shouted, lightning bolts lancing out of his tails. The figure had been standing atop one of the obstacles, and now leapt into the air to avoid them. Felicity caught the first good view she’d had of the figure so far as he flew into the air. It was a Greninja.



“Alek?” She muttered to herself.
“He evolved!”

As Alek landed, the Electivire shot a Charge Beam at him. All Alek did was lean to the side and the beam flew by him, hitting the Gallade, who yelled in pain as he convulsed.

“He’s on your team you know.” Alek said, smiling.

“Shut up!” The Electivire shouted, absorbing the excess energy from the beam, increasing his electrical power. The Swampert fired a Hydro Cannon at Alek as he ran towards him. Alek ducked low to the ground to avoid it, but once it had passed, the Swampert came in swinging a Hammer Arm. Alek quickly performed a backflip, landing near the still recovering Gallade, who he quickly finished off with a Night Slash. He then tossed a flurry of Water Shruikens at the last two remaining opponents. Being water and electric types, the move didn’t do much damage to them, but it infuriated them.

“GAAAH” The Electivire shouted in rage, releasing a discharge. The wave of electricity flew towards Alek, but not before hitting the Swampert. Alek quickly leapt above the wave, but a bolt of electricity lanced out at him from the wave. Thinking quickly, Alek tossed more Water Shruikens beneath him as he jumped, the electricity hitting them instead of him. Alek landed in front of the Swampert, K.O.ing him with a vicious super powered Night Slash. That just left the Electivire. Now furious, he ran at Alek, bristling with electricity. Alek tossed continuous Water Shruikens at him as he ran, the attack hardly affecting the enraged captain. The Electivire swung his tails at Alek, who just barely avoided them by bending over backwards. Alek knew he didn’t have a move to finish this guy off, so he took off running into the course.

“Stop running and fight me!”

As Alek ran, he cast off lookalikes behind him with Double Team, knowing he couldn’t risk a Substitute. He’d need the energy. Alek heard the Electivire shouting as he blasted away each Double Team copy. But Alek was too fast for him, and soon the Electivire had lost track of him once Alek stopped leaving Double Teams.

“Yoo hoo.” Alek called out. The Electivire swung around, seeing Alek leaning casually against one of the obstacles.

“You little whelp!” The Electivire shouted. He fired another Charge Beam at Alek, who once again dodged it, the beam disappearing against the bleacher shield. The Electivire then tried Discharge, but Alek used the same Water Shruiken trick as before, causing the wave to hit everywhere but him. Realizing none of his ranged attacks were working on him, the Electivire ran towards Alek, ready to beat him senseless with his tails. But that’s just what Alek wanted. What the Electivire failed to see in his anger was the tripwire linked to a Flamethrower trap. As soon as the Electivire tripped it, a Flame Plate powered machine shot a Flamethrower out from one of the covers at the Electivire. Alek just watched as the Flamethrower cooked the Electivire, who soon collapsed forward out of exhaustion.

“Round 2 over! Point Team 2!” The Exploud shouted. Cheers went up all over the bleachers as Alek took a bow.

“He did it! He actually won!” Felicity shouted in joy.

“It pays to have a little faith. Bet your smartass teaching doesn’t teach you that huh?” Sully asked, nudging Felicity with one of her coils.

Chanseys ran onto the field to help move the four captains back to their starting position and get them healed up.

“How many matches are they going to do this?” Felicity asked.

“With those four guys, probably until they win. Better grab yourself some berries kiddo, it’s going to be a long day.”

~~~~~

“Round 3 Begin.”

Double teams of Alek ran around the course, confusing the four captains, who fired their attacks everywhere, hoping one of them was the real one, sometimes even hitting themselves.

“Point Team Two.”

~~~~~

Alek quickly slid through the Magmortar’s legs, causing the Hydro Pump to hit him instead, in which the following Charge Beam K.O.d the Swampert as the beam electrified the stream of water coming from his mouth.”

“Point Team Two.”

~~~~~

The captains threw their arms into the air in frustration after almost ten minutes of looking for Alek. They all met in the center of the course, wondering if Alek had suddenly forfeited. A sharp whistle caused them all to go alert, turning this way and that looking for their adversary. Suddenly, an Alek Substitute appeared in the center of the group, making another sharp whistle. The four suddenly turned to find Alek in the center of their huddle. They all fired their attacks at once at the Substitute. The resulting explosion knocked all of them unconscious, damaging some of the obstacles. The real Alek waved to the crowd as he lounged on top one of the barriers.

“Point Team Two.”

~~~~~


Alek kicked the Electivire’s face, causing him to spin around, his electrified tails hitting the Gallade, who collapsed in a jibbering heap.

“Point Team Two.”

~~~~~

Alek dodged another Charge Beam, just barely dodging a follow-up Flamethrower. They were trying to get him in crossfire, and had positioned themselves so Alek couldn’t let them hit each other. Knowing he needed to end this quickly, Alek began throwing a Flurry of Water Shruikens in all directions. But these, instead of having the sharpened edges they were known for, had blunt ones that allowed them to bounce off the obstacles. They were at the perfect height level so they would hit the heads of all his opponents, knocking them off balance. Alek ran towards the Magmortar, who was firing his flamethrower wildly. Alek jumped and grabbed onto his arm cannon, redirecting it towards the Gallade who had been trying to hit him with Psychic. The Flames bathed over him, toasting him a golden brown and causing him to sslump forward unconscious. As expect, the Electivire and Swampert put their hate for Alek over the safety of their own ally, and both fired at the Magmortar. But Alek had already leapt off him, leaving the Magmortar to be taken out by his own allies. He landed on top of the Electivire, slashing his head with Night Slashes until he was knocked out as well. The Swampert stepped forward to smash Alek with a punch, but instead tripped a trap, causing a sizeable log to shoot out of one of the obstacles, slamming into the side of his head almost comically and throwing him down.

“Point Team Two”

~~~~~

The crowd had grown astronomically since the first match. Even some of the generals had come to watch. At some point, someone had rolled some of the wooden siege towers over for use as additional seating. The matches had been going on practically all day. During some of them, Alek had just vanished to take a rest somewhere in the course while the captains searched in vainly for him. And now, the sun was starting to set, casting shadows all over the course. Soon t would be too dark for them to continue.

“You’ve drawn quite a crowd.” Alek’s Chansey nurse said as she gave him a Reviver Seed.

“I know. I didn’t think this many people would even show up.” Alek said, amazed.

“You know, there’s no shame in giving up.” The Chansey said.

“Yes there is. I can’t back down from a challenge. I’ll just fight until their Chanseys run out of Reviver seeds.” Alek said, smiling.

“Well, if you’re certain you can keep going. Know that I’m rooting for you.” She said.

“Thanks.” Alek responded, preparing himself for the next round.

~~~~~

The four captains waited impatiently, but not for the match. Eventually, they saw who they were expecting. A Smeargle ran over to them, a burlap sack in his hands.

“Where were you? We needed these things last round.” The Swampert scolded, yanking the sack away.

“Sorry sir. I needed to fill out several forms before I’d be allowed to take these.”

The Swampert opened up the bag, smiling.

“Come and get em boys.” He said, opening it wider. Inside were three basic elemental plates, as well as four belts of Blast Seeds, with about two dozen seeds per belt.

“Dismissed son.” The Swampert said to the Smeargle.

“Y-yes sir.” He stuttered, running away. He looked around; really hoping no one would remember him later. He still had some work to do.

“We might seriously injure the kid. Maybe even kill him.” The Electivire said, not at all sounding concerned for Alek’s safety.

“He made his choice. We need to show the whelps that they can’t mess with their superiors.” The Gallade added. He picked up a Fist Plate, placing it on his chest. Everyone else did so as well, except the Swampert.

“Did he forget to grab your plate?” The Magmortar asked.

“No. I just had him grab me something better.”
The Swampert pulled the final item out of the bag. A Mega Stone.

“Why didn’t you get me one?” The Gallade asked.

“Because they didn’t have any Galladite.” The Swampert responded, but really he just wanted to be the only one with a Mega Stone.

“Match starting in 1 minute.” The Exploud called. It didn’t look like anyone had paid attention to the Smeargle.

“It’s time we show that wannabe ninja a thing or two about the New Order army.”

“But, he is a part of the New Order Army.” The Gallade countered.

“I don’t count Cobalion’s precious apprentices. They think they’re so privileged, getting to live in the mountain and getting put on a squad right out of graduation. The rest of us have got to worry about being put right on the front lines just to be cannon fodder. Personally, I’m looking forward to wiping the field with this kid’s guts. Quite literally.” The Swampert chuckled, clasping his Mega Stone.

~~~~~

“Who was that?” Felicity asked from the bleachers, watching the Smeargle run off.

“How the Hell should I know. Probably some concerned soldier trying to convince his captain to give up. I haven’t seen anything this good in years.” Sully responded, enjoying herself. She had a wooden cup of berries near her head, which she occasionally ate out of with her tongue.

“They’ll have to stop eventually. I doubt the Chanseys will be willing to keep sparing Reviver Seeds.” Felicity said. She was also worried about Alek. There was a point where even Reviver Seeds stopped working.

“Just shut up and watch our boy give em hell.” Sully said.

~~~~~

“I’d better get going. Thanks for all the help.” Alek said to his Chansey nurse.

“You’re welcome. Good Luck.”
The Chansey walked off the field. She passed right by the Smeargle, who was leading a group of 14 psychics. They began to spread out, ten of them approaching the barrier staff on duty.

“You’re off duty now.” A Wobbuffet said to one of the bleacher barrier staff.

“Are you sure? And I don’t recall you being on the rotation for this job.” The Slowpoke barrier guard said.

“Yes, I’m sure. You need a break.”

“Well, alright. Thanks.”

The Slowpoke walked off. This was repeated by the other psychics around the field until all the on duty ones had been replaced. The four excess psychics split into two groups, both walking to both in zones of the field where the team would start out. Alek didn’t pay them much attention though.

“Begin!” The Exploud announced.

“Show time Alek. Make Arthur proud.”

Alek moved onto the course. But before he got more than a few steps past the first obstacle, several small objects landed on the ground in front of him.

“What the…” Alek muttered. They looked like Reviver seeds, but with a small bite taken out of the end.

“Seeds with bites?”
“WHOA!”

Alek recognized them for what they were supposed to be, diving backwards just in time as the seeds exploded.

“They’re using Blast Seeds? Is that even allowed.”

Alek came to a stop, looking back behind him. Several shallow craters had appeared where he’d been standing. That could have been him. It was one thing to quit because he was tired, but now his life was in danger.

“I forfeit the match!” Alek shouted, running back towards his side’s in zone. But before he could run off the field, the Psychics raised their barrier. Alek slammed into it, falling back onto the ground.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Alek called out, standing up. But the psychics just looked away from him, pretending like he wasn’t there. Alek tried the corner, but the additional psychic even covered that. They had trapped him in the field.



~~~~~

“Blast Seeds?” Felicity shouted. The crowd must have realized what was going on, because they started shouting and booing.

“What the hell are those morons thinking!??!” Sully shouted.

The captains were slowly advancing through the course, keeping Alek in the in zone with a constant bombardment that was tearing up the field. They would take a small bite out of the seed, exposing its volatile core to the air, which would then cause it to explode several seconds later. Felicity stood up from the Bleachers, brandishing her wand.

“Where are you going?” Sully asked.

“Look whose asking the obvious questions now. Where do you think?”

Sully chuckled.
“Right behind you.”

~~~~~

Alek backed against the barrier, covering his head as another Blast Seed exploded, leaving a shallow crater. It was clear now, they were trying to kill him.

“They’re trying to kill me here! Let me out!” Alek shouted, but the psychics still ignored him.

“Blast him!”

Alek instinctively leapt aside as a Charge Beam hit the barrier, vanishing. Alek swung around, seeing the familiar faces of the enemy team.

“End of the line whelp.” The Electivire said, cracking his knuckles. The four captains stood at the in zone of the field, blast seeds in hand and plates glowing with power.

“Look, you don’t have to do this. It’s just a game.” Alek said, readying Double Team.

“Maybe to you, but we’ve got images to upkeep. How’s it gonna look if some random nobody walks away from this unscratched.” The Magmortar laughed, raising up his Blast Seed.

“I’d say it’s nothing personal and it’s been nice knowing you, but both of those would be lies.” The Gallade said.

“Take him.” The Swampert commanded. The three of them bit then threw their seeds at Alek. Alek jumped away, sending out multiple Double Teams of himself as the seeds detonated.

“Open fire!” The Magmortar shouted. The captains all unleashed attacks, with the Gallade throwing more seeds. The Double Teams were obliterated, leaving the real Alek exposed. He ran towards the course, hoping he could lose them in there.

“No you don’t!”

Alek felt something wrap around his leg, and yelled in pain as he was shocked by high voltage from the Electivire’s tails. The Electivire swung Alek around, slamming him against the ground. The Swampert activated his Mega Stone, a prism of bright energy surrounding him and then bursting as his Mega form was revealed. The crowd was in frenzy, but no one could do anything. The psychics keeping up the barrier had surrounded themselves in Light Screens and Safeguards, the moves perfect since they didn’t need a constant stream of energy. Felicity jabbed her wand into the barrier, firing a point blank psychic blast, but the barrier just absorbed it.

“Stop it!” Felicity shouted at the captains, but they ignored her and all the other apprentices shouting at them.

“Hmm, I wonder what would happen if we tried this…” The Swampert said, grabbing Alek’s head and forcing his mouth open with the same large hand. With his other, he held a Blast Seed teasingly over Alek’s mouth.

“Hungry little guy?” He asked tauntingly. But instead of answering, Alek fired a Water Gun into the Swampert’s face. The Swampert didn’t even flinch.

“No thanks, I’m not thirsty.” He laughed.
“Hope they don’t have too much trouble hosing you off the field.
He bit into the Blast Seed, exposing the core to oxygen. Then he dropped it towards Alek’s mouth. But quicker than the Swampert could react, Alek suddenly formed a Substitute on top of himself. Because the Swampert’s hand had been holding on to Alek’s face, there was a noticeable gap in his Substitute’s face as it formed around the Swampert’s arm, but Alek didn’t care. The Blast Seed landed in the Substitute’s mouth. Surprised, the Swamper recoiled, pulling the substitute that had formed around his arm with him. Panicked, the Swampert lost his balance and fell onto his back, the substitute landing on top of him. With the Blast Seed still lodged in its throat, the Substitute exploded. The Swampert screamed in pain as flames washed over his face, his hands snapping up and grabbing his head in pain. The Substitute had nullified the explosion, but not enough to completely protect him from damage.

“Get him!” The Gallade shouted as Alek got to his feet. The Electivire, being closest, swung his tails at Alek, who ducked down to avoid them. Alek quickly rose up. He had to get into the course and hide. But before he could run, the Magmortar launched a Fire Blast. At the same time, the Electivire recovered from his missed tail attack and fired Thunder. Alek leapt aside, and instead of hitting him, the Fire Blast hit the Electivire, and the Thunder hit the Magmortar. Because of their plates, the attacks were more deadly than they already were, and both the Captains collapsed, one spasming and the other not even letting out a sound. Soon, only the Gallade was left.

“Please, stop!” Alek shouted to him.

“Are you kidding me? After all the humiliation you’ve put us through today? We can’t let you apprentices get a big head, thinking you’re better than us.” The Gallade said menacingly.

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go this far.” Alek pleaded.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. Look at what you’ve done.” The Gallade said, pointing past him. Alek turned, and realized what had happened. The Swampert was rolling on the ground, clutching his burned face in pain. The Magmortar and Electivire were lying on the field, unmoving. He wasn’t sure if they were dead or just unconscious.

“But it was an acc…”

Alek didn’t even finish as the Gallade struck, delivering a vicious Close Combat. Alek gasped as the breath was knocked out of him by the blow, throwing him backwards. He collapsed on the ground, trying to regain the air he lost.

“You’re dead whelp!” He shouted, running at Alek with his arm blade raised. But reacting almost supernaturally quick, Alek swept his elongated legs towards the Gallade, sweeping his own legs out from under him. The Gallade fell face forward onto the ground, letting out a grunt. But behind the grunt, Alek heard something that chilled his heart. The crack of the shell of a Blast Seed.

“Don moof.” Alek tried to say, but his speech came out slurred. The Gallade braced his arms, about to push himself up. Right now, his body was smothering the cracked seed on his belt, stopping any exposure to oxygen. But once he stood up, he would die.

“Don’t move!” Alek managed to finally shout. The Gallade froze at this.

“And why should I listen to you?” He said, but he could discern the fear in Alek’s voice.

“If you get up, you’ll die.” Alek warned.

“Oh, you’re just threatening me huh? All day, you’ve beat me time and time again. But now, whelp, I’ve got you on the ropes.”
Then the Gallade stood. Once again, Alek reacted too quickly to be natural. He tossed a Water Shruiken at the Gallade, but he wasn’t aiming for him. The Shruiken cut right through the Gallade’s belt, causing it to fall to the ground. But the Gallade, not aware of the situation, sliced at Alek. Alek caught the blade to his cheek, but he didn’t let that faze him. He didn’t know how much time he had left, but he had to get the belt away. He dove through the Gallade’s thin legs, reaching for it. But before he could even touch it, a psychic barrier formed around it. His face collided with the dome barrier, giving him a perfect view as the seeds detonated, forming a pocket inferno inside the dome. But the Gallade wasn’t done yet. He swung around, raising his arm in preparation of driving his blade into Alek’s spine.

“YAAAAAGH!”

The Gallade just barely glanced in the direction of the feral cry, but what he saw practically paralyzed him. A Seviper was lunging right at him, mouth open exposing its bright red fangs, its tail glowing a purple hue, and its eyes alight in absolute rage.

“What the…”

The Gallade didn’t even finish as Sully slammed into him, her fangs sinking into his shoulder. She then proceeded to wrap herself around him, slicing the back of his calves with her tail to bring him to his knees. The Gallade grunted as he was brought to his knees. Sully pulled her fangs out of his shoulder, bringing her blade up to his neck.

“Don’t move a mussssscle.” Sully hissed, her voice dripping metaphorical venom while her fangs dripped real venom. The Gallade froze, not wanting to anger this crazy Seviper.

“Alek!” Felicity shouted, bringing down the dome she’d formed around the Blast Seed belt, which was now nothing but dust. She ran over to Alek, who just appeared dazed and not severely injured.

“Hey… you see me out there…?” Alek asked in a daze.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get the Chanseys.” Felicity said, standing up.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?”

The clamoring of the crowd quieted down at the sound of this particular voice. Terrakion strode onto the field, a Keckleon doing his best to hide behind him following. It was Vince. He'd gone for help.

“WHAT’S THIS I HEAR ABOUT MY CAPTAINS TRYING TO KILL SOMEONE?” He asked to no one in particular as he walked towards the fallen captains and the others. Sully slowly released her wrap on the Gallade, but kept her eyes on him. Hopefully he wasn’t stupid enough to try anything now.

“Lord Terrakion sir! These apprentices tried to kill me and my allies with Blast Seeds!” The Gallade said, crawling forward on his knees.

“Is that so…” Terrakion mused, looking towards the fallen captains.

“Yes my lord. They deserve to be thrown out. Maybe even executed if they killed my allies.”

Before anyone could react, Terrakion delivered a solid kick to the Gallade, knocking him back onto the ground with a bruised face.

“Do you think I’m an idiot!? I clearly see your “allies” with Blast Seed belts on! And I also see that Fist Plate you have on, taken from the armory along with the belts!”

The Gallade cried pitifully, holding his face. Terrakion then turned towards Alek and Felicity.

“Now, why don’t one of you explain to me what happened? And don’t lie to me. I hate people that think I’m just brawn. I’ve got a pretty solid brain on me as well.” Terrakion said.

“Yes Lord Terrakion.” Felicity said, bowing.
“My friend here had been fighting these captains for several matches, and then this match they just pulled out all these items and started trying to kill him.” Felicity explained quickly.

“Wait. So neither you or her,” Terrakion said, nodding back at Sully.
“,were helping this Greninja?”

“N-no sir.” Alek stuttered, his lightheadedness from the Close Combat wearing off.
“It was just me. Sir.”

“You took on four captains without any help?”
Terrakion looked up to the wooden scoreboard, the Exploud on duty shrinking under his gaze. It showed 17 to 0. No one saw it, but Terrakion smiled.
“You’re dismissed.” He said, turning back to Alek.
“EVERYONE! DISMISSED!” He shouted to the crowd. The gathered audience began shoving each other as they tried to exit the wooden bleachers. The airborne Pokémon floated off, carrying their passengers with them. Several seconds later, the siege towers began to roll away. Chanseys had hurried onto the field to take care of the fallen captains. The Magmortar and Electivire were still not moving, and the Swampert’s face looked awful. The Gallade moaned and complained the entire time, demanding Alek be punished.

“Don’t worry. That cut looks like it will heal nice and easy if we just put some Oran juice on it.” Alek’s Chansey said.
“Though there might be a faint scar.”

“Hear that Alek? Your first battle scar.” Sully chuckled, but quieted down after Felicity and the Chansey both glared at her.

“Are the captains going to be alright?” Alek asked her. The Chansey just looked over at them sadly.

“The Gallade is fine. But I’m not so sure about the others…”

The Chansey rubbed some of the mentioned Oran juice on Alek’s cut, sealing it off by wrapping a strip of cloth diagonally around his face.

“Just wear that for tonight, and the cut should be fine tomorrow. But I wouldn’t recommend any strenuous activity for at least two days.” The Chansey said. She stood up, saluting Alek before walking off.

“Are you sure you’re ok Alek?” Felicity asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. The Chansey said so.” Alek said.

“You know that’s not what I’m referring to.” Felicity continued.
Alek looked at her plainly for several seconds, but he couldn’t hold it back. He suddenly broke down crying, letting his head sink into his hands.

“They tried to kill me! The Cpatains are supposed to protect us but they…”

Felicity sat down next to Alek, wrapping him up in a hug.
“It’s ok Alek. It’s over now.” She consoled.

“Can I… sniff… sleep in your room tonight?” Alek asked.

“Of course. I have plenty of spare beds.” Felicity answered.
Seeing Alek like this reminded her of how young he still was. How had he evolved so quickly? Before her even? She was three years older than him.

“How’d you guys get past the barrier?” Alek asked, wiping away some of his tears.

“I used my Psychic to re-refract the hardened light. It took longer than I expected, but I was able to… well, none of that really matters.” She smiled, squeezing Alek tighter.

“Look, Alek, I’m sorry about how all this went down.” Sully said.

“It’s not your fault.” Alek said, starting to regain his composure.

“Don’t do that! Of course it was! I don’t know what I was thinking, setting up this match. I probably just wanted to see you beat up those high and mighty captains, put them in their place. I should’ve known they’d pull something like this though.” Sully solemnly explained.

“Don’t worry about it. After all, you helped me evolve.”

Felicity’s gaze snapped around towards Sully.

“You what?” She asked, fixing Sully in her gaze.

“I just gave him a little energy booster. I didn’t know it’d be so damn strong though. It was just supposed to power him up a little.” Sully defended.

“May I ask what was in this energy booster?” Felicity asked.
Sully listed off all of the ingredients she had put in, having memorized the recipe.

“You had him drink all that?!”

“Hey, I mixed it well. And he’s fine now, so I don’t see what the big deal is.” Sully objected.

“Do you have any idea what kind of side effects a premature evolution may have? Organ rejection, permanent paralysis, blindness, death in general!” Felicity shouted.

“But I feel fine.” Alek said, sniffling.

“For now, but who knows how you’ll feel further down the road. I’ll need to run some tests to see how your reacting to this “energy booster”.” Felicity said, helping Alek up.
“And since you’re so good at alchemy, Ms. Sully, I’ll be sending you a list of all the medicines he might be needing to counteract whatever your poison did to him.”

Felicity walked Alek away, back towards the mountain.

“He’ll be fine! I don’t make mistakes!” Sully shouted after her.
“I don’t. Not anymore. Alek will be fine. She’ll see. I should look into dying my scales a different color.”

Twinkiel – Tale of the PeaceMaker

Day A3, 4:20 PM

“...And that's where I thought about directing my electric sparks in several directions at once, thus developing a weak version of Discharge. Of course, I would have all the time to ameliorate it, but for now it–”
“Wait. Ameliorate?”
Twinkiel paused and briefly gazed at Zulu.
“Means improve. I like variety in my words. You're welcome. Anyways, so yes! It was powerful enough to basically open every single of his wounds, so he collapsed on the ground and I was declared winner. And then I liberated Frost and Ariala. The end!”
The Flaaffy bowed, trying his best not to lose his balance on Fleedjio's back. After all, telling stories in mid-air was one of the things Twinkiel was not quite used to yet.
“Be careful not to fall, Twinkiel,” warned Cresselia, who was flying next to the Salamence.
“...Shut up, Omochao...” the Flaaffy muttered to himself before sitting down.
“It was Big the Cat, actually.”
“Whatever. Both are super annoying.”
“Are you sure you didn't exaggerate a bit?” asked a doubtful Spadassya. “Never forget the words of Captain Twinkiel Thunderfleece is definitely something you'd say, but from what I saw, you seem to prefer talking to your opponents when they're under your foot.”
“I second that.” added a bitter Zulu.
“One: I couldn't do that when I was a Mareep. Two: I was caught in the moment,” explained Twinkiel. “And Three: Spadassya, I may brag about how amazing I am more than I should, but this time I was asked to tell a true story. And I NEVER modify those, even if it concerns my shining persona.”
The Flaaffy let his electricity illuminate his entire body to amplify the power of his pun.
The Servine smirked in amusement.
“ What, that's a motto of yours or something?”
“Nah! That's just how I work.”
“You love telling stories, don't you?” asked Ariala with her perennial shy smile on the face.
“Plasmya has a super cute sadistic grin. Ariala has a super cute shy smile. Yup. They're really polar opposites alright.”
“So which one's the best? The Angel or the Demon?”
Twinkiel banished this thought from his mind and, for once, a frank smile appeared on his face.
“I love listening to them. But sharing good stories with people is fun too.”
“Well at least you have some stories to share...” sighed Zulu. “I don't think I ever had cool adventures like you did.”
“Oh come on, dude, don't be like that again! You'll have plenty of stuff to do on your own when you'll evolve! Besides, I have been told that your Supersonic brought Darkrai to his downfall. That's a pretty cool achievement if you ask me!”
Fleedjio turned his head to look at his guest.
“Wait what? He actually did something to someone at some point? It was a surprise attack, wasn't it?”
Twinkiel frowned.
“Hey, don't insult him! Remember the time when you were a choleric little Bagon who couldn't even fly? The Noibat you have on your back can fly and hear farther than you can glide. By default!”
“Yeah, but I could smash my head into diamonds when I was a Bagon,” countered a grumpy Fleedjio. “I'm pretty sure a bat can't do that.”
“Well he'll be able to destroy entire boulders with sound alone when he evolves. And I don't think you could smash your head into diamonds after some die hard training. Or should I say die hard tantrum?”
The Flaaffy knew he had gone too far when the Salamence's expression began to darken. But a instinctive force pushed him to keep on going. Twinkiel was supposed to take verbal hits and endure them. The Flaaffy didn't appreciate that one of his friends suffered from verbal jousts. Twikiel was the one supposed to do the verbal battles and physical attacks if necessary. The friends watched and enjoyed the show as they were protected. That's how it was supposed to be.
The Flaaffy frowned. This had something to do with his past life, he was sure of it.
“You may call it tantrum,” Fleedjio slowly replied, “but I call it effort. And look where I am now, thanks to it.”
“Exactly!” exclaimed Twinkiel, focused again. “Why won't you let him have his chance then? Didn't some Pokémons mocked you when you told them you'd grow wings someday? Well that's pretty much what you're doing to him right now. You're being mean.”
“No, I'm being realistic. You told me me he was a Dragon...”
“I am a Dragon!” shouted Zulu in answer.
“Then start acting like one! Dragons are proud creatures, and some of them are so strong that they can rival with Legendary Pokémon! As far as I've seen, all you did was acting like a coward!”
“I fought against two guardians of the plates, and I beat one by myself!” retorted an angered Zulu. “I'm not a coward! I... I'm just not strong like you all!”
“And there he is, complaining again. As a Bagon, I didn't shout at the birds who could fly when I couldn't! I destroyed their trees and beat them all!”
“Well I'm not a Bagon!”
“You're hardly a dragon!”
“Stop it you two!” intervened Cresselia.
“Wait a second!” interrupted Twinkiel. “What did you just say”?
He was looking at Zulu. The latter seemed confused.
“I.. I said I wasn't a Bagon...”
“No, before that. You said you beat a guardian? By yourself? How did you do that?”
“Um... There was Absol backing me up, and... The guardian was scary, he told me I didn't deserve the plate, so I tried to fight back and I used... I used Dragon Pulse.”
“Well there you go! See? You can do stuff! Now all you gotta do is practice that Dragon Pulse!”
Something in Zulu's gaze convinced Twinkiel that something was wrong with his Dragon Pulse.
“Well you can count me out of his training,” said Fleedjio. “I've got no patience with weaklings. You humans are supposed to be our last hope, and among you we had to get one traitor and one useless so-called dragon!”
“Ooooooooh, so that's what this is all about!” suddenly exclaimed Twinkiel. “Alrighty then. Fleedjio? Zulu? We're gonna chill out. I have a tale. For both of you.”
The Salamence frowned his eyebrows.
“Twinkiel, I don't think any of your stories can–”
“No, dude, this one's special. It's not about me. It's a tale from the human world. You might understand a few things from it. Trust me on this one.”
Fleedjio stared at Twinkiel and sighed.
“Go ahead, I suppose,” he finally said, turning his head in front of him again. “Don't worry, I'm still listening.”
“Right. Hold on a second.”
Twinkiel sat down again and closed his eyes.
“Power. Weakness. Potential. ...Yes! Endless Potential! Warrior. Hope. Game. Example. Story.”
A couple of minutes later, a sly smirk appeared on Twinkiel's face. Yes, he had what he wanted. It became more and more easy to control what he wanted to remember from his defective memory.
“Alright people!” he exclaimed. “Sorry to keep you waitin'. Sit tight. It's one of my favorites.”
The Flaaffy coughed a little and gazed upon his now attentive audience. Even Cresselia was curious.
“Once upon a time,” Twinkiel began softly, “existed a world ruled by Humans. They were constantly seeking for a way to better their world, better their way of life and better their possibilities. It was very much like an obsession. One day, the Humans found a new way to better their world: they created the Mechtopians, a race of metallic Human-shaped creatures that would follow their orders without asking for anything in return.”
“So basically slaves,” commented a severe Spadassya.
The Flaaffy smiled.
“Not quite. For you see, the Humans realized that their trusty Mechtopians were lacking one very important thing. A soul. They were simply mechanic, animated objects. Nothing more. Nevertheless, one Human named Lumeniel took a great interest in these beings and wished to improve them as much as he could. And, through a complex magical process soon to be universally referred as Sciken, Lumeniel managed to create the one thing the Mechtopians had always lacked. A soul. The first Mechtopian to be equipped with a soul was baptized Infinix, and had the ability to think for himself and take his own decisions. But, Lumeniel was no fool: he knew that Humanity was not ready to accept such a being as their equal. Therefore, he decided to seal Infinix away until he was fully ready to understand how important he really was. But alas, an unfortunate event unfolded: a rival Scikenist broke into Lumeniel's personal lair and managed to steal the concept sheets of Infinix. He then used them to create a new generation of Mechtopians and took all the credit for “his creations”. However, The new Mechtopians weren't fully prepared to think for themselves and take the right decisions, but they were still better, stronger and smarter.
Lumeniel. foresaw a terrible danger coming from those new Mechtopians, and he decided to transform his own creation into a machine of war in case of crisis. He unfortunately died before he could entirely finish his work, and Infinix was forgotten.”
Twinkiel paused. Fleedjio's head was slightly turned, and Cresselia had approached the dragon to listen to the story as well.
“Thirty years later,” continued the satisfied Flaaffy, “Infinix was awakened from his long slumber. In his mind floated the image of a sacred battle suit named the PeaceMaker Armor, which was also Lumeniel's last gift for his beloved creation.
In any case, upon getting out of his lair, Infinix discovered that the world was facing a great crisis. Indeed, although many Mechtopians remained loyal to the humans, a group of rebels simply referred as Irregulars were threatening to take over the world and wipe out the Humans in order to keep their own freedom. They were at war with the Irregular Busters, a group of Mechtopians dedicated to the safety of the world. Infinix decided to join them, for he believed it was the right thing to do.
He was a good recruit for the band of warriors. Infinix had developed a strong friendship with his mentor Nullifio, a fellow Mechtopian, and together they formed a very efficient team. But one day, Infinix was forced into a mission on his own and met a fierce opponent: it was Iveel, a former Irregular Buster and the main general of the Irregular Rebellion Army. Despite Infinix's powerful attributes, his Sciken abilities had literally no effect on Iveel, mostly because the latter was riding a giant battle mechanic suit, powerful enough to resist to almost anything.”
Twinkiel stopped to focus his gaze on Zulu.
“Infinix was nearly destroyed, but his friend Nullifio had come in time to weaken Iveel's armor and perform a... tactical retreat for them to recover. He then told Infinix that he needed to get stronger, and in the mean time, he'd find as much information as possible on the whereabouts of Shigmend's fortress, Shigmend being the leader of the Irregular Rebellion.”
A gloomy smile appeared on Twinkiel's face as he marked a new pause.
“This is were the story gets interesting. Infinix knew that his Sciken abilities were not developed enough for him to defeat Iveel, but he knew that he could most certainly defeat the Irregular Polygons, who were the eight bosses of the Irregular Rebellion Army. Plus, upon defeating them, he could also acquire useful information on the Irregulars as well.”
“That is indeed a good plan,” commented Cresselia, nodding.
Twinkiel's smile grew bigger.
“Oh it was a good plan, but only in theory. You see, the Irregular Polygons were Mechtopians with much simpler design than Infinix, which gave the latter more confidence. In his head, he simply needed to learn their battle patterns, and he'd be able to defeat them. But there was one problem: Infinix was equipped with only two Sciken power. The first one was a powerful energy blast, and the second one was to copy the main ability of a powerful foe, but this only worked if said foe was defeated. Plus, Infinix could be just as predictable as his enemies were if he wasn't careful. In order to beat the Irregular Polygons, Infinix needed to analyze them and react fast enough to damage them without getting hit. And as you can guess, dear audience, it was no easy feat. But Infinix was stubborn, and after a long battle, he managed to defeat his first Irregular Polygon and absorb his power.”
“Yeah!” exclaimed Zulu. “Go Infinix! Hey, he's gonna beat the rest of them, right?”
“Oh yes. Little by little, Infinix would get stronger, and more accustomed to pattern analysis. Plus, the more he traveled, the more pieces of the PeaceMaker Armor he could gather, and by the end of his journey, the Mechtopian had defeated all of the Irregular Polygons and found every piece of the Armor, save for its most powerful part: the Armlet.”
“Figures...” commented Spadassya.
“...Infinix contacted Nullifio and, together, they finally reached Shigmend's fortress. Being the more experienced of the two, Nullifio decided to go first and destroy the main bulk of the Irregular Rebellion Army, while Infinix would sneak into the fortress and wipe out any resistance there.”
“Man, Nullifio sounds so cool.”
“You have no idea, Zulu,” Twinkiel replied, chortling. “In any case, Infinix had successfully infiltrated the base, and no Mechtopian could stop him: he was much stronger than any of them combined. However, upon reaching the second main floor of the base, Infinix witnessed a familiar figure standing in front of the metallic door...”
“It's Iveel, isn't it?” intervened Fleedjio. “He hasn't been mentioned in a while.”
Twinkiel grinned.
“It sure, freakin' is! But he's not in his Battle Mech this time. And Infinix was equipped with the PeaceMaker's Armor, as well as the eight powers of the Irregular Polygons he had defeated. He felt ready to take down his enemy. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have the spotlight this time, for another familiar figure appeared next to him.”
“Is it... Is it Nullifio?”
Twinkiel nodded.
“It is indeed Nullifio, Ariala. He had finished his part of the mission and asked for Infinix to stay back as he delt with Iveel. They both ran to the next room and engaged in a fearsome fight that Infinix could only hear from afar.”
“What are you waiting for?” exclaimed Spadassya. “Go help him!”
“Those were indeed the words that echoed through his head as he ran to join Nullifio,” replied Twinkiel. “But, he was too late: inside of the room, Iveel had been keeping his signature battle Mech and had defeated Nullifio with it. And since Infinix had missed the Armlet of the PeaceMaker's Armor, he unfortunately was defeated as well, for his was still not strong enough to deal with the Mech's thick armor.”
“Bummer,” commented Spadassya, Fleedjio, Ariala and Zulu in a unified voice.
“Oh, don't you worry: Nullifio was not done yet! Using the last remains of his fading strength, the bold warrior jumped on the Mech's back and unleashed his mightiest Sciken power.”
Twinkiel retrieved a serious expression as he continued.
“...A self-destruction. Nullifio had no other choice but to destroy the Mech along with himself and hope that Infinix would be strong enough to defeat Iveel in a duel. And as you can guess, my dear audience, he was not disappointed. Possessed by the spirit of vengeance itself, Infinix managed to destroy his foe for good, and rushed to his friend's rescue.”
“Is... Is he dead?” asked Ariala.
“...When Infinix approached his best friend's body, he swore that he would find Shigmend and destroy him for all the evil he had caused. And upon hearing those words, Nullifio smiled, detached his own armlet and bonded his fading Sciken power with Infinix's, thus creating the final piece of the PeaceMaker's Armor and allowing our hero to march all the way up to Shigmend, a fierce determination accompanying his every move.”
Twinkiel rose up, slightly tired.
“I don't really need to tell you the rest, because you can already guess what's gonna happen. Infinix will destroy the last bits of the big villain's army and then deal with the big villain himself.”
The Flaaffy raised his stubby hand as if raising a finger.
“...But he'll have to fight against the big villain's Mechtopian Dog, first. True story,” he added, making his audience chuckle.
“Twinkiel?” intervened Fleedjio after a moment of silence. “It was... A very enjoyable tale, and I'm glad I could listen to it, as it appears very... deep. But I still wonder...”
“Say no more, Fleedjio, I'm comin' to that. The link between this story, you and Zulu I mean. And to be fair, it's actually pretty simple. Replace Infinix with Zulu and Nullifio with yourself and you've got it.”
Twinkiel's sly smile reappeared as both dragon's eyes widened.
“WHAT?!” they screamed at the same time.
Cresselia smiled and seemed ready to laugh. She had seen where Twinkiel was going a long time ago.
“Well duh, you nitwits,” continued Twinkiel. “Zulu, as you heard, Infinix began as a weakling. He was supposed to be some kind of hope for everyone, and yet he wasn't even able to damage the first freakin' boss he came across. That's pathetic. Just like you seem to believe you are.”
“But–”
“No! Let me finish. You're not weak, Zulu. And if you believe you are, then analyze your enemies, find some weak points, and spam your attacks on 'em. And you, Fleedjio, I'm not saying that you're gonna die, or anything. I'm just saying that if you give this guy some time to get stronger, he will. Y'know... Like ALL of us. And he'll get stronger even faster if you actually help him. You're both dragons, right? Between me and him, who do you is likely to learn the fastest?"
Fleedjio sighed. The Flaaffy had a point.
“I suppose I was a bit too... Harsh. But don't blame me if the Noibat dies during training! You hear me, maggot?” the dragon said, louder. “I said training. You' shall share Twinkiel's place, since he wants to learn Dragon Pulse when he evolves. And no mercy for both of you.”
“What? Dragon Pulse? He can learn it?”
“Yuh-huh!” confirmed the latter. “My Mega-Evolution IS part dragon, after all. Oh, speakin' of which!”
The Flaaffy put his arms on the Noibat's tiny shoulders and locked his gaze in his.
“Let me make this VERY clear. You will witness everyone around you evolve and get stronger. But when you'll finally see the peak of their power... You, my dear, will only be starting to tap into yours. So enjoy the show, alright? Now stop complaining, or at least don't do it in front of me, or else I will electrocute you and smash you under my foot!”
Twinkiel nodded to himself and released his friend.
“We have almost reached the Shrine of Safety!” Cresselia suddenly announced. “Let's go ahead, Zulu. There are some acquaintances of mine that you might not want to confront alone.”
“That sounds creepy,” murmured the latter. “Oh! And... Um, Twinkiel! Thanks. Y'know, for the story, and... defending me, and... all that.”
“No worries, man! I did it 'cause we're friends.”
A little smile grew on the Noibat's face, but it soon disappeared when the Flaaffy continued:
“And as we all know, friendship is two pals munching on a well-cooked face together!”
Twinkiel immediately burst out laughing as Cresselia and Zulu stared at him blankly. The Legendary slowly floated away and resumed her flight towards the Shrine of Safety.
“Congratulations,” Spadassya sighed, approaching her cackling friend. “You just ruined an emotional declaration of friendship.”
“Yup!” the latter confirmed, striking a relaxed pose as his Inner Echo once again intervened in his mind. “And all this, without a single drop of rum!”
The Servine stared at him for a couple of seconds and sighed again.
“Sometimes I really wish I could understand what you're talking about. But... I can't.”
Twinkiel miraculously retrieved a more serious face.
“Is that so?” he thoughtfully replied. “Well then, how about this? Teach me how to write in the Unown Language and I'll write stuff to make you understand my madness. Deal?”
The Servine raised an eyebrow.
“Um, that's the Ancient language you're talking about. Nowadays, we write with Runic Paws. And I have a better deal,” she continued with a smirk. “Teach yourself how to use this language and write a tale for me. I wonder if you're capable of doing that.”
“Game on, Spadassya! I'm so going to win this challenge!”
“I hope you do. Because that tale of yours was great. I didn't really get to listen to many tales when I was a kid, so... Thanks for sharing it. Write your best shot, okay?”
With a last smile, she walked towards Fleedjio's head and contemplated the landscape around her.
“Um, Twinkiel?”
“Mm?”
“Think you could... You know... Save a tale for me?”
The Flaaffy turned back. Ariala was dancing from one foot to another, uneasy.
"Oh god, she's doing this on purpose. Darn it, that smile of hers is so angelic it hurts."
“I don't think it would be too original to do the same thing for two people,” was he sole reply. “But you know what? I do have a story concerning an angel and a demon I store A few, actually. Sit down, 'cause the first one's pretty fitting!”
Childish happiness in her eye, the Clefable sat down, and so did Twinkiel, an innocent lamb's smile on the face as he began his story.

Frost

They were hiding in an alley next to a rusty dumpster when she told him. It had been raining and they used the low overhang of the building next to them as protection.

"Frost.....I.....I've been a bad mother. I haven't told you the truth." Frost looked up.

"The truth?"

"You were.....your older brother, the one who left...he....is your father." This didn't make sense to Frost. How could his brother be his father?

"Mom how can Derrin be my father? He's my brother." His mom burst into tears.

"It was late at night. I was sick with the flu, you remember don't you? It was really bad."

Frost nodded

"He....he came in to the bedroom...I tried to stop him but.....He laughed Frost....He laughed!" She couldn't continue. Frost, not knowing what else to do, he put her arms around her. They sat there for a while until his mom got up and announced.

"I'm turning myself in, Theirs nothing left for me here." She turned to Frost

"Frost I want you to know, I will always love you. No matter what happens I want you to know that." She knelt down and kissed him on the cheek, then turned and set off down the winding road, the gray sky and melancholy rain soon enveloping her.

Frost opened his eyes. This...this was real. He saw the Gengar and Breloom idling near him. When they saw him, Breloom bowed, However, the Gengar raised an eyebrow.

"Awake eh?" Frost nodded solemnly.

"Alright then, it's time we head back to Mt Providence. We have someone who would like to see you. Frost nodded once again, then looked towards the North, imagining mount providence in his mind's eye. Gengar looked at him questioningly.

"Whats wrong? I said we have to go." Frost looked at her.

"We are." A flood of energy ran through Frost as he summoned his new power, a purple ball enveloped Gengar, breloom, then as one, they teleported.

"I thought you could fly." Jewels had been riding on Raikou's back for more or less three hours, and not a single part of the trip had been comfortable.

"I can," the tiger replied, "but I don't want to traumatise you. Flying tends to be rather disillusioning."

"It can't be worse than being attacked by a Rhydon."

"How was I supposed to know he would be in the way? It's quite difficult to stop when you're moving at the speed of lightning."

"For a Legendary that's supposed to have both bark and bite, I was surprised that you used neither."

"Why bother deafening you when it wouldn't affect him anyway?"

"Lucky for you that I know Confusion," Jewels responded smugly. "You should've had a ring target."

"Even if those weren't extremely rare, I wouldn't waste it on a random Rhydon. Hey, that's alliteration: Raikou refuses to waste rare ring targets on random Rhydons."

"Don't."

"Why not?" he asked indignantly. "What do you have against alliteration?"

"I meant don't refer to yourself in the third person."

"Oh. Gotcha."

They continued in silence for a moment before Jewels excalimed, "Hey!"

Raikou skidded to a stop. "What? Where?"

"You changed the topic."

Realising there was no threat, Raikou continued running once more. "I thought we had moved on."

"No, you only said it was traumatising. You didn't say why."

"Flying is awesome when you are the one flying. Clinging to me for your life is no fun."

"How to Train Your Dragon, Eragon, and every other dragon movie contradict that. Besides, humans have planes, and I've done skydiving with a cousin before."

"I can say with absolute certainty and with the utmost confidence that I have no idea what you just said."

Jewels grumbled something inaudible. "Point is, your excuse is crap."

"Oh, resorting to profanity, now are we?"

"Because you keep avoiding the subject! I had at least three opportunities to swear before now, and "crap" isn't even a swear word."

"That doesn't mean it's nice..."

"Not the point!" Jewels jumped off Raikou's back and tumbled for a few metres before coming to a stop. She rose shakily, rubbing her bruised body, but her gaze was determined.

"Why'd you do that?!" Raikou scolded after he had backtracked. "You could have died!"

"Then it'd have been your fault. Now, I'm not moving until you tell me why you're not flying."

"You're a stubborn lady, you know that?"

"Yup. Now explain."

Raikou sighed dramatically. "When Landorus instructed me to come here, he told me not to reveal my location. However, I flew around the Sacred Forest in order to find any scattered human faster. Unfortunately, you were located in the outer reaches of the forest, which is why Entei was able to enter. To make things worse, he would probably not even have known about you had I not flown around. So, we're keeping a low profile instead."

"Oh, you badass!" Jewels laughed. "Why didn't you say so? Is Landorus a grump?"

"No, he's actually very nice, but he won't be too pleased if he learned I disobeyed his only instruction."

"Making him wait won't help either, will it?"

"Indeed not."

Jewels hopepd back onto his back. "Then let's go!"

Ten minutes later, they crossed the last mountain and stopped at a cave in the mountainside. A brown feline emerged and approached them.

"Jewels, meet Sir O.D. Nell!" Raikou introduced cheerfully.

"What? I thought the Legendaries kept their species name..."

"We do," Landorus confirmed, stopping in front of them and smiling slightly "Raikou just enjoys using anagrams. Sir O. D. Nell is my name spelled backwards. But that's beside the point. Welcome to the Resistance, and may I express my intense relief that you are with us."

Was that a question? "Sup. No offense, but you look better now than when you were a genie."

"I don't know what a genie is, but I shall accept that as a compliment." He turned to Raikou. "You almost had me worried; you took your time getting here."

"We had a bit of a fiery problem when Jewels ente'd our world as a Pokémon, but we had a smashing time dealing with it. After that, we had a spot of trouble during her ride on me, but that was nothing major."

"Did you just emphasise random words?"

"Of course not! You must be getting old. Did you hear me emphasise anything, Jewels."

"Nope. Nothing."

"I smell a plot," Landorus said, eyeing the grinning pair suspiciously, "but at least you two are getting along, which is good, considering what we have to do next."

"Which is?" Raikou enquired curiously.

"We are going to obtain the Earth Plate."

-The Epic of Aegeas, Part 3.2

Day A3, 1:40 P.M.

Aegeas turned around slowly. His hands were balled into fists, and his teeth were gritted. He stood in a manner that suggested both intense anger and weariness. He was not attempting to slouch anymore, for that had been the one benefit of the mysterious mist, but instead stood proud and wary, anticipating the actions from the opponents on the other side. No, no their actions, not at first – their words. For now he was facing a pair of justice-obsessed villains, fiends angelical. They had scorned his ally with their stinging words, and had sent many an effort to have him executed, and now, it seemed, their reach had expanded far beyond the stars in the sky. He felt hatred, and knew that in the case of bad blood, a fight was sure to come.

He stood in the empty, sandy field, untouched by the winds above. His two opponents stood on the other end of the field, though where he wished he could head was obscured by mist, and he had the slightest sense that beyond that point was an even deeper region of sand, likely holding the true source of the oasis. His eye twitched, and he waited for the inevitable words to come forth at him. After all, as he knew, a verbal joust brought the emotional inflictions of a hundred duels. Too, it also set the tone of the battle – if he was to win the fight itself, it was of the utmost importance that he enraged his opponents into making mistakes. He felt it easy to enrage them, having well more than enough reasoning to do so, and began with the opening remarks.

“Why hello, Virizion. And you are doing well, Cobalion. I see that your…assistant, shall we say, proved to be of….little…worth.”

“And that is no thanks to you, human,” boomed Cobalion in response. Virizion chuckled.

“Well then, I suppose it is my fault for having done so, but I would’ve hardly expected Pokémon such as yourself to ally with…him.”

“We will ally with whomever we choose, as long as they stand on the side of equality and justice.”

“Ha! I have seen his actions, and they stand as neither equality nor justice. Tell me, if he is stand on your side, and if he is a representative of your side, are you looking for some attention, brash fools?”

“And who do you think you are? You’re the soulless wanderer who gets in our way far more times than he should. Stand back, let us be, and stay in your place. You have no right to interfere in the business of legends.”

“I suppose I don’t, but I say that won’t make a difference. You allied with my enemy. The friend of my enemy is my enemy.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“I see that. Well, as you have come all this way, and appear to have devoted all this effort merely to stand in my path, then I guess I shall have to reward you.”

“And how do you think you’re going to do that?” said Virizion, joining in the conversation for the first time. “You’re just a little threat – you wouldn’t stand against our army’s weakest apprentice!”

“Well then, I’ll keep on biting,” replied Aegeas with a wry smile, having not the conception of where he had gotten the random memory.

“Forget all of this! You are in our way, and that means you are an enemy. You don’t have the slightest clue what our intentions are, nor do you know the justice we seek to bring upon this world. Instead, you have mocked our companions, mocked our cause, and proved yourself as the most annoying Jotlik I have ever seen.”

Aegeas fired a Water Gun blast. Both Cobalion and Virizion dodged.
“Now, I dare say, I bite my thumb at you.”

Cobalion retaliated by attempting to use his Secret Sword attack, but he was unable to gain enough ground fast enough, and Aegeas dodged him. Virizion left forth, attempting to strike with a Leaf Blade attack, but the strike failed, for Aegeas dodged it as well.

“Why are you doing this?” shouted Aegeas as he fired his scalchops at the two.

“Well, it’s quite simple,” replied Virizion, dodging the shot and blasting back a Leaf Storm attack.

“You’ve offended our noble causes, and you must be punished for getting in our way!” Cobalion finished, attempting to use Superpower. It just barely grazed Aegeas, but Aegeas was becoming more aware that the tide of the battle was beginning to turn in his opponents favor. In a fight where he had not yet had the chance to land a blow, this was becoming quite tedious and threatening. He was wrathful at this, but his very rage gave him an excellent idea. Aegeas had a wry smile as he jumped past his two opponents, snatching his returning scalchops.

“Oh, I get it. I’ve mocked two super-powerful legends who preach ‘justice’ and they decide to attack with the very opposite. I’ve seen too many hypocrites such as you to be surprised in any way. Your allies are a folly, your cause seems false!”

“How dare you!” bellowed Cobalion, and he and Virizion rushed forward. Aegeas, with the flick of hands, sent two scalchops barreling towards the pair, smacking them at their necks. It momentarily disoriented Virizion, and Cobalion stopped in mid-motion. Cobalion collapsed, and Aegeas could see his gaze moving about slightly randomly, a sure sign of confusion. Aegeas dashed by them, grabbing his scalchops, as they one against took a stand. It was not in his nature to deliberately strike a wounded opponent that had not the chance to defend itself, and so he took his time to let them stand, letting his weariness fade away before he spoke again.
“Then why don’t you explain Keldeo, eh?”

“Oh, the little fool? I don’t care for him any longer!” Shouted Cobalion, whose voice was now slightly huskier due to the damage that Aegeas had enacted. Cobalion rushed forth, attacking with an Iron Head strike. The strike grazed Aegeas’s arm, but the blow was enough to leave lasting pain. Aegeas gritted his teeth and replied, running as he did so,

“So you attempted to have him tortured, perhaps executed, merely because he did not choose a side in this conflict?

“Justice is not mercy, fool.” Said Virizion, sending a Leaf Storm attack at Aegeas. The whirlwind surrounded Aegeas, enclosing him for a brief time. Aegeas understood the purpose of the attack. He propelled himself upward with a Water Gun blast, dispelling the Leaf Storm just because Cobalion dashed forth, pounding through the empty space in a rash Iron Head attack. Aegeas breathed a sigh of relief, before the pain in his arm grew again. The stinging welt was becoming quite painful, and Aegeas felt as though the strength in his arm was waning, like his hand was becoming weak clay. Cobalion’s attack, as he realized, had actually been far more powerful than he had assumed, and it was the wisest course of action to end the battle as fast as he could. He landed on the ground precisely.

“Ah, so I see that you are willing to kill your companion in this so-called ‘justice.’ Tell me, in such a world where you are willing to commit these kinds of acts, can you truly call yourself on the side of good? Don’t you see the futility of it all? Stop this at once! Stop this fighting! Stop this killing! Peace should be the king of the hour!”

“Then I hope you find your peace in the burial shroud!”

Cobalion and Virizion ambushed Aegeas at once, striking at the same time with powerful Sacred Sword attacks. The force of the combined blows were enough to send the unprepared Aegeas flying into the air disoriented and stunned. It was incredibly painful, and Aegeas could feel the pain arching along his arms and down to his body, sending powerful pain signals to his brain. He bellowed out a scream of rage and landed upon the ground in a heap, his legs taking the full force of the impact, they bending somewhat awkwardly in the process. The black spots danced around his eyes and were growing ever larger, and Aegeas was fully aware that he had the possibility to not only lose the battle, but suffer a worse fate. The thought chilled him immensely, despite the heat of the desert. Cobalion and Virizion dashed back, each with a clear view of the heavily damaged Aegeas, they likely preparing their final assault. Aegeas tried his best to get up, but he found himself almost entirely unable to do so – he was in a state of half-consciousness, and it kept slipping from him. The world about him quaked and shook, and he felt nauseous. Aegeas stood but slouched in the process, his arms lying limply at his side though shaking, and it appeared that he had but the strength to stand and nothing more. He had the appearance of an animated corpse, or a near-dead creature. He had hardly the potential to think, though his brain was attempting to perform a million calculations per second. It was almost more than he could bear, and he attempting to scream again, this one of rage and hurt, but it collapsed, and he could see his opposing foes smiles. He felt so many emotions, so many sensations, so many thoughts, and his brain seemed to be on the edge of falling apart. He had no idea what to do. Such pain, such an attack, such a surprise…in but a few moments, an eternity seemed to have passed.

Cobalion and Virizion rushed forth again, their Sacred Sword attacks vivid enough to be visible with Aegeas’s rapidly failing senses. Aegeas had managed to time his attack perfectly. At the point at which they were almost upon him, he summoned what remained of his energy. Despite the fact his arms and legs felt as though they had burst into flames, and his head was next in the bonfire, he pulled out both of his scalchops, and slashed ferociously at his foes. The scalchops were timed perfectly, and he spun in a neat circle, hacking at the necks of his opponents. For a second, he felt himself moving.

Then all was mist, and his opponents vanished at once, receding into obscurity, vanishing into the nothingness they had come from. Aegeas finished his attack, and was left staring into the mist.

The mist…


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

“Oh ho, my little friend! I did not expect you to do so well!”

The voice has come out of the mist quite suddenly, and appeared to be coming from all around Aegeas. He could not pierce together the origin, but it sounded powerful. It was then that Aegeas realized that he appeared to be recovering. The aches and the pains that had but moments ago pained him were receding and dimming almost as fast as they had come. The world around him shook no longer, and felt himself capable of standing without the threat of collapsing on the ground. The black spots that had just recently danced all over his eyes, signaling unconsciousness, were further vanishing and receding, until he could see perfectly and clearly. The pain of his bent muscles, some likely torn, in his legs were no longer existent, and Aegeas found the calculations within his head diminishing, satisfied with their results. No more was he rushed with the sensations that he realized had been his own life flashing through his eyes. Frankly, all that hurt was the sore on his arm, but he could see the welt slowly fading away, until it was nothing. It had been no less than a miracle that Aegeas had recovered, and that made him fully aware that something, whatever it was, had invoked its relief upon him, and that something was likely incredibly powerful.

Aegeas breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. The tension in his muscles faded, and he found himself capable of breathing once more. No more did he stand slouched – he stood in the prideful way that he had stood in the opening moments of the battle. His aches and pains finally gone, he had the full power of his senses to detect what was around him, though, after but a moment, the mist seemed to recede rapidly. He allowed himself but only a second of mental though. The primary emotion was confusion. “Where did they go?” he wondered. “It seemed as though they just….vanished…into the mist?” Afterwards came the emotional struggles that he felt. He had been wounded, and badly – how terrifying the prospect of death had been to him, he who had lived for such a time. They had almost succeeded in killing him, and, just a moment ago, he felt as though on the verge of collapse. The very effort of attacking them once more seemed to have caused convulsions all about his body. Then they had stopped, his pains receded, and now the mist was receding. His threw his emotions aside, hoping to deal with them when he had another chance, because company was nearby, and he wished to see the identity of who had spoken the words.

The mist receded, and, for the first time, Aegeas had a full view of the enclosure in which he was in. Above, desert sands howled ominously, throwing their sand all above him, but he noticed that not a single grain receded into the cavernous space beneath. He was in a massive, circular pit, and to his left was what he had been seeking for when he had first arrived here. Water. He stepped in the direction of the water, but hesitated when he saw the being that was sitting in the pool. The pool was slightly deeper than the pit, and tall sandy walls enclosed it, giving the entire structure a shape not unlike a spinning top. The water was bubbling, and, in many cases, boiling into small runnels of mist that rose weakly into the air. At the very center of all this was a large, ancient creature. It looked with unblinking, though lazy, eyes at Aegeas, as though eying him and trying to interpret what he was. In this case, both of them likely held confusion. Aegeas, though he had seen almost every single species of Pokémon, or at least knew of them, had never seen a creature such as it. Aegeas was momentarily confused, but it was then that he righted himself. He knew of the creature from many a legend he had heard. This was a Legendary Pokémon – something rare as it could not be normal or anything but a Legend – and its name had been spoken with great energy and vivacity from all he heard it from. All Aegeas knew of the creature was its potential powers, and its name, though he knew not of its personality, nor its current place of inhabitance. It all made sense, it all pieced together – he knew what Pokemon was here, and he was honored to see it.

“Volcanion,” said Aegeas.

Volcanion blinked its eyes.

“You must’ve been the one who was surprised, I presume?” said Aegeas.

“Yes, though I must say that I didn’t expect you to be so…small,” replied Volcanion slowly. Its voice was incredibly gruff, and loud. Aegeas had not expected to hear such energy in a place whose purpose seemed to be to drain energy from others.

“Hmm. Many have made that mistake before.” Aegeas said, smiling wryly.

“I see. You defeated my mist quite effectively, so I give you credit.”

“Mist? You mean…”

“Yes. They were both fake.”

“But why…”

“I live in this little secluded place of mine, Dewott. I live in an oasis that is not only noticeable, but highly prized. Of course there are going to be many who come here, demanding their share of these waters, positing their threats to me. What else do I do but conjure up the strongest things that I can think of and pummel my foes?”

“But how did you make them so…lifelike? It was as though I was fighting the real deal!”

“Well, I didn’t say they were bad knockoffs. Don’t be too presumptuous. Like I said, many come through here, and most seem to have the peculiar habit of talking about their perils against the desert winds.”

“…Like me, I suppose.”

“Yes, like you. They have given me many a clue as to whose these two legends are and their nature and attributes. It is then quite easy to compose something with my mist and use it, such as when I used it to fight you when you suddenly burst in.”
“How could you manipulate mist like this? And how could you achieve such memories as to allow you to create an entire being out of them? Only somebody close to them could know of such things…”

“Well, let me say that many of the New Order have come through here before, as well as those of the Resistance, and those who stand as neutral. Though I have hid from my brethren, I’m not dim either. As for the memories, I suppose I will leave it up to you to figure it out.”

“That’s not very direct, and you have managed to intimidate me, sir.”

“Well then, I guess that I’ve done my purpose. As for the mist? Let me tell you that the mist contains my very essence. It is born of me, it dies with me…it is basically the projection of my life energy. I can manipulate this mist, and use it to not only befuddle and confuse my foes, but compress this mist into a watery form amplified with my memories and thoughts to create a being, however false it may be. Thus, I have lived in this place for quite some time, and have ruled in my seclusion peacefully. It is also the reason why the mist never escapes from this sandy trap, and why I am renowned for my great power.”

“But how did you manage to injure me?”

“Manipulating the effects of pressure is one of the pluses of being a Legend of the mist and smoke.”

“I see. Well then, I hope I can excuse myself for any rudeness I may have expressed. I’ve just never seen anything like you before, and I had no idea how respectable you are and how powerful you happen to be. I’ve heard so many stories…”

“…and never felt they were true? Believe me, so many people have made that misconception of me. I have hidden for such a time, always away from everyone else, intimidating and reckless to all who come before me. Of course nobody would believe in my existence. Why would they? I am as elusive as the mist that I create.”

“Well then, I have changed my mind. You do exist, you are powerful, and I wish you could come out of the shadows. I am Aegeas Dewott.”

“I am Volcanion, and it is nice to know your name, Aegeas. You have done well today. You outlasted my two best creations in a six-turn battle, and that gives you my respect. Nobody has ever before handled such odds and fared so well. You were almost on the verge of a knockout, and yet you managed to continue the fight with a destructive melee attack! That, my friend, is the mark of a warrior, and I am proud to call you my friend.”

“As am I.”

“Well then. I know not of the side that you have chosen, whether it be the New Order, Resistance, or neither at all. However, I am your ally. As a reward for having bested me, you will always be under my watch and care when you are within the Sandaroza Desert, and this applies to anyone who is your ally. The friend of my friend is my friend. I’m sorry to say that my own reclusion shall keep me within the barrier of the desert and the mountains for some time, but you are free to visit whenever you want.”

“I just have some more questions.”

“Sure, speak your mind. Somebody with an inquisitive mind is always fascinating.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”

“Curiosity…killed…the…cat? I don’t know what this ‘cat’ friend of yours happens to be, but his story sounds a bit tragic, though anecdotal. I’ll keep the expression, if you don’t mind.”

“That’s fine. Firstly, why are you in this desert? From the stories that I have heard, you always took residence in the mountains.”

“Well, my friend, it gets quite boring to be in such a stuffy, cold place as those high peaks you see behind you from whence you came. You know I am a Fire Type, correct?”

“And a Water Type, as strange as that combination is.”

“Absolutely! I would like a place that isn’t cool and dull, and, when I’m not harassed daily by strangers, I like to go down to the desert to warm up in my personal spring. It’s quite refreshing to be able to relax in your personal hot tub and watch the blazing desert roar on above you. If I do say so myself, it satisfies both of my types. The mountain is just too cool for my Water typing and too boring for my Fire typing. You understand?”

“I guess it makes sense. After all, who doesn’t enjoy something like this?”

“An Ice Type wouldn’t like it much.”

Aegeas chuckled. This conversation was quite amusing.

“Okay, my second question is what do you do with the people who do not succeed your challenges?”

“Hmm. Well, you shouldn’t have worried about death. I don’t kill every Pokémon who comes my way. I’m a lot more decent than that Hoopa fellow, if you know about him. When they are knocked out in a battle, I merely bring them over to the edge of the desert and drop them off. They wake up and usually hightail it out of here. It’s my little protection device, and I’m much to kind to hurt Pokémon like that. So far, you’ve been just about the only Pokémon who went and busted my misty companions.”

“If only you could’ve dropped me to the west, behind you. That’s where I’m headed, see?”

“Ah, you must be heading towards the Shrine of Safety. You must not be as neutral as I thought you’d be. That fake Cobalion and Virizion were meant to intimidate you, but they only seemed to irk you into a fight. What a battle of wits that was!”
“Well, I don’t wish to go into the topic, but they have inflamed me severely. I was hoping, when this war began, that they did not choose a side. I wished they would become neutral. My friend, who was their friend as well, wanted not to stay on a side. However, the Trio of Justice chose their alliances with the New Order, and the rest is history.”

“Then I suppose they must’ve been aggressive towards your friend?”

“Yes.”

They both were silent for some time. Aegeas did not prefer this outburst of emotion, nor did he like prying open any of the emotional wounds that always tormented him. He knew that there was nothing he could do, and never tried to explain the particular topic. However, something about Volcanion’s reclusiveness made it all the more trustworthy. Perhaps it was in the way that it appeared so shy, like it was willing to hear his thoughts and not speak openly against them. Oddly, the entire experience was therapeutic. Aegeas decided to stay longer, and see what more information he could find.

“It’s quite sad that I wasn’t able to conjure up something as profound as in those mountains behind you. You just came so quickly, and I had no idea what to do until the last minute. Had I had more warning, and was actually able to hear you in the sand, I might’ve made a small labyrinth myself.”

“Wait, hold up. An entire labyrinth as an illusion? Where?”

“Up there, where the ancient Clefable live. I don’t ever talk to them, but their festivals are always fun. Ah, the joys of their new Cleffa. But yes, I’ve heard that some time back, a New Order general made a massive illusion that was deemed a ‘Mystery Dungeon.’ Can you believe such a thing?”

“Oh no, oh no, oh no….” Aegeas put his hands over his face.

“What’s the matter, my friend? Did you see it? Did you see the dungeon? What was it like? How exceptionally designed was it? I must know! What kinds of things I could build! What….wait? Why are you so sad?”

“I went to the dungeon myself…”

“Yes, yes?” Volcanion seemed eager. This annoyed the surprised, and discomfited, Aegeas greatly.

“Those Clefable, they were so sad. They acted as though they truly knew and loved the place…but it was all a fake!?”

“They really did, eh? Imagine the power of such a New Order general to produce such a hypnotism among the populace! They entirely and truly believed that it actually was their duty to guard such a dungeon? Wow, such power. I could never craft something the likes of that Legend, nor could I have the potential to mold minds like that. Incredible…”

Aegeas turned around and walked off, now more frustrated than sad. He had not expected such a revelation from Volcanion, and it irritated him immensely. He couldn’t believe that all those innocent Pokémon, with aspirations, beliefs, and woes, were really living a lie. It was so incredible, but it was so tragic. Once again, his life had proved to be nothing more than a mere illusion, and everything around him was fake. He found in himself not the ability to speak another word. He had seen the saddened face of Luno, the possible end of the many Clefairy within the labyrinth, felt so sad at their emotions. “Had they really died in vain?” he thought. “Was this all the foolish product of a bully with a hatred for me? What have I done…” The knowledge now that all of the Pokémon had been hypnotized, and that very place was but an illusion, stung at his heart. He partly wished that he had been knocked out by Volcanion’s illusions – the more that he did not know this painful fact, he thought, the better he would feel. It was much to bear, and so he spoke very quietly, almost at a whisper, trying to fight back the wrathful outburst growing within him.

“When all around me is mist, when all of my friends have turned their backs on me, I can only trust…”

“…Myself,” replied Volcanion. “It is the words of all the brave to whom fortune has deemed them useless. Well said, Aegeas, but you should not fret.”

“And why not?” Aegeas turned to face Volcanion, rage on his face. “I’d seen them suffer! I’d seen their leader lose so much! And it was all in vain? What madness is this! Why would anyone with a heart manipulate so many others in this manner! Decimating foes, tricking an old enemy out of spite…it is the stuff of stupidity! Damn the New Order, and their allies, for a vendetta I now hold against them! I would like to…”

“Calm down!” bellowed Volcanion. The outburst of the words, and the energy at which they came stopped Aegeas in his tracks. It was the most emotion Volcanion had ever expressed in the entire conversation, and it gave slight clues as to the immense power this Legend held within it. Volcanion quieted, and spoke again, though he sighed a breath of relief at first.

“You want to escape this desert, I’m sure?”

Aegeas nodded at once, though the rage in him still felt unreleased. He stifled the emotion as best he could, but found no ability to talk again.

“And I know that you also desire some water, correct?”

Another nod.

“Then I would like to give you this.”

Volcanion produced a small column of mist in front of it, and began to levitate a small object upwards with its great energy and power. He propelled it forward at a decent speed, and Aegeas caught it quickly as it was propelled towards him. Aegeas held the object out in front of him, scanning it carefully as Volcanion’s mist receded back to its owner. The object was comprised of smooth, spotless glass. As it turned out, it was a bottle. It had the distinct bottleneck shape, though it was not closed at the top and contained water within it. It was very simple, but Aegeas could see the complexity of the liquid, and this water seemed to shimmer a deeper blue at certain times. Aegeas looked over the bottle to see Volcanion’s reaction. The Legend, at the sight of Aegeas’s gaze, sighed and replied.

“It is a bottle of water infused with a particular substance. As it happens, the substance is Never Melt Ice. How do you think that I am capable of sitting in this pond of mine without all the water boiling and escaping into the desert above? The ice guarantees that the possibility of too much water evaporating is nonexistent, and it certainly is quite strong stuff. I suggest that you use this water. It is cold enough and strong enough to guarantee that you have the capacity of traversing this entire desert on your own. Take it, please. If you want to leave, then take this water, and I will assist you out of this place. Don’t worry - it’s perfectly fine.”

Aegeas looked curiously at the contents of the bottle, but then nodded. Volcanion grunted, and a large quantity of mist rose in the air. To Aegeas’s surprise, as he turned to watch the flow of mist, Volcanion appeared to be making an entire flight of stairs. The mist condensed, turning into a large conglomerate of water that became firm and rigid. The steps were long and rose high above, reaching the rim of the pit and to the outward lands beyond. The stairs appeared to be made of a liquid, but when Aegeas stepped upon it, it appeared as firm and as strong as ice. Aegeas looked once more at Volcanion, holding the water bottle close to him, and nodded his approval. Quickly, Aegeas bolted up the flight of steps, and disappeared into the desert above, leaving Volcanion all alone.

Volcanion chuckled, relaxed, and once more relished in its own private comfort…



Day A3, 5:46 P.M.

For quite some time had Aegeas been traversing the desert, and there was still no respite from the blinding light and the ferocious sand. Gusts of wind picked up masses of particles, and he, more than once, had to place his hands in front of his face to guarantee that he was not temporarily blinded by them. On the bright side, the intensity and ferocity of the desert had rapidly decreased from when he had first arrived. The wind howled less so than it had before, and the dunes were not as tall. Nighttime was rapidly coming, and he could already see the sun beginning to set in front of him. The temperatures were about to get far cooler, but the prospect relieved him more than irritated him. He always preferred colder environments to warmer ones – it was easier to warm up when cooler than it was to cool down when it was warm. He trudged forward, still unaccustomed to the nature of the sand and the way it impeded his progress. He had traveled the long day, focusing on the path of the sun, and was now a fair distance away from his destination. The air was focused against him, but he devoted his effort onwards.

Aegeas had not at all drunk from Volcanion’s gift. Though he was tired, weary, and thirsty, he was not entirely trustworthy of what this gift could contain. The water looked too pure – the way it shimmered looked too unnatural. It seemed far too good to be true. However, he knew the consequences of his current experiences. He felt it harder and harder to take steps forward, and he could hear his heartrate increasing evermore as he strived to escape the desert. Aegeas was panting more and more often, and he could feel the sweat running down his face. Each step seemed to be a greater effort, and the edge of the desert farther and farther from reach. These were all the consequences of dehydration, and he knew it. Aegeas had, more than once, traversed incredible distances without so much as a stop. But that was always when he had a water source nearby. Now, there was none, and he was paying the price for it. He could hear the voices in his head pleading for some water. “Water-types can’t survive in a desert!” they each cried, “He gave you some water! Try it!” He tried his best to repulse the voices, to guarantee that they did not influence him significantly. But he was growing thirstier, felt more tired, more weak, and, with each passing minute, it became more and more apparent that he was not to arrive at his destination, and that pained him the most.

Finally, he had summited a tall dune peak, and could take it no longer. He was too tired. He was slouching once again, breathing rapidly, and seemed to be at the point of hyperthermia. His exhaustion was beginning to be crippling, and he felt the urge to flop down on the sand and spend the entire night asleep. Aegeas knew he couldn’t survive the night in those kinds of conditions, and made a quick resolution to disobey the entirety of his present feelings. He was too weak, too thirsty, too unable to go any farther. Quickly, he tipped the bottle, and drank as much as he could of the water within. He downed almost the entire bottle in his first try, and finished it by the second. Aegeas held the bottle once more, and made his way down the massive dune, seeing another one ahead of him. This second one was smaller, and he hoped beyond hope that it would be the last of his troubles.

The water had tasted normal enough, he noted. It tasted just like the clear and bountiful water he had extracted from many a spring and lake. And it was absolutely wonderful. He felt more energized the moment it had touched his lips, and he could fear the energy beginning to grow within him. It had tasted splendidly – also the product of dehydration, he knew. Suddenly, those tall cliffs and sand dunes seemed less imposing. They seemed less powerful, and less forceful. He began to stand up straight, and even attempted a small charge down the side of the hill, though the impediment of the sand forced him to stop. He did not want to fall on his face and make a mockery of himself when he had the most energy and vigor within him. It felt wonderful, it felt excellent, and it felt like everything those voices in his head had imagined. “Perhaps Volcanion was right,” he thought, “Maybe this really will be my life-saver.” Now the threat of the heat and the sand was diminishing, and he felt more capable to traverse the entirety of the desert. In this manner he did feel as he traversed the first hill and began to ascend the second.

That’s when a voice started going off in his head, and Aegeas knew it wasn’t his own.

“I expected as much. I thought that no ordinary Pokémon could’ve bested me in such a fight, thought I did not entirely expect you to be one of the humans who has entered our world. Hmm…it’s incredible, really…your mind is a steel trap. The first time you went from the human world to the Pokémon world, now that ought’ve gone and buried your memories. But twice? And neither of those times it worked? Incredible…”

The voice was quiet, and it was remote, but it chilled Aegeas to the bone. He stopped, and felt goose bumps forming on his skin. He looked straight ahead of him, at the sandy peak above, and suddenly felt the complications of the water that Volcanion had administered to him. There he stood for quite some time. He had been duped, and he knew it. Someone had managed to trick him, and that someone was going to pay dearly for its indolence.

“Get…out…of…my…head, Volcanion,” growled Aegeas in his mind, his shock and surprise turning into wrath. Aegeas began traversing up the peak, but was as silent as he could be, waiting for a response.

“Yes…yes…what!? What!?” the Volcanion in his mind bellowed. Aegeas smiled briefly – Volcanion had been so distracted that it did not know of Aegeas’s awareness, nor his mental perception. Now that it knew, the tables were turned, and Aegeas felt himself ready to press questions.

“…No, no, you invited me!”

“I invited you,” said Aegeas, taken aback, “What do you mean?”

“Yes, you invited me! You drank the water, didn’t you?”

Aegeas nodded, frustrated. The pieces were clicking together, and he did not like the results. Obviously, he had been given a complete explanation beforehand of what was going on, and had not only neglected it, but allowed his mind to manipulate him to go against his common sense. He was silent, allowing Volcanion to continue further.

“That water had my very essence. When you drank it, as I expected you to do so, you invited me into your head. Of course, I’m still way back in my little spring, but a bit of me is also in your head!”

“And why are you doing this?” growled Aegeas, ascending the dune peak to find more beyond. He grumbled in frustration, but headed forth.

“Well, naturally, I wanted to see what the mindset of my friend and the first to defeat me is. How else do you think I had the capacity to craft that Cobalion and Virizion?”

“…So, you basically entered into the heads of those you defeated and looked at their memories? That’s how you were able to make such a complete picture of them? Wait a minute…that means…”

“Yes. I manipulated your memories from the time that you entered to the beginning of the battle. I looked for what I saw was one of your most intimidating opponents, and went for the chance to use that memory.”

“How disgusting! And what secrets of mine are you prying out with your grubby little hands?”

“Nothing save what I said before. Why don’t you explain to me why this is so?”

“Do I have any choice?”

“Not many, Aegeas Dewott. You know that I will find the answer whether or not you tell me.”

Aegeas sighed. He had not expected Volcanion to be so exploitative, nor so aggressive. The water had worked in its entirety, and he knew that Volcanion was not harboring any negative intents, but this was creepy and vile. Had Volcanion between attempting to seek out any form of pain, it would’ve gone at once to the terrible memories Aegeas hid within himself. However, this Legend seemed to be investigating, and it seemed to be based on a cause that, while it did stray out of reasonability, fitted this Legend’s introversive, yet intrusive, personality. Nonetheless, he wanted none of it – this mind-entering business was creepy, vile, and perplexing, and he wished to remove Volcanion. For a second, he wanted to cease to say anything, but he knew that Volcanion would hear his every thought, and would find the answer in due time. He conceded defeat.

“Since you’ve managed to place me in a bind, I suppose that I must answer your questions. I do not possess a photographic memory, but I have a habit that may as well be called that. When I am faced with an experience, I run it over in my head a thousand times, store every detail that I can, and try to make a complete picture of the memory. That’s the reason you find my memories so well-founded and complete. I remember when I traveled through space. I remembered the million different experiences in this world and the world before this one. I have seen so much, stored so much, and I’m horrified that you have had the chance to access this library of mine. Oh, and I suppose the many years of honing my thoughts in this world have also helped to resurrect my memories. That’s how, for instance, I remember the trip through space.”

“Good, good, it makes sense, all of it. I don’t know what this photography of yours….wait, found it. Ah, yes! What a device! Anyways, as I’m going beyond the point here, that all makes sense. You appear to have an incredible collection, unlike any other mind that I have seen before. Truly, this is wonderful. But tell me this…why have you banished a whole section of your memories?”

“I do not wish to talk about it.”

“But you did say that you were going to honor your promise and answer my questions?”

“Have you ever heard of something too painful to speak of, Volcanion?”

“Yes, I have seen a thousand things too painful to speak of. For instance, I have just learned why you did what you did.”

“You….”

“You decided that you were going to seal away as much of the memories that you had of the human world when you visited Dialga after your return journey because your experiences in this world were so painful you thought that you could never live a decent life in the human world again. Is this true?”

“You…forget this matter. Forget it at once.”

“Once remembered, never forgotten.”

“You…”

“Hmm, it appears you are trying to stop me by lambasting me with your most uncomfortable memories. This can be readily fixed. I merely need to step into the gateway of a memory, and I am at the place and time of this memory. For instance, I see here the memory of a friend you assumed was an enemy.”

“Why must you prove to be the most irritable bug I’m trying to squish!?”

“Because I am not a ‘bug’; I am a super-powerful Legend. Now tell me this….do you know Xatu?”

Aegeas stopped in his tracks. An insatiable fury awoke within him, and desired to be let out. Therefore, he decided to let Volcanion have it, and spoke, with an oratorical voice,

“Don’t you dare think that you can tell me about Xatu. I do not wish to ever hear his name nor see his visage ever again. He is a nightmare, the one thing I do not understand, and therefore hate. Do not ever speak to me about him, don’t tell me that I’m wrong – leave me be, for he is naught but a monster.”

“Or you suppose he is. How do you know this? Xatu appears to have been blessed with a gift – it knew, and probably still knows, all of your human memories, and all of the human memories of those it is associated with. How do you know it wasn’t trying to help you?”

“Well, if it was help, he sure did a heck of a bad job at it.”

“I can see here, repeatedly. He’d ask you questions, questions about your worries, your fears, and your emotions. He wanted to know all about you and how you felt. It seems like he was trying to help you.”

“I doubt it. If he understood human emotions, then he wouldn’t attempt to ask me questions when I was in unbearable grief! He would stand, every day, and list human flaws. It could be vanity, greed, hubris, obsession…he would always conclude it with, ‘However, this can happen,’ or ‘We can do this.’ He would always do this, and sometimes, he would visit me on the days that I’d had a horrible time and ask these pestilential questions at the worst times, when being helpful was out of the question. Didn’t he get it? Human emotions cannot be resolved by the mere asking and the mere poking at the problem – we are too secluded to ever expose ourselves like that. He should’ve known that if he had our memories. Besides, he was too knowing. He seemed to know everything about us, our past lives, our past memories. When something has such potential as that, wouldn’t they manipulate it for their personal benefit?”

“Excuse me, sir, but I’m in your head. I know most everything about you, your life, and your memories – at least, I could extract anything I want to. And am I doing any harm? No! I gave you the water, and it’s giving you life, isn’t it? I only wanted a little benefit for myself, that’s all, and I was curious. I just wanted to see what you were like…”

“You are harming me by bringing up these painful memories, you fool! First you ask me about my memories, then you ask me about my banishment of those memories, and now you choose to ask me about my rival? Your water has given me life, but it seems that you have chosen to kill me in the process. Xatu was too intrusive to be trustworthy – he wanted to know too much to be helpful. He inquired all the time, and if he was trying to help, he failed drastically at it. I cannot forgive him for the many days I wept and he inquired, this stranger that I knew nothing of. I despise him, and that’s all I think of when I think of him.”

“Well, what if it’s the case that he didn’t know how to talk about such emotions other than openly expressing them?”

“He should’ve known the right way! He should’ve….wait…what’s that?”

Aegeas had stopped once more. A figure…no, a group of figures, appeared to be flying above him. Their figures made long shadows along the ground as they passed, thanks in part to their flying against the setting sun. They were too high, and it was too dark, for him to identify who any of them were. He swore he could hear a loud voice at the middle of the gathering, but did not know neither the identity nor particular wording of that voice. Around the large central object were many smaller others, and they appeared to form a circle, like a sun and the planets. Ahead they traveled, though they vanished from his vision rather quickly, and it was then that he realized that he was almost at the end of the desert. The sand dunes grew smaller and smaller, before they finally ended at grassy patches, which extended to form a forest. Ahead these beings traveled, before they were engulfed by night, and he could see nothing more. He trudged ahead, though at a quicker pace, eager to finally escape the grasp of the desert.

“Well, it appears that it is here that I will leave your mind. Thank you, Aegeas, for this wonderful time. However, my jurisdiction goes as far as the desert, and therefore, I cannot go any further. I will support your Resistance allies, you who has seen the pain the New Order has wrought. However, before I go, and this might sound like a strange request, what with the arguing and all, would you mind singing a closing song? It’d be most appropriate, you know.”

Aegeas smiled. He was too happy. He was finally free of his daunting memories, and glad that Volcanion was almost about to leave. Being so close to the forest leading to the Shrine of Safety, he came up with a little ditty in his head, and, as he left the desert, sung it to the nighttime air, the entire world on his side once again.

“Welcome to Moonside,
Isn’t much like Fourside.
Bartender’s got’cha in a bind,
Evil little statue’s got half a mind,
To wipe you in the dust,
Hopefully you won’t be a frozen bust.
Gelegarde Montoli’s Everdred
Carpainter Aggerate and all to bed.
Welcome to good ol’ Moonside.
Ain’t much at all like Fourside!”

Somewhere in the Completely Safe Bunker, a golden portal appeared inside a steel cage, through which an indigo stag stepped. While his body showed no signs of harm, the colours of his antlers glowed weakly, and a weary expression could be seen on his face. Nevertheless, he maintained a good posture, and, despite his exhaustion, gave off an air of confidence. This annoyed the little purple horned Ghost to no end, but he hid it as well as his partner hid his pain.

"Shall we do the same tomorrow?" Hoopa asked, grinning.

"Seeing as nobody else can endure a baby's constant nagging, I suppose I must."

Xerneas would ordinarily not stoop so low by mocking another Pokémon, but he, better than anyone else, knew what was sometimes required to remain alive. Even if that meant angering a sadist.

Hoopa was indeed livid.

"If I'm such a baby, then maybe I should go throw my toys at someone, huh?! I'm thinking Latias - womon just love babies."

They had captured Latias? Xerneas was appalled, but he couldn't regain his composure fast enough.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that. Be seeing you, X."

Xerneas sighed and sorrow filled his mind. Latias was one of the few remaining Legendaries who still had faith in all Pokémon. Torturing her, of all people... The next time he saw Hoopa, he would use Gravity on him and smash him into the ground, no matter how much his cage hurt him for it.

"Taunt emphasising futility."

Ugh. Why Hoopa had decided to allow the Legendary Golems to experiment in his... whatever that place was, was obvious, as well as logical, but how he managed to tolerate them - that was beyond Xerneas. Regigas at least spoke like every other Pokémon did, but not his trio, oh no: they always had to say what they were saying, instead of just saying it. He must have been a fan of Impressionism.

"You can keep your two cents to yourself, Registeel. I could not be less interested."

"Remark on pretentious lack of colloquialisms," the Golem replied in a monotonous, metallic voice. It was busy modifying a Magnezone. How, Xerneas did not know.

"An agent of the New Order is the last mon to be speaking about pretentiousness."

"Contradictory comment."

"The Resistance does not ship Pokémon off to work in mines."

"Declaration of necessary sacrifices."

"Oh, so your experiments and the agony through which you put those subjects are also necessary?"

"Confirmation. Reference to Genesect."

"That was an unspeakable act. The fact that you are proud of it conveys how distorted your morality is."

"Indifferent response."

"Yes, you would be - you are but a machine, incapable of emotion."

"Indignant exclamation!"

"You act as if it is a lie."

"Irate confirmation! Demand for silence!"

"And if I refuse?"

"Threatening reminder of Fairy type disadvantage towards Steel types."

"All right, here is a response you will understand: Comparison with rusted metal and loose screws."

Registeel made a loud bleeping sound, which could be interpreted as cursing.

"Are you going to throw a wrench at me, or are you going to copy Hoopa and throw it someone else?"

"Interruption." Regice entered the room via an arch. "Notification of prohibition of unauthorised treatment of prisoners." It exited through another.

"What a cheerful fellow," Xerneas muttered.

"Proclamation of climaxing irritation. Announcement of proceeding disregard. Concluding jeer." Registeel returned to working on the Magnezone.

Xerneas had told Cassandra he would find a way to save himself, and while that was still his plan, he would be most grateful if the Resistance somehow managed to rescue him soon.

Registeel would drive him insane faster than Hoopa ever could.

Day A4 8:30 a.m

"Well if it makes you feel better, this was the coolest torture I've ever experienced."

Xatu chuckled,

"I wish we had mastered our demons but it seems that there are more pressing matters."

"Yeah, like escaping this hellhole."

"You'll learn my friend."

"You wish."

Xatu smirked,

"Part of me wishes you to stay simply because of your wit. But I'm afraid there is no time. Absol awaits!"

Absol nodded in agreement.

"Let us be off! As said, there is no time and I for one do not want to be here when he passes by. Xatu becomes quite indignant."

Xatu sighed in confirmation,

"Suffice it to say, he does not agree with my methods."

With that, Xatu turned, facing the rising sun, and Ren leaped off the cliff, towards the Shrine.



Ren liked having demons.

The Blaziken smiled as he slowly slipped down the mountain on a stream of molten rock. Likewise, Absol galloped opposed to him on a trail of ice.

"The others will NOT be happy to see you."Absol shouted, Ren grimaced at this.

"I expected as much. I don't need their approval though, I only need to find a way out."

Absol growled at this,

"Well at least present yourself with a modicum of respect. These are legendries! They are not to be trifled with!"

Ren's gaze darkened,

"But I can find myself caring! Who gives a damn about respect! Please let us not have this conversation now of all times, I was in a great mood until now."

Absol glared for a second, then sighed in resignation.

"Fine. But you must know that Landorous will be there as will all the humans. Cresselia has hinted at new arrivals but I still do not know what to expect. It is imperative that you maintain your composure. Remember, many of the people there have yet to meet you."

Ren thought for a second, remembering a phrase his dad had told him, "Despite what the song says, sometimes the clothes do make the man."

How he had caught this out of the mess that was his past, Ren had no clue,

"Fine, I suppose it would be rude to act without respect. But tell me this, are you allowed to talk of at least some new arrivals?"

Absol grinned, then proceeded to list the names of the new comers.

"Of course there's the legendries you know, Moltres, Lugia, Cresselia, and co. Then there's Twinikiel, a Flaffy of the utmost...wit to say the least."

"I hate him already, no one is wittier than I." Ren replied, yet a slight grin lit his face.

"Then there's Riley and Flurry. I have limited information on both of them but I know that Flurry happens to be female. Might be that time eh?"

"You sneaky cur, I'm not here for that."

"Of course you're not you conceited rebel. Now, Twinikiel has bought the daughter of chief of the Knife's Edge clan, a Servine ]of royalty who is to be treated with respect. We cannot afford to make an enemy of the forest clans. Also in Twinikiel's following, there's a Salamence of who's name I have forgotten, I doubt he is an important factor in this meeting but for gods sake do not sneer."

Ren flipped off his stream of lava and landed against the side of the next mountain, instantaneously melting the rock to create handholds. Absol did likewise.

"Finally, we have the other legendries, Latios, Latias, Articuno, Raikou, Xearneas, Celebi, and maybe the legendary elves."

"And what am I to expect from them?"

Absol grimaced,

"Unfortunately I haven't the slightest."

Ren sighed. This was turning out to be quite the meeting then.

"I guess I can do naught but prepare then?"

"You'd better."

Ren grimaced, then pushed on. There was still time.

Jewels had never been to a desert before, and with good reason. The sand was always getting into her eyes, and when she could see, the glare troubled her and she had to squint anyway. The heat was also a problem - the movies realy weren't exaggerating.

"We're almost there," Landorus commented upon seeing Jewels droop.

"At least the sun's going down."
"The desert isn't any friendlier by night as it is by day, especially with the predators being nocturnal."

"Either way, the sooner we leave, the happier I'll be."

"I'm afraid that won't be for another day or two."

"What?" Jewels asked dejectedly. "I thought you said we just had to get to Sandveil Town, get the Plate, and then leave."


"You make it sound simpler than it is. First, we need to get into the Ground Zero Temple, which is a popular tourist attraction, by the way. In fact, the town was built around it. Fortunately, it's dusk now, so the temple will be empty. However, the town openly supports the Resistance, so espionage runs rampant in the town's streets. Spies will undoubtedly be on the lookout, which means I'll have to meet the town's governor, a close friend, first and ask him to sneak us in.

"After that, we'll have to present my statue with a gift of the land. The Mystery Dungeon won't be a problem, since I used to live there, and my loyal guards still remain at their posts. I also know where most of the quicksand pools are located, but I've never been to its heart, so we will have to be cautious nevertheless. Our greatest challenge will undoubtedly be the Guardian."

"Will we be able to leave after defeating him?"

"Discreetly, but yes."

"Good."

They reached the town within the hour, but the term "town" was deceptive - "small city" would have been more appropriate, since it even had a wall. Landorus led them around its north side and they entered the city through a postern gate.

"You said espionage runs rampant through the streets," Jewels whispered as they snuck through the darkening alleys. "Does "assassination" fall under your definition of it?"

"Most certainly," he whispered back gravely, "so beware of the shadows."

Jewels eyed the supposedly empty alleys suspiciously. "It reminds me of the Bronx." When Raikou didn't say something witty, she asked him what the matter was.

"There's too much sand and dirt and earth for me to be comfortable," he whispered. "I feel vulnerable."

"Has it always been so dangerous?" Jewels asked, jumping at the slightest of movements.

"It's been this way ever since the conflict began," Landorus told Jewels sadly. "The Sazandora Desert used to be a lush plain teeming with life, with only the northern reaches being desert. After the Legendaries started turning against each other, it started dying. What you saw on our way here is its corpse.

"And it's not just this desert. The Land of the Dead used to be a mysterious, majestic forest, but it too slowly died. Now, it is a festering pit where only evil remains. Those of us who care for the land can feel the hatred that had seeped into the very soil. Similarly, I can feel the desert's burning disappointment in the day's heat and I can hear its sorrowful cries in the evening wind. It breaks my heart to see the land suffer, as everyone suffers with it."

Jewels listened to the wind, and though it might only have been her imagination, she thought she could hear what Landorus meant.



They snuck through the streets for a while longer, darting in and out of the shadows, until they finally reached what was clearly the governor's mansion.

"How do we enter?" Jewels asked.

"I was the overseer of this building's construction," Landorus stated, "so I know all of its secrets..."

He whispered something to the westernmost wall, where they were taking cover, causing parts of it to melt away, like sand running through your fingers. Both Jewels and Raikou were awed.

"The magic of the olden days," the latter breathed in wonder.

"Indeed," Landorus confirmed, waiting for them to pass before sealing the entrance.

It was pitchblack, but Raikou easily remedied that by glowing; at least that was one perk of having an Electric type with you in a city of Ground types. That knowledge seemed to cheer Raikou up as well, for he was a little less gloomy.

They soon stopped outside a marvellous oaken door, which Jewels assumed was the governor's bedroom. Her assumption proved correct, for when Landorus knocked softly, a Sandslash opened the door and hastily ushered them inside.

"Landy, my friend!" he whispered after closing the door behind him. "I was worried you'd never show up." He embraced Landorus' leg, seeing as the size difference was substantial. Landorus patted his head in return.

"It's good to see you, Saz. I'm glad to see you've kept the town from falling apart."

"Scaling the Great Crevice was nowhere near as difficult as governing this place," the Sandslash commented. "Actually, this trumps everything I accomplished in my adventuring days. Well, maybe not everything..." he gazed off into space, remembering times long past.

"I hate to disturb your reverie," Raikou whispered, "but we need to finish our business here as quickly as possible."

"Ah, yes." He strode to his dining table and collected a cornucopia so large, he disappeared behind it. "Who of you will be carrying this?"

"Since you two both have paws," Jewels responded, looking first at Landorus and then at Raikou, "I think I should."

The Sandslash gratefully handed it to her. "Thank you, miss. Pray tell, what's your name?"

"Jewels."

"Sazandora Jones. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He extended his paw.

Shaking it, Jewels asked, puzzled, "You were named after the desert?"

"You could say so," he replied, a glint in his eye.

"Do you by any chance have a whip and a hat?" she asked, remembering a movie she had once watched.

"Why would I have those?"

"Nevermind..."

Sazandora - or Saz, as Landorus had called him - shrugged. "We should get moving. I assume you want to get back to the Shrine ASAP, so the sooner you get that Plate, the better for all of us. Follow me."

They did so, but after a few minutes, Jewels realised something. "Isn't it convenient that there are so few guards around?" she asked Raikou. "Especially since it's in a governor's residence."

"Of course it's convenient," he replied, "Landorus and Sazandora are friends, so he informed him via letter beforehand. Sazandora arranged all of this."

"Oh, right." Jewels felt foolish for not realising that sooner.

They were soon outside of the mansion - Landorus had opened a hidden passage on the east wing that time - and moving through the streets again, but it was considerably darker. Jewels followed with caution, but her attention was on Raikou for the most part. He moved with the most silence between all of them, and watching him made her proud, but in a childish sort of way: proud that he was her Guardian, and not somebody else's.

The Ground Zero Temple was massive, as Jewels verbalised, and it was a pity they had to sneak in. Landorus concurred.

"It truly is a magnificent place, but don't worry, you'll be able to see some of the inside."

Magnificent it was indeed, as she saw once they had entered through a backdoor. The floor was made of beautiful brown marble, and the walls of a fancy stone the name of which Jewels did not know. In fact, the whole place made her feel unworthy of her name.

"Nice place you've got here," Raikou said in an awed whisper.

"At least the New Order hasn't spoiled everything in this town," the Sandslash commented. "But I'm afraid you'll have to come back and be tourists after we've beaten the NO Legendaries. Jewels, if you would just put that cornucopia in Landorus' statue's-"

"Hello? What's this?"

Everyone turned to Raikou, who was gazing with tilted head at blue shard. Of what, no-one knew. Sazandora picked it up and brought it over, but it started glowing, prompting him to drop it. Fortunately, the shard levitated. Unfortunately, it spoke, and the voice echoed through the silent halls.

"This temple is said to provide stability to the continent, preventing devastating earthquakes and other deadly catastrophes. Landorus made his home here until his brothers drove him away. Without him, the temple's inner guards have gone insane. The mystery dungeon is located beneath Landorus' statue. To move it, a gift of the land must be presented to the statue's outstretched hand. Once through the mystery dungeon, you must navigate a maze of hallways, some of them with pools of quicksand the way. Defeat the Guardian to obtain the Earth Plate. May the light be with you."

The shard dropped, but the nimble Saz caught it before it touched the marble. Propping it into a satchel he had brought along, he exhorted, "While that was informative, sombody is bound to have heard that. We must enter the Mystery Dungeon before whoever has, arrives. Jewels?"

She placed the cornucopia in the statue's outstretched hand - the statue of Landorus was in his genie forme - and stepped back as it began to slide away. Remarkably, it made no noise. Upon closer inspection, she saw that was because it levitated just above the ground.

"It seems my adventuring days aren't over just yet," Saz remarked cheerfully.

The abyss awaited them.

Passing through a thick layer of clouds, the group flew on. The sun was starting to disappear, casting darkness inside their cover. Zulu kept glancing around him, making sure everyone else was still keeping up. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt very concerned with keeping everyone together. It was something tugging at the back of his mind.

“Hey, Cresselia?” Zulu called out to her.

“Yes Zulu?” She answered, keeping her gaze fixed ahead.

“How come Twinkiel has such a perfect memory? He just told an entire story from his… I mean our world without even stopping, and here I am with only memory of some manic, Pink cat.” Zulu said, referring to the Cheshire Cat.

“Manic, Pink Cat? Are you certain you’re not thinking of Mew?” Cresselia asked.
“Though she’s not really crazy. She’s just easily excited. Now, back to your memory dilemma. Have you even tried to recall anything?” Cresselia asked.

“Of course. I’ve tried remembering my name, my age, my…”
Zulu stopped. He really hadn’t been trying that hard, though he had remembered his age.

“You won’t be able to recall anything unless you truly take some time to think. This Pink Cat of yours sounds like an… interesting place to start. Memories work like a chain. You simply need to find one link in your chain of memories, and follow the cahin to others. I’m certain that you will learn something about yourself.” Cresselia said, smiling.

“Ok, I’ll try it.” Zulu said determinedly. He closed his eyes, his mind shifting to the Cat.

“The Cheshire Cat. He was a character in a… play? No, a book. But how can I picture it so well if it was just in a book? Wait, not just a book, a movie too. Movies… Hollywood… film industry… J. Gates!

Zulu suddenly felt a great rage build up inside him, energy boiling in his chest. He tried to keep it down, but the energy was just too much. He quickly aimed his head up, opening his mouth and releasing Dragon Pulse into the sky. Zulu tried closing his mouth, but the energy was too strong.

“Zulu? What are you doing!” Cresselia asked in shock, craning her head around.

“Watch it!” Spadassya shouted as Cresselia almost collided with Fleedjio.

Zulu continued shooting the pulse into the air, trying to keep it under control. But no matter how hard he tried, that name came ack to him, and his rage spiraled out of control again.

“He’s a firin his lazor!” Twinkiel shouted in a weird voice.

“Not helping!” Spadassya shouted back at him.

“Zulu, you must stop! Come to your senses!”


“Can’t my parents come with me? It’s my birthday this Saturday. I’ll be fourteen.”

“Look kid, I can’t spare that kind of cash to ship two more people up to Canada. Now you’re heading up there for filming, and that’s that. Besides, why celebrate with two people you see every day when you can celebrate with some real movie stars, eh?”

“Because they’re my parents. I don’t even want to be in this stupid movie…”

“Grr…. alright, alright. I’ll see what I can work out. But you’re definitely going to Canada for the filming.”

“Thank you Mr. Gates!”

“Hey, I told ya. Call me uncle Jack.”

“But you’re not family….”

“Don’t worry about it. With as much time as we’ll be seeing other, I practically am.”

Zulu finally managed to clamp down on his power, shutting off the Dragon Pulse.

“Zulu? What happened?” Cresselia questioned, looking at him in concern. Fleedjio managed to right himself, everyone but Twinkiel looking disheveled from the almost very bad accident.

“I don’t know. I was thinking… and then…”
Zulu slumped forward, tired but not unconscious.
“I remembered something. Someone I really hate…”

Fleedjio flew closer to Cresselia, trying to listen in.

“He kept up that Dragon Pulse for 40 seconds.” Fleedjio said, dumbfounded.

“See, he’s got potential.” Twinkiel said.
“And no rounding down you cheater. He lasted 44.”

Zulu clutched Cresselia’s feathers tightly, trying to keep any more memories from coming back.

“Careful Zulu. Giratina and Darkrai prey on hatred such as that. Though Darkrai may no longer have a physical body, his soul can still wreak destruction on hearts of light.” Cresselia warned.

“I know, I’m sorry. I don’t think I want to remember any more about my past if someone did something to make me that angry.” Zulu said. Then what Cresselia said registered with him.

“Can all legendries do that?” he asked.
“Survive without a body?”

“As Legendries, our souls are always needed to help maintain balance of this world. When we die, we lose all physical connections to this world, including our memories. When we finally regenerate, we forget everything about our time before. All we do remember is the purpose for which we were created.”

“Have you ever… you know… died?” Zulu asked.

“I’m told it happened to me once, nearly two thousand years ago.” Cresselia said.
“Someday Palkia will regenerate, but he won’t be the same one I knew. That Palkia is gone for good…”

Zulu hugged her neck, seeing she was getting sad again.

“At least you still have me.” Zulu said.

“Yes, that is true. All of you are truly amazing friends.” Cresselia said, speaking loud enough for Fleedjio and his passengers to hear.

“I am neither your friend nor your ally. Not yet.” The Chief of the Venom Knife said, having spoken for the first time during the trip.

“Of course most noble chief.” Cresselia bowed, looking back ahead.

“Friendzoned. Ouch. Only one option now.”

“Can’t you just go away?”

“I’m just a figment of your imagination. If you want me to go, do it yourself.”

“Fine. Go away.”

“…”

“Wow. That actually worked.” Zulu muttered to himself.

“We’re nearly to the Shrine of Safety. Diance does her best to keep the perimeter safe, so we shouldn’t encounter any trouble for the rest of our journey.”

Suddenly, a massive gemstone zoomed by, almost hitting Moltres.

“Unless of course Diance decides to act all trigger happy.” Lugia said. A gemstone almost hit him as well shortly afterward.

“Diance, do not attack. It is us.” Cresselia called out with her telepathy, this time everyone getting it in their head.

“Cressy? Is that you darling? Oh, I’ve been worried sick. We haven’t heard from you for days.” A British sounding voice responded, also telepathically.

“British? Well, that’s another link in my memory chain.” Zulu thought.

“Who said that? Who is this British?” Diance asked, having heard Zulu’s thought.

“I’m hearing the voices!” Twinkiel shouted, clutching his head.

“Will you stop acting like a child for the next five minutes?” Spadassya asked Twinkiel.

“Alright fine.” Twinkiel responded.
“But you better be ready when those five minutes are up.”

“No one is British, whoever that is. It’s just me, Moltres, Celebi, Cresselia a Salamence with some non-human passengers, two humans, and a prisoner.” Lugia thought, glancing down to his talons/feet to make sure Tornadus was still unconscious and secure.

“Well then, head to the shrine darlings. I’ve put out a wonderful spread. That is if that glutton Zekrom hasn’t eaten everything.” Diance said, cutting off the connection.

“Food?” Zulu asked, perking up.

Cresselia laughed lightly.
“Yes Zulu. You’re in for a wonderful treat. Diance’s feasts are…”

“Legendary!” Lugia finished, smirking.

“Ooooh!” Twinkiel laughed, pointing at Lugia in recognition.

“Yes, well, let’s descend.” Cresselia finally said, shaking her head.

“Can I fly on my own from here?” Zulu asked. He wanted to stretch his wings after sitting for so long.

“Yes, you may. Try not to fall behind though.”

“Don’t worry, I can keep up.” Zulu said confidently, taking flight.

“All pilots dive!” Twinkiel shouted. Fleedjio began his downward descent, followed by everyone else. Zulu pumped his wings, trying to keep up. Soon, they exited out from the cloud layer. The land spread out before them took all their breath away.

“It’s beautiful…” Ariala gasped.

“How could a place as beautiful as this exist, yet have remained hidden?” Spadassya said, equally stunned. The chief’s eyes even widened slightly at the visage.

“Wow…” Zulu muttered, unable to think of anything more to say.

Stretched out below them was a massive peninsula of land, with a glistening ocean lapping at its shores. Any land access was blocked by a barrier of fairly large mountains, hiding the beauty of the land from the common passersby. The peninsula itself was half forest, half plain, with a small lake near the middle.

“Hello again darlings.”

As Zulu flapped, he turned to the sound of the voice. A Pokémon covered in pink crystals floated alongside the group as they descended.

“The Shrine is in that lovely little clump of trees. No, not that one. That one. No, the one with the slightly greener trees. Oh for Arcues’s sake, just follow me.” Diance rapidly said, floating ahead and leading the group.

“Hey Zulu! How’s about we have us a good old Dragon race?” Twinkiel called out.
“You versus Fleedjio.”

“What? That’s not fair?” Fleedjio objected.

“Oh, don’t give me the whole “I’m loaded down” excuse. You’ve been keeping up with psychic powered Legendries this entire ti…”

“No, I meant it wouldn’t be fair to him.” Fleedjio smirked, glancing back at Zulu.

“You’re on, Salami.” Zulu retorted.

“I’m a Salamence… wait. Why am I acknowledging that? That was a terrible insult.” Fleedjio said, earning a chuckle from Twinkiel

“If you are going to engage in such a juvenile display, then may I please be moved to a different courier.” The Venom Knife chief asked.

“Sure. That is if you don’t mind being carried by a legendary.” Twinkiel smirked.

“At this point, I hold you all in equal contempt.” He responded.

Fleedjio stopeed his descent, Zulu stopping alongside him.

“Hey! Cresselia!” Zulu shouted towards her fleeing form. She stopped in midflight, looking back up at them.
“Would you mind carrying the chief the rest of the way? I’m going to race Fleedjio!”

Cresselia floated back toward the two while the rest of the team descended, nearing the forest of the peninsula.

“Yes, I will carry him to the shrine. Don’t race too recklessly.” Cresselia warned as she floated near Fleedjio, levitating the chief off his back and onto hers.

“I did not give you permission to use your sorcery!” He objected.

“I am sorry noble chief, but do not deny that I had efficiency in mind.” Cresselia stated, her eye twitching slightly. The chief said no more, securing himself on Cresselia.

“I will see you all at the shrine.” Cresselia said before diving downward. Zulu watched her go, her form shrinking.

“Alright, I want a clean game. Or a bloody one. I’m not too picky.” Twinkiel laughed, grabbing onto Fleedjio’s neck.
“I feel like a dragon rider!”

“Wait, what about us?” Ariala asked nervously.

“You should’ve gotten off when you had the chance.” Was all Twinkiel replied.

“Oh Gods.” Spadassya gasped, grabbing onto Twinkiel for safety. Ariala did the same, the both of them looking very sick all of a sudden.

“On your marks!” Twinkiel began. He then glanced around.
“Huh. Guess that phrase doesn’t really work up here. Get set!”

Zulu and Fleedjio flapped their wings, holding themselves at an equal altitude. The two glanced at each other, determination in their eyes.

“GOOOOOOOOO!” Twinkiel hollered.

The two dragons immediately dove downward. Fleedjio had been a little slower off the start than Zulu, giving the Noibat several feet of advantage. Zulu cringed though as he heard a shrill scream echo off Fleedjio’s back. Whether it was Ariala or Spadassya was unclear. Zulu’s wings could beat faster than Fleedjio’s, but the Salamence’s wings were larger. The head start Zulu had gotten was already being closed by him.

“Come on! Flap faster!”

“I thought I imagined you away?”

“Yeah, but you clearly need some motivational banter. Just think of how Cresselia will feel if you, not even a full grown dragon, beat this guy.”

Zulu flapped faster, trying to get even just a little more distance between him and Fleedjio. But as he flapped, he felt elemental wind energy building up in his wings, almost like Air Cutter.

“But I’m not trying to attack! I’m trying to win!”

But instead of his wings flinging the attack he’d been expecting, the energy instead began to spread out through him. He suddenly felt… faster.

“What just happened?”

“Who cares! Flap!”

Zulu, listening to his imaginary friend, flapped. He wasn’t, however, prepared for the massive burst of speed he’d gotten.

“Hey!” Fleedjio shouted, but Zulu had already sped past him, the sound of the wind in his ears too loud for anything else to get through.

“This is amazing!” Zulu shouted with joy, getting closer to the ground. He saw a small clearing in the forest, right in the middle of a patch of slightly greener trees.

“Wow. Guess Diance was right.” Zulu thought to himself. He risked a glance behind him to see just how far ahead he was. Fleedjio was now about 20 yards behind him and still falling. Whatever this move was, Zulu loved it. But as he turned back around, he realized something. He was going too fast.

“Stop!” Zulu thought, hoping the power would cut out.
“Cease! No more! Speed off!”
But no matter what Zulu tried, the speed wasn’t shutting off. His only option was to try and break with his wings. Pushing them out in front of him, Zulu started to slow down for a second, but the wind resistance was too much for him to handle. Zulu’s wings crumpled from the sudden resistance, and he went tumbling through the air towards the forest. Knowing he only had a few seconds before impact, Zulu did the first thing that came to mind.

Zulu used Air Cutter

The speed energy he’d been using drained into the attack, the wind blades flying form his wings in all directions. His speed now more manageable, Zulu once again flared out his wings, catching himself in the air.

“I did i…”

Zulu was cut off as he flew through the canopy of one of the trees, branches whacking him as he fell. After hitting almost 20 branches, Zulu finally came out the bottom of the trees canopy, catching himself so he wouldn’t fall anymore.

“Oh my gosh… oh my gosh…” Zulu gasped, his heart beating in terror.
“Never again. Whatever that was, never again.”

Zulu glanced around. He hadn’t gotten to the clearing, so no one had been around to see his embarrassing and almost deadly accident. Zulu settled down on the forest floor, letting his heart settle. That entire experience had felt like one of those dreams where you fell and then suddenly snapped awake, except this time he hadn’t been asleep. Zulu’s ears twitched as he heard someone call his name.

“Zulu!” It called again. It was Ariala. They were looking for him.

“Wait. Did I… win?”
Zulu took flight, flying up through the trees. He popped back above the canopy, seeing Fleedjio with the others.

“Ha! I beat you!” Zulu shouted with joy, looping in the air.

“Zulu! You’re alive!” Ariala shouted.

“I know. I’m still finding it hard to believe.” Zulu said, flapping over.

“That doesn’t count you know. We aren’t allowed to use speed boost moves, right?” Fleedjio asked, craning his head around to look at Twinkiel.

“Sorry Fleed, but even in the ancient art of Mario Kart racing, victories are determined by who gets the best item. And Zulu here just Golden Mushroomed your sorry dragon tail.” Twinkiel laughed.

“What move was that anyway?” Zulu asked.
“I’ve never used it before. I didn’t even know I could use it.”

Twinkiel cocked his head to the side, as if listening to someone.
“That nice little move was Tailwind. Not only does it give you a pretty decent speed boost, but you can share it with others as well.” He explained.

“Wow. That could come in handy, though I don’t think I’ll be using it until I learn how to control my speed better.” Zulu laughed sheepishly.

“Please… can we land? I need to feel the earth under my feet.” Spadassya pleaded, looking greener than usual.

“Got it. Fleedjio, commence landing sequence.” Twinkiel commanded. Fleedjio flapped towards the clearing the group had originally been heading towards, Zulu following him.

“I can’t wait until Cresselia hears about this!”

~~~~~

Zulu didn’t know what he’d expected when he’d been told this was the Resistance’s headquarters, but he certainly hadn’t been expecting… this. The Shrine of Safety itself was awe inspiring. It was a massive marble statue, a metal vault set in the base for accepting offerings. The statue itself was of Arceus, the ring around his midsection made of solid gold. But the statue aside, everything else seemed very un-rebelish. A simple wooden table with maps laid out on it was the only thing that even remotely looked strategic. Several other Legendries Zulu had never seen before were scattered about the clearing Twinkiel pointed out each of the other Legendries, saying their name and giving a brief opinion on each of them. Meloetta, Jirachi, the Lake Trio Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, and a large black dragon named Zekrom. But those were the only other Legendries Zulu hadn’t met yet that were there. Zulu thought there would have been a military camp set up here, with powerful warriors bustling about.

“Twinkiel, Zulu, and everyone else, welcome to the Shrine of Safety.” Cresselia greeted. All the Legendries turned at the sound of Cresselia’s greeting.

“At last, Palkia’s chosen have arrived.” Zekrom said, bowing, though Zulu swore he did it mockingly. All the other Legendries however followed suit, bowing to Zulu and Twinkiel.

“But, I thought there were more of us. Where are those other humans that were with that other Legendary?” Zulu asked.

Zekrom rose from his bow.
“Normally, Latios and Latias serve as relays, helping to transfer our psychic messages across long distances. But we’ve lost all contact with them. We have no way of safely communicating with Shaymin or any of the other Legendries still out there. Articuno and Raikou haven’t reported in either yet… so, you are our best hope for finding the plates.”

“Wait, if you’re here, then is Reshiram working with the New order?” Twinkiel asked Zekrom.

The black dragon rose, a grave look on his face.

“No one knows where she is. I’ve tried so hard to find her… but nothing. Not even a trace. She vanished several weeks before the legendries split, our Resistance group coming here. And I’ll tell you who I think it was. D…”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” A powerful voice said.

All the gathered Legendries turned at the voice.

“Oh. My. God.” Twinkiel gasped.

A pale pink Pokémon floated downward, a grey cloak wrapped around him, but the hood was currently pulled back, revealing a catlike face.

“What is with all the cloaked people here?” Zulu thought to himself. He shrank though when the Pokémon glared at him.

“Mewtwo, you’re back. Please tell me you brought some good news.” Lugia said.

“I’m afraid I haven’t much. Moving about Radiance undetected is nearly impossible, and I couldn’t gather much. I only know that Cobalion is beginning to grow impatient with Frostpoint’s neutrality. Send word to Cassandra as soon as possible that she may already have spies there.” Mewtwo said.

“Errmergerd…” Twinkiel kept muttering to himself, shifting from foot to foot.

Mewtwo turned back to Zekrom.
“Now, I would advise that you speak no more ill of him.” Mewtwo said.

“Who?” Zulu thought. Who were they talking about?

“Oh, of course. Why should I not speak badly of a mass murderer and the biggest mistake we made?” Zekrom asked rhetorically, glaring at Mewtwo.

“We fixed our mistake. His body was destroyed and his memories erased. He no longer has any remembrance of his past life.” Mewtwo said. He glanced at Twinkiel and Zulu at the mention of “past life”.

“Who are you talking about?” Zulu asked before he could stop himself.

“Just one of our more rambunctious members.” Metwo began.
“He acted in good heart, but his actions were no less heinous. He wanted to save the lives of all the good hearted mortals he could, but after his artifact was… repossessed, he sought alternate ways to boost his strength. It was a dark and confusing time after the war with Giratina. No doubt it changed him for the worse. Several of us were sent to… put him down.”

“Wait, what Pokémon was this guy?” Twinkiel asked.

“He wasn’t a Pokémon. He could use psychic power, but that was it. He was just some freak of nature that came out of nowhere.” Zekrom said, earning another glare from Mewtwo.

“The circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. It’s what they do with their life that matters.” Mewtwo said, causing Zekrom to close his mouth.
“Now Cresselia, I believe you had something to say.”

Cresselia nodded, floating near the shrine.
“We have learned that the New Order means to take hold of Arceus’s plates.”

The Legendries looked to each other worriedly.

“But, they don’t even know where they are, right?” Meloeta asked.

“That’s what we thought, but after the first one, the New Order beat us to the other two locations. We have in our possession the Plate of Torrents…”
Cresselia levitated the water plate in front of her.

“And the Plate of Verdance.” She continued, looking towards Twinkiel. He pulled it out of his fur, holding it into the air.

“Did the New Order manage to secure any?” Mewtwo asked.

“No.” Cresselia bluntly answered. Zulu could sense uneasiness form her, Lugia, and Celebi. He saw where this was going.

“Then what happened to the third plate? You did go to three locations, didn’t you?” Zekrom asked.

“Yes, but… one of them was…”
Cresselia looked to Lugia, hoping for some support.

“The one who found it went off on his own to find clues to the others while we returned here to discuss battle strategy.” Lugia cut in. Mewtwo looked suspiciously at the two, but didn’t question any further.

“Wait, who are we talking about? Is it that traitor Frost? Was he really a double agent?” Fleedjio asked. All of the group members that had been present for his betrayal looked at Fleedjio in alarm.

“Traitor?” Zekrom asked, crossing his arms. No one answered.
“Someone had better give me an explanation. Is this “traitor” really a double agent, or will you simply lie to my face? I may not be Reshiram, but I still know when I’m being lied to.”

“We were… betrayed. By an ally.” Moltres said.

“Oh were you? And tell me Moltres, did that ally happen to be… a human?”

She didn’t answer, looking to the others for guidance. But there was no getting out of this one short of straight out lying.

“Yes…” Celebi finally answered.

“And now we’re going to put our trust in more humans? Even after one betrayed us? I find that very deplorable.” Zekrom continued.

“It’s not your call. We’re not confirming anything until everyone is present here.” Lugia said, crossing his arms.

“Of course. I was merely speaking my mind. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I could use some time alone.”

Zekrom strode off, the ground vibrating slightly under his steps.
Mewtwo floated down towards Twinkiel and Zulu, causing Twinkiel to squeal slightly with glee.

“Forgive Zekrom. He was there when several legendries and I went to destroy the Guardian of Life, as he’s better known. What he saw in that cave still haunts him. It still haunts all of us that went there, but we each have our own way of dealing with it.”

Mewtwo pulled the hood of his cloak up, floating away.
“Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll do my best to alert the rest of the legendries still out there of this meeting, though it could be a while.”

He then stopped, turning around.
“And welcome to the Resistance. It’s an honor to have you all here.”

After yet another hour of marching through the marsh - Gabriel was slowly becoming irritated with the place, since he couldn't explore, and its inhabitants were hostile - they finally reached the Ancient Alchemist's Academy.

It had clearly been an impressive sight in the days when it was still a place of learning, but since then, it seemed to have grown tired and its many towers had begun sagging and leaning, as if wanting to fall asleep. The ground floor, however, had long ago disappeared, and the rest of the academy was also slowly sinking into the soft ground.

If the Marsh of Light was like any living being and had a dual nature, then they were at the heart of its darkness. If it also had inner demons, then Gabriel shivered to think what exactly those might be...

The trio cautiously approached it, inspecting the ruins for a way to get in. Finally, Riley suggested that they stop looking for doors and just smash the main, two story window. It was typical of him, but Gabriel couldn't think of a better solution. Fortunately, Flurry prevented the vandalism by finding another, much smaller window - one that was already shattered. They fit through easily, as even a Pokémon twice their size could pass through confortably.

"That smells awful," Flurry complained. Gabriel had gone first, then Riley, and then finally her, so Riley could catch her when she dropped through the window.

"Who knows how long it has been since Algol was the headmaster of this place?" Gabriel said simply. "Many of the berries here are bound to have fermented by now."

"You'd think they would at least hide the stuff better," Riley added.

"Either way, we still have to find the entrance to the Mystery Dungeon."

"It was under a statue of Xerneas last time," Flurry recalled, "so maybe this one's will be under that statue of Madam Gifter?"

The three of them turned to the large statue of a Roserade that dominated the far wall. Judging her reasoning as sound, Gabriel went over, the other two following, but there was only an inscription that read: Madam Gifter, Founder of the Alchemist's Academy and Creator of the Gifter Award for Exceptional Achievement.

No instructions.

"Now what?" Riley asked despondently. "Does that mean we came all the way here for nothing?"

"It must be this place," Gabriel responded resolutely. "Let's start by finding the shard. The Enchanted Grove had one, so this place will have one as well."

They scattered, Flurry searching the floor, Riley the cabinets, and Gabriel the workbenches. Evidently, Madam Gifter had believed in efficiency in everything, for little of the hall was not put to use.

"Can you feel it?" Gabriel asked Riley when they were searching within a few feet of each other. He had realised that while it was impossible to be cheerful again, it was no excuse to be rude.

"Feel what?" Riley was clearly not willing to let it slide that easily.

"The Academy's aura. Traces of its vibrancy remain, but for the most part, it has been tainted by the reagents which are stored here."

"Guess that's why the Toxic Plate is here."

Gabriel sighed. While the academy's corrupted aura had made him aware of his petulance, he only benefitted from it because he realised to where the path on which he had been, led. Riley, on the other hand, could not read auras yet, so he was oblivious of it and allowed the building's twisted nature to amplify his resentment. Gabriel should never have...

A shift in the aura around him interrupted his thoughts. It was not filled with malice or umbrage, but with resolve and hope.

"We are not alone."

"Listen, Gabriel," Riley said, halting his search of the cabinet, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not in the mood for your philosophical-" He broke off upon seeing Gabriel's outstretched hand, his finger pointing at a shadowy corner to his left.

"We are not alone."

The two Riolu, as well as Flurry, who had ceased her search and walked over, thinking she would have to break up another fight, looked to where Gabriel was pointing. Sure enough, a figure emerged from the shadows.

Gabriel would describe him as a cream unicorn colt. He had a large red mane and light blue fur around his neck, but his most distinguishing - or rather, significant - feature was his tail, for it greatly resembled the feather d'Artagnan, of The Three Musketeers, wore in his cap. Naturally, the unicorn was Keldeo.

"I heard the Swords of Justice had joined the New Order," Gabriel replied calmly, "but I refused to believe it. It seems I was wrong."

"Gabriel, shush!" Flurry whispered urgently. She and Riley weren't as relaxed.

"You would antagonise me before we've even been introduced?" Keldeo asked fiercely.

Gabriel paid no heed to Flurry's warning and responded, "You are guilty of that yourself. In the event you didn't hear what I said earlier, I can read auras."

Their gazes were locked, both daring the other to look away first, and although Keldeo had a height advantage, it was diminished by the space between him and Gabriel.

"Umm, do we just have to wait for one of you to look away," Flurry asked hesitantly after five minutes had passed and neither Gabriel nor Keldeo had moved or spoken, "or are we going to talk this out?"

"It depends on what you have to say," Keldeo replied, still engaging Gabriel in a battle of wills.

"All right," Flurry said, taking a shaky breath, "let's start with your affiliation with the New Order."

Keldeo stiffened. "While it's true that my brethren have aligned themselves with the New Order, I have not."

"That doesn't mean we can trust you," Gabriel remarked suspiciously.

"Similarly, your allegiance with the Resistance doesn't mean I can automatically trust you."

Realising they had progressed no further, Flurry added, "If you're not with the New Order, but you aren't with the Resistance either, why are you here?"

"To secure the Toxic Plate and prevent its power from being abused," Keldeo replied ardently. "And you?"

"We are here to... umm... well, rescue a friend."

"You lie!" Keldeo exclaimed vehemently. "I heard you talk about finding the Toxic Plate. Do you think me a fool?"

"No!" Flurry denied quickly. "We do have to find the Toxic Plate, you're right, but only so we can trade it for Xerneas and the Pixie Plate!" A puzzled expression appeared on Keldeo's face, so Flurry continued, "Xerneas is being manipulated by the New Order via the Pixie Plate, as we discovered when we went to the Enchanted Grove. Xerneas is Gabriel's Guardian, so we decided to help him get Xerneas back. We chose the Toxic Plate because there aren't any Poison Legendaries, so it won't be nearly as bad compared to them having any of the other Plates"

Keldeo's gaze was still locked with Gabriel's but there was only slight suspicion left in it. "What makes you so sure the New Order will agree?"

"The New Order preaches that they wish to build a better world," Gabriel replied, "so if I request an exchange publicly in Frostpoint Village, they cannot reject me, lest they broadcast their true colours to the world."

Keldeo said nothing for a few seconds, but then broke contact, looking down and sighing. "You obviously know who I am, but the reverse isn't true. You are...?"

"I am Gabriel," said Riolu answered, the tension also dissipating from his body, "this is Flurry, and he is Riley."

"Very well, Gabriel, I shall help you get Xerneas back, but you'll owe me a favour. Agreed?"

"Agreed." A slight smile found its way onto his face.

"The shard you mentioned is behind me, in the corner; I was inspecting it when you entered."

Flurry walked to where Keldeo had indicated and retrieved the shard. It started glowing, so she quickly rejoined the others, letting it float between them.

"This Academy was once used for research of diseases and finding cures, as well as training aspiring alchemists. Now, the chemicals stored here have affected the feral Pokémon in a terrible way, strengthening them with genetic mutations. To gain access to the mystery dungeon, you must concoct the necessary acid to eat away the metal statue in the main hall. Once through the mystery dungeon, you will be faced with many traps that can only be bypassed by drinking the proper antidote to the poison that you must walk through. You must then face the guardian and obtain the Toxic Plate. May the Light guide you."

"Was that Palkia?" Keldeo asked.

"I think so." Flurry caught the shard as it dropped and stashed it in her satchel.

"I don't know about you guys," Riley said, speaking for the first time since Keldeo had appeared, "but I don't know a thing about concocting acids."

"If we had lead dinitrate, water, and a heat source, I could create Nitric acid," Gabriel explained, "but since we don't..."

"There have to be instructions for making an acid here somewhere," Flurry insisted.

"Actually, we don't need any instructions," Keldeo countered. "I'm pretty good at alchemy myself. Just find me some Iapapa, Charti, Shuka, and Liechi berries."

After explaining what the berries looked like, Gabriel, Riley and Flurry found them after some searching and followed Keldeo's instructions on how to prepare them. When they were done, the four moved to the statue.

"Gabriel, pour the Charti and Shuka mixture over the statue." Gabriel leapt onto Madam Gifter's statue, did as he was told, and jumped back down. Keldeo turned to Flurry and Riley. "Good, now, on the count of three, you two must throw the crushed Iapapa and Liechi berries on the statue simulatenously. After that, take cover, as the statue will exlpode in a rain of acid. Get ready: one... two... three!"

Two seconds after ducking beneath a workbench, Gabriel heard the detonation. When he looked up, no trace of the statue remained and all over the place, he could hear fizzing.

"Fantastic!" Keldeo cheered. "Come on," he urged, dancing around above the stairs that led into the Mystery Dungeon, "let's go kick some Poison type butt!"

From the moment they descended the stairs, Raikou was in a state of panic. He complained about being claustrophobic, and when he wasn't reminding everyone of that fact, he was levitating as close to the centre of the passage as he could, staying well away from the walls.

"I wish I had a Ring Target," he muttered, distressed.

While his constant constant moaning was frustrating, Jewels had sympathy for him. After all, she would feel the same way if she had to enter a graveyard at night, since Arceus knows, she was scared to death of those.

When she told Raikou as much to try and reassure him, he calmed down a little and actually smiled. "Aww, Jewels, you used a pun! My little Gothita is growing up so fast..."

"Is that an Excadrill?" she asked suddenly.

"Where?" Raikou turned so fast, he spun 1440 degrees.

Jewels chuckled. "Scaredy cat."

"I'd scold you if I could determine which one of you is the real Jewels..." Raikou retorted, floating around haphazardly.

"Quiet, you two!" Landorus called. "I hear movement up ahead."

Raikou, who had been startled by Landorus' sudden command, zoomed into a wall and uttered a muffled curse.

At the end of the passage, a Phanpy and a Cubone walked by, swaying as if they were drunk and singing a shanty. Once they were gone, the quartet crept forward and gazed down the corridor down which the two Pokémon had disappeared.

"I don't recall allowing the guards to have any Mago Wine down here," Landorus murmurred.

"They must have smuggled it in," Saz suggested.

Landorus shrugged and led them on. However, more guards appeared as they progressed, and while some were harmless, like a Wooper that bounced through the corridors, others were violent, like a Donphan that tried to run them over a few times before disappearing again.

"Are they supposed to do that?" Jewels enquired. She was upset, since her Confusion had not affected the Donphan at all.

"It's like they have gone mad," a troubled Landorus responded. "If I had known this would happen, I'd never have ordered them to stay here..."

"We can't let them stand in our way," Saz replied sadly. "If the next one tries to attack us, we must retaliate."

"Let's hope it doesn't come down to that."

They continued through the maze, and at one point, Jewels almost got stuck in a pool of quicksand because she had been talking to Raikou and hadn't heard Landorus' warning. Fortunately, Raikou was able to pull her out.

Landorus was still complaining about them not paying enough attention, when he rounded a corner and walked straight into a Baltoy.

"Pine! Sir must not interrupt the Turner-sequence, or Hera will be cross," it said, floating around him and continuing down its path. Landorus ran after it and tried to ask it questions, but the Baltoy once again simply said, "Pine! Sir must not interrupt the Turner-sequence, or Hera will be cross."

"What the Flygon?" Saz mumbled after they had begun walking again. "I have seen many strange things in my life, but-"

A rock flew from nowhere and hit Saz on the head, felling him instantly.

"Sazandora!" Landorus exclaimed, running over to inspect his friend.

Jewels turned to look at the source of the rock and froze. "Umm, guys, we have a problem."

Landorus and Raikou turned to see a Rhyperior aim his cannon at them.

"Trespassers will be shot!"