Young Writers Society

Distracting Blain hadn't been tough. (He had received the name when Riley ingeniously combined the words "blue" and "plane" to form Blane.) Flurry had begun the ruse with a broad, happy expression on her face.

"Well heeee-yowdy there, Big Blue!" she exclaimed with a wide facial gesture and thick southern accent, "What's yer name?"

The Pokémon, looking extremely unimpressed, simply replied: "Latios."

Scratch Blain.

"La-tee-yoos, huh?" continued Flurry, "Well la-dee-do!"

She guffawed as Riley, catching on, contorted his face into the snobbiest expression he could muster, and spoke with a posh British accent: "Oh-ho! A rather stupendous one, Madame Flurry! I applaud you!" At this, the Riolu clapped.

Latios glared with disgust at the two and rolled his eyes. "So you two are Riley the Riolu and Flurry the Snorunt?"

"That's right, handsome!" Flurry exclaimed, "But you can call me Ms. Fluff."

"My friends call me Riley. You may refer to me as Thelonius Maximus Severus the Sixth."

"Er... right..." said Latios, unsure of what to make of this odd duo, "Let's head inside. There are important things that need discussing."

As the group stepped inside, Latios asked: "Are you two aware of the planned council of the Resistance members at the Shrine of Safety?"

"With all due respect, good sir," said Riley, "what kind of Resistance Mon would we be if we didn't know of our own allies' planned meeting of war?"

"Aw, but don't worry Lati-blues, we all make mistakes once 'n a while!" added Flurry,

"I grow weary of this." said Latios, irritation evident on his face, "Let's just head to the Shrine. The faster I'm rid of you two, the better. I don't have the mental capacity for this at the moment."

After returning outside, it was as if Latios was in a hurry to leave, as no sooner did Riley help Flurry on his back, he took off. Latios flew fast. So fast, in fact, that Riley almost lost his grip on the Legendary, and then Flurry. They were at the Shrine in no time.

"Poor guy." said Flurry as Latios floated away, "It looks like something's really bothering him. Maybe he lost somebody."

But Riley wasn't listening. "Flurry, look at this place..."

As Flurry turned to match Riley's gaze of the Shrine, she gasped, and Riley felt her round paw in his once more. Flurry, seeming to take no notice of what she was doing breathed, "It's beautiful."

The Shrine was a marvel. Layers upon layers of mossy rocks eroded to glistening perfection over hundreds of years. Through the tall trees surrounding them, sunlight filtered through the dense canopies in thin streams, giving the place a mysterious glow.

Riley could not focus on it for more than a few seconds though before he began to feel sweat on his neck. His eyes darted down to their paws. Still together.

Must be the longest one yet.

A full minute passed before a voice interrupted Riley's thoughts.

"Ooh, I detect a blooming romance!"

Riley gazed up to see a beautiful descending...

"Crystal?" he asked aloud,

Ignoring the question, the Pokémon said sweetly, "Hi! My name is Diancie! But you can call me whatever you like. I always fancied the name Dee. Anyways, enough about me. It warms my heart to see young love still blossoms in these hard times."

"Young..." as the two Pokémon matched gazes, their eyes shifted down to their paws. Their expressions simultaneously shifted to pure horror as they let each other go. Both turned to face Diancie and began spewing barely comprehensible words.

"We aren't...!"

"No, you...!"

"I..."

"We...!"

"No!"

"Relax, dearies! It's okay to be shy, I won't bother you about it anymore. Anyway, welcome to the Shrine of Safety. What are your names?"

"Riley." he said looking away,

"Flurry." she said, doing the same,

"The meeting is tomorrow so why don't you get acquainted with the others? I would stay and chat, but there are more Mon I have to greet. Toodle-loo!" she said, returning to the air,

An awkward silence ensued. Neither Pokémon would dare look at the other. Flurry broke the silence first; "I'm sorry." she said softly,

For what?"

"You know... that. Whatever just happened."

"Oh... well... it's alright."

"I don't know why I... I didn't know I was..."

"Really, it's okay."

"... Okay."

As the silence pressed on once more, Riley felt his embarrassment turn to sadness. Sadness for what, he could not say.

What are you doing?

I don't know.

Say something.

"Flurry, I-" but as Riley turned, the Snorunt was nowhere to be found.

---


Riley sat somewhere in the Shrine. All these rooms had become a maze to him, so he had given up labeling them. He simply sat there, thinking, head in his paws. A day had passed since he'd arrived in the Shrine, and despite meeting many Resistance Legendaries and humons, the only thing he wanted was time to himself. And so, he sat, awaiting the meeting that would soon transpire, thinking about yesterday's transaction with Flurry.

What... was that?

I don't know.

Why did you try to speak?

You told me to!

... What were you going to say though?

I don't know. I just don't know. This is too confusing.

What is?

I don't know!

Riley's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a voice speak in front of him. "Wow, you look rough. I only look like that when I've really screwed up or that freaking Legendary bird runs away from me for the seventh time."

Riley looked up to find himself face to face with a Flaafy bearing the most sadistic smile he'd ever seen.

"Legendary bird? You mean Articuno?"

"Moltres, actually, but Articuno gave me a hard time capturing, too."

"What?"

"Never mind. What's your name?"

"Riley."

"Riley? What a plain name. Nope, that won't do. From now on, I'm calling you... Rift! Rift the Riolu! Now that's one boss name!"

Riley wasn't sure what to make of this Mon. He was clearly a few slices short of a loaf. Then again, weren't they all at this point? That gave Riley a thought. "Are you a human too?" he asked,

"Dude, do I look like a human to you? I mean, I'm clearly a lamb, but I used to be a human. I assume you were too?"

"Yeah, I was."

"Well, it's good to meet a fellow Resistance member. If you weren't, I'd probably have to kill you. Well... then again, I might get bored and give you a little jolt or two anyway."

The Flaafy followed this remark with a sadistic laugh. Riley was beginning to get scared, until a Servine came over to calm his nerves.

"Oh, don't mind him, he's always like this."

"Creepy and threatening?"

"I sort of find it amusing." replied the Servine, "Ah, forgive my rudeness. My name is Lady Spadassya, daughter of the chief of the Venom Knife. The childish sheep over there is Twinkiel."

"Lamb! But yes, that's me; Twinkiel Thunderfleece!"

"Nice to meet you, I guess." Riley offered with a half-hearted pawshake,

"What's getting you down, friend?" asked Twinkiel, "Leg cramps? Lost part of that yellow necklace of yours? Oh wait, I know! Your aura has been blocked." At this, the lamb stood in a mock meditation pose.

"I don't think you can block aura." replied Riley,

"Sure you can! That, aura'm a Mankey's uncle!"

Nobody laughed.

"Oh, come on, people! That was funny!"

"You never cease to amaze me." stated Spadassya blandly,

"Anyways, as I was saying, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing really." replied Riley, beginning to take a shining to this new Mon.

"Yeah right. Come on, I may be evil and partially crazy, but I'm not dumb."

"Debatable." giggled Spadassya,

"You cut me deep, Spaddy. You cut me real deep."

"Oh, my deepest apologies, Sir Twinkiel." she replied, laughing,

"Are you two about done flirting?" Riley joked,

"I'm going to ignore that remark and instead notice that you're smiling, which is a good sign. It means I'm actually half decent at cheering people up!" exclaimed Twinkiel joyfully,

"I shall also ignore it." added Spadassya, regaining her professional air, but fighting back a smile.

Riley, grinning, asked, "You guys going to be at the meeting?"

"Everybody is. We're just waiting for it to get started." answered Twinkiel, "Oh! And I think it is!" he said as he observed the crowd of Pokémon passing through in the hallway. "Well, hope to talk to you again, Rift!"

The two Pokémon strode away leaving Riley in a much better mood.

---

The council room was an exact replica of British Parliament back in Riley's old world, a memory thread which he had followed with little difficulty, as he didn't know much on the subject.

Gabriel had since returned and an unspoken mutual agreement seemed to have passed through the minds of both Riley and Flurry to ignore the events of the previous day. It made taking a seat next to her much easier. The meeting began. Riley listened intently to the proceedings, wanting to understand as much of the war he was fighting as he could. It seemed like a pretty standard war council. Or at least it was, until Landorus announced: "Two others have also been captured.”

Riley felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

“Permission to speak?” asked the Pokémon named Latios,

Where?

“Permission to speak granted. The Council acknowledges Latios as the current speaker.”

Where is she?

“Is my sister one of the two imprisoned Legendaries?”

Where is Articuno?

“She is.” That explained Latios' intolerance for Riley's shenanigans the day before, but he didn't care about that now. “We have determined that she was abducted while searching for more humons in the Shrub Highlands east of the Foggy Canyon.” continued Landorus,

This was killing him. He had to know. He didn't want to know, but he had to. Before he could stop himself, Riley spoke: “Is Articuno the other imprisoned Legendary?” The Mon around him jumped a little. Flurry gave him a nervous glance. She must have been thinking along the same lines.

It can't be. It can't be. It can't be.

But it was.

“We do not speak out of our turn, but yes, Articuno is the other incarcerated Legendary. We assume she was captured while searching for Xerneas.”

The Riolu's mouth fell open.

“What do you plan on doing about their imprisonment?” Latios asked cautiously,

“At the moment, nothing.”

Riley's heart shattered.

He felt his brain go blank and explode with thoughts at the same time. His face froze in terror. His whole body tensed and his fur bristled. The sounds faded away. The sounds, the light, the Pokémon. All gone in an instant, and it was just Riley. Riley alone. All alone.

No.

"I need some air." he choked out, and got up, stumbling a little. He hobbled past the guards at the entrances out into the warm evening.

Riley sank to his paws and knees in the dirt, and vomitted. A thousand images flooded his imagination. Images of Articuno being tortured, harmed, and pained; screaming for help. For his help.

Riley! Help me! Riley! Riley!

"Riley!"

It was Flurry. Articuno's voice died out and the ambient sounds of night replaced it.

And Riley began to cry.

Tears streamed down his face as Flurry, seeing that he had finished retching, sat down and pulled him close in a tight embrace. Saying she was cold would be an understatement. Her skin was bitingly frigid, but Riley was already numb anyway. He cried into her shoulder, burying his face in her cloak. Riley watched his tears, shed from a heart he knew was once whole, desperately try to reform into something solid as they fell onto Flurry, crystalizing into miniature frozen shards of pain.

They stayed there until Riley eventually slowed his erratic gasping sobs to a slow, even breathing pace which matched Flurry's. He was shaking, but not because of Flurry's cold body. He was scared and confused. Like a child without its mother. He tried speaking, but was silenced immediately by Flurry.

"Shhhh. Don't speak. Don't think. It'll all be okay."

Riley let out a dog's whimper; the result of a suppressed sob. He decided to follow Flurry's advice and not think. Slowly, his mind was made empty, and all was calm. Riley listened to the sounds of the night. Birds finishing their daily tasks, uttering final goodnight chirps, and crickets chanting their beautiful songs.

And for a moment there in Flurry's arms, Riley was at peace.

The moment ended too soon though, as his troubled mind returned. Thankfully, the tears had stopped now. Riley could speak again. "Water..." he said, feeling dizzy,

Flurry was gone only a moment before she returned with a cup of water. Riley drank it, swishing out any residue from vomiting and returning his hydration.

"Thank you." he said softly, handing the cup to Flurry, who set it down in the dirt,

"Are you okay?" she asked,

"No."

A pause.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Riley," she took his paw, "please don't shut me out."

He looked at her, pain in his eyes. Flurry was there for him. He wasn't alone.

"I knew. I knew they took her. I had a feeling this whole time."

"I'm so sorry."

"Bastards!" he exclaimed, anger rising in him, "I'll kill them all!"

"Riley!" Flurry reacted, shocked that he had sworn so suddenly, "Don't say things like that!"

"I will. I swear, I'll make them pay for this." he muttered, teeth grit, muscles tense, tears of hatred building,

"Riley," Flurry said softly, holding his shoulder and massaging it gently, "please calm down. I don't like it when you're like this."

Riley slowly un-tensed his muscles, as he rested somewhere between devastated and enraged.

"I'm sorry, Flurry. But it's not fair."

"I know it's not. Xerneas isn't having an easy time with it either. Did you see his face? It looks like he blames himself."

"Xerneas... if that stupid stag hadn't gotten himself caught in the first place...! Gabriel! This is all his fault!"

"Riley!" Flurry shouted, shaking him a little, "Gabriel is not to blame for this, nobody is!"

"But if he hadn't-"

"Stop. Please just stop and listen to me. They're going to get her back. We got Xerneas back after all, we can get Latios' sister and Articuno too. I know it."

"You heard Landorus. They aren't doing anything. So Xerneas is good enough to go on a mission to capture a freaking Plate of Arceus to rescue him, but when it comes to Articuno, she's deemed expendable!"

"Nobody deemed anyone expendable. They'll work on a plan, Riley. They always do."

Riley looked at the ground. "What if they're hurting her?"

Flurry didn't respond.

"I have to go after her. She'll be at Providence, where they take all the Legendary prisoners." He shuddered at the last word.

"No, Riley. You can't go. Mt. Providence is absolutely infested with the New Order. You'll be killed for sure and we can't lose you! I... I can't either."

Riley considered this for a moment, but shook his head. "I need to do this. She rescued me, now I need to return the favour. I can't live with myself while these boneheads twiddle with their thumbs doing squat-all."

"I won't let you leave." Flurry said, gripping his arm,

Riley simply looked at her and fell forward, almost landing in her lap.

"Oh no! What's wrong?!" Flurry exclaimed, worried once more,

"More water... please."

Nodding furiously, she grabbed the cup and ran inside the Shrine.

When she returned however, the cup fell to the ground once more, drenching the soil.

Riley was gone.

Day A6 9:30 a.m

Ren didn't know what to do. He could go to the Glacial Museum and simply obey the legendries orders or he could simply refuse and sit here. Neither were viable options. As much as Ren would like to, he knew refusing to go would do no good and would simply cause trouble with no benefit. On the other hand, complying to go would be a waste of time seeing that he had absolutely zero interest in helping the Resistance. Despite their well meaning and their obvious desperation, Ren still held a grudge.

The group headed out at around ten-ish (or at least while the sun still was on the rise) Ren having no choice but to tag along. Aegeas leading the way. The Dewott seemed profoundly older even if he did not look it, he lead the way completely expressionless while Ren bought up the rear. Gabriel, the blue looking fox thing, was second in line. He was certainly as quiet as their leader but was obviously troubled and decidedly irritable. Good, at least there was one person to relate to.

Then there was Absol, the only person Ren could confide in. Despite knowing next to nothing about the older warrior, Ren felt a deeper sense of wisdom, almost like when Xatu had contacted him. The Blaziken wasn't sure about how caring the Absol was but at this point he didn't care, he only needed someone to connect to, that was it. He had a partner.

Just in front of him, the god Xerneas strode, towering above the others and radiating an aura of energy. Not that he could see it but at the moment, the Blaziken felt ready to burn down the forest.

And so they marched, eventually crossing the border of the Shrine and passing back into Terraria. Mid-day's light found them at the edges of the Sazandora desert as said by Xeneas. They decided to keep to the edge as to avoid exposure to the heat and denizens that lurked there. Aegeas hurried forwards at this point, eager, almost anxious to be free of the heated tip of the desert. Thus they moved forwards.

Along the way, a few bandits attempted to challenge them but most were driven off by the mere sight of Xerneas. Ren trudged along at the back of the line, keeping an eye out for any nuisances that might try to sneak up on them yet there were none and eventually he stopped checking altogether, losing himself to thought.

What happened to him? He knew he was darker, uglier, sadistic. He could see it in the other's expressions, they didn't despise him of course, it was more of a form of polite neglect. He didn't want to be like this and finding the reason why he didn't want to help the Resistance had been a cause of...what?

Thought process.

He was trying to escape this hell, not this world although that was true in a broader sense, he was trying to escape this pit he had been dragged into, of dank depression and misery. He had been subconsciously trying to break this shell around him, a shell of...

Harbored grudges.

Who had he a grudge with?

All of the Pokémon in the Shrine were either preparing to leave, or had finished their preparations already and were simply waiting for others. Gabriel was one of the latter.

He would have conversed with some of his fellow humons, but Aegeas was a recluse, Absol (if that was even his real name) was bossy, Ren reminded Gabriel too much of himself, and Fleur had pardoned herself to explore the Shrine before they left. Xerneas was nowhere to be found.

Nevertheless, Gabriel mostly preferred to be left to his own devices, so he snapped open the alchemy kit Zekrom had given him (Gabriel had wondered what the Dragon did in his free time) and inspected the content. It folded open much the same as a brochure, with a part that flipped open to provide three compartments in total, not just two. The first compartment was where all the ingredients – or reagents, as Zekrom had called it – would be kept, while the other two were for containing the apparatuses. Gabriel had thought he would have to buy the appropriate items himself – not that he possessed any money – but he was pleasantly surprised to find Zekrom had provided everything.

Gabriel looked through the compartments for the apparatuses and was pleased to find he recognised many of the items, such as the mortar and pestle, the crucible, and various vials and jars. He had just put the last apparatus back and was about to go through the reagents, when a female voice startled him.

“Gabriel, dear! Here you are.”

Diancie floated in front of him, a collection of books bound together by ribbons in her hands. She was beaming and seemed pleased with herself.

“Err, hello?” Gabriel said uncertainly.

“Aww, you Riolu are so cute! Anyway, Xerneas apologises for being away; he and the other leaders are just discussing a few more things before he leaves. He wanted you to have this.”

She handed him the collection of books, and Gabriel was astonished to see they were all black leather-bound volumes of The Illuminator’s Teaching’s. Without taking the ribbon off, Gabriel eagerly peeked inside the first volume and admired the beautiful calligraphy in which it was written. Some of the pages even had exquisitely drawn diagrams and sketches!

“Where did he get all of these?” Gabriel asked, awed.

“Unlike Jirachi who meditates most of the time, Zekrom and I stay here because we’re in charge of defending the Shrine. I stay because I like it here, Zekrom because he doesn’t like fighting. Although he also avoids working as much as possible.” She laughed. “Still, we are bound to get bored eventually, so each of us has a hobby. Zekrom practices alchemy, as you obviously know, but I prefer reading. We had a laboratory and library built for exactly those reasons.

“Really? May I see it?” For a moment, Gabriel was an enthusiastic adolescent again, not a scarred young adult.

“I’d love to show you around, but I don’t think there’ll be enough time.”

Gabriel was crestfallen. “Oh.”

“Hey, don’t look so sad! The next time you come here, Zekrom and I would be delighted to give you a tour. Zekrom more than me though, judging by that alchemy set.”

“So that’s why he had given it to me.”

“Uh-huh. I can lose myself in my books, but unless Zekrom goes crazy, he can’t keep himself company. He probably hopes that you two can “hang out”, as he would say, when you come back.”

Gabriel was thoughtful, but in his heart, he was more than that. He was touched. His only friends were Flurry, Fleur, Riley, and probably Marcus, but they were all more or less his age. It was odd that Zekrom would choose him, of all people, as a potential friend. With Flurry, Fleur, Riley, and probably Marcus, their friendship was natural, since the boys were all approximately the same age, the girls being a few years younger, but Zekrom was a Legendary, a veritable god.

Gabriel couldn’t fathom why any Legendary (Xerneas was his mentor, so he didn’t count) would seek his company. Ordinarily, he would have been outright suspicious about an older male trying to spend time with him, but Gabriel had seen Zekrom’s aura, and there had been no underlying malice. Besides, he was the actual incarnation of ideals. Perhaps that was why Zekrom had chosen him…

“Gabrel?”

The Riolu started and looked up. Diancie was still there.

“Sorry! I was lost in thought. I’d love a tour. I would like nothing better than to have a book discussion with you and chat to Zekrom about alchemy.”

“Fantastic! Oh, Zekrom will be delighted with this news. Well, then, until we meet again!”

Diancie zoomed away, chattering happily to herself. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile, but it froze when another figure approached him.

Mewtwo.

Gabriel’s behaviour during the assembly had been deplorable, and his accusation had been unjust. He fully expected to be either blasted or rebuked into oblivion, but he relaxed a little when Mewtwo’s aura revealed no violent intent or suppressed anger. Like Gabriel, he was ashamed.

“Do not speak, just listen,” Mewtwo said, raising a hand. “I apologise for reacting so vehemently during the assembly. Generally, I maintain my composure under even worse circumstances, but I suppose I felt especially affronted that the insult came from one as small as you. I thought you inferior, and for that, I apologise as well. Shall we part without grudges?”

Gabriel nodded. “We shall. Nevertheless, I–”

Mewtwo raised his hand again. “I can sense your regret, and that is good enough. You are almost fully mature, but you have some growth that still awaits you. I, on the other hand, am a Legendary, so I must provide the example. The fault lies with me, not you.”

“Err, okay. Thanks. Good luck finding Thundurus.”

“Thank you. May you also have success in retrieving the Glacial Plate. Goodbye.”

A perplexed expression on his face, Gabriel watched Mewtwo walk away. It was definitely a surprising morning. He shrugged and turned to the reagent compartment again, but when he heard a third voice, he decided to give up.

“Gabriel, may I have a word with you?”

“Xerneas! Of course. How was the discussion with the others?”

“I am afraid I cannot tell you, sorry.”

“You aren’t still cross because of how I behaved earlier, are you?” Gabriel asked as Xerneas headed away from the gathering of Pokémon.

“No, but I am concerned.”

“About…?”

“You did not object when I insisted you come along with me to Frostpoint Village. Why?”

Gabriel frowned. “Do you want me to be more disobedient?”

“No, but I would have thought you would express more worry about your friend’s well-being. Why did you not ask to aid Flurry in finding him?”

Gabriel did not like it, but he was slowly becoming frustrated with his Guardian. “After everything Riley and Flurry have done for me, the least I can do is help rescue him. However, Lugia already stated that the Resistance are short on members, so when Jewels and Raikou agreed to go with her, I thought they would be fine. We are needed at Frostpoint, and that is why I don’t object to going with you. But thanks for having faith in me. I really appreciate it.”

Gabriel stormed off. Xerneas called after him, but he ignored the Life Pokémon. The others were gathering around, so he assumed they were preparing to leave.

It was going to be a long trip.

The dull thud of Riley's footsteps on the ground were drowned out by the rushing wind as he sprinted to Providence. He hadn't been running long. Five or six minutes at most, but it felt like a decade.

I'm sorry Flurry.

He hadn't wanted to trick her, but she wasn't going to let him go. The only way to escape was to manipulate her kindness and concern.

Should I have taken her along?

No, Flurry had said it herself, it was far too dangerous. If she were to be hurt, captured, or worse, Riley didn't know what he'd do with himself.

Articuno, Flurry, I promise both of you, I will come back alive and successful.

And so Riley ran.

And ran.

And continued to run.

---



Riley had been running for nine straight hours, stopping only for water and berries. He had seen more of the continent named Terraria - as he had read in a book at the Shrine - than he had ever viewed, but as he looked back, it was all a blur. Nothing would distract him from the task at hand. Along the way, he had been chased by a few Pokemon, bounty hunters, bandits and street thugs alike. However, his pure foot speed was unmatched by any of the crooks.

Finally, Riley stopped. He was in a small enclosure of trees. A light snow gently fell on his troubled face, as he looked up at the towering figure of Mt. Providence. The mountain itself was massive, but the fortress at the summit was simply gargantuan.

Wait, Mount Massive?

That name caused a shiver to run down his spine. That was a memory he'd have to follow later. For now, his only focus was outlasting the cold, steep climb.

He began ascending the hill, but stopped. There was no way the New Order wouldn't have some sort of defense mechanism in place to stop random Pokemon from ascending one of their largest fortresses. Climbing from the base simply wasn't a possibility.

Alright, options, options. I could... drop into the base from the sky on a bird Pokemon? No, they would see that from a mile away. I could cloak myself in snow and climb the mountain camouflaged? Better, but still not likely to succeed. What about secret entrances?

That could work. But where would he find a secret entrance on a mountain like this?

---



Riley had been searching for an hour, but to no avail. To add insult to injury, he'd barely covered a tenth of the base of the mountain. He decided to go ahead with the camouflage plan, but as he was "snowing-up", he heard something faintly rustle behind him. It sounded like...

Trees.

There was no wind, so the trees should not have been rustling. Riley slowly turned around, readying a Quick Attack, but he found nothing there, save the drifting snow. The trees were still.

"Hm." Riley grunted, as he turned once more to continue applying snow to himself. He had barely bent towards the snow though, before he was roughly pinned against a tree by a much larger being. He opened his mouth to scream, but it was swiftly covered by a large black wing. In front of him crouched a gigantic black and red, nearly featherless bird.

Featherless?

The memory quickly played through Riley's mind.

"So, that whole thing was an act?"

"Of course! The idea of spending my life with him sickens me! He kissed me, you know. I wanted to vomit the whole half second his scaly cheek rubbed against mine."

"He has no feathers?"

"And his tail is practically a creepy hand. Everything about him is just nasty. In any case, at least we didn't have to fight. Yveltal was never hostile towards me, so as long as he doesn't know you're here, we should be safe from him."

Articuno's voice was clear and full of contempt, and in that instant, Riley felt his heart miss a beat and eyes widen in terror.

Yveltal the dark bird muttered, "You recognize me, don't you, little Riolu? Tell me, from where have you heard of the great Yveltal? A legend? A friend? Or perhaps you know someone who knows me personally?"

Riley wouldn't have answered even if the wing on his mouth wasn't preventing him from doing so. He wouldn't have answered if his life depended on it, which, for all he knew, it very possibly could.

"Not much of a talker, are you? That's alright, I'm in no mood to chat. Now I'm going to let go of your mouth, and once I do, you will tell me why you came to one of the New Order's most protected bases in the continent, and if you try anything funny, I will quite literally obliterate you. Now speak."

Yveltal shifted the wing to expose Riley's mouth. The word "escape" formed in Riley's mind, but with his entire body pressed against a tree trunk, the likelihood of that happening was within a tenth of a hundred. Riley would need to rely on his wit and tongue to live to see another day.

"I said speak." Yveltal sounded impatient. Riley did not want to reveal the true reason for why he was there, although there weren't any other excuses coming to mind.

This guy will kill me if I don't say something now. To him, I'm just a commoner. But I do have one ace up my sleeve. Articuno. I have to risk it.

"I'm here to rescue Articuno, the frost bird."

Yveltal's eyes widened for a split second before narrowing once more. "What business do you have with Articuno?"

Riley did not respond, receiving a violent shake from Yveltal. "Tell me what business yo-" but he cut himself off.

It was at that moment a thought crossed the deadly bird's mind. "Tell me child, have you been to the Marsh of Light in recent days?"

Riley hesitantly responded, not wanting to receive another shaking; "Yes."

"Did you see Articuno there, by chance?"

"No, no I didn't." Riley felt beads of sweat building on his neck.

"I see. So what were you doing at the Marsh of Light? Picking heart lotuses?"

"Yes, that's what I was doing! Honest!"

"So I assume you have a girlfriend, or someone whom you'd consider more than your average chum?"

Mentioning Flurry was out of the question, even though the two weren't explicitly dating.

"Um, I picked them for... someone special."

"Ah, interesting. So this person is close to you?"

"Yeah...?"

"How would you feel if I murdered them shamelessly and fed their corpse to the Basculin out at sea?"

It was Riley's turn to widen his eyes.

"I can see you don't fancy that idea." said Yveltal with satisfaction, "But I can assure you that the possibility will become a reality should you continue lying to me. Now I will ask again: did you see Articuno at the Marsh of Light?"

"Yes, I saw her." Riley refused to test this Pokémon further.

"And you also saw me there, did you not?" Yveltal asked, malice in his voice,

"Yes, you gave her a heart lotus."

"I knew it!" he exclaimed, pressing Riley against the tree with added force, "You're the human Articuno was travelling with! The one Dialga wants dead so badly. You're the reason Articuno faked feelings for me!"

Yveltal established a choking grip on Riley's throat. Coughing, Riley choked out, "Please... don't... kill... me."

Yveltal stared into Riley's eyes with pure hatred, but his face soon relaxed and he dropped Riley to the snow, leaving the Riolu gasping for breath.

"You're an enemy of the New Order and there's nothing I'd like more than to see you executed."

Taking a risk, Riley asked, "Then why didn't you kill me?"

Turning away, Yveltal replied, "Because lucky for you, I'm not out on affairs of the New Order. I, like you, have come to free Articuno."

"But... isn't that...?"

"Contrary to everything the New Order has put in place? Yes, it is. What's your point?"

"Why would you take a risk like that?"

"Consider yourself doubly lucky, mortal, for it is because you mean so much to Articuno that I'm not only letting you live, but also why I'm deciding to tell you a story."

---



"Articuno, wait!"

"What do you want, Yveltal?"

"Would you stop walking away and hear me out for just a moment?"

Articuno turned to face Yveltal, tears in her eyes. "What? What could you possibly have to say for me that I don't already know?"

"I just... I'm sorry."

"Sorry? An entire village destroyed, houses burned and people killed because of your uncontrollable rage, and all you can say is that you're sorry?"

Yveltal did not respond.

"What is the matter with you? How many times do I have to say no before you get it?! There is no us, there will never be an us! And because the idiot that you are couldn't bare to comprehend that, you have a temper tantrum and almost burn down Terraria!"

"It was only the village!"

"You were on your way to Terraria, don't even start."

"I said I was sorry! Why can't you just forgive me?!"

"How could I forgive a murderer for the slaughter of at least a hundred 'Mon?"

Yveltal was crying now. "I never wanted to hurt anybody, honestly. I-I'm a kind bird."

"Whatever, Yveltal. If that's your definition of kind, then you can take your kindness and fly off, because I'd rather be despised!"

---

Riley sat in the snow, staring at the dark bird's back. All was silent, but Riley could sense Yveltal's sorrow. "Wow... Articuno never told me."

"She tried to forget about it afterwards, which was what I hoped would happen. She eventually forgave me, but things were never the same, like when we were actually close."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't sympathize with me, human. Remember that I can still kill you at any time."

"You really love her, don't you?"

"That's none of your concern."

"I'm not sure how to ask this, but... what happened? You said you were a kind bird, but...?"

"Things have changed. After that day, my heart grew cold. I was a shell of my former self, without a purpose. Then, the war came along. I was angry, and seeking vengeance, so I joined the New Order to eliminate anyone who fueled my flame. I tried to convince Articuno to join as well, but she wouldn't hear me. Something about her never having the black soul I carry." Yveltal looked to the ground.

"Are you still angry?"

"To be honest, my only grudge rests with Articuno for how she treated me." Yveltal steeled his expression again, and turned, "But you have heard too much already. I regret to inform you that you will not be rescuing Articuno today, as Providence is impenetrable. For you, anyway."

Yveltal turned to take off, but was stopped by Riley who exclaimed, "Wait!"

"What is it?"

"Help me rescue her. I love Articuno just as much as you do, but for different reasons. When I came to this world, I was lost, confused. I had no recollection of anything but my name. She helped me get my footing and find my friends. She's my guardian, and I would be devastated if anything else were to happen to her."

"How do I know I can trust you? This may all be some Resistance ploy to capture me."

"The Resistance has already openly admitted to making no effort to save Articuno as it is. I wasn't going to stay there and wait for them to change their minds."

"You're brave for running off on them."

"You can say I'm here on my own business as well. Just like you."

Yveltal looked at the fortress. "This is only a temporary alliance, little one. For Articuno."

Riley nodded. "For Articuno."

---

The plan had been simple. Riley would be captured under the cover of a Resistance spy, granting the two of them entrance to the cell blocks lying deep within the mountain. A few times they were stopped, but every New Order member they came across would not dare to challenge Yveltal, and so, they reached the cell blocks with little difficulty.

Riley stood around a corner as Yveltal, head high, eyes menacing, asked the guards where Articuno's cell could be found. As it turned out, they had three more floors to descend and four halls to traverse before reaching the cell.

Yveltal picked the lock with one long talon, and as the door swung open, Riley could not believe what he saw. Articuno was being contained in a cylinder made from Oroglass, the strongest move-resistant glass in the continent (according to the info Riley had read at the Shrine). Articuno was facing away from the duo. Her feathers were a mess. and there was a small scratch on her left talon.

"What did you come to do this time?" she asked, hatred evident in her voice,

When nobody responded and the door closed, she turned to see who had entered the room. It was the most surprise she had experienced in years.

"Oh... my... Arceus. R... Riley?"

"Articuno!" Riley ran up to the glass, embracing it. Happiness flooded him. She was alive, and relatively unharmed. Tears fell down the blue bird's face, as she looked on to see Yveltal in the background, her smile diminishing to cautious confusion.

"Hello, Articuno."

"Yveltal...? What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? We're here to get you out."

"We?" she asked, looking at Riley, "What have you done to Riley?"

"So that's his name. I haven't done anything to him."

"I don't believe you. Riley would never ally with the New Order."

"I'm not allied with the New Order, Articuno!" exclaimed Riley, "He's telling the truth."

Articuno was now more confused than ever.

"We'll explain this later." said Yveltal, "Right now, we need to get out of here."

"The glass is unbreakable. It won't work."

"From the inside, perhaps. From the outside, it's rather weak, but this will make a lot of noise. Once it's broken, the alarm will sound, and we'll need to leave fast."

"Riley, stay close by my side." said Articuno, looking down with concern at the Riolu.

Yveltal launched a Focus Blast at the glass, shattering it instantly. With Articuno free, a sharp alarm rang through the building. All of Mount Providence would be aware of what was going on now.

"Come on, let's go!" Yveltal yelled, firing a Dark Pulse at the door, busting it open. The trio took off through the cell block. The guards Yveltal had met earlier, two Charmeleon, attempted to stop the advancing Pokémon, but they proved no match for the combined power of the Legendaries. They continued to race through the mountain the way they came. When they reached the entrance though, it was sealed off and guarded by at least fifty Pokémon, ranging from apprentices of the New Order to full-fledged captains.

"This way's no good!" Yveltal shouted, Double Teaming himself to shield his allies, "We need another way out!"

"Look! A window!" Riley pointed out,

Indeed there was a large window above Providence's main entrance. Its placement was clearly not well thought-out, but Riley wasn't complaining. Jumping on Articuno's back, the two bird Pokémon took off, knifing simultaneously through the window and into the ever darkening evening.

A volley of ranged attacks whizzed by their heads as the two birds flew erratically through the sky. Yveltal turned and let loose an Oblivion Wing on the wall from which the veritable archers were firing. The attack obliterated the stone, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the fortress.

"We're almost free! Come on!" Articuno hollered, zipping forward,

However, before she realized what was happening, an Ancient Power slammed into her left wing, causing her to plummet to the snow. Dazed, Riley and Articuno, lying side by side, looked at the attacker who now stood over them.

"Going somewhere, pretty bird?" asked Dialga, with a victorious chuckle,

"Dialga." said Articuno, wincing from the pain,

She had clearly been hurt more in captivity than Riley could visibly see.

"You know, when I lost you in the Marsh of Light, I was... distraught, to say the least. I wondered to myself where you could have gone. When I heard the news of your capture, I was beyond thrilled. I set out for Providence immediately. How convenient I arrive the moment before you were about to escape. Tsk, tsk. It's a shame, really. For you, anyway."

Dialga then noticed Riley. "Hm? Who do we have here?"

"Leave him alone!" spat Articuno,

"Is this perhaps the human you've been travelling with? Hm. He's smaller than I expected. No matter. The joy of tearing out his entrails and scattering them at your feet will be sufficient, nonetheless."

Articuno attempted an Ice Beam, but was too weak to fire one. "No! No! Leave him alone! Riley, run!"

"Nighty-night." Dialga said, before slashing at Riley with a Dragon Claw,

Before he could make contact, however, he was blasted back by a Dark Pulse.

"You heard her, Dialga. Leave the child alone." said Yveltal, spreading his wings menacingly,

"Yveltal." Dialga observed, adopting a battle stance, "Why does it not surprise me to learn of your treachery?"

"I am not here on business of the New Order. You're mistaken."

"You have freed a Resistance ally, killed and harmed multiple of our troops, and delivered a crippling blow to Providence's west wall. As far as I'm concerned, you are guilty of treason of the highest degree. Your punishment will be death."

"You underestimate me. I am the god of destruction, and I will protect those whom I deem worthy from those whom I deem hostile."

"You were once great. You were a deity. One of us."

Yveltal's face grew bitter as he replied, "There is no us. There will never be an us."

Articuno looked on in despair at the shattered bird.

"Good." stated Dialga, "Then I have nothing to worry about when I kill you."

Dialga launched a Power Gem.



Yveltal easily dodged the attack, and countered with an Air Slash that missed its target.

Dialga launched a Thunderbolt at Yveltal, shocking the bird, and causing him to cry out. He then ran up, a Metal Claw at the ready. Yveltal, reacting quickly, took off in the air with Fly, dodging the attack. Before Dialga could react, Yveltal swooped down into Dialga and hit him with a Steel Wing.

"Argh! You pestilence!" Dialga said, lashing out with Frustration. Yveltal was impacted, and shook Dialga off with a Sucker Punch.

The battle was even and Yveltal needed an advantage. A second fighter would do him some good. And so, despite Articuno's desperate cries, Riley joined the fray, running at Dialga and buffetting him with a series of Quick Attacks. The attacks did little damage to the Legendary, but gave Yveltal an opening to Dragon Rush Dialga.

The god cried out in pain, and retaliated against Riley with Flash Cannon. Riley took the blow full-on, and was sent back into a snow drift.

"Riley!" yelled Articuno, entering a state of feral rage,

She rose to her feet to join the battle, launching three Ice Shards at Dialga. All three hit, causing him to stumble back. Yveltal took the opportunity and used Phantom Force, disappearing on the spot.

Dialga, distracted, battled Articuno as the dark bird silently glided around the two Legendaries. Emerging from the shadows, Yveltal struck out at Dialga's back, knocking him off his feet. There was rage in Yveltal's eyes. A rage that had appeared when Riley was attacked.

Dialga, in a pinch, attempted to escape with Phantom Force, but was swiftly countered by Yveltal's Focus Blast.

Articuno stood back, harnessing in the power of the cold around her. Her icy blue eyes were glowing now, and her wings shone with power. Yveltal knew what this was, and jumped back. Articuno, now completely enveloped in swirling wind, suddenly blasted all the force at Dialga in a gale of Sheer Cold.

The move struck Dialga, and the Legendary fainted on the spot.

Articuno ran over to Riley, breathing heavily from launching the attack, while Yveltal stood over his defeated foe. "Let it be a message to you, Dialga. Next time, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Riley, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." the Riolu said to Articuno, rising slowly to his feet. "He only hit me once."

"Oh, I'm so glad." she sighed, pulling him into a tight embrace,

She turned to face Yveltal, who was looking at the ground, expressionless.

"Yveltal," she said, approaching him, "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, coldly,

"For helping me escape. For fighting Dialga. For everything."

"Yeah, well, next time, don't get yourself captured."

"... You're still mad, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am mad. Mad that you shut me out, insulted me, and even faked having feelings for me!"

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, I bet you are. Well you know what? I don't accept your apology! Now you know how it feels!"

Articuno looked down in shame. "I never meant to make you feel that bad."

"Yes you did. You hated me. You still do."

"How can I hate you after all you've done? Rescuing me, protecting Riley, this is a whole new side of you I haven't seen since..."

"Those years are gone and that side of me died with them. I'm a ruthless killer now."

"The Yveltal I know never liked killing, and only did it when he had to. He was caring and sweet... and I wasn't fair to him."

Riley watched the two Legendaries carefully.

What's going to happen?

"What... are you saying?"

"Please stop pretending to be this cold-hearted killer who you're not. I want the old Yveltal back. The one who I would spend the days with laughing happily, and who never wanted to hurt others purposefully."

"But the New Order..."

"You can't seriously be considering going back to them, can you? You just helped two Resistance members take out a New Order Legendary! Plus, they're the ones changing you Yveltal.”

Yveltal looked thoughtful. “No, I guess I can't go back to them. But... what does that leave for me?”

“Join the Resistance!” piped up Riley, to which both Yveltal and Articuno looked at him in surprise,

“Excuse me?” asked Yveltal,

“If the New Order doesn't want you, we definitely do! Look, if you really want to be a better person, fix things with Articuno and actually fight to bring peace to Terraria, the Resistance is in dire need of you! There are so many Legendaries who miss the old days and the friendships that once were. I'm sure you can think of a few 'Mon you lost when the war started. Now's your chance to get them back!”

“Pipe down, human!” snapped Yveltal,

“He has a point.” said Articuno timidly, “The New Order is corrupt. Look at Dialga. He's purely cruel and evil. You're more than that, I know it. I don't want to be against you anymore. Please, join us.”

“Join... the Resistance?”

“Riley!” a voice echoed in the near distance. Riley and Articuno turned to face it. Flurry was riding on the back of Raikou the tiger. She really did come along.

Articuno turned back to face Yveltal, but all there was where the bird once stood were the talonprints left in the snow.

A parting gift

Day A5

Zulu laughed to himself as he watched Twinkiel ecstatic reaction to receiving his cape. Granted, he felt a little twinge of jealousy at not receiving something himself. After all, he was the one who needed some power bolstering item. Maybe he could convince Twinkiel to put in a word for him for an item of his own.

“Zulu.” A familiar voice said behind him.

Zulu turned around, looking up at the familiar and comforting face of Cresselia.
“Hey Cressy.” Zulu said.

“Cressy?” She asked, cocking her head amusedly.

Zulu’s face turned bright red.
“Smooth.”
“I meant Cresselia. I was thinking of someone else, and your name came out weird.” Zulu said, trying to save himself.
“Um… what was it you wanted?”

“I thought since we wouldn’t be seeing each other for an unknown period of time, that I would give you an appropriate parting gift.” She said, her eyes glowing as she levitated an object in front of her. It was a small pink crystal, colored not unlike Diancie herself.

“That is one of Diancie’s psychic communication crystals. It requires only one psychic oriented user in order to function, in this case myself.” Cresselia explained.
“Using it, I can communicate you from quite a great distance. And even when the maximum distance is reached, Latios can serve as a relay if he’s in range.” Cresselia explained.

“It’s like a cell phone.” Zulu laughed, landing so he could accept the gift. He’d probably have to let Twinkiel or someone else carry it though, since he really had no way of carrying it. Wearing it on a string was also not an option, because he already had the time gear charm there. He didn’t want too much stuff weighing him down.

“I am glad to see you approve. I believed it would make a fitting gift, in light of what today is.” She said, smiling knowingly.

“My… departure day?” Zulu guessed, thinking that’s what she was referring to.

“No, no. Your birthday, of course.”

At first, Zulu thought she was joking, but then the memory he’d first recalled several days ago came back to him. He’d been several days away from celebrating his birthday, which was…
“That’s today?” Zulu exclaimed.
“But how did you know?”

“As your guardian, your mental state is of the utmost importance to me. I happened to learn the date of your birth that you managed to recall in your recent memory flash coincides with today’s date in this world.” She explained.
“I am unfamiliar with human traditions. Aside from the giving of a present, is there any other tradition associated with birthdays?”

“Well, I think there’s a song to go along with it. But with my memories the way they are, I don’t think I’ll be able to find it.” Zulu shrugged, trying to not look as embarrassed as he felt about Cresselia reading his mind. What else did she know about?

“Singing is not my strong suit. That area is more devoted to Meloetta.” Cresselia laughed warmly.
Her laughter eventually died out though, a sort of grim expression on her face.
“Please Zulu, do be careful. The New Order is ruthless, and will not hesitate to kill you. I’m still baffled they took the risk of trusting Frost, but their gamble seems to have paid off as they have gained a powerful ally and us a powerful foe. You need to be smart, swift, and brave if you are to survive. As much as I want to be, I won’t be around to protect you. Rely on your friends for help if you find yourself in trouble. They all seem very capable, and I would trust them myself. And please, return from your quest unharmed.”
With her little speech finished, Cresselia turned and floated off, leaving Zulu with his communication crystal.

He looked at it, feeling safe knowing that even though he was going to be far away, this would keep him close to Cresselia. And he would stay safe during his journey. He had Twinkiel, Ariala, and even Fleedjio, who he really didn’t like. He’d be just... fine...

Twinkiel – Clash! The Lion and the Bounty Hunters

Day A5, 10:15 AM



“MUHAHAHAHAHA! Finished already? Ain't nobody got time for you, weakling!”

The wounded Hawlucha rose up from the sandy ground, panting.

“This… This isn't over yet, Devil's Lamb! You will be brought to justice!”

“If I'm a so-called “Devil's Lamb”, I don't think I actually care about your justice, birdy.”

Hawlucha used Flying Press!

The fighting bird jumped high above the ground and prepared herself for a fearless dive.
Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! The Voltek Fleece was activated!
A sly smile on the face, Twinkiel jumped as well and followed his opponent in mid-air, to her complete shock.

“Wha… That's impossible!!”

“Enel Impact!”

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! It's Super Effective!
The Hawlucha cried out in pain before reaching the ground, knocked out. Although the dune of sand below eased the landing of the Hawlucha, Twinkiel let himself fall as well, his foot brutally smashing the bird's belly, adding to the her rising pain.

“Remove the word “impossible” from your vocabulary when you're fighting Twinkiel Thunderfleece, girl. Now!” the Flaaffy continued, his smirk turning into a sadistic smile. “Who's next?”

Twinkiel was smiling down at the remaining group of bounty hunters: a paralyzed Pangoro, a highly scared Whismur, and their psychic leader, a Beheeyem. Even he had taken quite a lot of damage and was trying to rest as much as he could.

“Torrera!” the Pangoro screamed with despair. “You demon! What have you done to her?!”

“Why don't you come closer and find out, teddy bear? I'm not gonna let you collect my bounty that easily!”

“Hey, Twinkiel, you done yet?” Fleedjio shouted from afar. “We need to keep going. Aegeas' group is gone, and Flurry's group already left to look for Riley! You sure you don't want us to to help?”

“Can't you see I'm owning them by myself? Don't worry, I'll be just–”

Pangoro used Hammer Arm!
Twinkiel turned to face his running opponent. His movements, slowed down by both the sand dune and the paralysis, were... very slow . It was almost exaggerated.
Twinkiel sighed before pointing his paw at the bear.
Twinkiel used Charge Beam! Twinkiel's Special Attack was raised by one!
The electric beam hit the Pangoro directly, canceling his attack. Twinkiel walked towards him and put a paw on his chest.

“You'll probably survive. No promises. Enel Spear!”

Twinkiel used Charge Beam! Twinkiel's Special Attack was raised by one! The Voltek Fleece was activated
The point-blank ranged beam pushed the Pangoro away and he fell down the dune. Despite this, he rose up, panting heavily.

“Why?!” the bear shouted, utterly enraged. “How?! How are you so strong?! You're an agent of evil! You torture people for fun! You're a demonic, crazy Flaaffy!!”

“And you're a freakin' fool, teddy bear! You think everything written on my Wanted Poster is actually true?”

“Yes!!”

“...Yeah you're really stupid. Ever heard of "propaganda"? That's kinda what they used to write my poster. The only time I killed people was because I was in a war, and the only 'Mons I've tortured so far are a Zangoose and Kyurem. Though that last one was short-lived. And although those were fun times for me, I don't do it on a daily basis, unlike what you seem to believe.”

The bounty hunter's eyes widened.

"K-Kyurem?" he said, agape.

“A war?” the Beheeyem interrupted, thoughtful. “This means that… you took part in the Greatwood conflict!”

“Hah! I didn't just take part in it, pal. I WON it. I mean, me and the tribe I led. I didn't get to see the end though, Zapdos kinda interrupted the whole thing.”

The Pangoro slowly backed away, fear in his eyes. “Powerful enough to tackle Legendaries?! Who are you?!”

Twinkiel unleashed a mad cackle.

“I, teddy bear, am the disciple of Singham the Lion, and I shall now sing to his glory, for it is his power that has empowered my very soul!”



The Flaaffy began dancing in a strange yet flawless fashion, to everyone's surprise.



Twinkiel marched towards the Pangoro, suddenly serious.
Twinkiel used Thunderbolt!
With his paralysis and Twikiel's distracting movements, the Pangoro found himself unable to dodge the surprise attack and fell on the ground, knocked out.



Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! The Voltek Fleece was activated!
The Flaaffy released the Thunderbolt through his feet, carefully gliding across the desert at amazing speed.

“Peek-a-boo,” he whispered in the Beheeyem's ear after speedily reaching his side.

Twinkiel used Charge Beam! Twinkiel's Special Attack was raised by one! The Voltek Fleece was activated!
The Beheeyem was violently pushed away at the terrified Whismur's feet.



Twinkiel kept on dancing as his Psychic foe rose up.



Beheeyem used Psychic!
A barely visible psychic wave moved towards Twinkiel, but the latter flew away, his item still activated.
Beheeyem used Gravity!
The Bounty Hunter motioned his arm towards the floating Flaaffy, who couldn't resist gravity's attraction.
Twinkiel used Cotton Guard!
The electric Pokemon was smashed against the sand, but the overgrown fleece around his body protected him. He rose up, unharmed.
Twinkiel used Electric Terrain!
The cloud of sand around Twinkiel was blown away as the Electric Terrain took effect. Twinkiel smirked and kept on walking, his gaze focused on his enemy's eye.

“Enel Whip!”

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! Critical Hit!
Following the Flaaffy's arm's motion, the whip-shaped electric blast swiped the Pokemon from the side and he hit the ground head first, knocked out. Ignoring him, Twinkiel finished his dance, happy as could be.



The Flaaffy struck a last pose before closing his eyes and let out a sigh of delight.

“Yup. That felt good alright. We should totally make this movie our first play in this world.”

“OH MY GOD, YOU'RE A GENIUS. Spadassya would LOVE it.”

“...I was kinda thinking about the money we'd get out of it, but that works too.”

Small gusts of wind began blowing on Twinkiel's back. Fleedjio landed next to his friend, carrying Ariala and Zulu on his own back.

“Well, looks like you're finished here,” Fleedjio commented. “Oh wait, almost finished.”

Twinkiel followed his look and stared at the Whismur that had been left behind.
“Oh. Right. So, um… What's your name?”

The small Bounty Hunter gulped.

“Y-Yello. My name's Yello.”

“Now that's a nice pun! You don't yell much, though. Why did your partners think bringing you along to fight me was a good idea again?”

“I… I'm close to evolve. And they're...” She began crying silently. “They're… my only family.”

The Flaaffy felt a side of his heart melt. A distant memory came back to his mind: Devilbard, an Exploud that Twinkiel had trained patiently and with utmost care. One of his favorite Pokemon, and definitely one of his more powerful.

“Stop crying,” he ordered gently, patting Yello's head. “Your family's job is to catch criminals, and mine is to pursue an objective. My will clashed with theirs, and they lost. That's how life goes, you can't win everyday. Here, take this.”

Twinkiel took two oran berries from his shoulder bag and handed them to the Whismur.

“Hold the phone, Mr.Sweetness. We need some info. That's the fourth pack of hunters we meet in two hours. We might need to know why.”

“Right. Lemme reshape my kindness, then. Also, Sweetness was only nice at the END of Roll Bounce.”

“These berries are for your family. But can you please tell me who sent you towards us? I enjoy fighting, but I'd rather save my strength for later troubles. Don't worry, I won't torture you, or anything.”

Twinkiel smirked to himself. Though he wouldn't do it, he knew that the Whismur was scared enough to immediately react to the word. And that was the point.

“We… Every group of bounty hunters around Sazandora was warned by Darius the Desert Ranger,” she rapidly said, trembling. “He lives in a huge cave in the South-East mountains.”

Twinkiel nodded. “Okay then. Anything you can tell us about him?”

Yello sighed. “He's the meanest Pokemon I've ever met. I mean… I know he's a Cacturne, and that they're very creepy, but him… We know he kidnaps people who don't pay him around Sazandora, and sometimes they're innocent. But nobody really minds, because he gets rid of criminals.”

"N°332: Cacturne. Grass/Dark. No evolution. living in the desert, they band together when they spot an easy prey. They follow it across the land until it's too exhausted to move. "

“Ah, so basically he's a smart thug who takes advantage of the law to do his spooky job. Interesting. Please continue.”

“He… I mean, nobody's sure it's him, but… Miss Altaria, the chief of the AlSazCarTransportCompany, disappeared. She was helping people by transporting them in her caravans, but she had a problem with Darius. And… she disappeared soon after we heard about it. She… she was really nice...”

“Yeah, he's probably involved,” Twinkiel commented. "Tell you what: me and my friends over there came here as do-gooders anyway, so how about we free everyone he captured, destroy his butt, and you get to heal your family in the meantime?”

“Y-you'd do that?”

“Yuh-huh! Don't believe anything the New Order writes on people. It's not necessarily right. That aside, I'm afraid we have to leave you here.”

And with that, Twinkiel hoped on Fleedjio's back.

“Wait!” Yello shouted. “What… what's this objective you're fighting for?”

Twinkiel looked down on the Whismur.

“Satisfaction. Be it mine or my friend's. What are you fighting for?” The Whismur blushed violently. “I… one day, I want to be able to... roar like Dialga.”

Twinkiel smiled. Boomburst was nearly as powerful as Roar of Time? Yello needed to fully evolve to master Boomburst, and she didn't need any cooldown after firing it. That was the closest she could get to her goal, and she'd certainly be satisfied by this result. But she didn't need to know that yet.

“Huh. Quite the stupid dream you got there, kid. But stupid dreams are what drives you to become stronger, so hang on to it, 'kay? And next time we meet, we'll have a match. Be sure to roar like Dialga when that happens. Bye, Yello!”

Fleedjio spread his wings and flew away, heading towards Sandveil Town.


For a long time, the Whismur stared at the distant sun, where the red wings of the Salamence had disappeared, along with his joyful Flaaffy.

“...Twinkiel… Thunderfleece...”




"So! are you guys with me on this or what?"

Twinkiel's group were at the entrance of Sandveil, chatting as silently as they could.

"Thought it would be better for both these prisoners and our reputation among the citizens hearts if we did it," Fleedjio warned, "I don't believe we should attack this Darius' lair as we are. Or at least not without a good plan. Xerneas did say that we were suppose to act as nicely as we could in public, though, so I guess we don't have a choice."

Twinkiel nodded.

"We fight for peace, and we can't allow anyone to suffer, yadda yadda. Your approval is all I needed to hear. Don't worry guys, I have a plan of action."

"Wha.. Already?" Zulu interrupted.

Twinkiel gazed at his friend, smiling.

"Dude, I'm never silent without a reason. And I was silent during the whole trip after our encounter with Yello. I think a lot." It was Zulu's turn to smile. "Does that mean that you always talk for no reason?"

"Hey, that was...! ...Mean. Huh. Actually, you may be right on that one. I guess I just like talking to people."

"WE NOTICED," was everyone else's collective answer.

"It's fun to witness people's reactions to my words, okay?!" The Flaaffy shouted back. "Now let's get this scheme of mine going! Operation: Hoodlum Havoc is underway!"

"Wow, wow, too much momentum! Too much momentum!"

Jewels put the poffins she was packing into her bag down as she heard Twinkiel exclaim behind her. Still kneeling, she turned around, and sure enough, there the Flaafy was, soaring through the air. At least, he was soaring - right up to the moment when he smashed into the ground.

"I... I'm okay!" he reassured everyone feebly.

Jewels shook her head and rose, brushing the dust off her dress. Everyone, save for the most uptight or dignified Legendaries, was laughing, so she allowed herself a smile too. It was the smile she had often worn back home, whenever one of her brothers had done something stupid, but amusing.

"You're a terrible show-off, you know that?" Jewels called, approaching the permanently "blushing" Pokémon.

"I did make you lot laugh a bit, so hey! Achievement unlocked!" He grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled himself up.

Crazy sheep. "Point taken! But seriously, we're supposed to leave now, so stop screwing around and prepare yourself."

As Jewels left Twinkiel to his own devices once more, she realised that he was almost exactly like her youngest brother... Well, except that her brother was black, not pink, and he didn't have wool. He also didn't sing random songs, but she was sure that was unique to the Flaafy.

"That's one interesting fellow," Raikou remarked, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"Insane, more like. Maybe you should teach him how to fly."

Raikou looked thoughtful, as if he actually considered it. "Nah. You probably wouldn't approve."

"What are you implying?" Jewels asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Rikou shrugged casually. "Oh, nothing. Just that you're my voice of reason, that's all."

"Mmm-hmm, sure. Good backtracking."

"Say, where's Flurry? Isn't she the one who wanted to save that other Riolu in the first place?"

"She's over there, saying goodbye to Gabriel."

"What do you make of him?"

"Gabriel? He's got spunk, that's for sure."

Said Riolu looked up when Jewels said his name. He tilted his head slightly, both to look past Flurry and to indicate his curiosity and confusion.

"Umm, may the Force be with you!" she called and saluted, not wanting to create the impression they had been gossiping.

Gabriel lifted his hand in a hesitant wave before nodding to Flurry and walking over to his party. Flurry watched them go and then approached Jewels.

"I didn't know you knew Star Wars."

"Course! I don't own much, but I have all six movies at home. Last I heard, they're even planning on making a third trilogy."

Flurry was genuinely interested. "I didn't know. Are you looking forward to it>"

"Yup. With the first trilogy, things were interesting. Then, they made the prequel trilogy to reveal Darth Vader's story, but I can't wait to see what happens next. Of course, there'll always be haters who say they should leave the movies as they are, but I'd never say no to a good story."

"What makes you say it will be good?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard George Lucas is gonna direct the trilogy."

"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. So, do you have a favourite?"

"I'm guessing you mean movie. Yeah, I loved Attack of the Clones."

"Why?"

"Well, not only does it show where the clones come from, but it also elaborates on Boba Fett's history. Plus. that scene where Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padmé fight their way out of the execution is badass. How 'bout you?"

Flurry shifted from one leg to the other. "I haven't remembered yet... I think it might be the one where the Death Star is destroyed..."

"Oh! The Empire Strikes Back. Cool."

The silence between them stretched and became awkward. Jewels looked to Raikou for relief, but the tiger had left sometime during their conversation.

"Did you see what happened to Twinkiel?" Jewels asked, trying a different topic.

"Aha."

No luck. Jewels was starting to get a little frustrated, and Raikou hadn't returned yet, so she looked around for something interesting. Her gaze rested upon Zulu and Cresselia, the former receiving something from the latter.

"Hey, it seems everyone's getting gadgets and stuff today."

"Are you jealous?" Flurry asked, her tone indicating slight disapproval.

"No, but it would be cool if that Voltek dude made something for us as well."

"Would he do that?"

"Sure! I heard Twinkiel say something about Voltek the Eelektross having to make more items with altered effects and that the Knife's Edge has to become a "mighty arsenal"."

"What would you want him to make you?"

"Gee, I don't really know." Jewels thought about it for a moment, but then inspiration struck. "A lightsaber!"

"You can't be serious!" Flurry scoffed.

"Stop being such a party-pooper! Just imagine it - you and me, fighting side by side with our lightsabers blazing... We'll show those New Order punks a thing or two!"

Flurry pulled a face and frowned. "I don't think that will work."

"Seriously? Fine, but I still want a lightsaber, even if you don't. Just promise you'll order something from him."

"Why?"

"What's with the twenty questions? Just promise me you'll order something, and then we'll leave it at that."

Flurry sighed. "All right, I promise."

"Good. Let's go."

Flurry began to protest, but Jewels simply dragged her along. "Hey, mister Voltek!"

The Eelektross, for all his intimidating appearance, started and nervously watched them approach. "Err, me?"

"Yes. You're the Q to Twinkiel's 007, right?"

"Er..."

"Yip, that's him!" Twinkiel affirmed, jumping in and draping his arms over Voltek's shoulders. "Anything you want, this guy will make it. So, what can T2 Industries do for you?"

"Do you have a pen and paper?"

Voltek rummaged around in his bag and handed Jewels the requested items. She began sketching, and after five minutes, had finished a rough sketch of a lightsaber. She showed it to Voltek, who began studying it intensely (Jewels had added headings and descriptions), but Twinkiel adopted the role of businessman.

"So, what colour will your weapon be, lady Jedi?" he asked in an English accent.

"Purple."

"Ah, but of course. Are you a supporter of Mace Windu, by any chance?"

"Of course! Samuel Jackson played the role perfectly. It broke my heart when he died."

"Well, I am certain your fate has something else in store. Voltek, can you make it?"

"Configuring the colour will be difficult, but it should be possible, yes. It will need a large battery if it is to produce that much electricity, though."

"Actually," Jewels interrupted, "I thought it could work with Psychic energy. That way, I could recharge it the same way Twinkiel recharges his Fleece. Maybe it could draw energy from my aura, or something."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Twinkiel agreed in his own voice again. "Jewels, I think there may be a spot as partner available for you in future."

"Why, thank you. I might just take you up on that offer."

"Anything else?"

"Flurry here doesn't know what she wants yet, but she will be making an order in future."

"And we will eagerly await it," Twinkiel said, smiling widely. "May this be the start of a long and prosperous friendship! We can discuss payment later."

They all laughed, although Jewels couldn't help but feel Twinkiel was only slightly joking.

Day A5: About 9:00 A.M. … ish

“Damn you.”

“That’s getting really old.”

“Then it’s about to get ancient, because damn you!”

Alek sighed, looking back at the faded map.
“I thought that waterfall aligned with this one on the map.”

“But that cliff there…” Sully said, tapping the map with her tail blade. She was currently wrapped around Alek’s shoulders; using the logic his legs were more than strong enough to carry the both of them.
“… looked exactly like the one we saw 30 minutes ago. And look! It even has that massive crack in it.”

“But this place is practically all cliffs. But I only saw one waterfall.” Alek countered.

“Juuust great. We’re lost in the freaking wilderness with no way to tell where we are.”

“I have a compass.” Alek said, holding up the thin wooden cylinder.

“Like that’s going to help. We don’t even know where we are.”

Alek sighed in frustration.
“Why don’t you hold the map then? Oh wait. You can’t.”

Alek squeaked as Sully tightened her coil’s grip.
“Don’t get snappy with me.” She said.

Alek sighed again, this time more tiredly.
“I’m sorry. I’m kind of under a lot of pressure.”

“Oh, boo hoo. You were under a lot of pressure when you fought four captains at once in front of a pretty big audience that had your girlfriend in it, and you handled it just fine. This should be a cakewalk.”

“Girlfriend?” Alek asked confusedly.

“Yeah. That Felicity gal. You two are a thing, aren’t you?”

“N-no!” Alek objected embarrassedly.
“We’re just friends. Besides, she’s already taken. I think…”

“Oh.” Sully said simply, but inside, her spirit roared in victory over this revelation.

“Maybe we should just ask for directions.” Alek suggested.

“That’d probably work, IF there was actually civilization around.” Sully ridiculed.
“I can’t believe you’re supposed to play the boss in our cover.”

“Hey, I can act like a young crime boss.” Alek said proudly.

Sully just snorted in laughter at this.
“Oh, you were serious?” She asked sarcastically.

“Well… I bet you can’t act the part of a servant.”

“You’re right, I can’t. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Neither of us is suited for the roles you picked out for us.”

“Alright, then do you want to be the crime boss?”

“You’re damn right I do.”

“Alright then, you can have it.”

“Good.”

“Fine.”

Silence ensued as Alek continued to pour over the map, trying to get his bearings. Sully settled smugly onto his shoulders.
“Hook line and sinker.”

“Ok, please help me out here. I’ll gladly accept any and all remarks about me getting us lost if you do.” Alek pleaded.

“That’s all I ask for.” She smirked, looking over at the map.
“Alright, we passed that waterfall thinking it was this one, I think. So we’ll have to backtrack if we want to have a chance at getting back on track.”

“Yay…” Alek groaned.
“Well, let’s get going.”

Alek turned back the way they had come, the duo moving off back through the woods.

~~~~~

Sully yawned boredly, shifting on her perch. She wanted something to fight right now. But the only thing around to fight was Alek, and with his power boost, she didn’t think she’d stand much a chance.

“So, what’s little miss brain’s story?” Sully asked.

“Who?”

“Felicity.” Sully corrected, shaking her head.

Alek nodded, recalling the story she had told him a while back.
“Well… her parents abandoned her when she was only three with a relative. An uncle, I think.” Alek began.

“She have any idea why?” Sully asked curiously.

“She has plenty of THEORIES why. Her favorite one is that they wanted a responsibility free life and so left her to go gamble in Radiance. It was just a small town back then called Crossroads before Arceus built it up into the city it is today.”

“Yeah, I know that. I did take history.” Sully said.
“So she doesn’t know anything about what happened to them?”

“No. And she doesn’t want to find them either. But she’s told Arthur and me plenty of times that if she ever does find them, she’s going to completely wipe their brains and replace their identity with the mindset of a wild Snorlax.”

Sully laughed at this.
“And here I thought she was just some goody two shoes. But… can she actually do that?”

Alek shrugged at this.
“Given enough time with someone, she probably could. She couldn’t just do that in a second, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“That’s pretty badass.” Sully smirked.
“What about that Arthur guy? Why is he here?”

Alek let out a chuckle at the question, shaking his head.
“Now that’s a story.”

“Hey, plenty of time while we backtrack.” Sully said derogatively.

“Don’t remind me.” Alek sighed.
“Anyway, Arthur lived in the Alluvial farmlands. He worked the fields with his parents. Being a grass type and all, his help was in high demand.”

“Finally, someone who actually has parents. The basic stereotype for all of us apprentices are sad, tragedy hardened orphans.” Sully pointed out.

“Tell me about it… Anyways, Arthur was out in the fields one day. His dad went to go empty the wheelbarrow of all the berries they’d harvested leaving Arthur by himself. Well, the usual guard that helped protect the fields had been transferred, and a Mismagius had taken his place. But Arthur didn’t know that, and he was already pretty scared of ghost types. He thought she was a thief or murderer.” Alek explained, trying to stop from laughing.

“So what’d the grass guy do?” Sully asked, eager to know what made the story so funny.

“Well… he attacked her. He even succeeded in knocking her out. Two more guards came to see what was happening, and Arthur knocked them out too. Arthur told me his dad gave him quite the beating for that. Several months later though, someone came up to his house and asked his parents if they would consider sending him to Mt. Providence for Cobalion’s apprentice program. They were pretty reluctant at first, but Arthur kept begging them to let him go. He’d been eavesdropping.”

“And I guess they finally let him go.” Sully laughed.
“But beating up three guards? Was he still a Chespin then?”

“Yes, he was. That’s what made it unbelievable for me.”

The two shared a good laugh over that. But the chuckling divulged into hysterical laughter when Sully let out an accidental snort. She tried to be angry at Alek, but he was laughing so hard he was crying. But eventually, the laughter died out, leaving Sully feeling as bored as before. They had just gotten back out of the forest they’d wandered into, an expanse of plains stretching out in front of them, with amazing looking rock formations

“I want a rematch.” Sully suddenly blurted out.

“What?” Alek asked confusedly, even though he’d heard her perfectly clear.

“I want a rematch. We never really finished our first one. I went easy on you after all.” She smirked.
“And we’ve got the best arena around to use. Nature.”

Alek looked around, agreeing with her.
“Alright. But what if you get too injured to keep going?”

“What if YOU get too injured?” Sully countered, lowering her head in front of his with a devilish grin on her face.

“Alright, you’re on.” Alek replied.
He reached up to his shoulders, lifting Sully off and onto the ground. She opened he mouth, about to make some remark about being able to do stuff herself, but decided to hold it back.

“So, how do we decide who wins? Surrender? Or K.O.?” Alek asked, shifting nervously in anticipation of the answer. He really didn’t want to knock out his newest best friend.

“Surrender. Should minimalize your injuries.” Sully answered, slithering in a wide circle around Alek, using her tailblade to draw a circle in the dirt and grass of the plains while she appraised Alek. Her potion had done more than evolve him. Even after only two days, he looked more physically fit than the average Greninja. At least she was assuming that. She’d never seen another Greninja before. His thin limbs had little to no fat on them, being completely muscle. He’d be quite the challenge, but she was looking forward to it.

“Alright, here’s how this is going to work. Either of us taps out or shouts mercy, the fights over. You get out of the ring, accident or not, and it’s an automatic victory. No holdbacks on any moves. You think it’ll help you win, you use it. But I’m putting the kybosh on items.” She said. And with that, she flicked her potion satchel off her neck and into a patch of grass, whatever liquid was inside it sloshing around. It had a toxic red hue to it, the contents bubbling slightly.
Alek in turn slung the leather supply pack he’d been given off, setting it outside the ring.
He turned around, seeing Sully loosening her coils up, her tailblade already gaining the purple tinge signifying her poison glands had already coated it.

“So, are you going to actually say when we’re starting this time, or are you going to try and get the jump on…”

Just like last time, Sully lunged forward with her fangs bared. But Alek had expected this. He’d in fact done that to lure Sully into a preemptive strike, and he’d been fully prepared to counter. When her face was no more than a foor from his chest, he threw himself down onto the ground on his back, his arm slicing up in a Night Slash. With no way to avoid the attack, Sully let out a wounded hiss as the dark energy hit her, knocking her off balance. She flipped head over tail through the air, landing an inch from the edge of the makeshift arena she’d made.

“You’re… ssssso gonna get it.” Sully threatened, turning on Alek.

Alek’s eyes widened in panic as he took up a stance, summoning two Substitutes and ten Double Teams to keep himself safe.
Sully coiled her tail up behind her, prepared to slice out at anything that made a move towards her.
“Come on Alek. Remember, it’s up to you when this is over.” She said tauntingly. She knew how to get in her opponents heads, and Alek was no exception.

“Too slow!” A voice shouted mockingly.
Sully instinctively whipped her blade at the noise, knowing full well that it might be a Substitute. She did her best to keep the swipe from being lethally fast, but it was kind of hard considering how sharp she always kept her blade. She swiped through two Double Teams before hitting a Substitute, the copy falling to the ground as it dissolved into light.

“You call that slow?” Sully retorted, listening. The Double Teams wouldn’t make noise. Only Alek and his other Substitute would.
“And combat mocking is not your thing.”

“Well why not? I have a new image for myself after all.”

Sully could tell from the way he’d spoken, that he had done it accidentally. She snapped her tail in the direction of the voice, earning a surprised gasp from the real Alek as it sliced across his belly. Sully wondered if she’d got him deep enough for the poison to take effect. Her basic venom was only lethal if left untreated for several days.

“Oh come on, that’s not fair.” He protested, clutching his stomach in slight pain.

Not even responding, Sully coiled up and launched herself at Alek, quickly wrapping herself around his upper chest and face, effectively blocking any form of attack. He didn’t want to risk getting hit by a Hydro Pump.
“Tap out, and you get your air.” She stated smugly, knowing he probably couldn’t breathe with her coil over his mouth. Sure enough, he started blindly struggling to get her off, forming Water Shruikens in his hands. But with his arms pinned to his side, he couldn’t throw them at all.
Next he tried a Hydro Pump, and Sully grimaced as she felt the water building up in his mouth, but the pressure wasn’t strong enough to dislodge her with her blocking his mouth. He needed an open airway to get any real pressure behind the attack.

“Arceus Alek, just tap out. You’re making this weird for both of us.” She said.
Alek struggled against her for a good five minutes before he eventually tapped out, stomping his foot on the ground.
“About damn time.”

She released her death grip on Alek, landing with a plop on the soggy ground, which had resulted from all the failed water attacks he’d tried.

“What the heck was that?” Alek gasped, shaking himself dry.

“It’s called strategy. You should try it sometime.” She said, slithering over to drier grass before rolling around in it, drying herself off.
“Like, what was that not attacking while you had the Substitutes up? You let me take one out, and then hit you and you never even tried to hit me. What, did you go easy on me?”

“What? No.” Alek objected, though his face gave him away.

“You may be a super soldier, but I’m the one who made you that way. Don’t ever hesitate to wreck a mon. Not even me.” Sully said as she finished drying herself, her scales now having a beautiful glisten to them that Alek found pleasing to look at.

Alek nodded.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He said.
“But… can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead.” She said nonchalantly, inspecting herself for any injuries she might have missed.

“What’s with that tattoo you have? The one on the underside of your tail. Well… near the end of your body. You’re practically all tail.” Alek said, trying play off the awkwardness of the question.

“It’s just that. A tattoo. It’s nothing special. In fact, you should get one once we get to CTP. I’ve heard they’ve got the best artists around there. Maybe a Lopunny riding a Rayquaza.” She suggested, trying to change the subject. And it looked like she’d succeeded.

“I was thinking more along the lines of Unown runes. I know how to read those you know.” Alek said boastfully.

“Great. You can read a language no one even uses anymore.” Sully said sarcastically.
“But seriously, I’m getting you some hot battle tatts when we arrive.”

“I think that’s against regulations for apprentices…”

“Like it’ll matter for you. You’re as good as graduated. Now come on. Let’s move out.” Sully said, retrieving her bottle sling.
“And since you lost, you can carry me again.”

“But I’ve carried you for the past two hours. I’m exhausted.” Alek complained.

“Just think of it as special training. I’m not that heavy… am I?” Sully asked, knowing how backed into a corner Alek probably was at that question.

“No, you’re not.” He sighed.
“Climb up.”

Sully was more than happy to oblige, wrapping around his upper shoulders while leaving his arms with plenty of mobility.

“But when we get to the Pass, let me do all the talking. You don’t have the young criminal vibe.” She said, smirking.
Rolling his eyes, Alek set off once again, already wondering if this powerful artifact was awaiting them at their destination.

~~~~~
Day A5: Late evening

Alek knew things were going to be pretty rough here when he’d gotten within 50 yards of the pass. For starters, there was the massive, scarred Machamp that had stopped him at the entrance, which was a tall, shantily constructed wall made of rotting wooden planks and rusty metal pieces, a small doorway in it.

“Toll here is 80 Poke.” He’d stated simply, holding out one of his hands while keep the other set clenched into fists in case he had to throw a punch.
Alek had been fully prepared to pay the toll, but of course, Sully wasn’t going to have any of that.
Before Alek could stop her, she lunged off his shoulders, wrapped tightly around the Machamp’s neck, and pressed the tip of her blade against his forehead.

“Trying to shake us down? Do you know who we are?” She hissed threateningly.

The Machamp didn’t answer, but he definitely was looking worried.

“Now if you still want something, I can give you a good 8 liters of poison. You could probably sell it off to some alchemist or assassin for double what you want, but of course you’d have to get it out of your bloodstream first. Shouldn’t be a problem, since you’ll be dead.”

The Machamp still didn’t say anything, but held up his hands in a surrender motion.

“Good.” Sully affirmed, letting go and falling onto the ground with a plop. She slithered back onto Alek’s shoulders, motioning him forward with her tail.
The Machamp took a good five steps aside to let the group pass through the gate. And as they did, the interior of the pass folded out in front of them.
Practically every single square foot of the canyon was bustling with some kind of activity. Alek saw perches of all kind built into the walls of the canyon, Pokemon sitting out on the porches as they surveyed the scene. Music of all kinds flowed through the air, occasionally broken by the shouts of a brawl breaking out. Peddlers stood out in front of shops with run down looking carts, selling impressive looking weapons, gear, and other objects that definitely looked out of place in a seedy town like this.
And speaking of the town, it looked like someone had smashed several towns together. Buildings that had the trademark adobe construction of the Alluvial farmlands were built right next to the Obsidian stoned Vallus buildings. There was even a Drifblim floating up above, carrying a house for his boss through the canyon.

“Now this looks like my kind of place.” Sully said, her eyes twinkling as she looked around.

“Glad to hear you say that.”

Alek snapped around, ready to attack anyone that might want to give him trouble.

“Whoa, whoa. Hold on there bud. I’m not looking for a fight.”
A Ludicolo stood behind him, arms raised.
“Just checking out the latest person that had the guts to take on Butch.”

Alek relaxed, this Pokémon’s calm demeanor very easing. But Sully still looked tense. She knew how murderers tended to work. Sometimes they could be very charming, and the next thing you know, you’re dead.

“Name’s Everdred. The Unofficial head of stuff that happens here. And nothing happens here without my say so.” He chuckled heartily.

“Um… hello. I’m Alaaaagh.” Alek groaned as Sully virtually crushed him in her coils, sighing.

“Sorry about him. What he was about to say is his name is Cal. I’m Celia.” Sully said, flashing her usual sinister looking grin at the Ludicolo while giving Alek a reminding squeeze.
Alek realized that they hadn’t even been here 10 minutes, and he’d almost blown their cover. Some special operative he was turning out to be.

“Such a beautiful name for a cold gal like yourself.” Everdred laughed.
“At least you keep a pretty tight hold on your slave there. We have quite a few escaped ones that live around here. Rowdiest bunch of Mon I’d ever seen. It’ll be good to have someone around to remind them how they’re supposed to act.”

“Me? Oh no sir, I’m not her sleeerk!” Alek grunted again as Sully silenced him with another rough squeeze.

“What he was trying to say is he prefers to be called my indentured servant, but really, what’s the difference?”

Everdred and Sully shared a good laugh over that one, though Alek could tell she was faking. She was, after all, quite the actor. Alek just rolled his eyes, waiting for them to finish.

“I like you.” Everdred said, patting her on the coils as he walked by. Alek felt Sully tense up as if she were about to take a swing at him for the contact, but she held herself back.
Everdred motioned for the duo to follow.

“Let me fill you in on our little society here. We’ve got no law, because every last person here is an outlaw. Me, I was quite the conman. Butch back there was some Muk crime lord’s body guard, until he took a Razor Wind to the mouth. Now he can’t talk. And that guy…”

Alek and Sully looked to see a Mr. Mime laughing maniacally as he rubbed his hands together, staring at a crushed berry on the ground.

“Eh… best not get into Mumbler. Anyways, we may not have any law, but we DO have an honor system. You steal from someone, you better be ready for when they come for you. It pays to have a reputation around here. No one would ever steal from Butch, but me? Well, I don’t have much stuff worth of value anyway.”

A Thro suddenly flew out of the doorway to what Alek assumed was some kind of restraint, a Bidoof strutting out after him.
“That’ll teach ye, ye scrawny Wurmple!” The Bidoof shouted, his voice much deeper and masculine sounding than anticipated.

“Y-you’ll pay for that!” The Thro shouted back, sounding terrified as he ran off, tripping several yards down the canyon before getting back up and running.

“What kind of mixed up place is this…?” Sully muttered in awe. A Bidoof scaring a Thro? Did type advantages work differently here?

“Just find yourself someplace to stay. There are plenty of caves around. Just try not go in too deep. Lots of crazies and wild bugs live in there. They don’t usually disturb the guys staying in them though.”

Alek resigned himself that he was not sleeping in the caves. He’d much rather sleep on a Torterra’s back. In fact, he’d seen one not too long ago lumber by.

“Would you like a cage for your… uh… servant?” Everdred asked.

“Nah, he’s pretty loyal.” Sully laughed, patting Alek’s head with the flat of her blade.

Everdred once again chuckled. It seemed that was the only reaction he had for anything.
“Alright. See you guys around. Just don’t get any ideas about robbing me. All I’ve got left is a bed, and that’s only still around because I had a Slugma weld it to my floor.”
Waving goodbye, the Ludicolo wandered off through the crowd.
Alek waited until he was a good distance away before he turned on Sully.

“What was that for?”

“What was what for? I did a lot of pretty damn clever stuff in the past few minutes.” Sully smirked.

“That whole servant thing. I thought we agreed that you were a crime boss and I was your bodyguard?”

“Hey, you may be tough, but you’re not bodyguard material. I needed a story that would actually be believable, and Evergreen…”

“Everdred.”

“Whatever; gave me the perfect opening. It’s always best to let the people make the stuff up about your cover. Now let’s find us a place to settle, though I’m half considering just digging out a hole for me to sleep in.” Sully said.

“But what about me?”

“Just blast yourself one with those massive Water Shruikens of yours.”

As they stepped forward though, someone stepped out to intercept them. But that someone was nowhere near Alek’s height.

“Got any Oran Berries or Reviver Seeds?” A scrawny Murkrow asked, its voice easily revealing it was a female.

“Yes?” Alek said uncertainly, his hand straying to the pouch at his waist.

“Good. Hand em over.” She ordered, hopping threateningly closer.

“Look, kid. I don’t know who you are, but you clearly don’t know who you’re dealing with. So why don’t you go fly home to momma bird, and…”

“Kid!? I’m older than you! Not all of us can afford fancy stones you know. That’s why I’m doing this.”
Before either of them could react, the Murkrow launched a pink heart made of energy at Alek. Seconds before it hit, Alek recognized it for what it was. Attract.
“Watch it!” Sully shouted, trying to wrench him away from the attack. But as she did so, the move hit Alek in the shoulder, the energy spreading throughout him and filling him with a wonderful warmth.

“I said watch it dumbass!” She ridiculed.
But Alek hardly heard her words. Looking at the Murkrow, Alek saw the most beautiful bird he’d ever laid eyes on. Her beak was the perfect shade of yellow, her eyes like perfect pearls, her ebony feathers shining in the flattering light…

“Now, can I have some berries? Preferably all of them.” She said, gazing up at Alek in a begging face.

“Of course. Anything for you.” Alek eagerly said, reaching to untie his berry pouch. Sully quickly coiled his arms, pinning them to his side.

“What the hell are you doing?” She asked.

“This poor womon needs some berries. I want to help.” Alek said dreamily, still trying to reach the pouch.

“Womon? I’m not that old you know. Seriously, don’t you know anything about age appearance?” She ridiculed, enjoying the show.

“Shut it! And take that ssstupid move off him!” Sully hissed at her.

“Sorry, no can do. Besides, I wouldn’t even if I could.” She laughed.

Alek struggled fiercely against Sully, finally managing to tear his pouch off before tossing it to the Murkrow with a weak wrist toss. She strutted over to it, snapping it up in her beak.

“Thmmks.” She said, taking a bow before starting to fly off.

“Hey! Where are you going? Will I ever see you again!? I didn’t even get your name! How will I find you!?” Alek called out, trying to run after her. But intervention from the snake coiled around him stopped that easily enough, resulting in his tripping and falling face first onto the ground. Several of the watchers laughed at his clumsiness, losing interest shortly afterward before returning to their tasks.

“Gmmph ommph mem!” Sully shouted, her head stuck under Alek’s stomach.
The impact had at least been enough to snap Alek out of his stupor, and he quickly did as she said.

“Sorry Sully. I… never really prepared to handle a move like that befo…”

Sully angrily slashed at him with her tailblade, leaving a small cut on his cheek.

“Ow! W-what was that for!?” Alek exclaimed, pressing one of his hands against his cheek.

“For falling for the oldest trick in the book! Are you telling me you weren’t expecting that? I saw it coming a mile away!”

“Then why didn’t you do something?”

“I tried, but it’s kind of hard trying to move a body that isn’t mine!”
Seeing people were still staring a little at the arguing duo, Sully quickly regained her composure.
“You know what, forget it. She just got a few berries.”

“And my pouch. Felicity helped me make that…” Alek sighed sadly.

“Seriously, do you always have to be so damn sentimental? It’s people like you that turn into hoarders.” Sully ridiculed. Instead of taking her position on Alek’s shoulders, she decided to stick with moving herself.
Wanting to have the last word though, Alek stood up.
“So what, are you saying you can just shrug off an Attract? It’s a move made to make you fall in love for Arceus sake!”

“A male? Use Attract? Only the low of the lowlifes would ever do that.” Sully scoffed.
“And yes, I probably could. I’m not one for romance.”

Turning her back on Alek, Sully contined her huffy retreat. Re-shouldering his supply pack, Alek followed behind her. At least now he didn’t have to lug around Sully.
“Or her big mouth…” Alek muttered to himself.

~~~~~

The Murkrow flew up and out of the canyon, landing on the plateau on top. It was dotted with holes, looking very much like a block of Swiss cheese. Unfortunately, the Murkrow wouldn’t be able to grasp such an analogy since Pokemon didn’t have Swiss cheese.
Sticks had been jammed into the ground next to several of the holes, marking the ones the Murkrow had already checked. She poured out the berries, seeing they were all still perfectly ripe.

“Well it’s about time.” A familiar, scratchy voice announced.

“Crap…” The Murkrow muttered fearfully, turning to the source of the voice.
“Hey there boss. Just restocking on supplies before going back down on my search.”

Her “Boss” was actually someone much more important. Zapdos himself stood on the plateau, looking distastefully at the Murkrow. Electricity occasionally leapt off his feathers, making him seem even more intimidating as he glared at her.
“You better pick up the pace before I decide that you’d be more entertaining dead.”

“I’m trying, but I’m just one Mon. Can’t I get some help from some other guys? And why do you have ME going down there? Shouldn’t you get a Sandslash, or a Dugtrio to do it?”

The Murkrow cried out as a wave of static electricity hit her, all her muscles seizing up and rendering her motionless.

“In case you forgot, you don’t get to ask questions. And why you? Because I said so. Quite frankly, I’m still waiting for you to go down there and never come back up so I can hire someone more useful. I’d do it now, but I don’t need you forming some kind of anti-me alliance with the others. So for now, it’s just you until you get eaten by a Scollipede, then I’m getting someone tougher, and I’ll keep going until either someone finds what I want, or this places population gets wiped out.”

“Yes… Boss…” She grunted, struggling to regain mobility.
She fell forward when the Paralysis finally wore off, leaving her twitching on the ground.

“You have until the end of the week. If you haven’t found even a clue by then, not only do you not get this…”
Zapdos held up his talon, a dark purple evolution stone clutched in it. A Dusk Stone.
“,but I get the fun of dropping you in the nearest Galvantula web.”

The Murkrow tried her best to look brave, but was failing miserably.
“Yes boss. I’ll try harder.”

Nodding, Zapdos spread his wings and launched upward, leaving a tracer trail of electricity behind him. Once she was sure he was gone, the Murkrow broke down sobbing.

“Why me? Why not someone else? Always with the bad luck…” She cried.
“Come on Abby, pull yourself together. You got this. You’re a flying type. You can handle those bugs.”
The Murkrow, named Abby, hopped over to an unmarked hole. Taking some berries in her wing, she hopped down the hole to continue exploring the expansive cave system. She ended up turning back though as a Wild Wurmple mob tried to overrun her. She’d eaten both her berries when she got back to the surface before grabbing more and going back down. And she continued this for the rest of the day and into the night, always breaking down into a fit of crying when she got back to the surface before going back down into the system ruled by the bugs.

Flurry | Sarah | Day A5 11:00 am

All it took was a thought. Three simple syllables that didn't even form a true sentence--a name, and an 'oh.'

Oh, Riley

And Flurry was suddenly lost in herself, because the phrase, Sarah Oh Riley, would not stop repeating in her mind.

She gripped Raikou's back tighter, knobbly hands quivering with her own coldness, and stared at Jewels's back, trying to forget the name. She repeated a line from Star Wars under her breath and tried to follow its connecting thread towards something happy, but whatever tangle of memory had arisen from "Sarah Oh Riley" would not let her pass.

"These are not the droids you're looking for," Flurry whispered. "These are not the droids we're looking for." Then she raised a hand and batted at some imaginary object in the air, trying to use the motion to dissipate the cloud of gloom in her mind.

It did not work.

Jewels twisted around in her seat to give Flurry a puzzled look, and Flurry swore she saw someone else in the older girl's place, someone thick and dark and severe.

"I heard you quote Star Wars," Jewels said. She tilted one side of her mouth into a smile. "Did you remember something new? Or is something on your mind?"

"Oh, no. It's nothing." Flurry shook one hand and tried to grin.

But then, Shaymin's shrill voice cut from Raikou's head, and the cat purred knowingly along with her. They both said something about people only saying "it's nothing" when there was actually something important.

Naturally, a psychic like Jewels would have known this. She shrugged and turned back around to face forward, probably thinking it was like the light-saber deal--better left untouched at the moment, but with a silent promise that she would find out everything later.

Flurry felt a moment of something when she realized she'd stopped thinking about the 'Oh Riley' deal, but the phrase immediately popped back into her brain, repeating like a steady Charleston blues rhythm. Oh Riley, O'Riley, O'Reilly

Sarah O'Reilly.

Flurry snapped her eyes shut and tried desperately to push the name out. She tried to remember what the scenery looked like. It was a desert, right? Tons of sand and no life, nothing like the deserts she knew.

She knew a desert?

She blinked back to her surroundings. Yes. It was clearly a desert, the desert she'd arrived in, actually. Mountains and dunes of golden sand drifted and shifted along the horizon, ever moving with the stifling breeze that moved slower than the laziest of rivers. The sky was a bright, piercing blue without a cloud in sight.

Blue like the head palace fairy's costume.

It was in that moment, riding atop a legendary pokemon, right behind a girl that hardly looked similar to someone Flurry knew, that all the worst memories flooded back.

Florence Liu | Cast | Day ??

The studio locker room smelled worse than two-week-old cat litter. It was worse than a garbage dump, worse than a boy's gym locker, and more putrid than rotten meat. All around the room, sweaty, pink tights and worn-out shoes lay abandoned and lost by girls too tired to think about anything aside from the mounds of homework waiting at home.

Flory wrinkled her nose, trying to dampen the smell but reminding herself that it smelled even more acrid with thirty other bodies crammed in at the same time. She was lucky that it was casting day. Otherwise, everyone else would be changing too.

Instead, they were all crowded around the wall by the front of the studio, leaping up and down and lazily practicing their relevés. A few squeals echoed down the hallway, denting the heavy air of the locker room.

Quick as possible, Flory changed into her street clothes and stuffed her tights and leotard into a drawstring bag. She pulled on her shoes and raced out to stand behind the gaggle of girls (and a few boys) still gathered in the front hall. Slowly, the drifted away, each one either bursting with happiness or mildly disappointed. At least there weren't any criers this year.

Only one of the older boys from the senior company was left when Flory finally walked up to the sheets of paper taped to the wall. They flapped a bit every time the door opened, but Flory managed to find her name with little trouble, listed in the dead center of the senior company girls.

Florence Liu... Chinese Tea Soloist

At first, she was flattered. Last year's Chinese Tea dance had been one of the hardest solos any girl of the company had to learn. Then she remembered the costume and her heart sank.

The studio had put the soloist under a pound of white and red make-up, imitating the look of Chinese opera. It was not appropriate for ballet.

She sniffled and shrugged. Flory was the prodigy of senior company, a full two years younger than any of the other girls. If she talked to the director and costume and make-up people, surely they'd understand.

Someone coughed behind her.

"Get in?"

Flory looked back, knowing what she'd find. It was the girl who all the older students named Sore Eye. Feeling uncomfortable, Flory forced her gaze to wander to the doors and nodded.

"What part?"

"Chinese Tea."

Sore Eye huffed. Whether that was a chuckle or an actual huff, Flory could not tell. "At least they write roles for Chinese people. No one wants to cast a black lady, no less one with flab."

Something stung in Flory's stomach. She didn't like this girl talking like that; it made her think of the one time she'd heard someone retching in the bathroom. Besides, Sore Eye was good at dancing, no matter what the older girls said.

She couldn't say this though. Flory had worked hard enough to be the youngest member of senior company. She had respect. Talking to Sore Eye would strip her of that.

"Well, I suppose there's still next year," Sore Eye said. "Maybe I'll make head palace fairy one of these days."

Day A5, 9:02 A.M.


The meeting had finally concluded. The last words were being spoken, the adventurers beginning to leave on their respective quests. Aegeas watched this intently, seeing the goodbyes and farewells as friends separated.

Aegeas had nobody to say goodbye to, but it didn’t matter. At that time, his purpose was simple. His goal was to protect his allies – nothing more, nothing less. If he made friends, however, that would be wonderful; he always enjoyed lively conversation with others. In a world where death’s scythe was always pressed against his back, it would be nice to know he wasn’t alone. He smiled as he thought about this possibility.

When this was all over, he supposed, he’d settle down for once in his life. Perhaps he’d move back to that the old house, in the case it was still standing. Maybe he would find a wife, have a family…but those were all ideas that he brushed aside. Everyone in his group had gathered together, and he had no more time for thoughts. He was prepared for action. He would not desist, and he was ready.

For once in his life, he had a purpose. He was not about to turn away from that purpose.

"Bye dearies!” yelled Diancie as Aegeas and his allies left. Aegeas turned to face her and bowed. He smiled as he walked off, joining his group quickly. He didn’t bother looking back to see her reaction – he knew her well enough to know how she would react. As a result, he felt better as his group began to leave the vicinity. Maybe everything wouldn’t be so bad after all, right?

…Or so he hoped.

Day A5, 12:15 A.M.


They’d been walking for hours, and the weather had turned far worse than it had before. When they’d left the Shrine of Safety, around ten in the morning, the land was only beginning to heat up. It wasn’t blazing, though it wasn’t entirely comfortable either. The weather, nonetheless, was somewhat decent. Unfortunately, the noonday sun wasn’t nearly as forgiving or as kind. The blazing heat scorched the land and everything in it, turning the desert into an oven. The winds, also hot and dry, didn’t provide even the slightest respite. The sand kicked into the air made the conditions even worse than before. For Aegeas, however, that wasn’t the worst part.

Aegeas was leading the procession through the desert, walking as fast as he could. It was not the weather that bothered him, as it did the last time he had visited. When surrounded by allies and friends, he felt more comfortable in the warm environment. However, something else prodded him onwards, making him anxious to leave. He wondered if the others saw this nervousness, he hoping that they did not. In spite of his fears, one could not look at him and know that he was nervous, for he was expressionless, as he always was when he was thinking. Or, in this case, conversing in his mind. As soon as he had taken a step within the Sandaroza Desert, the Shrine of Safety and its relaxing nature long behind him, an old friend decided to visit. This was the part he dreaded the most – enduring a conversation with an annoying god.

Aegeas had hoped that this wouldn’t happen. After all, his group had decided it would be most appropriate to go around the edge of the desert, dodging the worst of the heat and the unfriendly residents. Yes, there were the few irritable bandits to deal with, but Xerneas’s presence was enough to intimidate all of them into leaving. He should’ve been free from the grasp of that voice; he should’ve been free from the troubles of the desert. Nonetheless, despite the odds, the voice soon crawled into his mind once more, and began a conversation. Its voice was choppy and sometimes faded into oblivion, for his distance from the owner of the voice had put him almost out of range of its powers. To Aegeas, that wasn’t nearly far enough.

“Why, hello! I didn’t expect that you’d return.” The voice was bemused. Even though it was choppy, it was instantly recognizable.

“I hadn’t either, Volcanion,” thought Aegeas. He would’ve preferred talking out loud, but, in the midst of company, it would no doubt make others question his sanity. When one is leading others in the middle of a desert, the last thing that those others would want to hear is the leader talking to voices they can’t hear. He wondered, therefore, if the thought in his mind had come across with enough bitterness and sarcasm.

It must have, because Volcanion changed the subject of conversation at once. “Hmm, it seems you’ve brought friends.”

“Yes, I have. Can I trust your word?” Aegeas didn’t know whether to trust the legend. On one side, Volcanion was decent, when it wanted to be, and seemed friendly enough. On the other side, it seemed to have a knack for trying to discover the secrets and idiosyncrasies of others, and this made Aegeas uncomfortable. Knowledge is power, particularly when it can be used against others, and Volcanion had a lot of power. Aegeas wasn’t sure whether it was all knowing, but chose not to use that knowledge against others, or just curious. Either way, Volcanion always disturbed him.

“You have my full support,” replied Volcanion. “Nothing in this desert will bother you from this point onwards. Well, except for the heat and the sand. I can’t do anything about that. Everything else should be fine. Except maybe for those few irritable ban…”

“Yes, I know, I know,” thought Aegeas, before another realization entered his mind. If Volcanion knew about the bandits, did he know about their commander? It was worth a shot. He asked Volcanion, “Do you know anything about Darius?”

“Ah, Darius,” said the Volcanion, whose voice shifted from bemused to dull. Aegeas had obviously struck upon an unfriendly topic. “The desert’s most malicious slave dealer.”

“Slave dealer?” inquired Aegeas. He knew that Darius wasn’t an honest person, and no doubt unscrupulous. From what he heard about how innocents vanished because of Darius, Aegeas wasn’t surprised at all that Darius was a slave dealer. Nonetheless, he desired to know more, and decided it would be best to continue the conversation.

“Yes,” responded Volcanion, “As you know, I know most everything that happens in and around the desert. That is, of course, when I’m not on my mountain abode…”

“Hmm,” thought Aegeas in a sarcastic tone, “I always assumed that you only knew about the lives of everyone who wandered into your little oasis. But you know more? How surprising.”

Volcanion sounded flabbergasted at this remark, but quickly regained its composure and continued to speak, albeit with a more wary tone. “Well, yes, that is the case. Let’s just say, however, that I have a network of informants. They tell me all about what is happening, who is where, and the like. Anyways, like I was saying, I know all that is occurring in and around the desert, save for the few events that my informants cannot observe. For instance, the activities of Darius. Therefore, I must rely on what rumors I know…”

“If you would cease your incessant rambling,” thought Aegeas, annoyed and impatient, “Perhaps we could actually have a decent conversation. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, please tell me about this slave dealer.”

“You’re in no position to question my authority,” said Volcanion. The voice was in the same tone it had been before, but laced with a threatening edge. Aegeas sighed. Volcanion was a pestilence, and, worse yet, correct.

“Fine. Have it your way.”

“I will. Darius likes to kidnap people in the desert. Those traveling it, wandering around, or simply innocents who live in the surrounding area. The word is that he’s in cahoots with the New Order.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. They’ve no morals.”

“Yes, yes, I agree. Fortunately, they haven’t devoted the time or resources into bullying me, so I’m been able to stay neutral for quite some time…”

“Ahem.”

“Ah, yes, I’m straying away from the topic. The word is, though I can’t confirm this myself, and I have no idea whether or not it’s true, because his activities are one of the few things that I have not been able to track, that the New Order pays him to bring them captives.”

“So as to use them as slaves, I suppose?”

“Precisely.”

“Then may my allies defeat him as soon as possible.”

“My informants have already told me of these…allies of yours. They are most interesting, to say the least.”

“You haven’t the slightest idea,” thought Aegeas in an exasperated tone.

“No, I suppose not. However, I can assume that, since you’re deriding the New Order, you’ve chosen the Resistance?” Volcanion changed his tone back to bemused, which, while creepy, was more reasonable and fitting to his personality than his dull tone. The happier the legend, thought Aegeas, the less likely it was to penetrate his memories once more. The less Volcanion accessed Aegeas’s memories, the happier the Dewott would be. Therefore, he answered Volcanion’s question swiftly. At least he also knew then how Volcanion would be keeping them safe – though he did not know the identity of the informants, they sounded powerful. They would have to be in order to have daily access into the lives of the dangerous residents of the desert. Now that Aegeas’s questions were answered, he felt it appropriate to change the topic.

“Yes,” replied Aegeas simply.

“Ah, there’s Xerneas. I should’ve not have asked. Why, I only needed to look!”

Before Aegeas could reply, Volcanion spoke again. “You don’t have any need to tell me of your friends. I already know who they are all are. Your memories are quite detailed indeed!”


Day A5, 10:23 P.M.

The day had been terrible, but Aegeas was happy to see that it was finally over. It had taken a long time, but Aegeas had finally shut up Volcanion. He hadn’t learned anything new, and that was frustrating. After their conversation concerning Darius, Volcanion began to wander in its speech, covering old topics and rambling about random topics or pieces of information that it’d learned from its informants. Aegeas began to suspect that perhaps Volcanion was quite lonely, wishing for someone to talk to so it could discuss its knowledge with others. The Dewott felt a slight amount of pity, but hated the conversation as it degenerated. Only when Aegeas informed the legend that it was high time that he went to sleep did Volcanion cease its talking. The legend would plague him no more, or at least until morning arrived and Aegeas would head off towards those mountains in the distance.

His allies had stopped walking, as had he. As the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky, they began to set up camp. Aegeas wandered away from the rest of the group. He didn’t desire any form of conversation; he’d had his fill of it for the day. The Dewott walked over to where he wouldn’t be entirely visible to the rest of the group, and lay on the sands, observing the night sky above. He hated the daytime in the desert, but the nighttime wasn’t so bad. It was a little cold, but nothing too severe. Aegeas could bear it, as he’d experienced much worse. The sands were soothing, and he felt some of his pain ease away. Though he had always prided himself on his physical strength and endurance, he was growing a tad old for wandering around the desert for days on end, and the effort was starting to strain his muscles. However, the fact didn’t sting at all. It was just another reminder that he’d spent too much of his life wandering, that perhaps it might be for the best if he chose to end his seclusion for once in his life. It was a change that he was beginning to be willing to accept.

He relaxed, observing the night sky above. The sun had already vanished from the sky, and the night slowly grew darker and darker with the absence of light. Night was approaching, and he understood it was best that he slept, even though sleep was a terrible time for him, filled with nightmares and his confrontations against his worst fears. However, he had another long day tomorrow, and he knew it. At least he would be alert in the morning, and then he’d be able to move onwards to Frostpoint faster.

Aegeas listened to the conversation of his allies, who had finished establishing the camp and were all preparing to sleep, just as he was. It was nice to know that, among a group he was not acquainted with, there was one familiar face - Absol. The voice of the old warrior rang through his mind, bringing back scores of memories of his past adventures. Aegeas was happy to see him once more; Absol had always been the voice of calm and order, and proved at that time that he had not changed much since Aegeas had last seen him. Despite this, Aegeas didn’t feel the ability to talk with him. What would he say? What could he say? It had been so long since they’d seen each other, and Aegeas had now idea to how to start a conversation with Absol. So he did not. He simply looked at his past memories, recollecting those wonderful times. Those times when he had learned new things, made friends, and was happy. They clashed with the tragic times. The times when friends betrayed him, he felt useless, and when the world seemed to fall apart around him. They clashed in this perpetual war inside his mind, making him more and more drowsy. Finally, sleep took over his senses.

His only hope was that nobody saw him cry that night.


Day A6, 11:02 P.M.

Traversing the mountains was a strenuous task, though less of a challenge than Aegeas had assumed. Xerneas informed the gathering, when they had finally reached the intersection between the desert and the mountains, of the identity of a mountain pass that they could access and use. Unlike before, where Aegeas had relied on his abilities to forge his own path through the mountains, he was calmly walking along a treacherous road towards the other side. On that other side would be their next destination, Frostpoint, as well as the Glacial Museum, where their object of interest lay. Now that his goal was near, Aegeas was eager. He led the group up the pass, traversing it with relative ease. He jumped over rocks and slid on the ice, moving rapidly along the mountain pass.

Fortunately, he was far enough away from Volcanion that the legend no longer pestered him with its speech. As such, Aegeas could enjoy the silence that overtook him and the surrounding landscape. He was then free to think without fear of something else reading his every thought, and that was a luxury he had desired for quite some time. He took advantage of this opportunity, pondering over all that he had experienced in the past day, and trying to preserve as many memories of the experience as he possibly could.

“There it is. Our next destination – Frostpoint.”

Aegeas, so caught up with his memories, had almost failed to realize that he was at the top of the pass. Hadn’t Xerneas reminded him of this, Aegeas would’ve likely continued running along the path, which became far steeper than it had before. Aegeas, as a result, stopped suddenly. He was surprised by the sudden realization of his position, but the surprise was easy to hide in the midst of the foggy weather. He quickly regained his composure as he observed the snowy expanse that lay in front of him. He relaxed. His destination was a ways away, but it was certainly visible.

The first portion of his journey was complete. Would the next be harder? Only time would tell…

Frost: Day A5

Frost walked the cavernous halls of Mt. Icewind. Having virtually nothing to do but wait, Frost had become inevitably bored. He sent out a psychic pulse. The pulse outlined a figure, about as tall as himself a few yards behind. Frost turned inhumanly fast, trying to catch the illusive shadow, but it was gone. Frost grumbled softly to himself. The figure had been following him on his walks for days now. On any other occasion of a trespasser Frost would have either killed or apprehended the mon, but no matter what he did, he could not catch this one, besides, it hadn't caused any problems.....yet. Ignoring the trespasser, Frost continued down the hall, it had been far to long since he'd been outside.

The top of Mt Icewind. Wind ruffled his cloak and snow flew around him. The view was mostly obscured, Frost doubted their was visibility at any time, but that suited Frost just fine. He felt obscured, alone, in his own world. A disturbance came from behind him. Frost whipped around to find.....what was that? It looked like a ghost with two purple eyes, a small yellow tail, and, Frost stopped, its mouth was a zipper. He couldn't help but shiver, it reminded him to much about his past...his real self. Frost stared at it for a time before asking,

"How did you get up here?" The silent figure gestured with one arm to a trapdoor a few feet below, that's when Frost noticed the sword. The mon had a blade strapped to its back, as he looked at it, it seemed to writhe and undulate as if it were alive. The mon glanced at its back, then at Frost, its eyes twinkling. It unsheathed its sword. The blade was alive, as soon as it was off the mon's back it twisted, forming the word Banette, the Banette pointed at himself. Frost snapped out of his shock, this was just a pokemon, like everyone else.

"You are under arrest for trespassing." The Banette smiled, then pointed to Frost.

"No, i'm not...." Frost stopped. The Banette was gone. Frost looked up into the gray wind above, wishing for a reason.

Twinkiel - Devil's Lamb vs Envoy of Fright

Day A5, 1:00 PM

Dear Darius,

...Or should I call you "Darius the Cacturne?" "Mr.Cacturne"? Or... "The Envoy of Fright", as MAAAAAAAAANY locals in Sandveil like to nickname you?
Eh, I guess it can't be worse than "Devil's Lamb". I hope you didn't come up with that nickname for me, 'cause if you did... Well thanks, it's badass, but... Maybe a bit excessive. I'm really not THAT cruel. Really, I'm not. Don't believe everything said on papers. I mean you have yourself as an example after all, haha.
Ahem. Movin' on.
Hi! I'm Nobody McRandom, AKA the... "Psycho Lightening" - seriously who came up with that one -, or Devil's Lamb, my favorite of the two. Now, the reason of me sending you this letter is 'cause I wanna destroy your smartass and eat your spiky Cacturne hat fight you as honourably as a criminal such as I can, and that would be by sending you a challenge. Which, as you've guessed, is the point of this whole thing you're readin'. You can come alone or with some friends of yours, but beware, 'cause the more friends you bring with you to the meeting place, the more chance you'll have of me gettin' away and brag about how the Envoy of Fright wasn't able to catch a dangerous guy who basically handed himself to him on a silver plate.
That MIGHT POTENTIALLY tarnish your image for a while and destroy your credibility for future jobs.
Plus, I can brag REALLY loudly.
I'll be at the edge of Sandveil, waiting on a random sand dun. A tall one. But don't worry, you'll see me. An electric lamb with pink fur is really, really hard to miss.

With utmost respect and many laughs,

Nobody McRandom/Devil's Lamb


POST DISCLAIMER: The names used in this message may be altered from reality or entirely modified. Proceed with doubts.

Twinkiel chuckled to himself and put the copy of the letter he had sent to his newest challenger back into his shoulder bag before sitting down on the sand, legs crossed. Learning how to write in this world had definitely been one of the best decisions of his life.

“So instead of re-reading this useless copy of a letter you've sent”, a voice said, interrupting Twinkiel's train of thoughts, “can't you finally tell me what happened to the zombie prostitute in your song?”

The Flaaffy looked down at his shadow: the familiar red eyes and grin of a Gengar were drawn on it.

“Hey! It's not a useless copy, it's important to keep track of one's writings! And I'd probably accept finishing the song for ya, Plasmi, but the thing is, we're not on a date.”

“We totally are.”

“No, we're on a mission!”

“Which is a date.”

“No it's not! We're supposed to wait for Darius, and while we fight him and whatever friend he brought with him, Zulu and Fleedjio infiltrate his base, wreck havoc in it and liberate the prisoners!”

“Yes, and then they come and get us. In the meantime, we're stuck together for a while. Definitely a date.”

Twinkiel let out an exasperated sigh. “...Sometimes I really wonder if I'm really crazier than everyone.” The Gengar giggled softly. “Oh you definitely are, that's why dating you is so fun!”

“We're not…! GAH!”

“And you're frustrated. You know what would cheer you up? A BIG, friendly hug!”

The Flaaffy blushed violently, remembering how addicted he was to the spectre's presence. “B-B-BACK OFF, FIEND.”

“I'm a really huggy person...”

“I n-n-not-t-t… I realize that!”

“You KNOW you love it.”

“I'm already taken!!”

"Not strongly enough, apparently."

"Give it time."

Plasmya frowned. “Where does that stutter… Oh wait, you'll have to tell me later, 'cause it looks like he's coming.”

Twinkiel retrieved his focus and scanned the area below him. A distant green figure wearing a scarf was indeed moving towards him, and apparently, it had brought a friend.

“N°303: Mawile. Able to Mega-Evolve. Type: Steel/Fairy. This Pokemon is much more dangerous from the rear than from the front. Indeed, its “ponytail” is in fact a deadly jaw.”

“Plasmya?”

“Yeah. Two vs two apparently. Should I…?”

“No, not yet. Let them come, then you can appear whenever you want.”

The Flaaffy closed his eyes and waited eagerly. Ohohoooooo, this was going to be righteous.

“So,” a voice called from down the dune, probably Darius'. “You're that Devil's Lamb guy, I guess.”

“Usually”, Twinkiel began in a solemn tone, opening his eyes, “Cacturnes such as yourself band together when they spot an easy prey in the desert. They'd then follow it 'til it stops, and then, well, only them knows what happens next. But you know, I always wondered...”

Twinkiel rose up, grinning sadistically as electricity began appearing around his body.

“...What would happen if what they found was not a prey, but a predator?”

Darius shrugged. “Dunno. I don't really hang out with other Cacturnes. As for me, I wouldn't really get worried. You think there are predators other than me in this desert? As if. Anything that's not part of my gang is a prey, and I don't care how crazy you are, you're no exception to the rule.”

“Maybe you are the main predator in this area,” was Twinkiel's swift reply, “but there are many more waitin' round the corner in the outside world!” The Cacturne shrugged again. “And you think I care? As if. They don't meddle in my affairs, and I get the money I need. Plus, you'll be added to my loot real soon. The rest is none of my business.”

Twinkiel's smile grew larger as he walked down towards Darius, electricity circling around his body.

“Au contraire, mon ami. More and more predators need to find new areas to find their satisfaction and loot. Soon, your little Area N will be flooded with new challengers willing to mess with you everyday, and some of them might be the very prey you had previously taken care of. The food chain's about to turn upside down, Darius! And I am an emissary of its imminent evolution!”



Twinkiel used Thunderbolt!
As the Flaaffy had expected, both Darius and his Mawile friend easily dodged the blast, carefully keeping an eye on his movements.

“Darius?” she inquired. “Dead or alive?”

“Well, alive, I guess, since we nee to prove we've got the bounty.”

“Wha?!” she pouted. “But you interrupted my hunting session for this guy! Can't I at least eat the body and leave you the head? That'll make a good proof.”

“Keela, we've been over this...”

Twinkiel nearly choked in place.

“...MAYDAY. DANGER. SHE WANTS TO FREAKIN' EAT US.”

“OH MY GOD, just like the Knaarens. Heck no.”

“I really wonder how you'll get my body if I cut off your jaw-for-hair first, Keela.”

The latter looked back at him, sheer fury in her eye.

“Shut the hell up, bug!” she shouted. “Nobody asked you to talk! Let's see if that fleece of yours gives you a better taste!”

“No thanks, I'll be fightin' the Cacturne over there. You try and get yourself a more… spectral meal!”

Plasmya chose this moment to literally come out of Twinkiel's shadow.

Plasmya used Thunderbolt!

The enemy Mawile was violently pushed aside by the surprise blast.

“And before you ask,” the Gengar said, “Hoopa taught me the move before I met Ariala. “Said it would always be "useful to have an unexpected shocking trick up your sleeve". Now, if you'll excuse me… I've got a crazy cannibal to deal with.”

“I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE A GHOST OR A SHEEP, I'M GONNA EAT YOU!!”

The Gengar shook her head before speedily floating towards her foe. Twinkiel looked at Darius, agape.

“She eats people?”

“Don't ask. Get used to it. I did.”

“...How is she a fairy type?!”

“Dunno either. But don't think you're any safer with me, though,” he added, his arm pointed towards Twinkiel. “I really need that bounty of yours.”

“You thought I didn't realize that?” the Flaaffy replied, smirking. “As if.” Darius frowned. “Yeah, no.”

Darius used Pin Missile!
Twinkiel used Cotton Guard!

The Flaaffy smiled once again as the dart-shaped bullets collided with his oversized fleece.

“Yeah, no,” was his sole comment as he also pointed his paw towards his enemy.

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt!
Darius dodged the attack with apparent ease.

“Congrats, Devil's Lamb: nobody else before you had gotten on my nerves this fast.”

Darius uses Pin Missile! Darius unleashed a Super Missile!

Instead of firing several pin missiles, the Cacturne charged his attack so that a bigger one would collide with Twinkiel. The latter ran towards his enemy and threw himself on the sand as the missile passed above his head.

Twinkiel used Charge Beam!

The Flaaffy fired the electric beam from his tail, to his enemy's surprise. The Cacturne was directly hit, and although it didn't do much damage, Twinkiel could already feel his power rising.

“Thanks! I'm glad I already unlocked an achievement this early in the level.”

“...What?” Twinkiel chuckled at this reaction. “Don't ask. Get used to it. I did!”

Darius sighed. “Is your memory just a way to remember people's words and use them against them?”

“That's definitely one of its numerous apps, but certainly not the one I spam the most.”

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! It turned into Enel Whip!

The whip-shaped electric attack would've swiped Darius had he not suddenly vanished before reappearing a few meters away from his previous position.

“Presence of a teleporting ability. Most certainly an item. Also, don't you usually scream your attacks?”

“Hm, must be that scarf of his. And no, ain't gonna do that here, he's too smart.”

“I see you can teleport! “Twinkiel shouted, dodging another wave of Pin Missiles. “That's cool, but I got a trick up my sleeve, too!”

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! It turned into EnelSpada! The Voltek Fleece was activated!

The Flaaffy unleashed a battle cry as the sword-shaped Thunderbolt appeared at the edge of his hand. Focusing the rest of his energy on his feet, the Flaaffy glided across the ground and hit Darius from the side. The Cacturne tried to keep his balance and attempted another Pin Missile, as the Flaaffy had expected.
Twinkiel used Charge Beam! It turned into EnelSpear! The Voltek Fleece was activated!
Not letting his enemy counterattack, Twinkiel continued with a point-blank ranged Charge Beam, which directly hit the enemy Cacturn's chest. But Darius teleported away the moment he hit the ground. Twinkiel aimed once again, but had no time to fire.
Darius used Sucker Punch!
A super fast Sucker Punch hit Twinkiel on the cheek, and it was his turn to fall on the sand.
Darius used Needle Arm!

“Wowwowow!”

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt!
Once again focusing the beam on his feet, the Flaaffy barely escaped the attack and managed to quickly rise up. Darius seemed… tired.
Darius used Nasty Plot!

“Nasty Plot. The user stimulates its brain by thinking bad thoughts. This sharply raises the user's Special Attack.”

“Thanks for the heads up, but I know this move!”

Twinkiel used Power Gem!

The rock-shaped energy spheres hit their focusing target, who expected to deal with a Thunderbolt. The Cacturne let out a painful cry before falling on the ground once again.

“Newsflash, plant-for-brain! I have more than just electric moves! And that one's effective against your type!”

“But not Super effective.”

“Details.”

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! The Voltek Fleece was activated!

“Finishing you off now, dude!” Twinkiel exclaimed upon reaching his opponent's side and putting a paw on his chest. “Enel Impact!”

Darius used Spiky Shield!

The sudden spikes that grew on Darius' skin forced Twinkiel to quickly fall back, which gave the Cacturne enough time to teleport away.

“Thought I was gonna let you do that, Devil's Lamb? As if.”

Darius used Needle Arm!
Twinkiel used Cotton Guard!

“No fists allowed, sir!”

“Then how about some more spikes?”

Darius used Pin missile! It turned into Super Missile!

Twinkiel rolled aside, barely avoiding the deadly projectile. Darius prepared a second one, but this time the Flaaffy was ready: a Charge Beam pulsed at the edge of his right arm, ready to counter Darius' shot. The two began a stare contest, awaiting a wrong move from the other.

“YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HEADS UUUUUUUUUUUP!”

Plasmya was suddenly thrown towards the two beam shooters, who gazed at her arrival, astonished.

“GET OVER HERE, GHOST, I'M NOT FINISHED YET!”

Plasmya looked at her electric partner, apparently concerned.

“Twink? Switch. NOW.” The lamb nodded. “Gotcha. Ready?”

Twinnkiel used Electric Terrain!
Plasmya used Sludge Bomb! It's Super Effective!

Darius' eyes widened as the huge, poisonous sphere motioned towards him. He barely had the time to fire his Super Needle before taking the blast head on. Twinkiel turned around and ran towards the rushing Mawile.

“GET THE HELL OUT, SHEEP!”

Keela used Iron Head! It's not really efective…
Twinkiel used Cotton Guard!
The Flaaffy unleashed a sadistic laugh right in front of Keela's face.

“I'm a lamb, you cannibal quim. Now stop eating bodies to try and fill your own, 'cause you'll always be empty anyway.” The Mawile's stare was almost oozing with hate. “You…! You're so–”

“ENEL SPEAR!”

Twinkiel used Charge Beam! Special Attack raised by 1!
The point blank-ranged beam hit Keela, who violently fell back. She immediately rose up from the ground and rushed again, screaming at the top of her lungs.
Keela used Play Rough!
The Mawile used her rear jaw as a spinning mace and directly hit Twinkiel with it. Relentless, she dragged him in the sand, punched him several times and placed herself on top of him, her opened rear jaw pointing towards the Flaaffy.

“And now,” she exclaimed with mad excitement, “let's see what the empty quim is gonna do to you!” Twinkiel smirked to himself. “Before you eat me, may I remind you that I'm a freakin' electric type?”

“I don't give a–”

“Enel Impact!”

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! It's a critical hit!
The shock prevented Keela from screaming out her pain: she fell on the ground, shaking.
Twinkiel used Charge Beam! Special Attack was raised by 1!
One last beam, and the Mawile was finally knocked out. Panting heavily, Twinkiel turned around, only to find Darius just as tired as he was, and an unconscious Clefable below him.

“Well darn it. Looks like I gotta end this on my own, huh.”

“Onward, Sir Sonic! Knight, of the Wind!”

Twinkiel imagined Darius as the boss, wearing with King Arthur's heavy armor and huge sword; he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.



“What's so funny?” The Cacturne asked with spite, panting.

“You, ridin' a horse in a metallic suit. Oh, and with a really really big sword. I dunno, that image of you just cracks me up.”

“This… This doesn't make ANY sense AT ALL. What kind of FREAK are you?!”

“What, 'cause you thought fighting me wouldn't put you at the edge of your sanity?” Twinkiel's white teeth shone in the desert as he continued “Heh! As if.”

The same oozing hate Twinkiel had witnessed in the eyes of Keela appeared in the Cacturne's stare as he prepared a Super Needle. The Flaaffy began walking around his opponent, his hand pulsing with electricity. Darius did the same. Then all of sudden, both Pokémons ran towards each other. They crossed passed without looking back and kept on dashing for a few more meters. At the same time, they stopped, turned back and aimed. As Twinkiel expected, Darius had vanished. Unable to guess the Cacturne's new location with enough speed, the Flaaffy released his shot in the air.
Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! The Voltek Fleece was activated!
Twinkiel moved far on his left, but the highly precise Super Missile hit his left arm.

“UP!”

“UP AND RIGHT!”

Twinkiel used Power Gem!

Twinkiel unleashed his shot upwards, in the opposite direction in which he moved, and a tired Darius was pummeled away by the rocks before falling on the ground once more. The Flaaffy let out several grunts of pain as he approached his defeated enemy.

“To your credit,” he said, charging a Thunderbolt with his good arm, “that hurts like hell, despite me not bleedin' out. Enel…!”

Darius used Sand Attack!

Two piles of sand blinded the Flaaffy, some of it entering through his mouth.

“MOVE!”

“NO TIME, NO ENERGY! I CAN SHOOT HIM!”

Twinkiel used Thunderbolt! It turned into Enel Impact! Darius used Pin Missile! It turned into Super Missile!

While Twinkiel's Thunderbolt hit its target, a dart-shaped projectile found its way through Twinkiel's defensive fleece and hit his chest, making the Pokemon fall on the ground.

“CRITICAL DAMAGE. GET UP.”

Twinkiel laughed out loud, coughing in the process.

“Oh no,” he exclaimed. “Not a... Charged Shot...!”

“Still… Not making… Any sense...”

Twinkiel tried his best to ignore the pain and looked up. The shadowy figure of a badly wounded Cacturne appeared in front of him. He was on his knees and didn't seem to be able to get up.

“That's probably 'cause you don't know who Vile is. But hey, can you see all of me, Envoy of Fright?” The Flaaffy whispered with pain. “'Cause as long as you can't, then of course I don't make sense to ya.”

“Yeah? Well go say all of that to the New Order. I just want your bounty, and that's exactly what I'm gonna get.” Twinkiel frowned. 'The New Order? You work for them?”

“They surrounded the area we're fightin' in. No matter the outcome of this fight we just had, they would've come anyway.”

Twinkiel laughed again. “Haha, see? Looks like your mind's not so different than mine. It looks like we both cheated to keep ourselves alive.” Darius frowned. “What are you–”

“Your base is currently bein' attacked. By two dragon friends of mine. We needed to lure you and at least one of your comrades out to wreck havoc in it and liberate the prisoners you had. My job was to buy them some time, and that's exactly what happened. Thanks for participating in their success, by the way, hahaha...”

Twinkiel kept on laughing, unable to control himself as Darius' arm slowly motioned towards his head. Twinkiel's valid arm also motioned towards Darius' head, weakling pulsing with the last amounts of electric energy he had left.

“If you dare shoot that last missile,” Twinkiel said in between two chuckles, “I'll drag you to hell with me. But you know, it's not so bad! A friend of mine went to hell once, and according to him, the only bad things about it were those two German demons trying to wrestle him, uhuhuhuhahahahahahaha!!”

Darius' breath quickened, his rage slowly getting the best of him. But he didn't have the time to let it out: a pair of red wings appeared above him, and its owner landed brutally on the ground.

“Hey guys, how did the mission go?” Twinkiel greeted his friends, coughing because of the cloud of sand caused by Fleedjio's arrival.

“No time to explain! There's a whole troop of New Order soldiers back there, and they're moving fast! I nee to get you and Ariala out of here! C'mon!”

“Wait! Take me to my shoulder bag first!”

“I'll just take it on the way! Let's move!”

Joining word with action, the dragon threw Twinkiel, his shoulder bag and Ariala on his back before extending his wings.

“Hey Darius?” The Flaaffy shouted. “Next time, one vs one, no partner interruption! We'll see if you can get my bounty! Smell ya later, Envoy of Fright!”

And with that, Twinkiel Thunderfleece escaped his fate, instantly falling asleep on the back of his dragon friend, a satisfied smile painted on the face.

"We lost, didn't we."

"I said it to Yello before, and I still think it. We can't win everyday."

"He wasn't even a New Order executive. He was a mercenary. We won a war , struggled against several legendaries, yet we couldn't beat him.

"Let's just rest for now. He was strong and experienced, but we still managed to bring him to his knees. Literally. Once we master Silvaya's Aura Burst skill, we'll be fine."

"...No Johns after a Smash match..."

"LET ME ENJOY MY HAPPY ENDING, DARN IT."

Day A5 1:00 P.M.

The plan sounded simple enough. Twinkiel would lure away the big scary slaver boss, and Zulu and Fleedjio would free the prisoners.
But if it was so easy, why was he feeling so anxious?

“Why couldn’t Ariala come with us?” Zulu thought anxiously.
Just him and Fleedjio against a bunch of this Darius guy’s lackeys? He hoped Fleedjio was as strong as he looked…

“It’s running out. Send me another one.” Fleedjio said as he and Zulu flew in the direction Darius’s hideout was supposed to be.

“Got it.” Zulu affirmed, launching a Tailwind at the Salamence. It burst against him, powering up his flight speed. Zulu was powered up as well with Tailwind, the two making swift progress across the desert. The move used a surprisingly little amount of energy for its helpful effect.

“Alright, there should only be three others there, if that information Twinkiel sneaseled out of that bounty hunter is anything to go by.”

Sneaseled? That was a new one. Then again, this place didn’t have any weasels…
“Alright, I can handle it.” Zulu said timidly.

“Ok, seriously? If you don’t think you can handle it, don’t try and tell me otherwise. I need to know if I can count on you for this fight.” Fleedjio said, catching the uncertain tone.

“Fine, to be honest, I’m not that confident. I can’t get Dragon Pulse to work, so the only thing I’ve really got offensively is Air Cutter and Bite, and I’m not looking forward to sinking my teeth into another living thing.”

Fleedjio sighed in exasperation.
“Ok, let me help you out with this.” He eventually said.
“How many times have you managed to use Dragon Pulse?”

Zulu had no trouble remembering such a small number.
“Twice.” He responded.

“And what did both times have in common?”

Zulu almost said that he remembered some stuff from when he was human, but when he’d fought the Water Guardian, that hadn’t been the case.
“Well, both times I felt very angry.” Zulu said.

“Bingo. That’s the ticket.” Fleedjio said, a faint smile on his snout.
“Us Dragon types are extremely irritable by nature.”

“You’re telling me.” Zulu thought.

“Our attacks draw from the frustration, stress, and anger felt during battle. It’s drawing on those emotions that’s key though.”

“And… how do I do that?” Zulu asked.

“I don’t know. It just comes naturally to me.” Fleedjio responded, somehow managing to shrug while flying.
“You’ve been able to do it at least twice, with some pretty cool results. You held up a Dragon Pulse for a good forty seconds on only your second try. That’s quite some potential you’ve got inside that tiny little body of yours.”

“Um… thanks?” Zulu said, not sure if that was a compliment or an insult.

“But here’s hoping you can figure out how to channel those emotions in the next couple minutes. We’ve got one heck of a fight coming up.”

~~~~~

Zulu’s first thought when the hideout came into view was “This is a hideout?”
It wasn’t the most hidden place around that was for sure. The entrance was a massive hole blasted into the side of a short mountain, clearly visible from this distance.

“Let’s hope that Darius guy got Twinkiel’s letter, and didn’t toss it out as insane rambling.” Fleedjio remarked, banking sharply to the left, giving the front of the mountain a wide berth.
“No need to let them know we’re coming. Frankly, I’m good with getting as many people out as possible without them realizing.”

“So how many prisoners are we talking here?” Zulu asked.

“Who knows. I’ll just free em as I see em.”

Zulu really hoped they wouldn’t have to deal with three hundred or so. Unless the stronger ones could help out after he freed them.

“We’ll land just out of view, then work our way over to the entrance. Then we’ll take out any guards we see, and free the prisoners.”

Zulu nodded on confirmation. Twinkiel had explained as much when he’d gone over the plan.

The two dragons banked back towards the mountain, now out of view of anyone that might have been on guard at the entrance. The duo landed on the mountainside, digging their claws into the rock to hold themselves in place. Fleedjio nodded at Zulu before beginning to shuffle across the stone towards the entryway. Zulu kept his ears open as they neared the entrance, but he couldn’t hear anything just yet.

“Zulu.” Fleedjio called quietly.
“You take a look in. You’re smaller.”

Zulu nodded in confirmation, releasing his grip on the stones of the mountain before flying upward until he was above the entrance, hanging upside down from the top of the entrance. Hopefully he was small enough not to be noticed. His vision quickly adjusted to the hideout’s interior, and what he saw sickened him. Stacks of cages lined the interior of the spacious cavern that made up most of the hideout, about 90% of them containing a Pokémon. As Zulu’s vision further adjusted, he saw an odd purple glow lining each of the cages, clearly visible in the semi-dark space. He couldn’t see what was causing it though. On the bright side, there wasn’t a guard in sight.
With his analysis complete, Zulu flapped back over to Fleedjio, who was struggling to hold onto the side of the mountain with his stubby legs.

“It’s all clear. I didn’t see anyone there not in a cage.” The Noibat informed.

“Really? Wow, I guess he took the whole crew out to fight Twinkiel.” Fleedjio sighed in relief.
“Come on, we don’t have much time. As wildly and unpredictably strong as Twinkiel is, I’m not sure how long he and Ariala can last against four seasoned fighters.”

Fleedjio let go of the wall, directing himself through the hideout entrance with Zulu trailing behind. Zulu say several pairs of eyes glisten in the sunlight as they looked at the newcomers, some wide with worry.

“Don’t worry, we’re here to help.” Zulu assured, moving towards one of the cages. It took him a while to remember the name of this particular Pokemon, but he eventually recognized it as an Umbreon.
“Um… do you know where the key is?” Zulu asked him, seeing the generic keyhole shape on the cage.

“No…” He said weakly, shaking his head. Zulu actually saw the glowing yellow rings on the Umbreon flicker. How long had he been here? Did he even get fed?

“Don’t worry. I’ll find it.” Zulu assured.

“Or, I could just blast it open. Stand back.” Fleedjio said, shooing Zulu aside with his claw. The Umbreon huddled as far back from the lock as he could as Fleedjio opened his mouth. Zulu saw an orange glow build up at the back of the Salamence’s throat, a stream of flames blasting out and bathing the cage lock. Zulu was a little concerned for the Umbreon, but the flames dissipated before they even had a chance to hit him. Soon the lock was glowing brightly from the heat, and Fleedjio smashed right through it with his foot. The Umbreon crawled out, smiling up at Fleedjio.

“Thanks.” He said, his legs shaking weakly as he walked.
“When I saw who it was that had captured me, I thought my life was over.”

“Why are you still here? I thought this Darius guy would send people off to Mt. Providence?” Zulu asked.

“Not the weak ones. Darius keeps them here longer to help them regain their strength so he can get more money for them.” The Umbreon said, his voice cracking every couple words.

“Sounds about right.” Fleedjio nodded.
“Look, are you strong enough to help us free the others?”

“No. I can’t fight. Not with this.” The Umbreon said, showing his back leg. A black manacle with an eerie purple glow was clamped around it.
“I don’t know what this is or where it came from, but these slavers have hundreds of them. They clamp them onto us, and our moves and abilities are nullified. And I don’t know how to get it off.” He said, glancing back at it.

“Dang. So much for getting the ones we free to help us out.” Fleedjio groaned.

“Zulu, I’ll keep freeing them the way I just did, you try and get that Dragon Pulse working and blast through the lock.”

The Umbreon laughed, but quickly stifled it.
“Sorry, but I thought you just told him to use Dragon Pulse.”

“Yeah, I did.” Fleedjio responded.

“But… he’s just a Noibat.”

“Don’t let his looks fool you. This kid is packing power.” Fleedjio said, flashing Zulu a grin.

“Not really a kid, if I’m 18…” Zulu thought to himself.

“Hey, I’m not really sure how old you are.”

“You said 17 that one time! And according to Cresselia, I’m now 18.”

“Since when has anything I’ve told you been reliable? For all I know, you’re a 5 year old. You’ve certainly got the courage of one.”

“Thanks…”

“Well… thank you again for the help.” The Umbreon said

“Hey, get me next!” A Machop shouted.

“No, me! I have three kids who I’ve been away from for a whole week!” A Leavanny yelled.

“Please, get me next! I’ll do anything!” A Roselia cried.

Soon the entire cave was filled with the pleas and offers of the caged Pokemon.

“Please, be quiet! Someone might hear!” Zulu begged, but no one could hear him.

“Everyone, shut up!” Fleedjio bellowed. At that, everyone got quiet.
“Thank you. Now, we’re going to get all of you out of here. We aren’t leaving any of you behind, but please just wait until we get to you.”

There was silence, followed by grumbles of agreement.

“Ok. Zulu, hop to it.”

Zulu took a step towards the next closest cage… and found himself sunk up to his neck in the ground.

“What the…!” Zulu exclaimed, struggling to free himself.

A cry of alarm from Fleedjio and the Umbreon revealed that the same had happened to them. Somehow, the ground beneath them had turned from completely solid stone to incredibly loose sand.

“A capital move, wouldn’t you agree?”

The three craned their next towards the voice. Standing at the entrance to the cave was a large Hippo Pokemon, a second one that looked like a Venus Fly Trap on its back. A Hippowdon and Carnivine. And they were both wearing New Order scarfs.

“Well, well. Thought we’d leave this place unguarded huh? If my boss were here, he’d probably say “As if”.”

The two chuckled at that, moving down the aisle of cages.

“A Noibat? I dare say could this be the very Noibat that has a bounty upon his head?” The Hippowdon questioned.

“I’d say the odds are pretty good.” The Carnivine responded.
“And since we’re the ones that caught him, that means we get the money.”

Fleedjio opened his maw and fired a Flamethrower at the duo. But before it could hit, a pillar of stone erupted out of the ground, taking the hit.

“Well, looks like this fellow isn’t too keen on a life in the Providence mines.” The Hippowdon’s voice tsked from behind the pillar.

“Eh, it’s not like he gets a say in the matter. Still, I think we need to subdue these guys before we do anything else.”

“Quite right Teemo.”

The loose sand the three were standing in began to shift, the three now sinking into it.

“How long is enough to send them into unconsciousness due to air deprivation?”

“How am I supposed to know? You’re the one with all the books.”

Zulu powered himself up with Tailwind, but not even that was enough to help him escape. He was the first to go under, his vision blackening and his lungs losing all availability of oxygen.

~~~~~


Samuel looked at his parents, wondering why they were so sad. It’s not like he’d never see them again. All his stuff was packed into cardboard boxes, while stuff like his bed and dresser had already been disassembled and packed into the moving van. But none of his parent’s stuff was packed…

“Mom? How come you guys are staying here?” Samuel asked. He had been kept in the dark about the whole thing, but he bet it had something to do with that day he’d been called into a courtroom and asked about he felt living there with his parents. He of course had said he was happy.

“Because you aren’t going to be gone long. This is just temporary. Soon, you’ll be living with us again.” Samuel’s mom promised him.

“But why do I have to live with Jack? He’s always making me sign stuff and go places to meet people I’ve never even seen before, but I’m always supposed to act SO EXCITED to meet them. I don’t really like him anymore.” Samuel grumbled.

“We don’t like him either, but like I said, this is only temporary. And once you’re back with us, you’ll never have to see him again. And remember, while you’re living with him, you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”

Samuel’s mom pulled him into a hug, which he gratefully returned.

As he walked outside, the man himself was waiting there in his truck.

“Hey there sport. Ready to get going?” Jack asked in that irritatingly perky tone of his.

“Yeah, I guess.” Samuel shrugged, walking past him and getting into the passenger seat of his truck.
Jack waved to Samuel’s parents, who didn’t wave back. As Jack drove off, Samuel had no idea that he would in fact never see his parents again…

~~~~~

“YAAAAGH!”

A beam of Draconian energy blasted out of Zulu’s hole, creating a massive hole in it while turning the remaining sand to glass which prevented it from refilling the hole. And out of the hole, Zulu zoomed upward.

“This is great! I’ve never been so alive!” Zulu thought. Except…

“What are you doing? How are you in control of my body?” Zulu thought in alarm.

“Our body, remember? I figured it’s time I take over control here for a bit. Just sit back and watch the show.” His “Other” self thought with glee.

“Blimey!” Cornelius Dudley III exclaimed as Zulu rocketed upward, spinning around to glare at the two slavers.

“It’s that little pipsqueak! Blast him!” Teemo ordered.

Without hesitation, Cornelius Dudley III opened his mouth wide, a Hyper Beam lancing out at Zulu. But Zulu countered with his own Dragon Pulse, the two attacks colliding and causing the signature explosion that usually happens when two beam based attacks collide. Cages on particularily tall stacks fell to the floor, the occupants groaning in pain as they were slammed against the ground.

Through the smoke of the explosion, Air Cutters the size of car wheels bombarded the duo. Teemo was thrown off his partners back, the attack having been devastating to him. But Dudley was more resilient, and managed to stand against it long enough to initiate a Rock Slide attack. With a stomp of his foot, chunks of the hideout’s ceiling began to fall above Zulu. Zulu quickly activated Tailwind, zooming out of the way of the stones. Luckily the occupants of the cages were well protected from the falling rocks, the only real harm being the dust that got in some of their eyes.

Not stopping with just avoiding the attack, Zulu zoomed at the fallen Teemo, his fangs open in a bite attack. Teemo recovered just in time to see the Noibat fly at his face, sinking his fangs into the top of Teemo’s head.

“Son of a!” Teemo cried out, his leafy arms swiping at Zulu in a futile attempt to dislodge him. He fired off razor leafs in all directions, hoping that even one of them might hit Zulu, but he mostly managed to hit Cornelius Dudley III, who was a much larger target.
Giving up on dislodging him, Teemo used Ingrain to root himself to the ground, attempting to heal himself of the damage being done.
“Get off!”

“Nogh a chance.” Zulu said through the plantlike feel of Teemo’s head.

“Stop it! You’ll kill him!”

“He’d do the same to you.”

Zulu was dislodged as he felt a rock slam into him from above, dazing him enough for Teemo to finally get him off.

“And here I thought Keela was the only meat eater in this area.” Cornelius Dudley III mused.
“But honestly, I would have expected no less from a Resistance Ruffian.”

Zulu groaned, pushing himself off the ground. His vision flashed red, much like how it had with Dragon Pulse the first time. Opening his mouth, Zulu unleashed the move at Cornelius Dudley III.

The Hippowdon made to counter with another Hyper Beam, but as the blast left his mouth, Zulu’s Dragon Pulse collided with it, causing yet another explosion. But this one was much closer to Cornelius Dudley III than the last one. The resulting explosion sent the large Hippowdon reeling, his eyes snapping shut. Temporarily blinded as he was, he was unable to do anything about the follow-up Dragon Pulse that hit him square on his nose. That attack resulted in his fainting, his eyes fluttering shut.
Zulu then turned to Teemo.
The Carnivine launched Razor Leaf after Razor Leaf at him, but Zulu shrugged off the attacks for the most part due to type advantage, turning to face the Carnivine.

“Pathetic.” Zulu scoffed, opening his mouth to launch a Dragon Pulse.

“You don’t need to do that! An Air Cutter will work just fine!” Zulu protested.

“Hey, you don’t hear me trying to back seat drive when you’re fighting. I got this.”

But before Zulu could launch the attack, Teemo was K.O.d by a simple stomp from the now freed Fleedjio, a sandy Umbreon resting on his back.
Zulu, managing to finally wrest control of his body from himself, fired the Dragon Pulse into the ground in front of him rather than at the Carnivine, watching the laser carve a deep hole. His chest heaved as he came off his adrenaline high, sinking onto his rear in a sitting position from exhaustion.

“Now that’s how a Dragon fights.” Fleedjio praised.
“You wiped the floor with those two. You didn’t even need me to help, though I probably wouldn’t have needed your help either. Those guys weren’t exactly a challenge.”

Zulu didn’t respond. What had just happened? His own self had taken control of his body? How did that even make sense?

“Hey, you ok?” Fleedjio asked in concern.

“Yeah… just really worn out from that.” He responded, standing.

Fleedjio gave Teemo a light kick to ensure he was down for now. As he did so, his body gave off a metallic rattle. Fleedjio looked down and saw a set of worn metal keys around the Carnivines neck worn just underneath his New Order Scarf.

“Well, now isn’t that convenient.” Fleedjio chuckled.
“Here are some keys Zulu. Try and see if they work on these cages.”

Nodding, Zulu waddled over to the unconscious Carnivine, removing the keys from the leather band that held them onto his neck.

With the keys clutched in his wings, Zulu and Fleedjio resumed freeing the others, the job only taking about five minutes of constant work before everyone was freed.
But it didn’t look like there was any way to remove the metal shackles around the Pokemon’s various limbs. They looked almost as if they had been welded on, yet they all only ever recalled having them put on by one of the slavers.

“Alright, everyone listen up!” Fleedjio called out, gaining the former prisoner’s attention.
“To the north of here, over the mountains, you’ll find the Shrine of Safety. The Legendries there will help you.”

“But that’s Resistance territory!” A Noctowl protested.
“What, are you thinking of conscripting us into your army or something?”

“Look pal. I’m just trying to find you someplace safe. If you want to wander around the desert with no means of attacking, be my guest. But if you want safety, I suggest you all go to the Shrine of Safety. Seriously, it’s right in the name of the place for Arceus’ sake.”

There was a lot of deliberation among the group as they discussed what would be best.

“I for one think that option is best.” A voice called out.

Everyone’s attention turned to an Altaria who had floated above the crowd.

“Look at those slavers. Look at what symbol they’re wearing. And they said themselves we were being sent to Mt. Providence, the primary military facility of our gracious New Order. They are working with them. It’s clear the New Order are not as righteous as they claim. I’m going to the Shrine of Safety to get exactly what is promised. Safety.” She said.
“Anyone with common sense should come too. With no means of attacking as of right now, Safety in numbers is crucial.”

There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd at this revelation.

“You should listen to that lady. She’s got a good brain in her.” Fleedjio said.

The Altaria flashed Fleedjio a thankful grin, to which he turned away, blushing. He looked down at Zulu.
“We might not have much time left. Darius will be back soon, not to mention whoever this third person is. We need to get these mon out of here.”

Zulu nodded in agreement. He flapped on top of Fleedjio’s head for a good vantage point.

“Everyone! Attention please! The chief slaver, that Darius guy, is going to be coming back any minute! If you’re going to the shrine of safety, you need to leave now!”

Zulu didn’t need to tell them twice. Mention of Darius was more than enough to get everyone moving towards the exit to the cave. The fliers held back on making a speedy getaway, knowing that the strength in numbers would be key. Some of the stronger ones went further back into the hideout, returning with glass gallons filled with water and crates of food for the trip. As Zulu and Fleedjio watched the great crowd wander off into the desert, the two dragons took flight.

“You did pretty good today Zulu. I never thought you were that strong.” Fleedjio complimented.

“Thanks.” Zulu smiled back.

“You’re only that powerful with me around.”

“I don’t want to hear from you for the next week.”

“Alright fine. Killjoy…”

~~~~~

About an hour later…

~~~~~

Keela watched Darius storm around the empty prisoner storage area in amusement as he kicked, blasted, and downright abused the empty cages and pieces of debris.

“You think you two could take down a Noibat, but could you? AS IF!” He shouted, slamming a needle arm into a chunk of rock, the stone shattering.
“Two bounties! Not one, but two bounties were right in front of our faces today! And no thanks to any of you, we lost them!”

“In all fairness, we were at a severe type disadvantage.” Cornelius Dudley III remarked as his Mincinno maid tended to his wounds, looking very worried about her clients health.

“Do I give a damn? As if…” He grumbled.

“And might I point out that you didn’t manage to capture that manic Flaafy either?” Keela pointed out.
“It wasn’t just my fault.”

“Shut it. I wasn’t talking to you.” Darius snapped.

“You are now.” Keela laughed as she pet her snarling head jaw.

“That Noibat sure lives up to his reputation as a torturer. He latched onto my head and wouldn’t let go…” Teemo groaned as he secured cloth around his head wound.

“Oh suck it up. Getting bitten isn’t that bad.” Keela waved off.
“I’ve seen it happen to people all the time. They don’t scream. Much…”
Keela stood, walking off.
“I swear if those guys messed with my room, there will be hell to pay.”

Darius watched her walk off, still fuming.
“I’ll never forget that Flaafy. That sadistic grin, that nonsense he kept shooting off. I’m going to get him, if it’s the last thing I do. No one gets away from Darius Caturn in the end.”

“Except the love of your life.” Teemo laughed, divulging into a fir of coughing.

“You think I’m still hung up on that gal? As if. She’s old news.”

“Your diary would state otherwise.” Cornelius Dudley III chuckled.

“First off, it’s a logbook, and second, if I ever catch either of you in my room, I’m shipping you off to Mt. Providence.”

The two went silent after that threat, knowing Darius was more than capable of following through on his word.
“Now, you’d better get rested up. You think I’m going to let you two laze around here while I’m off in the jungle nabbing snakes? As if.”

The end of days

Day Negative X



It was already nightfall by the time the Kangaskhan got off work at the inn. Being a widow with four kids, not working wasn’t an option for her. Luckily, her oldest was more than capable of watching the others. Clutching her coin purse close, she began her usual route back to her small house.

“Going somewhere?” A menacing, chittering voice asked.

The Kangaskhan spun around with a gasp, fist raised. Standing behind her, leaning against the wall of a building, was a Pinsir.

“Y-yes, as a matter of fact.” She responded, turning back around to hurry on her way. But then a Scizor stepped out in front of her from another alleyway, followed by an Ariados from the opposite one, surrounding her.

“How heavy is that coin of yours? 200, maybe 300 Poke`?” The Scizor asked.

“No, it’s got to be around 400.” The Ariados smirked, though his seemed halfhearted.

Panicked, the Kangaskhan shouted for help. Or she would have, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the Ariados fired a string shot at her face, completely cutting off her airways with the sticky material.

“Grab the money and run!” The Pinsir ordered to the Scizor.

“But she can’t breathe.” The Ariados objected in concern.

“Who cares.” The Scizor said nonchalantly, easily taking the bag of money from the suffocating Kangaskhan.

“Now run!”

The three turned to make their getaway, but before they could even make it five feet, they all froze. Not just the kind of freezing one does when they remember something important they forgot to do, but quite literally their bodies ceased to move.

“So injudicious…” A powerful voice said.
The Guardian levitated down from the sky, hand outstretched as he held the three would be bandits in place. He looked at the struggling Kangaskhan as she tried to pry the webbing off her face.

“Leave her. She is weak. She doesn’t deserve to live. If she didn’t have the power to survive, then that’s her problem.”

“But she has children. Imagine… ~sob~… the sadness they would experience if their mother died.”

“But imagine the fun you can have right now. Convince her you’re here to save her, then watch her hope fall as you do nothing. Perhaps even go pay her children a vis…"

“Enough. I will do what I am here to do. I will not deviate from my mission.”

The Guardian easily separated the webbing from the Kangaskhan’s muzzle with his telekinesis, tossing it aside. She gasped for air, looking around in confusion for her savior. Her eyes settled on the Guardian, widening slightly. He extended his hand, levitating the coin purse to her.

“Go. Return to your children. Tell no one of what you saw here.” He ordered.

“I-I will. Thank you. Thank you so much.” She said, still panting as she hurried away down the street, eventually vanishing from the Guardian’s sight.

“You waste your power on those undeserving of it.”

“By having more power than them, you’re entitled to use it to have your way with anyone you choose, and they can do nothing about it. Perhaps next time, you can swap someone’s arms with their legs…”

“But you’re supposed to protect people. The world is already such a sad place… do you want to add to it?”

Ignoring his split personalities, the Guardian advanced on the frozen criminals. Their eyes darted around in panic, unable to see the Guardian.

“Three innocents you’ve killed, Scizor.” The Guardian announced, moving on to the Pinsir.

“Nineteen innocents for you, Pinsir.”

Then he turned to the Ariados.
“But none for you, Ariados. And yet, you walk with these swine. And had I not intervened, you would have a death on your soul. That makes you equally worthy of the hell that awaits the three of you.”

The Ariados’ eyes widened in fear, looking as if he wanted to say something. But the Guardian ignored him, and a few seconds later, the four of them blinked away.

~~~~~

The Sneasel’s stomach growled. He looked at the vendor in the Sazandora market place, his cart absolutely loaded with berries. He wouldn’t miss three, would he? And if he didn’t eat soon, he would pass out, and who knows where he’d wake up. But what if he was caught? Was it worth a little food? Yes, it was. He was in trouble either way, but at least attempted thievery wasn’t punishable by death. As he took a step forward though, something suddenly appeared in front of him. One second there was nothing, then there was something. Simple as that. But that something seized the Sneasel by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

“You had it in your heart to steal.” The cloaked figure stated, keeping his grip loose enough to allow the Sneasel to talk.

“Please…. I’m so hungry…” He pleaded, his legs kicking.

“You’d resort to crime to feed such a base instinct? Foolish… mortal…”

The Sneasel stopped. For a second, it sounded like there were two distinct voices talking at once.

“He’s hungry. It’s your job to help him…”

“No! He’s weak. The reality of all worlds is survival of the fittest!”

The Guardian cried out, dropping the Sneasel. Wasting no time, he scurried away, vanishing amongst the crowd.

“What… is happening to me?” The Guardian questioned to no one in particular, his voice still having the strange sound.

“We’re evolving, regaining our human nature. The one that we locked away for so long. This state of thought is what makes us superior to others. It’s very essence is power. And that power is ours, and ours alone.”

“Mine?” The Guardian asked. He looked at his hand, igniting a small vortex of psychic energy.
“Yes… it was mine. It still is.”

“Oh yes. The human mind is capable of many things. Put that mind in a body like ours, and we can work wonders… and cruelties.”

“We could… ~sniffle~ … end suffering forever. We could finally be happy.”

“But first, we need more power. Take back from these mortals what their gods took from you! Take back the power of life, and use it to bring about the Legendries final deaths!”

The Guardian held his hand out in front of him, his Psychic saber forming.
“Sazandora is rife with those who don’t deserve their life. Capture them all, and we can begin the reclamation!”

The Guardian nodded. His eyes had been cleared for him. The plan he’d already begun would work, but it would need to be expanded. He would need more hearts. Whether of light or darkness was irrelevant.

~~~~~

The Sneasel panted, glancing behind him. He’d lost that psycho. But how had he known what he was planning? He was a dark type. He should have been immune to mind reading. Unless that guy knew Miracle Eye…
Gathering himself up, the Sneasel didn’t feel in the mood for trying to get some food. He’d just have to look through the garbage again.

“Hello.”

The Sneasel screamed at the sound of the familiar voice, spinning around and stumbling backwards at the same time. How had he found him? Sure enough, the cloaked figure was standing there, hand outstretched like a beggar asking for alms.

“Can you… spare some life?” The figure asked sorrowfully.
And without warning, he lunged forward, his arms shifting into something far more terrifying.

~~~~~

“Inquisitive remark?”

“My business is my own. I am only asking for one.”

“Purpose?”

“Simple healing. That is what the pods were designed for, is it not? If it’s money you desire, I assure you, I can obtain the necessary funds.”

“Item dismissal.” Registeel waved off.
“Request granted.”

“Thank you, Registeel.” The Guardian bowed.

~~~~~

The Guardian looked at the machine. It was the very one that had been used to bring Anzana back from the brink of death, making him something more than he had ever been. And now, he would use it to make himself something more. But as he stepped forward to retrieve the machine, he stopped. What he had planned would be considered unspeakable in the eyes of the other legendries. This was the point of no return. Was it… worth it?

“You lost your power because the others were weak, and they were afraid!”

“You watched too many die. You’re doing this for the ones who are still alive, who have nothing but sorrow to look forward too. Is that any life worth living?”

“Your plan is clever, and ingenious. To draw power from the very cause of suffering, punishing the punishers with a fate worse than death? It’s poetic justice. And when their screams finally stop, you’ll be able to fill the silence with the screams of the Legendries themselves.”

The Guardian reached his hand forward, coming into contact with the machine. And with a noise like a muffled vacuum, both the Guardian and the machine vanished in a teleport.

~~~~~

Palkia stood outside his shrine room in the Hall of Origins, two Legendries before him.

“Are you certain?” Palkia said gravely.

“Of course I am. Hundreds of disappearances, all linked to an elusive cloaked figure. They say he can teleport, taking whoever he finds with him. There is only one that dresses like that with that kind of power.” Zekrom accused.

“I can sense no falsities in these claims made by the mortals. They are, unfortunately, the truth.” Reshiram affirmed. But she didn’t seem happy about it.

“I’m not doing anything until this matter is brought before the council. Alakazam’s can teleport too, you know.” Palkia stated.

“But…”

“Zekrom, that’s enough.” Reshiram said.
“We’ll handle this the way it should be.”

Zekrom grunted, turning away and storming off. Reshiram followed behind him, giving Palkia an “I’m sorry” look.

Palkia sighed, turning and floating off. Mew would be needed to call a council as large as this one would be.
But he didn’t see the shimmer as the psychically bent light was released, revealing a cloaked figure who had listened in on the entire conversation.

~~~~~

Mew lay on the tip of Sharpedo Bluff, the full moon shining. After it had gained landmark status, Mew often visited here to pay her respects to the heroes who lay buried here. She remembered, it had been on one of these visits that she first met the Guardian. He’d just been a ball of multicolored goop. But how he’d changed since then. Even with his shaky past, he never hesitated to help others. Maybe he saw it as atonement for his mistakes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way I do for anyone before. He’s kind, and caring. He’s not afraid to put his life on the line for anyone. Even when faced with the possibility of losing his memories for good, he always pulls through. There’s no doubt about it, I love him. But, he’s a human. A little perverse, when I think about it.”

Mew chuckled to herself, curling up in the patch of tall grass. She always felt at home in tall grass for some reason. If she could, she’d spend her whole life just moving around in it.

“Mew…”

Mew opened her eyes, not having realized she had almost dozed off. Letting off a yawn, she floated upward, stretching.

“Hello Guardian. It’s been months since I last saw…”

When her gaze settled on the Guardian, she blushed a little. He’d shed his cloak completely.
“Well… that’s an interesting fashion choice. Finally decided to embrace your Pokémon side?”

“No. I’m human, first and foremost.” He said, a little harshly at that.

“Is something wrong? You look a little tense.” Mew commented.

The Guardian took a few steps forward, seeming incredibly skittish.
“Mew, tell me something. And be the utmost truthful. What do you think of me?”

The question caught Mew off guard. Her surprise was clearly evident.
“I… don’t know what you mean. You’re a great friend and ally. There’s not much more to say.” She said.

“I said the truth!” He shouted, his form half shifting between his bulkier one and his normal one.

“That is the truth!” Mew said, cowering a little.
“I thought you said you had that under control.”

“I do.” The Guardian said, shifting to normal.
“These others in my head bow to me. I can use them and their unique abilities to my advantage. After all, that’s what my kind is meant to do. Take advantage of every available resource until it no longer serves us, and then throw it away. Now answer the question.”

Mew shuddered. This was a side of the Guardian she’d never seen before.
“Alright. I won’t deny it.” Mew said, taking a deep breath.
“I have… had feelings for you.”

“Well which is it? Have, or had?” The Guardian asked, sounding menacing in his question.

“H-have.” Mew said, but now she wasn’t so sure. No, this was her Guardian. It was her job to protect him.
“Guardian, you should come with me. I’ll get you help. You won’t have to worry about those voices in your head anymore. They sound like they’re more trouble then they’re worth.”

The Guardian suddenly shifted into a form that was thin and lean.
“B-but I don’t want to go away. I don’t want to die…” He sobbed. And then he changed.

“You could try to get rid of us, but then you’d have to erase a lot of our memories. You’d mold us to be your perfect little puppet, wouldn’t you? But I’m not a puppet. I’m the puppeteer, and every mortal is mine to play with.”

“Stop it!” Mew shouted, directing her anger at these other personalities.
“What have you done with the Guardian?”

“I’m right here Mew.” He said, now normal again,
“This is what I always was. Human. You always have handpicked the best the human race had to offer, but I was an accident. I’m not the best.”
He sounded sad at this revelation, but that emotion quickly went away.
“Not even I’m certain how I ended up here, but I know why. To protect life. And I can do that by eliminating both it and death. Equilibrium, Mew. That is the answer. By destroying the very coin both sides reside on.”

“You’re going to destroy this world!?” Mew said, horrified.

“Matter cannot be created or destroyed. Even a rock blasted by every legendary doesn’t go away. It merely shatters, its particles drifting aimlessly until they someday become part of a mountain. But again, I’m not going to destroy it. I’m going to alter it. Remove the very laws that bind the life here. Everyone will ascend to veritable godhood, and it will all be over. No more death, no more life. No more pain, no more loss. Equilibrium. Stability. Homeostasis.”

Mew couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He sounded almost exactly like Giratina. She had to warn Palkia. No, she had to warn Arceus.

“Guardian, please. Let me help you.”

“But I need not any help. I’m the one giving help.” He said, as if it were obvious.
“And you alone will be there to watch it all happen. You’re the only one deserving to keep your life. Because I need you, Mew. Once we fix this world, we’ll move onto the next. We’ll journey across time and space together, righting the wrongs. And with all worlds equal, surely they can all become one. No more borders, no more boundaries. Does it not sound incredible?”

Mew felt sick to her stomach at hearing all this.
“Guardian, I can’t do this. And neither can you.”

“You’re… abandoning me?” The Guardian asked, clutching the rounded purple crystal in his chest.

“I can’t condone this Guardian, and you know it. I’m sworn to protect life, even if it is brief in mortals.” She said resignedly.
“Please, don’t do this. Don’t be the thing the other Legendries thought you were. Don’t be Deoxys.”

The Guardian, or rather, Deoxys, seemed to sigh.
“It seems you’ve made your allegiance to me clear. You’ve chosen your side.”



He raised his hand, his form shifting so his hands became duel tentacles.
“The wrong one.”

A Shadow Ball lanced out of his chest at incredible speed. Mew just barely had enough time to bring up a protect to intercept the attack. But what she saw after the shadowy smoke faded chilled her. Her protect had been cracked by the attack’s sheer power.

“You… you attacked me.” She breathed, not believing this was happening.
The Guardian just looked at her, the eyes behind his mask-like face blank and emotionless. Terrified, the small pink cat tried to teleport away. But… she couldn’t. She could feel a presence surrounding her, keeping her on this plane of existence. It was the guardian.

“I cannot allow you to inform the Legendries of this Mew. But I promise, I will keep your soul safe. You won’t ever have to go through the pain of having a physical body again.”

Mew screamed, surrounding herself in a bubble as she began to float out to sea, hoping she could outrun the Guardian. But she didn’t stand a chance.

The Guardian’s body shifted into the incredibly sleek and aerodynamic version of its default appearance. At incredible speed, the Guardian launched himself at her fleeing form, closing the gap in not even a second. Mew cried out as her psychic bubble was destroyed, the pink cat falling towards the ocean. She caught herself at the last minute though, flipping around to see the Guardian’s form shift again. Now it was incredibly bulky, the two skinny tentacles of his speed form having shifted into four thick bands.

“Your power is pathetic! I can harness the power of rage itself against the world. Where does your power come from? From love!?”

The Guardian fired another shadow ball at Mew. This time, she was ready. She zoomed aside, rising up to face the Guardian.
No, not the Guardian. Deoxys.

“I won’t let you do this Deoxys. I’m going to stop you.” She said, though she really did sound pathetic. Tears were streaming down her face, and her entire body was shaking in fear.

“Ha! A candle that burns twice as bright only burns half as long. And as the brightest of the legendries, I’m certain your time is over!”

Deoxys fired not one, but five Shadow Balls at once, the attacks flying outward before homing in on Mew. She knew that if her shield had hardly been able to block one, five would be impossible. So, she retailiated quickly with five Shadow Balls of her own. As Ghost was super effective against ghost, the two attacks cancelled each other out. But no sooner had the shadowy smoke cleared, Deoxys blasted through the smog in his speed form, his two tentacles aglow. Rather than wielding a psychic blade like he normally did, his tentacles were now as lethal as those blades.

Not one for physical combat, Mew fired another Shadow Ball. But Deoxys easily avoided it and lashed out at Mew with his tentacles. She gave out a cry as one of them smacked across her stomach, leaving a large gash in it. Mew quickly sealed the wound, but felt the attack had done more internal damage than it had appeared.

“Mew please. Just die for me. I want what’s best for you. Why can’t you see that?” He cried.

Mew hated these personalities the Guardian had inside him. They messed with your head so much.

“No, you want what’s best for yourself.”

Deoxys shifted into the menacing attack form he possessed, cackling madly.

“But of course. That’s what humans do best after all. Look out for themselves, forget about others.”

“You’re wrong! Not all of them are like that!” Mew Protested.
“Remember Aegeas? Dusty? Anya? Remember all of them? Anya and Dusty saved you!”

“So? I’m human. That doesn’t matter to me.” He laughed, all four of his tentacles lighting up in energy.

Mew fired off a rapid barrage of Shadow Balls. She had to break his concentration so she could teleport away.
Deoxys had a tougher time of dodging these than before, but still managed to do so, closing the gap between the two for another melee attack. But Mew was ready, and fired the final super powered Shadow ball she’d been saving up into him. The Guardian cried out, losing grip on his normal form as he plummeted towards the ocean. Mew felt his teleportation blocking vanish, and she wasted no time in making her getaway, blinking out of existence.

The Guardian managed to recover before he hit the waves, looking up to where Mew had been. But she was now gone.

“Too bad. I was looking forward to putting these tentacles to good use.”

“Keep your perverse thoughts to yourself demon!” The Guardian mentally shouted at the more sadistic personality, Madness.

“She will go and tell the others. They will bring their power down on you. We must enact our plan now, before it’s too late!” Anger advised.

“She doesn’t like us anymore. She’s just mean. She deserves to die.” Sorrow sobbed.

The Guardian nodded. It was indeed time. Time to put to use the Five hundred and thirteen.

Day A6 1:30 p.m.

“There it is. Our next destination – Frostpoint.”

Ren gazed at the lonely expanse of snow. That was where they were going. It seemed indeed lonely, a perfect place for a New Order base. It was one of their traits after all.

"How long do you think it'd take to get there?" Ren thought aloud.

"At most? A day or two. That is of course if we are not plagued by bandits or worse. This part of the world is not under Volcanion's protection."

Ren raised an eyebrow. Volcanion? The name bought forth a red-ish...thing to say the least. Aegeas jumped, startled, but composed himself in the blink of an eye.

"Yes, I know of Volcanion and his...quirks. He kept us safe from the denizens of the Sazandora." Xerneas said, sounding slightly amused. The Dewott shook his head slightly and turned back to the mountain.

The group moved on, the same as they had before. Aegeas trudged forwards, leading Gabriel, then Absol, then Xerneas. The path led down the slope of the mountain, passing over narrows and flat plateaus and sheer drops that gaped up at them. All the while the sun set.

Ren was again confronted with his thoughts. They shouted at him, each begging for attention. Sighing angrily, he let the rage building up inside him out through his feet, singing the stony path.

Ren, Ren, why so sad, so angry? You don't need friends to feel complete, you've never needed them!"

"This is different." He muttered, drawing Gabriel's stare for a moment. The fox had sharp ears.

You never knew Frost anyway!

He just had to bring up Frost.

Go away.

He laughed slightly at himself. How pathetic.

Why are you even following these blundering fools? Leave! You don't need anyone.

Yeah, I don't need you. SHUTUP!

Then the argument ceased only to be replaced by another.

You're terrible, your horrid, you disgust everyone around you.

Leave me alone!

Your just a child at heart. Stop pretending!

I want to go back! Let me go back!

Then it to passed, leaving the Blaziken shivering. Was this fear? He hadn't felt fear in a long time. No, that wasn't right. He was always afraid.

"Do you mind?"

Ren looked up, readying himself for an attack, an escape.

Xerneas looked down it him, smiling slightly.

"Your heating up a bit."

Ren relaxed, realizing the snow around him was beginning to steam. He consciously made himself cooler.

"Sorry, I hadn't realized."

Xerneas simply leaned a bit closer and said in a lower voice.

"Its always good to talk about it."

Ren simply shook his head.

The god smiled reassuringly then turned back to the trail ahead. Eventually they managed to climb down below snow level. There were no trees, those that were there were long dead.



Day A6 12:30 a.m.

They made camp there. A nice smokeless fire provided by Ren's heat and Xerneas's magic.

They ate, and eventually slept. Aegeas walked off somewhere out of sight. Ren took first watch. He did not wish to sleep. Sleep only bought back the thoughts.

He watched the moon rise, the beautiful white orb ascending through the murky blackness. It was a beautiful night. No stars, yet bright, lit by the moon and snow. White. Ren, lacking any real talent with words, simply thought of it as white. And white was calming. He felt his muscles relax. They had been tensed all day. Consciously.

Eventually he heard the Dewott return and whispered to him.

"Its white."

Aegeas turned to look at Ren quizzically. Ren smiled sheepishly, something foreign to him.

"Sorry, not good with words." He mumbled. Aegeas just shrugged, amusement showing plainly on his face.

"Its fine. To be fair, it is quite white."

Aegeas walked over and stood next to the Blaziken, staring out to the horizon. They both sat in silence. Then,

"What do you know about Absol?"

The Dewott stiffened slightly, then answered,

"About as much as you do. Silent but deadly, calm and collected, reasonable."

"That's bull."

Aegeas glanced down at him, his smile gone.

"Its true."

Aegeas continued staring, then looked back up again.

"Your right."

Ren waited but no more cam from the Dewott. Eventually, Aegeas left Ren sitting there.

Somewhere inside him, a voice was crying for him to come back, for anyone to come back.